Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden today demanded answers from the White House about its interference with an independent report concluding that tariffs are harming businesses and consumers in Oregon and nationwide.
In a letter with eight Senate colleagues, Wyden demanded that White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett formally retract his suggestion that Federal Reserve staff be “disciplined” for producing data demonstrating the true cost of Trump’s tariffs.
“We are deeply troubled with your public suggestion on February 18, 2026, that Federal Reserve officials be disciplined for an evidence-based study which concluded that American consumers and businesses are bearing the economic burden of President Trump’s chaotic tariffs,” the senators wrote Director Hassett. “Your comments undermine the Federal Reserve’s independent research, call into question the integrity of its future data, and suggest the Trump Administration is more interested in prohibiting Americans from learning the cost of its tariff regime than meaningfully lowering costs for American families.”
Wyden and his Senate colleagues pressed the White House on the protection of career civil servants, the independence of the Federal Reserve, and whether the White House has interfered or pressured agencies responsible for publishing other economic data, like the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report.
“Demanding professional retribution against non-partisan staff is yet another example of the Trump Administration’s effort to take over the Federal Reserve, which generates uncertainty in the markets; distracts the Federal Reserve from its statutory mandate; and does nothing to address the affordability crisis,” continued the senators.
In addition to Wyden, the letter was led by Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The letter also was signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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