WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged when it meets Tuesday and Wednesday, but chair Kevin Warsh is under increasing pressure to hike rates soon, a move that could provoke ire from President Donald Trump, who appointed him.The Iran war has reignited, pushing oil and gas prices higher — a trend that will worsen inflation in the coming months. Soaring investment in the artificial intelligence buildout is raising the cost of laptops, smart phones and electricity. And price hikes from tariffs could be in the pipeline after Trump imposed new duties on dozens of U.S. trading partners.All those trends might lead to only temporary price increases, rather than a sustained burst of inflation similar to the spike in 2021-2022. Yet inflation, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, has topped its 2% target for more than five years, making it harder for the Fed to ignore price spikes, no matter how brief. Core inflation, which excludes the volatile energy and food categories, has risen since last December and has been stuck at around 3% or higher since 2023. Without noticeable progress soon, some Fed officials have said rate hikes will be needed. “Unfortunately, inflation does not appear to be headed sustainably back all the way to 2%,” Lorie Logan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said recently. “Modestly higher interest rates would better balance the outlook.” Logan is a voting member of the Fed’s rate-setting committee.
Will tough talk be enough? Fed Chair Warsh faces pressure to combat inflation
The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged when it meets Wednesday, but chair Kevin Warsh is under increasing pressure to hike rates soon, a move that could provoke ire from President Donald Trump, who appointed him.













