Senate

Scott Bessent hails John Fetterman vote for Trump’s new Fed chief

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by Sophie Brams - 05/13/26 6:32 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 05/13/26 6:32 PM ET

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered indirect praise for Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Wednesday after the centrist Democrat broke party lines on a vote confirming Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair.

Bessent hailed Republican senators and Fetterman for putting “country before political ideology” in a post on the social platform X following the vote, though he did not mention the Pennsylvania lawmaker by name.

“Chairman Warsh will usher in a new day at an institution that is in need of accountability, sound policy guidance, and the renewed sense of purpose to help guide our economy,” the secretary wrote. “His chairmanship opens the door and lays the groundwork for every American family to build and grow in the world’s greatest economy.”

Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat to support Warsh’s nomination to succeed outgoing chair Jerome Powell, which had stalled over Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-N.C.) opposition to the Justice Department’s criminal probe against Powell. The final vote tally was 54-45.

The Pennsylvania Democrat has faced criticism from within his party for going against leadership on key votes, including repeatedly breaking with his colleagues over recent government shutdowns. He also sided with Republicans in voting to confirm former Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Okla.) nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Those decisions — coupled with his support for the joint U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and President Trump’s White House ballroom — have put Fetterman at odds with fellow Democrats, some of whom recently branded him as a “traitor” to the party and those who supported his campaign.

It has also prompted a quiet lobbying campaign from Senate Republicans and Trump, who are reportedly trying to persuade Fetterman to switch parties or become an independent ahead of the November midterms.

Fetterman has admitted that while he may not be “popular” among his colleagues, he has no interest in becoming a Republican.

“I’m a committed Democrat,” he told comedian Bill Maher on Friday, after saying he had noticed a shift in some of the Democratic Party’s “values” since taking office.

“I thought we were supposed to be a big tent party,” he added. “I’m not really sure how I have become an issue for any of the Democrats, just having some different views in these other issues.”

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