Jay Powell has mounted an increasingly forceful case for more fiscal stimulus in the US economy, sending a clear yet politically tricky message to Congress and the White House that the recovery could be in danger of faltering.
Mr Powell has been making some of the strongest arguments in favour of a deal, as Donald Trump’s administration and congressional Democrats try to forge a last ditch pre-electoral compromise to deliver a new economic rescue package worth about $2tn.
The Fed chair’s willingness to press openly for additional spending began several months ago, but it has taken on new importance as the US economy faces an inflection point.