1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing as a deeply concerned constituent regarding reports and rhetoric suggesting the Department of Justice could be used to pursue criminal action against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, or otherwise intimidate the Federal Reserve for political ends. Let me be blunt: using the DOJ to threaten, investigate, or prosecute the Chair of the Federal Reserve over monetary policy disagreements would be an unprecedented abuse of power and a direct assault on the independence of the Fed. That independence is not a technical detail—it is a cornerstone of U.S. economic stability and global trust in the dollar. The Federal Reserve was deliberately structured to be insulated from political retaliation precisely because short-term political incentives are incompatible with sound monetary policy. If any administration—present or future—signals that criminal prosecution is a tool to punish policy decisions it dislikes, markets will not wait for convictions or court rulings. The damage would be immediate: higher borrowing costs, shaken investor confidence, and a weakened dollar. Even the appearance that the DOJ is being weaponized against an independent central bank official should alarm every member of Congress, regardless of party. This is not about Jerome Powell as an individual. It is about whether the United States remains a country where economic governance is guided by law, expertise, and institutional norms—or by political vendettas. Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to act as a check here. I urge you to publicly affirm the independence of the Federal Reserve, oppose any politicized use of the Department of Justice, and make clear that retaliation against monetary policymakers is unacceptable in a democratic system. Silence in the face of this kind of threat is complicity. The long-term health of the U.S. economy depends on Congress drawing a firm line now.