Atlanta Fed chief selection delay gives Warsh a say
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has resumed its search for a new president following the arrival of Kevin Warsh, allowing the new Fed chairman to have a say in the selection of a key official who will vote on interest rates in 2027. The search to replace former Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic, who stepped down at the end of February, was well underway in the spring but was put on hold after it became clear the process couldn’t be completed before Warsh was sworn into office in late May, according to people familiar with the matter. The process is also being eyed closely by key members of President Donald Trump’s economic policy team, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, according to people familiar with the matter. The delay in the selection process has raised questions among people inside and close to the central bank about the extent to which Trump administration officials may seek to influence the process. The White House and Treasury Department didn’t reply to a request for comment. The Fed declined to comment. The search has examined many candidates. Among those who’ve been interviewed were Rebecca Patterson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Marc Sumerlin, an economist who served as an economic policy adviser in the George W. Bush administration; and Michael Faulkender, a former deputy Treasury Secretary under Bessent, according to people familiar with the search. Those candidates either declined to comment or didn’t respond to requests for comment. The search for Bostic’s replacement comes as Trump and the White House have explored ways to reshape the makeup of the central bank. In August, Trump became the first US president to attempt to fire a sitting Fed governor when he moved to oust Lisa Cook over unproven allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook sued to stay in her job in a case that has made its way to the Supreme Court, which is expected to issue a ruling in the comi