Jerome Powell uses JFK award speech to warn against political pressure on Fed, courts and schools

BOSTON (AP) — Former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to defend independent institutions while accepting an award Sunday honoring his efforts to preserve the central bank’s independence.

Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library overlooking Boston Harbor, Powell called universities, courts, Congress and the central bank “the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy” and argued that the Fed’s independence was a “priceless asset” that must be protected.

It was one of his most direct defenses of Fed independence, warning that a single administration’s decision to remove bank officials over policy differences would open the way for future elected officials to follow suit, ultimately undermining the credibility that the Fed has spent decades building.

Powell, who frequently clashed with Trump during his eight years as chair, stepped down as his term expired in May. He was succeeded by Kevin Warsh, whom Trump selected to lead the central bank.

After stepping down as chair, Powell took the unusual step of keeping his seat on the Fed’s governing board, which he has until January 2028. By doing so, he has deprived the Trump administration of an opportunity to appoint another member of the board.

The Trump administration has also sought to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, which would open an additional seat on the rate-setting committee the president could fill. Yet Cook sued and the courts have so far let her keep her seat.

While Powell never mentioned Trump by name Sunday, he repeatedly returned to the importance of protecting institutions from political pressure and preserving public trust in their independence.

“Like many other institutions, the Fed has been undergoing a stress test," he said. “Congress wisely chose to insulate monetary policy decisions from political pressure. All other advanced economy nations have done the same.”

Since 1989, the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award has recognized public servants who make what the foundation describes as courageous decisions of conscience despite personal or professional consequences.

Previous recipients include former Presidents Barack Obama and George H. W. Bush, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former Vice President Mike Pence.

In March, the foundation said it was awarding Powell for protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve “despite years of personal attacks and threats from the highest levels of government.”

Trump harshly criticized Powell throughout his tenure as chair, frequently attacking the Fed’s interest-rate decisions and urging the central bank to cut borrowing costs more aggressively.

Beyond the Federal Reserve, Powell defended U.S. universities and research institutions, the Constitution, Congress and the court system.

“The United States has long been the leader of the world’s freedom-seeking people — the indispensable nation. Other countries know us as a nation built on integrity, and that integrity must be maintained,” he said.

In his remarks, Powell indirectly acknowledged mistakes as chair. The Fed is legally required to seek stable prices, but inflation surged amid the pandemic’s supply chain crunch. Many economists believe the central bank should have raised interest rates more quickly in response.

“At the Fed, we are, of course, human and thus imperfect,” Powell said. “When we make mistakes, we acknowledge them and change course.”

Powell was honored alongside residents of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, who received the award for what the Kennedy Foundation described as acts of courage during a federal immigration crackdown that led to thousands of arrests and the deaths of Minneapolis mother Renée Good and nurse Alex Pretti, both of whom were killed while observing or documenting enforcement activity.

“It’s wonderful just to be invited, honoring Renée,” Good’s father, Tim Granger, said as he entered the library with family members.

Kennedy’s only surviving child, Caroline Kennedy, and her son, Jack Schlossberg, said in a statement that without people like Powell and those in Minnesota “willing to put their lives on the line to hold America to its promises, our democracy can’t survive.”

Attendee U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor of Minnesota next year, reflected that the award was unusual because it recognized ordinary residents rather than elected officials.

“This didn’t go to an elected leader for a reason,” Klobuchar said. “It’s because the people stood up. They stood up by marching 50,000 strong. They stood by bringing kids they didn’t even know — strangers’ kids — to school, by bringing them groceries and they didn’t blink. And that’s what this award is about. It’s about courage.”

AP journalist Christopher Rugaber contributed from Washington.

Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy smiles during the Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, second from left, and her son Jack Schlossberg, left, present Natalie Ehret, Zena Stenvik, Carolina Ortiz and Imam Yusuf Abdulle (from left) the Profile in Courage Award during a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell, the former Federal Reserve chair, center, stands with former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, right, and her son Jack Schlossberg, as Powell's wife Elissa Leonard takes a picture at left, while being honored with the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Tim Ganger, left, father of Renee Good, arrives with his son Brent Ganger for the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell, the former Federal Reserve chair, right, arrives with his wife Elissa Leonard for the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, left, arrives with her husband Ed Schlossberg for the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Tim Ganger, right, father of Renee Good, arrives with his son Brent Ganger for the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell, the former Federal Reserve chair, center, arrives with his wife Elissa Leonard, left, for the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Sunday, May 31, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is slated to appear Tuesday in the Senate to answer questions about the agency's budget, at a time of intense scrutiny about how the Trump administration is carrying out immigration enforcement and preparing for the World Cup.

Mullin's appearance at the appropriations subcommittee on homeland security comes as the Senate is weighing legislation that would fund immigration enforcement agencies through the end of President Donald Trump’s term in a maneuver that would bypass the need for support from Democrats, who have demanded restraints before agreeing to fund the agencies.

But, the attempt to fund those two agencies for the long term has been stalled over separate Republican opposition to a $1.776 billion settlement fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been politically prosecuted.

Mullin, who was tapped by Trump to lead Homeland Security after his predecessor Kristi Noem was fired, is appearing in the Senate Tuesday for the first time since his confirmation hearing in March. On Wednesday, he'll testify in the House about the budget.

The hearing also comes at a time when Mullin, who projected himself as a steadying hand at a department wracked by instability during Noem's tenure, has set the travel industry on edge with threats to withdraw U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in so-called “sanctuary cities."

Such a move could upend international travel at a time when millions of visitors are gearing up to come to the U.S. for the World Cup.

Mullin said during a news conference Monday that if needed, he has a plan to pull CBP officers from airports to help with security at the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, where demonstrators have been protesting conditions inside. But he said the state is working to provide security there so it’s not needed right now.

New Jersey state police on Friday relieved federal immigration enforcement agents who had been facing off against protesters at the facility for days. The mayor of Newark Sunday also imposed a curfew around the center.

“As long as we continue to have this partnership with local and state law enforcement then there will be no need to do so,” Mullin told reporters during a news conference in Dallas Monday, in response to questions about whether he would be pulling CBP officers from airports.

Mullin can also expect to face questions over a recent announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that demands that most green card seekers apply for permanent residency from their home country, changing longstanding policy that allowed them to do so from the U.S. and prompting widespread confusion among immigration lawyers and their clients.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, listens as President Donald Trump speaks to the press after returning and stepping off Air Force One, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)