Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, Fed Chair Jay Powell holds his post-FOMC press conference. The consensus is rates stay put — but the rate decision isn't what you should be watching. The real story is in the language.
In this episode, Mattie Duppler breaks down exactly what to listen for in Wednesday's statement and press conference, including how restrictive the Fed's inflation language has become since January, whether Powell breaks his discipline on commenting on fiscal policy, and what shifts in the dot plot could mean for every CBO score on Capitol Hill this year.
She also unpacks two key buzzwords — \"data dependent\" and the ghost of \"transitory\" — and explains why the Iran conflict, deteriorating jobs data, and a Core PCE print of 3.1% are making both phrases harder for the Fed to lean on.
If you work in government relations, legislative policy, appropriations, banking, or budget — or if you're just trying to understand what the Fed's next move means for interest rates, lending, and the economy — this is 12 minutes of context you'll want before the press conference starts.
Topics covered: Federal Reserve, FOMC, interest rates, federal funds rate, Jay Powell press conference, dot plot, CBO score, fiscal policy, monetary policy, inflation, Core PCE, Iran war economic impact, data dependent, transitory, rate cuts 2026, war supplemental, energy prices, employment data
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