Sen. Tillis blocks Kevin Warsh Fed nomination over DOJ probe of Powell

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced on January 30, 2026, that he would block all Federal Reserve nominations until the DOJ ended its criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell over testimony about the Fed's headquarters renovation. Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, had the procedural power to deadlock the committee on Trump's nominee Kevin Warsh, preventing a floor vote. Tillis called Warsh a qualified nominee but said no reasonable person could construe Powell's congressional testimony as possessing criminal intent.