By Trendsetter Tribune 
Amid DOJ threats against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Sen. Lisa Murkowski backs Sen. Thom Tillis’ plan to block Trump’s nominees, warning of risks to market stability.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski is taking a stand against an unprecedented power grab by President Donald Trump targeting the Federal Reserve.
On Monday, Murkowski publicly backed Republican Senator Thom Tillis’ plan to block Trump’s Fed nominees after the Justice Department issued subpoenas over the weekend against Fed Chair Jerome Powell—a move Powell called a “pretext” aimed at pressuring the central bank to align with Trump’s political agenda rather than independent economic judgment.
“The stakes are too high to look the other way: if the Federal Reserve loses its independence, the stability of our markets and the broader economy will suffer,” Murkowski wrote on X, directly challenging Trump’s attempts to politicize the U.S. central bank.
Political Pressure Meets Financial Power
Since returning to office last year, Trump has escalated public pressure on the Fed to cut interest rates, breaking with decades of practice meant to insulate the institution from political interference. The DOJ subpoenas, ostensibly tied to renovation cost overruns at Fed offices, are widely seen by critics as a coercive tactic to force economic policy in Trump’s favor.
Murkowski called the DOJ threat “nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” emphasizing that Congress must investigate the department if there is any legitimate concern over spending—while highlighting the extraordinary danger of using law enforcement as a weapon against independent financial institutions.
Republicans Breaking Ranks
Murkowski is one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump publicly. Her stance signals that even within his party, there are lawmakers who recognize the dangerous precedent being set: the weaponization of the Justice Department to influence the central bank, and by extension, the entire U.S. economy.
“Probing the Fed over renovation costs is not unusual,” she wrote, “but using that as leverage to manipulate monetary policy is a direct threat to our economic system and must be resisted.”
Why This Matters
The Fed’s independence is a cornerstone of U.S. economic stability. Any attempt to politicize its decisions risks market chaos, investor panic, and long-term harm to American households. Murkowski’s pushback is a rare stand for accountability in a political era increasingly defined by intimidation and arbitrary threats.
This episode underscores a growing concern: when the executive branch weaponizes legal tools against independent institutions, democracy itself is under siege.