Kashkari Endorses Waller for Fed Chair, Questions Balance Sheet Shrinkage ↘️
On February 19, 2026, Neel Kashkari, the Minneapolis Fed President and a 2026 FOMC voting member, said Chris Waller is fully qualified to be the next Fed Chair. He’s a fan of Waller’s blunt takes on Fed policy and looks forward to more talks on it. Plus, he’s skeptical if the Fed can trim its balance sheet without major shifts.
It’s cool to see Fed folks publicly backing each other—it highlights the internal buzz around leadership picks. Waller’s known for being tough on inflation, so him in charge could mean stricter moves. That balance sheet doubt is legit though; after all the pandemic-era expansion, unwinding it smoothly sounds challenging without market hiccups. Props for the transparency, keeps things real.
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