Fed nominee Brainard: Fighting inflation is top priority

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lael Brainard, President Joe Biden’s nominee for the Federal Reserve’s No. 2 spot, said Thursday that combating high inflation is the Fed’s top priority and promised the Fed could bring it down without sacrificing job growth. Brainard’s elevation of inflation-fighting as the Fed’s top goal is notable given that she is, for now, the lone Democrat on the Fed’s board and is seen as more inclined to keeping interest rates low to boost employment than many other Fed officials are.