WASHINGTON — During a contentious hearing before federal lawmakers, Ben Bernanke defended the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates at record-low levels for the next three years.
The Fed chairman told the House Budget Committee on Thursday that the central bank’s plan is an appropriate step to combat high unemployment while inflation is stable.
Bernanke was challenged on the issue by the panel’s chairman, Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who said the Fed’s move would risk higher inflation and hurt growth.
“I think this policy runs the great risk of fueling asset bubbles, destabilizing prices and eventually eroding the value of the dollar,” Ryan told Bernanke. “The prospect of all three is adding to uncertainty and holding our economy back.”
Bernanke disagreed. He said prices have stabilized since spiking in early 2011 and the dollar has shown no signs of weakening.
Bernanke testified one week after the Fed signaled that a full recovery could take at least three more years. As a result, the Fed said it doesn’t plan to raise its benchmark interest rate from a record low before late 2014 at the earliest.
Bernanke didn’t stray far from remarks he made last week after the Fed’s policy meeting. He said the economy has shown improvement, but that the pace has been frustratingly slow. He noted that many threats remain, including Europe’s debt crisis and the nation’s rising debt.
“We still have a long way to go before the labor market can be said to be operating normally,” he said.
