Letter from Chair Powell to Secretary Mnuchin regarding emergency lending facilities
Summary
A letter dated November 20, 2020 from Chair Powell of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to Secretary Mnuchin regarding emergency lending facilities. It says the facilities supported state and local governments, small and medium-sized businesses, and large employers, and unlocked trillions of dollars of private lending. It states that the CARES Act gives the Treasury Secretary sole authority to make certain investments in the facilities, and that Mnuchin indicated the limits on that authority do not permit new loans or asset purchases after December 31, 2020, and requested the return of excess capital. The letter says the unused funds will be returned and that non-CARES Act funds remain in the Exchange Stabilization Fund.
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“Letter from Chair Powell to Secretary Mnuchin regarding emergency lending facilities.”
Original at www.federalreserve.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/powell-letter-to-mnuchin-2020-11-20-0831e26685/
, SHA-256 33c28d50e511762cc8822cab7a16f884b7df06bbd736cb43ea80b6666688ade1.Full text
Letter from Chair Powell to Secretary Mnuchin regarding emergency lending facilities Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System — November 20, 2020 Source: https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/letter-from-chair-powell-to-secretary-mnuchin-20201120.htm Retrieved: 2026-06-22 (full text mirror) --- Dear Mr. Secretary, Like you, I am pleased with all that we have accomplished together this year. We rapidly put in place emergency lending facilities to support state and local governments, small and medium-sized businesses, and large employers. These were novel and complex programs that required us to work productively together. Our efforts helped to prevent severe disruptions in the financial system and unlocked trillions of dollars of private lending to households, businesses, and municipalities at a moment when the economy needed it most. The CARES Act assigns the Treasury Secretary sole authority to make certain investments in Federal Reserve emergency lending facilities, subject to limits specified in the statute. You have indicated that the limits on your authority do not permit the CARES Act facilities to make new loans or purchase new assets after December 31, 2020, and you have requested that we return Treasury's excess capital in the CARES Act facilities. We will work out arrangements with you for returning the unused portions of the funds allocated to the CARES Act facilities in connection with their year-end termination. As you noted in your letter, non-CARES Act funds remain in the Exchange Stabilization Fund and are, as always, available, to the extent permitted by law, to capitalize any Federal Reserve lending facilities that are needed to maintain financial stability and support the economy. --- Related primary documents: - Mnuchin letter to Powell (Nov. 19, 2020): https://www.federalreserve.gov/foia/files/mnuchin-letter-20201120.pdf - Board of Governors public statement disagreeing with the decision (Nov. 19, 2020), reported contemporaneously (e.g., Washington Post, Nov. 19, 2020).
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