Trump is urging the Fed to cut rates to save the U.S. government money on its interest payments affixed to the vast national debt. Yet the Fed has long resisted considering the government’s financing costs when making interest rate decisions, preferring instead to focus on the health of the economy and inflation.

Several top Fed officials have voiced support for cutting interest rates in the week after the central bank's latest policy decision.

The Fed chair told lawmakers that the central bank could afford to be patient amid uncertainty about how President Trump’s policies would affect the economy, even as divisions between officials emerged.