“The Nuclear Option”

The Interview ·
Featuring Claudia Sahm and Pedro da Costa

Published on: April 29th, 2020 • Duration: 78 minutes

Claudia Sahm, Director of Macroeconomic Research at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, gives Pedro Da Costa an insider’s view of the Federal Reserve’s plans and goals. Drawing upon her experience as a former Fed Board Economist, Sahm analyzes the drastic measures the Fed is undertaking in order to shore up the American economy as it faces this unprecedented demand shock. Sahm and Da Costa explore the Fed’s reputation as having a cozy relationship with Wall Street with Sahm framing her analysis through the lens of the 2008 bailout, in which she saw the Fed bail out Wall Street, but not Main Street. Sahm then makes a spirited case for why the Fed should learn from its previous mistakes and go bigger than it ever has before. Filmed on April 23, 2020, over Skype.