Overview
- Christopher Phelan, President Trump's nominee to lead the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was sharply questioned by Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
- Warren asked whether headline inflation of about 4.2 percent was higher than annual wage growth of roughly 3.4 percent, and Phelan declined a direct answer, saying he did not have the figures, asserting that real wage growth is positive, and offering an awkward one-word reply of "at" when pressed.
- Video of the exchange was posted widely and prompted immediate criticism from Warren and commentators who said Phelan's non-responsive answers suggested he could not deliver straightforward, objective facts in the advisory role.
- The dispute matters because the CEA chair is expected to give clear, data-based advice and because inflation above nominal wage growth implies falling real wages for many families, a direct hardship for households that shapes economic policy debate.
- The confirmation process remains unresolved and the clip has increased public scrutiny of Phelan, which could influence senators' votes and the committee's next steps in the formal confirmation review.