SECOND TERM. Photo taken on Nov. 22, 2021 shows the U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he intends to nominate Jerome Powell for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman and Lael Brainard as vice chair. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON - United States President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he intends to nominate Jerome Powell for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, and Lael Brainard as vice chair. "Chair Powell has provided steady leadership during an unprecedentedly challenging period, including the biggest economic downturn in modern history and attacks on the independence of the Federal Reserve," a White House statement said. The Republican Fed chair, whose four-year term expires in February, is backed by Republican lawmakers and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, but has drawn criticism and opposition from some progressive Democrats due to Fed officials' controversial stock tr