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A Florida congresswoman has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether perjury charges should be brought against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in connection to the cost overruns on the renovations being undertaken at the central bank’s headquartered in Washington, DC.

“I am criminally referring Jerome Powell to the DOJ to investigate perjury regarding his crazy $2.5BN building,” wrote Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) on her X page. Luna, a two-term representative, offered no evidence that backed her perjury accusation.

The Trump administration has been trying to use the cost overruns on the Fed headquarters as evidence of fraud that could be used to justify President Trump’s potential firing of Powell, with unsubstantiated claims that Powell lied before a congressional hearing about the nature of the renovations. The cost of the project has grown from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion – the Fed has released an online FAQ that detailed why the costs increased, citing issues including the remediation of environmental hazards such as asbestos.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte have demanded that they receive access to the Fed worksite. However, the Fed is not part of the Executive Branch and neither bureaucrat has the authority to inspect the ongoing work.