After La Crosse visit, Minneapolis Fed president talks housing, tariffs, and immigration

Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, joined in the WIZM studio for La Crosse Talk, discussing inflation, tariffs, interest rates, immigration, the housing crisis — and whether he ever gets to go into the vault. Much of the conversation centered on housing and what role the Federal Reserve plays in addressing the crisis. Kashkari’s answer was simple: add supply. We also talked about tariffs, the workforce, and artificial intelligence — and how those factors are affecting business, especially small ones. On tariffs, Kashkari says his job is to speak plainly about their impact, noting that uncertainty around tariffs tends to drag the economy down. As for the workforce, he emphasized that immigration is key, and noted that local elected officials agree: the U.S. needs a functioning legal immigration system. Kashkari's stop at WIZM happened after both a roundtable discussion with large and small La Crosse area businesses and then a town hall at the Chamber of Commerce.  There are 12 Federal Reserve Banks in the U.S., and Kashkari says this one — the Ninth District — is fairly diverse, calling it a “mini U.S.” that represents a little of everything.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.