The Trump administration wants Kevin Warsh in place as the new central bank chair "as soon as possible," with the existing chief's term coming soon to an end, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday.
Warsh, a former Federal Reserve official, is President Donald Trump's choice to succeed Jerome Powell.
But his confirmation in the Senate faces challenges as a key lawmaker pushes back against Trump's attempt to control the independent institution.
"We want Kevin Warsh in as soon as possible," Bessent told reporters on the sidelines of an Institute of International Finance event in Washington.
The Fed and Chairman Powell are facing a Justice Department probe over renovation costs at its headquarters in Washington, sparking criticism of political pressure on the bank.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis -- who sits on the Senate Banking Committee -- has vowed to block Warsh's confirmation until the legal issue is resolved.
"I think we're going to let this play out," Bessent said Tuesday. "There's agreement for the hearings."
Bessent added that he believes Tillis "is a reasonable man" at the end of the day.
Asked if he has been in talks to drop the Justice Department investigation, Bessent said: "I don't control the DOJ probe."
But he maintained: "I am confident that (Warsh) will be the Fed chair."
Previously, a federal judge quashed subpoenas issued to the Fed as part of the Justice Department probe, with the court saying there was "a mountain of evidence" to suggest the investigation was a pressure tactic.