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The clash between President Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has now expanded beyond interest rates — and into a $2.5 billion building renovation at the Fed.

Some see waste.
Some see politics.
Most people just see a number that’s hard to comprehend.

In this episode, I take a middle-ground look at what’s really going on:

• Why large government construction projects almost always cost more than planned
• Why political egos inevitably get involved
• And why $2.5 billion still deserves serious public context and scrutiny

Using real-world comparisons — from stacks of dollar bills reaching into space, to thousands of apartments, to centuries of spending at $1,000 an hour — we reset the conversation around scale, transparency, and accountability, without turning it into a partisan fight.

Because when budgets get this big, math matters more than megaphones.

Key Topics Covered

Why billion-dollar numbers break our intuition
Construction overruns: normal, but not meaningless
How political power struggles complicate budget debates
The opportunity cost of multi-billion-dollar projects
Why public institutions owe the public real financial context

Who Should Listen

Credit union and bank leaders
Board members
Policy and compliance professionals
Anyone who wants less political theater and more financial reality

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