Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said she strongly opposes a legislative reform act of the central bank. In a letter Monday to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Yellen called the proposed law a "grave mistake," that would undermine Fed policy and the greater U.S. economy. "Unfortunately, the FORM Act attempts to increase transparency and accountability through misguided provisions that would expose the Federal Reserve to short-term political pressures," she said. "The bill would severely impair the Federal Reserve's ability to carry out its congressional mandate and would be a grave mistake, detrimental to the economy and the American people." The White House on Tuesday issued a veto threat for the bill because, it said, the proposal would politicize the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions.

The Fed Oversight Reform and Modernization Act (FORM) could cause "millions of Americans to suffer" and would "politicize monetary policy," Yellen said. The proposed law in Congress would require the central bank to tie interest rate policy to a mathematical rule. It could see a vote in the House this week. Under the type of policy rule envisioned by lawmakers, the Fed would commit to moving interest rates up or down depending on the readings of economic indicators like the jobless rate and inflation.