Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to face tough questioning during a reappointment hearing this week, and one senator already says he won't support another term for the Fed chief.

Vermont independent Bernie Sanders says Bernanke is "part of the problem" facing the U.S. economy.

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday to consider President Barack Obama's nomination of Bernanke. The Fed chief was first appointed by President George W. Bush.

Bernanke has been Fed chief during the worst economic decline since the Depression. He defended his actions in a column published Sunday in The Washington Post, saying the Fed played a major role in "arresting the crisis."

Sanders appeared Sunday on ABC's "This Week."