WASHINGTON — Jerome Powell, nominated by President Trump to lead the Federal Reserve, presented himself as a pragmatic moderate who would largely continue the Fed’s current policies at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday.

Powell, a Fed governor since 2012, defended the Fed’s approach to financial regulation. He told Democrats he saw no need for stronger rules, and he told Republicans he did not favor rolling back most existing ones, though he did endorse easing the burden on smaller banks.

Powell also pledged to continue the Fed’s current approach to monetary policy, by gradually raising interest rates so long as economic growth remains healthy. He stopped just short of confirming that the Fed intends to raise its benchmark rate in December, a move that is widely expected by investors.

“I think that the case for raising interest rates at our next meeting is coming together,’’ he said.

Powell, 64, is a lawyer by training and an investment banker by trade, with deep roots in the financial industry and the Republican Party. Since joining the Fed, he has voted in favor of every policy decision — monetary policy and regulatory policy — under the current chairwoman, Janet Yellen, and her predecessor, Ben Bernanke.

Trump nominated Powell to succeed Yellen, whose four-year term as Fed chairwoman ends in early February. The position is subject to Senate confirmation, but after Tuesday’s hearing, that appears increasingly like a formality.

“Governor Powell has proved he is qualified to lead the Fed,’’ Senator Mike Crapo, the Idaho Republican who chairs the committee, declared.

Some Democrats have indicated they might oppose the nomination. But, importantly, Powell drew little opposition from conservative Republicans who opposed both his nomination as a Fed governor in 2012 and his reappointment in 2014.

Trump said he was replacing Yellen because he wanted to appoint his own chairman. Powell pledged to resist any political pressure. He added that he had no reason to anticipate pressure from the White House. “Nothing in my conversations with anyone in the administration has given me any concern on that front,’’ he said. His plan, he said, is to make policy decisions “with a view solely to right answers.’’

The hearing was a relatively placid affair, with only a third of the seats in the hearing room occupied. Both Bernanke in 2010 and Yellen in 2014 were confirmed during periods of economic turmoil and sharp controversy about monetary and regulatory policy.

Powell spent much of the hearing avoiding questions about fiscal policy, including the tax legislation that currently commands most of the attention on Capitol Hill.

On regulation, Powell said that post-crisis changes have made the financial system stronger, but those regulations were unnecessarily uniform.

He said he favored reduced regulation of smaller banks.

“Tailoring of regulation is one of our most fundamental principles,’’ he said. “We want it to decrease in intensity and stringency as we move down’’ to smaller banks.

He said the Fed was taking “a fresh look’’ at those rules.

Powell’s stance creates some distance from the Trump administration, which has described bank regulations as an ineffective impediment to growth.

It also created some friction with Democrats, who see a continuing need for stronger regulations.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, asked if there were rules that should be strengthened. Powell said he favored stronger enforcement in some areas, but that he did not see a need for stronger rules. “I do think we’ve had eight years now of writing new rules and honestly I can’t think of a place now where we are lacking,’’ he said. “I think they’re tough enough.’’

Senators asked few questions about monetary policy, a tacit endorsement of the Fed’s success under Yellen. Unemployment has fallen to 4.1 percent, and inflation remains below 2 percent.

Some Republicans argue the Fed should have raised interest rates more quickly. Powell does not agree. “We’ve been patient in removing accommodation and I think that patience has served us well,’’ he said. He emphasized it’s important to drive inflation back up to the 2 percent the Fed sees as optimal. Inflation is on pace to fall short of that target a sixth straight year.