Michelle Bowman, who was appointed to the Fed’s board of governors by Donald Trump in 2018, is the second high-profile official to express support for a potential July cut in as many days.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, about 1 in 4 people with student loan accounts were more than 90 days behind on payments at the end of March.
Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year.
President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have said that inflation has steadily cooled and high borrowing costs are no longer needed to restrain price increases.
The Federal Reserve has again kept its interest rate at about 4.3%, as the central bank evaluates the impact of the Trump administration’s policies on the economy.
Fed officials have signaled interest rates may be on hold for some time amid uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s economic policies, particularly on trade.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the economy remains mostly healthy despite “elevated uncertainty.”
Wednesday’s data could strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to remain in an extended pause mode while the economy is strong and inflation remains elevated.
The Federal Reserve is prepared to keep its key interest rate unchanged for now as inflation remains elevated and the job market is solid, Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday.
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday after cutting it three times in a row last year, a sign of a more cautious approach as the Fed seeks to gauge where inflation is headed.
Fed officials have clearly signaled they expect to skip a rate hike, at least in January, to evaluate the job market and economy.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Capital One promoted 360 Savings as an account that provides one of nation’s highest interest rates, but froze its rate at a low level for at least several years, even as rates rose nationally.
The U.S. economy in December added the most jobs since March, capping a surprisingly strong year and supporting the case for a pause in Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.
Interest rates have been climbing since the Federal Reserve signaled last month that it expects to cut its benchmark rate just twice this year, down from the four cuts it forecast in September.
New quarterly projections suggest that consumers may not enjoy much lower rates next year for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of borrowing.
Even if inflation continued declining to the Fed’s 2% target, officials said, “it would likely be appropriate to move gradually” in lowering rates, according to minutes of the November 6-7 meeting.
After Powell’s cautious remarks Thursday, traders estimated the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December at just below 59%, down from 83% a day earlier.
The rate cut signals that Fed officials are paying more attention to warnings in the economy, including the slowing job market.
The Fed’s move to start cutting rates has not sent mortgage costs down. Instead, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has ticked up for the last five weeks.
The ongoing decline in inflation makes it even more likely that the Federal Reserve will cut its key benchmark rate further in the coming months.
