Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid said on Tuesday that current monetary policy is not restrictive enough and called for further tightening to bring inflation down to the Fed's 2% goal. Schmid said, "我的首要关切是通胀，...要将通胀降至美联储2%的目标，就需要采取更紧缩的政策。" He noted that the labor market remains generally balanced, allowing room for policy tightening without severe economic disruption [1, 2].

Fed Governor Lisa Cook stated on August 5 she is ready to support raising interest rates if inflation does not improve soon. She said, "通胀水平仍然过高，目前来看，我认为在美联储的双重使命中，通胀风险高于就业风险。因此，如果有必要，我已经做好采取行动、提高利率的准备。" Her remarks underscored concerns about persistent inflation pressures [3, 4].

Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson said on August 4 that while some inflation improvement is encouraging, inflation remains well above the 2% target. She said she remains open to further rate hikes or maintaining higher rates for longer to contain inflation, noting, "面对通膨仍明显高于联准会2%目标，她将对利率政策前景保持开放态度，包括必要时进一步升息。" [5, 4]

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari urged the Fed to start gradual rate hikes as soon as September to prevent inflation from becoming entrenched. He said, "目前利率的限制性可能不足，Fed应及早以渐进方式启动加息，避免通胀根深蒂固后被迫猛踩刹车。" [3, 4]

The Federal Open Market Committee on August 5 voted 9 to 3 to keep the federal funds rate range unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%. Three dissenting officials supported a rate hike due to inflation concerns. June's U.S. annualized inflation rate measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index remained elevated at 3.7%, nearly double the Fed's target [3, 5, 4].

While inflation and monetary policy remain a focus, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said ongoing negotiations with Iran may soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, potentially easing global oil prices. Bessent said, "我们今天或明天可能有机会达成协议，重新开放海峡，...我认为海峡将维持自由通行。" The Strait transports approximately 20 million barrels daily, or about 20% of global oil consumption [5, 2, 4]. However, Iranian officials deny direct negotiations with the United States on this matter [5, 2].

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh recently faced criticism for a perceived lack of clear forward guidance on policy, which some market participants say undermines trust in the Fed's commitment to inflation control [5].

The Fed will continue monitoring inflation and labor market data closely, with officials signaling the possibility of resuming rate hikes starting in September to keep inflation on track toward the 2% target.