US Fed member Christopher Waller calls for December rate cut amid weakening labour market

The United States Federal Reserve Board member, Christopher Waller, called for more key benchmark interest rate cuts for the US economy amid a weakening labour market, reported the news agency Reuters on Friday, 31 October 2025.

Wallar emphasised that he knows that the inflation in the US economy will come down as he advocates for an interest rate cut in the Federal Reserve's December policy meeting.

“We know inflation is going to come back down, so this is why I'm still advocating that we cut policy rates in December, because that's what all the data is telling me to do,” said Waller. “The biggest concern we have right now is the labour market.”

Waller's comments come after Jerome Powell, in the US Fed's October policy outcome, said that the policymakers at the central bank have different opinions about the key interest rate trajectory.

Who is Christopher Waller?

Christopher Waller has been a member of the Board of Governors at the United States Federal Reserve since 18 December 2025, whose term is set to expire on 31 January 2030.

Before his appointment at the US Fed, Waller served as the executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since 2009, according to the data collected from the official website.

Waller holds a BS in Economics from Bemidji State University in Minnesota, United States, and an MA and a PhD from Washington State University.

What are other Fed members saying?

According to the agency report, other US Federal Reserve members had a different opinion on the Fed's rate cut trajectory. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said that there was no need to cut the interest rates this week and also highlighted that there will potentially not be any rate cuts in December unless there is data on falling inflation in the US economy.

“I did not see a need to cut rates this week,” Lorie Logan said, reported the news agency. “I'd find it difficult to cut rates again in December unless there is clear evidence that inflation will fall faster than expected or that the labour market will cool more rapidly.”

Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said that she is ‘neutral’ on the policy decision of the Federal Reserve's rate cut move.

“Given the move that we just made, I think we're right around my estimate of neutral: I think we're barely restrictive if at all,” said Hammack, cited by the news agency.

Both Hammack and Logan did not have a vote on the key policy decision of the Federal Reserve this year, but they opposed the cut implemented earlier this week.

Federal Reserve's October Policy Outcome

The Jerome Powell-led US Federal Reserve's FOMC decided to cut the key benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.75% to 4.00% as the central bank aims to keep analysing economic data for future rate cuts.

“In support of its goals and in light of the shift in the balance of risks, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-3/4 to 4 per cent,” said the FOMC in its statement.

Ten members voted in favour of the interest rate cut, while one other was seeking a 50 bps rate cut, and another wanted to keep it unchanged. The ratio of the FOMC's decision was at a 10:2 majority for the rate cut on 29 October 2025.