Federal Reserve Considers Workforce Reduction Amid Political Pressure

In the spring of 2025, the Federal Reserve's 12 regional reserve bank presidents held a closed-door meeting in Philadelphia to discuss a potential workforce reduction of about 10%, reported The Washington Post via BlockBeats. This consideration came in response to the Trump administration's initiative to downsize the federal government.

Some regional presidents opposed the cuts, citing concerns that they could weaken the Federal Reserve's operational capabilities. After extensive discussions, the Fed leadership chose to partially comply with certain demands to reduce political pressure while protecting the central bank's independence.

In May 2025, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell issued an internal memo announcing plans to reduce the workforce by roughly 10% through the end of 2027, lowering employee numbers from around 24,000 to approximately 22,000.