A top Federal Reserve official said late Thursday that the central bank should cut its key interest rate later this month, carving out a different view than that of Chair Jerome Powell, who has been harshly criticized by the White House for delaying rate cuts.

Some investors had clung to a bit of hope that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates at its next meeting on July 30. Tuesday's report on inflation brought the chances of that down even further.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday said the agency’s renovation of its office complex in Washington complies with plans approved by a local commission, disputing a White House suggestion that they had violated the law by deviating from those plans.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in a Thursday letter countered criticisms leveled at the central bank by a top White House official over a $2.5 billion renovation project. “We take seriously the responsibility to be good stewards of public resources as we fulfill the duties given to us by Congress on behalf of the American people,