Two officials said Tuesday that interest rates may need to move to a higher level than anticipated to ensure inflation continues to ease.

The Federal Reserve will likely have to keep raising interest rates to rein in price growth, which could slow economic expansion and affect the jobs market, Governor Michelle Bowman said.

"We actually are increasing the odds — we can get a soft landing. That doesn't mean we're out of the woods," Harker said.

The central bank has raised rates aggressively for nearly a year, but experts believe the hiking cycle is nearly over.

Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams said forecasts officials submitted in December are still a good guide for where interest rates are headed this year and that policy may need to stay at restrictive levels for a few years to get inflation down.

"We think we are going to need to do further rate increases," Powell said Tuesday.

"We need to raise rates aggressively to put a ceiling on inflation, then let monetary policy work its way through the economy," Kashkari said.

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said January's strong jobs report raises the possibility that the central bank will need to increase interest rates to a higher peak than policymakers had previously expected.

Federal Reserve officials quietly tightened internal restrictions on employees' political activities after several reserve banks ran afoul of Congress over real or perceived engagement on issues within the domain of elected officials.

Analysts opine on the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, how high interest rates will go and when the first cut may happen.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard is a top contender to become the head of the White House's National Economic Council, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

The Federal Reserve's quantitative-tightening program risks being propelled toward an early end as U.S. politicians bicker in Washington over raising the national debt limit, according to some economists and bond market participants.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said the Federal Reserve has a long runway for its balance sheet reduction.

Kansas City Fed President Esther George said officials don't want to raise interest rates by so much that policy becomes overly restrictive and the economy can avoid a sharp downturn.

In a speech delivered Thursday afternoon, the Federal Reserve's vice chair said she does not see a wage-price spiral driving inflation, but rather a "price-price spiral."

To cool inflation, the Boston Fed president said, the central bank may need to keep raising rates and then holding them steady for a while.

"Selling prices increased at a modest or moderate pace in most districts, though many said that the pace of increases had slowed from that of recent reporting periods," the Fed said.

Bullard says Fed rates need to stay on tighter side in 2023

Powell, 69, received the positive test Wednesday and "is up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters," the Fed said in a statement, adding that he is working remotely while isolating at home.

"I expect that we will raise rates a few more times this year, though, to my mind, the days of us raising them 75 basis points at a time have surely passed," Harker said.