President Donald Trump’s economic team says it won’t be satisfied until Americans workers earn more — and aggressive tax cuts are essential for those fatter paychecks.
But with unemployment at its lowest rate since before the financial crisis, the world’s biggest economy may already be nearing top speed. That means a big fiscal boost resulting from tax changes could stoke inflation to levels that would prompt the Federal Reserve to raise borrowing rates faster than anticipated. If that happens, Trump’s ambitious growth goals could be jeopardized.
The unemployment rate now sits at 4.4 percent after U.S. employers hired more workers than expected in April. But wages were a soft spot, climbing just 2.5 percent from a year earlier. In an interview Friday with Bloomberg TV after the figures were released, senior White House adviser Gary Cohn said the administration wants to see wages rise faster.
“We’re doing OK, but you