Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee, speaking Friday after data showed further job-market weakening, said he is still undecided whether September is the right timing for an interest rate cut. He also defended the need to keep the U.S. central bank insulated from short-term political pressure.

In an interview on Bloomberg TV, Goolsbee stated he is “totally opposed” to any move that might undermine the Fed’s independence. However, he expressed that he does not believe there is an attempt to erode this independence, and he expects that any nominee to the central bank will perform their duties “seriously.”

President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Fed, Stephen Miran, said Thursday that he would take an unpaid leave from the White House while serving at the Fed through January, a move that Democrats argue indicates Miran may not operate independently.