Surprisingly weak July hiring data released on Friday highlighted a fractious Federal Reserve debate over whether the central bank should have cut interest rates when it met this week, as it offered some support to those who’d favored an easing in borrowing costs.

"With economic growth slowing this year and signs of a less dynamic labor market, I saw it as appropriate to begin gradually moving our moderately restrictive policy stance toward a neutral setting," Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said in a statement.

Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler will step down from her position on the central bank’s board, the Fed announced Friday, handing President Donald Trump a sooner-than-anticipated opportunity to install a new policymaker who aligns with his vision for interest rates.