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Reuters
16-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US Federal Reserve aims to trim staff by 10% in coming years
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve plans to shrink its workforce by about 10% over the coming years, bringing the U.S. central bank in line with President Donald Trump's broader efforts to streamline the federal government, according to a memo that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell sent to staff on Friday. In the internal memo, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Powell said that he has directed Fed leadership to find "incremental" ways to trim operations, with a goal of shrinking the Fed's roughly 24,000 person headcount nationwide by about 10% over "the next couple of years." The memo was first reported by Bloomberg. As part of that effort, the Fed plans to offer a voluntary deferred resignation program to board staff in Washington who would be eligible to retire at the end of 2027. The memo made no mention of any involuntary cuts or layoffs. "Experience here and elsewhere shows that it is healthy for any organization to periodically take a fresh look at its staffing and resources," Powell wrote in the memo, noting the Fed previously made similar changes in the 1990s when President Bill Clinton sought to reduce the size of the federal government. "I believe it is time to do it again, in that same conscientious and deliberate spirit," Powell added. In the memo, Powell did not provide many details on how the Fed may revamp efforts, but emphasized any changes would prioritize the Fed's mandates and statutory obligations, and ensure that its work remains "high quality, nonpolitical and mission-focused." The new Fed initiative comes as Trump has launched an aggressive effort to downsize and reshape the U.S. government via billionaire adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. While the Fed does not have its budget set by Congress and does not report directly to the White House, Powell said the central bank must be a "careful and responsible steward of public resources." Powell gave a nod to the broader Trump-led effort by noting that the Fed often pursues cuts of its own "when there have been government-wide efforts to improve efficiency, like in the 1990s and now."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Poll finds when was the greatest time to be American - Gen X and Elder Millennials rejoice!
A new poll tasked Americans with picking the best time to be alive in U.S. history, and the results are good news for Gen Xers and elder Millennials. According to the YouGov survey, the highest-ranked decades for overall quality of life in the U.S. were during the 1980s and the 1990s. The poll broke up U.S. history into 16 periods — beginning way back during the British colonial era in the 1600s — and asked its 1,139 respondents to rank the periods from best time to be alive to the worst. The survey found that 57 percent of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-1991) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, and thus it was viewed as the best time to be alive. The second best was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55 percent of respondents saying that time was excellent or good. The third spot went to the Postwar Baby Boom era of 1946-1964, with a 51 percent rating. Just in case you aren't seeing the pattern: the largest population groups in the U.S. pick the eras that represent their childhoods — times when they had less to worry about and the world seemed more hopeful and less miserable — as their personal best times to be alive. Millennials are currently the largest age demographic in the U.S. — especially if Gen X is lumped in with their younger counterparts — and span both the Reagan and Clinton years. Baby Boomers are the second largest. Outside of the childhood eras of both of the largest generational groups in the U.S., the other 13 eras on the list received less than a 50 percent favorability rating. Only 46 percent thought the Counterculture Era of the 1960s was the best time to be alive, and only 40 percent of respondents thought the Post-9/11 Era of 2001-2008 was the best time to be alive. The Great Depression was near the very bottom of the list, with only 17 percent of respondents saying it was an excellent or good time to be alive, and the Civil War period of 1861-1865 came dead last, with only five percent of respondents giving it a good or excellent rating. Some of the other eras included the Gilded Age from the 1870s to 1900, the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, World War II, and the Great Recession. The present day also rated well when compared to the worst-rated ages in U.S. history. Thirty-two percent of respondents said living today was excellent or good, and another 29 percent said it was "fair" to be alive today. Once the poll's respondents are broken down by party affiliation, it's fairly unsurprising how things shake out. Democrats ranked the Clinton Era the highest, with 75 percent saying it was good or excellent with only 41 percent of Republican respondents sharing that view. Likewise, 82 percent of Republicans said the Reagan Era was excellent or good, and only 35 percent of Democrats agreed. Democrats and Republicans had shared feelings about the Great Depression, with only three percent on each side saying it was a good or excellent time to be alive, and they were close on the Counterculture Era, with 44 percent of Democrats saying it was a good or excellent time, and 49 percent of Republicans sharing that sentiment. Respondents were also asked to rank the eras based on their political stability. In that ranking, the Reagan Era again won out — despite much of it playing out during the Cold War and U.S. clandestine action throughout the global south — with 18 percent saying it was the most politically stable time. The Clinton Era came in second, with 14 percent saying it was the most politically stable time in the nation's history. Thirty-one percent said the least politically stable time in U.S. history is the present, even somehow beating out the Civil War period when Americans were killing each other in pitched battles with cannons. The survey has a four-point margin of error and was conducted between April 9 - 11, 2025. Respondents were selected from YouGov's 'opt-in panel.'
The Independent
09-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Poll finds when was the greatest time to be American - Gen X and Elder Millennials rejoice!
A new poll tasked Americans with picking the best time to be alive in U.S. history, and the results are good news for Gen Xers and elder Millennials. According to the YouGov survey, the highest-ranked decades for overall quality of life in the U.S. were during the 1980s and the 1990s. The poll broke up U.S. history into 16 periods — beginning way back during the British colonial era in the 1600s — and asked its 1,139 respondents to rank the periods from best time to be alive to the worst. The survey found that 57 percent of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-1991) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, and thus it was viewed as the best time to be alive. The second best was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55 percent of respondents saying that time was excellent or good. The third spot went to the Postwar Baby Boom era of 1946-1964, with a 51 percent rating. Just in case you aren't seeing the pattern: the largest population groups in the U.S. pick the eras that represent their childhoods — times when they had less to worry about and the world seemed more hopeful and less miserable — as their personal best times to be alive. Millennials are currently the largest age demographic in the U.S. — especially if Gen X is lumped in with their younger counterparts — and span both the Reagan and Clinton years. Baby Boomers are the second largest. Outside of the childhood eras of both of the largest generational groups in the U.S., the other 13 eras on the list received less than a 50 percent favorability rating. Only 46 percent thought the Counterculture Era of the 1960s was the best time to be alive, and only 40 percent of respondents thought the Post-9/11 Era of 2001-2008 was the best time to be alive. The Great Depression was near the very bottom of the list, with only 17 percent of respondents saying it was an excellent or good time to be alive, and the Civil War period of 1861-1865 came dead last, with only five percent of respondents giving it a good or excellent rating. Some of the other eras included the Gilded Age from the 1870s to 1900, the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, World War II, and the Great Recession. The present day also rated well when compared to the worst-rated ages in U.S. history. Thirty-two percent of respondents said living today was excellent or good, and another 29 percent said it was "fair" to be alive today. Once the poll's respondents are broken down by party affiliation, it's fairly unsurprising how things shake out. Democrats ranked the Clinton Era the highest, with 75 percent saying it was good or excellent with only 41 percent of Republican respondents sharing that view. Likewise, 82 percent of Republicans said the Reagan Era was excellent or good, and only 35 percent of Democrats agreed. Democrats and Republicans had shared feelings about the Great Depression, with only three percent on each side saying it was a good or excellent time to be alive, and they were close on the Counterculture Era, with 44 percent of Democrats saying it was a good or excellent time, and 49 percent of Republicans sharing that sentiment. Respondents were also asked to rank the eras based on their political stability. In that ranking, the Reagan Era again won out — despite much of it playing out during the Cold War and U.S. clandestine action throughout the global south — with 18 percent saying it was the most politically stable time. The Clinton Era came in second, with 14 percent saying it was the most politically stable time in the nation's history. Thirty-one percent said the least politically stable time in U.S. history is the present, even somehow beating out the Civil War period when Americans were killing each other in pitched battles with cannons. The survey has a four-point margin of error and was conducted between April 9 - 11, 2025. Respondents were selected from YouGov's 'opt-in panel.'
Miami Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
When was America great? The most popular era wasn't that long ago, poll finds
For years, President Donald Trump has campaigned on and popularized the slogan 'Make America Great Again.' But when, specifically, was America great? Not too long ago, according to a new poll. In a YouGov survey, respondents were asked to assess 16 periods of time throughout U.S. history — starting 400 years back — based on quality of life. Two consecutive periods ranked the highest: the 1980s and the 1990s. Meanwhile, the least popular era came about 100 years ago, when the country was plagued by the Great Depression. Breaking down the poll In the poll — which sampled 1,139 U.S. adults April 9-11 — 57% of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-91) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, making it the most favorably viewed period. Coming in close second was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55% of respondents saying it was excellent or good. Following this was the Postwar Baby Boom (1946-1964), which garnered a 51% positive rating. The other 13 eras received favorable ratings of less than 50%. Among those that made up the middle of the pack were the Counterculture Era (1964-1974) — with 46% — and the Post-9/11 Era (2001-2008) — with 40%. The early years of the country — and the time before the nation's founding — ranked among the bottom in terms of quality of life. Just 11% said the Colonial Period (1607-1776) was good or excellent, and 5% said the same for the Civil War (1861-1865). Just 3% said the same for the Great Depression (1929-1939), making it the least popular period. When broken down by partisan affiliation, responses diverged somewhat, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of about 4 percentage points. For example, Democrats rated the Clinton Era the highest, with 75% saying it was good or excellent. This was followed by the Postwar Baby Boom, with 49% labeling it favorably. In contrast, Republicans gave their highest rating (82%) to the Reagan Era, which was also followed by the Postwar Baby Boom (59%). Quality of life wasn't the only metric used. Respondents were also asked to rank the 16 eras based on political stability and global influence. On these questions, no consensus was reached. But a high of 18% said the Reagan era was the most politically stable, and 14% said the same for the Clinton Era. Additionally, a plurality, 31%, said the present period is the least politically stable, easily outstripping the 17% who selected the Civil War. A high of 14% also said the U.S. had the most global influence during World War II (1939-1945). This was followed by the Postwar Baby Boom, the Reagan Era and the present — all three of which received 13%. And 23% said the country had the least influence in the world during the Colonial Period, followed by 16% who said the same for the present.
