(CNN) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday lowered interest rates for the first time since December to support America’s faltering labor market.

The central bank cut its benchmark lending rate by a quarter point to a new range of 4% to 4.25%.

It’s the first rate cut of President Donald Trump’s second term, following a nine-month pause prompted by the uncertainty surrounding the administration’s major policy shifts.

Fed officials said they wanted to see the effects of Trump’s policies, including his tariffs , play out first, but that strategy didn’t sit well with Trump, who has carried out an intense pressure campaign against the central bank.

Still, despite Trump’s aggressive efforts to bend the Fed to his will, a weakening labor market was ultimately what pushed the Fed to deliver a

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