And they must do so in a manner that avoids engaging in a race to the bottom, but rather, puts us back on the path to ever higher achievement of prosperity. The sooner they get on it, the better. Uncertainty is corrosive; it is hurting job creation and capital expansion when we need it most. As Margaret Thatcher would say: “Don’t dawdle. And don’t go wobbly on us, Congress.” Monetary policy cannot substitute for what you must get on with doing. Get on with your job. The ugly truth I think I have made it pretty clear today that I believe what is restraining our economy is not monetary policy but fiscal misfeasance in Washington. We elect our national leaders to safeguard our country. An integral part of that consists of safeguarding the nation’s fiscal probity. Pointing fingers at the Fed only diminishes credibility – the ugly truth is that the problem lies not with monetary policy but in the need to construct a modern, appropriate set of fiscal and regulatory levers and pulleys to better incentivize the private sector to channel money into productive use in expanding our economy and enriching our people. Only Congress, working together with the president, has the power to write the rules and provide the incentives to correct the course of the great ship we know and love as America. I hope you, as the voters who put them in office, will demand no less of them. Thank you.
John C Williams: Banking culture - the path ahead Remarks by Mr John C Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, at the conference "Building Cultural Capital in the Financial Services Industry: Emerging Practices, Risks and Opportunities", Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York City, 4 June 2019. * * * As prepared for delivery Good morning, everyone. I’d like to begin by welcoming you to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and to the fifth conference on culture in financial services that we’ve hosted. Before I launch into my remarks, it’s time I remind everyone that the views I express today are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the Federal Open Market Committee or others in the Federal Reserve System. When I took on the role as President of the New York Fed last year it so happened that my first day coincided with this conference. In my remarks that day, I emphasized that culture is a longterm project, a constantly evolving one, which is never done. The trouble with long-term projects with no distinct finish line is that they can lack a sense of urgency. The pressure to make real progress is often missing, especially when there are so many other priorities competing for our time. Headlines in the financial news illustrate the lack of progress. In the year since our last conference, stories of money laundering and fraud have been an all-too-frequent feature.