Barr Warns Against Shrinking the Fed's Balance Sheet, Calls for Integrated Central Banking

Barr argues the Fed's footprint isn’t the balance sheet size but its broader roles in banking safety, payments, and stability. Shrinking reserves or the balance sheet could weaken bank resilience and market functioning. He defends ample reserves as costless and essential, critiques proposals for reduced liquidity or more frequent lending, and urges an integrated, stable approach to monetary policy and financial regulation rather than trimming the balance sheet.