> The Federal Reserve (which orchestrates interest rates to manage inflation and achieve full employment [two of its mandates]) is not part of the US government
Yes, it is. It's established by US statute, its board of governors is appointed by the President, and its personnel are paid by the US government. It is not considered part of any of the usual three branches of the US government (legislative, executive, judicial), but that doesn't mean it's not part of the US government.
To be fair you are both right. The board of directors is appointed by government officials and the bank was established by the Federal Reserve Act.
The bank is also privately owned and not by any government. I learned this because a technology director at the Dallas bank works with me in our side job.
> The bank is also privately owned and not by any government.
Each of the Federal Reserve banks is structured on paper as a private corporation, yes. But the US government effectively controls what they do; the private corporations do not exercise any of the normal functions of ownership that other private corporations do.
Have you ever worked for the federal government? My part time job is military. The government in that case really controls what we do. At the federal reserve they aren't regulated as a federal employer or a federal agency.
Yes, it is. It's established by US statute, its board of governors is appointed by the President, and its personnel are paid by the US government. It is not considered part of any of the usual three branches of the US government (legislative, executive, judicial), but that doesn't mean it's not part of the US government.