WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials at a meeting last month pointed to rising risks that inflation could worsen, a key reason they kept their benchmark interest rate unchanged.

The administration's piecemeal approach may be damaging, Fed officials say, as businesses and consumers adjust to an outlook that seems unpredictable.

Federal Reserve officials discussed the possible effects of potential changes in trade and immigration on the economy and the difficulty in assessing between persistent changes in inflation and temporary ones,