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WASHINGTON, Sept. 20-- U.S. Federal Reserve officials remain divided following a quarter-point interest rate cut earlier this week, as three of them spoke out and defended their respective views on Friday, signaling a growing split among monetary policymakers amid rising risks to and uncertainties in the U.S. economy. James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, continued to demand a larger cut in interest rates, after voting against the U.S. Fed's decision to lower rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday. "I believe that lowering the target range for the federal funds rate by 50 basis points at this time would provide insurance against further declines in expected inflation and a slowing economy subject to elevated downside risks," Bullard, one of the three dissenters at the central bank's latest policy meeting, said in a statement. "It is prudent risk management, in my view, to cut the policy rate aggressively now and then later increase it should the downside risks not materialize," said Bullard. One of the considerations that factored into his decision is the persistent muted inflation, Bullard said, as core and headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price indexes continue to run some 40 to 60 basis points, respectively, below the Fed's 2-percent inflation target. He said a 50-basis-point cut at this time would help promote a more "rapid return" of inflation and inflation expectations to target. | 
