Several senior Federal Reserve officials on Friday characterized the labor market as “solid” even after a poor July jobs report and appeared in no rush to lower U.S. interest rates.

A slowdown in hiring over the last three months could open the door for Federal Reserve officials to entertain [cutting rates at their next meeting](

Surprisingly weak July hiring data released on Friday highlighted a fractious Federal Reserve debate over whether the central bank should have cut interest rates when it met this week, as it offered some support to those who’d favored an easing in borrowing costs.