U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will begin interviewing 11 candidates to succeed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in meetings scheduled for the days immediately before and after the Labor Day holiday. The timetable, disclosed in a CNBC interview and echoed in several media reports, marks the formal start of the administration’s search for a new central-bank chief. Bessent described the field as an “incredible group” that spans current and former Fed officials as well as private-sector economists. People familiar with the process said the list includes Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, former Governor Kevin Warsh, economist Philip Jefferson, former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and market strategists Rick Rieder, David Zervos and Mark Sumerlin. After the initial interviews, Bessent plans to narrow the slate before presenting recommendations to President Donald Trump. Although Powell’s term does not expire until May 2026, the White House is moving to fast-track a nomination amid pressure for looser monetary policy. Bessent reiterated his view that the Fed should cut interest rates by half a percentage point to revive a sluggish housing market, signaling the policy tilt the administration hopes a new chair would endorse.