Working families and small businesses are already paying the price of higher interest rates. Mortgage payments are harder to afford. Car financing is more expensive. Business owners are paying more to borrow, invest, and hire. The Federal Reserve has a difficult job and price stability matters, but before it raises rates again, the threshold for action should be clear and the evidence compelling.

That is the accountability test facing the Fed now. Inflation remains above its 2% target, but the latest numbers tell a more complicated story. Consumer prices rose 3.4% over the past year while core inflation eased to 2.4%. Energy prices rose 16.3%, gasoline increased 27.4%, and fuel oil was up 52%. Gasoline alone accounted for more than one-third of August’s monthly increase in consumer prices.