The members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meet eight times a year to discuss whether any changes should be made to monetary policy in the near term. A vote to change policy will result in buying or selling U.S. government securities in the open market to support the healthy growth of the national economy. Committee members are typically classified as hawks who prefer stricter monetary policies, doves who prefer stimulus, or centrists/moderates who fall somewhere between these two positions.
