The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday for its second consecutive meeting, seeking to steady a weakening labor market as a month-long government shutdown has clouded its view of the economy.

Wednesday’s widely expected move lowers the Fed’s benchmark interest rate to a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent, the lowest level in about three years. Fed policies influence what households and businesses pay for mortgages, credit cards and other loans. Risks to employment “rose in recent months,” the Fed said in a statement.

The decision, however, exposed divisions among policymakers over how much further the central bank should go in supporting growth, underscoring uncertainty about the path ahead. Chair Jerome H. Powell said in a news conference t

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