This short note explains the challenges with shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet. It argues that policies to reduce the balance sheet are synonymous with policies that reduce the demand for bank reserves. At the same time, controlling money market volatility while keeping the balance sheet as small as possible requires that the central bank commits to an elastic supply of reserves. Objections to having a standing repurchase facility open to banks that appeal to stigma ultimately refer to supervisory failures that can and should be corrected.