美国国家公共电台 NPR--Prices seem to be easing. Is it enough for the Fed to stop raising interest rates?

Prices seem to be easing. Is it enough for the Fed to stop raising interest rates?

Transcript¹

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Treasury² Secretary Janel Yellen about the latest inflation data and the state of the U.S. economy.

DWANE BROWN, HOST:

Inflation seems to be easing after months of interest rate hikes by the Fed. But what might that mean for the U.S. economy? NPR host Michel Martin put this question to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

JANET YELLEN: Inflation has really been quite moderate, quite low for the last six months or so, importantly, because of lower energy prices. We continue to see improvement in supply chains. Goods prices have actually been falling. And some of the supply chain issues that pushed up the prices of goods and commodities, those have really turned around. Rent indexes continue to rise. But, really, we see those coming down substantially over the next six months or so.

MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE³: I mean, I think everybody remembers that you were chair of the Fed from 2014 to 2018. And the Fed is trying to control high inflation by raising interest rates. There's still concern that the rates could go so high that it triggers a recession. Are you confident that the Fed can achieve a soft landing while raising interest rates as much as they've been?

YELLEN: Well, I think we have an independent Fed. I trust them to make the best judgments⁴ that they can about what's necessary to accomplish their dual⁵ mandate⁶, which is to bring inflation down and to try to maintain a strong labor⁷ market. I think there is a path there if it makes that possible. But I'm not - wouldn't try to second-guess the Fed.

MARTIN: Very diplomatic. House Republicans passed a bill this week to roll back the additional IRS funding that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act. That's not likely to happen given that the Democrats⁸ control the Senate. They oppose this. There's a veto threat from the White House. But could you just tell people why the administration feels that the IRS needs this additional funding?

YELLEN: We have an extremely unfair tax system in which honest lower- and middle-income households pay the taxes that are due. It's mainly reported to the IRS on W-2 forms. And the IRS knows about that income. But they're failing to collect taxes from very wealthy and extremely high-income taxpayers⁹. It's estimated that there is a loss of - on the order of $7 trillion in tax revenues over the next decade, almost $1 trillion a year, because the IRS simply hasn't been able to hire the staff it needs to do the sophisticated audits¹⁰ to collect that. On top of that, Americans deserve someone, when they call the IRS, will answer the telephone. And they really deserve much more modern and efficient ways of interacting with the IRS. And the allocation in the Inflation Reduction Act of $80 billion over 10 years to the IRS is what it needs to make sure that we have a fair tax system.

MARTIN: So it's an equity¹¹ issue. It's also a customer service issue. And I also think I hear you saying that tax collectors are basically being outgunned by wealthy tax cheats. Is that about right?

YELLEN: I think that's fair.

MARTIN: What's going to be your metric of success for the year? If you and I were to speak at the same time next year, what will you consider your major accomplishments¹²?

YELLEN: My priorities would be to see inflation come down to much lower levels and to do that in the context of a job market that remains¹³ strong, with jobs readily available for people who want to work. We're seeing a renaissance¹⁴ of manufacturing in the clean energy sector¹⁵, in semiconductors¹⁶, infrastructure¹⁷ jobs. And we're going to see improved productivity and faster growth and improvements in parts of the country, in communities that have suffered for a long time and haven't enjoyed some of the expansion that we have seen in the coasts, in the part of the United States that have done very well.

BROWN: That was Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in conversation with NPR's Michel Martin.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

5 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

10 audits   

n.审计，查账( audit的名词复数 )v.审计，查账( audit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Requires that use of all bond funds is subject to independent audits. 需要使用的所有债券基金是受独立审计。 来自互联网
• Support the locations during customer-visits, audits and quality-improvement programs. 支持客户参观，稽核和提高品质等项目。 来自互联网

11 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

12 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

16 semiconductors   

n.半导体( semiconductor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Crystals may be insulators, semiconductors, or conductors. 晶体可以是绝缘体，半导体，或导体。 来自辞典例句
• Semiconductors containing such impurities are called p-type semiconductors. 含有这类杂质的半导体叫做P型半导体。 来自辞典例句

17 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。