allowed to buy the gun. to them, disprove what they suspect, that the republican majority in the congress of the united states is ownedly subsidiary of the national rifle association. and that is what is standing in the way of our being able to protect the american people. we call upon them to disprove that, at least in this instant. our friends, the lgbt community, our friends in the gun safety community, our friends in the african-american community, who offer gun violence, so many people suffer gun violence every day of the week in their neighborhoods. mr. clyburn will address the one-year anniversary of what happened in south carolina. so if we can organize all of those folks, all expert in mobilization, all successful in changing the public mind and the public policy in relationship to

issues of concern, i think we have to act immediately and i think that we can be successful. but in the meantime, the very least the republicans would do is to pass the no fly, no buy. and i'm pleased to yield to the distinguished whip, mr. hoyer. mr. hoyer: thank you very much, madam leader. first, we need to empathize with the fear that the lgbt community is experiencing right now. unfortunately, today we are going to adopt a rule which precludes the expression of congress that we will not discriminate against those who are lgbt members. how sad. that is one thing we could do today. say to all americans, you will not discriminate. we will not discriminate, our

government will not discriminate against citizens who are members of the lgbt community. and our chairman of the caucus is correct as well. normally we discriminate against somebody based upon the origin of their nationality or surname. so those are two things we could do right now, stand up. speak out for what america believes in. that is equality for all. secondly, a moment of silence is appropriate. but days and weeks and months of action to preclude the violence that is occurring and taking the lives of so many of america is absolutely essential. no fly, no buy is a start.

it is an important start, and as the leader points out, it is a start that the american people have broad consensus on. let us start there. let us have an amendment on the floor that says no discrimination. let us have action today or later next week at the very latest on no fly, no buy. and thirdly, although i would urge all of our members to vote for three bills that have already passed, americans ought not to be deceived that that's action. we have already passed those bills. they are in the united states senate. and the republican leader ought to move those bills. so let us not pretend to take action, let us take action.

no discrimination. no fly, no buy. no simply moment of silence, but days of action. i now yield to my dear friend, the assistant leader, jim clyburn of south carolina. mr. clyburn: thank you, mr. whip, madam leader. i offer a quote from martin luther king jr.'s iconic, and i think timely, letter from the birmingham city jail when he wrote, we are going to be made to repent. not just for the hateful words and deeds of bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people. now, from friday the 17th, we will be celebrating or

commemorating the first anniversary of what i call the charleston 12. nine people who died and three people who survived a targeted massacre. that church was targeted. that bible study class was targeted. just as this nightclub was targeted. both of these are domestic terrorist issues, yet what's coming to the floor is limited to foreign terrorism. that's not addressing what the problem is here today. and i think that on two counts, there are three bills that we

got before the floor. my bill deals with closing that loophole, because this young man was not eligible to be buying a gun. but somebody put in the wrong information, i.e. intentionally misled the folks to ride out the three-day rule, or somebody keyed in the wrong information. and that loophole that says you can purchase a gun if the background check is not completed within three days should be closed. in the case of orlando, someone said earlier, i was last arrested for my civil rights activities in 1961. between 1960 and march 1961, i was arrested several times. that record is still there. yet we say a person that was on

the no fly list, once you close the case, they come off the no fly list and then they can go and purchase a gun. this gentleman, if he were treated, his record were treated the way mine was treated, would not have been able to get this gun. why is it that my record from 1961 is still sitting in the f.b.i., and still brought to my attention every now and then, and no one is bothered about his record? i think that we need to get real about this. we need to be serious about this. we need to break our silence on this issue. with that, i'm pleased to yield to mr. crowley, our vice chair. mr. crowley: thank you for your efforts in terms of reminding us of the tragedy of just one year ago, but quite frankly it's about every week we have had a

moment of silence over this last year, and we also think about the times when there are individuals who were killed by gun violence that are not criminally related where there is no moment of silence, no recognition of their loss as well. unlike these major tragic events where we have moments of silence. we just came from a conference or caucus meeting where the level of frustration within our caucus is rising. the democratic caucus is frustrated because the republican caucus continues to do nothing while there are mass slaughters going on weekly in the united states. will the no fly, no buy bill be a panacea? no. will it solve all the problems? no. but it is a start. that's what the american people are looking for from congress.

they want the republicans in the congress who are in the majority to understand they will not tolerate any longer nothing. that's what they have been dealing with so far. that's what they've seen come out of the house of representatives. nothing. we have had 12 votes on no fly, no buy in this congress. and each time, the republican caucus has defeated it. if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. and that's what my republican caucus colleagues don't understand. they are part of the problem because they refuse to recognize any step that would diminish gun violence in america. and that needs to change. and our caucus may be frustrated, but we are also energized. we are energized and we are moving forward. we will not sit complacently

while our republican colleagues continue to frustrate this system, to not allow any bill of substance to pass when it comes to the issue of gun violence. we will not sit by silently and allow for that to go on any longer. with that, i will recognize the gentleman from new york, my good friend, steve israel. mr. israel: thank you very much. i don't mind house republicans being out of touch. i mind them being dangerously, recklessly out of touch. and on this issue, they couldn't be more out of touch with the american people. refusing to enact no fly, no buy is a form of political criminal negligence. it is also a form of stunning political malpractice. 80% of americans support no fly, no buy. 77% of republicans support no

fly, no buy. 85% of independents support no fly, no buy. "the new england journal of medicine" did a study, 82% of gun owners support no fly, no buy, and 75% of n.r.a. members support no fly, no buy. and this speaker of the house of representatives and republican majority dangerously turn their backs on the majority of americans and common sense. i've got to tell you something. every time speaker ryan tries to gavel us down, we are going to speak louder. he may be able to use a gavel as a tool against us, but we are going to use common sense and public sentiment as a tool against them. you can absolutely count on that. reporter: you mentioned this is just a start. mr. clyburn mentioned it wouldn't have done anything in south carolina. and there are plenty of other mass shootings where it would

not have made a difference. why not go bigger and try for that assault weapons ban? mr. becerra: i will see if my colleagues want to respond as well. we are not saying we are going to try to do one thing. we are saying we want to do this. we are tired of not being able to do anything. as mr. israel just pointed out, once again, we are not asking for things that only a fraction of the american people support. we are not asking for things that aren't tested and doable. we are simply trying to get this congress to do its job and do something. no fly, no buy is in front of us. republicans have had an opportunity to vote for it. we can do it now. we certainly have a number of us who are supporters of the assault weapon ban. but let's try to get something done, and let's see how far republicans are willing to go. at this stage, it doesn't look like they want to do anything. mr. israel: let me respond

really quickly. what frustrates the american people is that we will disagree on certain issues, and we are not going to be able to pass issues where we disagree. but what they want us to do is pass what we can agree on. when 80%, 75% of the american people can agree on no fly, no buy, there is no excuse not to pass that immediately. and then, go on to the other issues. reporter: question regarding getting republican support , because there has been peter king, from your fellow state of new york, bob dold from illinois. is there democratic outreach ongoing now to try to get republicans on board this bill, and how successful is that? mr. crowley: we have a motion to recommit. i think there are 178, 180 members on it. we are looking for republican colleagues to support that. as i said before, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. there is a vehicle on the floor right now that if we get a majority of democrats,

republicans to support, that bill will come to the floor. the no fly, no buy. i support an assault weapons ban. i looked at these types of weapons, semiautomatic as well as machine guns. i recognize they are made to kill people, and as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. they are weapons of war. they are not for hunting. they are not for sportsmanship. there is nothing sportmanship about them. i do think we need to do more. there's no question. but we can't get the republican congress to do what i think is the minimalist, that is to pass something that acongressman israel mentioned, there's overwhelming support from the american people, both gun owners and n.r.a. supporters. it's remarkable how much power the nra has in the house of representatives. people talk about special interest and their influence on house members, no one, no entity has more power in the united states today in the house of representatives than the republican caucus than the n.r.a.

no one. and they are demonstrating it over and over again because they won't even pass a bill that has the majority support of all americans, 75% plus of americans. that's how much power they have, and that needs to come to an end. it's not representative of the american people. it's not even representative of our congress. i know that they don't want this to be the case, but they are so afraid of their own shadow and the n.r.a., they won't move on. mr. clyburn: if i may. the fact of the matter is, i think the votes are there. the bill has to come to the floor. only one person can do that. if the speaker would allow any one of these three bills to come to the floor, i think the votes would pass it. that's an issue. reporter: donald trump is meeting with the n.r.a., and

he's going to push them on this watch list and no fly list. do you think that will trickle down to congress? you're in agreement with donald trump. mr. israel: if donald trump decides today he supports no fly, no buy, it will be the latest disagreement the republicans have with him. it is irrelevant. mr. crowley: if they can convince the n.r.a. to move forward on this, god bless him, but again, it just goes to show the power of the n.r.a., that their presidential nominee will go on hands and knee begging for them to give them a pass on this issue so they can trickle down to the republican members of the house. it's ludicrous. it is crazy. but that's where we are at right now. mr. becerra: i would simply add that we are watching the party of lincoln become the party of trump. we'll see how far they go to become the party of trump. with that, we thank you all for being part of this.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] on the next "washington journal," congressman david cicilline discusses u.s. gun laws. and we will talk to paul gosar about the enlistment of citizens -- of noncitizens in the u.s. army. live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. i am pleased that the senators have come to this conclusion. television in the senate will undoubtedly provide citizens with greater access and exposure to the actions of this body. this access will help all americans to be better informed of the problems and the issues

which face this nation on a day by day basis. what brought us here is not partisanship, but the conduct of one man who happens to be -- you happened to be the president. who happened to be elected by the people and was given the most solemn responsibility in the nation to be the chief officer of the land, and he failed miserably and deserves to be impeached. appoint the honorable susan m collins to the duties of the chair. >> the majority leader is recognized. , perhaps you have already noticed that the senate seems to be well today,ed and effective and there is a reason for that. with apologies from the chaplain and the majority leader, i think we should note that a significant milestone in the 210-year course of the united

states senate history is taking place today. never before has the team composed entirely of women members and staff opened today's proceedings. yearscer: celebrating 30 of coverage of the u.s. senate on c-span2. madam secretary, we proudly ive 72 of our delegate votes to the next president of the united states. ♪

announcer: in the u.s. house, a bipartisan group of members of congress read a 12 page victim impact statement written by a then that was raped on campus of stanford university last year. members expressed outrage that her actor -- that her attacker only received a six-month jail sentence. this is just under an hour. r been done before on the house floor. we will read the entire gut wrenching statement of a sexual assault survivor who was attacked on the stanford campus last year. the sexual predator received a sentence of six months in county jail, of which he will serve only three. for committing a violent crime. we are not moved by the felon's excuse of alcohol, we are not moved by the judge who said a longer sentence would have a, quote, severe impact, unquote, on the offender.

we are not moved by the felon's father who said that his son should not serve jail time for, quote, 20 minutes of action, unquote. emily d.o.e. is a survivor in every -- doe is a survivor in every sense of the word and her worded deserve to be amplified. mr. speaker, i -- words -- words deserve to be amplified. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous conentent -- consent that we read the statement in its entirety without yielding by name to each member to preserve the continuity of the reading. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: your honor, if it's all right, for the majority of this statement, i would like to address the defendant directly. you don't know me. but you have been inside me. and that's why we're here today. on january 17, 2015, it was a quiet saturday night at home. my dad made some dinner and i sat at the table with my younger sister who was visiting for the weekend. i was working full time and it

was approaching my bed time. i planned to stay at home by myself, watch some tv and her friends. then i decided it was my only night with her. i had nothing better to do. so why not? there's a dumb party 10 minutes from my house, i would go, dance like a fool and embarrass my younger sister. on the way there, i joked that undergrad guys would have braces. my sister teased me for wearing a beige cardigan to a frat party like a librarian. i called myself big mama. because i knew i'd be the oldest one there. i made silly faces, let my guard down and drank liquor too fast. not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college. the next thing i remembered, i was in a gurney in a hallway. i had dry blood and bandages on the backs of my hands and

elbows. i thought maybe i had fallen and was in an admin office on campus. ms. clark: he was very calm and wondering where my sister was. a deputy explained i had been assaulted. i still remained calm, assured he was speaking to the wrong person. i knew no one at this party. when i was finally allowed to use the restroom, i pulled down the hospital pants they had given me, went to pull down my underwear and felt nothing. i still remember the feeling of my hands touching my skin and grabbing nothing. i looked down and there was nothing. the thin piece of fabric, the only thing between my vagina and anything else was missing. and everything inside me was silenced. i still don't have words for that feeling. in order to keep breathing, i

thought, maybe the policeman used scissors to cut them off for evidence. then i felt the pine needles scratching the back of my neck and started pulling them out of my hair. i thought maybe the pine needles had fallen from a tree onto my head. my brain was talking my gut into not collapsing. because my gut was saying, help me, help me. i shuffled from room to room with a blanket wrapped around me, pine needles trailing behind me, i left a little pile in every room i sat in. i was asked to sign papers that said, rape victim. and i thought, something has really happened. my clothes were confiscated and i stood naked while nurses held a ruler to various abrasions on my body and photographed them. the three of us worked to comb the pine needles out of my hair . six hands to fill one paper

bag. to calm me down, they said, it's just the flora and fauna. i had multiple swabs inserted into my have a jigea and anus nikon na and anus, had a pointed right into my spread legs. my vagina smeared with cold, blue paint to check for brasions. >> after a few hours of this, they let me shower. i stood there examining my body beneath the steam, and the sided i didn't want my body anymore. i didn't know what had been in it. i wanted to take off my body like a jacket and leave it at the hospital with everything else. that morning, all that i was told was that i had been found behind a dumpster, potentially penetrated by a stranger, and i should get retested for h.i.v.

because results don't always show up immediately. but for now, i should go home and get back to my normal life. imagine stepping back into the world with only that information. they gave me huge hugs and i walked out of the hospital into the parking lot wearing the new sweatshirt and sweat pants they provided me, they only allowed me to keep my necklace and shoes. my sister picked me up, face wet with tears and contorted in anguish. immediately and instinctively i wanted to take away her pain. i smiled at her and said look at me, i'm right here, everything is ok. my hair is washed and clean they gave me the strangest shampoo, calm down and look at me. look at these funny new sweat pants and sweatshirt, i look like a p.e. teacher. let's go home, let's eat something. she didn't know that beneath my

sweat suit i had scratches and bandages on the skin. my vagina was sore, my underwear was missing and i felt too empty to continue ospeak. i was also afraid, i was also devastated. that day we drove home and for hours , in silence , my younger sister held me. my boyfriend didn't know what happened but called that day and said, quote, i was last night yu scared me. did you make it home ok? end quote. i was horrified. that's when i learn id had called him that night in my blackout, left an incomprehensible voice mail that we had also spoken on the phone but i was slurring so heavily he was scared for me and he repeat think told me to go find my sister. again he asked me, what happened last night? did you make it home ok? i said yes and hung up to cry. >> i was not ready to tell my

boyfriend or parent that i may have been raped behind a dumpster but i don't know by who or when or how. fi told them i'd see the fear on their faces and mine would multiply by tenfold. so i pretended the whole thing wasn't real. i tried to push it out of my mind but it was so heavy, i didn't talking didn't eat, didn't sleep. i didn't interact with anyone. after work, i would drive to a secluded place to scream. i didn't talk, i didn't eat, i didn't sleep, i didn't interact with anyone and i became isolated from the ones i loved most. ms. tsongas: for over a week after the incident i didn't get any calls or updates about what happened to me. the only symbol that proved it hadn't been a bad dream was a sweatshirt from the hospital in my drawer. one day i was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone and came across an article. in it, i read and learned for the first time about how i was found unconscious with my hair

disheveled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled over my shoulders and pulled above my waist, that i was butt naked all the day way down to my boots, legs spread apart and ben traited with a foreign object by someone i didn't recognize. this is how i learned what happened to me. sitting at my desk, reading the news at work. i learned what happened to me at the same time everyone else that the world learned what happened to me. that's when the pine needles in my hair made sense. they didn't fall from a tree. he'd taken off my underwear, his fingers had been inside me. i didn't know this person. i still don't know this person. when i read about me leek this, i said, this can't be me. this can't be me. i couldn't digest or accept any of this information. >> i could not imagine my family

having to read about this online. in the next paragraph i read something i will never forgive. i read that according to him i liked it, i liked it. ms. waters: again, i do not have words for these feelings. it's like if you were to read an article where a car was hit and found dented in a ditch, but maybe the car enjoyed being hit. maybe the other car didn't mean to hit it, just bump it up a little bit. cars get in accidents all the time. people aren't always paying attention. can we really say who is at fault? and then, at the bottom of the article, after i learned about the graphic details of my own sexual assault, the article listed his swimming times. she was found breathing, unresponsive, with her underwear six inches away from her bare stomach, curled in fetal

position. by the way, he's really good at swimming. throw in my mile time if that's what we're doing. i'm good at cooking. put that in there. i think the end is where you list your extracurriculars to cancel out all the sickening things that have happened. the night, the -- the night the news came out, i sat my parents down and told them that i had been assaulted. to not look at the news because it's upsetting. just know that i'm ok, i'm right here, and i'm ok. but halfway through telling them, my mom had to hold me because i could no longer stand up. the night after it happened, he said he didn't know my name. said he wouldn't be able to identify my face in a lineup. didn't mention any dialogue between us, no words, only dancing and kissing. dancing is a cute term. was it snapping fingers and twirling dances?

or just bodies grinding up against each other in a crowded room? i wonder if kissing was just faces sloppily pressed up against each other. when the detective asked if he had planned on taking me back to his dorm, he said no. when the detective asked how we ended up behind the dumpster , he said he didn't know. he admitted to kissing other girls at that party. one of whom was my own sister who pushed him away. he admitted to wanting to hook up with someone. i was the wounded animal of the herd. completely alone and vulnerable, physically unable to fend for myself. and he chose me. >> sometimes i think if i hadn't gone this never would have happened, but then i realize it would have happened, just to somebody else. you're about to enter four years of access to drunk girls and parties and if this is the foot

you started off on, then it is right you did not continue. the night after it happened, he said he thought i liked it because i rubbed his back. a back rub. never mentioned me voicing consent, never mentioned us even speaking of back rubs. one more time in public news, i learned that my ass and vagina were completely exposed outside. my breasts had been groped, fingers had been jabbed inside me along with pine needles and debris. my bare skin and head had been rubbing against the ground erect a dumpster while an freshman was humping my half naked, unconscious body. but i don't remember. so how do i prove i didn't like it? i thought there's no way this is going to trial. there were witnesses. there was dirt in my body he ran but he was caught. he's going to settle. formally apologize. and we will both move on.

instead, i was told he hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses, private investigators, who are going to try to find details about my personal life to use against me. find loopholes in my story to invalidate me and my sister in order to show that this sexual assault was in fact a misunderstanding. that he was going to go to any length to convince the world he had simply been confused. i was not only told that i was assaulted, i was told that because i couldn't remember, i technically couldn't prove it was unwanted. and that distorted me, damaged me, almost broke me. it is the saddest type of confusion to be told i was assaulted and nearly raped blatantly out in the open, but we don't know if it counts as assault yet. i had to fight for an entire year to make it clear that there was something wrong with this situation. when i was told to be prepared in case we didn't win, i said, i

can't prepare for that >> he was guilty the minute i woke up. no one could talk me out of the hurt he caused me. worst of all i was warned because he now knows you don't remember, he's going to get to write the script. he can say whatever he wants and no one can contest it. i had no power. i had no voice. i was defenseless. my memory loss would be used against me. my testimony was weak, was incomplete, and i was made to believe that perhaps i am not enough to win this. his attorney constantly remind the jury the only one we can believe in is brock because she doesn't remember. that helplessness was traumatizing. instead of taking time to heal, i was taking time to recall the night in excruciating detail in order to prepare for the attorneys' questions that would be invasive, aggressive and

designed to steer me off course, to contradict myself, my sister, freased in ways to manipulate my answers. ms. chu: instead of his attorney saying, did you notice any abrasions? he said, you didn't notice any abrasions, right? this was a game of strategy, as if i could be tricked out of my own worth. the sexual assault had been so clear, but instead here i was at the trial, answering questions like, how old are you? how much do you weigh? what did you eat that day? what did you have for dinner? who made dinner? did you drink with dinner? no. not even water? when did you drink? how much did you drink? what container did you drink out of? who gave you the drink? how much do you usually drink? who dropped you off at this party? at what time? where exactly? what were you wearing? why were you going to this party? what did you co-when you got there? will you sure you did that? what time did you do that?

what does this text mean? who were you texting? when did you urinate? where did you urinate? with whom did you urinate outside? was your phone on silent when your sister called? do you remember silencing it? really, because on page 53 i'd like to point out that you said it was set to ring. did you drink in college? you said you were a party animal. how many times did you black out? id you party at frats? >> are you serious with your boyfriend? are you sexually active with him? when did you start dating? would you ever cheat? do you have a history of cheating? what do you mean when you said you wanted to reward him? do you remember what time you woke up? were you wearing your cardigan? what color was your cardigan? do you remember any more from that night? no? ok. well. we'll let brock fill it in.

i was pummeled with narrow, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, ast life, family life, inane question, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even boston toring ask for my name. ms. eshoo: after a physical assault, i was assaulted with questions designed to attack me. to say see, her facts don't line up. she's out of her mind. she's practically an alcoholic. she probably wanted to hook up. he's like an athlete. right. they were both drunk. whatever the hospital stuff she remembers, it's after the fact. why take it into account? brock has a lot at stake so he's having a really hard time right

now. and then, it came for him to testify and i learned what it meant to be revictimized. i want to remind you the night after it happened , he said he never planned to take me back to his dorm. he said he didn't know why we were behind a dumpster he got up to leave because he wasn't feeling well. when he was suddenly chased and attacked. then he learned i could not remember. so one year later, as predicted, a new dialogue emerged. brock had a strange new story. almost sounded like a poorly written young adult novel with kissing and dancing and hand holding and lovingly tumbling onto the ground and most importantly in this new story, there was suddenly consent. one year after the incident, he

remembered, oh, yeah. by the way, she actually said yes. to everything. so, he said he had asked if i wanted to dance. apparently, i said yes. he asked if i wanted to go to his dorm. i said yes. then he asked if he could finger me. and i said yes. most guys don't ask, can i finger you. usually there's a natural progression of things unfolding consensually. not a q&a. but apparently, i granted full permission. he's in the clear. even in his story, i only said a total of three words. yes, yes, yes. before he had me half naked on he ground.

>> for future reference, if you are confused about whether a girl can consent, see if she can speak an entire sentence. you couldn't even do that. just one coherent string of words. where was the confusion? this is common sense. human decency. according to him, the only reason we were on the ground was because i fell down. note, if a girl falls down, help her get back up. if she is too drunk to even walk and falls down, do not mount her, hump her, take off her underwear and insert your hand inside her vagina. tack tack if a girl -- mr. takano: if a girl falls down, -- mr. takano: if a girl falls down, help her up. if she's wearing a cardigan over her dress, don't take it off so you can touch her breasts. maybe she's cold. maybe that's why she wore the cardigan.

next in the story, two swedes on bicycles approached you. and you ran. when they tackled you, why didn't you say, stop, everything's ok, go ask her, she's right over there, she'll tell you? i mean, you had just asked for my consent, right? i was awake, right? when the police arrived and interviewed the evil swede who tackled you, he was crying so hard he couldn't speak because of what he had seen. your attorney has repeatedly pointed out, well, we don't know exactly when she became unconscious. and you're right. maybe i was still fluttering my eyes and wasn't completely limp yet. that was never the point. i was too drunk to speak english, too drunk to consent way before i was on the ground. i should never have been

touched in the first place. barack stated, at no time -- broc k-stated, at no time did i say that she was not responding. if at any time i thought she was not responding, i would ave stopped immediately. here's one thing, if your plan was to stop only when i became unresponsive, then you still do not understand. you didn't even stop when i was unconscious anyway. someone else stop you. two guys on bikes noticed i wasn't moving in the dark and had to tackle you. how did you not notice while on top of me? you said you would have stopped and gotten help. you say that, but i want you to explain how you would have helped me step by step, walk me through this. i want to know if those evil swedes, if those evil swedes had not found me, how the night would have played out.

>> i'm asking you, would you have pulled my underwear back on over my boots? untangled the necklace wrap around my neck? closed my legs? cover me? picked the pine needles from my hair? asked if the abrasions on my neck and bottom hurt? would you then go find a friend an said -- and say, will you help me get her somewhere warm and soft? i don't sleep when i think about the way it could have gone if the two guys had never come. what would have happened to me? that's what you'll never have a good answer for. mrs. dingell: that's what you can't explain, even after a year. on top of all of this, he claimed that i orgasmed after one minute of digital penetration. the nurse said that there had been abrasions, lass rations and dirt in my genitalia.

was that before or after i came? to sit under oath and inform all of us that, yes, i wanted it, yes, i permitted it, and that you are the true victim attacked by swedes for reasons unknown to you is appalling, it isdy meanted, -- is demented, is selfish, is danieling. it is enough to be suffering -- damaging. it is enough to be suffering. it's another thing to have someone ruthlessly working to diminish the gratitude of vappedity of this suffering -- validity of this suffering. my family had to see pictures of my head strapped to a gurney full of pine needles, of my body in the dirt with my eyes closed, hair messed up, limbs bent and dress hiked up. and even after that, my family had to listen to your attorney say the pictures were after the fact, we can dismiss them.

to say, yes, her nurse confirmed that there was redness and abrasions inside of her, significant trauma to her genitalia, but that's what happens when you finger someone, and he's already admitted to that. to listen to your attorney attempt to paint a picture of me, the face of girls gone wild , if somehow that would make it so, that i had this coming to me. to listen to him say, i sounded drunk on the phone because i'm silly and that's my goofy way of speaking. to point out that in the voicemail i said i would reward my boyfriend and we'd all know what i was thinking. i assure you, my rewards program is nontransferable. especially to any nameless man hat approaches me. ms. kaptur: he has done irreversible damage to me and my family during the trial. and we have sat silently,

listening to him shape the evening. but in the end, his unsupported statements and his attorney's twisted logic fooled no one. the truth won. the truth spoke for itself. you are guilty. 12 jurors convicted you guilty. of three felony counts, beyond reasonable doubt. that's 12 votes per count. 36 yeses confirming guilt. that's 100% unanimous guilt. and i thought, finally, it's over. finally he will own up to what he did, truly apologize, and we will both move on and get better. and then i read your statement. if you are hoping that one of my organs will implode from anger and i will die, i am almost there.

you are very close. this is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. assault is not an accident. somehow you still don't get it. somehow you still sound confused. i will now read portions of the defendant's statement and respond to them. you said, being drunk, i just couldn't make the best decisions and neither could she. alcohol is not an he can cuse. -- an excuse. is it a facter? yes, but alcohol was not the one who stripped me, fingered me, had my head dragging against the ground with me almost fully naked, having too much to drink was an amateur mistake that i admit to. but it is not criminal. everyone in this room has had a night where they regretted drinking too much. or know someone -- knows

someone close to them has had a night where they regretted drinking too much. regretting drinking is not the same as regretting sexual assault. we were both drunk. the difference is, i did not take off your pants and underwear, touch you inappropriately and run away. that's the difference. you said, if i wanted to get to know her i should have asked for her number rather than asking her to go back to my room. i'm not mad because you didn't ask for my number. even if you did know me, i would not want to be in this situation. my own boyfriend knows me, but if he asked to finger me behind a dumpster, i would slap him. no girl wants to be in this situation. nobody. i don't care if you know their phone number or not. you said, i stupidly thought it was ok for me to do what everyone around me was doing, which was drinking.

i was wrong. >> again, you were not wrong for drinking. everyone around you was not sexual assaulting me. you were wrong for doing what nobody else was doing. ms. gabbard: which was pushing your erect dick in your pants against my naked, defenseless body, concealed in a dark where arey party goers could no longer see or protection me -- protect me and my own sister could not find me. sipping fireball is not your crime. peeling off and discarding my underwear like a candy wrapper to insert your finger into my body is where you went wrong. why am i still explaining this? you said during the trial, i didn't want to victimize her at all. that was just my attorney. and his way of approaching the case. your attorney is not your scapegoat. he represents you. did your attorney say some

incredulously infuriating, degrading things? absolutely. he said you had an erection because it was cold. you said, you're in the process of establishing a program for high school and college students in which you speak about your experience to, quote, speak out against the college campus drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity that goes along with that. end of quote. campus drinking culture. that's what we're speaking out against? you think that's what i've spent the past year fighting for? not awareness about campus sexual assault or rape or learning to recognize consent, campus drinking culture. down with jack daniels. down with sky vodka. if you want to talk to people about drinking, go to an a.a. meeting. you realize, having a drinking problem is different than drinking and then forcefully trying to have sex with someone? show men how to respect women. not how to drink less.

drinking culture and the sexual promiscuity thatty that goes along with that. goes along with that. like a side effect. like fries on the side of your order. where does promiscuity even come into play? i don't see headlines that read, brock turner, guilty of drinking too much and sexual promiscuity that goes along with that. campus sexual assault. there's your first power point slide. rest assured, if you fail to fix the topic of your talk, i will follow you to every school you go to and give a follow-up resentation. >> mr. poe: lastly, you said, i want to shee people that one night of drinking can ruin a life. one life, a life, yours, you forgot about mipe. let me rephrase it for you. i want to show people that one

night of drinking can ruin two lives. you and me. you are the cause, i am the effect. you have dragged me through this hell with you. dipped me back into that night again and again and again. you knocked down both of our towers. i collapsed at the same time you did. if you think i was spared, came out unscathed, that today i ride off into the sunset while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken. my independence, my natural joy , gentleness and steady lifestyle that i had been enjoying became distorted because of recognition. became closed off, angry, self-deprecating, tired, irritable, empty, the isolation at times was unbearable. you cannot get me back the life

i had before that night either. while you worry about your shattered reputation, i refrigerated spoons every night so that when i woke up and my eyes were puffy from crying, i could hold a spoon on my eye to lessen the swelling. so i could see. i showed up an hour late to work every morning and excused myself to cry in the stairwells. i can tell you all the best places in that building to cry where no one can hear you. the pain became so bad that i had to explain the private details to my boss to let her know why i was leaving. i needed time because continuing day to day was just not possible. i used my savings to go away as far as i could. i did not return to work full-time because -- full time because i knew i'd have to take weeks off in the future for the hearing and the trial.

that were constantly being rescheduled. my life was put on hold for over a year, my structure had collapsed. i can't sleep alone at night without having the light on. like a 5-year-old. because i have nightmares of being touched where i cannot wake up. i did this thing where i waited until the sun came up and i felt safe enough to go to sleep. for three months i went to bed at 6:00 in the morning. nobody wins. we all have been devastated. we all have been trying to find some meaning in all of this suffering. your damage was concrete. stripped of your titles, degrees, enrollment. my damage was internal. unseen. i carry it with me. you took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice.

until today. see, one thing we have in common is that we are both unable to get up in the morning. i'm no stranger to suffering. you made me a victim. in newspapers my name was unconscious intoxicated woman. 10 syllables, nothing more than that. . for a while i believed that, that's all i was. i had to force myself to relearn my real name, my identity, to relearn that this is not all that i am. that i'm not just a drunk victim at a frat party. found behind a dumpster while you are the all american swimmer at a top university. innocent until proven guilty, with so much at stake. i am a human being. who has been irreversibly hurt. my life was put on hold for over a year. waiting to figure out if i was worth something. i used to pride myself on my

independence. now i'm afraid to go on walks in the evening, to attend social events with drinking among friends where i should be comfortable. i have become a little barnacle, always needing to be at someone's side. to have my boyfriend standing next to me, sleeping beside me, protecting me. it is embarrassing, how feeble i feel, how timidly i move through life. always guarded, ready to defend myself, ready to be angry. you have no idea how hard i was worked to rebuild parts of me that are still weak. it took me eight months to even talk about what happened to me. i could no longer connect with friends, with everyone around me. i would scream at thinkmy boyfriend , my own family whenever they brought this up. you never let me forget what happened to me.

>> at the end of the hearing, the trial, i was too tired to speak. i would leave drain, silent. i would go home, turn off my phone and for days i would not speak, you bought me a ticket to a planet where i lived by myself. every time a new article came out, i lived with the paranoia that my entire hometown would find out and know me as the girl who got assaulted. i didn't want anyone's pity and i'm still learning to accept victim as part of my identity. you made my own hometown an uncomfortable place to be. you cannot give me back my sleepless night the way i have broken down sobbing uncontrollably if i'm watching a movie and a woman is harmed. mr. swalwell: to say it lightly this experience has expanded my empathy for victims. i have lost weight from stress. when people commented, i said i'm running a lot lately. there are times i don't want to

be touched. i have to relearn i'm not fragile, i'm capable, i'm wholesome, not just livid and weak. when i see my younger sister hurt, when she is unable to keep up in school, when she's deprived joy, when she's not sleep, when she's crying so hard on the phone she's barely breathing, telling me over and over again she's sorry for leaving me alone that night. sorry. sorry. sorry. when she feels more guilt than you. then i do not forgive you. that night i had called her to try to find her but you found me first. your attorney's closing statement began, in quotes, her sister said she was fine and who knows her better than her sister, end quote. you tried to use my own sister against me. your points of attack were so weak. so low. it was almost embarrassing. you do not touch her. you should have never done this to me. secondly, you should have never made me fight so long to tell you you should have never done

this to me. but here we are. the damage is done. no one can undo it. and now we both have a choice. we can let this destroy us, i can remain angry and hurt and you can be in denial. or we can face it head on. i accept the pain, you accept the punishment, and we move on. your life is not over. you have decades of years ahead to rewrite your story. the world is huge, it is so much bigger than pa la alto an stanford. and you will make a place for yourself in it where you can be useful and happy, but right now you do not get to shrug your shoulders and be confused anymore. you do not get to pretend there were no red flags. you have been convicted of violating me, intentionally, forcibly, sexually, with malicious intent and all you can admit to doing is consuming alcohol? do not talk about the sad way your life was upturned because alcohol made you do bad things. figure out how to take

responsibility for your own conduct. >> now, to address the sentencing. when i read the probation officer's report, i was in isbelief, consumed by anger. which eventually quieted down to profound sadness. my statements have been slimmed down to distortion and taken out of context. i fought hard during this trial and will not have the outcome minimized by a probation officer who attempted to evaluate my current state and my wishes in a 15-minute conversation. ms. sanchez: the majority of which was spent answering questions i had about the legal system. the context is also important. brock has yet to issue a statement and i had not read his remarks.

my life has been on hold for over a year. a year of anger and anguish and uncertainty. until a jury of my peers rendered a judgment that validated the injustices i had endured. had brock admitted guilt and remorse and offered to settle early on, i would have considered a lighter sentence. respecting his honesty. grateful to be able to move our lives forward. instead, he took the risk of going to trial, added insult to injury, and forced me to relive the hurt as details about my personal life and sexual assault were brutally dissected before the public. he pushed me and my family

through a year of inexplicable, unnecessary suffering. and he should face the consequences of challenging his crime, of putting my pain into question, and of making us wait so long. issue so long for justice. >> i told the probation officer that i do not want brock to rot away in prison. i did not say he does not deserve to be behind bars. the probation officer's recommendation of a year or less in county jail is a soft time out. a mockery. a mockery of the seriousness of his assault, an insult to me and all women. it gives a message that a stranger can be inside you

without proper consent and he will receive less than what has been defined as the minimum sentence. mrs. davis: probation should be denied. i also told the probation officer that what i truly wanted was for brock to get it. to understand. and admit to his wrongdoing. unfortunately, after reading the defendant's report, i am severely disappointed and feel that he has failed to exhibit sincere remorse or responsibility for his conduct. i fully respected his right to a trial. but even after 12 jurors unanimously convicted him guilty f three felonies, all he has admitted is doing -- all he has

admitted doing is ingesting alcohol? someone who cannot take full accountability for his actions does not deserve a mitigating sentence. it is deeply offensive that he would try and dilute rape with a .uggestion of promiscuity by definition, rape is not the absence of promiscuity. rape is the absence of consent. and it perturbs me deeply that he can't even see that distinction. >> the probation officer factored in that the defendant is youthful and has no prior convictions. in my opinion, he's old enough to know what he did was wrong. when you are 18 in this country, you can go to war. when you are 19, you are old enough to pay the consequence

for attempting to rape someone. he is young. but he is old enough to know better. as this is his first offense, i can see where leniency would beckon. on the other hand, as a society, we cannot forgive everyone's first sexual assault or digital rape. mr. gosar: it doesn't make sense. the seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly. we should not create a culture that suggests we learn that rape is wrong through trial and error. the consequences of sexual assault needs to be severe enough that people feel enough fear to exercise good judgment even if they are drunk. severe enough to be preventive. the probation officer weighed the fact that he has surrendered a hard-earned swimming scholarship how much fast brock swims does not lessen the severity of what happened to me and should not lessen the severity of his punishment. if a first-time offender from an underprivileged background was accused of three felonies and displayed no accountability for his actions other than drinking,

what would be his sentence? the fact that brock was an athlete at a private university should not be seen as an entitlement to leniency but as an opportunity to send a message. that sexual assault is against the law, regardless of social class. >> the plobation officer has stated that this case, when compared to other crimes of similar nature may be considered less serious due to the defendant's level of intoxication. it felt serious, that's all i'm going to say. what has he done to demonstrate that he deserves a break? he has only apologized for drinking and has yet to define what he did to me as sexual assault. he has revictimized me continually, relentlessly. he has been found guilty of three serious felonies and it's time for him to accept the

consequences of his actions. he will not be quietly excused. he is a lifetime sex registrant. that doesn't expire. just like what he did to me doesn't expire. doesn't just go away after a set number of years. it stays with me. it's part of my identity. it has forever changed the way i carry myself the way i live, the -- the way i live the rest of my life. to conclude, i want to say thank you to everyone from the intern who made me oatmeal when i woke up at the hospital that morning, to the deputy who waited beside me, to the nurses who calmed me, to the detective who listened to me and never judged me. ms. kuster: to my advocates who stood unwaveringly beside me.

to my therapist who taught me to find courage in vulnerability. to my boss, for being kind and understanding. to my incredible parents, who teach me how to turn pain into strength. to my grandma, who snuck chocolate into the courtroom throughout this to give to me. my friends, who remind me how to be happy. to my boyfriend, who is patient and loving. to my uncomparable sister, who is the other half of my heart. alaila, my idol, who fought tirelessly and never doubted me. mr. gohmert: thank you to everyone involved in the trial for their time and attention. thank you to girls across the nation that wrote cards to my d.a. to give to me. so many strangers who cared for

me. most importantly, thank you to the two men who saved me. who i have yet to meet. i sleep with two bicycles that i drew taped above my head -- bf my bed to remind -- above my bed to remind myself that there are heros in this story, that we are looking out for one another. to have known all these people, to have felt their protection and love is something i will ever forget. ms. speier: and finally, to girls everywhere, i am with you. on nights when you feel alone, i am with you. when people doubt you, or dismiss you, i am with you. i fought every day for you, so never stop fighting. i believe you. as the author anne lamott once wrote, lighthouses don't go

running all over the island looking for boats to save they just stand there shining. although i can't save every boat, i hope that by speaking today, you absorb a small amount of light, a small knowing that you can't be silenced. a small satisfaction that justice was served. a small assurance that we are getting somewhere. and a big, big knowing that you are important. unquestionably. you are untouchable. you are beautiful. you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you. to girls everywhere, i am with you. thank you.

>> some the night on "q&a," joanne jenkins talks about the health and challenges older americans face. she is also the author of the bold newsrupt aging: a path to living your best life." >> when these programs were put in place, life expectancy was 67 or 68. and so, not only are there more people in the system, but they are living longer. and so, we have be able to look

at these programs and make meaningful adjustments that are going to allow people to live with dignity at a much longer period of time. >> monday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> the united states faced more than a decade of challenges during reconstruction. policies instituted at that time had a lasting impact on american history. starting at 1:00 p.m. eastern, american history tv on c-span3 is live from gettysburg college in gettysburg, pennsylvania. authors, historians, and professors examine topics in front of our newly unified country. the assistant professor of history at brandeis university. reconstruction in the north, the

professor of history at tennessee state university. and the civil war career of ulysses s. grant with professor simpson from arizona state university. on theear conversations return of the confederate veterans and the origins of the lost cause. the annual civil war institute summer conference, live all day saturday, beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern. for the complete american history tv weekend schedule, go to www.c-span.org. a news conference, federal reserve chairman janet yellen said the upcoming referendum on british membership in the european union play the role the decision to keep interest rates steady. british voters will decide the issue next week. his news conference came after the federal open market committee's two day june meeting. this is an hour.

>> this accommodative policy should support further progress towards our statutory objectives of employment and stability. based on the economic outlook the committee continues to anticipate the gradual increases in the federal funds rate over time. they're likely to be consistent with achieving and maintaining our objectives. however, recent economic indicators have been mixed, suggesting that our cautious approach to adjusting monetary policy remains appropriate.

not onys, our policy is a preset course and if the economic outlook shifts, the appropriate that the policy will shift correspondingly. i will come back to the policy decision, but first, i will review recent economic developments and the outlook. economic growth was relatively weak late last year and early this year. one of the factors weighing growth were expected. example, exports have been soft, reflecting sai subdued foreign demand. the energyity in sector has obviously been hard hit by the steep drop in oil prices since mid-2014. but the slowdown in other parts of the economy was not expected. in particular, business investment outside of energy was

particularly weak during the winter and appears to have remained so into the spring. in addition, growth and household spending slowed noticeably early in the year, despite solid increases and household incomes, as well as relatively high levels of consumer sentiment and wealth. unfortunately, the first quarter slowdown and household spending appears to have been temporary. indicators for the second quarter have so far, pointed to a sizable rebound. this recovery is a key fact there, supporting the committee's expectations that overall economic activity will expand at a moderate pace over the next few years. despite lackluster economic growth, the job market continued to improve early in the year. theng the first quarter average was nearly $200,000 per

month. that is just a bit slower than last year's pace. the unemployment rate held in though notably more people were actively looking for work. recently, the case of improvement in the labor market appears to have slowed markedly. we have gains in april and may, estimated to have averaged only about $80,000 per month. and while the unemployment rate thatto 4.7% in may, decline occurred because fewer people reported that they were actively seeking work. measure of unemployment that includes individual who want and are available to work, but who have not searched recently, as well as people who are working part-time, but would rather work full-time has flattened out. on a more positive note, average hourly earnings increased 2.5%

over the past 12 months, a bit faster than in earlier years , a welcome indication that growth might be picking up. although recently, market data has been unbalanced and disappointing. it is important to not to overreact to one or two monthly readings. the committee continues to expect that the labor market will strengthen further over the next few years. we will be watching the job market carefully. anoing economic growth and improving labor market underpin our inflation outlook. overall consumer price inflation is measured by the price index for personal consumption expenditures. that was about 1% over the 12 month, ending in april, still sort of the 2% objective. much of the shortfall still continues to reflect the effects of earlier declines in energy

prices and lower prices for imports. core inflation, which excludes energy and food prices, has been running close to 1.5%. as the transitory influences holding down inflation fade and as the labor market strengthens further, the committee expects inflation to rise to 2% over the next two to three years. our inflation outlook also rests importantly under judgment that longer run inflation expectations remain reasonably well anchored. however, we can't take the instability of longer run inflation expectations for granted. the survey showed little change of balance in recent months. ofancial market measures inflation compensation have declined. movements in these indicators reflect many factors and

therefore, may not provide an accurate reading on changes in the inflation expectations that are most relevant for wages and prices. nonetheless, in considering future policy decisions, we will continue to carefully monitor actual and expected progress towards our inflation goal. let me now turn to the individual economic projection submitted to this meeting by fomc participants. as always, each participant's projections are conditioned on his or her own view of appropriate monetary policy, which in turn, depends on each person's assessment of the multitude of of factors that shake the outlook. participant's projections for growth are slightly lower in the near term than the projections made for the march fomc meeting.

the meeting growth projection now remains that 2% through 2018, inline with the estimated longer run rate. the median projection for the unemployment rate edges down from 4.7% at the end of this year to 4.6% in the next two y ears, somewhat below the median assessment of the longer run normal unemployment rate. edian path of the unemployment rate has little changed from march. finally, the median inflation projection stands at 1.4% this year, a bit firmer than in march and then rises to 1.9% next year and 2% in 2018. returning to monetary policy, as i said, the committee maintains the target range for the federal funds rate. this decision reflects the committee's careful approach in

setting monetary policy, particularly in light of the mixed readings in the labor market and economic growth i have discussed, as well as continuing below target inflation. preceding cautiously in raising our interest rate target will allow us to verify that economic growth will return to a moderate pace, that the labor market will strengthen further, and that inflation will continue to make progress toward our 2% objective. caution is all the more appropriate, given the short-term interest rates are still near zero. that means monetary policy can more effectively respond to surprisingly strong inflation pressures in the future than to a weakening labor market and falling inflation. although the financial market stresses that emanating from abroad at the start of this year has eased, former abilities in the global economy remain.

in the current environment of sluggish global growth, low-inflation, and already very accommodative monetary policy in many advanced economies, investor perceptions of and appetite for risk can change abruptly. as our statement notes, we will continue to closely monitor global economic and financial developments. we continue to expect that the evolution of the economy will warrant only gradual increases in the federal funds rate. remain forhe rate to some time below levels that are anticipated to prevail in the longer run. because headwinds weighing on the economy mean the interest rate needed to keep the economy operating near its potential is low by historical standards. dwinds, which include developments abroad, subdued household formation, and maker

productivity growth could persist for some time. but if they gradually fade over the next few years, as we expect, then the interest rate required to keep the economy operating at an even keel should move higher as well. this view is consistent with our discipline's -- with artistic participant productions. it has risen gradually to 1.5% at the end of next year and 2.5% by the end of 2018. somewhat below the estimated longer run normal level. although the median federal funds rate at the end of this year is unchanged for march, the number of participants revised their projections. median7 and 2018, the

to 0.50%n is 0.25% lower than in march. made to the estimated longer run levels with the federal funds rate. as i have noted on previous participate projections for the federal funds rate are not a fixed plan for future policy. policy is not on a preset course. these forecasts represent participant, individual assessments, over appropriate policy, given their projections of economic growth, employment inflation, and other i factors. however, the economic outlook is inherently uncertain. so, each participant's assessment of appropriate policy is also necessarily uncertain,

especially over longer time horizons, and will change in response to changes to the economic outlook and associated risks. finally, the committee will continue its policy of reinvesting proceeds from maturing treasury's security and principal payments from debt and mortgage-backed securities. as highlighted in our policy statement, we anticipate continuing this policy until normalization at the level of the federal funds rate is well underway. holdingsng our sizable for longer-term security should help maintain accommodative financial conditions and should reduce the risk that we might have to lower the federal funds rate to zero in the event of a future large adverse shock. thank you. i will be happy to take your questions.

>> one of the things hanging over markets right now is the vote in the united kingdom next week. how much of a factor was that in today's decision, relative to the questions you have alluded to about the domestic jobs numbers and inflation data? and can you talk about the channels you think about when you talk about the potential impact of a brexit on the u.s. economy? thank you. janet yellen: well, the upcoming u.k. decision on whether or not to leave the european union is it something we discussed and i think it is fair to say it was one of the factors that factored into today's decisions. clearly, this is a very important decision for the united kingdom and for europe. it is a decision that could have consequences for economic and

financial conditions in global financial markets. um, if it does so, it could have consequencesin turn, for the thateconomic outlook would be a factor in deciding on the appropriate path of policy.s so, it is certainly one of the uncertainties we have discussed and have factored into today's decision. thank you. the fed's outlook for rates has come down sharply for 2018, especially, but he has been coming down gradually over time. full percentage point compared to a year ago and yet, the gdp outlook remains the same. what has happened to the committee's outlook for rates to be brought down so much in 2018

and further from the long run than it was say, and the prior estimate that was out there. has there been a dramatic change in the committee's view on the relationship from gdp to rates? maybe you can explain why the fed has to keep lowering these rates and getting that forecast wrong. janet yellen: as i mentioned in my opening remarks, there is really a great deal of uncertainty around each individual assessment of the appropriate level of rates, particularly as we go further horizonhe forecast to rist and when we come to the long-term. i think what we can see and what many econometric and other studies show is that this so-called "neutral rate," namely, the level of the federal funds rate that is consistent with economy growing and operating near full employment,

that rate is quite depressed by historical standards. many estimates would put it in real or inflation adjusted terms near zero. now, the path that you see in the dot plot for rates over time, is influenced. there is accommodation and as we achieve our objectives, i think most participants feel that the accommodation needs to be gradually removed. but a very important influence in the out years is what will happened to that neutral rate, that will just keep the economy operating on an even keel? i have often, in my statements and remarks, talked about reflects that lingering effects of the financial crisis.

to the extent that there are headwinds, i think many of us expect that these headwinds would gradually diminish over time. and that is a reason why you see the upward path for rates. but they are also more long-lasting and persistent factors that might be at work that are holding down the longer run level of neutral rates. for example, slow productivity growth, which is not just to the u.s. phenomenon, but a global phenomenon. obviously, there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen to productivity growth, but productivity growth could stay for a long time. societies ining many parts of the world that could depress this neutral rate in a think all of us are involved in a process of

constantly reevaluating, where is that neutral rate going? in a think what you see is a downward shift in that assessment over time, the sense that mabye more of what's causing this neutral rate to be low are factors that are not going to be rapidly disappearing, but will be part of the new normal. now, you still see an assessment that that neutral rate will move up somewhat, but it has been coming down and i think it continues to be marked lower. and it is highly uncertain. for all of the dots. >> hi, i'm jason. median participant forecast for the federal funds rate 42017 and 2018 came down quite dramatically. but this is in contrast with the the 2016 median forecast. as you mentioned, there were a number -- actually, six

participants who saw only one rate hike this year. can you comment on what it would two rate increases to be the likely for appropriate policy path? and about this disconnect between the median view and the view of the voting members of the committee. if there is one, i should add. janet yellen: i'm not going to comment on participants versus voters. , thenow, monetary policy committee feels that monetary policy, when we are looking at several years, we should show the public what the views are of all the participants in the committee, especially given the voting rotates every year.

and so, that is a decision we made. but you asked me what it would take to have two increases. so you know, the committee as a whole never discusses how many increases should we have this year or next year. that's not a decision we are making as a committee. we're making decisions on a meeting by meeting basis and trying to give the sense to the public of what we are looking for and what the basis of the decision will be. and, as the indicated -- first of all, international uncertainties loom large here. we mentioned, brexit, the u.k. decision. obviously, how that turns out is something that will factor into future decisions. and, we are also looking at the prospects for economic growth and continued progress in the

labor market. seethe forecast that you , indicates that the committee will continue to grow. we do have moderate growth, 2% growth suggests healthy growth for the rest of the year and the pickup in growth in the second quarter. and we do expect to see continuing progress in the labor market. now, we had questions about the growth outlook because we did see slower growth in the fourth-quarter and in the first quarter. i have to say there, with respect to the slowdown we saw in consumer spending that seems to be out of line with fundamentals, we expected it to pick up and we have seen very good evidence that it has picked up. but, now the labor market appears to have slowed down and we need to assure ourselves that the underlying momentum in the

economy has not diminished. so, as i said, we will be carefully assessing data on the labor market to make sure that job gains are going to continue at a pace sufficient to resulting in further improvement in the labor market. and we will be watching the spending data to make sure growth is picking up in line with our expectations. of course, with respect to inflation, we are constantly evaluating whether or not incoming information is roughly in line with our expectations. so, we will be evaluating that during every meeting. every meeting as live. we could make it decision at any meeting to adjust the funds rate. but that is the kind of thing we would want to see to make such decisions. that created a labor market

conditions that was designed to sort of bring together a lot of these factors. as i'm sure you know, the labor market has been falling since january. that suggests to some people it was your decision to raise rates in december that has caused this weakening in the labor market. can you discuss what role the fed's decision to raise rates has played into the slowdown that we can now see? janet yellen: the labor market's condition index is an experimental research product that is a summary measure of many different indicators. and essentially, that measure tries to assess the change in labor market conditions. as i look at it, and as the index looks at things, the state of the labor market is still healthy, but there has been something of a loss of momentum. jobs a month with a

month we saw for example, in the first quarter of the year that has slowed in recently. exactly what the reasons are for that slowing, it is difficult to say. it might turn out -- again, which never paid too much attention to one job report. we often see large revisions. we should not over blow the significance of one data point. otherally when indicators in the labor market are still flashing green. initial claims for unemployment insurance remain low. perceptions of the labor market remain fine. on jobrrom the jolts openings continue to reach new highs.

there is a good deal of incoming data that does signal continued progress and strengthening in the labor market. as i said, it does bear watching. the committee does not feel it does not expect -- and i don't expect -- that labor market progress has come to an end. we have tried to make clear to the public and through our actions and to the revisions you have seen over time and the dot plot, that we do not have a fixed plan for raising rates over time. we look at incoming data and are prepared to adjust our views to keep the economy on track. and in light of that data dependence of our policy, i really don't think a single rate increase of 25 basis points in december has had much

significance for the outlook. and we will continue to adjust our thinking in light of incoming data in whatever direction is appropriate. i want to come back to these longer run rate projections that you had been asked about. so, yields on ten-year treasury notes have followed below 1.6%. five-year notes are near 5%. elsewhere in the world, in germany and japan, long-term bond yields are negative. how do you explain this low level of long-term bond yields? and does it give you any pause in looking at your own projections and coming to a conclusion about whether those projections are possibly still way too high when the bond market is at a much lower level? janet yellen: so, i think the levels of longer-term rates reflect essentially, two things. one is market expectations about

the path of short-term rates over, if we are considering say, a 10 year treasury security. what would be the path of short-term rates over the next 10 years? and, the second factor is the so-called "term premium," for the extra yield that investors demand in order to hold a longer term security, instead of to invest short-term. clearing expectations for the path of short-term, interest rates over the next 10 years remain low. factor, the is an important factor that i think holding down the level of longer-term yields. but perhaps as important, or maybe even more important, the term "premium" is also low and

has probably come down. now, when we engaged in longer-term asset purchases, our very purpose in doing that was t o drive down longer-term yields by making these assets scarcer and hence, more valuable to the public that wants to invest in long-term securities. and we were consciously attempting to drive down that term premium. we continue to hold a large quantity of those securities, but we are not adding to them. but in many parts of the world, the ecb for example and the bank of japan, are also engaging in quantitative easing, buying longer-term assets, and pushing down those term premium. so, i think term premium are still very low.

>> to below levels give you any doubt about whether you will be able to get rates to where projections say they are going? janet yellen: i want to say again, we are quite uncertain about where rates are heading in the longer-term. best estimatesur at this time of what is a longer run normal level of the federal ?unds rate those are numbers about which there is great uncertainty. as i said, we have good reason to believe that this so called neutral rate, or rate compatible with the economy operating at full employment, is low at the present time. believe, as a

base case, it is reasonable to assume that those rates will move up over time. that we are not certain of that. it is one of the uncertainties that -- and there could be revisions in either direction, secp's, far, in recent i would say the revisions have been in a downward direction. the idea that a load neutral rate might be worth closer to the new normal. see someo still revisions. so, we are quite uncertain about that. philadelphia, in you called the slowdown in job growth not concerning and you mentioned today that you want to verify that the labor economy and the labor market is still continuing. what you need to see to convince you that the labor market is still moving towards full employment?

and how long do you see this? janet yellen: though, i can't give you a formula. i know you would probably like to have a number that is cut off from what we need to see in a particular report. there are a lot of different indicators of the labor market, for example the labor market conditions index that we have referred to has 19 different indicators. clearly, we will be looking at the next jobs report. if we were to see a healthy pace of job growth, you know, above that needed to kind of maintain the status quo in the labor market. i should say, over time, we should expect to see, as the economy comes closer to maximum employment, the likely pace of probablys going

to slow down somewhat. and we have seen some slowing, but the recent couple of months was very low, and arguably, not even at the pace we need to see a maintained stable market conditions. so, there may be revisions to previous months that might change our views, but there will be other surveys of employment intentions and other indicators of the labor market that we will focus on. so, there is no formula for what it takes, but we will be looking at the labor market. >> peter and then dana. your speech in philadelphia, you did not say it would be appropriate for a rate hike to occur in the coming months. did you intentionally leave that out? need tollen: um, we do

make sure there is sufficient momentum. i don't know what the timetable is going to be to gain that assurance. every meeting his live. live.ry meeting is there is no meeting that is off the table. no meeting is out in terms of a possible rate increase. but we really need to look at pre-specify i can't the timetable. so, it is not comfortable to say, it is in the next meeting or two, but it could be. it is not impossible. it is not possible that by july, for example, we would see data that would lead us to believe that we are on a perfectly fine course and that that it was an aberration. >> peter barnes, hi. we are in an election season and in the past, the fed has been

sensitive to making policy changes in election years. you have three more meetings before the november presidential election. could you comment on whether or not the election will come into that if you concern change policy ahead of the election and based on your forecast today, you obviously could -- are you concerned that that could then lead to charges that the fed is trying to change policy to influence the outcome of the election? because the fed has been sensitive to that in the past. thank you. janet yellen: so, we are very focused on assessing the economic outlook and making changes that are appropriate without taking politics into account. look, if the incoming data were in the coming months, to justify the kind of gradual

increases that we have long discussed that we see as appropriate in light of the outlook, i think markets should not be surprised by such a decision if we make it and it is obviously consistent with the data we have seen. and the committee will feel free to move in the coming months if we think it is appropriate. >> dina? >> gina, bloomberg. you mentioned that we are getting a slightly different signal when it comes to inflation and inflation expectations. can you detail a little bit, which you look at. are you concerned about inflation expectations for the cycle of actual inflation? janet yellen: well, we are looking at both. i would say, with respect to the behavior of inflation, inflation is behaving roughly in the

manner i would have expected. i have really not seen significant surprises there. we have long said that the important reason that inflation is as low as it has been is because of past declines in energy prices and increases in the value of the dollar. as those factors begin to dissipate, we would see inflation moving up. now, that is exactly what we are seeing. it is inline with our thinking and the data. those things have stabilized, their influence is dissipating. inflation,t to core which is partially influenced also by the dollar, but trying to pull out the dollar and import price influence, but core inflation seems to be behaving roughly as one would expect with well anchored inflation expectations and an improving labor market.

so, i'm not seeing anything -- inflation even core inflation, it is well under 2%. i continue to think the evidence supports a projection that it will move up over the next couple years, back toward our to present objective. objective.ur 2% , series of that inflation expectations are relative to price. so, we do monitor indicators of inflation expectations carefully. now, it is very hard to know exactly what inflation excitations are relevant to actual price and wage decisions. and so, for example, we have seen the michigan survey, a measure of household inflation and expectations move down. it is a preliminary number. it is hard to know what to make of it.

we have certainly taken note of it. but surveying-based measures that forecasters say are quite stable. and measures of inflation compensation, i always try to be careful to college inflation compensation, rather than inflation expectations. they are not inflation expectations. inflation expectations influence those market measures, but there is also an inflation risk premium. and there are actually good reasons to think that the inflation risk premium could have decline to significantly and might be depressing those measures. so, we watch them. we have taken note in the statement that they have moved down. but actual inflation is behaving more or less as would be expected. >> marti? >> marti with the associated

press. when the april minutes were released, they caught markets by surprise. they seemed to show that there was an active discussion about a increase,une rate something we had not gotten from the policy statement that was issued right after the meeting. was that a conscious decision, to hold back and tell us when the minutes came out about the june discussion? and if so, could you tell us what surprises we could see in the june minutes? [laughter] janet yellen: so, the minutes always have to be an accurate discussion of what happened at the meeting. so, they are not changed after the fact in order to correct possible misconceptions. there was a good deal of discussion at that meeting of the possibility of moving in june and that appeared in the minutes. i supposed in the april

statement we gave no obvious , or a calendar-based signal that june was a possibility. but i think if you look at the slowernt, we pointed to growth, but pointed out that the fundamentals -- there was no obvious fundamental reason our growth to have slowed. and we pointed to fundamentals underlying household spending decisions that remained on solid ground, suggesting that maybe, this was something transitory that would disappear. we noted that labor market conditions continue to improve, inline with our expectations. and we did downgrade somewhat our expressions of concern about the global risk environment. so, i do think that there were

hints in the april statement that the committee was changing its views of what it was seeing . we continue to say, we think of economic developments involve in line with our expectations, the gradual and cautious further increases, we expect to be appropriate. i was a somewhat surprised with the market interpretation with the june minutes -- with of the minutes of the april meeting. they were an accurate summary of what had happened. >> jerry? afp agency.h the the fed has are beautifully voiced -- the fed has repeatedly voiced concern over the wage growth.

could we boost the higher wages and eventually drive of inflation? janet yellen: so, i think that the minimum wage increases that have gone into effect, estimates is ai've seen suggest it relatively minor influence on the aggregate level of wage inflation. i would take somewhat faster thatincreases to be a sign labor market slack is diminishing and that the labor market is approaching conditions that are consistent with maximum employment. know -- i think we have seen some hints, perhaps preliminary indications that wage growth is picking up. and as much as anything, i think it is a sign of a generally healthy labor market, which is what our mandated objective is

to achieve maximum employment. that would be a symptom of it. >> great and then justine. >> greg from market watch. there has been a lot of discussion in the last couple months about the slow pace of demand in the global economy. some economists think that central banks should think about using helicopter money. maybe in japan or europe first. but then, ben bernanke weighed in, saying he thought it would be a good thing for the fed to put helicopter money inside its tool kit. so, i would like to get your comments on that. in normalen: so, times i think it is very important that there be a separation between monetary and fiscal policy. primary reason for

independence of the central bank . manyve seen all too examples of countries that end up with high, or even hyper inflation, because those in charge of fiscal policy direct their central-bank to help them finance it by printing money. and maintaining price stability and lowering stable inflation is very much aided by having central bank independence. timeshat said, in unusual where the concern is with very weak growth or possibly, deflation, rather rare circumstances. first of all, fiscal policy can be a very important tool. it is natural that if it can be employed that, just as monetary policy is doing a lot to try and stimulate growth, fiscal policy

should play a and normally you would hope in an economy with those severe downside risks, monetary and fiscal policy would not be working at cross purposes together. whether or not in such extreme circumstances there might be a for, let's say, coordination, close coordination, with the central bank playing a role in financing fiscal policy, this is something that academics are debating. it is something that one might legitimately consider. i would see this as very abnormal, extreme situation where one needs an all-out attempt, and even then, it's a matter that academics are debating, but only in an unusual situation. >> justine,