unless you have an example of how the loss of sovereignty is damaging to you. that thease, the fact european union, you are not able to control the entry of european citizens into your country at all. laborave free movement of , and free movement of persons. you have lost control of immigration. ,mmigration has been very high all from the eu and other parts of the world. the majority of the citizens are very worried about it. during the campaign, new figures came out suggesting that the government didn't know how many people were coming into the country, and how many people are claiming tax relief and so forth. been angration has important part of the brexit debate. a very strong illustration of the loss of sovereignty, and what it can mean in practical

terms. if brexit is passed, that will be one of the major reasons that it has passed. youy question is, i know are for brexit. if you are running the campaign against it, what would you say is the best argument? >> is an interesting question. because that campaign has not succeeded. , butdn't necessarily win the campaign as a whole of the remaining people has been a failure. one of the reasons being, some of the claims of what will happen become so ludicrous as a people just dismiss them. you -- david cameron's first

exposure to this, when he gave an interview, but the interviewer said to him, -- mentioned to recent prophecies, he said tell me prime minister, what will come first after brexit, world war ii or the great depression? the whole audience exploded in laughter. i thought at that point, well they'll have to scale back on that. they will have to do something cooler or calmer and they haven't. week, george osborne threatened an early budgie if brexit has passed. -- early budget. 57% of mps said they would never vote for brexit.

that is the opposite of what you should do. chancellor's and to party leaders wrote a letter to the telegraph saying that osborne was indulging in surging on desperation. get channels are saying this, no responsible chancellor could make such -- can pursue such a policy. in tory terms, that is a nuclear weapon. that policy has failed. theppose i would stress uncertainties and risk of life outside. the problem is that the other side and stress the risks of remaining inside the european union, particularly if they are

talking about establishing new sources of european institutions, like a european army or a new fiscal union that will take away fiscal sovereignty from the states. i think my answer is coming up. i don't think there's a good case for it, and it would be very hard for me to think of one. >> [indiscernible] one of the arguments you hear -- is itshington as would weaken the european relationship. >> i don't think it would wea one ofkwe can- the problemse is if youn are journalist and writing about these things., part of a kind of

responsible public official and they take a cue from each , they said on the same panels and exchange the same ideas. they fall victim to a kind of conformity. it is called group think. if you look at the institutions which have recently been issuing these condemnations at the idea what you will find is people slightly lower down from person, giving a speech cap saying i don't agree, or i don't think the bank of england is correct on this. there are people coming forward saying this is nonsense. negative impact, there may be positive impact.

leaving ae that system which is fundamentally 3%, tariff and an intrusive it will not have a terrible effect on the british economy or on british society. quite a lot of these arguments just have to be met with a robust, realistic, and cents. -- common sense. [indiscernible] >> i don't think it would weaken the situation in the light is -- enough slightest. married to american, to have to american stepdaughters, i pay american

taxes. i have my green card. i am very much on the american side. toould be open to trying forge agreement on americans on policies with a number of things. if you say to me, it is useful having you chat at the conference tables in brussels where all of these things are hammered out. you can represent our interests. i say well, that's fine. it justifieshink my surrendering my political independence and democracy in order to help you out from time to time. yet, that is the nature of the that barack obama made to the british people. we love you, stay in there and fight for us. go five for yourselves. question for you. with regard to david cameron.

britain leads the european union and next week, what is the fate of the prime minister? >> there are two people involved, david cameron and george austin are -- osborne are in a partnership. osborne's dead man walking, he will not be prime minister and not will be able to remain. -- they both waged a campaign that is highly peopleive, and in which just think is unreasonable. i think he has lost his authority. i don't think he will stay. the prime minister state will depend on -- fate will depend on the vote. if there is brexit, i don't

think most members of the conservative party in or out of parliament would think that the man who waged such a compassionate campaign against brexit is a man to negotiate with europe for the conditions of our departure. thatnk they will conclude it should be something else. in the event that there is a narrow victory, the prime minister will perhaps be able to stay on in office, but he will --.o as he will have to survive -- around them so that ministers who are on that side of the campaign in recent weeks. the conservative party will 'snclude that mr. cameron judgment and calling a referendum, he really didn't have a good idea of what the impact of it would be, then almost losing it means that he

is on a very short leash and i doubt he would survive for long. , do think the big question is the only way that he can in a sense retain independence and power is if there is a massive majority to remain. and that doesn't look like it. but it may happen. the long-term question is this. politics is british being divided by this issue for some time, and divided by two different parties, in the last 10 years. occurs -- brexit occurs, i think a lot of people will be saying to themselves the right to remain in office for a long time is it reunites in the same thethat canadian reunited

conservative party. there will be a lot of people who were wondering how to get them back, within the conservative fold. that can be hard thing to do. brothers who fall out are often worse enemies and strangers can ever be. i do think there will be a lot of people wondering, if we get together we will have more than 50% of the vote. they've got enough to be in power for a long time. that's a very tempting opportunity. i would like to thank you for your tremendous presentation today. applause]

i hope you will be back here again in the coming months. you are one of our greatest friends here at heritage. thank everybody for joining us and we look forward to the brexit referendum next week. thank you. [applause]

>> we will be watching the u.k. referendum vote on leaving the european union. the vote is set for thursday, coverage on c-span networks. the president is taking his wife and daughters on a father's day weekend getaway to carlsbad caverns park and disseminate national park. he will take time to speak to the media during the visit and

he is expected to highlight challenges threatening national parks. committee national platform hearing is today in phoenix, leading to draft the parties policy decision for folk during the national convention in july. for live coverage of that in about 45 minutes from now, at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. live coverage of that meeting will continue tomorrow at noon eastern. it is one of several hearings, the platform committee will also meet in st. louis and california. with the political primary season over, c-span's road to the white house takes you to this summer's political convention. national republican convention starting july 19 with lifeguards from cleveland. >> we will be going into the convention, no matter what happens. i think we will be going in so strong.

democratic national convention center july 25 from philadelphia >>. let's return it unified party. and we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to philadelphia, pennsylvania. of they minute republican and democratic party's national convention on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org. federal reserve chairman janet yellen says the upcoming brexit folk played a factor in keeping interest rates steady. britain will hold a referendum vote next week and whether to leave the european union.

>> good afternoon. markethe central open committee maintained the target range for the fund rate at one quarter to one half cent. this accommodative policy should support further progress toward our statutory objectives of maximum employment and price stability. the economic outlook, the committee continues to anticipate the gradual increases in the federal funds rate over time are likely to be consistent with achieving and maintaining the objectives. recent economic indicators have been mixed, suggesting that are cautious approach to rejecting monetary policy remains upon --

appropriate. as always, our policy is not on a preset course and the economic outlook shifts, the appropriate path of policy will shift correspondingly. i will come back to her policy decision. but first, i will review recent economic developments and the outlook. was relatively weak late last year and early this year. some of the factors weighing on growth were expected. ,xports have been soft reflecting subdued foreign demand and the earlier appreciation of the dollar. also, activity in the energy sector is hard hit by the drop in oil prices since 2014. but the slowdown in other parts of the economy is not expected. investmentar, this outside of energy was

particularly weak during the winter and appears to have remained so into the spring. in addition, household spending noticeably group despite solid increase in household increasing -- income as well high levels of consumer sentiment and wealth. down int quarter slow household spending appears to be temporary. indicators for the second quarter have so far pointed to a sizable rebound. this recovery is a key factor supporting the committee's expectations to overall economic activity will expand for moderate pace for the next few years. despite lackluster economic growth, the job market continued to improve early in the year. jobsg the first quarter, averaged 200,000 per month.

a bit slower than last year's pace. the unemployment rate held near 5%, even though noticeably more people were looking for work. the pace ofy, improvement in the labor market appears to have slowed markedly. in april and may are estimated to have averaged 80,000 per month. while the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in may, debts include before -- because fewer people were actively seeking work. another measure that includes individuals who want and are available to work, but 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 2.5%, earnings increased

a bit faster than earlier years and a welcome indication that wage growth may be picking up. the recent market data have been disappointing, it is important 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. that said, we will be walking -- watching the job market carefully. ongoing economic growth and an improving labor market underpin our inflation outlook. overall consumer price inflation , as measured by the price index 1% personal expenditures was in the 12 months ending in april still short of our objective. much of the short fell continues to reflect the earlier declines in energy prices and lower

prices for imports. which excludes energy and food prices has been running close to 1.5%. the transitory influence are holding down inflation and the market strengthens the committee expects inflation to rise to 2% over the next 2-3 years. -- longer runook inflation expectations remain reasonably well anchored. we can't take this for granted. show most survey measures little change on balance in recent months, financial market measures of inflation compensation has 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 toward the inflation goal. we can now turn to the individual economic projection, submitted for this meeting. as always, each participants projections are conditioned on his or her own view of appropriate monetary policy, which in turn depends on each person's assessment of a multitude of factors that shape the outlook. projections part domestich and gross product are slightly lower in the near term than the projections made for the march meeting.

the median growth projection remains at 2% through 2018, in line with its estimated longer run right. the median projection for the employment rate edges down from 4.7% at the end of this year, to 4% in the next two years. somewhat below the median assessment of the longer than normal unemployment rate. rate isan unemployment little change from march. the might -- the median inflation projection stands at 1.4% this year. andt firmer than in march, then rises to 1.9% next year and 2% in 2018. policy, aso monetary i said, the committee maintains its target range for the federal funds rate. this reflects the committees careful approach in setting

monetary policy, in light of the mixed readings on the labor thatt and economic growth i have discussed, as well as continuing below target inflation. proceeding cautiously and raising the interest rate target will allow us to verify the economic growth will return to a moderate pace, that the labor market will strengthen further, and inflation will continue to make progress toward our 2% objective. caution is all the more appropriate given that interest rates are near zero, which means that monetary policy to more effectively respond to surprisingly strong inflation in the future then to weakening labor market and falling inflation. although the financial market stresses it emanated from abroad at the start of this year has eased, vulnerabilities in the global economy remain.

in the current environment, a sluggish slope growth code low inflation and overly accommodative monetary policy are, have an appetite for risk can change abruptly. 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 fund rate. we expect the rate to remain for some time below levels that are into the paid it to prevail in the long run. this means that the interest rate needed to keep the economy operating near its potential is low by historical standards. which include developments abroad and meager

productivity growth could persist for some time. if they gradually fade over the expect, years, as we the interest rate required to keep the economy running at an even keel should move higher as well as the this view is consistent with participants with monetary policy. the funds rate rises only gradually at the end of next end of 2018. the somewhat below its estimated longer run normal level. rate atan federal funds the end of this year is unchanged from march, the number of participants revised down their objects -- projections. is2018 the median projection

one quarter to one half percent lower than march, roughly in line with the one quarter percentage point downward revision made to the estimator longer run level of the federal funds rate. as noted on previous occasions, participants projections for the federal fund rate, including the median are not a fixed plan for future policy. policy is not on a preset course. each forecast represents participants individual assessments of appropriate policy given their projections as economic growth, employment, inflation and other factors. however, the economic outlook is inherently uncertain. alsoparticipant is necessarily uncertain,

especially at longer time horizons, and will change in response to changes in the economic outlook and associated risk. finally, the committee will continue its policy proceeds for treasury and principle patients from agency debt and mortgage-backed securities. as highlighted in our policy statement, we anticipate continuing this policy until normalization of the federal fund rate is well underway. maintaining a sizable of longer-term securities should help to maintain 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'm happy to take your questions.

>> >> one of the big uncertainties hanging over markets 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 elucidated about the jobs and inflation data, and could you talk about the channels when you talk about the potential impact of a brexit on the u.s. economy? chair yellen: well, brexit, the upcoming decision on whether to leave the european union, is something we discussed. i think it is fair to say it is 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. if it does so, it could have consequences in turn for the u.s. economic outlook that would be a factor in deciding on the appropriate path of policy. it is certainly one of the uncertainties that we discussed and that factored into today's decision. >> the fed's outlook for rates has been coming down sharply, but has been coming down over time, almost a full percentage point in some cases, compared to a year ago. yet the gdp outlook remains the same. what has happened in the past quarter to the committee's outlook to bring down rate so much, now just 2.4%, and further from the long run than it was in

the prior estimate that was out there. has there been a dramatic change in the committee's view on the relationship of gdp to rates, and maybe you could explain why the fed keeps having to lower the rate and getting the forecast wrong. chair yellen: as i mentioned in my opening remarks, there is really a great deal of uncertainty around each individual's assessment of the appropriate level of rates, particularly as we go further out in the forecast horizon, and when we come to the long-term. i think what we can see, what many studies show, is the so-called neutral rate, mainly, the level of the fed funds rate that is consistent with the economy growing roughly at trends and operating at full employment. that rate is quite depressed by

historical standards. many estimates would put it in real or inflation-adjusted terms near zero. the path that you see in the dot plot for rates over time is importantly influenced. there is a accommodation. as we achieve our objectives, i think, most participants feel the accommodation in the current stance of policy needs to be gradually removed. but a very important influence in the out years is what will happen 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 headwinds that reflect the lingering affects of the

financial crisis. to the extent there are headwinds, i think, many of us expect these headwinds would gradually diminish over time. that is a reason why you see the upward path for rates. but there are also more long-lasting or persistent factors that may be at work that are holding down the longer run level of neutral rates. for example, slow productivity growth, which is not just a 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 long for some time. we have an aging society in many parts of the world that could depress this neutral rate. i think all of us are involved in a process of constantly

reevaluating where is that neutral rate going. what you see is a downward shift in the assessment overtime in the sense that maybe more of what is causing this neutral rate to be low, are factors that will not be disappearing, but will be part of the new normal. you still see an assessment that the 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. >> the median participant forecast for the fed funds are for 2017, 2018 came down quite dramatically. this stands in contrast with the 2016 meeting forecast. as you mentioned, there were six

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

but you asked me what it would take to have two increases. the committee, as a whole, never discusses how many increases we should have this year or next year. that is not a decision we are making as a committee. we are making decisions on a meeting by meeting basis and trying to give a sense to the public of what we are looking for and what the basis of a decision will be. as i 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. we are also looking at the prospects for economic growth and continued progress in the labor market.

the forecast that you see in the scp and statement indicates the committee expects to have moderate growth, 2% growth suggests healthy growth for the rest of the year and a pickup in growth for the second quarter. we expect to see continuing progress in the labor market. we had questions about the growth outlook, because we did see slower growth in the fourth quarter and in the first quarter. with respect to the slowdown, that seemed to be out of line with fundamentals. we expected it to pick up and we have seen good evidence that it has picked up. but now the labor market appears to have slowed down. we need to assure ourselves that the underlying momentum in the

economy has not diminished. as i said, we will be carefully assessing data on the labor market to make sure job gains are going to continue with a pace sufficient to result in further improvement of the labor market. 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 at every meeting. every meeting is live. we could make a decision at any meeting to adjust the funds rate. that is the kind of thing that we will want to see to make such decisions. >> the fed created a labor market conditions index for

couple of years ago that was designed to bring together a lot of these factors. i am sure you know you know it has been falling since january. that suggest to some people that it was your decision to raise rates in december that has caused this weakening in the labor market. could you address what role, if 's decision to raise rates played in the snow and we are now seeing? chair yellen: let me say, the labor markets index is kind of an experimental product that is a summary measure of many different indicators. essentially, that measure tries to assess the change in labor market conditions. as i look at it, 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.

the 200,000 jobs a month we saw in the first quarter of the year, that slowed in recent months. exactly what the reasons are for that slowing, it is difficult to say. again, we should never pay too much attention, for example, to one job market report. we often see large revisions. we should not overload the significance of one data point. especially when other indicators in the market are still flashing green. initial claims for unemployment insurance remain low. perceptions of the labor market remain fine. data from the job openings continues to reach new highs. there is a good deal of incoming data that does signal continued

progress and strength in the labor market. but as i said, it does bear watching. the committee does not feel and does not expect, i do not expect that labor market progress has come to an end. we have tried to make clear to the public, and through our actions, and through the revisions you see over time in the dot plots, 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. in light of that data dependence of our policy, i really do not 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 reductions you have been asked about. yields on 10 year treasury notes have fallen below 1.6%. 5-year note's, near 1%. 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, coming to a conclusion about whether those projections are possibly still way too high, and the bond market is at a much lower level? chair yellen: i think the levels of longer-term rates reflect essentially two things.

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

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

chair yellen: i want to say again, we are quite uncertain about where rates are heading in the longer-term. we write down our best estimates. at this time, of what is a longer than normal run of the federal funds rate. there is great uncertainty in that number. as i said, we have good reason to believe this so-called neutral rate, rate compatible with the economy operating at full employment is low at the present time. many of us believe as a base

case it is reasonable to assume those rates will move up over time, but we are not certain of that. it is one of the uncertainties. there could be revisions in either direction. thus far, in recent times, revisions have mainly been in a downward direction. the idea that a low neutral rate may be closer to the new normal. but you do still see some reversions. so we are really quite uncertain about that. >> in your speech in philadelphia, you call the slowdown in job growth last month concerning. you mentioned today that you want to verify the underlying momentum in the economy and labor market is continuing. what do you need to see to convince you that the labor market is still moving toward full employment, and how long do

you see it? chair yellen: i cannot give you a formula, i know that you would like to have a number that is a cut off for 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 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, 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 job gains is probably going to slow down somewhat. 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 to maintain stable labor market conditions. we want to see an adequate pace of job creation. there might be revisions to previous months if we change our views, but there will be other surveys of employment intentions, other indicators of the labor market that we will be focusing on. there is no formula for what it takes, but we will be looking at the labor market. >> also in philadelphia, you did not say that it would probably be appropriate for a rate hike to occur in the coming months. did you intentionally leave that out? chair yellen: you know, we do

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

you have three more meeting before the november presidential election. could you comment on whether or not the election will come into play, and any concern that if you change policy ahead of the election -- based on your forecast today, you could -- are you concerned that that could lead to charges that the fed is trying to change policy to influence the outcome of the election? because if it has been sensitive to that in the past. chair yellen: 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 is appropriate in light of the outlook, i think markets should not be surprised by such a decision, if we make it. it is obviously consistent with the data we have seen and the company will feel approved -- free to move in the coming months if appropriate. >> you mentioned in your remarks that we are getting a slightly different signal when you look at inflation versus inflation expectations. could you detail which you look at and weight more? are you focusing on the pickup in inflation? chair yellen: we are looking at both. with respect to the behavior of inflation, inflation is behaving roughly in the manner i would have expected.

i was really not seeing significant surprises there. we have long said, an important reason inflation is as low as it has been, is because of past declines in energy prices, 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. that is in line with our thinking and with the data. those things have stabilized. their influence is dissipating. with respect to core inflation, which is partly influenced also to pull out the dollar in import rice influence, 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 is running under 2%. i continue to think the evidence supports a projection that it will move up over the next couple of years back toward our 2% objective. we have seen in the past, and economic theories suggest, inflation expectations are relevant to price and wage setting decisions. so we do monitor indicators of inflation expectations carefully. now, it is very hard to know exactly what inflation expectations are relevant to actual price and wage decisions. so for example, we have seen the michigan survey, a measure of household inflation, expectations move down. that is a preliminary number. it is hard to know what to make of it. we have certainly taken note of it.

but survey-based measures, where forecasters were queried, have all been stable. measures of inflation compensation -- i always been careful to call it compensation rather than expectations -- because they are not inflation expectations. inflation expectations influence whose market measures but there is also an inflation risk premium. there is good reason to think the inflation risk premium could have declined significantly and maybe depressing those numbers. so we watch them, we have taken note in the statement that they have moved down. actual inflation is behaving more or less as we expected. >> when the april minutes were

released, they caught markets by surprise. they seem to show there was an active discussion of a possible june rate increase, something we had not gone 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? if so, could you tell us what surprises we could see in the june minutes? chair yellen: so, the minutes always have to be an accurate discussion of what happened at the meeting. they are not changed after the fact in order to correct possible misconceptions. there was a good deal of discussions at that meeting of the possibility of moving in june. that appeared in the minutes.

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

the april statement that the committee was changing its use -- views of what it was seeing. we continue to say that if we think economic developments involved in line with our expectations, the gradual and cautious further increases we expect to be appropriate. i suppose i was somewhat surprised with the market interpretation of it. but the minutes of the april meeting were an accurate summary of what had happened. >> the fed has repeatedly voiced its concern over the slow base of wage growth. >> we will leave this conversation to go live as a

democratic national committee is holding its southwest regional platform hearings ahead of the party's convention in toronto via in july. -- philadelphia in july.

hi

>> ladies and gentlemen, we will be beginning in one minute.

>> good morning.

welcome to democratic national convention committee's southwest forum on the 2016 democratic national platform. i am congressman elijah cummings of maryland and it is an honor to chair this panel, participate in this process, and i welcome all of you to these very important proceedings. i would like to call this form of the 2016 platform drafting committee to order. when everyone now please stand to pledge allegiance to the flag . i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

on behalf of my colleagues on the platform drafting committee, i welcome you as we continue the series of regional event designed to hear from democrats on the key issues affecting their families, their communities, our nation, and indeed, the world. we will continue this open and transparent process that allows ample opportunity for every viewpoint to be raised and to be heard. before proceeding with today's events, we must take a moment to recognize the senseless tragedy that took place in orlando last weekend. americansinnocent lost their lives in an act of hatred. together, we grieve for those who were killed and the families

and loved ones left behind. silenceake a moment of to honor the 49 victims please. thank you very much. before asking the democratic national committee ceo reverend elliott daughtry to bring welcoming remarks on behalf of thankrty, i want to again her publicly for her leadership on the convention and its many components. it is my pleasure to welcome my colleagues on the committee, other democrats who join us today, and members of the public as we begin these discussions about the future of the democratic party and the future

of this great nation. >> good morning. thank you, chairman cummings, for your warm welcome, and for your leadership that you have provided over so many decades to this nation and now to our drafting committee. we appreciate you and thank you for your service. last weekend, our nation stood still as news of yet another horrific act of violence, hatred, and terrorism flashed across our screens. all of our hearts break for the victims of this horrendous attack in orlando and the families who now must daily grapple with the reality that their loved ones has been snatched from them sensitively and too soon -- senselessly and

too soon. since last weekend, we have heard many offer good thoughts and prayers and well wishes for the families who are navigating their way through this tragedy. heartfelt, good and and appreciated, i'm sure. suggest the good thoughts, while well-intentioned, and the prayers, while well-meaning, are not enough. faith without works is dead. and just as thoughts without action is meaningless. it is in constable that in this -- unconscionable, that in this, the greatest country in the world, deadly weapons can be more easily obtained in the plane tickets we got to get here. but i am a prisoner of hope, so , believe, if we stand together

in one voice, with one intention , we can make our communities safe again. and we must respond to this tragedy by showing those who seek to defy us who we truly are , and inclusive nation that embraces all americans, not in spite of, but because of who they are. in many ways, that is why we are here today, to assure that when democrats gather in philadelphia 38 days from now, we are able to present a national platform that is representative of our party's commitment to that of american's most enduring value, that of we the people. when we say, we the people, when we profess a commitment to we the people, we mean all the people. as the party that embraces and

celebrate our differences, we are committed to addressing the needs of all of our people. that commitment means we are intently focused on protecting the needs of all americans and expanding their access to the democratic process. this is not without its challenges but it is a fundamental element of who we are. a vital component of protecting and expanding access is ensuring that no american is denied the most basic promise of our constitutional democracy, the right to vote. after all, the right to vote is the foundation of our arm of government, and defending that right is part of our never ending effort to create a more perfect union. men and women have fought, marched, bled, and died to gain and protect the right to vote.

as democrats, we stand firmly against all attempts to prevent americans from exercising their right. every american should be able to vote for the candidates that represent them. every american, the least, the last, the lost, the lockdown, the left behind, the young and the old, the formerly incarcerated, the business owner , every american deserves to have their voice heard. as a person of faith, i believe every person has a divine purpose and defined value. every single person is important and we have no one to waste. we have a responsibility to treat our sisters and brothers equally and to do everything within our power's to help everyone achieve their god-given potential. i am proud to join with the members of the drafting committee and members of this community to ensure our national platform, our party statement of , is forgedand values

with consideration of every voice in our party. today, we will continue the substantive exchange of ideas that we began last week in d.c., and i look forward to hearing the voices today, and more importantly, the heart from democrats, about our policy and party, and how we can adopt issue that will build on the success we have experienced over the last eight years. as republicans focus on what divides us, we will focus on how we can bring americans together and expand access and strengthen letters of opportunity for all americans. thank you. rep. cummings: thank you very much, leah. i would like to thank the individuals you will hear from today, for making time to share their perspectives and recommendations on the issues confronting americans. we appreciate you sharing your

expertise and look forward to hearing from you throughout the forum. i'm also delighted to thank the more than 1000 individuals from 43 states and the district of columbia, who have taken the time to share your comments, post written and video testimony , on the dnc see website, in addition to welcoming those of you here to phoenix, arizona. i am delighted to acknowledge those of you joining us today to the dnc see live stream on demconvention.com. we are committed to addressing the concerns of people's lives, the challenges they face every day, the problems their children face, education and well-being, health and safety of seniors, the opportunities available in our communities in our nation's future.

among others, we began last week by hearing testimony and recommendations on leveling the playing field, moving america forward. america's role in the world over the next two days, we will hear from policy experts, community leaders, advocates on energy and the environment, health, safety. protecting the expanding our democracy. the democratic party platform is not about any one of us sitting table.this it is so much bigger than all of us. it is about the people, and with the platform being a covenant of our shared and elected values, it's important the process captures the energy and the th of of the party -- bread the party. this will allow us to bring together our best inking with a focus on solutions. so it gives me great pleasure.

we are really, very pleased to have a special guest with us today. that is the mayor of phoenix, mayor greg stanton. mayor stanton, since taking office in 2012 has worked tirelessly to build a modern economy that works for every phoenix family by boosting trade investing in biosciences and lifting of local small businesses. mayor stanton is leading the way to create an innovation-based .xport economy built to last mayor stanton is committed to making our community a more welcoming and open place. under his leadership, phoenix became the first u.s. city to end chronic homelessness among veterans. phoenix also earned national recognition as a leader on lgbt issues, and became the first

arizona city to earn a perfect 's on the human rights campaign municipal quality index. thank you, mayor. mayor stanton: thank you for the kind introduction. welcome to the greatest city in the united states of america, phoenix, arizona. [applause] we do not give up easy. we finished second in the competition for the 2016 democratic convention. i want to be the first to welcome you to the home of the 2020 democratic convention here in phoenix. also, welcome to the fastest-growing big city post-world war ii in the united states of america. the future of phoenix, arizona is the future of the united states of america in so many ways. people are voting with their feet to move to the southwestern united states. we are so blessed to have incredible diversity here in our

city. i'm confident with the intellectual and policy firepower that this committee will provide to our party, we will be successful in the most important election in our lifetime. congressman, you mentioned a couple of issues that are so important to the people of this party, and therefore the people of this country, and certainly important to the people of the city. i want to thank you in advance for your support of the veterans across the united states of america which i know will be an important part of our platform. in phoenix, we were proud to accept president obama's challenge. he challenged every city to end chronic homelessness among veterans, which is such a sad issue. i'm proud to say phoenix was the first in the united dates of america to end chronic homelessness among our veteran population. i want to think this committee who showed support for people. you understand that supporting people is great for the economy of the united states of america.

we understand that in cities. i became mayor, support for lgbt communities was so important. last threeizona the years has gotten a perfect score from the human rights campaign quality index. the same as san francisco, los angeles, new york. phoenix, arizona, we accomplish that. i want to thank you for doing so much to support the issue of climate change. we think of climate change in the context of how it affects cities in the coastal areas ocean lines.sing in phoenix, arizona, with the heat you will experience over your few days here, earlier than we normally get, rising temperatures, drought is a huge issue in this community directly as a result of climate change. the policies that you adopt here, the policies of our party, are directly going to benefit us here in the desert southwest, on the issue of climate change and

climate resiliency. i want to thank you in advance in that regard. phoenix did win the award from the u.s. conference of mayors or having the strongest climate change policies in the united states of america as a city. congressman cummings, gutierrez, thank you for your leadership on comprehensive immigration reform. as i told you privately, when that is successful, and it will be successful, ncity in the united dates will benefit more economically from comprehensive immigration reform than phoenix, because of the wonderful diversity we are so blessed to have, including a city that is soon to be a majority latino city. finally, i want to think this committee in advance for what you would do to support infrastructure investment across the united states of america. in phoenix, we just passed the largest transportation infrastructure investment in the united states of america. billionr $32

transportation infrastructure investment. we want to pull the amount of light rail, increase the amount of bus service, 1000 miles of bike lanes, make the city more walkable, provide services for our citizens that happen to have disabilities. big ongoing transportation because we know how important it is to connect people to education and jobs. those in a position to afford a or want to utilize i want to think the committee for that. the policy recommendations you will make will be great for cities across america and therefore great for our country. welcome to phoenix. have a great view days of meetings. you will hear from some of the most talented people in our community that i have the benefit to work with here in the city. we have a thriving and passionate democratic here in the state of arizona.

welcome to phoenix. as i wasings: listening to you, i often think of washington, what cannot be done, so thank you for doing things and create models for the entire nation. we really do appreciate the hospitality. toore i get started, i want have them introduce themselves, the members of this very distinguished drafting committee. in tremendousng amounts of time, taking time away from their families, from their normal jobs, because they want to make sure that we as a party create a meaningful platform, not just with regard to the next four years, but are the next generation and beyond. so it gives me tremendous honor to have them introduce themselves, the members of the

drafting committee of the platform committee. thank you, mr. chairman. i am the policy director for senator bernie sanders. it's a pleasure to be here in phoenix, thank you. i am state of ohio. it is great to be here, thank you for welcoming us. theeborah parker, member of delay a look tribe. i want to thank the southwest indigenous tribes for honoring us and allowing us on to their traditional territory today. thank you. body shaper, i am from north carolina. happy to be here, thank you. congressman luis gutierrez from chicago. happy to be here with all of you.

>> teacher and citizen. president of the center for american progress. great to be here. wendy sherman, former undersecretary of state for political affairs. president of the american arab institute. thank you for the very warm welcome. [laughter] american federation of state county and minutes of all employees of phoenix. i am glad to be here, too. >> barbara lee, members of congress. progressive 13th district of california. happy to be here in phoenix. my late mother lived in sun city

many years ago, so i have visited many times. thank you for your hospitality. coolll mckibben from the and verdant mountains of vermont. >> senior policy advisor for hillary clinton. honor to be here. rep. cummings: thank you very much. howard berman could not be with us here today. keith ellison and carol browner will be joining us later in the .roceedings again, i want to thank all of the committee members for being a part of this very important committee. also seated with us are two of the many individuals giving our staff support throughout this weekend. andrew grossman and patrice taylor. andrew is a national platform director. patrice is the director of the dnc office of party affairs and

delegate selection. the staff has been absolutely wonderful, done a tremendous job. let me take a moment also to thank debbie wasserman schultz for her tremendous leadership. she and i have been talking almost every day trying to make sure these proceedings are transparent, open, and fair. i want to thank her for her tremendous leadership. finally, i'm pleased to .ntroduce our parliamentarian hopefully, she will not have too much work to do. dnc'smcfadden is the parliamentarian and has served in this role for many years and can help us navigate any parliamentary issues that may arise. today and tomorrow, helen will serve as our timekeeper and i remind the audience and members that we have -- today, we will be hearing from 41 witnesses.

so we are going to be moving rapidly because we want to hear from everyone. let me just take a moment to that what we do is so important. ,he idea that a year ago today in south carolina, at immanuel church, nine people were slain while sitting in a church basement. so we have to really look at our nation and try to figure out how we address these issues. just continue to turn our heads away from them. the purpose of the hearing today, the same as last week, is to solicit testimony from

individuals and just continue tn our heads away from them. organizations regarding the content of the 2016 national platform. each speaker has been given three minutes for a formal statement. following each presentation, or at the conclusion of the final speaker, time will be allowed for questions from the committee members. speakers remind the that we have your written testimony, so you don't have to read your testimony. you can just come and give us a summary. i think most of the members have questions, we will not be able to get to all the questions, but we would do the best we can. we have a busy and compact hearing schedule today. be timedentation will and each speaker should adjust accordingly. once again, this undertaking is serious business. as democrats, we need to keep in mind, the differences we may have our relatively small. while we may be passionate in

our opinions and beliefs, let us conduct is process with a quorum with respect for each other and for those who are taking time to speak to us. so we will begin today with session four. today we begin the energy and environment part of the presentation. a theme that touches each and every one of us, whether we live in city, suburbs, communities, all americans want to know energy sources -- that energy sources are available and cost-effective. the environment is respected and preserve for our children and our children's children. someone once said we do not from ourur environment ancestors. we borrow it from our children. willirst group of speakers share with us some of the

vehicles to make that happen. our first witness will be madeleine from the league of conservation voters, an organization that works to conservation issues and to state and local priorities. they have worked to draft andslation policy advocated for regulatory priorities related to climate change and clean water with members of congress. welcome. >> thank you. good morning. rep. cummings: is your mic on? so. believe thank you for the opportunity to testify today. it is an honor on behalf of our more than 1.3 million members -- to inform what

issues we believe should be included in the democratic party that form. this includes adapting to a changing climate, ensuring all communities have access to clean air and water, protecting public health from toxic chemicals, creating a fair, democratic, and just society, and preserving the special places and wildlife we hold dear. president obama and his administration have made incredible progress, especially on the issue of climate change. as we look to the future we must .uild on those the democratic party should leave the way in ensuring that we leave at clean and they've planet for -- safe planet for generations to come. the urgency of tackling climate change is never been more clear. power plants to the oil and

gas sector and cars and trucks. the platform should commend the historical agreement forced him paris and recognize the threat posed to communities across the country, especially to low income families and communities of color. we must accelerate our access to clean energy and leave fossil fuels in the ground. we should advance the production and distribution of clean energy. the tragic situation in flint, michigan has demonstrated we cannot take safe drinking water for granted. cities across the u.s. have experienced elevated levels of toxic lead in drinking water and like so many of our environmental challenges, these impacts disproportionately fall on those most vulnerable. providing safe drinking water for all communities should be a priority for all communities as

well as the clean water ruled for improvements to our infrastructure. has become pervasive in our home, buddies, and environment. did i lose -- oh, and science continues to link exposure to chronic health problems. congress recently passed legislation to give the epa new protections, including for pregnant women, children, workers, and others who are disproportionately exposed. lastly, america's public lands thespaces are some of public from most prized possessions. we should continue to protect invest infe and critical conservation programs. we must also continue to bolster the diversity of the sites, sto

and culture of our public lands so everyone feels welcome in them. we thank you for the opportunity to testify. rep. cummings: thank you very much. any questions? [applause] rep. cummings: thank you very much. thank you. michael mann, from -- with joint appointments in the environment institute. involves -- toch better understand the earth's climate system. welcome. >> thank you, congressman, and community members. i am honored to speak to you

about this critical issue. my name is michael mann. i'm a distinguished professor of atmospheric science at penn state. i spend my time teaching, advising students, during scientific research. fundamentally i am a climate scientist and i have spent much head buriedith my in climate data trying to seize out the signal of human caused climate change. what is disconcerting to me and so many colleagues is these tools we have spent years developing, increasingly, are unnecessary because we can see climate change, the impact of climate change now playing out in real-time on our television screens. the impacts -- b food, water, health, national security, our

economy -- climate change is creating -- taking a great toll. we've seen that in floods. the floods we have seen over the past year in texas and in south carolina. we see it in the devastating combination of sealevel rise and --e just active hurricanes destructive hurricanes which has led to calamities like superstorm sandy and what is now the perennial flooding of miami beach. we see it in unprecedented , like that which continues to afflict california, doubling the area of wildfire, fire burning in the western u.s., and indeed, in the record weekend in see this phoenix, arizona. the signal of climate change is no longer subtle. it is obvious. and like the tip of the , furtherl iceberg changes like the melting of the ice sheet to give us three feet of c rise by the end of the

century, may be locked and simply from the carbon we have burned, from the warming in the pipeline due to the burning of fossil fuels. there are some stiffing point -- there are some tipping points. there are some we may not have crossed and can still avoid. it is still possible to avert catastrophic and potentially. reversible changes in climate, but only by moving forward, building on the progress, and accelerating the transition away fuels towards a clean energy economy. the stakes could not be greater. the future of our children and grandchildren literally hangs in the balance. no contrast could be more stark. we have the republican party whose standardbearer and a vast majority of their congressional representatives continue to deny

that climate change exists. we have a democratic party that realizes that while we can debate the specifics of the worsening crisis, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and ignore the growing threat. it is my hope that the department what -- the dark iparty well have a statement -- the democratic party will have a statement about putting a price on carbon -- it is my hope that the platform will it knowledge of the obama administration and promised to build on that legacy by defending the clean power plan against attacks by congressional republicans and by ensuring other epa policies to reduce carbon emissions are kept in place. it is my hope the platform will that we should hold on the considerable progress from the time it summit in

summer. now is the time to move forward and it's up to the democratic party to make sure that happens. thank you. rep. cummings: thank you very much. thank you. [applause] >> committee members should know that dr. mann is not just a ,reat scientist, but a great staunch activist on these issues, who has the battle scars to show for it. explain why climate scientists they we need to leave something on the order of 80% of the coal and gas we know about underground? n: let me thank you, bill. you are a hero to many of to elevateefforts the discourse on climate change. this is based on pretty rigorous

science. we can actually calculate how much carbon we can continue to is,, what our carbon budget if we are to keep warming below catastrophic levels. what we tend to equate with two degrees celsius -- that is about three and a half degrees turn i warming of the globe -- we need to keep 80% of those fossil peels in the ground. we are already halfway there. -- we need to give 80% of those fossil peels in the ground. it is still possible to avoid catastrophic warming of the planet, but it is essential we engage in efforts to transition, accelerate the transition to renewable energy and green energy as soon as possible to do that. >> one of the arguments we hear too often in washington is it

will not make any difference -- it even in light of what happened in paris, they say, you know, what we may do here will not have tremendous impact. what do you say to that? dr. mann: thanks for the question. too often there is quite a gulf between what we hear from washington, d.c. and what heinz is snow to be true -- what tists know to be true, based on -- rep. cummings: based on science. dr. mann: based on size. the agreements of 200 nations around the world to reduce carbon emissions are enough to get us from where we were headed -- 5% warming of the globe in a half-century -- holding us below degreengerous to dwo level. we made progress to get halfway to where we need to be.

it's easy to see i rode, a path. it's easy to see a road, a path. thatoo easy building on very important agreement. another reason why this next election is so critical. if we are to hold on that agreement rather than -- build on that agreement rather than wee acworth -- backwards, all these little a president and a congress that embraces the objective of avoiding dangerous climate change. rep. cummings: yes, ambassador sherman. howssador sherman: important is american leadership to that purpose you just named? american leadership could not be more important. we had the luxury of cheap access to dirty fossil fuels for two centuries and who are we to tell the rest of the world that

they are not entitled to cheap, dirty energy if we do not have our own house in order? i think we have a tremendous , and that is why it is so important we lead -- not just engage in these negotiations, but continue to lead as president obama has done and as, hopefully, our next president will do as well. rep. cummings: this will be our last question. mr. gunnels. gunnels: thank you for your testimony. i really appreciate it. i appreciate your talking about the price on carbon. how important do you think the price on carbon is, how quickly should we enacted, and what will happen to our planet if we do not enact a price on carbon? n: the only way to avoid catastrophic consequences

for the planet, there needs to be a price signal. unfortunately we have been an environment where we have a congress in denial -- a republican leadership in denial of climate change, and there is been absence, not only of leadership him above the possibility of conference of climate legislation to put a price signal on the burning of carbon. absent that, we have seen tremendous progress at the local level, here in phoenix as we heard earlier, and through executive actions, the actions of the obama administration, but we will need to put a price on carbon. ultimately that will require a congress that is willing to accept climate change is real, but act on it through conference of climate legislation. rep. cummings: thank you very much. thank you very much. we really appreciate your passion. witness has

successfully combined grassroots organizing, environmental advocacy, and research to become one of the most highly regarded advocates in the country today. she is advancing the perspective of an terminal justice in urban communities to ensure the , waterment of clean air is accessible to all communities. she is the cofounder and we actve director of the for environmental justice, based in west harlem, which has a 24 year history of affecting environmental health policy nationally. thank you. >> thank you very much. ,ood morning, chair cummings committeeguished members. the challenge we must embrace is

all communities should have to clean water, clean air, and an equitable this tradition of benefits, burdens, and resources. the reality is many are sleep -- sick and dying from disproportionate exposure to that spoilpolicies areas ofcape in america. we know that your zip code or tribal status often determines the hazards and conditions that care tries these communities. example, a stretch between baton rouge and louisiana that has been taken over by oil refineries and industrial plants. small african-american communities of 300 or 400 people are sandwiched between these industrial plantations with no evacuation route. city, people of

color and low income living in shameful conditions, of mold, past, housing deterioration causing chronic disease. at in north carolina black farmers share a fence line with feed operations where hogmanay are -- manure contaminates groundwater and do not go outside because you maybes raid by the manure when you go to be sprayed you may by the menorah when you go to your car. pesticides are still allowed to be used in farming where the most vulnerable pregnant women and children are working. and the cap in trade systems are opposed by environmental justice organizations nationally for deed of reasons. they do not reduce the co-pollutants, which trigger asthma and harm public health, and secondly, they can

facilitate an outcome of some plans buying credit rather than reducing emissions, which results in communities not reaping the benefit of reduced admissions. the next administration should andly advance intersectional, interdisciplinary approach. we cannot have sustainable communities, a sustainable america without our transportation, open space, and environmental enforcement in sync. we need to invest in our energy future and infrastructure to give housing and homes affordable, so low income residents do not lose homes or landlords do not abandon their maintenance. we have to have an initiative to work with local governments to eradicate mold and truly get l

ead out of homes and drinking water so there are no more flint disasters. in conclusion, underserved communities need an advocate at the white house who is knowledgeable and concerned about these issues -- not simply about public engagement, but creating change and we need a council on environmental polity that is empowered or provideured to coordination and outreach that is effective, informe and helps to develop the changes we and we arenk you submitting longer recommendations today as well. rep. cummings: thank you very much. thank you. [applause] rep. cummings: congresswoman lee? rep. lee: thank you. i was born and raised in el paso, texas. -- some of you may have heard the story several years ago -- about the smelters in el

paso. my contemporaries, a majority passed away or got -- they got disease, multiple sclerosis, my sister has multiple sclerosis, several of ms, cancer,es with all kinds of diseases, which led to premature death or disabilities. and we know it was the smelters in el paso where we lived that somehow was part of the problem. and that is what happened to my contemporaries. so, i know this issue very well. thank you very much. i wanted to ask you, now or we are in 2016, still with lead in in lower, toxic dumps income communities. in my community, we are talking now about transporting lead excuse me not lead, -- coal through black and latino communities and i'm wondering if

you had a chance to look at the environmental and health impacts of coal, and then secondly with these environmental injustice decisions being made -- i mean these are decisions that lead to environmental justice, have you looked at civil rights violations? ms. shepard: there is an element of the civil rights act that's a that that that states that states will receive federal funding, but if there is any backlog of title vi cases at the epa for over 20 years -- many of them dismissed out of hand. is one that area needs to be strengthened, and epa needs to be given the

mandate to ensure these cases are adequately reviewed. coal?ee: what about ms. shepard: burning of coal exacerbates asthma and respiratory disease. in new york city we had an severalental bond act years ago that transformed over 400 public schools that were still using coal-fired furnaces, with our tradition -- with our , andren having asthma epidemic throughout new york city. we also know that coal slurry in has contaminated groundwater and waterways terribly there. the impact on appalachia has been very significant. a >> thank you so much, not just for your testimony, but real lifetime work to rid one of the things that worries me sometimes is when people hear about

something like flint, they get all upset and alarmed -- as they should be -- but imagine it is just some kind of one-off anomaly. could you talk a little bit about how we should really think about what happened in flint in the national context? ms. shepard: certainly. i think the environmental justice movement believes it is a prime example of environmental racism. we believe that if this had happened in ann arbor, this would not have occurred. they would not have switched to a contaminated water supply. we also believe that people of color who complain about these revieware not given the and attention they should be. we know that the epa in that region -- and let me say that the epa regional direct errors -- directors, that whole epa region, it needs to be

restructured because they are not accountable to outcomes and they do not seem to be accountable to the administrator in washington. hadwe know that the epa information they did not act on. when people of color have these complaints, they are not taken seriously, and until a pediatrician came in and did research and began to raise this issue, nothing was done. but the other issue is we now know there are at least 19 other cities in this country that have levels of lead in the water that approach flint or are higher. so, these issues have been going on for many years. and because the cities and not making the invest or because the federal government is not giving of investment in funding financial issues, because of that they are not talking about

these issues. water quality is key. >> how can we bring back environmental justice to tribal nations? where people of color in rural areas, but we have tribal nations that have a whole separate set of laws, a sovereign nation, government to government, but often you see pollutants and big oil and coal companies coming onto reservation land because often lack of authority or law that protects tribal nations. what have you found in your studies? theshepard: i know that advisor to the epa has had strong indigenous representation and a separate indigenous working group. we have beenbody,

able to accept some of the there on tribal lands -- are tribal leaders that have authority, that the federal soernment cannot contravene, there are those cans of issues, but there is a lot of strong thecacy on tribes out of indigenous network, taking on these issues, i think, in a very effective way. but we need strong congressional some work. -- but we need strong congressional support. rep. cummings: thank you very much. mckibben: i take your point about the environmental racism. -- >> i take your point about the environmental racism.

the emergency manager in flint is one of many emergency managers who has resigned. they have a majority black population. no coincidence. also the financial dimensions of what we have learned in flint -- would you concur that in addition to the racial dimension of it, there is also the us economic the austerity policy at the root of the short sighted decisions made in flint question mark a systematic depletion of state aid to cities, not just flint, but other cities in michigan, that played a role in straitjacket thing the options available, and then made this terrible, terrible decision to save a few bucks by diverting from the previous water supply that has caused this calamity that's going to last for years and years and years with kids of flint who are going to grow up with all of that lead. arethe fiscal decisions

also crucial here, that we need to reinvest in the infrastructure of our cities? ms. shepard: absolutely. we certainly know that there are failures throughout the country and i'm hoping the d in the and the next administration will make that invest in our andastructure -- the dnc the next administration will make that investment in our infrastructure. they have been put in cities that are primarily african-american or people of color. those measures fall heavily on communities of color as well. democracy has literally been snatched from the people in the cities with no review and no recourse. austerity measures, the financial investment by the federal government is crucial to maintaining environmental quality. as i was listening to you, i

could not let you go without saying this. when i grew up, we were in a very poor neighborhood. all my six brothers and sisters had asthma. people died early from cancer. i could name all kind of environmental things happening. we thought it was normal. doingk the things you are makes people aware that that is not normal. a lot of people don't realize there are some folks living in situations they should not. barbara lee talks about poverty. if you want to talk about poverty, if somebody is sick all the time, it is hard to have -- to move forward. i want to thank you for your advocacy. the other thing i wanted to ask , the president and congress hopefully will do things. i was wondering how much of this lv