Janet Yellen

“I want to be completely clear that I strongly oppose 'Audit the Fed.'”

“Audit the Fed is a bill that would politicize monetary policy, would bring short-term political pressures to bear on the Fed. In terms of openness about our financial accounts, we are extensively audited.”

“An important factor influencing intergenerational mobility and trends in inequality over time is economic opportunity.”

“Productivity depends on many factors, including our workforce's knowledge and skills and the quantity and quality of the capital, technology, and infrastructure that they have to work with.”

“Because food and energy prices are volatile, it is often helpful to look at inflation excluding those two categories - known as core inflation - which is typically a better indicator of future overall inflation than recent readings of headline inflation.”

“Policy makers should be compelled to take action given the serious costs of long-term unemployment when overall unemployment is already high. A week of unemployment is worse when it is experienced as part of a longer spell.”

“Strapped by tight credit and plummeting sales, businesses have overhauled the way they manage supply chains, inventory, production practices and staffing.”

“Long-term unemployment can make any worker progressively less employable, even after the economy strengthens.”

“Although most Americans apparently loathe inflation, Yale economists have argued that a little inflation may be necessary to grease the wheels of the labor market and enable efficiency-enhancing changes in relative pay to occur without requiring nominal wage cuts by workers.”

“I am strongly committed to pursuing the dual goals that Congress has assigned us: maximum employment and price stability.”

“My advice would be, as you consider fiscal policies, to keep in mind and look carefully at the impact those policies are likely to have on the economy's productive capacity, on productivity growth, and to the maximum extent possible, choose policies that would improve that long-run growth and productivity outlook.”

“Inequality has risen to the point that it seems to me worthwhile for the U.S. to seriously consider taking the risk of making our economy more rewarding for more of the people.”

“Firms don't just try to pay as little as possible to get the needed bodies on board; when there is unemployment, they ask themselves how wage cuts would affect the behavior of the employees. Would they quit or feel dissatisfied and work less hard on the firm's behalf if they feel that wage policies are unfair?”

“Although we work through financial markets, our goal is to help Main Street, not Wall Street.”

“A U.K. vote to exit the European Union could have significant economic repercussions.”

“Expanded credit access has helped households maintain living standards when suffering job loss, illness, or other unexpected contingencies.”

“Beyond monetary policy, fiscal policy has traditionally played an important role in dealing with severe economic downturns.”

“When you hire a nanny, the question you ask yourself is, 'What's best for my precious child?' And do you really want someone who feels that your motive in life is to minimize the amount you spend on your child?”

“Food and energy account for a significant portion of household budgets, so the Federal Reserve's inflation objective is defined in terms of the overall change in consumer prices.”

“As always, it would be important to ensure that any fiscal policy changes did not compromise long-run fiscal sustainability.”