U.S. Treasury Secretary: Recession Not Inevitable

She's also expressing an openness to a federal gas tax holiday to help give motorists some relief at the pump.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that she expects the U.S. economy to slow in the months ahead, but that a recession is not inevitable.

Yellen offered a dose of optimism even as economists grow increasingly worried about a recession fueled by skyrocketing inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

She also expressed an openness, during an interview on ABC's "This Week," to a federal gas tax holiday to help give motorists some relief at the pump. Several lawmakers have floated the idea as the average price of gasoline hovers around $5 per gallon; the tax is 18.4 cents per gallon.