As Bernanke braves the press for the first time this afternoon, what should we ask him? We had participants in today's The Future of the Fed event share the questions they have for him as he takes the podium. Here's what's on their minds:

Mike Konczal, Roosevelt Institute Fellow: Does the official unemployment rate under-report the severity of the jobs crisis? At what point do you think we will be at maximum employment?

Joe Gagnon, Peterson Institute for International Economics: Why is it that the Fed's own forecast doesn't have us getting back to full employment in a two-year period?

Matthew Yglesias, Center for American Progress: I would ask him about his own paper on self-induced paralysis in Japan and what he has changed his mind about since then.

Joerg Bibow, Skidmore College, Levy Institute: I would ask him about the global implications of his policies and whether he shares the concerns of emerging markets.

Dennis Kelleher, Better Markets: I would ask what are the five key concrete steps to ensure it increases accountability and transparency.

Matt Stoller, Roosevelt Institute Fellow: I would like to know what was in the FOMC minutes for 2006, 2007, and 2008. What was the Fed talking about during crisis?

Tim Canova, Chapman University: Why was Bernanke ignoring this entire decade of Fed Reserve policy [in the 1940s] and how can he support tax cuts when it's clear that actual spending on jobs programs is needed in this economy?

Perry Mehrling, Columbia University: Mr. Bernanke, let us stipulate that you've won the war. What are your plans to win the peace?

Jeff Madrick, Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow: Will they and when will they sell the securities they bought as part of quantitative easing?

Elisabeth Renuart, Albany School of Law: Is Bernanke relieved or disappointed that the Fed's jurisdiction over consumer protection laws is being transferred?

Jane D'Arista, PERI, University of Massachusetts, Amherst: What do you think will be the new benchmark rate? What are you thinking about in terms of improving the target rate?

Gerald Epstein, PERI, University of Massachusetts, Amherst: What does Bernanke plan to do about the foreclosure crisis? Why isn't he doing more?

Rob Johnson, Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow: How can we get the Fed out of the business of fiscal policy and bailouts?

Thomas Palley, New America Foundation: What role did intellectual groupthink play in the Fed's failing to foresee the crisis? What rate of inflation do you think would produce the minimum rate of sustainable unemployment?