the earned income tax credit is more important now than ever before. with many americans still out of work, some families are accustomed to budgeting based on the earnings of two people are struggling to survive on the income of one, and some people in hawaii and across the country are -- who are working new lower paying jobs may be eligible for the earned income tax credit for the first time. to be clear, every taxpayer who receives the eitc is hard working because the earned income tax credit is only provided to americans who work for a living. the eitc encourages individuals to find work, support themselves

and their families and improve the quality of life. a few years ago, only one in five taxpayers eligible for eitc claimed their benefits. since then, tremendous progress has been made. now the number has risen to four in five thanks in part to the tireless work of taxpayer and consumer advisors and advocates in our communities. our goal now should be to see to it that all eligible taxpayers claim their eitc benefits this year. that would mean in hawaii alone, about 34,000 more taxpayers would receive much-needed financial relief with similar results across the country.

mr. president, i plan to reintroduce the taxpayer abuse prevention act in this 112th congress. my bill is intended to protect low- and middle-income taxpayers from falling victim to unscrupulous lenders. historically, many eitc recipients have turned to predatory refund anticipation loans which are short-term loans typically carrying steep interest rates. working families cannot afford to lose a significant portion of the eitc to these expensive short-term predatory loans. my bill will better protect consumers from predatory lenders that prey on the eitc benefits

of low-income taxpayers. and i urge my colleagues to support it when the bill comes to the floor. in today's economy, every penny counts and the value of the earned income tax credit is magnified. i look forward to working with my colleagues to better educate, protect, and empower taxpayers. i urge my colleagues to join me to increase awareness of the earned income tax credit. thank you very much, mr. president. i yield my time. mr. president, a quorum is not present. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

mr. warner: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: mr. president, i ask that the proceedings of the quorum be dispensed with. the presidg officer: without objection. so ored. mr. warner: mr. president, this week marks the actually

second week of the 112th congress, and i'd like to welcome back the presiding officer. i've spent many a monday afternoon presiding over this chamber, as a new member in my first two years. while i'm here, i want to welcome my new colleagues in the senate and of course our new colleagues on the house. we still have have a n enormous number of challenges case facing us. i look forward to working with members on both side of the aisle and in both bodies to make sure we meet these challenges in a bipartisan way. mr. president, last year i took up the banner actually that had been started by the presiding officers -- a colleague who presided him in this chamber, and that was the effort of honoring on a regular basis exemplary federal employees

right here on the senate floor, a tradition, as the presiding officer knows, was begun by senator ted kaufman. so i want to start this new 112th congress with what will be a weekly occurrence where i will come forward and recognize a federal employee -- federal employees who play an extraordinarily important role in our country. i'm blessed to have a great number of those employees in the commonwealth of virginia. i know there's a great number of them as we will in the great state of delaware. so today i thought i was actually rise o not on a specifc employee l but to honor congressional staff. there are nearly 6,000 federal employees in the senate, and nearly 10,000 serve the house of representatives. i'm referring to the individual

whose sort the mail, the clerks who sit before you in the presiding office, the folks who manage the chamber day in and day out, the capitol police who do an incredibly important job of making sure that we're able to work in a safe environment. i'm also referring to those folks who work directly for us as members of congress. they work their hearts out for us. one of my members is here, patricia is here with me today. they work long hours and get little attention but clearly they impact the lives of millions and millions of americans every day. i know a little bit about this first is hand because i started my career in politics as a staff member for then-congressman chris dodd. i did manage to get him lost a number of times. i drove him around his district in eastern connecticut. and that experience taught me

how dedicated the congressional staff are, that they are truly public servants, instrumental to the democratic process that takes place here on the floor of the senate and on the floor of the house. congressional staff help members of congress draft and analyze legislation. they respond to literally thousands of letters, phone calls, and e-mails on a regular basis. and, more often than not, they are there out in the district or back at home when we are here in walking. -- when we're here in washington. i know my state staff have r reunited families in our immigration case work and simply helping countless virginia families navigate the bureaucracy known as the federal government. congressional staff also help us plan event events that events tr to those we represent so that we can continue to hear their views or complaints, as we try to communicate our agenda. i want to take a special moment -- and i know we did this as a

body last week when we paid tribute to those who were lost in the horrible shooting in sue son. but i think -- in tucson. but i think it is important to remember as we pray for the recovery of congressional giffords that we recall as we will a member of her staff, gabe zimmerman, who was congressman gifford's l.s' community outreach. he was simply doing his job organizing for the congresswoman, the congress on your corn event to make sure that the folks who hired her, people of arizona had a chance to see her firsthand and express their views. i also want to make sure that we recognize and continue to keep in our prayers paula simon and raoul barber, who were injured on that day and are in the process of making a recovery. as we keep in mind that tragedy, i think it's important that we recall that not only are those

of us who are directly hired, sometimes put in harm's way by this job but literally there are thousands of particularly young people who work for us day in and day out without a lost recognition who are pib public servants as we will and as we saw so tragically a month or mosquito ago in tucson they as we will sometimes give the greatest devotion of service. i hope that my colleagues will join me in -- over the coming week or two and say a special thanks to all of us who work along -- who work long and hard for us on our staff, the painls who keep the order here, the reporters who make sure that even if we go a little bit too long-winded take down virtually every word, even those -- those special folks up on the dais who have been known as times to keep new members awake during

particularly long-winded speeches from members on the floor. so i thank our congressional staff. we'll be back on a regular basis to celebrate the very good work of federal employees in various walks of life. but i can't think of a better way to restart this tradition than this week honoring those great members who serve us here in the senate and in the house. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

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quorum call: mr. reid: i ask that the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: thairntion

mr. president. we're in morning business, is that right? the presiding officer: that's correct. mr. reid: ask unanimous consent that the foreign relations committee be discharged from further consideration of s. res. 22. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 22, condemning the new year's day tac on the koptik christian community in alexandria, egypt. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will precede to the measure. mr. reid: i ask that the motion to reconsider motion to invoke be laid on the table, there be in intervening being a or debate, any statements appear in the record at the appropriate place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask now that we proceed to s. res. 34. officer the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 34, designate -- as national school counseling week. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the

motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be in intervening action or gairkt snaimentz reeling to this matter appear in the record at the appropriate place a if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask we now proceed to s. res. 35. the presiding officer: schort. the clerk: s. res. 35, expressing support for the designation of january 28, 2011, as national data privacy day. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. reid: i ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, any statements relating to this matter appear at the appropriate place in the prord as if given. officer without objection. mr. reid: i dishact at 1:00 p.m. on thursday, february 3, the senate proceed to a period of morning business until 3:00 p.m. with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each for purposes of remarks relative to the upcoming centennial of the birth of president ronald reagan. further, at 3:00 p.m., senate manchin be recognized to give his maiden speech to the united

states senate. the presiding officer: without objection. reid rioted ask consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 10:30 a.m. on tuesday, february 1. following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and following any leader remarks, the senate proceed to a period of morning business until 12:30 with senators pramented spue-to-speak for up to 10 minutes each. the senate recess will be from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. if the chair so allows that to take place, that will be for a caucus meetings that we hold weekly. finally, i ask that at 2:15 perjure the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 5, s. 223, the federal aviation administration reauthorization. the presiding officer: without objection. reid ride we've made significant progress here. tomorrow l. we'll begin the amount process -- amendment

process on the f.a.a. senators are encouraged to contact the bill managers, senator rockefeller and senator hutchison. if they intend to offer amendments in order to arrange a time to do soavment senators will be notified when any votes are scheduled. so, mr. president, if there's no further business to come before the senate, ask that wedjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stand adjourned until senate stand adjourned until

>> the latest dietary guidelines were issued by the government today, recommending my thoughts, more fruits and vegetables in fewer calories overall. the guidelines are updated every five years and are designed to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and obesity by improving exertion and physical two d.ol of >> good morning. i'm lynn goldman, dean of the school and of public health.nin. the george washington university. it is my pleasure to welcome yos

this morning. i'm particularly proud our school is part of today's announcement. the research faculty work every day and issues related to food safety, obesity epidemiology ane public health students, many of whom are in attendance today are studying how these issues affecs derfulblic's h health. i also have to have knowledge and thank our wonderful staff aa well as the staff at the usdato. we at g.w. share the commitment to promote health, wellness, and nutrition. our urban food task force is working to identify ways the university can support scholarship and instruction on sustainable urban food policies and provide practical information on healthy eating and food preparation to the greater g.w. community. i want to particularly acknowledge diane robinson napp wife of g.w. president. for her work and involvement in leading this effort. thank you very much.

we are honored to have here today two of our country's leading health and nutrition advocates, secretary of health and human services kathleen sebelius, and secretary of agriculture, tom vilsack. as a state insurance commissioner, governor of kansas, and today as the country's highest ranking health official, secretary sebelius has been a leader on health care, family and senior issues for more than 20 years. secretary sebelius is guiding the implementation of the historic affordable care act. she also is at the forefront of the obama administration's efforts to build a 21st century health care system for putting a new focus on prevention to promoting electronic health records to expanding the primary care work force. the partners across the cabinet, she has launched new efforts to make government work better for the american people, including working with secretary vilsack to build a 2112 century food safety system and new guidelines to be announced here today.

throughout his distinguished career in public service as mayor, state senator, and governor of iowa, secretary vilsack has had a remarkable record of making positive change in the lives of those who he has served. in the past two years usda supported struggling farmers and ranchers, provided food aid to one in four americans, and implemented the recovery act to create jobs and build a foundation for future economic growth. under secretary vilsack's leadership, usda is working to conserve america's forests and private working lands, clean our water supply, and revitalize rural communities. at the same time usda's strengthening the american agricultural economy, promoting agricultural production and exports, and working to combat hunger around the world. secretary vilsack is committed to improving the health of america's children by providing the nutritious and balanced meals, encouraging increased physical activity, and improving

our food safety system. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming secretary of agriculture tom vilsack. >> thank you very much. good morning, to everyone. i want to thank the dean and also thank president napp and the george washington university community for giving us this great forum for an important set of announcements and discussions today. that are important to this country, as i'm acknowledging folks let me start by acknowledging dr. van horn who was the chair of our advisory group who was working for a number of years in establishings these guidelines. her leadership was very much appreciated. working with folks from h.h.s. and usda they really put a great deal of effort into these guidelines as reflected by the detailed nature of the guidelines and the important work that's involved. also want to thank all those who were involved in publicly

commenting on these guidelines. when we reach out to the public, we obviously have a more informed set of guidelines as we try to address to the needs of the american population and to folks who are very concerned about the situation involving food and nutrition in the united states. so this is an opportunity for us to celebrate the work of this advisory group, to acknowledge that what we announce today is certainly based deeply and steeply in science. the science behind these guidelines is unquestioned. and certainly it's important for us to send a message to american families that these guidelines are designed to provide them an opportunity for healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyles. the president in his state of the union address talked about an america that outinnovated, outeducated and, and outbuilt the rest of the world. it's extremely difficult to do any of that unless we are a healthy nation. i want to acknowledge the

leadership of secretary sebelius in particular as she is helping us sort of redesign our health care system as the dean indicated. a system that will be focused on wellness and prevention and not simply sick care. and it's a system that obviously we are in need of in this country. when we take a look at the high levels of obesity among adults and among children, it is important to have guidelines that will help us deal with that issue of obesity. certainly pleased that congress last year passed the healthy and hunger free kids act of 2010, designed to allow us to do a better job in school lunches and breakfast programs and our nutrition programs in schools. and today's announcement is yet another step in the right direction. today we announce guidelines. these are basically an opportunity for families to understand and appreciate how to make sure that the calories in and calories out are balanced.

i must admit personally that i had never read the dietary guidelines until i got this job. but i read them in detail. i read all of them. and i realized how significantly different my eating habits were from what constituted a healthy patern. so personally my life has changed by virtue of these dietary guidelines and my kristi and i are following the guidelines. we have our little sheet every day. we record what we eat. and we are very, very concerned about calories in and calories out. there are two concepts incorporated in these guidelines that i want to comment on before i turn the podium over to my good friend, secretary sebelius. one of them is this notion of proper balance. if folks want to maintain a healthy weight, they obviously have to be sensitive to the calories in and calories out. and these guidelines basically talk about the need to balance good eating habits with physical

activity. the first lady's let's move initiative has focused attention and resources on this notion of getting people, particularly children more physically active. that is certainly incorporated in these guidelines today. when we talk about calories in and calories out, we also talk about the density, nutritional density of those calories. not every calorie is the same. and these guidelines graphically point this out. we want to place a greater emphasis on meal pat .. -- patterns that focus on lean proteins, including fish and seafood. we want to move away from our overreliance in the past on sugar and sodium and saturated fat. we want to make sure that folks understand that eating real food as opposed to necessarily fortified or dietary supplements is probably the best way for you to make the best use of your calories. and the guidelines clearly point that out. we try to provide healthful hints to folks as they begin to

try to maintain that healthy balance. foods to avoid. percentages of foods to avoid. and foods that you want to consume more of. over the course of time, we are going to supplement these guidelines with additional educational information that will make it easier for the american public to understand how to follow these guidelines. and these guidelines also place an additional emphasis on food safety which i certainly appreciate and i know that secretary sebelius does as well. we want to talk about clean, separate, cook, and chill as ways in which we can better handle food so we can substantially reduce the number of food-borne illnesses that are still far too high in this country. whether it's maintaining a healthy balance, instructions in terms how you might be able to lose weight with calories in and calories out, focus on nutritionally dense calories as opposed to empty calories, the notion of physical activity and food safety, this is a

comprehensive science-based effort we announce today. so with that, i'd like to turn the podium over to my good friend, kathleen sebelius, as the dean was correct there is no styles more passionate about about healthy lifestyles thansh secretary sebelius. she is a runner. early in the morning, i suspect. the rest of us are jogging latet in the day. early that just can't get up early ing the morning. [laughter] but the secretary has been a caemendous advocate and has a h extraordinary responsibility job with the health care act and is doing a great job. kathleen. going tong] he well, i am going to start by also thinking of the dene ands the president and those of you on the faculty and staff and the students for having us backwas wre. the last time i was here we were

making an important announcement on tobacco.lk we are back to talk about thek s new dietary guidelines, and i at think it is appropriate to be here at gw which has had such a it'sin the health of all americans. it is great test p here with myr yohave head and partner, agriculture secretary c-span2. you heard the dean say that we both were governors. we are governors from two states, kansas and iowa. our work on these issues did not begin with our new assignments, they have been a longstanding and great collaboration. we also have worked on issuessss from food safety to making sure that we sure with ch out to children healthy insurance programs and the partnership with usda has really been invaluable and continues to be, i think, an

important initiative moving forward we have had a great team on the expert advisory committee that has been hard at work and i particularly want to recognize our leadership team who has been part of that effort and led by assistant secretary howard koh who is here who if you have tough questions he gets to answer them. later on. but there have been lots of dedicated public servants who make sure that we were basing today's announcements on the best science available and that we move this effort forward. the mission that we have at health and human services is to improve the health and well-being of every america. we know we can't just concentrate on what happens when people come in contact with hospitals or go to a doctor's office. we also need to pay attention to what impacts everyone's health,

that's the air we breathe, food we eat, the lifestyles we lead. and the obesity epidemic, secretary vilsack has mentioned, carries a really steep cost. obesity brings a far higher risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers. chronic diseases like these still account for seven out of every 10 deaths in america and most are preventable. 3/4 of our health care costs are directly related to chronic diseases. the costs also weigh heavily on business owners, government budgets, also our ability to grow and innovate as a nation. you can't be educated if you're sick each and every day. you are not a good student. you won't be as productive or innovative as a working member

of this society if your health condition is debilitating. this has a tremendous cost overall on america's prosperity. and it's why the administration has really launched a broad agenda to help give americans the tools they need, the information they need to stay healthy, stay well, and thrive and prosper. and one of the most important things we can do is to get people information based on the latest science and research. and we are updating that information all the time. so they can make the best choices for themselves and their families. that's what the latest edition of the dietary guidelines are all about. concrete steps every family can take to incorporate into their everyday lives and improve the lives of themselves and their children. steps like controlling calorie intake, moving more and sitting less so you burn more calories.

and altogether eating a healthier diet. more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. less sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. we know if we want to become a healthier, stronger, more competitive country we need to give americans the tools they need to make healthy choices. of so we have as a result a healthier student force and a healthier work force. and these guidelines are really powerful tools. now, we know there are also other obstacles to living a healthier lifestyle. if you are going to a grocery store and have one or two children tugging on your arms, you don't always have time to read nutrition facts on the back of a bottle. so we are working on updating that information and making it easier to find and easier to read on the front of a pack. when you go out to eat, sometimes it's difficult to tell if you want to make a healthy choice what are the healthy choices? and that's why the nutrition

information will be more readily available on menu boards. we are taking steps to get that information into people's hands. to work with the food industry, work with restaurant industry to give people additional information. and that's all part of the affordable care act passed last year. calorie information right at the front of a menu where customers can again take that information in and make the choices they want to make. the health care law also is reducing some of the financial barriers that have prevented millions of americans from getting preventive care. we want to make sure that folks can access key screenings at no extra cost. to find out if they have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, then work on getting those conditions under control. even when people have the best information and a clear plan to

translating it, there can still be challenges. when you have to walk two miles in some neighborhoods to get fresh producer at the near supermarket but only a block away it's easy to get chips or other kinds of high calorie foods, that makes it very difficult to eat nutrition meals. when it's not safe to play outside or send your children outside, it's very tough for kids to get the exercise they need. so again the recovery act is helping neighborhoods and cities invest in ways to make it easier for people to make healthier choices from serving health irschool lunches to designing more walkable neighborhoods. what all these examples have in common is that our understanding that underneath the sticks about -- the statistics about our health care system are families and human beings. there are children and families,

workers who really do want by and large to do the healthy thing, to eat the right diet, exercise more, follow the doctor's instructions. but they are not always the easiest things to do and often there are financial challenges to make healthier choices. with this new addition of dietary guidelines, we are putting some best information in people's hands and that's a real step forward. it's going to help us become a healthier country, a more productive country, and more competitive country. so thank you all again for being here today. i think we are going to invite tom vilsack to come back to the mike. >> dr. post is from usda and dr. koh from h.h.s. just in case there are questions that require detailed scientific answer which the secretary and i would like to try to answer but probably won't do as much as you guys

can. so with that we'd like to open it up to quiss folks might have about the guidelines -- questions folks might have about the guidelines. yes, sir. >> good morning, my name is james reed, a reporter for the campus radio here at g.w. i know as a teenager still growing there are not specific guidelines for tnagersnd ng not >> i noticed there are not specific guidelines for teenagers.k having noticed my friends in college and family back home, they like to eat more than the exer recommendedci guidelines, exerce more -- or eat less and exercise last. t, what recommendationsl would you gifted teenagers at such a critical time for their developing bodies and>> of? doc >> before i turn it over to onet of these two doctors at think it is important to note that these

guidelines are beginning to variou distinguish between various stages and life and that there are adjustments that have to bee made various stages of life. which is reflected in the guidelines generally in terms of focusing on meal patterns. i don't know if one of you want to address the issue of teenagers. >> we stress these guidelines apply to all adults and to children over age 2. so the general theme is that both secretaries have put forward apply to teenagers as well. we are concerned about child obesity because one of three kids are overweight or obese. these major themes are calorie balance and focusing on nutrient dense foods and also making sure that kids are active and meet physical activity guidelines. these are all themes that are relevant to teenagers. as well as adults. >> and i can also add there is an excellent resource that's found in the dietary guidelines that gives you a couple of

different meal patterns or eating patterns that embody the dietary guidelines. so you will be able to find your needs at the various calorie levels and that could 24e7b be individualized so you -- could be individualized so you could find out what you need. >> at the usda website you have the ability to type in information about yourself, what kind of lifestyle you have, how much physical activity you are engaged in on a daily basis, and then that gives you a sense of how many calories you should consume if you want to maintain weight or lose a weight how you do it in the proper way. so there are ways in which you can at usda.gov determine for yourself a personal eating. that's what my wife and i are basically doing right now.

>> this report says that people should reduce their daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams and people over 51 and some others should reduce it to 1,500 milligrams and also less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol. can you tell us what is the current level of consumption for the average american? how big a change would this be? >> i think it's 3,400 milligrams of sodium. this is obviously a significant reduction that's being proposed. and one that we hope food processors in particular will take into account. again these two gentlemen could probably talk a little about that. >> major recommendation from this report is that virtually all americans could benefit from a reduction in their sodium intake. and those two targets that you mentioned do apply to first the general population and then to specific populations. we are particularly concerned about the specific populations

who need a 1,500 milligram target because that represents about half the general population and most adults. so there's been a lot 6 attention -- lot of attention to that issue for the guidelines. we thank you for your attention to that. >> currently men are getting over the 300 milligram a day target whereas women are getting somewhat less. we are hoping that's a reachable target for the future. >> katherine with the american dietetic association representing 70,000 dieticians across the country. thank you so much for putting these guidelines together. i have a question. it's interesting that the secretary mentioned that he had never read these guidelines before he became secretary. and i think there's a problem in the way these guidelines, as

excellent as they are, are marketed. the budget behind the guidelines , the material is excellent. the scientists put two full years into coming the -- combing the evidence and put together a comprehensive report for the committee. and then the staff at the center for nutrition policy and promotion work very hard to put excellent guidelines together for the public which almost no one sees. so how can this be remedied? what needs to be done? >> let me talk from the usda perspective and i would like secretary sebelius to weigh in. she did an excellent job of pointing out the number of initiatives taking place today that have not been taking place for some time in this space. for example, in areas that we are involved with, our snap program, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, is currently working on a program to try to see if we can innocent

the purchase of fruits and vegetables. that's not been done before. it's being done now because we are aware of the need for more fruits and vegetables in folks' diets. the issue of food deserts, we have a healthy financing initiative that h.h.s., usda, and treasury department are working on. so many in the areas in the country do not have access to a full-scale grocery store. we are working with the food industry on labeling which the secretary mentioned. so within schools we are excited about the potential for their healthy and hunger free kids act of 2010 to engage schools in a meaningful way to improve school breakfast and lunch and do a better job of educating parents and students about the choice that is they make and making sure that the choices are consistent. so this is the dietary guidelines fit into this and allow sort of a road map, if you will, in all of these spaces to help inform. i think grocers, food producers, are becoming much more concerned

about the obesity issue and are trying through the first lady's let's move initiative, to focus on this. i think there is a lot of energy in this space that hasn't been the case before. we are always looking for more creative ways to get information out. >> i think the secretary's right. not only have a lot of this information been sort of opaque in the past, but there really hasn't been much of a focus on how this impacts us as a nation. how it impacts our students. and i think that in addition to these specific initiatives that the secretary outlined, there also is a very exciting set of programs going on around the country, putting communities, putting prevention to work efforts which is in everything from schools to neighborhoods trying to determine what are the best strategies to really begin to impact folks' behavior and

how to get people's attention. so not only i think the information available that never has been available in an easy to read, easy to understand way, but understanding that information is step one, and having access to choices is really a critical piece of the puzzle. and we, frankly, have one of the best spotlight microphones with the first lady leading this effort. i think americans who have never really thought about this or didn't know where to get the information or didn't have an understanding of how this impacted themselves and their children now will have a great opportunity to do that. i think what you are going to find is a lot more attention to the science. a lot more information being spread on a regular basis and a lot more ability of people to make better choices for themselves and their families. >> and also to add the -- to the discussion that you heard, there

is a very good resource that is part of this dietary guideline that's found in the appendix. it's actually a listing of the key consumer behaviors and strategies to implement them. so we hope that this is a different approach than in the past in the dietary guidelines and that will be the jump-off point for a lot of our partners to take that information and magnify it. >> can you go into more details about the incentives for fruits and vegetables. how those programs would work? >> we are currently experimenting in the state of massachusetts with an effort to see whether or not we can within the electronic benefit transfer card itself, we can incorporate a discount procedure where the grocer basically gets paid full

value for the fruit or vegetable being purchased but it is -- it's only credited 70% or 80% on the card so it allows the snap beneficiary to expand, if you will, their purchasing power. we've got a year-long scientific review of this to determine whether or not that actually moves the needle in terms of purchasing decisions. >> recently i think it's been in the last few years the w.i.c. program has been expanded so that under the women, infant, and children program now fruits and veggables are able to be purchased. with that -- vegetables are able to be purchased with that buying power. we also have as part of this community putting prevention to work effort, i know in louisville they are now subsidizing fruits and vegetables in what are basically dollar stores to make it much

more convenient for people to buy fresh fruits. mayor bloomberg has a green cart strategy that literally is coming into neighborhoods in a way that old milkmen came throughout neighborhoods delivering milk. this is delivering fresh fruits and veggables in areas that they weren't available. i know secretary vilsack has done a great job mapping the food desert areas that we really couldn't even identify before because there wasn't a very careful calculation of how far people had to go and working with local leaders on strategies. part of it is access and part of it is pricing and i think both are being addressed as we move forward. >> one other program is in farmers' markets. again making snap benefits beneficiaries available to use their cards at farmers' markets and many farmers' markets are developing discounts where you essentially for every dollar of fruits and veggables you --

vegetables you purchase you get a 50 cent discount if you will so you will be able to purchase twice as much. a lot of different opportunities here. >> i'm an mph student here at g.w. apart from what you just mentioned about fruit and vegetables. how can we recognize the fact a lot of other foods recommended by the guidelines are much more expensive than the foods we are supposed to avoid? >> well, one of the things that we are trying to do is to provide people with information at least on the usda website about recipes and ways in which you can stretch your food dollar and still purchase foods that are good for you. it doesn't always have to necessarily be that it's more expensive. particularly if you know how to use these foods in very creative ways. one thing we have been doing is accumulating recipes and making

that information available on our website. the second thing is, by encouraging community gardens, farmers' markets, and things of that nature, i think there is a growing supply which makes it perhaps potentially more accessible and possibly more affordable depending upon the local market. sometimes you don't have as much transportation expense involved in pricing those. the first lady's recent announcement with wal-mart is a good example of the kind of purchasing power that will potentially result in some of those products being far less expensive than they have been in the past. i think there is a lot going on in this space, but our view is there are creative ways. don't necessarily have to concede it's always more expensive. >> marion, politico. at the very first dietary goals back in the 1970's said eat less

meat for which george mcgovern was roundly criticized. so it got to be eat lean meat. why don't your guidelines which specifically discuss fruits and vegetables and whole grains specifically discuss meat? you have to go deep into the guidelines themselves to see that you are suggesting that ground beef might be one place where there's too much fat. why do you call it solid fat instead of porterhouse steak? or why do you call it solid fat and yet in the guidelines on dairy include cheese? it's confusing. >> well, i'll let the two scientists talk about this. the guidelines do mention the need for more consumption of fish and seafood in the lean protein area. that's a specific recommendation which goes to your question. secondly, again the focus on calories in and calories out and

food dense foods, i think is an important frame that folks are going to use to make decisions about where they want to spend their calories, if you will. once they understand how many minutes or hours they have to be on a treadmill to work off some of the areas that we have talked about in terms of sugar, i think they are going to begin making even more informed decisions. in those guidelines, i think there are specific references here, and we are going to object quousely -- obviously continue to educate folks about that. >> i would also add that dietary guidelines stress variety and also stress building healthy eating pattern. there's a flexibility in building those eating patterns so your protein sources could come from a variety of places as the second mentioned, seafood is one of them. it could be that you have your protein from beans and other

nuts and seeds as well. you have the ability to craft a pattern that meets your needs within your calorie needs and difference the nutrients you need without focusing on specific foods that should be eliminated from the diet. [inaudible] >> i'm saying, what i'm saying is you do not anywhere specifically -- why don't you specifically say, eat less meat? why not? >> in suggesting that you should have more fish and seafood, you are essentially saying that that is a good substitute and it's a good lean protein. i think it's a way of saying what you're saying. there a he low-foot cheese. -- there's low-fat cheese. it does talk low-fat dairy.

it's not as if we are trying to eliminate all foods and all categories. it's about making sure that you have a balanced approach to your eating. and that you are focusing on calories in and calories out. >> christopher exercise science here at george washington. i have kind of a two-part question. in the past i think we all agree that whole foods are probably the best way to get a balanced diet. but in the past the guidelines have often recommended foods like liver and kale, sort of foods that are probably not going to hit with the american public at large any time soon. my question is, do the guidelines address supplementation in any way whatsoever? and i ask that question being from exercise science because the portion of the population who is interested in improving their performance it's not a small part of the population,

either. people who want to gain lean body mass, it's not a small portion of the population. i'm interested in how the guidelines address that population to a certain extent and maybe to the extent that it involves supplementation are we addressing that at all? thank you. >> if you look at the report there are sections on food groups to reduce and then also food groups and minerals to increase. and if you look at the latter chapter you'll see items like vitamin d and calcium and potassium and nutrients like that being discussed. this is all again a part of a broad view on healthy eating and on maintaining healthy weight. and that's where i think your question comes in. >> i'll also emphasize the guidelines are generally for americans 2 and older. we do recognize that there are some subpopulations in need of supplements for promoting

health. women who may become pregnant for example. there are specific recommendations for populations like that. we do acknowledge where fortfication or supplementation is needed certainly to promote health or to avoid chronic illness. a of alice, national fisheries institute. you say -- you recommend higher seafood or eating more seafood but that differs now from the f.d.a. guidelines. how do we explain that to pregnant or breast-feeding women when they are supposed to be careful about what they eat. they might be worried about differing guidelines on seafood intake. >> well, what we know is with the dietary guidelines become the action now for federal

agencies to make changes to their programs in concert with these guidelines because they are in fact being national nutrition policy. we'll expect consistency as we move through this year and into the second years. -- into the next years. >> there is a special section on dietary recommendations for pregnant women, the spefpk issue of fish is brought up there. -- specific issue of fish is brought up there. and the balance again is to recommend fish intake for pregnant women while making sure they don't consume certain types that might expose them to mercury. there is dedicated language if you look at the report there. it's carefully put forward. we have time for two more questions. yes, sir. >> peter, with the nutrition and metabolism society. there is a growing body of evidence that restriction of

carbohydrate intake has a big impact on reducing obesity, as well as dealing with the chronic diseases you mentioned as well as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes which you haven't mentioned. i was wondering if any attention has been given to that in the guidelines. they don't seem to be mentioned at all in the summary that you handed out this morning, thank you. >> we did receive an awful lot of public input on the issue of carbohydrates and the amount to be consumed or perhaps to be concerned concerned with. ultimately the evidence that was considered first by the dietary guidelines advisory committee and then translated in plain language in the document that we are releasing today, really portrays or conveys the eating pattern -- that is one that deals with carbohydrates. most concerned with the empty calories, for example, added sugars, and it does deal with carbohydrates, but it doesn't

specify a consideration that carbohydrates should come from any particular type of food or in an amount greater or perhaps in concert with those comments. the evidence is just not there to support the views that were expressed and the comments received. >> hi, brook, from the arrye tiss foundation. in your report you mentioned many different chronic diseases, heart disease, obesity, stroke. one thing that i haven't heard mentioned is arthritis which serves as an underlying cause to many of these chronic diseases. what programming or marketing do you-all have going on now catering to the arthritis community which is very hard to reach that promotes these healthy eating habits and guidelines and a prevention of

these other chronic diseases. >> certainly obesity drives many adverse health outcomes and osteoarthritis is a major source of morbidity for people who are affected. thank you for raising that point. the overall message is a healthy weight can help people avoid adverse outcomes like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and certainly arthritis as you mentioned. >> thank you very much. appreciate the opportunity to be here this morning. this is the first of obviously will be many opportunities for us to highlight the dietary guidelines.

be. >> we will talk about the state department's role and freedom of expression matters across the globe with an ambassador. the federal trade commission very first chief technologist with his role at the ftc on privacy matters tonight on c-span2. >> state department spokesman carly confirmed former u.s. ambassador to egypt frank wisner is in cairo for meetings with government officials. he will repeat the obama administration's recent call for political and economic reforms

amid large anti-government protests. this is an hour. good afternoon and welcome to the department of state. before i answer your questions the one person i want to stand up and take about, we have been reinforced with a person who is familiar to you, mike hammer, who has been running the nfc press operation for the last couple of years. he has returned, as he calls it, to the mother ship as the principal deputy assistant secretary of state. he will be interacting with many of you, particularly those of you that wish to speak in the language is spanish. so we are very, very happy to have mike here as our principal

deputy. we will go over a few things and then get to the main topic of the day. secretary clinton will host an informal dinner this evening for visiting nato secretary general potential issues for discussion for the next summit in 2012, which the united states has offered to host. all of this week we are hosting the 2011 global chief submission conference here at the department. it is a historic gathering, which provides the opportunity for our ambassadors to refute the outcomes of the quadrennial

diplomacy and develop a review and discuss strategies for implementation of this and other key initiative in the context of current and future budget realities. for those of you who have read the qddr from cover to cover, i'm sure everyone in this room has done so, it talks about the changing role and demand of ambassadors that post as the world becomes more complicated. operations across governments become more integrated. ambassadors are running our missions and a whole of government operation and are working through this week the implications of that. at the same time we want to hear from ambassadors. they are, in essence, our field generals, posted around the world on what they see in terms of the challenges of the department going forward. and there will be a breakout

sessions where we at the department here at maine state will be listening to the ambassador's as they help us understand the challenges of preventing conflict, reforming security and justice around the world, countering violent extremism, building a private partnerships, supporting commercial and economic diplomacy strengthening public diplomacy, enhancing regional engagements, strengthening, planning, and budgeting, advancing human rights and democracy and promoting sustainable development. during the course of the week the secretary will have some significant -- are actually the ambassadors wednesday and thursday of this week, but we have others within the agency coming in. the ambassadors were here from chairman mike mullen later in the week, national security adviser tom brown. they will go to our anticipated

budget for 2012 and also what we are currently hearing from the hill in terms of our budget for 2011. a wide range of discussion. deputy secretary jim steinberg yesterday and today as head of the u.s. delegation to the african union summit. the delegation also includes special envoy for sedan stop aggression and assistant secretary for african affairs johnny carson. in addition to meeting with the heads of the delegation from many african states the deputy secretary met with african union commission chair person. a major outcome of the summit included reaffirmation of the recognition as the winner of last year's presidential elections. i think we just put out a statement that the united states responded to the brittle post-election crackdown by the government of belarus.

they have taken action against those who have undermined democracy and human rights in belarus. the u.s. is provoking the general license that had authorized u.s. persons to do business with two companies. we are significantly expanding the list of officials and family members subject to travel restrictions. we are working to impose financial sanctions against the day -- additional individuals and entities and will continue to adjust our policies response to actions by the paris government. these measures are clearly not and that the people. in fact, we are increasing our assistance to a civil society and others. we will continue to coordinate closely with the european union which is mounting its own sanctions today. finally, regarding egypt let me bring you up-to-date on the flow of american citizens out of cairo. we do have a couple of airplanes that are very close to taking

off. when they do in the next few minutes we will have had nine flights leave cairo today taking more than 1200 american citizens out to three destinations. the nine flights include, you know, six aircraft that we have charted. one of those aircraft made two round trips and then we were able to put a small number of american citizens on a canadian flight leaving cairo today. we are very grateful for the support of the government of canada. we also were able to put them, u.s. citizens on a military flight that happened to be in the area, and we were able to divert to take out some american citizens as well.

[inaudible question] >> yes, i think a military aircraft. i believe it went to cyprus. hang on a second. now, in terms of tomorrow we anticipate at least the same level of effort. another six flights planned. tomorrow we expect to begin to add other destinations. we might have two flights tomorrow going to frankfurt, but as we also have begun to do surveys around the country we will, as soon as we can, have flights go into plexor in the next day or two as we identify pockets of american citizens in those locations as well. i have some other, you know, american citizen information, but i can come back to that

depending upon what you want to do. >> of want to ask you to clarify. he said you diverted a military plane. by understanding was it was spreading in augmentation. >> it was a target of opportunity. >> but it wasn't diverted flight. >> i stand corrected. >> thank you. >> you know, as we are working through this authorized departure we are sending more than 40 additional consulate offers -- offices to cairo and other safe havens to assist u.s. citizens to augment our force is well as be able to handle the additional burden for which they are receiving american citizens from egypt. and, you know, one of our limitations at the present time is the curfew between 3:00 p.m.

and 8:00 a.m. that has limited our ability -- or the ability of american citizens to flow to the airport. that said, the airport is open 24 / seven. as people get to the airport we will put them on the next available flight out. we were very successful today. my understanding is we have roughly 50 american citizens at the airport now. that is probably beyond the fights we have done today and will be put on the first light tomorrow. obviously as the curfew, as we reach, you know, a a.m. tomorrow we anticipate that there will be an additional flow of american citizens to the airport. roughly 2600 people have contacted us by a variety of means and mentioned that they wish to leave the country.

obviously today we put a pretty good dent in that number. obviously that will go up and fluctuate day-to-day. american citizens make their own decisions about whether to stay in egypt or to leave. and just a reminder, american citizens who have the ability to get out through commercial means are doing so at the same time. the support, but there are still commercial flights coming in and out of cairo. operating on a reduced schedule, but people have other commercial options besides these flights that we have set up. we do ask american citizens and their immediate family members to verify if they had valid travel documents before proceeding to the airport. if a u.s. citizen lax a valid u.s. passport they can get to the embassy. nine u.s. citizen family members

should consult with the appropriate officials of our designated safe to make sure they have required documents. while we are making efforts to evacuate american citizens, we expect flights would go out tomorrow. u.s. citizens should come to the airport prepared to wait. for the 50 that we estimate here, they will be at the airport for several hours before we will be able to move them out again. but, we do -- the situation is still down, the internet, but we do know that people have access to land lines and some cell phone coverage. they have a chance to check in with their family members in the united states. more detailed information is always available on our website. go ahead. >> just following on that, there is the 2600 figure he mentioned

that people have contacted -- contacted being interested in the evacuation, does that illustrate the ones that want to leave the u.s. not been in touch with? to you expect that number to rise? >> these numbers are going to be on a roller coaster for several days. there are, you know, roughly 50,000 americans who have registered -- who have been registered in our system with the embassy in cairo to just let us know that they are in country. we expect there are probably a larger number of americans actually physically in the country at the present time. not all of them will want to leave. many will want to stay. this will be probably a dynamic process. as the contact us, as they verify that they have travel documents, want to leave. some will contact us and

register online, some will call us. some will probably just show up. >> given that number, are you doing contingency planning about other ways to get people out and other assets in the region, lists being drawn up plans that could be brought into this operation? >> well, we think we have established a fairly good flow. so if we have, you know, six charters plus available aircraft that might arrive in cairo, that puts us in pretty good stead. we will do this for a number of days. obviously it is an uncertain situation on the ground. that said, we have no information that suggests that american citizens are targets. no american citizens have been killed or injured. we think we have time to carry this out in an orderly way as we go through. >> does the department have information that the united states is planning to send our

has sent a delegation to cairo to meet with president hosni mubarak? can you confirm this? >> well, a former ambassador to egypt travels frequently to cairo. given his expertise we have asked him tad his perspective to our analysis of ongoing developments. he has traveled to cairo. he is on the ground now, and we look forward to hearing his views when he returns. christa see have a message for the president? >> he has the ability to talk to be used in egypt. we spent a very clear message to agent publicly and privately, so this is not about the lack of communication, but obviously the ambassador will have the opportunity to reinforce what we've already said. >> hold on. hold on. >> can you give us a sense?

is the meeting with hosni mubarak, any other political figure? >> i am not -- i do not know his particular schedule. he arrived today, and i can't tell you at this point to he has met with. >> and. [inaudible question] also we need to see action. does that mean. [inaudible question] >> we want to see a process unfolds. the secretary talked about this yesterday during the appearances. the president reinforced this in his comment late friday after talking to president mubarak. president mubarak pledged, you know, to undertake political and economic reform. as we have said, ever since we want to see concrete action, you know, shows that the government is responding to the aspirations

of the egyptian people. so we will be looking for concrete actions, a process that, you know, leads egypt to a more inclusive environment and incredible -- free elections later this year. [inaudible question] >> we will president mubarak not seek reelection? >> these are decisions made inside egypt. >> holed up. how come back. >> can you elaborate on the concrete steps that you want to see undertaken in egypt? >> well, we want -- yeah. the process has to be inclusive. has to open up real political and economic reform. it has to be inclusive and bringing into a national dialogue, political opposition, civil society, women, those who want to have the opportunity to shape egypt's feature.

as to specific steps, it is not for us to impose our vision on egypt, but certainly one thing there will be looking at as egypt goes through this is revocation of the law. [inaudible question] >> is he an envoy now? going to cairo? he was in cairo and he offered to help? what is the situation? >> he is a private citizen, but he is a retired diplomat, former ambassador to egypt. he knows some of the key players within the egyptian government, and we thought it was useful for both, you know, him to have the opportunity to interact with people within the egyptian

society. then we will look for to hearing his perspective on what is happening. >> did you ask him to go to egypt? did the administration asked him to go to egypt and to try to find out what is going on? >> let me take the question. i can't tell you whether he was planning to go and then we take advantage of the opportunity. i'll take this question. >> you say there is communication between you and the egyptians. so what exactly can he bring to the table? and you say you have made clear to the authorities there what it is that you want, and orderly transition. does that mean there are some things that are better said in private face-to-face and this is what he will be doing?

>> well, you know, if you look back we have said lots of things publicly. we have set lots of things privately. i imagine public and private statements have been consistent, but, you know, this is an opportunity, both for the ambassador who has a history with some of these key figures to meet with them and reinforce what the president has said, with the secretary has said at the same time and have the opportunity to gain a perspective on what they are thinking and what their ideas are in terms of the process. >> beyond the former ambassador it are there any channels within the government that are communicating directly with president mubarak? are there any channels communicating with any opposition figures? >> regarding -- we have talked to him in the past.

that dialogue will certainly continue. we do have broad contact in egypt including some within government, of wide range of non governmental actors, including members of the opposition. we are going to continue to touch base with all of these elements that we would hope would be a part of this broad national dialogue and this process that leads egypt to free and fair elections. >> can you be more specific to say who spoke and when? >> to a specific question, i don't believe we have had any contact. at least not in recent days. beyond that we are -- we do do a consistent out reached to elements of civil society, and that will continue. >> can you say what your message from the podium would be?

>> again, he is one of many different voices that should be heard during these negotiations with the government. >> also the white house, mr. gibbs said that they expect not secular press to be included in the next government. does that mean you are reconciled to the fact that the muslim brotherhood might be included? >> again, you know, what is important here is not any particular group. it is a process that allows egyptian government and the egyptian people to have their aspirations heard and have the cover amount, you know, respond to these aspirations. we have not had any contact with the muslim brotherhood recently. i think robert kids laid out

that from our standpoint in the group that wants to play a role in egypt's future has to be committed to non-violence and willing to be a participant in and respect the democratic process. >> the white house has some suggestion that the u.s. aid to egypt might be reviewed, but in subsequent statements they indicated this was not an option and we weren't going to take a new look at the aid package. can you tell us where we stand with that? what might trigger a review? is it being reviewed? if not, why wouldn't the u.s. use what is its most immediate leverage? >> what robert gibbs said on friday is as events go forward we will, of course, review our systems -- assistance based on e unfolding events. but the secretary said yesterday was at the present time we have no immediate plan to cut off

aid. >> the necessary to the military that as long as you don't essentially shootdown your citizens we won't stop the eight? >> assistance is provided. there are stipulations in terms of the behavior of recipients of our assistance. obviously if aid is used in the way that is contrary to our laws, policies and values we will make adjustments as we need to. >> the u.s. administration is hedging its bets is the feeling in cairo, speaking softly when it calls for orderly transitions very forcefully calling for the departure of president mubarak. to you think they're hedging? >> id is not for us to choose, you know, the path. we want to see a path that leads to a credible free and fair elections. but i know this is a fascination

both here and there. who is up, who is down, who is ann, who is out. these are decisions to be made within egypt by the egyptian people and the players within the system. it is not for the united states to anoint any individual who wants to play a role in this process. we want to make sure that there is a process that opens up real political space for egyptians to make these kinds. >> the egyptians aren't asking you to and not someone. they're asking you to make it clear. ..

>> where the government coming together with the aspirations of the people of egypt, and demonstrates to the people who are -- who continue, you know, to want to have their voices heard in the streets of egypt. that they have a roll to play in egypt's future. >> are they pulling the aid off of the table for now? with the election that lacks credibility, fairness, and freedom, would that prompt -- >> again, you are asking me to speculate. we continue to provide assistance to egypt.

we don't envision making any immediate action. as robert gibbs emphasized on friday, we will continue to review our aid in light of what happens. >> the protest, the streets there, does that prompt the review of u.s. aid? >> well, again, i don't think anybody has the crystal ball at this point in terms of determining precisely what's going to happen. certainly as we've emphasized, people have a right to protest peacefully. we do want no to see any of it devolve into violence. the military show restraint, and that's what's important to allow

the process to unfold and allow negotiations within egyptian society to begin. but we certainly continue to emphasis that, you know, people of egypt have a right to peacefully protest, and they have -- the government needs to respond and to, you know, to their voices and to their aspirations. >> one more question on this update. you know any part of that aid is used by the egyptian government to fund the security? i mean apart from the military. does any of that money go to the secretary of interior, or the security? >> i don't have -- i don't have a laydown of specific assistance and where it's gone. clearly, we do provide assistance, you know, to the egypt. some of that assistance is in the form of security assistance.

and we make no apologies for that. but, you know, at this point, obviously what happens with egypt and to the extent that what happens in egypt is tied to any assistance that we have provided -- >> so you are concerned that some of the assistance was used by the egyptian government to actually -- >> well, again, our our -- hold. wait a second. our system with egypt is long standing. on the world that we have done together, our relationship has been a stabilizing one. certainly the relationship between the egypt and the united states and the support that we together and others have provided have been a stabilizing force across the region. egypt has been a strong supporter in the peace in the middle east.

there are very valid and beneficial, you know, reasons for the aid that we have provided elimit. as events unfold, we will tonight to evaluate in light of -- >> that's not my question. are you concerned that some of the money was used in killing 140 egyptians according to the -- >> again, i'll say we continue to watch as the events unfold. of and we'll make adjustmentsed in aid program that we feel is necessary. >> since we've been out here, you may not be able to react. he say that he's been given to speak to the opposite that they are going to have elections in the coming weeks. is that encouraging? are you encouraged by the fact that they are going to hold elections in the next couple of weeks? >> again, i'll defer comment. we'll get something out to you

once we are able to understand the full context of what is said. >> to get caught up on the question, you have given about the procedure that you want them to follow. do you want the procedure under president mubarak, or do you want to transition government? >> again, how this process unfolds is up to egypt. you know, we want to see meaningful negotiations, you know, the broad cross section of egyptian society, including opposition groups. these negotiations should focus on the elements of transition to a government that reflects the aspirations of the egyptian people. these elements would include free elections for the presidency and parliament changes to facilitate a more open and democratic process. that's what we recommend and what we encourage egypt to pursue. how that happens in particular are decisions of the government together with civil society will

make in the coming days. >> the united states government at any level consulted before egypt's reconstituted before mr. mubarak's reconstituted the government. >> well, secretary clinton, you know, talked to foreign minister elbaradei, the president talked to president mubarak, i believe, in the particular sequence that leads to the white house. you know, we have been in touch with the broad cross section of the elimit government over several days. you know, our private message is our public message. the government has to response to the aspirations of the egyptian people. you know, this will take some time to under take.

we do encourage egypt to take aggressive steps as soon as possible. >> if they push for different names in the cabinet that's been appointed? >> again, these are decisions made within the egyptian government. but we think that their needs to be this broad national dialogue. that's what we continue to encourage. >> do you have any assessments on any damage that might have been done to egypt antiquities and any lee lee -- liaisons to d out about that? >> let me find out. i don't know if we've had an opportunity at this point to discuss that with the government of egypt. obviously we are concerned when, you know, historical artifacts

are damaged. at least nothing was stolen. that's promising. we are encouraged by the response of the egyptian people. they have either in the context of museums or the context of neighborhoods, they have taken, you know, some responsibility on their own. encouraged by the rapport that does exist between the egypt people and the egyptian military. and we want to see, you know, the lewding dealt with. we want to see all sides continue to show restraint. but in terms of getting down into, you know, the specifics on that i don't know if we have perspective yet. >> the opposite says today that israel has allowed the egyptian army to move for the first time 800 soldiers into cyanide. are you aware of the movement?

>> are we aware? yes, as to the details i'll defer to both the egyptian and israeli government. >> what about the restart of the peace treaty between israel and palestine? >> i mean it hasn't changed our perspective of what needs to be done. we continue to have contacts with officials across the region. but obviously, you know, this is going to perhaps distract people. >> what phone calls does the secretary sever made today? >> in term in the secretary today, she has participated in a lengthy conference call this morning.

i'm not aware she has had any calls with outside leaders today? >> can you also go back through the numbers really quickly that you mentioned in your opening statement? so there were nine flights out today. takeoffs; right? >> right. >> one of them was canadian military flight? >> it was canadian flight, i don't know military or civilian. >> the u.s. military flight that went out it was diverted; correct? >> it was there on the ground, but took u.s. official, you know, civilians out this morning. >> do you know what kind of plane? air force or do we know? >> i do not know. >> and also the additional 40 additional counselor officers, are they going to cairo, or some going to athens or? >> all of the above. we have three safe haven destinations. athens and istanbul. we chose those locations because they have the ability to handle, you know, influx of people.

but we are, you know, sending counselor officer there as well cairo. >> 30 total counselor officer that have been deployed to all of the locations; correct? >> yes. there could be over destinations as well as we go forward. >> also on the 2600 who have contacted and registered they want to leave, how many of those are embassy not essential independents? >> i'll -- my assume is that we handle our own nonessential staff and family members outside of that 2600. that 2600 will private american citizens indicated they wish to leave. >> do you know how many embassy personnel have been moved out already? >> i do not have a number. i think on the flight that's gone out today, there's a mix of embassy and private citizens, you know, something correlating to about half of the plane in

each category. we have several hundred, you know, family members and nonessential personnel that we will move out as we can. but so, if we've moved out 1200 citizens, i'd say that, you know, perhaps somewhere, you know, about half might be in that -- i'll try to get to a few of the numbers of how many of our one communities. >> okay. have you sent in some extra marines or? >> well, we have augmented our internal defense with both diplomatic security and editions to the machine security guard. >> did they say how many? >> we're not going to talk about it. you know, we have -- we have augmented both a number of marines and a number of diplomatic security agents.

>> they have not expressed any anti-american sentiment. how do you interpret that? >> well, you know, as i've been monitoring a lot of conversations online, including responses to twitter, there's lots of sentiments. we don't think that -- right now the focus is the egyptian people are focused on their own government and what they want their government to do. we, you know, do not see anything that's been directed at american st. s. >> the region today after egypt, who will be next? do you have any answer? [laughter] >> look -- go back to what the secretary said. the status quo is unsustainable. there has to be reform across the region.

so it's not necessarily about egypt and then another country. it's about, you know, how can governments cross the board become more responsive to their people? how can they open up greater political and economic opportunities for their people? each country, regardless, faces similar demographic challenges. a very significant percentage of the population in the middle east and north africa is young. and a high percentage of them are getting good educations or looking for jobs and can't find them. so it is vitally important that countries, you know, understand the right lessons here and take aggressive steps to, you know, to promote greater opportunity. and to open up for the processes so their people have a vested interest in the future and have the ability to help shape the future. >> but do you expect anything to

be happening in other countries? >> you know, that's an impossible question to question. >> march 2009, secretary had mentioned that she has -- she has family friends with mubarak and family. she had extented an invitation to visit any time. is that invitation still valid if he decides to come here with family? >> look -- you know, i'll defer to my counterpart in cairo. i think president mubarak is focused on the current situation. he's reforming his government. we continue to encourage him to begin a process that leads, you know, to a real negotiation with the elements of those civil society and moves forward to

give the egyptian people the greater opportunity and demonstrate concrete steps that response to the aspirations of the egyptian people. >> and reform the issue on sunday who is presenting the opposite now, he was critical towards what the message delivered by secretary clinton and he basically said that the administration cannot ask the egyptian people to believe the democracy. do you still have confidence in mubarak's ability to demand democratic reforms? >> again, the government needs to reform. the government needs to lead a process of national dialogue. and the government needs to open up, you know, this process for participation by broad elements of egyptian society. you know, how that happens, who's involved in that process, these are decisions made inside

egypt. >> new subject? >> new subject? all right. go ahead. >> a couple of quick points. it's been sad that secretary clinton and the exchange of instruments of the new s.t.a.r.t. on february 5th on the margin of the munich security conference. are you saying anything public on that? and secondly, as a follow up to what you said a couple of days ago about the situation in kazakhstan and the issue of the president's powers, i think the kazakhstan government has taken the early elections now as opposed to the referendum before. any comment on that? >> on the -- we are aware that the government of kazakhstan has decided not to pursue the national referendum. we think that's the right decision for kazakhstan to make.

now that the president has signed the law of ratification, we are working with the russian federation to schedule the exchange of instruments. i think we'll have more to say about that later in the week. >> p.j., hold on to second please. i was talking about the early election in kazakhstan. >> i, you know, as to when elections are scheduled, those are decisions made, you know, by kazakhstan. last week when foreign minister was here, he was still talking about a national referendum which would actually cancel elections in 2013 and 2017. it appears to us that kazakhstan has decided not to pursue a national referendum, and we think that's the right decision. >> hold on.

hold on. >> can i ask you -- >> hold on. i promised multiple new topics. >> okay. the question that i asked last week which you took, that relates to the trivalley which is accused of immigration fraud. you said you'd try to find out more information about the contact with the indian embassy, and as it's come up with the talks last week, and as a second part to that, this was a very strong reaction to the suggestion that the students involved if you should wear radio tags on their ankles. could you comment on that as well please? >> i have a lengthy answer here. i can read it on the record, or i can -- we can do business afterwards. the short answer is regarding trivalley university, you know, we take these allegations of

immigration and visa fraud very seriously. these allegations are an excellent example of the universally damaging effects of visa fraud. u.s. immigration and customs enforcement agency, i.c.e., has established a helpline for the students affected by the closure of trivalley in california. those who have been part of the investigation have been issued ankle monitors. that's standard for a wide variety of investigation. it does not imply guilt or suspicious of criminal activity. we are following it closely. we are in regular communication with the officials of the government of india, dhs, and i.c.e., are leading this investigation. that's about all i can say at this point. >> what about last week?

>> i do not know. >> the american who was rescued for killing two pakistanis, the u.s. wants diplomatic immunity, and the pakistanis are calling him as american functionary? what is his job? why was he carrying a gun? >> we're talking about a u.s. diplomat. we have called for his immediate release. he's a member of the embassy technical administrative staff, and therefore entitle the to full immunity, he cannot arrested or contained in accord nans with the vein that treaty.

it was out of self-defense. >> does embassy staff, do they carry weapons? >> no, when he was detained, he identified himself to police as a diplomat. he has requested immunity under diplomatic relations. >> i don't understand. if you look at the picture of the vista, he has an official visa, not a diplomatic visa. why wasn't he issues a diplomatic visa? i think that's why he hasn't obtained diplomatic immunity. >> this is the matter that we are discussing. >> have you confirmed his name yet? there was confusion over that last week. >> i'm not at liberty to talk about his name yet. >> can you say where he is? is he in detention? >> he remains in custody. >> another question about pakistan. the "washington post" said they have doubled their nuclear arsenal.

what do you have to say about increasing the arsenal? are you concerned about the safety and security? have you talked to pakistan? >> first of all, these are estimated contributed to a nongovernmental organization. we do not comment on, you know, nuclear issues particularly, you know, the size of pakistan's nuclear arsenal. >> do you have a official count of the assessment? if you don't believe in the nongovernment? >> well, we -- you know, we believe in the value of the material cutoff treaty obvious mssmct. through that dialogue, we encouraging pakistan to engage constructively to conclude with the efforts of the mssmct. >> the u.s. is running out of patient. and with regards to pursuing efforts under the conference.

what is the next step? because that wasn't outlined at the media briefing. >> yeah, it's something that we continue to have ongoing discussions with the government of pakistan. if you stress the important of the fmtc and globally that, you know, pakistan should be supported. >> they are recommending that sarah return to iran for her trial on february 6th. do you have any comments on that >> i'll refer to sarah schwartz. >> have you seen the "wall street journal." >> no. >> he committed himself to gradual reform and how sincere he was about gradual reform. do you have faith and series commitment to gradual reform, or would you like to see something happening in egypt? >> again, the secretary's message was to the government and the people from the gulf to,

you know, north africa. there's a need for reform. i think in the context of egypt, it's one thing to say you are going to reform, it's another thing to take real steps and enact real genuine reform. you know, the people in the region are looking at what happened in tunisia and egypt. they have talents and capability. the region as a whole when they look at the political, social, economic, you know, well being of these people, and it has under performed. it's vital to the future of the middle east and vital to the future of the states of north africa. >> they started -- do you have any comments on this new

government? >> the parliament elections were neither free or fair. i'm surprising yielding to the parliament on the solidarity and development party, so-called us bp and military officials. we are not surprised by this. we have long said we want to see, you know, political prisoners released. we want to see the inclusive open, you know, political process. you know, we were disappointed, for example, last week that the burmese supreme court had the opportunity to authorize, you know, the recognition of the national league of democracy as well as other democratic and ethnic opposition parties. this would have been a good step to enter into an genuine inclusive dialogue. unfortunately as we've seen recently in burma, it was

another lost opportunity. >> do you have any comment on the rebirth that north korea has yet it date through the food aid? >> north korea's what? >> through the food aid. >> we are concerned about the well being of the north korea people. our policy regarding the humanitarian system is based on three factors. the level of need of a given country, competing needs in other countries, and our ability to ensure that aid is reliability reaching the people in need. these are standards that we have, you know, traditionally applied to north korea. we have provided north korea with assistance in the past. we have no plans for any contributions at this time. but one the sticking points in past discussion with north korea has always been the confidence

in the ability for the humanitarian assistance if provided gets to those in need as opposed to being siphoned off for those being favored by the government. pardon? >> could you make that request to the new york channel? >> we talked to north korea on a regular basis. i'm not going to get into what we talk about. >> on pakistan, why can't you specify whether the diplomat was or was not authorized to have a gun? and you know the international law provides -- >> you know, i think we're back to talking about it. the individual in pakistan? >> yes. the u.s. diplomatic in pakistan. why can't you specify if he was or was not