>> his first memory at the age of around four was going with his mom to a place near where he grew up in the camp, to watch somebody get shot, and public executions in the camp were held every few weeks. they were a way of punishing people who violated camp rules and of terrorizing the 20 to 40,000 people who lived in the

camp, to obey the rules from then on. homeland security secretary janet napolitano told congress today that the secret services conduct and colombia will be investigated by the department's inspector general adding that the president security was never compromised. she also calls for immigration laws that would allow foreign farmers to work here legally. this portion of the hearing, beginning with her opening statement, is an hour.

>> thank you chairman leahy and members of the committee. i'm pleased to be with you today. i thank the committee for your support of the department over these past three years and indeed since the department was founded more than nine years ago. before i begin, i want to address the allegations as misconduct by a secret service agents in colombia. the allegations are inexcusable and we take them very seriously. since the allegations were have surfaced i've been in close touch with director sullivan, the director put immediate action to remove the agents involved and a full and thorough investigation is underway to determine exactly what transpired and actions we need to take to ensure that this kind of conduct does not happen again. director sullivan has the presidents in my full confidence that this investigation proceeds.

the investigation will be complete and thorough and we will leave no stone unturned. thus far, the investigation has implicated 12 secret service personnel, eight individuals are now separated from the agency. the secret services moving to permanently revoke the security clearance of another and three of the employees involved have been cleared of serious misconduct but will face appropriate administrative action. at this time therefore, all 12 secret service personnel identified in the investigation have either faced personnel action or have been cleared of serious misconduct. that me be clear, we will not allow the actions of a few to tarnish the proud legacy of the secret service, an agency that is served numerous presidents and whose men and women execute their mission with great professionalism, honor and integrity every single day. i have nothing but respect for

these men and women, many of whom put their own lives at risk for the president and many other public leaders. we expect all the dhs employees in the secret service and throughout the department to adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards and we will continue to update this committee as the investigation proceeds and more information becomes available. let me now move to the department's progress since 9/11. 10 years after the terrorist attacks of september 11, america is stronger and more secure today tank as to the support of the congress, the work of the men and women of the dhs, our federal, state and local partners who work across the homeland security enterprise. as i have said many times, homeland security begins with hometown security. as part of our commitment to strengthening hometown security, we have worked to get information, tools and resources out of washington d.c. and into

the hands of state and local officials and first responders. this has led to significant advances. for example, we have made great traverse improving our domestic capabilities to detect and prevent terrorist attacks against our people, our communities and our critical infrastructure. we have increased our ability to analyze and distribute threat information at all levels from fusion centers to nationwide suspicious activity reporting initiatives, the national terrorism advisory system and other means. we have invested in training for local law enforcement and first responders in order to increase expertise and capacity at the local level. we have supported preparedness and response across our country there are approximately $35 billion in homeland security grants since 2002. and we have proposed important adjustments to our grant programs for fiscal year 2013 to

continue to develop sustained and leverage these core capabilities. our experience over the past several years has made us smarter about the terrorist threats we face and how best to deal with them. we have learned that end engaged vigilant public is essential or efforts to prevent acts of terrorism which is why we have continued to expand "if you see something, say something" campaign nationally. we have also expanded our risk-based intelligence driven security efforts across the transportation sector, the global supply chain and critical infrastructure. by sharing and leveraging information with their many partners, we can make better informed decisions about how to best to mitigate risk. over the past several years, we also have deployed unprecedented levels of personnel, technology and resources to protect our nation's borders. these efforts too have achieved significant results including an historic decrease in illegal

immigration as measured by total apprehension and increases in seizures of illegal drugs weapons cache in contraband. in fact illegal immigration attempts are at their lowest level since 1971. while violent crime has made remained flat or has fallen. we also focused on smart and effective enforcement of immigration laws while streamlining and facilitating illegal immigration process. last year i.c.e. removed record numbers of illegal aliens from the country. 90% of whom fell within our priority categories of criminal aliens and repeat immigration law violators, and immigration fugitives. we have focused on identifying and sanctioning employers who knowingly hire workers not authorized to work in the annie. we have made important reforms in her immigration detention system so that every individual

in custody is treated in a fair, safe and humane manner consistent with i.c.e. standards. we have work worked to reduce bureaucratic inefficiency to streamline the path for entrepreneurs and improve systems for immigration benefits and services. in a critical area of cybersecuritycybersecurity, we also continue to lead the federal government's efforts to secure civilian government networks while working with industry, state and local government to secure critical infrastructure and information systems. we are deploying the latest rules across the federal government to protect critical civilian systems while sharing timely and actionable security information with public and private sector partners to help them protect their own operations. with these partners, we are also protecting the systems and networks to support the financial services industry, the electric power industry and the

teleto medications industry to name just a few. we stand ready to work with the congress to pass legislation that will further enhance our ability to combat threats and the cyberdomain. specifically we support legislation that would among other things established baseline performance standards for the nation's critical core infrastructure, remove barriers to information sharing between government and industry so that we can more quickly respond to and mitigate cyberthreats or intrusions, ensure robust privacy oversight to ensure that voluntarily shared information does not impinge on individual privacy and civil liberties including criminal penalties and provide dhs with the hiring? ability to attract and retain the cybersecurity professionals we need to execute our complex and challenging mission.

mr. chairman, we continue to evolve and dhs has continued to evolve as well. i look forward to working with you and members of the committee to build on the progress we have achieved across these and many other mission areas. we remain ever vigilant to threats as we continue to promote the free movement of goods and people's essential to our economy and protect our essential rights and liberties. thank you which betcha chairman. >> thane and of course we will put your full statement in the record. as i told you, our jurisdiction over the u.s. secret service, we did want to ask you some questions there. i like all americans and concerned about the safety of our president, weather could've been jeopardized by this kind of behavior just as i'm concerned about the safety of any of their

protect these. i mentioned governor romney but there are several others. but the misconduct we have heard about, did that pose any risk to the president security within colombia or to national security? >> mr. chairman that was my first question to director sullivan when he called me and the answer is no, there was no risk to the president. >> and you made that assessment? >> , based on information supplied to me by the director. >> and, is the secret service coordinating its internal investigation with the department of defense or any u.s. agency that might've been evolved in cartagena preparing for the president's arrival? >> mr. chairman we are coordinating with the inspector general. we have an existing moaa between the secret service and the ig so they are in effect supervising

the investigation even though it's being done by secret service agents. >> and was there any evidence the president's advance team was involved in misconduct? >> i've not been informed of any such evidence. >> and as we continue to look at this, we know the agents are trained as to what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. are there standards in place governing appropriate conduct for agents on foreign trips and how they may interact with locals whether or not they are on foreign assignments and if there are such standards, how are they conveyed to the agents? >> there are standards. they are conveyed with training and the supervision but one of the things we are doing mr. chairman is looking at the standards, the training, the supervision, to see what if anything needs to be tightened up because again we don't want this to be repeated. >> well, is there training

giving to any those relating to private or intimate contact with foreign nationals went traveling for security where? >> the training is focused on professionalism, on conduct consistent with the highest moral values and standards and i think that would include your question. >> well, madams secretary i know we travel and members of congress travel to different countries and we are given security for an end intelligence threat advisory in some countries where for example we leave our communication gear dismantled. with u.s. security officers and so forth. are agents given training in security and foreign intelligence depending on the particular country they might go into. >> i think that is part of the

advanced process mr. chairman. >> so if they thought there was an intelligence threat in a particular country, they would be advised of that? >> yes. >> and i began my career here during the cold war. not. sum of the assessments we were given were somewhat different than they are today, but some of the assessments have increased the types of communication here and electronic era. i assume that is geared based on today's real threats? >> do you mean how to secure communications equipment? >> what things does an individual look for? are they going to be a threat from agents of another country? >> the agents are informed as to what the intel is, what specific

country specific measures need to be taken and again, and mr. chairman, there was no impacting on the security of the president and no access to any secure information by the people involved. know, like you, i have done many occasions with the secret service around. very professional man that i have traveled with, several different precedence over the course of my career and lots of secret service who are very professional men and women there. so when i heard the number of the agents involved in this, i thought it was particularly alarming when i got my first call at home from the director is my staff looked into it and a bipartisan staff of this committee that looked into it. the numbers i found shocking.

to your knowledge as is the first time this has happened or have you had reports of similar incidents in the past? >> mr. chairman, i asked the same question and over the past two and a half years, the secret service office of professional responsibility has not received any such complaint. over that same period, the secret service has provided protection to over 900 foreign trips and over 13,000 domestic trips. so from that standpoint, there was nothing in the record to suggest that this behavior happened and it really was, i think, a huge disappointment to the men and women of the secret service to begin with, to uphold very high standards and to build their own reputations.

>> to the extent that anyone listening to this hearing, i would hope they would not be distracted from protecting governor romney and those that protect president obama and all the other protect these. that is going to be job first but you and the director have the job of seeing where we go from here. can you assure us that there will not be -- can you assure us that it will be made very clear to the secret service agents training elsewhere that this conduct will not be condoned? >> that is our role mr. chairman. there are really three things that i immediately discussed with the director. one was to make sure that resident's security was never at risk. two was to be sure that we

instituted a prompt and thorough investigation into the actual allegations in columbia and three, what other steps we need to take for the future to make sure this behavior is not repeated. >> on a different matter, the reauthorization of the violence against women act. this year's authorization would increase the number of temporary visas available to foreigners. sometimes our best sources of information including domestic violence and sexual assault. i have heard cases all over the country saying they support this. does the department of homeland security support this provision, this increase of new visas for the purpose of cooperating in criminal cases? >> absolutely. >> thank you.

and i'm told i have gone over my time, but you know we had a question raised before about the technology used for screening. i was very concerned about the earlier ones, the x-ray type machines. my worry, not yours a strip-search of people with graphic images of the people going through. those first machines, how much did dhs spent on bent on acquiring them? >> mr. chairman, the machines themselves are at again a cost of approximately $130,000 i think we can get you the exact number but i think the expenditure is probably total with installation and other things, about $130 million. >> and then the changes, i am told the changes as a reaction

on the original ones, the richer for it upgrades cost about $12 million? >> i am not sure the cost that much because part of a contract with the vendor was that the software changed, but the hardware would be able to accept the software i will verify that. >> what companies were awarded contracts for this? >> rapiscan and l3 are the two major vendors. >> senator graham i apologize for taking the extra time. please go ahead, sir. >> welcome madam secretary. i've enjoyed working with you all on the security issues as a whole. my experience with the secret service is very similar to what senator leahy said. really it's basically the time i traveled with senators mccain during the last presidential election and i am very impressed by the people, the very

hard-working and a lot of time away from families and long hours. anytime you have military problems you want to paint with a broadbrush the 99% and let's start with that baseline. but just like in the military, and other situations systems obviously fail and obviously there is a system failure here. the likelihood that this was the first and only time that such behavior occurred, do you think that is great or not so great? >> well, i think part of our investigation is confirming that this was an aberration, or not, but i agree with you senator, the secret service does a marvelous job. i work closely with an. >> the only reason i suggest we mainly need to look a little harder is because we are lucky to have found out about this.

had it not been for an argument between one of the agents and i guess the prostitute for lack of better word about money we probably would have never known about this to the point is, but i think you have got a good disparate problem. do you believe the agents were confused that their conduct was wrong? >> they should not have been. >> i don't think it's a lack of training. i don't think anybody -- >> now now i think the conduct was unacceptable. it was unprofessional and as i said in my statement, i think that people who are most disappointed are the other men and women of the secret service. >> i couldn't agree more but human beings being human beings we all make mistakes and sometimes organizations can get loose. being a military lawyer for 30 years, one of the first things we would advise new commanders and new squadron commander is, you have got a bunch of young people in the military for the first time away from home. go to the barracks when they

least expect you to go and show up at 3:00 in the morning with a first sergeant and word will get out pretty quick you have to watch what you do in the barracks because you never know when the commanders going to show up. is there any single program or supervisor from the home duty stations that would go out and visit people on a random basis? >> you know, i'm not aware of that. it's not to say there is a one. i don't know the answer to that. that is one of the reasons we are continuing our work and want to continue to brief the committee. >> can i suggest you may look at a program very similar to what the military does where people from the central body would show up on an unannounced basis throughout the world and just let people know that somebody back home is watching? it might do some good. are there any exit interviews done for people leaving the organization? when you asked them does anything bother you, have you seen anything during your time that bothers you? we do that in the military to try to find out how the unit

actually works and people are leaving. >> senator, i know there are exit duties done and whether that specific question is asked or something like it, again i am not, i don't know the answer but i can find the answer out for you. >> i would just suggest that maybe we look at changing the system to fit so that people who are away from home never really believed they are away from home, that somebody is always watching. >> senator, we are looking at this from the aspect, as i said earlier, one with the president security and two discipline for the agents involved in three, what do we need to do to tighten any standards that need to be tightened. so i take your suggestions very seriously. >> i think this is a bipartisan -- mr. sullivan i've never met the man that everybody who knows him seems to have nothing but good things to say about him. we want to get this behind us and not have the problem emerged

again. homegrown terrorism, you mentioned that in your opening statement. would you agree that publicly the idea of homegrown terrorism, and can attack from within is greater today than it was say maybe five years ago, the radicalization? >> i think that's right. i think we have seen -- when i say terrorism continues to evolve that is one of the evolutions we are seeing, radicalization, radicalization to the point of terrorist violence and we have seen several episodes across the united states in the past -- >> let's go to the recent tragedy in france where you had a john french citizen, muslim, who went to i think pakistan to study the madrassas there, came back to france and engaged in horrific acts of terrorism. do you worry about that happening here in the united states? >> one of the things we did in the wake of the incident in toulouse was to analyze what

happened in that case and were there any early signs, indicators, anything that would give us an early tripwire that someone from the united states was getting ready to do the same thing? >> having some of these terrorist organizations are actually tried to come to these -- our country. >> i think there is improvement. another it doesn't really require a visit. you can do it on line. >> that is exactly right. he can talk for people to the internet and through the cyberworld to try to recruit them to their cause and unfortunately there are takers and we need to be diligent about that. now immigration, a case before the supreme court today. each person can make their own mind up about south carolina, arizona and the laws and what they are doing. president obama is campaigning in 2008 promised comprehensive immigration reform in his first year. do you believe there was a real genuine effort to make that happen? >> as someone who spent a lot of

hours visiting members of congress on the hill to see if there was any room for negotiation of the conference a bill, i would say yeah there was a serious effort. >> was at the of the congressman's fault? >> senator, i think all of us have a responsibility to deal in a bipartisan way with a national problem. >> well we didn't deal with it in a bipartisan way with health care. not one republican voted for the health care bill. you had a huge majority in the house, so i guess my point is, i don't believe there was much of an effort to deliver conference of immigration reform in the first year and i don't think this congress is at fault. i think the president failed the country by not making this up rarity and get a large majority to work with any hug chose health care over immigration. here we are, so not to say our party is blameless. we are not. i just want to understand that when people talk about this issue that we remember exactly what happened.

60 democratic senators, a large majority in house. dear member any bills coming out of the house representing immigration reform? >> you no senator i'm not familiar with any, and i obviously disagree with how you are putting the issue, but i think we can both agree that at some point we are going to have to deal with comprehensive immigration reform. >> thank you very much for your service. >> thank you. i would just note parenthetically, i sat in on the meetings with former president lech on immigration reform. i strongly supported his efforts. i sat in a bipartisan meeting with the president obama had with some of the same people who were at the president bush once and the follow up. i recall him being told, don't bring it up because it's not going to go anywhere. i hope, and i still hope, at

least while i'm still in the senate we will have comprehensive immigration laws and we needed. senator feinstein, and then senator feinstein. >> thank you very much. menem secretary, i am one that thinks you are doing a very good job in an agency that is perhaps too large. i think it is 22 departments over a couple hundred thousand people. it is a very big job. i want to concentrate my questioning on three areas. ..

>> it goes on to say that they have done a risk analysis of the 6487 certified schools with

active records, and they had schools fitting into the low, medium or high risk categories. here is the breakdown. low risk, and before%, medium risk, 1276 schools. 20%. and then there is high risk, 417 schools or 6% of all the schools examined. here is what they say. many of the noncompliant schools are already the subject of criminal investigations. stalling any action to it limit access to issue before my 20 period please notice that cheney can immediately begin such assessments once cleared to do so. can't they be clear to do this early on? >> let me just say that we have

to remember 9/11 hijackers came in on student visas. went to school and taught them how to fly, but not the to land, and nobody thought was unusual. i am really concerned about sham schools and we have a good sense of who is coming in under a foreign student visa whether they are attending school at all. >> i have been at this for about 12 years. initially, everybody objected to it. and they began to do it. now, i see at easing up. i wanted to bring it to your attention. >> i share that concern. these sham schools should not be allowed to operate. we have increased our efforts against them. i suspect that we are coordinating with u.s. attorney offices in the relevant districts, and they have asked

us to postpone administrative action until the criminal case was ready to go. i will follow up on that. >> can you take a look at it? >> absolutely. >> the second thing is agriculture and enforcement audits. honestly, i am a bias. we have 81,000 farms in california. virtually all of the labor is undocumented. what happens in harvest season, canning season, we have a problem. i have tried for 10 years to get it agricultural jobs bill through, and i can't get it through. the fact of the matter is that if we want american produce, the labor is generally undocumented. and we have to find a solution to this. i am hopeful, and i know the you are doing aggressive audits of

the employers. i am very concerned that this is going to reflect upon farm dependent jobs. >> i think the base of the problem is that there is no provision under the current immigration law that enables more agriculture workers to be documented. and so we have some employers. we tried to pick those who are really knowingly and intentionally violating the law when they have other options. trying to focus on them through the audit process, but the underlying issues goes to the immigration law itself. >> most don't have any other options. california is a state that can't use the hth program. it depends on a large scale rotating generally undocumented program of about 600,000 workers

for 81,000 farms. i salute them, farmers can't plant or harvest or can. this has been happening. i want to bring to your attention. you know, it is a hard problem. but if this body won't take action, we are going to put agriculture out of business. i am really concerned about it. if there are any thoughts you might have, i would very much appreciate them. >> the last point i want to raise with you -- is another long-standing issue of mine. it is the visa waiver program and biometric exit. for many years, i have been trying to get data on visa overseas for each country. to no avail, that it's period

last year, i was informed by june of this year, dhs will have a fully operational biographic exit system in place. it is going to provide real-time information on those who exit the united states airports. this new exit system is expected to allow you to calculate overstays her country by may of this year. here is the question. i think this is very important, because we have 50 million people that come in every year, and we don't know whether they leave or not on a visa waiver. is dhs ontrack to have a fully operational biographic exit system by june of 2012? >> senator, i believe we are. the final plan is in the clearance process with omb. but that is our intent.

>> good. will dhs be able to provide overstay rates for country -- per country by may of 2012? >> we should be able to provide some of that information is not all. >> good. thank you. >> now we will go to senator grassley and senator conrad. senator grassley will be next. senator collins amendment will go to senator schumer. >> thank you, mr. chairman and senator grassley. this isn't the first time that senator feinstein and i'm in to be thinking about exactly the same thing. let me quickly touch on the three things that she mentioned, concerning student visas. it is not just a matter of the schools, but but also not following up. the very poor record of schools

providing information to i.c.e. it is not just a matter of our failure to pass legislation here. regulations were performed toward the end of the bush administration. they were more workable, i'm told, that was then changed with the obama administration. if we could work more toward the kind of regulations that existed toward the end of the bush administration, that might be help for some. on the visa overstays and exit system come i was going to ask about that. i think your budget actually was denied $30 million by the appropriations committee because of its frustration with the lack of a plan. we need to get that plan implemented, as well as appear. >> if any, senator, can i talk about the visa overstays with you. one of the things that we have done over the last few years, we have added databases and been able to link them so that the

poor visas are issued -- book before visas are issued, there is a check against our data and certain nsa data. we have done the same thing -- gone backwards to define visa overstays. we have looked at and prioritize those that provide any kind of public safety or security risks. we have not looked at the entire backlog. i will give you the inventory of what we have found, and we are part prioritizing those visa overstays. >> i understand it. what is your estimate now, just approximately, of the number of these visa overstays years, as a percentage of the total illegal immigrants in the country today. as opposed to those who have crossed the border illegally. >> well, -- >> the number is around 40%, --

>> that might be a higher number. what we found is that a lot of people who were overstaying had left. >> 40% might be too high of an estimate? that is the number that is usually given when we complain complained about the lack of security at the border. they say remember that 40% of the people here illegally actually overstayed on pieces. you think that number is high? >> it may be a little high. >> in either event, it may be a problem. it is like criminals, but that is a small percentage. >> senator, what we have done is make the best use of those i.c.e. resources that we have. >> every year, i say if you need more resources, ask for them. then the excuse of not moving forward on something is that we don't have enough resources. you can't have it both ways. if you need more resources, ask for them. >> senator, thank you. as you know, we are all working under the concerts of the budget control act. that was the deal that was struck. to your point, yes, and to

senator feinstein sport. yes. we believe these overstays are of keen interest. >> so we, and we appreciate that. another parochial but important point, and i know do you appreciate this. every time i go to the border, the first thing that people talk about is not illegal immigration. it is the incredible delays at the ports of entry. we need a lot of things, include up -- including more officials on the border side. that is not the total solution to the problem. a lot has to do with the inadequate link up on the mexico side of the border. we need more agents. that is what they tell us down there. yeah, that was not in the budget request. i would just ask you to please, either ask for that agents that we need there, and this is just to facilitate commerce between the two countries. >> just. >> and to make life a little bit

easier for people that across everyday. either ask for in the budget or find some other place where we can get it or make a recommendation to us as to how we can move money around to provide for those additional agents. in mariposa, it is about 250 for the estimate. we ought to be able to find the money for that. would you try to work with us on that? >> we will definitely work with you on that, senator. >> i appreciate that. i know you know the problem. it is not a partisan problem. we all agree we need to resolve it. >> we want to facilitate that. a lot of jobs depend on it. >> absolutely. the last point i want to make, six months ago, you had written a letter and then another letter three months ago about the lack of enforcement of federal dictators. specifically, for example, in cook county. last night, we received a response to a letter. it certainly is a good response in terms of pointing out the problem. where i fail to see the response

is in what you were are doing about it, other than writing letters. this letter, dated april 24, from nelson peacock, as i said, it lays out the problems from i.c.e.'s perspective. the county is not abiding by criminal law as you have asked them to detain. since the organization was enacted, i.c.e.'s has launched more than 442 removable aliens. they have been convicted of crimes including serious offenses. cook county has not on any of these dictators. there is a particular case of gravity reported in the chicago tribune. mr. peacock notes that this probably violates federal law.

the only action that i can see taken here is that two letters have been written, and cook county has been encouraged to change its policy and has been advised that if it continues this policy, it may result in denial of reimbursement to the state under the staff program. the federal government has been aggressive in trying to do something about illegal immigration, but doesn't look to me like the government is doing that much to enforce the law that currently exists with respect to the teeners. what more do you plan to do with entities like cook county who are obviously flouting federal law and jeopardizing american security in the process? >> i agree. i think cook county's ordinance is terribly misguided. it is a public safety issue. we are evaluating options right now. we always start out trying to work with the local authorities and work things out.

we to date have had no success there, so we are evaluating all options. >> i hope more than evaluating you will take action soon. when you report to us as soon as you have decided what kind of action to take, justifies rather than waiting for correspondence from us? >> we will keep the committee staff advised of how we are proceeding. >> at thank you very much. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator collins. it is his birthday today. happy birthday. let's not saying. [laughter] >> let's not sing to him. [laughter] >> senator schuman. >> happy birthday, senator. may your next birthday be happier than this one. [laughter] thank you.

senator feinstein and i were just mentioning that a second ago. first, two points of housekeeping. i am not going to give good news for you. i'm not going to ask you questions on the secret service. i have faith in your ability to get to the bottom of this. all of us are shocked and terribly troubled by it, but i think that the kind of investigation you and your department will do, have a lot of faith in. second, senator feinstein mentioned the be set for students issue. i came in the middle of her testimony. she and i have asked for a gao report, which is coming out in about a month. our subcommittee on this with the chairman's position will have hearings on the gao report when it comes out. we will let you know about that. i have two questions here. one other issues in your best jurisdiction. the first relates to passenger advocates. over the past several months,

there have been increasing numbers of news stories about passenger complaints over tsa screening procedures. these complaints include, for instance, a female passenger being told that she could not carry her breast pump on board the plane while the milk bottles were empty. imagine that. asking female passengers to submit to repeated inspection through body scanner machines for non-security reasons. asking elderly and disabled passengers to remove critical medical equipment and undergo searches prior to security clearing. i would like -- i like the tsa. i think they do a good job. i was involved in setting them up. it's hard to balance security and commerce. the you can make it better without impeding and without one impeding the other. tsa's original response was to first deny wrongdoing and then issue apologies. in light of these incidences,

senator collins and i decided to introduce legislation called the rights act. the rights act will help curb abuses in tsa's screenings, simply by requiring the tsa to establish a passenger advocate program to resolve public complaints and training of tsa officers to resolve frequently occurring passenger complaints, and it would also require that every category -- let's strike category acts. it is a funny category. letter a through the period we don't know. to at least have one tsa advocate on duty at all time. they are lined up, they are asked for an intrusive exam, they think it is uncalled for. i don't expect every tsa agent to be schooled in each thing. but at kennedy airport, they

handle tens of thousands of people leak -- someone who is trained who can come over and one employee who knows how to do this and can resolve a sticky situation. it avoids the passenger the choice of undergoing an examination that they think is intrusive or humiliating, or not going on the flight. to support the creation of passenger advocates that we work to rule those out at airports without the need for an act of congress? >> absolutely. if i might, just to go through, first, as you know, tsa, i think does a very good job. it is a very difficult job. every morning, i start my morning with a threat brief of what is facing us in the evolving world of terrorism. aviation security still remains the number one threat. we have taken steps to try to make it less onerous. we have taken those over 75 and

children under 12 out of the routine line. the breast pump incident you mentioned, it was not in accord with how we do that. the employees received appropriate retraining. we keep trying to do that. the idea of having crosstrained an advocate -- advocates among our personnel is something we were sport. something we've supported and tsa is moving towards the goal. >> thank you. i appreciate that. it will avoid us having to pass legislation. legislation would so quickly these days through the senate. second, is a parochial issue but of great importance to western new york. it is the niagara air force base. i want to ask you about the possibility of constructing a new border patrol station at niagara to replace the existing niagara falls border patrol station. as you know, the existing

station is insufficient to your current needs. we all agree to that. given all the new security, we have had terrorists cross over the buffalo border. it lacks the capacity needed to accommodate the number of agents now housed at the station. it doesn't have the space and resources the agency to do the job. a new station at niagara can comfortably accommodate 50 agents and could be able to accommodate 75. it will also include items that the border patrol needs like the main administration building and an armory and necessary storage space and ancillary buildings. parking and kennels. honestly, we have the dogs at the border too. this new station would be a win for the border patrol and the niagara air force base, which would -- the mission is being curtailed because of the cutbacks and military. would you support the creation of a new border patrol station at the niagara airbase? >> yes.

niagara is rematch under consideration, senator. the issue is money for constructing a new facility. but certainly, niagara is under consideration. >> in other words, you think it's a good idea and we have to find the funds for its? >> that is one way to put it, yes, sir. >> yes, i like that part of the answer. thank you. mr. chairman, i am finished with my -- i yield back my remaining time. >> thank you, mr. chairman. first, just a statement. i want to give you an update. first of all, i want to put a statement in the record. >> senator, i don't know that your microphone is on. >> i'm not talking into it. that's a problem. i'm surprised you want to hear me, but thank you. [laughter] >> first, an update. about 99% of the time, i don't get a response quickly for me when i write you, the response

comes from affairs. second, many times my questions are rarely, if ever answered. third, delays are unacceptable. just last night, i received a response from the department about cook county six months after my initial letter of inquiry. also, you just responded to question we posed last judiciary committee oversight hearing, which took place last october. that is just to bring you up to date. that is not a question. i don't want a response to that. both the chairman and i want to get to the bottom of this secret service matter. under the chairman has covered a lot of the issues. i wanted to cover -- so i'm not going to go back over that. i think the chairman for asking those questions. i was briefed by the secret service director, and he responded about the inspector general being involved, and i

have asked for that involvement. he said that he was already involved before i asked for it, so i complement director sullivan on that. director sullivan has included the inspector general in the investigation up to this point. but i want to know what the it inspector general is truly conducting an impartial investigation. i think the same independent investigation is necessary from the inspector general in defense and from the white house to get to the bottom of the story for all the advanced staff that was in colombia. you mentioned in previous answer to questions, you mentioned that the ig is supervising investigation. do you agree that the inspector general should conduct a full scope investigation determining if this is a culture problem? routinely occurring in additional cities, and suggests

revealing what occurred in colombia to question number one. question number two. if you have any reason to believe that the inspector general isn't receiving full and complete access to the secret service investigation, and three, you referred to previous answer is, but as far as you know in the last two and a half years, this has not been a cultural issue. why do you keep saying just two and a half years, and don't you think we ought to make sure that the for two and half years -- but it wasn't a problem as much as not being in the last two and a half years? >> senator, let me address that. i used that time frame because because we are going back through all of the records. we have gone back that far, probably further at this point. in terms of the ig and their involvement and supervision of the investigation, i am sure that the ig would be willing to

answer those questions. we have a memorandum of agreement with the ig and secret service. that they are in these kinds of cases, where there is alleged misconduct, they actually supervise the investigation. they use investigatory resources of the secret service. that's how we are managing this, and i believe the ig has been with the director during the congressional briefings to confirm that point. we expect the ig to be conducting a full investigation. >> on another matter, dealing with cybersecurity, specifically, one cybersecurity proposal would place your department, the lead agency in overseeing regulations for covered critical infrastructure, i have concerns that this proposal, because it creates a new regulatory bureaucracy, i am

also concerned that this new regulatory power given dhs background on overseeing the chemical facilities security, their program -- congress gave your department regulatory power over chemical facilities, regulations were issued in 2007. five years later, nearly 4200 chemical facilities have complied with the regulations, but your department has yet to approve a single security plan, spanning one half billion dollars and not getting anything approved. i have obtained a copy of an internal review by undersecretary rhine beers, this memorandum is the most candid review of the failed federal government program that i have seen it this memorandum details failures at an unprecedented level. poor hiring, hiring people not

skilled, poor staff morale, management leadership failures, lack of subject matter expertise, and catastrophic failure to ensure personal and professional accountability. the memorandum also states that inspectors lacked expertise to effectively evaluate site compliance with cybersecurity requirements, on top of this memorandum, the department has failed to implement 10 outstanding gao recommendations. taken together, these reports paint an agency that cannot control cost management and employees and effectively implement missions. if it costs dhs $480 million to effectively regulate zero chemical facilities, how much can we expect that the cost of taxpayers -- the cost for taxpayers to regulate cybersecurity among thousands of private businesses?

>> let me take both of these issues. first, the chemical facilities. yes, we did a candidate internal review because we were not satisfied that we were achieving the results that we needed to achieve. which is the safety and security of our chemical facilities. and also possible security issues with them. we now have a very aggressive corrective plan in place. i would be happy to greet you or your staff on that. we have been improving site-specific plans. that process is really moving forward with great alacrity. we have learned a lot from this. we are fixing those problems. we have put new people in charge. done all the things one needs to do to make sure that a program move forward effectively. with respect to cyber-- this is an area where our deep concern is that the nation's core critical infrastructure, on

which farmers depend and small businesses depend, everyone depends on it -- it is very susceptible to attack. the attacks can occur in a variety of ways. we are seeking some means to boost performance standards by that critical infrastructure, have real-time information sharing so that we can swiftly moving to help mitigate and share information if need be, and we are actually asking the congress to give us some hiring authority, so it is easier for us to hire people who are experts in the cyberfield. as the congress begins to consider and the senate against to consider this legislation, we hope they do it in the sense that what the risk posed into the country right now. >> you can see this hearing in its entirety online at c-span.org.

>> and to find out more about the senate in the 112th congress, the 2012 congressional directory is available from c-span.org. learn about each member of the house and senate, including contact information. you also find district maps and committee assignments. pick up a copy for $12 and 95 cents plus shipping and handling. order online at c-span.org/shop. in a few moments, and romney, wife of mitt romney, speaks about her family and her husband's decisions to run for president. she was at a fundraiser in connecticut. in 20 minutes, and iowa campaign event with first lady michele obama and after that, more about the possible increase in the student loan interest rate from senators dick durbin and lamar alexander, and from president obama.

>> we are at the national public radio table. you guys are still here. that is good. i couldn't remember where we landed on that. >> this weekend on c-span, the 98 annual white house correspondents dinner. president obama and talk show host jimmy kimmel headlined the event before an audience of celebrities, journalists, and the white house press corps. live at 6:30 p.m. watch the entire dinner at c-span. you can also look up your experience at c-span dinner hub. find guest lists, highlights, and social media posts at c-span.org/w. hcd. the white house correspondents dinner, live on saturday at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. ann romney, the wife of mitt romney, was the keynote speaker

at a connecticut fundraiser on monday. the day before several primary elections. this is 20 minutes. >> what a warm reception. thank you. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> thank you. we haven't won yet, but we're going to, so that's okay. thank you for that wonderful introduction. it is great to be here. i will tell you that before i even began, that i have feelings about how difficult that it is to run and do this. my heart goes out to all of those families who put their heart and soul, who have

believed in their spouse, and yet, didn't cross the finish line. i know what it's like, because i have been that. and also how it felt four years ago. i will tell you the sentiment i have four years ago was that i know one thing -- for certain, i'm never going to do that again. [laughter] >> mitt romney laughed. he said you say that after every pregnancy. i have five sons, you know how that worked out. that is the feeling that you have because it is an emotionally draining thing that you go through. the person that you are fighting for that you love, that you cherish, you know that they are being aligned at times. they are being misrepresented at times. you know that they are not getting the proper treatment at times. yes, here we go again. what made the difference? from this time about how easy it

was for me to know when to step forward. it was a little over a year ago. it was in january. a year and half ago now. our family all met together at christmas. the four years previous, i had my five daughters in law and my sons, we don't listen to what they say even though they have an opinion. [laughter] >> we all decided it was a good idea for me to go forward. fast-forward four years later, we had the same meeting. the attendants were very different. as matter of fact, there was only one song that felt strongly that mitt should go forward, and it was only me. it is only me that felt he should go forward. it was quite a different meaning. the kids all had suffered every moment of every day with every difficult thing that we go

through as well. sometimes, we all know this. when we are parents and we watch our kids struggling, even in a sporting match or something else, sometimes we suffer more than the person who is in the fight. it was very hard for my children to go through this again. yet, here we are and we decided to do it again. i felt so strongly about it. because i believe in us. this was the question i asked, because we were trying in the kids and the boys were all trying to figure out the playing field. he was going to be running. you know, what state did we win and how hard would this be. you try to game it gain it out, and after a while i just said, i don't care about any of that. that is not what i'm going to make my decision on. you never know the things that are going to come your way, and

you never know how the playing field can change. i said i only want to know one thing. that is, mitt, if you get the nomination, and if you beat barack obama, which isn't going to be easy either, can you fix it? i need to know is it too late? has america gone over the proverbial acquits, and we don't have time to turn things around? i need to know whether it is worth it to go through all of this and to have you get there, and if you're going to tell me that i'm sorry, it's too late -- and he said no, it's getting late,, but it's not too late. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> with that, i said that is all it needs now. i don't want to have any of their questions answered for me, because if you can fix this, you

must do this. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] and i think that is what brings all of you here tonight, and why having gone through -- 42 or 43 states -- i've lost track. but how many states mitt and i have campaigned in. there is something going on out there. there is something so palatable but you can feel it people are ready for change. and they are ready for someone to come in and fix it. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> i so believe in my husband. i have seen him in so many different situations. we met as kids. we fell in love in high school. we have been married for 43 years. we have five wonderful sons and

five amazing daughter in laws. thank goodness for them. i think my son's everyday for how much i love my daughters in law. and 16 fabulous french goods. we are busy. sixteen fabulous grandkids. i care about the future of my grandchildren. i will say, that in all of these events that we go to, every day is a little bit different. generally, there is a lot of people. people seem to swarm around mitt, and i go up to the side. i co-opted the site and i talk to people and find out -- and i often ask, especially women, why are you here? what made you come out of your house today to this event? what do you think about the future? there are a couple of very interesting things that come out of those conversations. number one, i will tell you,

which is the kindest and sweetest of all, so many women that i have never met before and may never see ever again in my life, they tell me how much they care for me and how much they are praying for me. and i so appreciate that. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] and i can't tell you how much i appreciate that. the days are long. the road is hard. the trials are there. and i never know when i have this little gray cloud that is over my head -- when it will start raining on me again. i do need everyone's prayers. but i also believe that we are here for a purpose, and that mitt has been prepared, and that he has done things in his life that will serve him so well for the next huge job that he has. i will tell you just a few of those things.

one, if he has done an extraordinary job at being a husband. he has been by my side in good days and bad days, in my darkest hour he stood by my side with my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. he also stood by my side when i was diagnosed with breast cancer. i had to have that. i had to have him believing ini. i had to have him believing in me and trusting that i could do the right things and pull through this. there were days when i didn't think i could. there were days where i thought that my only future was going to be in bed, too weak to have a normal life. yet, he kept encouraging me and kept loving me and telling me that none of those things that i actually did physically to take care of the house and children and the bills -- all the things that some people think that i didn't work -- [laughter] >> those were things i was very busy doing.

[applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> is a woman, you actually end up having done those things were so many years, taking care of the children, doing the laundry and grocery shopping and cooking -- all of those things, which i did, by the way. [laughter] i didn't have help for many years. as a matter of fact, i didn't have any help at all until the fifth baby was born and i had emergency surgery when he was four months old and i was in bed and i realized that i couldn't take care of small five boys with mitt working so hard. i know what it's like to finish the laundry and two look in the basket five minutes later and it is full again. i know what it's like to poll all the groceries in and see the teenagers run through and then all of a sudden, all of the groceries you just bought a few hours ago are gone. i know what it's like to get up early in the morning and to get

them off to school. i don't like to get into -- i don't like to get up in the middle of the night and struggle and have those concerns that mothers have. we are grateful for it the response that we got and appreciative in recognizing that women have choices in life. some choices are not all the same. we value everyone's choices that we make in their profession. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] my hats off to the men in this room who are raising kids. i love that command i love the fact that there are also women out there that don't have a choice in that they must go to work and they still have to raise the kids. thank goodness that we value those people too. something that is true is that life isn't easy for any of us. getting back to helm mitt treated me, i will tell you

again, making the choice that i did, which was to stay home and be a mother -- he would remind me all the time that my job is more important than his. but his job was temporary. that mine was going to bring forever happiness. he believed it. he didn't just say it. he believed it. he valued me and treated me as an equal partner. we are equal partners today in everything that we do. we care for each other and love each other and we are there for each other. that is why i am willing to go out and do these crazy things. it doesn't come naturally, i'm sure. but it is also something that i actually quite enjoy. it has been amazing to go across this country and to see what people are talking about and to see how much people love america and how they value it. i'm going to get back to the other things that i have seen mitt do. i have seen him in work do

things that are quite extraordinary. he was, obviously, a father to the five boys. my husband. but he also served in our church. he did things that were so extraordinary. how he counseled people when he was tired. people would be coming into the house late at night. needing help and needing some encouragement. i never knew why they came. often, i didn't know who they were. they would come in the side door if they didn't feel is that they wanted anyone to share what they were going through a difficult time. never once did they ever tell me one thing that he was helping those people went. he kept it in such strict confidence. they have is complete trust. that is that's the other thing that i saw him do. is being a caring person for others that were going through difficult times. i also saw him at the same time

he was raising her family and taking on other responsibilities, being so successful in business. you all know that it is not easy. it is not easy to succeed like mitt have succeeded. but i saw him do it and i saw him do it again and again. he did it so well. they asked him to come and rescue the winter olympic games. that was another adventure. it turned out pretty well. it turned out being a huge blessing in my life, too. it was at the same time that i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. it seemed like it was the craziest thing in the world to do, but it was one of those moments where in my heart i knew it was the right thing to do, even though it was going to be hard and it was going to be hard for me. it turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in our lives. we loved every minute of it. we had the greatest time. i made the best of friends out there, and i learned how to

start putting my disease in remission during that time. it ended up being a great experience for me. i will tell you an anecdote which is when i was going out there, i was having difficulty walking. i was losing my balance. i was really worried about whether i would be in a wheelchair. during that time, i learned how to take care of my health better and my disease went into remission. i slowly started rebuilding my strength. i was riding horses and doing things. i was doing some alternative therapy that helped me as well. by the end of the three years, i could barely walk when i went out, and mitt chose me to be his hero and to run the torch into salt lake city. what a moment that was with my children surrounding me. my husband, with tears rolling down his face because they knew what a long journey ahead then on. for need to be able to run

without torch -- my husband passed that torch -- [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> to pass the torch to me and for me to be able to do that. you never know, when you look like you are sometimes jumping off a cliff, you never know what kind of software and you will get by people that love you and care for you and make your life more wonderful for the struggles you are going through. that was another interesting chapter in her life. i saw mitt be so successful. i saw him in massachusetts as governor. he ran into a state that was $3 billion in the hole. in four years time, he let $2 billion in the rainy day fund. he did it without raising taxes and without borrowing any more money. [applause] [applause] [applause]

[applause] >> so i will tell you, by the way, what i hear from most women that talk to me on the side of the line, what they are talking about, and this is why, by the way, we are going to win the election. what they are talking about is the economy. what they are talking about is their husbands jobs, their jobs, the children's jobs, they're talking about, believe it or not, budget deficit. they are worried. all of them. all of them feel as though we are at a turning point and that we don't act now, it will be too late. you all believe that as well. we are at a critical point in our history. i have all the confidence in the world that mitt romney, who has the skills, the experience, the

compassion, the wonderful nature of having good judgment and everything else that you need to do a good job as a president -- to be able to do what is going to be necessary to turn this country around, and to bring some stability to the future. with that, i am going to tell all of you something tonight. that is that we are going to win in november. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause]

>> god bless you all for coming tonight and helping us make that happen. connecticut, you're going to have to fight, too. why fight it is going to be in this day. i know you believe, too. even in the state, with that kind of message and the economic message -- women who are caring about the economy and all this caring about the deficit -- we can win. and so god bless you all and god bless america. thank you so much. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> on behalf of the connecticut republican party, a small gift as a token of our appreciation to mrs. ann romney. >> thank you. thank you so much. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> now, first lady michele obama speaking with campaign volunteers near des moines, iowa on tuesday. this portion of the event is 15 minutes. >> that is who we are. that is what we do. we reach out, right? we bring folks from all different backgrounds into this democratic process, right? that is how we did it four years ago. that is how we are going to get it done again today.

[cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] >> four more years -- [cheers] >> the one thing that i know is that all the work you are doing, it isn't easy. i know you all are putting in long hours. we've been through this. i know that you have families to raise. you have jobs to do, classes to attend. but i also know that there is reason that you all are devoting so much of your lives to this cause. i know that there is a reason why i am here in the morning today. it is not just because we all support one extraordinary man. , although, i admit that i am a little biased, right? [laughter]

>> it is not just because we want to win an election. we are doing this because of the values we believe in. we are doing this because of the vision for this country that we all share. right? >> right. >> we are doing this because we want our children to have schools worthy of their promise. [cheers] >> schools that push them and inspire them and prepare them for good jobs. where they can make a good living, right? >> we want them to have clean air. and safe streets and we want them to grow up in a world that is peaceful and secure. right? >> right. >> we want our parents and grandparents to retire with a little dignity.

we believe that after a lifetime of hard work, they should enjoy their golden years, right? >> yes, indeed. we want to restore the basic middle-class security for our family. we believe that folks should not go bankrupt because someone gets sick. they shouldn't lose their home because someone loses a job. we believe that responsibility should be rewarded. right? we believe that hard work should pay off. and that everyone should do their fair share and play by the same rules. [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] >> really, those are basic american values. they are the values that so many of us were raised with, including myself.

i share this often, as many of you know, my father was a blue-collar worker. at the city water plant. my family lived in a small apartment on the southside of chicago. neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to college. but they did do something important. they saved and they sacrificed so that my brother and i could get a good education. an education they can only dream of. right? and while pretty much all of my college tuition came from student loans and grants, my dad still paid his small portion of it. every semester -- i remember, he was determined to pay that bill right on time. he was so proud to be sending his children to college. he couldn't bear the thought of

me or my brother missing that registration deadline because his check was late. more than anything else, that is what is at stake. you know? it is that fundamental promise that no matter what -- no matter how you started out, if you work hard, you can build a decent life for yourself, and an even better life for your children. at right? [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] that is what you need to tell people. with every door you knock on, with every call you make. with every conversation that you have. you need to tell folks about our values. right? tell them about everything that is at stake. everything that is at stake next november. can tell them how barack bought

for tax cuts for working families and small businesses. [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] >> an economy built to last starts with the middle-class in with folks who are creating jobs and putting people back to work. right? [applause] [applause] >> you can remind him about how when brock first took office, this economy was losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month. for the past 25 straight and 10 straight months. we have been gaining private-sector jobs. a total of more than 4 million jobs in two years. while we still have a very long way to go to rebuild our economy, today, millions of people are collecting a paycheck again. you can remind them about how so

many folks in washington told him to let the auto industry go under. but with more than a million jobs on the line -- barack obama had the backs of american workers. remember that? [applause] [applause] >> as a result today, the auto industry is back on its feet, and people are back to work, providing for their families again. right? [applause] [applause] you can tell them how because we passed health reform -- [applause] [applause] >> insurance companies can no longer deny our children coverage because they have a pre-existing conditions like asthma. they have to cover preventative care. things like cancer screenings and contraception. ..

.. please start on that. you can tell people how barack has been fighting for the dream act so that responsible young and the correct too came here as children amber braised as americans can earn a path to

citizenship by going to college are serving in the military. [cheers and applause] you can tell people that because my husband finally ended "don't ask, don't tell" -- [cheers and applause] archers will never again have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love. [cheers and applause] because of the weather that matter -- and lilly ledbetter fair pay act come in the very first build my husband signed into law, it is not easy or women to get equal pay for equal work. and for the two brilliant supreme court justices barack appointed for the first time in history, our son and doctors watched 31 and take their seats on our nation's highest court. [cheers and applause] but all of this is at stake next

november. it's all on the line. and in the end, it all boils down to one simple question. will we continue to change that we've begun and the progress we've made? or will we allow everything we fought for to just slip away? we know what we've got to do, right? we cannot turn back now. we've got to keep moving forward. yes indeed because while we have come a long way, these past few years, we've got so much more to do. and more than anything else, that is what we're working for. the chance to finish what we started. the chance to keep on writing for the values we believe in and the vision we share.

that is what my husband husband doing every single day s. res. in it. every single day. [cheers and applause] and over the past three and a half years, i have had the chance to see up close and personal what that looks like. i have seen how the issues that cross a president to ask are always ones. the problems with no easy solutions, the judgment calls where the stakes are so high and there is no margin for error. and as president, you can get all kinds of advice and opinions from all kinds of people, but at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, all you have to guide you are your values and your

vision and your life experiences. in the end, when you are making those impossible choices, it all boils down to who you are and what you stand for. and we all know whom i have finished. [cheers and applause] he is the son of a single mother who struggled to put herself through school and pay the bills. that is who he is. he is the grandson of a woman who woke up before dawn every day to catch a bus to her job at a tank. and even though barack's grandmother worked hard to support his family and she was good at her job, she had that glass ceiling and no more qualified than she was promoted up the ladder ahead of her. so barack knows what it means

when a family struggles. he knows what it means when someone doesn't have the chance to fulfill their potential. and today is the father, he knows what it means to want something better for your kid. those are the experiences that have made him the man and the president he is today and we are blessed to have him. [cheers and applause] so, what you need to know when it comes time to stand up for american workers and american families, you know what my husband is going to do, right? when there is a choice about protecting our rights or our freedoms, you know where barack stands. [cheers and applause] right? and when we need a leader to make the hard decisions to keep this country moving outward, you know you can count on my

husband. [cheers and applause] because that is what he has been doing since the day he first took office. that is what he has been doing. but i've said this before and i know iola, you heard me say it. he cannot do this alone. he cannot do it alone. he needs your help. he needs all of you to keep giving just a little part of your life each week to this campaign. and he needs you to keep pounding the pavement and signing up your friends and neighbors and colleagues with those cards. you seem them, right? you need to recruit even more volunteers and more organizers and show them how their day-to-day efforts will absolutely make a difference. and he needs you to send people to the website,

gottaregister.com. you've all heard that? the website to help everyone register and where to cast their ballots with important pieces of information. step two. a little grammatically challenged. g-o-t-t-a, got a register. and if you have any doubt at all, if you have any doubt about the difference that you are making, i just want you to remember that in the end, this all could come down to those last few thousand people that we register to vote. it is important to remember that it could all come down to those last few thousand folks who need help to get to the polls on the sixth of november to be precise.

and i want you to watch us think for a minute about what those numbers mean when you spread it out over an entire state. it might mean registering just one more person per town, just one more. it might mean helping just one more person in your community get out and vote, right? on election day, just one more. so understand with every door you knock on, with every call you make, with every conversation that you have, i just want you to remember that this could be the one that makes the difference. treat it that way. this could be the one. you could be the one who inspires someone to make their voice heard next november. that is the impact that all of you have been having and can continue to have, right?

understand in those terms, one more person can make the difference. and that is up to all of you. so i have one last question for you. are you while in? are you in? [cheers and applause] are you ready to do this? because i am in. i am so in. i hope that you all are fired up. are you fired up? [cheers and applause] are you fired up? [cheers and applause] let's get this done. thank you all. god bless you. [cheers and applause] yes we can! yes we can! yes we can!

and the greatest generation ready not to leave me a kind of platform that was completely unanticipated. so i thought i ought not to squander that. so i had to step up not just as a citizen and nature is, but his father and husband and grandfather and if i see these things, i had to write about them and try to start this dialogue, which has been trying to do with this book about where we need to get to next.

>> president obama spoke wednesday about college costs and the future of student loans. we'll show you his comments in a few minutes. on capitol hill, dick durbin and lamar alexander also spoke about student loan interest rates. senator alexander whose education secretary under president george h.w. bush introduced a bill to help ailing for proposed student loan interest rate freeze. their comments are little more than a half-hour.ng business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president,

beginning next month, students from all over the united states will begin from graduating from college. families will will gather and celebrate. graduates will be filled with expectation and gratitude. but they're also going to be graduating with debt n. some cases, massive amounts of debt. 96% of for-profit college students will graduate with a debt of $33,000. 15% of them, one out of six, will default on their loans within two years. there's now more than $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. as i mentioned on the floor several times, a little over a year ago for the first time in history, student loan debt in america surpassed credit card debt. one of the reasons there's been such a huge influx is that college costs continue to rise at unsustainable rates. tuition and fees at four-year schools have rocketed up 300% from 1990-2011. and over the same period, broad

inflation was just 75%. even health care costs rose at half the rate of the cost of higher education. the average for-profit college costs $30,900 a year in tuition and fees. private nonprofit institutions aren't too far behind. average tuition and fees run about $26,600. schools with larger endowments charge even more, upwards of $50,000 to $57,000 in total fees they use their endowment to give students large financial aid packages, which is admiral, but it has consequences. the elevated sticker price for these schools provides for-profit colleges the cover to raise their prices to similar levels. and let me remind you, for-profit schools, for-profit colleges in america get more -- up to and more than 90% of their revenue directly from the fell government. they are 10% away from being federal agencies. students graduating this year have one advantage -- if they

took out federal subsidized loans, their interest rate is low. in 2007, congress sent interest rates on subsidized student loans for the last several years. current graduates have low, affordable interest rates on their federal loans from 6.8% to 3.4% fending on the year they took -- depending on the year they took out the loan. graduates next year may not be so lucky. the interest rate goes up to 6.8% for all unless congress acts. that's because these rates, set to double for 740 million students across the country on the 1st of july, will only be changed if congress acts. that's going to affect 365,000-plus borrowers in my state of illinois. each borrower in illinois will save a thousand dollars-plus over the life of their loan if current interest rates of 3.4% continue. across the state, borrowers will save a total of $387,000. every week in my office, we hear

from students who would be directly affected by interest rate increases. one of them is george jacobs, a constituent of mine and graduate of the international academy of design and technology chicago, a for-profit college owned by the career education corporation. every day of his life, george jacobs regrets that he ever attended this school. he's 29 years old. his current private student loan balance has ballooned to $107,000. the original loan was $60,000. but with a variable interest rate, george has been paying anywhere from 7% to 13.9%. you combine that with his federal loan balance and his total student loan outstanding debt is $142,000. george isn't even 30 years old. he already has the debt the size of some people's mortgages on their homes. unlike a lot of his peers who attend for-profit colleges, george haze job in his field of of -- has a job in his field of

study. but his annual salary of $45,000 -- but since his lender won't let him consolidate the loan, his monthly payment on that annual salary is $1,364 a month. half of his income goes to pay his loan. unfortunately, because of high interest rates, very little of this payment reduces the principle. he doesn't know when he'll possibly pay off this loan. when asked if he's tried to work out a plan with his lender, he says, they won't talk to him. they just don't care. george was the first in his immediate family to attend college. he didn't ask people for advice on financial matters. he trusted the school. george was subjected to high-pressure sales that some for-profit colleges use. reflecting on that experience now, george feels like the school took advantage of him. he feels the school's primary focus is to identify people they can make money off of. george owes about $29,000 in federal loans with low interest rates, his monthly payment is $230 a month on the federal loans, an amount he says is not a real problem.

he's married and although he and his wife own a car, he doesn't think they'll ever qualify for a mortgage. madam president, he's 29 years old. george is not the only one affected by the private student loans. his parents are in their 50's. to help george, they cosigned his private student loan. they cannot refinance the mortgage on their home because of george's outstanding debt. there was a story in "the washington post" about two weeks ago of a woman, a grandmother, who now has her social security check garnished because she was kind enough to cosign her granddaughter's college loan. her granddaughter has defaulted. her grandmother is watching her social security check reduced. making college affordable shouldn't be partisan. it affects everybody. just this week during a news conference in pennsylvania, governor mitt romney acknowledged the tough job new graduates -- job market new graduates face and expected supported for keeping interest

rate low. he said, i fully support low interest rates on student loans. there are extremely poor conditions in the job market. higher education isn't a luxury anymore, it's part of the american dream that many of us bought into and invested in. an educated work force will make us a stronger nation. by 2018, 63% of jobs will require postsecondary education. keeping debt levels low and manageable for college graduates is essential. george jacobs, like so many other students i have spoken about on this floor, are going to spend the rest of their young adult life paying for student loans. there has always been a lot of talk around here about mortgage crises and rightly so, but think about 17 and 18 and 19-year-old students signing away their income for the next 30 years before they can even dream of a job or owning a home. we're going to consider legislation when we get back from the break in about ten days on making sure that student loan

interest rates are manageable. there is more to this issue. we have to deal with the reality that the president raised in the state of the union address. this spiraling cost of higher education is unsustainable and unfair, fundamentally unfair. and you say to the young people get educated for your future, and they follow our advice and walk into the student loan trap. unfortunately, many for-profit schools are the worst offenders. these schools have an enrollment that's grown 225% over the past ten years. according to the "chronicle of higher education," enrollment at for-profit colleges in my state has grown 556% over the last ten years. they enrolled 1.2 million students in 2009. in the 2008-2009 academic year, the g.a.o. found that for-profit colleges took in $24 billion in

title 4 aid. four-year for-profit schools cost an average of $27,900 a year before aid as compared to $16,900 for public four-year universities. the chief executives at most of the for-profit schools make many times more than their counterparts in nonprofit schools. remember, 90%-plus of their revenue comes directly from the federal government. these aren't great entrepreneurs. these are folks who have managed to tap into one of the most generous federal subsidies in the law, and five years ago, we gave them a break. in the bankruptcy bill, we said private for-profit schools will be the only private loans in america that are not dischargeable in bankruptcy, which means you carry them to the grave. so the for-profit schools give these private loans. the students and their parents sign up for them. and when it's all said and done,

they end up saddled with this impossible debt for a lifetime. that's not even to go to the question about whether or not they are receiving any kind of valuable education in the process. for-profits, incidentally, spent 21%-plus of their expenses on instruction. 21% on instruction. 25.9% of public institutions. 32.7% at private nonprofit institutions. "usa today" reported that for-profits educate fewer than 10% of students, take in 25% of all federal aid to education and account for 44% of defaults among borrowers. remember those numbers. 10%, 25% and 44%. they are taking in 10% of the students, taking in 25% of all the federal aid to education and 44% of the defaults on the student loans are attributable to these for-profit schools.

according to project on student debt, 96% of for-profit college students graduate with some debt compared to 72% of private nonprofit gradz, 62% of public school gradz. the project on student debt also reported that borrowers who graduated from for-profit four-year programs have an average debt of $33,000 compared to $27,600 at private nonprofits. last year, the department of education released a report showing that for-profit schools have a student loan default rate overall of 15% compared with 7.2% at public schools, 4.6% at private nonprofit schools. madam president, if i were to stand before you and talk about any other business in america, heavily subsidized by the federal government, beyond 90% of all the revenues they take in, that is luring students and their families into unmanageable debt, i would hope that both sides of the aisle would stand up and say that is unacceptable. how can we subsidize an

operation that is causing such hardship on students and their families, hardship that they're going to carry for a lifetime. george jacobs at age 29 writing off the possibility of ever owning a home because he signed up at one of these for-profit schools in my state. madam president, the u.s. senate "help" committee also discovered that out of $640 million in post-9/11 g.i. benefits, the bill we were all proud to vote for, out of the $640 million that flowed to for-profit schools in the last academic year, $439 million went to the largest 15 publicly traded companies. for-profit colleges are receiving one out of every two dollars in military tuition assistance, according to the department of defense, and more than 60% of education benefits available to military spouses go to for-profit schools. this is significant. we capped federal aid to for-profit schools at 90% of their revenue, but we create an exception for the g.i. bill.

so some of them are up to 95% federal subsidy and still we have these terrible results and terrible indebtedness. students at for-profit colleges have lower success rates than similar students in public and nonprofit colleges, including graduation rates, employment outcomes, debt levels and loan default rates. yet, the department of defense is paying more to for-profit schools for the g.i. bill than public and nonprofit institutions. madam president, i want to enter into the record here along with my remarks an article that appeared in "the wall street journal" on wednesday, april 18, that tells the story of jodie ramine, who between the ages of 18 and 22 took out $74,000 in student loans. she attended kent state university, a public university in ohio. it seemed like a good investment at the time, but now it's going to delay her career, her marriage and her decision to have children. miss ramine's $900 a month loan

payment eat up 60% of the earnings as a bank teller, the best job she could get after graduating from college. her fiance spends 46% of his paycheck on student loans. they each work more than 60 hours a week and volunteer when they can to help the local high school football and basketball teams. miss ramine works a second job as a waitress, majority all her loan payments on time. they can't buy a house. they can't visit their family in ohio as much as they would like or spend money to go out. plans to marry or have children are on hold. i'm just looking for some way to manage my finances. this is an indication of a debt crisis that is coming. it's different, i would agree, than the mortgage debt crisis we faced. smaller in magnitude, perhaps. but no less insidious and no less of a problem for us when it comes to the growth of our economy. madam president, i have a couple

bills pending. one of them goes to a very basic question. should any college, public, private, profit, nonprofit, be allowed to lure a student into a private student loan when they are still eligible for government loans? in other words, shouldn't that be one of the causes for a discharge in bankruptcy? it's fraud. it's fraud to say to that student you have to take out this private student loan even though the school knows that student is still eligible for low interest rates accommodating federal loans. they're luring them into a debt that is unnecessary and a debt which is crushing in some circumstances. now, at the very minimum, that should be considered fraud in a bankruptcy court, and that debt should be dischargeable in bankruptcy because of the failure of the school to disclose that the student still has eligibility for a federal loan. secondly, i know i am probably crying in the wilderness here, but i still find it

inconceivable that the only private sector business loan in america that is not dischargeable in bankruptcy goes to these heavily subsidized for-profit schools. first, we lured them with federal money, 90%-plus, and then we turn around and say we'll protect you when the student, who is likely to default, ends up defaulting, we'll make sure that they still have the debt, carrying it to the grave. what were we thinking? to give this one business this kind of fantastic federal subsidy and this kind of amazing support in the bankruptcy code? i will tell you -- i ask consent to enter into the record along with that article from the "wall street journal" a recent article from baron's -- from barron's -- thank you, mr. president -- of april 16. so they identified those who are offering these private student loans. the major players in the private nongovernment-backed student loan market, s.l.m., let me

translate, formerly known as sallie mae, discover financial services, wells for fargo and p.n.c. financial services. even with the defaults, if there are defaults, on these loans, these loans are protected because they continue forever. madam president, i don't know if my colleagues will join me in this, but all i ask them to do is go home and please talk to some of the families in your state, and you will find out that this student loan crisis is not just something manufactured by politicians. it is real. and we are complicit in it. when we allow low-performing and worthless schools to receive federal aid to education, students and their families are lured into believing these are real schools. go to the internet and put in the word college or university, click the mouse and watch what happens. you will be inundated with ads from for-profit schools. some of them will tell you you can go to school online. one of them ran a television ad

here in washington. i think they have taken it off the air now that showed this lovely young girl who was in her bedroom, in her pajamas with her computer, her laptop on the bed, and the purpose of the ad was you can graduate from college at home in your pajamas. it's a ruse, it's a farce, it's a fraud. many times, these schools offer nothing but debt for these students. the students who drop out, the worst of circumstances. they don't even get the worthless diploma from the for-profit school. all they get is the debt. that's not fair. if we have a responsibility -- and i think we do -- to families across america, for goodness sakes, on a bipartisan basis, we should step up and deal with the student debt crisis and the for-profit schools who are exploiting them. madam president, i yield the floor. excuse me, madam president. if the senator from tennessee will allow me. i have 11 unanimous consent requests for committees to meet during today's session of the

senate with the approval of the majority and minority leaders, ask consent these requests be agreed to and printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. alexander: thank you, madam president. i ask to speak for up to 15 minutes in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. alexander: and could the chair please let me know when there are two minutes left? the presiding officer: yes. mr. alexander: thanks, madam president. i'm glad i had a chance to hear my distinguished friend from illinois speak about student loans and college. all of us would like to make it easier for americans to be able to afford college, and at another time, i will speak about some of the other options available. the average tuition at four-year colleges in america is $8,000. the average tuition for a three-year public college -- for four-year public colleges is $8,200. the average tuition for community colleges, two-year colleges is $3,000. i know at the university of tennessee where tuition is about

$8,000, a very good campus in knoxville, virtually all of the freshmen show up with a state scholarship. if they are low-income students, they are eligible for pell grants and other aid. so we will continue to work on a bipartisan basis to make this opportunity available to students, and if there are abuses in the for-profit sector or other sectors of our education, we should work on those together. but i'd like to talk a little bit more specifically this morning about the issue of student loans and interest rates on student loans. president obama is busy this week on campuses across america talking about student loans. it's a noble goal to talk about making it easier for students to afford college. it's a goal we all share. but i'm afraid the president is not telling the whole story, because if he were to tell the whole story, what he would have to tell the students is that the principal reason for the rise in

tuition at public colleges and universities across america and community colleges and the principal reason for the increase in student loans is president obama himself and his own health care policies. mr. inhofe: would the senator yield for a unanimous consent request? i don't want to change your line of thought here. it's beautiful. i ask unanimous consent that after the conclusion of the remarks of the senator from tennessee, that there be ten minutes given to the senator from wyoming, senator barrasso, and that i have the remainder of the republican time. the presiding officer: without objection. without objection. mr. alexander: of course. so as i was saying, president obama's speeches around the country on college campuses about student debt are incomplete because the rest of the story, unfortunately, is that the main reason why college

tuition is going up and the main reason therefore why loans are going up is president obama and his health care policies. to be fair, he didn't start many of these policies. they've been going on for a good while but he's made them worse over the last three or four years and when the new health care law geese into effect in 2014 with its new mandates on states we'll find an exaggeration of what's already been happening which is that federal health care mandates on states are soaking up the money that states otherwise would spend on the university of oklahoma and tennessee and the state universities of new york and when states don't support their public colleges and universities, which is where three-fourths of our higher education students attend, then their only choice is either to become more efficient, to decrease their quality, or to raise tuition. and most of them are trying to do all three. so federal health care policies are the reason tuition is up and

the reason tuition is up is the main reason, the main reason debt is up. now, specifically what we're talking about or what the president's been talking about is a 3.4% interest rate for some student loans. here's some facts about that. the president has proposed that for one year for new loans, rates would remain at 3.4% for this kind of loan. governor romney grease with him -- agrees with him. i agree with him. so there is substantial support from both the president and his probable republican opponent in the presidential race for this next year. up in new loans after july 1 that now are at 3.4% would stay at 3.4%. the benefit to students who get the advantage of that lower rate, all other loans are at 6.8% by law, is about $7 a

month. that's according to the congressional research service. so all this talk is about offering students the benefit of about $7 a month for new loans. it's important to notice that no student who has a 3.4% loan today will see his or her interest rate go up. let me say that again. if you've got a loan and going to the university of north carolina and paying 3.4% today, your right-rate will not go up on july 1. the law only affects new loans. and it doesn't affect 60% of loans. for 60% of those who are getting new loans after july 1, they'll continue to pay the 6.8% rate set by congress a long time ago. but, madam president, i'm glad the president's bringing this issue up because the real driver of higher tuition and higher interest rates are the president's own policies. in two ways. the government and the congressional democrats who passed the health care law

actually are overcharging students, all students, on their student loans, and using some of the money to pay for the health care law. now, this isn't just my figures. the congressional budget office said that when the new health care law passed, congress took $61 billion of so-called savings -- i'd call them profits -- on student loans, and it spent $10 billion to reduce the debt, $8.7 billion on the health care law, and the rest on pell grants. now, how does that work? how could congress be overcharging students? well, under the law, the government borrows money at 2.8%. under the law, the government loans to students at 6.8%. that produces a profit. the congressional budget office has said that the congress could lower the interest rate from 6.8% to 5.3% and save all students $2,200 over the life of

their average ten-year loan. so i'm introducing today legislation on my behalf and that of others called the student rate -- the student interest rate reduction act. and what we will propose with this law is that we will keep the interest rate at 3.4% for subsidized stafford loans beginning with the year july 1, just as president obama has proposed, just as governor romney has proposed, and we will pay for that by taking back from the health care law money that the congress overcharged students on their student loans. this one-year solution as i said, will save students about $7 a month on interest payments on their new loans, about $83 a year. it will cost the taxpayers about $6 billion which will be paid

for by reductions in savings from the health care act. now let's talk just a moment, madam president, about the real cause of tuition going up and loans going up. and that is federal health care policy. when i was governor of tennessee in the 1980's, the same thing would happen every year as i made up my state budget and it's happening today in every state capital in america. i'd work through all the things we had to fund with state tax dollars. the roads, the schools, the prisons, the various state eationz and then i'd get down to the budgeting process and have some money left. and the choice would always be between medicaid and higher education. our public colleges and universities. i spent my whole eight years trying to keep the amount that we gave to medicaid down so i

could get up the amount for colleges and universities because i thought that was the future of our state. we had a formula back then that said if you went to a public college a or university the taxpayer would pay 70% and the student would pay for 7030% and if we raised your tuition, we'd raise the state's share. we kept that 70-30. that's turned completely around today in tennessee. it's now 30-70. the students pay 70% and the taxpayers pay 30% and why is that? it's because for that 30 years, orders from washington about medicaid mandates to every state have forced governors and legislatures to take the money they would otherwise spend for colleges, public colleges and universities, and spend it instead for medicaid and as a result, the state colleges and universities have less money and to get more money they raise tuition. so when tuition goes up at the university of california and you see students protesting, the reason is in washington.

the reason is in washington. now, i said earlier president obama did not invent this problem. this is a 30-year problem. but he's made it worse. he made it worse with the laws that said when states have less money, they have to spend more on medicaid. they are told from washington to spend more on medicaid even though they have less revenues, they're going to spend less on something else so less on the university of california or the state university of new york or the university of tennessee. last year in tennessee, state funding for medicaid went up 15%. in actual dollars. as a result, state funding for the community colleges and the university of tennessee went down 15%. real cuts. that's not a cut in growth, that's real cuts. and what did the colleges and universities do? they raised tuition 8%. and what do students do? they borrow more money. now, i've been trying to get 24

point across ever since i've been a united states senator. i even said during the health care debate that everyone month voted for it ought to be sentenced to serve as governor for eight years in his or her home state so they'd understand this problem. we can't continue to order the states to spend more for medicaid and expect our great colleges and universities to be affordable and continue to be the best in the world. that is the real reason why tuition is going up and loans are going up. so here are the facts. there are still good options for students around the country. i mentioned the average cost of a four-year public university in america is for tuition $8,200 and for a community college, $3,000. and there are many scholarships to help go there. and it is true that loans are going up to very high levels. and it is true that there are some abuses here and there in the for-profit industry or other

parts of the higher education system. but it is also true in the united states we not only have some of the best colleges and universities in the world, we have almost all of them and many. them are public colleges and universities. and they are at risk today. why? because of federal health care policies that are hamstringing states and soaking up the money that states should be using to fund the universities of this country and the community colleges of this country. so, mr. president, i'm introducing today the student loan interest rate reduction act. it addresses exactly the subject that president obama is talking about on the campaign trail these days. how do we keep the interest rate on subsidized stafford loans, the new loans that began july 1, how do we keep that at 3.4% for one year. governor romney supports that, president obama supports that, i support that. the only difference is how we

pay for it. it's a $6 billion cost. our friends on the democratic side have come up with their usual method of paying for it, they're going to put a tax on people who create jobs. we have a little better idea on this side. and that is let's take back $6 billion of the dollars that the federal government overcharges students on student loans today to help pay for the health care law and let's give it back to the students, and let's extend this for one year. that will leave about two or three billion dollars extra -- the presiding officer: the senator has two minutes. mr. alexander: thank you. we can use that 0 sho to shore up the pell grant deficit over the next few years. president obama when you visit the next college campus, tell the whole story. it is hard to attend college. it's hard to pay for colleges. there are many options. debt is up. but in fairness, the principal reason tuition is rising and therefore debt is rising is

because of president obama's own health care policies. he didn't start them, but he's made them worse. and what he's done is put in place a set of policies that is soaking up the money that states would use to fund public colleges and universities and community colleges across this country. using that money for medicaid. as a result, the colleges and community colleges have less money. they raise tuition, that's why -- that's the principal reason why we have higher tuition and higher interest rates and the way to stop that would be to repeal the health care law or repeal the medicaid mandates. it would improve the quality of american higher education and improve access to higher education. it would slow down the rising of tuition and it would slow down tuition and it would slow down

>> president about was at the university of iowa speaking on student loan interest rates. the president talked about interest rate on student loans. according to the white house, 7 million undergraduates to be affect it, raising an average of $1000. >> hello, hot guys -- hawkeyes! it is good to be back in iowa. [cheers and applause] can folks please give it up for that outstanding introduction? and i like to thank the university of iowa band for firing everybody out. [cheers and applause] good hospitality here.

i should know. i spent a little time here in iowa. spend a little time here in iowa city. i'm glad to my hometown of chicago dates are returned to hospitality be when your football team kicks off the season [cheers and applause] burst of outcome your congressman, dave loebsack is here. attorney general tom miller. [cheers and applause] state treasurer, mike fitzgerald. your mayor, matt hayek. the president of the university of iowa, sallie mae said. [cheers and applause] so, i've come to the university of iowa to talk a little bit about you.

and some of the issues you guys have been dealing with every single day. now i believe that college isn't just the best of what you can make in your future. it is the best investment you can make in your country's future. i am proud of all of you for making investment because it's never been more important. [cheers and applause] in today's economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education. that's at the top. right now the unemployment rate for americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average. their incomes are twice as high as those who don't have a high school diploma. a higher education is the single clearest path to net a class.

i know those of you are about to graduate are wondering what's in store for your future because not even four years ago, just as the global economy was about to enter freefall you are still trying to find your way around campus and now four years later, you're the keen and what it means when you meet this campus. the good news is today our economy is recovering. [cheers and applause] that's the good news. but i'll be honest with you. it has not yet fully healed from the worst economic crisis since the great depression. our businesses have added more than 4 million jobs over the past two years. [cheers and applause] but there's still a lot of americans who are out there looking for a job really is fighting a job that pays the bills and helps cover the mortgage. there's still too many families

who don't have that security, that basic middle-class security that starts slipping away even before this crisis hit. but what i want all of you to know is the degree you earn from iowa will be the best tool you have to achieve that basic american promise. the idea that if you work hard, if you give it your all, if you're responsible and you can do well enough to raise a family and on a home, syndrome kids to college, put a little way for retirement, it's the idea that each generation will have a little more opportunity than the last. [cheers and applause] that is at the heart of the american dream. i can tell you as a parent now, that when i see malia and sasha doing well, there's nothing more important to me. that's true for american families everywhere.

and it's the hope your parents have for you. that's the hope you'll have some day for own kids. and keeping that promise alive is the defining issue of our time. i don't want this to be a country where shrinking number of people are doing really, really love and then a growing number are barely able to get by. i do want that future for you. i don't want it for my daughters. i don't want to for america. [cheers and applause] i want this forever to be a country where everybody gets a fair shot. and everybody is doing their fair share and everyone is playing by the same rules. that's the america within or recently worked for it. [cheers and applause]

and this is personal for me. [inaudible] i love you back. [cheers and applause] i love you guys and i believe in you guys. that's the most important thing. i believe in you and i believe in your future. [cheers and applause] and i think about my own life. if my grandfather had the chance to go to college because this country decided that every returning veteran of world war ii should be able to afford it to the g.i. bill. [cheers and applause] my mom was a single mom. my dad wasn't around. she raised two kids by herself with some help from my grandparents because she was able to get grants and work her way through school. and i'm only here today and

michelle is only where she is today because scholarship and student loans gave us a shot at a great education. that is how we succeeded. [cheers and applause] this country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of everybody on the workforce. that's part of what made it special. that's what kept us at the forefront of business, science, technology. that is the commitment that we need to reaffirm today. now here's the challenge we've got. since most of you were born, tuition and fees in america's colleges have more than doubled. and that forces students like you to take out more loans and rack up more debt. the average student who borrows to pay for college now graduates with about $25,000 in student

loan debt. and in this state is even higher. americans now owe more on their student loans than they owe on credit cards. and living with baghdad means you got to make some pretty tough choices. it might mean putting off buying a first home purchase in that great startup idea you've got. maybe lacked a bit longer to start a family or save for retirement. but a big chunk of every paycheck goes to respond that, that's not just tough on you, tough on middle-class families, that's not good for our economy because that money could be going into business days and it's going to serve the data. as i said, this is personal for me. i know something about this because michele and i went through it and it wasn't that long ago. we had been in your shoes. we can come from wealthy

families. we needed loans than we needed grants to get our way through. [cheers and applause] when michelle and i graduated from college and law school, we had a mountain of debt. when we got married, we got poorer together. so we combined our asset and they were zero. but we combined our viability is that they were alive. [laughter] so we ended up paying more for our student loan in the first two years we were married and we paid on our mortgage each month when they finally bought a small condo. we were lucky because we landed good jobs a steady income, busoni finished off pena student loans about eight years ago. think about that. i'm president of the united states. was only eight years ago we finished paying off our student

loans. [applause] and let me tell you, it was an easy making those payments because once we had malia and sasha, were trying to save for their college education even as they pay off our own college education. so this is personal. this is at the heart of who we are. this guy to make college more affordable for more young people. we can't put the middle class at a disadvantage. we can't price out folks who are trying to make sure that they not only succeed for themselves, but help the country succeed. we can't price the middle class out of a college education. [cheers and applause] we can't do it. [applause] especially when most of jobs in

america will require more than a high school diploma. higher education, whether it is a four year institution or a two-year program at a community college. he can't be a luxury. it's uneconomic imperatives that everyone should therefore appear before i cannot hear i had a chance to meet that was displayed, the number of other students and we had a little roundtable. the stories they told me were so familiar. one young man come a single mom, she had lost her job. she was already about a thousand dollars in debt, halfway through here at the university of iowa. another young woman, her dad's family asked that maytag. they were trying to figure out how to make ends meet. she was about to graduate. what i told them is you are making the right decision because over the lifetime of earnings, you will more than earn back this investment you are making. but making it more affordable would sure help. it would sure help.

[applause] i want a specific request for you. let me briefly tell you what we have heard it done to try to make college more affordable because i'm not just interested in talking the talk. i want to walk the walk. [cheers and applause] before i took office, we had a student loan system with tens of billions of taxpayer dollars going to banks who was the middleman on the student loan program. so they were getting billions of dollars in profits come in managing a loan program they had no risk because it is also true that guaranteed loans. so we changed that. there were folks in washington who fight to the nail to protect the status quo. one said it would be an outrage to change the system where banks are managing this thing. the real average was letting

them serve as middlemen and siphon off profits while students were working two or three jobs to get by. so we kept at it, five and five and today we don't have middlemen. that money is going directly where it should've been the first place, going to help more young people for college. [cheers and applause] mmr fall, i has to give student loan payments faster so 1.6 million students who make payments on time only have to pay 10% of their monthly income towards loans once they graduate, which means if you decide to become a teacher or social worker or guidance counselor, something that doesn't pay a lot of money coming you can still afford to do it because they'll never have to pay more than 10% of your income in order to stay current on your loans. [cheers and applause]

then we decided come you know i come you guys need more information about this whole process. we want students to have access to a simple fact sheet on student loans and financial ways you can have all the information you need to make your choices about how to pay for college. so we set up this new consumer finance protection bureau to look out for consumers. [cheers and applause] said they are not putting out a fact sheet called note before -- "know before you owe" something we could've used when we were in your shoes. and then what we said is it's not enough just to increase student aid. we've also got to stop subsidizing skyrocketing tuition or will run out of money. so the schools themselves have to keep their tuition low. [cheers and applause]

..

that is what we have been doing now. here comes the tricky part. we have to get congress to do their part. that is where you come in. [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] >> a couple of things i would like congress to be doing this year. first, they need to extend the tuition tax credit to be that we put in place when i came into office, saving and middle-class families thousands of dollars. they get a tax break when their

kids go to college. that is important. [applause] [applause] second, we need congress to safeguard aid for low income students. today's freshmen and sophomores need to be able to count on it. we have to make sure that the programs are there for people who need them. number three, we have to get more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs over the next five years. that is an achievable goal. [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] >> most immediately, and this is where i really need you guys, congress needs to act right now to prevent interest rates on federal student loans from going up and shaking you down. that is where you come in. the. [applause] [applause] gerri. >> five years ago, congress cut

the rates on federal student loans in half. that was a good thing to do. but on july 1, of this year, which means about two months from now, that rate cut will expire. if it expires, interest rates on these loans will double overnight. for each year that congress doesn't act, the average student with these loans will rack up an additional thousand dollars in debt. that is a like a thousand dollar tax hike including 250,000 students here in iowa. i will do a quick poll. how many people can afford to pay an extra thousand dollars right now. [cheers] [cheers] >> i don't think so.

stopping this from happening should be a no-brainer. it makes me sick just thinking about it. [cheers] [cheers] helping more young people -- helping more young people afford college should be at the forefront of america. it shouldn't be a republican or democratic issue. it is an american issue. [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] the stafford loans we are talking about were named after a republican senator. pell grants were named after a democratic senator. when congress cut these rates five years ago, the majority of democrats voted 77 republicans in the house of representatives voted too. the good news is, the senate

introduced a bill last night that would keep student loan rates from doubling. that is the good news. [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] what is also good news is that some republican senators look like they might support it. i am ready to work with them to make sure it happens. but i have to tell you, the republicans who run the house of representatives, have not yet said whether or not they will stop your rates from doubling. and they have hinted that the only way they would do it is if they cut things like aid for low-income students. let me scratch my head there for a second. think about this. we are going to help some students by messing with other students. that is not a good answer. how many people think that is a good answer? >> no.

>> one of these members of congress best sometimes, i get these quotes because unlike interested in how folks talk about this issue. you have one member of congress who compared these student loans -- i'm not kidding here. to a stage three cancer of socialism. [laughter] [cheers] >> stage three cancer. [laughter] i don't know where to start. what do you mean? what are you talking about? [cheers] [cheers] , on. [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] just when you think you've heard it all in washington, someone figures out a way to go off the deep end. and then you have the spokesman for the speaker of the house who

says, we are -- meaning me and my administration -- we were just talking about student loans to distract people from the economy. think about that for a second. these guys don't get it. this is the economy. this is the economy. this is about your job security. this is about your future. if you do well, the economy does well. this is about the economy. [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] what economy are they talking about? you are the economy. if you have skills, if you have talents, if you are starting a business, if companies are locating here in iowa because they have a well-trained workforce, that is the economy. that is how we are going to

compete. making sure our next generation earns the best education possible is exactly americans business. [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] >> making sure that education is available to everybody and not just a few, that is america's business. our future depends on it. [applause] [applause] someone suggested that students like you have to pay more so we can help bring down the deficit. think about that. these are the same folks who ran up the deficits for the last decades. they voted to keep giving billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to big oil companies who are raking in record profits. they voted to elect millionaires and billionaires to keep paying lower taxes and middle-class workers. they voted to give folks like me, the wealthiest americans --

an average tax cut of $150,000, and that would be paid for by cutting things like education and job training programs that give students and workers opportunities what they need to succeed. does that make any sense? doesn't sound like people who are concerned with the deficit? how can we want to cut -- maintain tax cuts for the wealthiest americans who don't need them and weren't asking for them. i don't need one. i needed help back when i was your age. i don't need help now. i don't -- i don't need -- i don't need an extra thousand dollars like you do. we need to make sure that everybody pays their fair share. how can we continue to subsidize the oil industry that is making record profits instead of

investing in things like clean energy that will help shape our future? do we want to jack up interest rates on millions of students, or do we want to keep investing in the things that help us in the long-term? things like education and science and a strong military and care for our veterans. because we can't have it both ways. we can do all things on the cheap. one thing i want to be cleared out, when i talk like this, sometimes the other side, they get all hot and bothered and say that he is engaging in class warfare. this is an about class warfare. we want every american to succeed. that is the point. i want all of you to be rich. i want all of you to be successful. we aspire to it. that is what americans do. we work and we help and we start and we take risks to succeed. and we don't expect a handout.

but we also understand that we are in this thing together, and america is not about just a few people doing well. it is about everybody having a chance to do well. that is what the american dream is all about. [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] you look at this auditorium. everybody who is here. you are here because somebody made a commitment to you. first, your parents -- but it wasn't just her parents. it was the folks who decided that we are going to set up a public university. the folks who made the decision early on in this republic that said we believe that all men are created equal. that everybody is endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. those were commitments that were made by previous generations to future generations.

somebody here have a parent or grandparent who said maybe i can go to college, but maybe someday my son can. maybe i can start my own business. maybe i can't start mine, but i can picture my daughter started the business. maybe i'm an immigrant, but this is the place, no matter what you look like or where you come from and no matter what your last name is -- you could make it if you try. [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] [cheers] [cheers] >> that is what we believe. you and me, all of us. we are only here because somewhere, someone had a responsibility just not for themselves over this country's future. now, it is our turn to be responsible. it is our turn to keep that

promise a lie. that's why need your help. i'm asking everybody here and anybody who's watching and following online, send your member of congress a message. tell them you're not going to set your sights lower or settle for something less. call them, e-mail them, right on their facebook page. tweaks -- [laughter] we have a hash tag. don't double my raids. don't double my raids. don't double my raids we asked students at north carolina yesterday, they have a trend. let's see if you guys can do even better. we have to keep the heat on congress until this gets done. i need your help to do it. i need you to be heard and counted.

now is not the time to double interest rates on student loans. it is the time to build a stronger middle class and double down on building an america that is built to last. if we work together, and we put our eyes on the common purpose, i guarantee that we will meet our challenges. we will rise to this moment. the reason i know that, is because i believe in you. i believe in you. and it is because of you that we will remind everybody just why it is that this is the greatest nation on earth. thank you, iowa. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [cheers] [cheers] [applause] [applause]

[music playing] [music playing] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ [music playing] ♪ ♪ [music playing] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[music playing] [inaudible conversations] [music playing] [inaudible conversations] [music playing] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

[inaudible conversations] user[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [music playing] [music playing] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> late wednesday afternoon, house speaker john boehner said the house will vote to extend the current interest rates for federal student loans for one year. he spoke with reporters for about five minutes.

>> good afternoon, everyone. i am pleased to be joined by the chairman of the education to many, mr. klein, and the chairman of conference. back in 2007, a democrat controlled congress put in place a law that the double student loan interest rates this year. republicans and democrats on both sides of the aisle, here on the capital, have long agreed this is a problem that must be addressed. right now, the president's economic policies are leaving recent college graduates -- 50% of whom are either unemployed or underemployed. today, i am pleased to announce that on friday, the house will vote on a bill to extend the current interest rate on federal student loans for one year. we will pay for this as taking money from one of the slush

funds in the president's health care law. now, this week, the president is traveling the country on the taxpayers dime, campaign desk campaigning and trying to invoke a fight that there isn't one. there never has been won on the issue of student loans. we can and will fix the problem without a bunch of campaign style theatrics. the rising cost of tuition is a serious one for students. i know this issue well. it took me seven years to work my way through college, working every job i could get my hands on. what washington shouldn't be doing is exploiting the challenges that young americans face for political gain. and they shouldn't be sticking small businesses like the health care law that is causing -- making it difficult for them to hire workers. let's fix the problem for young americans and leave the campaign theatrics behind.

yes, sir. >> [inaudible question] >> this slush fund has been used to offset other spending and has done so in a bipartisan fashion. it is a reasonable and responsible way to do what is best to deal with this problem for the democrats themselves created five years ago. >> [inaudible question] >> that is exactly that question. we need to be working towards a long-term solution for this issue. a solution that brings about marketing to bear. we are looking at the possibility of the burial they variable rates so that it is not a problem every two years or presidential election year. this will extend the current 3.4% rate and pay for it without

adding $6 billion to that -- where billions of dollars in taxes on small business. this gives us the room to work for the long-term solution, which we all know that we need to reach. democrats, republicans, the house, etc. >> [inaudible question] [inaudible question] >> the democrats control both houses and the congress in 2007. they put this into law. i don't know why they put it into law the way they did. it has been recognized for some time that it has been a problem that needs to be addressed. the chairman has been working on this for months. to campaign on this, with taxpayer funds, is inventing an issue that just does not exist.

>> [inaudible question] >> a lot of good things in the budget assumes current law. in current law is current law. >> [inaudible question] >> we have a bipartisan bill that will address the issue of cyberterrorism. it is a very serious problem that affects, not only the government and the department of defense, but employers of all types. thousands of jobs are being lost as a result of the cyberterrorism that is going on today. the president wants the government to set the standards and to write the law for what cybersecurity will look like. you want to get the american

people a little exercise, but the government in charge of the internet. there are responsible steps we can take that will allow the private sector to share information and to learn together about how best to address these challenges. we think this is a much better approach. >> [inaudible question] >> please. [laughter] >> this issue is not a partisan issue. it is not -- no one here expected that interest rates were going to go up in july. members on both sides of the aisle recognize that and are working to resolve it. >> [inaudible question] >> we work in the united states house of representatives and we will deal with our members. >> [inaudible question]

>> this is the prevention and public health slush fund that was put into the bill at one of the senators from iowa, i believe. >> [inaudible question] >> that depends on how much money is left. in the slush fund. >> [inaudible question] thank you. [inaudible conversations] >> in a few moments, homeland security secretary janet napolitano testifies about her department's operation, including the investigation into the conduct of secret service agents in colombia. in two and a half hours, the discussion of free speech with

the c-span studentcam first price middle school winner. after that, ann romney, wife of mitt romney, speaks about her family and her husband's decision to run for president. she was at a fundraiser in connecticut. and later, an iowa campaign event with first lady michelle obama. >> born in a north korean work camp, it was the only world he had ever known. he is also the only one to have escaped from the camp. >> his first memory memory at the age of round four was going with this module plays near where. [inaudible] near the camp to watch somebody gets shot. shooting -- public executions in the camp were held every few weeks. they were a way of punishing people who violated camp rules and of terrorizing the 20 to 40,000 people who lived in the

camp to obey the rules. sunday, and author talks about the journey and fight for north koreans in camps. this is on "q&a." and then, the lights of lyndon johnson. >> homeland security secretary janet napolitano told congress today that the secret service conduct will be investigated by the department's inspector general, adding that the president's security was not compromised. testifying before the senate judiciary committee, she also called for immigration laws that would allow foreign farmers to work here legally. this is two and a half hours.

>> okay, i think we can get started. senator graham is here. i know senator schumer dropping briefly before. the committee will be back. senator grassley has told me that he is in the house right now. and he will be joining us. senator kyl is here. senator grassley, go ahead. secretary, you know senator kyl is from the state of arizona, i believe. [laughter] i just bet you do. >> i want to welcome secretary napolitano back to the judiciary committee. we will continue our foreign oversight he