quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: and ask for unanimous consent also to speak for up to ten minutes as if in in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: thank you. earlier this afternoon, mr. president, i appeared with senator blunt, my republican friend from missouri, in front of senator rockefeller's commerce committee to talk about our bipartisan legislation with manufacturing hubs that would promote new technologies to make

our country a leader. let me illustrate by this, mr. president. along the ohio turnpike from toledo to lorain to cleveland to sort of akron to youngstown, much of the auto industry grew up along that turnpike from glass that would go for wields in -- windshields in toledo, steel in lorain and cleveland for the fenders and thehoods in much of the car to rubber in akron for tires, the world's leading tire manufacturer, to assembly in youngstown where today the chevy cruz is made, you see this huge plant that big letters, chevy cruze, if you're not from ohio and may not have seen one, just expansiveness of this plant is pretty remarkable. ought oation were made or

assembled all along this turnpike. mr. president, the reason this matters in dngs -- in addition to why it matters in the state of connecticut and other places is not just that the auto industry and the supply chain create jobs but what happens when an industry sort of locates with a critical mass in a community. because toledo, ohio, had with the auto industry had huge glass manufacturing, the university of toledo had scientists that worked in material science and glass manufacturing. today as a result while we don't make quite as much glass in toledo as we did for autos, today toledo is one of the top two or three largest centers for solar energy manufacturing. or to akron which used to be the center of the world for tire manufacturing, not so much, although goodyear corporate headquarters is the there and a lot of research but in

partnership with the university of akron with the scientists that were processing and-reaching and innovating in rubber and tires, now polymer development and manufacture akron is one of the leaders in the world, in the country and the world. so what this means, the lesson we learn from this is what senator blunt and i were talking about. in ohio and missouri manufacturing is the ticket to the middle class. we know too long washington made choices that biased finance over manufacturing. left manufacturing behind. bad trade deals, not failure to enforce trade laws, taxes that didn't work for manufacturing, and kind of backing off focus on innovation and technology. so we see in communities like lordstown and community and dayton live with the consequences and between 2000 and 2010, 60,000 plants closed in this country, five million manufacturing jobs were lost.

since the auto rescue and the aggressive trade enforcement from president obama, he's been more aggressive on trade enforcement through the commerce department and through the international trading commission than any -- international trade commission than any of his predecessors in either party. but since 2010 we've seen a beginning of growth coming back in manufacturing. not nearly making up anything close to the five million jobs lost or the 60,000 plants closed but the importance of manufacturing and not just because it's in my state and my state is number three in the country in production, in manufacturing, only texas twice our population and california, three times our population, make more than we do. but the importance of manufacturing is the multiplier effect more than any other industry in our country. manufacturing for every dollar spent in manufacturing, $1.48 is spent in the economy. the wind turbine supply chain or

the chemical supply chain or anything we manufacturing in this country. now, the -- but what's holding us back is this, we never consciously follow this but this sort of innovate here, make it there syndrome where we still are have the best scientists, the best engineers and researchers and the best universities, whether it's -- stores at the university of connecticut or cleveland at case western or dayton or cincinnati, we have the best universities, the best researchers but too often we do the innovation, we do the discovery, we do the experimentation that leads to products and then we offshore and make the products there. let me give you an example about why that doesn't work and what does work. there's a small community in ohio, menster, ohio, near

watch atinneda north of dayton. i visited there some time ago. it's the largest yogurt manufacturer in north america. and when i went in there, they had just made it more efficient. in the past, their supplier had delivered little plastic cups to this yogurt manufacturer, you go into the plant, they had these big vats of fermented milk with yogurt and they would squirt it into the cups and seal it and package it. a young industrial engineer and a people that worked on the line for a decade or so said we can do this better and instead of bringing the plastic cups in from a supplier, they simply did something simple for an engineer, not so simple for me, they took plastic rolls and they fed plastic sheet into a machine that was about the whole assembly line was maybe 80 feet

long, and the plastic would be heated and then extruded and then cooled slowly and the yogurt would be squirted into the plastic cup and sealed and sent. now, the noasks to be place on -- innovation to be place on the shop floor. when you develop a product and wherever you manufacture it, the innovation, the product egg innovation in the process innovation, meaning how you make it, the process of making it as they did dannon yogurt and packaging and the improvement of the product takes place on the shop floor. that's why this is so important and this legislation revitalize american manufacturing act of 2013 creates a network that would position the u.s. as the world's leader. we've already done something like this in youngstown, ohio. first in the country, mentioned by the president in his state of the union message -- message.

it's called america makes. and it's in conjunction with the university of missouri, in conjunction with businesses and universities, eastern gateway and youngstown state in the mahoning valley. this tech belt along there. they do something called 3-d printing which is hard to conceptualize until you see it but it is something today to look for in the future. and we know how to make things in this country, we have seen with some federal funding matched by $40 million of private funds, it's making youngstown a world leader in 3-d manufacturing technology already. we need to build on this momentum. that's why our legislation is so important. it's supported by manufacturing associations, the semiconductor groups, we've seen other countries beginning ginn to mimic it and imitate it. and we have something here that

will help america lead the world. in concluding before yielding to the senator from oregon, think of this in terms of a teaching hospital where you have a great teaching hospital who want at the university of cincinnati or ohio state. or case in cleveland or toledo. and these teaching hospitals where research and development and innovation g innovation are having with great doctors and great researchers and often what they produce, what they come up with is commercialized locally and you build a critical mass in that field. in some kind of scientific medical field, you built billed that expertise in that region. that's what we want to do with these manufacturing hubs like youngstown,. where youngstown, we will see all kinds of job creation coming out of this that will make youngstown the vital stay sti it's been in much of its history and we want to see it become in

the future. it's good for our country, it's good for manufacturing, it's good for families, it kept -- that earn their living from manufacturing. it will be particularly good for our communities. i yield the floor. mr. merkley: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: i ask to speak for up to ten minutes as in if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: i ask unanimous consent for my intern, bruce layman to have the privileges of the floor for the balance of the day. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. merkley: thank you very much. i rise, mr. president, to address an issue that should be of concern to all americans and

that is the advice and consent function of the u.s. senate regarding nominations. this is the critical check envisioned by our founders in which the president has the power to nominate for the executive branch positions and for judicial nominees, and in the senate held responsible to provide a check to make sure there are not outrageous nominees that are placed in positions and that is the advice and consent function. which throughout our history has basically been a simple majority function with very rare exception. now, this issue comes up at this moment because two weeks ago, a minority of this body in the senate would not allow there to be a vote on whether or not to confirm mel watt. they did that by preventing there being enough votes to close debate. so that blockade was basically

put in place without respecting, if you will, the fact that mel watt is highly qualified for his position at the federal housing finance agency, the position he would hold, and giving the entire senate the ability to weigh in about whether or not they agreed with that judgment, the judgment of the president that mel watt was well qualified. and in the same week, this body also blocked an up-and-down vote on patricia millett, who was a nominee for the d.c. circuit court, and on this occasion it wasn't because folks said that she wasn't qualified, they said instead, we don't want to put anymore of president obama's nominees on to the d.c. circuit court. because we want it to be dominated by the judges who were confirmed when president bush was president.

and then just yesterday, this pattern of blockading up-and-down votes on nominees continued with the minority filibustering, blocking the closing of debate on cornelia pillard. and, again, highly qualified individual. an argument wasn't made that there was some exceptional circumstance in her background that left her unprepared for this position. the argument was simply made, we don't want to let the president put any judges on this d.c. circuit court. well, that's an extreme concern, and i must say that it has caused folks who have been scholars in this area to look at it. norm ornstein of the american enterprise institute basically said that's ridiculous for the

minority to block up-and-down votes. not on the basis that there's something wrong with their qualifications but just because they want to take away the president's ability and constitutional responsibility to nominate individuals to fill vacancies. so this obstruction exercised over the last, well, almost five years now has done significant damage to the court and it's done significant damage to the executive branch. it prevents qualified nominees to get an opportunity to have a vote on this floor so that they can, if they receive a simple majority vote of support, so that they can go to work on behalf of the american people, either in their executive branch capacity or addressing the huge backload in our judicial system.

the u.s. senate has this advice and consent role which is a treasured responsibility, it's a weighty responsibility, and i think everyone in this body, i think all hundred senators could agree that under advice and consent, the senate must exercise a significant check on the quality of presidential nominees, whether for the courts or for the executive branch. the senate should vet nominees. the committees that are related to the particular positions should explore their background, they should hold a hearing, they should ask tough questions. they should debate the nominees and then once recommended on the floor of the senate, we should continue that vetting and debating process and then, having shared our insights on their background, we need to vote to confirm or reject. it should be on very rare

exception, when there are extraordinary circumstances that make someone unworthy, that they should be blocked from having a final vote. advice and consent must not become block and destroy. but advice and consent has become block and destroy, and the senate nomination process is broken. a minority of one branch of government, the senate, should not be able to systematically undermine the other two branches of government, yet that is what we see today. president obama's district court nominees have waited on average more than twice as long as president george bush's nominees to be confirmed by the senate after being reported out of committee. so we have the challenge of getting up-and-down votes. we also have basically a process

of dragging feet in order to make it more difficult to actually get to the votes on these individuals in the first place. for the circuit courts, that comparison is even worse. president obama's nominees have waited 3 1/2 times longer than the nominees of his predecessor, 3 1/2 times longer. the congressional research service notes that of the last five presidents, president obama is the only one to have his district and circuit court nominees wait on average more than six months for confirmati confirmation. so these delays in combination with ultimately denying the possibility to hold an up-or-down vote, to hold a final vote on whether to confirm or not confirm, they constitute a

systematic undermining of the function of the other two branches of government. now, this was not envisioned in any possible way by the crafters of our constitution. they argued there should be three coequal branches. but this outcome in which the senate minority seeks to undermine an executive branch is inconsistent nominee -- is inconsistent with the constitutional design of coequal branches. they are not coequal if one branch can systematically undermine another. and in regard to the courts, this outcome in which the senate minority is seeking to ideologically pack the courts by having insisted on up-or-down votes for president bush's nominees and then blocking up-and-down votes on president obama's nominees, it politicizes our judicial system, it undermines the integrity of our

court system. now, the senate has confronted this abuse of advice and consent three times in recent history. in 2005, the democratic minority was blocking up-and-down votes on a serious of president bush's nominees. they were doing the same thing that we see today. and a gang of 14 gathered together to debate this because essentially the republican majority said, if you don't quit blocking up-and-down votes on the president's nominees, we're going to change the rules and make it a simple majority. and out of this gang of 14 came a deal and the deal was that the democrats would, except under exceptional circumstances, not block a nominee and the counterpoint being that the

republicans would not change the rules. so they got what they wanted, which was up-and-down votes without a rule change. well, that pledge that the democrats made was honored and subsequent nominees got their up-and-down votes. now, in january of this year, the democrats, in the reversal of positions, insisted that the republican minority quick blocking up-and-down -- quit blocking up-and-down votes on president obama's nominees. kind of a d'ivoir deja vu momeny the two parties were reversed. and out of that conversation, out of that dialogue in january came a promise from the republican minority leader of this body and he promised a return to the norms and traditions of the u.s. senate regarding nominations. and what are those norms and

traditions? those norms and traditions are simple up-and-down votes with rare exception. but that promise was barely made. within weeks it was broken when we saw the first-ever filibuster of a defense secretary nominee. it just so happened ironically that the republican filibuster, first time in history of a defense nominee, was against one of their former colleagues, republican colleagues, chuck hagel. so the january promise was broken. this led to increasing tensions until july of this year when democratic and republican members met in the old senate chambers to privately share their concerns and a new deal was hammered out which is

essentially that the executive nominees would get up-and-down votes. and that happened for a significant list of nominees. an up-and-down vote on richard cordray to be head of the consumer financial protection bureau, jenna mccarthy to be head of the e.p.a., nominees to fill the national labor relations board, nominee to head the alcohol, tobacco and firea firearms, nominee to head the ex-im bank, and shortly following thereafter, a nominee to be the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, samantha powers. and so that july deal held through a list of nominees until two weeks ago. and two weeks ago, this body blocked an up-or-down vote on mel watt. so we're right back where we were before. right back where we were. the promise made in january

shattered. the promise made in july shattered. and the ability of this body to do its advice and consent responsibility shattered. this should be deeply troubling to all. and we must restore the ability of the senate to perform its responsibilities under the constitution to advise and consent. the senate with simple up-and-down votes will be a check on bad nominations by the president. i have voted against at least one of the president's nominees. i was prepared to vote against another here just a few weeks ago. the president withdrew that nominee so that vote wasn't necessary. but that was related to a judgment of the qualifications of an individual and whether they were a good fit for a particular position.

it wasn't about trying to systematically undermine the executive branch and keep them from operating. that's essentially why we have up-and-down votes, is a check on unqualified individuals or a poor fit for a particular position. so in this area, in both the senate failure to do its job vis-a-vis judicial nominees and to do its job vis-a-vis executive nominees, we have created unequal branches of government. it is time, mr. president, to fix the broken senate in regard to nominations. it is time, mr. president, to restore the traditional role of the senate in evaluating nominations so that with nominees who are confirmed, they can go to work in the courts go,

to work in the executive branch, to do the work that the citizens of the united states of america expect them to do on behalf of our nation. thank you, mr. president. and i yield the floor. mr. president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

mr. schatz: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to waive the quorum call.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to offer floor privileges to my staffer michael inaki for the remainder of the evening. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: thank you. i ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. five days ago typhoon yolanda devastated the central philippines. as a category 5 supertyphoon, this was reportedly the strongest storm ever to make landfall anywhere in recorded history, sweeping away almost everything in its path. nearly 10 million people were impacted by this supertyphoon and tensions of thousands of homes were -- and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed. 80% to 90% of the homes in armuk city, the second-largest city in the lete province are gone.

the stories of loss are shocking and heartbreaking. we don't yet know the full extent of the devastation that this typhoon has brought to the philippines. local authorities estimate as many as 10,000 people may be deadead in the lete province al. the state department has said that roughly 3,000 americans were impacted when the storm hivment ouhit.our embassy is coh u.s. agencies to locate these americans and bring them home. the u.s. and the philippines share a special bond rooted in strong cultural and historical ties between our two countries. in hawaii, where more than 197,000 filipinos have made their home, we know this bond well. our filipino community has been a part of the islands for more than 100 years, and many at home

maintain close relationships with family and friends in the philippines. my deepest condolences go to those who have lost family and friends in this tragedy. although the storm is over, our work has just begun. millions of survivors are without clean drinking water, food, shelter, or power. rescue workers are attempting to reach isolated coastal communities but debris and downed power lines are blocking road access. the united states government is helping the philippines to recover. we have provided $20 million in humanitarian aid and deployed a disaster resistance -- excuse me, a disaster assistance team to help the philippine expert. they will help to assess the extent of the damage and determine what resources remain to be added. the united states aid office of

the u.s. foreign disaster assistance has shipped relief supplies including shelter materials and high genic supplies to help around 10,000 feassments we're partnering with the united nations world food wd programme because close to 2.5 million people will need food assistance over the next six months. this aid will help to airlift 5 metric tons in emergency food to feed more than 20,000 children and 15,000 adults, providing immediate relief for the next four to five days. and it will bring more than 1,000 metric tons of rice to feed 60,000 people for a month. u.s. marines are on the ground. our military is helping to airlift relief supplies, conduct ariel damage assessments, and coordinate search and rescue

operations. u.s. pacific command has forces in manila to help deliver food and water to the impacted areas. and the george washington carry strike group and its 5,000 sailors are expected in the area soon to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. for those still searching for displaced or missing loved ones, i urge you to contact the philippine national red cross or the national disaster risk reduction and management council operations center. google has also launched the typhoon yolanda person finder. americans can also visit cnn's ireport web site. the challenge before the filipino people is great but the philippines is a resilient nation and a true american ally, and they need our help. please donate. i'm proud of our local organizations in hawaii

collecting donations to help survivors and the families of victims. the philippine consulate in honolulu, the filipino chamber of commerce, filipino community center, congress of asighian organizations and kukua organizations have all stepped up. a full list of organizations is available on my web site, scha schatz.senate.gov. you can also text a.e.i.i.d. to 80108 t give a $10 donation. you can text aid to 80108 if you'd like to give $10 to the relief efforts. i would like to especially recognize and thank all of the women and men of the united states embassy in manila, usaid mission in manila, the state department, u.s. aid here in the

district of columbia and the united states pacific command for their great efforts in coordinating our ongoing response. today i introduced a resolution expressing the support of the united states senate for the victims of the typhoon along with several of my colleagues. i thank senators menendez, durbin, cardin, rubio, hirono, tom udall, boxer and begich for cosponsoring this llings resolution. i ask unanimous consent that the text of the resolution be included for the record sme. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: as the philippines begin to recover from this tragedy, i ask that we all pledge together to work with them, and when they rebuild their communities, rest assured they will emerge stronger than ever. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. begich: thank you, mr. president. i'd like to speak for ten minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: senator, we are in a quorum call. mr. begich: i ask to vacate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i'd like to speak for up to ten minutes as if in morning business, mr. president. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: mr. president, before i make my comments regarding manufacturing and job creation in america and alaska, i'd like to say i know my friend from hawaii was here earlier, senator schatz, talking about the important resolution that's been introduced, and i was happy to and honored to be able to cosponsor regarding the typhoon in the philippines and alaska. we have over 20,000 filipinos living in our state, an incredible group of individuals, people i've known in the business world, as individuals, family members. the devastation sun believable.

if you look at the photos and see the devastation of the typhoon and the pwabgts it has on -- and the impacts it has on families. even though it's thousands of miles away, in alaska, we feel it, we see it, our friends there, our filipino have many relatives on the island, and it is unbelievable the impact. i was in alaska this weekend and met with members of the leadership of the filipino community as well as members from the red cross and others to see what we can do from an alaska perspective because alaska knows what disasters are like from earthquakes to floods. we seem to have them quite often and we though the impacts this can have on families. i'm very honored to be able to support the resolution that my friend from hawaii introduced, but also recognizing the alaska 20,000 filipino community members that are suffering and thinking about their families and friends overseas. and we want to do everything we can. i know our country is there and ready and moving a lot of

resources to assist. so i just want to put that on the record and just my condolences to families who have lost loved ones but also to alaskans who are grieving for friends and family that may have been lost in the typhoon. we're going to do everything we can. i know personally i have done my own contributions, whatever i can to assist in anything to move forward and bring resources to the islands. mr. president, i also came down today to talk on the floor about the need for additional job creation. we have already this first ten months of this year created 1.9 million new jobs, higher than last year at the same time, which is a good start but more needs to be done. i know senator coons and senator durbin and others have been discussing manufacturing jobs in america initiative. in particular we're talking about skills necessary to succeed in today's economy. the skills americans need to land and keep good manufacturing jobs. there used to be a time when a bright kid in this country could work hard in school, graduate

with a high school diploma and work in a factory. he or she could make a decent living, a living wage, enough to raise a family, own a home and think about the future of their kids. those days are long gone. unfortunately, today's factories and plants don't look like they used to. the level of technical expertise needed to operate some of the machinery is pretty high. that's why i've made a career of technical education a priority. we need to have options for bright kids after high school or that midcareer worker looking to shift gears. my own state of alaska is already a leader in career technical education, c.t.e.. as these programs continue to innovate and change across the country, alaska is in the forefront. i see it when i travel around the state from career pathways and high schools to creative programs in the university of alaska system. my state is the leader in career and technical education.

to address these issues, i've introduced a bill investing in innovation, or otherwise called i-3, which takes a look at what's happening in our local schools and puts resources to what's working. it sports expanse programs that are -- it supports program helping improve student achievement. this bill requires 25% of the money to go to local rural communities, as so many programs sometimes forget our small and rural communities not only in alaska but throughout this country. i've introduced a career readiness package, legislation focused on career and technical education. one of the bills in this package is the counseling for career choice act. this bill will help fund stakeholders in developing comprehensive career counseling models that emphasizes guiding students to productive careers. our counselors are in unique positions to help expose and guide our students to

postsecondary opportunities, to help prepare them for high-demand careers. this bill makes sure our school counselors have the resources they need to emphasize all types of postsecondary education, not just the traditional four-year degree. it focuses on opportunities like apprenticeships, certification programs, associates degrees and of course four year degrees. it makes sure business, economic development and industry leaders are at the table providing information on 0 postsecondary training opportunities and career trends, basically making sure we match what we're teaching to what's available in the market not only today and into the future. our students need the best teachers and the best facilities. i also have legislation focused on career technical education, c.t.e.. professional development for teachers and principals. another career readiness bill provides funding for, to make sure we are modernizing our

c.t.e. facilities. we know that students who are involved in career and technical education programs are engaged in their future careers. we have to keep making -- we have to keep making sure what our students learn is relevant to the real world. we must align our education system with the in-demand careers to fill those jobs in that pipeline, and we must keep our students engaged. if we're going to compete in the 21st century like we did in the 20th century, we need to make sure our students have the very best skills, skills that are tailored to the 21st century economy. career and technical education is the best approach. in my opinion, to give students those skills. so i'm a big fan of manufacturing jobs for america, initiatives led by senator coons and several of my colleagues. america's manufacturing sector has enormous potential to create new jobs and speed up our economy and economic recovery. these are good jobs and they spin off into even more jobs.

according to the national association of manufacturers, every manufacturing job we create adds one and a half jobs to the local economy. so let's move forward. let's pass these bills to help with job training and career facilities and readiness and let's do everything we can to get our manufacturing sector running full speed ahead. mr. president, before i conclude my remarks, let me just add, i know there's a lot of debates we have on the floor, you know, in the community we're talking about health care, we're talking about national defense authorization bill. we're going to talk about a compounding bill here. but at the end of the day what americans, what alaskansdom me on a regular basis after four and a half days back in alaska, it's about what are we doing to create jobs for the future not only for people today in the work environment but the kids in the future who will be in the work environment. this legislation and many other pieces that have been introduced in this package help lead this

economy and continue to lead this economy. we have to remind ourselves where we were this year, this month. we created over 200,000 jobs. the first month i came here when i was sworn in, the economy was in a tailspin. we had lost over 700,000 jobs. so we've been in the positive trend line for several, several months here. but we have more to do, in an area that i think is an incredible opportunity not only for alaska but for all across this country is how do we improve our manufacturing and ensure that young people are ready for the 21st century. i appreciate the time, and again to my friend, senator coons, for all the work he's doing to bring manufacturing to the forefront and to all the colleagues who have been coming to the floor to talk about an important, important piece of legislation to create jobs and improve our economy for the long term. mr. president, i'd like to yield the floor at this time and note an absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. begich: i ask the vacating

of the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 293. the clerk: senate resolution 293, designating the week beginning on november 18, 2013, as national tribal colleges and universities week. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of senate res 294 submitted earlier today by senators landrieu, inhofe and others. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 294, expressing support for the

goals of national adoption day and national adoption month. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. begich: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of senate con resolution 25 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 25 authorizing the use of emancipation hall in the capitol visitors' center for activities associated with the ceremony to award the congressional gold medal to native american code talkers. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding with the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate

completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. thursday, november 14, 2013, and following the prayer and the pledge, the morning business be deemed expired, the journal of the proceedings be approved to date and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and that following any leaders remarks, the senate be in a period of morning business for two hours with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees with the republicans controlling the first half and the minority controlling the final half. following morning business, the senate proceed to the motion on the adoption to motion to proceed on the pharmaceutical drug and compounding bill. finally, the senate recess from 1:00 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for caucus meetings. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. begich: the vote on adoption 69 of the motion to proceed to the compounding bill is expected to be a voice vote. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it adjourn until the previous order -- under the previous order.

the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.

since the outbreak the fda had that. they have been involved more heavily in inspection and finding problems with others. this law is clarified and creates a new voluntary category allowing some of the manufacturers to register themselves and submit themselves to more scrutiny particular -- similar to the kind that a traditional drug manufacturer undergo. >> who are the bill's main sponsors in the senate? >> tom harkin, the head of the

health committee, and lamar alexander, who is the republican ranking member of the committee. it's got wide spread support. you don't really have a division between the parties here and that senator alexander, like many other republican senators comes from a state that is badly affected be i the outbreak. he has a very personal and strong connection in trying to make sure. >> republican senator of louisiana has an amendment that deals with health care. how does it tie to the bill? what is he hoping to do? >> in large part, the big picture he's drawing to more attention to what he sees in obama's health care law. the affordable care act. this is something he's been doing to a number of bills over the last few months trying to put an amendment and away on the bills to bring attention. the specific piece of the amendment he has here has to do with members of congress and the

staff in which -- and those who might be exempted from the requirement. he's making the point that people should not exempt themselves from this requirement of the health care law because it show the hypocrisy of those in the law making. >> and likely his amendment won't be part of the final senate bill? >> i guess it is possible. is how much of this amendment he uses as a procedural delay and at this point, it wouldn't be that much of a delay. whether this bill passed. early in the week and dragged all the way to the weekend and mostly -- -- >> the bill passed the house and often -- said senate cleared the way for tighter restriction on compounding pharmacy and debt.

how about in the senate if it passes the white house expected to sign it? >> yeah. this is a bill has more support than any bill you see in congress these days. it passed without even a vote in the house. showing nothing to get pass and nothing happen in washington. t one of the few things that overwhelming support. and it was 97 in the senate. and the president -- >> following him on twitter. you can read his articles. thank you for being with us. >> thank you. the obama administration announced today that over 6,000 people have signed up health insurance since the online marketplaces opened on october 1st. of those 79,000 enrolled on state-run health insurance marketplaces. and 27,000 signed up on the federal website healthcare.gov.

you're watching c-span2 with politics and public affair. weekdays featuring live coverage of the u.s. senate. on weeknights watch public policy events. and latest non-fiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past program and get our schedule on our witness. you can join in the conversation on social media sites. the senate homeland security committee healed conformation hearing today on john southern. the president's nominee to be homeland security. it's on c-span 3 tonight at 8:00 eastern. here's a look at the exchange between the nominee and senator john mccain. >> the predecessor -- i want to talk about that. your predecessor stated frequently the border is more secure than ever citing the reduction and apprehensions as a proof of that progress being

made. she said it for a number of years. do you agree with that statement? >> senator, i have seen the same numbers. i noted that the numbers are going down. might be a recent trendup ward. one of the things if i'm confirmed, i'm going look at is how we should define border security and whether those are an accurate refleck of border security. >> in reality, over the last two years there's been a 20% increase in apprehensions along the border. now, when your predecessor made the statements, i used to just get -- i can't tell you the frustration i felt. because i knew and those of us who are familiar with the border. the real reason why the app -- apprehensions went down is because the economy. now the economy is getting stronger apprehension is up. if they are up 20% it means the border are less secure.

as we work to -- eight of us to complete this comprehension immigration rule, which is stalled, as you know in the house. and one of the major reason it's stalled because of the lack of confidence in border security on not only the numbers here, but on the members of the house of representatives. so for years the secretary of homeland security said, well, apprehensions are down -- are up. so that the border is more secure because reduction and apprehensions. now they are up. and so here we are faced with a a situation where the border is still not secure. when we were trying to develop this legislation, we went time after time to the department of homeland security to get what was needed to get the border secure. what measures need to be taken. we never got them from the department of homeland security. never. we had to go directly to the

border com and got some good information we concluded in the legislation. specific sector by sector, the technology that was needed. can you tell this committee that you will not repeat what happened to us the frustration that we experienced. and i want to know what, from you, what is required for us have 90% effective control on the border. can you assure this committee of that? >> senator,ly commit to you to working with you -- >> i'm not asking for working with me. i want to know if you will give this committee the exact metrics that are needed sector by sector so we can obtain 90% effectiveness on the border. not working with me. aning yes or no, please. >> i decline -- >> i'm not asking for inclination. i'm asking for yes or no answer. i don't think it's a lot to ask. we have our responsibilities to ask here. one of the way is to have a

secured border. unless we get the right information from your -- from you and your bureaucracy. we're not able to ascertain how we can secure our border. so as much as i appreciate you. unless you can tell me if you can give the information the committee has a right to have. i cannot support your nomination. >> i'm inclined -- >> i'm not asking -- >> so you will -- let the record show you will not give a yes or no answer. therefore,ly not support your nomination until i get the yes answer. this committee, and members of congress, particularly those of us on the border have the right to have that information. it is our responsibility and our obligation to our constituents. i have constituents in my state every night there are people who are crossing the border illegal. i have constituents that every day drug smugglers going across their property and homes.

so they certainly have a right as citizens to know what measures need to be taken in order to have a 90% effect control of the boarder. i ask you one more time, will you or will you not give that information to this committee? >> yeah -- i've been through the process enough to know a senator asks a question like that and somebody after wards is going tell me six reasons why i shouldn't do it. in those instances i have said, senator, i think you know this. the senator need it. we try to get to the same place. let's give it to him. so before i commit unequivocally to your question, and part of me very much wants to do that, i think i need to talk to dhs to better understand the issue. i have read the letter in february, and i'm strong lip inclient -- inclined to give you what you

need. i think you know that, senator, from my track record. >> i have an obligation to the citizen that i represent. right now, in their view, our border is not secure. without your cooperation, in informing the congress of the measures what need to be taken nor to ensure 90% effectivenesses. then i can't serve my constituents. i hope you understand that. >> senator, you'll have my cooperation. i promise that. >> i'm not asking for cooperation. i'm asking for information. >> let me just -- several things -- let me just make a suggestion. months ago earlier this year, we spent a lot of time border patrol. i urge you earlier you if confirmed see if we can't head

down there and spend some time especially in arizona and eastern part of texas. i think it would be helpful. >> can i thank the chairman for traveling. i thank the doctor who was traveling spending time down there. both you understand the frustration my constituents feel when they live in an environment where -- and it seems to me that an obligation to the congress of the united states would be to provide us with information that we couldn't get when we were putting the comprehensive immigration reform together and had to go to the border control to get the required information. i was told it was because the white house had said that the department of homeland security shouldn't provide us with that information. but how can we carry out our functions of oversight if we

don't get the kind of information we need to make the decisions that this committee is responsible to make? president obama tapped janet yellen to be chairman of the federal reserve. holding her conformation hearing tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern live on c-span 3. i never saw anything like it when i landed. it was broken commitment. there was bodies all over the place. they hadn't yet to bury anybody. either the japanese or the american marines.

there were bodies without arms, without heads, completely e vis rated. there's a smell that you'll never get over to this day, when i drive by a cemetery, especially if they're using recycled water, i really think i can smell the dead bodies. >> one of the reason one of the big reasons is they would come from -- and fry 1,000 miles they had to go over hiroshima to ghetto tokyo. hiroshima by radar and have planes there that can shoot down the injured b29 when they were returning. it got so bad a friend of mine, by the name of general randall, who was there. he told me they had submarines almost every 50 miles between tokyo to pick up the fliers. >> the battle told by the men

who were there. saturday at 5:00 eastern. part of american history tv this weekend on c-span 3. interior secretary kicked off the conference talking about the administration's priorities engaging with travel communities. [applause] >> thank you, jody. wow, what a wonderful room here, and thank you for gracing us with your presence and gracing us with your flags. the flags of your proud nations. my favorite corridor to walk down at the department of interior the affairs corridor. it's lined with the flag of your nations. it is really truly a pleasure and a privilege to host you here at the department of the inor it

your. this is my first. it's perhaps the fifth for all of you. and certainly the fifth for my boss, the president of the united, who is committed to indian country in every turn. and as joe i dimensioned it's a historic day with 13 of the cabinet colleagues participating. they are leaders just as you are. they are people just as you are. they want to hear from you. they want to get to know you. they want to understand your issues. i hope you are open with them today and make sure you share what is important to you as you gate chance to interact with them. i did grow up in the pacific northwest. and the pacific northwest is a region of our country where the triable presence is very strong. but i will tell you that one of the most influential moments of my young life, when i was nearly graduating from high school, there was a critical decision that came down to the state of washington that was around triable fishing rights. and treaty obligations and your

friend, billy frank, my friend, billy frank, along with other triable leaders took all the way to the supreme court within the state of washington a desire to have the state and the federal government uphold triable treaty rights. there was a very important landmark decision known locally as the bolt decision. i saw firsthand just how hard it was for tribes to uphold their rights and how important it was to them and how the community reacted. i'm not a stranger to indian country as a business person. i was a banker for 19 years with a bank in the northwest called rainer bank which subsequently got bought and sold multiple times. through that transition, i had an opportunity to do business up in alaska with native corporation in northwest alaska. and understood some of the critical things that were important to that region, that native corporation.

indigenous businesses like reindeer horn or jade mining. oil and gas activities and supporting activities on the north slope. mining through the red dog mine, and how shareholder employment was so important. along with maintaining cultural identity. as a banker, sometimes behind the scenes reviewed many loan applications from the indian tribe. doing expanding their tourism resources in-house boat business on lake roosevelt. later as i had children had an opportunity rent from them and have one of my best family vacations. also the tribe where we supported in theback that i worked for, a loan for a heritage center back in the early '90s. i appreciate how important economic development is, but also how different tribes are from one another. so you have blessed me in so many ways in my now seven months and one day in this job. my first week of the job --

came in and not only met with me but bestowed blessings upon me which meant a great cancel to me. i had an opportunity address the n cia in june which was great. gave me a sense of the power of your leadership working collectively together. and then in august, when i was up in alaska, i was welcomed by the alaska federation of native to a meeting along with visits to triable lands in alaska and the lower 48. i hope to do more and more of that over the course of my time in this job. the president of the united states, and you'll hear from him later on today, is very committed to making real and meaningful progress in indian country. i'm happy to be part of the cabinet. it's -- timing is everything; right. i came in at an interesting time as far as budget is concerned. i look at predecessor and some of the things they faced. i don't think you as leaders in

your triable community. we think long-term. you think the future of the culturals that you represent, of the lands you represent. you think about generations forward as do i. we are faced with a crazy budget system. no regular budget since 2012. sometimes only months at the sometime. sequestration, which is hit indian country as hard or harder than any other part of the federal government through the sequestration period that we've both been enduring over the course of the last -- well, pretty much since i started in the job seven months ago. then just last month, 16 days of the completely wasteful government shut down. we have to get back to regular order in the budget. and i know when i speak to individual members of congress, they care about indian country. and your voices to them are very important. when it comes down actually getting a budget done, they aren't delivering. we need to hold them accountable

to that and certainly will be your partners in that effort. so the president's top priority and my top priority are strengthen the nation-to-nation relationships we have together. we respect the inherit sovereignty of triable nations, and work with you on the north stars of self-govern mans and self-determination. knowing you have a better idea of what decisions you need to make to strengthen your triable community. we want to be your partner in that. i will also say i'm not alone in this effort. i have a fantastic team. a team that was asemibled largely by my predecessor and friend ken sal czar. he'll be making an appearance in my office. i hope you give him a hug and let him know you appreciate his work. i appreciate everything he did and the team he left me with. starting with kevin wash burn, the assistant secretary ever

indian affair from the chickasaw nation in oklahoma that was assisted by larry roberts. deputy assistant secretary of indian affairs. and sara mike black, the director of the bureau of indian affairs. and terrific resource for you in so many ways. russell, you stepped up as acting director of the bureau of indian education. himself an educator and from the navajo nation. lennie, who heads up the office of indian water right and has done a terrific job on that and so many areas. hilary, are you out there? she's on maternity leave. she's goofing off with a new baby. she's solicitor for the interior department. and she is from the navajo nation, and does a tour -- terrific job for us in the challenging job of solicitor. mike connor, who i hope you

know. he's an expert in indian water rights. has been for years. she's commissioner of bureau of reclamation. she's one little step away from becoming deputy secretary of the department of interior. if we can get the senate to vote on him. he's out of committee waiting for vote. he'll be deputy secretary for interior and serve all of you and the american people very well. laura davis is chief of staff to me. my right arm and so many ways. and a real proponent of the issues of indian country and a real resource for me as i get up to speed quickly in this job. and convinced logan. i think you are out there, thank you. he was nominating more than a year ago now to serve as the office -- to lead the office of special trustee. we hope the senate will take up the nomination so we can get him over the finish line to serve you. and the white house team. you have heard from jodi i.

and a terrific resource. and the first person that greeted me as i was walking to my first days in my conformation process welcoming me and helping me understand the importance of indian yain country to this administration. and last but essential not least. charlie, who is associate director of the white house governmental affair from the navajo nation. it represents you, supports me and the administration. can we give them a quick round of applause? [applause] thanks. so we've been doing a lot, and i just want to run through a handful of things where we have made real progress since the last time you met one year ago. first is the president of the united states listened to you. and he created an executive order, middle of this year, to stand at the white house counsel and native american affairs and ask me to chair him, as jodi

mentioned. .. into chest applications since 2009 and that is at it gordon to 30,000 acres and that's huge progress. the two years prior taking over we had 15,000 acres in land trust. [applause]

our goal in three years of the obama administration is to get back to over a half-million acres to more than double that number so we are committed to doing that in making that happen. [applause] this time last year we heard from you that we need to take steps to lessen the damage of the supreme court's patch at decision so i'm pleased to announce my colleagues in indian affairs have issued a final rule to do just that. they issued it yesterday and that will help achieve greater transparency clarity and certainty for tribes to make sure that lands can be taken into trust for housing schools community centers and businesses so we want to continue to work with you to fix things like that. next the land buy-back program and the historic coukell settlement. we want to implement that in a smart and flexible way. we have been listening to you and we want predictability and you want transparency on the timing and implementation efforts and response we announce

we are expanding the implementation strategy so more tribes can participate. we know there's a time sensitivity with us and we want to work with you to get that fully implemented because we know it's important to write some of the wrongs of the past. the third is indian education. we have a generational transformation going on in this country. i know that mr. in indian country as well and yet if our children are not well-educated and if they are not educated in a culturally appropriate way you are not going to achieve what your goals for your tribes in your cultures nor the goals of these young people to realize their dreams. while there has been over $2 billion invested in schools over the last 10 years we know that a number of them are still in really unfortunate shape. we have to fix them and work together with congress to get money to do that but i do know that there are opportunities to learn from others that do this really well. arne duncan secretary of education has been a great

partner in this process. he has detailed resources to us in indian education to understand how to do that and he has cochaired a subgroup of the white house counsel specifically on indian education. he and i share a vision as you do of both an academically rigorous education but also a culturally appropriate education whether your children are educated in indian schools are public schools how do we work together to make that happen? i know that arnie will be a huge resource as he brings his team in education together with the hero of indian education to make that happen. fourth, we know there are fraternities to reform the federal acknowledgment process. we want to move forward to develop a fair and efficient and transparent process and we will be issuing a draft rule for your comment from a public comment, to make it easier in the future. fifth, india the rights. you can't do anything if you don't have clean water.

we have drought circumstances all over the country. it impacts indian tribes in some regions more than anything else and it's not going to get better with climate change. since secretary salazar and president obama were here in 2009 we have settled 10 indian water rights agreements the most recent one with the white mountain apache tribe that i signed a few months ago. we remain committed to delivering clean water supplies to addressing indian or rights claims to strengthen your economies because we know that's critical so we will be working long sign with you to continue to make steady progress far more progress than our our ancestors in may our ancestors had made. six then this is something i heard yesterday quite a bit as i they held a listening session in my office. energy development on tribal lands. we know we have work to do. renewal energy conventional energy unconventional mineral resource extraction are opportunities for economic development and opportunities for revenue on tribal lands and

we are going to be standing up the second committee of the white house counsel on naval -- cochaired by dr. said three working with interior with epa with agriculture all of whom can help work with you on realizing the potential you have on energy because we know you have a lot of opportunities to do that job. i'm very pleased we had our first renewable energy projects on the trust lands in nevada. there is a lot of opportunity to do more of this so the downside of drought you also have potential levy outside of solar energy wind energy as well as other resources so we are going to turn that into reality by working across the various agencies of the federal government to make that happen. next is a big issue for all of us and that is tackling climate change. if there is an area impacted more by so many things the climate change is one of them, it is un-american indians and

alaskan natives. coastal erosion droughts impact on habitat and impact on subsistence is a huge issue. proud to work for a president that stood up in june to the climate action plan and said we are going to stop arguing about whether this is a reality and start dealing with what we can do about it. so he outlines the climate action plan. he also put out an executive order that created a mechanism for tribal and city governments to work together with state and local leaders. i want to thank karen who we will hear from later today and reggie joule mayor the northwest arctic wrote and other state and local leaders who sit on the state local and tribal leaders task force. they are saying how do we help prepare our lands to make them more resilient? how can we anticipate what's happening with climate change

and prepare for that? renewable energy concerning landscapes understand and natural defenses as the geological survey of ringing science to bear in the ying at hurricane sandy and understanding financial systems you are so familiar with to help prepare us for storms and other weather events and how can we do more of that. and then, last but certainly not least is supporting self governance and doing it in tight to skull times. the house of representatives took a whack at the budget of interior and the budget of indian country and a significant way. just for indian affairs they took $200 million out of the budget and that's not accounting for the other impacts to the budget in the other federal agencies if this budget goes anywhere. we need your support to make sure that your voices are heard. the importance of investing in indian country is well-known so that does not become dark budget that we also want to work with you on standing up economic

activities in your tribal lands just as i experience several years ago. so we are all collectively waiting, our governments, in challenging times. we are dealing with constraining budgets. we are dealing with a new emerging generation coming into a tight economy in some cases with challenging education, environments. we are dealing with climate change. it's not an easy time to be a leader which i'm so appreciative you being here and so appreciative of working with you on a government to government basis to figure these things out very we want to consult with the first and that's why we held the listening sessions yesterday and we will continue to do that this afternoon and over the course of time. we want to make sure we are operating as efficiently and effectively as we can so you can bank on me and my colleagues working together the cabinet the 13 members participating today the other folks that support

them will be saying how can we coordinate like we are doing on energy and education and other areas as well. i know from growing up in this country that the federal government does not have a -- [inaudible] injustice can be reversed overnight but i'm proud of this president for stepping up and recognizing that it exists and a pledge i'm going to work alongside you and the president and my colleagues to continue to make important progress as they think we have seen happen over the course of the last five years. i wish you a successful and positive white house nation's tribal conference. i look or two interacting with you over the course of the day and into this evening and i want to thank you so much for your leadership of the nations you represent in helping lift all american indians and alaskan natives to make your world a better place and a better place for all americans. thank you very much.

>> after secretary jewell opened the event other cabinet secretary spoke. eric shinseki of veterans affairs kathleen sebelius of health and human services anthony foxx of transportation and -- moniz of the energy department. this is 50 minutes. >> good morning everyone. secretary jewell thank you for your leadership of the white house native american affairs counsel but more importantly sally thank you for inviting me to participate today. i'm honored to be here. i don't think senator dorgan is here yet but i would like to just express my appreciation for his leadership on the senate committee on indian affairs where he had that post. i know there are probably other distinguished members of congress present as well.

brian president of the national congress of american indians and other distinguished guests and among them i include -- it's great to see all of you. ladies and gentlemen, as is my custom, let me begin by greeting tribal affairs leaders with deep respect. it's part of my culture as well and i extend that to all the veterans who are here this morning and so i beg your indulgence, let me invite those who are veterans to stand if you are able to into raise your hand if you can't stand and let us have this opportunity to acknowledge your service. [applause] thank you very much. american indians and alaska natives have long and proud

history of service to country and courage in battle. that goes back even to two before there was recognition of citizenship. 14,005 world war i. 44,000 served in world war ii and among them more than 30 types. some 10,000 served in korea among them former u.s. senator campbell and navy admiral clarke a cherokee who was a veteran of both world wars silly three-year veteran. over 80,000 native american served in vietnam, and operation iraqi freedom army specialist laurie was the first native american woman to die in combat the first american woman to die in operation iraqi freedom but the third generation in her family to serve in a war.

today some 30,000 native american surf around the world for serving the warrior ethos that is so much a part of your culture. let me greet you in the tradition of where i grew up in the middle of the pacific. we say aloha. hello and welcome. i grew up in hawaii under marshall law in the 1940s following the attack on pearl harbor. then from my community like medal of honor recipient senator dan inouye went off to fight world war ii with indomitable courage determination and sacrifice. and in doing so they were among the most highly decorated army units not just in world war ii but the history of this country. earning 21 medals of honor for a unit that only existed about three and a half years. they fought and bled so young

japanese americans like me would have the full privileges of citizenship. they all remain heroes in our community today and that is through of your communities as well. you have your heroes. the war in korea quickly followed and then vietnam came my turn to go toward the first time in 1966. i never planned on being a career soldier but 38 years flashed by pretty quickly. a lot of that had to do with falling in love with the american soldier. every day focused on two things, accomplish the mission and take the best care you could have your people, your soldiers and their families. today is secretary of the eight i have the privilege of continuing that care, caring for those i went to her within vietnam, caring for those that i sent to war as a serving chief of staff of the army and then caring for those giants as i call them in the history of our country who saved the world during world war ii and saved

the nation during the 1950s. among them are heroes like army lieutenant fan -- a choctaw who during world war ii out flight to enemy machine gun nest forces her to surrender destroyed a tiger tank single-handedly and then drove to other tanks off. exhausted from this that'll he still managed to evacuate two seriously wounded comrades, two soldiers nearly a mile to get them to safety. and for his actions as you would expect band thomas was presented the nation's highest award for valor the medal of honor. he went on to serve in both korea and vietnam another three war veteran. heroes like wearing corporal ira hamilton hayes known to you very well a great honor to the tribe during world war ii when he helped his marine comrades

raised the national colors atop mt. sara bocce atop iwo jima. he suffered terrible issues and was buried with full honors at arlington national cemetery. that is the least one of the reasons i'm here today. not here in this conference room but here are in this job. i cannot change the records of injustice in our histories and they are there and they are many. or the lack of trust some may have about government or this department but i do intend to make things better and they need your help. most know that the a's a large integrated health care system with over 1300 points of care of access. 152 medical centers, 829 outpatient clinics, 300 readjustment counseling debt centers and about 70 mobile and

outreach bands that traveled to the most remote areas rural areas in our country to find veterans where they live. if ea also provides $10 billion in educational benefits annually along with arne duncan. second only to the department of education and most of you know about this is a post-9/11 g.i. bill or the montgomery g.i. bill that $10 million of educational opportunity. we guarantee you nearly 1.8 million home loans with a zero down into the in the nation. the va is the nation's ninth largest life insurance enterprise with $1.3 trillion in coverage and 6.7 million clients and we operate the country's largest national cemetery system , 100301 cemeteries. 337,000 nifty people come to work every day at the va.

about a third of us are veterans. we bring the same determination initiative and leadership we earned in uniform to our duties as we were taught. people don't care what you know until they know that you care. so we are pursuing and still pursuing better ways to serve. in 2010 va and the indian health service signed an updated memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration and resource sharing between our agencies. in december of 2012 working with secretary sebelius and dr. rubin know we signed the national reimbursement agreement. so far under that it remit over 2000 eligible native american veterans have received va reimbursed care from the indian health service and tribal health programs. as of today 106 indian health service facilities are reimbursed. we have also entered into reimbursement agreements with 35 tribes and tribal entities and

we are working closely with 62 more. for fy2014, this coming year, president of him has budgeted $52 million specifically for fee a reimbursement to indian health service and tribal health programs. we can do much more this year. [applause] we are expanding va's homebase primary care program by co-locating resources and send indian health service hospitals, clinics, tribal clinics in va community-based outpatient clinics adjacent to tribal lands. over the past five years va's opposite burr health is dedicated $45 million to fund 101 initiatives located across indian country everything from mental health or grams to transportation mobile clinics as i mentioned ptsd treatment homebase primary care homeless veterans and telehealth projects

that increase veterans access to health care specialists while minimizing those long commutes especially for the chronically ill. for the past three years the direct loan program va has funded over $18 million to veterans living on trust lands. to honor your culture by ensuring that native american veterans are laid to rest in the tradition of the tribes we have committed $19.5 million to the nation of oklahoma. over the last three years to construct new tribal veterans cemeteries and tribal lands. in fy2014 -- [applause] in this next year in fy2014, five more grants proposals will total nearly five point $25 million. in january 2011 the va

established the office of tribal government relations to improve the medications so we could be more responsive to your needs. deputy assistant secretary john garcia, many of you know him and director stephanie burke will also known well to you, my personal picks and trusted agents in working with the tribes are charged with increasing veteran access to va benefits and services that they earned so we are looking to increase our outreach here. in february 2012 i signed our first tribal consultation policy so we can communicate directly with tribal governments on veteran related issues affecting indian country. over 156,000 american indian alaska native veterans with the united states. president obama and i are committed to providing a lexus to all veterans and if you understand this bread and the

difference in the landscape you will appreciate that commitment means whether you are living in an urban area or a rural veteran or in the most remote of locations like the outer banks of glasgow or maybe even guam, seven hours away, our commitment is to provide as best we can equal access to every veteran in the nation and that includes veterans living on tribal lands. with the support of the congress , the president has increased his budget request for va by over 50% since 2009. so rural urban remote native american all earned the same benefits and services and our commitment is to deliver on them. i took this appointment to have president obama make things better for veterans quickly and then to change this department for the long term so that all

veterans including native american veterans will be well served and treated with the dignity and the respect that they demonstrated in serving in our country's uniforms. it's been an honor to be here with you this morning and again sally thank you for the invite. mahalo as we say god bless and may the almighty bless each and everyone of you and may the almighty continue to bless our nations. thank you everyone. [applause] a ladies and gentlemen kathleen sebelius, secretary of the united states department of health and human services. [applause] >> good morning. good morning everybody. it's my great pleasure to have another opportunity to be at this historic meeting of native

americans and alaska natives here at the department of the interior. i want to recognize my colleague secretary sally jewell who has been a terrific addition to the cabinet and a wonderful colleague and partner on a lot of issues. thank you for hosting today and thank you for your leadership. you just heard from secretary shinseki and as he said we have worked together on a friday of initiatives that benefit to the indian country and i'm going to talk about a few of those. in the audience and with you all day long will be our great leader of the indian health services dr. yvette roubideaux who i can tell you is a tireless advocate for better health in indian country and thank you to dr. roubideaux and stacy who works with her intergovernmental relations department.

i am also pleased that we have some of our staff members here. one of the things i did is create a secretary tribal advisory committee and it's been enormously helpful not only to me but all of our senior leaders are not only budget issues but tired issues and i know with us today are ken lucero and harry hayes the former chair and i want to thank gary for his service in the past so thank you all for being with us today. you know i make at least a once a year visit to indian country and in july had the opportunity to visit the navajo nation. i attended a special session of the navajo nation council. it was a really interesting opportunity for me because i had an opportunity to hear directly from the delegates about the challenges they face day-to-day. they spoke about their efforts on diabetes and cancer, hiv/aids

prevention and treatment. they shared some of their concerns as well as hopes for how to improve health and wellness throughout the navajo nation. and i wanted to take this opportunity to offer some thoughts on a few of the priorities we share. welding our government to government relationship, obligations to closing health disparities and reinvigorating health and wellness in tribal communities throughout this country. so our research shows us that nearly one in three american indians and alaska natives don't have health insurance. one in three. now that compares with 62% of all americans who are covered with insurance but in the alaska native and american indian communities only 36% are covered so the challenges they face are real. by the same note so are the

opportunities to expand services and access to coverage. for example, if every state in the country were to attend medicaid and i will tell you that's something the president and i are dedicated to can change for sue -- pursue, 94% of indians and alaska natives who qualify for financial assistance to get health insurance, whether through the health insurance marketplace through medicaid or three chip. so we have a pathway with the new build to getting people into the health system in an economic fashion. closing disparities in promoting health and wellness in tribal communities has been made prairie for this administration has long as there has been an obama administration. our president inherited the worst economic crisis in a generation but he insisted on forging a new path opening new lines of communication and investing in indian country and you will hear from him later today.

as a result we have been able in the obama administration to make more progress for indian country than we have made in a generation. let me just give you a few snapshots from hhs. before president obama took the oath of office there was a steady decline in the number of children in head start who spoke at tribal language at home. today we are using it starts new performance standards to integrate tribal language and culture into classrooms and into correct them. that's a big step forward for the next generation. before the affordable care act only 60 ihs and travel facilities were eligible in the national health service award. this is one of the best-kept secrets in health in the country. the national health service corps is kind of the peace corps for health care providers. if you agree after you get your medical degree to go practice in another --

underserved community the federal government has to pay off some of your student loans debt and give you a scholarship. the snapshot before was there were only 60 facilities that could even accept these health care providers including doctors, nurses and mental health threat dictionaries. today we have qualified every ihs in tribal facility to be eligible, more than 600 in all and we have national health service going into our ihs facilities across this country and that is very good news. ..