office of general council prior where she provided coun council on a variety of initiatives. she received her bs in hydrology. and we have the professor of pediatrics and cell biology at the washington university school of medicine. in addition to his work at the school, he is the president of the american thoracic society which is an international organization with over 15,000 members. he serves on the subboard of pediatric pulminary.

the two remaining witnesses on the panels are no-show. they were invited, accepted the invitations and confirmed them of their attendance and we informed them the hearing will proceed so it is unfutunate they have chosen not to chose this official hearing. we will go ahead with the witnesses who did proceed. thank you very much for coming down from rhode island for this hearing. >> thank you. it as a pleasure to be here. thank you for the opportunity to testify today. i am an associate professor at the brown university center for health. i earned by doctorate from ha r

hararharava harvard.short-term

ozone exposure and health effects. this is based on studies over decades and showing that ozone leads to increased deaths, hospital visits, increased symptoms and more medical use and reduced air function and reduced air levels. a 2010 study by the scientist at emory found in the atlanta area,

ozone was linked to higher rates of hospital visits for asthma even at levels below the current standard. meaningful reductions in lung functions have been shown in as low as 60 parts per billion. of note, these controlled exposure studies have been conducted in healthy adults. it is expected people with asthma, including asthmatic children, would be more sensitive to these effects. the evidence shows the current standards are inadequate to protect the citizens of the

united states. there is adequate evidence quote to recommend a revised standard from 70 parts per billion to 60 parts per billion. it would lead to fewer deaths, fewer hospital visits, fewer symptoms and improved lung function especially among the most vulnerable in the population. in rhode island asthma rates are above average and raising the standards could help these people. rising temperatures also increases ozone and ground weather is affected by climate and there is a link between higher temperatures and

increased in ozone. reducing ozone pollution today also provides immediate and long lasting benefits but also helps slow down climate change. addressing climate change could reduce ozone pollution. the epa's proposal to revise the standards are based on scientific evidence and i encourage the epa to set the standard at the health protective level of 60 parts per billion. thank you for your attention and i will be happy to answer questions. >> thank you very much. i appreciate your scientific and rhode island perspective. ms. patton. thank you. >> chairman whitehouse, thank you for your leadership on behalf of clean, safe air for

communities and families. we sure appreciate it. the united states commitment to clean air is a broadly shared american value whether you live in a red state, blue state, or purple state or in the case of my own home state in the heart of the rockies of the colorado which is all of the above, americans want clean, healthy air for communities and families. the establishment of the health based air quality standards for ozone is the bedrock foundation of the nation's clean air laws. it is why congress has instructed the administrator to establish the standards based on human health. the question for the administrator is whether the air in our communities is safe to breathe and this determination on the bases of human health waw

that the current health beigeed standards are not adequate to protect our children's health, our nation's health and that we do in fact need to strengthen the standard and plan for 60-70 parts ber per billion. would bring about the

administrators responsibility to carry this out with adequate safety. we know the effects of ozone are profound. there is difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, emergency room visits, hospital comings and even death on high ozone days. one of the most significant findings since the revision is the strong link of ozone to premature death. the populations at risk include our children and include individuals with asthma, elderly and those outside working, exercise and living. the clean air advisory looked at a host of information concluding the effects are significant and

the populations at risk are imperiled including many studies. we have heard the numbers of health impacts at stake but if you are a mother or a father of a child with asthma and that child suffers an asthma attack on a high ozone day the impacts are profound on your family. it changes your family's fabric in so many fundamental ways. this is why congress has long n instructed the epa to assign standards based on the research. we talked about the fact our nation can achieve vital human health protections and grow the economy. and in new york, there are

manufacturers making the clean air technology that the develop cleaner vehicles under the pipe standards and it will reduce ozone forming pollution by 80% beginning with model year 2017 of vehicles. there has been lots of talk that we cannot meet the challenges and deliver cleaner, healthy air and deal with the economy. when the nation confronted this in 1997, there was one senator, senator whitehouse who commented at the time if we move forward with standards that our hair sal salons would be affected but we have clean air and they are up and running. >> hair salons are not extinct. glad to hear that.

>> and you indicated not all of the senators are here today. i want you to know who is. moms clean air force is here listening and they represent over 400,000 moms across our nati nation. moms who are living in purple and red and blue states and are united to committing to clean air for our children. those moms know that when we tuck our children into the bed for them at night we are overwhelmed by our love for them and overwhelmed by our commitment to provide a clean and safe environment for our children. your leadership ensures we have strong-health based ozone standards is one of the single-most important gifts you can give to our communities, families and all children who are threatened by unhealthy air

so thank you. >> thank you. and welcome to moms clean air force. as a dad i would be the first one to admit that when a young child is in an emergency room with an asthma attack it is likely the mom who had to take off work to go there with them. when a child misses a day of school it is likely the mom who is called home and has to organize coverage for the nominate in school. so even if it is isn't affecting the lungs of the mom it is sure affecting their lives. doctor? >> i am the division director of pediatric at washington university in st. louis. i care for children with lung disease. some with severe, even life-threatening disease. you have my written testimony

before you. and scientific background has been provided on why reducing ozone pollution is important for public health. i have a few brief points i would like to add to the discussion. first, with each breath, the lungs and airways are exposed to the outside environment. breathing isn't an option. airbor airbor airborne pollutants, if present, it available. the lungs are not formed at birth. it is still growing and developing. and it is particularly susceptible to the air pollutants. it is associated with impaired lung growth that might be permanent. so what happens in childhood continues on well into adulthood. ozone exposure increases the risk of developing asthma in

childhood including children that were healthy. it is particularly harmful to children who do have lung disease and that is not surprising but it is worth repeating. the most chronic children disease affecting nearly 7 million, asthma that is, ozone levels below the current standards are associated with increasing symptoms and the need for medications. in some cases it requires greater medication and higher doses to control their asthma symptoms which may sound okay but often the increased in doses lead to unintended side effects. missing school and hospital visits and such are all associated with air pollution. this is common knowledge. every pediatrician who cares for

a child with asthma understand this. sometimes it means a child with asthma dies which is tragic and i would like to think avoidable. this can lead to deficits that persist well into adulthood. the data is emerging and there are several lines of evidence that clearly show that early exposure of air pollution, including ozone pollution, have long-term effects. it is not surprising that the x exposures during childhood impact later in life. very few people begin their lives as adults. fourth, when we in the medical community talk about the impact of ozone on public health it sounds like public health is a high level concept but it isn't. it is just all of the personal stories that make up america. it includes the mother of the child with asthma who is in the

emergency room worried whether their son will recover from a severe asthma attack and is also thinking she can not afford to miss another day of work to stay home with her son. air pollution leads to direct cost for medical care of the ill child but increased loss of productivity due to missing work and school. and lastly, the science is strong and compelling. since 2006 when the bush administration reviewed the ozone standards, the american thoracic society recommended 60 parts per billion and were confidant of the recommendation then and even more confidant of that today. the medical community has no doubt about reverse effects on

pediatric health. this isn't based on one or ten stud a studies. it is based on literally hundreds of studies that demonstrate the current standards are not protective. these studied employed multiply methods but the data is clear. the current ozone standard isn't protective of public health and the epa must issue a more protective standard. thank you. >> thank you very much, doctor. let me ask a few questions. you have done some impressive work in rhode island studying heat-related deaths and hospitalizations. is ozone formation made worse by climate change in your view? and what is the linkage between

added heat and added ozone? >> thank you, senator, for that question. >> i mean as a local question in rhode island. >> what we have looked at is the relationship between warm temperatures and extreme heat and the number of emergency department visits and deaths in the state of rhode island and found a strong association. more people are hospitalized and die for heat-related illnesses on those hot days: what we are trying to explore now in rhode island is if that is made worse on high ozone days. we think from other parts of the country that hot days and ozone levels high are worse than separate. we are looking at that but i don't have the results to share today but will be happy to

provide them in the near future. >> dr. shaw chose not to attend the hearing but filled pre-trial testimony and told us as mthmaas are not at greater risk from ozone. do you have a reaction to that statement? >> i think it is not true to be frank. there is substantial evidence they are at least at the same risk and as with any body of evidence not every study shows this but the overwhelming agreement in the field is people with asthma are at greater risk. >> the previous standards, the 75 parts per billion standard, was criticized at the time it

was adopted by the clean air scientific advisory committee saying -- they actually took the step of writing to administrator johnson saying they don't endorse the new primary standards being sufficient to protect the public health and it failed to satisfy the stclean a act. you were at epa for a while and you are familiar with the scientific advisory panel, was that an unusual step for them to take? >> it was an unusual step, senator whitehouse. it also highlights why the clean air scientific advisory committee in the recommendations

to the administrator in june was so clear about its findings. it wanted to leave very little room for ambiguity about the science that supports conclusions that the current standard isn't adequate to protect public health and that is what that body found in june and its recommendations to the administrator and there is clear evidence warranting a better standard. it was criticized by the committee as well as a number of other leaders in the medical and health community. >> now the -- somebody obviously didn't find the clean air scientific ad visory committee

to be very creditable and ignored their recommendations back in 2008. what can you tell the committee for the recommendation of this year about the credentials of the clean air advisory committee. should we pay attention to what they say? >> it is established under the law to provide the administrator with independent, scientific and medical advice on these really important public health questions. and so this particular advisory committee that most recently communicated to the administrator in june is comprised of leading scientific experts at institutions across the country from leading academy institutions in north carolina to the research arm of the united states power industry.

the electric power research institute. wide variety of experts and perspectives and wide and deep expertise in the leading scientific foundations and they have committed to the administrator it is her responsibility to stregthen the health-base standards for ozone. >> so a private citizen listening to this hearing can take comfort that the clean air scientific advisory committee is a reliable body? >> that body is a reputable, highly regarded body of leading scientific experts and its recommendations are confirmed by

the american lung association and american public health association and thoracic society and so on. so there is -- >> you said the americans thoracic society. >> so an extensive body of leading experts that further confirm the findings and recommendations of the committee. >> doctor, tell us about the american thoracic society and presume that i have challenged the creditability of the american thoracic society and come at you with the view this is an irresponsible, liberal organization. explain what the organization is. >> we are galitarian when it comes to our political leanings. it is a professional organization of over 15,000

members including scientist, physicians, nurses, therapist, patients, and families who are interested in improving the health of patients and dealing with critically ill patient and focusing to some extent on sleep disorders. it is a very broad organization. there is a lot of different people, with a lot of different views and a lot of different political leanings. i would say we are neither left nor right in that respect. >> and so the american thoracic society in your view is rep reputable and reliable when it makes a recommendation on this. >> i would hope so. otherwise i don't think i would want to be the president. >> well, thank you. let's say you are a mother in rhode island -- >> or father.

>> it is as a summer day and you wake up in the morning and you are preparing breakfast and listening to the radio and your kids are home. the kids are small. and the radio announces that today is a bad air day in rhode island and infants should be kept indoors. you are not sure what that means. you take your child out to get sunshine, run around a little bit -- is there harm that could be happening to that child that would not be apparent to the mom or dad? >> so the scenario that you give is a very common one and a dilima families have when you hear about particularly bad air days. yes, there is harm. you don't smell or see ozone but you are being exposed to it and

the effects are cumulative. you don't just go out and suddenly have an asthma attack. it can participate like that. that is clear. but it can lead to cumulative damage to the air ways that make the lung function worse and may lower the threshhold for the next time. >> the risk isn't the child or the vulnerable person is going to sgin -- begin -- having an attack right away but it is the damage that isn't going to be done that day. >> absolutely. it is contributing to the airways but i think the

cumulati cumulati cumulative sneaks up on the patient and family. ... >> when the child grows up, the adults legal problems can be king arthur. is the harm tend to be keynoted?

>> it's a very good question, i would probably differ to them on that question. >> on the type of harm that we have been discussing that has not manifest in a particular discomfort or shortness of breath or anything else during the day, but nevertheless is happening and could potentially manifest months or years later. is that correct he meant. >> yes, absolutely. the strongest evidence is for the short-term effect and those effects on the same day. we could see this and not suffer an obvious effect where is you could suffer an asthma attack or have bad respiratory symptoms. but then there is the commutative effects that we have been talking about. those are not just respiratory effects but also increasing evidence of those would also be cardiovascular effects and we are very concerned not just

about the short-term effects of the ozone but the longer lifelong effects as well. >> you did say that they were too militant? >> yes, the science still needs to be refined in the area over what time frame they can be cumulative. but some of the effects can be seen even in young adults having an enhanced carli of vascular damage from their lifetime exposure. >> would like to ask you to stand by for just one moment [inaudible]

[inaudible] >> i think at this point i will conclude the hearing and with unanimous consent of all present, i would like to put into the record a combination press release and letter issued by the ranking member of the committee actually inviting the republican witnesses not to attend. so the failure to appear was not just a failure to appear of their own, but rather they were invited not to appear by the ranking member. and i would also like to say for the record that the question about proceeding with this hearing after the adjournment of the senate last night was one

that we have tak up with the senate legal counsel and that we can proceed that this is a legitimate hearing and we have gone forward with bad advice. so we are going to continue to treat this as a legitimate hearing that i believe that it is and that means that the record of the hearing remains of an for an additional week after the conclusion. [inaudible conversations] and let me also add to the record a statement for the record by senator inhofe, thank you for holding this hearing and so forth, his statement will be also admitted into the record alongside the press release. it's getting interesting around here already. anyway, for a week it will remain open and i would like to

thank again all the witnesses are coming down because this is, in my view, an overdue change in a rule that had no validity from the very beginning and i would like to thank you very much for not only your support for this action but for your supported with epa push them toward the lower standard which i believe is unanimous recommendation of the assembled panel. so without further ado we will adjourn the hearing and i would like to thank you all very much for your participation. [inaudible conversations]

>> coming up tomorrow on c-span2, director for the white house national economic all well outlined president obama's economic agenda. he will be talking about the top economic priority for the administration and predict whether any of the agenda will move forward in a republican-controlled congress. the remarks are live in a a.m. eastern. and then live at 1:00 o'clock am and the chief of army aviation will have an update on the aviation restructure initiative which is expected to save the army $12 billion. it will be hosted by the center for strategic and international insurance insurance studies in washington. >> here are some of the programs that you will find this weekend on the c-span networks. saturday at 9:30 p.m. on c-span, etc. been discussing politics and humor at the harvard institute of politics. sunday at 8:00 o'clock on "q&a",

author and townhall editor katie pavlicek on what she perceives as the apostrophes of liberals on the board of women. then on "after words", williams argues missing the mark on education and learning lessons to think critically. and have a goal in life beyond material. and then sunday morning booktv visits west lafayette indiana to interview several of the city's authors and tour the literary sites. and on american history tv on c-span3, saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern on the civil war, damien shields talks about irish american soldiers and their role in the army. and then in 1974 investigation piece on san francisco's tv on the history of police brutality

in oakland. for the complete schedule, find us at c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs that we are watching. give us a call and e-mail us at comments at c-span.org or send us a tweet. join the conversation. like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. >> coming up next, the secretary-general ban ki-moon holds a year-end news conference commenting on a range of topics including today's announcements to normalize relations between the u.s. and cuba. he also talks about the ebola outbreak in west africa. his recent trip on climate change and the humanitarian crisis in syria. from new york city this is 45 minutes.

[inaudible conversations] >> good afternoon. the secretary will make some opening remarks and then will be delighted to take your questions. so we welcome you today. >> it's a great pleasure to see you at the end of this year. i'm very glad to see you so private after last night's dinner. we have some pieces of cake left if anybody wants any, you're welcome. thank you for all of your friendship and cooperation and support for all of the work and i thank you so much. and since i have just come back

from lima after attending the climate change meeting their, let me begin with the climate change. the summit meeting which convened in september of this year and put in place the building blocks for a universal climate change agreement, member states are danced on several fronts and of course they want to protect and serve as the basis for the next round of negotiations beginning in february. this will take place in geneva. second, they provide clarity with the litigation and their commitment in being included in a national plan of action or what we call the organization of

independent nation all contributions. they built trust most notably by textual i think agreeing climate funds with $10 million. and they will advance an agenda to show the wealth of opportunities offered by the transition. taken together they maintain the steps and there is opportunity for been taken up on difficult issues. but our governments along with civil society are agreeing that they must cut the flow of emissions. in my eight years as secretary

general, that was the eighth meeting and that was the most encouraging and we also made the progress of this year and that includes sustainable development and the resources we need to achieve them. and as you know since july, there is going to be high level financing for development and the president of the general

assembly will convene a high-level meeting on climate change with the december roadmap and we are going to have special sessions on sustainable development in september. and as i indicated earlier this month, the stars aligned to take historic action and to transform lives and protect the planet. alongside these gains, the world has just come through a year of discord and disruption. peace operations and humanitarian capacities have been pushed to the limit. more than 100 million people need assistance and more than

50 million people have been driven from their homes since the second world war. the outbreak of ebola has challenged the international community in unprecedented ways. evacuations mobilize for systemwide situations and tonight i leave to visit liberia and sierra leone, and the four countries most affected by the ebola outbreak. and so this does include five countries during my visit. i will be accompanied by margaret chan and even navarro.

[inaudible] as well as the special representative and donna that will joining from all the affected countries. i want to see the response and show my solidarity with those affected and urge even greater global action. the responders are bringing more to local communities and national governments and they are highly engaged. there has been an impressive outpouring of lifesaving contributions and of course africa and the world. the ebola response is something we are watching and we are beginning to see improvement. but now is not the time to ease up on our way forward. as long as there is one case of ebola, the risk remains and we must do everything that we can

to get to zero. at the same time we are short of people and resources moreover ebola continues to drive up the prices for oxygen away from other activities. ladies and gentlemen, this year in syria successful dismantling of the program has been of little consolation to the people who have seen the war raged on. the un's policy saved many thousands of lives, but the situation at our peacekeeping bases, we are sheltering 100,000 people and as it does throughout the country the situation remains futile. in the ukraine the situation

freezes in place with original [inaudible] and instability earnings widespread in afghanistan and the sahara's. following the hostilities in gosar and palestine, they have a responsibility to step back and ease the current pressures and salvage the two state solution, that is looking ever more remote. ladies and gentlemen, it must be a time for global action and i would like to highlight for in paradise. the first is forging a new development agenda and climate change agreement. and the second is 2015 must be the year in which we end the nightmare in syria and avoid the

escalation. and third, we must do more to counter extremism and the rise of far right political parties and target the right areas. and we must continue as we go forward with the global landscape. a number of reviews have talked about this in 2015, including peace operations, which i launched last month, peace building of the general assembly and humanitarian financing and implementation of the security council's on peace and security.

these are an opportunity to build upon the reforms that we have pursued. this year i have seen so much suffering from every different place to refugee camps. i have seen so many people who are at risk and who are struggling to build a better life for themselves and their families as you mark the 70 anniversary and next are we want to answer people across the world in shared prosperity. i would like to extend my best wishes to all of you for a happy holidays and a happy new years and i thank you very much. >> thank you. we don't have too much time, please keep the questions short and limit the preamble. >> thank you. i will make it very quick.

on behalf of you, happy new year and thank you for all of these briefings on cbs news. and my question is about cuba. as it you have seen, the u.s. is beginning globalization process, the u.n. voted annually to lift the embargo, can you comment on where the united nations might go with that since you visited cuba? >> i have informed that this news is very pungent. i would like to thank president barack obama of the united states and the president of cuba for taking this step towards formalizing conditions. as much as the membership has repeatedly emphasized through the general assembly resolutions , it is time for cuba

and the united states to normalize bilateral relations. and i will come today's development in this. i hope that these measures and announcements will help to expand the exchanges between the two people who have been separated for a long time. including helping both countries to cultivate their neighboring relations. >> thank you. >> director general, you said that 2015, you hope is the year to end the nightmare in syria.

[inaudible] and that includes the terrible events going on in syria. do you approve over the piecemeal approach that is being criticized and what makes you confident he would resume this? >> of course we would like to have peace and stability in government and that is basically what we are talking about. but what we have been doing is not the piecemeal, he has proposed [inaudible] but this is not a substitute for full and comprehensive peace arrangements. but when you want to really have

a broader and comprehensive approach, you should have all elements from smaller things were easier things and of course even having this in aleppo is not easy. and through these meetings i'm encouraged through the president of syria, and many through the region, this is gaining support. and we have all gathered supported and we have tried to build upon it. but what is most important at this time after almost four years of killing each other, the violence must stop. regardless of what kind of argument or difference of

opinion there may be. the violence must stop to talk about this in a peaceful manner. this is what the demonstrators are doing. >> as we started the geneva meeting, we need to sit down together, sort of a geneva meeting number two or whatever. and i am making clear that aleppo is not a substitute, and as you say it's not a piecemeal approach, but this is a comprehensive approach.

>> okay. >> i have a question on the rights issue. we have seen a lot of unprecedented issues and wider point issues [inaudible] but the country has not accepted it and next week at the security council we are expected to have a public discussion about that issue. so what is your view on this latest development on the issues and do you think that this will help the situation get better? >> this has become something

that has received acute attention from the international community and the third committee has adapted the resolution and the general assembler will take action on that and especially in the security council should be adopted. and these are the matters for the member states of the general assembly or secret counsel and in many situations of human rights violations there has been a risk of all this political instability and we have seen in many such cases all these

impacts to the number of people. and as member states as the secretary-general, through my own report to the general assembly, i have made it quite clear that they should listen carefully to the course of the international community to promote and protect the human rights and also to do all that they can through promoting the well-being of their own people. >> cohabit. >> mr. secretary-general, you mentioned earlier about the original administration and

earlier what russia supports in the ukraine from your point of view, how can they stabilize the administration? >> what has happened with the situation in ukraine has also been a deep concern for the international community. and that includes the people of ukraine and the countries and people in the region as well. this has a very serious concern and applications and that is why the whole world particularly in the european union and the usa and russia, they have been heavily engaged. and i am again deeply concerned by the continuing situation in

the ukraine while the agreement seems to be mysterious. we have seen a lot of things. sends everything happened in minsk with the memorandum, more than 100,000 people have lost their lives. and it has impacted us critically and economically. and so therefore i emerging that the party should sit down together and provide fully the experience and the memorandum.

and this was the this was the o. and this was the one that was very intense with confrontation with the help of many important regional countries and i am urging them again can continue with this. this includes the monetary mission that will continue next year and it took place until december of this month and it has been extended as we try to mobilize humanitarian assistance to deliver this wherever we may be in need. >> please go ahead. >> mr. secretary-general, thank you. you have spoken out strongly on

the slaughter of children in pakistan yesterday. have you been in touch with the pakistani people and don't you think that it should be a much stronger as an response to countries like pakistan? ..

it is important that how the international community must mobilize all resources and political will and help the capacity building of those countries affected to address this extremism and terrorism. as you know, the united nations has established a counterterrorism center in the department of political affairs. we are we are now actively engaging with the countries who are in danger, danger, who are vulnerable to these terrorism and extremism. we are we are trying to help those member states to strengthen their national capacity. for example, we have been in contact with the nigerian government to organize capacity building workshop.

i would also consider what we can do with pakistan and other countries. >> thank you, mr. secretary general. as i am sure you know, there have been intensive meetings going on over the last few days on the israeli-palestinian conflict and the possibilities of trying to get some action here at the united nations. what would you like to see, out of the security council to mac what track what kind of a resolution to mac. >> i active discussions are taking place between members of the security council and relevant stakeholders. this is ultimately a matter

for the security council to decide. that being said, i would would certainly welcome the council's engagement and guidance for advancement of the middle east peace project. i have been personally reaching and engaging with the leaders of palestine and israel, leaders in the region and global leaders as a member and secretary-general of the united nations. we are strongly urging again that israelis and palestinians should sit down together. the security council can take actions, but it is ultimately up to two parties, to leaders so that

they can discuss all the pending issues. i believe i believe that they have identified the old issues. i know the fundamental issues to resolve. i resolve. i have been urging and am urging again that leaders should discuss so that they can realize a two state solution. israel and palestinian people can live side by side in peace and security. i i hope that we will see such piece and stability calm to the people. >> just as a a quick follow-up, you mentioned the quartet. it seems it seems to many people and many observers that the quartet has really failed to produce any

significant progress. >> the level has not been taking place. the envoys have been continuously meeting among themselves to discuss and provide recommendations for the truthful leaders to engage with concerned parties. >> thanks. on the -- the us recently released a report on torture over the last 11 years. twelve 12 or 13 years. the high commissioner for human rights condemned it. what lessons do you think should be taken away from this scandal, if we can call it that? particularly in terms of not just the torture or enhanced

interrogation techniques that were used but also countries cooperating with secret detention centers and things like that? >> the release of the torture report by the u.s. senate shoes shows that torture is still taking place in many parts of the world. as you know, one of the 56 countries have joined this convention against torture. it is a stark reminder that we still need to do much more to stamp out torture practices everywhere. as i have often said, the prohibition of torture is absolute. there their are no situations where it should be used under any

circumstances. the release of this report is to be commended by shining a light on what happens. i think we can stop the torture. this torture. this is one of the important principles to promote human dignity and to protect human rights. now, this has started a conversation not only in the united states and all around the world. i am urging that all the countries and particularly political leaders and security-related officials do there utmost to protect the human rights and human dignity. now, as this report has been released,, this should be the start of a discussion on

how the international community can completely stamp out the torture practice. >> i i have two questions. one is about your trip to ghana. in addition to the fact that you wanted to see their response on the ground yourself, do you have any specific good news to share with the people who are looking for one thing, which is vaccine medicine? my second question. [speaking in native tongue] >> your first question, as i

said already, the main purpose of my visit is evident and clear. i just wanted to demonstrate my strong solidarity on behalf of the united nations, the international community. the people have been dying without much help. help. therefore that is why the united nations mobilized in an unprecedented way the massive support, financially and logistically and providing what we can to treat them. as you know, we have stated five principles, five proposals in establishing. first is to stop the virus. second, take all necessary measures to provide the

essential services and preserve stability in the country politically and economically and prevent further outbreak. so all of these proposals and goals are being met. where our strategy has been properly placed i think we're seeing the results. this is now bending,, but there is no time to be complacent. we have to make sure. that is our goal. that is why i am going to meet all of the leaders of

five countries, and i am am going to meet our staff. i tried to visit some facilities provided by key countries like the united states, the united kingdom, france and some other places, local treatment centers. our staff to share my strong support. support. then i will discuss further with the member states what needs to be done. we done. we are in need of much more support, logistical and financial support. the speed of this virus is, in essence, outpacing what the international community has been doing. this is my main proposal. i have an opportunity upon

my return. what i have seen, what the international community needs to do. now,. [speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue]

[speaking in native tongue] [speaking in native tongue] >> thank you, mr. secretary general.

the palestinian people have been subject to the most brutal occupation for 47 years. illegal, as illegal, as you know. you keep saying you are proud to be the custodian of the un council resolution. there are many gen. assembly resolutions and eight people under occupation to resist. their land has been confiscated -- >> the question, please. >> do you agree, sir, it is time now to speak out for a real continue and palestinian state? if everything plays in the security council do you also agree the palestinian people have the right to resist occupation? >> as you said, there are numerous general assembly resolutions and security council resolutions. it is up to the member

states. the responsibility should rest with the member states to implement and abide by these resolutions, particularly when the security council resolutions are binding. unfortunately, because of lack of political will of concerned parties the palestinian people have not been able to enjoy what they should enjoy as a human being. that is why negotiation is important. there seems to be still a lack of political will to sit down together, and there is a lack of political atmosphere conducive to dialogue. it is absolutely necessary that they should take

careful and sincere positions to create the certain political atmosphere and refrain from taking unilateral actions. of course this occupation is illegal, has been clearly defined by the united nations resolutions by the security council. therefore council. therefore what is more important is while the international community is now ready to support the cause, after all, the two parties directly concerned to have to sit down and be ready to engage in dialogue. i have been meeting the prime minister netanyahu and his predecessors and meeting president abbas numerous times and have been repeating them.

as neighbors they have no other alternatives but to live in peace and security harmoniously. harmoniously. they cannot have options to change their neighbors. they have to live together. that is their destiny. >> one last brief question. >> thank you. in light of the lessons that the international community has lined, i wonder if you can comment on whether and how the world health organization can health organization can be reformed to respond more quickly, more aggressively for the next outbreak? >> well, this is a question which member states will have to discuss among the members. one of the specialized agencies, and it has its own they have there own way of

addressing the issues of how they can reform and how they can change the systems to be more effective and efficient i am aware of that kind of sentiment in the wake of the outbreak. i hope member states will discuss. as secretary-general, i am always ready to work closely with specialized agents, particularly. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> on the next washington journal former acting cia

dir. for the bush administration on the cia in pants to interrogation techniques. his book national insecurity and the obama administration's foreign policy challenges followed by a look a look at the impact of the medical device tax. our guest is pres. and ceo of the medical device manufacturers association. washington journal takes your facebook comments and tweets live every day everyday at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> this month is the tenth tenth anniversary of our sunday primetime program. highlighting authors, historians, journalists, filmmakers from 2,005 kenneth feinberg, from 2006

the importance the importance of the african-american experience, from 2007 robert novak, from 2008 the value of higher education in america, america, and from 2009 conservative commentator. a decade of compelling conversations. at seven pm eastern. >> coming up, the senate finance committee hears testimony. tax and retirement policy analysts speak about the gap between how much americans are saving and savings needed. this runs two hours.

>> the finance committee will come to order. when you take a look at the state of retirement savings in america, america, it is clear that something is out of whack. the american taxpayer delivers $140 $140 billion each year to subsidize retirement accounts, but still millions of americans nearing retirement have little or nothing saved. the fact is, the, the incentives for saving and the american tax code just are not getting to those in need them most. a pair of new studies spells out the issue. the federal reserve found last month that an employee with middle of the tax savings has about $59,000 set aside for retirement, yet according to the government accountability office some 9,000 taxpayers

have ira accounts worth more than $5 million. it would take several lifetimes of work for the typical middle-class american to say that much money. so how so how did those massive ira accounts come to be? in many cases they seem to be sweetheart stock deals that most would never have access to. executives buy stocks at a a special rock-bottom price, sometimes fractions of a penny per share and use an ira as a tax shelter. the stocks start out dirt cheap, cheap, but just like that they turn to gold. now, wise investors have every right to use all the tools available to them,, and no one should begrudge

them their success, but the ira was never intended to be a tax shelter for millionaires. it was designed to help the typical american safer retirement. the the finance committee continues to work on modernizing the tax code. it needs to take a good a good bipartisan look at fixing this issue. taxpayers dollars need to be used as widely as possible. the same study from the federal reserve included another alarming piece of information. nearly 1/3 workers have no pension and nothing set aside for retirement. it is a fact of today's economy that millions of americans are walking on an economic tight rope and are unable to save. report after report is showing americans middle-class is at best

struggling to stay afloat. five years after the great recession and remains tough for many people to find and keep a steady job. the cost of the college education continues to rise. millions of americans americans have their wealth tied up in their homes and are not yet close to a full recovery. many working families continue to see their take-home pay drop. at the same time workers are changing jobs more frequently than ever before and find it difficult to save without portable savings accounts. women face special challenges that have to be addressed as part of tax reform. that is also true of part-time workers. this leave it to beaver idea of coworkers spending 40 years with one firm and retiring with a generous pension and gold watch is sorely outdated. retirement policies need to keep up with the time, and

the finance committee is beginning to examine savings issues. one proposal worth looking at is being pursued by my home state of oregon. less than half of oregon businesses offer retirement plans, plans, and many have trouble saving anything at all. the state set up a retirement savings task force to look at solutions. solutions. just yesterday they recommended the state set up and auto ira program for any work or not covered by an employer retirement plan. a percentage of employees paychecks would go into the savings accounts, and the contributions would rise with time. it would not be mandatory. employees can opt out, but it has the potential to be a

first step toward retirement security. in my view the tax code should give all americans the chance to get ahead. making it easier to say is one of the best ways to accomplish that. that is why it is important to look at how to improve the savings incentives and an ensure they help middle-class americans prepare for retirement and not just set up tax shelters for millionaires. i look forward to working with you as always. >> thank you very much. i think this is an important hearing and topic. we have an outstanding panel of witnesses. i think we are going to have an interesting discussion. retirement policy has always been an important topic. it has also always been bipartisan. most most of the major pieces of retirement legislation have been named for senators from the committee. legislation which in the

other body came to be known for the two excellent legislators that i i am proud to say her now colleagues of ours. i believe this tradition can and will continue. mr. chairman, we we agreed to work together on a multi employer pension reform done in the spirit of bipartisanship. i have a pension reform bill that just last week received high marks from the urban institute. i hope you will work with me. it is my my sincere hope the tradition of bipartisanship will continue and the next retirement bill that comes out of this committee to become law we will be known as white and hatch. we have always had incentives to encourage saving for retirement.

there are no bad savings. incentives on occasion with an eye toward improving the incentives and increasing savings. for example, in 2001 congress increased the limits on contributions so that today a worker may contribute $17,500. congress also added a catch-up to allow workers to contribute several thousands of dollars more beginning in their 50s. workers including women who might have left the workforce for a time finally have the opportunity to save again. as reported at the time congress believed it was important to increase the amount an employee elected deferrals.

allow deferrals to better enable planned participants to save for their retirement. well, it worked. it worked. since 2,000 retirement assets have grown from 3 trillion to nearly 6 trillion despite the market downturn. iras have grown from 2.6 trillion to 6.5 trillion. increased contribution limits work so well that in 2006 2,006 congress made those provisions permanent. the retirement policies we have pursued have always been about helping americans to help themselves save more of their hard-earned money. in the last 25 years

democrats and republicans worked together to ascribe to a a mutually shared goal expanding savings. lower income workers. democrats agree small business owners and managers needed to have some tax benefits given the game to take on the burdens of adopting and maintaining. in these areas members from both parties have resisted partisan impulses and as a result we have been able to craft good policy. i have become concerned there is a political strategy to turn pension policy into just another partisan backdrop. they returned retirement policy to another front in the class warfare that consume so much energy in congress. i worry the someone to disregard the we will. that would be unfortunate. mr. chairman, what i hope to to here today from the witnesses, we need to no how

much income americans are projected to need, how much they are projected to have and if there is shortfall a shortfall what policies they recommend we enact. what i hope to not here our upside down tax incentives, bang for the buck, pension stripping without substantial. we need to hear serious policy proposals. i want to thank you all again for holding this hearing. hearing. i would like to personally extend a special welcome. they've done excellent work. i am especially grateful that you would travel all the way to be here today to help us make this a useful hearing. >> thank you. i i think you are very right

to stress the bipartisan tradition of this committee focusing on these kind of savings incentives, particularly to create opportunity for folks to get into the middle class. i look forward to pursuing that with you. in pursuit of an approach that is fact driven that is why we asked the government accountability office to help us get an assessment of the most recent development. whenever the bills are called you and i will be able to lead the community and a bipartisan way, and i i look forward to pursuing that. we have six witnesses, one who is still very talented, still battling amtrak delays. we're hoping she we will be with us. as usual figured usual figured a way to navigate through that. we are glad he is here. the founder and and former ceo of vanguard.

chief economist chief economist at the investment company institute. the senior vice president of national benefit services. doctor bridget, the professor of public policy and corporate management at the john f. kennedy school of government. i believe the first academic to do research on automatic enrollment. i know a number of our colleagues are interested in discussing that. our fifth witness is a resident scholar at the american enterprise institute. i told senators delano that i was wearing my doc type today. for two weeks out of respect to sen. senator stevan and the state of michigan. >> there will be another day

>> am glad the fight is between two democrats. we will wait. >> welcome, and we look forward to your presentation. sen. brown has a senator brown has a tight schedule. we will turn. >> good morning. >> ranking member, other members of the committee, i am honored to be with you. my career in the financial services field began more than 63 years ago. i found the vanguard group. three trainings to $53 trillion worth of other people's money. the the principal reason for that success is that since

2008 the single firm has accounted for almost one half of the mutual fund industry entire cash flow, we were founded with a single focus, mutual fund investors, a management company, and this is important, owned not by its managers nor by the public nor by us or foreign insurance companies or financial conglomerates. today the industry has a corporate structure. owned by mutual funds which are owned by our 20 million mutual fund shareholders. we are uniquely mutual mutual fund. we operate the funds on an app cost basis. the substantial substantial profits we might otherwise make war and were in effect rebated to shareholders in the form of lower costs. i am also founder of the world's first index mutual

fund,, the vanguard 500 index portfolio. the index fund simply mimics the portfolio. largely because it pays no investment advisory fee because it does not require any advice. it carries a rock-bottom expense ratio is low is 0.02%. as 0.02 percent. that is what we call 225 basis points compared to other fund groups charging maybe 200. the index has accounted for more than 350 percent of us equity mutual funds that cash flow taking in $750 billion. the picture is pretty clear and now constitutes 33% 33 percent of us equity

mutual fund assets. at vanguard $1 trillion more than that is owned by investors for corporations large and small. among all defined contribution retirement plans we are now the largest provider. we have a huge stake in assuring our nation's retirement plans are structurally efficient and fiscally sound. a stake in minimizing the management cost. outside of outside of vanguard does tosser grossly excessive. unfortunately our retirement system today is neither structurally efficient or fiscally sound. each one of the three legs is headed for a serious train wreck. witnesses seem to assume

that pension funds are soundly financed. unequivocally they are not. moderate the growth of benefits and increased contributions. defined-benefit plan, now most deeply underwater by $4 trillion or more we will require much more realistic assumptions of future investment returns as well as higher employer contributions and lower employee benefits. defined contribution plans, the largest and fastest-growing component cries out for structural efficiency and cost reduction. retirement funds investors accumulate are slashed when plans and curve vastly excessive costs. if they invest in low-cost

mutual funds and investors return could be increased by 65 percent. and that and that example from 561,927,000, $366,000 advantage just by taking the cost of the system down to where it ought to be. we need larger contributions , reduce the withdrawal savings, have some requirement that employers maintain their contributions, expand access and we need to limit the

participation of high-cost purveyors in dc plans. we plans. we also need a federal standard of fiduciary duty for institutional money managers now including fund managers so far virtually ignored by policymakers, regulators, and legislators. i will explain these more fully in my prepared testimony. thank you for hearing me out >> very helpful. >> thank you, chairman chairman and ranking member for the opportunity to testify. chief economist of the investment company institute. the us members manage assets of more than 17 trillion and serve more than 90 million shareholders mutual funds manage about half of the defined contribution plan and individual retirement account. devoted devoted years of research and considerable resources to making and communicating an accurate assessment of america's retirement system.

today such an assessment must recognize three key facts. america's retirement system is working to build retirement security. the tax incentives based in deferral of taxes, not tax exclusion or deduction are key to the successes and strengths of that system. while there are opportunities to improve changes should be built upon our current structure. those statements may contradict much of what you often hear. not only the social security cover most of americans in 2013. a wide range of government, academic, and industry research demonstrates the american retirement system has become stronger in the past half-century.

the poverty rate among the elderly has fallen since 1966 from nearly 30 percent to nine, the lowest among all age groups. since 1975 the amount of assets earmarked for retirement per household in the united states has increased sevenfold after adjusting for inflation. retirees receiving private sector pension income has increased by more than 60%, and the median private sector pension income that retirees receive after adjusting for inflation has increased by 40 percent. these statistics speak to the impact of congress is bipartisan efforts at transforming social security into a a strong foundation for america's retirement system and create a framework of laws and tax incentives on which voluntary private employer plans have grown and thrived as as important as the tax incentives are, the nature

is often misunderstood. the tax incentives take the form of tax deferral because contributions and earnings to traditional retirement plans are taxed when a retirement that cause the income. this is fundamentally different from attacks to induction or exclusion where the initial tax reduction is never recovered. in economic terms the after-tax rate of return is the incentive to save. tax deferral effectively taxes investment income at the zero tax rate. thus rather than creating an upside down incentive for savings tax deferral equalizes the incentives to save across all retirement savers and all income groups and encourages support from employer-sponsored pension

plans. the american people people overwhelmingly support today's defined contribution retirement plans. 86% disagreed with disagreed with the idea of eliminating the tax advantages, and 83% opposed any opposed any reduction in employee contribution limits. despite the strength and successes it can be improved. ici supports members to promote retirement savings, savings, put social security on sound financial footing as a progressive plan for all americans, foster innovation and growth, help smaller employers by offering simply planned simpler plan features and easier access to multiple employer plans and providing flexible approaches to retirement income. what is central to these ideas is they build upon and do not undermine a replace our current retirement system which depends critically on the tax

incentives congress has provided. proposals to reduce the tax benefit of employer-sponsored retirement plans would not merely affect upper-income workers, instead they would undoubtedly reduced the number of employers and sponsored retirement plan in depriving workers of all ages and incomes of the many benefits of plan participation. in short, short, our retirement system has many strengths and successes. enhance the retirement security for generations to come. thank you, and i and i look forward to your questions. >> next witness. >> thank you, chairman, ranking member, members of the finance committee for the opportunity to talk with you. my name is scott betz, senior vice president of national benefit services. a fee-for-service third-party administrator.

more than 225 employees located in west jordan, utah and supports more than 7500 retirement benefit plans. 7500 retirement benefit plans. our goal is to give every working american the ability to save for a comfortable retirement. i have been working with employers for almost 20 years and can tell you firsthand that qualified retirement plans a proven successful for millions of workers. what i see every day is born out of some important statistics, middle-class statistics, middle-class families representing the overwhelming majority of participants, 80% make less than a hundred thousand dollars a year. 43 percent make less than 50,000. an analysis by the nonpartisan employee benefits research institute

found over 70% of of workers aren't between 30,000 and $50,000 participated $50,000 participated in employment sponsored retirement plans whereas less than 5 percent without access contributed to an ira. in other words, workers in this group were 15 times more likely to save for retirement at work than on there own. own. if increasing retirement and financial security is the goal increasing the availability of workplace plans is the way to get their which is why it is so important that no harm be done to the current structure. the the tax incentive for retirement savings is unique , a tax deferral, not a permanent permanent right off. contributions made this year are not tax this year.

also, the tax incentive for employer-sponsored plans unlike exclusions, with nondiscrimination rules and limits to ensure contributions do not discriminate in favor of more highly compensated employees. the result is tax incentive that is more progressive. in chart three you will see families earning under $50,000 pay 9% of income taxes that received 27 percent of the benefit of the tax deferral. the good news is over 60 million working americans currently benefit through participation in employer-sponsored retirement plans. the bureau of labor statistics reports report 70 percent of full-time civilian workers have access and 81% of those workers participated in these arrangements. in spite of these positive numbers there are millions who do not have plans available. more can and should be done.

employees can say for their retirement. there are some changes that can and should be made to streamline plan operations, eliminate pitfalls and penalties. you're safe retirement act has the right focus and strikes the right balance. the starter 4o1k plan proposal would allow business owners a way to offer employees a chance to save. another important change proposed would allow employers to adopt a qualified retirement plan after the end of the year when the final results of business for the prior year are available. this would literally open a window for more plans to be adopted and more employer dollars contributed. also permits small employers to band together in multiple employer plan arrangements while providing critical safeguards through creating a new designated service provider.

finally, we also address many of the inefficiencies and traps for the unwary employer. retirement system works well, but we need to do more enact reforms that will further and sent employers to provide a retirement savings vehicle. your bill is big step in the right direction to removing complexities and expanding the availability of workplace plans some more business owners will be able to provide a better retirement plan. thank you, and i'm happy to answer any further questions >> thank you, you, and thank you for being here. >> chairman, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today and share my thoughts. public policy has historically promoted savings using financial

incentives. in the united states the primary inducement to save is the exemption of retirement savings plan contributions. the joint community on taxation places the magnitude of this tax expenditure at $127 billion annually. lower income taxpayers are eligible for the saver's credit have a further -- has a further enticement. public policy encourage employers to provide there own financial inducements, namely the provision of an employer match. a match. a large body of academic literature has examined the responsiveness of savings. a rather consistent finding is that the behavioral response to changes and incentives is not particularly large.

in a recent paper i surveyed academic literature on the impact of one kind of financial incentives on savings plan participation and contributions. the studies using the most credible empirical methods find strikingly similar results using a variety of different data sources. matching contribution of 25% increases savings plan participation by roughly five percentage points. modest at best. conditional on participating in a savings plan financial incentives can impact how much individual save, but this does not come from the magnitude is so much as ron the fact that at some.the incentive expires. and many plans the employer provides a match a match but only up to a certain fraction of pay. the savers credit gives eligible low and moderate income households of financial incentive to save for retirement but only for the first $2,000 contributed when financial incentives to save our limited to savings

below a certain threshold this threshold becomes a a focal.as individuals decide how much to save. data shows data shows that savings plan participants overwhelmingly choose contribution rates that are either multiples of five or the match threshold. this finding suggests the match threshold may be a much more important parameter than the match rate. the relatively small impact of financial incentives suggests that a failure to save is not primarily the result of an adequate financial incentive, rather there are other barriers to savings not addressed by traditional policy solutions the literature on behavioral economics points to a marriott afflictions that impede successful saving, procrastination, lack of financial literacy coupled with the complexity of determining how much to say and how best to invest,

inattention, and the temptation to spend. in many cases countering these corrections leads to increases in savings plan participation and the accumulation to surpass the financial incentive. before discussing policy alternatives to financial incentives that are informed by behavioral economics let me note that from a behavioral economic standpoint the tax code is particularly ill-suited to generating financial incentive. first, the tax code is complicated. it is difficult for the average taxpayer to assess the financial incentives he or she faces. for example, in a research project am working on my co-authors and i have found that most individuals do not accurately understand the tax implications of saving and in a roth versus a regular 4o1k. the low or moderate income taxpayers assessing the incentives would likely be a daunting task. indeed, i attempted to do so and repairing -- preparing these

remarks and quickly gave up. individuals are more responsive to immediate and delayed financial incentives that many of the financial incentives to say that operate through the tax code in the late. the benefits are delayed, as are the benefits of tax to the actions or credits that are not processed through payroll deduction or reduced taxes. ironically what could be a very effective financial incentive to encourage individuals to enroll in a workplace savings plan, a small but immediate financial reward is not allowed in savings plans under current law. financial incentives are not a a savings panacea. the most effective method is automatic enrollment. the impact the impact of automatic enrollment on participation rate can be sizable and is greatest for the groups with the lowest saving rates initially younger and lower income workers. expanding the reach of automatic enrollment is the

most promising policy step we can take to increase american saving for retirement which means continuing to increase the number of employees with savings plans, increasing the number of employees who offer savings plans and providing simple savings alternatives for individuals who are self-employed for employers who do not and are unlikely to ever sponsor a savings plan. policy initiatives that support these measures include auto ira proposals and legislation to facilitate multiple employer plans. paradoxically a savings system that in the absence of automatic enrollment makes saving complicated by the same time making it easy for individuals to tap into their retirement savings, another policy response needed is to encourage retirement wealth accumulation, reduce leakage in conclusion, the lessons

are clear. if you want individuals to save, make it easy. if you want individuals to save more, make it easy. if you want employers to help the workers save, make it easy. if you want you want individuals to spend less, make it hard. >> i got the draft. i just want to make sure everyone understands something. you have been a leading scholar. you still you still give the individual the last word. the individual can choose not to automatically enroll. >> yes. >> okay. welcome. >> chairman, ranking member, thank you you for the opportunity to testify today the word crisis is often overused. generally this is harmless. the perception of a crisis sometimes causes people to leave before they look.

this is the case today. one well-known study claims that when 50% of 50 percent of americans are at risk of insufficient retirement income. another study another study claims 85 percent. the total retirement savings can reach 40 40 trillion. americans collect only a pittance. in response some are proposing expensive expansions. others argue that they are not working. these claims are overblown and the policies are not solutions. this this kind of analysis is necessarily complex. first,. first, the majority of today's retirees are doing well. 75% tell pollsters tell pollsters they have enough money to live comfortably. data on poverty and other measures show that most retirees today are able to match the preretirement

standard of living. the best research out there from a model developed by the social security administration using input from the best retirement experts projects that future generations will have about the same level of retirement security as today's retirees specifically ssa projects in retirement generation x will have the same replacement rate as individuals born during the depression who supposedly enjoyed a golden age. this model incorporates some of the same data from the federal reserve study you referenced earlier. the earlier. the employee benefit research institute projects retirement security for future generations will roughly hold steady. put those two facts together and you come to this conclusion. if we don't have a crisis today it does not appear we we will have one in the future. around 25 percent are unprepared for retirement with relatively modest savings shortfalls.

these are targeted. one study finds that single, less single, less educated women are likely twice to fall short for retirement. while we do not need to reinvent the wheel, we need to do something. i am in favor of auto enrollment pension plans. ..