assion for the job at 98% and they feel they are doing important work. the fact that they can't do the quality of work they've done enough in the past really hurts. >> mr. chairman, this raises a raises a valid point when we think about the ratings of these agencies. if we as legislators don't give the proper resources to adequately pay employees, to adequately fund these agencies who happened to be for the most part domestic agencies, even dhs, then we are doing a disservice to the agencies also. i want to bring that up, not to debate up, not to debate that issue here, that's not the place, but it also raises a real issue.

>> i would agree. >> thank you. >> mr. emerson, mr. emerson, dhs was created as a maid merger of 22 agencies following the 911 attack. today dhs is tasked with protecting our borders and airspace. however they have made dhs funding the object of political gain fullness. what other challenges of managing the department tasks with such a array of responsibilities. >> that can have an effect on morale. anything you all can do to help us in that area. it wasn't the entire government going through that. it was dhs and that's hard for

employees who work hard every day to protect this country, as you are were pointing out our employees do an amazing job. they have a lot of work that they deal with and their jobs are difficult but they come to work every day and give 110%. >> hopefully our colleagues are listening to your concerns and the points that you raise today. government wide federal employee engagement has declined 4% from 2011 to 2014. there are number that have sustained or increased that level during this time. nasa, development agency, all topped for s places to work.

the department of education levels have increased an estimated 56%. based on your research what are these agencies doing right? >> we found several commonalities. one starts with leadership that's critical. in terms of some specific drivers, we found things like having constructive performance conversations with staff was very important, career development and training, having effective work life balance programs, inclusive work environment and showing respect for diversity, employee involvement and communication from management. i would just like to link this to something that ms. maloney said a while back, so many of these drivers don't cost anything or they cost so little. it's being supportive and listening to your people. valuing what they have to say.

it's not everything, there's more to be done but it's such a a good starting point. one of the things that i'm reminded of at gao, when we came back to work after the shutdown, ahead of our agencies he was out in front of the building welcoming people back. people are still talking about to this day. sometimes day. sometimes it's very little things like that, things we learned in kindergarten and we just sometimes forget about them due to the busyness and fighting the fires we all have to do every day. little things can go a long a long way. say thank you and do it personal. don't send it via e-mail go over and tell them. >> apparently respect goes a long way. >> i think the gentleman from missouri and recognize the gentleman from new york for a closing statement.

>> i want to thank the chairman for calling this hearing. quite frankly at first i thought it was ridiculous. coming to it i think it's very important. i think it's important that there is a big disconnect that many of you are testifying that everybody's happy and all giving a hundred%, but when they're filling out their forms there telling a very different story. i think we have a lot of work to do because we really set the leadership for the country. many people look to the federal government for leadership. i think the gao is a wonderful resource and for in your testimony you identified six factors that correlated with higher employee engagement levels. i'm going to read them to you and i would like to ask all of you to go back to your agency

and in the next month try to implement them. them. write us back on what happened. maybe the chairman will call you back in a month or two that you took these six recommendations and put them to work. i would add a seventh one and that would be to look to promote from within so people know they have a career path. that they have a future at these wonderful agencies. that they will be looked at on their merits and if they understand their material and produce a good work product a good work product that they have a shot at heading this agency. i would get that message out. it's very simple, having constructive performance conversations, career development and training work-family balance balance

inclusiveness, employee involvement, and communication from management. i would say if you took those guidelines that they put a lot of research and putting together and implemented it for a month or two, i think you'd see some differences and i'd like to hear the response if you get back to the chairman. try it for a month or two months and see what the difference is. i want to say to him land security, i helped write the legislation that created the department of homeland security that grew out of the biggest disaster in the history of our country where 3000 people were killed because we were americans and woke up and went to work today. thousands and thousands more are dying and sick because of their exposure to the deadly toxins at the worksite. out of that came the best work i've ever seen in congress. a commission was set up that was republican and democrat headed by two outstanding people, former governor kane and former member of congress hamilton and

they've made an agreement that they would not do anything unless they involve their counterpart. they issued a report called a 911 commission report that sold more copies than harry potter. sold more copies than harry potter, literally. it was the most read document in our history. i nominated them for an award they didn't win but i nominated them. they gave an outline of what was wrong and the first thing was we were way behind in our intelligence. we had 22 different agencies and we took that recommendation and created the department of homeland security. you are the most important agency in our country. if we can't protect our president, our workers, our people and we can't do anything. your department is the most important department in

the entire government. you took 22 different agencies that weren't talking to each other on intelligence and other each other on intelligence and other areas and are forcing them to talk, share information, and protect this country. bottom line, you're. bottom line, you're doing a great job. we haven't been attacked again but people are trying. in the great state of new york york, they've tried 14 different times, but because of the work of your agency we've prevented it. were preventing attacks on our great country. i mean what i said, i'd like you to take your workers down to 9/11. when they see what happened that day and hear the stories of the families of the people that were killed and hear the stories of the seals and governor kane and others that worked to put these pieces back together again and make our country even stronger they should have the best morale in the whole government. i think the chairman has told me he's serious about this. he's going to be reading these reviews and wants to see some

changes. i think we have a responsibility in congress because the way we treat people nominated for positions and people that are working in government, i think is tremendously disgraceful. i want to mention the gentleman i called in my office, he was recommended for a a job in treasury. i never met him, i don't know him, but he was vilified that somehow he caused the 2008 economic meltdown on wall street. he was basically in research and analysis and advice. he wasn't trading or part of any mistakes that were made but they said because he was from a firm this firm wasn't even involved in wall street or the trades but because trades, but because he was in a firm doing research and advice, he wasn't fit to serve.

every now and then i think we are a strong country because we have a strong private sector and a strong public sector. if we vilify people who understand how they can volunteer and help the public sector we are making a big mistake in this country. there were demonstrations in front of his house, petitions against him, his children are asking why do they say your horrible person that caused the financial question crisis. it it might be good to have someone who understands finance to serve and finance. we could talk about loretta lynch. she was a distinguished and accomplished a leader in the justice department for her entire life. no one says anything bad about her but her appointment is held up. people are often vilified if they want to serve in government. if we continue that, no one is going to want to serve.

that's absolutely wrong and unfair that we vilify the federal employees often times. we say it's a federal employee fault instead of working together to find a solution. anyway i think you're great. you need to improve and have a great job to do. do. go back to your agencies and turn this around and help us move forward in a positive way because we have the greatest country and we don't have the greatest country without the greatest workforce and you're part of it. part of the problem is mr. chairman, we and congress and the public and other people vilify public servants. >> today is the start of trying to get through that problem and that's why i felt it was important we held this hearing. i will say to each one of you i'm a tenacious and unforgiving

in the individual. i make notes and i remember things well i don't remember things, i'd forget to take the trash if my wife didn't remind me but i do write things down. i want you to root make progress and will make this hearing every year. i'm hopeful the three of you won't be on this list next year and it will be somebody else that we bring inches in. in the meantime we will be checking with you and asking you for additional information to provide. i think each of you for your testimony but i would be remiss in not thanking the committee staff on both sides. the committee staff worked so incredibly hard. this goes off like clockwork, not because of my preparation but because of theirs.

i want to thank them and for those that are streaming and watching here today, thank you for your service thank you truly for your willingness to be public servants and if there is no further business, without objection the subcommittee stands adjourned. bill 178 which the

clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 26, s. 178 a bill to provide justice for the victims of trafficking. the presiding officer: under the previous order the time until 11:00 a.m. will be equally divided in the usual form. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to waive

the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture vote at 11:00 a.m. this morning. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president i'm an optimistic person. as a matter of fact i think everybody from texas is an optimist. can you imagine the challenges that people have that founded our state indians wide open hostile territory, tough weather, but they persevered because they were optimists and they thought the fight was worth the struggle. they thought the goal and the accomplishment the hoped-for accomplishment was worth the struggle. so i'm still -- i still remain optimistic despite the last few weeks that would challenge that optimism that we will actually break through hear and get to

consider and vote on the justice for victims of trafficking act and get help to the people that the majority leader, senator mcconnell, described. the children who cannot help themselves. i mean, for heaven's sake, if we can't help the most vulnerable people in our country, children who cannot help themselves who are the victims of modern-day slavery what in the world can we do? so we mark 100 days here in the united states senate with the new republican budget, and -- republican majority, ands look back, i don't think anybody can deny under the majority leader's stewardship we have had significant accomplishments in a short period of time. sure it's been bumpy along the way, the keystone x.l. pipeline was a significant bump in the road but we had a strong bipartisan vote and unfortunately, the president

decided to veto that legislation. after years of this chamber being used solely for the purpose of messaging and conducting political show votes, we actually are starting to get some things done. it's pretty exciting. as somebody who has been here since 2002 it's hard to believe when i say that, i've actually been here during different phases and cycles of the united states senate operating and i have to tell you the last four years or so has been a dark period, a stain on the reputation of the united states senate in terms of actually getting things done in the interest of the american people. and i understand, you know, he said she said, the blame game the blame game is a world-class sport here in washington, d.c. but most of our constituents could care less about the blame game. they actually want to see government function in their interest. consistent with our principles, we're going to have some is disagreements, there's no doubt about it.

but they hate the dysfunction. they hate the political posturing. and you know what? i do, too. and i dare say the vast majority of the united states senators, they hate the dysfunction the senate has experienced. so there is a new spirit of optimism and yes hope, not that the age of aquarius has suddenly broken out peace love and understanding and we're going to hold hands and sing "kumbayah" that's not going to happen but can we work together as americans people who love our country who have taken an oath to uphold the laws and constitution of the united states to who owe a fiduciary duty to the people i represent. i represent 26.9 million people. that just staggers my imagination when i think about it. when i think about the responsibility associated with it. but i am encouraged when we have

the chance to help people who can't -- especially those who can't help themselves. well one reason for my optimism about the new congress is that we've held a lot of votes we had 15 votes last year, 15 roll call votes last year in the congress. we've had about a hundred in the hundred days we've been here. as a matter of fact, i've heard some of our colleagues saying i'm a little tired of voting quite as much as we have, particularly the budget vote-a-rama which lasted until 4:00 in the morning and i understand that. but, you know, we've passed a balanced budget in the united states senate without raising taxes. we -- the congress hadn't passed a budget since 2009. what more fundamental, basic function of government than to

pass a budget? the distinguished presiding officer was governor of his great state. i am absolutely confident he viewed that as one of the fundamental responsibilities of his state government, and of his office in particular, is to get the fiscal house in order and the way you do that is by passing a budget and determining what your priorities are things you absolutely have to do things you perhaps want to do but maybe have to delay. and things that you simply can't afford. every state every local government and yes, the federal government should pass a budget and we will in short order. the senate has now we need to reconcile our differences with the house which we will shortly. but, you know, it's not just government. every family, every business has to work on a budget. so that's progress. and i'm happy for that. and then on tuesday night we

actually fixed a problem that had been nagging the united states congress since 1997. now, back in 1997 we -- the congress we weren't here, the presiding officer and i weren't here but congress had the bright idea we're going to save money in health care by whacking the payments we make to provide ers and hospitals. well, after a while we found out that if you don't pay doctors and hospitals for treating medicare patients, they won't see them. so our seniors to whom we've made a sacred promise, we will continue to make sure that medicare provides quality service and is accessible, all of a sudden wasn't quite so accessible because people couldn't find a doctor who would take a new medicare patient. that's still a problem. so we came back over the intervening years and 17 times

out of the 18 times that those cuts would have been imposed congress reversed them. and we had an expression around here that, unfortunately we had to use a lot we called it the doc fix. that's an inelegant way perhaps of describing what we were doing but basically what we were trying to do was preserve medicare and access to doctors and hospitals for our seniors who were beneficiaries of the medicare system. that to me represents some progress mr. president that we have fixed that once and for all. and then imagine my surprise that after the contentious issue of congressional approval over the anticipated iranian-u.s. and along with our allies nuclear negotiations over this deal that could be forthcoming this

summer imagine my surprise after the president said he would veto it, that the senate foreign relations committee unanimously passed a bill out of the committee. all democrats voted for it, all republicans voted for it, and oh, by the way when the president began to count the numbers and the support in the united states senate on a bipartisan basis, he said you know what? i think i'll sign that piece of legislation when it comes to my desk. i think that represents progress. and one other item that has made me somewhat optimistic on this 100th day of this new congress is that we are very close to working out a trade deal that the president supports, and i would say republicans by and large support. honestly there is probably more controversy on the democratic side than on the republican side. but in a world where 80% of the

purchasing power in the world and 95% of the population in the world exists beyond our shores, why in the world wouldn't we want to open up new markets to the stuff that we grow, our farmers, our reference the livestock they raise and the things that we make? i think it just makes good sense. so you can see why i perhaps -- perhaps why i'm optimistic about this new congress and what we've been able to do together on a bipartisan basis to make progress in the interests of the american people. the one thing that has me completely bamboozled and befuddled is the objections over this anti-trafficking legislation that had 30 cosponsors roughly an equal number of democrats and republicans, pass -- sailed

out of the judiciary committee. my friend the senator from illinois t -- the democratic whip, knows the judiciary committee is no place for the faint of heart. we have a lot of disagreements. maybe that's because we have a lot of lawyers on the judiciary committee. but we have -- we fight a lot about things we believe in strongly. but this antitrafficking legislation sailed out of the judiciary committee on a unanimous basis. so i hope we can work out these differences. and i've made multiple suggestions and compromised in an effort to try to get everybody to "yes." i agree with the majority leader 's description of the -- the majority leader's description of the sordid, unspeakable evil of human trafficking and the compelling reasons why we ought to do

something to address it. i know that that's where the -- that's where the hearts are of all of our colleagues. but somehow we've just gotten stuck, and we need to get unstuck. and i hope today will be that day. of course, human trafficking is a plague in all 50 states and my state unfortunately has way too much of its share. i, like all of our colleagues, have had the chance to meet many of the brave victims of human trafficking. one i met last week in austin, brooks axtel -- brook axtel. our friends at google convened a meeting there in austin. the technology community understands that a lot of the solicitation of underaged girls and victims of human trafficking occurs on-line and so they've come together to try to work with law enforcement, work with victims' rights groups to come up with a comprehensive way to combat it.

so at google last week in austin i met brook axtel, who was introduced to america when she gave a moving speech at this year's grammy awards. back in texas she's better known for her work with a number of nonprofits that are focused on ending domestic violence and human trafficking. and i can't begin to tell you how inspiring she is and her words were, particularly when you consider the horror the absolute horror of what she had been through as a victim of human trafficking herself. starting at the age of 7 -- 7 years old -- brook was sexually abused. she was literally put in chains and a cage, treated like an animal in a basement. and she was repeatedly sold to men who raped and abused her.

out of in the horror -- out of this horror that she experience the as a -- experienced as a young child brook has brought light to her pain and i think her leadership in the antitrafficking effort has actually helped her heal and she is one brave courageous young woman. she founded a group called "survivor healing and empowerment" which is a community for survivors of rape, abuse and human sex trafficking. that's why today at 11:00 i hope all of our colleagues listen not only to brook's voice and her experience but each one of us here on the floor could tell a similar story about somebody in their state somebody they know, they've met who would be helped by this legislation. i hope we don't tell them no. i hope we don't shut another

door in their face. so i see some of our colleagues on the floor. i want to just briefly give them a chance to speak before we vote at 11:00 just to say that the underlying legislation is not partisan. it would strengthen law enforcement tools and authorities to rescue victims while taking down the human traffickers and the criminal networks that support them. it would provide -- the goal is provide at least $30 million through fines and penalties paid into the public treasury that would then go to help heal and rescue the victims of human trafficking. now, this is not tax money so it's really deficit-neutral. we're not raising taxes to do it. we're making the people who purchase these services and who are convicted and who have to pay fines and penalties, we're making them pay to help rescue

and heal the victims. well shortly we'll vote on another compromise that i have offered. i've tried to listen to the objections of our friends across the aisle and i don't want to relitigate those because frankly, that's not particularly productive. they seem to be locked in. we are -- i'm sure they'd say we are locked in. and so we're trying to find a way forward. first and most importantly this amendment would completely replace a provision that members on the other side have objected to regarding the application of the hyde amendment. the amendment would replace the language with a provision negotiated by leader pelosi leader pelosi, from the doc fix bill i mentioned earlier that passed the house with 392 votes. 180 house democrats voted for this bill, including leader pelosi. so that language, we have substituted that language for

the original language. and, of course, here in the senate we had 92 senators vote for that same language. and our colleagues across the aisle have repeatedly voted for similar language. so the pelosi language from this bill that my amendment includes would simply say that any funds used to provide services to victims of human trafficking would be subject to the same requirements as funds under the public health services act. well the majority leader said it well. if this language is good enough to help the doctors and the hospitals surely, surely it's good enough to help young 7-year-old victims of human trafficking like brook axtel was -- was. to further clarify, to address the stated concerns of our friends across the aisle this amendment would also clarify that all money all the money in

the domestic trafficking victims' fund must be derived from the general treasury. this is something -- an objection i don't personally understand but we want to make it clear just perhaps to help our colleagues get to "yes," that all of the money would be derived from the general treasury which, of course, is where all federal funding comes from. and we would make clear that all of the money would be public dollars. now, this -- i don't really get this because, you know, tax dollars are private dollars until you give them to the government and then they're no longer private, they're public. fines and penalties are private until you give it to -- pay it to the government. then it's public. but we want to make clear that that -- eliminate any rationale for any objection and say that explicitly these would be public dollars. the requirements placed on funds under the bill would not be placed on the fees and penalties. that seemed to be a matter of concern and we tried to address that.

well as i explained, the pending amendment would do what i have tried my dead-level best to try to address the concerns that the democrat -- our democrat colleagues who have blocked the bill so far have continually expressed. so the language is just the same as the doc fix and we've made clear that none of the fines and penalties themselves but rather funds derived from the general treasury would be used to pay for these services in an equivalent amount to the -- to the fines and penalties. i would just add parenthetically when i was talking to one of our colleagues about it, they said, well, that's money laundering. you're taking fines and penalties and you're transferring it -- you're substituting it into the general fund. i mean, give me a break. what we're trying to do is find a solution.

so i think we've given our colleagues every opportunity to get to "yes" on this. i know because i've talked to a lot of them, including the senator from illinois we -- people want to get to "yes." and i hope we've found a way to do that. so i hope we won't let the political gamesmanship continue to get in the way of a bill that would bring relief and healing to victims of human trafficking. so i hope we will have that vote at 11:00 and it will be a broad bipartisan support to proceed to the bill and to pass the legislation. i yield the floor. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: mr. president, how much time is remaining on the democratic side? the presiding officer: 20 minutes. mr. durbin: thank you. i'll be very brief because i see my colleague from connecticut here. and let me say at the outset in the most positive way, i want to thank senator cornyn and senator klobuchar of minnesota for their bipartisan effort to bring this

issue to the floor and to the senate judiciary committee. had a hearing in a subcommittee on this subject and it was heartbreaking to here about the exploitation of these young women at such a tender age. unspeakable things were happening to them. sadly, in many states when they were -- finally came into the custody of law enforcement, some of them, some of the children, these young girls were being charged as criminals until it was clear that they had been enslaved and they had been exploited for so many years. so the thinking on the subject is moving in the right direction and the suggestions of senator cornyn and senator klobuchar are also in the right direction. so why don't we pass this bill? we have all this bipartisan support. one provision in this bill turns out to be fraught with controversy. 39 years ago a congressman from illinois named henry hyde offered compromise language on

the issue of abortion. it was just a few years after roe v. wade. it was still very controversial. and he said we will prohibit the expenditure of taxpayer funds for abortion except in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. for 39 years that has been the standard. there's been an uneasy truce between those who see this issue in much different ways, many different ways. they've come to the conclusion this will be the standard that will be applied to the expenditure of taxpayer funds and it is renewed year after year after year. senator cornyn, perhaps by accident or perhaps by design crossed the line and started talking about not taxpayer funds but funds collected in fines from those guilty of human trafficking to create a victims' fund. and that has brought all of the debate and controversy. in fairness to senator cornyn and to senator murray, who has joined with others in this

battle there has been an active exchange of compromise language. we've counted i think 12 different versions we've sent over to senator cornyn. he's sent probably as many our way. so it isn't as if both sides have hunkered down and are just staring one another down. there's an honest effort to find a solution. the solution would not be embodied in the vote that had been scheduled for 11:00. it's the old language. but they're still working on new language and i hope we reach a point soon where we achieve that. we all agree human trafficking should stop and victims should be compensated. i yield the floor. mr. blumenthal: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. blumenthal: thank you mr. president. i rise with regret because you

feel we remain divided. there is so much common ground here so many good ideas in this bill so much that unites us. we have so much more in common than in conflict. on this bill. and the justice for victims of trafficking act has involved so much work by great colleagues, senator cornyn and senator klobuchar, senator murray and senator feinstein and my colleague from illinois who has just finished speaking. and i'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. we are divided on one paragraph that is simply unacceptable r. and it is fundamental to the goals of this bill. which is to restore human dignity and freedom to victims and survivors of human trafficking. restoring freedom involves

giving those survivors choices over whether or not they will bare children as a result of that trafficking. trafficking is fundamentally modern-day slavery. it is sex slavery and sex exploitation which results all too often in pregnancy. and at its core the human trafficking bill before us today is about restoring human dignity to those victims and survivors and enabling them to avoid the long-lasting and enduring consequences of that slavery. this legislation is an acknowledgment of our common commitment to these survivors and to providing them the services and support they need so much.

one of them is abortion. and where we are divided here is on guaranteeing that reproductive right the essence of freedom and dignity and choice. and so it is well beyond a technicality here. it is about the fundamental goals of this bill which are contradicted by this provision in the law. senator cornyn's proposed amendment changes the words of this paragraph that we find objectionable but it doesn't change the substance the basic substance for its practical effect. we are told that the provision in question doesn't matter because it includes a rape exception. but it requires the survivor to

request, to ask to entreat and supplicate to the state whether the rape was really rape, whether it is a pretense, or they must bear a rapist's child. we're told the provision in question is essentially the same as the hyde amendment but that is flatly untrue because the hyde amendment applies to taxpayer funds and as my colleague from texas a good friend who is determined, i believe, to address this problem of human trafficking, there are no taxpayer funds in that $30 million that is taken from criminal fines and penalties. it is an entirely different source of funds. as a prosecutor, former prosecutor i view those moneys

as restitution. they come from criminals and they're used to try to support and serve the victims of that criminal activity. there's nothing more fundamental than using funds taken from criminals for the benefit of their victims. congress has never before privileged the concerns of criminals over the rights of women, and we should not start now. i respect my colleague from texas and other colleagues who may differ with me on this issue. he has stated with heart breaking and eloquent terms the practical human impact of trafficking sex slavery.

i ask my colleagues now to give these women the real freedom from that sex slavery liberate them truly from this heinous and horrific violation of basic human rights by guaranteeing them one of the basic human rights, which is the right to make choices about their own bodies about their futures about their hopes and dreams as they are liberated from this slavery let this chamber and my colleagues recognize the rights they have to truly be free from those who enslave them. i urge this body to strike the hyde language from senate 178

and to make good on its promise and as cochair of the bipartisan senate caucus to end human trafficking, i agree completely that this cause ought to be bipartisan. it ought not to divide us along any partisan or party lines. i am proud to have worked with members on both sides of the aisle, and i hope that we can come to agreement now with my good friend and my excellent colleague, senator cornyn and others who have worked so hard and who are so genuinely determined to solve this problem and to take a step. it's only a first step in the direction of combating human trafficking. thank you is hosted by the

national press club. it runs an hour. [inaudible conversations]

>> good evening and welcome. my name is john hughes. i'm an editor for bloomberg first word which is our breaking news desk here in washington and i am the president of the national press club. we are the world's leading professional organization for journalists. we are committed to our profession's future through programs just like this and the fight for a free press worldwide worldwide. for more information visit our web site press.org. to donate to pirg rams offered to our clubs journalism institute, visit press.org/ press.org/institute. on behalf of members worldwide i want to welcome you all here to our live audience to the days newspaper dinner. i'd also like to welcome our c-span a public radio audiences. you can follow the action on twitter by using the hashtag npc

dinner. remember, the public events or dinners. applause is not evidence of a lack of journalistic objectivity objectivity. after a guest speech we will have a question and answer period. i will ask as many questions as time permits. our head table includes guess of our speaker and also working journalists to our club members. let me introduce them to you now. i would ask each person to stand briefly as names are announced. from the audiences right the washington correspondent for egypt's tv network. kathy, executive director of communications, consortium media center and a member of the npc journalism institute board. rachel oswald, foreign affairs

writer for cq world call and vice chair of the npc press freedom committee. u.n. undersecretary general for economic and social affairs and a guest of our speaker. jeff ballou al-jazeera media network and vice chairman of the npc board of governors. donna leinwand lachey broke -- breaking news reporter for "usa today," vice chair of the speakers committee and the former ftc president. skipping over our speaker for a moment the treasury reporter for "bloomberg news" and the speakers committee member who organized today's dinner. thank you. the u.n. undersecretary general for peacekeeping operations and

a guest at the speaker. washington bureau chief for io load news. associate editor and journalist for scientific america. mark, senior associate editor and kiplinger's personal finance and treasurer of the national press club. [applause] the united nations celebrates its 70th birthday later this year. that's seven decades of international peacekeeping humanitarian aid assistance with economic development and support of human rights. while particulars of the u.n. agenda change from time to time the underlying goal has remained constant to prevent another

conflict like world war ii. ban ki-moon the foreign minister of south korea serving a second term as u.n. secretary-general. he has been on the job since 2007 and he is the eighth person to hold this post. during his tenure the u.n. has just wanted to crisis in darfur were, the proliferation of weapons of mass distraction, the effects of local warming and terrorism. he also faces challenges such as water shortages worldwide, the ebola outbreak in western africa and civil conflict in ukraine and syria. despite these immediate challenges he has focused on long-term goals as well such as ending violence against women and improving education for the

largest generation of young people the world has ever known. one of sub or's predecessor said the position of secretary-general is quote the most impossible job on earth end quote. we look forward to hearing the secret of how to handle a job such as those. please join me in giving a warm the national press club welcome to united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. [applause] >> thank you for your very kind introduction mr. john hughes president of the national press club. members of the npc distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honor and pleasure

to meet with you and thank you for your kind invitation and thank you for taking time today. i know that you are eager to have tonight's main course so that you have finished your main course but you must be insurance did in the main course, the question and answer session. before that, i would like to say as some food for thought. visiting i asked one of our very senior advisers who has been working longer than 30 or 40 years, long serving advisers, i

asked him i have so much trouble with what is happening in this world, but have you ever seen during your press life with united nations such a time when we are having so many buyers taking place all around the world at once at a time like this. i can name at least 10 hotspots immediately and continuing economic difficulties around the world. he said he has never experienced such a time and usually it's one or two crises happening here and there but now we have a list of them tend headline crises. in addition to this headline crises you follow on a daily

basis we have many forgotten crises were frozen crises. i will name the forgotten her furs and cases. you would know better than i do because you have been following them all the time. we face really many crises at once. there are a minimum of t. million -- around the world. that's our job to provide daily food sanitation, water, education. it's a huge burden. there are many people who are sick, many people who are out of -- the united nations responsibility is getting more and more tough. the united nations has asked for

$16 billion to cover humanitarian relief. almost five times what we needed a decade ago. that's a huge increase exponential increase. billions of people face hatred and persecution. billions suffer from hunger and exploitation. billions of dollars continue to be squandered on nuclear weapons and other arsenals. beyond these numbers we see several transformative trends. first, new economic powers have emerged. second, more people are migrating than ever before seeking better opportunities. more people live in megacities. people are coming to the city's

making a lot of problems for governors. extremism and terrorism and crimes have taken on more violent forms. weather patterns are destroying and killing many people and infrastructure. states alone cannot solve these problems. not a single country however powerful for example we are living in the united states. people often think that they united states is the most powerful, the most resourceful country. they look to the united nations. the united nations cannot handle this alone. we need collective power

solidarity. otherwise our world will have more and more troubles. ladies and gentlemen, millions of people continue to suffer from the devastating consequences of government failures, injustice, inequality, violation of human rights and unbearable poverty. now let me just mention several cases. what i am going to say is not -- but serious situations. let us think about syria. this is the fifth year with the syrian people have been killed and displaced. meanwhile the parties continue to show little or almost no

willingness to solve this through dialogue. this is why i've asked my special envoy to do maximum efforts to relaunch a political dialogue as a way to implement geneva convention. if anyone is truly serious about engaging in meaningful negotiations to end this nightmare he has to walk on this matter. i would like to make a special plea on the palestinians in the refugee camps. they are caught between the military civil government and the brutality. they have little way out.

the aid can find little way in and their suffering is largely out of the spotlight. i have been working very hard recently to protect 18,000 people who are trapped in between. there are at least 3500 children who need our immediate protection. yemen is also in flames. ladies and gentlemen we have -- who is taking care of all the humanitarian works of welcome. even before the latest escalations, two out of three yemenis relied on humanitarian assistance. foreign security were higher

than they poorest areas of africa. hundreds are dead. humanitarian supplies are being brought and unicef has reported an astounding one third of the fighters are children. that is why i am calling for an immediate cease-fire in yemen by all the parties. it is time to support lifesaving aids and the passage to real peace. [applause] the saudis have ushered in and they understand that there must be a political process.

i call on all yemenis to participate in good faith. the united nations supported diplomatic process remains the best way for regional stability. in nigeria a new government can promote their return home of the schoolchildren who have been kidnapped during the last year. in south sudan more than 150,000 people are now being accommodated within the united nations. the united states nations was never designed to accommodate that many refugees. the situation is very fragile

and i welcome the framework of p5+1 and iran. to remove iran's nuclear program and remove sanctions. once a comprehensive agreement is finalized by the end of june the united nations will do our best to help implementation process including through monetary verification. by the international atomic energy agency, iaea. this breakthrough can also create space for efforts to address the many other serious challenges in the region. we have all been horrified by the terrorist attacks and violence committed by groups such as al-shabaab m. boko haram and others. your colleagues in the media

have been among the victims and i continued to stress indeed for journalists to have what they need to fight further. [applause] the united nations wants to present a conference of plan of action to address this extremism, violent extremism and terrorism to a general assembly this year. next week at the united nations i together with the president of the general assembly, are going to convene a high-level debate on the conciliation and tolerance, how it can address violent extremism by leveling

and enhancing mutual respect and reconciliation. all of these are very important issues. without addressing these issues we will not be able to have peace and sustainable development in our societies. we are working very closely with civilizations and i've invited many villagers and leaders. i believe that there are very important roles to be played by religious leaders and educators to teach their followers and their students what is the correct meaning of mutual respect and understanding and reconciliations and harmony in living together. these are very important issues and that's why as i said i'm going to present the copper has a plan of action.

we must ensure counterterrorism efforts respect human rights and international humanitarian law. as we have seen time and again over reaction is the stream is best recruiting tool. ladies and gentlemen we must not let the smoke from these fires up scare proper changes. we must not be distracted by all this so-called headline news. there are many more important issues to make our world better and there are longer-term visions for development, sustainable development and how to address this climate change issue. for the past 15 years the world has been pursuing many development goals.

an eight-point blueprint for reducing poverty. the world has lifted 7 million people from out of poverty. we have averted millions of deaths from all area tuberculosis and aids. millions of children including girls. they have better access to education. our target was to have all the school-aged children have a primary education but unfortunately we still have 50 million school children out of school. we have to bring them back to school through new vision. our challenge is now to finish this. that is why the united nations member states are working very hard to shape and develop an agenda with a set of sustainable

development goals. we have identified 17 goals which will be able to address the oldest spectrums better people-centered and sensitive. economically socially and environmentally. beyond the focus of shared prosperity and harmony a new agenda will emphasize the crucial role of justice, institutions and fundamental freedoms. and for the first time, the it will apply to all countries even the richest that are seeing rising inequality and ending discrimination against women. tackling climate change is an urgent part of the picture.

this climate change is a defining issue of our times. but the international community has been talking and they have not taken action now. we have to take action now. it may be too late but it may not be too late if we take action now. when i first became secretary-general in 2007 i first met president bush. at the time we were talking about what kind of agenda i should discuss with president bush. not only security and peace issues were raised i wanted to raise the climate change issues. i was advised by many senior advisers you had better not to discuss this with president bush. but i raised this issue. at the time the press carried

only one single line that i also discussed climate change with president bush that later that year, later that year in 2007 when the negotiators were in the bali further bali roadmap i was able to have the program itself of president bush and the american government. i really appreciated it. there was an important step at that time. there are still some people who do not want to acknowledge there is climate change but there is climate change. by any standard, scientific evidence clearly tell us that climate change is happening. it's approaching much much faster than one may expect. moreover no one can deny the

shifts that are already underway underway. investment in renewable energy are growing rapidly. the cost of solar and wind energy are plummeting and are often less expensive alternatives. not only is -- but so are the economics. climate action pays. the markets of the future will bring sustainable solutions. over the next 15 years we will make massive investments in energy and other infrastructure. we can do this sustainably or we can lock ourselves into the past. that raises the global thermostat higher still.

the choice is quite clear. scientists are saying we may be stepping toward a tipping point. depending upon how you -- that we may be able to work toward a sustainable path or we may be -- we may have progressed for succeeding generations. therefore we must act now. the united states summit is intended for climate action. i commend president obama for his leadership ambitions. in announcing u.s.-china -- in november last year. that was a major impact and i also commend the european union for their very solid visionary

plans to address climate change. the u.s. and china and european unions champing -- championing is putting all of us on the right path to think every country has a role to play. i am emphasizing that china has made important commitments and people everywhere are more intense than ever on finding a common way forward. the world is now recognizing a basic truth of our times. we need to buy insurance for the planet. we must all be ambitious as we look to conclude an agreement at the top climate change conference in paris in december. there's a strong moral

prevention -- vision to these efforts. i will visit the vatican later this month and meet with his holiness pope francis to discuss common concerns including the environment that he plans in the month ahead. i think this will be the first time for any secretary-general to be invited by the pope. [applause] for my part i have invited pope francis to the united nations and president obama and all the leaders of the world to a special summit meeting in september at the united nations asking them to adopt this

visionary and ambitious sustainable development agenda, and i'm sure all the leaders will come and declare their vigilance to the world as a way of celebrating the 70th anniversary of the united nations. this week's meetings are the world bank and imf in washington on an important building block. another key step will be the third international conference on financing for development which be -- will be held next july. ladies and gentlemen we are the first generation that can and poverty and we are the last generation to address climate change. this is a fact that we must act now.

in the year 2015 is a year of global action ambitious changes for humanity from safety to sustainability the united nations relies on the active engagement of the united states. i know from my own experience growing up in war-torn korea what a transformation the united states working with the united nations can help make possible. i have seen in just the past years the remarkable solidarity of the united states with the people of guinea liberia and sierra leone including the outbreak of ebola crisis. the united nations coordinated a wide-ranging response and we are

now within reach of our zero case. our goal is to get these countries to zero cases and remained zero cases so we will be able to declare that these countries in this world is ebola free. [applause] i'm going to meet the presidents of these three countries in washington tomorrow. we will discuss again how we can help those countries be able to declare ebola free as soon as possible. the same time we have a very important mission to do. recently all this month i have launched a high-level panel of independent leaders and experts

to have a lessons learned process. what has gone wrong, what has been a week and unfortunately if we have to experience another epidemic crisis than how we came mobilize financially and provide logistical support to those countries. ladies and gentlemen, i will try to finish by saying that i count on the united states to continue to support the role of the united nations. as i said, when i was young our country was very poor. i was just six years old when the korea -- broke out and we have seen united nations effects in the united nations brought not only security support but

social and economic assistance. the united nations was the beacon of hope to us, to me. now i am humbled whenever i travel around the world i still see many people who look to the united nations as their beacon of hope. now without your help the united nations cannot deliver. in the middle of this the united states can play a very important role and that is why i am speaking to the people of the united states and you may represent all different organizations but i really need the people of the united states and government to provide generous support or humanitarian issues and also show some strong political leadership roles.

this is the 70th anniversary of the united nations at a time when we face major decisions that will shape lives for generations to calm. this is a time of test but far more one of tremendous opportunities. as the distinctions between the national and international continue to fall away, we can and must come together to track a course towards a safer and more sustainable future for all of us. ladies and gentlemen, you have a very important role as a journalist. you are connecting between the united nations and the world. the people should be enlightened by your views and educating them

on what is happening now but more importantly how we should work together to make this world better everywhere. everybody's human dignity's and human rights will be respected and i count on your strong engagement and leadership. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] >> thank you mr. secretary-general. this year marks anniversaries including the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii the 40th anniversary of the end of the vietnam war yet we still see so many conflicts wearing up around the world then you mentioned some of them in your speech. has the world's ability to resolve complex diplomatically

improved since the end of world war ii and vietnam or do these ongoing troubles show that diplomacy has not lived up to its promise? >> i think we have many different means and tools to resolve conflict issues. we have first evolved when there is actual fighting we have a peacekeeping operation. we maintain now 120000 military police and civil servants working in 16 different hotspots raid at the same time we have a very dedicated and experienced mediation team diplomatic facilitation's. preventive diplomacy is much more important, which we are

using to prevent. when we see some symptoms of problems we immediately send our expert mediating teams. we can send anyplace within 72 hours to the place where we see the symptoms. sometimes despite our diplomatic efforts, the virus may happen and it has been such a way. we are living a sex site and a very troubled sid -- did situation but what is necessary at this time is the political will how to resolve all of these issues through dialogue and peaceful way and most important priorities. through this we have been saving a lot of lives and protect

marginalized people particularly women and girls who have been physically abused of their human rights. we will continue to improve our capacity to resolve these issues. >> on the issue of human who called for a cease-fire and yemen yet the country remains fractured. do you truly expect your call to be respected and can there be stability in yemen and the un's envoy there is no longer in place? >> i myself visited him in a couple of years ago when there was a heightened political environment where and when we were about to help them establish a unity government, a

solid nation -- solidarity of dialogue and as you are well aware that hutis and former president saleh have used military means. i was the beginning of this crisis at this time. we are about to see a very harmonious resolution of this government. i took note of what the saudis and cooperation councilmembers. because of the yemeni government and president. now with this for weeks into military operations we have seen many casualties of civilians and many people wounded and destruction of infrastructure.

yemen is one of the poorest of countries. still -- they are destroying their future. therefore as the secretary-general i have been urging there should be an immediate cessation of violence and a return to political dialogue. i still believe that the dialogue is the best option. now as you have already read my special adviser has resigned and i'm now in the process of finding another special adviser who can immediately be deployed for political solutions. thank you. >> you receive several questions about syria including one saying the u.n. security council has

received a video that details alleged chemical weapons use on civilians in syria and will the u.n. take any specific action in response but also questions about disarray in syria and the war what will it take to ultimately get to a solution in syria and is president bashar al-assad have to go? >> you have asked all the aspects of the syrian question. i've been trying to address this issue during the last four years, since the beginning of this crisis. i think march of 2011. when it comes to chemical weapons these are weapons of

mass distraction which is completely prohibited. using chemical weapons is a crime against humanity. that's why the first time the security council who has been divided during the last four years was able to show their unity of power. the secretary council has adopted upon my request a strong resolution. we were able to see the destruction of chemical weapons. then all the facilities are being destroyed dismantle. we are very much concerned by the news that the syrian government has been using chlorine and other chemical weapons.

the security council has taken this very seriously and the opcw has dispatched their experts to investigate this. when it is sure that there are chemical weapons used then we have to take very decisive action to eliminate this. it is absolutely unacceptable that chemical weapons are used on anybody. now why the syrian situation has not been resolved. during four years 220,000 people have been killed. 12 million people have been displaced and refugee to sell more than half of the population has been affected. the united nations has been mobilizing all possible humanitarian agencies providing

humanitarian assistance. there were 4 million refugees who are now being accommodated in five countries and also trying to provide humanitarian assistance inside syria. but there are many people where the united nations have not been able to have access because of fighting, because of fighting inside. this is quite a different -- difficult situation. first of all it's a completely divided society. it's in disarray. divided among the syrian people. they are fighting between the two, the syrian regime and the opposition. the opposition are all divided.

the regional powers are divided and the united nations the security council is divided therefore the three most important parties are all divided. there are so many divisions then there is no way for us to address this issue. that is why recently i have instructed my special envoy to do all possible efforts to relaunch the political dialogue to implement the geneva communiqué as soon as possible. now as he is in the process of consulting with the key partners, the key partners. i certainly hope that we'll be able to have a resumption of

political dialogue as soon as possible. there is an issue of president assad to much ado about him. there've there have been many different views, whether he should go out or whether he should be part of the solutions. we will have to see how to address this issue. it's a matter first of all to the matter to be decided by the people of syria and how to dress this issue that we have to continue discuss -- continue to discuss. >> you discussed climate change and importance of pressing forward and the challenge of pressing forward. does there need to be more leverage applied to get countries and companies to move forward on this issue? should there be a consideration of civil penalties by respective

governments for people who don't adopt policies in this area? >> i have explained enough therefore if i say anything it would be repetition but the last point of your question if any country or any community will not be participating and engaging in our climate -- common global efforts, i'm afraid they will be punished by natural disasters. there is no such rule that we punish or sanction any government but that is why i'm asking world leaders to first of all show, mobilize their political will.

this is the most important part. the political leaders, they must have a firm conviction that this climate change is a top priorities. there is a tendency to believe that whatever you invest in climate change there's a separate economic development. economic development and investing in climate change are two sides of one coin. if you invest wisely in addressing climate change that will help boost their national economy and will be beneficial. it's a wise investment. i am going to ask the finance ministers who are now in washington d.c. to participate in the imf and world bank annual conference.

they have to have the correct vision. it's not only government leaders leaders, it is communities and civil society leaders. they have to be all united. one of the big experiences which i have learned that secretary-general is that without a tripartite partnership, government communities and civil society, that nothing can be done. we need strong support. i'm very encouraged that leaders speak voluntarily themselves. let's do this. we are ready to do that. when i convened a special summit meeting on climate change in september last year there were many business leaders who committed at least $20 billion in one day. i am asking all the leaders to have trajectory for $100 billion

by 2020 and thereafter annually $100 million. i was able to have $10 billion last december as the initial capitalization of green climate fund. it happened to be located in my country, seoul korea. it's not because of that the screen climate fund should be fully operationalized. we have to have 100 odeon dollars by 2020 and there is a way of keeping confidence and trust in many developing worlds so they should be supported in their efforts to adaptation. because most of these developing countries do not have the capacity to mitigate and adapt

to this changing situation. therefore it's only natural that the developed world they should be ready to provide technological and financial support. at the same time the south corp. is very important. there are many emerging economies like china india south africa. those countries should also play their commensurable role in working together with the developed world. therefore i am asking the world leaders should show political leadership the business community and civil society will follow and i'm asking again the united states, the richest and most resourceful country should leave these campaigns. thank you.

>> we received some questions about journalists being held captive in conflict zones. how could the u.n. better implement the u.n. security council resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists covering conflicts? we have a specific question of jason from the "washington post" and there are others that are being held as well. is there anything the u.n. can do in these situations? >> unfortunately in the course of covering the news we have seen many journalists who have even been killed and detained and arrested and harassed. this is not acceptable. this is a violation of freedom of expression. therefore it's important that fundamentally important, that their freedom and access to the

news should be fully protected. as for a specific case, i am aware of this case where he is detained by a -- government. there should be full protection and access to the legal and humanitarian assistance and access. it's important that wherever the charges may have been, for any reporters and journalists their freedom of expression and their right should be fully protected and again i'm urging the authorities to take necessary actions on that. apopka.

>> we had several questions related to the u.n. effort to create a new set of sustainable development goals to be considered by the u.n. in september. how was is the world going to pay for these goals one questioner wants to know and how will the u.n. ensure that these goals are well advanced and successfully implemented? >> there is sustainable development goals which are now being negotiated in the united nations two of the most important priorities. i call them plan priorities for the united nations. as i said earlier in my remarks the end pg have been the basic basic -- during the last 15 years. after 15 years we know that not

all goals have been achieved. therefore whatever has been unrealized will have to be carried over but this time this vision should be much broader and more comprehensive. addressing all the spectrums of my life economically and environmentally. this should be people-centered and private sensitive and friendly. we have to both address our -- on our planet earth. if i may add the way we are using all energies and resources seem to suggest that people believe, people may think that we have a two planet earth but we have only one planet earth. we have to really care him

nature. nature doesn't wait for us. it just impacts us and therefore it's human beings would have to adjust ourselves and be more sensitive to our nature. that is one of the important things. the sustainable development goals which have been identified identified, 17 goals with many targets, how to address. the most important thing is how to support these goals. we should have a robust mechanism to support soap these 17 goals can be implemented as we have envisioned. that is why the united nations going to have a high level comp runs in july.

this will be an international conference for finance and development. this was going to be very important. if we are not successful in this meeting all of these sustainable development goals for climate change may just be something what do we say, pie in the sky. something nice, flowers and pictures. we have to have a real practical implementable framework to address these issues. therefore this international conference for financing and development will be very important. i'm asking the world leaders to lead their delegations and show their political will again.

[applause] >> we are almost out of time but before i asked the last question i want to remind your audience about the upcoming speakers. secretary ray mabus will adjust the club april 30, the chief evangelist for google and father of the internet will speak may 4 may 4. lieutenant general michelle johnson the first woman to be superintendent at the air force academy will speak may 8. i would now like to present our guests with the traditional national press club mug. ..

easy even i dance to come to him style at the time but somebody must've had very good because the privacy has been leaked.

i don't have much fear of time to be frank. i have been extremely busy as you may imagine but sometimes i i like to see an action movie. that's the best way to get some tension free. i think two days ago i met a very special guest the double 07. i advocate for elimination of these mines and she accepted. i was grateful for him using his global power.

i'm eighth generation therefore i am 008. she said instantly i will talk to my producer. when i retire from my job i will become 008. i told her i have a license to kill. now i will give you a license to save for something that is very important in human humanitarian. now lastly i have been married 45 years with my wife.

she has been extremely patient very cooperative, and understanding that when i retire i will bring my wife to a nice restaurant, but most importantly i'm looking forward to days when i have more time with my grandchildren. you have a responsibility to your kids you sometimes have to be tough and discipline, but with grandchildren you only have to spoil them and whenever they say i want you to be strict that will go out the window.

i am looking forward to a day when i will be tension free and spending more time with my family. thank you very much for this opportunity. thank you so much mr. secretary-general. i'd like to ask our live guardians to stay in your seats until the secretary-general leaves the room. thank you very much. i'd like to thank the national press club staff including the journalism institute center for organizing this.

if you would like a copy of this program or to learn more about it, go to our website. thank you very much, we are adjourned. tv.

germany's finance member minister talks about economic policy issues throughout europe. in exchange for financial assistance. he was hosted by the brookings institute in washington d.c. where he and other ministers are talking about international monetary. this is an hour and 20 minutes. >> good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. it is my pleasure to welcome you to the brookings institution. those of you who have come to the from the other side of the atlantic, thank you.

this is a particularly important event and i want to say a word about that. we are very pleased that a number of very distinct figures are figures in the audience here and i want to point out that ambassador peter is in germany this year. he is a friend of many of us here and a friend of the institution. brookings is delighted today to welcome and host finance minister wolfgang schäuble. the importance in the german government and their role in europe is reflected i think by the representation of three

units here at the brookings institute and a number of our scholars. it is staying organized by our center on the united states and europe, the international development program and our program on fiscal and monetary policy. were very pleased that one of our members of the board of trustees has come down from new york this afternoon. the minister's visit could hardly be more timely. they are confronting serious challenges economic challenges political challenges. thinking of the rise in nationalism and euro skepticism is lawmaker extremism and the

viability is now being questioned and in some minds and doubt. germany has played and will continue to play a pivotal role in managing the problems. wolfgang schäuble has for decades been a defender of european integration. following his opening remarks we will be joined by the director. for those of you who to eat hashtag euro.