or called horrible names because they are being good citizens. i wanted sandra to know that i thought her parents should be proud of her and that we want to send a message to all of our young people that being part of a democracy involves argument and disagreements and debate. we want you to be engaged and there is a way to do it that doesn't involve you being demeaned and insulted, particularly when you are a private citizen. >> the comments of president obama at the news conference. the event is on our web site at c-span.org. it will air later tonight on the c-span networks. a reminder tomorrow morning,

your reaction to the results from super tuesday with ten states going to polls. alaska, idaho, massachusetts, north dakota, oklahoma, ohio, tennessee, vermont and virginia. the results will be posted on c-span.org. then a chance to hear from the candidates in their entirety. here on c-span radio and for you. watch election results tonight on c-span networks.watc page to see result maps, social media posts from candidates and reporters. you can also monitor or mention our c-span blog. use a laptop or tablet to extend your c-span viewing at our web page made for our super tuesday coverage. president obama is scheduled to speak shortly before the

business roundtable about job creation and the economy. the roundtable is made up of leaders of major companies. it is scheduled to start around 7:10 eastern. today, the president of the business roundtable, john engler was on our washington journal program with a preview. >> we're back with john engler, the former governor of michigan. currently the head of the roundtable. president obama will be before your group tonight and talking to the nation's top ceos. what do you want to hear from him? >> he will come in and be off the record conversation. i think america's business leaders want to hear what he will do to get the economy moving more rapidly. what are some of the plans and some of the decisions. we have some advice. we are ready to release tomorrow morning a taking action for america as the plan for economic

growth and job creation. i think like a lot of americans, ceos worry with the unemployment rate of 8% for the last three years and gdp at 1.7. we need to pick up pace and we need to compete globally. these are many companies that are out there competing and you are seeing much faster growth rates around the rest of the world. we would like to see what we can do to pick up the pace. >> on the competition front, what is the business roundtable be saying to the president tonight? >> we have -- relative is unique. we have 200 plus companies, for the most part, are all headquartered in the united states. $6 trillion of economic impact. they have a pretty good pulse on the economic sectors. our tax structure is not competitive any longer with the rest of the world.

we need to fix that. we think the regulatory process is in trouble. that needs to be fixed. there is too un that creates risk. everywhere you look, we are in the process of creating something. that something whether it is dodd-frank or the health care law is massive in its scope. terribly costly. the implementation costs and the uncertainty run into the billions of dollars in terms of regulatory impact. we haven't mentioned the environmental protection agency and labor department and the number of changes that have been made up. >> why is it off the record? why closed to press? why not have the cameras there and let the american people see the exchange between the top ceos and the president? >> the president has had many of the ceos -- >> that was the president of the business roundtable with a preview of the president's speech tonight. we are going live now to hear

president obama talking about jobs and the economy at a meeting of leaders from the largest u.s. companies. the business roundtable is scheduled to release its strategy for job creation tomorrow. >> to work with the president and members of his administration here at home and all around the world. the all around the world part i can vouch for. on a wide range of issues where the issues of american business and government intersect. from promotion to investment and tax policy to education and regulatory reform and more. i know all of us, whether in business or government, share the goal of strengthening our economy and creating more jobs more quickly for american workers. mr. president, we are eager to hear from you on those topics and others tonight. in the audience, we have more than 90, i think the count is closer to 100, ceos from across the country. a great turnout of our business

roundtable member, particularly on short notice. mr. president, we are honored yourhave chosen to spend we look forward to a candid and productive private discussion following your remarks. with that, ladies and gentlemen, thesobama. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. it is good to see all of you. jim, thank you for the introduction. it is a privilege to be with the men and women of the business roundtable. over the past three years, we have worked together on a number of issues and we found common ground on a lot of them. some of you have dedicated your time and energy and expertise to serving on my jobs council or export council. others have hosted me or cabinet members at your companies and at your distribution centers. this engagement has been productive for coective work to

get the economy growing again. i want to say you thank you for that. tonight, i want to keep that engagement going. i want to keep my remarks brief. i'm looking forward to your new taking action for america report and listen. the last time i addressed the group was over two years ago when we were still working to clear the wreckage from the worst economic crisis we have seen since the great depression. we have millions of people out of work. we still have a lot of folks with homes under water. there are enormous challenges that lie ahead. we will have to think strategically and systematically of how we restore the middle class because people are working hard to support their families. the good news is over the last two years, businesses like yours have created over 3.7 million

new jobs. the american auto industry has come back. companies are bringing jobs back to america. manufacturers are adding new jobs for the first time since the 1990s. i have seen it firsthand in many of your companies. most recently, i went to the boeing plant out in washington state and jim informed me that last year orders for commercial aircraft rose by more than 50%. they had to hire 13,000 workers across america just to keep up. i have to say given the number of planes that i have been using around the world, i expect a gold watch upon my retirement. the question now is how do we make sure that it keeps going? i have been talking a lot recently about how we can do that. how we can help companies like yours hire more workers and bring more jobs back to america.

how we can leave an economy that is not just restored to pre-crisis levels, but position ourselves to be competitive in this 21st century economy over the long term. an economy built to last. i think we have to focus on our core strengths. american manufacturing, american energy, american innovation, the best skills and education for american workers. a huge w on the manufacturing opportunity. what is happening in the auto industry can happen in other areas. we have to make sure that we understand even though manufacturing will not be the same percentage of our economy as it once was. it still remains this incredible multiplier for services and consumers and prosperity all across america. that is why i want to thank andrew liveris. andrew is helping us do terrific

work as part of our advanced manufacturing partnership. obviously, part of our job at the federal government is to make sure the r & d is being done and figure out how to create that and selling them around the world is going to be critical. thanks to new bipartisan trade agreements that i signed with panama and colombia and particularly south korea, we are on track to doubling the american exports over the next five years. the brt was helpful in making sure that happened. i think i have shown i will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for american goods. that is why we worked so hard to secure russia's invitation into the wto. that is why i asked congress to repeal jackson to make sure all of your companies and american companies across the country can take advantage of it. that is something that we're going to need some help on. this is about creating a level

rules based playing field in the growing russian market. when it comes to competing for jobs in the industries of tomorrow, we should even the playing field. one of the most important things congress can do right now for companies like yours to sell your products and services is to reauthorize the export/import bank at the appropriate funding level. this is something we will focus on in the coming weeks and months. during the financial crisis trade dried up. the xm bank lived up and filled the void at record levels. in fact, since 2005, xm has returned billions back to the u.s. treasury. this is a smart thing to do for american businesses and american

jobs. it is an indispensable resource for our exporters, especially since your competitors are getting aggressive financing from their governments. i'm asking your help in making sure congress does the right thing on this front. i have also shown i won't stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. a lot of you are expanding into growth markets and in asia and the pacific region. but many of you, at least privately, indicated to me that it gets harder and harder to do business there in terms of protecting your intellectual property and competing against indigenous innovation laws and so what we are doing is setting up a trade enforcement unit to aggressively investigate and counter on unfair trade practices all around the world, including countries like china. if you are a ceo willing to bring jobs back to america, which will help you succeed.

that means working together to reform our tax systems so we are rewarding companies that are investing here in the united states. making sure that we are able to cut our tax rate here, but broaden the base. that will be a difficult task. anybody who has been involved in tax discussions in any legislature, but especially congress, knows that it is like pulling teeth. it is the right thing to do for us to become more competitive. we're also going to have to make significant investments in american energy. i'm very proud of the fact that american energy output is reaching record levels. we have seeing the highest oil production in the last eight years. at the same time because so many companies are becoming more efficient, we are actually seeing a reduction in imports. in fact, below 50% for the first time since 2010 since the last

decade. we have a lot of work to do. it will require an all or above strategy. obviously folks are getting killed on gas prices. that has an impact on prices and consumers. yes, we have to produce more oil and natural gas. we are at game for that. it also means we have to invest in the energy sources of the future. we have to invest in clean energy and efficiency. we have to make sure that the advanced batteries for electric cars, for example, are manufactured here in the united states. the final thing we have to do is make sure we have the skills and the training for our workers that are unmatched around the world. there has been a lot of talk about education reform. we actually implemented education reform. we have been able to get more than 40 states to raise standards and to start looking

at best practices to figure out how we can train teachers more effectively. make sure teachers who are not doing a good job get the training they need. also rewarding those folks who are stepping up to the plate and making sure our kids are prepared. it also means matching up companies with the community colleges to train people for the jobs that actually exist. i know siemans and u.p.s. are doing a good job of that. two last points. one is i will not give up on the need for us to rebuild america's infrastructure. when you think about your own businesses, if you know that you have to make some capital investments and interest rates are low and it is a buyers market, you act. understanding you have to project five or ten years out. that is a situation our country

faces. i make no apologies for being chauvinistic when it comes to having the best airports or best roads or the fastest broadband lines here in the united states of america. now is the time for us to do it. we're going to need the help which will be good for business. it will allow you to move goods and businesses more quickly around the world. it will put people back to work. it will be a boost for our economy. it will increase our productivity and efficiency over the long term. the final thing i want to make mention of is the issue of how we pay for all of these things. obviously over the last couple of years, there has been enormous debate about deficits and debt. i'm sure we'll have a chance to talk about that more during the q & a. the fact of the matter is we have already made significant cuts when it comes to discretionary spending. we are pruning this government to make sure the programs that don't work, we eliminate so we

can invest in the programs that are necessary for our growth. we will have to make some continued reforms when it comes to particularly our health care system. because it is still too expensive and we have an aging population that we're going to have to take care of. but we're also going to have to deal with revenue. that is something that i think the american people instinctually understand. if we do this in a balanced way, we can solve our problems. this is not a situation that is analogus to greece. we don't have to raise taxes 25%. that is not a situation we find ourselves in. these are relatively modest adjustments that can stabilize our economy, give you the kind of business confidence you need to invest and make sure that america wins for the future. i'm prepared to be a partner in that process, but we're going to

have to have everybody pulling together. the business community has an important voice in how that moves forward. with that, i thank you. i look forward to the questions and comments. [ applause ] >> let's see. i have to do this. look, this is off the record. it's private. candid. president obama speaking to the business roundtable. they are meeting in washington. john engler joined us on the washington journal for about 45 minutes. >> we're back with john engler. the former governor of michigan. served from 1991 to 2003.

currently the head of the business roundtable. president obama will be before your group tonight and talking to the nation's top ceos. what do you want to hear from him? >> he will come in and it will be off the record conversation. i think america's business leaders want to hear from the economy to get the economy moving for rapidly. what are some of the plans and decisions. we have some advice. we are ready to release tomorrow morning a taking action for america. a ceo plan for economic growth and job creation. i think like a lot of americans, ceos worry about a country where the unemployment rate has been above 8% the last three years and gdp is at 1.7. we need to pick up pace. we need to compete globally. these are many companies that are out competing and you are seeing faster growth rates around the world. we would like to see what we could do in the united states to

keep up pace. >> on the competition front, what will the business roundtable be saying to the president tonight? >> we have the roundtable which is unique. it is only ceos. 200 companies all headquartered for the most part in the united states. $6 trillion worth of economic development. they have a good pulse on all of the different economic sectors. the tax structure is not competitive any longer with the rest of the world. we need to fix that. we think the regulatory process is uncertain. that all creates risk. everywhere you look, we are in the process of implementing something. that something, which it is dodd-frank or the health care law is massive in its scope. terribly costly. the implementation costs and uncertainty run into the billions of dollars in terms of

regulatory impact. we have not mentioned the environmental protection agency or labor department and a number of the changes that have been teed up. there is a lot to talk to the president about. >> why is it off the record? why closed to press? why not have cameras there and let the american people see the exchange with the top ceos and president? >> there is plenty of that. the president has had many of the ceos at various forums. he had many of them very involved on different commissions that he put together. ceos were part of the simpson-bowles commission. jim mcnearney, the chairman chairs the president's council. the chair of the president's economic competitive jobs council. there is a lot of activity. a lot have been very public.

ursula burns as well. there is a lot of opportunity. just the roundtable, our practice is not to be, you know, only off the record with the president. our approach with all of our meetings are closed to the press. we don't do public meetings and we'll have a little press conference to release our taking action for america strategy, but after that, we think it is important that the ceos be in situations with policymakers and public officials to have a very direct and open conversation. nobody has to worry about it being on camera. >> can you tell us which ceos will be attending? some household names viewers may recognize? >> nearly 100 ceos will be present. many of them are very much household names. starting with jim mcnearney. andrew liveris. jamie dimond will be there.

it goes across the entire economy. it is almost easier to say who won't be there. it is a stellar turnout. the president last was with the roundtable two years ago. he came in '09 and came in 2010. he did not have an appearance last year. this is the opportunity we have. we meet four times a year. in june, you would expect to have the republican nominee there. we try to give everybody within the past year reid and boehner. we had committee chairs and ranking members. we try to have a conversation. one of the more impressive sessions was with federal reserve chairman ben bernanke at the last meeting. he took a lot of questions. i think what is important and i have only been at the roundtable a year. this is my fifth meeting. our ceos really care about this

country. you know, they have been through a challenging time because there is a lot aimed at the ceo as if they personally did something that changed the economy. there is no question that when you look at the complexity of the u.s. economic system, these companies are big players. unfortunately, they are not in it by themselves. there is a big government. a big global set of factors out there. including a lot of nations, that are fully aware we are having an election this november, but they decided not to take the year off. they are still working. they are still competing. part of our message is, you know, to the president, we have to work with congress to get things done. nobody can do anything in this town unilaterally. it is ceo-to-ceo, which is what the president is, the ceo of the country. you have to make it happen. if the senate can't pass a budget, you better get them to

do it. we need it for the country. >> we will talk about that for the roundtable. viewers notice you have an "i voted" sticker on your lapel. you probably voted in virginia. care to tell us who you voted for? >> there weren't very many choices. mitt romney and ron paul are on the ballot. i have known mitt romney for a long time. he was very helpful back in 1990 when i was running for the first time for governor. after being with him. he was a marvelous leader. he has done his public service as elected official and appointed official. he was a really national leader in volunteerism and was inspirational in setting up the development of the michigan community service commission. he was a very and tireless ambassador for people getting

involved and giving back to their communities. george and mitt romney are both special people. i think mitt is special too. at the end of the day, you know, there will be a couple of candidates for president. as it turns out, election day is eight months from this very day. there is eight months. we will see what happens in the eight months. it is important for the country that we have a real open debate about our future because i do think that we've got to make some fundamental decisions. we cannot keep putting things off. one of the things -- the number one thing we mentioned in the report tonight is you have to get your fiscal house in order. you cannot expect to be strong in almost any way if you are not managing our affairs properly. >> all right. let's get to phone calls for

you. we'll come back and talk more. kenny in huntington, new york. you are up first. go ahead. >> caller: okay. so, you look at the future of what we call jobs and whatnot. you know, i get a very mixed economy around in this area. i do have a job. it is part-time. now -- >> kenny, i want to get as many people in possible. what is your comment or question for the governor? >> so, you know, i'm looking at not just what they are doing here at federal level, but i'm also looking at what are they

doing at the state and local level to get our jobs? >> kenny, i think raises a very important point that is on people's minds. i think i heard him say he is working, but it is a part-time job. one of the challenges we have in this economy is there are a lot of people, even if they are working or attached, they are under employed. they lost the overtime and family incomes have taken a hit. we have seen three or four years the number of people living in poverty as the government defines that has been increasing. we know that one of the dregs on the unemployment rate, even if it improves a bit, there are a lot of people out of work. he asked the interaction with the state and local. one of the points i make a lot

in my 12 years as governor of michigan, a tough rustbelt-type state. you know, we have at one point in the '90s down to 3.3%. that was because of a good national economy and because we were competing. you see in all 50 states, governors with strong economic development efforts. some are really strong. some not as strong. but all pay attention. company. come here. come here. we will help with workers and help with taxes. some really important