2010, 10 million new cars. people in china, folks in india, folks in brazil, they're going to want cars too as their standard of living goes up. and that means more demand for oil, and that's going to kick up the price of oil, worldwide. those numbers are only going to get bigger over time. so what does that mean for us? it means we can't just keep on relying on the old ways of doing business. we can't just rely on fossil fuels from the last century, we've got to continually develop new sources of energy, and that's why we've made investments that have nearly doubled the use of clean, renewable energies in this ican jobs because of it. it also means we've got to develop the resources that we have that are untapped, like natural gas. we're developing a near hundred-year supply of natural gas. and that's something that we

expect could support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. and that's why we've worked with the private sector to develop a high-tech car battery that costs half as much as other batteries and can go up to 300 miles on a single charge. think about that. that'll save you some money at the pump. and that is why we are helping companies like this one right here and plants like this one right here to make more cars and trucks that use less oil. and when i ran for office, i went to detroit and i gave a speech to auto makers, where i promised that i was going to raise fuel standards on our cars, so they'd go further on a gallon of gas. i said, we should do the same thing on trucks. i have to tell you, when i said it, i didn't a because there was a time when automakers were resisting higher fuel standards, because change

isn't easy. but you know what, after three decades of not doing anything, we got together with the oil companies, we got together with the unions, we got together with folks who usually do not see eye to eye and we negotiated new fuel economy standards that are going to make sure our cars average nearly 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade, that's nearly double what they get today. nearly double. now, because of these new standards for cars and trucks, they're going to all be able to go further and use less fuel every year. and that means pretty soon you'll be able to fill up your car every 2000 weeks instead of every week. and over time, that saves you, a typical family, about $8,000 a year. you like that, don't you? >> yeah! >> $8,000, that's no joke.

we can reduce our oil consumption by more than 12 million barrels. and thanks to the super truck program that we've started with companies like this one, trucks will be able to save more than $15,000 in fuel costs every year. think about that. $15,000. looks like somebody might have fainted up here. have we got somebody -- ems, somebody. don't worry -- folks do this all the time in my meetings. you always got to eat before you stand for a long time. that's a little tip. but they'll be okay. just make sure that -- give them a little room. all right. everybody all right? okay. so these trucks can save $15,000 every year. i want people to think about what that for business.

what it means for consumers. it is real progress and it is happening because of american workers and american know-how. it's happening because of you. it's happening because of you. we're also making it easier for big companies, some of your customers, like u.p.s. and fedex to make the shift to fuel-efficient cars and trucks. we call it the national clean fleets partnership. and wince we announced it last year, the number of companies that are taking part in it has tripled. and that means more customers for your trucks. we're creating more customers for your trucks. [ applause ] and i am proud to say that the federal government is leading by example. one thing the federal government has a lot of is cars and trucks.

we've got a lot of cars and we've got a lot of trucks. so what i did is i directed every department, every agency in the federal government to make sure that by 2015, 100% of the vehicles we buy run on alternative fuels. 100%. so we're -- we're one of the biggest customers in the world for cars and trucks, and we want to set that bar high. we want to set a standard that says, by 2015, 100% of cars, alternative fuels. so we're making progress, mt. holly, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much natural gas or flex fuel or electric vehicles you have, if there's no place to charge them up or fill them up. so that's why i'm announcing today a program that will put our communities on the cutting edge of what clean energy can

do. to cities and towns all across the country, what we're going to say is, if you make a commitment to buy more advanced vehicles for your community, whether they run on electricity or biofuels or natural gas, we'll help you cut through the red tape and build fueling stations nearby. and we'll offer tax breaks to family who is buy these cars, companies that buy alternative fuel trucks, like the ones that are made right here in mt. holly. so we're going to give communities across the country more of an incentive to make the shift to more energy-efficient cars. in fact, when i was up in new hampshire, in nashua, they had already converted all their dump trucks, they were in the process, because of this program, they were converting it

to natural gas-driven trucks. this is something that we did in education. we called it, race to the top. we said, we'll put in more money, but we want you to reform. we're going to give you an incentive to do things in a different way. and if we do the same thing with clean energy, we can save consumers money and we can make sure the economy is more secure. so we've got to keep investing in american-made energy, and we've got to keep investing in the vehicles that run on it. that's where our future is. and in order to continue this the progress, we're going to have to make a choice. we've got to decide where our priorities are as a country. and that's up to all of you. and i'll give you an example. right now, $4 billion of your tax dollars goes straight to the oil industry, every year. $4 billion in subsidies that other companies don't get. now, keep in mind, these are some of the same companies that

are making record profits every time you fill up where are gas tank. we're giving them extra billions of dollars on top of near-record profits that they're already making. anybody think that's a good idea? >> no! >> me neither. it doesn't make any sense. the american people have subsidized the oil industries long enough. they don't need the subsidies. it's time to end that and invest in clean energy, that's never been more promising. soy called on congress, eliminate these subsidies right away. there's no excuse to wait any longer. and we should put every member of congress on record. they can stand up for the oil companies or they can stand up for the american people and this new energy future. we can place our bets on the

fuel of the past or we can place our bets on american know-how and american ingenuity, and american workers like the ones here at daimler. that's the choice we face. that's what's at stake right now. so, you know, in-between shifts, get on the phone, or e-mail, or send a letter or tweet your member of congress, ask them where they stand on this. because it will make a difference. and you'll know where i stand on this. let's make sure our voices are heard. you know, the next time you hear some politician trotting out some three-point plan for $2 gas, you let them know, we know better. tell them we're tired of hearing phony election-year promises that never come about. what we need is a serious,

sustained, all-of-the-above strategy for american-made energy, american-made efficiency, american innovation, american fuel-efficient trucks, american fuel-efficient cars. we may not get there in one term -- >> four years! >> it's going to take us a while to wean ourselves off of the old and grab the new. but we're going to meet this challenge, because we are americans. our destiny is not written for us, it is written by us. we decide what that next chapter's going to be. >> four more years! >> and i'm confident, working with folks like you, the outstanding working people of mt. holly, of this plant, of north carolina, of states all

across the country, we can pull together and remind everybody around the world just why it is that the united states of america is the greatest nation on earth. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. god bless the united states of america! thank you. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪

>> the president doing a little meeting and greeting today as he wraps up his remarks here in mt.

holly, north carolina, during which he focused part of his remarks on the recent increase in gas prices. the associated press reporting today during a hearing earlier, republicans and oil industry leaders called for more u.s. oil and gas production, while democrats said oil production is up since president obama took office. democrats blame the recent spike in gas prices on middle east tensions and speculation by wall street investors. gas prices, by the way, have jumped 48 cents since january to an average of $3.76 a gallon.

a look now at where the republican presidential candidates are today after yesterday's sproouper tuesday primaries. the overall winner, moirm moiit is taking the the day off. rick santorum travels to mississippi on tuesday. newt gingrich began the day in alabama and then return to georgia for a rally in atlanta. ron paul has no campaign events on his schedule today.

mitt romney now has more delegates than his three rivals combined at 415. rick santorum is second. he has 176. newt gingrich is third with 105, and ron paul comes up last with 37. the next round of primaries is saturday in kansas. the u.s. virgin islands and guam. by the way, you can follow the campaign trail on the c-span networks and at c-span.org. google's executive chair, eric schmidt, outlines his vision for a wireless future tonight at the 29th annual national press foundation awards dinner. among the journalists receiving awards, chris wallace of fox news and the website, iwatchnews.org. you can see live coverage on c-span2 tonight at 9:00 eastern. this weekend, there are two ways to watch the tucson festival of books on book tv, live on c-span2 and live online at

booktv.org. on c-span2 saturday starting at 1:30 eastern, jeffrey rosen on the history of the supreme court, and at 3:00, panels on forensic science. politics at 4:30, and mexico's drug wars at 6:00. sunday, panels continue, starting at 1:00 eastern, with the environment. the great depression at 230. the american west at 4:00. and at 5:30, studying the brain. and diana henriques on bernie madoff at 7:00. and throughout the weekend, look for coverage streaming live sunday at noon eastern. the tucson festival of books, live this weekend on c-span2 and booktv.org. this is c-span3 with politics and public affairs programming throughout the week. and on the weekend, 24 hours of people telling the story on american history tv. get our schedules and see past programs on our websites, and you can join in on the

conversation on social media sites. this morning, defense secretary leon panetta told a senate committee that it's only a matter of time before syrian president bashar al assad is out of power. yesterday, the top commander of u.s. forces in the middle east says he believes the syrian president will remain in power for some time. he and the commander of u.s. special operations were on capitol hill to testify about president obama's central command and special ops budget request. this is about 2 1/2 hours. >> sorry about yesterday. good morning, everybody. this morning, we continue the committee's review of the posture of our combatant commanders, to meet the security challenges and operational requirements in their areas of responsibility in light of the president's budget request for

fiscal year 2013. our witnesses are general james maddus, and admiral bill mccraven, commander of the u.s. special operations command. thank you both for your dedicated and distinguished service to our nation. also, on behalf of the committee, please extend our heartfelt gratitude to the military men and women serving with you. many have served multiple deployments, often directly in harm's way. we thank them for their dedication and courage, and we thank their families, who's support is so essential. as reflected in the president's budget request of $88 billion for overseas contingency operations in fiscal year 2013, the conflict in afghanistan remains our military's foremost security challenge. the afghanistan mission is entering a critical phase of transition. the drawdown of the 33,000 u.s. surge force is scheduled to be

completed by the end of this summer, and the remaining 68,000 u.s. troops in afghanistantie t quote, at a steady pace, thereafter, through 2014, according to president obama. u.s. and coalition forces have begun to move from the combat lead to an advise and assist role in support of the afghan national security forces, as those forces increasingly assume the lead for providing security. this transition is to be completed by 2014, when afghan security forces will have assumed this security lead throughout the country. as the u.s. troop presence in afghanistan winds down, our special operations forces will assume greater and greater responsibility for the afghanistan mission and for advising and supporting the afghan security forces. even after 2014, our u.s. military plans on having an

ongoing presence in afghanistan to train the afghan forces, conduct counterterrorism operations, and provide key enablers, such as logistics, airlift, and intelligence support. the recently violence in afghanistan, following the unintentional and regrettable burning of korans at a u.s. military base, is deeply troubling. president obama has expressed his regret. and i would hope that president karzai could condemn the killing of s aix ame part of that violence. while these events could weaken the level of trust between u.s. and afghan forces, secretary panetta has reaffirmed that the united states remains committed to the current approach in afghanistan, saying that the recent attacks on our troops, quote, will not alter our commitment to get this job done. the success of the afghanistan mission will depend on building

the capabilities of the afghan national security forces. at the end of the day, the conflict in afghanistan is an afghan war, and it will be up to the afghan forces to win it. for this reason, i am concerned by news accounts that the united states is circulating within nato a proposal to the reduce the afghan security forces by as much as one third. according to the "wall street journal," under this proposal, the size of the afghan army and police would be reduced from 352,000 personnel this year to 230,000 after 2014. lieutenant general daniel bolger, the head of the nato training mission in afghanistan, is cited as saying this proposal is based on, quote, what the international community will provide financially and what the afghans can provide for themselves, closed quote. i am surprised and i'm disappointed to hear our military commanders are focusing

on afghan forces based on what they think might be affordable instead of what number of afghan security forces they believe will be needed to maintain security. it strikes me as unwise to base decisions on the future size of the afghan army and police, exclusively on projections of future affordability instead of military requirements to secure the gains that have been made at great cost and to prevent a taliban return to power. the sustainability of the progress on security in afghanistan will also be affected by a number of issues, including the progress of reconciliation talks, with the taliban, whether pakistan chooses to play a constructive role in those talks, eliminating the threat from insurgent safe havens in pakistan, the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership between afghanistan and the united states, and the karzai government's effort to improve

governance, fight corruption, and promote inclusive and transparent elections. and general, the committee's going to be interested in your assessment of the progress on security in afghanistan and the sustainability of security gains through 2014 and beyond. there is a strong determination on this committee and this congress to do all we can to counter the threat imposed by iran, and in particular, to stop iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. the national defense authorization act included breakthrough sanctions with respect to iran by requiring foreign financial institutions to choose between maintaining ties with the u.s. financial system or doing business with the central bank of iran, especially relevant to the purchase of petroleum and related products. president obama has appropriately focused considerable and determined diplomatic effort, quote, to prevent iran from getting a

nuclear weapon, and he has repeatedly said that there are, quote, no options off the table to achieve that goal. general maddus has the task of conducting the prudent planning and assembling the military options for the president relative to iran, in case they are needed. i'm going to put most of the balance of my statement in the record, except for the following. the new strategic guidance and priorities the personnel, capacity building, and other theater security cooperation activities in support of the geographic combatant commanders. admiral mccraven, recent published reports indicate that you are seeking new authorities, that you believe would help socom be more responsive to the geographic it combatant commander's request for special operations personnel and the unique capabilities that they provide.

the committee looks forward to your comments on these reports and learning more about any authorities that you believe may be necessary to fulfill socom's global missions. finally, general, we would appreciate your comments relative to these events in syria, as to what you believe the options might be to end that slaughter of syrian civilians by the government of syria. we're all determined we want end to it, if question is, what are the military options that might be available in the case that was seized upon as being one of the ways to do that, and we very much appreciate your comment on that. gentleman, our thanks to both of you and men and women who serve with you for your great work. senator mccain? >> thank you, mr. chairman. and let me thank you our distinguished witnesses, who are two of the most impressive

military leaders currently serving our nation. we're all grateful for their many years of dedicated service. we're also grateful for the men and women they lead in u.s. central command and central operations command. amazing americans of every service who carry on the fight after a decade of war. admiral mccraven, this is your first time testifying before this committee as the commander of socome. and it's fitting that you do it alongside general maddus, a seasoned veteran of this committee's hearings, who has the scars to prove it. nowhere is the work of america's special operators more persistent and important than in centcom's area of responsibility. these forces play an instrumental role in ongoing counterterrorism operations, both in the region and around the globe. while al qaeda's senior leadership has been diminished by sustained pressure against them in pakistan, al qaeda's

global operations have become increasingly decentralized and no less deadly. region affiliates seek safe haven in countries beset by weak governments and internal instability, particularly places like yemen, the horn of africa, and the transahel. this is why this remains a vital component of our strategy to disrupt and defeat these terrorist organizations. i'm concerned, however, that as the administration seeks to decrease the size of our military's conventional ground forces, many people are already coming to see special operations forces as a fix-all to the myriad security challenges that our country faces. i look forward to your thoughts, admirable, as to the proper role of special or operations in the total force and what more can be