>> i am rabbi steve guta, president of the jewish council for public affairs. i am here at a time of great difficulty for our people to introduce three important rabbinic leaders from the conservative reform and orthodox movements who standing together right now, take a look, in this room. each with their own -- [ applause ] each with their own prayer who will reflect wall to wall, wall to wall the unity of our people from one side of the religious spect rum to the other. this is a unity against an aggressor named hamas that values neither innocent israeli nor palestinian lives. you know in the days of the exodus, rabbis, aaron and hur

held up the arms of moses so that joshua could defeat the amalachites, the greatest enemy of the jewish people. today rabbi leonard motomky will give the memorial prayer. rabbi william gershon from dallas, president of the rabbinical association of the conservative movement will give the prayer for israel. and rabbi fred reiner, chair of the atid legal society of the central conference of american rabbis will give the prayer for the united states, and they will help us hold up our hands as a unified people in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in israel. and a great thing about rabbi matonky who is going to go first. as they lead us in the prayers, they're going to do it quite quickly because we don't have that much time today.

and that's not easy for rabbis. >> that's hard for rabbis. at this historic gathering of solidarity and support, we have to pause for a moment for the memorial prayer for naftali, gilad, ayali who were kidnapped and murdered for so reason other than they were jews living in our sacred land. and also the prayer for the soldiers of the idf who have given their lives to protect our people from unprovoked missile attacks. and we also must remember muhammad al kadir whose life was brutally taken. a brutal crime that has shaken our people. i ask if you would please rise.

[ speaking foreign language ] [ praying in foreign language ]

>> please be seated. after the yom kippur war there was a popular song for the promise for the future. "i promise you my little child that this will be the last war." this was the plemg that israeli parents plead to their children. i will fight. i will put on a uniform and carry a gun so that you don't have to. 41 years later, the children of israel find themselves crouched in bomb shelters and our young men and women are now defending the land of israel against terror. our boys dying to defend the jewish state. tonight 41 years after the yom kippur war, israeli children go to bed at night with the fear that a missile might kill them or a terrorist might tunnel into

their kindergartens. the point of israel was that no jew should ever have to hide or cower or crouch or fear. for 2,000 years, we were politically and militarily dead. we had no country, we had no army. we were the wanderers of history. we were a ghost people. then we were reborn in our land. and now that we have a homeland, we, the american jewish community join with our brothers and sisters and declare we will not cower, we will not crouch, we will not hide and we will not give into terror. and we will defend ourselves with the highest standards of morality ever known in the history of warfare. we can forgive the arabs for killing our children. we cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. we will only have peace with the arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.

we rethe religious leaders of the american jewish community stand shoulder to shoulder with israel. our hearts and our souls. one people and one heart. please rise as i offer the prayer for the state of israel. [ speaking foreign language ] please be seated. >> the traditional prayer for the government wherever jews have lived ordinarily is recited

after the torah reading and before the scroll is returned to the ark. rabbi joseph hertz commented on this prayer that loyalty to the state is engrained in the jewish character. commentators an though prayer book attribute its origins to jeremiah who wrote to the jewish captains in babilonia, seek the peace of the city, for in its peace shall you have peace. they also site the rabbi in the first century of the common raerks who taught pray for the welfare of the government. the roman government in his day. our current prayer for the government dates from the 14th century and many different versions have appeared over the years since. i have adopted that this prayer from three generations of reform prayer books. source of piece and compassion. we ask your blessing upon our country and our nation.

guard them from adversity and disaster. and may our land always merit your protection. we pray for all who hold positions of leadership and responsibility in our national life. enlighten with your wisdom and sustain with your power those whom the people have set in authority. all who are entrusted with our safety and with the guardianship of our rights and our liberties. let your blessing rest upon them, and make them responsive to your will so that our nation may be to the world an example of justice and compassion. deepen our love for our country and our desire to serve it. strengthen the power of self-sacrifice for our nation's welfare. teach us to uphold its good name by our own right conduct. may peace and good will obtain

among all the inhabitants of our land. may religion spread its blessings among us and exalt our nation in righteousness. fill us with zeal for the cause of liberty in our own land and in all lands and help us always to keep our home safe from affliction, strife and war. and let us say amen. >> i am alan jacobs. ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor and privilege to have with us today our next speaker, mr. dennis stevens, deputy head of the mission of canada to the united states. our neighbors to the north have been invaluable in championing

principle in the international community and for the unwavering support for israel. canada and its mission to the united states under the leadership of ambassador gary door has stood by israel in its pursuit of freedom, peace and security from enabling the long overdue inclusion of israel in the regional group at the united nations to boldly speaking up in support of israel's right to defend itself against a scourge of terrorism, canada has demonstrated what it is not to be just a friend but a leader. for canada's record and with our deepest gratitude, we are honored to have deputy head of missions stevens here with us. we stand unequivocally with israel.

>> mr. jacobs, dear friends, thank you for inviting canada to this national leadership assembly for israel. and thank you for that warm welcome to me and to my country. canada is one of israel's most reliable friends. and we stand unequivocally with israel in its struggle against hamas' terrorist campaign from gaza. indiscriminate rocket attacks from gaza on innocent israeli civilians are terrorist attacks for which there can be no justification. we stand by israel's right to defend itself by itself.

israel will be forced to continue defending itself as long as hamas continues its rocket attacks against civilians. the israeli defense forces have taken extraordinary steps to reduce civilian casualties in very difficult and very trying conditions. israel should be commended, not criticized for these efforts in the face of an enemy clearly determined to put civilians from both sides in mortal danger. there is no moral equivalence between hamas, a terrorist organization with its blatance disregard for human life, and the liberal democratic state of israel with its duty and its obligation to defend its people from cowardly and indiscriminate attacks. canada designated hamas as a terrorist organization in 2002. it is clear that hamas is bent

an the destruction of the state of israel that it has no interest in peace and that it bears responsibility for the further tragic loss of life. the scourge of terrorism must be wholly rejected by all peace-loving people around the world. we must never allow moral relativism to act as cover for the indiscriminate attacks on israel we have seen in recent weeks. failure by the international community to condemn these reprehensible actions would encourage these terrorists to continue their appalling actions. canada mourns the death and suffering of innocent civilians but the responsibility rests solely with hamas and its allies. we urge hamas to immediately cease these indiscriminate attacks. this is not a battle between the palestinian authority or the palestinian people and the state

of israel. it is a conflict between a terrorist organization and the jewish state. canada's long believed that innocent palestinian people living in gaza deserve far better than the reckless actions of this terrorist organization. as canada's foreign minister john baird has said, the buck stops with hamas. hamas started this bloodshed and hamas can end it. canada looks forward to the day when israeli and palestinian children can live side by side in peace and security in a jewish state and a palestinian state. negotiations are the only way forward. canada continues to believe that a two-state solution is the only way to bring lasting peace. and until then, israel can count on canada. you can count on us to continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in support of israel's pursuit of freedom, peace and security.

thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is greg mashburg. i'm the chair of the nork's regional board. as we've seen today there are people, there are people of good will from everywhere of all religions. people who aren't afraid to see reality and who support israel's right to defend itself. our next speaker is one of those people. dr. paul de vries. he is the president of the new york divinity school and he's a member of the board of the national association of evangelicals. dr. de vries is also the public philosopher of the christian post which is the world's most widely read online religious publication. over 40 million unique visitors

every month. it's my honor to introduce dr. paul de vries. >> thank you so much. it is indescribable joy for me to be here and to be part of such an assembly for israel. our commitment to israel is huge. i was raised in a family, as most christians, by far most christians to respect and honor israel and to take a deep interest in the land that god personally gave to wonderful people. jewish neighbors. jewish friends. jewish tailors were always the closest friends in our family. i was asked recently by a rabbi in new york, why do you love israel in and i said, i can't even begin to name the ways that we christians love israel.

to see a group of people that restored themselves after 2,000 years of being dispersed in every direction, to see desert place made into a garden, to see democracy that is -- the only democracy in the whole region. to recognize a place, the only country where christians are free to worship in safety and liberty throughout the middle ea east. only israel. we can never thank you enough. especially as we see the twin sister of hamas isis destroying the tomb of jonah, one of our great heroes, and daniel, just in these last few days. the viciousness of these people is just incomparable. but in many other ways, let me

go back to many of the reasons we love israel so much. because we see also fulfillment of hebrew scripture prophecy and the protection of land that we hold dear because our great heroes, our savior included walked the land of our jewish people. but what we see in what's happening in these last few weeks is something that is just so indescribable. so despicable, so, so gut wrenching. so mind depressing. so heart crushing that it's what i would call malignant evil. the enemy of the palestinian people is hamas. it's very much like -- it's very much like that mother that killed all her children. and there were no words. how could even imagine what could possess such a person to

kill all her children. well, here hamas is killing all her children. we know for example that christians in gaza are constantly abused. ministers are murdered. christian homes are burned. hamas is making a huge track record of malignant evil. just unspeakable evil. and to hijack hospitals and avert schools. can you imagine bringing missiles into a school? when i went to school, getting through the metal detectors was hard enough. but here the u.n. surprised that there are missiles in the school that it operates. shame on the u.n.! they should have never allowed that. how could they have sided with hamas. enough to invite missiles into a

school, for god's sakes. and not only that, but houses of worship made into places of storage for missiles. andy y iy i y iy in -- and the of cement given to hamas to build apartment buildings, to build schools and hospitals. enough cement to build six skyscrapers and yet invest in it not for the people but for these tunnels of destruction. what other nation is there that israel to warn people before a bombing. and what nation, what group could even begin to think of telling his people to stay there, to be killed by the bombs so they can win some body count by having the most bodies dead of their own family, their own

people. unbelievable. what's so startling is the peace plan for hamas. peace plan for israel is demilitarize gaza and provide humanitarian aid so there can be a thriving society. that's clear enough. but the peace plan for hamas is kill jews and christians. and we must stop it by every means. let us stop it for god's sake. thank you so much, my brothers and sisters. thank you. >> good afternoon. i'm kathy manning, the immediate past chair of the jewish federations of north america. it's my privilege and my honor to introduce to you israel's ambassador to the united states, ron dermer.

mr. dermer became israeli ambassador to the united states last year after serving as senior adviser to prime minister netanyahu. as we have all seen, he is an articulate and outstanding spokesperson for israel. having made over 55 media appearances since "operation protective edge" began. mr. ambassador, the jewish federations of north america, 153 federations in the united states and canada, stand strongly with israel during this difficult month as we have every month of every year since 1948 and before statehood. in the past few weeks, the jewish federations have mobilized to raise over $10 million for urgent needs in the south of israel where the terrorist rocketfire from gaza has been most acutely felt. and we've already brought four

missions to that area to see for ourselves the needs an the ground and to stand with the people of israel. even now we have another 30 federation leaders who arrived in israel yesterday to offer our support in person. working with the conference of presidents and our partners, the jewish community relations councils, we are proud to co-sponsor this national leadership assembly for israel bringing hundreds of federation and jcrc leaders to washington today from over 50 communities across the country. mr. ambassador, thank you for your service to the state of israel and the jewish people. we want you to know that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the israeli people and the state of israel. >> thank you. thank you.

thank you. thank you all. thank you all for coming to washington on very short notice and being here today to express your solidarity with israel at this critical time. from the beginning of "operation protective edge," israel has made clear that its goal is to sustain quiet for the people of israel. prime minister netanyahu's attempts to de-escalate the situation before the operation began by saying quiet would be met with quiet were unfortunately met with 100 rockets fired by hamas. israel, like any nation, could not accept the firing of rockets at our cities. and the cabinet responded to these unrelenting attacks by

launching that operation "protective edge." through offensive actions, the idf has degraded hamas capabilities by targeting missile batteries, command centers and weapons depots. the idf has also thwarted efforts by hamas to attack israel, by land, sea and air. and while the idf conducted its operations, civilian casualties in israel have been kept low because discipline israeli population has listened and heeded the instructions of our home front command and sought shelter time after time. and because of the remarkable technology of iron dome, i want to once again take the opportunity to express my prime minister's and my country's appreciation to president obama and the american congress for the strong bipartisan support for iron dome.

israel has recently requested additional iron dome assistance and we appreciate president obama's willingness to support that request. and as we speak, there are efforts in congress to move that forward. in funding iron dome, america's leaders have helped save many israeli lives. but they have also saved many palestinian lives. how did they do that? because they have given with iron dome. it has given the israeli prime minister and the israeli cabinet the time and space necessary to make prudent and judicious decisions. if hundreds of rockets were landing on israel's cities and causing many casualties, israel would have to respond in a much more forceful and less restrained way than it is doing now. now two weeks ago, the egyptians put forward a cease-fire proposal which would have ended hostilities and led to immediate

discussions on how to ensure that the cease-fire would lead to sustained quiet. israel accepted that cease-fire proposal. hamas rejected it. hamas' rejection was followed by an attempt by its terrorist commandos to infiltrate through tunnels under israel's border and perpetrate mass terror attacks in which hundreds -- hundreds of israelis could have been murdered and dozens kidnapped. israel responded to this aggression with a ground offensive that has uncovered dozens of similar tunnels which serve only one purpose. to carry out terror attacks against israel. there have been a number of attempts to perpetrate such terror tunnel attacks, including another attempt just a few hours ago. israel will continue to destroy the tunnels we have found, regardless of whether there is a cease-fire or not. and i know the obama

administration understands and supports that. everyone should understand that to expect israel to leave these terror tunnels intact is like expecting israel to seize 10,000 hamas rockets in gaza and simply hand them back to hamas. that's not going to happen. israel will destroy the tunnels we have found and we will not stop until that job is done. israel believes that a sustainable solution is one in which those terror tunnels are destroyed. the rocket fire ends and effective mechanisms are established to ensure the

demilitarization of gaza so that hamas does not simply re-arm and force israel into a confrontation again in another year or two. the prime minister discussed these principles with both secretary kerry on friday and with president obama yesterday. israel appreciates that both president obama and secretary kerry and national security adviser susan rice who i understand will be speaking here after me, we appreciate that they have all strongly supported israel's right to defend itself. we also appreciate their efforts to help israel achieve a sustainable cease-fire. and i speak directly for my prime minister here. the criticism of secretary kerry for his good faith efforts to advance a sustainable cease-fire is unwarranted. there is broad understanding between israel and the united states about the principles for a sustainable cease-fire, and we

look forward to continuing to work closely with the united states to advance that goal and a durable solution to the problems in gaza. the demilitarization of gaza is critical if any cease-fire is to prove durable. hamas must not be allowed to rebuild its war machine. effective mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that cement is not used to build terror tunnels. iron is not used to manufacture rockets. and chemicals are not used to fuel explosives. when israel raised these issues in the past, they were largely dismissed by the international community. worse, worse, israel was libelled and accused of trying to impose a collective punishment on the people of gaza by insisting that goods coming into gaza be effect leave inspected and monitors. those who dismissed our concerns and libelled us should go look at those terror tunnels that hamas has built. rather than use concrete and

iron to build housing, schools, hospitals and a better future for the people of gaza, hamas used them to build a subterranean terror fortress underneath gaza and to manufacture thousands of rockets to fire into the skies above israel. israel is not fighting the people of gaza. we are fighting hamas, a brutal terror organization committed to israel's destruction which both fires on our civilians and hides behind their civilians. hamas has fired over 2500 rockets at israel. they have forced more than two-thirds of our population. the equivulent of over 200 milian americans into bomb shelters. over 500 of those rockets that were fired at israel have landed in gaza. those are hamas and palestinian islamic jihad rockets fired at israel. they have landed in gaza. to date, two of those rockets aimed at israel landed in gaza shifa hospital and its refugee camp. that may not be what they report

in the media today, but, ladies and gentlemen, that is the truth. that is the truth. hamas has turned countless civilian sites in gaza into military sites. they are systematically using palestinians in gaza as human shields. hamas has fired from inside hospitals, used ambulances to ferry terrorists, stored rockets in u.n. schools and turned mosques into weapons depots. they have violated all the rules of war and all standards of human decency. as israel tries to get palestinian civilians out of harm's way, hamas tries to keep them in harm's way. hamas tells the palestinians to ignore the warnings of the idf and tries to force them to sacrifice themselves in their war against israel. israel does not target civilians.

and regrets the tragic loss of every civilian life in gaza. but hamas and only hamas is to blame for these casualties. hamas hopes that mounting palestinian casualties will trigger both condemnation and pressure on israel. hamas must not be allowed to once again manipulate the world with this despicable tactic of human shields. unfortunately, instead of holding the real war criminals, hamas, accountable, organizations like the u.n. human rights commission accuse israel of war crimes. what a disgrace. what a travesty of justice. israel will continue to confront these lies, and we will take the measures necessary to defend the people of israel.

now we know that in doing so, we have the support of america's leaders and of the american people, and we know we have the support of all of you. i want to thank you on behalf of my government and the people of israel for your solidarity with israel for all of you coming here today. thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with us during these very difficult days. thank you very much. >> i'm lisa levy. i'm proud to serve as the president of the board of the jewish federation of greater washington.

i'm also proud to stand with israel today. one of the most important connections between us and israel is the shalia. the emissary who works to build bridges between our communities. the shalia develops educational programs and coordinates the activities are over a dozen local jccs, synagogues and campuses throughout the area. here in washington, we are honored to have pramina. in israel as the director of the center of tel aviv university, she worked to create a pluralistic space for students to explore their jewish identity. and when it marked israel's 66 years of independence with a tribute to women, panina was listed as one of 66 israeli women you should know. she was born in ethiopia and

emigrated to israel when she was 3 years old. it is my great pleasure to introduce our community's special treasure panina. >> thank you. since the opening of the operation took a turn, projected age 43 israeli soldiers, civilians and officers have died. more than 1,000 died and more than 6,000 have been injured. and a few minutes ago, i just updated that more -- five more soldiers died in gaza today. this must stop. no one wants to continue to count the number of dead on each side. i have felt more pain and sorrow during this war than any other war we have had in the past.

it expanded to include ground forces and end hamas ability to fire rocket and carry out attacks on israeli civilians, hamas used their own people to continue the directed attack on israeli civilians. as the rabbi says earlier, more than ever, the prime minister -- we can forgive the arabs for killing our children. we can't forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. we will only have peace with arabs when they love their children more than they hate us. and right now, it's so true for me personally because the -- is still falling on my own family. this is why the numbers are what they are. while we are seeking to protect those in israel and gaza, hamas is using their civilians as

human shields. it's impossible to make peace -- it is impossible to make peace with an organization which does not value human life. as an educator, i have been struggling through the last 20 days as there are so many aspects of the current situation in israel to teach and educate about. i wonder what is important i want the people here to know. what should they learn from this? why we should care about something that is somewhere else so far from us. as human as jewish and as american, we all prefer peace and not war. we israelis would like to live a life as normal as i have experienced here. i must say that with all the tragedy and sorrow, there are several stories we all can learn from and rely on. and i would like to share one of them today with you.

aliel is one of the great singers in israel. and yesterday he just launched a new song regarding the current situation. and i want to share with you some of the moving words with you. 20,000 people and you are the first. 20,000 people behind you shown. marching in silence with flowers. 20,000 brothers and two sisters. came to say thank you and to say good-bye. ariel was referring to a 21-year-old, a lone soldier from texas who lived and served on the golani bridge that was killed. ariel mentioned 20 thos people but actually, the entire people of israel were mourning for the loss of him. this shows the love and unity we have. the peoplehood we all share. we are indeed one big family. for 66 years, israel has been

fighting for its existence. we have lost more than 23,000 soldiers in israel's wars. and we now find ourselves in the midst of yet another battle. i remember as a child when i grew up in israel, we hoped that in future, we would not need the army. we thought we not going to be a soldier because in the future we're not going to have any wars. but here we find ourselves again in another battle. as much as this breaks my heart to say, besides the support of the people here in the united states, it doesn't look like we have much luck outside in the world. violence in western arab countries is growing like a wildfire. with constant international pressure on the israeli government to be more humanitarian. i can't state more firmly that i feel that israel has the right to defend herself and that it's what she is doing now.

any sight of children dying hurts me. i do know that israel is fighting this war reluctantly so less children will die in the future. this is why the global jewish community needs to be one dig family n stand with israel. all jews are responsible for another. and indeed, we are our own brother's keeper. we can only truly rely on each other. this is one of the lessons we learned from this war. thank you. >> my name is kenneth pelkin. i'm currently the chairman of the america-israel friendship league. an organization which is dedicated to the strong

relationship, friendship and alliance that exists between the united states and israel. it's our mission to nurture it, to let it grow and this audience and our speakers and our audience is a sign of that alliance. we should never lose sight of what israel is fighting for today. they are fighting for the same reason that we were attacked on 9/11/01 wh 9/11/01. when america was attacked it was because it was part of the non-islamic world, and it was their objective to destroy america. israel is fighting for its life because hamas is unwilling to count survival and existence of israel. so israel and america are fighting and embraced in the same long fight against

terrorism. when i was the chairman of the conference of presidents, previous executive head died, and i was confronted with the question of what to do. it was only one question i had to answer. not what to do. not who to seek to employ to gj to run the country, but whether i would have the stamina, the forensic ability to convince malcolm homeline to come and work and be the leader and serve as the executive vice chairman of the conference of presidents of major american organization. i count that as one of the great achievements of my life. on behalf of all of you, i want to say to him, thank you for you.

>> okay. i have to talk quickly because we're waiting for our keynote speaker who is in an elevator. first and foremost, i want to thank the target of all of the speakers' comments. joe barak who has been doing all the timing. how you tried to shut up the members of congress unsuccessfully. we have an unbelievable achievement today. not only because of the room being filled with people from all over the country, from 50 organizations and 150 communities, that you all came on short notice reflects the deep sense of commitment you have to understanding about what this is really all about. that this is not just israel's battle. it's our battle for survufl. this is an attack on the israeli people but on all the jewish people around the world. they make it clear it is our existence that is the enemy. they put up thin veils and say it's only about design.

this is only about the israelis. it's about occupation. it's about -- it is not. it's not about 67. it's about 47. it's not about occupation. it's about israel's right to exist. and when you read the words of the leaders of hamas or isis or of iran, take it seriously. dictators tell the truth. leaders of democracy sometimes lie. dictators tell the truths. they tell you what they are going to do. we have to listen to them. hitler told us what he was going to do. stalin told us what he was going to do. we didn't listen. the leaders of hamas tell us what they want to do. when khomeini wants to wipe israel off the map, he means it, and we want to make sure he never has the means to do it. i want to thank all the people who contributed to this. 50 volunteers, nobody could do this in three days as was accomplished with this amazing

program and lineup without the help of the -- the team at jfna. richard fishman and howard core, the team at jcpa, the jcrc in washington. the federation of washington. i've got to get to the next page of the telephone book. the staff of the conference of presidents, scan and the metropolitan police department, adl and the american jewish community staff here in washington. we're grateful to all of you for your assistance in helping this happen. but this is just a beginning. this can't be the end. we have to go out of here with a commitment to become ambassadors of truth. because with the information revolution and despite it today, you can't believe what you read. you can't believe what you hear. you can't even believe what you see. the distortions, misrepresentations that abound. so we have to become jews and non-jews alike who have gathered here. become the leaders in this effort to be ambassadors of

truth. that's our strongest weapon. israel doesn't need excuses. israel doesn't need lies. we need to simply tell the truth. and to get the media to cover it. so we go out of this meeting today charged and recharged, ready to take the lead. we heard from administration you'll hear soon but we heard from the leaders of congress across the board and in a bipartisan way. there is no doubt anymore where the american people stand. the latest poll shows still 70% of the american people stand, a record number with israel, because they get it. despite the distortions and misrepresentations, they get it. rarely was there such a clear moral distinction. two sides, hamas exists to kill. israel sometimes has to kill to exist. what country puts a hospital on the border of its enemy territory to take kacare of the

wounded. which one has the mother's mother-in-law treated in an israeli hospital. but sending his mother-in law to israel, let alone his granddaughter. what country allows hundreds and hundreds of trucks of medicines, good food and other details. thank you again, to allow it to go into gaza. you remember the campaign for humanitarian cement last year? how all of us were pressured and how israel was pleasured. send in cement. they need it to build. and israel said they'll make missile rocket bases, they'll make tunnels. no, they need cement. they need cement. we know what they did with the cement. 500 tons in a single tunnel. so we are not going to be fooled anymore. and no more pressure on israel to do what it thinks is not in its best interest. israel alone has to make those decisions.

proportionality is the code word of the day. s so the next time the local police have a bank robbery and you have one bank robber, send one cop. and if one bank robber is killed you have to kill one hostage. americans killed three civilians for every terrorist in afghanistan. we know what happened during world war ii. and the restraint, no one has to tell israel to be restrained. and today, i think it's especially important for us to remember sean karmelli and max steinburg, the two americans who died in the defense of israel. so we ask you, keep in touch with the members of congress. keep in touch with the senators and house of representative members. they are coming home now. they are on recess. let the white house know how you feel. call talk shows. write letters to the editors. let the media know. when you hear a misreport,

correct it. dont scream. don't yell. let them know they are wrong. visit israel. buy israeli products especially from the south. keep in touch with israeli relatives and friends. and when you go, visit the with relatives and friends. when you go, visit the wounded. and don't forget about iran. don't forget about the need to keep the pressure on iran to make sure it does not become a nuclear power which will undermine the interest and security of everyone. important resolutions, you heard about. that's what the call of the day is. this is a time to say, never again. no more memorials for dead jews. it's time to stand up for living jews and a living jewish state. it's time to say never again, no more will jews be put at a disadvantage and left alone to defend themselves. it's time for the leaders of europe and the leaders of the world to stand up at the united nations and say there's one

moral party in this equation, there's one party we have to stand behind. [ applause ] martin luther king once said we won't be judged by the actions of our enemies, but by the silence of our friends. we won't be judged by what others do, but by what we do or fail to do. to often reraise the bar on what we will tolerate or allow. no more. as ambassadors of truth, we will not tolerate the lies and the distortions. i ask the christian audience this week, 5,000 people, who can name the ten scouts -- because in washington, you can't say spies, that moses sent to check out the land and came back with a negative report and 5,000 people sat silent. i said who can name the two who came back with a positive report. and 5,000 voices yelled joshua

and caleb. that's the lesson. those who speak against israel are written off to history. [ applause ] as we come to tisha bab, we remember, we remember, we look back to the past, but not to get lost into it, but to guide into to the future. to remind us of our obligations. we know why the tempels were destroyed. now is a time for unity, within our community, between our communities, with every other faith, with every other religion, this stand together. this is a time we will be counted. now our guest has arrived and i want to call up bob sugarman to make the introduction. [ applause ] >> thank you, malcolm. it is my honor to welcome

ambassador susan rice. she has been consistently available to our community, whether in large meetings such as this, or small meetings and individually in person and on the phone. the ambassador has thanked the president, the secretary, and you, madam ambassador, for your strong support of israel's right to defend itself. and stated that the criticism of his efforts to achieve of ceasefire was unfair. your presence here, while there's a bunch of stuff going on, is testament to how much you value the relationship with our community. most important, you share the goal that i spoke of before, creating a safe, secure, and peaceful state of israel, and

strengthening, the u.s.-israel relationship. it's my personal privilege to ask you to join me in welcoming national security adviser, ambassador susan rice. [ applause ] >> thank you. good afternoon, everyone. thank you so much, bob, for that incredibly generous introduction. i also want to thank my friend malcolm and express my personal gratitude for this invitation. and it's good to be back at the conference of presidents and see so many friends and familiar faces. many of you have come from jewish communities across this country, in a strong show of support for israel. these are indeed difficult days.

today, together, all of us who care about the state of israel are again confronted with the challenges of a dangerous and imperfect world. of sirens and shelters of young people called yet again to war -- >> the truth is, israel is killing innocent people in gaza! stop the bombing! stop the killing! stop the bombing, stop the killing, end the siege of gaza. stop the murders, stop the hate, stop the murders, stop the hate! >> why don't you just say, do you want to leave? that's how normal people say it. >> these are difficult days.

[ applause ] i was speaking of sirens and shelters, of young people called yet again to war. of a land where in the haunting phrase, parents bury their children. today is the first day of ave, the month when jews commemorate the destruction of the first and second temples. it's a reminder that the jewish people have endured much worse than rockets, and survived much stronger enemies than hamas. you've been tested by tragedy and time by history and hatred. but each time, the people of israel live.

[ applause ] this is a time of worry, for all who care about israel, but here's one thing you never have to worry about. america's support for the state of israel as president obama declared before the israeli people in jerusalem, quote, so long as there is a united states of america, you are not alone. [ applause ] that's why, from the moment the terrorist rockets began to rain down on israel, this administration, from president obama on down, has made it clear. israel has the same unequivocal

right to self-defense as every other nation. [ applause ] no nation can accept terrorist tunnelling into its terrorist or rockets crashing down on its people. president obama has been equally clear about who's been responsible for the violence. hamas fired the rockets. hamas deliberately targeted israeli citizens, particularly civilians. hamas refused an early plan for a ceasefire. hamas, in a time of glaring human need, instead of investing in the future of gaza's children, builds tunnels to kidnap and kill israelis. so, hamas initiated this

conflict and hamas has dragged it on. but america and israel are also united by a shared belief, we each strive to honor, that every person is created equal, in the image of god. i know we all share deep concern about the suffering and deaths of innocent people that arise from a conflict like this one. in gaza, as well as in israel. the people of gaza, many of whom disapprove of hamas and suffer under his misrule, are trapped in the crossfire. the loss of children has been particularly heartbreaking. as president obama and prime minister netanyahu discussed yesterday, the united states supports an immediate,

unconditional, humanitarian ceasefire. that humanitarian ceasefire should lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities, based on the november 2012 ceasefire agreement. for the sake of innocence on both sides, the rockets must stop. we need to bring the violence and civilian casualties to an end, and we're concerned that continued fighting could further destabilize the west bank. we need to protect israel's security and help it reach an arrangement where it will not be attacked again in another year or two. [ applause ] we also believe that any process to resolve the crisis in gaza, in a lasting and meaningful way,

must result in the disarmament of terrorist groups. [ applause ] so we will work closely with israel, regional partners, and the international community to achieve this goal once a sustainable ceasefire is agreed. let me also take a moment to acknowledge, as ambassador dermer did, the extraordinary efforts of secretary kerry. i must tell you, we've been dismayed by some press reports in israel, mischaracterizing his efforts last week to achieve a ceasefire. we know these misleading reports, in turn, raised concerns here at home in america. the reality is that john kerry, on behalf of the united states,

has been working every step of the way with israel, in support of our shared interests. [ applause ] both in public and in private, we have strongly supported israel's right to defend itself against rockets and tunnel attacks, and we've engaged together in sensitive negotiations. we will continue to do so, and we'll continue to set the record straight when anyone distorts the facts. as we pursue diplomacy, we're andy gilchrist that the amazing iron dome, researched and funded jointly by israel and america, stands watch over israel's cities. during my most recent visit to israel in may, i saw first hand

the technology at palm heen air force base, met the young israelis who operate the system. dedicated men and women who work now around the clock. in recent weeks, over 100 rockets a day have been fired at israel. iron dome has literally meant the difference between life and death. and i'm deeply proud that president obama helped make it possible, and i'm proud that with his enthusiastic support, the united states will more than double our investment in iron dome in 2015. [ applause ] >> the president also instructed

the secretary of defense to inform congress last week that we support an additional $225 million to accelerate the production of iron dome components in israel in israel this year and maintain israel's stockpile of interceptor missiles. now -- [ applause ] thank you. now congress has a critical opportunity this week, to fund the president's supplemental request so that israel can remain secure. [ applause ] iron dome makes it clear yet again that america's got israel's back. we've always had a truly special relationship. ever since president truman made america the first nation in the world to recognize the state of israel in may 1948.

just 11 minutes after david bengerrian declared israel's independence. the seeds of friendship planted that day have grown into a mighty oak -- strong, steady, and enduring. our governments have never been in closer touch. including through the delegation of senior officials from the department of state, treasury and defense and the cia on behalf of the president in may. we are in constant contact, constant consultation, constant cooperation. and by the way, that's why i was late getting here. i was on the phone in the basement with my israeli counterpart. so it is constant. it is daily, and it is highly constructive. our commitment to protect

israel's qualitative military edge also remains absolute. just ask israel's generals. our security assistance to israel is at a record high. the relationship is even stronger between our peoples. just last week, 30,000 israelis came to the funeral of max steinberg, a young man from los angeles who joined the israeli defense forces and was killed in gaza. another 20,000 came to pay respects to sean carmely from texas. israel is not alone. not in war, not in peace. [ applause ] and because america staunchly supports israel's future as a

jewish democratic state, we'll also continue doing what we can to bring about a just, comprehensive and secure peace between israelis and palestinians. two states for two peoples, living side by side in peace and security. we're committed to strengthening israel's security in achieving this goal. and cementing israel's rightful place among the community of nations. which brings me to my next point. we don't just fight for israel's security. we also fight for israel's le e legitimacy. [ applause ] as president obama said in jerusalem, and i quote, those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting israel's right to exist, they might as well reject

the earth beneath them or the sky above, because israel is not going anywhere. [ applause ] no country is immune to criticism. nor should it be. but when that criticism takes the form of singling out just one country unfairly, bitterly, and relentlessly, over and over and over. that's just wrong and we all know it. [ applause ] i saw this first hand during my years at the united nations, where america always has israel's back, when it's basic right of self-defense is challenged. believe me, i remember all too well the fight against the deeply flawed gold stone report.

so last week when the united nations human rights council against passed a one-sided resolution, calling for a commission of inquiry that will have no positive impact, and should never have been created, the united states stood with israel and said no. [ applause ] we were the lone vote in the human rights council. even our closest friends on the council abstained. it was 29-1, but the one, as usual, was america. that's what we mean when we say, you are not alone. [ applause ] we take that stand on principle.

it's important not just for israel, but for the credibility of the united nations itself. the u.n. does exceptional, life-saving things around the world. empowering women and girls, keeping peace in conflict zones, providing humanitarian aid, whether in gaza, syria, or congo, and elsewhere around the world. the world needs the united nations. so when countries single out israel for unfair treatment at the u.n., it isn't just a problem for israel. it's a problem for all of us. and today we also see anti-semitism flaring up around the world, including in europe. the pretext is the passions coming out of the current conflict. but we all know it has its roots

in something ancient and ugly. and we should not shy away from calling it by its name. it's one thing to use the right of free expression to criticize particular policies of a particular government. no nation is immune from criticism, fair and otherwise. including our own. take it from me as a former u.n. ambassador. but an anti-jewish riot is not a policy critique. it's not free expression when a protest turns into a mob that attacks a synagog and a kosher grocery store. it's one thing when the message is, end the fighting. but when the message is death to the jews, it's an outrage.

[ applause ] and it's dangerous. when the mayor of a major city takes to twitter to invoke hitler and insigcite hostility. that's just hate. and it's got to stop. [ applause ] as the late tom lant os used to say and i quote, the veneer of civilization is paper thin. we are its guardians, and we can never rest. and so when leaders in tehran talk openly about ending the state of israel, that's just one more reason why america is

determined to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. [ applause ] under president obama's leadership, we've marshalled unprecedented economic and diplomatic pressure on iran. we brought iran to the negotiating table and signed a joint plan of action that halted iran's progress on its nuclear program and rolled it back in key respects for the first time in nearly a decade. this interim agreement has given us time and space to try to negotiate a comprehensive solution. to date, we've made meaningful progress on some key issues. although we remain far apart on several others. as a result, we decided, along

with the european union, germany, and the other permanent members of the security council, to extend the agreement until november '24. our goal remains clear, a comprehensive, verifiable deal that can assure the world that iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon, and that will offer confidence that iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. but let me be blunt about two things, maybe i should say "two other things." first, we will not accept a bad deal, under any circumstances. [ applause ] even if that means no deal. and second, we will do what we must to prevent iran from

obtaining a nuclear weapon. [ applause ] -- back from before israel's birth to today. and for me, it's rooted in powerful personal experience. i will never forget my first visit to israel. i was just 14, and i went with my younger brother, and my beloved late father, who was then on the board of transworld airlines. on that trip, we bowed our heads, floated in the dead sea, walked the lanes of the old city, climbed masada and picked fruit at a kibbutz.

i learned my heart the words of the sh ma. here's something that always stayed with me. to go on that first trip, i was privileged to take one of the very first flights from cairo to tel aviv. just after israel and egypt had signed the camp david accords. that peace seemed impossible for so long. but it wasn't. that peace, enduring to this day, reminds us that human conflict and human problems can be resolved. by human courage. you know that. it's why you're here today. it's why i came too. my friends, these are difficult

days. but as israel's former president and my friend shimon peres likes to say, there are no hopeless situations. just hopeless people. we all know a few. so let us remember, especially in troubled times that despair is a sin. and service is a duty. america doesn't lose hope. the jewish people don't lose hope. and the state of israel doesn't lose hope. that's why israel's national anthem is hatikwa -- the hope. and that's why in this imperfect and dangerous world, we ask together for god's blessing and

help. we pray for security and peace, but we know that it's not enough just to pray for it. we've got to work for it, together, united, and determined, because as president kennedy once said. here on earth, god's work must truly be our own. that's what we strive to do.

thank you. [ applause ] >> could everybody be seated. thank you for those powerful words. we now have our last speaker, good afternoon. i'm jason isaacson of the american jewish committee. it's my honor to introduce our next and last speaker. congressman elliot agel of new york, who for more than 25 years, has been one of the clearest, strongest, most respect voices for israel's security and well-being, for the safety and freedom of jews around the world, and for democracy and human rights. just a few days ago, congressman engel, as a solidarity rally for israel in white plains said some memorable things as he always does. one of his lines was a reminder

that the people of israel want and deserve, and have always wanted and deserved peace, but that hamas, with its relentless attacks has forced israel to take the sort of tough action that america has had to take against our enemies in recent years and that any nation so provoked would take. the hamas rockets fired into israel have forced the hand of the israeli people who have a right to defend themselves against the threat of terror. ladies and gentlemen, congressman elliot engel. [ applause ] >> well, thanks very much. it's great to be here, speaking after susan rice, though, it's a little difficult. but let me tell you why i came here late. because i really bring you a message. i was just at the rally in new york city in front of the united nations. [ applause [ applause ] the rally was supposed to start at 12:30, but it was jewish

time, so it started about 1:00. and i had to make a 2:00 plane to come back here because i really wanted very much to be here. so i can tell you the rally in front of the united nations was great. there were tens of thousands of people there. it was really, really great to see the outpouring for israel. and as the ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee, let me tell you, we hear a lot about a dysfunctional congress. we hear a lot of things that people say, democrats and republicans can never agree and nothing gets done. there's one thing, one subject, on which democrats and republicans all agree, and that is strong support for the state of israel. [ applause ] so support for israel in congress is strong. remains strong. is bipartisan, and that's really the way it should be. because when we look at the middle east, i always tell

people, you don't have to be jewish to love israel. many of us have personal connections to israel. but israel and america are two of the world's few democrat siz. our values are the same. that's why people, americans who are not jewish, support israel, because they realize the hypocrisy of the international community to try to attack the only democracy in the middle east, the only place where people have rights, is really just a shame. and we will not let it stand, and we will not be quiet. we will continue to speak the truth. [ applause ] tonight i am introducing a bill that's called "the emergency iron dome replacement act." we will mark it up in the foreign affairs committee this week, and it will replenish all the money for the iron dome. [ applause ]

and i think it's interesting, and i'm gonna stop because the word stop just came up. [ laughter ] let me just say this, people have the hutzpah to talk about casualties -- civilian casualties in gaza. this whole war started because day after day, month after month, week after week, year after year, hamas has been targeting israeli civilians. that's why there's a war. they're trying to kill civilian population, while israel works very hard not to touch civilians at all. so i want to say, we will continue to support israel. there is no moral equivalency between -- and israel is not at war with the palestinians. it's at war with hamas, a

terrorist group, a terrorist organization that won't accept israel's right to exist, that wants to kill as many jews as they possibly can, and wants to drive israel into the sea. so i want to thank you, in closing, i want to thank you for being here. i think it's very, very important. we know the media by and large has not been fair in reporting what's happening. it's very important there are rallies like this so that people can see what the truth is. america will always remain true to israel. israel and america work together. the people of israel live. thank you. [ applause ] >> my name is rosa lee box. i'd like to invite you to stand and join me in the singing of the star spangled barn followed by hatikwa.

♪ ♪ oh say can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ who's broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ through the perilous fight ♪ oer the ramparts we watched ♪ were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rockets' red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪ gave proof through the night ♪ that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh say does that star spangled

banner yet wave ♪ ♪ oer the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ [ applause ] ♪ ♪ [ singing in foreign language ]

mixture mixture [ singi ♪ [ singing in foreign language ] >> thank you all for coming.

thank you for your unwavering support of the state of israel. safe home. [ applause ] [ background chatter ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> a reminder that if you missed any of this event from the national press club, can you watch it any time in our video library at c-span.org. live tomorrow here on c-span3, u.s. citizenship and immigration services director leon rodriguez

updates the house committee on its efforts. members of congress remain divided on how to deal with unaccompanied children crossing the southern border. we'll had that hearing for you at 10:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span 3. and later the ukrainian foreign minister will discuss his nation's ongoing conflict with russia as he visits wash to visit secretary of state john kery and lawmakers on capitol hill. he'll be speaking at the atlantic council and we'll have his marks live at 1:00 p.m. eastern. >> on the communicators tonight, two members of congress talk about their technology legislation. >> crafted an amendment that said really this. under 702 of the act, you can collect data, and we now know

from the snowden disclosures that it's a lot of data, that may also include the information of americans, even though that can't be the purpose of the collection of the data. what the amendment simply said was that if you want to search that lawfully acquired database for americans, you should get a warrant. not that you can't get the information, get a warrant. >> the basic premise of the dotcom act is to make sure that when the nation relinquishes its last control oversight over the domain name system, that we know what we're getting ourselves into. >> democratic representative from california and illinois republican representative tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on "the communicators" on c-span 2. >> the senate environment and public works committee held an oversight meeting this week to

hear from gina mccarthy on the agency's proposed carbon dioxide regulations. for existing power plants. back in june they proposed the cleen power plant which cuts carbon pollution through a state partnership and requires fossil fuel burning plans to identify the best and cheapest way to reduce pollution. senator barbara boxer of california is the committee chair and david vitter is the ranking member. >> good morning, everybody. this oversight hearing will examine the critically important steps that the obama administration is taking to address climate change by reducing carbon pollution.

today we'll focus on the president's new proposal to reduce dangerous carbon pollution from the biggest source, power plants. just this last week when i welcomed the miners, it is my pleasure to welcome the moms clean air force. we're glad to see you here with the kids in tow. power plants account for nearly 40% of all pollution released in the air. currently there are no limits. on the amount of carbon pollution power plants can release into our air. the president's plan in my view is a win-win for the american people because by addressing climate change through carbon pollution reduction, we can cut many types of air pollutants that also threaten human health. climate change and rising temperatures will lead to increased ground level ozone and smog which could worsen respiratory illnesses like asthma, increased air pollutants from wildfires and here

heat-related and flood-related deaths. when the president announced his his power plant proposal at the children's national medical center in washington, he visited with young asthma patients to highlight the health impacts of air pollution and to underscore how important addressing dangerous carbon pollution is to our children's health. this proposal will play a vital role in protecting public health and will save thousands of lives. it will avoid up to 3,700 cases of bronkitis in children, 150,000 asthma attacks, 3,300 heart attacks, 6,600 premature deaths and 490,000 missed days at school and work. i often say if people can't breathe, they can't go to work or school. more than 9% of american children are already living with asthma and it is the third leading cause of hospitalizations for children. so we all benefit from having clean air to breathe. it literally saves lives. we need to take action now to protect families and communities from the mounting impacts of climate change and dangerous

carbon pollution. a recent congressionally required national climate assessment report tells us we could see a 10-degree-fahrenheit rise in temperatures if we don't act to limit dangerous pollution now. the president's new proposal will not only protect public health and save lives, it will enable america to lead the way to avert the most calamitous impacts of climate change such as sea level rise, dangerous heat waves and economic disruption. we must safeguard our children, our grandchildren and future generations as the president stated "we have a moral obligation to leave our children a planet that's not irrevocably polluted or damaged." the obama administration gets it and so do the american people. in a recent "washington post"/abc poll, a bipartisan majority of the american people want federal limits on carbon pollution. approximately 70% say the

federal government should require limits to carbon pollution from existing power plants. 70%. and 70% support requiring states to limit the amount of carbon pollution within their borders. just laflt month, the committee heard from four former epa administrator who served under republican presidents from richard nixon to george bush and they all agreed that climate change requires action now and should not be a partisan issue. the president's plan relies on the authorities under the clean air act was created with a bipartisan consensus in 1970, the clean air act passed by a vote of 73-0 in the senate and in the house, 375-1. i don't know who that one was. and it was signed into law by president nixon. in 1990, the revisions to the clean air act passed the senate by 89-11 and the house by 401-21 and was signed into law by

president george herbert walker bush. the clean air act has a proven track record of success. since 1970, emissions of pollutants have dropped 72% while the u.s. gdp has grown by 219% and total private sector jobs have increased by 101%. so while pollutants have dropped by 72% since 1970, private sector jobs have increased by 101% and the gdp increased by 219%. so all this fear mongering we hear on my friends on the other side about job losses disproven every time. if you take their quotes, they match-up with the quotes that we heard both in 1970 when nixon signed it, and then again in when george herbert walker bush signed it. the president's proposal, i believe, will create thousands of jobs while ensuring big polluters reduce their dangerous

contributions to climate change. i want to thank epa administrator gina mccarthy for being with us today and i look forward to her testimony. so i'm going to turn it over to senator vitter. i wanted to mention we have a vote at 11:00. we have two options. we can work as hard as we can and then when it hits 11:15 end or we can take a pause and come back. either way is good with me. so we'll see administrator where we are at that time. senator vitter? >> thank you, chairman boxer, for convening today's hearing. and i look forward to hearing from administrator mccarthy on epa's proposed existing source rule. it's really a truly run -- unprecedented, outside-the-fence set of regulations that will have major negative impacts on our nation's electricity system. and i hope we talk about this

very directly. epa's proposal does a number of things but fundamentally it hijacks that electricity system all in the name of flexibility. in reality, are epa usurps the role of state governments and public utility commissions. as well as ferc. d.o.e. and other federal agencies that do have the authority over an expertises in -- authority over and experts in the electricity generation issues. unfortunately, for epa, electricity is not directly under its jurisdiction. changing dispatch rules to require the most expensive power be delivered first. mandating efficiency and the use of renewables are examples of intrastate generation transmission and distribution matters reserved to the states by the federal power act. moreover, epa attempts to dump the politically unpopular decision making of having to pick winners and losers on the state regulators and legislators. epa's proposed rule seeks to turn states into either hostages

or unwilling accomplices in its effort to impoverish families and businesses and communities. in its existing source proposal, epa goes beyond the plain reading of the clean air act section 111, directing states to achieve questionable emission reduction targets from a limited menu of economically damaging and legally questionable options. as i mentioned before, electricity prices in the regional greenhouse gas initiative states and california are 45% higher than in my home state of louisiana and yet, 56% of louisiana families already at their lower louisiana rate spend an average of 21% of their after tax income on energy. they simply can't afford the higher electricity bills that will inevitably result from this rule. epa is also setting up states to fail. our local economies to fail, to

deliver on the president's promise that electricity prices will necessarily skyrocket. all for virtually immeasurable climate benefits. this rule is all pain and no gain therefore, and we need to look to our friends in australia, for instance, who just last week repealed their carbon tax in recognition of this sort of lesson. it's also noteworthy that epa's blueprint is fundamentally similar to nrdc's and it drives states to implement renewable portfolio standards to replace fossil fuel energy, whether they like it or not. and in states like louisiana where wind and solar are not feasible or not at all practical, we're supposed to divert economically valuable timber into fuel for electricity generation. that's a very expensive feed stock compared to say coal or natural gas.

in defense of a tax by the "new york times" and others, the administrator also readily admits that her agency must revisit nuclear energy since right now it encourages the closure of nuclear plants. so basically, epa is insisting that states ration electricity and limit consumer choice especially if that choice involves using more electricity. as 40 of my republican senate colleagues and i have stated in our june 3rd letter, epa's proposed rule will increase costs to families, schools, hospitals and businesses and in doing so as always, it it will hit the poor, the elderly, those on fixed incomes the hardest. ? in reality, it's a federal takeover of our american electricity system. and i for one am not at all comfortable for this epa

takeover, this dramatic expansion of epa's role and authority. neither are the people of louisiana. so i look forward to this discussion. it's very, very important. and there are a lot of important stakes on the line. thank you, madame chair. >> senator vitter. according to a rival, we'll go next to senator whitehouse a and -- >> thank you, chairman boxer and ranking member vitter for hosting this important hearing and administrater mccarthy, thank you for being here for your continued leadership on this vital issue. obviously, my state has a very different point of view than that expressed by the ranking member. we are on the losing end of carbon pollution in a lot of respects and we urge you on. epa's mission to protect human health and the environment is one of the most fundamental and popular responsibilities of the federal government. and there's no greater environmental threat today than climate change. epa has a duty to respond.

it also has a mandate to respond. epa took a critical step forward in this fight when it exercised its existing clean air act authority as established by congress and affirmed by the supreme court to propose carbon pollution standards for existing power plants. that proposal is based on unprecedented public engagement. more than 300 public meetings with stakeholders of all kinds and across the political spectrum. epa's plan puts states in the driver's seat to come up with their own best plans to meet state specific targets. states and power companies have a wide variety of options to cut carbon pollution like boosting renewable energy, establishing energy savings targets, investing in efficiency, or joining one of the existing cap and trade programs like our reggie program in new england. states can develop plans to create jobs. plans that cut electricity costs by boosting efficiency, plans

that achieve major pollution reductions. as proposed, the rule will reduce carbon pollution while providing as much as $93 billion in public benefit. $93 billion in public benefit per year by 2030. a recent "washington post"/abc news poll found that 70% of the public supports federal standards to limit carbon pollution. last month "the wall street journal" and nbc news released a poll showing that two-thirds of americans support president obama's new carbon pollution standard. more than half say the u.s. should address climate change even if it means higher electricity bills for them but it won't because efficiency can reduce your bill even if the per unit cost can go up. epa's proposal is supported by major utilities like national grid. faith organizations like the u.s. conference of catholic bishops, public health groups like the american lung association. there's also support from name plate american corporations like mars, nike, and starbucks.

i'd like to ask consent to enter into the record a letter from more than 125 companies -- american companies expressing support for the standard. >> without objection, so ordered. >> i just want to mention, if there are babies who are talking, it's important that you consider that we have an overflow room, g 50. so because it's kind of hard to hear over that wonderful sound. that we're hearing from the back. your call but we do have a room g 50. okay . go ahead. >> thank you, madame chair. we had four former republican epa administrators to testify before our subcommittee on clean air and nuclear safety last month. they agreed, all four, that epa's rule is a reasonable way to reduce carbon pollution and that industry has a history of

overstating the compliance costs of environmental regulations. the benefits of the clean air act according to a 2011 epa assessment will outweigh its cost by a ratio of 30-1, $30 of value in the lives of regular americans for every $1 the polluters had to pay in clean-up costs. that's a good deal for america. administrator mccarthy, epa's carbon pollution standards will lead to tremendous economic, environmental and health benefits for americans. do not be deterred by the polluters and their republican allies in congress who attack the proposal. they're fighting to protect the present present status quo which is polluters polluting at will and profiting at public expense. and do not worry, you are way more popular than they are and the american people have far more confidence in you. states are already achieving greater energy efficiency in renewables use than assumed in the proposed standards. factor those into the standards. raise the bar. develop carbon pollution standards for other major

sources like cement kilns and refineries. administrator, the american people are behind you and counting on epa to stand strong. against the polluters. stand up for the american people and go even further as you develop the final power plant standards in the months ahead. history will judge your efforts favorably. thank you very much. >> thank you, senator. senator wicker? >> this morning we have an opportunity to discuss the serious implications of the administration's unilateral move to execute its oppressive climate agenda. some of my friends on the other side continue to speak of carbon pollution which suggests to some people that they are talking about particulate emissions. we know what is being talked about with this proposed rule is carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. and these regulations regarding

co2 could negatively impact every single american. president seems determined to wage an all-out war on coal. launching costly regulations that would have little effect on changing the climate over the past ten years, global coal consumption has soared by 65% during the same period, u.s. cole experts have sky rocketed by more than 200%. coal is burned to provide 40% of the world's electricity needs in a reliable and economical way. so although the coal consumption has soared, recent global average temperatures have stagnated over the past 17 years. this is a fact worth repeating. there has been no rise in global average temperatures over the past 17 years. regardless, the administration continues to defend its heavy handed climate regulations with assertions that global average temperatures are on the rise. the regulation that we're here to discuss today is epa's most blatant overreach thus far. under the guise of the clean air

act, the agency proposed to mandate entities that are far outside its regulatory authority. the rule does not simply attempt to reduce emissions from existing plants.authority. for the first time, epa has gone beyond power plants with a regulation that reaches up to and including the power meter. epa is relying on the talking point that its proposed rule is flexible. and allows states to make their own plans. but this is fiction when it comes to many states. the rule say regulatory noose for my state of mississippi. in states like mississippi, we are being punished by epa for having a diversified portfolio of electrical generation. 100% of mississippi's current coal production will be forced to close down under this rule.

an increase by more than 250% of renewable energy resources. what good is flexibility if there's no chance of flexibility? low cost and reliable electricity is at the core of economic growth. and could actually thwart new growth. their so-called flexible regulation would mandate that states put co 2 emissions above all else. if the proposed rules move forward, and i hope they do not, our economy would be put at an economic disadvantage.

they have to rely on uneconomical resources to power american's homes and businesses increasing the cost for everyone. again, would have minute cool impact on the environment. in summary, my friend, the proposed rule is a breath taking overreach. it is a job killer. it is based on questionable science. it is of dubious legality under the clean air act. it amounts to an end run amongst congress. it is inflexible. is therefore pointless and punitive to name a few. >> outside of that, you love it? i know, i'm just kidding. senator sanders.

>> so you're leaning yes? thanks very much for being here. thank you very much for the work you are doing. we are in a remarkable moment. and, in fact, in world history. that is for the first time, to the best of my knowledge, we have a major political party which by and large is rejecting that the scientific community is saying. we can disagree about funding for education, health case all that stuff. if we cannot accept what the overwhelming majority of scientists are -- there is no more debate. the overwhelming majority of scientists are saying, a, climate change is real. climate change is caused by human activity.

climate change is already causing devastating problems in the united states and around the world. and if we do not get our act together by significantly reducing carbon and methane emission, that situation will only get worse. that is not really a debate anymore and that we have a major political party that is rejecting that is extremely frightening. now, the evidence is overwhelming. according to the u.s. national climate assessment, released in may, the average global temperature has increased by more than 1 1/2 fahrenheit between 1880 and 2012 and temperatures in my state of vermont and in new england have increased at least 2 1/2 degrees fahrenheit just in the last 30 ye years. by 2100, new england could be as much as 10 degrees hotter.

that is extraordinary. the debate that we should be having, and it would be an important debate, because nobody has all the answers, is how do you deal with this crisis, how do we work with countries around the world to reduce carbon, to transform our energy system. how do you do it? that's tough stuff. nobody has any magical answer. but that should be the debate. the idea what we're still debating whether or not this is a real issue. when the scientific community tells us this is all the planetary crisis of our time is extremely distressing. planetary warming is causing sea levels to rise. global sea level has increased eight inches since 1880. several locations have reported

only 8 inches in the last 50 years. what we are talking about is major cities in the united states and countries around the world. parents of countries around the world being under water. being under water. as a result of rising sea level, catastrophic storm surges have been rising. people talk about financial issues. i will remind my colleagues that hurricane sandy cost this government alone over $60 billion. all over the world, all over the world, there are projections that we will be spending trillion, of dollars. i would remind my colleagues that in a certain sense this debate that's taking place today is very similar to a debate that

took place 50 or 60 years ago right here in congress. and that is, we had tobacco industry lobbyists coming in here and heads of the tobacco industry saying tobacco causing sanser, that can't be the case. they brought doctors in here. guys who were smoking kools and putting ads on television and they were spending huge amounts of money trying to convince the american people the tobacco had nothing to do with cancer, emphysema and other serious illnesses. finally the truth won out. and the truth will win out on this debate as well. our job is to transform our energy system. to help save the planets of these young people will have a habitable nation in the years to come. >> senator fisher.

>> thank you so much for holding the hearing today. i want to welcome administrator mccarthy. it's always a pleasure to see you. thank you for being here today. we all share in the goal of che cleaner air and can be proud of the improvements over the last several decades. air pollution has decreased even as our population and the number of vehicles on the roads have increased. and even as our economy has grown. in nebraska, our public power utilities have made significant investments in cold-generated facilities in order to provide an even cleaner source of that low-cost energy in our state. while the regulatory actions that issued today are being pursued under the authority of the clean air act, they are a significant departure from the true aims of the statute. in an unprecedented use of the law, this administration is seeking to reduce u.s. emissions of carbon dioxide.

ostensibly to control global temperatures while the environmental benefits of capping carbon in america are negligible at best. the economic consequences are unquestionably devastating. president obama himself warned that electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket under a plan to control carbon. more than 80% of america's energy needs are met through carbon admitting conventional fuels. last year coal and natural gas provided 66% of u.s. electricity generation. as epa forces carbon reduction, it inflicts higher energy costs on american families and on businesses. while the economic pain would be felt throughout the country, it is america's poorest families that will be hit the hardest.

the median family spends about 5 cents out of every dollar on energy costs. low-income families spend about 20 cents. states like nebraska that receive a majority of their electricity from coal-fired generation would also be disproportionately harmed under this proposal. president guidelines would force the premature retirement of efficient, low-cost, coal-fueled generation. lead to the potential loss of billions of dollars in investments made over the last decade to make coal plants cleaner. and require construction of higher cost replacement generation. and would increase natural gas prices. also troubling sr. the epa-set admission guidelines that are not achievable at the affected source, the electricity and generating unit. energy efficiency and renewable portfolio medicine dates should not come through regulatory fiat.