[ applause ]. well, friends, thank you so much for that incredibly kind welcome. i want to start by talking about somebody who is from just down the road from here and that's ellen henning, a british hostage taken by isil. his wife barbara henning made an incredibly moving appeal for his release just over the weekend. you know, allen henning is simply an aid worker, trying to make life better for victims of conflict. i think it should tell us all we need to know about isil and their murderous ways. they take a decent british man like allen henning hostage and it's not just british people that they're targeting. it's people of all nationalities and all religions.

that's why we've supported a coalition, not simply based on military action, but a coalition based on humanitarian, political and diplomatic action to counter the threat of isil. now, this week the president of the united states and the british prime minister are both at the united nations. we support the overnight action against isil. what needs to happen now is that the u.n. needs to play its part. a u.n. security council resolution to win the international support to counter that threat of isil. [ applause ]. >> friends, this county will never turn our back on the world and will never turn our back on

the principles of internationalism. [ applause ]. and those values and those values are reflected not just in our country but in this party, in this hall, and in this great city of manchester. [ applause ]. friends, it is great to be with you in manchester. a fantastic city. a city with a great labour council leading the way and a city that after this year's local elections is not just a tour-free zone, but a liberal-free democrat zone as well. [ applause ]. now, manchester has special memories for me because it was four years ago that i was

elected your leader here in manchester. four years on, i feel wiser. i feel older. i feel much older actually. hang on a minute, some of you look quite a lot older as well. at least i've got an excuse. but i am prouder than ever to be the leader of your party and i thank you for your support. [ applause ]. now we immediate here in serious times, not just for our world, but for our country, too. our country nearly broke up. a country that nearly splits apart is not a country in good health. i want to start by thanking all of labour's team scotland for

the part they played in keeping our country together. [ applause ]. let us thank them all. gordon brown. alister. douglas alexander. jim murphy, anna. joe ann. let us thank them all, ladies and gentlemen, because they helped save our country. [ applause ]. and i want to say to the people of scotland directly, this labor party will show you over the coming years you made the right choice because we are better together.

[ applause ]. now, here is the thing. all of us, all political leaders, all of us in this hall have a responsibility to try and explain why 45% of people voted yes, 45% of people wanted to break up our country. and we've got to explain why the feeling we saw in scotland is not just in scotland but is reflected across the country. and my story starts six days from the end of the referendum campaign. i was on my way to a public meeting. i was late, as politicians tend to be. and just outside the meeting i met a woman. and i was first to go into the meeting but i wanted to stop and ask her how she was voting. i did that to everybody on the street. one vote at a time. and i said to her, how are you voting? she said, i haven't decided yet. turned out her name was

josephine. she worked as a cleaner in the building. i asked her what the company was like that she worked for. she said the company was decent but the wages were rubbish. she hadn't decided because life was so incredibly tough for her. she didn't want to leave but she thought it might be the best thing to do. now, i don't know how josephine voted in the referendum, but i do know the question she was asking, is anyone going to make life better for me and my family? and here is the thing, it isn't just josephine's question, it's the question people are asking right across britain, is anyone going to build a better life for the working people of our country? that wasn't just the referendum question. that is the general election question. [ applause ].

i'm not talking about the powerful and the privileged, those who do well whatever the weather. i'm talking about families like yours, who are treading water, working harder and harder just to stay afloat. for labour, this election is about you. you've made the sacrifices. you've taken home lower wages year after year. you've paid higher taxes. you've seen your energy bills rise and your nhs decline. you know this country doesn't work for you. my answer is that we can build a better future for you and your family. and this speech is about labor's plan to do it. labour's plan for britain's future. [ applause ]. so what do we need to have that

plan for the future? we have to understand what people are saying to us right across the united kingdom. see, i think across our country there's a silent majority who wanted our country to endure but are telling us that things must change and they come from every walk of life. like a young woman who works in a pub near where i live. she lives at the opposite end of the country from josephine. she is separated by at least a generation, but they share a common experience. she couldn't afford to go to college, so she got a job in the pub kitchen nearby washing dishes. she's worked incredibly hard and worked her way up to be one of the chefs. but like for josephine, life for her is incredibly tough. by the way, she thinks politics is rubbish. and let's not pretend we don't hear that a lot on the

doorsteps. what does she see in politics? she sees drift. she doesn't think we can solve her problems, and we have to prove her wrong. it's not just like these people who are struggling with the problems of today and millions of other people. i think there's something almost even more important about our country. people have lost faith in the future. you know the other day i was in the park. i was trying to work on my speech, believe it or not, and i wasn't getting anywhere. so i went to the park and there were two young women who were in the park and they seemed excited to see me and they came over. it's not that funny. [ laughter ]. and one of them actually said, so it is true you do meet famous people in this park. and the other one said, yeah, it is. then the first one said, no offense, we were hoping for benedict cumberbatch.

any way, one of them said something which really stuck with me. she said this, she said my generation is falling into a black hole. and she said about her parent's generation, they've had it so good and now there's nothing left for us. she wasn't just speaking for herself. she was speaking for millions of people across our country, millions of people who lost faith in the future. like gareth who is high up in a software company. he's got a 5-year-old daughter. he's earning a decent wage. he can't afford to buy a home for himself and for his family. he's priced out by the richest. he thinks that unless you're one of the privileged few in britain the country's not going to work for you and your kids are going to have a worse life than you. and so many people, friends, across our country feel this way. they feel the country doesn't work for them. and they've lost that faith in the future. now, our task is to restore

people's faith in the future. not by breaking up our country. but by breaking with the old way of doing things, by breaking with the past. i'm not talking about a different policy or a different program. i'm talking about something much bigger. i'm talking about a different idea, a different ethic for the way our country succeeds. you see, for all the sound and fury in england, scotland, whales, across the united kingdom, what people are actually saying to us, is this country doesn't care about me. our politics doesn't listen. our economy doesn't work and they're not wrong. they're right. and this labour party is going to put it right. [ applause ]. but friends, but friends, to do that, we've got to go back to the very foundations of who we

are and how we run things. we just can't carry on with the belief that we can succeed as a country with a tiny minority at the top doing well. prosperity in one part of britain amongst a small elite, a circle that is closed to most, blind to the concerns of people, sending the message to everyone but a few, you're on your own. see, think about it for a minute. in our economy, it's working people who are made to bear the burden of anxiety, precariousness and insecurity. they've been told, you're on your own. so many young people who don't have the privileges think their life is going to be worse than their parent's. they've been told, you're on your own. so many small businesses are struggling against forces more powerful than themselves. they've been told, you're on your own. the most vulnerable are being

thrown as scrap metal, cast aside, not listened to even when they have a case. they've been told, you're on your own. and to cap it all, in our politics, it's a few who have the access while everyone else is locked out. they've been told, you're on your own. no wonder people have lost faith in the future. that's why so many people voted to break up our country. is it any wonder the deck is stacked, the game is rigged in favor of those who have all the power. friends, in eight months' time, we're going to call time on this way of running the country because your on your own. [ applause ]. because you're on your own doesn't work for you. it doesn't work for your family.

it doesn't work for britain. [ applause ]. can we build a different future for our country? of course we can. but with a different idea for how we succeed. an idea that in the end won the referend referendum. an idea i love because it says so much about who we are and who we have it in ourselves to become. an idea rooted in this party's character and in our country's history. an idea that built our greatest institutions and got us through our darkest moments. an idea that is just one simple word -- together. together. together we can restore faith in the future. together we can build a better future for the working people of britain.

together we can rebuild britain, friends, together we can. [ applause ]. together says it's not just a powerful few at the top whose voices should be heard. it's the voice of everyone. together says it's not just a few wealthy people who create the wealth of our country, it's every working person. we can't succeed with the talents of a few, we have to use the talents of all. together says we can't have some people playing to different rules, everybody has to play under the same rules. and together says that we have a duty to look after each other when times are hard. together, the way we restore faith in the future, together, a different idea for britain. [ applause ].

now, you might be thinking this sounds like a pretty big undertaking. changing the way our country is run, a totally different idea. that's quite a big task. is it really going to be possible? can we do it? i mean, you know, it's 21st century, you know s that going backwards? well, it isn't. and the reason it isn't is because that idea is everywhere around us to see. in every walk of life. the inspiration is everywhere. of a different way of doing things. see, earlier on i mentioned gareth who works at a software company, who is worried about his daughter and worried about the future. i didn't just meet him, i met his colleagues as well and that software company, the thing that shines through for it about me is that it's full of bright, savvy young people, full of great enthusiasm. it isn't about the boss at the top. it isn't about each individual

on their own. go to every person at that company and they say the same thing. you need to use the talents of every single person, not just the software engineers but the customer service, not just the developers but those who manage the accounts. and go to so many great businesses across our country and they'll say the same thing to you. that is the ethic of the 21st century in business. we need great entrepreneurs. britain needs great entrepreneu entrepreneurs. but the greatest recognize they're only as strong as their team. and it's not just true in business. there will be people who are here who work in our brilliant national health service, our brilliant national health service, friends. [ applause ]. earlier this year i spent a couple of days at an nhs

hospital. i wanted to go there to see how things looked from the front line. mainly i sort of got in the way really but that's what politicians tend to do. and i remember one evening i was in a&e at 9:00 p.m. and i was watching nurses from different backgrounds, different walks of life all coming together. i was incredibly moved. i was incredibly inspired by the team work. i was so proud of our national health service. [ applause ]. go to any great hospital, go to any great school, it's the team that makes it strong and then think about our brilliant armed forces and let us pay tribute to them today, friends. [ applause ].

our brilliant heroic troops serving our country in the most dangerous places. talk to any of them and they'll talk about the team and the team that makes it strong. so it's true of business. it's true of public services. it's true of our armed forces. it's true in so many walks of life. you see f the ethic of the 20th century was higher archi, order, planning, control, the talents of a few, the ethic of the 21st century is cooperation, everybody playing their part, sharing the rewards, the talents of all together. friends, it is time we ran the country like we know it can be run. [ applause ]. now here is a question for you. if the challenge is to run the country on this principle of

together, can the tourries be the answer? can the tourry bs the answer? >> no. >> that's better. i'll tell you why they can't be the answer. because if you want the best example of the you're on your own, rig the system for a powerful few, insecure, throw back dogma, than just look at this government. if you're -- [ applause ]. if you're a low-paid worker, struggling to make ends meat, you're working harder for longer for less and you're on you're own. if you're a family in the squeezed middle, you feel like you're just treading water and you're on the own. you're on a zero hour's contract getting up at 5:00 a.m. every morning to find out whether you've got work, they'll tell you that's how an economy succeeds and you're on your own. if you're one of the people who is worried about the railway company the payday lender, they

don't want to do anything to help you, you're on your own. and if you're one of the 9 million people who rent your home in the private sector, they're certainly not going to do anything for you. they're going to tell you -- you're on your own. and why? and why? because they say intervening would be like venezuela. that's what they say. you see, they say, they don't believe in government intervention. really? of course they do. because if you're a millionaire who wants a tax cut, they're certainly going to intervene to support you. you're not going to be on your own. [ applause ]. if you're a banker who is worried about your bonus, good news for you because george osbourne is going to go all the way to europe to fight tooth and nail to try to protect it.

you certainly won't be on your own. [ applause ]. if you're an energy company, if you're an energy company, whose prices and profits are soaring, good news again, you have a prime minister who will be your own pr man. you won't be on your own. [ applause ]. and by the way, and by the way, if you're a conservative supporting, gold-mining, luxury hotel owning, putin award winning, russian and you have 160,000 pounds to spare to bid in an auction, you won't be on your own. you'll be on the tennis court playing doubles with david cameron. that tells you all you need to know about this government. [ applause ].

now look, we know what kind of election campaign they're going to fight. the next eight months, david cameron is going to talk a lot about the past and he's not going to want to talk that much about the present or the future. now why? he's going to tell you, he's going to tell the british public that none of the problems in our country are anything to do with him. he's done a really outstanding, tremendous job and he really deserves a lot of congratlation and thanks for it. so he's done a great job. all the problems are nothing to do with him. and if you just hang on until after the general election, things are about to turn the corner for your family. now, the british people will have to be the judge of this. but i think there are some things to bare in mind. the record of this government,

friends, isn't just mediocre. it is one of the worst ever. [ applause ]. the longest fall in living standards since 1870. wages rising slower than prices. for your family, five years of sacrifice, zero years of success. now you might think that david cameron is right and things are about to turn around for you and your family. as i say, the british people will have to be the judge of this. but isn't there a second more plausible explanation for their record? a torrid economy is always an economy for the few because that's who they care about.

that's the basis on which they think a country succeeds. and so the past with this government is a good guide to the future. your family worse off. you can't afford to take that risk. the british people can't afford another five years of david cameron. [ applause ]. now, i've got an idea for our prime minister. he likes the surfing. he likes playing that game, angry birds. and he likes tennis with the russian ogly garks. friends, i've got a great idea, why don't we give him all the time in the world to do all of those things. come next may and let's send him into opposition.

[ applause ]. it's up to us. we have to build a future for you and your family. that's what labour's plan for britain's future is all about. and today i want to lay out six national goals. not just for one term of office or even for one year, but a plan for the next ten years. britain 2025. day one of me as prime minister, this is the plan, and these are the goals i want us to pursue. now, you might ask -- why ten years? i'll tell you one of the reasons, people are fed up with politicians who come along and say, vote for me. on day one, everything will be transformed. friend the british people won't believe it.

it's what i call doing a nit plague. [ applause ]. >> look, when he broke that promise on tuition fees, he didn't just destroy trust in himself and the liberal democrats. he did something else, he destroyed trust in politics. every time a promise is broken, every time a false promise is made, every time we say, vote for us and tomorrow everything will be totally different, people get more and more cynical. people get more and more turned off. people think politics is more and more a game and all we're in it for is ourselves. that's why our plan for the next ten years. not a plan for the next ten years which says nothing changes but a root map, a root map for the country. a root map for people like gareth who i talked about earlier. for the young woman who wanted to see benedict cumberbatch and ended up with me and said -- and said, my generation is falling

into a black hole. i want to know there's a future for me. that's what this plan is about. and our plan starts with rewarding hard work once again. because that's what we've got to do as a country. you know, one in five of the men and women who go out to work in our country do their bit, make their contribution, put in the hours and find themselves in low pay. with britain's traditions, with labour's traditions, that should shame us all, friends. so our first national goal is that we half the number in low pay by 2025. transforming the lives of 2 million people in our the principal of together says we don't just use the talents of all, we reward the talents of all. the minimum wage has to become a route to bringing up your family

with dignity. we will raise the minimum wage to over eight pounds an hour. a rise of 60 pounds a week for a full-time worker or more than 3,000 pounds a year. [ applause ] the wealth and privilege. l labour says people should have their talents rewarded. our second national goal is that all working people should share in the growing wealth of the company. that means as the economy grows, the wages of everyday working people grow at the same rate. you know what's amazing, friends? is that that statement, that goal is even controversial. it used to be taken for granted in our country that that's what

would happen. that's what the cost of living crisis is all about. to counter it, you need a government with a singular focus on tackling it. key to this is transforming our economy so we create good jobs at decent wages. that requires a massive national effort. the principal of together, everybody playing their part. for government it means no vested interest, no stale mindset should stand in the way. it means reforming our banks, much bigger reform, breaking up the big banks. [ applause ] so that we have the competition we need in our banking system. it means getting power out of white hall. we are far too centralized a country. it's time we did something about

it. it's time we transferred power out of white hall to our businesses, towns and cities so they can create the jobs, the prosperity, the wealth that they need. [ applause ] it's about businesses and trade unions engaging in corporation, not confrontation. it's about something else, friends. it's using our historic values to fight for those at the front line of the modern work force. i'm talking about a group of people that we in the labour party haven't talked about that much. we need to talk about them a lot more. the growing army of our self-employed. 5 million people in our country, often the most entrepreneurial, go-getting people in britain, who have a hard, insecure life very often.

because of the jobs they do, two out of three don't have a pension. one in five can't get a mortgage. they don't want special treatment. they just want a fair shot. so the task for this labour party is to end this 21 of tst century discrimination and to have equal rights for the self-employed in britain. [ applause ] i said earlier that we need to create good jobs at decent wages, to transform our economy. those jobs of the future. our third national goal is that by 2025, britain becomes truly a world leader in the green economy, creating 1 million new jobs as we do. you know, under this government, we're falling behind germany,

japan, the united states, even india and china when it comes to green technology and services. there are so many brilliant businesses who are desperate to do their bit. but government is not playing its part. with our plan, we will. this is it what we're going to do. we're going to commit to taking all of the carbon out of electricity by 2030. we're going to have a green investment bank with powers to borrow and attract new investment and as caroline flint will announce tomorrow, we will give row souresources to communo insulate 5 million homes over the next ten years. [ applause ] the environment isn't that fashionable anymore in politics as you may have noticed with david cameron.

but it matters. it's incredibly important for our economy. and there is no more important issue for me when i think about my children's generation and what i can do in politics than tackling global climate change. [ applause ] now, we need a plan for jobs. we need a plan for wages. we need a plan that is going to actually help the working families of our country. but at the heart of our plan for our country and for your family is also a future for all of our young people. i met elizabeth the other day. where is she? she's here. stand up for one second. elizabeth is an apprentice. [ applause ]

elizabeth is an apprentice. she's an auto electrician. it's fair to say that you are breaking through into what has been a man's world. now, let's have another round of applause for her and the great job she's doing. [ applause ] she is one of the lucky few, friends. she's one of the lucky few. at her school -- i met her yesterday. her school helped her to get an apprenticeship. so many other schools don't do that. lots of the young people i meet on apprenticeships say, my school said they are rubbish and wouldn't help me. now i'm doing it. it's great for me. but frankly, there aren't enough of them. they aren't high quality enough. our fourth national goal is that by 2025, as many young people will be leaving school or

college to go on to an apprenticeship as currently go to university. [ applause ] now, i've got to tell you, this is an absolutely huge undertaking. we are such a long way away from this as a country. it's going to require a massive national effort. it's going to require young people to show the ambition to do well and to get on. it's going to require schools to lead a dramatic change in education. it's going to need business and government to lead a revolution in apprenticeships. government is very good at preaching to business about what it should be doing. let me tell you, government is absolutely useless when it comes to apprenticeships. it's true of governments of both parties. look at other countries like germany, they do a fantastic job

in giving apprenticeships to the next generation. we don't do that in this country. first, we're going to tackle the failure by government. then we've got to say to business that you have to play your part. if you want to bring in a worker from outside the european union, that's okay. but you must provide apprenticeships to the next generation. [ applause ] you see, we can't have what's happening in the moment in i.t. where you have more people coming in but the number of apprenticeships falling in i.t. we have got to say to business, we're going to give you the control of money for the apprenticeships for the first time. in exchange, if you want a major government contract, then you must provide apprenticeships to our young people. [ applause ]

a plan for jobs, for wages, for education. but what is it -- what other things give us confidence and security in life? it's the love of people we care most about. it's decent work, properly rewarded. but it's the confidence and security of having a home of your own. so many people don't have that today. that very british dream of homeownership is fatie i fading many people. under this government we're building fewer homes than any time since the 1920s. our fifth national goal is that by 2025, for the first time in 50 years, this country will be building as many homes as we need. doubling the number of first-time buyers in our country. [ applause ] again, it's going to require a

massive national effort. a massive national effort. we won't let large developers sit on land. we will say that we will help small developers to build in our country. we will create over half a million new homes. we will also make housing the top priority for additional capital investment in the next p parliament. this party will get britain building again. [ applause ] your family -- your family also needs public services you can rely on. education, policing, transport. nowhere is that more true than our national health service. i mentioned earlier on that i spent a couple of days at a

hospital earlier on this year. while i was there i met an amazing man in his 80s who died a few weeks later. i will always remember my conversations with him. you see, he remembered the foundation of the nhs. he remembered what life was like before the national health service. i remember him saying to me, ed, the problem then was, you were on your own. on your own having to pay for medical treatment. friends, we are so proud of our national health service. i know my duty to colin and to the british people. it is to make sure our nhs is there when we need it. [ applause ] so our sixth national goal is that we create a truly world

class 21st century health and care service. because a hospital is only as good as the services in the community. that's the biggest lesson i learned there. if people can't get to see their gp, if elderly people can't get the visits they need, then they end up in hospital when it could have been avoided. that's bad for them. and it's bad for the taxpayer. it costs billions of pounds. let's face it, friends, those services are creeking. those services are creaking just now. one in four people can't get to see their gp within a week. you've had the scandal of home care visits for the elderly restricted to just 15 minutes. in this day and age. the nhs does face huge challenges over the coming years. we will transform our nhs.

it's time to care about our nhs. we need doctors, nurses, midwives, care workers who are able to spend proper time with us, not rushed off their feet. so we will set aside resources so that we can have in our nhs 3,000 more midwives, 5,000 more care workers, 8,000 more gps and 20,000 more nurses. a an nhs with time to care. [ applause ]

in order to pay for it, we won't borrow an extra penny or raise taxes on ordinary working families. we will clamp down on tax avoidance, including tax loopholes by the hedge fund to raise over a billion pounds. [ applause ] we will use the proceeds of a mansion tax on homes above 2 million pounds. [ applause ] and we will raise extra resources from the tobacco companies who make soaring profit on the back of ill health. [ applause ] because, friends, the principal

of building it together means everyone playing our part, their part, in making our nhs what it needs to be. [ applause ] in total, we will set aside 2 1/2 billion pounds in an nhs time to care fund. tomorrow andy will set out our integrated plan for fictiphysic health, mental health and care for the elderly. truly a 21st sen stcentury nati health service. [ applause ] the stakes are high at this election. nowhere more so than on the national health service. we know the nhs is sliding backwards under this government. we know they are privatizing and fragmenting it. imagine what another five years

of david cameron would mean for our national health service, friends. we are not going to let it happen. our nhs is too precious, too important, and we will not let it happen. [ applause ] friends, we built the nhs. we saved the nhs. we are going to repeal the health and social care bill. and we're going to transform our nhs for the future. that is what the next labour government will do. friends, we will do it together! [ applause ]

six national goals, friends. six national goals to transform our country. not a false promise on day one. not some pie in the sky idea that can't be delivered. real, concrete ideas that can transform our country, that can restore faith in the future. a plan for britain's future. labour's plan for britain's future. to make that happen, we have to do something else. transform who has power in our country so that those who feel locked out feel let back in. you know, people think westminster politics is out of touch, irrelevant and often disconnected from their lives. somebody who stands at prime minister questions, i often know

what they mean. we might as well say it. people think about politics. they think it's not about them. we have to change it. we don't just need to restore people's faith in the future with this economic and social plan. we need to change the way politics works in this country. what does that mean? first of all, it's time to hear the voice of young people in our politics. so we will give the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds in general elections. [ applause ] it's time to complete the unfinished business of reform of the house of lords so we truly have a senate of the nations. [ applause ]

it's time to devolve power in england. i'm incredibly proud of our proposals, our ambitious proposals to reverse a century of centralization. there can be no better place to be talking about this than here, devolving power to local government, bringing power to close people right across england. [ applause ] we need bigger reform of our constitution. here is the thing, friends. given everything we know about what people think of westminster polit politics, it's got to be led by the people. it can't be a westminster stitch-up. that's why we need a proper constitutional convention harnessing the civil energy of people across our land, england, scotland, wales, every part of the united kingdom. [ applause ]

you know, i've realized something else. giving people voice is also about recognizing who we are as a country. you see, we are more than ever four countries as one. england, scotland, wales, northern ireland and britain, too. each nation making its contribution. we're not just better together. we are greater together. that's not something to fear. that's something to be proud of. you know, i learned something really important, as i'm sure we all did in this referendum campaign. all of those people who were proud to be scottish and proud to be british, just like there are so many people who are proud to be welsh and proud to be british, no one more so than our brilliant first minister of wales. let's hear it for him today, ladies and gentlemen. [ applause ]

and so, too, we can be proud to be english and proud to be british. i say to this party, we must fight for these traditions and not give them to others. englishness, a history of solidarity from the battle of cable street against oswald and the black shirts to the spirit of the blitz. [ applause ] englishness, traditions of fairness from the workers who fought for equal pay to today's campaigners for the living wage. [ applause ] englishness, a spirit of

internationalism, from those who fought in the spanish civil war to our generosity to those overseas. [ applause ] now, friends, there will be some people who tell you that being english, welsh or scottish means dividing or setting ourselves against each other. rubbish. why? because here is what we the labour party know. the injustices facing working people face them right across the united kingdom. [ applause ] we can only tackle them together. that is, after all, what we spent the last two years fighting for. and i am not going to let anyone, after the last two years, drive us apart. [ applause ]

if david cameron cares so much about the union, why is he seeking to divide us? he's learning the wrong lessons from scotland. [ applause ] he's learning the wrong lessons from scotland. because what he doesn't understand is that the lessons are, of course, about the constitution. but they are not about playing political tactics about england. and here is why he's doing it. david cameron doesn't lie awake at night thinking about the united kingdom. he lies awake at night thinking about the united kingdom independence party. is that why he is doing it, friends. [ applause ] and i say, pandering to them is

just one more reason why he is not fit to be the prime minister of this great country! [ applause ] better together, across the united kingdom. but also better together, true to our traditions of internationalism. nowhere is that more true than when it comes to europe and the european union. friends, let me say it plainly. let me say it plainly. our future lies inside, not outside, the european union. [ applause ]

we need to reform europe. we need to reform europe on the economy, on immigration, on benefits, on all of these big issues. but here is the question for britain. how do we reform europe? do we reform europe by building alliances or by burning alliances? it was really good is that we had a test case by david cameron of his strategy. i don't know whether you missed it. it's about jean-claude yonker. david cameron lost. why did he lose? because at the start, people thought he might win the vote. i will tell you why. because the problem for our country is that when david cameron comes calling, people don't think he's calling about the problems of britain or the problems of europe. they think he's calling about the problems of the conservative

party. and here is the funny thing, friends. here is the funny thing. if you are elected the chancellor of germany or the prime minister of italy, you don't think you were elected to solve the problems of the conservative party. [ applause ] that's why he can't succeed for our country. what we had of jean-claude is a preview of what could befall this country if david cameron was back in power after 2015. because he lost 26 to 2 over that. he has to win 28 nil to get reform of europe. unanimity. no chance for david cameron. he's got no chance of fighting for this country. because people think he's got one hand on the exit door. and his strategy has failed. if you want to reform europe, if

you want to change the way europe works, if you want to keep britain in the european union and if you realize that the biggest threat to our prosperity is now the conservative party, the right answer is a lab our government. [ applause ] i'm determined as prime minister, i will promote our values around the world. one of the things that that means is seeking a solution to a problem that we know in our hearts is one of the biggest problems our world faces. that is issues in the middle east and israel and palestine. i will fight with every fiber of my being to get the two-state solution, two states for two peoples, israel and a palestinian state living side by side. that will be a very, very

important task of the next labour government, friends. [ applause ] there's one other thing i want to say about what we need to do abroad. we have made extraordinary progress on lesbian and gay rights over the last 20 years. if i think about the transformations that i have seen growing up into adulthood, it's the biggest transformation. we have made such progress on equali equality. but we have to face the fact that internationally, things are, if anything, going backwards. we can't let that help. we can't say, that's okay. this labour government will fight to make sure that we fight for our values and human rights all around the world. so today, i can announce that i'm appointing michael cashman, lord cashman as an envoy on lgbt

rights all around the world. [ applause ] it's about a plan at home and abroad. but it's also about leadership, friends. you know, i know the next eight months represent my interview with the british people for one of the most important jobs in our country. let me tell you what i care about. i care about big ideas that can change our country. the principal of together. i care about hearing the voices of people right across our land and not shutting them out. i care about something else. i care about using the power of government to stand up against powerful forces when we need to do so. it came home to me the other day when i met a doctor.

she said we need somebody who will stand up for working people, for everyday people because you will have the power and we won't. that's why i stood up to rupert murdoch over phone hacking. these why i stood up to the banks over bonuses. that's why i stood up over the exploitation over the poorest people. that's why i stood up to the energy companies over the profits and prices. it's why i stooz d up to the day mail when they said my dad hated britain because i know my dad loved britain. [ applause ]

that's me. but what about the other guy? this isn't a conventional job interview. i get to say something about him. he stands up for the principal of you are on your own. few. here is the thing that gets me the most about him, perhaps. he really thinks a good photo opportunity will fool people into thinking that he doesn't really stand up for the rich and privileged, he stands up for your and your family. in this day and age when people are so cynical about politics, i just think it adds to the cynicism. here is the thing. he has been found out. he has been found out. because he hugged a husky before an election and then said, cut the green crap after an election. he stood outside a hospital before an election saying no hospital closures and he closed that very same a & e department after the election.

he has been found out. has he changed his logo and then tried to sell off the forest after the election. [ applause ] he has been found out because he said he was a compassionate conservative before the election. he imposed the cruel, the vindicti vindictive, the unfair bedroom tax after the election. [ applause ] you know what gets me even more? you know what gets me even more is that even now with all the tales of misery, heaardship, he thinks rebranding will get him off the hook. he calls it the spare room subsidy as if it will go away.

david cameron, you have been found out. [ applause ] friends, there is a choice of leadership this election, a stark choice, leadership that stands for the privileged few or leadership that fights for you and your family. i know i said earlier, this isn't just about leadership and government and labour's plan for britain's future, it's also about all of you. see, we can't build the country we need without you, without mobilizing every part of britain. so i say to young people, we need your hopes, your energy, your vie taltality. older people, we need your

wisdom. i say to every business, you can be part of this. we can't do it without you. i say to every entrepreneur, we need your ideas, your enthusiasm. i say to every charity, we admire your spirit and we want to hear your voice. i say to every nurse, every teacher, every public service worker, we salute your dedication and we know why you do what you do. [ applause ] i say to every person in our country who believes tomorrow can be better than today, we need you. together we bring up our families. together we look out for our neighbors. together we care for our communities. together we build great businesses, the best in the world. together we teach the young.

together we heal the sick. together we care for the old. together we invent cures for the most terrible of diseases. of course, we can rebuild our country. together, we can reward hard work. we can ensure the next generation does better. we can make our nhs greater than it has ever been before. together, we can make britain, prouder, stronger in the world. we can restore faith in the future. on our own we can't but together we can. in the next eight months, the british people face one of the biggest choices in generations. a choice between carrying on as we are on your own for the privileged few or a different, better future for our country. we're ready. labour's plan for britain's future, let's make it happen together. thank you very much. [ applause ]

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>> the british house of commons is in recess as members attend party conferences. our live coverage of prime minister's question time will return wednesday, october 15, 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2.

i'm pastor harry waller from nebraska. at one point in time, our homeless veterans signed a contract with the united states government and said we will give our life if it's necessary. when you talk about homeless veterans, when you talk about the v.a. hospital, when you talk about the veterans cemetery, you hear lee terry's name. you don't hear any other senator or congressman's name. thank you for caring about our veterans and giving us an opportunity to serve them. >> i'm lee terry, and a proved this message. >> my dad flew a bomber over france on d-day. he taught me never forget those who serve our nation. my disagreements with congressman terry aren't personal. but his votes against veterans sure are. congressman terry shut down the government, defended his own pay while soldiers were on the battlefield and protected congressional perks like

healthcare for life while cutting veterans care. i'm brad ashford, our promises to veterans are personal. >> lee terry is fighting to keep our neighborhoods safe and strong. he secured grants to strengthen policing. lee terry passed a law empowering a neighborhood activist to start a new radio station giving voice to stopping street violence. lee terry, working hard to keep us safe. >> i'm not running for congress to represent any political party. i'm running to make a difference for nebraska. reducing partisanship in washington isn't one easy step, one single day or electing one new member. i'm going to work from day one to create a coalition of 25 members of congress who set aside partisanship and focus on solving problems.

just like i've done for 16 years in the unicam. i'm brad ashford and i approved this message. next, a hearing on the

threats faced by the u.s. from isis and other terrorist groups. homeland security secretary jeh johnson joined james comey and matthew olsen as they testified before the house homeland security committee. this is 2 1/2 hours. >> the committee on homeland security will come to order. the committee is meeting to examine threats to the security of the homeland of the united states. before we begin today i would like to remind our guests that demonstrations from the audience, including the use of signs, placards, t-shirts as well as verbal outbursts are a violation of the rules of the house. i would like to thank our guests for their cooperation in maintaining order and decorum

during today's hearing. i now recognize myself for an opening statement. secretary johnson, director comey, director olsen, we have asked you to come before the committee today to discuss the array of threats facing the u.s. homeland and the government's response. a chief concern of ours is the proliferation of terror safe havens around the world. the 9/11 commission's number one recommendation was to use all elements of national power to deny sanctuary to terrorist groups. yet we have seen safe havens spread with alarming speed in recent years. such territory makes it far easier for terrorist groups to ñ against the west. during this administration, no less than three extremist sang tearies have emerged order expanded in syria, iraq and libya. in afghanistan, if the administration goes forward with the plan to withdraw our troops like they did in iraq, we might

see terrorists reclaiming the territory from which they planned 9/11. our obvious and most immediate concern is the islamic state of iraq and syria or isis. i agree with the president that this group does not represent a legitimate state. but it is rather butchers peddling a perverted brand of islam. however, it should never have been taken -- have taken the beheading of two americans for our government should never have taken that to wake up the american people to this menace. we have known for many months that isis was surging and represented the top threat to the united states. but the white house dithered without taking action and the president played down the danger. despite recent u.s. strikes again the group, isis still holds on to thousands of square

miles of territory where they are able to operate their terrorist army. estimates indicate that they may have up to 30,000 fighters of which 2,000 or so are americans and europeans. these radicalized westerns represent an exceptionally grave threat to the u.s. homeland because of their militant training, extremist connections, ease of travel and intimate knowledge of the west. today we expect to hear about the administration's strategy to detect, deter and disrupt the return of these foreign fighters to the u.s. territory and that of our allies. let us be clear, our nation is at war with this group and the twisted ideology it is seeking to spread. we must consider all instruments of national power to roll back and defeat these fanatics now and destroy them wherever they emerge. for if we do not take the fight to the enemy overseas, we risk

having to fight them here at home. our military efforts must include air strikes in syria. top military advisers to the president, including the chairman of the joint chiefs, general martin dempsey have said that to defeat isis, its safe haven must be destroyed. i agree. the hope the president is taking the advice of his top commanders and generals in the pentagon. but isis is not the only threat we face. i hope we hear today how your agencies are working together to address the wider danger from violent islamic extremism here at home and abroad. the white house has presented a false narrative in recent years about this threat. claim, for instance, that al qaeda was on its heels, has been decimated. in reality, al qaeda has grown and materialized into a deadly

global franchise with a spider web of affiliates and similar groups attempting to fill the power vacuums across the middle east, africa and southeast asia. the struggle against violent islamic extremists is taking place also here at home. there have been more than 70 home ground violent jihadist plots in attacks since 9/11 according to the congressional research service. more than two-thirds have been uncovered or taken place in only the past five years. many of the suspects were radicalized, in part, by online islamist propaganda, including the boston marathon bombers and the fort hood attacker, a tool isis isis excels at using. they indicted a u.s. citizen

from rochester for raising money, recruiting and facilitating training for isis. while the united states continues to battle physical threats posed by terrorist organizations, we must also be vigilant in protecting the homeland against threats like cyber attacks from state and non-state actors. president obama recently noted that the cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation. sadly, many experts believe the nation is under prepared to protect itself in this domain. a report from the bipartisan polly center former 9/11 commissioners described cyber preparedness as being at pre-september 11 levels. hagel said the world is explo exploding all over. i agree. we look forward to your testimony here today surveying

the threat landscape and elaborating how we are countering those set against us and our interests. before i turn it over to the ranking member, i would like to note that this is the first time that the fbi director has appeared before this committee. sir, we very much appreciate your presence here today. if i could ask that the members be cordial to him so that we will hopefully have his return appearance before this committee. additionally, this is likely one of the last congressional appearances for nctc director matt olsen who announced his retirement. we thank you for your service, sir, over the years. 25 years of service to your government. director olsseolsen, we appreci you being here and everything you have done to protect americans. it's been an honor to work with you. secretary johnson, you have been on the job for nine months. i appreciate your good work and

relationship we have built over the years -- months that you have taken office. i look forward to having you appear before this committee again. thanks for your -- if i could say, i was in new york yesterday. secretary johnson was leading the governors of new york, new jersey, the fbi, cvp, joint terrorism task force in such a professional manner. it was really refreshing to see that kind of leadership coming from our department on a very serious topic. so thank you for your leaders p leadership, sir. the chair now raises the ranking member, mr. thompson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for holding this very important hearing. however, we also are fortunate to have an exceptionally accomplished and knowledgeable panel of witnesses to discuss the current threat picture. secretary johnson, welcome back.

you have offered informative and useful testimony before this committee. and i expect today to be no different. director comey, it's a great pleasure to have the bureau to participate in the discussion. as the chairman said, this is the fbi's maiden voyage before the committee. we look forward to your testimony. i hope that it won't be your last. and we will work on that, i'm sure, mr. chairman. mr. olsen, your years of service, the chairman has spoken to, thank you for all the contributions you have made. i'm certain the future is still very bright for you. thank you very much. i wish you the best in that transition. mr. chairman, 13 years ago this week, just days after the horrific september 11th terrorist attack, then president george w. bush addressed

congress and the nation. in his address president bush stated, our war on terror begins with al qaeda and it won't end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated. 13 years later, there have been some successes, particularly against core al qaeda. but as we know, not all terrorist groups have been found, stopped and defeated. those of us who were in the audience when president bush delivered his address could not have predicted how the terrorist threat would evolve. at this time, congress was completely focused on preventing another large-scale attack on u.s. soil. in 2001, we understood al qaeda to be a centralized organization. little thought was given to the prospect that they would franchise terrorism and inspire satellite groups in the arabian

peninsula and africa. the prospect that an attack would be carried out by a lone wolf actor with no direct training or support from al qaeda barely entered the discussion. we were thinking that terrorist groups were focused on taking human lives. we did not predict that in a decade after september 11, state actors or terrorist groups would try to devastate our economy and steal valuable intellectual property by targeting our cyber infrastructure. finally, we not have imagined that on the evening of the 13th anniversary of 9/11, another american president would come before the people to make the case for defeating and destroying a terrorist organization. indeed, the tletd frhreat from islamic state of iraq and lebanon is legitimate and warrants attention. that said, the situation on the ground in syria is fluid and

complex. defeating and destroying isil is the context is no easy task. i cannot stress enough the need for vigilance and care, particularly should we decide to partner with individuals on the syria to try and defeat isil. in addition, it's up to our efforts abroad, we need to remain vigilant and improve preparedness and resilience at home. last month's arrest of don morgan illustrates my long-standing view that we must reject specific ethnic or religious profiling of would-be terrorists. violent extremist has no race, ethnicity or culture and there is no single profile or pathway for individuals who come to embrace violent extremism. also, since september 11, state and local law enforcement have

received grant funding from the federal government to prepare and prevent terrorist activity. we saw the value of this grant funding after the bombing at last year's boston marathon. as the police wore protective gear and stabilized the situation. more recently, there was an example of what i believe to be an improper use of federal equipment and resources in ferguson, missouri. better oversight and tighter control of how federal homeland security and law enforcement resources are used by state and local partners is one area that needs to be improved. another area that is challenge to information sharing with state and local law enforcement, even with fusion centers in joint terrorist task forces 13 years after september 11, we still hear that information sharing can be improved. given threats from isil, al

qaeda, lone wolf actors and other terrorist organizations, is there a way to an optimal relationship between federal, state and local? the 13 years since september 11 have shown us we cannot have a narrow view of the terrorist threats we face. it is my hope that today we engage in a productive dialogue about the variety of threats to our nation. thank you. and i yield back. >> thank the ranking member of the other members are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. we are pleased to have here today distinguished panel of witnesses before us. first, secretary jeh johnson, sworn in december 23, 2013 as the fourth secretary of the department of homeland security. prior to joining dhs, secretary johnson served as general defense where he was part of the senior management team and led more than 10,000 military and civilian lawyers across the

department. he also oversaw the development of the legal aspects of many of our nation's counter tearerism policies and spearheaded reforms to military commissions system at kwan ta na mow bay in 2009. next we are honored to have to this committee for the first time, director james comey who became the seventh director of the fbi in september of 2013. director comey has a long history of service to the department of justice including holding positions as both the assistant u.s. attorney and u.s. attorney to the southern district of new york and assistant u.s. district attorney for the eastern district of virginia. i want to thank you for your efforts. he also served as deputy

aattorn attorney general. thank you for being here today. then last but not least, it is his last appearance before this committee, but i'm sure we will hear from him more times after this, but director matthew olsen has served as director of the national counterterrorism center since august of 2011. prior to joining, he served as a general counsel for the national security agency where he was the chief legal officer for nsa and the principal legal adviser to the nsa director. he has a long record of service that includes time spent at the fbi, the department of justice and the review task force. again, we thank you for your service, sir. the full written statements of each of the witnesses will appear in the record. the chair now recognizes the secretary of homeland security for his opening statement. >> thank you, chairman. ranking member thompson. the committee has my prepared opening statement.

i will not read it. i will just in a few moments here mention a couple of things. one, thank you for holding this hearing. this is a very important hearing on a very important topic. this is just the type of public opportunity for congressional oversight of our counter terrorist efforts that i welcome. this is not my last appearance and certainly not my first. i want to say thank you for my friends and colleagues for joining me. director comey and i have known each other for 25 since, since 1988, 1989, so i've known jim for a long time. matt olsen i've known for six years now, late 2008, early

2009. i hired matt to be general council nsa along with james. he has been a terrific colleague in the kou in the counterterrorism world. i will miss him very much for his clarity of delivery in terms of his intelligence assessments. i mentioned my personal relationship with these two gentlemen to highlight the fact that homeland security, law enforcement and intelligence community have in my judgment, a very, very good working relationship, in dealing with counterterrorism matters and we are committed to working together on these issues. we're committed to information sharing. we're committed to collegiality and we are admitting that to our staffs. yesterday, director comey and i

met with members of the team with a periodic meeting to discuss topics. we do this often. the other point i'd like to make, chairman, is isil is probably the most prominent organization on the world stage. it is our focus. but for my homeland security perspective, we have to stay focused on a range of terrorist threats. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, for example, is still active. there are other threats emanating from that region, emanating from other parts of the world, that we in homeland securitying with national security have to be remain focused upon we have taken a number of steps in reseptember months to address aviation security. for example, you're aware of the enhancements that i directed in july and august. we are addressing theiissues of foreign fighters in and out of syria, which i'm sure we will

discuss this morning as well as, for example, enhanced countering violent extremism efforts here at home through various outreach programs that we have, including the pilot program, attorney general announced earlier this week. so we are doing a number of things that we'll be pleased to discuss with you at this morning's hearing and i look forward to your questions. thank you again for holding this hering. >> thank you, secretary. the chair now recognizes director comey for his testimony. >> thank you, chairman. mr. thompson, it is a pleasure to be before you for the first time and joined by my friends jeh and matt. and to matt olsen, the american people will never know how much he has done to keep people safe, but people in this room now. i was gone from the government for almost a decade, so i have a perspective that may be different on the terrorist threat. when i came back to government a

year ago, i discovered the threat had changed in fwo ways that struck me. first, thanks largely to our men and women in uniform we had taken the fight from the core al qaedaor tumor in the afghanistan pakistan region and shrunk that tumor but at the same time, suffered a me taftsism of that cancer. and there is a lightly governed spaces in africa, the gulf, and in ways familiar to this committee. the manifestation in s siyria a iraq is part of that me taft sis. they go to that safe haven to get the experience of being a terrorist, to make those connections is a way in which that change strikes me. i'm concerned about the going, and even more concerned about the coming. there will be terrorists out of those areas, especially syria,

that we wake up everyday thinking about. the second way the terrorist threat has changed has come with the way the internet has changed all of ours lives. it is no longer necessary to meet somebody in al qaeda to get training and inspiration to conduct the terrorist attack here if the united states. someone can do it in their pajamas in their basement. this is the homegrown terrorists who can get the experience and training they need kill americans and in a way that's very hard for us to spot between the time they emerge from their basement and maybe kill incentivize americans. those are the two ways which i've scent terrorism threat change significantly since i was last in government. and secretary johnson mentioned cyber. all of us, as i said, connected our entire lives to the internet. it is where my children, i have five, it is where they play. it is where we bank. where pli health care is. where my nation's secrets are. so that's where bad people come to do harm or cross those dimensions. people want to hurt my kids, steal my identity, damage our

infrastructure, steal our secrets, that's where they come. so to be effective, all of us need address those threats in cyber space. and i think making sure the fbi is position, equipped and trained to do that will dominate the nine years i have left in my term. it is an honor to be here to represent the people, the fbi i believe, i have the greatest job in the world. and it is a pleasure to be back in public service. thank you, sir. >> thank you. it is certainly a pleasure to have you here today as well. and i forgot the fact that we share that we have five children all on social media. which can be a chore at all times. >> thank you mr. chairman, mr. thompson pb members of the committee, thank you for inviting me. we often meet in closed classified sessions. so this is an important opportunity for us to speak to the committee in an open session and to the american people about the threats we face. and i also want to say to you,

chairman, and to the rest of the committee, how much, on behalf of the men and women of the national counterterrorism center we appreciate the committee esupport in our efforts. i'll spend a couple of minutes talking about the threat from iraq and syria and take a moment to talk about how that threat fits into the broader terrorism landscape that we see. first, by every measure, isil emerged as a very chaotic part of the world. the group's exploited the civil war in syria. taken advantage of sectarian in iraq. it established sanctuaries in iraq and syria and from where the group has the ability to plan and train and amass fighters and weapons with really little interference. the group's proven to be an effective fighting force, battlefield strat strategy is complex and uses terrorist operations to hit and run tactics to paramilitary assaults

to enable gains and more importantly the group views itself as the leader after global jihadist movement. it operates the most sophisticated propaganda machine of any terrorists organization. it turns out timely high quality media and it uses social media to secure a widespread following. today we believe that isil has as many as 30,000 plus fighters an controls much of the tie gres euphrates basin, the crossroads from the middle east. from this position, isil poses a threat to the united states. this past january the leader of isil warned the u.s. will be in direct conflict with the unit. there is little doubt that the isil advice us as an enemy. resources in iraq pose a presence to us there, in particular our embassy in

baghdad and that threat includes the threat to americans held hostage by isil. but that threat extend outside of iraq to the west. isil has the potential to use its safe haven and plan and coordinate attacks both in europe and potentially in the united states. this threat became real earlier this year with the shooting in a brussells museum that killed four people by an isil fighter. and then with the earrest we sa in france of an operative with several explosive devices. we have no information that isil was plotting and attacked within the united states. as my colleague said, comey and johnson referred to that thousands of fighters flock to sir why over past three years. this includes more than 2,000 europeans and more than a hundred americans. in many of these fighters that have flocked to syria have joined isil's ranks. we are concerned of course that these fighters will gain experience, training and eventually return to their home

countries, battle hardened and radicalized. we are also concerned about the possibility of a homegrown extremist becoming radicalized by the information that's on the internet. and carrying out a limited self directed attack here at home for which we have -- we would face potentially little or no warning. secondly this phenomenon, rise of isil em pli fies the threat we have seen the past several years. we have seen there movement diversify and expand in the aftermath of the upheave el in the arab world since 2010. as my college mentioned, isil is just one of the groups that we're concerned about. al qaeda core continues to support attacking the west and for now remains the recognized leader after global jihadist movement. in syria we have seen veteran al qaeda fighters travel from pakistan to take advantage of the permissive environment there. branches in yemen and somalia continue to remain extremely

active. off course over the past five years, al qaeda sought to take down an airplane bound for the united states and here in the united states last year's bombing of the boston marathon is a sober reminder of the threat we face from self-divekted violent extremist. terrorists skploided the lack of governeance and parts of the middle east. terrorist groups are inactive in 11 insurgencies in the world. the groups are adapting their tactics to overcome our defenses, they are looking for simpler left sophisticated attacks that are on a smaller scale and that are easier to pull off such as the al shabaab attack last year in nairobi. finally, with the stolen nsa documents, terrorists are changing how they communicate. they are moving to more secure

adaptationes. we see this in our reporting. and this is a problem for us in many areas where we have limited human collection and depend on intercepting communications to identify terrorists and disrupt plots. members of the committee, to counter this threat, the men and women at nctc remain vigilant around the clock. we are dedicated to working with partners particularly the fbi and dhs to identify these threats, degrade networks and disrupt plots both at home and abroad. we appreciate the continued support and thank you for this opportunity. we look forward to your questions. >> thank you, direct popper i recognize myself for questions. we mentioned there's no specific and credible threat to homeland. having said that, i don't think ii i've seen the threaten environment. particularly as it exists

overseas with the so-called islamic state in the levant, we've known about this threat for over year. i don't think it was until the beheadings of the journalists and out in british aid worker that it got the attention of the american people as to what kind of evil we are dealing with. and it has changed popular opinion in terms of driving policy to eliminate a threat that they don't want to see here in the united states. perpetrate those acts of brutal savagery. and at the same time, you have core al qaeda. and alsaturdwazahiri. and up the ante. what better way do that than attack the west. 15,000 foreign fighters. over a hundred american u.s. citizens. many of these fighters have

western passports. so the ease of travel going back and forth obviously concerns homeland security officials and the intelligence community and the fbi. so first i want to congratulate the fbi on the half a dozen or so arrests that have been made, including two in my backyard in austin. of individuals traveling, wanting to travel to syria, or those who may have come back. who could have pulled off a terrorist attack. then you stop that. but at the same time, i'm concerned about what you don't know what you don't know. and i don't know what our level of confidence is in terms of who is on the ground, both in the united states and in syria, that could then imply future attack on the united states. and so, my question to the panel, we have seen the florida gentleman left florida, went to

syria, came back, went back to syria. a suicide bomber. we saw tam lan come back to the united states virtually undefected to pull off an attack. that the kind of profile that i'm concerned about and want to stop. what assurances can you give this committee that we will be able to stop that type of foreign travel or foreign fighter from coming back in as a trained jihadist and killing americans, director comey? >> thank you, mr. chairman. it is something that the people at this table and thousands of people we represent work on every single day to try to use our human sources, both here and abroad. and our technical resources to try and identify those who want to travel. and our first mission is to identify those and lock them up before they go. and if they go, keep close tabs on them so we know when they are headed back here so we can interdict them overseas, that's our preference, or lock them up

when they arrive. there are thousands of ways to get from the united states to syria and tens of thousands of americans who travel for leg legitimate purposes every single day. so finding those people is what we spend time every single day doing. i'm not overly confident of the challenge. >>. [ inaudible ] >> turn your mic. thank you. >> the question of our degree of confidence is one that the three of us talk about. and my impression is from the information we know and the systems that we have in place to track those who travel, attempt to travel, to syria, is from that, i think we have a reasonable degree of confidence. not a high degree of confidence

but a reasonable degree of confidence that we know the numbers and we know who is attempting to travel. the fbi has done a very good job of arresting and prosecuting those who are attempting to least country, as you mentioned. and there was another arrest just yesterday. and we are enhancing our ability to share information in the national security community of the u.s. government. and with our allies. and we're evaluating ways to potentially limit the travel of those who want to leave this country go to syria and pick up the fight. that's something we're in the midst of doing right now. as i think you know claihairman we've been focused on the fighters for some period of months. in february, i said that syria had become a matter of homeland security. principally because of this

issue of foreign fighters. so monitoring, interdicting the travel of those who might want to leave this country and go there is an area of top concern right now. >> i think you are the first one to say syria poses the greatest threat to the homeland, so i appreciate that. director olsen? >> chairman, i would just add that, this is an effort that begins with good intelligence. so that the better intelligence we can get, particularly looking overseas whoot is traveling into syria, who is seeking to leave syria, the better position would be to imply the various multiple players of screening who were able to prevent those travellers from entering into the united states. and as my colleagues have said, we have been focused on this for many, many months. and the area most encouraged by is the level of attention this is getting with our allies and in europe in particular and how closely we have worked with them to share information and their

ability to interdict individuals seeking to travel to syria or from syria. >> in my limited time, i want to hit on the other threat and that's within the homeland, this idea of homegrown violent extremism. radicallization from win. i know there were many topics on this last congress bp we have known about this one for a while, in "spire" magazine. which came out with a recent edition of page after page of thousand make ied explosives. thousand make bombs. and this from isis, glossy, in english. it is what i call, when i wrote my my wall street june al op ed, what they call jihad cool. they train, recruit and rad dalize americans in the united states. not only to bring tlem to syria, but also god for bid to pull off an act of terrorism in the united states. after all, they are already here.

i know there is a reseptember announcement on this. can you tell me, both, mr. secretary and director, what the fbi and homeland security is doing to counter, and nctc for that matter, to counter this homegrown violent extremist. >> chairman, the department of homeland security for some time now has had programs for outreach into communities in the united states that themselves have the capacity to reach those who might turn to violence. we put that into a separate office that reports directly to the deputy secretary and me to enhance its visibility and enhance as a priority. our outreach people are all over the country in various different programs and i have personally

participated in these outreach programs. i did one in suburban chicago earlier this year with a syrian american community. and i'm plan doing another one next week in ohio. i agree with you, that with the literature, and the social media, and i've been through it myself. that heightened the risk of domestic based extremism. because people can learn tools of mass violence through literature, like what you just referenced. and so we've got our engagements. we're stepping it up. the attorney general announced earlier this week a pilot project focused on three cities, which we're all participating in from dhs. department of justice, fbi. and so, this is a top priority and we're very focused on it. >> thanks pup director comey? >> the only thing i would add on that is the fbi, and working

with our state and local partners to find these people and lock them up before they can actually harm somebody. so we are trying to make sure that we are touching communities of interest, that we are in an on-line way seeing what's going on so we can spot folks, assess them, and take them out of action if they really are a threat. but as we've discussed in a country this big and this free, with the material available, it so clael for us. >> they are very so fistcated in their social media p. it makes it very difficult. i know the fbi is getting addressive trying to spot that activity. final, director olsen. >> just to add, a fundamental tenant of the strategy we all work on together to counter violent extremism, is the neighborhoods and communities at risk, they are in the best position to identify someone on the path to rad dalization. an important part of this is to give them the tools.

the information to understand how magazines like the ones you just showed can influence an individual and be able to work with their state and local law enfons forcement community and federal law enforcement commune it to intervene when someone is on that path. >> thank you. >> time's expired. i recognize the ranking member. >> thank you. secretary johnson, comments made relative to isil making attempts to enter from our southern border, and can you, for the sake of this committee, indicate whether or not there is any evidence that that has occurred or that anyone has been captured, trying to enter our southern border? >> congressman, we see no specific intelligence or evidence to suggest at present

that isil is attempting to infiltrate this country through our southern border. and i'm sure my intelligence colleague could add to that. having said that, we do need to be vigilant. we do need to be aware of the risk of potential infiltration by isil or any other terrorist group and we have tools in place to monitor that and do that. >> thank you. mr. olsen? >> yes. i agree with secretary johnson. there has been a very small number of sympathizers with isil, posted mess edges on social media about this, but we've seen nothing to indicate that there is any sort of operational effort or plot to infiltrate or move operatives from isil through the -- into

the united states through the southern border. >> thank you. director comey, you talked about cybersecurity bein being upon your return, one of the real threats. this committee has on a bipartisan basis, came together and has promoted what we think is one of the solutions to address many of the vulnerabilities that our cyber framework possess. can you just enlighten the committee a little more on where you see some of those cyber threats coming from? >> thank you, mr. thompson. they come from everywhere. it is sort of a -- i call it an evil layer cake with nation states at the top. terrorist groups, international

terror syndicates, activists and thugs, criminals, child abusers and pedophiles. because our entire world is on the internet, i'm told soon my sneakers will call my refrigerator to tell the refrigerator that i just went for a run. it runs every bad motive and every bad kind of person that you can imagine, that's where the threat is. >> thank you. secretary, as you know, that legislation would have given dhs the resources and authorities that it needs to perfect and protect civilian networks in critical infrastructure. do you see that type of legislation being important as we look at this vulnerability. >> very much so, congressman. and i appreciate and congratulate you and the chairman and other members of the committee for your leadership in this regard.

i'm aware that bill that came out of the committee passed the full house and i have spoken to your colleagues in the senate about doing the same on the senate side. i believe it is critical. i've written an op ed recently on the importance of cybersecurity legislation. there is real bipartisan support in the house, in the senate for cybersecurity legislation and i think it is critical to our national security. >> thank you. mr. olsen, with respect to violent extremism, a and to the extent that you can give information this this kind of a setting, have you seen any difference in the recruitment and sophistication of isis or isil in comparison to other terrorist groups? >> i would say what we've seen from isil is a very sophisticated prop began

saturday effort. the types of information they put out on the internet and in particular using social media really exceed the types of propaganda that we've seen from other groups. so certainly that effort has been quite sophisticated and extensive. i think we still are -- it remains to be seen, the impact of that information on potential recruits. the one fact i could point to is the number of foreign fighters. and the significant number of foreign fighters that have traveled to syria. again, many of those, not all, but many of them joining isil's ranks. so from that perspective, it is obviously a concern that the propaganda is having an impact on individuals. >> with respect to violent extremism and how we countered it, there is something you see allies doing that maybe we

should adopt as we look at how we, as a country, addressed that here? >> we do work in coordination with our allies, particularly the united kingdom, which has a strong program of countering violent extremism and we seek to learn from their lessons. they've had more experience with it than we have. our teams, both fbi and dhs interact regularly in particular our uk colleagues to identify ways to improve our efforts in this regard. >> thank you. >> yield back, mr. chair. >> chair recognizes mr. king. >> thank you. thank you for holding this meeting. this is extremely timely and appropriate. thank you mr. olsen for years of service. it has been a privilege to work with you, matt. thank you for what you've done.

secretary johnson, have you hit the ground running. thank you for that. and the visits in new york, it is important to remind people even in new york about the constant terror threat we face. director comey, i think you being here shows the sense of cooperation needed among all of the terrorism forces in our country. all of you mentioned that it is not just isis but also the whole panel of al qaeda threats we have to face at qap, core al qaeda itself and others. one group, and i'm only menging this because it was in the media the last few weeks, the khorasan group. can you tell us anything about that? >> specific organizations i think should be left to a classified setting. >> i understand that. ranking member thompson asked the question about working with our allies.

director comey, i would ask you, what are the pluses and minuses of prime minister cameron's proesal that passports be taken away from people of, in particular countries, that travel to syria. in our case, americans traveling to syria, what are your thought from the fbi perspective of taking away the passports. >> that is a question bet are answered by secretary johnson. but quickly, it is of interest to us. i met with home secretary as i know secretary johnson did from the uk this week to try and understand better how that is working for them. among the concerns i would have, is what is the due process i would have in the united states. how i do protect sources and methods. how do we use, if at all, classified information to make the showing that would be necessary. i'm interested in any tool that might help us identify and incapacitate these people. but i want to understand the details better. >> also, if i could ask, what are the advantages of allowing them back in the