ng basketball player who has no clue what his mother does but i think if i took a picture of you he might think whatever it is i do i'm pretty cool. [ applause ] thank you. it truly is my honor and privilege to be here with all of you today and to be provided the opportunity to share just briefedly comments about the exciting and energizing work happening across our country and in your cities. for strategies that revitalize local neighborhoods to those that create and support jobs and especially those that help support our veterans may i commend you all for your efforts and the leadership that you are in this room. it's just incredible what you have been doing as we have worked to turn around our country, our communities, and our cities. wells fargo is appreciative of the opportunity we've had to partner with you in our alliance and stands ready to continue to support you with the efforts needed to stabilize, rebuild

and grow the communities in which we live and work. over the last few years, our collaboration with the united states conference of mayors has of course, first centered on the practical needs of our cities. but our alliance through the last few years has become so much more as it has established a solid foundation for us to build on into the future. together we worked effectively on important issues related directly to the nation's crisis. they were practical they were focused on foreclosure prevention, property maintenance and care and the promotion of responsible homeownership. together we shared concerns we created plans from best practices and then we developed the necessary unique actions needed within your communities with answers directly provided to the constituents at our outreach events directly held in your cities. one of those events is our neighborhood lift.

we are very proud energized, and excited about our neighborhood lift program. it is one that helps promote affordable and sustainable homeownership through down payment assistance and home buyer education, something that continues very important to us today. if you will allow me i'd like to share with you a brief video from one of our lift events. i think it was held in new orleans, and one of the grant recipients and a testimony. please run the video. like many who visit new orleans, valerie never got around to leaving. originally from france, she's called the big easy home for more than a dozen years now, living in apartments in some of the city's historic neighborhoods. >> i came to new orleans out of curiosity and just fell in love with it. renting was easy, it was affordable so i was a happy

renter for years until katrina hit. and then post-katrina situation was a lot different. you had landlords more than doubling our rents overnight and i was -- that was a wakeup call for me. >> she decided to buy a house, and as a single mom wanted a duplex -- or double as they're known in new orleans -- so she could earn rental income to help with mortgage payments. >> i also wanted a real neighborhood where you can walk to places and also something where i would feel safe living with my daughter. >> valerie found this barge board house built in the late 1800s from pieces of the barges that sailed the mississippi and once again fell in love. but she knew the renovations it needed would push her financial resources to the limit. >> it's beautiful old house in new orleans but there was some structural work to do,

reinforcing the outside walls some foundation work. i had to put in central ac and a lot of other things that needed to happen. >> so when valerie heard about the neighborhood lift program which provides home buyer education and down payment assistance she was immediately interested. >> i contacted the wells fargo representative who guided me through what i had to do to make it happen. the program allowed me to have an extra $15,000 that i don't have to pay back, that i could use towards the renovation of the house. and in five years it's forgiven so it's just equity for me. >> reporter: since 2012 lift programs, a public/private collaboration between wells fargo and the nonprofit neighbor works america have helped make more than 8,000 people like valerie become homeowners in locations hit hard by the

economic downturn. now with the renovations complete, she and her daughter sophie are enjoying their new neighborhood and their home. >> i like the backyard with my tree house. >> it's a piece of new orleans history so i'm really excited about that. i have a tenant and i have a very comfortable situation financially. you know it's not at a perfect place but just knowing that this is ours and nobody will tell us to pick up and move, this is a good feeling. [ applause ] thank you. as i said, we believe in programs such as neighborhood lift that we believe have a real impact to the communities and the families that live and work in those communities. and while we are very proud of our accomplishments and the housing market does appear to be

improving, wells fargo understands there is a lot more work to be done. we believe it's not time to take a step back but to continue to move forward and bring best practices that deliver tangible benefits directly to your constituents. as well aswells fargo as a company know this is. we are only successful when your communities are successful when customers and constituent cans afford and sustain homeownership and when the communities in which they live continue to thrive and grow. so as i stated a moment ago, our work continues and last summer wells fargo committed to a new three year $3 million grant program through our wells fargo foundation and today i have the opportunity and am delighted to share with you that we are ready to begin encouraging nonprofits in your communities to apply for this new program. it is entitled community wins. on your table are the flyers about the program. it is aimed directly at providing support to local

nonprofits who engage in important efforts such as work force development, cleaning up neighborhoods, and renovation of housing. it will be $1 million per year awarded flu a competitive application process that is going to be administered by the united states conference of mayors. these grants will assist cities of all sizes and we hope that you'll want to be educated and find more information out about community wins either by the flyers or you can see our booth outside. so in closing, to keep my remarks brief, i hope all of you see that our work together is both practical and inspirational. and as we continue to expand our programs and our alliance with you, we know that we can have and will achieve great things into the future. thank you so much for the opportunity to speak to you today. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, it is

my pleasure to rise and to announce that this is a historic moment, a defining moment for our organization. last year -- last night's state of the union by the president was a command performance. you ask who commanded it. article ii section iii of the constitution of the united states provides that the president must gave state of the union. in 1790 george washington gave state of the union in a provincial city called new york. thomas jefferson said "i will not sit on a throne like a king i will send a written message" and a clerk read the state of the union to the congress until 1913 when woodrow wilson said i'm going to do it. in 1934, franklin delano roosevelt dubbed the words "state of the union," taking them from the constitution.

we know that governors give state of the states address. we know that moi yours give state of the cities address. we know that universities give state of the universities address and we know that tom donahue last week gave the state of the business address. but ladies and gentlemen i'm here to tell you, for 82 years no president of this organization has ever stood before its members, republican and democrat and given a state of the cities address. and today we are commanding our president and all presidents forward from 2015 to appear before you and your members and give a state of the cities

address address. [ applause ] please know that that is a vote of approval. [ laughter ] we think we thank our current president for establishing this initiative. it's very important as we go forward. ladies and gentlemen it is my distinct honor and pleasure to present to you to give the 2015 state of the cities address the one, the only from sacramento california, the 72nd president of the united states kevin johnson. [ cheers and applause ]

>> thank you. that was a heck of a buildup. i just want to say again how humbled i am to be here before you today and if you're a mayor you know what i'm talking about. we've got great jobs, no jobs we'd rather have in america and to be able to come together and gather with our colleagues a few times over the course of the year is really, really special. so it's an honor i stand before you today. tom, thank you again, the u.s. conference of mayors staff. i've also already thanked the past presidents as well as our second vice president and the leadership of mayors that are out in the audience. you guys do an amazing job. and this is just a heart felt thanks to all of you for what you do so mayors give yourselves just a round of applause for the great work you do in your respective cities.

[ applause ] so i'm not one for long speeches so let me jump in. you know, last night president obama addressed congress and the nation to say that the state of the union was strong. today we convene at our 83rd winter meeting of the u.s. conference of mayors and as your president i'm here to say that the state of the union is strong because the state of our cities is strong. [ applause ] you know, i'm halfway through my presidency. i got a chance to give my first address in dallas and i want to thank really quickly the mayor of dallas mayor rawlings for your leadership. stand on up. let's give mayor rawlings a round of applause. [ applause ] and we're so glad that you decided to run again.

we were all going to send our posses out and security to make sure we twisted your arm and got you to run but you did the right thing. we wish you the best on that. i also want to take a moment and thank a past president who was a past president, he ran for governor but he's the mayor of all mayors. is scott smith here? mayor smith, please stand. [ applause ] when it began in dallas six months ago i came before you and introduced the concept of cities 3.0, a new era of american cities. at the heart of this vision is the fundamental idea that cities of yesterday are not the cities of today which means that we must function and be governed in a more innovate i have and efficient and effective manner. in cities 1.0, cities were built around ports, rivers freight

rail, transportation routes. they served as a center of commerce and trade. the second generation of cities or cities 2.0 came much later, the industrial revolution. these cities were marked by factories, big industries, smoke tacks, automobiles and electricity. in cities 3.0, where we are today, cities have become the leaders, the hubs of innovation, entrepreneurship and technology. they are the epicenters for economic progress. in order to adapt to our new reality we as mayors must practice what i call open-source leadership which means we have to be pragmatic problem solvers who look for common sense solutions regardless of where they come from -- democrats, republicans, labor business, doesn't matter. to us we want to just make a difference in our communities. our focus must be meaningful and

measurable in terms of result so that our promise, the promise that we make to our cities becomes a reality of our cities. today i want to expand on that vision of cities 3.0 because it's not just about what we do within our cities but a 3.0 city is how we interact with the federal government and that must be done in a different way, in my opinion. i begin with the simple truth. as a nation, we face major challenge and washington has simply not stepped up to solving those challenges powerful forces are transforming the way we interact in terms of our jobs, of our neighborhoods and our cities. consider the following. globalization pits american workers against the world. new industries are replacing old manufacturing while new technologies threaten to

automate their jobs income inequality is eroding the middle-class, making it harder for hard-working taxpayers to support a family to own a home and good a good education major demographic changes are bringing different cultures in the closer contact while baby boomers are entering the retirement age which is straining pension and health care budgets. climate change threatens our homes and infrastructure and what has emerged to be the most critical issue of the day and certainly of my presidency is a growing gulf of the mistrust between communities of color and law enforcement in many of our cities. we are a nation built on trust and when that trust is broken we must find ways to rebuild that trust, clearly the challenges are significant and it's clear that the federal government has been unwilling or unable to design and implement meaningful solutions to these problems.

so what does that mean? it means they've landed firmly on the doorsteps of our nation's mayors. that means being a mayor is no longer just about making sure trash is being picked up or buses are running on time. today we are the ones grappling with these very big real big picture challenges. the good news is that the american people generally think mayors are best suited to do this work. as noted pollster frank luntz will tell you later this afternoon, washington and americans have a per speckive that may be different. americans want washington to do less and they want cities to do more. and the u.s. conference of mayors and zogby, we released a poll today. think about this, mayors. nearly half of the american public believes cities are on the right track compared to only 29% who think the nation is on

the right track. although america's trust in elected officials generally is not something to write home about, mayors rank higher among the public than the president a governor, congress and their state legislature. that means we rank top as it relates to our constituents and who and where they have trusts. the federal government and states have historically had the capacity and mandate to confront our global challenges. but right now they are out of step and out of touch with people and the new metropolitan realities that we all face to it's up to us. this is our opportunity to lead. to stay what we mean and mean what we say. it's up to us to deliver the results our citizens deserve. as steve jobs said, it's time for us to think different. so what does that mean, mayors? it's time for a new understanding between the local

and national powers. cities simply cannot be expected to be passive players waiting around for resources and direction that may or may not materialize. these dynamics need to be flipped on their head. we need to organize differently to demand and deliver better results. we're modernizing the way we run our cities so we have to modernize the relationship that we have with our federal government. we need what i'm calling a new federalist compact that recognizes the areas that require federal attention while leveraging and strengthening what truly drives the prosperity in our nation. it's our cities and it's our metropolitan areas. [ applause ] mayors, you know all too well these ideas have been written about extensively in a book i've often cited called "the metropolitan revolution." bruce katz and jennifer bradley.

bruce are you here? is bruce here? stand up let's give bruce a round of applause for his great leadership. [ applause ] so what exactly does a new federalist compact mean? first, we desperately need our federal government to lead where it must. only the federal government can act with the national vision direction, and purpose because some of the problems that we face transcend local borders and require federal action. metropolitan areas aren't able to provide a robust safety net for the elderly and the disadvantaged. the safety net provides stable economic foundations upon which everything else grows from. metros can't overhaul our enormously inadequate immigration system. metros tlak resources to fully fund economy-transforming research and development or new infrastructure without federal help. in a world of climate change, cities can't change the behavior

of companies and consumers. these the areas where the federal government must lead because they reflect the realities of global o forces that dwarf states and local capacities. so the federal government must take the commitment forward and they must act now before it's too late and they have to do so aggressively. second, while the feds are working on those issues, we need our national government to empower cities where it can. think about this mayors. we have said this over and over again. we want the federal government to empower cities where it can. because america's cities are the metropolitan areas, we're the ones who can deal more efficiently and effectively with some of the most challenges that are before us. it's simple common sense that one size cannot and does not fit all in a nation as large and diverse as the united states. the federal and state programs and policies will be successful only if they're flexible and are

individually tailored to meet the unique challenges facing our cities because it's in the american cities that the challenges are being met with innovative, pragmatic results oriented around solutions. in philadelphia -- i'm going to give mayor nutter a shoutout, i don't do that very often, i'll make an exception. in philadelphia, mayor nutter, who co-chairs my brother's keeper task force has engaged in deep partnership with his police commissioner to establish an innovative community policing model because the long standing "us versus them" mentality between african-american community and philadelphia and law enforcement needs to end. in bridgeport mayor finch who co-chairs the energy independence and climate protection task force has transformed an old unused landfill into a green energy park. this clean energy project

generates five meg watts of power through solar panels and fuel cells. not only that, it's supporting bridgeport's local economy, creating 92 jobs and generating 7ed in $7 million in new tax revenue. knowing an export driven approach was needed to fost err 21st century economy in keeping jobs in the united states, mayor fisher and mayor gray have initiated an innovative partnership between louisville and lexington to spark the growth of high-quality jobs in advanced manufacturing. an in an effort to revitalize the desolate downtown in tacoma, mayor strickland has driven an urban renewal for a city's business district through light rail affordable housing and street retail development. there are countless examples like the ones i mentioned with many mayors in the room here today. we're the ones who are best suited to meet the demanding

needs in a better way where we're delivering real results. is mayor lee here from san francisco? i was going to give him a shoutout but he doesn't get it since he didn't show up. [ laughter ] we're going skip -- roll the teleprompter. is mayor cabaldin? if he's not here i'm rolling -- i love it. okay, here's what i'm going do in this next segment in my state of the city, tom. i want to say that these cities have modernized their ports and their freight rail and the airport. miami, jacksonville, chicago, denver, l.a. and dallas. let's give all the mayors a round of applause. [ applause ] imagine how much more we could

do if the federal government empowered us rather than hinder us with rules and restrictions and regulations. which brings me to my final point. we need the federal government to invest where it should because we all know that solving some of the national problems takes not just resolve but resourcings. all of those examples for mayors taking the lead that i just talked about requires significant investment. that's why we need resources to come directly to cities and give us more autonomy. mayors, you need to clap for that. [ applause ] if the money must come flu the states, it must come with the flexibility to be spent on local priorities. but even better, if those dollars can come directly to cities, then we can make a bigger difference and we've shown improvement in that time and time again. imagine the power of a modern-day wpa that's focused on local public works projects.

whether it's water mains or street repairs or sewage system upgrades, every city has significant infrastructure needs. investing in local infrastructure creates a win-win-win situation. [ applause ] first, it's an economic win because these public works projects, they create jobs. second, it's an environmental win because we can modernize our infrastructure in more sustainable ways. and lastly it's a public safety win to upgrade our deteriorating pipes, sewers and streets. and we all know -- think about this mayors -- the role of the federal government is to ensure that the u.s. is competitive in an increasingly global world. one of the things that will allow america to be more competitive is to improve the integrity of our infrastructure especially our cities.

[ applause ] the bottom line is we need our federal government to fundamentally restructure the way it does business. the days of solutions that are exclusively made in washington, d.c. are over because progress begins where the status quo ends. let me conclude with this thought. today we are facing an inversion of the hierarchy of power. we're flipping the old paradigm on its head. cities are now the leaders in the nation experimenting taking risks, making hard choices. yes, mayors, you're doing that. if we can adopt a new federalist compact that ensures the federal government leads where they must empowers cities where they can and invests where they should the cities can drive the nation to economic and civic heights that we've never seen. although we have many challenges, my message to this conference is clear. this is our moment it's our

time, cities let's seize the day, let's make measurable difference in our cities, in our communities, in our nations. thank you very much and god bless mayors and the cities in which they're a part of. [ applause ] all right, mayors. thank you thank you so much for that. excited for this next part of the program. as you're thinking about your trip in washington and while you're here, please really think about what a 3.0 city looks like. what's our role until that 3.0 city and how can we redefine the relationship between cities and our federal government?

we have a real opportunity because we are listening to us in real ways so i'm proud to leave that message. i know mayor cornett we deal the same and do great things beyond that. it's now my pleasure to introduce dr. frank luntz. he's one of the nation's top messaging experts. he has visited our winter our annual, our leadership meetings. he's no foreign person to us. we see him on a regular basis. he has an unbelievable ability to help take what our priorities are, frame them in certain ways. he wrote a famous book called "words matter." he understands what policy leaders, he's a republican but what he grapples with is trying to find common ground and how we communicate in a responsible way. let's give a round of applause for frank luntz. [ applause ] >> actually, as i stand here i'm neither a republican nor a democrat, i'm an american and it

gives me such great pride to speak. [ applause ] but i need ask the mayor, the reason why i need do this -- [ laughter ] is because i wanted an autograph. so if you can help me out. [ laughter ] okay, i do the jokes here. thank you, wait a minute, i have a question. who is kevin johnson. you told me you were michael jordan. [ laughter ] it's a pleasure and i welcome you also to washington. i see the mayor has left. i blame this on congress. thanks to congress you can drive 25 miles in every direction and never leave the scene of a crime. i also want to welcome the -- i know c-span is here i want to say hello to the viewer.

[ laughter ] you will not forget today. mayor, perfection. absolute perfection. if the public could hear what you just said -- and i hope that this is replayed and replayed -- they would have faith in their leadership that they do not have now. [ applause ] and i begin with humor because i'm nervous and i'm intimidated and i mean that. of all the things that we'll do this year there's nothing more important because i listen to these people everyday. i do focus groups everyday and every night. and if you could hear the fear, the anxiety, the skepticism, even cynicism with the american people right now. and the only people that i have this faith in, the only people that they think that can lead is

the people in the room. you have no idea how important you are. you have no idea the potential that you have and i'm going to do my best over the next 15 minutes to give you the language to succeed. and so i urge you to take notes because these words aren't chosen lightly. these are the words of the american people. it's hard to follow the mayor because he did it so well and i will try the best i can but all the things of that the public is looking for it's not about budgets or welfare or education or taxes. there are simple day to day concerns that matter to them. and if i were advising you i would create this checklist and these are the things that they're asking for from you. by the way, you all know, those of you who see me that i would much rather be down there than up here. one of the things they want for mayors is to be able to touch you. is to be able to get you to feel their fear and their anxiety and

standing behind a podium doesn't do it justice. but i've been told i have to stay here. how do your policies deliver fewer hassles, more choices more money more time? how do your policies deliver a bert life-style, a better work/life balance. these are day to day concerns that everyone has, whether they're 16 or 65. and so it isn't philosophy. it isn't even policy. it's what happens to you in that day to day existence. and, in fact, this is the question that people are asking. not many of the people in this room live paycheck to paycheck. but do you realize that 40% of americans do? for many of you it's 60% or 70% of their cities. and they think politicians don't understand that. living paycheck to paycheck, learning to do more with less. if they have to do it, why can't government? that's the question that they're asking of you.

and it's a legitimate question in a 3.0 city which i love that phrase, by the way 3.0. because it fits with what's happening in america. so here's the deal. every time that you talk about a problem from this point forward you have to provide a solution. don't just talk about what the wrong until you give them specific ideas about what is right. or your ideas for what is right. they live it. they know it and in a 3.0 mayor you'll be focused on results and solutions not just what's going wrong. and there's another aspect to it that the mayor talked about. this isn't just about your term or even the person who follows after you. but the pub slick so deeply asking for are leaders that look a generation ahead. that see the challenges of cities not in 2015 but 2025 and 2035. they're asking for you to start it now so that 10 15 20 years from now, long after you're gone

they'll feel the benefits of the future by two to one they would rather have you focus on tomorrow than today. in terms of language we heard about efficiency and effectiveness and i've got two more towards add to that, accountability and results driven. and the reason why accountability matters so much -- and by the way, i just caught nyse the monitor over there and i am really fat. [ laughter ] can you put the thin person's veil up back there? look at this. i feel like governor christie, my god. [ laughter ] i have to live it everyday. you know i turned -- i don't believe in hugging. i turned 51 last week and i blew it all on my candles and birthday cake and they asked what i wished for another birthday cake. okay, no more jokes.

accountability and results driven. account blts because they want someone, because washington has failed them on this they want to know if you make a promise you don't keep they have the chance to hold you responsible results driven because they're tired of the rhetoric that they get out of this town and they want you deliver for them. you deserve is about the most powerful thing you can do as a 3.0 mayor. if you give them an agenda that says you deserve schools that actually teach children, you deserve a police force that keeps the cities safe and keeps us feeling secure, you deserve a clean, safer healthier environment, you list five or six points and you do it now in your state of the city speeches, you deserve, i promise you that that empowerment that how your -- the people you represent how they will take that is that you respect them you appreciate them and you want to deliver for

them. you deserve is the most empowering way you can communicate your agenda going forward. and now i want to get it done checklist and in fact, i've got one more thing here. of all the things that you can do you want to prove that you have a record of results. action. solutions. so i want you to deliver a get it done commitment. no more conversation, no more talk, no more excuses. you will get it done and so mayor, i know it's the wrong sport but i want to give you my get it done football. it is fully inflated, by the way. [ laughter ] and if you will leave that in your office it will remind you everyday of so many good things that you've done for the city of sacramento. you know, he's not just a brilliant player, he's a brilliant mayor and you are what gives me faith in the future.

i have not given that ball to any democrat until today. [ applause ] dallas, that's pretty good. dallas and sacramento. both teams not in the super bowl. [ laughter ] and, for the record, the mayor of ft. lauderdale -- fort worth throws better than mayor of dallas. pro-active pragmatic problem solvers. it's a tough thing to say but it's exactly what your citizens are looking for. proactive because they don't want you wait. pragmatic because they really don't want the ideological politics on a city by city basis and problem solvers because you'll actually get it done. the combination of those three is what they're seeking from you. that's who they want you to be. and i'm going to give you a

checklist. a 3.0 mayor doesn't know from partisanship. they don't think of themselves as republicans or democrat. a 3.0 mayor has a partnership with the business community and the labor unions and they're all brought in together. you're holding town halls and by the way, the key to a town hall, do this for me please how many of you mayors hold town halls at least once a month. raise your hands? not many. the ones that do do me a favor, let your audience speak first. let your citizens go first. let them talk for 10 or 15 minutes first. the person who came the further toast get there let them go first because something obviously matters to them. and if you let your citizens go first and if you let them g first they'll know you're learning from them. engaging community leaders organizations, it's bringing more people in rather than less. yes, the meetings may last a

little longer but the public values a variety of voices and the more voices the better. i'm going to give you some language now. of all the words -- and some of you heard me say this -- of all the words you can possibly use, the most powerful of all is imagine. because if you ask someone to imagine cities of perfection, everyone in this room, there are, what 350, 400 people in here? each one of you would have a different imagination of cities at perfection. you speak with imagine and it allows people to dream and it allows you to accomplish. a healthy economy is so much more powerful than economic growth because a healthy economy means that things, good things are happening. by the way healthy school, healthy neighborhoods, healthy families. it's not about health care it's about what we want in our day to day lives. stability and security. by the way something we dmound i think very interesting. men actually put security number

one and women put stability but either way it communicates peace of mind which is the highest value of all. you here in control. in any city 3.0 citizens are more engaged than what they're doing in their lives and by the way, i welcome you to take pictures because i really do, this is the language of your constituents and if you attach this language around the people that you represent they'll understand you better they're more likely to follow you they're more likely to invest in you and that's good for cities. let me show you a couple more. in terms of phrases that i did an uncompromising commitment that's what you're all about. it's why you work probably 20 hours a day seven days a week. uncompromising commitment means you are all in, that you're not going to give up you're not going to give in and you're going to get it done. a more efficient, effective accountability government. you heard it from the mayor. of all the things the public is

looking for, that is the number one attribute. efficient, effective and accountable. you demonstrate you can do more with less. you demonstrate you spend their tax dollars wisely, you prove efficiency effectiveness and accountability and you've done your job well. because we can clearly say no matter what party we are that is not happening here in washington. local resources with a neighborhood approach, we are becoming smaller and smaller as we look forward. we are now looking and we are engaged in our neighborhoods but we want to make a difference in the places and the people who are close to us and that's the idea of a neighborhood approach because it's how we live and it's how we think. no fine print. it means there's no out. there is no excuses, there are no exceptions. what you say is what you mean and this last one cities of opportunity. i got that idea from the mayor because the greatest innovations are happening in america's

cities. the greatest changes, the greatest focus on the future, an opportunity is the number one value when you ask americans what are they looking for for themselves or for the future. a couple more points and then i'll close. even more important results -- and you'll hear that a lot -- is the idea that you're working together to get the job done. this is why i love this organization. yes, i have been here a lot because i actually feel good when i leave here. i feel optimistic watching these people work together trying to get the job done. this doesn't happen in washington. it doesn't happen in congress. congress has a 14% job approval rating. qaddafi had a 19% job approval rating. [ laughter ] and that was among the people who killed him. [ laughter ] you show that you work across the aisle. that there is no partisanship and you are communicating the philosophy that they appreciate.

another point which i need to challenge some of you on. you talk about creating jobs. jobs are great. jobs are particularly important for those that don't have it. but what do the american people really want? a career. a job is 9:00 to 5:00, a career is 24/7. a job is something you get up to go to and you can't wait to get home from. a career is everything and that's what your residents, that's what your citizens really want from you. if you talk about experimenting -- this is a warning for you -- or taking risks, it's not what they're looking for. they expect from you proven leadership, proven results. they're not laboratory animals, their ear human beings and they do expect you and they have the right to expect for you to get it right. i hear economic prosperity economic justice, economic growth. a healthy economy is all of that and more. and that's what we hope for in

america america. in terms of the infrastructure it isn't just a road or a bridge, it's quality of life. you need to focus on the benefit not just the process. you need to focus on what it does for safety. what it does for -- makes life hassle free or worry free. if you focus on what you're going to spend on the public sees the expenditure. if you focus on what it does, the public is willing to make the investment finally just a couple points of education. i used to believe that accountability was number one and it's number two. number one is every child, every family every school every community. what i've learned about education in terms of what they expect from you is it's every and all so that every child benefits. every child has that opportunity. that is so essential.

you see up there number 11 prepare for college career and life? that takes in every child. you know 40% of kids still don't go to college -- don't graduate from college i should say. because for some kids it's vocational training and the fact is, the more we do in that area the more rounded this country will be. and let's not forget those parents who want their kids to have a trade to have a skill and how profitable that can be. look at number 13. it's not how much we spend it's how we spend it. that's the efficiency and effectiveness because in a 3.0 city is really is about the result. it's not about the process. and this last one here, every student deserves an effective education. it's not about education reform it's about education excellence. it's about what we do. and one more point on education. you have to do it because they don't trust washington to.

and they've seen the schools fail under washington control. they truly are looking to you to make a difference to get into those schools, to demand accountability, to measure them, to ensure that their children are getting the education that they deserve. this is how you define schools, the parents, the curriculum teachers that are inspiring and passionate parents that are involved, public schools that are challenging, motivate, and effective. don't pass it off. take responsibility for it. finally, here's your daily checklist. the things that they expect from you you. they want you to know what they live, which is why you need them speak first. they want to know that you understand their daily concerns that you respect their hard work. and i use that term deliberately. because americans feel like they're working harder than ever before and they have less to show for it.

they want to know that you hear their fears and anxieties. another word they use because if you hear it and you know it than you can use it and you can change because of it. they expect you to do it differently. and they want to know that the day to day life is going to benefit. of all the things that i will do this year this is by far the most important. i know that everyday is tough and i know that you can look back on a day or two where you'd say "i'd rather not have this job. but 234 most cases you ran for it and you wanted it and you have it. you're going to have a great conference here because you've gotten a amazing leader here. but when you go back to your rooms tonight don't just go back and look at the agenda for tomorrow or respond to e-mails. i want to inspire you to inspire your constituents. i want to encourage you to tell them to ask for more and demand more. a 3.0 city does not accept the

status quo. a 3.0 city does not say, well, we've made it better so that's good enough. a 3.0 city deliver what is washington cannot do and this is the quality of life and a standard of living and the inspiration of hope and opportunity for everyone you represent. in my mind, you people in here are heroes for what you do. de deserve that label. earn the position that they have give on the you and do what mayor johnson has done make a daily difference in the quality of life of the people that you represent. thank you very much. [ applause ] come on gave round of applause for frank luntz. [ applause ]

all right, mayors. we are supposed to get done at 2:15. we are going to get done early. you veal a little extra time. i want to remind you if you don't have your security clearance please make sure to see a u.s. conference of see a staff person to make that happen. there are standing committee meetings and task force meetings through today and tonight there is an open reception honoring women mayors. thank you very much. god bless you. [ applause ] on saturday night at 10:00,

mike huckabee on america's political landscape and sunday night, princeton university describing linden johnson as part of his society. and then on saturday university of california davis professor eric roushway on the british royal air force dur world war ii. and sunday evening on american artifacts, the special collections division tours amelia earhart collection related to the american aviation pioneer. find our programming at w span.org or call us at

202-626-4000 and like us on facebook or follow us on twitter. and tomorrow our 2016 road to the white house coverage continues in des moines iowa with a number of possible candidates that have been invited to speak, including rick perry, scott walker and chris christie. you can see that live tomorrow on cspan. the annual march for life rally took place yesterday on the national mall in washington d.c. marking the 42nd anniversary of rowe v wade and speakers including kathy mcmorris rodgers who talk about her son who was born with downs syndrome and tim scott asked for a bill to prevent paying for

abortions or coverage. after the rally, they marched down constitution avenue to the supreme court. good afternoon. and thank you, marie miller, for your performance this morning and stirring rendition of the national anthem. my name is patrick kelly and i'm honored to be the chairman of the board for march of life. for the whole team i would like to welcome you to the largest and most important civil rights demonstration in the world. [ cheering and applause ] the theme of this year's

march is clear, simple and beautiful. every life is a gift. we are here because we believe that every life is a gift, a gift to be cherished and protected. before we begin let us join together in the pledge of allegiance led this year by daniel tillson from the knights of columbus council at george mason university. [ cheering and applause ] i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god,in divisible with liberty and justice for all. >> thank you, daniel. and thanks for the great

collaborate witness for the roman catholic and orthodox bishops offering the opening prayer each year. i would like to welcome to the podium the reverend joseph kurtz, the archbishop of louisville. he also serves as the president of the united states conference of catholic bishops. archbishop kurtz will be joined on stage together by his brother roman catholic bishops and others representing the following, the greek orthodox archdiocese of america the orthodox church in america, the christian archdiocese of north america and the serbia church of

america. >> thank you, everyone. and thank you for standing up for life. my dear friends, it is my humble privilege to open this march for life rally in prayer with the great assistance of my orthodox brother bishops and my catholic brother bishops as a sign of our unit to uphold the dignity of every life the orthodox and catholic bishops take turns leading this joint opening prayer so i ask you to join me as i say, let us pray. heavenly father, we stand before you this day and ask your blessings on this national march for life. we thank you for each and every pilgrim who has made the trip to our nation's capital. help us to be joyful witnesses

to the gospel of life not just today, but at every moment of our lives. guide us to be loving and welcoming, even to those who might ardently disagree with us in particular, father, help us to be compassionate, to anyone suffering from the loss of a child through abortion. may we be a bridge that connects them to hope and healing that can be found in you alone. direction all of our thoughts, our words and actions this day to be effective in defending the lives of unborn children. help us to be missionaries of peace. the lord bless you and keep you, the lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you, the lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.

amen. >> thank you archbishop kurtz. [ cheering and applause ] >> when i look out at this enormous crowd i see a tide turning in america. hundreds of thoughtsands of you have come to washington to make a difference and deliver a profound message every life is a gift. the march for life is getting bigger and younger every year. history is on our side because history is always on the side of those who fight for human dignity and human life. we are here because we know the

truth. we know that every life is a gift. and we know this truth is not just a catholic thing or an evangelical thing or a jewish thing or a mormon thing. of course, it is all of those things, but it is also a human thing. [ cheering and applause ] >> every human life is a gift. and so we march. we march in what has become the largest human rights demonstration in the world. we march because we have the courage to think for ourselves and to face the truth about human life. we march because little lives matter. the lives of babies matter. vulnerable, imperfect lives matter. we march to be the voice of those who do not have a choice.

we march because the march for life is their voice. their voice in washington and around the world. we march because every life is a gift. our goal at the march for life is not only to come together once a year but to connect with you 365 days a year and to work with you every day to build a culture of life. there are extraordinary things happening at the march for life and all of this is taking place under the skillful guidance of one of the most dynamic, young, pro-life leaders in america. please join me in welcoming that leader, the president of the march for life jeanne monahan

mancini. [ applause ] good afternoon. what do you all think about this weather? [ applause ] >> it is impressive, huh? all right. well i have to say, it is, as always, such an honor to be here with all of you. it is an honor and a joy. and some of you have traveled a lot farther than me. i'm so grateful for you who have come internationally and all across the country to the march for life. you have really made a great pilgrimage. thank you. you know our theme this year is every life is a gift and i want to make two points and i want you to remember these points. the first one, and this is sad, and stick with me and we'll talk about why we're here. in our country, in the united

states of america every single year 1.1 million babies are lost to abortion. one out of every five babies is aborted in our country. so 19% abortion rate. for babies that receive a difficult prenatal diagnosis downs syndrome, spina bifida that race goes up to 85%. so here is what i'm telling you. eight or nine out of ten babies that have a serious disability are aborted in our country. you know what that is just wrong, isn't it? the truth of the matter is that every life is a gift. [ cheering and applause ] >> every one is a gift regardless if we have a

disability or not. and let's be honest. all of us have disabilities. some are more obvious than others. but no one is perfect. we're missing out on an entire possibility. and so we want to focus on the gift of every life. there is a bit of irony. our country this year is celebrating a wonderful thing it is called the americans with disability act the ada, the 25th anniversary of that signing. and there is this irony in this day and age when there are more resources to people with disabilities in our country, it is much less likely that those people will be carried to term. so i need to you do something about that, okay. [ applause ] >> and let me talk to you about that -- about doing something about that. this is the second point i want to make. so like i said, back to our

theme is a gift. you know who else's life is a gift besides the life in the couple. your life is a gift. your life is a gift. every single one of you out there, all of you, and there are a lot of you, every single one of you is a gift to our world. i know this is me and i'm speaking to a huge crowd but i want every one of you to know i'm speaking to you personally right now. your life is unique. it is unrepeatable. there is a mission that you have that no one else can live in this world. you are part of a larger plan. there is a wonderful saying, one of my favorite be who you are and you will set the world on fire. [ cheering and applause ] >> america needs you to be who you are. we need to set this culture ablaze for life. and lives depend on it. so look deep into your heart and

reflect upon your call and then say yes. and there are two ways to do this immediately and then i'll turn it over to our next speaker. one, social media is a huge part of getting the pro-life message out, right? how many of you like to use social media out there? yeah. so i have two things i'm asking you to do. one, i need you to take pictures today. i need you to take pictures of the crowds and let the world know about the the march for life and the dignity of the human person let them know that abortion is the human rights abuse of today and we're not going to take it any longer. take pictures of all of the people here and then post on to social media with the #why we march. start a conversation and let people know why you march. that is the first thing. the second thing i want you to do is not go home and forget about the march for life. we need you to march year-round.

go home and build a culture in your community all year long. so here at the march for life we're going to give you tools to march through the entire year. every month we'll send you a different message about something you can do to build a culture of life in your america. here is what you should do, right now is good, text give life to 99,000. so give life to 99,000 and then you'll hear about building life in your local community. and then the last thing i want to mention is a special tweet we got today. anybody heard of pope francis out there? [ cheering and applause ] >> so he apparently likes our theme. he tweeted out today, every life is a gift, #march for life.

[ cheering and applause ] >> right. take a minute to thank the pope for tweeting out the pope for march for life today. it has been great talking to you. and we have some amazing speakers so i'm going to move on here. as always, we are honored to be joined by several members of the congress who are fighting to enact pro-life laws and we are happy to be joined by leadership. and representing that is kathy mcmorris rodgers the chairman of the house republican congress. congresswoman represents the eastern part of washington state and the founder and co-chair of the congressional downs syndrome congress. i can't tell you how happy we are to welcome to the stage kathy mcmorris rodgers. >> thank you for being here from every corner of america to help

us celebrate today lives on the national mall. what a great day. i am excited to be here. i'm excited to join my colleagues in committing to you that we are here to help lead the effort on capitol hill to ensure that every life is protected protected. i'm a pro-life -- i'm proud to be a pro-life leader and a pro-life mom. [ cheering and applause ] >> later on today in the house of representatives we will be passing the no taxpayer funding for abortion. we are going to hold -- [ applause ] >> we are holding the federal government accountable to prevent your taxpayer dollars from funding abortion. [ cheering and applause ]

>> when your tax dollars are used to fund this unthinkable act for the violation of the public trust. now let me be clear. as a pro-life advocate, our work is never done. and we remain committed, as i stand here today. so passing the unborn child protection act in the house of representatives. [ applause ] >> we remain to the pro-life conscious act in the house of representatives. the capable protection act is important because it shifts the debate across this country and makes very clear the pain an unborn child feels is very real and very wrong. some of you may know that brian and i have a son cole who is 7

years old who was born with the 21st extra chrome ozone. and when we received that news it wasn't what we expected and we were told and given a long list of possible challenges and chances of heartache. that extra chromosome has brought my family a whole bunch of joy. [ applause ] >> cole has recommitted my effort and reminded me anew of the value of every human life and the contribution every life can make to this world. today i'm more passionate because of cole in my life and more committed to making sure people in america understand and celebrate the fact that every child is -- and every life is a gift. now cole -- cole today he is 7 years old.

he enjoys reading, peanut butter, basketball. if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he wants to be a firefighter or a football player. go seahawks. [ laughter ] >> i am so inspired to be here today with all of you and so many young people. it is such an honor for me to speak. to the next generation of pro-life leaders right here. thank you for being here. keep taking a stand and telling your story and teach the powerful and compelling facts that every life is a gift. together we will accomplish great things and carry the torch forward and make sure that everyone in america recognizes the gift that every life brings. thank you very much. thank you for your leadership and for sharing your

story with us. i just have one quick announcement there is a 6-year-old boy who is lost and is searching for his family. he is back here behind the stage. so if you are looking for your little 6-year-old please come back here. joining us this morning from the united states senate is another pro-life leader. senator tim scott has served the people of south carolina in the senate since 2013 and represented south carolina's first congressional district prior to that. please welcome to the stage. senator tim scott of south carolina. [ applause ] >> thank you. all right. let me tell you the senate will stand shoulder to shoulder with

the house as you move forward legislation that protects life. i remember way back when i made jesus christ the lord of my life. y'all going to make me preach up here. i said -- all right, all right, all right. let me just say. accepting jesus christ as your personal lord and savior helped me understand the importance of life. and i will tell you that being a protector of life is not simply an elected official's responsibility. i believe it is the responsibility of every single american in our country. and we will win the battle for life from coast to coast.

we must always fight for life. i'll tell you a very quick story and i know i'm a politician, my momma wanted me to be a preacher so this story may not be as quick as some may like. i apologize. as a small business owner, i had several employees. and one of my employees several years ago had an unplanned appreciation. -- pregnancy. and i had been involved for years and so i thought what was the right thing to do and i took her to the crisis center and because of the love and the affection, the counseling that happened on that day she gave birth to her little one. and i will tell you, in her words not mine, she said while she thought choice should have

been her option, the more she prayed and the more she listened the more the counselor spoke and the more she understood that her only choice was a choice for life. and she -- and she is so happy she made the only choice. we stand here shoulder to shoulder because you are our backbone. because we pray together our nation will rise to the occasion and continue to be a force for good. a force for life. [ applause ] >> thank you, senator. i'm now very happy to introduce congressman chris smith of new jersey. the co-chairman of the bipartisan congressional

pro-life caucus. congressman smith has been co-chair for nearly three decades and so please welcome me in joining congress smith. >> thank you very much. jeanne thank you all for bringing us all together to witness the value and dignity of every human right. because it is a god given gift. my wife and i say we are thankful for the lawmakers. i've been in congress for 35 years, we've never had more pro-life effective lawmakers that we have today and a leadership that is second to none. i'll be brief. you and i are here today because we have a compelling duty to protect the weakest and most vulnerable from the violence of abortion. you are part of the most important human rights cause on

earth. you and i are working, praying, even fasting to when every life is cherished as a gift. every life loved despite one's disability, race sex color dependency or condition of dependency and every life welcomes no matter the in inconvenience. every life should be for the child so wonderfulfully shown by -- wonderfully shown by kathy mcmorris rodgers and her son. and we have a total number of 82 year got involved in 1972. it is encouraging to see so many young people. and tom brokaw talks about the

great eft greatest generation. you, the millennials are the next greatest generation. thank you for your witness. and on the floor as you know, we are getting back to vote and we just have a debate. hr 7 co-sponsored by every one of us here will get a vote within an hour or so. that legislation is historic. it would end our forced complicit and funding of abortion. president obama in september of '09 and came to us and said no federal funds will be used to pay for abortion and put out an executive order that said he would comport with at mendment. those promises have turned out to be untrue, a lie and now we have a situation where other a thousand obama care plans on the exchange are playing for

abortion on demand. and i know the senate will do et cetera best to pass it. we will not quit until we take abortion out of obama care and make the height amendment permanent. and finally katherine mcmorris rodgers said moments ago, the legislation will be on the floor. and we know children at 20 weeks gestation suffer horrific pain dismemberment abortions cause agony beyond our wildest belief, it will protect those children for the 20th week on and our lewdership is true faithful and will bring the amendment to the floor and we will pass it. thank you and god bless. >> thank you, congressman. now i'm honored to welcome the

other co-chair, dan lepinski of illinois. he is a courageous supporter of supporter of life. join me in welcoming congressman lepinski. >> thank you. good afternoon. i'm from chicago. i'm a democrat and i'm pro-life. [ applause ] >> we all need to come together across parties across faiths those of no faith, across the country, across races, ethnicity, we all need to come together to protect life. because the babies need the protection and because women deserve better than abortion.

you all are here serving a special role as witnesses to washington, to the country and to the world to show the force of the pro-life movement. we hear so much about how the young kids, well they are not pro-life. well you are here. you are the group. you are the ones that will change the hearts and minds and help us to change the laws of this country to protect life. [ cheering and applause ] >> you are the pro-life generation. you are going to help us do it and we can only do it together so thank you for being here. keep on working, keep on fighting, keep on praying and we will change the laws of this

nation and change hearts and minds and protect lives around this nation and in this world. thank you. >> thank you, congressman. after you complete the march today, i'm sure we would very much appreciate it if you go to your member of congress's office and tell him or her that you represent many pro-life people back in their home district. this afternoon, we are honored to be joined by a number of pro-life members of congress on stage. and i'll take a brief moment to recognize them. senator demint is here with us and senator langford of oklahoma. congressman brian babitt of texas. representative carb ello of florida. amy harris of maryland.

congressman thomas fuelcamp of kansas. congressman bill high zynga of michigan. representative pete olson of texas. representative steve piers of new york. robert pittinger of north carolina. representative thomas rooney of florida. representative cat bencheck of michigan. and bill flores of texas. congressman tom reed of new york. congressman keith ross of ohio. house majority whip steve scalise of indiana. representative marlon stutzman of indiana. representative daniel webster of

florida. congressman brad winstrip of ohio. congressman bruce westerman of auck saw. congressman tim wahlberg of michigan. representative jackie wallerski of indiana. [ applause ] >> okay. just a little reminder we have a lot of media here so if you keep your banners and signs down so the cameras can take some pictures too, that would be great. and judging by your signs and banners, i have a feeling you might know our next speaker. elected the supreme knight of

colombus and the defeebd signs carl anderson has led the world's largest catholic organization to new heights in charity giving and pro-life advocacy. please welcome to the stage a supreme leader, carl knight anderson. >> jeanne, thank you very much. pro-life is here and thank god so many pro-life americans are in the congress this year. thank you so much for your witness and for standing firm for life. this year we face some new threats. doctor-assisted suicide to legalizing it in so many states but we will stand up for those at the end of life just as we do for those at the beginning of life. we must build a culture of life for all of those who are

vulnerable or who suffer. their life is a gift. today we celebrate the gift of every life. more than 30 years after roe v wade america is becoming pro-life. the pro-life culture is growing stronger in america. our knights of colombus poll this year shows that more and more americans are coming to our side. 84% of americans want significant restrictions on abortion. 84% of americans say our laws can protect the life of the mother and the life of her unborn child. two thirds of americans say the

nations' abortion rate is too high and a majority of americans believe abortion is immoral. so why is america becoming more pro-life? because of your stand in defend of life. because no amount of propaganda can change or cover up the pain that women who regret their abortions feel every day. and because women who know the truth, choose life. women have a right to the truth and that is why over the past five years the knights of colombus has been putting in over 500 ultrasound machines in crisis pregnancy counseling centers.

we know that almost every mother who sees her child in an ultrasound chooses life. and we know something else. the number of our machines is are 500. the number of these children that need machines change are more than 50,000 a year. the cost of the machine is $30,000 and so the cost to save each one of these lives is only $300. and the value of each of these lives, you and i know each life is priceless. [ applause ] >> so thank you, god bless you. god bless our children god bless america. [ applause ]

>> thank you, supreme knight anderson. in 2007, kathleen wilson and two friends -- [ cheering and applause ] >> okay. well for some of you kathleen wilson is known. but for those who don't know her, she and her two friends started a maternity home in her home town of fredericksburg, virginia. in the past eight years kathleen and her team and their shelter have transformed their ministry from one small house to four homes in the area. join me in welcoming a true pro-life inspiration kathleen wilson. thank you. >> thank you.

thank you. mary's shelter, our home in fredericksburg, virginia. since opening our doors in 2007. >> speak more into the microphone. >> sorry. we are honored to represent the approximately 400 maternity homes here in the united states. we exist to help women in desperate need. women who have lost hope and lost self-esteem and don't believe their life could be a gift to anyone. many have been put out by their families or boyfriends that want them to abort. they are told they can't do this and they shouldn't have a child and can't give them what they need. they are strongly encouraged from raising a baby and the last thing in the world to believe is a gift with a god-given mission. one of our residents angela is

a young quiet woman. she became the victim of a crime. with no family and the few friends she had pressuring her to abort. and she came to us. and today she has a baby girl and that child has brought her absolute joy. she's working and plans on continuing her education, she asks if not for mary's shelter what would i have done. that child's life is a gift and part of god's creation and plan. against all odds women like angela have chosen life and we are honored to be standing there with them. so many moms after giving bridge have cried because those who

didn't want their child's life to be born, they know it is a blessing. the price continues to grow. at mary's shelter we work all over the country to open successfully. if i you and others if you are hopeful to help, and aren't sure what to do call us? just continue to be a witness of life. thank you and god bless. >> thank you, kathleen. our bill boy who was lost is now found. [ cheering and applause ] >> we all know that ultrasound technology is a game-changer. the moment when a young couple first sees the ultrasound image of their new baby is truly an

awesome moment. our next speaker is a raid yi radiologist who shares this with mothers and fathers every dave. please welcome dr. casegracy christy. >> hello. as you just heard. i'm a radiologist and i get to be there for that awesome moment when a mother and father see their baby for the very first time. ultrasound has opened a window into the mystery of life before birth when we are small but very human and very alive. but humanity of the unborn child which is a medical and scientific variety for everyone to see. but ultrasound has a dark side. it has given us the ability to

selectively abort children with a trait any defect, no matter how small, has become a reason to simply abort and try again. sadly in my own parents i have had parents to seek abortion with children with simply a cleft palat. children deemed defective are being eradicated before birth. when i examine a baby in utero my heart breaks because nine times out of ten this is a death san antonio. the mother and father will never know the light that god prepared for them when he created their son or their daughter. instead, the life of a baby that is typically well over 12 weeks old will end in violence and

pain. i have seen very young prepature babies in the icu and no doctor would think of performing a procedure on these babies without administering anesthesia but our laws allow the destruction of children inside of their mothers who are the very same age for no reason at all. the children rejected and aborted they are as perfect as any one of us gathered here today. [ applause ] >> they each have a heard made for joy. a soul to cherish and the humble right to simply exist. let us resolve today here and now, to teach the world to acknowledge the humanity of every children, to welcome all of god's children into this beautiful challenge we call life. and if i pay say to the pro-life

people out here. [ speaking in a foreign language ] thank you. hello, pro-life america. [ cheering and applause ] >> my name is tim scotia and i'm proud to serve on the board of the march for life. and i'm proud to recognize our student contest winners. this is called every selfie has a story and we asked everyone to send us a picture with their pro-life leader.

our middle school winner from debuque, iowa and our winner alice son from bloomington, alabama. to see their entries watch them on our website or tweet and like us on facebook. and now welcome back to the podium jeanne mancini. >> thank you tim. for our next speaker, i'm so excited to introduce her. she is one of you. when we heard that chandly high school -- when we heard that

chandly high school in fargo, north dakota would close down school and travel -- and bring their entire student body on more than a 1300 mile journey for march for life, we knew we have found the school to march for our banner. here to offer a few years on the pro-life experience please welcome high school student julia johnson. >> thank you. as was mentioned, my name is julia johnson and i'm a senior at chandly high school in fargo, north dakota. and as a school, we are humbled and honored to be have been selected to carry the lead banner in this year's march for life to the youth of nerk it is

our responsibility to end the scourge of abortion. at the high school we are trying to do just that. we have had an active pro-life group for many years and we decided to bring our entire high school including students teachers and chapper oenz, we packed 400 pro-life warriors into eight buses. we have traveled for 24 hours to come to d.c. to be a witness to life in our nation's capital. we are the pro-life generation. [ applause ] >> to my fellow youth, our cause in defending life is a mobile one. it is mobile because we are

living in an average day holocaust that takes over 1 million babies a year. the silent horror of abortion has embedded itself into society and targeted the most vulnerable and precious of us all. but we will not remain idle. we cannot. it is our job to protect the daughters and sons. it is our right to -- it is our obligation to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. for once value is not determined by size or by age. as i look out, i see hundreds of thousands of people who are willing to stand up for what is right and true and virtuous. our jepperation -- generation has seen through the lies and the smoke screen and we have seen the truth and we know that

life is present in the womb and we are willing to fight for it. we refuse to stand by and watch the lives of innocent children be discarded as nothing more than medical waste. this is why we march. we march to stop an injustice that has taken the lives of a third of our generation. this pro-life was not bourne out of our hate for strangers, but for love. and as i walk forward today i hope to walk with each and every one of you. we will achieve victories for our mothers and babies and for our country and for our god. god bless.

[ cheering and applause ] >> wow! thank you, julia. and a very, very critical part of pro-life work is for support of women being involved in a abortion. for more than a decade silence no more has brought hope and heeling to -- healing to this jepperation. the chicago regional director of silent no more. nancy cruzzer. >> hello. my name is nancy cruzzer and i am -- my name is nancy cruiser and i am a regional coordinator with the silence no more campaign, a part of priests for

life and impacts for life. we have been impacted by abortion and seek to help the shock waves of everyone involved. when i was 5 1/2 months pregnant i was told by my doctor that my baby had water in its brain and i was 5 months along. at the abortion clinic no one asked who i was or what was happening to me. i felt afraid and a loans and devastated. i cried but no one acknowledged my pain. i left the clinic with no body to bury, no grave, no funeral. i vomited in the parking lot and rode home in silence. no one brought meals, sent cards

or no one called because i had been too ashamed to tell anyone who i had done. i tried to birry the memory of -- bury the memory of my abortion and didn't recognize its scars. i thought i was fine. but i was fearful and would awake ep from repeated nightmares of running from something so horrible. after lives years like that, i gave my heart to christ and he healed me from the pain of my abortion. i was attending the bible study and i didn't feel alone any more. god's loving forgiveness has transformed me.

i named my daughter melanie. i have her ultrasound picture on my dresser with the pictures of my other children. today when you march by the supreme court, stop and hear more silent to more testimonies and visit silent no more.com. every child is a gift. i deeply regret my abortion and that is why i am slielent no more. thank you. god bless you. [ cheering and applause ] thank you nancy for that moving testimony. next i am very happy to introduce the president of students for life of america kristin hawkins tine as an

advocate started in high school and continued through college and young professional. as president of students for life christen has the opportunity to share her diesel for pro-life leadership with more than 800 college and high school pro-life schools across the united states. please welcome me in joining kristin hawkins. >> you know i will never forget the day that my son's doctor called and told me that my son has tested positive for cystic fibrosis. a genetic and incurable disease. at that moment every hope i had for his life and my life had been gone. it is a moment that every parent begs god they will not have to face. in the past years my life has

been changed by his entry into the world. things i thought were important are no longer. my husband and i have had to sacrifice our life for medications and moved across the united states to be near the doctors but it is all worth it because he has added so much joy and life to my family. he is smart, inquisitive tender-hearted bossy big brother. every day i'm reminded that his time and my time with him is precious. today i speak to you pregnant with my fourth child, my first daughter. [ cheering and applause ] >> i'm very excited i named my first baby girl gracy and i pray

she is not born with this same disease but i know she'll have a big brother there to answer her questions and give her support and she will have a family that loves her unconditionally. i know firsthand that caring for and raising a child with special needs is not easy and i have personally felt the push in our culture to create babies what they deem are perfect through therapeutic abortion and destructive techniques. and today i'm here as leaders of the pro-life to talk about this issue, in your churches and parishes all over. go to facebook and twitter and post pictures of children born with disabilities, go to state

houses and lobby and help these in need. having gunner has stir edred my pro-life beliefs. but i wonder if i could have been convinced to abort him? would i have thought that is the humane way to go. and that is why our work is so important because every child that is born is precious and a gift. men and women, i come today to you with hope in my heart that we will abolish abortion in this lifetime. my question for you is this: do you believe it? do you truly believe that? [ cheering and applause ] >> i believe in a great and mighty and awesome god. the maker of all things.

do you believe? [ cheering and applause ] >> if so it is time to act like it. for we are the pro-life >> amen! okay. okay. we're getting close to that time when we're all going to be marching. is everybody ready? all right. okay. as we come close to the end of our rally i'm going to say one last thing you all -- have you texted yet 99,000, the word -- the word give life give life. good. okay. as we come close to the end of our rally, we want to take a few moments to recognize the many many, many different and wonderful pro-life organizations that we work alongside throughout the year. we all take different approaches

and have different constituencies, but we all share the conviction that every life is a gift. so i'm going to just read through. this is quite a long list. stay with me. okay. first of all, 40 days for life. okay. we have a really long list. here. alliance defending freedom. alberta king ministries. aplog. american life league. americans united for life. association for christian. carenet. the center for ethics and culture. center for bioethics and human dignity. c-fam, the charlotte loewsier institute. christian medical and dental association. concerned women of america. crossroads pro-life. eagle forum.

and then there were none. family research council. family research council action. family policy institute of washington state. feminists for life. generation joshua. heart beat international. heritage action. heritage foundation. home school legal defense fund. human life international. justice house of prayer. knights of columbus. jerome legion foundation. let freedom ring. manhattan declaration. republican national committee. patriot voices. movie to movement. national black pro-life union. national institute of family and life institute. national religious broadcasters. national right to life. online for life. operation rescue. priest for life. radiance foundation. sba list. ethics and religious liberty commission. silent no more. stand true ministries. national review institute. life site news. students for life of america.

terri schiavo network. tradition family property. excuse me. humana international. vitra foundation. last but not least, the united states catholic conference of bishops. all right. thank you for all of your very hard work, folks. thank you, very, very much. okay. now we can go. >> okay. you guys -- >> thank you very much pro-life organizations. as president of the national hispanic christian leadership

conference our next speaker oversees the nation's largest hispanic christian organization representing millions of evangelicals and more than 40,000 u.s. churches. he is an award winning author a loving husband, a proud father of three please welcome to the stage, to share with us his story, and then to lead us in our closing prayer, reverend samuel rodriguez. we gather today not as blacks, whites yellow or brown. we gather today as children of the living god. we gather today with the commitment to reconcile righteousness with justice, sanctification with service and truth with love. we gather today with biblical

conviction and courage to speak to the spiritual forces that exacerbate the death of innocence in the womb. we gather today to speak to the spirit of pharaoh and the spirit of harrod. and to declare the following. we declare the following. for every pharaoh, there will be a moses. for every goliath, there will be a david. for every nebuchadnezzar, there will be a daniel. for every jezebel, there will be an elijah. for every harrod, there will be a jesus. and for every devil that rises up against us there is a mightier got that rises up for us!

for we understand that the right to life stems not from the executive branch judicial or the legislative branch. the right to life does not stem from the political party or apparatus. it does not come from the donkey or the elephant. the right to life comes from the land that is on the throne, his name is jesus. therefore, on the anniversary of roe v. wade, let us remind our nation and our fellow citizens that uncle sam may be our uncle but he will never be our heavenly father. with that let me invite you to pray. let us pray. heavenly father, we pray that this generation will recognize the image of god in every human

being in and out of the womb without exception. we pray that the followers of christ will no longer hide at the bottom of the thrushing floor, but rather will emerge as mighty heroes of righteousness and justice. we pray that the children of the cross realize that today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity. that moral stagnation leads to spiritual atrophy. and that there is no such thing as comfortable christianity. we pray that children will not be aborted that marriages will thrive, and religious liberty will prevail for generations to come. we pray that truth will never be sacrificed on the altar of

sxeend yen expediency, that love will overcome hate and we pray for the strength of the father, the grace of the son, and the anointing of god's spirit, to equip us in order to advance your agenda, an agenda that protects the innocent and the unborn, all while we do justice love mercy and walk humbly before god. and we pray all of this in the holy righteous triumphant victorious name of jesus christ our lord and savior. amen and amen! >> thank you, reverend rodriguez. okay, everyone. we're about ready to start marching here. but just a couple of favors. first, if you have any trash, there is a dumpster and a trash

area on the way to where you're going to start marching. so please dump it in there. if you see any on the ground, please pick it up. also, our knights of columbus from virginia will be collecting donations along constitution avenue. please be generous. however, before we begin our march, i would ask everyone to welcome back marie miller back to the stage to close the rally by singing god bless america. at the conclusion of the song, jeannie will invite everyone to join her to begin the 42nd march for life. marie miller. ♪ god bless america land that i love ♪ ♪ stand beside her and guide her ♪

♪ through the night with the light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam ♪ ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ >> thank you, god bless you all. thank you.