plays out. it is like anwr for me. i am not giving up on that. i am taking a slightly different look at this time. it did not get the votes in committee to make it part of the bill. .

while she is preparing for another election race herself and with california in the dire straits that it is in, is there any particular risk she faces ? >> i think she is. i think she is a pretty smart woman who is thinking about all that. if oil prices continue to go up and people's attention start to refocus on what they are paying at the pump as they did last summer, i think she will

encounter changes. i am sure you have all seen the list of priorities. i think there was a gallup poll where it individuals were passed what is the big issue. the economy was number one on the list. the environment or moving toward climate change -- climate change was no. 20 on the list. if people are still losing their jobs and worried about keeping their home, and now they are scared every time they go to fill out their car, i do not think a cap and trade discussion as much chance of success outside of a small committee room.

i just do not see it happening. >> dollar has gone to 78 -- gas has gone to $70 a barrel. the use a repeat of the same political place that we saw last year with republicans calling for more drilling and the democrats looking to rein in speculation when it comes to money-market hedging against inflation? >> i would not be a bit surprised to see a repeat. from eight republican perspective, we would be ok with that kind of a repeat. that method -- we need to be producing more ourselves which would resonate louder with the american consumer.

that is opposed to market speculation. i do not think that republicans would be adverse to having that kind of challenge again for the consumer's benefit. i hope that we do not see a repeat of that. people in alaska are still bleeding from what they ended up paying last year. in some of five villages back home, we have people who are paying $7 or $9 a gallon for fuel. it -- when the prices go down here, they do not go down up north. when you get your fuel barged in once in the fall and once in

the spring, you are paying a lot in price. those alaskans were paying the price till just about a month ago. we do not want a repeat of $140 oil. >> any more questions? >> even though you are not enthusiastic about this bill, it sounds like it will get your support at the moment. >> if we keep out the ugly amendment, yes, it would get my support. >> would you consider to keep major changes from happening on the floor?

>> we will certainly try. as you all know, you can say, i will work hard to keep it as is or to take this out, but it is a challenge. i think we all recognize that. i am sure the chairman is in that same situation. some say, will you promise me that when you get to the floor you will work on this. i do not think it is difficult to predict any [unintelligible] on that. >> would you be better off to

change the bill and amend it or draft their own bill? if they end up taking the climate portion of the legislation, how would that be reconciled with the senate? >> i would prefer that we build our own bill. i think that what the house has drafted is something that will not meet with acceptance on the senate side. i think it would be easier to try to build our own rather than a strip out the provisions coming over from the house.

>> some have been working hard to get you to this point. >> i think i have worked hard to get him to this point. [laughter] >> why would he allow a bill that makes the entire arrangement -- >> hopefully he will not. >> will he? >> i had a meeting with michael energy staff before i came over here. the status of the remaining amendments and these two were singled out. they are trying to keep things from tanking at the very end.

you point out that the chairman has really worked with us, and it has been mutual. we have been trying to build this energy bill as a bipartisan chairman and ranking member. he is not entirely happy with that. i am not entirely happy with it. i think both of us feel that it has come a long way, and i am hopeful that tomorrow we are not going to be dealing with these amendments. is too early to say at this time. thank you. >> we appreciate your time. thank you for all of your hard work. we expect to have a senator in next week or so. if you are not getting our email

announcements, please let us know so you can be included on the list. >> good question. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> there is still time to get your copy of suspense 2009 congressional directory. with information on house and senate members, the cabinet, governors, and supreme court justices. it is $16.95. you can get it online or by calling the number on your screen. >> in a few moments, president

obama's speech to the american medical association. he outlined his plans for the future of health care. the speech is one hour and after that reaction from leaders of the ama and congress. later, treasury secretary speaks on the a economy. on washington journal tomorrow, we will discuss the supplemental spending bill with jane hampshire -- hamsher. we will also speak with two other guests after that. "washington journal" live on c- span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern.

a couple of live events to tell you about on our companion network on c-span3. a hearing will be held on insurance industry oversight at 10:00 a.m. eastern. they will look at pursuing policies that may threaten the financial system. later will be the nominations to the federal communications commission. that is at 2:30 p.m. eastern. president obama spoke to the annual meeting of the american medical association monday to discuss his proposed changes to the health-care system. this is one hour.

>> good morning, everyone. it is my pleasure to welcome the president of the united states barack obama back to chicago. we appreciate that he has been able to make time out of his

busy schedule to come here today to speak about health care reform and to make it as open as possible. we are glad we are included in your efforts. you have said that a test of the american ideal is whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by the events in history or whether we act to shape them. america's physicians want to help shape a better future for our patients and our country. [applause] we know firsthand the that change is needed and the status quo is not acceptable. [applause]

we appreciate the investment you have already made to help physicians in four areas. first, to purchase equipment and we look forward to standards of enter opera ability. -- inter-operatability. in your budget, you used realistic numbers about the cost of treating medicare patients. you charted a course to replace the senseless medicare physicians payment formula. you are the first president to do that, and we thank you for that. [applause]

you have recognized that medical liability concerns contribute to rising health-care costs, and we appreciate your interest in addressing this problem. it is critical to the positions of this country. [applause] we are grateful for president obama's leadership. please join me as the american medical association welcomes the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause]

>> thank you. let me begin by thanking nancy for the wonderful introduction. a monte sank one doctor who is the chair of the board of trustees -- i want to thank one doctor who is the chair of the

board of trustees. thanks to all of you for bringing me home, even if it is just for one day. from the moment i took office as president, the central challenge we confronted as a nation has been the need to lift ourselves out of the worst recession since wwii. in the recent months, we have taken a series of extraordinary steps, not just to repair the immediate damage to our economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting and sustained growth. we are here to create new jobs and unfreeze our credit markets, stemming the loss of homes and the decline of home values. all of this is important. even as we have made progress, we know the road to prosperity remains long and difficult.

we also know that one is essential step on our journey is to control the spiraling costs of health care in america. in order to do that, we will need the help of the ama. [applause] today we are spending over $2 trillion a year on health care. almost 50% more per person than the next most costly nation. and yet, for all of this spending more of our citizens are uninsured, the quality of our care is often lower, and we are not any healthier. citizens in some countries that spend substantially less than we do are living longer than we do.

make no mistake, the cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. it is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. it is a ticking time bub -- bomb for the federal budget. it is unsustainable for the united states of america. it is unsustainable for some americans like one young mother i met in wisconsin last week who has learned that the breast cancer that she thought she had beaten has spread to her bones. she is now being forced to worry about how to cover the $50,000 in medical that she has already accumulated and worried about future debt that she will accumulate, when all she wants to do is spend time with her two children and focus on doing well. she should not have to face these worries in a nation as

wealthy as ours. [applause] stories like hers are being told by men and women all across this country, by families who have seen out of pocket costs soar and premiums double of the last decade at a rate that is three times faster than wages. this is forcing americans of all ages to go without the checkups or the prescriptions they need. it is creating a situation where a single illness can wipe out a lifetime of savings. our costly health care system is unsustainable for doctors. like one doctor in new hampshire who spent 20% of each day to explaining insurance actions to

patients and doing paperwork which gives him a less time to do the work of being a doctor and caring for patients. [applause] small-business owners like two in nashville are also struggling. they have always wanted to do right by their workers. they have recently had to lay off a number of employees, which could have been deferred if health care costs were not so high. across the country, over one- third of small businesses have reduced benefits in recent years. many have a drop workers covered since the early 1990's. larger companies are suffering as well. a big part of what led general motors and chrysler into

trouble were the huge costs they had for providing health care for their workers which make them less profitable and less competitive with automakers around the world. we do not -- if we do not fit our health-care system, america may go broke by paying more. when it comes to the cost of our health-care system, the status quo is unsustainable. [applause] reform is not a luxury but a necessity. we cannot defer these issues.

this is a test of whether we are serious about holding the line on new spending and restoring fiscal discipline. let there be no doubt, the cost of inaction is great. if we fail to act -- [applause] if we fail to act, and you know this, because you see it in your own individual practices. if we fail to act, premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode, millions of more americans will be uninsured which will affect your practices. if we fail to act, in 30 years, one out of every $3 will be spent on health care which means lost jobs, lower take-home pay, and a lower standard of living for all americans. if we fail to act, federal

spending on medicare and medicaid will grow by an amount almost equal to the amount our government currently spends on our nation's defense. it will eventually grow larger than what ever government spends on anything else today. it is a scenario that will swamp our federal and state budgets and impose a vicious choice of either on presidents tax hikes or overwhelming deficits or drastic cuts in our federal and state budgets. to say it as plainly as i can, health care is the single most important thing we can do for america's long-term fiscal health. that is a fact. [applause]

the truth is, most people know it is a fact. as clear as it is that our system badly needs reform, reform is not inevitable. there is a sense out there among some and perhaps some members who are gathered here today that as bad as our current system may be, and it is pretty bad, the devil we know is better than the devil we do not. there is a fear of change. a worried that we may lose, what works about our health care system while trying to fix what does not. i am here to tell you that i understand that fear. i understand the criticism. there are scars left over from past efforts of a reform. presidents have called for a of care reform for nearly a century. teddy roosevelt, harry truman,

jimmy carter, bill clinton, they all called for it. while some reforms have been made, efforts at comprehensive reform that covers everyone in brings down costs have largely failed. part of the reason is because of the different groups involved such as doctors, insurance companies, and others could not agree on the need for reform or the shape it would take. if we are honest, the other part has been opposition that has used fear tactics to take any efforts to achieve reform as an attempt to socialized medicine. despite this long history of failure, i am standing here because i think we are in

different times. one sign that things are different, the senate passed a bill that will protect children from the dangers of smoking. [applause] this went nowhere when it was proposed a decade ago. [applause] what makes this moment different is that this time for the first time stakeholders are aligning not against but in favor of reform. they are coming out -- coming together out of a recognition that while reform will take everyone in our health care community to do their part,

everybody will have to pitch in, everybody will benefit ultimately. i want to commend the ama for offering to do your part to curb costs to achieve reform. you joined together with hospitals, labor unions, insurers, medical device manufacturers, and a drug companies to do something that was unthinkable a few years ago. he promised to work together to cut health-care spending by $2 trillion of the next decade relative to what it otherwise would have been. it will bring down costs and premiums. it is the kind of cooperation we need. we appreciate that very much. thank you. [applause] the question is how do we finish the job? have to be prominently bring down costs and make quality, affordable health care