entire issue. we won a process that covers all of the building blocks. we cannot support this selective approach. as we indicated at the opening of this session, the group of 77 and china supports the bottom- up and party-driven process we all established and maintained over the past two years. we believe this approach allows a balance consideration of all issues under the action plan and enables all parties to participate and bring in the interests and concerns regarding the expected, agreed outcome of copenhagen birkhe. it is no doubt that such an

approach is the only way to lead as to the party-driven, fair and agreed outcome. mr. chairman, there is a great sense of urgency and a mounting pressure to reach an agreed outcome here in copenhagen. . . mr. chairman, we stand ready to

assist you in your role as president to maintain a party- driven, and open and fair process, that allows developing countries to participate fully in shaping the outcome of this program. i thank you. >> i like to thank his excellency, mr. nafie ali nafie. we had to speak to all of the rules agreed to in this process which include a time limit for interventions, five minutes. so i hope that you will respect that. it gives me great pleasure to welcome to the conference the prime minister of ethiopia who will speak on behalf of the

african group. your excellency, meles zenawi, you have the floor. >> mr. prime minister, your excellency, secretary-general of the united nations, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to first of all thank are gracious hosts, the people in government of denmark, for the warm reception we have enjoyed since are a rival and with the excellent facilities put at our disposal. i would like to take this opportunity to thank the hard work and underappreciated efforts of our ministers who have kept the hope of a global treaty on climate change alive. your excellencies, ladies and gentleman, global warming is happening. the rise of catastrophic climate

change is very real. the risk of catastrophic climate change is very real. the signs are as clear as they could ever be as to what the cause of what such changes are. it is no exaggeration to say that this is our best and perhaps our last chance to look -- to save our comment from destructive and unpredictable change. this is a test as to whether we as a global community are able to rise over are parochial interests to protect our common destiny. in a way, the climate negotiations are about a lot more than merely addressing climate change issues. they are test cases as to how humanity is likely to face the emerging challenges of the 21st

century. our globalization transforms the world into a tightly economic space. how we manage global public goods such as the environment without a world government is likely to become a defining issue of our new century. it through foresight, dialogue, and compromise we succeeded in addressing the threat of climate change it would be reasonable to assume that we can manage similar challenges of our new century through collective effort. if we fail to rise above the current challenge of climate change, we will have proved that global economic progress is based on eight globally dysfunctional political system. sooner or later, the economic interests will have to come

crashing down. it is there for true than in more ways than one, what is at stake here is the future of our species, the future of human civilization as we have come to know it. africa is keenly aware of the difficulties of climate change negotiations in the copenhagen summit. that is why for the first time since the establishment of the african union, africa decided to speak with one voice and field a single negotiating team, speaking on behalf of all the nations of the african nations. they are here to support and reinforced a common negotiating team rather than negotiate on behalf of their individual countries. ethiopia is deeply honored to

have been be forefront and to lead the common negotiating team. i'm immensely proud to be able to speak today, not on behalf of my country of ethiopia, but on behalf of africa as a whole. your excellency, ladies and gentlemen, everyone of us knows that africa has contributed virtually nothing to global warming, but has been the first and hardest hit. the fragility of our exile -- of our ecosystem is not something that could happen in the future. it is already here with us, so in misery and death across the land. africa is indeed paid with the misery and death of its people for the wealth and well-being that was created in developed countries through carbon-

intensive developments. that is fundamentally unjust. but we are not here as victims, nursing our wounds of injustice of the past. africa is a continent of the future. it is destined to be a growth for all of the 21st century. we are here not as victims of the past but a stakeholders' of the future. reaching out across the continents, so that together we can build a better and better future for all of us. not only has africa contributed virtually nothing to the current level of carbon emissions, but it is unlikely under any set of circumstances to be a significant polluter in the future. africa is a greenfield that

wants to and can chart a different course of development, one that is not a carbon- intensive. to give just an example in my own country of ethiopia, the plane to sustain our next level of growth for the next 15 years so that by 2025 we become a middle income countries. we plan to do so in a manner that would allow us to have zero net carbon emissions by 2025. our ambitions as africans are the same across the continent. when it comes to taking care of the environment, we occupy the moral high ground and are indeed proud of it. but we are not here to bask in the glory of our high moral standards and pristine

principles. we are not here to preach or grandstand. we are here to note -- to negotiate, to give-and-take, until a fair deal is reached. it is with this in mind that i wish to appeal to everyone. so that we will all have the chance to adapt to the new circumstances. it is also with this in mind that i wish to make the following specific proposals on finance on behalf of my african delegation. on start up funding, short-term funding for the next two to three years, i support the establishment of a startup fund of $10 billion per annum for the

years of 2010-2012. it would be used to address urgent mitigation tasks including forestry and to prepare plans for more ambitious programs. i propose that the start up funding should be put in a trust fund to be administered by a board of trustees composed of equal numbers of donor and recipient countries. i demand that 40% of the start of fun be earmarked for africa and request that the fund allocated for africa be administered by the african development and the board of trustees that i mentioned earlier. and i ask for the establishment of political experts to work out the details of the program i

have outlined, with a view to launching the fund by next year. and ensuring quick disbursement thereafter. for long-term financing, i propose, a, that funding for adaptation and medication should start by 2013. -- medication -- mitigation should start by 2013. b, that no less than 50% of the funds should be allocated for adaptation for region such as africa and the small island states. c, that the fund be financed through creative financing. no such creative financing mechanism, from taxes on

financial transactions to global ocean of emission rights, and from carbon taxes to taxes on aviation, should not be excluded. and d, that the u.n. at ease ec management commission of political leaders and experts to review all such funding mechanisms and come up with an elaborate system of funding to achieve the targets that we set for ourselves, and to report within six months. on the management of the fund, i propose, a, that it be established under the authorities of the parties, which determine things like

access criteria, brought a reasons for the participation in the fund, etc.. that this be composed of equal number from developing and developed countries to oversee the day-to-day management of the fund. and that the fund -- the share of africa of the fund be administered by the african development board. your excellency, i know our proposals will disappoint some africans who from the point of view of justice have asked for full compensation of the damage done to our development prospects. my proposal scales back our expectation with regard to the level of funding. in return for more reliable funding and a seat at the table in the management of any such funds. i believe that it is an important underlying principle

here, africa loses more than most if there is no agreement on climate change. we lose more not only because our economy is more pried out but also because of our best days are ahead of us. and lack of agreement here could murder our future even before it is born. because we have more to lose than others, we have to be prepared to be flexible and be prepared to go the extra mile to accommodate others. that is exactly what my proposal is intended to achieve. there should not be any doubt about our eagerness to compromise. but such flexibility should not be confused with desperation. africa is not prepared to except in keywords and agreements that undermine its fundamental interests and international

treaties and agreements. we are determined to make sure that in copenhagen we will have an agreement that all of us, africa included, are happy with, or obviously there will be no agreement for anyone. i hasten to assure everyone that this is not meant to be nothing but a solemn promise by africa that we should strive for a pair and just deal, and nothing more and less than that. and i ask, mr. chairman, that my proposal be considered with a view to incorporating it in whatever final document that the leadership of our summit may submit to us for final consideration. i thank you for your kind invitation. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2009] >> i would like to thank his excellency for a statement. his very concrete proposals. it gives me great pleasure to welcome to the conference, his excellency, the prime minister of grenada, who will speak on behalf of the alliance of small island states. your excellency, you have the floor. >> honorable prime minister of denmark, your excellency, secretary-general of the united nations, the executive secretary of the u.n. fcc ladies and gentleman is not very often that the entire world concentrates

its diplomatic and negotiating assets on one issue. it is not very often that leaders from countries as diverse as cuba in the pacific, ghana and africa, brazil, and the united states of america come together to fight and succeeded a common cause. it is not often that they come to a table to speak with you to seek a collective solution to a common challenge. today, ladies and gentleman, represents one of these unique occurrences. the entire world, including my own tiny island, grenada, and the rest of the nation's come together to find solutions to a common climate problem. we must do so in a cooperative and it is of the tory manner, chipping away toward a solution

that we need -- and up anticipatory -- participatory manner, chipping away toward a solution that we on it. we must act because there are millions of people depending on us to provide them with the assurances that their homes, their livelihoods, their communities, and their countries will not be swept away in the coming wave -- the coming wave of climate change. they are providing -- they are depending on us to provide that the at the systems are preserved for this and future generations. -- that ecosystems are preserved for this and future generations. we must act to protect our planet. we must act now, because some of us in the small island states have no choice.

for many of our states already experience the devastating impact of climate change. we must act now, ladies and gentlemen, because if we do not, history will not absolving us, because we will have abandoned our primary responsibility. today represents the combination of two years of work which was started in bali in 2007. we set out on a historic task, and our job today is to complete that task. our job here today is to ensure that the two tracks which we embark upon in bali, on the kyoto protocol, are each brought to their separate but complementary conclusions. ladies and gentleman, if we are

to fill this historic responsibility, we have to take ambitious and robust decisions which can set the world on a path that will prevent a dangerous impact of climate change. such a path must include deep and immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in line with the requirements of the science. that is reduction in excess of 45 degrees, compared to 1990 levels by 2020, with global emissions peaking no later than 2015. this will insure that we proceed along a path that will restrict long-term temperature increases to well below 1.5 degrees celsius. over 100 countries have committed to this. to achieve such levels, our

countries, developed and developing, will have to take strong measures to achieve these emission reductions in keeping with the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. this will also ensure that adequate technical and financial support is provided that the honorable countries, including small island states and least developed countries, and the countries in africa affected by a dedication. -- dessification. to enable us to build brazilian economies, and to provide for the permanent loss and damage that results from climate change, for make no mistake about it ladies and gentlemen, some countries have already had to begin the process of

migration and relocation. mr. chairman, i assure you that we come here ready to work. we want to leave here with strong, internationally legal binding outcomes. we therefore issue a call to all of our partners to join with us in this effort to make this the -- to make this unique opportunity one that truly counts. one that will fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the millions of people who are watching us now and depending on us to do the right thing. one that will insure that we achieve the goal of 1.5 to stay alive. let us make sure that no island is left behind. thank you very much. [applause]

>> in a few moments, vermont senator bernie sanders on his opposition to ben bernanke serving a second term as the head of the federal reserve. and about half an hour, the house debate on bill that supporters say it will create new jobs and help workers keep the jobs that they have now. after that, a hearing on the unintentional release of documents from the transportation security administration. and later, we will be aired the speeches from some of the delegates to the u.n. climate change conference in denmark. on washington journal tomorrow morning, we will discuss health care and climate change with democratic senator jeff bingaman of new mexico. kerry bernstein, economic adviser to vice president biden, will focus on green jobs. we will talk about defense spending with republican representative jack kingston of georgia.

and a reporter looks at the debate on health care and other issues. washington journal is live on c- span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> booktv this weekend. timothy carney suggesting that president obama is really an advocate of wall street. get the entire weekend schedule at our web site, along with a list of best books of the year from around the country. >> on the date federal reserve chairman ben bernanke was named time magazine person of the year, bernie sanders reaffirmed his opposition to that chairman serving a second term. this is half an hour. >> let me thank all of you, and

there are a lot of you. i am pleased to be joined this afternoon by william black, over there in the corner. he is an associate professor of economics at the university of missouri, active for years and years on government financial issues and the co-director of the campaign for america's future, one of the larger progressive grass-roots organizations in america. as all of you know, from our morning, the senate banking committee will be deciding whether ben bernanke deserves another four years as chairman of the fed. let me be very clear. i do not believe that he deserves another four years, and as you know, i have placed a hold on his nomination and i am going to do everything that i can to see that he is not reappointed. last year, and the presidential

election, the american people voted for change in our national priorities and for a new direction in our economy. after eight long years of trickle-down economics that benefited millionaires and billionaires, while leaving the middle course -- the middle class further and further behind, americans demanded a change that said that government would start paying attention to the needs of ordinary americans and not just the wealthy and wall street. what the american people did not bargain for was another four years for one of the key architects of the bush economy. i think that sometimes this is forgotten because we pay attention to chairman bernanke as a member of the chairman of the fed but forget that in the year 2006, chairman bernanke headed the council of economic advisers for president bush.

in other words, he was a chief architect of the bush economy. and i believe that when the people voted for the change in 2008, to move our economy in a different direction, they did not vote to have one of the key architects of the bush economy being reappointed as chairman of the fed. let's also be very clear. perhaps more -- and i want to say i have no personal animosity toward ben bernanke. he seemed like a nice man three he is certainly intelligence and hard working. that is not the issue. but has he been successful in doing what his job requires him to do? perhaps more than any other person in the entire world, chairman bernanke was in a position to diagnose and correct the impending financial disaster that was taking place right in front of him. one of the key functions, as you all know, of the fed is to

oversee the safety and soundness of our financial system. he was chairman of the fed and all around him, while speculation, illegal behavior, a gambling casino-type activities were taking place. where was ben bernanke, the chairman of the fed, when all of this was happening? some of you may have noticed ironically that "time" has just named ben bernanke as their person of the year. i also note that 10 years ago, they respect -- the referred to alan greenspan and robert rubin as the committee to save the world. what i find most interesting is that "time" acknowledges in awarding this title is exactly what everyone knows to be true. this is what they say. "bernanke was as clueless as

greenspan about the coming problems. he dismissed warning of a housing bubble. he insisted economic fundamentals remain strong. in march 2007, he assured congress that the problems in the subprime market seem likely to be contained." the day before the global crisis erupted with a run on the french bank, the fed was still saying that their primary concern was inflation. he had no idea what was going on, a central banker tells "time" when he took over. bernanke said his top priority would be continuing alan greenspan's policies. ben and i have never had a serious disagreement, mr. greenspan said. does anybody seriously believe

that with a record like that, that this should be an and reappointed as chairman of the fed? the fed has four key responsibilities. this comes from their web site. to conduct monetary policy in a way that leads to a maximum employment and stable pricing. to maintain the safety and soundness of financial institution. to contain systemic risk in financial markets. and to protect consumers against excessive and unfair financial risks. those are the main activities that the fed is obliged to undertake. to my mind, and i think to the mind of any fair minded person, mr. bernanke as chairman of nbd has failed in every one of these four areas. since bernanke took over, the unemployment rate has more than doubled 317% of our people are either unemployed or underemployed.

not since the great depression has the financial system been as unsafe. more than 140 banks have failed since he became chairman. 140 banks. under his watch, the value or risky derivatives held in our nation's top commercial banks grew from 110 trillion -- $110 trillion. under his leadership, mortgage lenders were allowed to issue credit very long as they knew consumers could not afford to repay. the direct cause of the financial crisis we're in right now. it was allowed to continued even though the fbi warned in 2004 of an epidemic in mortgage fraud that had the potential to become the next s&l crisis, according to the fbi. after the financial crisis hit,

bernanke's response was to provide three ends of dollars and 0% interest loans to the largest financial institutions and the world. i'll never forget being a member of the budget committee asking chairman bernanke, can you tell me and the american people which financial institutions received trillions of dollars in 0% interest loans? i was not a hard question. mr. bernanke said he would not tell us. and we have introduced legislation that would make him reveal that and bring transparency to the fed. the reason that the congress, against my vote, approved $700 billion to bail out wall street, because we had institutions that were too big to fail, causing systemic risk to the entire economy if they fail. today under bernanke's watch, three out of four of the

largest financial institutions are bigger today than they were before the collapse. that may make sense to somebody. it does not make sense to me. mr. bernanke, after the bailout, could have done a number of things to suggest that he was standing up for working americans and the middle class. he could have insisted that bail out banks ending the injury is practice of charging use your as rates of 30% or higher on credit cards. he could have made sure that they were not investing in risky derivatives. he could have required too big to fail banks to become smaller, as is going on in the u.k. and as many economists are calling for three he could it instituted a major investigation to determine how we got into this disaster in the first place. he did not of those things. let me just conclude. i have no personal animosity for

ben bernanke, but all the objective evidence suggests that he has not done a good job in this enormously important position. i am requesting the president obama give us a new nominee, a nominee who will understand that it is his or her main interest to protect the middle class and working families of this country and not just the big money on wall street. let me introduce professor bill black. >> i had been asked to be buried brief to give you more time for question 3 i will concentrate on the regulatory side. -- i have been asked to be very brief to give you more time for questions. i will concentrate on the reagans' terry -- the regulatory side. he was supposed to regulate --

the mortgage bankers, primarily. they made a 80% of the non-prime loans. the fed, under greenspan and under bernanke, refused to use that authority. the refused even though the fbi warned publicly in congressional testimony, beginning in september 2004, that there was a "epidemic" of mortgage fraud developing, and it would prevent -- and it would produce a financial crisis unless it was prevented. and bernanke's collie personally warned that there was a bubble developing and there were extraordinary problems and subprime lending, and that the examiners needed to be sent in. and this is what the senator was

just talking about. there was never a disagreement on substance between greenspan and bernanke. there are the twins on these issues. they refuse to send in the examiners. they refuse to use their authority under the statute. go forward in time. it is no secret that the chamber of commerce is not exactly a friend of the obama administration. and the president has just said he was not elected to represent back at bankers. ben bernanke is the person who delivered for the hat cat -- fat cat bankers and for the chamber of commerce. what they desperately wanted, and what ben bernanke signaled approval for -- picking up even they're talking points in the language that he used -- was to

gut the accounting rules. this year. and so now banks do not have to recognize losses. what did they do quash a mark the report that they are -- what did they do? the report that they are highly profitable and that results and large bonuses. we have a large number of entities that are completely repugnant to the administration supposedly, and yet the administration seeks to reappoint ben bernanke who has brought this disaster that is going to produce the next disaster as well. another name that probably -- or in fact, it is obscure -- chairman bernanke has just appointed patrick parkinson to be the head of all supervision and examination, or regulation at the federal reserve board who is this man? he led the charge to destroy

brooksley born's attempt to regulate credit default swaps, which blew up aig and resulted in billions of >> of losses to the american taxpayers. and why did he do it? he said, if you cannot have brought -- you cannot have fraud in financial markets that are this sophisticated. which is what greenspan said, which he did his may at call on. -- his mea culpa on. who is expert in fraud, the fbi or the economist at the fed? pretty clearly, the fbi, and they have chosen to put in place someone who has been wrong on every step of the way in regulation, and explicitly follows alan greenspan's's a

"there is no fraud, there is no reason to regulate." >> i will also be brief. i am a co-director of the campaign for america's future, a center of progressive ideas focused on kitchen table issues. where one of 17 groups ranging across the political spectrum that have issued a letter to the senate judicial committee urging it not to vote bernanke's nomination at to the floor of the senate without first investigating but his record and his current views. demanding an investigation of the federal reserve and a probe of bernanke's dues strike us, after the worst financial calamity says the great depression, a simple common sense. i will not repeat the bill of particulars that senator sanders and professor black

issued, but suffice it to say that in every specific area that were critical to the crisis, he got it wrong and the fed contributed to the crisis. awarding ben bernanke man of the year is something like a warning and -- all warning -- all warding and arsonists for helping to put out a fire that they just put a match to. the federal reserve has a mandate of book price stability and maximum employment. we just had the largest by of unemployment since world war ii under ben bernanke's ages. -- aegis. it is worth examining the abuse that contributed to that calamity and whether ben bernanke has learned something from it. allen ginsburg came to the committee and said that he got it wrong, -- alan greenspan came

to the committee and said that he got wrong. it is worth the senate committee asking bernanke, did you get it wrong? why do you think you got it wrong? what have you learned from this calamity? how have your views change? it is not does not to say, as bernanke said, that a lot of regulators got it wrong. we are not appointing a lot regulators to be the head of the fed. it is not sufficient to say that a lot of the crisis was not under his purview. he was the head of the federal reserve and we expect the federal reserve to be in charge of the safety and soundness of the banking system. once the banking system was in free fall, bernanke worked with treasury under ballpark -- paulson and guide her, did do

original and extraordinary measures to stave off a total collapse. this may have been heroic, but they were not normal monetary policies. under his leadership, the fed show about literally hundreds of billions of dollars to private financial institutions, to brains, the brokerages, to insurance companies, the foreign central banks, and the foreign private banks. what were the terms of those transactions? what collateral did the fed receive? what conditions were there? what criteria were used to save some banks and not other? why did the fed choose some winners and choose so many losers? we do not know the answers to those questions? the house of representatives has passed a bill to audit the fed to provide us the answers with those questions.

ben bernanke of boys at -- xdopposes the bill, saying thatt represents a takeover of monetary policy. i am sorry, but with all due respect, it is disingenuous, if not dishonest, to suggest that the emergency measures that shuttled hundreds of billions of dollars to private institutions constitutes normal monetary policy. this is a constitutional republic. it is inconceivable that we could have the federal reserve without a vote of congress take hundreds of billions of dollars and give it to private financial institutions without an audit to know the terms and conditions of those loans. it is in -- it is inconceivable that the senate could move to a vote of the bernanke nomination without first demanding an accounting of what were extraordinary procedures. what you think those procedures were necessary and wise or not,

if this republic is going to be working under the laws, if congress is to exercise its powers and control of monetary policy, then we cannot have the federal reserve under the chairman's own cooking deciding which private institutions get hundreds of billions of dollars and which do not. we are urging the said committee not to put the nomination now, and hold the investigation that we think would just be common sense. >> any questions? you are? >> [inaudible] >> when you drop your hold on bernanke? >> no. >> who would you rather see as chairman of the federal reserve? >> there are a number of fine

analysts and economists. that is the president's call. he knows the same people as i do. i look for to another nominee coming up. >> what can you do, other than -- and in no-- >> hold another press conference. [laughter] sometimes for different reasons, you have people on the left or people on the right coming together. there are very strange bedfellows coming together in a coalition, and a couple of things that you heard from bob and bill, that this appointment should not go through. we're trying to rally the grass- roots, to put as much pressure as we can on my colleagues in the senate, to save what we think most americans who look at this issue cannot avoid the

conclusion -- ben bernanke failed on his job. and why would you want to reappoint someone to that enormously important position with that kind of poor track record? we're going to do everything we can to rally the grassroots, to put pressure on the members of senate to vote against this nomination. >> there may be more money needed for fannie mae and freddie mac. >> i go back to the point that bill made -- we are talking now about trains of dollars that have gone out to a huge private -- trillions of dollars that i've got a huge private institutions, and we do not know how much money and under what terms it went out. we do not even know who received 0% interest rhones --

loans. >> what you think you're one of very few members -- why do you think you're one of the very few members to see this? >> let me tell you a secret. wall street is very powerful. not quite as strong as the drug companies. this is washington, d.c. the financial institutions in the insurance companies over a 10-year period spent $5 billion and lobbying and campaign contributions in order to deregulate wall street. to do away with glass- steagal and other laws to protect consumers. you must understand the enormous influence they have over the

political process in this country. ben bernanke is there a guy. and they want their guy to stay in office. and they're pulling out all the stops to make sure that that happens, and that beating wall street is not an easy proposition. >> it is worth noting that are the majority of the house voted for a bill to audit the fed, and we now have six holes on the senate and about 30% of the senate on record to audit the fed. the senator is exactly right. wall street is very powerful in this terrain, but the fact is people want to know what happened and they have every right to know. >> can you comment on health care upstairs? >> let's deal with ben bernanke

first. we have senator bonding, senator demint. >> bunning's a hold, demint's a hold. >> you think that mr. bernanke will be approved tomorrow at the committee level? >> i do not know. we will find out soon enough. >> can you walk us through procedurally what has to be done to put a hold on bernanke on the floor? >> we have to sit down with the leadership and work out process. at the end of the day, on sunday, not yet clear when, there will be a long debate on this issue. they will need 60 votes to

prevail. other questions on bernanke and then we can go to health care. >> i am wondering whether you had the opportunity to raise this directly but president obama and what response you had. >> i had been raising a lot of concerns with president obama. this is not one. but i can tell you that as many of you know, a number of months ago, six are seven of us from the senate, byron dorgan, jim webb, and some others, went to the white house, and what we said reflects the feelings of many people in our country who very much respect as president. i think he is doing a lot of good things in many areas, but have felt from day one that he is not been as strong as he might have been in terms of wall street. i did make thatçó concern known way back. if there is a question are two

on health care, i'll try and answer that. i would simply say that senator medicare -- coburn is so impressed by the medicare fraud, that americans will have the year for the next many hours -- i appreciate his desireçó to let the americans kw about the 14 hour reading, but he may have done it -- overdone it a little bit. this is a stalling tactic on the part of the republicans. if you try to get away from the beltway for a moment, this country has a health care crisis. it has an economic crisis. it has a financial crisis. we are in two wars, and what the republicans are doing and

saying, we want to read every word for hour after hour after hour? we want to obstruct any movement in the united states senate? i think the american people do not believe that that is what we should do when our nation has so many serious problems. i think it is sad. >> the think you will end up voting for the manager's amendment? >> i been a strong proponent of the public option. the reason for that is two reasons. number one, there is huge dissatisfaction with private insurance companies. people believe quite correctly that function of the private insurance company is to make as much money as possible. i share that concern. the second is that you need to build into this legislation strong cost containment mechanisms. as i said a million times, the only way i would know that you have real cost containment and comprehensive universal health

care, is eight medicare single payer bill. but if you do not have that, you have to provide real competition to the private insurance companies throughñi a public option. if you take that away, i don't know what prevents the private insurance companies from continuing to raise their premium rates at the kind of level and maybe even more than they have in recent years. i have real concerns with this bill as it stands right now. i am talking to the white house. i am talking to the democratic leadership, trying my best to salvage some positive things in this bill. i am not on board yet. at this moment, i am an undecided. working hard to try to make this bill a better bill. i would like to support it but i am not there yet. >> on your proposed amendment -- >> which amendment?

>> the health care minute. >> the reason that the medicare single payer for all is the only way to provide insurance for americans is that you eliminate the billions of dollars of waste in gendered through thousands and thousands of separate insurance programs, whose goal in each and every case is to make a profit. what you have seen in recent years is an explosion of health care bureaucrats who do not deliver babies are treat people with cancer, their whole function in life is administrative to make profits for the private insurance companies. what should have happened when we began this debate on health care is to ask a simple question -- how is it that the united states today is spending almost twice as much as any other major country on health care, while our health care outcomes in many

respects are worse than other countries? and the answer is obvious. we are the only major country on earth in which the private insurance companies play a dominant role. and i hope i do not shock anyone in this room when i tell you -- a function of a private insurance company is not to provide health care but to make as much money as they can for the owners of the company. if you do not deal with that, you will never get to the heart of why our system is a wasteful, so bureaucratic, and ends of spending so much more than any other country on earth. >> you said you want to get there but you're not there yet. without the public option, what we get you there? >> i'm working on a number of ideas so that i can go forward and tell the people of this the state of vermont that this is not a perfect bill, is weak in many respects, but there are some components in that bill

that are going to be really strong in protecting the needs of ordinary people. we're working on a number of provisions with the white house and the leadership on that. >> can you go the reconciliation route? >> if i had my druthers, i think reconciliation is an absolutely appropriate route to go. i think what people who oppose that will tell you it that you cannot have that kind of comprehensive legislation that the senate is trying to deal with now, and that may be true. but there are a heck of a lot of things that you can do that would strengthen our health care system in a cost-effective way that would be a giant step toward for the american people. to read your question, yes, i certainly would have appreciated that route. >> your experience with a health care debate, do you feel like health care reform in the senate would be predict -- productive?

>> i am not into speculation but i would say that everyone knows that there is a lot of dissatisfaction in united states right now. working people are seeing record levels of unemployment, wages are going down, the gap between the very rich and everybody else is getting wider. and people want the congress to stand up for the middle class and working families. i think that financial reform is one opportunity that we have to say to the american people, we understand that you are furious at having to bail out the crooks on wall street who were so reckless and irresponsible. i would hope that this is an opportunity that congress seizes and that they are strong and that effort. ok, thank you all very much.

>> the senate banking committee meets tomorrow morning to vote on the nomination of ben bernanke to serve another term as head of the federal reserve. live coverage on c-span3 at 9:30 p.m. -- 9:30 a.m. eastern. in a few moments, the house debate on a bill that supporters say would create new jobs and help workers keep the jobs that they have now. in about an hour, a hearing on the unintentional release of documents from the transportation security administration. after that, several speeches from delegates to the u.n. climate change conference in denmark. and later, we will rearir the comments of senator sanders who is placing all on the nomination of ben bernanke to serve a second term.

a couple of live events to tell you about tomorrow. the senate homeland security and government affairs committee looks at our economic future, including spending, debt, and deficit. witnesses include alan greenspan. that is at 10:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. at 2:00 p.m. eastern, senators examine afghanistan's contracts and hear from representatives of the departments of defense and state, and the u.s. agency for international development. .

prevent public sector employees from being laid off. and expand infrastructure projects. debate on the bill was an hour and 15 minutes. objection, so ordered. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: madam speaker, i think people understand what this legislation is. it is an effort to redirect some $75 billion from tarp funds that in the past have been directed to help wall street, instead direct them to main street to try to help americans who are struggling to hang onto their jobs, their houses and their health care. i think the need for it is obvious. i urge passage and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves. the gentleman from california is

recognized. mr. lewis: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, chairman obey calls this legislation the jobs for main street act. i call it economic insanity. truly this is one of those rare occasions when i hardly, hardly know where to begin. it's because of legislation like this and the manner in which it was produced that the public has lost faith in this congress -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is correct. the gentleman will suspend. the house is not in order. members will take their conversations off the floor. members will take their seats. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i certainly want to -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i certainly want everyone paying attention to every word and i appreciate my colleague caring for that. it's because of legislation like this and the manner in which it

was produced that the public has lost faith in this congress and why confidence in washington is at an all-time low. this legislation repeats the failures of the so-called recovery act by pouring another $150 billion into programs included in the original stimulus package that have so far failed to produce real results or real jobs. secondly, this legislation adds an additional $150 billion to a budget deficit that has already tripled in the last year. the democrat majority claims that this spending is offset with funds from tarp, the tarp program, but under present law these dollars are already dedicated to reducing our debt. the public should not be fooled. every dollar will come out of the treasury and taxpayers will

be footing the bill. further, this legislation is a virtual mystery to almost every single member of the house. i think we got the basic material at 11:00 last night, i think. its contents were at least just shy of midnight last night for most and there's no way for anyone to have read or understood it completely. how much thought or member input really went into it? i dare say very, very little. ironically it was chairman obey who said on december 11, 2006, and i quote, we will work to restore an accountable, above board, transparent process for funding decisions and put an end to the abuses that have harmed the credibility of the congress.

this is a demonstration project of just how serious mr. obey was about that. let me take just a moment to outline the transparent process by which this legislation comes before us today. chairman obey instructed his majority staff not to share any details or information with the minority staff about the bill. chairman obey's staff sent the bill to the rules committee at 11:00 last night. it has had no hearings, no markup and is prevented from being amended on the house floor today. mr. speaker, marshall law in the house of representatives is hardly change that we can believe in. yet another irony in today's debate is that the democrat majority has suddenly found religion by championing so-called pay-go rules. this is occurring at the very same time they are proposing to

spend another $150 billion and even as they have voted it to increase the debt limit. we passed the debt limit, spend another $150 billion. not long ago small business in america was the backbone and the life blood of our national economy. today higher taxes and excessive government regulations have small business in a strangle hold and that's even before congress puts its stamp of approval on government-run health care. with all this reliance on uncle sam why don't we just put everyone in the united states on the federal government payroll and call it a day? in essence, that's what this fatally flawed process attempts to do. according to transportation weekly, even if you -- "transportation weekly," even if you only count title 1 as an appropriations bill it would still be the third largest f.y.

2010 discretionary appropriations bill, bigger than agriculture, bigger than commerce justice, energy and water, financial services, homeland security, environment, the legislative branch and state foreign operations. and imagine what ranking member david obey's reaction would have been had a g.o.p. majority moved a supplement of this size to the house floor with less than 24 hours notice and with no committee markup. you can imagine the screaming from the rooftops? we've seen that before. . the majority leader says we are the party of no. we are the party of no more

spending beyond our means. we are the party of no more increases in the historic debt limit. republicans in the house are the party of no, no more busing the spending cap and calling it emergency spending. our country's economy will never recover as long as congress continues making the same mistakes over and over again. spending by this house majority is unconstrained and unsustainable. billions and billions and billions spent on the continued expansion of government will only exacerbate our financial troubles and bring little or no relief to those without a job. through this legislation, congress is demonstrating once again that it is both unwilling and incapable of restraining its appetite to spend. this is nothing short of a christmas shopping spree with

money financed borrowed from the chinese. i appeal to the blue dogs to take a stand on this legislation. if you are serious about making a statement, this is your chance. are the blue dogs serious about deficit reduction? if so, then vote no. mr. speaker, simply put, this is an awful bill produced through a dreadful process. i strongly urge a no vote. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: madam speaker, i thank the gentleman for his support. could i now recognize the distinguished the gentleman from minnesota, mr. oberstar for four minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. oberstar: i thank my good friend from across the waters in

wisconsin, mr. obey. and applaud him for his extraordinary persistence and leadership in bringing to us this jobs for main street act. he has been consistent and persistent and forceful and vocal and very laser-beam oriented on creating jobs. in this jobs for main street, $39 billion are allocated to additional transportation and infrastructure investment to create and sustain family wage construction jobs at the same time rebuilding the nation's highways and bridges and wastewater treatment systems. we extend in this provision the highway and highway safety and transit programs through september 30, 2010. $27.5 billion, $8.4 billion for transit, $800 million for

amtrak, $500 million for airports where an extraordinary success was achieved with nearly all the airport projects either completed or under contract on the job, improving our airport capacity and $1 billion for the clean water state revolving loan funds to improve wastewater treatment facilities and build new ones where they don't exist today. $750 million for the corps of engineers and $100 million for ship construction to help our maritime interests. we have a highly successful record on that portion of the stimulus that comes from the committee on transportation and infrastructure from which both mr. obey and the distinguished republican leader are graduates.

220,000 direct jobs on over 8,000 projects. 630,000 direct jobs and jobs in the supply chain supplying asphalt, cement, pipe, concrete and culverts for this program. $10 billion paid in payroll checks, $179 million in unemployment insurance compensation checks avoided. and $230 million in taxes paid to the federal government by those on these jobs and more to come. the results, 28,000 miles of highway pavement improved, widened, expanded under way right now. that's what we have achieved to this day and we have more to come. 1,200 bridges restored, repaired and replaced and with this

addition in the jobs for main street act, we will have 56,000 miles of pavement rebuilt in the coming year and that will be 10,000 miles more than the entire interstate highway system just in this one bill. that is an investment in america. and i assure my colleagues that this committee on transportation and infrastructure will continue its vigorous oversight, accountability and transparency. every member has received this report from our committee, 14 categories of progress for each state under these key programs. you can track how many funds are associated projects are completed, how many are under way, total job hours create and sustained and total payroll created and sustained for every state, every month. we're making this clear that we

are investing in america and we will continue to do this under the jobs for main street program. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. who seeks recognition? the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: i recognize the gentleman from georgia, let's see, jack kingston, i think it is, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. kingston: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker in january, the president rushed through a massive stimulus bill, $787 billion that was supposed to be targeted for shovel-ready projects and had to do this to keep unemployment from going to 8%. now it's at 10% and rather than go back into the stimulus program and do major surgery, we are adding another spending bil the stimulus bill to begin with only had about 27% in public

works-type projects. most of it went to plug up political projects of congress and to create 31 brand new federal government programs. and even then, 12% of the money is all that has left town. most of it is still in washington, d.c. an example, a smart grid program, none of the funds have been spent. $2.2 billion alternative fuel program, none of those have been spent. $4 billion energy innovative technology program,. there is an $8 billion@@@@@@@@@r that were created in the virgin islands. or the 42nd district of connecticut. the only problem is there are no such districts.

it's a fictitious number. or you could go to augusta, georgia, and look at the housing projects where 317 jobs were created. only it really wasn't creating jobs. it was a bonus for the existing employees. or again, from the administration's website, $937 million were spent on $10,000 projects. 10,000 projects in which no jobs were created. the stimulus program is not working. we need to revamp it. another reason why we don't have jobs under this administration is because of the cap-and-trade policy. which is going to -- >> the gentleman's time has expired. >> can i have an additional minute? >> mr. kingston would like another 30 seconds. i would be happy to yield it to him. additional minute? mr. lewis: mr. kingston would like another 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. kingston: cap and trade proposal, incidentally, i don't recommend al gore's point to

anybody, but it's going to launch jobs overseas and we need to look at it and it needs to be based on real numbers, not funny numbers. 8% tax on businesses with new rules and regulations and the banking bill which is going to crunch credit all over america and i yield back. this is not the right thing to do at the last minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: i yield three minutes to mr. miller, chairman of the education and labor committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. miller: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for all of his work on this legislation. today, the congress has the opportunity to continue the effort to rebuild the american economy. we have made significant progress since january when more than 600,000 people were losing

their jobs. last month, 11,000. dramatic improvement. in november a year ago, it was over 700,000 people were losing their jobs. i don't know what the figure has to be before the republicans decide they ought to help americans keep their jobs, find new jobs and get a job so they can support their families. the fact is, the recovery act, which they want to continue to lampoon and every day, more and more fiscal analysts in this country are telling us that the recovery act is the reason that we have moved from a negative g.d.p. to a positive g.d.p. and the reason we have created more than 1.6 million jobs. those aren't our words but words of the people in the private sector talking about this market. what are they warning us about now? not just tra dirk jobs. and this comes from private analysts, whether or not local government, there is up to $300

billion under water because of the economy, recession and loss of receipts in revenues, whether or not they can create a wave of unemployment that will swamp the good news that is taking place and we hope will get better, but it can overwhelm the positive job numbers that we're starting to see and create that. it also means that once again we can see -- and with this legislation, prevent that wave of layoffs in teachers and fire people and police and first responders, because we know that's about keeping our communities healthy and safe and to make sure that our kids do not become the victims of this economy because of the layoffs, the shorter school days, the larger classes that are taking place, the shorter school years. the states are struggling with this. we know that for the private sector, if you look around what's taking place, the leaders in the private sector decided in

this kind of economy, this is when you want to invest in your future and that's what we are doing. we are investing in the future of our children, young people going to college, creating additional spots to get into community colleges and have job training, have teachers and decent class sizes. that's what this legislation is about. trying to hold on to job opportunities for the american family and make sure that children do not lose a year of educational opportunity and do not slide back from the progress we're seeing all across this country as the test scores are getting better and proficiency is getting better among fourth graders and eighth gaders. this recession can wreck it all. we have seen all across the country, texas lay off 15% of its teachers. dearborn, michigan laid off teachers. you can stop that from happening. you can stop that from happening by voting for this legislation.

this is about our future and this is about a jobs program that is paid for. this is about taking the money that was dedicated toward working on wall street and making sure it works for main street. this is your opportunity so you can go home and say you did everything you could to try to maintain the positive delecks that the economy is starting to indicate. we're not there yet. but again, if you listen to the analysts, it can be overwhelmed by the loss of jobs and the wave of unemployment that could take place at state and local government. and our children's educational opportunity can be overwhelmed. mr. oberstar laid out the infrastructure piece that is so important in terms of the investment not only in jobs but the investment in the future of this country, highways and transit. this is about human capital and about whether or not we can retain first responders, retain teachers and retain the growth in economic proficiency and achievement that our children

are getting in school today and we don't lose that. and all of a sudden it's gone. we shouldn't let that happen and vote against that happening today and vote for a jobs bill that works on main street. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: i recognize the gentleman from new jersey for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. . mr. fraying: since the start of this recession in 2007 6.9 million people have lost their jobs. a third of those without jobs have been unemployed for more than six months. that a post-world war ii high. clearly congress needs to find a way to spur private sector job creation. a bipartisan way not one rammed

through without public hearings. mr. chairman, a famous son of new jersey once said, and that's yogi berra, it's deja vu all over again. congress and the president acted in february a trillion dollar stimulus package with the promise of its shovel ready spend would go prevent unemployment from exceeding 8%. while the nation's official unemployment is about 10%, the real unemployment and underemployment now exceeds 17%. yet the majority suggests we double down on spending borrowed dollars in many of the same areas touched by the first stimulus. for example, only 7% of the $2 billion in the stimulus bill for the army corps of engineers, civil construction has been spent. yet this bill adds another $750 million. only 8% of the $1.billion for the stimulus for the bureau of reclamation water projects has been spent. this legislation includes another $100 million. the stimulus contains $4 billion

for energy innovation loans, just 10% has been spent since january. let's make sure to approve another billion dollars. of the $36 billion the department of energy's been given, about $955 million has been spent and only 17.5 billion has been obligated. if this wasn't bad enough, where's the funding coming from? it's coming from the tarp program. troubled assets relief program. that money when it's paid back is supposed to go down to reduce the deficit. here we are spending. i rise to oppose this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from georgia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i appreciate you giving me a minute to speak on this. this is the single most important issue facing the american people.

jobs. you talk about troubled assets, what greater troubled assets do we have than jobs and homes? these are the troubled assets that the american people want us to respond to. throughout the breadth of this country, small towns, country towns from michigan, ohio, throughout wherever it is, people are concerned about jobs. the misery index is high. the depression index is high. do you know what a job means? here we've got $75 billion, what better place to put it than in small businesses? into the heart and soul of the american economy at the middle and at the bottom where people will spend it. ladies and gentlemen of this congress, this is christmastime. next week is christmas. what better christmas gift can we give to the american people than this jobs bill that will put our people back to work, that will build our homes, that will help our families, that

will give them hope when they need it. they deserve this christmas present this day. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, it's my honor to recognize the ranking member of the health and human services subcommittee, the gentleman from kansas, mr. tiahrt, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized for three minutes. mr. tiahrt: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman from california. 10 months ago we stood here and told you the stimulus bill would not help the economy recover. we told you it would not work because the $787 billion--- plus interest would only grow the size of government. you can't grow the economy from the government down you have to grow from the ground up. now we have a news account of how the money was spent, mostly on government workers writing more government regulations. then there was the news about the pay raises for head start teachers and the buyouts for university professors and unemployment is double digits. it's 10%.

so today on floort we have the son of a stimulus bill. it's another $154 billion of failed economic policies that will only prolong the economic pain. this bill includes another $750 million for green jobs on top of the previous bill's $750 million. so far no green jobs have been created. the son of stimulus adds another $23 billion to state and local governments on top of the $53 billion in the stimulus bill. you can't isolate state and local governments from the recession. if you do, they will do nothing to help with the recovery. history tells us what works. when we have the opportunity in america, new ideas come into the marketplace and the economy will grow. when the economy grows, the federal revenue grows without raises taxes. here's how you create opportunity. stop spending. stop borrowing. you can't grow the government -- you can't grow the economy from the government down. freeze regulations. audit every one of them.

and only keep the ones where the benefit exceeds the cost. keep taxes low. when you do, people save. they invest. they spend. all of that's good for the economy. lower health care costs. not by taking over with the government but by addressing defensive medicine, by addressing tort reform, and by incorporating free market principles then become energy independent. that alone would solve your unemployment problem. now it's true that providing opportunity for the economy to grow does not pay back the government unions for all they have done for you in the last election. government unions should be pleased with this bill. but the american taxpayer should not. they should be angry. for those that are unemployed workers, we are sorry because this bill will not do anything for the unploiment -- unemployment rate. it's a failed economic policy that only pays back those who invested in the last election for the majority party. madam speaker, i would ask my colleagues to vote no on this

legislation and instead do something that will help the economy recover by providing opportunity for the unemployed workers. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: madam speaker, i yield myself two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. obey: madam speaker, when president bush left office, we were losing over 700,000 jobs a month. we passed the economic recovery package, and we have gotten that down to about 11,000 jobs a month. that's not enough, that's progress. i am somewhat bemused, however, by all of the comments about our friends on the minority side of the aisle denouncing the recovery package and saying that it didn't work. not a single one of them voted for it on this house floor. but if you check newspaper accounts around the country, you will see, for instance, that the minority leader in a june 15

press statement said that he was, quote, pleased that federal officials stepped in and ordered ohio to use all of its @@r the minority whip vowed to "shed partisan politics to help the economy and he met with transportation officials about how his home state of virginia could apply for stimulus grants to build a rail line. the minority chief deputy whip in his own press release -- he outright praised the courthouse in his district receiving funds from the recovery package to build a new courthouse and he said i applaud funding for the bankers field federal courthouse. my colleague, a republican colleague from new jersey, mr. lance, announced by press release that his district received $13 million from the recovery act for local flood control projects. this is outstanding news, he says. and he even sent a letter to

president obama asking for speedy release of those recovery funds. recovery funds. another of our colleagues from michigan on that side of the aisle, issued a press release saying he was pleased to announce that his international airport would receive $12.7 million from funds received from the recovery act. another of our colleagues on the minority side from illinois said -- i yield myself another minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. obey: said there is no question these grants will be of assistance in creating jobs. i can go on and on and on. citing member after member who denounce the bill on the house floor and then went home to their districts and issued grandiose press releases expressing their support for the results of the recovery package. i have a little difficulty following that ping-pong ball when it's bouncing on both sides

of the table. i have a little difficulty following the folks on that side of the aisle when they decide to fall off both sides of the same horse. i wish you would make up your mind. which do we believe? your statements you make at home or the statements and votes you cast on this house floor? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: i thank my speaker for yielding. i would yield two minutes to the gentlelady from missouri who is the ranking member on the financial services committee, jo ann emerson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from missouri is recognized for two minutes. mrs. emerson: thank you, mr. chairman. madam speaker, i want to say a couple of things first. number one, i don't know if the american people realize that since 2007 this congress has increased spending on nondefense, nondeference

discretionary spending, including the stimulus in that, by 85%. 85%. and in so doing we still have 30% unemployment in the construction trades in the state of missouri and there is no excuse for that. this bill does very little to help that. very, very little. as a matter of fact some of the stimulus money that went to create new jobs in my congressional district actually our job training people were told that anybody who is in job training can't get a new job. that's disengine with us at best. it's not fair to that person who has been counted as a job when they don't have one and one is not there waiting for them when they graduate. but i really want to talk today about my concerns with the use of tarp funds to offset additional government spending. when we debated this legislation, we were told the funds were going to be repaid

and that in the long term the federal government could make money on the tarp program. but here today we are debating whether to use tarp funds which the administration really had no plans to spend as an offset for yet more government spending. and this is a gimmick extraordinary. -- extraordinaire. we just debate add bill to increase the debt limit to $12.4 trillion and using this budget gimmick as an offset is for $75 billion in new spending is not going to reduce the debt one bit. every economist in america says if we don't reduce our debt in this country, then our economy will go away. and it is going to ensure, this bill does, that our government debt is going to continue to grow, increasing our dependence on china, on other foreign investors, and increasing the financial burden on our children and grandchildren. yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: could i inquire how much time is left on both sides? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin controls 17 1/2 minutes. and the gentleman from california controls 14 minutes. mr. obey: i yield three minutes to the distinguished chairman of the ways and means committee, mr. rangel. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. rangel: chairman obey, let me thank you for not just saying what we've got to do about jobs, but bringing this all together and doing something about it. one of our great president's, jack kennedy, once said that sometimes your party just asks too much of you. and i know that's what my republican friends must be feeling today because there is no question in my mind that they

have just as much compassion in their heart for those jobless people as we do. they know as we do that those who have lost their homes, lost their dignity, and lost their job didn't do it by being democrats or being be republicans. and i recognize that when you go in a room and make a decision to say no, you kind of stuck with it. so we are not naive enough to believe that i can change your mind about what you already decided. but i do hope that when you go back to your home districts and you recognize what is happening to people who are jobless, many of whom are -- whom are hopeless, many of whom have lost their skills, and many and i hope soon it will not continue have lost what it's like to believe that in this great country there is no limit to how far that you can go. so maybe next year will be different. maybe the guys in the street

will be following you around. as we find people grabbing members of the congress saying, hey, my dad needs a job. congressman, congresswoman can you help? we are trying to help. it's a big crisis. and a lot of blame to go around. but collectively someone thought that tarp would work. well, it had some successes. one thing is concern, we are not going back there. this time it's not the banks, it's not wall street in my area, it's now going to be main street so that once again you have an opportunity to explain what are you doing in the congress? well, i know it didn't go over big to say you were bailing out bangs. it certainly didn't go over in my district. how about we are trying to bail out our people? we are trying to restore the hope and confidence they had. we are trying to keep kids in school. we are trying to put food on the table. sure, we talk about food stamps

and food pantry, but we are trying to restore that dignity that makes americans so much different from other people. .5 in the ways and means committee where we have jurisdiction over cobra, this is another step to -- worse still if there are stick people in your family and you don't have health insurance but the federal government says, can we give you a hand with your responsibility to pay for health care? and that's what we've done our committee. we've taken unemployment benefits. you know, you can get enough checks for the -- the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. rangel: thank you, mr. chairman.

it's not just to make certain we have a place for our kids to learn, to become the leaders of tomorrow. but also that people can get bricks and mortar and rebuild those schools and renovate those schools and that's what we're doing. we've been able to make certain that at least the ways and means committee can join in with the other committees under the leadership of our great speaker and dave obey to be able to say, this is not all we want to do, this is all we can do. maybe over the holidays you might get back to your leadership and say, we've been faithful, but we found out that many in our districts have lost jobs, lost their home, lost their health insurance and really lost hope. just say no is not going to work. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i recognize the ranking member of the ways and means committee for two minutes, mr. camp. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. mr. camp: i thank the gentleman for yielding. albert einstein once said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." even though their stimulus bill hasn't created a single job and has resulted in 10% unemployment, house democrats have brought to the floor a stimulus 2 bill that continues to expand numerous provisions of their failed stimulus 1 bill. and here's a graphic depiction of this insanity. how does spending more on the bureau of reclamation create more jobs? how does transit capital assistance now create jobs now than it didn't before? and how did loan guarantees create jobs now when they didn't before? this is a son of stimulus bill. let's stop the insanity. vote no. and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: who seeks recognition? the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, the chairman of the banking committee, mr. frank. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts for three minutes. mr. frank: madam speaker, the assertion that the economic recovery bill, the stimulus bill, has created no jobs is i must say one of the least intellectually unsupportable statements i have heafered on the house floor and i have -- i have heard on the house floor and i have been here for a long time. here's where we are. the fact is that the obama recovery from the bush recession has been going more slowly than any of us would like, but it is undeniable. by every statistic it is going for. now, if you listen to my republican colleagues, you learn that the third worse day in american history was january

21, 2009, the worse is pearl harbor and then we had the mass murders of september 11, 2001. what was the worse day, january 21, 2009, because according to this debate, guess what happened on january 21, 2009? the federal budget, which was apparently in surplus, all of a sudden plunged into deficit. unemployment suddenly appeared. the war in afghanistan, by the way, was going wonder flee until january 2 -- wonderfully until january 21, 2009. no, it all started on january 21, 2009. and not only that -- i am quoting my partner here -- it was the worst outbreaks in disease, mass amnesia seized the republican party on january 21, 2009. they forgot that it started under the bush administration

in january, 2007, where they had control of the congress and white house for the longest period of time. they forgot that trying to pay for two wars with tax cuts was a bad idea and one that surprised in a deficit. so what we are now doing is trying to undo that. and adults understand that you cannot go from a terrible decline to rapid increase without passing through a transitional period. we are passing through it by every economic statistic. now i agree, the situation is worse than we thought and getting better more slowly than we hoped but it's clearly getting better. again, if you listen to my republican colleagues, the world began on january 21, 2009. i know some thought it started 4,000 years ago. i don't believe they all started when barack obama became president. we do try here to help. i was astounded to hear the gentleman from michigan say it hasn't created one job. madam speaker, tell that to the

cops and firefighters in my districts who were rehired because of this. tell that to the people now working to clean up a superfund site in my district which was funded by this bill. this denial of reality to avade responsibility for the dilemma -- evade responsibility for the dilemma we are in is breathtaking. i thank the gentleman from wisconsin -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. frank: for a wonderful bill. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, it's my privilege to introduce chairman franks, a -- chairman frank, a chairman from the >> i thank the gentleman for yielding. repeating failure over and over might be amusing if it wasn't for the fact that so many of our countrymen are suffering. i heard the distinguished chairman of the financial services committee share with

us his history lesson. but also i might add if we look at press reports, clearly democrats have had trouble counting jobs in america. what we do know is that the department of labor says that we still have double digit unemployment. under this president. and this democratic congress. what we know is that the department of labor says that since the first stimulus bill was passed, to add an extra trillion dollars of spending and debt for future generations to pick up, that $3.6 million of our fellow countrymen have lost their jobs. the history lesson that i hope my friends on the other side of the aisle would learn is that you cannot spend your way into more jobs. you cannot borrow your way into more jobs. and you cannot bail out your way into more jobs. and madam speaker, the

legislation they bring before us does exactly that. dam speaker, the legislation they bring before us does exactly that. it's more the same. it is son of stimulus. spend another $150 billion of taxpayer money. how many more jobs have to be lost? it wasn't an hour ago that this body just voted for $290 billion more of debt ceiling. borrowing the money from the chinese, sending the bill to our children and grandchildren. how many more jobs has to be lost? bailout funds, bailout funds for the states, bailout funds for the municipalities. how many more bailouts, how many more jobs has to be lost? take away your $1 trillion takeover of health care, take away your national energy tax, take away your perpetual wall street bill and jobs will come back to america.

those are the policies that we need, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from connecticut, ms. delauro. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from connecticut is recognized for two minutes. ms. delauro: madam speaker, i rise in support of this jobs bill. we have seen 23 straight months of job losses. what does this mean? it means that families are under huge stress. it means there are hungry children in the united states of america. it means a lost generation of american workers. we owe a response to those families, contending with joblessness and the financial havoc it wreaks on their lives. it is not only the moral thing to do.

it is our obligation as legislators and as citizens. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. it redirects $75 billion of tarp funds, money that was spent on wall street, and it moves it toward key infrastructure investment which will provide jobs now. it provides a foundation for long-term prosperity. it helps to stabilize our public sector work force. it supports teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public servants. and as important, it cuts taxes for 16 million struggling families by making the child tax credit available to working families with children. they lost their jobs, they lost their health benefits, their workhours were cut short and, yes, their child tax credit was

decreased. refundable tax credits are the most fiscally stimulative policy that we can put into place. don't listen to me. listen to economists. and it puts money into the hands of families who are living to date paycheck to paycheck. let's put that tarp money to work where it always belonged, in the hands of the american people. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. we need to get america back to work, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, it's my privilege to call upon the republican whip, the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor. the speaker pro tempore: for how much time? mr. lewis: two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. cantor: i thank the gentleman from california. madam speaker, winston churchill once said that all men make mistakes, but only

wise men learn from their mistakes. today, it is apparent that congress has not learned anything. the bill on the floor today is just another round of spending that doubles down the failure of last february's so-called stimulus plan while ballooning the deficit. the first stimulus plan and bill failed to hold down unemployment. but it successfully increased our reliance on borrowed money. worse, allow the money designated for infrastructure, those shovel ready projects we all heard about, hasn't even gotten out of washington yet. why is it still here if it was designed to create jobs? sadly, pouring billions into the very same programs will meet a similar dismal fate. just as bad, this legislation

continues to fall hopelessly short of providing real relief to small businesses so they can resume hiring, investing and expanding. now is not the time to spend an additional $150 billion we don't have. it's time to come together to ease the burden on small businesses and to start giving them a sense of certainty so they can go about the business of creating jobs and prosperity. madam speaker, i urge a no vote on this so-called jobs bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for one minute.

ms. jackson lee: i ask to address the house and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jackson lee: only the lack of clarity and poor eyesight can call this the so-called jobs bill because as we looked over the last year, the american recovery and reinvestment act helps save 3.5 million jobs. they named chairman bernanke as the person of the year, but his twin was the work that was done on this floor by the democratic leadership to invest in america. my district has a 9% unemployment. on the saturdays "washington post" three parents were seen with lights out and children who are hungry. oh, yes, this sounds like spend, spend, spend. but i tell you is we can invest $1 billion in infrastructure. we create 27,800 jobs, and i'm proud to invest $35 billion of

those dollars in fixing the highways and the roads of america. . i am glad that we are working on a metro system that will create jobs in our district. vote for this bill. it's jobs, jobs, jobs. get good glasses and you'll see that. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, by way of inquiry of my chairman, mr. chairman -- by way of inquiry of my chairman, aside, mr. chairman, from the unprecedented and secretive process by which this bill was put together and is being brought to the floor, the rule before us contains a most unusual provision to allow the chairman to submit a report explaining the legislation. it would be very helpful to all members before we vote on over

$154 billion in spending to actually have the benefit of the chairman's explanation. i, for one, have not only not seen this report, i didn't even know he was writing one. therefore i ask the chairman, is there a copy of this report and will you make it available now so that members will have a chance to see it before we vote on this bill? mr. obey: i find it very interesting that the gentleman has not raised this point with respect to the defense appropriations bill, but let me simply say that the explanatory statement for this bill is very short. it is on our website. it was posted there this morning. mr. lewis: the chairman certainly might have given us the courtesy of communicating that that was his intention ahead of time. and it's very clearly stated within the report that we would -- the members would have it available to them. obviously the chairman has chosen to ignore that side of

the responsibility. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: could i inquire how much time is remaining on both size? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin controls 7 1/2 minutes. and the gentleman from california controls eight minutes. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. mr. fattah: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of this legislation. the republican minority has been fairly consistent when we focused on health care, he said, well, 85% of the people in this country have health care. so let's not turn things upside-down, let's not sacrifice too much to try to deal with the tens of millions who don't have it. 85% have it. on the jobs front 90% of the people in the country have jobs. so i can see the lack of empathy

for the 10% who don't, and they don't see a need for us to act. but as we come to this holiday season, as we look and see many of our citizens who not only have not a job at this moment, mainly because of policies enacted this unwarranted war in iraq, and fiscal policies that have had a double-digit national debt in the trillions before barack obama was sworn into office, they don't really see the need to try to put americans back to work. i want to thank the chairman for offering this legislation which is bifurcated both if he cussed on jobs but -- focused on jobs but also helping people in a difficult moment. that's what i think america ought to be about. i rise in support of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. who seeks recognition? the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: how many speakers do

you have remaining? mr. lewis: we have no speakers remaining. mr. obey: i am the last speaker, since i have the right to close, i suggest you use your time. then we'll use ours. mr. lewis: how much of your time you intend to take? mr. obey: the remainder of the time. mr. lewis: 10 minutes? mr. obey: no, we don't have 10 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin controls 6 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from california, eight minutes. mr. lewis: i think it would be important for the members to know, madam speaker, that up to this point only about 15% of the first piece of this package has been spent. so stimulus one is a long ways away from being spent. and i think we all know that the agencies are awash in money coming through the pipeline and they wonder where it's going to go from here. it's significant to know that as

we spend the people's money in this process with very, very little information available to our members, the majority is choosing to push another $150 billion down that pipeline regardless of what has been spent already. it seems to me that one of the lessons to be learned here is that the american people are much smarter than we give them credit for. they know that just throwing money at every perceived problem out there is the way to solve such a problem. in the meantime, i will listen with interest to my chairman's closing remarks. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman reserves? the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. obey: madam speaker, we have heard three times at least now our friends on the minority side indicate that only 12% of the original stimulus funding has,

quote, left the treasury. that's a very slippery way to put it. because the fact is that what left the treasury means is that after funds are obligated to those who will actually spend it and after the bills have been paid by those recipients, then the money has indeed left the treasury. the real term to focus on is what has been obligated and the fact is that for the programs in this bill, 70% of the funds previously appropriated to those programs have already been obligated. so much for that argument. example. the minority press release states no funds out of the $1 billion provided for cops hasñi left the treasury. the fact is all of that funding sq%ei the minority press release states only $235 million out of

the $6.4 billion for e.p.a. wastewater grants has left the treasury. the fact is 99% of that funding has already been provided to the states. so much for that strowman. -- strawman. let me madam speaker make this observation. we have before us a bill that determines to redirect $75 billion which had initially been directed to help wall street and we want to instead redirect that money to help main street. so we provide $27 billion for instance for highway infrastructure projects to put people back in construction. you're either for it or you're against it. we have provided enough funding in this legislation to assist more than 670 communities, address their growing backlog of water and sewer repairs and put people to work in the

process. . process. you are either for it against it. we provided $27 billion to try -- from wall street to main street to try to stabilize public service jobs. we are trying to preserve $250,000 teaching jobs over the next two years, for instance. you are either for doing that or you are against it. we are trying to use $500 million to preserve thousands of -- the jobs of thousands of firefighters all across the country. you are either going to help or you're not. well, we are trying to provide $250,000 disadvantaged youth with summer -- 250,000 disadvantaged youth with summer employment opportunities. you are either going to help them or you're not. we are trying to pro250,000 students with additional college work study funds so they can stay in school. you are either going to help those students or you're not.

we are trying to provide funding for approximately 150,000 individuals in high growth and emergency -- emerging industry sectors where we know that our job growth possibilities. you are either going to help support that or not. we are trying to provide unemployment insurance for six months rather than two months, extension that was in the previous bill today. you are either going to help those people or not. you are going to provide -- we are trying to provide $23 billion to extent the higher federal match for payments to doctors. or we are not. so basically it's about time to decide where you're coming from. an article in "the new york times" today describe what happens when you lose your job. it pointed out that more than half of the nation's unemployed workers have had to borrow money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. they have had to cut back on doctor visits that save article

indicates a quarter of those polled have said they lost their home or threatened with foreclosure. they also noted that half of the adults surveyed admitted to feeling embarrassed or ashamed as a result of being out of work and nearly have of the respondents said they no longer had health insurance. the question is, are you going to help those people or not? we can argue what our economic philosophy is until the cows come home as they say in my area, but it seems to me that the question simply is, we've got a problem. what are you going to do about it? and with that i yield to the speaker to conclude my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: i certainly would not object, but i asked the chairman about additional speakers and clearly i would never, ever

detract from our speaker, but in the meantime, a little straightforward discussion would be helpful. mr. obey: if the gentleman would simply -- if the gentleman would yield. he doesn't have the time i'm simply take the time to say that if i had known the speaker had been able to come to the floor i would have -- i certainly would have told the gentleman. i simply didn't know. i trust that he believes me. mr. lewis: i certainly do. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker is recognized. the speaker:: thank you very much, madam speaker. i thank the distinguished chairman for yielding. for his unyielding work on behalf of america's working families. and in this case today for the creation of jobs. to grow our economy and to help those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. i am grateful to the distinguished ranking member, mr. lewis, for his courtesy. yes, my apology. i did not -- i didn't realize the debate would go to this point. i did want to take the opportunity to talk about jobs

to our colleagues and to this congress in general. just to put it in perspective, one year ago in january the job loss was 740,000 jobs for that one month alone. this -- fast forward to now and the job loss for november is 11,000 jobs. 74010 months ago, 11,000 jobs this month. we don't want to lose any jobs. but we are on the road to recovery and we are there because this congress made some very important and difficult decisions to take us there. we are on the road to recovery because of the leadership of president barack obama who stood on the steps of the capitol in his inauguration and asked for

swift, bold action now. so that we could take the country in a new direction and create jobs and grow our economy. one week and one day from the president's inaugural address, this house of representatives passed the recovery act. we were able to do so because we were ready. we had been ready with job creation packages, but we couldn't have the resources until we had a new president to make the investments that took us from 740,000 jobs in january lost in the first month of this year, the president and i remind inaugurated on january 20, toward the end of that month, and then 11,000 jobs. i also want to call to our colleagues' attention that you go back to the first quarter of 2009 and the g.d.p. rate of

growth was a negative, it was a minus 6.4%. a result of the failed economic policies of the previous administration. as of november 24, 2009, the g.d.p. has a positive 2.8 and growing. a swing of 9.2% in the g.d.p. from negative minus to positive 2.8. . because of this new direction to deprow our economy, the stock -- grow our economy, the stock market was the first of the 2009 we are at 7000, we're

over 10,000, an increase of over 3,000 points in the stock market. economists tell us that some of this change is directly related to the recovery package that we passed in january. a fiscally sound budget that we passed 100 days after the president's inauguration, which was a blueprint for the future, a statement of our national values that talked about how we could create jobs, lower taxes for the middle class. over 95% of the american people got a tax cut. and how we could reduce the deficit. all of that, job creation and reducing the deficit. the terms of changing in that budget was in health care, in climate change and energy, to create new innovation.

it begins in the classroom. andi sention to our competitive -- and essential to our competitiveness with that innovation is to reduce the cost of health care. to families, to businesses, to our budget and through our economy. to make us competitive and keep us number one in the world economy. all of this was passed by the house of representatives. energy, climate change, education and health care. and then finally, this past week, we passed the regulatory reform legislation. mr. frank is here, our chairman. the work of many people in this congress. we passed regulatory reform to hold wall street accountable, to say the party is over, to say we are creating jobs for main street, not just wealth for wall street. we respect the creation of wealth and what it means to an

economy and how it relates to the creation of jobs. but we cannot have the creation of -- well, at the exploitation of the american worker. we did pass this regulatory reform without one republican vote to hold wall street accountable, without one republican vote. so here we are today after this plan that started on the steps of the capitol, the inauguration of our new president, what we had tried to do before we had a democratic administration but what we had been working for. so we were ready. we were ready. and now, today we are going to pass this legislation which does two things. it creates jobs and saves jobs by investments in the infrastructure of america. it doesn't do everything we would want, but what we do in this is paid for and building

the infrastructure of america. and what it invests in, also, is to help states and cities and localities to keep their fiscal soundness so they don't have to lay off teachers and firefighters and police officers and people who deal -- who meet the health needs of the people in our community. and this is important not only for public safety, that's self-evident. it's not only important because we don't want to lose our teachers. it's about the education of our children and how seriously that can be undermined with the layoff and uncertainty in local and state budgets. but on top of all of that, while we're concerned about what this does to working families and how important it is for people to have their jobs, they are also consumers. and to the extent that we -- they lose their jobs, our

economy loses consumers. when our economy loses consumers, we're in big trouble, economic trouble. we cannot let that happen. and so today we have before us that package for job creation and job retention which is fiscally sound and which is paid for by using tarp funds. the unused tarp funds, which were subject of great debate of which i do believe saved us, pulled us from the brink of the financial crisis we were in as our recovery package later pulled us from the brink of economic disaster. in addition to that, we have some safety net provisions about the extension of unemployment insurance, of cobra to meet the health needs of those who are unemployed which will all expire at the end of december and other issues that relate to the well-being of america's working families. to address the concerns of the

unemployed but in addition to that to create jobs in a fiscally sound way. fiscal responsibility is very important to us. it is our responsibility to our children, -- it is our responsibility to our children not to increase the deficit. and that's this bill does not add one dime to the deficit. it decreases the deficit. i see chairman rangel shaking his head. it's an important part of paying for that legislation, as mr. miller and mr. waxman were so much a part of that health care bill. so here we are today with an opportunity to modestly and in a pay-for way address the issues of jobs. it's a four letter word. let's use that four-letter word every why we go, jobs, jobs, jobs -- everywhere we go, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. i urge my colleagues while some

of your districts and states may be doing better than other parts of the country, this is the time for us to recognize that we are a national economy and that the -- what happens in one state has an impact on other national recovery. i thank chairman obey for his great leadership in putting this package together, and i urge our colleagues to act on behalf of america's working families and the creation of jobs in a fiscally sound way, to honor our responsibility of public safety by protecting our first responders and our responsibility to our children to make sure that their education does not have a gap because we have a budget gap. and understanding the role that consumers play in our economy. i hope we will have a strong yes vote on this legislation, and with that, mr. chairman, i commend you again and yield

back the balance of my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. all time for debate has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? mr. obey: pursuant to clause 7 of rule 20, i move to the call of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the chair notes the absence of a quorum in accordance with clause 7-c of rule 20 and chooses to entertain a motion for a call of the house pursuant to clause 7-b of rule 20. without objection, a call of the house is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. -- members will record their presence by electronic device. members will have 15-minute minutes to record their presence. -- members will have 15 minutes to record their presence. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation

>> the house voted to approve the bill to expand unemployment benefits, extend cobra health insurance, prevent public sector employees from being laid off, and expanding infrastructure project. the house has been hit -- the house has finished its legislative business for the year. >> at all part of the bill -- the matter are the cuts to medicare, the $400 billion in tax increases, and the fax and insurance premiums are going to go up dramatically for most americans. >> follow every minute of the debate from the senate floor with late nights and possibly another weekend session live on our companion network, c-span2, the only network to cover the senate gavel-to-gavel with no commercials or commentator. the updates from reporters. for iphone users, hear the debate with the news c-span radio iphone app come up with

archival video. go to c-span's health care hub. >> in a few moments, the hearing on the unintentional release of documents from the transportation security administration. in a little more than an hour, several speeches from delegates to the u.n. climate change conference in denmark. after that, bernie sanders of firms his auburn nation to ben bernanke is serving a second term as head of the federal reserve. and later, we will reair the house debate on a bill that supporters say it will create new jobs and help workers keep the jobs that they have now. on "washington journal" tomorrow morning, we will discuss health

care and climate change with jeff bingaman of new mexico. jared bernstein, the economic adviser to vice president biden, will focus on the green jobs. we will talk about defense spending with jack kingston of georgia. and a political vote for it looks at the health care debate in other issues. washington journal is live on c- span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. a couple plight of this to tell you about tomorrow. the senate, and security and governmental affairs committee looks at our economic future, including spending, debt, and deficit. witnesses include 4 -- former federal reserve chairman alan greenspan. that is at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. at 2:00 p.m. eastern, senators and stamina extent -- afghanistan contracts.

dollar now available, the c-span book "abraham lincoln." of perfect gift for the effort -- a history buff in your life. it is a unique perspective on lincoln from 16 scholars and writers 3 from his early years to his life in the white house and his relevance today. "abraham lincoln" in hard cover at your favorite book seller and am available to listen to any time. available were quality downloads are sold. >> now hearing on information security at the transportation security administration. including the unintended release of a document disclosing airport screening operations. this is a little more than an hour. 0000000000000000000000000000000a

>> let me take a moment of personal privilege. i want to a knowledge that family of mr. ed kelly, who in this business is considered family. many of us gathered after 9/11 in our respective positions, members of this committee gathered as members of the select committee of homeland security, many of us there from the start, and mr. kelly, comfortably retired, having served as part of the excellence of corporate america, decided to render that, if you will, for another day.

and he accepted the call to become part of the fighting men and women who served in the department of homeland security. we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for his service. i was privileged to join my colleagues, chairman dan, the poll ranking committee, to send a letter of sympathy, and was additionally privilege to rise before the house and to be able to give him the attributed that he deserves as an american hero. i would like that have, it's fine indulged with unanimous consent, to have his family stand at this time so that they might be acknowledged by the whole committee. i believe that is mrs. kelly,

his knees and sister, who are with us today. thank you so much for your presence here. the subcommittee is meeting today to receive testimony on tsa's inadvertent disclosure of security information relating to airports. our witness will help us to assess what transpired and later groundwork for insuring that this never happens again. remember the title of this hearing is a "has the tsa breach jeopardize national security, examining what happened, and why." that is our path and duty to protect the homeland. the way to do that is to determine why and why, and to say never again. i now recognize myself for an opening statement. before i did that come -- before i do that, we will have a film aired that has been presented previously on network television.

>> some of the most sensitive security secrets. the 93-page manual prepared for federal screener showed samples , federal air marshals, cia officials, and members of congress, id's that criminals could copy. it included cuba, north korea, somalia, and yemen, who are always subjected to extra screening 3 the transportation security administration says that the security playbook prepared in 2008 is out of eight date. they are confident that security procedures in place remains strong. but the tsa never meant for this information to be public. each page carried this notice.

the tsa says the whole report was proper produce grit -- was improperly posted with redaction. but this person says that savvy bloggers easily replace the text. >> let's call this an early christmas present to the people who traffic in this type of secretive permission. >> and onto the airport-assigned law enforcement officer may be cleared without undergoing screening. other reformation is less intuitive. screenings are not required for wheelchairs' and prosthetic devices. but tsa says that it takes this failure seriously. it is a little late to get serious. >> the only early christmas present that terrorists will

get will be the resolve of the men and women of the department of homeland security, the president of the united states, and the men and women of the united states congress. that is why we are here today, to ensure that going forward in this holiday season we have the opportunity to cure quickly the unfortunate and vast mistake that has been made. and so i hope as we proceed in this hearing, we will hear that steps are being taken to ensure the safe travel of the families who will be visiting their families during what i hope will be a very happy holiday season. we are here today as well to discuss last week's revelation that it is a manual containing sensitive security and permission was posted by tsa on the internet without proper technical safeguards. as a result, since it of information about our airports and screening policies were made

available for the world to see. my colleagues and i were alarmed by this development, as it sent shock waves across capitol hill. the subcommittee takes its oversight of tsa very seriously. after all, tsa was constructed to help protect the american people from the very type of event that transpired on september 11, 2001. when events like last week or made public, it becomes all too clear that more must be done and tsa must keep its eye on the ball. it must also be assured that contractors are bedded, trained, questions, queries, and if necessary, be part of the inquisition, because the security of america is paramount. we will be evaluating how this happened three the security implications of this misstep, and how we will avoid similar lapses in the future, and to

ensure that those missteps, if they can be characterized as such, do not in fact jeopardize the national security of the american people. before we go further, let me be clear that although this was a serious breach in the management of sensitive information, i have been assured by tsa that additional personnel and procedures have been put in place at airports across the country to ensure the safety of the traveling public. in essence, terrorists, watch out. any terrorist group or individual wishing to exploit the situation should be aware and aware that we continued to use all available resources to protect the flying public. during this busy holiday season, the american public should know that it is safe to fly. along with the courtesies we expect to be offered by transportation security administration officers, we expect for them to do their duty. german thompson and i sent a letter to tsa urging a third

party review of this incident. i am happy to learn that secretary not a pop -- secretary to paul taino responded and said we could take over completely. a look board to a quick and immediate response. i commend tsa for taking steps in response to this incident. i've been informed by tsa that five people at been placed on administrative leave. the subcommittee also needs assurance that tsa is reviewing its processing for handling and posting sensitive security information, and in making a full inventory search of all of its staff are around these issues, and assuring that this is not permeating beyond the five involved in this unfortunate set of circumstances. questions we have include -- who is in tsa management ultimately responsible for this process? is there a manual about posting

such information? what is the role and contract employees in the dissemination of sensitive materials? what steps are in place to of that these individuals on their instincts, their knowledge, and their ability to hear to the rules and safety precautions? and is there sufficient training for contract employees? also like to know how broadly contract employees are solicited and how far is the reach? and i will use the small and minority-owned businesses, are we using the same ones over and over again, there for committing the same mistakes over and over again? tsa needs permanent and effective leadership. our witness today, acting administrator gale rossides, we thank her for her service. but the person appointed has had his confirmation held up in the senate. let me be very clear, we understand the duties and the

constitutional privileges of the senate. advise and consent. but what they are engaging on in a partisan, one-sided approach is jeopardized and the security of the american people. we need action on his nomination immediately and i hope all stakeholders will also call for a swift confirmation. our homeland security efforts can no longer afford the late 3 on a personal note, i have already mentioned the passing of a tsa family member. again, as i close, let me acknowledge that ed kelly manage the cargo screening program and testified before the subcommittee just this past march. and it was an incredibly dedicated individual and a consummate professional who left retirement after september 11 in order to work on behalf of our nation's homeland security efforts. many in the industry said that

he performed the industry. he made leaps and bounds of change and outstanding contributions to the security of america. again, on behalf of the subcommittee members and staff, my condolences are expressed to his family and his colleagues at tsa. finally, i would point out that this subcommittee understands the enormity and importance of tsa's mission and the dedication of its police, but after last week's announcement of the disclosure and other incidences, i think we can all agree that tsa can do better. and that is why we are here today. after a complete analysis of this incident, we will determine how to make the agency and its employees perform better and give the public more confidence in the tsa. i'm considering legislation that will provide a fire wall are the issuance and distribution data like this, along with additional oversight on contractors and the utilization of them. without objection, the chair is

authorized to receive additional testimony if necessary. hearing no objections, it is so ordered. the chair now recognizes the ranking member, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. dent, who joins us in our sympathies for mr. kelly, and i note that mr. kelly came from his region if not his particular district. >> thank you, madame chair. i want at my condolences and sympathies to the kelly family. ed was a wonderful public servant. he served the department of homeless security so well. this is on behalf of the entire committee, expressing our condolences to his wife, his sister, and his niece. our heartfelt condolences. one thing -- i note that the

family has the north -- a connection to northeast pennsylvania, a very special place for the family and many of us to know pennsylvania well. i wanted to thank you for holding this important hearing today. i agreed that the tsa disclosure of this is sensitive -- of this sensitive the affirmation is important. this mistake is undoubtedly weakened our security. what we have many layers and our aviation security process, some of those lawyers have been exposed after having the aviation security screening standard operation procedures posted on a public web site for the past nine months. i agree with comments made last week for the federal law enforcement association which stated "they shoulder considerable risk by virtue of their job. i ask unanimous consent to

include your statement in the directive. madame chair, i would like as unanimous consent to include your statement in the record. >> without objection, so ordered. >> the very public nature in which this nature was disclosed, and that tsa has an opportunity to learn from that mistake. the question is, will they? mrs. rossides, i'm confident that they will. as i review of the rigid review this, i see that this is not the failure of an individual but of the system. an individual in the tsa review process office failed to follow procedure. that individual supervisor failed to notice it. the office of acquisition failed to review the document before posting net on the general

service administration website. and finally, management failed as why was necessary to post a security risk-related document on line for contract and failed to consider viable alternatives. one is second day in office, president obama said, " accountability and transparency will be the touchstone of this administration." y after more than a week does the committee not have the most recent copy of these procedures? the united states cut specifically states that designating a document as sensitive securities information does not authorize information to be withheld from a committee of congress authorized to have the information. and while i appreciate my staff was given a one-hour meeting with an additional hour to review the most recent version of the steering an operation procedures, that is not completely transparent. after four days of asking nicely

for the as of pete's -- sop's, we've written a letter and i ask that that letter be included in the record. >> without objection, so ordered. >> a lot things went wrong but a lot of things are going right. tsa is taking some immediate common-sense actions to prevent any further disclosures. i would hope to the extent possible, you could highlight some of these during your testimony. for those opposed to the security affirmation on the internet, you should share the blame should security be breached as a result of this disclosure. but please in the future use a whistle-blower process congress has created for you, call the department, called the inspector general, but do not circulate center -- sense of security documents.

we will hold the apartment to the count. -- the department to account. we know that you're giving your best efforts to improving the security of the traveling public. and while the accidental disclosure was disappointing and the lack of transparency provided by this administration is frustrating, i am committed to working with you to improve the transportation security administration's services that it provides to our public. and i yield back the balance of my time. >> i thank the gentleman for yielding back. it is my privilege to in knowledge and recognized the chairman of the full committee, the chill from from mississippi, mr. thompson, for his statement. >> i appreciate the holding of this hearing. i also would like to take the opportunity to express my condolences to the ed kelly family. as well as his tsa colleagues who are here. it was a dedicated public

servant and his efforts and a cargo security will never be forgotten. there is no doubt that events have transpired last week raising several questions about tsa's operational procedures and practices and handling sensitive information. perhaps more importantly, this incident also raises concerns about the security of our entire transportation system. no actions, legislation or otherwise, can and do the disclosure of disinformation. however we can learn from this incident and move forward with security measures that ensure sensitive information will not be made available to the public. the events from last week serve as a reminder of how critical it is to have accountability at the department of homeland security. i think it was the right decision for secretary of balaton to request that that dhs

inspector general began an investigation of this incident. the review by inspector general's is an important for step in learning the details that will be essential in helping tsa improve procedures for handling and posting sensitive materials. however, as i have said before, to get tsa to improve its operational performance in all program areas and in all levels of management, it is essential that tsa have a permanent, effective leadership. the president has nominated a man to be the tsa administrator and i think we have waited long enough for this confirmation. his law enforcement background and operational experience will be essential to improving tsa and strengthening our homeland security efforts. with strong leadership in its place, incidents such as these are less likely to have

happened. nevertheless, today's hearing provides us in congress with an opportunity to express our concerns and to hear from tsa about what it plans to do. i am sure that we will need follow up briefings, and perhaps another hearing to review the inspector general's report and to assess steps going forward. madame chair, there are some questions that i have after we have heard from our witness that would more less in widen us on the situation. -- enlightened us about the situation. i am concerned about that and i will express those concerns during the question and answer period. and i yield back. >> to the chairman of the full committee, let me also express my appreciation for the astuteness and the detail which the committee with you as chair

and the staff has taken to securing the homeland. i think this committee reflects that, and your cooperation and agreement with the subcommittee's intent to hold a hearing is much appreciated. thank you very much for your leadership. i wish to recognize -- i think both of us are going to speak in tandem. the gentleman from florida, mr. dent. >> i asked general -- unanimous consent that a number bibber be authorized to join us on the panel. >> i am authorizing that he be allowed to sit on this committee and participate with questions for the unanimous consent. without objection? so ordered. an acknowledgment of his presence. i thank them for being here

today. other members of the subcommittee are reminded that under committee rules, opening statements may be submitted for the record our witness for it today, gale rossides, is the acting director of tsa. we are grateful for service, her longstanding service. as acting administrator, mrs. rossides oversees the work force of 50,000 people and the security operation of 450 federalized airports throughout the usa. she is one of the six original federal executives can pick in 2002 to build tsa. and let me say that deserves commendation, and we thank you for that longevity of service. without objection, the witnesses full statement will be inserted in the full record. i asked her to summarize your statement for five minutes.

>> good afternoon, chairwoman jackson-lee, ranking member of ddent, and full committee chairman mr. thompson. i will recognize at kelly. he was truly one of our heroes in tsa. i appreciate you giving me the opportunity to speak about the recent website posting of an improperly redacted version of a management standard operating procedure on a federal website. i regret this occurred and take full responsibility for this mistake. i'd -- our response was swift, decisive, and comprehensive because our priority first and foremost is the safety of the traveling public. i want to reassure all members of this committee and the traveling public that our aviation system is strong, and the passengers will fly safely this holiday season and every day because of the layered

security system we have in place. from cutting edge new technology, to be training and our entire work force, to the implementation of new security programs, we have evolved and substantially strengthen security in the year and have since this document was drafted. on sunday, december 6, i became aware that the screening management sop was posted to the business opportunity web site without having the sensitive security information properly redacted. the document was an attachment to a screening partnership program contract solicitation. we took immediate action. i convened a teleconference with tsa senior executives and we notified dhs headquarters on sunday night. also on sunday night, we remove the document from the government website. within hours, thank the proper work by the services administration.

i'd then directed the tsa office of inspection to immediately begin a review of what happened and how, and that review has since been passed on to the dhs inspector general. our security operations office conducted an operational assessment of any potential vulnerabilities that this disclosure may have caused. and at of abundance of caution, we quickly put mitigation measures in place to close any potential gaps. i directed an audit of sensitive information posted both internally and externally to be conducted by the chief information officer. we consulted with our federal and law enforcement partners and stakeholders throughout the aviation domain, and all have been tremendously supportive. there's been numerous and significant changes in our revolving security programs that are not contained in a may 2008 version of this sop.

this document provides instructions on who and what needs to be screened. it does not include the specific procedures used by our transportation security officers to screen members of the traveling public. today, tsa's 12 other standard operating procedures, including the ones that cover an officer screening procedure, remains secure. the strength of our dynamic security system is in our own people, our technology, are stakeholder partnerships, and are multilayered and complex protocols. we take this matter very seriously and look for to the inspector general's report. our response to the recommendation will also be swift. we will hold individuals accountable as appropriate. at this time, 5 tsa employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the continuing investigation. this has been a critical incident for tsa and we have

managed it as such. foreign -- prominent costed internal review, we will to merge with stronger document control measures for all employees. we will strengthen the electronic processes used for sharing of formation, and most importantly, we will continue to of all our security programs in light of intelligence and our own testing and training regime to ensure the ongoing security of the system. in closing, i want to assure members of this committee, the traveling public, and our partners that our nation's aviation system is strong. we have closed any potential gaps and we will continue to apply measures that enhanced our complex security systems. i am happy that it's your questions and can discuss any sensitive material and the closed session to follow. thank you. >> allow me to thank you for your testimony and to now yield

myself five minutes for questioning. before i do that, let me it knowledge the presidents of mr. hymes, a member of the committee. other members will be recognized in the orders in which they have arrived. ms. rossides, thank you for the additional steps you have been taking. when we started this unfortunate incident, and a lot of hysteria was created, but in terms of the media reporting it -- it really looked devastating. tell me what level of participation now is the id?

>> they are specifically looking at what happens, who was involved, how did it happen, and what measures and recommendations can they make to tsa said that it does not happen again. they are looking at both papers and an extensive forensics on the technology, looking at the electronic transmission of the document. >> on the sop, did you indicate that members could have confidential briefings on the new procedures? >> yes, ma'am. we have authored and we will continue to offer as we go through this process briefings to many of the members or their staff on the current sop in place across the aviation system, so that the members can get a full understanding and appreciation of the fact that

many systems and improvements have been put in place says that person in 2008 was drafted. >> what is your best assessment about whether the lives of americans are presently in jeopardy because of information that is already disseminated? what we are speaking of here is a pullback of what occurred, and an investigation of why it. but now that the permission has been disseminated. where are we with reflected the security as it relates to the public? >> madame chairwoman, the system is very strong. i am confident in saying that for several reasons. there were six persons or updates to the document that was released, that had very significant changes to the way we conduct the screening procedures. secondly, this was a management 's standard operating procedure

three it had a lot check list as to what to do to start the day at the checkpoint three it did not have a lot of security if permission on how this certainly do procedures at the checkpoint. i appreciate the gravity and the significance with which people regarded this. but we knew, and our immediate reaction, was the began to do a line-by-line review of that the mocked -- that document, compared to measures in place today, and frankly, even with the confidence that we had, with an abundance of caution we immediately took some additional measures, which we do any time we get information that says -- let's put an additional set of measures into place in order to be that much more confident in the system. >> is it safe to say that you have changed the review procedures, and i am asking several questions at once -- you might want to make note.

and ministers of the ssi, prior to making the document available, reviewed the procedures, and is it safe to say that as the public is traveling, that there are new schemes and procedures that no one knows about? and lastly, let me just hold this up -- this is an example of the kind of cards that were displayed some of us deal with law enforcement officers who need to have the confidence now and privacy. the question is, should we began to change all of these id's in order to ensure the safety of those who were in the service of their government? >> let me answer your questions and make sure that i am fully responding to your several

questions. with respect to the review of the procedures, there were several things that we did. we began our information protection oversight board, all board we establish several years ago, to look at incidents like this. i asked that even though sop's were treated in their entirety by the isi, i ask that we not release any others until we could get a full review of what had been released and what the circumstances were. i directed the office of acquisitions to look at all of their current and recent postings for procurements solicitations and take down any that had any other relevant ssi four cents a that information in them. and to make sure that they looked completely at those, which to the best of my knowledge, we had no other. we put in a number of measures -- mitigation measures -- that are part of the flexibility is

that we have across the system, and on monday morning, they were directed to implement some of those other flexible provisions so that we would ensure that that safety of the traveling public. i like to specifically describe the idea that you show. -- the id that you showed. we're not at all pleased that this document was released but those id's are photocopies. i want to assure you and the traveling public and our law enforcement partners -- there are other aspects to those credentials that have security features through them. we have extensive procedures in place to validate the authenticity of people traveling through that represent themselves as law enforcement officers. in fact, some of those improvements we have made had been at the direct urging of this committee. >> we thank you, administrator.

and i yield five minutes to the ranking member, mr. dent. >> the president has stated repeatedly that the administration will embrace the spirit of transparency. the day after his inauguration, he stated "transparency and accountability will be the touchstones of this administration." are used it -- are you familiar with section -- the sense of the -- the section that authorizes you to release security permission? >> yes, sir, i am. my understanding is that when tsa receives a request like this, we are required to provide it to the congress when it is received from the leadership of a committee -- and we did that

when we are properly requested. >> do you have a date when you will be transmitting to the committee on homeland security a copy of the current document -- today, next week, any date certain, after the new year? >> what i will pledge to you is that in the aftermath, the immediate aftermath of this, we want to exercise the absolute operational security over all of these sop's, and my commitment to you is once we are through the traveling holiday season, i will come back and talk with you in the leadership of this committee about how to make all of that information available to you. and in the meantime, we will sit and give briefings to any members or their staff that requested on these documents specifically. >> i certainly appreciate that that tsa provided my staff 1.5

hours briefing on these documents. and there was an hour to review the latest document, but i want to be sure i am clear that i would like to have a hard copy of the document for our review. the question still is, why is that tsa not wanted to provide the committee with a hard copy of this document, given that we avast for thousands of pages of sensitive security permission in the path, and tsa has provided them? why is this different? >> the only thing this is different right now is in the immediate aftermath of this incident, i was very concerned to maintain the tightest controls over the current version, because it does have very significant changes to what was released. i just wanted to take the absolute measures to protect that information. that is why are hard copy would not be presented but we were very willing to provide the information and actually explain

the differences in the versions from one document to the other. >> i thank you for that answer but i keep hearing that the administration is reviewing our request for an unclassified document. and i guess the question is, where are you in the review? who, if anybody, would be holding up the documents being provided to our committee? tsa, dhs, the white house? >> right now the request is pending and the ultimate decision would be mine or the secretary's to make. those are under the regulation. we are that two officials to make the decision to release them. >> speaking for the republican side of this committee, i would really request that we get a date certain for that document. we've seen thousands of pages of security -- sensitive security

information, and there's never been an issue. this one, it seems to be. i understand the issue and we've talked about the traveling season being upon us. i thought it would be reasonable to have some, given a date certain, sometime early in the year. >> i will get back to you, sir. >> finally, after the tsa as the general services administration to review the document from its web site, they removed and two hours but not before being captured and riposted by various web sites. to the current regulations provide to a mechanism to keep individuals from the posting disinformation on the other web sites? >> no, sir, they do not. we do not have any authority to ask non-tsa web sites to take it down. right now there is no