to leave the nation, the country. our nation is so big and so powerful and i see these guys in the senate fighting. i used to be a republican, i am fed up to see these guys lying to each other and the people. they continue so that they can blame president obama. that is no fair. we need to watch very carefully the republicans, because what they are doing -- we elect them and they work for the lobbyists. that is no fair. host: thanks for all of your calls. that is it for "washington journal" this morning. we will be back tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern time. we go to the house of representatives. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for polital or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker.

the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., may 20, 2010. i hereby appoint the honorable loretta sanchez to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, reverend dr. roderick lewis sr. from the parkwood institutional c.m.e. church of charlotte, north carolina. the chaplain: shall we pray? almighty god, with thanksgiving we pray for the sustaining of our lives. may we be thankful for the creation which you have shared with us as you are the sovereign, holy and almighty god. grant wisdom and knowledge for the members of this great body. may these leaders be sensitive to your voice, to the people of america and to the world. we pray for president barack

obama, the house of representatives, the senate floor and all governmental leaders. lord, we pray for the men and women serving in our armed forces, for their protection and for their families as they serve on distant shores. continue to be a guiding light to those who have lost loved ones in the defense of our nation. may each person here find wisdom to conduct the people's business so to be pleasing to you. in the precious name of christ we pray. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof. and pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from north carolina, congressman watt. mr. watt: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united

states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from north carolina, congressman watt, is recognized for one minute. mr. watt: madam speaker, i'm honored to welcome reverend dr. roderick d. lewis sr. as the guest chaplain for the united states house of representatives for today. since july of 2001, remped dr. lewis has served as pastor of parkwood institutional c.m.e. church which is located in my congressional district in charlotte, north carolina. reverend dr. lewis is a native of columbia, south carolina. he received his bachelor degree in my congressional district, hizz master of divinity from

the theological seminary. he's an active member of the community and served as a clinical social worker with the w.g. hefner v.a. medical center in salisbury, north carolina, which is also in my congressional district, and with the south carolina department of mental health. on behalf of my constituents in the 12th district and my colleagues here in the house, i thank reverend dr. lewis for his service to his community and for his prayer today. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 920, an act cited as the information technology investment oversight provision act of 2009 in which the concurrence of the house is requested.

the speaker pro tempore: after consultation among the speaker and the majority and minority leaders and with their consent, the chair announces that when the two houses meet in joint meeting to hear an address -- to hear an address by his excellency, felipe calderon hinojosa, president of mexico, only the doors immediately opposite the speaker and those immediately to her left and to her right will be open. no one will be allowed on the floor of the house who does not have the privilege of the floor of the house, and due to the large attendance that is anticipated, the rule regarding the privilege of the floor must be strictly enforced. children of members will not be permitted on the floor, and the cooperation of all our members is requested. the practice of reserving seats prior to the joint meeting by placard will not be allowed, and members may reserve their seat by physical presence only

following the security sweep of this chamber. and pursuant to the order of the house of thursday, may 13 of 2010, the house now stands in recess subject to the >> you heard from congresswoman sanchez, the house will hear along with the senate in a joint meeting, they'll hear from mexican president, felipe calderon hinojosa, at 11:00 a.m. eastern. we'll have live coverage. the house will later come back legislative business after that. so once again live coverage beginning at 11:00 here on c-span. on this morning's "washington journal" we spoke with a political reporter about last night's state dinner for the mexican president at the white house. the white house state dinner last night. we are joined by patrick gavin from politico. good morning, thank you for joining us. we are eager to hear from you. tell us about the guest list and who attended and why were they there. guest: you get a pretty good mix

of political types and celebrity types. yet everybody fm virginia governor tim kane, bill richardson on the political side, to either of -- eva longoria, george lopez, beyonce, jay-z. they work for months on the guest list and they ied to call a lot of folks, both in the political and celebrity community that have ties or links to the visiting country, and in this case, mexico. host: the first lady had a special guest. "the new york times" say they work in the other washington, the city that does not transform every four years. they work for social service organizations and nonprofits. guest: one thing they also tried to do is use these events as an opportunity to obviously -- a

lot of glitz and glamour, but they also tried to invite folks from the community, which is whatichelle obama did, bringing in a lot of volunteers and individuals who are working on issues on a nonprofit level, related to the country. that is not only nicaean sweep and a good way -- nice and sweet and a good way to reward people but also a way to project an ime thats not all glitz and glamour, but that there is serious work being done, and that is the case. and i think by bringing in a lot of volunteers and people working within the community, it is a great way to say that there is some serious work that takes place. host: how does the invitation process work and how do you rsvp? guest: it is fairly simple. if you get an invite from the white house social secretary, juliana smoot, longtime

democratic fund raiser, used to work with ray lahood in the department of transportation, and this was her first one. a lot of eyeballs focused on her obviously because of the party crasher incident at the last state dinner. all the names get fairly vetted and checked receive the service. you get invited, you respond. you have to bring the invitation to the white house. there is always a lot of security. obviously bit more this time around because of the incident in november with the indian state dinner. so there were three security checkpoints getting into the white house. your ability. to bring a forged invite is almost nil. it worked out well. as far as we know right now there were no attempted party crashers at last night's event. host: your colleagues at politico start off a story

saying -- let us get this out of the way. there were no crashers. guest: there were not. although it is interesting, the people who grew to infamy after the november incident, they actually were spotted dining just a few blocks away from the white house. they are sort of known for their ability to attract attention and publicity and i have no doubt it was a purposeful move to try to get as close to the white house on theext day dinner as possible. so, you are right, there were no party crashers but the original party cshers were certainly out and about and perhaps looking to be spotted. host: let us talk about who was not invited. members of congress, some prominent members, members of the hispanic caucus not on the guest list. guest: it is always a struggle because a lot of these events -- last night's event had 200 people and an additional 100 invited for dessert. you cannot invite everybody.

you not only need to the right sort of a broad of re from the supreme court, congress, cabinet, hollywood, the nonprofit world, etcetera, so you cannot obviously bring everybody. that will inevitably lead to some people feeling snubbed but mosteople realize the white house is generally do not use state dinners to snub people. if you were not invited, it was potentially an oversight but more than likely the harsh reality of the fact tt they only have so many tickets. and some people amazingly actually turn it down senator harry reid had to decline. he had a good reason. he was busy working on the financial regulation efforts on capitol hill. but more than likely everybody gets invited pretty much says yes. hosta couple of members of congress tput pressure on the present on immigration reform were not invited.

did immigration reform, up last night? was the top political? guest: it s a little bit. especially the arizona law is a big deal and it came up. president calderon of mexico mention it in his remarks. president obama then did it about yesterday. the two are in agreement on the particular area of the law, and that they are not over the moon about it. but i think one of the reports coming out of last night was that -- the second mostsked question decide what you are wearing was the immigration bill. this dinner more than most in recent memory, truly was given a tily nature of the issue, an opportunity for people in the diplomatic and political community to talk about what is a really serious issue between the two countries and how they can work together on it. host: any surprises? guest: one's surprise, i think

-- not so much a surprise, perhaps a group. the chief of protocol at one of the hollywood moments where he managed to slip and fall down and that sort of struck people as perhaps involvement -- emblematic of how hollywood d.c. is, that that is a big goof. hollywood -- slim, one of the richest man was there. and >> an update, the associated press is reporting secret service spokesman says the whout patter crashers were stopped in a limo near the white house last night. the limo driver ticketed for running a red light near a security area. this is the look yesterday. yesterday morning at the white

house. the arrival ceremony. president calderon will speak to a joint meeting of congress in about 45 minutes. we'll have that live here on c-span. in the meantime we'll show you the joint news conference from yesterday at the white house with president calderon. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the president of mexico. >> goon.

i want to again welcome president calderon to the white house. michelle and i are delighted to be hosting the president and first lady and the delegation for the state visit and we are looking forward to returning the hospitality that we received in mexico when we have our state dinner this evening. i have often said in our interconnected world where nations and peoples are linked like never before, both the promise and perils of our time are shared. nowhere is this clear than among the neighbors, united states and mexico. the trade and tourism between us creates jobs and prosperity for both our peoples. when the flu spreads or an earthquake strikes or cartel threaten innocent people, it affects lives on both sides of our common border. when our neighbors are in need, whether in honduras or in haiti,

we respond together. and when we expand partnerships between our people, it forwards connections that leads to greater prosperity and opportunity for decades to come. in pursuit of our shared future, i have a true partner in president calderon. we have torked together in mexico city and gad la hara -- guadalajara, in washington, and pittsburgh and when he speaks before a joint session of congress tomorrow, i believe the american people will see what i see, they'll see a leader who is guiding his country through very difficult times with vision and with courage, and he has been an outstanding partner to me and outstanding partner to the united states. indeed, our progress today marks another step forward in a new era of cooperation and partnership between our countries. partnership based on mutual interests, mutual respect, and mutual responsibility. we agreed to continue working aggressively on our highest

economic priorities. creating jobs for our people. mexico is one of our largest trading partners, with trade that supports countless jobs here in america and in mexico. and because 80% of the trade passes over our land border, we reaffirmed our commitment to a 2 isst century border that is modern, secure, and efficient. we are directing our governments to develop an action plan to move in this direction because our shared border must be an engine and not a break on our economic growth. to create jobs and increase our competitiveness in the global economy, we agree to streamline regulations and strengthen the protection of intellectual property. we agree to continue working with our g-20 partners to encourage that global economic growth is balanced and sustained, especially as we approach next month's toronto summit. and as the united states works to increase our exports and the jobs that come with it, we'll be working closely with our partners in mexico which is one

of the largest markets for american experts. to create clean energy jobs and industries of the future, we are building on a partnership we launched last year with new initiatives to promote regional renewable energy markets, green buildings, and smart grid sthrog. these initiatives will also help us implement the commitments we made at copenhagen, especially as we work toward the climate conference in cancun later this year. let me say as a leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and in helping developing countries do the same, mexico's leadership under president calderon has been and will be critical. for the sake of our shared prosperity and security, we discussed the need for impression that is orderly and safe and we acknowledge that both our countries have responsibilities. president calderon is working hard to create jobs so that more mexicans see a future of opportunity in their country. to fix our broken immigration

system, i reaffirmed my deep commitment to working with congress in a bipartisan way to pass comprehensive immigration reform. comprehensive reform means accountability for everybody. a got that is accountable for securing the border, businesses being held accountable when they exploit workers, people who break the law by breaching our borders being held accountable by paying taxes and a pent -- penalty and getting right with the law before they can earn their citizenship. we have been working hard to get this done. there is a strong proposal in the senate based on a bipartisan framework and it can and should move forward. we also discussed the new law in arizona which is a misdirected effort, misdirected expression of frustration over our broken immigration system, and which has raised concerns in both our countries. today i want every american to know my administration has devoted unprecedented resources in personnel and technology to

securing our border. illegal immigration is down, not up, and we'll continue to do what's necessary to secure our shared border. and i want everyone, american and mexicans, to know my administration is taking a very close look at the arizona law. we are examining any implications, especially for civil rights, because in the united states of america, no law-abiding person be they an american citizen a. legal immigrant, or a visitor or tourist from mexico should ever be subject to suspicion simply because of what they look like. president calderon and i also reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against the drug cartels that have unleashed horrific violence in so many communities. mr. president, you and the mexican people have shown great resolve in a fight for the security and safety of your country. as i pledged to you before, mexico can count on the united states as a full partner in this effort. as your partner, we'll give you

the support you need to prevail. to increase law enforcement on our side of the border we are putting unprecedented pressure on those who traffic in drugs, guns, and people. we are working to stem the southbound flow of american guns and money which is why for the first time we are now screening 100% of southbound rail cargo. and guided by our new national drug control strategy, we are bringing new approaches to reducing the demand for drugs in our country. as regional partners, the president and i discussed the situation in honduras and the need for continued cooperation to support the people of haiti as they recover and they rebuild. as global partners and given mexico's seat on the u.n. security council, we agreed for iran to uphold its international obligations or face increased sanctions and pressure, including u.n. sanctions. i'm pleased we reached an agreement with our p-5 plus one partners on a strong resolution

that we now have shared with our security council partners. finally, i'm proud that we are expanding exchanges between our college and university students and launching a new exchange program for our high school students. i note that it was a mexican student at an american university who went on to become the president who stands next to me today. with these exchange we'll bring together the next generation of american and mexican leaders. this is a progress that we have made today. it's a progress that calls to mind a mexican proverb that i'm told says, tell me who you walk with, and i will tell you who you are. mr. president, the united states is proud to walk with mexico and through our work, we are reminded again of who we are, which is two neighbors, two partners, bound by a common vision of prosperity and security for both our people. president calderon. >> thank you, president. thank you, president.

good afternoon. ladies and gentlemen, first of all i would like to thank the kind invitation of the people and government of the united states to carry out this visit. and i am the bearer of a respectful and affectionate greeting of the mexican people to this nation which is our neighbor and friend. i would like to thank the words and hospitality of president barack obama. the united states and mexico are nations that trade, dialogue, and complement each other, mutually. we are nation that is have a political understanding of the highest level and we are also countries with a fruitful, dynamic, and ties between people, communities, public and private institutions throughout

3,000 meters of border. our relationship is characterized by an honest and open dialogue based on trust, respect, and co-responsibility. as has been stated by president obama, this morning we held a broad and fruitful dialogue. we have reviewed our bilateral relationships, the problems, challenges, and also the many opportunities that we face. we analyze different proposals and visions this side of mexico and the united states to strengthen north america as a region. we talked about the relevance of solving our differences and trade problems in the fastest possible way. we covered topics such as security, migration, and we also examined initiatives to consolidate our cooperation in

global scenarios and global interests. the areas where we agree are broader than our differences. there is a broad convergence of interest. this is not only given to the fact that we share common goals, but there is a will on both of us to turn the neighbors into a partnership that will act as a leveler for shared development. fortunately, the serious economic level crisis is giving us, this opens up a window of opportunity for canada, the united states, and mexico to reposition mexico and north america as a vigorous regionon, prosperous, capable of generating more and generous jobs. a region that will be attractive for investments, trade exchange, with great respect to its faith in the future. together we should increase our exporting capacity in a confidence of growing

competitiveness among different regions of the world. we talked about the different obstacles that are there for complying with transportation obligation that is have been established at nafta, a situation that impacts jobs, companies, and consumers in mexico and in the united states, and we shall work in order to achieve a quick solution with a constructive, creative solution in the long term on this and many other areas. the president has stated we gave special attention to the border matters. the border is not only a place of encounter for both our nations, but it's also an area of opportunity for our aspirations that we share regarding development. for this we will allocate more resources for the border infrastructure in order that it will be at the height of the needs of our economies and communities. and it will benefit both sides

of the border. we will strengthen the coordination among the government officials on both sides of the border to reinforce security. we want to make this quite clear, we, both countries want to have a safe border, a safe border for our people. we agreed upon the urgency of reinforce the actions to stop the flow of drugs, weapons, and cash. and for this we will work with full abideance to the legislations and jurisdictions of each country in a co-responsible way. in reference to the migratory issue, i have noticed the sensitivity and commitment of president obama to look for a comprehensive solution that will be respectful of the rights of the individuals and will be addressing it self in a realistic way to the needs of both our economies. we talked openly about this and other issues. we identified that the economies of our countries are clearly

complementing each other, and when we integrating them they are a powerful tool to bring productivity and competitiveness up within the whole region. greater competitiveness in north america means more jobs and better living conditions for the people of the united states and for the people of mexico. in mexico we are and will continue being respectful of the infernal -- internal policies of the united states and right to establish in accordance to its constitution whatever laws is approved, but we will retain our firm rejection to criminalize migration so that people that work and provide things to this nation will be treated as criminals, and we oppose firmly the sb-1070 arizona law given in fair principles that are partial and discriminatory. this and other issues were

covered during this meeting which i would dare to say it's historic given the level of understanding and trust we have reached. for the meantime i would just like to highlight this open and honest and constructive dialogue that we keep and hold with the president -- with the government of president obama and with with the two countries that allows me to see the strength and leadership of the president of the united states. thank you, president obama, for your hospitality. i want to thank all of you for your kind attention. >> we have time for one question each. i'm going to call -- wait for the microphone. >> thank you, mr. president. president calderon called again the arizona law discriminatory. he called it misdirected. do you agree with him? what impact do you think that

this law can have on the u.s.-mexico relations? the prospect for immigration reform, and the likes of millions of mexican americans in this country? and what actions did you tell president calderon you would follow days and weeks? >> i think the arizona law has the potential of being applied in a discriminatory fashion. after it was initially passed, the arizona legislature amended it and said that this should not be carried out in a discriminatory way, but i think a fair reading of the language of the statute indicates that it gives the possibility of individuals who are deemed suspicious of being illegal immigrants from being harassed

or arrested and the judgments that are going to be made in applying this law are troublesome. what i have directed my justice department to do is to look very carefully at the language of this law to see whether it comports both with our core values and existing legal standards, as well as the fact that the federal government is ultimately the one charged with immigration policy. and i expect to get a final report back from the justice department soon. at which point we'll make some decisions in terms of how we are going to address that law. what i have also said, though, is that the arizona law, i think, expresses some of the frustrations that the american people have had in not fixing a broken immigration system. and, frankly, the failures of

the federal government to get this done. i'm sympathetic to those frustrations. i chair those frustrations which is why from the time i was a u.s. senator through the time that i ran for president until now i have consistently said i'm supportive of a comprehensive immigration reform approach. and i think the majority of american people are open to a competitive -- comprehensive immigration reform approach which would say the following things. number one, that the federal government takes its responsibilities for securing our borders seriously. as i just stated in my opening remarks, we have actually put more resources, more personnel on the borders and illegal immigration is down on the borders not up. i know that's not the perception out there but that's the fact. but we haven't done enough. so we've got a responsibility to create an orderly border and

that's something that we have to do not unilaterally but also working with the mexican government. because there are enormous flows of trade and tourists and people along the border region. the economies are interdependent, and we have to control the borders but do so in a way that does not have an adverse impact on the economies of those regions. the second thing we've got to do is we've got to make sure that businesses are following the rules. and are not actively recruiting undocumented workers, so that they don't have to abide by overtime laws. they don't have to abide by minimum wage laws. they don't have to abide by worker safety laws. and otherwise undercut basic worker protections that exist. and they have to be held accountable and responsible. the third thing we have to do is make sure that those who have come to this country illegally

are held accountable. and that means they need to pay a fine. they need to pay back taxes. i believe they should learn english. i believe that it is important for them to get to the back of the line and not in the front, but that we create a pathway so that they have an opportunity, if they are following the rules, following the law, to become legal residents and ultimately citizens of this country. that kind of package in which everybody has responsibilities i think is one that can pass. it is one that i'm fully supportive of. i have said this again and again. i think if we get that done, then you will be less likely to see the kinds of measures that we saw in arizona. here's the challenge that we have politically. the political challenge is that i have confidence i can get the majority of democrats, both in the house and the senate, to support a piece of legislation.

the sort i just described. but i don't have 60 votes in the senate. i've got to have some support from republicans. when we made an effort of this sort a few years ago, it was under the leadership of john mccain and ted kennedy, and because there was a bipartisan effort, we were actually able to generate a majority vote in the senate. and we just missed being able to get it done in the house. if we can recreate that atmosphere -- i don't expect to get every republican vote, but i need some help. in order to get it done. and there have been people who expressed an interest, but if they are willing to come forward and get a working group and get this moving, i'm actually confident we can get it done and the american people, including the people of arizona, are going to prefer that the federal

government takes responsibility and does what it's supposed to do. it's my job to work with members of congress to see that happen. and it's also my job to work with the mexican government to make sure that it happens. because president calderon recognizes that he has responsibilities on his side of the border as well. the last point i'll make on this topic is this, i think all of us recognize that some of the pressures with respect to immigration just arise out of economics. people in mexico are looking for opportunity and they feel they can make more money here in the united states. what we also have to recognize, and talked about this with president calderon, every nation also has the right to secure its borders and make orderly decisions about who comes in and who comes out. and the key here is for us to keep both principles in mind.

that people want to find a better life where they can. and if they have an opportunity in america, they are going to want to come here. we can't just try to use force to prevent that. on the other hand, the united states has to be able to make determinations about who comes in and who comes out in an orderly fashion. if we are both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, then i think we will not only be true to our core values but we are also going to be creating a more prosperous future for everybody.

>> president obama, not to detour from this topic, i would like to know if you have already a strategy plan in regards to the arizona law, because it is violating the fundamental rights of people. how are you going to turn around this trend, president obama, that has been shown in different states of the united states against migrants? this migratory reform that you are talking about to know when it will be taken to congress and what the scope that it will have. the second area regarding security, president obama, i would like to know how do you value the battle against organized crime that president calderon is having? has this been a success? what is it missing? and following this issue, to know if you have seen that the weapons that illegally cross

from the united states to mexico are the ones that are used by the organized crime people in mexico? shouldn't there be an initiative that will regulate guns as they are sold? is there going to be a ban? >> a pretty comprehensive answer earlier. i'm going to take your second question. and that is the issue of security. this is obviously a shared concern. and it's going to require shared effort on the part of both of our nations. i said the first time i met president calderon and have said ever since that i greatly admire his courage, his dedication, his tenacity in trying to deal with the drug traffickers and cartels that have created such a public safety crisis in many

communities within mexico. as we pointed out this is not just an issue of the drug trade, this is an issue of how affecting people's day to day lives within mexico. and the mexican people have an interest in dealing with this. he has stood up consistently because he recognizes that his foremost job, his most important task as president is to keep the mexican people safe. so we are fully supportive of the efforts that he's been making. we have had extensive collaboration over the last several years in making sure that in a way that respects mexico's sovereignty we are responsive to whatever requests are made by the calderon administration. to the extent that we can help through the marita initiative, provide equipment, provide training, provide technologies that could help in these efforts, we have done so.

and we will continue to coordinate as effectively as we can with the calderon administration to make sure that we deal with this problem. now, as you point out this is not just a problem in mexico. it is a problem that the united states has to address and the two things that we have to address, and i have said this when i was in mexico and i'll repeat here. it is absolutely true that u.s. demand for drugs helps to drive this public safety crisis within mexico. and so we've got an obligation not to drive the demand side of the equation. and so most recently we put forward our new strategy that emphasizes not just enforcement but also prevention, also treatment so that we can drive down demand and weaken the grip that these drug cartels have. the second aspect of this that

we have to deal with is. southbound flows from the united states of both weapons and cash that helps to empower these drug cartels. and so what i have directed my department of homeland security, a.t.f., all our various agencies that have responsibilities in these areas to do is to ramp up our efforts at interdicting these southern flows. and i already mentioned to you, for example, we have now instituted a policy where we are searching 100% of rail cargo going south. that is a significant investment of law enforcement resources on our part, but it's the right thing to do. we want to crag down on illegal gun dealers who are selling weapons into mexico. all those are steps that we are

doing in coordination with the calderon government and we'll continue to emphasize the importance not only to mexico but also the united states of tackling this problem. ok. thank you very much, everybody. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> that news conference from about midday yesterday. this a look at the arrival ceremony at the white house yesterday evening. president and mrs. obama welcoming felipe calderon and

his wife to the white house for a formal state dinner which you can see on our video library at c-span.org. want to tell you also that the mexican president will be speaking to a joint meeting ever congress, that's coming up in about 15 minutes, at 11:00 eastern. while we wait for that to get underway, we are going to show you the toast from last night's state dinner.

>> the arrival ceremony from wednesday evening of mexican president felipe calderon and his wife to the state dinner at the white house. president calderon speaking to a joint meeting of congress at about 11:00 eastern. live coverage coming up shortly here on c-span. while we wait for that, here are the toasts from yesterday's state dinner.

>> is the microphone turned on? ok. michelle and i are extraordinarily honored as we host you, but most importantly as we host president calderon and first lady margarita zavala

please be seated. we welcome them and we the mexican dell tation for our second state dinner here at the white house. tonight la casablanca -- casa blanca. >> the president and first lady have treated me and michelle to a celebration of mexico's rich heritage, including the stunning an though polgi museum and wonderful marachi. tonight we celebrate the bonds we share as neighbors and as friends.

we felt that mexico and its ancient civilizations have given the world throughout history advance in architecture and astronomy, math emptyics and medicine, and of course some very good food. including the food of the gods. as mexico egg marks the bicentennial of its independence and sen tanial of -- centennial of its revolution, we celebrate

a people who defined their own destiny with patriots like edward yezz, and giants in literature and science, and like the united states a pretty good soccer team. we celebrate all that mexican americans have contributed to the united states. leaders in every segment of our society, including many of the guests who are here tonight. and a culture that treasures family and faith. indeed, america is enriched by mexico.

and we celebrate the partnership between our two countries. mr. president, i must say it again, the fight for your country's future, you have shown extraordinary courage, extraordinary bravery, and you and the mexican people have a full and committed partner in the united states. as we look to the future, i'm reminded of all the young people who have become part of our people.

the children in mexico city waving american and mexican flags. the students who shared their dreams with michelle, and some very proud kids that along with michelle did a little exercise today. each of those children have a dream, and yet we know that in life it's not enough to want your dream. as the extraordinary writer wrote in one of his poems. you must deserve your dream.

and so, mr. president, i propose a toast to the dreams of our children. together may we realize those dreams and together may we deserve them by going forward in partnership and respect. cheers. salud.

>> good evening. your excellencecy, mr. barack obama, president of the united states of america, mrs. michelle obama, ladies and gentlemen. i thank president barack obama and michelle and also to the people from the united states of america for your invitation and the generous hospitality with which we have been welcomed

during this visit. your courtesy, mr. president, as that we have received from the first lady, honor the great friendship and partnership that brings our people together. today i have once again seen that we share the hope to turn this relationship between the people from the united states of america and the people from mexico into an example of how

much can be achieved among neighbors when working together under the guidance of common ideals such as security, prosperity, freedom, and democracy. today we promote the agreements and the actions of cooperation that our countries need in order to face the new challenges to benefit fully of the he enormous advantages as a result of being neighbors and the long border line that unites us.

today mexico and the united states are immersed in a new stage of cooperation and we based our efforts in the principles of shared responsibility, mutual respect, and trust. we fully understand that our joint work has a direct impact in both populations, in its well-being and happiness. we are neighbors, we are partners, we are allies, and we

are also friends. i have said this and allow me to repeat it, we work with a certainty of what is good for the united states of america is good for mexico. and that we understand this at the same time what is good for mexico is good for the united states.

i would like to congratulate the people of the united states of america for having a president like president barack obama with his leadership which is also very positive and good for us. and at the same time also congratulate you, mr. president, for having a wife and a first lady like michelle obama.

thank you for your hospitality and friendship. i don't know if you and me are serve the dreams but i know both of you, both of us have dreams, those dreams are related with our people and we fight every day to preserve those dreams and we will reach them.

i ask you now to raise your glasses and a toast for the happiness of both our great nations. cheers!man from south carolina, mr. clyburn, the gentleman from connecticut, mr. larson, the gentleman from california, mr. becerra, the gentleman from arizona, mr. pastor, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, the gentleman from texas, mr.

reyes, the gentlewoman from california, ms. loretta sanchez, the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar, the gentleman from ohio, mr. boehner, the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor, the gentleman from indiana, mr. pence, the gentleman from michigan -- the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rodge, the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions, the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden, the gentleman from california, mr. dreier. vice president biden: the senators will escort felipe calderon hinojosa, senator nevada, mr. reid, senator connecticut, mr. dodd, the senator from massachusetts, mr. kerry, the senator from north dakota, mr. dorgan, the senator from new jersey, mr. menendez,

the senator from alaska, the senator from texas, mr. cornyn, and the senator from texas, ms. hutchinson. the speaker: members of the escort committee will exit the chamber through the lobby doors.

>> madam speaker, the acting dean of the diplomatic corps.

>> madam speaker, the president's cabinet.

>> madam speaker, the president of mexico.

the speaker: members of congress, i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you his excellency, cal cal, the president of -- felipe calderon hinojosa, the president of mexico.

president calderon thank you. president calderon: thank you very much. madam speaker, mr. vice president, honorable members of congress, and as we say in mexico, amigas, amigos. it's a great honor to stand before you today. i would like to thank congress and the american people for this invitation. i want to express my gratitude to all of you here who have

supported mexico during very challenging times. i will also tell you the mexican americans and all latinos who work every day for the prosperity of this great nation. xico, a young country but very old nation. our roots go back thousands of years. however this year is especially significant for us. we are celebrating the bicentennial of our independence , 200 years of being proudly. at the time mexico was the first nation to abolish slavery in all

ever continental america. -- in all of continental america. and it is exactly 100 years since the mexican revolution, a revolution against oppression, a revolution for justice and democracy. as you can see mexico was founded on the same values and principles as the united states of america. we are very oud of this past, however the mexican people and their government are focused on the future. that is why mexico is a country in a continued process of transformation. we are determined to change, and we are taking the decisions that are going to make mexico a more prosperous democracy. one of the main changes taking

place in mexico is our commitment to firmly establish the rule of law. that is why we are deployingthe full force of the state to meet organized ime with determination and courage. but let me explain, this fight is not only and not mainly about stopping the drug trade only. it is first and foremost a drive to guarantee the security of mexican families who are in a threat from the abuses of criminals.

as i told the mexican people in my inaugural speech, restoring public security will not be easy and will not be quick. it will take time, it will take money, and unfortunately to our deep sorrow it will deep human life as well. this is a battle that has to be fought because the future of our families is at stake. but i told them then you can be sure of one thing, this is a battle that united we, the mexican people, will win. we cannot ignore -- we will win,

but we cannot ignore the fact that the challenge to our security has roots on both sides of the border. at the end of the day it's high demand for drugs here and in other places. secretary of state clinton has said, we have set our share of the responsibility. we know that the demand for drugs drives much of this illicit trade. this is a part of our new relationship. we have moved from the suspicious to the past to the cooperations and mutual understanding of the present. let me take this opportunity to congratulate president obama for his recent initiative to reduce

the consumption of drugs. hope for the good of both nations and the entire hemisphere that this succeeds. now let me tell you what mexico is doing to confront another problem. first, we have not hesitated to use all the power of the state, including the federal police and armed forces, in order to support the local governments that are facing the greatest threat from organized crime. this september i measured to restore order. the goal is to provide local governments time and the opportunity to strengthen their security and detailed institutions. second, we are weakening the financial and operational capability of criminal gangs. their operations have led to

record seizures of drugs, cash, and weapons from the criminals. we are hitting them and we are hittinghem hard. the federal forces have also arrested many important felons who are now facing mexican justice, and we have extradited a record number of criminals to face justice here in the united states. third, we are rebuilding our institutions and security forces. especially at federal level. we have more than tripled the federal police budget since the beginning of my administration, and multiplied the size of its force. we are recruiting men and women with values who are better trained, better paid, and better equipped.

fourth, we are transforming our judicial system to make it more efficient. we are moving to work open on trials that are the basis of your own judicial system. and fifth, we have set up social programs to prevent young people from turning to crime, including prevention and treatment for addictions. as you can see -- we are doing everything we can to fight this threat and to secure our common future. we are fulfilling our duty as a good neighbor, taking care of business in our side of the border. the u.s. is also helping. congress approved the initiative which we greatly appreciate and

our administrations are sharing more information than ever to fight crime. however, there is one issue where mexico needs your cooperation. and that is stopping the flow of assault weapons and other deadly guns across the border. i fully expect, let me be clear on this, i fully respect, i admire the american constitution and i uerstand that the purpose of the second amendment

is to guarantee good american citizens the ability to defend themselves and their nation. but believe me many of these guns are not going to honest american hands. instead, thousands are ending up in the hands of criminals. just to give you an idea we have ceased 75,000 guns and -- seized 75,000 guns and assault weapons in mexico in the last three years and more than 80% of those we have been able to trace came from the united states. if you look carefully, you will notice that the violence in mexico started to grow a couple years before i took office in 2006. this coincides with the lifting

of the assault weapons ban in 2004. one day criminals in mexico, having gained access to these weapons, decided to challenge the authorities in my country. today these weapons are aimed by the criminals not only at rival gangs but also at mexican civilians and authorities. and with all due respect, if you do not regulate the sale of these weapons in the right way, nothing guarantees that criminals here in the united states, with access to the same powerful weapon, will not decide to challenge american authority and civilians. it is true that u.s. government is now carrying out operations against gun strikes, but it is

also true that there are more than 7,000 shots along the border with mexico where almost anyone can purchase these powerful weapons. i also fully understand the political sensitivity of this issue. for i will ask congress to help us with respect and to understand how important it is for us that you enforce your laws to stem the supplies of these weapons to criminals and consider reinstating the assault weapons ban. let us, by way legal way that

you consider, let us work together to end the illegal trade with threatens mexico and your own people. i have spoken on this issue about security because i know it is a big concern on the american people. however if -- as i say, mexico is a country undergoing deep confirmation and our relationship is about much more than just security. we are turning our economy into one that is competitive and strong. capable of generating the jobs mexico needs. i believe in freedom, i believe in markets, i believe in all those principles that are able to empower economies and provide well-being for the people. we are carrying out a set of

structural reforms that has been ignored for decades in mexico. we started, for instance, by reforming the pub lick system and with this we guarantee the retirement of public servants and at the same time we will save 30 points of g.d.p. in our public financing. we passed a tax reform that reduce our dependence on oil and allow us to continue financing our development, keeping our public deficit close to 1% of g.d.p. . we also made -- we also made important changes to the oil sector. this would allow the public

company to work more flexible contracts to specialized global companies. and so become more efficient and increase its operational and financial capacity in order to get more oil and natural gas. this will ensure our energy independence and strengthen regional security as well. and finally, we have increased invtment in infrastructure from three points of g.d.p. to five points of g.d.p. a year, building the roads, ports, airports and energy plans we need to modernize. it is the highest investment level in infrastructure in decades. these changes are making us a more modern country and a stronger partner of the united states. the energy reform, the fiscal

reform, the pension reform, the investment in infrastructure among others have all prepared us for a better tomorrow but also allow us to overcome the terrible economic crisis last year. then, mexico's economy experienced its worst contractions in modern times. however, thanks to strong regulations, not one cent from taxpayers went to a single bank in mexico last year. we were also able -- we were also able to quickly implement cyclical measures, such as a temporary work program and increase the credits for small

businesses. in this way we were able to save hundreds of thousands of mexican jobs. we had to face a series of emergencies, any one of which would have derailed our weak country. we faced the perfect storm last year. besides the crisis, we overcame the second worse struck -- drop in several years. and also the outbreak of the h 1n-1 flu virus. i can tell you that mexico is standing tall a stronger and more determined nation than ever. a nation and a people.

a nation -- a nation and a people ready to face the future and take the rightful place in the world. and the future starts now, now that the mexican economy is recovering. so far this year mexico has created more than 400,000 new jobs. 400,000 new jobs, which is the highest number ever created in a four-month period in mexico. in the first quarter, the mexican economy grew 4.3%, and we are expecting growth for this year more than 4% in our economy which means among other things more for our people and

more mexicans buying american products. we have made -- we have made structural reform to modernize our economy and we want more. today, our congress is debating stronger antitrust regulations as well as new labor legislation that will provide more opportunities for women and young people. my government is auctioning both wireless frequency in order to increase competition and coverage in telecom. mexico is on the right track towards development now, and as well as promoting economic progress, we are improving the quality of life of all mexicans on the principle of equal opportunity for all.

thanks to opportunidad, mexico was able to reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty from 35 million in 1996 to 14 million in 2006. this program -- this program reaches six million poorest families which mean one in four mexican. equal opportunity means more and better education, and we have provided scholarships to six million children of -- and at the same time we are investing more than ever in free public universities and today almost 90,000 students

graduate as engineers and technicians every year in my country. we want all our young people to have the chance to study. equal opportunity means access to health services for everyone . we have tripled the popular health insurance and rebuilt or renovated 1,700 public hospitals and clinics in three years. more than one of eight. it this will allow us to reach a goal any nation would be proud of, universal health coverage by 2012, doctor, medicine and treatment.

a doctor, medicine and treatment for any mexican that needs it. equal opportunity means more and better education, poverty fighting programs and universal health coverage. by improving opportunities for all, we are giving people one less reason to leave mexico. as you can see, mexico is a country in transformation. this is making us an ever more strategic partner for the future prosperity of the american people. the world, more global and more interconnected every day. it is also divided into large economic regions. those regions that maximize

their comparative advantages will be the ones that succeed, and we both need to compete with asia and with europe. mexico and the united states are stronger together than they are apart. our economy -- our economic ties have made our economies stronger, and together we can renew our partnship to restore stronger and faster economic growth on both sides of the border. a stronger mexico means a stronger united states. let us not forget mexicans are the second largest foreign buyer of american goods in the world. and a stronger united states,

of course, means a stronger mexico. so i invite you to work with mexico and consolidate north america as the most competitive region in the world. i believe in that. let us create more jobs for american workers and more jobs for mexican workers. members of the congress, i'm not a president who likes to see mexicans leave our country searching for opportunities abrd. our communities lose our best people. the hardest working, the most dynamic, the leaders of the communities.

each migrant will never -- president calderon: i want to say to the -- i want to say to the -- i want to say all those

who are working really hard for this great country as we admire them, we miss them, we are working hard for their rights and we are working really hard for mexico and for the family. today, we are doing the best that we can do in order to reduce migration, to create opportunities and to create jobs for mexicans in our own country where their homes are and their families are as many jobs as we can. and mexico will one day be a country in which our people will find the opportunity that today they look for outside of the country. until then, mexico is determined to assume its

responsibilities. for us, migration is not just your problem. we see migration as our problem as well. my government -- my government does not favor the breaking of the rules. i fully respect the rights of any country to enact and enforce its own laws, but we today -- but what we need today is to fix a broken and insufficient system. we favor -- we favor the establishment of rules that work and work well for all. so the time has come for the

united states and mexico to work together on this issue. the time has come to reduce the causes of migration and to turn this into a legal order and secure flow of workers and visitors. we want to provide the mexican people with the opportunities they are looking for. that is our goal. that is our mission as a government, to transform mexico to land of opportunity, to provide to our people with jobs and opportunities to live in peace and to be happy. i want to recognize the hard work and leadership of many of you in the senate and in the house and of president obama who are determined to find responsible and objective answers to this issue. i am convinced that a

comprehensive immigration reform is also crucial to securing our common border. however, i strongly disagree with the recently adopted law in arizona. . it is a la that not only ignores a reality that cannot be erased by decree, but also introduced a terrible idea using racial profiling as a basis for low performance. i agree with the president to

say the new law carries a great amount of grief when core values we all care about are breached. i don't want to deepen the gap between the feeling and emotion between our countries and our people. i believe in communication, i believe in cooperation. we must find together a better way to face and fix this common problem. finally, the well-being of both our people depends not only in our ability to face challenges, but global ones as well. that is the case of climate change, that is the case, for instance, of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons in the world.

this is one climate change, one of humanity's more pressing problems. global warming demands the commitment of all nations, both developed and developing countries, that is why mexico was the first developing country to commit to emission reduction targets. we are working hard to make progress in the fight against climate change. because of your global leadership, we will need your support to make the meeting in cancun next november a success.

madam speaker, mr. vice president, honorable members of the united states congress, mexico is a country indeed transformation, indeed. we are building the future our people deserve. a future of opportunity, a future of freedom, of equality, of rule of law. a future of security in which families and children can go out to work, study, or play without fear. and most of all future in which our children and their children will see their dream come true. i have come here as your

neighbor, as your partner, and as your friend. our two great nations are joined by geaog graph -- geeographer and by history, but more important we are joined by the shared brilliant future. i believe in the future of north america as the strongest, most prosperous region in the world. that is possible. president franklin roosevelt once said that the only limit to our relationization of the world

will be our dots of today. let us move forward with a strong and active faith. and i say let us work together with a strong and active faith in order to give our people the few ture days -- future days. thank you very much for your invitation. god bless america. viva, mexico.

and applaud it. and that's all i have to say. host: here's akron, ohio. gus on your independent line. caller: jat called earlier saying this is an embarrassment to our country that we don't

give states their proper representation and the fact that we have so many americans that are unemployed. host: thanks for the call. just as a reminder, if you don't turn your television, you will get a feedback. stockton, california, is next on our democrats' line. paul, hi, there. raul, sorry, go ahead. caller: i enjoyed the president from mexico. i thought he did a great job. i voted for obama and i still believe in him. i want to thank you guys for having the program. i enjoy it and i think the president did a good job, both presidents. i don't believe in arizona law, and i was born and raised here in california. and my uncle fought in the second world war. my father went to fight but the war was over by the time it got to him. host: raul, do you think it was appropriate for president calderon to criticize the

arizona law? caller: well, i believe in some of the arizona law, and i'm mexican american, and me and my wife are here. and i think that it was appropriate that he said it, you know, but i'm sure that there's parts that he believes in and parts that he doesn't believe in, like myself, i'm a mexican american. i fought in vietnam. i have friends that died in korea, so we're all mexican americans. and i think that i believe in but yet i don't. i hope they could fix it up some way. and i want to thank you guys, again. i enjoy the program. host: well, raul, you may be interested to know that one of the stops that president calderon has before he heads back to mexico is today he will be in arlington national cemetery laying the reef on the tomb of the unknown.

this is the first time since the early 1900's that a mexican president has done this because of feelings on both side. going back to the 1914 marine invasion of verzcruz. president calderon will be at arlington national cemetery today. we've hosted a number of events, including the dinner at the white house. you can see it all on c-span.org. north carolina is next. your name and the city you're calling from. go ahead. caller: calling from greensboro, north carolina, jonas. host: go ahead, jonas. caller: i thought your speech was excellent and the law in arizona, i think it was, you know, not a -- they should have just waited until the congress came up with something so that we can, you know, not, you know, make the mexicans feel that, you know, we're trying to throw them out.

that it's possible that we can have so many illegals tossed back and forth across the border anyway. host: one of the comments he talked about the immigration migration issue is with the migration issue, quote, mexico, we lose our best people. next up, miami, martha on our democrats' line. good morning. caller: hi, how are you? host: mute your television there and go ahead with your comments. caller: hello. host: you're on the air. go ahead, martha. caller: yes, good morning. this is martha from miami, florida, and let me congratulate president obama. also, the president of mexico, which i salute. both of them. god bless them. i agree. host: let's hear from arizona, phoenix, our republican line and carol. go ahead with your comments.

caller: yes. i listened to the entire speech. i am livid. i am livid that another leader from another country would come here, tell us what to do with our immigration policy. he doesn't want these 15 million illegals back. we have to educate them. and we're going to have to give them our health care. and the other thing is, i just got back from -- i live in arizona, went to new port beach, california. i was stopped four different times by border patrol in my own country. we were asked if we were american citizens, where are you going? so he has the huegos to say it? this is nothing our -- we -- our immigration system isn't broken. it just needs to be enforced. and everybody in california that we talked to other than the political people were in

agreement with arizona. so i -- i don't get this. i do not get this that somebody from another country and our president stands up there and says how bad arizona is. i mean, 2012, hasta la visa, presidente. host: welcome. caller: well, it's first and foremost remarkable that a president will not uphold our own policies. it's a felony to be in our country illegally. he wants to talk about our gun laws and everything. well, how about he enforce our border, keep our guns out of his country and by turn maybe he'll keep the illegals out of our country because he's enforcing his side? host: the gun laws. here's what essentially what the president had to say. he tied the violent increase in mexico about the lifting of the assault weapons ban in 2004.

he said there are some 7,000 gun shops along the border with mexico. how would you -- how should the u.s. address those concerns? . .

comprehensive immigration reform. and that both nations have to be very, very cautious in how they proceed. the state of arizona is 53% hispanic, and that's not a question of immigration. the border was established when the treaty of graudlupea hidalgo was signed and people of color who are actually native to this land. my family is one of those that we didn't come to this country migrating. we've always been here. and this is where the racial tension builds. and that is why this is highly problematic. i lived in arizona for quite a long time, and i am fully well aware of the tensions between

certain elements that are separatists and that until we can get over the emotional divisions that we deal with we are going to have a lot of problems. host: let's get one more here, on our republican line, daisy. you're our last caller, go ahead with your views. make sure you mute your television there, then go ahead. caller: i have a strange point of view here with the presence of president calderon today. i am a cuban american. i was an immigrant, but i came legally into the country there is two differences in the whole thing, being legal and illegal. i don't think it's proper of president calderon to come to the united states and tell us what to do about immigration. we, the cubans, when we get to

mexico, -- the cubans are coming because they threaten their life. the mexican people are coming here because they are hungry. if the united states, wants to be open to all immigrants, we are thankful for it. however, there is differences. one of the situations that i think will be great to do and all the other countries, why don't these american politicians do business with the politicians. host: we remind you, this discussion continues online. coming up this afternoon, the

senate is back in, they'll continue debate on financial regulations with a cloture vote around 2:30, that's on c-span2. on c-span3, continuing coverage of the toyota hearing. online, the first hearing with the representative, the head of massey mining company, testifying about the big branch mine disaster. here on c-span, the house gavels back in later and debate on a measure that would allow the labor committee to further investigate that mine disaster. we'll show you all of president calderon's speech later. i want to give you flavor here of some of the thing he is had to say, starting with talk about increasing security due to the drug war situation in northern mexico. here's a look. >> exactly 100 years since the mexican revolution a revolution against -- a revolution for

justice and democracy. as you can see, mexico was founded on the same valuings and principles as the united states -- on the same values and principles as the united states of america. we are very proud of this past. however, the mexican people and their government are focused on the future. that is why mexico is a country in continuous process of transformation. we are determined to change. we are taking the decisions that are going to make mexico a more prosperous democracy. one of the main changes taking place in mexico is our commitment to firmly establish the rule of law. that is why we are deploying the full force of the state to confront organized crime with determination and courage. [applause]

but let me explain. these -- this fight is not only and not mainly about stopping the drug trade only. it is first and foremost a drive to guarantee the security of mexican families who are under threat from the abuses and the vicious acts of criminals. as i told the mexican people in my speech, restoring public security will not be easy and will not be quick. it will take time, it will take money, and unfortunately, to our deep sorrow, it will take human lives as well.

this is a battle that has to be fought because the future of our families is at stake. but i told them then, you can be sure of one thing. this is a battle that united, we, the mexican people, will win. [applause] we will win, but we cannot ignore the fact that the challenge to our security has roots on both sides of the border. at the end of the day, it's --

its origin is the high demand for drugs here and in other places. secretary of state clinton has said we accept our share of the responsibility. we know that the demand for drugs drives much of this illicit trade. this is symbolic of our new relationship. we have moved from the recommendation to the cooperation and mutual -- of the past to the cooperation and mutual understanding of the present. let me take this opportunity to congratulate president obama for his recent initiative to reduce the consumption of drugs. i hope, for the good of both nations and the entire hemisphere, that this succeeds. now, let me tell you what mexico is doing to confront and overcome this problem. first, we have not hesitated to

use all the power of the state, including the federal police and the armed forces, in order to support the local governments that are facing the greatest threat from organized crime. this is a temporary measure to restore order. the goal is to provide local governments time and the opportunity to rebuild and strengthen their security and judicial institution. second, we are weakening the financial and operational capabilities of criminal gangs. federal operations have read to record amounts of drugs and money. the federal forces have also arrested many important felons who are now facing mexican justice. we have extra diletted a record

number of -- extradited a record number of criminals to face justice here in the united states. [applause] third, we are building our institutions and security forces, especially at the federal level. we heard -- we have more than tripled the federal police budget since the beginning of my administration and multiplied the size of its force. we are recruiting honest young men and women with values who are better trained, better paid, and better equipped. fourth, we are transforming our judicial system to make it more transparent and efficient. we are moving toward open trials, the basis of your own judicial system. fifth, we have set up social programs to prevent young people from turning to crime,

including preventions and treatment for addiction. [applause] as you can see, we are doing everything we can to find the strength to secure our country. we are fulfilling our duty as a good neighbor, taking care of business on our side of the border. the u.s. is also helping. congress approved the america initiative which we greatly appreciate, and our administrations are sharing more information than ever to fight crime. however, -- [applause] however, there is one issue where mexico needs your cooperation. and that is stopping the flow

of assault weapons and other deadly arms across the border. [applause] let me be clear on this. i fully respect, i admire, the american constitution. and i understand that the purpose of the second amendment is to guarantee good american citizens the ability to defend themselves and their nation. but believe me -- many of these guns are not going to honest american hands. instead, thousands are ending up in the hands of criminals.

just to give you an idea, we have seized 75,000 guns and assault weapons in mexico in the last three years. more than 80% of those we have been able to trace came from the united states. if you'll look carefully, you will notice that the violence in mexico started to grow a couple of years before i took office in 2006. this coincides with the lifting of the assault weapons ban in 2004. one day criminals in mexico, having gained access to these weapons, decided to challenge the authorities in my country. today, these weapons are aimed by the criminals, not only at

rival gangs, but also at mexican civilians and authorities. with all due respect, if you do not regulate the sale of these weapons in the right way, nothing guarantees that criminals here in the united states with access to the same power of weapons will not decide to challenge american authorities and civilians. it is true, the u.s. government is now carrying out operations against gangs, but there are more than 7,000 shops along the border with mexico where almost anyone can purchase these powerful weapons. i also fully understand the political sensitivity of this issue. i will ask congress to help us,

with respect, and to understand how important it is for us that you enforce current laws to stem the supply of these weapons to criminals and continue reinstating the assault weapons ban. let us -- [applause] let us, by any way that you consider, let us work together to end this lethal trade that threatens mexico and your pone teem -- and your own people. i have spoken at length on this issue about security. i know it is a big concern on the american people. however, as i say, mexico is a

country undergoing deep transformations and our relationship is about much more than just security. we are turning our economy into one that is competitive and strong. capable of generating the jobs mexicans need. i believe in freedom. i believe in market. i believe in all those principles that are able to empower economies and provide well being for the people. we are carrying out a set of structural reforms that have been ignored for decades in mexico. we started, for instance, by reforming the public pension system, and with this, we guaranteed the retirement of public servants. at the same time, we will say

30 points of g.d.p. in value in our finances. we passed a tax reform that reduces our dependence on oil and allows us to continue financing our development, keeping our public deficit close to 1% of g.d.p. we also -- [applause] >> we also made important changes to the oil sector, allow the public owned company to be more flexible and so become more efficient and increase its operational and financial capacity in order to get more oil and natural gas. this will ensure our energy independence and strengthen

regional energy security as well. finally, we have increased investment in infrastructure from three points of g.d.p. to five points of g.d.p. a year, building the roads, ports, airports, and energy plants we need to modernize. this is the highest investment level in infrastructure in decades. these changes are making us a more modern country and a stronger partner of the united states. the energy reform, the fiscal reform the pension reform, the investment in infrastructure, among others, have all prepared us for a better tomorrow, but also allow us to overcome the terrible economic crisis last year. then, mexico's economy experienced its worst

contradiction in modern times. -- contraction in modern times. however, thanks to strong regulations, not one cent from taxpayers went to a single bank in mexico last year. [applause] we were also able -- we were also able to quickly implement countercyclical measures, such as a temporary public works program and increase credit for small businesses. this way, we were able to say -- to save hundreds of thousands of mexican jobs. we managed this even though we had to face a series of emergencies, any one of which would have derailed a weaker country. we faceed the perfect -- we

year. the perfect storm last %- we overcame the second worst drop in 70 years. the biggest ever drop in oil production. and the outbreak of the h1n1 flu virus. so today, i can come here before you and say with confidence that mexico is standing tall, a stronger and more determined nation than ever. a nation and a people -- [applause] a nation and a people ready to face the future and take its rightful place in the world. the future starts now. now that the mexican economy is recovering. so far this year, mexico has

cree are ated more than 400,000 new jobs. 400,000 new jobs, which is the highest number ever created in a four-month period in mexico. in the first quarter, the mexican economy grew 4.3% and we are expecting growth for the year more than 4% in our economy. which means, among other things, more well being for our people and more mexicans buying more american products. [applause] we have made structural reforms to modernize our economy and we want more. today our congress is debating stronger antitrust regulation

as well as new labor legislation that will provide more opportunities for women and young people. my government is auctions both wireless frequencies and fineer in order to increase competition in telecoms. mexico is on the right track toward development now. as well as promoting economic progress, we are improving the quality of life of all mexicans under the principle of equal opportunities for all. thanks to opportunities -- thanks to an advanced poverty relief program, mexico was able to reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty from 35 million in 1996 to 14 million in 2006.

[applause] this program reaches the six million poorest families, which means one in four mexicans. equal opportunity means more and better education and we have provided scholarships to six million poor children of all ages and at the same time, we are investing more than ever in free public universities and today, almost 90,000 students graduate as engineers and technicians every year in my country. we want all our young people to have the chance to study. equal opportunity means access to health services for everyone. we have tripled the market for

popular health insurance and rebuilt or renovated 1,700 public hospitals and clinics in three years. more than one a day. this will allow us to reach a goal any nation would be proud of -- universal health coverage by 2012. doctor, medicine, and treatment. [applause] a doctor, medicine, and treatment for any mexican that needs it. equal opportunities means more and better education, cutting edge poverty fighting programs and qune versal health coverage.

but improving opportunities for all, we are giving people one less reason to leave mexico. as you can see, mexico is a country in transformation. this is making us an ever more strategic partner for the future prosperity of the american people. the world is more global and more interconnected every day. it is also divided into large economic regions. those regions that maximize their comparative advantages will be the ones that succeed. we both need to compete with asia and with europe. mexico and the united states are stronger together than they are apart. our economic --

[applause] our economic ties have made both economies stronger and together, we can renew our partnership to restore stronger and faster economic growth, both sides of the border. a stronger mexico means a stronger united states. let us not forget mexicans are the second largest foreign buyers of american goods in the world. and a stronger united states, of course, means a stronger mexico. so i invite you to work with mexico and consolidate north america as the most competitive region in the world. i believe in that. [applause]

let us create more jobs for american workers and more jobs for mexican workers. members of the congress, i am not a president who likes to see mexicans leave our country searching for opportunities abroad. migration, our communities lose their best people. the hardest working. the most dynamic. the leaders of the community. each migrant is a parent who will never see his children again. [speaking spanish]

[applause] >> i want to say to the migrants -- [applause] i want to say to the migrants -- i want to say to the migrants, all those who are working really hard for this great country, that we admire them, we miss them, we are working hard for their rights and we are working really hard for mexico and for their families. today, we are doing the best that we can do, in order to

reduce migration, create opportunities and to create jobs for mexicans in our own country, where their homes are and where their families are. as many jobs as we can. mexico will one day be a country in which our people will find the opportunities that today they look for outside of the country. until then, mexico is determined to assume its responsibility. for us, migration is not just your problem. we see migration as our problem as well. my government -- [applause] my government does not favor the breaking of the rules.

i fully respect the right of any country to enact and enforce its own laws. but -- but what we need today is to fix a broken and inefficient system. [applause] we favor the establishment of laws that work and work well for us all. so the time has come for the united states and mexico to work together on this issue. the time has come to reduce the counts of migration and turn this phenomenon into a legal order and secure workers and visitors. we want to provide the mexican

people with the opportunities they are looking for. that is our goal. that is our mission as government. to transform mexico into a land of opportunities. to provide to our people jobs and opportunities to live in peace and to be happy. i want to recognize the hard work and leadership of many of you in the senate and in the house and of president obama, who are determined to find responsible and objective answers to these issues. i am convinced that a comprehensive immigration reform is also crucial to securing our common border. however, i strongly disagree with the recently adopted law in arizona. [applause]

it is a law that not only ignores the reality that cannot be erased by decree but also introduce asterable idea, racial profiling is the basis for law enforcement. that is why i agree with the president who says the new law carries a great amount of grief when core values we care about are breached. i want to bridge the gap between the emotions between our cubtries and our peoples.

i believe in communication. i believe in cooperation. we must find, together, a better way to face and fix this common problem. finally, the well-being of both our peoples depends not only on our ability to face the challenges, but global ones as well. that is the case of climate change. that is the case, fins, of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons in the world. climate change -- [applause] climate change is one of humanity's more pressing threats. global warming demands the commitment of all nations, both developed and developing

countries. that is why mexico was the first developing country to commit to emissions reduction targets and programs. [applause] at the cost of the -- we are working hard to make progress in the fight against climate change. because of your global leadership, we will need your support to make the meeting in cancun next november a success. madam speaker, mr. vice president, honorable members of the united states congress, mexico is a country in deep

transformation. we are building the future our people deserve. the future of opportunity. a future of freedom, of equality, of rule of law. a future of security in which families and children can go out to work, study, or play without fear, and most of all, a future in which our children and their children will see their dreams come true. i have come here as your neighbor, as your partner, as your friend. our two great nations are joined by geography and by history. but more important, we are joined by a shared braille yant future. i believe in the future of

north america as the strongest, most prosperous region in the world that is possible. [applause] >> president franklin roosevelt once said that the only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. let us move forward with a strong and active faith. i say, let us work together with a strong and active faith in order to give our peoples the future they deserve. thank you very much for your

invitation. god bless america. viva mexico. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> president felipe calderon, the joint meeting of congress from just a short while ago. you can see all of that and related events with the mexican president online at c-span.org in our video library. the u.s. house will be gaveling back in shortly this afternoon, they'll take up a measure that would allow the education and labor committee to investigate

the big branch mine disaster. house republicans are expected to try a procedural move to -- move to obtain a vote on a proposal to eliminate the temporary assistance for needy families emergency fund created by the 2009 stimulus that received the most votes out of the five programs targeted for elimination under the republicans' you cut online poll. the republican whip eric cantor was the one who initiated this effort on maff of republicans. we talked to him this morning on "washington journal" to find out what's behind it and what's ahead in this vote this afternoon. cantor, republican of virginia. thank you for being with us this morning. opinion piece in the wall street journal calls into question -- "the wall street journal" cls into question the effectiveness of republicans in the election from tuesday. it says --

guest: i think what we saw in the primary fights the other day is an extreme frustration on the part of the american people. first of all, washington is not listening. second of all, the priority is being by the obama administration and policy majority does not reflect what people want done. it i about the economy, having people find their economic security once again. while washington continue to spend, and incur more debt, people are afraid about the prospects of higher taxes and intest rates. a permanent state of recession. there is no question, republicans do, and we are about promoting more and better ideas.

i am confident that when the election occurs, the people of the country will look to republicans to once again bring the addenda -- agenda back to the center to reflect the content conservative ideas that our party is about. the anti-government, low taxes, free markets. host: in pennsylvania, the democrat was able to win. it says that republicans were out-smarted. guest: as a republican, i am disappointed, but you win some, you lose some. no question, that district has been in democratic district for some time. but if you look around the country, theollection that

occurred in new jersey, virginia, massachusetts, the country is ready for reinstituting real change. once they elected as president in the door to congress, they felt that they uld have a government that would fix washington. unfortunately, washington has not gotten the message. we have introduced a program called youcut. if you go on-line and google youcut -- or bing it -- and then you can contribute your ideas on the best way to cut the deficit. the people of this country want to see washington listening to them. that is not occurring. we are giving people a direct opportunity to pass their vote. each week, the winning proposal will come to the floor for a

vote. today is t day for the winning item to be voted on in the house. we will be bringing it to the floor. host: tell us about it. guest: this will save taxpayers $2.4 billion this year. it is a program put in place under the stimulus bill. it had good intentions, was meant to help people that were above work. what was discovered is that the money had gone to people who used it to buy personal and electronics. i think most of people would disagree with that use of their taxpayer dollars. that is why this program received the most votes. almost 280,000 votes. this program got 180,000 vot. this was abipartisan program. cutting the deficit is a bipartisan issue.

each week, we are going to do it. we have five new we've started this, hopefully each week we'll do it again. we've got five proposals online now. i urge your viewers to go to youcut and cast their vote. this is an opportunity for us to come together and focus on the priority to get washington to tighten its belt like every american family and business are doing so people can get back to work. host: this report, talking about your youcut program, says even if the house were to go along with the g.o.p. cuts, it's unlikely the senate would follow suit. and -- is this a yes, sir chuss or do you think it will work? guest: if we can build a case and we're asking the other side of the aisle to join us. cutting the deficit is something all americans agree

on. you've got to begin to change the culture in washington away from spending and toward saving taxpayer dollars and getting the budget under control and this is a way to do it. what is also really, i think, why this program has been so successful, is that it puts the people first. it says, we're going to listen to you. congress has not been listening to the people over the last year and a half. this is an opportunity to take an up or down vote in accord with whether the public wants us to go, which is to cut the deficit. host: let's go to our caller. kevin on the democrat line. i wt your opinion on the last election. everyone is always loong forward to the next election. what is your view of the last election, as a republican. i am a democrat-independent --

maybe more of a libertarian these days. ron paul was fantastic in his debat and being demeaned by fox news. i represent -- republican party. what we have seen in the past 15 years is the emergence of the neocons, starting with the bush era. i wanted to know about what you thought about his chances? as a democrat, i would even vote for him. guest: as far ron paul is concerned, i guess you are talking about his prospects for 2012. we had midterm elections in six months. that will be in a tactful to what happens in 2012.

mber one come it is about who in the party will be responsive to the people. which party cares about the opinions of the people? which party will pursue an agenda that will get the economy going again? republicans he been focused over the past year and a half, on trying to work with this administration and majority in congress. unfortunately, speaker pelosi in her majority have been unwilling to work in a bipartisan fashion to fix the problems that people are facing. we have got to cut the deficit, we have to change the culture in washington. again, this is why we are talking about this very successful yooucut program on line. how can democrats or republicans turned their back on people who have opined online on monday by to see in budget cutting?

republicans have said, we know theay that america is successful. we have to rely on creativity, innovation in the private sector. what we have seen over the past year and a half is an agenda that has gone in the other direction. america has seen a washington that has taken over the auto industry, health insurance industry, student loan industry, killing tens of thousands of jobs. some people accuse the administration of taking over the internet. there is a bill in the senate that would take over the banking industry. in my view, america is at a critical crossroads. we have to make a decision as to what kind of country we want to be. our agenda is to make sure america is the place that we know, that is built on the hard

work and efforts of people, not what happened in washington. host: you and others have predicted that you are going to win the upcoming elections. if you do not come is it a failure? guest: first of all, because it is a critil crossroads, a time when aamerican are concerned about the agenda, republicans will serve as a check and balance on this unfettered power. what we have run down is -- what we have right now is hen our majority. if we do not change this, unfortunately, we are going to see ourselves going to a destination very much like greece. there are two options here.

one is the direction like a country of greece. a public model heavy on onerous regulations, higher taxes, and political obligations in this town. in turn, weekend return back to that land oopportunity and freedom that most people in america can say that their ancestors came here for. that is what we should be about. host: linda. minneapolis. caller: i hope you can answer my question without any talking points. i have two questions. does your wife worked for bank of america? guest: no, she does not caller: did you vote for the -- against financial reform when it came through the house? guest: yes, i did.

caller: my final question is, ron paul, he was the republican candidate in kentucky. he is against the civil rights act, he is against education. guest: i am not familiar with his position on those issues. host: he said last night that he supports many aspects of the civil-rights act when it comes to the government, but has concerns about business is being able to set their own rules and standards. guest: not being familiar with his position, i cannot comment. host: ok, we are moving on. ralph. chicago, illinois. caller: i believe the drug on moors is bankrupting us physically, morally,

financially. half of americans want medical marijuana. many past presidents have called to end the war on drugs. maybe you could call an immediate end to the 100-year war on drugs? gut: i disagree with your assertion that we should stop the war on drugs. we need to focus on global mobile population in the country that can fall prey to the kind of individuals pushing these drugs onto our streets and neighborhoods. i disagree with a see that we should have an open season as far as illegal drugs. i think we should do everything we can to keep illegal drugs out of our neighborhoods and schools. host: year bond. laurel, maryland. caller: i have a comment and question. i think the republican party has

come up with every trick in the book to get back into the white house. i must admit, you have played a very good game this year. my comment is from the commentary on fox news, rush limbaugh, and other right- wingers, tea party. what do you think of the way they have behaved? guest: right now, we have a situation in this country where most people who are independent -- independence-minded, trying to discern what is working, in terms of politics -- and very, very frustrated. they want to see accountability in washington folks associated with the tea party movement are no different than most independents in the country that

are fed up with a lack of leadership in washington. they are tired of the partisanship and bickering. they want washington to deliver results. they want to see results that will restore america to the notion that we know america is. america has always been the place of freedom and opportunity. to me, it is like the statue of liberty. that is whyeople come here. no oth place in the world does it matter so little where you come from and not -- and more about where you are going. the more we see washington expand, the more involvement we see our government, the less freedom we are going to have. i agree with what you say about people's ire and frustration. we have to admit, washington has

failed. people are looking for balance in this town. they are looking for responsiveness to their needs. first and foremost, it is about getting the economy going again. people connect washington and the spending sprees as an inbitor to their jobs, growth, opportunity. if you want to participate, i think where we all should ce together, we have to produce the size of washington and the deficit, or we will turn into greece. host: is that what you attribute to the victory of dr. paul in kentucky? guest: yes, they want to see accountability in politicians, no doubt. host: randy.

virginia. caller: good morning. i am from williamsburg, rginia. i consider myself a republican. operate a business that has a mobile to this facility. i often find myself challenged at school board meetings and boar of supervisors -- it does not make a difference what party everyone is affiliated with. they just focus on the owners who have been there so long. my program goes from the school to the corner. i recently worked the aqueduct apartment in newport news, where people were murded this past month. there are 150 children that live in that area and there are few options for them to change their environment. that is what i do. i have a 75havearig with

stationary bikes, flat screen tvs, music. we can change the enviroent from a challenge corner to a health and wellness corner. host: it sounds like you have an innovative concept in your business. certainly, health and wellness should be an emphasis for most families. it sound like you are providing a great service to kids who may not otherwise get that influence. host:carl on the independent line. west palm beach, florida. caller: good morning. i have been looking at the political situation since i have been here in 1991.

when i look at the financial situation, it was your administration that brought us down. now we are trying to get out, but you are trying to strike fear in us, like greece. host: we are losing you a little bit, so i m going to leave it there. guest: republicans care about the future of this country. what we are seeing here, you mentioned the financial reform bill in the senate. we have an attempt to overhaul our system of finance that one and test small businesses and families across the country and will provide them with more