warranted. however, u.s. industrial and consumer products going to panama face an average duty of 7%. and u.s. agricultural exports face an average tariff of 15%. implementing this agreement will level the playing field for u.s. exporters by drastically reducing or ending panama's tariff on u.s. goods. most u.s. consumer and industrial products will immediately become duty-free as will half of u.s. farm exports. any remaining tariffs will decrease quickly thereafter. opening panama's market will be a boone for u.s. companies, workers and farmers. the panamanian economy is rapidly growing and is expected to more than double by 2020. panama is already one of the largest markets for some u.s. exporters and service firms. the importance of panama will only grow for these firms and others as we gain greater access to this expanding economy. this is also true for our farmers. whose exports to panama are

expected to significantly increase under the agreement. not only will american farmers benefit from lower tariffs into panama, they will also benefit from the removal of nontariff and regulatory barriers that discriminate against u.s. agricultural products. best of all the agreement will create new jobs and greater prosperity in the united states without adding to the deficit. finally the benefits of the u.s.-panama trade promotion agreement are not only economic, the agreement is critical to fostering our commitment to latin america, enhancing our leadership in the western hemisphere and reaffirming our relationship with a close friend. panama is obviously a vital ally in terms of port and maritime security. it is also an important partner in drug trafficking and terrorism. of course there is also the panama's crown jewel, the canal. the united states is the largest user of the canal and canal security is paramount to our national security and

broadly to open sea routes. panama's cooperation in maintaining security of the canal has been vital to our security in the region. madam speaker, for all of these reasons, the time to wait is past. we urgently need to pass this important job-creating legislation and move forward on an aggressive trade agenda once again. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: thank you, i yield myself one minute. as i said, as to colombia, each of these agreements should be taken on their own. the panama f.t.a. as originally negotiated by the bush administration failed to address serious concerns about panama's labor laws and status as a tax haven. it has been changed through the efforts of congressional

democrats and the obama administration and it now deserves our support. fully enforceable labor and environment standards are included in the core of this agreement. panama has brought its laws into full compliance with standards. and late last year panama signed a tax exchange information agreement and they have changed their laws to implement this agreement. republicans negotiated a flawed agreement, it has been fixed. it now deserves its support. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: thank you very much, madam speaker. i yield to myself such time as i may consume. may i proceed? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kucinich: i rise in strong opposition to h.r. 3079, the

united states-panama trade implementation act. with our nation's unemployment continuing to hover around 9%, it is unconscionable that we're considering a nafta clone free trade agreement. this agreement would further facilitate the outsourcing of american jobs and undermine the rights of american workers. proponents of free trade agreements like to report that they're good for the american economy and will create jobs. but history is on the side of those of us who oppose nafta, capta -- cafta and other damaging trade agreements over the last decade. free trade agreements play a significant role in exacerbating the negative effects of globalization including the rapid privatization of vital public resources. they've resulted in the loss of domestic jobs and manufacturing industries and in significant decreases to labor and environmental standards. in addition, free trade agreements result in

significant job loss and privatization of labor intensive industries for countries we enter into the trade agreements with. unionizing in countries like mexico and colombia has resulted in death or imprisonment of union leaders. every state in this country has been affected negatively by our destructive trade policies. the economic policy institute estimates that nearly 700,000 u.s. jobs have been displaced since the passage of nafta in the 1990's. the majority of the jobs displaced, 60% were in the manufacturing sector. my home state of ohio is one of the top 10 states with the most jobs displaced by nafta, having lost 34,900 jobs. our rapidly increasing trade deficits with countries like china has resulted in the loss of over five million jobs in the last decade. of that five million the state of ohio has lost 103,000 jobs, as a result of the increase in our trade deficit with china. this is not a debate about

being for trade or against trade, as some of my colleagues have framed it. this is a debate about learning from the free trade policies we've pursued over the last decade that have proven to be significantly damaging to the american economy and american workers. the numbers speak for themselves. i urge my colleagues to oppose this agreement. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of the trade subcommittee, the gentleman from texas, mr. brady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. brady: thank you, madam speaker. i rise strongly in support of this bipartisan legislation to create jobs in america and to strengthen our relationship with the strong, long standing ally in our hemisphere, panama. why wouldn't we sign this sales agreement? panama is a growing market, almost a 9% growth in their

economy, in a major way in our backyard. they are an economy that matches up beautifully with america. most of its services, most of its economy is service sector, like the united states, it providing brand new customers, not just for manufacturing and agriculture, but our services sector which is critical to so many communities across this country. it's time to act now because we're falling behind. while america's been off the trade agenda, other countries have moved forward very aggressively and panama, recognizing its strategic importance and its economic growth, has signed similar sales agreements with taiwan and singapore. and with europe and canada and many more in the line so every day we wait, american manufacturers, american famplers -- farmers, american technology companies lose out. and, finally, panama has done so much to tackle issues, labor rights.

their strong commitment to labor rights, having recently passed under the president, nearly a dozen laws strengthening labor rights in panama. and to address the issue of tax avoidance and tax haven, panama has signed many agreements including with the united states to be transparent to the point where they are now recognizing internationally as being as committed to open tax treaties and tax treatment as the united states is today. mr. speaker, there's no reason to wait implementing the panama agreement -- waiting. implement -- to wait. implementing the panama agreement will strengthen our economy and keep america from falling further behind. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: madam speaker, since i came to congress, i've worked together with congresswoman capture in challenging these -- captur in

-- kaptur in challenging these unfair trade agreements. i am proud to yield to the gentlelady from ohio for her presentation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for four minutes. ms. kaptur: i want to thank my good friend from ohio for yielding me the time and for his steadfast opposition to these free trade agreements and i rise in strong opposition to this proposed panama free trade agreement. who in their right mind could believe any free trade agreements modeled on nafta would create jobs in our country? i remember during the 1990's fighting the first nafta accord here and newt gingrich saying at that time, nafta would help the united states and i quote, by increasing american jobs through world sales. sure. here's what nafta yielded. a trillion dollars in accumulated trade deficit and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of lost american jobs that moved from cleveland and moved from avon lake and moved

from toledo to other places in this world, south of the border. why do we go bant -- why don't we go back and fix this? let's be honest. panama's entire g.d.p. equals 6% of the economy of the washington, d.c., metropolitan area. so what could this panama agreement actually be about? well, letters we've received give us some insight into what it might be about. with panama we know that the country has a longstanding money laundering problem and that it is a tax haven for corporations. how convenient. in 2008 the government accountability office included panama on its 50 country tax haven list. get the picture? starting to clear some of the fog? we all know about some of these kaman island accounts, well, why don't we add panama right to the stack?

panama was long on the oecd's gray list of countries that failed to implement internationally agreed upon tax standards. ooh, these guys have got something really good going. but you know what? in this country it would be illegal. according to public citizen, approximately 400,000 firms and numerous wealthy individuals use panama's offshore financial services industry to dodge paying their taxes. i thought we were supposed to be for returning those tax dollars to the united states, not giving them another escape hatch. . panama has a history of failing to protect workers and labor rights. and the sierra club said the panama agreement has the same agreements that allow foreign investors and corporations to directly challenge public interest laws for compensation before international tribunals

bypassing domestic courts. in other words, the rule of law gets shredded piece by piece by piece. as the building and construction trades at the afl-cio noted, the panama agreement, quote, undermines the buy america policies that re-invest in our communities. you know, it's really sad when an institution and an administration keeps doing the same thing over and over and over again that is hollowing out the jobs in the united states of america. we want to make it in america, we don't want to outsource more jobs, provide more escapes. and when you represent the people of ohio, and every time you keep 100 jobs, they snatch away 300 and they say to the

workers, you earning too much money, $14, you are going down to $9, you don't like that? there are 7,000 workers lined up for a part-time job. this congress better wake up and renegotiate these trade deals have cost the middle class across this country their ability to earn a living in america. i thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp is recognized. mr. camp: i yield two minutes to the distinguished from illinois, mr. kinzinger. mr. kinzinger: america is talking so much right now and there is such a need for jobs. over 9% of this country that is begging every day for the opportunity to go out and work

and earn a living. we have a middle class that is feeling the squeeze because we feel disappearing manufacturing. and i'm concerned about that in my district in illinois. we have a very heavy manufacturing base and when you look at that heavy manufacturing base and the fact that they produce a lot of goods that have to be exported, you have to find a consumer base in order to sell it. and 95% of the world's consumers live outside of our country, it makes sense to create an environment where we could take our goods and in a fairway export them to other countries. panama, an allied of the united states, can charge tariffs on our imports. that would bring this to a level playing field and the people in my district wondering if they are going to have a pay check, the opportunity to enhance their

exports, enhance those american goods made in america and we have a very agricultural district in my area, too. and when i look at the farmers and opportunities to sell their products, that's very important. as you know in business, the ability to be successful means you have to be on the cutting edge and constantly finding markets in places to sell your goods at. this does that for us. i think it's sad for us to get to this point and we have lost a lot of opportunities in the process. but i'm pleased today that we are taking up these three agreements and pleased we are taking up this trade agreement with panama and have the opportunity to strengthen a band with a strong ally and strengthen our exports and the tens of thousands of people who rely on trade in my district

will have the opportunity to sell more goods. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin is recognized. mr. levin: i yield four minutes to the distinguished the gentleman from washington, ranking on our trade subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized for four minutes. mr. mcdermott: madam speaker, i agree with the last gentleman. we ought to be talking about the jobs bill. the president put a bill out here and the republican leadership won't bring it up. this is a break from trade policies in the past. it reflects hard work of many of us to change u.s. trade policy. there are five reasons to support this agreement. first, it has strong enforceable labor and environmental obligations. many of us fought for years to get these commitments into our trade agreements. we lost those battles in 1995. i was here when nafta passed.

and the debate six years later, which is why in that agreement, 15 democrats voted for it because it wouldn't take care of workers. that all changed in 2007 when the democrats took over the house. the last administration finally accepted our demands on labor, the environment and other issues, such as access to medicine. this agreement includes all of those. we have used the leverage of this agreement to eliminate a tax haven. no one denies that panama is a great tax haven but modified the tax agreement with us, which the "wall street journal" says, quote, the most significant step to date on the road to ending four decades of virtually water-tight banking secrecy laws. we asked them to bring their labor standards. and this does more to regulate those found in past agreements

such as chapter 11 in nafta. this agreement clarifies that the environmental regulations are not -- finally, the united states is consistently maintained a trade surplus with panama for over 20 years and this agreement is expected to increase. i support the agreement. panama has done what we have asked and they should than joy the benefits of a free trade agreement. but make no mistake, we need to do more than improve our u.s. trade policy. we have to get the republican leadership in the house and senate to admit that we are going to have to have a jobs bill. we have been in session for 300 days after an election which all we heard, the democrats didn't get jobs, jobs, jobs. and now 300 days, excellence --

silence, silence on the republican side. no one single bill. when is it coming, folks? that ought to be the next bill coming up on the floor. i urge my colleagues to vote for this. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of the foreign relations committee, ms. ros-lehtinen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker and the chairman for the time. madam speaker, i rise in strong support of the u.s.-panama free trade agreement. panama is already in my home district, miami-dade's top 25 trading partners and florida as a whole, ranks number one in all of the states in exports to that country, incredible numbers. and these figures will only increase once the f.t.a. has

been approved and american businesses no longer face heavy tariffs and other artificial barriers to trade. in addition to the potential economic growth stemming from this agreement, panama is a key strategic ally in the region. ever since the panama canal was completed, panama's importance to the u.s. has only increased as a major transportation route with 2/3 of its traffic between a west and east coast. for this reasons, expanded exports, increased jobs, closer ties with a strategic ally, i hope we pass this free trade agreement. madam speaker, we have been waiting for this agreement for far too along. years of lost opportunities. now we have a chance to repair that damage. panama's economy has grown 6.2%

making it one of the fastest growing in latin america and opportunity for american businesses. u.s. industrial exports face an average tariff of 7%, but some tariffs go as high as 80%. once this agreement goes into effect, 87% of all u.s. goods exported to panama will become duty-free. since the free trade agreement was signed, american companies have paid millions upon millions of tariffs to the government of panama. these dollars are spent by u.s. companies to foreign governments when they could have been paid here to the united states. i thank the speaker for the time and thank the chairman for the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. mr. levin: could you tell us how much time is for each of us,

make sure we are in sync. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin has 26 minutes remaining. the gentleman from ohio has 23 minutes remaining. and the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp has 21 minutes remaining. mr. levin: i now yield 2 1/2 minutes to the distinguished the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. cuellar: by leveling the playing field with panama, colombia and south korea, we will spur job creation. the u.s. needs trade to create job growth as a leader of the great economy. i represent a region of texas

where trade is important. i realize the importance and supporting the local economy. as the chairman of the pro-trade caucus, i support all three pending trade agreements. today, trade supports over 50 million american jobs according to the u.s. department of treasury. this will create a quarter of a million new jobs in industries like manufacturing, agriculture and service sectors, according to the u.s. chamber of commerce. last week, the "wall street journal" reported it would boost u.s. exports by $13 billion. to grow we must be an export powerhouse. and american groups entering into panama, over 87% of the u.s. exports of consumer industrial products to panama will become duty-free immediately and remaining tariffs paid over 10 years.

u.s. international trade commission estimates passage would increase u.s. exports by over $10 billion and create 70,000 american jobs. according to the national association of national manufacturers, the exports to korea would grow by one-third. it would expand exports by $1.1 billion with tariff reductions according to the international trade commission. without the u.s.-colombia f.t.a., it will have unnecessarily paid over $14 million in tariffs. lawmakers have a choice, pass the deal, pass the deal and miss a chance to create 250,000 american jobs, pass the deal to allow american businesses to sit on the side lines while foreign countries forge ahead. america must pass the colombia, korea and panama trade deals or

we will fall behind. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich is recognized. mr. kucinich: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from new york, who has made a real impact on this congress in her first year, mishoachull. . ms. hochul: first the jobs went south, then they went overseas. jobs gone forever. as he left for my flight, she said to me, said, keep fighting

for our jobs, don't forget us. well, i won't forget her. if i thought any of these free trade agreements would help that woman or others in my district, i'd be all in favor. but in western new york, we know better. we were promised prosperity with earlier trade agreements. but while the companies became more prosperous, the jobs were sucked away from our community to foreign shores, lost forever. as they say in the song made famous by the who, we don't get fooled again. i encourage my colleagues to oppose these agreements and i yield back the balance of my time. thank you, madam chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: at this time i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: thank you. i now yield one minute to the gentlelady from wisconsin, ms. baldwin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from wisconsin is recognized for one minute. ms. baldwin: thank you, madam

speaker. i rise today in opposition to this trade agreement with panama and to the two others that we are considering this week, with south korea and colombia. trade agreements should be in the best interests of our nation and its people. but sadly this has not been the case with the past free trade agreements. have some of our wealthiest corporations profited from them? indeed. but the rest of america, especially the middle class, has struggled with job loss, closed factories and economic and emotional anguish across the country. i hear from wisconsin families every day that are struggling mightily. struggling to pay the mortgage, put food on the table and send their kids to college. especially during these uncertain economic times, the solution is to put our people back to work and preserve american jobs. when done right, trade agreements can help bolster our

manufacturing and high-skill technology industries, and create jobs as they increase exports and help our economy recover. done wrong trade agreements send these same jobs offshore, leaving americans out of work. unfortunately i believe these trade agreements with south korea, panama and colombia will exacerbate the u.s. trade deficit and further erode our manufacturing base. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, reserves. the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich is recognized. mr. kucinich: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kucinich: the u.s.-panama free trade agreement requires the u.s. to waive by america requirements for all panamanian incorporated firms and even many chinese and other foreign

firms incorporated in panama in order to exploit the tax system. this means that work that should go to u.s. workers can be offshored because of the rules which forbid buy america preferences, requiring u.s. employees to perform contract work by a federal agency in the federal procurement process. according to the global trade watch, the u.s. would be waiving buy america requirements for trillions and u.s. government contracts for any corporations established in panama and in exchange would get almost no new procurement contract opportunities in panama for u.s. companies. this trade deal is in the nafta tradition, of weakening offshore protections, limiting financial resource service regulations, banning buy america procurement preferences, limiting environmental, food and product safety safeguards and undermining u.s. workers and our economy. we have to defeat this. we have to be able to buy

america or it's bye-bye america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: let me ask mr. camp, you have -- mr. camp: i have one minute remaining with one additional speaker. mr. levin: and one additional speaker? mr. camp: one minute with one speaker. mr. levin: shall we follow the order i think we set? you want to do that? i'll use my remaining time and mr. kucinich will finish? mr. camp: all right. then, madam speaker, then i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr. bilbray. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. bilbray: thank you, madam speaker. first of all, this is not offshore. this proposal is next door. these are our neighbors. second of all, this is not just about great opportunities economically for america. we hear people talk about the environment. when you recycle so-called

replace your cell phones, where do you think they go? they get rebuilt and shipped down to our neighbors to the south so they can have the economic opportunities, they can have the learning opportunities. this is the kind of cooperation we want to see in our hemisphere. but to attack panama, which is the leader of showing how they can stimulate an economy with almost 10% growth, to attack panama, showing, allowing the working class access to recycled material, environmentally friendly, but economically uplifting, to attack that kind of agreement on this floor and then say that you're for the environment and you're for helping the poor, don't come to this floor and say you care about the environment, you care about the needy and you care about our neighbors and oppose this proposal. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: could i request how much time i have remaining?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, has 22 1/2 minutes remaining. mr. levin: so i will now use -- i yield myself 2 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan yields himself 2 1/2 minutes. he's recognized. mr. levin: i voted against nafta. i led on this floor the battle against cafta. i did so because in those agreements there were not enforceable international worker rights. we face this in panama. as originally negotiated, there was not the implementation of those rights in panama. they had certain provisions relating to newer businesses, they also had restrictions in

terms of trade zones and what we said to the panamanians was, bring your laws up to international standards. that's exactly what they did. this is the opposite in that respect of nafta and cafta. so it is not accurate to say this is a nafta-type agreement. it simply is not. in terms of government procurement we want access for our companies and workers to the construction that's going on in the panama canal zone. it's vital for our companies. and so essentially in this agreement there is a provision that we can have access there

with limits as they can with limits to us. it's mutually beneficial. lastly, there's been reference to the tax haven. panama was a tax haven, one of the most striking in the world. and we insisted that they pass, that they enact something. they've done exactly that. so, if we take these one at a time, this is an agreement that meets our standards, that changes the agreement from the way it was negotiated by the bush administration. we should support this agreement. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, yields back.

the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich, is recognized. mr. kucinich: i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kucinich: panama is one of the world's worst tax havens, allowing u.s. individuals and corporations to skirt their responsibility to pay taxes that are vital to the local communities that depend on these revenues. this agreement does nothing to address this issue. at a time when austerity measures are being proposed to balance the budget, we should not be considering a free trade agreement that fails to deal with an issue critical to addressing our deficit. this free trade agreement includes provisions that undermine our own laws to combat tax haven activity. public citizens global trade watch reports that the f.t.a. services, financial services and investment chapters include provisions that forbid limits on transfers of money between the u.s. and panama, yet such limits are the strongest tools that the u.s. has to enforce policies aimed at stopping international tax avoidance. the agreement fails to hold panama and corporations accountable for tax evasion. the agreement only requires

panama to stop refusing to provide information especially if u.s. officials know to inquire who is telling. there's a significant exception that allows panama to reject requests for information if it's contrary to the national interest. do not reward corporations to offshore jobs and practice international tax avoidance. do not hurt american workers -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. >> have bought house and senate will likely pass the three trade deals. the house debated the measures last night. it comes after the white house sent them to capitol hill last week. live senate coverage on c-span2 , live house coverage here on c- span.

>> it is the fact-based story on a topic of your choosing. it has a strong beginning, middle, and ending. >♪ best videot need the equipment. cellphones and click cameras do a good job. if you need more help, go to studentcam.org. >> the process can be confusing but c-span will help you get organized. read the rules carefully and check what you need to do. but the process becomes clear once you get started. >> another great thing is that you can work alone or in teams. for example, if you are a good

writer but not handy with a camera, get a friend to help out. you will increase your chances of winning. >> you do not need to be an expert at the video production or interviewing to make this work. if you can use your parents, other students, teachers, and see spends -- in c-span has resources along the way. this is rewarding. with a little effort, anyone can do this. ♪ >> federal authorities uncovered a plot to kill the saudi arabian ambassador to the u.s. sent to bomb a saudi embassy according to eric holder. the attorney general announced the charges against two men linked to the iranian government. this news conference is 20

minutes. >> good afternoon. today, the department of justice is announcing charges against two people who allegedly attempted to carry out a deadly plot that was directed by factions of the iranian government to assassinate a foreign ambassador here in the united states. manssor arbabsiar, a naturalized u.s. citizen who holds an iranian passport and was arrested last month in new york, is accused of working with members of an arm of the iranian revolutionary guard corps to devise an international murder-for-hire scheme targeting the saudi arabian ambassador to the united states. according to the complaint filed today in the southern district of new york, arbabsiar is alleged to have orchestrated a $1.5 million assassination plot with gholam shakuri, an iranian-based member of the qods force, and other iranian co-

conspirators. the qods force is a unit of the iranian islamic revolutionary guard corps. it is also suspected of sponsoring attacks against the coalition forces in iraq and was designated by the department of treasury in 2007 for providing material support to the taliban and other terrorist organizations. the complaint alleges that this conspiracy was conceived, sponsored and directed from iran and constitutes a flagrant violation of u.s. and international law, including a convention that explicitly protects diplomats from being harmed. in addition to holding these individual conspirators accountable for their alleged role in this plot, the united states is committed to holding iran accountable for its actions. arbabsiar and shakuri are charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of

international terrorism, among other charges. arbabsiar has been in custody since september 29, 2011, while shakuri -- based in iran -- remains at large. according to the complaint, earlier this spring arbabsiar met with a confidential informant from the drug enforcement administration who was posing as an associate of a violent international drug trafficking cartel. the meeting, which took place in may in mexico, was the first of a series that would result in an international conspiracy by elements of the iranian government to pay the informant $1.5 million to murder the ambassador on u.s. soil, according to documents we filed today in court. according to the complaint, those discussions led arbabsiar -- with shakuri's approval -- to facilitate the wiring of approximately $100,000 into a bank account in the united states as a down payment for the attempted assassination. the complaint also states that

in the days since the defendant's arrest, he has confessed to his participation in the alleged plot as well as provided other valuable information about elements of the iranian government's role in it. the disruption of this alleged plot marks a significant achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence agencies as well as the close cooperation of our partners in the mexican government. i want to commend the outstanding work of the agencies involved in this investigation, including the fbi and director mueller, who is here with me today, and the dea. their agents and analysts worked closely with prosecutors here at the department's national security division as well as in the southern district of new york over these many months to monitor this alleged conspiracy, obtain valuable information and bring one of the primary plotters to justice. thank you for your remarkable work. now, i'd like to turn it over to director mueller.

>> borders and boundaries are increasingly irrelevant, and though it reads like the pages of a hollywood script, the impact would have been real and many lives would have been lost. these individuals had no regard for intended victims, and no regard for innocent citizens who may have been hurt or killed. they had no regard for the rules of law. with these charges we bring to the full weight of about ball to their on those responsible -- to bear on those responsible.

we send a clear message that any attempts on american soil will not be tolerated. this was not a typical case for any of us, but it represents the full range of threats we face, and it illustrates the need for an continued collaboration between agencies, departments, countries. it bears repeating. it is only working side by side that we are able to stop plots like this before they can take hold. we will continue to work together to find and stop those who seek to do us harm, whether they seek to strike overseas or here at home, whether it is a conspiracy to kill a foreign official on u.s. soil, a terrorist attack on united states citizens, or st. crichton -- or street crime in our communities.

>> thank you very much. i want to echo the remarks of the attorney general and others today they gain in -- thanking those involved. this is a significant milestone. the facts of shed light on -- the facts as alleged today, shed light on an assassination plot that was conceived and sponsored by elements of the iranian government thanks to a -- government. thanks to a coordinated law enforcement effort, we were able to penetrate and thwart a plot before it could result in harm to the ambassador or anyone else. i want to thank the men and women from the counterterrorism section for their efforts in helping to shepherd this case and for their efforts in the extensive coordination required to rise at today's result.

-- to arrive at the day's results. now this case more than any in recent memory involved incredible collaboration. partners over several months. were it not for the hard work of our many partners, we would not be standing here today. i want to thank our partners in the u.s. attorney's office for the southern district of new york, for their expensive and hard work on this matter. i want your acknowledge the work of prosecutors in houston u.s. attorney's office and the joint task force. they deserve a special condemnation for obtaining -- commendation for obtaining information on those behind it. i want to thank the intelligence community for its critical role in this matter. the national security division and was designed to serve as a place where intelligence and law enforcement come together. i am proud to say we served that purpose here.

this case demonstrates how the division is supposed to work and should serve as a model for future cases. and i introduced the u.s. attorney for the southern district. >> thank you. as has been described, the complaint reveals a well-funded and pernicious plot but had as -- that act as -- that had as its first priority the assassination of the saudi ambassador to the united states. they had no concern concern -- no care or concern about inflicting mass casualties. the confidential source noted there could be 100 people to 150 people in a fictional restaurant where the requested bombing could take place common and including possibly members of congress. the lead defendant said no big

deal they were ready and willing and able to carry out their plan, and it did not stop there. the assassination was intended to be the opening act in a series of attacks by their cohorts in iran. i want to thank all the partners for unraveling this plot before it even got off the ground. our work is the product of a collaborative effort of monks -- of intelligence and law- enforcement agencies but share a commitment to keeping america saves.

-- keeping america safe. i want to commend director muller for extensive work, and the assistant director in the new york office. i also want to thank the issues -- the houston office in office for their important role in the investigation, and finally, i want to acknowledge the dedicated workers in my office, the deputy u.s. attorney, and the acting chief of the criminal division during your -- criminal division. none of us have gotten much sleep, and we are safe because of it. we need to make it clear we will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground.

thank you. >> we will take any questions you might have. >> when you say you are going to hold around accountable, what do you mean by that -- hold iran accountable, what do you mean by that? >> we will be working with our colleagues at the white house at and the state department. >> they will be taking further action, which we will be making known over the next few hours. gov >> to what degree are you saying the iranian government is implicit? -- complice it? what exactly are you saying? >> reorganization i reference -- the organization are reference is a component of the iranian government. as we have alleged in the complaint, we say this was directed and approved by senior members of the iranian military, hyatt officials in those

agencies -- high officials in those agencies. >> are you saying the iranian government knew about this? >> we are not making that charge. >> what is the understood motivation to? >> we are restricting our comments to those we were charged. >> were there any charges to be brought in d.c.? >> cases can be brought in a lot of districts. one of the basis is of it being in the southern district of new

york, i reported there was a $100,000 down payment on the legend and now assassination attempt. dallas to a bank in the southern district of new york. -- that was to a bank in the southern district of new york. >> besides the wiring of money, what were the other i sent noma -- what were the other acts? >> the complaint suggests a couple of overt acts. the discussion and conversation that took place, the meeting that took place, and remember, the entire time this was being investigated, it was under the -- the confidential source was operating under the guidance of the fbi and other agencies. no one was ever under any actual danger. >> what role did the mexican government play in this? >> since the subjects trouble back-and-forth, can you tell us how they were involved -- travel back-and-forth, would you tell

us how they are involved hamas -- how they are involved? >> we of all commended the mexican government for their cooperation, helping us uncover an unwanted. -- and on the wind did. -- and aunwind it. >> i do not want to go into too much detail, but it is significant, and i do not think it without it we would have accomplished what we did today. >> are there other references -- are there folks who are expected to have a partner in the united states said you are looking for? >> we have no basis to believe there any other co-conspirators share in the united states. >> as the iranian man no the restaurant company -- know which restaurant?

or is that something the confidential informant came up with? how is the other persons still at large? >> i do not think it is appropriate to comment on the second question. for the first question, there identifiedctually an restaurant. i refer to as the fictional restaurant and night -- in my remarks. it was the way in which the confidential source was providing information to people paying in this assassination plot and the way he was setting upon what was requested of him after the payment was made. >> can you elaborate what kind of attack this was? would it be a car bomb? >> it is not a very long document. i direct you to the complaint. there is a discussion about the way in which the assassination attempt would go off, and i think there is a discussion

about the best way to do it, whether it should been indoors or outdoors, and at some point there is a discussion of using explosives devices. that is why one of the charges is use of a weapon of mass destruction. >> this culminated with two hikers. is there any discussion with the state department? >> this case was brought as the facts dictated. we had been at this for a number of months. our colleagues were on this matter in respect of of what was going on. -- in respective of what was going on. >> at what point was the saudi government brought in?

>> i am not sure when they were notified. they have been notified and were reacting as well. >> were there others that were in danger? >> with regard to this conspiracy, no, but dirksen i think one has to be concerned about the nature of what the iranian government attempted to do, and one thing the state department will be doing is getting in touch with other allies around the world. we will make them aware exactly of what happened here today. >> i have to ask you about the cast and furious investigation. if you can indulge me. the report is they are preparing subpoenas on the hill. they need top officials in the justice department. apparently they do not believe your testimony. what you have to say about that?

how will you comply with the subpoenas? >> we sent thousands of documents to the hilt. -- to the hill. we will look at the subpoenas and undoubtably comply with them. what i want the american people to understand is set it will not detract us from the justice department. including matters like the one we have announced today. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> both house and the senate

will debate and likely pass the trade agreements with colombia, panama, and south korea. the senate finance committee approved the three trade deals yesterday, and the house debated the measures last night. this comes after the white house sent them to capitol hill last week. lightsquared said it would take legal action if the federal communications commission does not give the ok for its cellphone tires around the country. the gps industry says that it will interfere with their receivers. the house small business committee will take a look at those claims later today. we will have live coverage at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> find the relate -- the latest release is for your fall reading list on book tv. jacqueline kennedy's taped conversations, carolyn can all the presenting them, with the discussion.

september 19, 57, linked forever and i central photograph. examining both of the lives. pulitzer prize winner daniel juergen on the impact the oil industry has on the environment. find the book tv schedule online at our website. >> @ "washington journal" is next. we will take your calls, e- mails, and tweets. the house is back later for general speeches. at noon, they will work on most trade agreements. live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. coming up this hour, we will get an update on the plot to kill saudi arabia's ambassador to the u.s.. house intelligence committee member congresswoman jan member congresswoman jan schakowsky