the caller hung up on them and we were able to trace that call and go to that home. it was in new jersey and we found her in the basement of that home. and -- [applause] i was moved by the generosity of people working in the drugstore, the accounting firm, the law firm that spent their time going around looking to try and help others. i remember on one occasion one of our team reported that they show add flyer of her picture to a girl -- i don't recall what her age was. he said have you seen this girl? she said no but you're not the first person that's come up to me and asked me. she said i wish my parents cared so much about me that they would do something like this for me. we're a generous people.

i remember i was out at the olympics in 2002 in salt lake city helping organize the games. there was a report of a tornado, i believe in oklahoma city. one of the fellows they heard about and met as well, he said it will take forever to fema to get there to help them. he said i'm going to fill my minivan and fill it with bread from the local bakery and drive to it clokets. give people some bread. the radio station heard about it and said if you want him to bring some stuff, come to a parking lot in downtown salt lake city. so many people responded they needed two semitrucks. they drove to clokets. they were met by the police. he said i'm just here helping out. they let him through and he districted blankets and food and so forth.

we're a generous people, a people that care for others. i love this country. what an amazing land we live in. i love america. [applause] >> hi, governor. with so many of today's prices rising and costs keep going up, from gas to food and whatever, when you're president, what can you do to help seniors who are struggling who may only have social security and who are looking at well, do i put food on the table or do i pay my doctor bills or pay for my medications? the costs keep going up but i'm on a fixed income. my fixed income is staying the same and they're having to choose between food and doctor bills and their medications. what can you do to help seniors

that are in that situation? >> thank you so much. there are so many people that are really struggling right now. it's seniors, it's middle income families that the median income of america has dropped 10%. 10% in the last four years and health prices are up, food prices are up, energy prices way up. gasoline, that is. and so people are really hurting across the country. the best thing i can do, of course, is to get the economy going again, to get people back to work and to see rising incomes and wages. the best thing i can do for seniors is make sure they never have to worry about social security and medicare. people who rely on these things should know that if i'm president of the united states they will not only be protected but be preserves. i will make sure those programs are permanent and there for the

seniors of today and the seniors of tomorrow. thank you. yes, ma'am. >> -- you have a name tag on. is that darlene? >> yes, it is. >> hi. >> there's one area of the economy that would help stimulate many, many jobs in many areas. and it needs some help now. and that is the housing market. what can you do to help that? it helps so many jobs in so many areas that will help so many people. >> there are two things, let me mention, and let me tell you what they are. number one, we need banks, particularly community banks that have been in many cases those that have originated these loans in other cases they service them today. we need those banks to be willing to renegotiate with people who are under water in their homes. if you have someone who has an

income and can meet payments that are a little lower than the current mortgage, work with them, renegotiate. don't put the home into foreclosure if those people are able to stay at home and meet those obligation a -- obligations. a lot of small banks are frightened with dodd-frank, afraid that the inspectors are going to come in and punish them. we keep people at home that can make reasonable payments. number two -- if you have 11.1% unemployment, it's going to be real hard to get the housing market going again. the right way to get the housing market going is to have people working again. if people are working again, they can buy homes and move from town to town and if there are more people demanding homes than there are supply of homes, then the values will go up. you're seeing people suffering

by sir chew of an economy that has not been rebooted. i will do everything in my power to get good jobs for the american people. i know what i have to do to make this is most attractive place for interpret nurs and small inventors. we've enjoyed many years of great prosperity and growth in america. it's not a mystery as to why it is this downturn hasn't been followed by a springboard of return of growth. it's because of president obama's policies. i'm going to get rid of those policies and restore the vitality of our economy. and i've told you how i'd do it. i've told you why i'll do it. because i love the american people. i love my family and my kids and my grandkids. i want them to have a bright and prosperous future. i also believe the entire world

depends on a strong andat the fs nation, our principles change the world. that declaration of independence was an inspiration to the entire world. our constitution as the blueprint for the way forward. we have a president who says he wants to fundamentally transform america, to turn us into sending we are not. i did not want to become like europe. europe does not work in europe. it is not going to work here. [applause] i want to restore to america at the principles that made america the nation we are, and i happen to believe that despite the challenges we have, that if we have a leader and leaders who will tell the truth at a live with integrity and who know how to lead because they have actually led before that we can overcome any challenges. i intend to be the leader with your help. get out and vote on tuesday. thank you so much.

thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

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>> candidates spending a lot of time in ohio even though there is a vote today on washington state. a victory in washington can be fleeting as the "l.a. times" reports since the caucuses non-

binding in national delegates will be chosen later. ron paul is in washington today. you'll be in seattle tonight for the caucus count. in ohio, mitt romney will be in cincinnati later tonight. we will show you is your martz from here 19 again tonight at 8:00 p.m. on c-span -- we will show you his remarks again. rick santorum meets tonight in bowling green, ohio. newt gingrich will be our guest tomorrow morning and "washington journal," where he will talk about his campaign and take calls from viewers. we will also give from a democratic political strategist and republican political strategist. and a member of the washington institute for near east policy. the apec conference is being held here in washington tomorrow and monday. you can watch all of that tomorrow morningta the apec mee, starting at 10:30 a.m. eastern with remarks by president obama

and israeli president shimon peres here on c-span. monday night, more live coverage from the american-israel group with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, mitch mcconnell, and house democratic leader nancy pelosi. that all starts at 9:30 a.m. -- 9:30 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> romney, pawlenty, bloomberg. >> who can we win with? >> none of them. obama changed the entire dynamic. >> look and said the new hbo movie and a best-selling book that gave the inside story on what happened in the 2008 presidential campaign. >> they say the heavens between a hockey mom and a pit bull -- -- they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull -- lipstick. >> their expectation coming out of that speech was that she was an asset to the campaign. for the week or 10 days immediately after that, she was.

on the democratic side, there was a lot of concern as the mccain-payment ticket came out of that convention ahead of barack obama. people on the democratic side were sort of freaking out. >> we will talk about "game change" sunday at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> if you had said in 2006 that the world would be begging for the u.s. to use force again and the middle east within three and a half years, everybody would have said you are crazy. >> brookings institution fellow robert caviness not only an adviser to the romney campaign that also serves on secretary clinton's foreign policy advisory board. >> would have been writing for years as there's a lot of continuity in american foreign policy to more than we expect. a lot of the broad consensus. i think what you're seeing is the kind of consensus that exists in the foreign-policy community. there is a lot of overlap the

trinity the part -- parties. >> sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span "q&a." >> interior secretary ken salazar testified on capitol hill this week about his department's 2013 budget request. he also responded to questions about the nation's rising gas prices and whether the administration is considering tapping into the strategic petroleum reserve. the $3.80 trillion proposed budget includes $11.4 billion for the interior department. this hearing is just under two hours. >> ok, why don't we get started? this morning, the committee is reviewing the president's proposed budget for the department a stereo for fiscal year 2013. -- department of interior for 2013. we're pleased to have secretary sellers are back with us in his own committee room.

the department's proposed budget of $11.7 billion appropriated funds represents a slight increase over current funding levels. in my view, it is a reasonable proposal that reflects the difficult choices the president is required to make given the current fiscal environment. there are a number of programs such as the land and water conservation fund that i wish were funded at higher levels, but i understand of the budgetary constraints the administration is facing. i want to take a minute to express my support for the secretaries determination to adequately fund and carry out the interior department's responsibilities for safe and environmentally sound oil and gas production on federal lands, particularly in the outer continental shelf. we were commenting before coming in here that at least it is not two years ago where we had the bp oil spill as a very real

issue before our committee. i believe, especially given that the challenges of the deep water horizon a disaster, the department has acted properly in continuing to focus on safety issues. obviously there is a lot of concern about gas prices. i do believe that domestic production is important, robust domestic production is important. it needs to be pursued by an irresponsible way. that clearly is happening. but -- domestic production of both oil and natural gas are up. since 2008, they need to continue increasing over the next 10 years to nearly historic levels. our oil imports continue to decline. they were down to 49% of consumption in 2010, which is an impressive improvement over

where we were even four or five years ago. i am pleased that the budget include increased funding for renewable energy development on public lands as part of the department's new energy frontier initiative. i understand of the department has approved 29 commercial-scale renewable energy projects and associated transmissions since 2009. i believe these efforts create promise that renewable projects can yield important energy for our economy in an environmentally responsible way. i am also glad to see that the budget proposes enactment of a hard rock abandoned mine land fund for the reclamation of mine sites that threaten human health and safety and a cause environmental degradation. i am particularly concerned with the legacy of and reclaimed uranium mine sites on indian

lands in states such as mine in new mexico. secretary, i hope you can work with me and others on the committee to seek funding to address this very serious issue. finally, i am pleased to see that the department's budget request demonstrates a strong commitment to implementing the indian water rights settlements around the country, including funding for a number of settlements in my state of new mexico. with that, let me defer to senator murkowski for her opening statement. >> thank you. good morning. good to see you. mr. hayes, welcome to you as well. thank you for the work you have been doing on behalf of so many. while these are areas that are contentious most certainly and with the budget, and makes them more contentious. i was raised to recognize those who have tried to work with us and make good things happen, even if it is not as much as i would like.

eyespot of my comments this morning by saying thank you, mr. secretary, for your personal involvement in trying to advance some issues that are critically important to my state and to the country when it comes to domestic oil and gas production. the last time we were all together was when you came up to the state to visit to look at some of the issues we had before us, specifically cd 5 spelled out because we cannot get a bridge permit -- spelled out because we cannot get a permit for a bridge across the area. also had an opportunity to look at the ocs project and what shel pursel doing. thank you for addressing some of the alaska-specific issues. we have made some progress. it is important to recognize that. but i also appreciate that we have got a ways to go. we will continue to work with you.

but i appreciate that you are working with us. and i thank you for that. i would like to address just a couple of very alaska-specific issues. mr. secretary, you and i have had a chance to discuss the matter i am more than a little bit disappointed with in the budget on the alaska conveyance program. there is an enormous reduction to that program. as you know, we have been working for well over 40 years to try to get the conveyances to our alaska natives, 53 years ago, and we're continuing with that. but we cannot make these conveyances unless we had that budget. i address our state legislature last week. one of the early questions that came up with the issue of the federal government's role with regards to our legacy wealth -- wells. the 137 wells drilled by the federal government decades ago

and sit without attention, literally falling into the landscape. it is an environmental scar. we in alaska feel that this is a double standard. the private sector is held to the highest environmental standards, yet the government is saying, well, we can maybe get to wonder two of them a year. i understand that these are budget priority issues, but i think we need to figure out how we make them a priority. one of your priorities is full funding for the land and water conservation fund. the chairman has indicated his support that. but it is difficult for me to say we need to work to expand it to bring even more federal lands under the federal purview when we're not taking care of the commandments and responsibilities and promises that have been made with other lands. we need to resolve that. i also want to bring up the very strained relationship that many

alaskans feel with the federal land management agency and the perceived ovary to the federal government into their lives, -- received over-reached to the federal government into their lives. whether it is coordination by representative you manager it -- refuge managers. we need to work with you on this. so i hope you'll make it a priority to improve the relationship. next is an issue that affects not only alaska but many others, and these are the new and higher fees and royalties from the interior with in this budget. another the falsities that the federal royalty rate is lower than many state realty -- and the philosophy is the federal royalty rate is lower than many states. when we asked them to pay more while providing us, it really does not work. i note that the chairman has mentioned the statistics that the president also has repeated that oil and gas production is

up. that is true. but when you look to the oil and gas production on federal lands, we have actually seen and 11% decrease on the federal side. it is important that in context. i am hoping that we will get clarity about the disclosure requirements that the department is working on for hydraulic fracking. the question that i would have is whether it is just that, whether it is a disclosure requirement or actually a new set of regulations. i think all of us are looking very critically at this. we want to make sure that this boom we're seeing across the country when it relates to our opportunities for hydraulic fracking, combined with horizontal drilling, we recognize it has vastly increased our natural gas supply. it is reviving communities, bringing about jobs. but those could all be lost at the federal government decides to place owners and the redundant requirements on the technology. again, i appreciate your efforts

in a very difficult area. folks back home in alaska are talking about nothing but energy right now, and it is not just the price at the pump. but it is all energy. so you are here at a particularly opportune time for us. thank you, and i look forward to questions. >> ms. secretary, take whatever time you need to describe the administration's proposed budget, and then we will obviously have questions. thank you for being here. >> thank you very much, chairman bingaman and ranking member. thank you, senators. thank you for all the issues that we work on. many will agree on, and sometimes we disagree. but i do think that we're making progress on a host of friends on the energy agenda for the united states. -- on a host of fronts. at a

table with me today is deputy secretary david hayes. he has done a herculean effort on the last issues, including the coordination of pumping issues in alaska. and the budget director for the department of interior for many nous. i also wanted to say thank you to the staff on both sides, a democrat and republican, on this committee that work with us on some issues. let me start out by characterizing the way i see this budget. senator bingaman and distinguished senators, i see it as a squeezed budget with some tough choices and some very painful cuts. it is a budget that cuts government and requires government to do more with less. it supports job creation. job creation is the focus of this committee, a focus of the president. it is job creation and energy,

both in conventional energy as well as renewable energy. it supports job creation through conservation and tourism. it supports job creation through the water supplies that we manage on behalf of the people of this country. and lastly, it honors our important responsibilities to the 566 tribes and alaskan natives of the united states of america. overall, this budget is 3% below the budget which was enacted by this congress in 2011. 3% below 2011. it is about even with the budget that was enacted in 2012. let me review each of these pieces in a little more detail. first, in terms of the cuts and efficiencies in government, which i know many of you have been focused on, wanting to make sure that the government is run more efficiently. it is a high priority for the president and a high priority for us at the department of interior. this budget for sees that there will be a downsizing of an

additional 591 fte within the department of the interior. we're asking our employees to do a lot more. this is, in fact, even in the climate where we have asked them to take pay freezes for many years. at this point in time. we're figuring out ways to do more with less. we have a number of program terminations that are set for the downsizing. $517 million of downsizing and reorganization included in this budget. some of these are painful cuts. the national heritage area programs, which many of you on this committee have supported, those are cuts of $8 million. that is a painful cut. a tough cut. some of the projects which senator lee has been interested in, which we have supported and continued to work on, we have cuts of $80 million in there. not cuts i would like to see, frankly. but given the tough budget

times, these are things we have had to do. administrative efficiencies, including revisions. we look at procurement and information technology and a host of other administrative functions within the department. this budget for 2013 forecasts that we will be able to save $ 207 million from these deficiencies. we're doing everything we can given the fiscal times we face in this country. i want to spend a few minutes speaking about jobs, energy, and the other components of the budget that i made comments at the beginning about a first, with respect to energy, you'll know it's in the budget, there are 660 two million dollars for conventional energy. there is $86 million for renewal will energy. this is all part of the president's program to move with and all the above energy strategy. when you look at the $662

million for conventional oil and gas, it perceives our robust move to moving forward to the resources in the gulf of mexico. all of you, including senator landrieu who has dealt with the deep water horizon oil spill, know how important it is that we do the job and do it right. we appreciate the appropriations from this committee, from congress last year, relative to helping us do our job in the oceans of america. we have a lot more work to do. but we are moving forward not only in the gulf of mexico, and decisions still have to be made on how we will move forward in the arctic. preliminary decisions have been made on additional opportunities there. on the renewable energy firm, which i know senator shaheen and others have been strongly supportive of, we're doing a lot of different things. the 29 projects has created a

renewable energy revolution on public lands. it is not just in california and arizona and new mexico, but also places senator lee, where we see wind energy. we're not contemplating and reviewing the potential for eight two thousand megawatt project on the eastern part of wyoming. there are huge things happening in renewable energy, something we're proud of in the department. we cannot have done it without you. there are differences in each one of the states. for example, senator murkowski, small renewable energy projects