clear aim as it does at medicare and medicaid. women rely on social security disproportionately. our social security system is really just a wage replacement insurance system. we pay in during the working years and suddenly we are not working anymore because the worker has become disabled, or from retirement. women rely on social satori to the point where over 75% of women over the age of 65 rely on social security for 90% of their monthly income. that is true even though social security benefits are very modest, draw thousand dollars per year per women. women rely on social insecurity

disproportionately because women cluster and jobs that do not provide pensions, that do not provide for a one case, and did not provide health care, so that during their lives, women have to come out of pocket to pay their own health care costs, their family health-care costs, so they're not saving money. they have less savings heading into retirement. when a working lifetime with an equal pay. african-american women are stuck at 69 cents to the dollar. you cannot save on retirement. women are deeply dependent on social security. the ryan budget proposes changing the way be do budgeting so future -- is not ok.

what i hope the platform will reflect is not on the a firm commitment to no cuts to social said barry -- social security, but providing a care giver credit for women. the system looks back 35 years at your earnings to hear -- to figure out what your benefits will be. women are in the paid workforce only 27 years, because they go part-time or drop out of the workforce, if the system looks back 35 years and it has zero, zero, 1/2 pay, 1/4 pay, that impacts their benefits. what we need is a care giver credit so when the calculation is made -- the proposal that my organization has made is the average pay, something like $23,000 a year.

we think lesbian and gay couples should have who are -- who are married or are recognize with unions -- should have the same benefits that married couples have. i hope the party will take a close look at these proposals for improving benefits and not only reject cuts altogether, but embrace improvements. i would like to remark that when and rely on medicare disproportionately. we know the romney-right budget converts medicare to a private voucher system. converting medicaid to a block grant system and cutting the federal portion of it, a lot of people did not realize that half

of medicaid's dollars supports nursing homes in this country. the vast majority of residents of nursing homes are women. thousands of nursing homes would be forced to shut down if the romney-ryan budget were enacted into law, and not only bore the women be thrown out, where are they going to go, but think who works in their thing -- in nursing homes. the vast numbers of employees in nursing homes would be women and would be laid off. the massive wealth transfer from working and low-income families up to the wealthiest absolutely targets when, and i hope the platform will recognize that offer solutions to that. i would like to say something on the war on women's reproductive health care. one in three women will have an

abortion by the age of 45. it is a necessary and common aspect of women's reproductive health care. the hyde amendment, which was mentioned earlier, is an anathema. it prohibits federal dollars being spent to cover women's abortion care, including women who need the abortion because they have an underlying illness, making their pregnancy -- pregnancy very dangerous. a woman has breast council and her birth control pills and she becomes pregnant. that termination will cost upwards of $5,000, and if the amendment applies -- applies to her, she has to dig in front pocket to figure out how to preserve her health so she can continue to care for the kids she does head. what the republicans are trying to do is extend the hyde

amendment to everyone, not just women who rely on medicaid, but to everyone, and in the district of columbia, that is exactly what's was done in the congress. they were extending theyhyde amendment to a prohibition of local funds. it is outrageous, and what i fear is that the road we are on is setting it up so private insurance companies will not cover pregnancy terminations, including those for of women who have heart to beat -- heart disease or any number of reasons why they should have an abortion. they do not have to have a reason or justify the reasons to any politician. i hope the platform will come out strongly to repeal the hyde amendment. one last thing, i hope the platform will renounce the idea

of religious exclusions, especially when it comes to birth control. it is one thing for the leavers of government to be used to advance and religious agenda. if that religious agenda actually represents a value that is widely shared, not only amongst many safe traditions, but also among communities that are not faith communities, so for example, if we pay tax dollars to allow children to write a tax-supported bus system to go to parochial schools, that is one thing. it is quite a different thing to utilize the levers of government to push an agenda that is antithetical to the values of the vast majority of people in this country, and i am talking about contraception. 98% of sexually active women, including catholic women, had

used birth control. let's look at their families. think back to the days when women did not have access to reliable birth control and experienced 10, 12, 15 pregnancies in their lifetime, and they died early. so religious suggestions for birth control, i am hoping the platform will take a strong stance against any religious exemption, including churches who happen to the employers. there is no constitutional right to be an employer. there is no constitutional justification for utilizing extremist religious views to prevent women from having access to this necessary health care. i thank you for allowing me to speak and i thank you for giving this opportunity. >> thank you very much. are there questions? thank you so much for your

presentation, and for your good work. keep it up. >> thank you. >> our next presenter is someone who is from my home state of bohai oil, a dear friend. john boehner is also for my state of ohio. [laughter] i apologize for that, but i am very pleased to introduce to you patricia brooks. pat is a public schoolteacher from cleveland, and she is serving her second three-year term as president of the ohio education association, and she has led the association and its members through many difficult and complex and challenging issues facing public education. pat, i'm so proud to have you here, and i am looking forward to your testimony. >> thank you very much, i appreciate that, and all members, thank you very much.

i know you have had many excellent testimonies and mine will be no different. as the governor has said, i am brooks, a teacher now for 36 years, and 25 of that was in the classroom teaching seventh-and eighth-grade math, science, and a technology class before becoming vice president and president of the ohio educational association. , on behalf of our 124 members of the oea and more than three met million members of the national association, thank you for providing food for thought at use to put together the platform. oea represents 124,000 teachers and professionals who work in ohio schools, colleges,

universities, to help provide and improved public education and the lives of our students. our mission is we will lead the way for continuous improvement of public education while advocating for the members and a learner's we surf. i want to acknowledge on the onset that educators note that president obama has delivered on many of his promises to strengthen this country and to help families. in his first term, the president invested historic levels of funding to protect and support critical programs that help students to arrive and to secure resources to keep more than 400,000 educators working with students, and expanded access to health care, to some 30 million americans through the affordable care act, and thankfully, it was up held by the supreme court.

an executive order to open the door for opportunity for hundreds of thousands of dreamers, and ensure that student loans remained affordable and help curb and scrupulous student loan profiteers. it goes without saying that the market of a good -- but a great leader is the ability to articulate a vision and a plant and more importantly to follow through and to succeed. together, we certainly have accomplished great things for kids, and now me -- we must do better for all students and children. of all the civil rights for which this nation has struggled, the right to learn is the most fundamental. we must protect it to continue and we must protect a fight it.

every student should have access to a great public school. but that is not the reality today. but it can, if we suspend our appetite of finger-pointing and playing the blame game and work together for a change actually puts kids' needs first. i want to take a moment for you to imagine america -- you will take a journey with me across these united states -- i will not get all 50, just about four states, and let's call it an education utopia. public education system will guarantee the highest quality education for every student. it is a system that ensures quality in five domains -- quality professions, quality professionals, quality schools, quality policy, quality unions.

there are examples all over the country in which these domains included -- and i have to say, in our great state of ohio -- quality professions. let's start there in ohio, specifically, belmont high school in dayton. where the quality of profession is being elevated by teachers themselves. the teacher's work through their union to draft a letter of agreement to spell out how they will do their work differently. they created a curriculum and learning environment locuses on what their students' needs were while meeting district standards. they worked with their students to set weekly performance goals and chart their progress stead of focusing only on

standardized test scores. they measured what their students actually comprehended and whether they can apply the concepts they have learned. as a result, the result is tell a story of success. promotion rates for ninth- graders have increased 30% to 84%, and a number of junior's taking the act has increased tenfold. quality professionals. now let's go to the west of denver, to see the advancements in the quality of professionals. denver public schools has developed an exceptional residency program where teacher candidate can prepare to meet the needs of the diverse student population, improve academic achievement, and serve as leaders within the denver district and community. similar to medical students, residents are paired with mentor

teachers in the classroom, serving in a variety of high needs, including english language learners, special education, bath, and science. forceful school year, residents spent four days a week in the classroom learning along -- learning and teaching along with the teacher-mentor. this hands on training and mentoring should be required of all aspiring teachers before they have their own classrooms. our students deserve no less and our future educators deserve this opportunity as well. denver also has another incredible example of quality professionals. at denver's math and science leadership academy, this completely teacher-led school developed with their unions.

the classroom teachers association is modeled on a concept of collaboration, collective responsibility, and empowerment. with an eye toward increasing the number of hispanic students pursuing careers in math and science. the academy uses greater teacher autonomy to make decisions about how best to reach every child. they collaborate with parents, community organizations to support the whole child. family member volunteers in their child's classroom least once, and participate regularly in evening activities, setting high expectations for all. everyone at the math and science leadership academy is a learner, a teacher, and a leader. quality schools. now let's come back to the

midwest, to evansville, indiana, to see an example of union leaders and district administrators confronting challenges as partners to improve school quality. the design quality schools which were developed to transform schools to professional developed of teachers and extend learning time for students. the union and the district agreed at 20 teaching days for students and five additional days for professional development. sound familiar, governor? and they realized they needed stronger and more student- centered professional development, said they developed the quality academy that requires teachers to spend 40 hours learning and growing professionally. they also realized that too many

students are starting their day hungry, said the union and the school district developed a breakfast program meals directly to the classroom so students could get a healthy breakfast and work with their teachers to get a jumpstart on their lessons. in evansville, schools quite literally had the, the center of the community. they are school--- there are school-based health clinics that serve students, staff, and communities. these are known as wraparound services. construction workers, farmers, they created a community garden that provides fresh produce to a low-income families in their neighborhoods. their students had already reaped benefits.

increase is seen throughout the evansville school district were greatest at the quality school sites. and not just that. attendance escalated, started this decrease, and discipline issues were almost nonexistent. quality policy. now let's talk about quality policy near detroit, where the full platform committee will meet next month, where my sisters and brothers of the american federation of teachers are gathered this week. in the school district just outside detroit, a quality education policy is driving improvements. here is one of nea's party school sites. we had used our resources to complement president obama's

school improvement grant program. total -- local education leaders transformed the outdated teacher of the anguish and processed into a system that promotes creativity and ingenuity. it is structured to improve professional practice. the union and the school district work together to steer needed resources to prevent school closures and narrowing of the curriculum. these efforts were designed to ensure the success of all of their students. quality unions. next, let's look at marysville, washington. the local union there led the effort to help students at just as schools or consolidated. the union provided cultural competency training on tribal cultural for all school employees, resulting in

significant increases and parent involvement and increased student attendance. finally, let's come back to ohio. in columbus, ohio, you will find that the local union took responsibility to ensure quality lifting the entire community, that is because you can find every domain of quality and bad it in their transformation effort. the columbus education association led the way because they are a quality union. their peer assistance and review program assurance quality -- quality professionals. their system is elevating the profession's to their quality policy. there worked with the ohio state university is implemented -- has

implemented service learning, a practice that unites academic instruction and learning with students-focused service in the committee and is raising the quality of columbus schools. that is not all. by beginning and by bringing together community stakeholders, including faith business leaders, the union helped create a new curriculum built around stem, that emphasizes critical thinking and creative problem-solving. and this quality local union is modeling how corp. with members, the ohio education association, and the nea and leveraged our collective resources to achieve and sustain success. all in all, i have talked a lot

about the campfires of excellence. but that does not reflect a system that is designed for every student's says. but oea, nea, and my colleagues across this country, are determined to have an educator utopia. we are committed to spending that excellence, from spreading that excellence of campfires to brush fires of quality. we invite you to use your influence to the power of words and ideas and join us on this journey, to ensure that not one, not some, but every student has

access to quality public schools. that is the goal and that goal can be a reality if we work together as you put together the platform for education. please remember the professional, profession, the quality of the policy, the quality of the schools, the quality of the unions. so please, keep listening, keep learning, and keep leading. thank you very much. >> thank you, pat, and quite frankly, i let you talk longer than the others -- let me say to my colleagues here, who would have the courage to talk about the but i state? you are a wonder educational leader and i'm so proud to have you here today.

>> thank you, governor, and all must say hello and the best to you on your next journey and we will see you back in the state some time. >> thank you so much. let me let you know where we are. we're about his last three of the way through. you may need to stand up and stretched. we have eight more folks to care from. the next person is mark periello, the ceo of the american association of people with disabilities. this is the nation's largest cross-membership organization. the american association of people with disabilities' mission is to promote independent living and political participation for people with disabilities. mark, we thank you for coming and we look forward to your

testimony. >> it is a pleasure to be here. thank you for your invitation. it is an honor to speak on behalf of 54 million americans with disabilities. we are the largest minority group in the united states. this is something that most people i think do not know or realize. before i go on, i will say as an american with attention deficit disorder, i have no idea how you have sat here all day and still remain so focused. it is absolutely impressive. as one of my disabilities, attention deficit disorder, i have prepared remarks that have totally changed in the last two minutes. we heard about the war on women, and that is a very public war that people know about. but there is a silent war that is happening is people with disabilities all across america. it is happening in the halls of

congress, in state capitals, in boardrooms, in schools, all across america. the decisions that you all make, the democratic party platform, is the first step or one of the steps toward absolutely good, positive change in a new direction in that war. i want to talk about some specifics that i hope to see in the platform. before, i wouldn't acknowledge that under the president's leadership we have seen such tremendous strides for people with disabilities. he pass -- he signed into law the 21st century video communications and accessibility act. he has hiring targets for federal agencies at 100,000 by 2015, and we're making tremendous progress toward that goal under the leadership of the person at opm. he has removed one of the

traditional barriers to health care for so many millions of americans with disabilities, which is pre-existing conditions, and that leadership has been outstanding, and i hope that as you look at the pot -- platform, that that leadership continues, and that it is strong, bold, and stakes out a big claim to move the ball for for people with disabilities, because there is a silent war. not one of the things that i planted about today, but dr. williams, who i respect tremendously, talk about voter i.d. laws. people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by voter i.d. blaws. we are working with a broad coalition of civil rights leaders to ensure americans with disabilities continue to have the right to vote. i want to reiterate that point

of dr. williams because it is so important, not just for african- americans, but people with disabilities and so many other constituencies in this country. the other thing that when you talk about the silent war against people with disabilities, do you know that 85% of students with disabilities report incidents of been billeted -- bullet? this is much higher than instance for other traditionally thought of groups when it comes to belullying. our working to eradicate that. where partnering with nascar and had a huge anti-bullying campaign, so that all students can learn in a place where the first thing they need to think about is their education and not survival. turning to the platform, one of

the things that is all important for americans with disabilities is employment opportunity. last december, president obama and the department of labor issued a notice of proposed rulemaking of section 5 with three of the rehabilitation act of 1973, and so what this would do is require federal contractors to set hiring targets around people with disabilities. it is 39 years overdue. this president's leadership has moved the ball forward. we have not seen a final rule yet, but when implemented, it will be the most significant change in employment opportunity for people with disabilities in american history. it is a huge game changer. there are a lot of folks out there in the business community that are scared of this change. they are not sure they can find people with disabilities to work with them.

they do not think people with disabilities are qualified at the same rate as other americans. most of those arguments are false. the disability community really looks forward to that rule in implemented fully and we hope the democratic platform will stake out a strong claim and specifically mentioned the 503 roll. their companies that are doing the right thing and have weighed in on behalf of 503. companies like american airlines, and the list goes on and on , walgreens. there is a lot of business support for 503. there are a lot of people already doing the right thing, and the democratic platform, by stating strong lake that 503 important, 39 years overdue, is absolutely an important thing for people with disabilities. when i talk about boardrooms, you can imagine discussions happening right now about

section 503. it is a silent war. it is a war that people are not talking about, but it is absolutely real. over 70% of people with disabilities are part of a long- term unemployed. you have the power to change that. the second thing i would like to talk about is the americans with disabilities act. it was passed 22 years ago yesterday, and absolutely transformed opportunity for americans with disabilities. 22 years later we are still defending it, we're still trying to push through new regulations to see its full implementation. and so, i do not think a lot of people know that 22 years later, this battle is still happening through the regulation process, but also through congress. one of the things we are focused on, not our top priority, is

swimming pools. doj moved forward on a rule would require public spent -- winning poles to be accessible. it seems like a frivolous issue. are there not important things that are more pressing? absolutely. this rule prompted the hotel industry to launch an all-out assault against americans with disabilities and our quality. it took the form of legislation moving through congress that stripped doj of its funding to enforce this role. it passed the house and not the senate. they were very successful in encouraging the department of justice to change the regulation to move from fixed lifts, two portable lifts, which would

require people to ask for lifts. making sure in the platform that the ada is rigorously defended, that there are no amendments to the ada that we can get, is absolutely critical. we need a strong statement of support about the weakening of the ada that is happening. another example is the access act, providing access for people with disabilities. there is a trend of naming lost the exact opposite of what they mean. there is a hearing in congress in june, which would require people with disabilities to wake up to 120 days before they could have their day in court if a business was violating the ada they wanted to sue.

the crafters of the bill say the goal is to cut down on frivolous lawsuits, and there's no doubt that frivolous lawsuits are a problem, but if that is what you are looking to solve, then focus on the attorneys who are unscrupulous and doing the wrong thing. do not penalize people with disabilities and force them to wait 120 days to have their day in court. what other group of americans need to have a waiting period before they can go to court? no one, don't minority, the people of faith, it does not happen. it is absolutely a tearing-down of the ada which passed 22 years ago, and we need strong leaders like you in the fight alongside us to make sure that it does not continue to happen. those efforts are on going and right now it is the ada, next there are other civil rights

laws on the books that will also see the same tactics used to undermine and we aken. we have heard a lot about health care. i imagine that support for the aca something that definitely will remain in the democratic platform. the think i will really stress is the medicaid expansion. it is such a vital piece of the affordable care act. it will expand opportunity for independent living, for employment, for so many more millions of people's with disabilities, there is governor after governor after governor of saying that one not take expansion money. that political posturing is being done at the expense of people with disabilities. that is part of the silent more people are not talking about, and there are 54 million people out there, many of whom need a vital services that medicaid

provides in order to live fully, independent lives. finally, one thing that was in the platform in 2008 that i hope you will reiterate his support for the u.n. treaty on the convention of the rights of people with disabilities. president obama said the ratification package to the senate about a month ago. yesterday the foreign relations committee voted -- 13-6 to send it to the senate floor, and reiterating the support is absolutely important. the ada was teh first law protecting people with disabilities on the entire planet. the guided states was leading the way. now on the convention of the rights of people with disabilities, there are over 100 countries that have ratified the treaty. our leadership on disabilities is waning and we need to make

sure it passes the senate, and until that is done about it needs to remain a central part of the democratic platform. it is an honor to be with you all today and to share some of these thoughts. one thing that is just so important to stress is these are only some of the issues. disability affects everyone, whether you are in a red state or a blue state, a man or woman, republican or democrat, it does not matter. when you look at transportation, it is so important. housing, so important. community living, so important. the list goes on and on, and disability issues are american issues. as you address a broad segment of issues, i hope that disability will be included as a lens.

>> thank you, mark, and i wanted sensitive to our time. have noticed that it is about a little past 6:30, and we still have several folks in here. if there are no questions, we will go to the next presenter and i will ask presenters to do as much as they can to keep their remarks to five minutes, and i will ask my committee members if they have a burning question to please asking it, but let's try to the essence of as we can to the fact that time is moving along. the next presenter is the executive director of the minnesota council of churches, and that is an ecumenical body

representing profits as -- product and price protestant denominations. it also strives to build respectful communities in minnesota, and she is also the past president of the national council of churches. we look forward to your testimony. >> thank you. i know there is an awful lot of --story = >> let me give you a warning. you're not from ohio. >> i get the implication. i am deeply honored to be invited here and to speak to you on behalf of the national council of churches today. welcome to my home state. the national council of churches is made up of 38 convenience or to nominations.

among those are 46 million members and constituents. that is who i am here for today. the past spring, the national council of churches joined some of the nation's other largest faith groups to put together a fateful budget that was put together in response to the budget that congressman ryan had listed up. there are some similarities with other testimony that you have heard today, but the national council signed on to that statement, and that document from which i want to share with you a little bit today, they wrote that american society as a whole it is or should be a place where we delight in the value of each and everyone and gladly accept the mutual

responsibility for one another's well-being. as american people, we have to understand ourselves to be one nation under god, not a mere collection of individuals. and all of us have something to contribute together, and none of us is to be excluded from this circle of mutual care and concern. government of, by, and for the people at its best is a final form for promoting the common good and ensuring that no one is left out. the message that day said that we are calling on our national leaders in a way that suggests that is simply untrue that we have to reduce a assistance for the poorest among us in order to achieve fiscal or support -- fiscal recovery, that a faithful federal budget can

advance fiscal irresponsibility while increasing support for the poor, for the vulnerable, by focusing on job creation, economic revitalization, and an equitable tax system based on fairness and the true human security over the disproportionate military spending. on that particular day we called on our shared -- our sacred scriptures, and we looked at what they had to say about national recovery. " if you offer your food to the poor and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise and the darkness and the gloom shall be like the noon day and he shall rise up the foundation of many generations. you shall be called the right

pair of the breached." that is national recovery. it starts with the care of the most vulnerable. the document went on to list eight principles and that is what i want to do with you today is shared those eight principles. we would ask that those eight principles would become part of the plank around federal budget issues. they are the following -- restore economic opportunity, i have left my notes with your staff person, ensure adequate resources, prioritize true human security, meet the immediate needs, except in dirt- generational responsibility and use the gift of creation responsibly, provide access to health care for all, and recognize a robust role of government. just a few remarks about a few

of those principles. one of the most important, the opportunity to work hard and economicone's condition is a value that has defined this nation, but it is a reality increasingly available only to those who are already wealthy. we believe in the inherent words of every -- worth of every individual and god intends integrity to each person and we need an economy that empowers workers to self-sufficiency and provides pathways' out of poverty. principles of liberty and justice for all, enshrined in our pledge of allegiance, seem hollower these days as an opportunity to work slips out of the hands of many. number 2, and these are perhaps the most important, insuring

adequate resources for shared priorities. from the time that a federal income tax was established, the concept of a progressive tax system based on the ability to pay has been widely accepted as fair and equitable, but we want to suggest that over the last decade our tax system has grown less progressive, now frequently places more of a tax burden on the middle class than it does on the wealthiest among us. this results in a system that perpetuates inequality, rewards behavior that generates financial security, for those who already have it, and excludes those who are working hard at low-paying jobs from the benefits. the tax code that is equitable and moral and rewards the efforts of low-income people to

work and to save is part of the call we want to make. prioritizing true human security, with well over half of the budget being discretionary, aimed at military spending, we are on able to invest in places we need to. we believe a fateful budget must reevaluate those priorities, increase investment in the areas of health, education, community well-being, and that is what is the essential to security. immediate needs -- a proactive stimulus policy and the plasticity of the mandatory safety net programs, mental nutrition assistance program, and medicaid, for instance, is essential. number five, accepting inter generational responsibility. we cannot leave our children a

legacy of debt, but neither must we leave them a legacy of rising poverty and growing inequality. using the gifts of creation sustainably and responsibly, because of the creation's intrinsic worth and the earth plus resources, the reference to that must be a part of a faithful budget. reverence for the created and run it, making choices that protect air, water, and land, providing health care access to all. we are providers of services in our congregations as individuals and in many of our institutions, and we are equated with the importance of providing access to health care for all people. we affirm what has happened in the aca asked that we continue to move toward health care for individuals, all individuals, regardless of age, income,

gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, geography, to plummet status, or health status. they all deserve an accountable health care system. recognizing a robust role for government. we are inspired by a common conviction that the faith groups who spoke said, that god has called us as individuals as committees of fate and as society, acting together through our government, to protect the most vulnerable and promote the dignity of all people. the faith community will do its part, and we are. but government, public sector partnerships is absolutely needed. the day last spring, faith leaders gathered and said, as faith communities, and as americans of conscience, we

stand with those whose need is great and we call on all to act together as the american people, with mercy and justice cannot to rearrange the national priorities from what congressman ryan was telling us needed to be priorities. thank you very much for letting me be with you today. >> this reminds us our national budget is a moral document, and i am reminded listening to you from a purse from luke -- where your treasure is, there is where your heart will be also. >> and we believe that the american people is willing to take care of those who are in most need. america wants us to do that. thank you. >> are there questions for the reverend? >> good to see you all. >> good to see you. thank you for coming. our next presenter is the

director of policy and legislation for the league of united american citizens, the largest and oldest of the hispanic organizations in the united states. lulac advances the economic and educational levels, political influence, help in civil rights of hispanic americans to programs operating at more than 900 lulac council's nationwide. we look forward to your testimony. >> will be speaking about education as it impacts the latino community. i work at the league of united national air and citizens. it is one of the largest civil rights erna's aces, and we are located across the united states and puerto rico.

we do advocacy work. part of our work focuses on education, health, immigration, jobs, the economy. today i will be talking to you about education. is to advance solutions to close the gap for hispanic students and to build public support. my remarks will focused on ways that we can work to support students of color so they can be prepared for college and have high graduation rates. the recessionary economy as disproportionately impacted the hispanic community and an increase of poverty and unemployment. the hispanic community has also

seen low academic achievement. our current education system is not creating the next generation of highly skilled workers that are needed to outcompete with other nations. today we rank 19th around the world when it comes to our education system. every 29 seconds, a child drops out of high school. of those that graduate, only three out of 10 students of color have the skills they need in life. for many families the only hope out of poverty is the promise of a high-quality education for their children. this is what an education is particularly important for low- income students of color. additionally, the country plus economic competitiveness is

contingent on increasing the high school graduation rates among all minority students. to competing in a global economy, to citizen participation and our democracy, and having a high- quality education is fundamental. our children are not the only ones impacted by lower-quality education. this will cost us more than $310 billion in lost earnings. students who greg wright high- school unprepared to go to college -- restoring the died of a high school diploma can only be done by increasing standards for students. there is no understatement that

in order to ensure prosperity we must a line standards to college and work readiness said that as the nation graduates from high school, they are ready to enter college. in order to improve conditions for students of color, which must pay attention to the importance of school accountability and achievement gaps. we should hold states and school districts and schools accountable for academic success of students. we should ensure the most tiny schools are equipped with quality leaders and teachers. we must ensure the committee's -- committees provide equitable learning conditions and expand opportunities for all students. this will bring us closer to strengthening the quality of education for all students. it is in the best interest of the students of color in public

schools as well as those 1 million since dropping out on an annual basis that the high -- that the committee consider education one of their top prayer days. in order to ensure students are unfettered can access to opportunity, we must have a system that challenges all students to meet demands of college and of the workforce. we hope he will make education a top priority, and thank you for listening to me today kerry >> thank you for being so parsimonious in your statement. we appreciate that, but we also appreciate the content of what you have said. are there questions? any questions at all? over here. >> thank you very much. i had a question about some of

the ideas you might have to help improve the education of our young gore people, particularly in sometimes overcrowded and disadvantaged schools or poor er schools throughout the country. mr. ronnie suggested class sizes be bigger -- mr. romney suggested that class sizes could be bigger. he went to a private school so i do not know how he would know that. i was wondering if you have a position on class size, the ability to educate large crowds of kids who may have language issues or learning issues or other kinds of problems that they bring with them to the classroom. >> one of the things we look at is focusing on class sizes, but being created with types of teachers in the classroom.

that they are more culturally aware with the intricacies of students that are in their classroom and more sensitive to those different cultural realities. there is data that shows for english as a second language learners, when you teach them in a culturally relevant way they are more likely to perform better and achieve higher academic excellence. >> others? >> i wanted to thank you, because this is important commentary. such a high dropout, impacts long term the viability of the american middle class. thank you for your feedback. >> that was great testimony, and i have been thinking about the point about access to the middle class for those who are not there yet. i want to connect that to your

testimony, because thinking about what our education system means, you have highlighted something important, which is demanding standards that call for great teachers and great schools so people can live up to the standards. the last piece i want to emphasize is the importance of access to higher education, because when kids or car to meet standards, the question on their mind will be, where can i go with that? how can i take the next step? i want to>> thank you very much you are such an inspiring young lady and your testimony was very clear. i wanted to follow up and ask about the dropout -- the dropout rate with latino boys and african-american boys. we all know what that dropout rate means.

oftentimes, they never get back to school and that's a pipeline to prison. in our party's platform, how do you think that should be addressed? that's such a critical issue, especially for young kids of color. >> one of the ideas we have been working with is for those students to do drop out of high school, there needs to be some type of training so they can have a skill set and be part of the workforce in a very successful way. i mentioned being ready to work outside of the school environment. there are a lot of economic reasons these students cannot continue to stay in high school, so we encourage them to build their school -- build their skill set and that's a good way to have a successful, to have an opportunity to have economic

success and at the same time not have to be stressed about having to go to school but not having the time to do it. >> thank you very much for your testimony. the next presenter is the director of research and collective bargaining for the american federation of state, county and municipal employees. she has helped asked me and workers across the country stand up to a tax on public employees. we look forward to hearing your testimony. >> thank you. on behalf of our 1.6 million members, thank you for your stamina. it is admirable. we commend the president and democratic party on the many things that have been accomplished from health care

reform to winding down the war in iraq. we submitted mitt -- we submitted written testimony and i want to touch on three of them -- one is aid for state and local governments. the collapse of the wall street economy that began in 2007 led to a collapse in state and local revenues. at the same time the need for the services state and local government provides has skyrocketed. state revenues are starting to inch back up but adjusted for inflation, there still less the men were three years ago. the president and party's leadership staved off an economic disaster but even in spite of that relief, state and local government employees have lost their jobs since 2008. that's not a problem only for the men and women who lost the jobs and the services they provide, it is a drag on our economy. because the public sector is such an important point of

employment for women and african-americans, it has hit those sectors hard and there may be more to come. combined with cut it -- cuts and state aids, there may be a long climb to recovery. we urge the democratic recovery to oppose aid to state and local governments and support instead government spending on hard-hit communities and aid to prevent further cuts in vital services. the second thing i want to talk about as promoting fair and efficient government. they take care of our children and elderly and make sure they're safe and they are on the front line and see firsthand the impact of budget cuts. as the president so eloquently pointed out, they know better than anybody how to make things work. unfortunately, they're often not consulted. and the face of budget cuts and

the vilification of those who work for an aggressive marketing by those who want to make a profit off public services, too many officials see privatization as a silver bullet. we have seen the consequences of that in case after case. contractors are accountable to shareholders and not taxpayers. meetings and records that used to be open to public become proprietary and costs these to be in plain sight are off the books. at the federal level, president obama has attempted to restore some balance by where contract employees are -- there for contract employees for ever lot -- every service employee. we don't have any idea what those numbers are for state and local government. weir's the democratic party to stand up to those who vilify government and remind the american people that we are the government and government exists for the common good. finally, i urge you to a firm

public services is to follow -- to serve the public and not line the pockets of corporations. i want to talk retirement security. we have heard a lot about the legend crisis in public pensions and the facts are more nuanced than any sound bite. it varies tremendously from place to place. if you on acoustic to 5 minutes, and not going to get too deep, but prior to the economic collapse, most pensions were in decent shape. the economy recovers again, they will be again. the real crisis and when we hear little about is the utter failure of 4 01 case as a retirement security. they have replaced defined benefit pensions for the majority of american pensions. the median household age 60-62 has a quarter of the savings they will need to maintain a decent standard of living and retirement. as many as half of all baby

boomers may all live their savings. it is estimated to add up to a gap of 6.6 -- $6.6 trillion between what they should have saved and what they have action -- but actually saved. our elderly should not live in poverty. we urge the democratic party to reaffirm the commitment by strongly defending defined benefit pension plans as the most efficient way to protect salmon stopping those who would do some damage. acting to strengthen not weakened social security and three, moving to replace the failed 401k experiment with one that provides security for all. >> i wish we had 30 minutes to listen to you. >> i'm from michigan. i thought i only have three minutes. [laughter] you gave us good information.

thank you for what you do and thank you for all that. are there questions? you were very convincing, obviously. our next presenter is the national hispanic medical association president. this is a non profit afforestation representing 45,000 hispanic physicians in the united states. its mission is to empower hispanic physicians and other professionals to improve the health of the hispanic populations with the hispanic medical societies residents and student organizations and public and private sector partners. that is an impressive number of

licensed physicians you represent and we're glad you're here. we look forward to hearing from you. >> it is an honor to be here in front of the committee. on behalf of the national hispanic medical association, we are committed to improving health and i just want to give the highlights. is a pleasure to be here. first and foremost, we applaud president obama on the passage of the affordable care act, the most transformative law since medicaid for the port and late 1965. we started with a core group of doctors working at the white house under the clinton administration. i was there in 1993 and we've been working on health care ever since. we have been working to provide consensus recommendations to the obama administration and the

transition team. we work closely with the caucus on the minority health bills and since 2008, we have convened health-care reform forums to educate not only health-care professionals but community leaders to really understand the tremendous opportunities in the affordable care act. hispanics are 50 million of the u.s. population and are projected to be one of four americans in the next 30 years. for latinos, an estimated 30% are uninsured compared with 16% of all americans and have the most to gain from these programs. i am going to focus on four issues. the first is access. i know you have heard a lot about the affordable care act. but it is focused to increase affordable care and decrease the rising health-care costs in our nation while creating more

efficient health care delivery that is accessible to more people through clinics, medical practices that are in schools and communities which have been underserved. the affordable care act ensures critical patient protection. a lot of insurance reforms -- down that hole limitations and increases to mental health care, oral health care, and programs aimed at killer diseases like heart disease. it ensures patients in every state will have a state health insurance exchange and online or phone-accessible market place where they can't compare quality health plans and choose the one that's best for their families. they can assist with enrollment and it subsidized for those individuals up to 400% of federal poverty. today, there are over 9 million americans who are to will eligible of roldan medicare and

medicaid and the affordable care act creates a new initiative to have a seamless health-care program. these are among the most vulnerable people seeing different specialists with multiple doctor visits, medications and caregivers and we recognize the importance of supporting increased medicare and medicaid for their vulnerable populations of pr, the territories, and the u.s.- mexico border. as was mentioned earlier, the expansion included adults without dependent children, but unfortunately, the supreme court saw this as a new program and made it optional to states despite the fact the federal government will pay 100% of the cost for additional coverage and pay doctors to serve at a higher rate for the first few years. the second issue is quality. we applaud president obama for

ensuring nearly 30 million more americans can have access to quality health care, emphasizing comprehensive primary care. health and human services developed a strategy with a new reimbursement system envisioned to be built on quality related to patient or caregiver experience of care, care coordination, preventive health and caring for high-risk populations. there will be patient center of medical homes and health information technology. according to the agency for health care and quality, health disparities report, hispanics and general have poor results for quality indicators. we applaud the department of health and human services for developing its action plan to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. the office of minority health

and all of the offices in each of the agency's for the first time have carried out programs to reduce disparities that are very much needed. these programs continue to reduce disparities for linguistically appropriate care and safety net hospitals and medical practices. services for older adults, increasing recruitment and preparation of minority students to become health professionals, increasing culturally competent training of the rest of the use helped force the town of many hispanic or african-american doctors or nurses. increasing the participation of racial and ethnic minorities and colonel it -- in clinical trials including reporting on health disparities and providing technical assistance and building capacity in our communities.

the third area is prevention. this is the most transformative part of the affordable care act , to change the direction of funding for medical model. we applaud the first lady for her campaign to start growing healthy food and live healthier lives. we applaud the surgeon general for coordinating the national prevention strategy for the first time with 17 federal agencies working together to have health in all policies from school nutrition to parks to walking paths and bike paths to housing to air quality and prevention will be free without premiums or copays for mammograms. the last issue is health work force. to have people cared for, we

need a robust increase in the house force at all levels. we know we have a critical shortage of doctors and nurses and need more of an emphasis on promoting the fact we will have many, many jobs with the affordable care act which also doubles the health careers opportunity program and the centers of excellence which are the only to programs that have recruited minority students in this country since the 1960's. this was significant as a show of support to have minori providers. we believe given the coming sequestration debate that a second president obama term is needed to provide leadership and focus on the continued support for the implementation of these programs and policies to build a healthier nation.

we consider the medicaid expansion should be the top priority. this would provide affordable care to many working americans. we must maintain the medicaid system and not keep state block grants. we must continue to support the most vulnerable communities with a disproportionate share hospital program to continue to help hospitals and safety net providers because there will continue to be people who fall through the cracks and people who are not insured. we need a prevention strategy which will continue to be building the infrastructure needed, especially the focus on early childhood of the city. we urge the committee to include health disparity with a campaign in all institutions,

not just a safety net. whether it is -- to ensure increased patient empowerment and participation and the physician's patients encounter because that is the only way we're going to reduce health disparities. we encourage the recruitment of racial and ethnic minorities, especially in math and science programs to consider careers in health care professions. from our perspective, we strongly believe the federal government should support the leadership training of hispanic and other minority physicians and health professionals who are convinced -- who are committed to underserved populations so they can make decisions in the

infrastructure and billed to -- work to build a healthier america. >> thank you for your many years of effort to bring about a healthier america. are there questions for the doctor? thank you for your testimony. our next presenter -- frank is the founder and executive director of america's voice. america's voice stands with the majority of america that supports real and comprehensive immigration reform, to create momentum that leads to reform. we're so glad you are here and we look forward to hearing what you have to say. >> thank you to having me. i have boiled down my comments to one page knowing i stand between you and dinner. let's get to it.

i work for a growing and feisty immigration reform movement made up of individuals and groups from emigrant communities, civil-rights, faith communities and some in business. immigration is an issue that generates more heat than light but democrats have a special responsibility. we are the traditional party of immigrants and we understand much more so than republicans that america deserves a common- sense emigration process that is currently lacking. one that includes a road map to citizenship for those who aspire to be full members of our society. president obama and democrats in congress fought very hard for comprehensive immigration reform. was blocked by republicans.

when arizona took federal law into its own hands and decided to purge its states of latino immigrants, legal and not come to the obama administration through the department of justice bravely sued them in and move that was not very popular at that time but was absolutely necessary. when there was an opportunity to move the dream that, democrats fought very hard to pass it and it passed the house of representatives and went to the senate and it was heartbreakingly close and lost by five votes in a filibuster in the u.s. senate. in response to growing calls on the obama administration to take executive action given the concern about the ramped up enforcement and lack of

legislative action with republicans blocking all forward progress, president obama finally heard the calls of these brave young dreamers who are americans in all but paperwork and consider themselves americans and want to contribute to the country they love. president obama made a bold move recently and provided protection and work permits to hundred the thousands of young people who are dream act-eligible. as someone who has been a part of this movement for a long time, it has been electrifying in people are thrilled. what was interesting about it if i could move to my next point, there is this conventional wisdom about immigration reform.

if -- republicans are the ones who bring up emigration because they want to mobilize their base, when over independence and put democrats on the defensive. but as we saw in 2010, the positive reaction to president obama's vision, there is a new dynamic in play and it's important for democrats to use is moving forward. by taking bold action, president obama mobilized latinos and asians, thrilled progressives and found a lot of reports of -- a lot of support among independents. and it put republicans on the defensive, best shown by the flat footed response from mitt romney who still has not come up with a clear answer as to what he would do. the republicans seem to be caught between a nativist rock and a demographic hard place.

democrats can really be on the offensive for the next four years. clearly big reform is not going to happen without republicans coming to the table but if democrats stay on the offensive, we've got a chance to make some gains. we all want some sort of broad immigration reform that includes a road map to citizenship for people who have been here long time. a modernized legal immigration system that grows the economy while protecting workers and an enforcement regime that promotes the rule of law and protect civil rights. that is what the last platform called for and that's is with the immigration movement wants most of all, but it may not be possible if there is no bipartisan operation. the committee should state and

openness to work on an incremental measures like the dream act and ratifying it and putting it into law. green cards for high skilled workers -- measures that are balanced and can help move the reform agenda forward in a way that serves our country's interest. if if legislation is not possible, the president should retain the option to use his authority to protect other groups of people who are low priority from an enforcement point of view and will stay here all their lives and it makes sense for them to have work permits and live peacefully and contribute rather than live in fear of having their families separated. finally, one enforcement point -- i doubt this will make it into the platform, but the secure communities program which

was intended to go after the worst of the worst has and the outsourcing immigration enforcement to police in a way that has led to widespread racial profiling. it is eerily similar to the effect of the arizona law of the administration is fighting and many of us would like to see that either fundamentally reformed or stopped. let me underscore the importance of this issue. we of a stark choice in this election. governor romney has tethered himself to the far right on this issue when he calls for self deportation, that's a strategy concocted by anti-emigrant hard- liners. they call it attrition through enforcement which is a nice way of saying you want to make life so miserable for immigrants that don't have paper -- they can't go to school and are terrified of traveling and think they will be arrested at any time, maybe

they will just pick up and leave. that is a radical and ugly vision of what this nation of immigrants should to and democrats stand between natalie vision and a promising future in which we live true to the notion that all people are created equal and a matter where they are from or how long they have been the country, that they are considered one of us. this platform should stand only am strongly for a national credo that brings me to tears when i think about it differently. we should live true to our ideal -- a out of money, one of. >> thank you for your testimony. i am proud of the president for many reasons but i was especially proud of the president when he made the decision regarding these young

people. it just seems consistent with our nation's values. >> a quick comment -- thank you for your presentation. and think you pointed out the interesting intersect that good policies can be good politics as well. as we think about our platform, there are a lot of places where we see that intersect and our values are good politics and more importantly good policies for our country. so thank you for that comment. >> there has been a big debate about where independence fall and what they favor is action. many of them supported what arizona did because somebody was doing something. but they would much rather prefer a pragmatic approach which is why they support what the president did. lots of interviews with people

in those polls were in favor of it and many republicans said these kids are americans. maybe they thought he should have worked with congress but there was no question the substance was right on. >> thank you very much for your leadership and full disclosure, i am on the board has the supreme court rid us of this patchwork of emigration law and what's the impact of not having a uniform way of the land when it comes to the future of emigration? >> the supreme court decision with a near fatal blow to the attempts by states like arizona and alabama to usurp federal authority and go beyond it. there were four provisions.

and ant three f's incomplete. one provision they did not strike down said it -- they said we would love to strike it down, but we don't have the evidence because it has not been implemented. given the trial going on right now with the infamous sheriff in arizona with lots of testimony of this discriminatory practices, we think it's going to be struck down. the move by the extremists in the republican party to block reform federally and move extremas legislation to the state level has been dealt a critical blow and i think that is really good news. in terms of the social and economic costs, the studies are conclusive. if we had reform more people

without papers got papers and have a functional system, it would grow the economy by trillions of dollars. if we had a more level playing field and work tax compliance by employees and workers and we would not pressure and an -- a time of activity that would boost the economy. unfortunately, the republican party is more concerned about keeping immigrants down and out of the voting booth that growing the economy through immigration reform. >> thank you. keep up the good work. our next presenter is the legislative associate for the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. it's the first and largest non- profit non-partisan organization for the veterans with over

200,000 members. a 21st century veterans organization dedicated to standing with the 2.4 million veterans of iraq and afghanistan from the very first day home through the rest of their lives. they strive to build an empowered generation of veterans that provide sustainable leadership for our country and local communities. we are happy to have the. thank you for your service and we look forward to hearing from you. >> thank you for having me. thank you for your time, perseverance and endurance. i can only imagine there is a station with red ball and five our energy. i would like to say how proud i am as a native of ohio and. i'm assuming that buys me 10 more minutes. [laughter] since i don't think that's the

case, i will try to keep this brief. you have our written testimony and is a pretty exhausting, so i will confine my remarks to say we are focusing on three areas this year. it has been a consistent three areas -- protection and education benefits for veterans, and the transition of veterans home from military service to veterans status. right now, veterans come home and they're faced with a lot of challenges. threats to the new gi bill, a tragic suicide number and a va that is really struggling to keep up with the current needs after a decade of war, much less the needs that are coming as the conflict in afghanistan winds down.

on education, over 750,000 veterans and their families have used the new gi bill which is a fantastic program. i'm planning on using it the year after this one to go to law school. it's a life changing program for many veterans, but it is unfortunately under attack right now. the attack is facing is that there are some predatory, for- profit institutions that have very high tuition rates and low completion rates and high dropout rates and don't necessarily provide the quality education that they promise. that impacts a lot of veterans because they lose their benefits. once they're gone, and you can i get them back and that sets a lot of people back on the life course they planned after the military. all lot of these for-profit

aggressively target veterans while failing to deliver on quality education. one of the most urgent reforms is reforming some of the loopholes in the laws that she may have heard about the press recently that provide an economic incentive for schools to recruit veterans. for every veteran a school recruits, the way the law is structured, the school can receive 90% of its revenue from federal loans. the gi bill and military tuition assistance for whatever reason are considered private sources of funding. for every veteran or military member that comes in, the school can get nine more civilians student's federal financial aid. the unemployment rate for

veterans is far too high. it was 12.1%, significantly higher than the civilian rate. in some categories, the rate was almost double that of their civilian counterparts. we do a survey of our membership every year and we found an unemployment rate close to 17%. last year, there is a bipartisan effort in congress to pass the act president signed into law. it was some very bold steps but we think more things can be done, particularly in the area of credentialism and licensing of veterans. military members received extensive training, education and experience in career fields that are analogous to many civilian career fields like mendicants -- mexicana pilots, self-explanatory, truckdrivers

-- mechanics, air-traffic controllers, but because they do not have civilian certification, the day they leave the military, they cannot perform the job anymore. veterans have the skills, training and experience. have perform better some of the most arduous circumstances you would ever encounter and no piece of paper should keep them from being able to perform in the civilian world. at the state and federal level, more needs to be placed so that veterans can see in transition from their career into a civilian career of that is what they choose. the uniformed services act is something we feel needs to be strengthened considerably. last year, there were 1584

complaints. they have risen by 73% since 2001. 1548 -- to honor 48 or against the federal government which made the federal government largest violator of rights. on a transition, there are many, many issues that face the veterans. in visible injuries, posttraumatic stress, the traumatic brain injury, suicide -- the suicide rate for military members this year for the first 155 days of the year, 154 suicides were reported, outpacing combat deaths in afghanistan by almost 50%. the va estimates because we do not have the information that 18 veteran's day commit suicide.

that is a very important thing that needs to be addressed. part of the problem is people look at suicide as an individual issue would have to be addressed as a culminating event, high unemployment, relationship issues, things that are exacerbated by a letter of -- under employment -- barriers to care -- there were hearings in congress on the va mental health late time and contrary to what the va has been putting forth that they're keeping up with the demand and seeing veterans of a good pace, the erie -- that the a's inspector general found only about 45% are seen within the

required 14-day window post- request. that means 51% and weighted 50 days for a mental health evaluation on average. no veteran should be required to wait for a problem that's happening to them right now. as part of reforming the transition, we are pleased the secretaries appeared before congress together and spoke about some of those transition issues, but we think of the aids to be adequately funded and advance appropriations need to continue so they can worry about how to help veterans and not getting into a budget fight on capitol hill. even now, there are 915,000 benefit's claims pending and two-thirds are older than 125 days.

you can see that even with the increase in funding over recent years, they are not keeping up with the current demand. much less the anticipated future demand. we're pleased to see there are trying to integrate their health records but the comments leave a lot to be desired. veterans need to have that taken care of so they can make a seamless transition only 54% of iraq veterans are enrolled in va health care. we believe it should be veterans one-stop shop and that starts with getting veterans in that door. we would like to see addressed

the issues of protecting veterans' education benefits, putting forth an all-out effort to reduce unemployment. no a its a huge issue and no one is doing particularly well but we would like to see this efforts take place that bring veteran unemployment on to a level of parity with the civilian unemployment and an transitioning from the military to the va in a seamless fashion. thank you very much for your time and attention. >> are there any questions? >> i just want to say thank you for your service and i worked at the pentagon for three years running the middle east office focused on getting out of iraq. thank you for your service and i just want to say having worked with this president for three years that he feels and the first leg feels there is no more

solemn obligation and to make sure we're taking care of military folks. taking care of their families as they transition out. i just want to thank you for your testimony because there are a lot of ideas that are important there. >> it was my pleasure and we are pleased with the focus the white house has put with the joining forces initiative and the work to hire heroes regarding for- profit schools and the g.i. bill. we are really pleased with the project -- with the progress we have seen. >> we have an extraordinary opportunity to both do the right thing and distinguish our party. the president and governor romney spoke to be leading veteran groups these days.

president devoted much of his speech to health care, job efforts to retrain veterans as they come home and best i can rubber, governor romney did not mention the word about any of those issues. the republicans are tone deaf on this issue. we have an extraordinary opportunity to engage with veterans and a way our party has not always had. >> where in ohio are you from? >> toledo. >> thank you for your service and everything your organization is doing. under this president, -- i've been in congress for 14 years and i've never seen a party or president work on behalf of veterans as this president has. even with phil backlog in claims, i have a huge forum to

try to help veterans expedite their claims because under this administration, when the problem is identified, it moves very quickly to process these claims. i'm not sure that as part of what we should see in the platform but i know this administration is doing everything it can to try to help justice prevail. backlog has been horrendous. >> we recognize the va has come a long way and they're working hard and there are many fine people in the va working hard. we are trying to work hard regarding the 90-10 bill on the

the a and we appreciate the work on veterans behalf. >> i want to mention the outstanding work of our first lady and dr. joe biden on veterans' issues and their families. someone who was actually born on a military base a long time ago and someone who grew up in the vietnam generation where perhaps we were not as appropriate, thoughtful and welcoming to the veterans to serve there. this is an important opportunity and i thank you for work. >> thank you. i guess i am the last person -- >> the second to last. >> i was under impression i was under a lot of pressure. what you saw we saved the best for last. [laughter] >> marine ego. thank you.

>> the last presenter today is the political director of theseiu healthcare minnesota which unites more than 15,000 health-care workers in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes throughout the state of minnesota. he is testifying on behalf of seiu, and uniting the 2.9 million workers in the health care and public sectors. i'm not going to say we say the best for last but i think we saved one of the best for last. >> i appreciate the opportunity and i will be brief if only because i'm the last person between you and cocktails and hors baseball which are sacred in my family. the service employees international union -- 2.1 million members, we are proud to stand with and endorsed

president barack obama and the reasons we did that. union members are committed to an agenda that rebuilt the american middle-class and seeks to address the greatest economic and moral issue of our time -- income inequality. for years after mayor romney and his friends on wall street wrecked the economy, the gap between the richest 1% and the rest of us continues to grow. makes you wonder if they are that eager for recovery. americans once offered the promise that working hard and playing by the rules would bring a paycheck that could support a family, provide opportunities to advance and agreed a better life for the next generation, but big corporations and their ceos have hijacked that promise. working americans deserve good jobs. we can start by raising and indexing the minimum right -- the minimum wage. ceos make millions. corporations make billions. but the minimum wage barely -- it doesn't even approach double

digits. raising the minimum wage will boost our economy by putting more money in the pockets of ordinary americans who will spend it. it will create greater equality in our economy. the richest you need to pay their fair share in taxes. put simply, we would like a tax system where mitt romney is eager to share his tax returns with the rest of us. he would put them on the lead story on fox news. requiring the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share is a key step on the pathway to reversing historic income inequality that has devastated the middle class. until recently, working families of struggle to get a quality affordable health care and that is why we are proud to support the affordable care act and oppose any effort to repeal or scale back the landmarks a cure -- landmark insurance protections under the law. protecting the of affordable care act means protecting

medicare and medicaid. they are the cornerstones of the american health-care system and provide essential services to american to have no other means of affording health care they need. the 2012 democratic party platform must include a commitment to include medicaid and medicare as the cornerstones of our nation's health-care system. to rebuild the middle class, we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform which will eliminate the two-tiered label -- two-tiered labour force so all workers have a fair shot. it will get undocumented workers out of the underground economy, and to the system, and under the rule of law so every job in this country will be filled by legal workers. the work force can rise together, guarantees of rights and basic fairness for all. as an aside, this building is guarded and cleaned by members of seiu local 26 and i don't

think there's a building in this country that could be kept clean are taken care of without folks who don't look like me. the 2012 democratic party platform must include comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for undocumented workers come to keep families together, and forces civil- rights, and removes incentives to hire undocumented workers and supports enforcement that doesn't compromise our nation's values or terrorize and divide our communities. we must be vigilant to safeguard our democracy. it's been challenged as never before by a flood of corporate money that threatens to silence the voices of working people. we reject the notion corporations are people and we believe voting is a constitutionally protected right. a voter registration should be automatic and universal. our party -- our party platform should be committed to

overturning the supreme court decision as citizens united and fight against attacks on voting rights all over the country, including a voter i.d. law in minnesota that would eliminate same day voter registration. history has shown the best way to combat income inequality is to protect workers' rights. beenca's economy has strongest when workers were free to unite a and form unions and help with standards for all workers, union members and non- members alike. the party platform must embrace policies that level playing field so workers can form a union without a difference and intimidation. it really is terrible that workers across the globe in china and egypt are gaining new union protections and an hour away from here, workers have lost union rights and i had to spend an hour in toledo to protect the rights of workers in ohio.

in closing, the 2.1 million members united are proud to endorse president obama for his reelection and stand behind his record in the face of great challenges. we're committed to a collecting all pro-working family can't it's at all levels of government. i want to say thank you for the opportunity. >> thank you for coming. are there questions? you have convinced us. thank you. thank you to you and all your members for all you do. thank you very much. i want to say thank-you to each of the committee members. you are a hearty group. we have been here approaching six hours. this concludes our presentations for the day. we have heard from some wonderful organizations and some wonderful individuals who have provided us with important

information. we thank our speakers for being here. tomorrow, our day will begin with a breakfast for members only in the red river room. that is located on the third floor of the marquette hotel, the red river room. we will move from their back to this trend to continue our hearings promptly at 9:00 a.m. breakfast together in the red room tomorrow. >> breakfast starting at 8:00 a.m. >> you will have one hour to eat. now, for the important information regarding the rest of the evening -- there's a bar downstairs, i assume. [laughter] for those of you who are interested in baseball, like a good mayor is, he is going to be downstairs. if you choose, you can go change and dress casually and he will

what you over to the ball game, is that right? with that, we are dismissed. >> if you need a few more minutes, there'll be a staff person waiting here. >> the democratic draft platform meeting took place last month in minneapolis at this week, they will meet to adopt the national platform, the official democratic statement on a variety of issues. live coverage will continue through sunday. you can see it here on c-span. >> president obama's reelection campaign announced its funding call for july -- $75 million jointly raised with the democratic national committee. it's the third straight month they have been outraged by mitt romney. republicans have raised $101 million last month. >> tonight, the dnc announces

this year's platform, including support for gay marriage. that was made after the drafting committee members heard from the group leaders on that issue and various others facing the u.s. the committee plans to meet this weekend to discuss the draft. delegates plan to vote to approve the platform in charlotte at that convention. you can watch a portion of that meeting tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. >> what we found is over the long haul, the clearing and reallocation of federal spectrum is not sustainable. >> with continuing demands for wireless spectrum in the u.s., presidential advisers discussed the report to the president on the future of government-held spectrum. that's tonight at 8:00 on c- span2. >> c-span -- created by america's cable companies in 1979 and brought to you as a public service by your television provider.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> coming up next, the environmental working group -- to release a new report on -- [crosstalk] this is 45 minutes. a in the early 1970's, as graduate student studying soil science at the university of missouri, i saw unfolding around me the world food crisis. a run-up in crop prices that had never been seen before. in washington, the secretary of agriculture at that time told farmers that the government was going to be getting out of agriculture. he exhorted farmers to plant fence row to fence row because we no longer needed district

supply controls we have in place for a generation. we no longer had to worry about low agriculture prices. most of all, we did not have to worry about the agricultural landscape. for those of us in the field than, the results were shocking. not only did farmers plant fence row to fence row, they tore up pretty much everything in between, planting from stream bank to stream bank, they tore up bottom land hardwoods we have never yet recovered to plant soybeans. they plow that vast new areas of the great plains that have not been plowed in many years. we saw soybeans and corn sprouting up everywhere. rather like it is beginning to look now has this report documents. it was significant and noteworthy enough that in 1979, the pulitzer prize was awarded to the "des moines register" for

the series on the environmental crisis down on the form. when i first came to washington in the mid-1970s, there were tractors on the mall. farmers were protesting because the effort to get the government out of agriculturist and a result -- and of course farmers to plant fence row to fence row backfired dramatically. farm incomes were down and many farmers were losing land that had been in their families for generations. we spent most of the next 30 years trying to recover. in a series of landmark conservation laws and programs, we managed to hold back much of the damage that had been done and actually began to heal some of the damage. wetlands were recovering, being restored, grassland for most of

the last decade or two has been increasing slightly. we have been holding our own. for a generation of sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts who have enjoyed what has been called the conservation renaissance of the past 25 years, these last few years have been a rude awakening. today we put a number on the problem, the issue, that simply is a number that represents what we have been hearing in reports from the field, all over the midwest, all over the farm country, of land being heavily used, land being plowed up that had not been plowed up for a generation, a former's planting basically in county ditch rose, planting right up against riverbanks, and the damage is severe. today the report we are

releasing comes about through the analysis of some 30 two 40 gigabytes of data, developed by the department of agriculture that translates satellites in a tree in the categories of land use. after analyzing that data, the analyst at our ames, iowa, office was able to conclude that something in the neighborhood of up to 24 million acres of grassland and wetlands, wildlife habitat, has been converted to crop production in just the last four crop years. this is an extraordinary turnabout that could have lasting implications, and we are not sure that we have hit the bottom. today is a wakeup call for everyone who cares about the

land. we cannot forget, we should not forget, that not only did the government not get out of agriculture, but in no small measure what we're seeing is the consequence of the government getting ever deeper into agriculture. ,he crop insurance program governmenttrumts hav beento grod more on the landf stes, and that has exported - grai belt into are, an now even more acres aratis today we will hear fm seval wile at the environmeal working group. we'll alshear from a policy analyst tinewy pressure on

wildlife species, especially wherethe problems we face with r qualitaround the country. this charthows, more than 23 million acres were converted between 2008 and 2011. of that amount, 8.4 million acres were converted to grow corn, 5.6 8 million acres, soybeans, 5.2 million acres were converted to grow winter we, and other acres of lesser amount were converted to grow other crops for a grand total of nearly 23.7 million acres. this knapp helps -- ts map demonstrates the exten of a loss. thdark blue acres shed those coties where more than 50,000

acres of grassland, wetlands were converted to grow crops. overall, 11 states had losses of more than 1 million acres. 147 counties lost at least 30,000 acres each. a lot of this loss concentrated in the great plains and the upper midwest, but was not limited to those parts of the country. you can see there were significant losses in new york, pennsylvania, california, washington, oregon, the deep south, especially in texas, which has be plaguedy series of droughts. and then we will quickly go through the losses by crop. here you see corn. soren bo how we did the analysis, but weelied upon the ua cp land data

layer. e cdl is tellite data, use to track ground cor. program to track conversion of these habitats to croplands, from cropland t. that me go to the chart that shows the crop insurance spending. here you see sorghum. as you can see, if we doubled between this slide and the next, back and forth, there is a strong correlation between the loss of wetlands, grasslands, and the concentrations of crop insurance premium subsidies. let me repeat that, because it is one of the things that struck us, there is a very strong

correlation between those parts of the country where you are seeing the greatest losses in these habitats and as part where the government is providing the greatest amount of crop insurance premium subsidies to land owners. maybe go to the next chart after this. that in part reflects the cost of crop insurance premium subsidies has risen dramatically in the last decade, and is expected to remain very strong, remain high for the next decade and is even proposed to the increase in both the house and senate farm bills. because we pay on average about 62% of the cost of farmers obtaining a insurance, those subsidies are providing a powerful incentives for farmers to plow up these lands. we know that in part because we

can see it with our own eyes. we know it in partse two of the leading agricultural economist in the country recently issued a report that showed a strong correlation between crop insurance premium subsidies and a loss of these habitats. we know it because farmers themselves have been telling us every day in news accounts -- i will quote a couple -- one in minnesota said when you remove the risk involved and guarantee yourself a profit, it is not a bad it quits business decision. i can form a low-quality that i know will not produce and still turn a profit. let's go to the next slide, and here i will turn it over to shake to walk to the consequences of these changes for many of our rare species. >> thank you, scott. my name is jake lee, and i am a

lawyer at defenders of wildlife. he has just described the incredible amount of habitat loss in the last four years. i will explore what this means for wildlife, from the impact of rare species to the heart of our waterfowl and duck breeding habits in the midwest. the prairie pothole region which covers the dakotas and minnesota produces over 9 million water file that is vital to hunters and bird watchers. that is more than 20% of the nation's water fowl. the region is home to one of the richest diversity's of grassland birds in the united states. yet these wetlands and grasslands are being destroyed at a rate faster than the loss of the amazonian rain forest rid crop conversion has claed more than m of

habitat where a huge percentage of america boss ducks breed. the american fish and wildlife service's says these wetlands have been converted. the estimated 3 million ducks could disappear as a result. in addition to waterfowl, also at risk are america's rest of life. i would describe a few of these species more imperiled as a result of future crop conversions. you see the lesser prairie chicken, which is a game bird found in these five states. as the map shows, the birds have already lost 85% of its original habitat and had become listed by the endangered species act. to avoid the potential listing, many agencies and ranchers have been working to conserve the species. yet in just the last four crop years, over 1.5 million acres

of grassland were converted to cropland in the counties where the prairie chicken is found. on the one hand, we have all these efforts to conserve the bird being taken by ranchers, state agencies, and even usda cost own conservation program. on the other hand, the crushing effects of crop prices and subsidies is driving the birds' under the plow. >> could you please speak up a little bit. >> sure. the greater sage grouse is another declining species. a century ago, there were over 16 million of these birds trick today there are fewer than 200,000. the number continues to drop. the species is the focus of the unprecedented range-white conservation efforts to turn its status around and prevent it from being listed within the next three years. the nation are has

spent more than $100 million to conserve this species. the areas that are most important to this grouse are directly in the bull's eye of where land in montana has been converted for crop eased. land that will continue to be plowed under if crop insurance subsidies are provided. next slide. the swift fox is yet another example of a rare species. the federal government shows -- chose not to list the fox as endangered in 2011. will the fox continued to be safe? look at this map of the specie'' range and habitat loss in colorado, and you can see how continued loss due to conversion will drive the species closer to extinction. these are some of the example of

what life harm in the last four crop years, and behind each of these species are hundreds of other plants and animals and the entire ecosystems that are unraveling as perverse federal policies push more of their homes under the plow. i will give it back to scott now. >> there is a very -- in addition to the impact on wildlife, there is a significant impact of these changes in land use on water quality. this map shows the lands that are erodable lands, lands that are susceptible to eroding, chemicals,oil and and where much of these lands and habitats are being plowed under. next slide, please treat this

shows the overlap between areas where there is a great deal of habitat loss and rivers, lakes, and bays that had been identified as being too polted to meet goals of the clean water act. in short, these changes to the landscape are compounding our water quality problems in two ways. one is the loss of these wetlands is eliminated an important buffer that filters run off as it moves into our waterways. it is increasing the number of acres were chemicals are being applied, and as the amount of fertilizer that is used on the average acre of corn or soybeans has doubled, that means much more fertilizer are winding up in our rivers and lakes. it is not only a problem for fish, wildlife, but also a problem for drinking water consumers who are having to pay

much more that the water treated before it can be consumed at home. next slide. we will wrap up quickly and then open it up to your questions. our first recommendation is to reform our outdated crop insurance program, in particular, to require that farmers who receive crop insurance subsidies also adopt basic environmental protections that they take steps to protect wetlands, grasslands, and water quality in exchange for receiving government support. that has been a condition of receiving other kinds since 1985. those subsidies are now largely been replaced by crop insurance subsidies, so is very important that we continue to maintain this important compact between farmers and taxpayers where farmers take steps to protect wildlife and water quality in exchange for receiving subsidies.

the good news is the senate farm bill includes a provision that would require farmers to receive insurance subsidies to adopt basic environmental protections. the bad news is the terrible farm bill produced by a house agriculture committee does not include these provisions. that is a debate that will be resolved this fall when the house and senate returns. the second reform that we have called for is that congress take steps to further reform the subsidies by limiting who can receive them and the amount that they can receive. the senate has included some modest reforms to limit crop insurance subsidies for the largest and most successful for businesses. the house has not. the house would increase by $9 billion over 10 years the amount that taxpayers provide to help farmers purchase crop insurance and has adopted no limits. because there are no lips and

the -- limits on the subsidies, there are some policyholders who just last year received more than $1 million in government support. there are more than 10,000 policyholders who received more than $100,000 in government support to purchase in shorts. where are calling for two reforms. one is a requirement that farmers adopt basic and none of the protections and that congress began to limit the amount of subsidies, both those who can receive them and the amount that they received. we urge congress reject cuts to conservation programs. in light of the enormous change we're seeing, enormous losses, the reverse is of all the gains we have seen, that congress reject cuts to conservation programs. now is the wrong time with extraordinary pressure being on the landscape to cut programs that reward farmers when they take steps to produce cleaner water. lastly, we urge congress to take

steps to bring farmers together to better collaborate to protect these important habitats and drinking water supplies. too much of the conservation programs that farmers benefit from are provided a la carte. it is important to find ways to help farmers these problems. why don't i stop there and turn it over to you for questions and answers. >> if you are participating by phone and like to ask a question, you have to be locked into the webinar. if you could identify yourself and your news affleck before you ask your question. if anyone has a question. >> just wondering if you could elaborate on the report and what they found in terms of a

correlation between -- [unintelligible] >> two of the most prospected partial economists released a report a few weeks ago that showed what should be obvious to everyone, which is that when you provide a subsidy, when you pay 62% of the cost of obtaining assurances on average, many farmers are no longer responding to the market but are looking for ways to form the treasury. but the power of the subsidy blunts the signals the market would often provide and as result many farmers are planting in wet spots or dry spots where areas that would probably not produce a crop even in the good years because the government is taking most of the risk out of that decision. they did an analysis of the

other work being done in recent years that shows a clear link between land-use decision making, where many farmers are choosing to plow up plans they simply would not plant if they bore only responding to market signals. >> [unintelligible] conservation programs that you do not want to see cut -- what particular programs do you think get the biggest bang for the buck? >> ken, you may want to add to this. clearly, for those of you who did not fall this every day, there are three kinds of programs, those that pay farmers to retire marginal lands to restore wetlands and grasslands and forests, those that pay farmers to change how they manage their working crop land

in order to improve air quality or water quality or produce habitat, and in programs that are designed to purchase development rights from farmers so they continued grazing or cropping their lands, but forgo the right to build homes or sell their homes. all these programs are incredibly important. especially at a time when so much new land is being brought into production, it is important we give farmers the tools they need, fertilizer, the tools to use fertilizer as efficiently as they can, to protect covers along fields and streams so those filters continue to be in place and keep much of that nitrogen be applied to our fields on the field and not in our rivers, lakes, and bays. >> what we are seeing is the consequence of a lot of good

farmers in the game with very bad rules. you are incentivized by crop insurance, and there are strong incentives by our ethanol policy to maximize the acreage you formed. farmers are responding to that. as a debate about whether or not avoiding taxes is american as apple pie. i think playing by these rules to all the sense in the world if you're in that system. we are wanting to change some of those rules with respect to crop insurance. that is one player. the other later in this discussion i think is that farmers are conservationists. they are lined up at usda offices every year, and they want to get into conservation programs where they in most

cases put 50% or so of their own money into conservation practices in return for getting a 50% or so support from the government. that is certainly for the working man's programs. that tells us that there is a strong conservation ethic out there that is being basically overwhelmed by the subsidy signals that are coming from crop in shorts or ethanol policy and so forth. we have lost that balance, and as we see prices run up, there is a lot more at stake beyond. where word about what is going to happen to people who cannot afford to eat, particularly in developing countries, or damage that is going to be happening around the world to the environment. we cannot deal with all those issues as one country. but to recognize that we are part of the global economy, and our farmers who are trying to do their best to make a living, and

we're glad they're making a good living these days, are forced in many cases to choose between earning a good living and basically not playing by the rules, by deciding they are born to do something different than their neighbors. some of them are willing to do that and keep land out of production, but as we see from this analysis, tens of millions of acres have gone under the plow, and that has caused tremendous environmental damage. that is what we are trying to deal with here. >> the next question. >> hi, i thank everyone. a quick question, you said [unintelligible] i want to make sure that is correct is that the intention?

if so, is it that conservation compliance [unintelligible] >> that is right, let me take both. the numbers are always the best way to tell this story. ever " -- average cost is about $9 billion a year, teh 10-year score is about $90 billion. direct payments cost taxpayers about $5 billion a year. they are expected to go away or are expected to be no longer extended under the current farm bill. for virtually all major subsidized commodities, the value of your insurance premium, the value of that money in your pocket is much greater than the

value of your direct payment. even though congress is eliminating direct payments in both house and senate farm bills, almost all of those savings from eliminating these direct payments, which were essentially subsidies tied to your production history, the elimination of those direct payments will be plowed into expanding a variety of different kinds of revenue guarantees and crops insurance. that will ultimately cost the taxpayers much more in the long run than extending direct payments. the second part, historically, farmers who have received direct payments, other kinds of subsidies created in the dust bowl era, but extend it in the 98's, 998's farm bills, those subsidies required farmers have

to be in compliance, that they have to adopt basic environmental protections to but designed to protect wetlands and grasslands and so help. as those galway, as direct payments galway, crop insurance subsidies will become the primary wait we support the income of farmers, the only way we give them some sort of annual payment, and that is why senator chambliss and others have proposed and had championed the notice -- the notion of linking crop insurance as we move into the new world where we are helping farmers purchase insurance instead of giving a direct payment from the treasury. >> thank you. >> are there any questions? >> i wonder if you could put this conversion rate into

context. you say 23 minutes in acres across the country you have a way of comparing that to what occurred in the 1970's or at other times, giving us a context of whether this is a lot or a little. >> yes, that is a great question. many of you know there was a period in our history between 1850 and 1950 where there was an enormous amount of loss of wetlands and grasslands. that rate of conversion gradually slowed, and as we got into the 9080's and the last decade, we saw very little overall loss in grasslands and wetlands, and even during one time a modest increase in the amount of what plants in the united states. -- is reflects an unprecedented

reversal of those gains. we have seen it in our eyes, those who live in the midwest. this study is the first real documentation of this incredible or personal that we have seen in the last four years, where especially between 1997 and 2007 week essentially held the line where we did not see a significant change overall in the amount of wetlands and grasslands in the united states and even saw a modest increase in wetlands acres. now we are seeing a sudden drop and loss in our natural heritage at a rate that really surprised many of us. i do not think any of us would have imagines that we would have lost more than 29 acres of wetlands and grasslands and sh rublands in the last four years.

it is a discouraging turn around. >> are there any other questions? you mentioned ethanol subsidies, and i wonder how much of your report touched upon those. >> the report does not cite that in detail, but let me ask scott to reply. it is an important issue now. the signals we are sending, in a way i like secretary butz, we are saying government should get into agricultural even more. there is a strong push to even grow the ethanol mandate bigger than it is now. obviously, there are people on the other side who are pushing back, saying we are heard and

livestock producers, causing damage to the environment, so there is a lively debate. i will turn it over to scott. >> clearly, the renewable fuel standard, which mandates that we use $15 billion of corn ethanol, including $13.2 billion -- 13.2 billion gallons this year, has risen the price of corn. that has made it much more attractive to plant corn. the things that is lost in the coverage of the drop is that we are planting more corn acreage right now than at any time since world war ii because of the ethanol mandate. waiting the mandate would have a short-term impact on the price of corn, but in the long run, we need to look harder at whether we need to reform the

mandate in more significant ways in order to really get the sort of advanced biofuels and the commercial marketplace. and we need to look much more how we can reform crops subsidies to eliminate the risk of planting on these marginal lands treat the crop insurance subsidy incentivizes people to plant where the shirt night, while the ethanol mandate has the effect of raising the floor of the price of corn. these subsidies to curch farmers to plant in places where they would not normal late response to the market. >> tax payers are paying the price at least twice, once for the subsidies, the ethanol subsidy poses a costs on taxpayers. $9 billion a year in crop

insurance expenditures is a significant cost. we're waiting for the bill to become due this year. we heard some pretty big numbers about how much money we might be spending as a result of the drought this year and the coverage we have provided mostly to the farms in this part of the country where the damage is so great. the second way we pay is the damage to water quality, loss of wildlife habitat, boss of all those amenities, hunting and fishing. some of the programs were put in place in the 1980's, the conservation reserve, the wetlands reserve, under a lot of pressure now, and i think we all know there has been a boom to wildlife and the central flyway as a consequence of those programs. that was part of healing the mistakes we made in the 1970's by saying we should get government out of agriculture

and plow up every acre in sight. we are on doing that healing now and we will see some economic loss in hunting revenues and fishing revenues for sportsmen, and as jake describe, we will see a severe impact on species that are not game species, but are very much valued, and we are spending a lot of effort to protect them in other ways. the of 1 foot on the brake and 1 foot on the accelerator, -- we have 1 foot on the brake and 1 foot on the accelerator, and that is no way to do it. >> are there any other questions? [unintelligible] >> thank you, everyone. my e-mail address and telephone is there as well.

russians, we will be available this afternoon, and we thank you for joining. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >>[unintelligible] >> president obama's reelection campaign released its funding

call for july. it is the third straight month where the obama campaign has been outdone by the republican campaign pai. >> the committee plans to meet again this weekend to discuss the draft. delegates plan to vote to approve the platform at the convention. he can watch a portion of that meeting tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span. c-span, created by cable companies in 1979, brought to you by a public service. next, a portion of today's white

house briefing with jay carney. he answered several questions on the defection of the syrian prime minister, and the shootings at the temple in wisconsin. this is about 25 minutes. >> i have one quick announcement. the president concluded a call with the prime minister of spain. they discussed economic conditions in the eurozone, and we will have a further read out later today of that call. with that, i will go to your questions. >> i am wondering if the u.s. was able to confirm the confection of the syrian prime minister and other officials

there, and also if he could give me an assessment of what the impact the defections are having on the syrian government. that does not necessarily seem to translate into [unintelligible] >> we have no reason to doubt the report about the defections of the prime minister or other members of the government. the head of the syrian government has rejected that ongoing slaughter been carried out. it only reinforces that the regime is crumbling from within days areassad's numbered. as we have said repeatedly, this is a sign her in that his oosening.ower is listen

high pressure it reflects an inability to maintain any following among the syrian people. the momentum is with the opposition and with the syrian people. these defections are reaching the highest levels, and assad cannot restore his control because the syrian people will not allow it. the quickest way to end the bloodshed is for assad to step aside, to allow a peaceful transition. >> is the latest intelligence of where he is right now? >> i would not talk about issues of intelligence, but we monitor the situation in syria very closely. i have no specific information

to give you about assad. i can simply say that what we are seeing, evidenced by these reports, is increasing instability within his leadership, and i think increasing desperation in his efforts to wage war against his own people. >> another topic, the president said in his speech that he would talk to anybody, any party, about issues of gun violence and gun control. i am wondering if there any plans to ashley is something about that now that we have had a second shooting? >> that me say that the president and the first lady -- let me say that the president and the first lady were deeply saddened to learn about this tragic shooting that took so

many lives. he made clear his administration will provide whatever support is necessary to officials responded and the investigation, which the fbi is involved in. he also made clear how much our country has been enriched by sikhs, who are part of our broader american family. he was notified by his homeland security adviser is today. later he convened a call with the fbi director, the chief of staff, and the homeland security adviser to receive an update. he called the governor of wisconsin, oak creek mayor, and the sikh temple to express his sorrow.

he believes we have a broader issue with violence in america that needs to be addressed on a variety of angles, including efforts this administration has undertaken to work with local communities, to try to get children out of gangs, to get kids back in school, working with local law enforcement in their efforts to fight crime. incidents like this are horrific and our hearts but the victims and families and to the sikh community in wisconsin. we cannot lose sight of the fact that there is violence of the time in america and that we need to take concerted actions to deal with it. >> no specific plans? >> recently gave his remarks at the urban league, he will continue to instruct his

administration to take action. some common-sense measures to protect second amendment rights for law-abiding citizens, but make it harder for those who should not have weapons under existing law to obtain than. some progress has been made on those instructions. the president will continue to press that as well as pressing a variety of ways that this administration is assisting local communities in their efforts to combat violence. >> has the president or will he be speaking to the indian prime minister about the shootings? what assurances can federal law enforcement authorities give to the sikh community that they will be protected from these atrocities? >> on the first part, i have no

other foreign leader calls to read out to you at this time. the president and first lady tess today and again through meet today to express their deep condolences to the families of the victims and to the community that was affected, and the president noted yesterday the important contribution that sikhs have made and continue to make to the broader american community, and we need to remember that. the specifics of this particular incident are under investigation, said the questions that go to motive, to the perpetrator, those kinds of things, i will have to refer to the fbi, which has a role in its investigation as well as law enforcement. >> any special security measures? >> i would not want to speculate

at this time, and i think i would refer you to the fbi and vocal law enforcement. i will get to you, but let me get -- >> what is the majority leader's view there will not be significant gun legislation in the current house? but the president has made his views plan on this is that he is for common-sense measures that protect second amendment rights. make it harder and harder for those who should not have weapons, under existing law from obtaining than. there is no question there has been a reluctance to act in congress on these issues. whether that will continue to be the case in the future is anyone's prediction. the president is focused on the

progress we can make along the lines i just described. again, i think we have talked about he believes we can take action within the existing environment that moves the ball forward in terms of enforcement, that enhances background checks, make it harder for those who should not have weapons, under existing law, makes it harder for them to obtain weapons. but continues to insure the second amendment rights. >> >> is there anything to suggest that there needs to be new gun control legislation? >> the president address this at the urban league, and his view is we need to take common-sense measures that protect second amendment rights and make it harder for us who should not have weapons under existing law from attaining weapons. he made clear in his speech that

violence in america is a problem is greater than just the issue of gun laws, and he talked clearly about prevalence of violence in america, even that overall statistics have shown that violence has gone down, there is still too much violence, and incidents like the ones you mentioned are horrific and our hearts go out to the victims such appalling acts of violence. we should not forget that there are victims of violence every day in america and we need to address the problems in a concerted way deals with education and summer jobs and other ways to help address the violence problem in america.

>> leader reid-governor romney story continues to percolate. does the president think that 's comments are inappropriate on the senate floor? >> he speaks for himself, and he has addressed this issue. the broader question as it relates to the president's views is he thinks the tradition that has been in place since 1968 of candidates for president releasing multiple years of their tax returns is an important one. it is not always every candidate's favorite part of the process, but it is a tradition

that is valuable to the american people as they decide who should be president. that is why the president has put forward its financial information, his tax returns when he was a candidate, and believes that is an important tradition. >> i do not remember him pushing john mccain releasing more than two years of his tax returns? >> he had prior runs where he released the information. this is a question and i will refer you to our kind paint -- a question for governor romney. as recently as last week on abc he said he would be happy to check if he paid a lower effective tax rate in previous years than the 13 per 9% that he paid -- 13.9% that he paid. the only reason why this is an issue is the president believes

strongly, and this is the central, that we need to have greater tax fairness, and that we need to make sure that we are passing laws that protect the middle class, that's specifically give the middle- class a tax cut extension, and that we are not passing laws give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires who have already enjoyed substantial tax breaks in the past and to enjoy legal loopholes i carry interest law that allow a warren buffet or a hedge fund manager or affluent americans to pay taxes that are at a much lower rate than a factory worker at a plant, the gm plant in michigan or ohio, or a hard-working member of the white house press corps. it is just about making our tax code more fair and making our

tax code more helpful to the middle-class, which is the backbone of our country and the backbone of economic century and economic growth in our country. i promised him a question. >> i would like to thank the president and first lady for their kind words for the sikh committee. this community has been targeted, they have been targeted since 9/11. the education of the general public -- this has been going on for 11 years, is the president going to travel to that community? to follow up on the question --ut the prime minister

[unintelligible] what are we going to do? >> i will take your question apart a little bit. i cannot address the motivation or the motivation behind the specific incident that happened 24 hours ago. it is certainly the case that sikhs had been targeted in the america since 911 because they are perceived to be muslims. i cannot address the motivation behind yesterday's attack because it is under investigation by the fbi and local law enforcement. as for the president's schedule,

i have no announcements to make about upcoming travel. if i do, i will make everyone aware. i just want to be clear and to reiterate the president feels strongly that we need to remember on a day like today the profound contribution that the sikh community has made in this country, and this is a very peaceful community, and is horrific that this kind of the event takes place in and around a house of worship of any kind. our hearts go out to the victims and their families. >> the charge is not just that maybe mitt romney paid less than a factory worker, but it is a bit more vicious than that from harry reid. he says he has an anonymous

source telling him he paid no taxes for 10 years. the president talked about changing the tone in this town. why does he not pick up the phone and ask harry reid to stop this? >> the idea that people tell harry reid what to do is inconsistent with what everyone here understands to be -- you hear the president going out and talking about the important issues facing the american people every day. he talks about its in the terms that reflect the importance of economic matters like our tax code and how our tax code currently benefits companies that ship drops -- jobs overseas. he would change that said that it ceases encouraging investments overseas and

encourages in sources of investment and jobs. he talks about that in terms of what i was saying earlier, a tax code that allows in totally legal fashion as fund managers -- hedge fund managers to pay a tax rate significantly lower than many americans. that is not reflective of a system that we need to have in place that helps the american middle-class grow, helps enhance its security. >> does the white house believe that allegation? >> i will refer you to senator reid. he knows his source, and i refer you to that. it is a fair point to make that this is an issue that was not originated during the general election campaign, did not start with the president's campaign or with senator reid. it started in the republican primary when his opponents

brought up this issue, and the fact that governor romney's father began a tradition in 1968 of major candidate for president releasing multiple years of their tax returns. that is a tradition that has been adhered to by major candidate for presidents ever since. >> nancy pelosi said today that harry reid made a statement that is true. do you agree? >> i would refer you to -- i think the president is focused on and you hear him talk about this everyday issues that matter to the american people, that have to do with both tax fairness, but also actions we need to be taking to grow the economy, that we need to be taking to increase job creation here in the united states, that we need to take to bring jobs back from overseas and have companies invest here in the united states. that is what the president is

talking about. you will continue to hear him talk about these issues tonight and every day he is out there, making the case to the american people about his agenda. >> one more on some of our reid. it's a question, does the president think this allegation coming from harry reid, without evidence, made on the senate floor, is that below the belt? >> again, the president has not expressed an opinion to me on this. i can tell you that the president is focused on the issues i have just talked about. he believes in the tradition of releasing tax returns, and this is an issue that was raised by contenders for president in the republican primary. just on your air number of days ago, romney said he would go back and look at the effective tax rate he paid in previous years, and then his campaign said he would not do that.

the issue here is one of transparency, and as the president sees it, it is one that is an important tradition, that allows the people to get a sense of a candidate's background. again, you can talk to senator reid. key i'm sure will address this issue if you ask him. he certainly speaks for himself. the president is focused on the issues that matter most to the american people. we now have a situation where congress has left town for a number of weeks, where instead of passing legislation that would and extend tax cuts for 97% of the american people, the house left town refusing to do that. but that the overlap between the house and senate bills.

why can we -- if washington were to function effectively, if republicans were to accept the principle that we should act on behalf of 90% of the people, we could have been taken care of that matter of a middle-class tax cut before they went on recess, and that security would be in place for 98% of the people, before the fall campaign began. instead, we did not get action on that, and that is the kind of craziness we have in washington now, where even where washington now, where even where we

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