our national security.po second, the crisis is united nations year mining the peacee of the region. on top of the refugee crisis, there have been reports of clashes on the iraqi board board and lebanon. board and lebanon. regime's willingness to usead chemical weapon.al we have warned the regime of the use of chemical weapons would lead to ser is where response. those who order use of chemicala weapons and those who use themdr will be eld held to account. there is also credible information that iran is providing some military support to the regime through the revolutionary guard call including personnel, equipment, weapons and direct assistance.re hired, we and our allies must be prepared to respond to situations of extreme humanitarian distress. our foreign policies in inseparable from yun holdingr fo human right, protect lives and supporting international law. with you of we must assist the genuine moderate and democratic forces in syria who are in dire

need of help and who feel by abandoned by the international community. the longer this conflict guess on. the more human sufferingn persecution of minorities, radicalization and sectarianl radicalization and sectarianl despite the three compelling arguments, there will be those who say that britain should have nothing to do with jair.shu but we cannot look the other way while international law and human rights are out. we cannot step back from a crisis that could destabilizeed the heart of the mild east and the height of irresponsibility the height of irresponsibility our own security so i want to ex lane to the house today the next step in increasing ourport to the syrian people and i emphasized that there may have to be further steps. we have contributed nearly 140 million pounds in humanitarian aid so far. this is from food, clean drinking water, blankets, shelter for many tens ofer thousands of people.ns with the supporting of theor national coalition's own efforts to deliver aid inside

of syria and we'll seek newid ways to relief the hue marion crisis and to expand access to e aid across the country whileile preparing to help the future government deal with thewith aftermath of the conflict.on we have also committed a total of 9.4 million pounds so far and non-lettal support to the syrian opposition to power generators and communication kits. we raids more than 300 syrian journalst and we are providing satellite communication devices to document human rights to document human rights i informed the house in januaryn that we would seek to amen the sanctions on syria to open upct the possibility of furtheribil assistance as the situation deer toated. on thursday, we finalized the partners a pacific exemptions to the sapses to permit the vision p of nonlethal military equipment and all forms ofall technical assistance to thesist syrian national coalition where it is intended for theen

protection of civilians. this is an important advance in our ability to support thet opposition and help save lives. the technical assistance can include advice and training on how to maintain security ininta areas no longer controlled bylog the reg um, on coordination between civilian and military councils, how to protect cyrilians to mini the risk to them, and hu to maintain security during a transition.tr we will nour provide much assistance, advice and training. we intend to respond to the opposition's request to provide equipment for search and rescue operations and collection kits to prevent the spread of disease. we will help local council to repair electricity and water supplies to homes and we will respond though opposition's requestal for further water purification kits and equipment to help civilian political p leaders prit and communicate. we will also now provide new sites on nonlethal equipment

for the protection ofon civilias going be beyond what we havet we given before.in c in conjunction with theal national coalition. we are identifying the protective equipment which protective equipment which them and lockley to save most sa lives.li i will keep the house updated. it will certainly include, for instance, four-wheel drive instance, four-wheel drive figures move around freely as well as personal protection equipment including body armor. we will be able to provide testing equipment to the opposition to enable evidence gathering in the horrific evente gathering in the horrific evente help armed groups understanded the responsibilities and theli obligation under international law andga international human rights standards. any human rights violation or abuses are unacceptable on all sides.si we allocated nearly 3 million pounds in something this month to support this work and additional 10 million pounds thereaftern comprising $20 million inthal onlethal equipment and tactical

support to the syrian opposition of civil society on top of the $60 million just announced by the united states. and we hope other countriestrie will offer similar assistance. the cabinet is in no doubt that this is a necessary lawful response to a situation of extreme humanitarian suffering and there is no practical alternative. alternative. carefully calibrated and monitored as well as legal and aimed at sabbing life,nd human theg the catastrophe and supportinge groups. the process of amending therate sanctions regime in the way was difficult and the decision camea down the wire. we persisted with it because we believe it is technical to havee a united eu aprop.u. in our view, it is a political solutions of the ricins syria is not found and the conflict continues we and the rest of continues we and the rest of to move further and we should not rule out any options of not rule out any options of in case further necessary amendments to the sanctions reg

game prove impossible to agree. we stand ready to take any measures necessary to ensure the core sanctions on syria remain effective. this is a situation in syriayria where extreme humanitarian distress and growing dangers to international peace and security must weigh security must weigh balance against other risks. with this crisis now becoming one of majority mentions by any standard, with millions of people on the move, and tens ofo thousands dead, tens of thousands more in daily danger of their lives, of losing theirr lives, the world most vie tileot region and political deadlockl for two years, our policy cannot be static or pos outpositioned indifferent. the situation of growing g gravity requires a steadily more active approach. learning the lessons of learning the lessons of emphasizing the need for ath political and diplomatic resolution of the crisis but crucially also be prepared to r use increased pressure and

leaders to try to bring this about. we'll continue to coop the house informed as we press on the end to the conflict and provide life saving assist and to work to ensure that syria has the transition that people need and deserve and what they waited far too long to achieve. >> that was just a portion of the secretary's comments. you can find the entire remarks@c-span.org. during his weekly address, president obama discussed the u.s. economy and february's job numbers which saw unemployment drop to 7.7% with 236,000 jobs added. he is followed by alabama senator jeff sessions who spoke about the federal budget. >> hi, everybody. as i said before, my top priority as president is making sure we do everything we can to reig i hate to the true engine of mark's economic growth. yesterday, we received some welcomed news on that front.

we learned that our businesses add nearly 250,000 new jobs last month. the unemployment rate fell to 7.7%. still too high, but now lower than it was when i took office. our businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight. nearly 6.4 million new jobs in all. our manufacturers are bringing jobs back to america. our stock market has reboundedded. new homes are being built and sold at a faster pace. we need to do everything we can to keep that momentum going. that means asking ourselves three questions every day. how do we make america a magnet for new jobs? how do we equip more of the people with the skills those jobs require? how do we make sure that your hard work leads to a tee cent living? that has to be our driving focus. our north star, at a time when our businesses are gaining a little more traction, the last thing we should do is allow washington politics to get in

the way. you deserve better than the same political gridlock and refusal to compromise that is too often passed for serious debate over the last few years. that is why i have been reaching out to republicans and democrats to see if we can untangle some of the grid lock. earlier this week, for example, i met with some republican senators to see if there are smarter ways to redut the self sits than arbitrate cuts in the so-called sequester that recently went into place. we had an open and honest conversation about critical issues like immigration reform and gun violence and other areas where we can work together to move this country forward. next week, i will attend both the democratic and republican party meetings in the capital to continue those discussions. the fact is, america is a nation of different beliefs and different points of ru. that is part of what makes us strong and frankly makes our democratic debates sometimes messy and a lot of sometimes frustrating. but ultimately, what makes us

special is when we summon the ability to see past the differences and come together around the belief that what binds us together will be more powerful than drives us apart. as democrats and republicans, we may disagree on the best way to achieve the goal, but i am confident we condition afree on what the goals should be. the strong and vibrant middle class, an economy that allows businesses to gre and thrive, and education system that gives more americans the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future. immigration system that actually works for families and businesses, and stronger communities and safer streets for our children. making progress on these issues won't be easy. in the months ahead, there will be more contentious debate and honest disagreement between people who want what is best for this country. but i still believe that compromise is possible. i still believe we can come together to do big things. i know there are leaders on the other side of the aisle who share that belief. so i will keep fighting to

solve the real challenges facing middle class family and enlist anyone who is willing to help. that is what the country needs now. that is what you deserve. thanks so much. >> hello, i am jeff sessions from alabama ranking republican on the senate budget committee. it is my privilege to speak with you today before the senate considers a budget plan next week. congress has an obligation to adopt the budget that does the most good for the most people. washington, d.c. provides a troubling illustration of our challenges. no city in america relies more on federal government than washington. federal money pours every single day into every part of the city. despite this fountain of federal funds, one in three children still live in poverty and our nation's capital. two and three children live in single-parent homes. in nearby baltimore, another city governed by liberal policies for decade, one in

three residents are on food stamps and one in three live in poverty. americans are committed to helping our sisters and brothers who are struggling but we're seeing the damaging human consequences of our broken welfare state. we spend $1 trillion each year on federal poverty programs. that is more than the budget for social security or defense. but poverty seems only to increase. something is wrong. compassion demands that we change. amazingly, the federal government say that's the more people we have on food stamps be where the more it grows the economy. the department of agriculture proudly declares "each $5 in new benefits generates almost twice that amount in economic activity for the community." our government is running food stamp promotion at bond embassies. one worker was given an award for overcoming mountain pride

and getting more people to sign up. where i grew up in alabama, all work, even the hardest was honor and pride, self-respect, a desire to be independent was valued, not a thing to be overcome. isn't it a better gel to help more americans find good-paying jobs, to have the pride and the self-respect that comes from that? isn't this a superior form of compassion, that hases a more solid moral foundation? yet every time