obviously the elephant in the room is how to finance all of this. the gas tax, diesel fuel tax has been the primary source of resourcing infrastructure. we have to do something to and replace it, obviously. something that we can pass politically, which may be more difficult than intellectually. we have to figure out how to cut down on the red tape and delays in implementing projects. from a national point of view we have those make the freewill system as much as possible seem

inefficient. it is a tall order for six months, but i assume we will come up with these answers. thank you very much. i have to ask unanimous consent that the letter on -- the letter sent to the members of the panel be entered into the record for today's hearing. thank you all very much for being here and your work. that will conclude this hearing. today, thep dedication ceremony for the george w. bush presidential library and museum at southern methodist university in texas. former president bush will be joined by president obama. speakers include the former secretary of state and or a bush. and why coverage at 11:00 eastern on c-span3. >> steve miller today will

testify that at a house ways and means committee examining the operations of the internal revenue service. >> i tell my kids if to cars pull up in one has a stranger dcheney,ther one, dick you get in the car with a stranger. >> it is so amazing to me in washington d.c. with all this history and the amazing buildings, and here we are at the hilton. >> it is hard to be funny with the president of the united states looking at you, and yet, day in and day out president biden manages to do it. takeover the white house correspondent center. and-- >> the white house

correspondent center. coverage begins with red carpet arrivals. that is live on c-span sunday. >> attorney general are colder talked about emigration rights and voting issues last night. remarks are 15 minutes. >> good evening. i was telling john a good introduction. any dates.ion people start calculating and say he is old. so thank you. such a warm welcome. a pleasure to be in such great company this evening. of privilege to join some of friends, colleagues, committee partners and distinguished award recipients for tonight's

celebration. i want to thank tom for the strong leadership since becoming president and general counsel. [applause] to tie a bow tie. that is a real skill. becomingrship since president legal counsel of the mexican american legal defense fund in 2009. i would like to acknowledge the board of directors, a regional office leaders, professional staff, supporters and sponsors, not only insuring this organization remains like a lead along -- leading law firm but evincing equality and justice, and i would like to thank honorees. a rece's [applause] miekoras.or, allie

salazar.friend, ken [applause] who i sit next to at all of the state of the unions. always trying to make me laugh. going to miss you next january. i want to thank them for the remarkable achievements and the service each of them has given to the country. tonight the awards gala presented and rigid import opportunity for everyone to renew the shared commitment of the work in the cause of the quality of come together to advance. this serves of -- as a unit of buying vision and a rally cry. a group of ago when concerned citizens gathered in san antonio, texas, to put forward a vision of hope in the

years that was defined by national tragedy. during the spring and summer of 1968, the shocking murders of dr. martin luther king jr. and robert f. kennedy, the country was really shaken. peaceful activist based misguided legal actions, abuse of words, and threats of violence. in california thousands of latino high school students walked out of their classrooms to protest this -- discrimination in the system. in 1968, the future of the progress to which dr. king, dr. kennedy and 70 others had dedicated their lives was anything but certain. the founders were not only under unfounded but

surprisingly optimistic. build a strong base of support and began to intervene in civil legal aid cases. over the next 45 years come of this -- as this organization grew, your dedication to the values of equity and inclusion has remained steadfast through educational our reach, legislative advocacy, community engagement and principal litigation you have consistently fought to secure the rights of immigrants and underserved populations. a played a key role in high- profile policy debates and supreme court cases. and you have taken a difficult stance against long odds and sometimes deep opposition to expand education, employment, bridge long-standing divisions to see that justice is done. in a variety of ways it has helped to bring about meaningful changes from america's schools and workplaces to housing and lending markets, border areas,

and immigrant communities. time and again europe stood up and spoken out for equal and againy -- time you have stood up and spoken out for equal opportunity. your efforts are continuing to make a powerful difference, protect really what it comes to safeguarding the most powerful rights of american citizenship, the right to vote. as you know, in recent years we've seen an unprecedented number of lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of one of our most effective schools for preventing discrimination in the election system. section iv of the voting rights act of 1965. this was a signature of achievement of the civil rights movement. it requires all or parts of 15 states with histories of discrimination to obtain approval from the justice department or panel of federal judges for any proposed changes in voting procedures or practices.

some of them may disproportionately impact young, poor, elderly and minority voters. long been 0 bipartisan consensus that this lot is not only necessary, but good. this was as recent as 2006. the supreme court recently heard a case challenging section 5, contending it is no longer constitutional in arguing our nation has moved beyond reality that prompted the passage in recent renewal. let me be clear, while this country has indeed changed and real progress has been made because of groups like this and many others, we are not yet at a point where the most vital part of the voting rights act can be described as an unnecessary or a product of alawed lica

process. justice scalia is wrong. [applause] that is why today's justice department has vigorously defended section 5 as an indispensable tool for eradicating discriminatory election practices. it is why this organization has been a shoulder to shoulder in this effort. arguing section 5 must be upheld and working hard to safeguard the rights of language minorities. no matter the outcome of this important case. that is why my colleagues and i have committed to be aggressive and appropriate enforcement of every -- of every civil-rights protection on the books. [applause] what we cannot and will not do is stand by and allow the slow

unraveling of an electrical system -- that a system so many people have sacrificed so much to construct. procedural miscount abuses or consider changes such as shortened voting times that are inconsistent with the historic ideal of expanded% -- participation in the process. we must take action together to address long lines that are unnecessary and may depress burnt -- turnouts among certain voting populations, and we must speak out against recent proposed changes in how electoral votes are counted in specific states, and calls such proposals what they are, lately partisan, unfair devices and not worthy of the nation. [applause] above all, we must stand together to honor the basic principles of equal quit -- treatment and fair representation that has always

been at the center of our identity of the nation. oft have stood at the core the justice department recent effort to enforce building walls and a range of other essential civil rights protections. especially over the past four years, under the leadership of assistant general eternal -- assistant attorney general, the department of the civil-rights -- [applause] we're quantitate at the designated part real soon. -- we are going to take up the designate part real soon. to takertment has tried out pilots in combat intimidation. we of significant a increase hate crime prosecutions. in addition, we have taken steps

to address discrimination in schools and protect the rights of all children to enroll, regardless of immigration status. in to the office and the violence for women -- against reauthorizee the violence against women act which we work to secure -- [applause] increasedincludes protections for immigrants, lgbt men and women, and women in tribal communities. controversial is truly, truly beyond me. we're building reinvigorated partnerships with key international authorities. mexican leaders to combat the problem of human trafficking. these efforts have enabled the department to charge our record number of human trafficking cases. just yesterday i travel to mexico city and met with mexican

counterparts to discuss the administration's plan to build on the work and address other shared law enforcement and criminal justice challenges. i was proud to help strengthen the bonds of friendships of the united states and mexico and other allies throughout latin america and reaffirm my personal and professional commitment to the values that our people have always shared. i recognize although we can be encouraged by the recent steps forward and remarkable process we've seen in the years since the organization was founded there is no denying the significant obstacles remain before us. among the challenges, and none is more and more -- more important, more urgent than the need to act with comprehensive improve and reforms make workfare the nation's broken immigration system. [applause]

as it stands, too many employers gain the system by hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. far too many workers are relegated to living in the shadows without the rights, dignity and legal protections they deserve. the escalating cost of this broken system in terms economic and moral are simply too much to bear. as president obama has made clear, it is long past time to reform the immigration system in a way that is fair, that guarantees all are playing by the same rules, and that requires responsibility for everyone who, both people here in an undocumented status and those that hire them. creating a pathway to earned a citizenship for the 11 million and authorized immigrants in this country is absolutely essential. [applause]

the way we treat our friends and neighbors who are undocumented transcends the issue of immigration status. this is a matter of civil and human rights. it is about who we are as a nation and goes to the core of the treasured american principle of equal opportunity. like many of you, i have been encouraged to see the bipartisan reforms currently under discussion in the united states senate are consistent with the basic principles. i look forward to working with members of congress and groups like this one to help refine and improve these proposals. the senate judiciary committee markup will provide us all with an opportunity to do exactly this. i am optimistic if we continue to work together, we can move forward to make our nation

stronger, more secure, and more prosperous by building a fair and effective system that lives up to the heritage of a nation of laws, and forgets a nation built by immigrants after so sharedars of work our goal of meaningful reform is a real possibility. just as in the past you have opened the doors to education have opened the rights to the ballot box. for, greatd together -- common immigration reform and honoring the basic story in its most basic form. for centuries courageous men and women from every corner of the glove -- " have set their sights on the shores, our shores, driven by a hope for a better life and dream for brighter future for the children. many across vast oceans and great cultural divides to make

the dream of reality. this is a dream that many years ago was inspiring to my own family to come to this country, just as the has so many of yours. although i am a native new yorker by birth and upbringing, i am proud to say i was raised in a home and used with traditions and values that my grandparents brought with them home with the great -- from the greek island of barbados. i spent many of my formative years in an island that was populated by a immigrants. these people understood the importance of family and constantly reinforce the value of tolerance and respect. these principles are reflected in this justice department. they will continue to guide our work to fairly adjudicate immigration cases and to hold accountable employers who knowingly hire undocumented

workers or engage in illegal or discriminatory practices. and they drove the administration just last member to just last summer to announce certain young people brought to this country by their parents would impose no risk to public safety or national security and to enrich the nation may now la seek relief from removal and apply for deferred action for childhood arrivals process. [applause] because of many others in the legal community, many young people were given the basic information and legal assistance they needed to come forward and request relief under this process. their dream must be ours as well. tos common sense approach focusing enforcement resources will help to make immigration policy not only more efficient and cost-effective, but more

just. air represents a step in the right direction, but far from our permanent solution. by itself it will never be enough. again, the time for comprehensive immigration reform is right now. [applause] as we gather this evening to celebrate the positive steps we take in and discuss the challenges ahead, we must seize the chance to reaffirm the collective result to build on the record of achievement we of established. although we come together as your founders did an hour of need, it is also in need of significant opportunity and limitless promise. because of the work of committed leaders and passionate advocates in the room and are partners throughout the obama administration and country, and patriots and friends, i am confident the months ahead will be marked by deeper engagement

from advocates across the political spectrum. i am eager to see which -- where each of you will help to lead as premier. i am optimistic about the dialogue we will build in country and future will -- we will create together. thank you all very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> thursday, former president george bush dedicate his presidential library and museum. the 13th presidential library was built on the campus of southern methodist university in dallas, texas. in an interview conducted earlier this month in dallas, george and cora talk about the design and desk -- design and construction of the library, decisions made in the white house, and an upcoming event of

the bush institute. this is half an hour. >> mr. president, mrs. bush, thank you for being with us. let's talk about where we're at and the role of the institute and the museum. >> we're on the campus of s.m.u. in the heart of dallas, texas, which is our home. the museum is meant to kind of help a visitor relive the eight years of the 21st century. the museum explains the decision-making process that i went through as president. we hope the museum inspires people to serve. if somebody comes and when they leave we hope they want to serve their community or country in some way. the institute is a form for laura and myself to defend and support principles that we think are important. the principle of freedom,

yielding peace or the notion that free enterprise is the best way to allocate resources and give people a chance to rise from poverty. or the notion that an educated society is necessary for a free society or a concept of who is given word -- in other words, i'm out of politics but i'm not out of policy. our institute is a way to deliver concrete results and making make the world a better place. >> let's pick up on that and talk about the programs that you began in the white house. >> sure. >> has that carried on into the institute itself? >> the concept is that all human life is precious. in the museum, it explains the decision to spend taxpayer to save lives on the

continent of africa. many women are safe from h.i.v. but dying from cervical cancer. so we're startinging initiative called pink ribbon/red ribbon and this is an extension of the program. >> how is this different from any other presidential library, any other institute, any other think tank? >> there's a lot of ways it is the same. the museum with the artifacts and the papers that belong to the national government that the national archives will run and own. but it is different in the sense that for one thing, we have the institute as part of it. the policy part of it so the policies that are discussed in the museum and in those papers

in the archives are carried forward with our institute. the separate foundation part is separate from the national archives really. it is like the other presidential libraries in some ways but the institute makes it different. also, the institute gives george and me a way to work for the rest of our lives really on policies that are most important to us when he was president. >> i would like to say this, i think our institute will be different rather than just turn out paper, we're putting programs in place that will deliver result, where it is ribbon -- pink ribbon/red ribbon. we have programs that people support and here are the results many women involved in the political process of egypt. we wrote a book about how to grow the private sector. we have specific programs that

are yielding results. i've always being a resulted-or oriented guy. >> it is also research based and that is part of the institute and that is the fellows that we have doing the research that shows what we're projects andhe programs that we're doing are effective and how many lives are ribbon/red pink ribbon. how many women aring with treated forer is cri callie shons. >> how do you measure those results? >> we have people on our staff to count the number of women that have gone to the clinics

that have sprung up as and result of the pink ribbon/red ribbon. >> if you could put it into a mission statement how would you phrase it? >> freedom. it is the education initiative, freedom from ignoreance, freedom from disease, obviously, the economic initiative is a free market initiative and how that ends up being more equitable and more protective for our country. flime, human freedom itself. we have a lot of programs that are supporting disnance around the world. -- dissonace around the world. we have women learning leadership skills, learning how to negotiation -- negligent without authority. >> in terms of designing and developing this library then i will come to you how it came together, how did you start the

process? >> i was active in the actual design part of the building itself and of the museum. before we left the white house, i invited all the library districters from the 12 -- ours in is 13th library from camp david. i invited them to do a historic photography collection for camp david, the presidents with the heads of state that each of them hosted over the years at camp david. none of the directors of the presidential libraries have ever been to camp david. they all came and we gave them a tour and they got to see where their president from their library had stayed and where he hosted heads of state. then i asked them to lunch in the lodge where the meals are.

i just asked them to tell me about building a library. they were very forthcoming. they told me what will they wished had been done when their library was built, every one of them said they needed more storage, for instance. they taught me how to work with others and how important the relationship is between the foundation that supports each presidential library and the national archives who actually own the papers along with them, of course the people of the united states. that was very help to feel start out with their advice first before we even started. then we had an architectural competition, we picked robert stern from new york, bob stern is the deen of yale so there is something great about having the library on my campus, from we're i went to college and have

the architect to be from george's university. then we got to work. we picked a landscape architect at the same time. we determined then we would do this public park around the library and do it all in native texas planting, native texas prairie, wild flowers, all the things we worked to store on our own property in crawford. we've been involved in all of this, it has been really fun. the architect firm is fun to work with, smart. we just got our certification and it is the highest lead designation there is for a building. >> by the way, that is why the building is so magnificent that she was the chairman of the building committee. >> when in your white house

years did you begin thinking a this? >> i try not to think about it prior to the 2004 election, i was optimistic i would not have to make a decision but maybe with 18 months to go. we talked to the secretary of commerce, who was a dear friend and now lives in midland. he put together a group that to begin the search process. our ambassador to costa rica who is our neighbor in dallas and they started looking at difference options. i was slightly preoccupied with the presidency but i trusted these men. they came to me -- i can't remember exactly when but it was prior for us leaving for dallas and they said here's where your options. laura and i looked at them and

chose s.m.u. >> why? >> s.m.u. is in dallas. we like dallas. it is easy to get to. secondly, they made it clear we would hope to put our facility here on campus. we have a nice piece of land in the heart of dallas, texas. thirdly, s.m.u. is a great university. it also helped that laura went there. we're very impressed of the leadership of southern methodist and we felt, and rightly sew there is synergy with a good university. there were other universities that appealed to us, of course, but s.m.u. was the final winner. it also helped that the alumni base is active and supportive of the bush center. they view this as a win for southern methodist and i think it will be for the long term.

so we're content with the selection. it has worked out, better than we hoped. >> yet, you have a unique perspective having your dad build another presidential library here in texas. >> that's right. >> what did you take away as what worked and what didn't? >> the alumni base when they say they are going to help you they do. the people who went herein the people who support this university have been very supportive of our efforts . his is great. it is a wonderful building and great school and public policy. we did not want be a school. we wanted to be a do tank. laura and i decided to go into a different direction apart from the museum and for which the programs would emerge. his is -- texas a&m is a great

university and it has been great for dad. but it is a little difficult to get to. we'll make it easier to attract scholars and visitors and that will enhance the bush center. >> mrs. bush, was that one of the lessons from your meeting in camp david in 2008 to go a larger city? >> not really. there were other factors. we lived here before. this is where we lived when george was elected governor. we're very fond of the texas rangers baseball team. we wanted to come back to dallas where we lived before. we're the only very urban

presidential library on a subway stop. there's a subway stop right here at mockingbird station. access is important, if you want people to use our library, any library, public or school library or presidential library you need to be where people can get to it easily. so access was important, just basic fondness for me to be on my campus where i went to school. i would never have guessed when i graduated from s.m.u. to come back and spend the rest of my life here. i'm thrilled. many of my friends from s.m.u. will be here for the opening of the library. my friends since i was in college. >> how many thought you would mar ray president when you were at s.m. snufment >> how many of your friends thought you would be president? >> none. not one. >> when you look back at the material, millions of pages,

you're the first e-mail president. what will future historians learn when they come here? >> they will learn that i did not e-mail anybody when i was president. i was fearful of congressional intrusion into my e-mails. reallyind of sad, because a lot of history is when presidents are nervous about their personal papers being subpoenaed. they will learn that i had a great administration. i say great -- great people in my administration. people that were there to serve -- not me or the republican party but to serve the country. i'm looking forward to reading so of the e-mails myself.

no telling what is in them. we went through -- i think historians will see that i had a deliberate process on making tough decisions. sadly, i was a war-time president. i took my duties as commander in chief, particularly the duties on those who wore the uniform very seriously. once committed to combat, i supported them to max. you know, there's -- one of the things i'm comfortable in is it's going to take a while for any current administration to be properly analyzed. in other words, history has a long reach to it. i just read a book on washington, i said they are still writing about washington so we're not going to have to worry about what they are writing about me for a long time. future historians who can take an objective look at my administration or any other

president's administration can have a lot of material at his or her disposal to make an analysis. it is amazing how good it is, there are 25,000 boxes of paper. i don't know how many e-mails, maybe a billion. i don't know how they are going to work it out. i don't. >> this is new for archives to sort and store e-mails compared to papers. up until just recently, it was just papers that came to every archives but now it is very different. they, themselves are working to figure out the best ways to, you know, to sort and store e- mails. >> there's been a lot of

attention and a new documentary on your vice president chaney. what is your relationship like? >> it has been cordial rving but he lives in washington and we live in dallas. one sad thing about leaving washington is you miss your pals. a lot of people were there for all eight years. i became good friends with them like vice president cheney. i don't see him much. i don't see many of the people i worked with much and it is kind of sad. it is great to be in texas, however. >> they will be here for the opening and that will be fun. a great reunion with lots of people who worked in the administration. >> i don't miss washington. it was unbelievable exciting to be up there for eight years. but i think i told you before, when your time is up you exit the stage and let the next man, in this case, give it his best shot.

so while we have friends in washington, i'm not that friendly to washington. >> when you were in the white house, did you get a lot of calls from former presidents? did they give you advice? >> not really. >> just one. >> he did not give much advice because my dad had been president and he knows the role of an advisor. an advisor is someone who studies an issue and understands the nuances of issues and understands the internal debate about issues. if i would have said give me advise his first comment would be have been send your advisors down. my dad said son, i love you. in the pressures of the white house, there is nothing more soothing than to have someone

you love say hang in there. i talked to president clinton some. i have a great relationship with bill. he would -- i would calm him to check in on occasion to see how he's doing. but he, too, understood that advice requires briefings. so there's not that -- look, in the midst of the action you upon people whose judgment you have seen, whose advice you have listened to throughout the presidency. that's what i did. i'm confident that the current president is doing the same thing. >> if your brother jeb decides to run, what advise would you give him? >> my first advice is run. he's probably not going to take it. he may decide to run but that's not because i'm saying he ought to run.

my advice is surround yourself with good people and create an environment so they don't have to feel like they have to pander to you but they can give you their frank opinions. i tell people a key component of a leader is someone who understands what he doesn't know then finds people in -- and places them on a team. it probably blinds people when they say i don't know everything, but you don't. jeb knows thousand run an administration, he was governor of florida. >> what did the presidency teach you about yourself? >> that's a good question. one thing it -- in many ways it magnifies what happens in life and that is you have to deal with the unexpected, in other words you have to deal with things you don't want to deal

with. in my case, there were things i did not want to deal with. i did not expect or hope to deal with. 9/11 was the classic case but when you're president you have to deal with it and you deal with it with a lot of people watching. i learned to take advice from others and deal with the unexpected. it was a challenging experience and one that was incredibly fulfilling. >> mrs. bush, we've being embarking on a series looking at first ladies. from your advantage point, looking at the presidency from the eyes of a wife, what did you take away from those eight years? >> you learn so much about yourself really. in the role and living there and one things i learned about george is how tough he is. i knew he was. i knew he had the emotional toughness and stamina, physical stamina to run even a campaign, which is demanding as well. but then to live there with those sorts of pressures and the weeks and months after 11 after such a

horrifying attack on our country, i saw how tough he is mentally and physically. i found that about myself too. i wouldn't have known i would have had that strength the to deal with that emotional and physical stress that you have in those kinds of situations. both of us found that out. george probably knew that. >> you never know until you're tested. if i was doing a series on the first ladies, i would probe that question, could the first lady handle the pressure? if the answer was no, then it is going be a horrible presidency. laura was pretty calming and in

the midst of finger pointing and yelling. she is a great first lady. >> we had an situation that no one else had except john adams. we knew how difficult it is when you're criticized and somebody you love is criticized but we know that is a part of it and expect that and take it for it is. it is part of political life in the united states. really, one of our great freedoms that we can criticize our lead in every way we want to. i think because we saw george's parents, somebody -- the president and first lady that we loved so much in those roles. barbara bush is a wonderful

example to me as a first lady. she also has that inner strength, i think to be able to live there and live there under a lot of pressure and live there when the man you love the most is criticized and go on about your business. >> 9/11 you talked about being a difficult time but what else was the darkest day for you? >> meeting the families of the fallon, trying to help heal a broken heart, trying to be the comforter in chief. those were difficult moments but on the other hand, they were mostly inspiring to see the spirit of the military families. you know, spending taxpayer' money on wall street and we're in the midst of a liquidity

crisis and great advisors like bernanke made the recommendations that we better do something to change the psychology of the bankers and the recommendation was to spend teaches money on wall street. i truly believed it prevented a major economic meltdown. that was tough, katrina was tough. you know, it was not just katrina, there was a major tornado in missouri, fires in california. one of the things you do as president you go to emergencies. you see human suffering firsthand and those are always tough moments to deal with when you're the president. >> let me conclude with two final points. once this library is dedicated, what are short term goals you have moving ahead? >> let me give you a long term goal. that is to make sure the

institute does not focus on me. thether words, we want institute to outlive us and if it is based upon a personality, based upon a presidency it is not going survive. this institute is based upon principles that are endearing and will be defends throughout the ages. save term we want to lives, we want too make sure principles are better recruited and trained so students have a better chance of succeeding. we want to make sure our country does not become isolated. we want people to understand human condition. we're going to honor vets for as long as i live i will be honoring the vets with whom i served. and we'll be defending free enterprise.

there are short term project, the book is one, we're sponsoring a debate. i can show you over the next three or four years concrete examples of the bush institute in action that we believe will have the accumulative affect of improving people's lives. >> you're about to embark on a new chapter, grandparents. >> yes, we're so excited. we're thrilled. we can't wait. >> i guess it is about time. no, we're very excited. we're thrilled for henry and jenna and looking forward to doing our part as grandparents. i'm not sure what i will be called yet. the name is in limbo. >> mr. president, mrs. bush, thank you so much. >> thank you.

>> coming up thursday the dedication ceremony for the institute and museum. president bush will be joined by presidents. live coverage at 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3. >> public transportation is the topic of this documentary. message to the president, they will get the financial and environmental benefits of a national high- speed rail system. out of 800 to middle -- a middle school entries they are first prize winners in this c-span competition.

>> dear president obama, a picture perfect community, no traffic, it does happy citizens biking walking and enjoying the fresh air. this community is not a dream, but a reality. this is a green community in germany. everywhere you looked you can see solar panels. you will never see a car. they have taken a step towards a greener community for relying only on public transportation, biking, and walking. even with all the technology they have, there are infrastructure issues like in the community will have. the financial support we need to build more train tracks. frequently delayed. oldnfrastructure is very and beginning to become dilapidated. it the years the number of cars

were is significantly less than there are today. that means traffic and congestion and a lot more of it. >> there are a lot of studies that have been done about what the cost is. the take away is very simple, and it is just that because several billions of dollars to the economy. spendsaverage american 3600 hours in traffic. >> traffic congestion cost the economy 200 billion annually. >> the federal highway administration is working to eliminate traffic congestion. >> working with the state to alleviate congestion. this is the funding mechanism for our roadways. fhwa working to relieve congestion. 2.2ost recent estimates say

trillion dollars in order to keep pace with infrastructure needs. >> that is a lot of money to keep the cars, trucks, and buses safer road. to go public transportation such as buses, subways, ferry boats, largeand trolleys serve a group of people. >> there is a large group of people who could not drive. [inaudible] >> with the help of public reciprocation, and teens can take the bus, rather can -- rather than driving your own cars. societies in which public transit carries a large percentage of travel, people

tend to be happier and healthier. route orn the transit transit system is being planned now, there is also great sidewalks and the quality of the what the ability of the surrounding area. most people walked to the transit stop. >> this is not only benefit. this can help solve one of the greatest problems of our time. >> continuing to burn more and more fossil fuels that go after everything we can find. fracking, deep ocean drilling. this guarantees we are going to pass to our children and grandchildren a planet with a climate that is out of their control. >> a large public transit system can greatly benefit the

environment. >> transit use currently saves the was the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. take a public transportation, because some much of it can be run on electricity, can definitely be run on a renewable, because you could use wind or solar to generate electricity and use and geothermal to generate electricity and can use nuclear energy. does public transportation help the world around us, it is easier on our wallets. >> we spend $16 on every dollar for transportation a large wave the cost of owning and operating a vehicle. if you use public transport -- transit you save $4,000 per year. karen massey and she said it is going to save huge amounts of money because we

spend so much time sitting on the highways. public transportation obviously benefits the environment and daily lives of common citizen. there is one mode of public transportation that could save the country immensely. take of the united states currently plans to develop a national high-speed rail system in order to sustain a community and compete with other nations. to be high-speed rail economically feasible, you have to have high demand, which does not exist now. they are saying we cannot build it, because there is not enough demand. demand and less to build and provide a good service. alsogh-speed rail will yield economic benefits. >> we want to look at where clients could be coming in

easily. good airports, good rail service. >> massachusetts senator john kerry has a similar perspective on the issue. railss discussion of comes at a critical time for the economy. i believe and have believed for a long time that high-speed rail particularly is absolutely critical to the ability to transform the american economy. >> not everyone feels the same way about high-speed rail. >> high-speed rail will be expensive and not worth the cost. no one thinks it'll cover the capital cost. believes then why have 39 states have -- 39 states provided for grabs for high- speed rail? >> improving public

transportation, infrastructure, and high-speed rail is a great idea, but it will take time and be costly. also, many people are apprehensive on using public transportation. it has been shown if you put more of it, people will come. take this bus station for example. takeover of seen an increase of 48.8% over the past 10 years. -- >> we have seen an increase of 48.8% over the past 10 years. of 1.1 million passengers. >> by helping to rebuild the infrastructure, we could make the country's paper. the countryonvince to build this, it will make the country greater. >> congratulations to all the winners in this year's

studentcam competition. to see more winning videos, go to studentcam.org. >> steve miller testifies today of the house ways and means subcommittee on oversight examining operations of the internal revenue service. see it live at 2:30 eastern on c-span3. >>." morning, "washington journal." the u.s. house will return at 10:00 to work on the federal helium program. in 45 minutes, congressman adam adamof california -- schiff, discusses the latest in the boston marathon bombings. our guest is stephen

king, representative from iowa on a discussion for immigration policy. 9:15 more on immigration with a law professor on how a political refugee will apply for asylum. of dallas ofshot the presidential library of george w. bush. eight years of history will be on display today at the dedication of the 43rd presidential library. president obama and three other former current president will be on hand with president bush on the campus of southern methodist university. we will be there covering that on c-span3 at 11:00 a.m. eastern. you can also listen to the dedication on c-span radio or on your computer at c-