foundation, former senator and secretary of state, hillary rodham clinton. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. [applause] good morning. thank you. it is such a pleasure to be here in chicago participating as a private citizen, as a cohost of cgi and a representative of what we are officially renaming the bill, hillary, and chelsea

clinton foundation. [applause] i am thrilled to fully join this remarkable organization that bill started a dozen years ago and to call it my home for the work i will be doing, some of which i will outline today and also we will have an exciting announcement tomorrow as well. i listened to my friend reference the black hawk games. my father and brothers and i

were great fans. three overtimes? really? i can imagine there is a sense of euphoria as well as exhaustion affecting many of our chicago participants today. i hardly endorse the mayors call to go. i want to take a moment of personal privilege to the knowledge -- acknowledge the imaginative visionary work that bill has done with the foundation. i personally believe he has given philanthropy and problem solving a new paradigm and we have seen already this morning

starting with the reports of the commitments following with the mayors what that means, to really look at solving problems through partnership and collaboration. i am very proud of what he has accomplished. i am very proud mother because chelsea's role is expanding and this is truly a labor of love for our entire family. in just a few short years, she has helped the foundation widen our reach to a whole new generation of young people through cgi university held at washington university in st. louis. we are bringing together or than 1000 innovative students from

around the world to work on tough challenges, many of them are inventing products, creating new approaches to problem solving and chelsea has been our leader. she has also begun the foundations day of action program to organize community service campaigns across the country as well is working on the range of our health initiatives from childhood obesity to other health disparities. i was thrilled when she was in myanmar delivering the 6 billionth leader of clean water as part of the cgi -- liter of clean water. [applause] this is my first time at cgi in america. i was fortunate to attend the annual -- the annual meeting in new york speaking on behalf of the administration.

i want to thank the terrific staff and all of the sponsors and a longtime friend who was -- whose exciting commitment you just heard. people have really really made this conference a destination. it is not surprising that it would be held in chicago, since the conference itself began as an effort to put our heads together about renewal in america and chicago has long taken its inspiration as the rising phoenix. that is absolutely appropriate. as someone who was born in the city and has spent so many wonderful years growing up here and coming back and visiting, it is exciting to see what it looks like, what it is doing. i appreciated the mayor telling us about all of the other tasks

that are being undertaken to ensure that chicago is a global destination and a competitive city across the world. over the years, there have been more than 2600 concrete commitments to action at cgi. i travel the world quite extensively the last four years and one of the lessons i took away is that this model of partnership and commitment is at the heart of what we need to do to meet the challenges of the 21st century. the world is increasingly interdependent and interconnected, all the problems that we face from climate change to financial contagion to nuclear proliferation are too complex and cross cutting for anyone government or for

governments to solve alone. what i call smart power in my time at the state department included reaching out to tap the energy and the experience and expertise of the civil society, academia, the private sector, anyone who was working to solve problems and wanted to collaborate with others who felt the same way. i even named a special representative for global partnerships because i wanted to encourage our diplomats and development experts to view public-private partnerships as one of their most important problem-solving tools.

today, it is even more in portland that we do that here at home -- important that we do that here at home and around the world to unleash the talents of the american people and catalyze the investments that we need. we understand that you cannot look to government to solve all of our problems, you cannot trust the market, we need those partnerships that bring public servants and private leaders together. that is what you will see here at cgi america. we have a lot of work ahead of us and i am excited to be putting my efforts into it. i wanted to briefly describe to you what i am going to do in my new role at the foundation. certainly, i will be focused on applying lessons learned from around the world and building new partnerships across our entire portfolio, but particularly in three broad areas that have been close to my heart my entire adult life. early childhood development,

opportunities for women and girls, and economic development that creates jobs and gives more people in more places the chance to live up to their own god- given potential. i will start with early childhood development and i want to begin by thanking the foundation for leading the way on this critical issue. it may surprise some that early childhood development was adopted as an issue at the very first cgi america gathering. people do not necessarily equate babies and toddlers and preschoolers with competitiveness. obviously, healthy kids and loving families need no economic justification, that is what everyone should want and work for, but ask yourself, if we do not apply what we know to helping prepare our kids to the best of their abilities, to take

their roles in our country and the world, are we really going to be able to maintain the american journeyman? are we really going to be able to provide that upward mobility that has been the hallmark of america's journey? do not take my word for it, ask yourself this. why is it that china is committed to providing 70% of its children with three years of preschool by 2020? why did the united kingdom decide in the late 1990s to invest in universal free preschool, community-based children's centers and encourage businesses to provide workplace flexibility for parents?

in the united states, only half of our children receive early childhood education, some of it very honestly is not of high quality. very few parents, whether they are in a two parent family or a single-parent family, have the kind of flexibility that enables them to do the most important job in their life, parent while doing their job, ringing him the income that keeps her family going. -- bringing home the income that keeps their family going. there are huge economic implications and how our kids are prepared. the new brain research that bill was referring to tells us that what happens in the first five years of life has a dramatic effect on later development. 700 new neural connections are formed every second, laying the foundation for learning,

behavior, health, and all of the other things we need to grow up as productive adults. right year in chicago, the nobel prize-winning economist has pioneered research into the broad benefits to our society and our economy from early childhood development. he has proven time and time again and he will tell any group willing to listen that every dollar we invest can yield savings of more than seven dollars down the road by improving school achievement and graduation rates while reducing problems like teen pregnancy and crime. some of the answer does lie with government. like president obama's proposal to expand access to high-quality preschool. but there is also a responsibility that has to be met by parents and families, businesses and communities who are at the center of this

challenge. i want to applaud the commitment progress and the ways he is going to be modeling, along with goldman sachs and other partners, new ways to finance early education for some of our most vulnerable children. the so-called social impact bonds can be an important innovation for the early learning community and the broader impact investing community. i also want to recognize the commitment by the david and laura maras foundation and its partners to create networks of child care and early learning providers that will pool resources, share best practices, and create economies to lower costs and improve quality.

from my early days at the children's defense fund working on behalf of special-needs children who were being denied access to education, to bringing a program from israel to arkansas to give parents support and guidance, to hosting the first ever white house conference on early development and learning to working and expanding early head start, this has been a core cause of my life and it will now be a growing priority at the clinton foundation building on the work that we are already doing. [applause] committed to rigorous measurements and evaluation. here in chicago, we will be engaging with the cgi early childhood working group and with leaders and advocates who are here, including sarah tucker and tomorrow, the foundation will

launch a major new partnership in collaboration with the scientific advocacy communities, i cannot give you the details today, but our goal is to help parents, teachers, businesses learn from it and apply the latest brain research to take meaningful and manageable steps to improve the lives of their kids in the first five years. some of it sounds so simple, you ask, why would we be even talking about it? encourage parents to spend time reading and talking with their children, especially their infants? we know what stimulates cognitive development. how do we make sure parents know that it is an absolutely free way of helping to prepare their children for school?

how do we make sure pregnant women, particularly poor women, understand the nutrients they should take to support their own and their babies health? how do we inspire more businesses to ease the work related burdens parents of young children? i look forward to talking and working with many of you. those of you already in the early childhood development community, but also expanding this conversation to the private sector, to government officials, to everyone who connects this direct line between what happens in those early months and years to whether or not we will maintain our standard of living as a nation. secondly, it will not surprise you that i want to work to

create your opportunities for women and girls. i made this the focus of american foreign policy because it is not only the right thing to do, it is the great business of this century and it is also something that will enhance our competitiveness. research shows that when women participate -- [applause] when women participate in the economy, everyone benefits. they should also be a no- brainer. when women participate in peacemaking and peacekeeping, we are safer and more secure. when women participate in politics, the effects ripple out across society. [applause]

american women went from holding the 37 of all jobs 40 years ago to 48% today. the productivity gains attributed to this increase account for more than $3.5 trillion in gdp growth over the last four decades. yet, when the economist magazine recently published a glass ceiling index ranking countries based on factors, the united states does not even -- is not even in the top 10. why? some of the factors they looked at, women still hold less than 17% of seats on corporate boards. in norway, it is more than 40%.

research are the world bank and the international monetary fund show that eliminating barriers to women's participation in the economy boosts productivity and gdp. i think that is growth we cannot afford to ignore. other countries are taking note. the prime minister of japan said he wanted to put women at the heart of his economic agenda to expand access to affordable childcare and parental leave and for businesses to appoint at least one woman executive. he said women are japan's most underused resource. he is right. women are the world's most underused resource. i will continue championing the rights and opportunities of women around the world, but i do not want to forget women and girls here at home. making equal pay a reality, expanded medical leave benefits, encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in stem.

we heard a great presentation from the manufacturing community today to include productivity. we need more efforts like the cgi commitment by capital one to create a training program for women veterans. that is a wonderful idea. [applause] let me thank all of our cgi america partners, all of our cgi partners. i look forward to working with you. that brings me to the third area of my passion, which is very related. economic development that creates good jobs and opportunities for young people, who face an unemployment rate doubled the national average and for all of those left behind by our fast-changing economy. there are important debates to be had about how government policies can best stimulate

growth and increase economic and social mobility. this cannot just be a conversation about washington. we all need to do our part, and that is why the u.s. conference of mayors work on infrastructure is so important and such a good example. we have to prove to ourselves as well as the rest of the world that are public and private sectors can work together to find common ground for the common good. smart investments in infrastructure are important and over the next two days, we will be highlighting dozens of the commitments and partnerships to improve our countries competitiveness from boosting energy efficiency to expanding workforce training to supporting small businesses. we will hear from practitioners like a school superintendent from texas who started a door- to-door counseling for young people in his district who have dropped out and the new

vocational training program to prepare students for good jobs or the mayor of rockford, illinois, working with local businesses launching manufacturing co-ops that offer opportunities for residents of public housing and others who often find every door closed. the head of the american federation of teachers who has brought together 100 partners from government, business, labor, foundations to revitalize a remote county in west virginia where more than one third of the residents live in poverty, two thirds of the homes are substandard, and only half the residents have a high school degree. this is not limited to one county in west virginia. into too many places in our own country, community institutions are crumbling, subject -- social

indicators are cratering and jobs are coming apart and communities face the consequences. you probably have seen the life expectancy, longevity for american women has dropped among women without high school education. digging into the data, researchers have concluded her were two main reasons. smoking and the lack of a job. the lack of connectivity, the lack of meaning, the lack of purpose. for both young men and young women, we have to tackle these problems. whether it is in west virginia or anywhere else, the problems did not start with the latest recession.

there is no single investment or program that will turn things around immediately. schools, job, public health, infrastructure are all connected. that is what cgi america is designed to do as well. to bring together the best ideas wherever they come from, to find the most innovative solutions, most committed partners, to take on our biggest challenges in integrated collaborative way. after visiting 112 nations over four years, i am still jet lagged -- [applause] talking with people from every walk of life, i take away three basic lessons. i looked at all of the international polling data to try to figure out what people in

the world really wanted because they have lives are filled with stories. all the research made the same point. what people wanted was a good job. it did not matter where they have, it did not matter theirgs not been able to do that in many places in the world today. , our country's greatest advantage lies in the values that remain at the heart of the american experiment -- freedom, equality, an opportunity. as my husband is fond of saying, the idea that you work hard and play by the rules, you will prosper. you will be able to make a better life for yourself and your family. to loset afford ever that core belief. not fard that lesson

from here, growing up in park ridge. one of my earliest memories as a little girl is helping my father in his small fabric printing business in chicago, lifting the silkscreen, holding the paint squeegee. . lot has changed since then technology and globalization are remaking our economy and society, but our values still inspire the world and still can guide our way forward. finally, what this meaning -- with this meeting is about, and what we have to be about is working together. thatoming the lines divide us, whether it's partisan, cultural or geographic. holding on what we know works, we can take on any challenge we confront. so i am excited to be here, to be one of your new partners,

thank you for participating. for your ideas, your perspective, and most of all for your commitment. you really are part of the solution. thank you all. [applause] >> today on c-span, defense secretary hagel and joint chiefs of staff chair, general martin dempsey, testified on the 2014 defense budget. then a look at sexual assault are mentioned in the military, first from army secretary john mchugh and general ray odierno. tomorrow on "washington journal" a look at the week ahead for congress and the white house.

followed by an update on nsa surveillance programs and the case against edwards noted with former deputy national security advisor -- with a former national security advisor. then the faster spending from 2011 to 2014. that's "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. going as far back as abigail adams and martha washington, you find first ladies later an active role in the white house and in the campaigns that it took to get there. aigail adams was basically campaign strategist for her husband. she helped advise him on who to woo in order to win election, who he had to keep his coalition.

they would talk incessantly about the politics of the day and the legislation that needed to be passed which senators and congressmen he could count on which ones he couldn't and what he needed to do to win more support. >> as we continue our conversation on first ladies, john roberts takes a look at our nation's first ladies as political partners with their husbands rather than wives and mothers. monday night on c-span. >> the new energy secretary will address this years energy information administration conference on monday. watch our live coverage beginning at 8:45 on c-span2. now, defense secretary chuck hagel and joint chiefs of staff chair, general martin dempsey, testify on their 2014 budget as well as contractors come a

sexual assault in the military, and budget cuts. they were joined by defense department comptroller, robert hale. this is just under two hours. >> good morning. the subcommittee meets this morning. i am pleased to welcome the secretary of defense and our form or colleague, the honorable chuck hagel. chairman of joint chiefs of staff, general dempsey, and the comptroller of the department of defense. we will speak today about budgets and more importantly about people. all of the services secretary said chiefs have appeared before the subcommittee this year and have expressed great concern over the sequestration