when we look at where we are, we are still seeing growth. it is not just that right now. it isn't just that right now. in america, the people have always had a healthy skepticism about their government. lately they have had more reason than usual to be skeptical. they read about the irs abuse of power, and targeting americans for their political beliefs. they wonder about what happened in benghazi where americans were illed. they see report the journalists had their phones monitored, and they asked this could happen to them. they are -- in washington there as been no accountability. no buck stops here, only arrogance of power that puts politics ahead of doing the right thing. when government is out of control, and also the people it is supposed to serve, it makes it harder to do our work.

to grow our economy. the arrogance we are seeing in the same arrogance that has left our economy plodding along. after four years of watching -- washington knows best, our economy is recovering at the slowest rate since world war ii. the growth numbers barely move. unemployment stays about the same. we are told not to read much into it. experts call this condition the new normal. some even argue it is good nough for now. it is not good enough for me. i know it is not good enough for you either. how can any of us stay on top with groups that nearly cap 12 million americans out of work and threaten our children's future? we should be doing much better. we are not a people who hobble along hoping some day some where down the line things are going

to get better. we are a people who chart our own course, who take matters into our own hands. that is why i'm here today. people in this room represent so much of our nations economic success, and our potential for the future. manufacturing represents where things are gone wrong in recent years. america's greatness has always rested on our ability to build things and produce things. we have built the steam engine. e built the model t. aerospace, cyberspace. e're a nation of builders. our vision is one of a country where everyone has the opportunity to build something from nothing. a business, a charity, a church, a gadget, the website, a ome. it is because we are a nation of builders that we created more

prosperity than anyone, anywhere in the world. it is because we are a nation of builders we've been able to pass on to our children a brighter future and a better life. under the obama ministration, it is been harder than ever to uild in this nation. red tape, and outdated tax code, shortsighted policies are driving the cost of everything, stifling innovation, and sending jobs and opportunities to our competitors like china. politicians and bureaucrats will bet taxpayer money on pet projects. meanwhile, the hoover dam, the golden gate bridge, even our highway system would be impossible to build in today's regulatory environment. this administration would have us believe that we can build a great nation on a rain of red tape while operating the service economy by things that my earlier generations. this is not an issue of

republicans versus democrats. it is about america. is about the world. our competitors have detailed strategies for growth and high wage jobs. competitor tax codes, and cooperation between the government and the private sector. as result, we are now being isplaced by being displaced in he global economy. china now produces more energy than we do, now produces more coal than we do, and is the orld's leading manufacturer. our economy has grown slowly because we have invested in government rather than in ourselves. he resources that we need.

we need a new approach. we need an approach that encourages every person to create wealth and contribute to our growth. to become a nation of builders again, we have to stop picking winners and losers, and focus on expanding opportunities for veryone. we started the foundation by giving more of our kids a chance at a good education. let's empower parents with choices and opportunities to improve access to higher education, job training, so students are ready for tomorrow's job market. we must simply fix our tax code. if we clear out all of these loopholes that make the tax code fair, it is going to be easier to understand. we will be creating more incentives to bring jobs home and keep ideas to resources

home, here in america. [applause] we need to expand markets for american made goods. it will help lower prices for consumers, create better jobs for workers, and attract new investments to our shores. to become a nation of builders again, we need to reform our broken immigration system. securing our borders and enforcing our laws, and making he process of becoming a legal immigrant fairer will help merica remain a magnet for the priteest minds in the world. [applause] being a nation of builders means fostering innovation, and eeping the internet free for coders, developers, and engineers. they don't build roads and

bridges, but they do build the hardware and software and the innovations that power our modern economy. becoming a nation of builders again means finally pursuing a true all of the above national energy strategy. developing america's energy resources is, in our view, one of the best opportunities for robust and sustained economic growth. it is not just our new economic frontier. it is just like the internet was in the 1990's. america has now a combined oil, coal, natural gas resources than any other nation on earth. we are sitting on the gateway to prosperity. an oil and natural gas renaissance is in full swing. here in washington, we have got an administration that will not let us build the keystone pipeline. but instead employs endless chains of reviews.

think about it this way. imagine if the clinton administration had told the budding tech companies in places like silicon valley or reston, virginia, that they needed to hold off on their plans indefinitely because the federal government, even after years of reviewed had not yet determined that the internet was safe to develop. imagine that after years of study, the ministration told america's private sector innovators that they needed to hold off on harnessing the internet because one federal department deemed the review of another department to be insufficient. other nations would have laughed at us. all the way to the bank. just as they are right now while our resources remain under lock and key, we need to green light the keystone pipeline, and we need to expand production of our resources both onshore and off

shore. that's how we become a nation of builders once again. [applause] all these are the types of policies that can help create jobs and sustained growth. they are all part of what the republicans plan for economic growth. i encourage you to visit us online at gop.gov, and you can get all the details. while my colleagues and i don't have a majority here in washington, we will continue to pursue our plan. i asked all of you to challenge members to join us. a nation of builders is not just a slogan. i was born in 1949 when america was entering the post-world war ii boom. by that point, my grandfather had opened a bar.

my dad took it over and ran it for many years. i work there growing up, worked through school there. then i went on to start my own small business. we always knew that if we worked hard, and sacrificed, we could make a better life. our young people to die -- our young people cannot count on that vision many of us had growing up. because of the lack of leadership in washington, it is slipping away from them. slipping away from us. it doesn't have to be that way. t is times like this week come -- it is times like this that we come together and lead together. the times we live in demand nothing less. let's rise above the challenge of the moment and become the

most prosperous and trusted nation the world has seen. let us restore ourselves as a nation of builders. good luck. god bless you. [applause] >> as congress works to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling, we bring you a day-long conference on student aid. it begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span3. >> also tomorrow, mexican from ador eduardo medina the brookings institution. that's live on c-span.

3:30 p.m. eastern. >> no doubt about it, this bill is going to pass, and this will be the first time that comprehensive imgreagsrorment has passed since 2006 in the senate. it went down that year, and then they tried to get in, and that failed. this is a big accomplishment, but this is a long way to go efore this is law.

host: one senator said this reads like a christmas list for haliburton. what is he saying? guest: he is saying there this could be a potential place for waste and abuse. in all likelihood, senator leahy is going to vote for the bill. democratic leaders if they can ove the bill to the right, who will likely be upset, but who will still back the bill. host: congressman gutierrez at the hill saturday at a conference exprepressed optimism that they have 218 votes. we know 218 is a passable number in the house. what's the reality over there? >> the preelt is, if you talk -- the reality is, and i have talked to a fair amount of conservatives in the house, they are not for the vote.

certainly senator boehner will not bring the bill to the house floor. we have a lot of senators more worried about a primary challenge than a general election. some of these guys have already started to get primary challenges. so the house is going to move very different legislation. now, relatively noncontroversial legislation, and then it is going to get in conference. that's where the rubber hits the road. the problem is that the house, the big sticking point is the path way to zip -- citizenship. the house does not agree with it. speaker john boehner has said he doesn't like the bill. i think we will see both pass legislation. host: if it is not a pathway to citizenship, what does congress want in terms of the illegals? guest: i think they will do the e-verify, which is a mandate on employers to check the status of

people they employ. the senate has not yet been critical of the house. i think that will happen. you will see democratic senators after this passes in the senate calling on the house for a vote on this. that is not going to happen any time soon, and it may never happen. host: my guest is managing editor of the hill. he has a bachelo's degree from loyola university. his name is bob cusack. one week of action here before the july 4 break. the house in for a bit of a surprise late last week when it rejected the farm bill. zpactly what happened there and explain what some are tying to the immigration bill. if it is farm bill sales, watch out. guest: if there is going to be a big immigration bill that passes congress, it is going to have to be bipartisan. it will have to be democrat and be bipartisan. if the farm bill is going to pass the house, it needs

democrats and republicans. a lot of conservatives rejected. groups came out against the bill. thought it was too pricey. therefore you are going to need this bipartisan coalition. that was just a stunning vote. we knew it was going to be close. republicans say they had about 180 votes lined up. they were counting on 40 democrats. because of a series of amendments that passed, democrats started to fall off the bill. therefore, it ended up not close. now some of the republicans that committed to it, once they saw it was going to fail, they didn't vote yes. they didn't get 180. the bill basically failed by a 40-margin vote. therefore, it could come back this week. it was suggested by a republican that they move it more to the right to get more votes. but in this house, you need to

count on 50 to 60 no votes. host: each side blaming the other. guest: without a doubt. nancy pelosi called it "amateur hour." basically saying, rins are running the house. it is up to them to pass the bill. it was an embarrassment to house republican leaders. they think they can pass some type of bill. host: before we take calls, there is one more big topic, student loans. guest: federally-backed student loans, the interest rate will unless m 3.4% to 6.8% congress backs. before last year, republicans caved and they extended the rate. this year it has been a little bit different dynamic. president obama has embraced a more market based approach. democrats on the hill want to extend the rates at 3.4% for two years. however, house republicans have passed a bill that is market

based, not exactly like president obamas. tates little different as far as tying it to the treasury. it is 2.5% over the treasury note. obama's is about 1% over the treasury note. but president obama has threatened to veto the house legislation. john boehner is calling on the senate to pass a bill. it has not passed a bill. last year they were very much on defense on this. this will be a big issue this week. host: first call for bob cusack. tammy from huntland, tennessee. caller: i have a question. back in 2006 when senator corker -- it was gerald ford and it came up about illegal immigration. it came up that senator corker and some of his construction business -- he's a millionaire, you know -- was because of

illegal labor. i find it offensive that he should remove himself from voting, since he used illegal labor to profit. also the hill came out for illegal immigration, so i don't think we will get fair answers from you. host: we are not taking a position on the immigration reform bill. we are a nonpartisan pubbledation indication. i'm not sure what he said during the campaign race, but it is worth looking into what he said then and now. the interesting thing about senator corker, he has almost broken -- forged deals with democrats on auto bailouts and other issues. he is a centrist. he has struck a deal here that he's sure is attracting criticism for doing. at the same time, democrats have praised him for being a compromiser.

caller: why is it that the democrats and republicans work at this like it is a sporting event. they keep blaming the president for this, the president for that. he's working along with a lot of people. it always seems like a one-sided event, one side has to win and one side has to lose. work together as a common goal for a positive outcome for all the citizens -- immigrants, teachers, students. everyone should understand it is difficult right now and things are tough, but working together, we would come up with a more positive outcome than fighting one against the other on a constant basis. i would appreciate your