continues to work to keep the country on the path to fiscal sustainability this bill instructs leader to name conferees to a budget conference committee to set our country on a long-term path to fiscal sustainability. at present some say that's going to be hard. but what we do is hard here and this is really hard but i think we can get it done. the committee members selected must have open minds, being there to consider every option no matter how painful to their own political ideas and their own political parties. this this conference committee, led by chairman murray and chairman ryan, which produced its negotiated budget resolution in december, is an appropriate place to discuss our different views of the best way to chart a course for economic growth. this legislation also funds the government through january 15 and averts default through february 7. during which time we can work toward a long-term budget

agreement that prevents these frequent crises. and perhaps most importantly, this legislation ends a standoff that ground the work of washington to a halt this fall. madam president, this is not a time for pointing fingers or blame. this is a time of reconciliation. i look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of this great capitol to pass this remarkable agreement which will protect the long-term health of our economy and -- i'm sorry, and avoid a default on our nation's debt and create a foundation for economic expansion. what we've done is -- [inaudible] for every one of our 50 states. in addition to that, to the citizens of every country in the world, that the united states lives up to its obligations. now congress must return to its most important job -- fostering economic growth and protecting middle class families.

i appreciate through all in the steady hand of president obama who helped guide us to this conclusion. i'm optimistic that the spirit of compromise that has taken root in the senate over the last two days will endure. senator mccollum and i have sat in very, very serious discussions the last few days. we're going to do everything we can to change the atmosphere in the senate and accomplish things that need to be done for our country. >> madam president. >> the republican leader. >> this has been a long, challenging few weeks. for congress and the country. it's my hope that today we can put some of those most urgent issues behind us. after yesterday's events we began a series of conversations about how to get the government

reopen and prevent default. i'm confident we'll be able to do both those things later today. crucially, i'm also confident that we'll be able to announce that we're protecting the government's spending reductions that both parties agreed to under the budget control act. and that the president signed into law. that's been a top priority for me and for my colleagues on the republican side of the aisle. throughout this debate. and it's been worth the effort. some have suggested that we break that promise as particulate of this agreement. -- part of this agreement. some said washington needs to spend more, that we need to raise taxes, that we need to just tax our way to prosperity. and balance. but what the b.c.a. showed is that washington actually can cut spending and because of this law, that's just what we've done. for the first time since the korean war, the first time since the korean war, government

spending has declined for two years in a row. the first time in 50 years. and we're not going back. on this agreement. there's a lot more we need to do to get our nation's fiscal house in order. hopefully once we've gotten past the drama of the moment, question get to work on it. but for now, let's not understate the importance of the budget control act or the importance of the fight to preserve it. this legislation is the largest spending reduction bill over the last quarter century. and the largest deficit reduction bill since 1981 that didn't include a tax hike. preserving this law is critically important to the future of our country. throughout this debate, the public has rightly focused on obamacare, for good reason. this law is ravaging our economy, killing jobs, driving

up premiums and driving people off the health care plans they have and like. in droves. it's a disastrous rollout is a sign of even worse things to come. and the refusal to delay it reflects a kind of stubborn ideological obsession that will do untold damage to our country. and republicans remain determined to repeal this terrible law. but for today, for today the relief we hope for is to reopen the government, avoid default and protect the historic cuts we achieved under the budget control act. this is far less than many of us had hoped for, frankly. but it's far better than what some had sought. now it's time for republicans to unite behind other crucial goals. madam president, i yield the floor.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> senator mitch mcconnell and senator harry reid, the republican leaders the senate, as lawmakers in that chamber take up this compromise agreement later this evening and we'll have live coverage on c-span 2. welcome back to spee span's continuing coverage of today's developments and i want to share with you how "politico" is framing what is going to happen next. we did hear from the speaker of the house john boehner in a written statement. i'll share with you a portion of what he said in a moment. but from "politico," speaker boehner has his tepid endorsement, encouraging his conference to go along with the senate agreement. the bill is expected to clear the house but the level of support from house republicans remains an open question. the house g.o.p. have clung to the so-called hastert rule.

>> the senate will take up the measure after the dinner hour and the house will take it up sometime tonight or sometime tomorrow. let me share with you this statement from speaker john boehner. his office issued this statement saying that the house has fought with everything it has -- >> and we did hear from senator d cruz who held that 24-hour talk-a-thon. he's supported this plan to shut down the government, a way to have some leverage on the a.c.a., announcing earlier today that he would not block anything in the senate nor would senator mike lee and so it will proceed

in the senate and then into the house and then to the president's desk. again the exact timeline remains somewhat up in the air in terms of the house. it will either be later tonight or the speaker saying sometime early tomorrow morning. we do know that the house will not be in session on friday and we heard from press secretary jay carney that the president will sign the legislation as soon as he gets it and then of course the process of reopening the government. earlier this afternoon press secretary carney did speak to reporters as part of the daily briefing. we'll show you that in its entirety here on c-span and when the house gavels back in we'll take you there live. >> pretty much the entirety of the press office staff today. that is a smile.

welcome, everyone. thanks for being here. as ever. we can go right to questions because i have no announcements to make. although i'm sure i know what you're going to ask. truly. >> all right. white house reaction to the senate deal that was struck today. >> the president believes that the bipartisan agreement announced by the leaders of the united states senate will reopen the government and remove the threat of economic brinksmanship that has already harmed middle class families, american businesses and our country's economic standing in the world. the president applauds leader reid and minority leader mcconnell for working together to forge this compromise. and encourages the congress to act swiftly to end this shutdown and protect the full faith and credit of the united states of america. >> and i assume that means that he supports the provisions that are included in that, including the two dates for opening the

government and raising the debt ceiling? >> he does. he believes that this agreement achieves what's necessary in terms of reopening the government and removing the threat of default and the kind of brinksmanship that we've seen. and he again, we haven't seen legislation move through either house at this point, so we're not issuing an official statement of administration policy, but he looks forward to congress acting so that he can sign legislation that will reopen the government and remove this threat from our economy. >> is he confident that both the senate and the house will be able to vote on this measure today? >> we leave parliamentary procedures to the congress. we obviously hope that each house will be able to act swiftly. because we're already on day 16, i think, correct me if i'm

wrong, of a wholly unnecessary shutdown of government, with real consequences for real people. and we are obviously, you know, very close to the point beyond which the united states treasury no longer has the authority to borrow new money to meet our obligations. so, as soon as possible is essentially the recommendation we have from here. >> since we are so close to that deadline, are there any operations or procedures that are going in place today to prepare for the possibilities that congress cannot pass this measure today? >> the treasury is the place that would answer questions like that. what i can tell you is what secretary lew has made clear in his testimony and in his letter to congress and that is that the treasury department will exhaust borrowing authority at the end of the day tomorrow, thursday, october 17. and that -- beyond that point

the treasury would have only cash on hand. it would not be able to borrow new money to meet obligations. >> how confident is the white house that the house will pass this deal? >> we are not putting odds on anything, we're simply applauding the leaders of the senate for reaching the agreement that they've reached and calling on both houses of congress to act swiftly. to take action to ensure that the government reopens and the threat of default is removed and that the continuing harm that these two situations have caused to our economy can stop. >> the president has said from the beginninging that he would not negotiate on this. now that it looks like there's a deal, do you feel like he fulfilled that pledge? >> the president made clear his position that he would not allow

situation to develop where he paid ransom to any party in congress that was trying to extract unilateral political concessions in return for congress fulfilling its fundamental responsibilities. and he believes that's the right position for him to take, that it was the right position, it is the right position, and it's the right position for presidents of the future to take because our economy is extremely dependent faith and credit that is invested in it by investors around the world. in other words, there is a real, even if intangible, value to the safeness of investing in the united states. and as we've discussed many times over the past days and weeks, threatening that, you

know, does real harm and obviously default would cause even more harm. but we've already seen -- there is already a price that has been paid. as we saw in october -- i mean, in 2011, and we've seen again now in the various ways that the flirtation with crossing that line and flirting with default has brought about consequences. so, he felt and feels that it's the right position to take and, again, applauds the leaders of the senate for coming together and working out a bipartisan solution. >> is there any concern even with this deal being made that a downgrade from some of the credit rating agencies can still be pending? >> well, i would refer to you treasury for those kind of assessments. i think we focus on the things we can control which is calling on congress to quickly act on

this compromise agreement and ensure that the government reopens and that the threat of default is removed. >> and lastly, this is leading to additional budget talkts later this year. while those talks are under way, will the white house, will the president insist that revenue continue to be on the table? >> the president has insisted that in these budget negotiations that he's been calling for all year, everything has to be on the table. and that will be his position going forward. what he believes is a fair approach to resolving our budget challenges is reflected in the budget he submitted. he knows that even though that was a compromise proposition from the beginning and reflected the offer he made to speaker boehner at the end of last year, that he will not get in a budget negotiation everything he wants and neither will democrats and neither will republicans and that's the nature of compromise.

but he firmly believes in balance when it comes to further reducing our deficits and building on the work that has been done over these past four years in which we have reduced our deficits by half. we need to continue to take a balanced approach. so that no sector of society unfairly has to bear the brunt of that project. that's always been his position and it will be his position moving forward. >> can you just give us a little color of how the president was informed of the deal, who told him, what his reaction was? >> no. >> none? >> right now i think we're looking to capitol hill for action to be taken. the president has been in contact with leaders in congress , as have members of his team, and we are encouraged by the progress that we've seen and hope that it is fulfilled through votes in both the senate

and the house. >> can you give us any more about how he was involved in the process? >> well, as i've said, he's been, as you know, he's had meetings with leaders of congress, he's had phone calls with leaders of congress, he invited all members of both houses to the white house. and and it is also the case that we don't inform of you every phone call that he makes either to members of congress or to others. so, he's been engaged in this process, his team has been engaged in this process. ultimately our position has been consistent and clear and therefore not that complicated to communicate either to you or the public or to congress. we have simply urged all sides put asiden sort of or the efforts to achieve partisan advantage and leverage and instead to move forward with an agreement that opens the

government and raises the debt creeling so that the threat of default does not hang over us at the time -- know, at this time. >> the president said yesterday basically once this whole mess was resolved, he said, once that's done, you know the day after i'm going to be pushing to say call a vote on immigration reform. does he really think that a recipe for success on immigration reform, one divisive issue, to deal with right after another divisive issue -- >> the president believes that one of the consequences of these manufactured crises is that time is taken away from the pursuit of other goals that we have as a nation. and that includes economic goals that go to the heart of his agenda to build a better -- you know, building a better bargain for the middle class and it goes also to the project of bringing about legislation that can he sign that comprehensively

reforms our immigration. now, that legislation passed the senate with a significant bipartisan majority. and he absolutely believes that the house ought to take up that legislation and pass it and as we've discussed in recent days, that's not a partisan pursuit, it's the opposite of a partisan pursuit. one, because it requires votes from both parties. and it also -- will benefit both parties. >> do you think pushing it right away increases the chances of yielding a result? >> i think the president was simply reflecting that unfortunately, even though we've been pushing for comprehensive immigration rereform all year long, it's been a major priority, there's no question that the decision by the thousand shut the government down and to flirt with default has forced him and everyone in

congress to pay attention to those problems and to those crises rather than the many other things that we could and should be working on. and immigration reform is one of them. i don't think -- again, there are many, many proponents of comprehensive immigration reform in the republican party. and within the broader republican universe. so this is not -- he's not saying that he's going -- wants to come out and push some democratic agenda item. he wants to continue the effort that has been under way all year, to try to pass a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would strengthen the economy, help our middle class, reduce the deficit and make us more competitive. in the future. so, that is one of the many priorities that he will be pushing and he hopes members of congress will be pushing once we can move past these unfortunate -- >> do you think he has a better shot to do that right now, though? >> again, i don't think that i

place quantitative odds on the prospects of any of this. congress is a difficult institution to make predictions about. so, our view is simply that it's the right thing to do and we're going to push for it. and we think there's a strong argument to be made on a whole array of areas when it comes to immigration reform. it's the economically right thing to do. it's the right thing to do when it comes to deficit reduction. it's the right thing to do when it comes to ensuring that the best and the brightest from around the world who come here and get an education stay here and start businesses. it's the right thing to do when it comes to further strengthening our border security. so there's something in that bill for everyone. and -- which is why it's the right thing for america. john.

>> when was the last time the president spoke to the speaker of the house? >> i don't have any new conversations to read out to you. but as i've noted many times, so don't read anything specific into this, the president has conversations with members of congress that we do not read out in all cases. so, at this time i have no readouts to provide. >> does the president have an assurance from the speaker of the house that the house will vote on this? >> i would refer to the house in terms of actions that the house may or may not make. the president hopes that both houses will act swiftly on this agreement in order to reopen the government and remove the threat of default and this continuing brinksmanship. from, you know, the harm it's causing to this economy. not sure that was a great sentence. i apologize. you'll understand what i'm trying to say. >> i totally understand. does this agreement represent --

>> the red sox game wasn't even late so i can't blame that. >> does this agreement -- >> but, since i'm speaking about the red sox. how about john lacky, huh? pretty good. >> moving on. >> moving on. >> does it agreement represent a complete win for the white house? >> there are no winners here. we said that from the beginning and we're going to say it right up until the end because it's true. the american people have paid a price for this. and nobody who is sent here to washington by the american people can call themselves a winner if the american people have paid a price for what's happened. and the economy has suffered because of it and it was wholly unnecessary. and let's just remind ourselves, we're not even out of it yet. this is not done. we need action to be taken so that the government can reopen and the threat of default can be removed. >> in this agreement is there a will be of ransom pay? i mean, there is a provision in

here that requires verification for recipients of subsidies under the affordable care act. >> the income verification provision to which you refer was negotiated by senate democrats and senate republicans and is a modest adjustment to the existing affordable care act law . we have always said we are willing to make improvements and adjustments to the law. ransom would be a wholly different thing. and -- >> well, it's a little bit of ransom. >> no. not if both sides agree to it and we support it. we're fine with it. >> very quick, two just factual things on the affordable care act. can you give us some updated figures on web traffic? where are we now? >> here's what i can tell you. today we are two weeks into the implementation of the affordable care act's health insurance

marketplace where americans, regardless of their income, job status or age, or health status, can access quality, affordable health coverage they can rely on. health care reform is more than a website. across the country people are getting health insurance. although the glitches are unacceptable, so is the idea of leaving millions of americans on their own, including families across the country who now have access to health care that they did not have two weeks ago. i noted that on one network today that there was a suggestion that that network could not find a single story of someone enrolling which was ironic because they're all over the rest of the media. including in delaware, a small business owner found a plan that cost her $150 less than the cost of her previous plan. again, these are other media reports, not information we're collecting or disseminating. kyser health news refers to a college student who will pay $70 a month after federal subsidies. the same amount he is currently paying but for much broader coverage.

he said, i'm thrilled to get something this good at that price. it was a complete surprise. in new mexico a business owner signed up his employees and got quoted a policy that will save $1,000 per month, this is the owner of a law firm in new mexico. and i've mentioned some other stories. these are just stories that reflect that, despite the glitches that we acknowledged and that absolutely must be fixed, people are getting on and enrolling. they are finding an enormous array of options available to them that weren't available to them in the past. focused on consumers here. and consumers are just regular americans out there who want the option of being able to buy affordable health insurance and what we're seeing from the anecdotes that have been reported are that people are finding those options available to them and are excited about them and the volume that we've seen reflects the fact that the

interest is extremely high. and that volume continues. i don't have in front of me -- maybe i can find it for you, it continues to be extremely high. ,000 calls have been made to the call center. i know that the numbers of people coming to the website remain extremely high. >> do you have even an estimate for me now? we're two weeks into this. >> we'll have these enrollment figures monthly so i expect the first figures to come out in mid november. >> i understand what you're saying about there's no winners but including the white house and the president wanted to establish a new norm, no reopening of the government with what you consider to be partisan

legislative attachments, avoiding default was the same approach. is that strategy been vindicated? do you believe the 16 days of shutdown was worth that effort to achieve that -- >> the shutdown was wholly unnecessary. and this was a manufactured crisis. the president's position from he beginning was that congress ought to pass a continuing resolution at existing funding levels. he made no requests associated with that, demanded no concessions in return for signing a legislation that would extend government funding, to allow for broader budget negotiations. >> but did he want to push back on the idea that you could use either one of these deadlines as leverage. >> the president believes it's the right position to take and it remains the right position to take that, especially when it comes to the full faith and credit of the united states, that neither he nor any of his

successors can allow a dynamic to take root where raising the debt ceiling is used as leverage or the refusal to raise the debt ceiling is used as leverage to try to achieve some partisan policy objective. >> you believe this now settles that question? >> again, we don't have a bill to sign. so we're not in a position here to even say that the government has been reopened or the debt ceiling has been lifted. so hopefully when we do we can have a fuller discussion about what comes next. so i don't want to get ahead of where we are today. we are pleased with progress made in the senate and the agreement announced by leaders reid and mcconnell today. and very much appreciate the bipartisan effort under way in the senate that reflects, we

believe, a model for how we can move forward. and after all, this has only been about base stuff -- basic stuff. funding the government. making sure the united states pays its bills. we will have, hopefully, serious, substantive negotiations around a broader budget agreement. and in that process, hopefully there will be a willingness to compromise by both sides and if that is the case then perhaps we can reach a broader budget agreement that will settle some of these disputes in a way where nobody getting everything that he or she wants but the american people win because there is increased certainty and necessary investments to help our economy grow and protect and expand the middle class. that's what we seek here. and we think that that's -- those are goals that really have been and can be shared by members of both parties.

>> does the country anticipate hearing from the president when this process finishes itself on capitol hill? >> i don't have any scheduling announcements to make when it comes to the president. obviously he's been very much engaged in this and has spoken publicly about it rather frequently. so we'll have to see once we have a resolution as to, you know, what format his first comments about it will take. >> is it important, once the legislation is completed, that it get over here right away to avoid this scenario that the treasury secretary's laid out or do you think there's some time, 24 hours, 48 hours, it's not an urgent matter that the legislation get here? >> i think that the uncertainty that has already been created has caused harm to our economy and i'm just citing the financial press in saying that. this is not some inside information. we know it based on what's been

reported. so the sooner, you know, as soon as possible is the approach -- is the ask that we're making of congress. act swiftly. he problem with reaching the debt ceiling, the problem with reaching that date beyond which the united states no longer has the authority to borrow new money, is that it is unchartered territory. and -- >> the degree of urgency to avoid that -- >> pointing to what secretary lew and others have said about this and simply urge congress to act swiftly. >> on the negotiations, once they occur, is it the highest priority of the white house to ndo sequestration? >> the president has many priorities reflected in his budget. i think the president believes we ought to set budget policy in way that makes wise choices about how we invest and

sequester definitely does not fit the bill in that because it was sort of mindless across-the-board cuts that -- i mean, by design, that took away from lawmakers and policymakers the ability to make wise choices about how we fund our government and what investments we make so that the economy can grow and what programs provide the best bang for the taxpayer dollar hen it comes to growth and job creation. >> -- we need to invest and we can't be so obsessed with deficit reduction. it's important but we're going to try to deal with other investments. you take those speeches all throughout august, this agreement puts it off to january 15, when the next layer of sequestration cuts really begin -- [inaudible] that's

the number one priority. redraw those numbers. >> i don't think it's all about sequester. the president's budget has savings that completely eliminate the sequester and then exceed it when it comes to deficit reduction. it is clearly his belief, as i believe shared by many republicans, that the cuts created by sequester are done with an ax instead of a scalpel or a cleaver instead of a scalpel and they thereby do harm unnecessarily to various aspects of our government and our economy. and we ought to do better. we ought to come together and negotiate our broader budget agreement in which everybody can agree on where to cut, how to reduce the deficit, where to invest and plus-up some programs because they're good for the economy, good for the middle class and educating our children and investing in our future and from that we can strengthen the

foundation that we've built around through economic growth in the future. >> on the -- following the question about the strategy of not negotiating over default and whether or not that's been vindicated, during the campaign the president also talked about if he won the election he would break this republican fever he felt was there to sort of not work with him. with this deal, do you think he has made any progress in breaking that fever or have ted cruz and other republicans kind of driven both sides further apart? >> it's a great question and i think it's fair to say that the experience that we've all had demonstrates that -- the kind of hyperpartisanship that was the problem in the past, especially in one house, you know, continues to be a challenge. and that when pursued at the expense of good governance and the american people, it does harm to our economy and causes

dysfunction here in washington. it's a way of asking -- a good way but a way of asking the same question which was asked before which is, how do we -- what odd dozen we set on cooperation and bipartisan compromise in the future? i don't think we would put odds on that. we would simply hope that this experience, if and when it's over, would remind all of us ere that these kinds of crises only create harm to the american people. and to the american economy. there are costs that have already been incurred because of shutdown, because of the flirtation with default. and they're not retrievable. so, we ought to instead focus on making progress instead of creating all this unnecessary

conflict. but whether or not this experience has -- will lead to different choices in the future is really a question for mens -- members of congress. >> ted cruz, i know you don't like to comment op him directly, but him and whoever supports him , have they been -- do you think they've driven people apart? do you think there's any room for compromise you talked about moving forward from this? >> well, that again, completely legitimate questions. i think that these are questions that can be best answered by epublicans in both houses. but we know that the strategy that was pursued, shut the government down, caused harm to the economy and to the american people. had a lot of people out of work, has kept a lot of people out of work. i should very much refrain from

using the past tense here. and has brought us already to the brink of breaching the debt ceiling. and it certainly doesn't seemed based on my arm chair analysis to have won any of the adhereance to that approach, anything substantive. so i would simply say that -- but i think it's important to note that the voices calling for a reasonable approach, and for compromise, have been both democratic and republican. there is i think a large constituency of conservative publicans who believe that it's not right for the american people and the american economy to take an all-or-nothing approach. and we've heard those roadwayses -- voices and some of the republicans who have expressed that opinion are the ones who

have been very helpful in the senate in helping bring about the agreement that was announced today. >> thank you for trying to answer the republican side. you tried. but let me ask you, take a final crack at it from the president's perspective. in one of the interviews he did yesterday, he said the problem is that speaker boehner gets weakened every time he negotiates with the president. this is the president's words. he gets an agreement with him, then boehner goes back and, quote, can't control his caucus. so if we accept that premise, i suspect the boehner people might push back, let's accept the president's premise. question, very simple, what is the solution? does the president want a new speaker? does the president think there's something he can add, a solution, some new approach he can bring? you said the american people paid a price from this debate. has the president, with three years to go, have the republican leaders, have they paid a price? >> i think everyone pays a price for the failure to function here in washington.

on that question, the answer i think is pretty clear. i think what the president was saying in that interview is reflected by what we've all seen over these past several years and many of you have reported which is that even when there has been sincere willingness in our view by republican leaders to try to find a compromise on some of these broader budget issues there has not been the leadership to consummate those potential agreements and i think that is a bland statement of the obvious. and that has played out a number of times. as i've said many times, the president has a good relationship with speaker boehner and i'm not trying to harm him by saying that. and believes that speaker boehner has in their negotiations over the years sincerely wanted to or tried to find a compromise. and when it comes to moving forward, the president's going to take the same approach with the same open-mindedness about

compromise that he has in the past and he hopes that there will be leaders and rank and file members of the republican party willing to meet him halfway and reach a deal that does good for our economy and for our people. >> the president recently apologized to the american people for having to put up with government by crisis. i think you've addressed this in some form but why today, given the term that this is such a short-term deal, should americans have any faith that any broader deal can be achieved by this president and this congress within 90 days? >> it's a fair question. i think that, again, there seems to be an openness not just by democrats but by republicans to try to forge a compromise on broader budget issues. how big that agreement would be will depend on how the negotiations go. but the president has sought

that kind of broader compromise and certainly democrats have sought it and there have been republicans and are republicans who seek it. so perhaps this will create an opportunity to finally reach a broader agreement, that invests in areas of the economy that need to be invested in and it makes smart and balanced choices about further reducing our deficit. >> does the president have any regrets about anything with his management leading to this crisis or any crises that preceded these? what would be his number one regret from his position? >> i think the president's . sition has been pretty clear >> regarding what? >> let me get to that. in these two manufactured crises that we've been dealing with in the last several weeks, the president made clear what his view was, made clear that was asking for nothing in return for

congress doing its job, no concessions, demanden on his part. and made clear that he believes that shutting the government down and threatening default would only do harm to the american people and the american economy. and that i think he believes was the right position to take and continues to be the right osition to take and is he very optimistic or hopeful that the agreement announced today can be moved through congress so that we can get beyond these crises. i think it's fair to say, as the president has said, that what -- created 2011 was the precedent here that was so important to avoid in 2013. and that the willingness at the time to try to link the debt and absolute need for congress to make sure that the united states pays its bills, around a series of policy

demands by the republicans did real harm. and those i think are lessons that we all learned because there's no question, as we debated and discussed here in the past, in previous years, you know, legislation to increase the debt ceiling has been attached to different bills and has been discussed within the context of budget and other policy negotiations. but the concrete willingness to default and threaten to default is not something we had ever seen until 2011 and the economy paid a price as a result. and i think we all, including the president, learned lessons from that. >> already some businesses are reaching out to their employees, contract employees and others, and preparing them to come back to work as early as tomorrow. has the white house done anything proactively to have its entire staff back in position as early as tomorrow? >> not that i'm aware of but we'll take the question. >> when you were asked about if you are confident that the house will pass this agreement, you said you're not going to put odds on anything.

you seem a little skeptical about it. is there anything the president is doing today to try to move this forward either on the house or nat side? >> again, the president -- or the senate side? >> again, the president has been in regular communication with congressional leaders. i don't have any specific conversations to read out. his team has been in regular communication with congressional leaders and their staffs. and i'm not expressing skepticism, i'm simply not saying this is done because it's not done. and we call on congress to act quickly to pass legislation that the president can sign so that we can reopen the government d remove t threat thatas been looming over us for so many days now. due morrow >> should theill beorried that they're not going>> i wouly . i would simply say that the

borrowing authority of the united states, it's -- that treasury has, under current law, is exhausted at the end of the day tomorrow. as the treasury secretary has made clear repeatedly, beyond that, if there's not a resolution to this, the debt ceiling isn't lifted, then we have a cash-on-hand situation when it comes to meeting our obligations. for more on, that i would refer you to the building down the street. >> and given that the agreement only extends the debt ceiling to february 7, why should investors not anticipate that they'll be in this economically precarious position four months from now? >> i'll say a couple of things. one, the agreement includes retaining the abilities of the treasury secretary to exercise extraordinary measures, which is important because we need to ave that cushion against the prospect of a potential

unwillingness by congress to raise the debt ceiling. two, and that is the authorities that have always existed throughout this process, but there were discussions about removing those authorities, but that should not give anybody any false security. i would simply say that it is important that those authorities be retained. secondly, going to questions i got from the front row, we can only hope that this experience nd the experience from 2011 is conformtive to members of congress when it comes to the absolute necessity to ensure that the united states can always pay its bills on time, without drama or delay. because even if you go to the brink, you inflict damage on the economy. you basically cause a people are upto be charged to the american people so that the actions -- the actions of flirting with

default, flirting with crossing the debt ceiling deadline, result in higher costs to the american commow government and therefore the american taxpayer. and it's just -- and there's no upside to that. that creates lasting damage and that is why this debate has been so serious, that's why we have emphasized for so long that this is not -- when it comes to the debt ceiling and the need to ensure that the united states pays its bills on time, this is not your run of the mill policy debate or partisan dispute. this is something that goes to the heart of america's economic strength. >> as you've watched this play out and you've seen a lot of republican votes in the senate and the house push back against their more conservative members, thinking of the kind of gang of republicans in the senate that -- [inaudible] and then also

some of the moderate republicans, centrist republicans in the house, have you been encouraged that maybe there's a new path forward on other -- i mean, you've got three more years, you've got other agenda items. is there some sense that something new has emerged that could make for a more workable relationship or is this a passing phenomenon that then sort of everything reverts back after this gets done? >> because i don't know the answer to the second question, i can't really say that we're either encouraged or discouraged because we will just have to see. the president will take the approach that he has always taken which is one that expresses a willingness to compromise, a willingness to discuss any idea brought to him by a member of either party when it comes to budget decisions and other policy decisions. and his willingness to find a

compromised solution because he doesn't believe that, you know, he has a corner on all good ideas or the democrats have a corner on all ideas or that the republicans do. but if we can approach these things in a -- you know, with the goal of a compromise and therefore an understanding that we're not going -- not no side is going to get everything that it wants, then we can probably get important things done and that is true in the budget arena but true also in some of the other areas where the american people expect us to make progress on their behalf. , so i think it's early days, given what we've been through, to start predicting future bipartisan harmony. i wouldn't expect or recommend that. but i would simply say that this president, the president will take the same approach moving forward when it comes to trying to find commocommo -- common

ground with republicans that he has in the past. let me move around a little bit. "time" magazine. >> thanks, jay. in terms of -- what is the time frame -- >> i didn't mean you, perry. >> what is the time frame when this deal gets passed and when the government reopens, when do the parks reopen, when do employees go back to work? and the process by which the federal government reopens, does the administration make sure that includes process? >> i don't know how quickly everything gets turned back on. if an agreement is reached and signed, reached, passed and signed, i would try my colleagues over at o.m.b. to see if they have more information about how to process works. it is our hope and desire to as quickly as possible. and to get people back to work.

again, provided that we get the action that we hope for out of congress and the president's able to sign something into law. >> can you say whether iran has shown seriousness that are you looking for in negotiations in this round of talks? >> as you know, discussions are continuing today between the p- 5-plus-1 and iran in geneva. yesterday for the first time the p-5-plus-1 had very technical discussions and we found the iranian presentation very useful. the iranian propose wallace a new proposal with a level of seriousness and substance that we had not yet seen before. and i of course am not going to negotiate from here, nor am i going to characterize the proposal fuller as -- further as

which do not want -- as we do not want to have these technical and serious conversations in public or go into details of these proposals that the iranians made. having said that, no one should expect a breakthrough overnight. these are complicated issues, they're technical issues, and as he president has said, the history of mistrust is very deep. the ownous remains on iran to come into compliance with its international obligations and any deal must prove to the international community that iran's program will be used for exclusively peaceful purposes. the p-5-plus-1 remains united in this approach and i understand that high representative ashton announced that the next meeting will take place in geneva ovember 7 and 8. >> an update on the president's commendations with world leaders, particularly as it

relates to the shutdown. has anything happened economically here have a ripple effect around the world? can you talk about that? >> i don't have any presidential level conversations with world leaders to report to you or read out to you. thon subject. he is meeting with the prime minister of italy, i believe that's tomorrow. but not on this subject necessarily but i'm sure there will be updates on this and many other issues and the president very much looks forward to that meeting. the treasury secretary has participated in some i.m.f. meetings and foreign finance minister's in town and i'm sure that there were many conversations about what was happening in the united states in those meetings. but i don't have anything with the president's name attached to it to report out to you. >> what is the general sense of the common thread among the

world leaders that -- [inaudible] >> i wouldn't speak for them. i would simply say that the the e world has a stake in historical unmatched stability of the u.s. economy. d the historic unmatched pendability of the premise that the united states pays its bills and that is why, going back to you arlier discussion, know, this whole debate around the debt ceiling and default was so and is so serious and why it is not something to be treated lightly or to be used in an attempt to achieve a partisan goal. that's simply dangerous and it's bad for the american people, bad for the american economy and bad

for the global economy. and we're very hopeful that we will have resolved this issue soon if congress takes action for now, but it is important going forward that the effect of flirtation of reaching the debt ceiling and the flirtation with default is negative in all cases and harmful to the american people in all cases. and harmful to the economy in all cases. d, you know, you can say you don't care what people around the world think, but you ought to care if only because people around the world invest in the united states. and don't have to. so the security of that investment needs to be protected. >> this moment coim pair the global economy. >> no, i'm not going to make

projections about the global economy. we know that -- and i'm citing financial press reports, no inside information, but we know there has been a negative impact already of the shutdown and of the flirtation with breeching the debt ceiling and that's why it's so important to come to a resolution so we can move forward. >> two things. irst, -- [inaudible] >> the president's position all along was if the debt ceiling nd keep the government open. the president's position all year long has been that there ought to be a budget conference. he supported the democrats when they called on the house to appoint conferees 19 times and were told no. 19 times. o -- and it's a hypothetical but the president's position

that the debt ceiling ought to be raised and the government ought to be kept open or reopened is reflected in this agreement and we hope that congress acts swiftly to pass it and send it to the president. >> second, there's a -- [inaudible] immigration being the next big issue on the table. what would you say to the folks who want to see health care -- healthcare.gov work better, about why that isn't the 100% focus. you have millions of uninsured americans that would like to be able to sign up, millions more who just want to see obamacare work effectively -- >> i can guarantee you that the efforts around the clock that have been under way since the launch of healthcare.gov will continue. as the president's instistence and direction. i think identifying immigration reform as something he wants to see action on right away does not preclude or does not suggest that he doesn't want or won't insist upon action on other things. and when you see implementation of the affordable care act, and

fixing the issues with the website, those are obviously things administratively that we are working on and will continue to work on. comprehensive immigration reform requires action in the house, action in congress. , so action on one and emphasis on one does not exclude action and emphasis on the other. quite the contrary. let me reassure you or assure you that the president has made clear that he wants every effort to be undertaken to ensure that the consumer experience consistently improves throughout this enrollment period. >> does one not distract from the other? >> no, it doesn't. no. scott. two scotts. >> just following up on these kinds of conversations distracting, taking times from other things. the budget conference will take place at a time when, months after it was -- it usually takes place under regular order.

do you think, given the way this deal has been established with the relatively short deadlines to get to the next deadlines, is there enough room, is there enough time for the president to do anything but talk about fiscal issue? concentrate on fiscal issues and does congress have the bandwidth to do much more than that [. ment --? . the president has had conversations and the position is reflected in his budget. and i think that as you know, the fact that there already is a process in place and budgets passed for conferees to work on reflects at least the potential for action in congress. they don't have to start from scratch. and we are here hopeful that

everyone who is working on that effort in congress will have as goal a compromise solution that reflects principles of both sides, but is a compromise and one that invests in areas of the economy and tackles deficit reduction in a balanced way. the question suggests in this country that we have the luxury of doing one thing at a time and we don't. given everything that is on our plate already and all the priorities that we and congress have already, we should not be creating crises unnecessarily that suck attention and time away from the priorities that we can and should be acting on. >> there are a lot of vacancies

in senior positions around the government and nominations pending. how quickly does the president imagine congress will act on those and how do those vacancies affect on other issues, such as climate change? >> when it comes to different agencies, obviously depends on vacancies there are. the president will nominate individuals to different posts and call on congress to fulfill its responsibility and consider nominees and give them a vote. and we hope that, again, if we can move past these crises and focus on other issues that this is one that can get some attention. >> i wanted to double-check, you ifd if at the end of the day

the borrowing authority -- >> today is the last day that the united states treasury can borrow new money -- tomorrow is the last day. -- want to make sure >> countdown clock is wrong. >> we did not create the countdown clock. dayber 17, tomorrow, is the that borrowing authority is exhausted. they have the authority to borrow tomorrow, inclusive, as i understand it. >> in case there is some hiccup. >> and then after that, borrowing authority no longer exists and cash on hand situation. thanks very much everybody. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> white house jay carney. and that was about an hour or so after the leaders in the senate had announced they reached an apparent deal on reopening the federal government and extending the debt ceiling on day number 16 of the government shutdown. we are going to open up our phone lines and get continued reaction from you on what you are seeing today and the reports of this deal that apparently will come to the senate floor. the exact timing of the vote on this deal both in the senate and the house are up in the air. here is a tweet from john harwood. he says democratic leadership we know of what that deal is what was talked about yesterday. this is a measure that would reopen the federal government through january 15.

it would extend the treasury's borrowing authority, debt ceiling through february 7. >> that's what we know so far. we haven't seen any material -- printed on the measure itself as it will be debated and voted upon in the senate first and later on this evening in the house. on facebook.com/cspan. the question was, do you agree with it and support the agreement. es, 228 people and 199 oppose.

we'll check some of your tweets in just a bit. and get to your calls as well. just afternoon after the majority leader harry reid and republican leader mitch mcconnell talking on the senate floor. >> the majority leader. >> can we have order in the senate? >> the senate is in a quorum call. ofthank you for reminding me that. madam president, the eyes of the world have been in washington all this week. and that is a gross understatement. and while they witnessed a great deal of political discord, today they'll seekonk reaching historic bipartisan agreement to reopen the government and avoid default on the nation's bills. the compromise we reached will

provide our economy with the stability our economy desperately needs. never easy for two sides to reach consensus, really hard. this time was really hard. but after weeks spent facing off against a partisan divide that seemed too wide to cross, our country came to the brink of a disaster. in the end, political adversaries set aside their differences and disagreements to prevent that disaster. i thank the republican leader for his diligent efforts to reach this important agreement. republican leader cooperation was essential to reach an accord to pass both chambers of congress and also be signed by president obama. in order to set this country on a path of fiscal sustainability. this is to name conferees to a budget conference committee and set our country on a long-term

path of fiscal sustainability. madam president, i know that some say that's going to be hard, but what we do is hard here and this is really hard, but i think we can get it done. the committee members selected must have open mipeds and observe every option no painful their political ideas and their own political party's. this conference committee led by chairman murray and chairman ryan which will produce a negotiated budget resolution in desist a an appropriate place to discuss our different views and chart a course for economic growth. this legislation also funds the government through january 15 and averts default through february 7, during which time we can work toward a long-term budget agreement. and perhaps most importantly, this legislation ends a standoff that brought work in washington

to a halt this fall. this is not a time for pointing fingers or blame, but a time of reconciliation. i look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of this great capitol to pass this remarkable agreement, which will protect the long-term health of our economy and and avert a default on the nation's debt and allow us to set a foundation for economic expansion. what we have done is send a message to americans from every one of our 50 states. but in addition to that to the citizen of every country in the world that the united states lives up to its obligations. now congress must return to its most important job, fostering economic growth and protecting middle-class families. i appreciate through all this the steady hand of president obama to help guide us through its conclusion. i'm optimistic that the spirit

of compromise that has taken root in the senate will endure. i do know this, senator mcconnell and i have sat in very, very serious discussions the last few days. we are going to do everything we can to change the atmosphere in the senate and accomplish things that need to be done for our country. >> madam president. >> the republican leader. >> this has been a long, challenging few weeks for congress and for the country. it's my hope that today we can put some of those most urgent issues behind us. after yesterday's events, the majority leader and i began a series of conversations about ae we are protecting the government spending reductions that both parties agreed to under the budget control act and that the president signed into law. it's been a top priority for me

and for my colleagues on the republican side of the aisle throughout this debate and it's been worth the effort. some have suggested that we break that promise as part of this agreement, some have said washington needs to spend more, that we need to raise taxes and tax our way to prosperity and balance. but what the b.c.a. showed is that washington actually can cut spending and because of this law that's just what we've spending has declined for two years in a row. the first time in 50 years. and we're not going back on this agreement. there's a lot more we need to do to get our nation's fiscal house in order. hopefully once we have gotten past the drama of the moment, we can get to work on it. for now, let's not understate the importance of the budget

control act or the importance of the fight to preserve it. this legislation is the largest spending reduction bill in the last quarter century and since 1981 that didn't include a tax hike. preserving this law is critically important to the future of our country. throughout this debate, the public has likely focused on obamacare, for good reason. this law is ravaging our economy, killing jobs, driving up premiums and driving people off the health care plans they have and like in droves. its disastrous rollout is a sign of worst things to come and refusal to delay it reflects stubborn obsession that will do untold damage to our country and republicans remain determined to repeal this terrible law. but for today, for today, the

relief we hope for is to reopen the government, avoid default and protect the historic cuts we achieved under the budget control act. this is far less than many of us had hoped for frankly, but it's far better than what some had sought. now it's time for republicans to unite behind other crucial goals. madam president, i yield the floor. >> on day number 16 of the government shutdown, the leaders of the senate announcing an aparent deal on reopening the government and extending the debt ceiling and reportedly votes will be coming up early this evening in the u.s. senate. you can watch that on c-span. when the house comes back or rules committee comes back in, we will have that live for you on crmp span. the senate on c-span 2 and the house here on c-span. we will show you the comments of

ted cruz from texas in the week before the government shutdown, held that long marathon session -- filibuster on the senate floor and talked about the health care law. he spoke to reporters shortly after the deal was announced his morning. >> i'll give you time to set up. relax, i'll give everyone time to set up. >> unfortunately, once again, it

appears the washington establishment is refusing to listen to the american people. the deal that has been cut provides no relief to the millions of americans who are hurting because of obamacare. the deal that has been cut provides no relief to young people coming out of school who can't find a job because of obamacare. it provides no relief to the single parents that have been forced into part-time work struggling to feed kids on 29 hours a week. it provides no relief to hard-working families who are facing skyrocketing premiums and provides no relief to the seniors or people with disabilities who are getting in the mail notifications from their health insurance companies that they are losing their health insurance because of obamacare. it is unfortunate that washington is not listening to the people. i want to commend the house of representatives of representatives. the house of representatives has taken a bold stance listening to

the american people, but unfortunately, the united states senate has refused to do likewise. the united states senate has stayed with the traditional approach of the washington establishment of maintaining the status quo and doing nothing to respond to the suffering that obamacare is causing millions of americans. this is unfortunate, but nobody should be surprised at the washington establishment that is pushing back. no one should be surprised at the resistance to change. the american people have risen up in overwhelming numbers. we have seen millions working to change washington. that has been incredible progress and this fight, this debate will continue until collectively the american people can make d.c. listen and can get real relief for all of the people who were hurt because of obamacare. you want to know what this fight is about? it's about one thing, all of the

people across this country who are right now facing terrifying decisions because they are losing their health care and losing their jobs and being left in the cold and sadly the united states senate s said, washington will do nothing. it has created the problems you but washington will do nothing to address the suffering you are facing. that is unfortunate but this debate and fight will continue in the months ahead. >> will you filibuster? >> what's the second part? >> if you are not going to filibuster, will you take a significant amount of time to filibuster the process is wrong? >> there are many questions about the timing of this vote. the timing of this vote my understanding from leadership is likely to occur today. i have no objections to the timing of this vote and the reason isnoth simplg to be gain this vote one day or two days. every member of the senate and

every member of the house has to make a decision where he or she stands. i never had any intention of delaying the timing of this vote and i thought it was interesting reading in the papers that much speculation about whether we might delay the timing of the vote, republican leadership never asked if i intended to delay the timing of the vote. my focus is on the substance. my focus is is i think where the american peoples' focus is, what are we doing to provide relief to the people who are hurting because of obamacare. and today, the united states senate and the washington establishment is doing nothing to provide relief for the millions of people who are hurting. >> where are weu, because here weeks later, the strategy you started out on never thought was going to work because the votes weren't began, official washington scoffed, scoffed at the american people would rise up and scoffed that the house of

representatives would do anything or the senate. we saw millions upon millions of americans rise up, over two million signing a national petition to defund obamacare. we saw the house of representatives take a courageous stand listening to the american people. people said it would never happen. that was a remarkable victory to see the house engage in a profile in courage. unfortunately, the senate chose not to follow the house. and in particular, we saw real division among senate republicans. that was unfortunate. i would point out that had senate republicans united and supported house republicans, the outcome of this, i believe, would have been very, very different. i wish that it happened, but it did not. but it does give a path going forward that the american people continue to rise up, i believe the house will continue to listen to the american people and i hope in time the senate begins to listen to the american

people also. because lots of people in washington love to focus on politics. it is the game of this town, but what matters more than any politician in washington is all of the people across this country who are hurting right now and getting in the mail a notification that the health care they are relying on for their care, parents' care, children's care, that it's being canceled because of obamacare. president obama promised the american people that obamacare would lower your health care insurance premium. every person across this country has seen exactly the opposite. seen premiums go up and up and up and everyone who clicks on obamacare sees the premiums going up and up and up. president obama promised if you like your health insurance, you can keep it. we know that statement was false. people all over this country are losing their health insurance.

15,000 ups employees got a notification in the mail because they were losing health insurance that they wanted and they liked. that is happening all over the country. that is wrong. and the focus in my view should not be on the politics of washington go the politics of washington at the end of the day doesn't matter. what the focus is make washington, d.c. listen to the american people and respond to the very real harms that obamacare is causing to millions of people. thank you very much. >> texas senator ted cruz after the deal announced by the senate leaders on reopening the federal government and steppeding the debt ceiling. we are going to open up our phone lines in the 16th day of the government shutdown.

cspanchat. a newspaper had endorsed senator ted cruz, the title on their lead editorial is why we miss ay bailey hutchison. well, on the house side of things, the republican conference met this afternoon in the middle of the afternoon ahead of that meeting, speaker boehner released a statement from his office on the state of play on capitol hill with the announcement of the senate deal that read in part the house has fought with everything it has --

>> following that meeting on capitol hill, he spoke with wlw, bill cunningham and here's what it sounded like. john boehner, welcome to the bill cunningham show. tell me why you are doing good. >> we have been locked in a fight over here trying to bring government down to size and we fought the good fight. we just didn't win. >> can you win december 15 when ryan and murray get together and do this deal? is this like a step on the ladder? >> i would hope so, but we'll see. every time i have gotten into a discussion with the president, vice president, democrats here in washington and talked about snimet changes and trying to make programs sustainable, they want to raise taxes. if they are going to hold on to

their position we are going to raise taxes, we won't come to and agreement. but hope spring is eternal. >> some say obamacare is falling under its own weight and if you kick it off a year and mainstream media goes after obamacare and you provided a nice target and the weapons of mass destruction used by obama have worked. you kicked it off 60 days, 90 days, why not longer? >> you talking about the c.r. or the debt limit? >> both. >> we will fund the government through january 15 and fund the debt limit through early february, an agreement reached over in the senate. and it gives us a chance to sit down in the budget process and see if we can't work something out. i just think we are on a spending trajectory that is

unaffordable for the american people, creates more debt and needs to be dealt with. >> are you going to allow the whole house to vote even if the majority of republicans won't vote for it? >> absolutely. i'm going to meet with them in 20 minutes and encourage them. we fought the good fight and did everything we could to get them to the table and negotiate and they kept saying no. no. no. we fought the good fight. no reason for our members to vote no. >> when do you expect the government will reopen? >> tomorrow. >> thursday or friday at the latest? >> really no reason for it not to. >> do you have any ill feelings towards senator cruz? >> we have republicans up here, because we are republicans, we are a little more independent-mibed minded than our friends across the aisle. >> house speaker john boehner on

wlw in cincinnati. let's go to your calls. the apparent deal in the u.s. senate to reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling. our democratic line. >> i have been watching this all day long and it seems like -- i'm a democrat, but i understand some of the republicans, too. but seemed like the lady who called in who said obama is a liar. you know, that works in all parties. they swear to do what's good and they turn out to be liars, just like when bush was in. i have made the statement, if walk behind and live the way we do, could they make it, no?

they are used to having extra money. >> are there any politicians you can trust? >> no. >> thanks for joining us. sandy in ohio on our others line. >> i used to be a republican and i want to still be a republican, but i think i'm leaning more towards the independent now. the last 16 more in days than i should have, but it is because of what is eating me. and what is eating me is that we really can't trust president obama and we can't trust anybody to get done what needs to be done in our country. what is upsetting to me that i'm going to be 70 next month and i do have only my social security to live on and i did purchase a

home through the government. if i would lose my social security, that would mean i would lose my home also. but i still feel as though it is important not for to accept what is being jammed down our throats and i didn't appreciate president obama to say that this was caused by the american people and manufacturing a crisis. i think the american people have a right to speak up and not take things that are just being jammed down their throats. there are a lot of people out here that feel the same way i do and i don't like being called stupid by people that are democrats or people that are obama fans. i have a right to say and feel what i want to say and not be called stupid. >> we appreciate you chiming in

with your thoughts this evening as we continue to take your reaction to the latest news that there is a proposal headed to the senate floor and likely to the house floor to reopen the government at least through january 15, stepped the debt ceiling through february 7. the votes will come up first in the senate and reportedly somewhere in the 6:00 to 7:00 eastern hour. you can follow that on c-span 2. the house will follow sometime after that. all of that will be live here on c-span. hear from lynn sweet of the "chicago sun times"." they are urging yes votes in the house. may be a late night. >> let's go to our republican wisconsin is joe.

>> good evening. i listen to this stuff going on here. i was a democrat all my life. during the last two elections i voted republicans because the republicans said they were going to turn this country where it was back before and make a good country and going to lower taxes and take that deficit down, they were going to take care of that obamacare which is killing everything and what i can't understand, why are they letting this president tell them either his way or no way. what kind of a president is he? he's not a president. the way he's going with all this stuff going on, bringing this country down to nothing and what gets me so darn mad when clinton was fooling around with one of his aides, they wanted to impeach him. what are they waiting for?

why don't they impeach him and get him out of there. he is running this country down and going to end up go being nothing here. >> let's hear from steve in charlotte, tennessee on our democrats' line. i just hope the voters will remember this come election time and clear them all out and get some kind of law passed to limit terms instead of all these extensions. the long would you make terms, say for the members of the house? >> eight years. >> joe, on the others line from

new york. >> hello. so, i finally got on. i have been watching you guys for 16 days and i have been trying every day. >> for you, the government shutdown is a good thing, you got through at last. >> i got through and i can only going to hat we are put things back to normal. in this time, i actually sat down and wrote a song. i would love to sing a little bit of it if you would like to hear it. >> give us a line from the song. >> it starts off. finding it hard to breathe the economy is killing me ♪ i could sing the whole thing. i do have some other comments.

i actually applaud the president for standing his ground with the way he had to do things. we don't need to be forced and we shouldn't ever let our government get shut down because of a political agenda. and you know what? health care is going -- this whole package is going to work out. there are going to be problems no matter what, no matter what you dictate on to or present to the world. there's going to be someone that is going to be hurt or bothered by a new situation. we just got to give it time and let it work out its problems and no one is going to be left without health insurance and no one is going to be hurt in the long run. we just need time to do that. so if you guys could jot down my

number and give me a call, i would love to sing the song in its entirety. journal@cspan.org. ann on our republican line. >> i have been watching this government shutdown and everything that's going on. all of the 16 days. and i want to say first of all, i thank god that we have people like speaker boehner, ted cruz that is willing to stand up and fight for the american people. i just think that they should hold it out and not cave because you have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. as for the people that have been calling in and complaining with the little bit of inconvenience,

i understand that it is, but still in all to have something to gain something, it's always going to a little bit of pain. and to me, it's worth it in the long run. obamacare was forced on the american people. it was not allowed to be voted on by the american people. matter of fact, it is a constitutional violation. and i do not understand why this president has not been impeached. he's not for the american people. that showed very clearly by shutting down the memorials. stopping the vets from going in and seeing what they worked for. that was very childish. it was inhumane. >> thanks for your comments. you talked about obamacare. there will be a tiny piece

dealing with the health care law according to reports in this senate measure that will reopen the government and stepped the debt ceiling. reopen the government through january 15 and extend the debt ceiling through february 7 and would require health care subsidy income verification and just a follow on to her comments about speaker boehner, this was in headline, the takeaway "the hill." boehner says, we fought a good fight. couple of tweets. >> tom in harrisburg, pennsylvania, on the democrats'

line. >> i have been a democrat my whole life and last two elections, i did not vote democrat and voted republican. i think president obama got in both times on lies, particularly on the health care plan. my wife works for a health insurance company, and i see firsthand the prices, how the prices are affecting the american people and the country itself. and i don't think the republican -- i don't think the house should give up the fight and should continue on and try and get something done to defund this obamacare and that's about all i have to say. >> over to new jersey next and im on the others line. >> hi, how are you? >> doing fine. >> i caught a clip of ted cruz

speaking and i wanted to make a point that i'm very proud of our president for standing his ground and not backing down and ted cruz and i'm going to say ed cruz because no one gives president obama the respect, everyone calls him mr. obama. mr. cruz said 2 million people signed a petition. there is over nine million just in the new york city area. 2 million people nationwide is such a small number. president obama got elected two terms of his health care reform plan. so clearly, the people of america do want this program and i'm proud of our president for standing his ground.

>> lake view, oregon, richard on the republican line. >> make sure you mute your television there. know, i think i'll sign up when he puts his family on it. >> say that again, richard. >> i said i'll put my family on it when he puts his family on it. >> talking about the president? >> yes. >> what's your current situation in terms of health insurance? >> well, i'm on social security. i can't wait until they start nipping on that, you know. you know, this guy is a real winner, let me tell you. you know, the communists are

here. and they're coming in on us, man. >> couple more minutes of your phone calls. here's where things stand. the deal announced this morning in the senate would extend the -- reopen the government through january 15, extending the federal debt ceiling, the treasury's borrowing authority until february 7. expected that the senate will vote on this plan first and the house will take it up sometime this evening, talk of a late night. the reporting of politico, congress moves forward on a budget deal, first government shutdown in 17 years is heading for the history books.

> patrick, next, van, west virginia, democrats' line. >> thank you, sir. i'm a retired army, navy, social security, v.a., i got hit with all three of these things going on. all i can say, the president is doing the best he can do. and the american people, both it's icans and democrats, our fault for letting them go along like this. there should be a law where we can stop like the republicans, to stop our country. this is crazy. we've got to find some way to sit down and talk it out.

we sound like a bunch of kids in a sandbox. >> dein arizona on our others line. what part of arizona? >> hi, thank you very much for letting us say our voice. i wanted to say that i am so grateful that someone had the courage to stand up for our health in this country. president obama did not have to go like a salmon swimming upstream to go to bat for us. he already has health care. there are a lot of people who have good jobs. my husband lost his job and i was on his insurance for 30 years. couldn't get insurance because of my age. i'm very grateful to the president. i want to say real quick that i really didn't appreciate what the republican tea party did for this reason. it was very irrational. if you think about how quick the

health care law was coming into force in 2014 and you think about all -- already passed the supreme court and all of us were getting our hopes up. they have had a lot of money going to computers to try to set it up. i'm here in arizona and i watch some of the people fight it and they went ahead and set up the computers. there are insurance companies that have been relying on this income. they are setting up employees and setting up all kinds of programs. there are doctors and hospitals that i have worked in myself for years never get paid, they don't have the heart to turn people away. this wonderful health care that has come in that we can all be responsible for, those who have gone to school for years to take care of us, they are ordering equipment, with all these people finally getting health care,

they need scans. they can't wait until 2014. they have to get themselves set up. all of those people, all of that obamacare, which i'm so grateful, i hope that becomes his legacy. he did a lot of nice things but that was one of the best. all of that health care industry, doctors, labs, hospitals, insurance companies, they have all been getting ready for this for 2014 and for something like this to come out of nowhere just a couple of months before it comes on board, i hope they have to stop and think about how much they really crushed everything. >> de, thanks for your comments. the text of the agreement is out now and we can tell you we have posted it on our web site at cspan.org, the framework of the agreement that was announced by

senate leaders. republican line from washington. >> i would like to speak to two issues. obamacare separately and then the deficit. i think that the republicans -- i'm a republican. representing the commonwealth of virginia in 2012 so i can speak adequately for the republican party. our issue with obamacare has very little to do with health care costs and the increasing costs of health care. the biggest concern we have is that government has the ability to mandate that the american people purchase something. our country was founded on the principles of individual liberty free from government coercion. george washington said that. and i think people need to realize when government is big enough to give us everything they need, it's big enough to take away everything we have.

it has very little to do with the cost of health care, but the idea that government can control another portion of our lives, something our nation was set up to counteract. secondly for the deficit, i think i'm personally happy that the government shut down and wakeup call that we don't need government. government has its hands in too many pies essentially and we approached the deficit issue the wrong way rather than focused on obamacare. the american people have to balance their budget and congressmen ought to balance the budget that they are privileged to oversee. >> how hopeful are you in this greement

>> i haven't been able to look at the agreement but i hope, the representatives that we send to ongress will make real drastic changes. we can't afford to keep doing what we're doing. we will be potentially faced with downgrade in our credit rating. the united states is spending far more than we take in and i don't know how we can sustain the interest on the federal reserve money. social security, medicaid and it's not feasible. and our representatives should be focused on balancing the budget and collecting things within the house and within the senate.

>> thank you for the call. the agreement has been released. we have posted the text on our eb site at c -- cspan.org. there is a tweet. >> today there is a special election for that seat in new jersey. results of that later on this evening. facebook page, we have been asking you whether you support the agreement and here's where things stand so far, do you support the agreement announced. let's see if we can bring up a number. not going to cooperate with me. the bar graph shows slightly in favor. those in favor of agreeing with the agreement, slightly outnumbing those opposing.

west virginia, misty on our democrats' line. >> misty, are you there? >> yes, i'm here. how are you? >> i'm fine. thanks. go ahead. >> i'm glad they are getting this done and over with. you know, because they need to agreement done and get the balanced budget and the shutdown done and the government open. >> you think we are in for another round of this, is that what you are saying? >> yup. >> gail is in california on our others line. >> i wanted to call and say that listening to the people on the phone, a lot of people -- we need an i. q. test before we a

lou people to vote. i was taught respect is earned not just given to you. i would like to thank mike lee and tezz cruise for the fight they have put in and i hope we can continue fighting. president reagan said that our country will be lost from within. obama is the within. and i think more and more people are beginning to see what this man is about. this man does not like america. he hates that we have slavery. we are all sorry about the slavery. before our time. but he hates america because of slavery. >> when you say that most americans probably hate the fact that we had slavery in this country? >> i think that's true and i'm originally from the south and i grew up with that, but i'm a total different person today

than i was. i know when paula deen, all of the stuff about her was out there, i knew where she was coming from. i am about her age and grew in the same atmosphere that she did, and i understand where she was coming from. >> appreciate you joining us. here's where things stand. senate agreement has been released and we posted that on our web site. look for votes in the senate shortly. we don't have an exact time, but sometime early this evening on c-span 2. and of course any house action when they gavel in, we'll have that live for you here on c-span. hearings continued on the impact of the federal government shutdown. the director of the national park service testified at a joint house hearing of the natural resources and oversight committee on the setup by the national park service of the barricades around the national

mall monday you mepts and defended his decision saying practical steps were taken to protect life and liberty. we are going to show you a portion of that hearing from earlier today. >> could we close the doors. the committee will come to order. today we have a joint hearing of the committee on oversight and government reform and the committee on natural resources. the committee -- the hearing is entitled, as difficult as possible, the national park service implementation of the government shutdown. with the indulgence of the chair and ranking member of the resources committee, the oversight committee's mission tatement, we exist to secure two fundamental principles, first, americans have a right to know the money that washington takes from them is well spent.

and second, americans deserve an efficient, effective government that works on their behalf. our duty on the government oversight and government reform committee is to protect these rights. our solemn responsibility is to hold government accountable to taxpayers, because taxpayers have a right to know that the money government takes from them is well spent. our responsibility is to work tirelessly in partnership with citizens and watchdog groups to deliver the facts to the american people and bring a genuine reform. this is our mission statement and during a government shutdown, more than ever we take that seriously. the national park service is a steward of the most treasured public spaces, indeed the park service is the caretaker of our national heritage. as such, it is -- always been called on to act in the best

interest of the american people. and to never allow itself to be subjected to political influence or to work in any way other than on behalf of the american people and these treasured assets. yet, it appears today the park service leadership is no longer living up to that mandate. first, allow me to say, i support fully the funding of the national park service for fiscal year 2013 levels and the appropriation bill that would reopen the parks and fully fund as was passed by -- on a bipartisan basis on october 2. notwithstanding the senate has not taken up that bill, every republican member of both of these committees and three democratic members did vote for that legislation. i understand that this is a confrontational time, this is a time in which issues, other than the park service and its assets

are being argued. we're not here to argue that today. we're here simply to discover whether or not the park service has met its legal obligation on ne hand under the lack of an appropriations bill and on the other hand, has done everything it can to mitigate damage to the american people. during the lapse of appropriations, it is proper for nonessential park personnel and services to be suspended. however, it is clear that the lack of money does not mean that one park in america is required to close. as we speak to director jarvis today, i regret he had to be subpoenaed and served by the marshals.

this is not the normal way we do business with any administration official. why did the park service barricade the lincoln memorial? why, when i asked the police standing duty there personally did they tell me every policeman was on duty and essential and their job was to keep people out. i repeat, an open-air monument was guarded by the same number of people to prevent americans from getting in and would allow them to safely go in and out on a daily basis? why were veterans turned away from the vietnam veterans memorial? why were honor flights initially told they must cancel their planned visits? why were members of the americans finest generation in their 80's and 90's turned away and told they could not visit what would be undoubtedly in many cases their last time to

those monday youments? why were private businesses and onprofits operating shuttered? why did the park service spend money to stop commerce rather than spend no money and allow congress to go forward? why did the park service closing roads that run through parkland that are used for local traffic? why in fact would america ever expect that a public road necessary for ingress and safety of a city, town or private residence ever be nonessential? we will hear from the director today whatever he wants to say would justify stopping the public from using a public road. i doubt that i in fact will agree with him, but i would like to hear his statement for why in fact these punitive measures were taken at no savings to the

american people. why, in short, is the shutdown so different than 1995 and 1996? the lessons learned in 1995 and 1996, should be the basic starting point for can we do better at a time without funding and limited authority, rather than many facilities that successfully stayed open now being closed. one anonymous park service ranger told "washington times," we have been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. it is disgusting. if true, and i have no reason to doubt the truthfulness of that quote, it is indeed disgusting and despicable that the park service would do this. but director jarvis, you are not here for the first time. during sequestration, we found a pattern of, if someone said they could live with existing staff

that they already had attrition to cover sequestration, that wasn't good enough, they had to send an alternate report. in fact, many of your lieutenants found that they were almost punished for thinking in advance and preparing for possibility of that lower amount under sequestration. during the occupied program, you came before one of our committees and made it very clear that you were going to re-interpret the first amendment to include basically people sleeping in the parks, deficient indicating on the lawn, creating a health hazard for the people of the district of columbia. you likened it to previous events rather than it liking it to people simply sleeping in the park. we disagreed with you then and we disagree with you now. . i hope today we will have a

healthy dialogue so you can tell me how you have performed and the park leadership has performed less well during this shutdown than the