disaster, but as the president reminds us, that disaster does not exist in a vacuum. failure of the obama to website is emblematic of a larger failure of obamacare itself and of the kind of problems we can expect if washington democrats continue their stubborn defense of this partisan law. now, mr. president, on another .atter

politicians regularly come to washington promising fiscal responsibility. since congress passed the bca with overwhelming bipartisan , washington has actually reduced the level of government spending for two years running. the bca savings are such a big deal that the president inpaigned on it endlessly 2012. he bragged about the bipartisan .uts he told audiences from california to baltimore that he signed $2 trillion in spending cuts into law. like to say these days, elections matter and the president explicitly stated that

he put these on the back of the bipartisan spending cuts. fromet the exit polls november. two thirds said raising taxes to cut the deficit was a nonstarter. whiched to obamacare, more voters said they wanted to repeal, the levels of support are striking. if our friends on the other side contradict -- keep obamacare contradicted by the then have to called the mandate for reducing the size of government day superman date -- a super mandate. this would increase the debt and it is so outrageous. from new yorkator will announce a proposal to give the president permanent power to borrow more.

the debtto extend ceiling permanently by going around congress. let me repeat that. the schumer-obama plan is a plan to permanently hand the president a credit card without spending limits in without lifting a finger to address the national debt. truly outrageous especially when you consider our debt is now $17 lookion which makes us like a european country. we need to get our debt under control before we move further road towards gree source pain and time is not on our side. he's going to try to sell his proposal and i appreciate the attempt at a pr gimmick here but there are two huge differences between the schumer-obama plan and what i have proposed in the past. first, it would raise the debt ceiling permanently and i reject that idea entirely.

second, i believe that increases should bet ceiling accompanied by reform. that's what we did in 2011 when congress to raise the debt ceiling in return for bipartisan spending control. the spending control the president campaigned on endlessly. that's the real mcconnell land. and if the senator from new york is interested in act in with me, let's get down to brass tacks. the american people would love to see us working in a bipartisan way to actually help them. if he insists on pushing the obama-schumer plan he will not find any help on the side of the aisle. this is just a nonstarter.

this debt is a serious matter. they understand it's completely unsustainable over the long run and they understand it standing in the way of jobs and economic growth today. let's get to work on bipartisan plans to get this back under control. that's what constituents expect. >> kathleen sebelius testifying implementing in the new health care law. she will be at the energy and commerce committee live on 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. painting was originally grandmother's official white house portrait. in the 1960's lady bird johnson went looking for portraits to

hang in the white house. she thought it was important. she looked high and low-end could not find my grandmother's official portrait. asked mrs. truman if she knew where that was. she says, yes, it's on my wall. should not have that. it belongs in the white house. i grandmother said it's that my tainting. that's my painting. eventually she gave up. >> first lady bess truman on our website c-span.org/firstladies. we continue our series live as we look at first lady maybe eisenhower. >> president obama and former president bill clinton praised tom foley who died earlier this month. the memorial services next on c- span. the head of medicare and

medicaid taking questions on technical problems with the new website. a hearing on stand your ground laws. coming up on the next "washington journal," diana degette is here to discuss the implementation of health care act. then don hoven is our guest to look up the "farmville" -- farm bill. our focus on magazines, looking at the first mole hunt in the fbi. live every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. former house speaker tom foley must his bid for reelection in 1994 after he agreed to keep them assault weapons ban even though gun control was unpopular

in his district. he was honored at a memorial service at statuary hall by president obama among bill clinton, and his friend and rival, bob michael. he died on october 18. he was 84. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors, the singing of the national anthem, and the retiring of the colors.

>> forward march.

>> present. ♪ oh, say, can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air nightroof through the

that our flag was still there. say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free brave? home of the ♪ >> right. march in file.

>> please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, let us begin today by a damaging a great friend of this institution, mrs. heather foley. [applause] mrs. foley, thank you for giving us this chance to try and express the depth of gratitude that we owe to tom. noblestnce wrote of the is an honest man.

tom foley was that and more. a leader grounded in decent seat, -- in decency, honor, principal. he did all of these things that a public servant should do and frankly did many of them better than the rest. ask any of his peers and they will tell you this, especially those who did not share his politics. listen to bob dole. or ask alan simpson tebow said tell you to go to hell and make you feel good about going there. [laughter] asthere is a conservative they come both said to the man, i wish he was a republican.

he represented the very best in public service and our political system. one class act tipping his hat to another. and committee chairman, majority whip, majority whip, majority leader, then speaker. ,t was his sense of fairness his port in a storm that will always stand out for me. held thishe institution together at a very difficult time. come afterhose who us to seek to know what it means when we use the phrase, man of at means toor just whe leave something behind to look up the name thomas s. foley.

we gather today in the old hall residents, speakers, ask speakers, so many of our colleagues and more that tom served with two reminisce about his service and a toast to his life. well command thank you all for being here. all.lcome and thank you [applause] >> let us pray. earth, theen and work of your hands is made known in your bountiful creation and in the lives of those who faithfully live in your grace. especially remember the life and work of tom foley, son of the very proud city of spokane.

his commitment to furthering education in his own district, washington's fifth, is testified higgins-foley library at gonzaga university, his alma mater. it is named in honor of his parents who clearly did something right in raising such a son. tom foley was a modest man whose impact on the public wheel beyond his district far exceeded any projection of the ego or strength. may we all be inspired by his example to be men and women compelled to improve the life and prospect of our fellow issuing any honor or glory for ourselves. -- eschewing any honor or glory. do our part to increase understanding and respect across cultural divides.

be present with us this day, o god, as we mark his life and remember his legacy. bless this gathering and comfort us as we comfort one another in remembering a great american and a genuinely good man. amen. >> tom foley was my friend, mentor, and colleague in the house of representatives. i first met him at the university of washington law school in 1965 during his freshman term. he was a brilliant young man with a warm and friendly smile. it was his intellect and love for this country that made him an outstanding leader. he served as chairman of the house agriculture committee and twoed hard bringing these

issues together allowing chairman foley to have support .n the house for both he believed in and practiced ability and bipartisanship. his view was after the elections were over, democrats and republicans should work together to deal with a national legislative agenda. seeing his strong leadership qualities and the belief in getting things done for the tipican people, speaker o'neill appointed him to be the with and he was unanimously elected to be our majority leader and then our speaker in 1989. he worked closely with bob michael and they remain great friends after they left congress. later, president clinton named speaker foley to be our ambassador to japan. war and, ir to worked with him on the spokane world's in the created traumatic

change for the largest city in the fifth district. tom was so proud to represent the people of the fifth congressional district and he his mostought this was important responsibility. it was a great honor for me that .e supported me and my campaign i was lucky to receive his support as a member of the house and i will always thank him for being such a good mentor. we will always remember the legacy of tom foley. he believed in the congress and he believed this institution could produce positive results for the american people. his loving wife, heather, supported him during his career and to grant full care of him during his long illness. may god bless you, heather, and the entire foley family. [applause]

>> good afternoon. i'm jim mcdermott, a house member from washington's seventh , mostly seattle. i knew tom foley for more than 40 years and throughout that time, he was a wonderful friend and a sage mentor. in 1971 when i was a freshman state legislator, he took me out to dinner in seattle and suggested i would run for congress. i was pleased for his regard of my career, but i knew better since i was a freshman legislator so i rejected it and ran for governor. i got creamed. [laughter] tom never said a word. i return to the legislature determined to learn as much as i could about the realities of governing effectively and the challenges of legislating well. when i finally ran for congress, he was majority leader of the house.

as i arrived for his first term in 1989, tom was about to become speaker. about tow that he was become the last speaker of the whole house. the speaker was the speaker for the whole house and he lived that to his very core. will note tom's devotion to the house of representatives and his knowledge of the history of this organization. you learn in enormous amounts and he appreciated the role of the house and our balanced structure of government and he knew well the challenge of maintaining that fragile balance. speakership,ed his he brought to it a scholars depth of understanding and a disciple's passion. he led the house with fairness and a style of leadership we have not seen and we have recently looked for, but have not seen, what he was able to do with both sides.

the house could not perform its constitutional function without evenhandedness and respecting the role of minority. tom was a democrat -- no question about it. he was very clear. he believed that the legitimacy and the value of government. the government's duty was to improve the lives of americans and he saw it as a noble obligation and worthy of one's best efforts at any time. when he was speaker, he abandoned none of these principles. he added a very nuanced appreciation to the role of speaker and his certainty that it required not a flame throwing partisan but a measured, study for hisd lit by a match love of the house. his district was a sprawling swath of eastern washington yet

is is full of essentially conservative voters and they reelected him for 30 years. they took an urban international list and send him back again and again. it was aso and persistent affirmation of his unshakable integrity, superb legislative skills, and his deep connection for the people of the fifth. he always started his speech with, my highest honor was to be elected congressman from the fifth district. the voters recognized him as a great american. we share a sense of rye irish humor, but his charm and wit were all his own. he was an extraordinary person and in your replaceable friend. i'm grateful to have known him. rest in peace. [applause]

>> mrs. foley, bless you. there was a great minister, scholar, abolitionist who lived in new england in the 19th century. his name was james freeman clarke and he once made the statement. , thinkscian, he said only of the next election. a statesman thinks of the next generation. speaker tom foley was a true statesman. he believed it was an honor to and hehe public good

brought respect for the dignity of our democracy and the inspiration of our mandate as a nation to every moment of his service. he believed it was our calling as members of congress to do what we could to preserve and help create a more perfect union that has been in the making for almost 300 years. knowingof my years speaker foley and seeing him on the floor, i never heard this man, this good man, speak a bad .ord about anyone i just have a feeling that he was one who believes. anything goodsay about someone, don't say anything at all. hea leader, he believed

should build and not tear down. reconcile, not divide. he stood for the principles of the diplomacy and mutual respect even toward his opposition. he did not subscribe to the politics of personal destruction . he was a representative of the great state of washington, as a legislator, bigger than his own personal values and ambition. record ofto leave a accomplishment that would have a lasting impact on our society for generations to come. chair, left the speakers it was the end of an era in our history. maybe, his passing at this moment in our history is

just an eloquent reminder of one simple truth that no leader is greater than the cause he serves and when our lives are over, we will be remembered not for fame how wetune but for helped or harmed the dignity of all human kind. i will never forget this prince of a man who lead by example and struggled to turn the tide of partisanship with structured debate. every leader within politics or in larger society, every leader in america, to do well, to take a page from tom foley possible. -- tom foley's book. [applause]

>> heather, mr. president, mr. president, mr. vice president, mr. vice president, how wonderful than speaker foley has two presidents, two vice presidents, and the good wishes of the president george herbert walker bush. he could never have probably imagine that when he came to the floor on the first day to make his first floor speech. he said, public service is a free gift of a free people and a challenge for all of us in public life to do it we can to make our service useful for those who have sent us here. few the fill that charge with , more stability

than he. the first speaker to hail from west of the rocky mountains. he brought a fresh perspective and a powerful voice to open the doors of leadership to members who represent the diversity of their country. his first campaign was legendary in its civility. before the election was even over, his opponent released a statement calling the campaign the cleanest he had ever seen that in office. , he made campaign finance reform a priority sunday legislation to the president's desk that would ensure our democracy was a government of, by, and for the people. we could not override the president's veto, but his

commitment to a just democracy a testament to this day. known for his ability to build consensus, speaker foley never compromised on the conviction to do right by the american people. struck at the fairchild air force base in his district, this longtime defender of gun rights saw the need for sensible non-violence prevention laws. the speaker foley brought that ill to the floor and helped enact the ban knowing that it would not be well received in his district. but he did what he believed and he did it with courage. he matched that dedication with principle and courage with a gift for diplomacy. nearly 20 years ago, i was privileged to attend a special dinner to honor speaker foley

for his leadership. as fate would have it hama that was the day that you announce that you are going to grant a temporary visa to gerry adams. just a coincidence. needless to say, the mood of the evening was tense and speaker foley with this characteristic the matterreason why how disconcerting, it was crucial to delivering an ever elusive peace to northern ireland. buildemarkable ability to bridges across a great divide would serve him well as speaker in later as ambassador to japan, something he took great ride in, as i know you did mr. vice president. his judgment was impeccable and was respect it and many of us benefited from it. for me in september 2008, i

attended a g8 meeting of heads of parliament, speakers, whatever they are called and all participants were invited to lay a wreath at the horrific that peace memorial -- hiroshima peace memorial. speaker foley of vice president mondale to say what i should do. they said, you must participate. you will be the highest ranking american official to lay a wreath at the memorial. you cannot say no. that may seem easy now, but at the time, that was very strong judgment. such is the nature of a great man who believed above all for the purpose of public service that it is about respect. diplomat, leader, speaker, tom foley was the quintessential

champion of the common good. he spoke for the house he led and the country he so loved. in his farewell speech to the house he said, congress is the place where we come together to speak the voices of america and it is the voice that is sound to echo through the world. heather, i hope it's a comfort to you that so many people mourn your loss through the world and are praying for you at this sad time. to you and the foley family, thank you for sharing tom with a grateful nation. his voice will forever echo in our hearts to all who strive to make a difference in public service. as we count our blessings, we know that god truly blessed america with the life and leadership of speaker,

ambassador, leader, tom foley. [applause] >> thank you all for being here. .eather, we honor you today you were there all along guiding allaccompanying tom across of the peaks and valleys right to the end. we thank you for your spirit, your generosity, and your example. it enlivens this house, as well as your own, for many years. welcome back. famous personality

it is surprising he decided to run for congress in the first place. he did it in a moment of anger. july 16, 1964 and the beatles had just returned to liverpool after their first u.s. tour. president johnson had recently signed the civil rights act and was on his way to a landslide victory against barry goldwater that november. was having tom foley lunch at the spokane club in .owntown a gifted lawyer from a prominent local family and a trusted aide, he mentioned to the guys that he was thinking seriously about running for congress, not this time, but the next time around. to one of his

lunch companions bluntly dismissed the idea out of hand. he said, you would never do it. like all young people. you think the party is going to come to you with a tiffany trade and an engraved card and say, please. we humbly beg you. run for congress. happens.ot the way it people get to congress by wanting to run. you have excuses this year and you have excuses next year. and the year after that. this piece ofke armchair psychology one bit and he was determined to prove them wrong so he got up from the table and walked across the hall, stuffed himself into a phone booth and called western union. within minutes, a telegram had been sent to senator jackson's saying that he adjust resigned his job and was headed to olympia for filing to run.

then he called his bank and found out he did not have any money. [laughter] his cousin hank had to loan him the filing fee. in the filing deadline was the next day. plans, andcash, no virtually no time. had the smarts. he had a sterling reputation. he had the backing of senator jackson and now he has the motivation. and he did it. for the next three decades, he would devote his life to the people of eastern washington's fifth congressional district ,ith grace, intelligence, wit and a profound respect for others including his political adversaries and an abiding

gratitude for the trust and confidence of the people he was elected to serve from walla walla to northport, the week country, timber towns -- wheat country. tom always looked the part. him the senator at gonzaga. if most were asked to conjure up the image of a congressman, the man they would like to see would be him. to most people, it seems as andgh he was born to serve a remarkable 30 year congressional career, he proven they were right. he proved that he did not just look the part but he knew the part. and he played well. not on the same side for most issues. his faith in government was a little more robust they are in mind we shared a deep respect

and the belief that working for the other side, particularly in , time of divided government enables you to achieve some good for the nation. kind of comedy is sometimes viewed as old-fashioned around here. that's never been true. the parties have always keptreed but it has not them from working together time to time to solve problems that we all recognize. tom knew that. he practiced it. timeok flak from time to for being a little too friendly don'tepublicans but i think he ever doubted the wisdom of his approach, even in defeat. as he often said, the first vote you need to earn is your own. it was a principle that served him very well. it is one that i think says a the legacy of the

gentleman from spokane. we honor his service and his memory. may we draw all of the right lessons from both. [applause] >> for four years i served in the house with speaker tom foley during the time i served, he was the majority with. -- whip. i also served with the man who would succeed him, newt gingrich. buto not agree on too much, when he wrote in last week's

"time" magazine that tom foley was a pragmatic man, a person of great integrity, and a patriot, i could not agree more. this is what he wrote, and i quote. i have nothing a phone -- but fond memories. we worked together when we could, competed when we had to. fond memories of my time serving in the house with tom foley. i offer my condolences to hasher who, as we all know, always been tremendous, always there able to help us. she was his greatest influence politically in his whole life. tom learned his practical style of politics from his mentors who

are both from the state of washington. speaker foley gained his as a member and then chairman of the house agriculture committee, one of the chambers most of bipartisan committees. of his down to earth demeanor to his western wringing. he was the first speaker of the house of representatives to be born west of the rocky mountains. he cut an imposing figure. he was a big man physically with this wonderful smile and great voice. he was always gracious to young members, like me. , as we, i reflect back get a little older you cannot see like you used to.

somehow he did not bring his reading glasses and he was desperate. he could not see. i was the first person he saw and he said, find me sunglasses. i don't care where you get them. i wanted to adhere to his wishes so i did not care. someone left them lying on a desk and i grabbed them. he was so happy to get those classes. as it happens to all of us, he just could not see. and pleasure to find him some glasses to help him see that day. but visions where the country needed to go, he always saw clearly. [applause] fatheral

the restlessh born wave the mighty ocean tell keepall apointed limits o, hear us when we cry to thee peril on the sea ♪ father, who first breathed receivedife that we restore of thy breath the wounds of war

iress those who give the healing care that life and laughter all my share ♪ love of power danger's shield in hour from rock and tempest, fire and foe where all e'er we go more shall rise to thee land andhe brave from sea ♪

>> hello. presidentclinton, obama, all of my fellow colleagues, friends of tom, all of you. good fortune to have visited him with my former right-hand man a few days before tom died. , foro grateful, heather making that visit possible.

we thought it was going to be just a visit of a couple minutes and it ended up that we were speaking for an hour about the days gone by, not unlike so many others, we had a relationship of more than 40 years. we were both able to say our with open-mindedness and most of all, trust. as i said in an article in "the post" the other day, when tom became speaker, he suggested we come together once a week to talk over the affairs of the house one week in my office, the next in his. disagreed over policy and adjusted with each other politically, the meetings were because underlying them was the faith and trust we had in each other.

we could talk about anything knowing that our discussions would remain private unless we decided otherwise. i don't think there's anything more important than the relationship between political leaders than trust. never was that bond tested more whenit was in january 1991 i implored tom to bring to the house floor a resolution that steve zoeller's and i had introduced to ask then president bush to engage in military action in operation desert storm to drive saddam hussein out of kuwait. opposednvinced that tom military intervention. i know that a good many of his caucus were strongly opposed as well.

it was an exercise in political courage and personal decency for tom to agree to bring the resolution up for an open debate and record a vote under those circumstances. but he did. we had one of the most spirited informatived debates in which i have been privileged to participate in all of my 38 years in congress. we prevailed in the final outcome that day but i would have been proud of the house and the speaker regardless because the house demonstrated to the world that it was truly a deliberative and democratic a- day. tom and i always struggled to when there ground were no issues upon which we could not agree, we could at least use common courtesy and the way we conducted our politics. that is not just good manners. it's good politics.

compromise, the way we argue can be as important in the long run as the decisions we reach. i so admire tom's grace and facility -- civility. i admire his understanding and culture of the institution. he was so dedicated to its preservation and affection. tom was chosen to lead the house in a very difficult time and through it all, he was a gentleman of the house, a fair and honest broker, a worthy adversary. maybe we both knew that our days were numbered. we were too conditioned by our personal and political upbringing to assume that we had the market cornered on political partisan or superiority.

knew that there would always be a distinction and separation between campaigning for office and serving an office. we were, i guess, pupils of the old school. tom knew that a house member has three essential jobs -- to deliberate, to debate, and to be his. he knew that if we wanted to be effective in the house, you cannot go around shouting your principles. you have to subject them to the test of open debate against those who do not share those principles. possiblete is not unless the golden rule is applied which simply means that you treat your fellow members the way you, your self, want to be treated. tom believed in that rule and he practiced it. from the day he came to the house and all during his time as

speaker of the house, tom foley was proud to be a member of this house. in thisthat deep fried great institution -- i share that deep pride, and i guess that's one reason we were able to work together. we saw the house not as a necessary evil that is one of the great creations of a free people. on our last days in congress, on , tom did me 1994 the great honor of inviting me to the speaker's podium to preside over the house while he gave his farewell remarks from the well. the firstly, it was time in 40 years a republican had been on that roster. when we stood side-by-side on the podium that last day of the 103rd congress, we knew that we were icons, i guess, of a bygone

era. as we visited for the last time, 20 years later, i think we felt good about that. we both took great pride in knowing we have made things happen, that we found good ways to solve difficult problems and make the house a working institution. now, tom takes his place among the great public servants immortalized in this hollow statues. he is most worthy of a presence here. i know because of his great love of this institution that his .pirit will dwell here forever i only hope that the legislators who now walk through here each day so consumed by the here and now will feel his spirit, learn from it, and be humbled by it.

that's all i have to say in honor of my dear friend tom foley. [applause] michel may be 90 years

old, but he has the spirit of a man half his age and the wisdom of 110 times his age. we thank him for those remarks. one 10the wisdom of times his age. [applause] , mr. speaker, i thank you for giving those of us who worked with and cared about tom the chance to be here today. thank you, heather, for all you did to make his work possible and better. mr. president, thank you for being here. mice president, vice president mondale, and all who have spoken before me. president, vice president mondale.

shortly after becoming president, i invited them to come to arkansas to tell me everything i did not know that was about to happen to me. dohilippe then proceeded to -- tom foley then proceeded to do that in that calm, satirical way. be walled -- lto michel'sbob personality. he told me not to be intimidated but in thelicosity end we would find a way to do business into turned out to be right about both things. possiblership made .hings that matter to me a lot being president is a matter of

trying to do what he promised to do when you ran, trying to respond to those legitimate impulses coming out of the political system across the range, and trying to deal with the unanticipated developments. if you ignore any of them, you cannot prevail. if you cannot work with the congress, it's very difficult. therefore, was pivotal. in our landslide victory for my economic land and deficit reduction, because we won by one vote and it was made possible by the speaker and everyone else who voted for it. but also we just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the family medical leave law, the 20th anniversary of americorps that are now part of the pillars of our sense of common citizenship.

i've had republicans and democrats, to tell me what a difference the family leave law meant for them. young people who belong to both political parties who believe in citizen service and participated makeericorps, he helped those things possible, too. of the things that i always appreciated about him, and marveled about, was how he could be brutally honest in the kindest way. true, as leader pelosi said, he had a conversion of sorts on the whole question of assault weapons because of an experience that he had, but he was very clearheaded. succeeded, inn we

no small measure thanks to the leadership of then senator biden , and putting the assault weapons ban back in the bill that you could leave this in here but there will be a lot of blood on the floor if this passes. many of us will not survive. i will never forget the argument i had with him. tom, i'm from arkansas and both of my senators voted for this. he said, and four years, it's the same thing with your economic lame. people will see that it works and people will see that they did not lose their guns and they still got to defend their homes, we all have to run before they know any of that. we have enough uncertainty now. if you put this in there, there will be a lot of carnage. and i thought he was wrong but he was right. by 4000that election be a wealthy man if i

had a dollar for every time in the last 20 years i have found my mind drawn to that conversation. was it worth his public service? declininght years of violent crime for the first time in the history of the country. prove that it did not interfere with people's second amendment rights. the price is high. what i want to tell you is, appropriate today, that tom foley, as nice as he was an civil as he was and as much as he loved his colleague of both colleagues, he was one tough guy. this is a man who took up martial arts in the 60's.

now that i am there, i respected even more. [laughter] he rests the broken bones and torn ligament's and everything. he was tough and he walked clear eyed into the house and we put those photos together in the bill plett -- past. those of us who supported at least think america is much better off as a result. even in the spirit of bipartisan compromise, making difficult decisions was inevitable and not free. he paid the price. before i came here, i let -- read all the letters we wrote to each other. that is a great thing about having a library. somebody will dig that stuff up. [laughter]

here is the one that means the most to me. him.ys the most about .e loved being in the house it really hurts if you are the speaker. his district. it turned out way better than i did. .t least 4000 votes better michael talked about what they did on november 29, 1994. ons letter was written to me november 16, 1994. signed by tom foley and bob michael and nude gingrich. administration sent him the lame-duck session of congress, the legislation to ,mplement the general agreement

which established the world i believer -- which has played a major role in lifting more people out of -- .ut of poverty he was dying inside, heartbroken, and he still showed up for work. he still believed the purpose of political service was to get the show on the road. forget this letter as long as i live. tom foley had lost his seat in a district he loved. thelked to him about wrinkles and curse of that district i do not know how many times. but he was doing his job. i asked him to go to japan, just as i half the vice president to go to japan, for a very simple

they became one of our greatest allies and one of the greatest forces for democracy, security, freedom, and growth in the world. had a tough time in the 1990's. i always believed the rest of the world was underestimating the japanese people, their brilliance, creativity, technology, resistant -- resilience, and i wanted them to know america still killed -- cared. when tom foley was there, they knew america cared. i leave you with this. i think they had a good time and they enjoyed it. i know he did. there were seven japanese prime ministers in my eight years as president.

we are not the only people that have turmoil. was the politician prime minister. tragically, as a young man, he had a stroke. for 43 days after his stroke. worlde died, in a busy full of things to do, it was something as -- of an anti- climax. i was appalled than i was the only leader of a major country to come to his funeral. so i can go.an i liked him and admired him and thought he had set forth a direction that gave japan the best chance they had to succeed until he took office. funeral, younghe japanese women appeared with flowers.

his ashes were on a high wall totally made of flowers of the rising sun. everyone there went up and bowed to his ashes and put a flower on until thousands of flowers were there, reading a great cloud. he was succeeded as prime minister by one of his close allies and the allies said this. there forand i stayed hours and then we went home and watched the rest of it on television until every person had put their flower there. a testimony to the importance of citizenship. in theieving institutions of your country. the current prime minister said this of his friend. ever grieved -- trained. if he did, i wonder what his

dreams were carried whatever i hope they all have now come true. i did not know tom foley well enough to know if he ever dreamed or if he did, what he dreamed. i know when he sat with me that day and watched the sacred the well ofi saw common humanity we all share across all of our interesting differences. he gave his life to our country. i hope his dreams have all come true. [applause] family, toer and the

tom's colleagues and friends, president clinton, president speakers, andr those who preceded me. i am honored to join you today to remember a man who embodied the virtues of devotion and respect. led,he institution that he for the college that he served mostside, and, importantly, for the citizens he had the honor to represent. i did not have the privilege of knowing tom personally. i admired him from afar. americans,llions of i benefit from his legacy.

tom, more children get a head start on success, in .chool, and in life more seniors receive better health care. more families breathed easier because they know their country will be there for them in times of need. them, all of us, are indebted to the towering man. think, in listening to the wonderful memories that have been shared, we get a sense of this man. we recognize his humility. he often attributed much of his sets to good luck. he may have had a point. story mcconnell told the about his first race. there were a couple of details that got left out. on the way to olympia to file

the paperwork for his first congressional campaign, apparently tom blew out a tire. hitchhiked tonds a service station to get it fixed. as they approached the outskirts of the city, they ran out of gas. so they pushed the car up the town justting into before the deadline. tom went on to win the race by a resounding 54 votes. there is no question there may have been some luck of the irish operating when it came to tom foley, as well as incredible stamina. what led him to make history as the first speaker of the house from west of the rockies was not luck. it was his hard work. his deep integrity. and is powerful intellect. michael so eloquently and

movingly stated, his ability to find common ground with his colleagues across the aisle. it was his personal decency that helped him bring stability and order to a congress that demanded most -- both, and still does. it brings me to a final point. at a time when our political system can seem more polarized and more divided than ever before, it can be tempting to the possibility of bipartisan progress as a thing of the past. old school, as bob said. can be tempting to wonder if we still have room for leaders like tom, the environment, the media, the way districts are drawn, the pressures that those

of us in elected office are under somehow preclude the of that brand of leadership. well, i believe we have to find our way back there. now, more than ever. america needs public servants who are willing to place from solving ahead of politics. as the letter that president clinton held up indicates, the history of the crime bill shows. we are sent here to do what is right. sometimes, doing what is right is hard. it is not free. and yet, that is the measure of leadership. it is important for us who feel that responsibility to fight for

a cause to recognize our cause is not advanced if we cannot also try to achieve compromise. the same way our founders sought it. democracy part of our . the very thing that makes our system of self-government possible. that is what tom foley believed. that is what he embodied. shines the legacy that rightly today. he presided as speaker, he described what it should feel like to serve the american people in this city. he spoke about coming to work in the morning and catching a glimpse of the capital. anyone it ought to give , a sense not only of

personal satisfaction, but very deep gratitude to our constituents, for the honor of leading us represent them. lost that sense of wonder. as i read that passage, what he the first time i visited capitol hill, tom was speaker. i was a very young man. i was doing community work. i remember seeing the capital and having the same sense of wonder. about tom foley , and here, doing that work inspiring what ultimately might have led me to be interested in public service, as well. when we are standing outside these magnificent buildings, we

have the sense of wonder and .ope sometimes, the longer you are here, the harder it is to hang onto that. yet, tom foley never lost it. he never lost the sense of wonder and the sense of gratitude. what a privilege. that he felt it was to serve. he never forgot why he came here. on behalf of this nation and the state and the citizens that he loved and respected so much. as a country, we have to be grateful to him. to heather and the people of great state of washington, thank you so much for sharing tom with us. -- god blessfoley

tom foley. god bless america. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> mr. president, and to all of our speakers, thank you for your testimonials. i would like to ask leader below seek to join me as we presented mrs. foley with a flag flown over the capitol on the day of the speaker'staffing, and a copy of house resolution 383, expressing the house's sincerest condolences.

>> thank you, president obama, and president clinton. coming tociate your honor and celebrate tom's his life. jimk you, norman dicks, and mcdermott. acknowledge congressman lewis and former congressman and

republican leader bob michael, who both have always been great friends to tom and me. of course, i think senator harry reid and senator mitch mcconnell. fromraveling a long way the senate to the house. [laughter] to remember my husband. also, i want to thank the celestial on joy from japan. anderson, plus, the diplomatic delegations, for coming. gratitude toebt of speaker banner for making this memorial service possible. without his caring and competent

staff, this event would not have happened. was speaker, we had about one person who handled this kind of work. has been most gracious and helpful and i applaud him for that. i want to say a few words about my husband. as you probably know, i work for him for years as an unpaid staffer. this not plan to do in when i married him in 1968. of wooed in. timei remained for the full- he was here.

i should say i stayed here unpaid and it was a great adventure. every time i thought of leaving, he would suddenly assume a new position. it was a great good fortune of my life to be along for the ride and see what happened next. i discovered my husband was a wonderful teacher. david has written the nicest note about this. i think he was right on mark. say that hisck and father taught him about fairness, patients, and all the virtues everyone has mentioned today. there was a story that tom's father, who was a superior court judge, could sentence you to death and you would thank him.

but when i think back, and what i thought at the time, is i am not sure where his judge got -- good judgment came from, how he ,nderstood the limits of power and there are enormous limits to power, that we must work together and how much courage he often displayed when defending what he believed was right. some of it must have been the result of his jesuit education and his experience as a debater. a friend of his is here who knew him and debated with him and told me that at 16, he was just a wonderful, great man, even though he was just a young man at that time. exactlyknew, really, why he always knew the right thing to say and do.

it was his honesty and his resolve to keep his word. i do not know. i think back on our almost 45 years together and i think of meetingsmeanings -- that perhaps best displayed his ability to reason with people. -- in them was in the old the late 1960's. challenge ofed the a man whose name i think was virgil. form ofopposed to any gun control. claimed thanh was -- tom was for every form of gun control. , agreed to appear at this forum at this local high school. newspapers, "ie

was able to attract -- i think he also wrote on radio and television -- an audience of about 700 people, tom stood on the stage 45.5 hours and answered all of the allegations with the reasons i never would have thought of. there were from the triple -- bumper stickers waived about the i can remember him was not for repealing laws that limited a citizens use hecanons and rockets, that did not think you were entitled to have a missing silo right

there in the backyard of your house. the audience was hostile. a fatal mistake was made. he asked everyone to stand up and then he pleaded for money to pay for the ads. [laughter] who were already standing, they just walked out. i have spent a good deal of my life overseas at this time. i was mesmerized to watch this. it was not like dealing with the pakistanis, or going to school there, were living in greece or egypt as i had done. it was something very different. years, and ir the reasons to see tom,

with all kinds of people and with all kinds of interesting arguments. you could always see another side to something. him in action with presidents and politicians on bothsides of the house and sides of the capitol. he was somehow able to walk others through their demands and show them where they were asking too much and where they might be right. he was not afraid to take a position that a constituent or colleague might oppose and explain why. the powermber administrator who came to get be told it waso

time the pacific northwest perhaps limited its demands and to get other directions more power. anyway.e -- at the time, they agreed. he was a man of principle not afraid to compromise. he believed there was honor in compromising. when he nearly lost the election in 1980, he did not retreat to the life he enjoyed as chairman of the house of agriculture committee. as many would have done. , he became democratic with and started his climb up the leadership, the latter.

appalled. i have gotten used to his position as chairman, and i was on good terms with the staff. suddenly, all of these people were going to lose their jobs. we could not take all of them with us to the with office. the budget was not that large. so, i got used to it. then he moved up the ladder again and again. been the easy thing to stay as chairman of the agriculture committee. i should have known this extraordinary man was destined for extraordinary things. i am afraid i have kept you too long. coming toso much for salute the life of a great man. thank you.

[applause] >> dear lord, as we close our time together, send your spirit of tees and consolation upon us, who mourn the loss of the honorable former speaker of the house, tom fully. example of anng icon of what it means to be a man for others. his decades of service to his home state of washington and to our great nation, will be long appreciated by those whose lives are forever blessed by his life

classes work and dedication. come -- angelss come to greet our beloved tom and those who mourn him here be consoled with the knowledge that for those who love you, everything is turned to good. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated until the official party and family have departed. ♪

>> the mother of slain florida teenager trayvon martin urged the senate panel to clarify state standard ground lost to give gun owners wider latitude to use their weapons and self

disgust in self-defense. here is her testimony. >> by nature, i am a mother. of two boys. i still support both of my sons. though trayvon is not with us, it is very important i tried to make a change for not only my her --son, still here on on earth, but also trayvon. was -- whatunate has happened with trayvon. why i feel it is so important for me to be here so that you all can at least put a face with what has happened with this tragedy. trayvon had recently turned 17 years old. 17 for threeeen

weeks. we celebrated his 17th birthday february 5 and he was murdered on february 26. he had only been 17 for three weeks. it is very hurtful to know that he was all my simply going to the store to get snacks. nothing more. nothing less. it is important to keep that in mind. teenagers like to be independent at times. he was simply going to get a joint and some candy. that tells me right there his mentality. that tells me he was not going to get cigarettes or bullets or condoms or other items of net -- of that nature. he was going to get a drink and candy. trayvon was mark s minding his own business. he was not looking for any type of trouble. he was not committing any crime. that is important to remember. that the things that surround the tragedy that happened, our most important, at the time that ons happened to him, he was a telephone call with a young lady from miami. mentality.his that shows he was not looking for trouble. thats not the criminal some people have tried to make him out to be. theas not the criminal

person who shot and killed him thought that he was. he was simply on his cell phone talking to a young lady in miami with candy and a drink. as i think about this, as a mother, and i think about how many kids walked to the store, and how many kids now feel they cannot be safe in their own community, i think about what kind of message we are sending lawmakers, as elected officials, even as grandparents and aunts and uncles. what kinds of messages are we kids -- because, remember, these are our kids in our communities, they don't feel safe. feel safe simply walking into the store to get candy and a drink.

so, i just wanted to come here to talk to you for a moment to let you know how important it is that we amend this stand your ground. work in my case. the person who shot and killed my son is walking the streets today and this law does not work. seriously take a look at this law. we need to seriously speak with the state attorney's office, the police departments, more attorneys, we need to do something about this law when our kids cannot feel safe in their own community. thank you. you can watch the entire hearing at c-span.org and watch all of trayvon martin's mother's

testimony here on c-span. coming up on the next "washington journal", a representative of colorado is feared to discuss the rollout and if limitation of the affordable care act. then a senator of north dakota is our guest to examine the farm bill being a -- being negotiated. spotlight in magazines, it features the latest article within the ranks of the fbi. live every morning starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> in january 1963, the communist did something they did not do before. they stayed and fought. as a result, five american copters were shot down, three americans were killed, he sees

this on the front page of the times and says, i thought we were winning this work. beginning in december and through january into february, he will hear varying reports from white house officials, state department officials, and military officials, giving him contradictory evidence about the state of the military campaign in south the anon. >> the fifth anniversary of resonant cavity passes assassination. sunday, it is session about and thoughts on vietnam. part of american history tv this weekend on c-span three. the health secretary will testify on capitol hill about challenges implementing the health care law. she will be commenting tomorrow morning on c-span three.

the head for the centers of medicare and medicaid services apologize for the issues the public has had on the healthcare.gov website since its rollout. she testified before the house ways and means committee. congressman dave camp chairs this three-hour hearing.

>> this hearing will come to order. good morning. i would like to welcome marilyn tavener, the administrator at the center for medicare and medicaid services. welcome to the committee today. i look forward to your testimony. i look forward to the hearing to really get an honest, straightforward assessment of the status of the health care law. six months ago, health and human services secretary sebelius told this committee a dozen times the administration will be ready on october 1. we now know the administration was not ready and they could have used five years to get the exchange is up and running. despite having more than three

years to get the system up and running, officials at the center for medicare and medicaid services, who are charged with implementing the exchanges, has added -- "due to a compressed timeframe, three years should have been enough, and had the administration provided more forthcoming answers and shared in a transparent manner the reality of the challenges it was encountering, i suspect many of these glitches could have been avoided. while a website can eventually be fixed, the widespread towels with obamacare cannot. almost daily, we hear of reports of obamacare increasing costs, harming job creation, and forcing americans off there've their current plan. the problem cannot be fixed through a catch -- tech surge. not a week ago -- not a week goes by where i do not hear examples about the increasing costs and how obamacare is making it harder for people to invest and grow to make it harder to hire people. schools in my district announced it would be cutting schedules to hourly workers to fewer than 30 hours a week as a result to obamacare. this month, the detroit free press reported at least 146,000 have --

based on what little information the in -- the administration has an close, more people have received cancellation notice for their health care plans this month then have enrolled in their exchanges. the widespread egg knowledge meant the health care exchanges were not tested months in advance were a concern. the concerns do not stop there. they were not confident about the irs posses ability to protect confidential taxpayer information or prevent fraud, and neither am i. the exchanges not give individuals the information they need to make an informed health

care decision. how are americans able to see if they are even eligible to be in the exchange if there incurred dr. -- current doctor will be in the plan, and how much their co- pay will be? no amount of website fixes can make right the president posses broken promises that health care costs will be lower by $2500, or that americans will be able to keep the plan they have and like. those are worthy goals. reducing costs and maintaining govern -- coverage. i would be remiss if i did not remind my colleagues of the alternative put forward by republicans at the time, the only plan scored by the nonpartisan congressional budget office as actually reducing premiums. democrats chose to go down another path and that is where it has led us. instead of moving forward, administrators should seriously consider delaying the law for families and individuals. just as it has done for big business. if they fail to do so, i fear we

can see a fundamental breakdown of the insurance market where premiums can skyrocket, forcing millions of americans out of health care and yet still being forced to pay the individual mandate tax. administrator tavener, we cannot solve a problem until we realize the full extent of the problem. your answers today and in the future will be critical to the health care law and to our work to ensure americans have access to our health care. i ask unanimous consent all member posses written statements be included in the record. so ordered. >> thank you. colleagues. a warm welcome. we start this hearing facing a basic reality. democrats want to make the affordable care act work. congressional republicans do not. that reality has been reflected in 40 plus efforts by republicans to repeal, dismantle, or defund the affordable care act. that reality, reflected in their zeal, shutting down the government and jeopardizing the

full faith and credit of our nation, damaging our nation posses global standing, and leading to and during harm, costing our economy 24 billion dollars, tens of thousands of jobs, a germanic drop in consumer confidence. now, having still failed to derail the aca, the republican focus of attack has shifted the new front relates to healthcare.gov. they're very clearly are challenges to implementing new pioneering access to health care. consider these headlines. for example, problems plagued rollup. plagued by delays and confusion over coverage. these headlines are from 2005. as medicare part d was launched. that year, in dramatic contrast to the republican conduct to date, democrats who would oppose the law worked to make -- to make it a success. working with republicans on a bipartisan basis. republicans who had passed that law to adjust many problems and, most importantly, we worked with our constituents to make sure they can sign up. the reality is the affordable care act, which republicans are failing to work on with

democrats, is working quite effectively in states running the marketplaces. you can see from that slide. in kentucky, more than 26,000

people have enrolled in coverage. in new york, more than 47,000 have signed up. in washington state, more than 35,000 people had enrolled as of one week ago. the irony is republicans has erected hurdles to states throughout the nation, taking responsibility for implementing their law. the website for the federal insurance marketplace must be fixed and it is being fixed. this gentleman from salt lake city is among those who has

enrolled, a self-employed father of three. he has been uninsured for years, paying cash for doctor visits and the occasional trip to the emergency room, he told his local paper. once he got into the marketplace website, he compared 38 plans and got coverage for his family for $123 a month. i quote, once they get the bugs work out, it will work well and bring peace of mind to a lot of people. he added, "i am thrilled to have coverage." prior to this year, what it waited him and tens of millions of other americans who do not have health insurance or the employer, but rather had to sign up on their own, was a maze of invasive personal medical history questions within applications that seemed to never end. when individuals got through the process, they were denied coverage. to charge exorbitantly high premiums, or to exclude needed benefits. thankfully, these days are behind us. they are behind us.

this hearing provides a chance for every member of this committee to proceed in a constructive, not a destructive, manner. and for the administrator to lay out how the website is being fixed, as it must be. and for everyone on this committee to join in this effort to make available, not to prevent access to, quality affordable coverage for every american. i yield back. >> thank you. today, we will hear from the administrator for the centers for medicare and medicaid services at the u.s. department of health, maryland tavener -- marilyn tavenner. you will be recognized for oral

testimony. >> on october 1, we launched one of the key provisions of the affordable care act. the new marketplace. where people without health insurance, including those who cannot afford it and those who are not part of approved plans. we know consumers are having difficulty enrolling in the marketplace website. it is important to know that the affordable care act is more than just a website. it is a market which allows people to access affordable quality health care. it allows them to have insurance options. it creates a pooling of

consumers with a statewide group plan that can spread the risk between sick and healthy, young and old, and bargain on their behalf to get them the best deal on health insurance. like creating competition where there was not competition before, insurers are now eager to new business and have created new health care plans with more choices. premiums for coverage were lower than expected, and millions of americans will apply for tax credits to make the coverage even more affordable. we know consumers are eager. tens of millions of americans have attempted to shop for health care coverage. i want to apologize to you that the website has not worked as well as it should. we know how desperately you need affordable coverage. i want to assure you that healthcare.gov will be there. we are working around-the-clock to develop the shopping experience you deserve. we are seeing each week -- we

are seeking each week to improve the website. in the time, nearly 700,000 applications for coverage have been submitted across the nation. more than half of those are in the federal marketplace alone. this confirms that american people are looking for quality affordable health care coverage. we know the consumer experience has been frustrating for most americans. some have had trouble creating accounts, logging into the site. some have had confusing error messages or had to wait for slow response times. this experience has not lived up to our expectations, and it is not acceptable. we are committed to improving performance, and have already made progress. in the first few days, few customers could create an account. now, over 90% have.

we have fixed bugs and improve the experience, and we have added more capacity in order to meet demand. we are pleased these quick improvements and parts of the system are already working well. the data hub, the routing pool that allows a quick way to verify information from consumers, is sending determination through the marketplace in 1.2 seconds. the irs has responded to more than 1.3 million requests. even with this success, we know there is still significant work to do. we have called in a team of experts to analyze the site, identify and prioritize fixes. we spent last week going over that. while these problems will require a lot of hard work, the bottom-line conclusion is that this site is fixable. we will ensure the work with the general contractor of this project. they have the skills and expertise to help us address

these problems. they will work with leadership and contractors. we are committed to improving the consumer experience. while we continue this work, i encourage people to continue to apply by phone, by mail, or by finding local help in the community. the product of the affordable care act, a marketplace for affordable health insurance, will work. the product is not going away, and the people are not going to continue to wait. we know the price is not changing. we know that americans have time to apply and enroll. thank you. >> administrator, how many people have enrolled in the exchanges? >> that number will not be available until mid-november. we have over 700,000 who have

created applications. >> do you have any idea how many of those applicants became enrollees? >> we will not have that until mid-november. we have people shopping now. we expect the initial number to be small. that was the massachusetts experience. >> the numbers i am hearing from insurers and my home state of michigan are not good. i'll enrollees. a very small number. i think i could go to a meeting in my office and have all of them fit in, the people who have been successfully enrolled in

the plans. i understand the stated goal is 7 million by the end of march. is that correct? >> that is correct. i think critically important, of that 7 million, 2.3 million of those need to be young and healthy. i think those are your metrics. is that correct? i believe those are numbers cms has put out. the associated press reported in early september that there was a memo prepared by the assistant secretary for planning and health. are you aware of the press story and that memo? i believe it went through your office. we went through the enrollment numbers. it said there were month-to- month predictions of enrollment

numbers. could you make that memo available to the committee? according to the press report, the memo estimated that 494,620 people would sign up for health insurance by october 31. or obviously very near that date. have you met that estimate? >> we will not have those numbers available until mid- november. >> do you not have any idea of how many people have enrolled? >> some are still in the process of enrolling. we will have those numbers available in mid-november. >> are you getting those numbers? >> am i getting those numbers? not yet. >> you have no numbers on who is enrolled? you have no idea? >> we will have those numbers available in mid-november. >> no one is forwarding even weekly updates? >> i think you have seen some in the press. that was on the graph earlier.

we will get those numbers in mid-november. >> i understand you are not publicly releasing those numbers. i am asking, do you have any idea, on a weekly basis -- how do you not know? >> we will have those numbers available in mid-november. >> is your staff updating you? are you getting those? i realize you are not prepared to give those to the committee, even though this is a government program and we are trying to do oversight. we are try to understand what the problems are. but do you have some idea of what those problems might be, in terms of the numbers?

>> i am not quite sure what you are asking. >> clearly, you are getting some information. do you have any idea how many of those can move to the next step of enrolling, looking at plans? how many are eligible? how many have decided to enroll? >> once individuals complete the input -- the application, to go into the shopping experience, where they can look at plans. we get numbers on the number of applications, and then we need to break those out. it is the rollout numbers we will give him mid-november. >> you have the applications, but not how many people successfully enrolled. >> people are still in the process. >> of those 700,000, do you know how many are eligible for

medicaid at that point? >> we have some information on who is eligible for medicaid. obviously, states have their own information. it depends on whether a state has expanded or not. it is very state specific. >> a significant number would not be in the exchange, if they are enrolling in medicare. >> we will have that information for you with the number. >> if they are eligible for medicaid, they are not enrolling in the exchange. >> correct. >> there could be a significant portion of that 700,000 that

would not be enrolling in an exchange. >> there could be numbers in there. >> did you know how many have qualified employer-sponsored insurance, and therefore will not be eligible for the exchange? do you know how many of those 700,000 are young adults who might choose to stay on the parent plant? >> i do not. >> do know how many are undocumented aliens, and who might not be eligible to enroll in the exchange? >> if you are aware, we have a connection to the data hub to check for that. if they are not eligible, they do not complete the application. i do not go on to shop. >> of the 700,000, do you have any idea how many are just looking, and how many are trying to enroll? >> we actually look at the people who are shopping. and obviously the majority of the people completing applications of their -- are there to go through to shopping. >> there are media reports that say as many as 80% of that number are eligible for medicaid. is that number something you would dispute? >> i do not know how they would get that information. i frankly would have hoped -- >> eligible for medicaid. is that a number you'd dispute? >> i don't know where that media report is or how they'd get that information. >> if that's true, that's the only information we're getting, frankly, today. i, frankly, would have hoped for a little bit more from you, but if that's true, then less than 140,000 of these applicants are potentially enrollees in the