ultimate weight enhancer, skills -- wage enhancer, skills training for those in low-wage jobs. many people in these jobs don't have the time or money to pursue a traditional education. we can help them by bolstering and reinvigorating our nation's existing job-training system. while our workforce delivery system must be driven by states, the federal government can help shortage in many skilled labor jobs by creating more pathways toward obtaining ,hose certification credentials and by encouraging alternatives to the traditionally accredited college degree. programs, current targeted reforms such as these address the causes of opportunity and equality, not just the consequences. as a result, they will help move us closer to a day when widespread poverty is a memory. and equal opportunity is available to more people than

ever before. ions you wrote in -- eros of equal opportunities is among the greatest stresses to our exceptionalism as a nation, but it also provides us with an exciting and opportunity up -- historic opportunity -- to help more people than ever achieve the american dream. the millions trapped in poverty and despair are a tremendous untapped resource for america. just think of what it would mean for our country to gain the full use of the talents and abilities of all people. they would develop new innovations to improve our lives , help build the next great american company. they would be doctors in our hospitals, scientist in our labs. customers for our businesses and partners in our investments. leaders in our government, pastors in our churches. we are a great country, despite the fact that we have over 40 million people stuck in poverty. imagine how much greater we would be if they were not.

imagine how much greater we would be if the dreams and talents of over 40 million human -- 40 million human beings were unleashed into our economy and into our lives. now, i haven't been in washington long, but i have been here long enough to know everything here gets analyzed through the lens of electoral politics. upward mobility and equal opportunity is not and should not be part of the issue. it is our unifying principle. it has always been a focus in my public service, going back to my days of the state repetitive -- as a state representative. for me, this issue is deeply personal. i am a generation removed from poverty and despair. where would i be today if there had never been in america? -- an america? what kind of futures would my children have of this was not a nation of opportunity? what if my father had been stuck

working as a bar boy his whole life instead of making it to head bartender? what kind of like would i have now? in all likelihood, i too would be on the outside looking in, forever frustrated that because my parents had no power or no privilege i was unable to achieve my full potential. our status as a land of equal opportunity, it has made us a rich and powerful nation. but it has also transformed lives. it has given people like me the chance to grow up knowing that no dream was too big and noble was out of our reach. -- no goal was out of my reach. the earliest memories are of my father and grandfather instilling in me that i could achieve any kind of life i wanted. even though they had humble beginnings themselves. now there are those trying to access those same opportunities.

working in this very building, there are struggling parents trying to give their children what my parents gave me. within walking distance of this very place, there are children growing up like i did, with dreams just like mine. whether or not they get the chance to improve their lives will determine whether we remain a special country or become just like everybody else. for 50 years now, we have tried big government. yet too many people remain trapped and despair. now we must try a new way. one that addresses the things that are keeping some the people from the better life they want. the idea that everyone deserves a chance, that still binds us together as a people. many challenges and our differences, this is still who we want to be. that is why i know, like those who came before us, we are going to solve this problem. because in the end i believe we

will do americans have always to keepatever it takes america special. thank you for the chance to address you. [applause] >> we have time for a few questions and answers as well. pleaseare called on, stand and introduce yourself. i would like the -- to take the prerogative to answer -- ask the first question myself. you have been working not just on policy, but doing a lot and communities in florida, including miami. what are you doing and communities -- in communities for people on the ground experiencing poverty? what is your experience? >> first of all, let me go back to when i first began to deal with the issues in 2004 and 2005 when i was in the florida

legislature, on the path to becoming speaker of the house. we undertook a project called the 100 innovative ideas for florida's future. getting ideas from everyday people -- what would you do in our position? the number one answer was resign, but all kidding aside we learned about the needs out there that existed. from that, you start to have a better understanding of the diversity of causes keeping people from a better life. what i tried to continue to do is remain engaged in those communities by coming face to face with challenges. some i interact with on a personal level. some of you may have heard me talk about this. i am proud of what we achieved this year, but i was a coach on two of my former high school's football teams. you see the background of many kids we were coaching. these are challenging circumstances. children, many of whom are raised by grandmother's because

they never met their father, and their mother is working to jobs -- two jobs, or might have a drug problem, might be in jail. his kids are in dangerous neighborhoods and sometimes lack access to positive role models other than what they might see on television. these kids are going to struggle to succeed. some of them will. but some of these kids face very significant obstacles to a better life. every year that goes by is a year you can't get back. let me address those things that are happening. unless something dramatic happens. you start to understand what intergenerational poverty is caused by. we also have the issue of people who cannot help themselves. the safety net has to be there for people in those circumstances. in miami-dade county we have many poor seniors who cannot be expected to go back and find jobs to support themselves. you have people who are disabled, people who have addictions they need to break. the issue is complex.

you go to rural areas, particularly in the homestead area, and you have people dealing with poverty, but the causes and characteristics look different from what you may find in the inner-city urban areas. even inner-city urban poverty looks different in miami and jacksonville or tampa or other parts of the state. all these have to be dealt with in creative and innovative ways. of the frustrations you often hear is we have no flexibility. we are forced to provide services within the constraints of government mandates and government requirements that you not allow us to tailor our programs to the individual, to the locality we are trying to serve. hence some of the problems. the other complaint you get is the extraordinary amount of paperwork involved every single year in accessing these funds in these programs. that is problematic as well. my biggest concern i have learned from is that we have antipoverty programs that help us to alleviate the pain of poverty, but they do not do nearly enough to help us -- people overcome the causes of it, the things that are keeping them from getting ahead.

structuralddress the causes of poverty, we are never going to solve it and are never going to create the kind of upward mobility we want in our country which we expect my nation -- from our nation. >> you were first. you are up. >> thank you very much. from "the washington post" >> my faith teaches me we have a biblical obligation to take care of those who are less fortunate. my country, whether we want to a knowledge or not, was founded on spiritual principles much more than political principles. the idea that every being was created equal by god and endowed with certain rights is in -- --nded on a certain phase spiritual principle. one of the rights is an equal opportunity to pursue happiness, as you individually define it. certainly plays a role in that regard. i think the spiritual component probably plays a greater role in me as a person in terms of my

private philanthropy, how we dedicate the time and the blessings we have had. it plays a role that the government, but in fulfilling our spiritual obligation it -- it not influence should influence we do in government, but should particularly influence will be when our private lives. just because the government has a program to help those struggling, doesn't mean that outside of that particular individuals don't have that same a location -- obligation to also look for ways to serve. , thise to others, charity is a term that is often used, is a key component in living your faith. a washington team unity activist. you made a point about marriage and young children out of wedlock being a root cause of most of the things you see. we have something in d.c. that needs to be dealt with.

we know. what about policies that would increase the amount of young -- making them are helping them grow families. in these public housing complexes in d.c., what policies can be put in place to help empower people? a drug dealer. someone who cooks crack cocaine, they could be a scientist. they braid hair, they cook food, they wash cars. how can we teach these people to be businessmen and businesswomen and grow? >> on your second point, when i talked about this issue, we often deal with this issue of a burden in our country. we have 59 million people in

america struggling. certainly it is a burden on them . it is more than just a burden. human beings are not a liability. they are in asset. if we can unleash their potential, their god-given potential to help our country, it would enrich every single one of us. stuck todayubt that somewhere with a lack of opportunity is the next brilliant scientist or innovator or someone who will improve our lives and essentially change the just -- direction of our company -- country. u.s. and about marriage. it is a complex issue, largely societal one. where government can play a role, because much of the role has to come from individuals in society, but where government can play a role, make sure policies do not punish marriage. we have safety net programs that discourage marriage. medicaid is one example. you can lose medicaid if you get married. suddenly your income goes up and you have been disqualified. the other issue is that government is always a valid python to talk about these things and create awareness about the importance that

children ande in the well-being of families. the impact marriage has is the title, but it also has a practical impact. a married couple has two paychecks, and unmarried couple probably only has one. it is tough to get ahead with just one paycheck these days. there were instances where both my parents were working when we were growing up because they had to. if my mom or dad had to do it alone, things would have been different. the reason why it is so important to push these programs down to the state and local level is because it is there where the kind of innovative governmental policies can -- to the extent the government can have a role in promoting marriage and family formation -- it is there really would -- where you would see that innovation. to think that washington, d.c. will design a program that works just as well as washington, d.c. as it doesn't peter, kansas, i think we are fully ourselves -- does in topeka, kansas, i think we are fooling ourselves.

the federal government is is not structured for that kind of thinking. i think the answer to that problem, innovative policies that will help address it, will come from your level, not from mine. but i do think government has a role to play in incentivizing to help make that possible. >> thank you. on several occasions in your broads you mentioned the and growing economy. isn't that the difference between how private sector creates jobs and the government creates jobs? wealth creation, which is another word for profit. creating sustainable jobs. whereas government programs are largely transfer payments. they may alleviate the short- term concern but they need to be

sustained by continued income flow. they don't sustain themselves the way wealth creation does. intoat is true, then what once in your promotion of the solutions-- these the to encourage people to focus on growth. not just jobs, but economic growth? you canan do that, then have sustainable jobs, and that requires an understanding and appreciation for the role of the in job -- profit creation rather than income distribution. >> in my comments i said the only way to solve this problem is to do two things. number one, profit -- foster a vibrant free enterprise economy that treats these jobs, and number two, address issues keeping americans from accessing these jobs. that is where i talked about the debt and things of these nature, because they do have an impact. you bring up a very important

point. it is important remind ourselves of how jobs are created. it is not a competition formula. basically, someone who has money or access to money decides to risk it, to start a new business or grow existing one. the idea works, and they start hiring people and make a profit and decide to take the profit they have made and reinvested back into the business to make it grow and create more jobs. that is for you create private- sector jobs. why did my dad have a job as a bartender? because somebody had access to money and opened a hotel. other americans had enough money left in their pockets to take a vacation to miami beach or las vegas. they are interrelated. now we have governmental policies that make that harder. why? as if you reinvest the process if youit -- because reinvest the prophet in another country you hail s taxes because of our corporate tax rate. if you are a big corporation or a large multinational, you may not like the large rules and

regulations but if you really want to deal with them you can hire people to navigate that. if you are somebody trying to start a business out of the spare bedroom of your home, you cannot afford to hire a lobbying firm, accounting firm, and a law firm to navigate that. it just never happens. hence you see where government election becomes an impediment. the last thing we have not done impactof is look at the the national debt is having a neck in the growth -- on economic growth. people realize the debt will eventually lead to massive increases in taxes or disruptive changes in government, and discourages them about making long-term investments. when you are not making long- term investments in the future of your business, you will not be treating jobs and opportunities for others. doing all that is quickly important. by itself, it is not enough. we have to take the second step. the second step is that is great for the economy to create jobs,

but we do not have the people for those skills because those jobs require a higher level of education than ever before. if you are a 35-year-old single mom trying to raise a kid and working full time you just can't leave your kids behind and go to college for four years. we have to figure out a way to deliver skills and technical capabilities to that person so they can improve their lives. not by minimum wage, but by getting a degree that allows them to find a job that pays 4, 5 times what they were making. to do both. we can't just do one or the >> fast-forward a year from now. by washington standards -- how would we measure the success of what you are posing today in --ms of legislation, reform

how do we assess? >> start working on implement in things. the first phase is to convince people that this approach, i think the first step is to convince people that we are not dealing with the right problem. we are not dealing with the right problem, even as early as tomorrow the president will give another speech on inequality. he focuses on inequality of income, which is an issue. but the bigger issue is inequality of opportunity. as i said in my speech, of course the cashier at a fast food chain makes less than the -- ceo, but the funny mental problem, is that person stuck in the job the rest of their lives, or are they getting the opportunity to pay -- to get better pay? the primary impediment, and i mentioned a number of them, one of the primary impediments is they do not have skills allowing access to better-paying jobs. the other impediment is the

-- bey may not be using producing enough. we are not treating the causes of poverty. we are only treating the pain caused by poverty. that is a valid thing. if you are only feeling the pain, the symptoms of poverty, you're not dealing with the causes, you're not going to cure it. that is with the current programs don't do. the second phase is convincing people we need to act on it. issue.is is a critical something that threatens our exceptionalism as a nation. if we can do that entry coalitions that extend beyond party lines, that will be important to restarting this conversation. i honestly believe, not only is this a critical issue to keep issuea special, it is in that provides a tremendous opportunity to grow exponentially in ways that we perhaps cannot even envision. when you think that there are 40 million people out there that right now do not have full access to the american promise, what would our country look like if we did?

it would be phenomenal. a huge, untapped potential that we have. first aid is convincing people this is important enough to be revolutionary about. >> can you provide more details on this flex fund question mark what federal programs do you see going into that? >> we are beginning to prep the details of it. economistinated by an who did a great job. now we are turning it into a piece of legislation. we are going to be introducing the legislation. that is exactly what we are looking at right now. which programs would fit in, how the money would be transferred, how you would deliver benefits. there has to be some level of accountability from states to ensure the programs are delivering on what the money is being given for. that is what we are working on developing, those details of what it would look like. by and large, it would take your

existing funding, your levels of funding that you have, and transfer them to a single agency who would then fund innovative or grounds of the state level meant to address what is going on each of those states individually. you would do it in the revenue- neutral way. the first idea is not to save money, though we think it will save money in the long term. you will turn more recipients into taxpayers. you will get more people out of poverty and become active members of our economy. you will see that not just in a reduction of expenditures in these programs, but they will become vibrant participants in the economy, customers and business partners and taxpayers, all things that provide not just a better life, but everyone a better life. >> the current debate here, one of the issues is food stamps. the proposal is to cut back on food stamps. day, ihe end of the would envision that maybe one of the programs transferred to the

state level, because perhaps they best deliver that. i would say to you that these programs have a utility. in the past i have said that. for the a worthy place safety net. it is hard to go to school and acquire skills of your not eating. -- if you are not eating. utility, but they are incomplete. they are dealing with a symptom of poverty, hunger, but don't help you deal with the cause, a lack of still attainment or other implements in the way. to goe we can find ways after inefficiencies or even worse, fraud, things of that nature, we should examine that. but if we were to transfer these to the state level and allow them the flexibility to design a way to deliver food assistance to individuals through creative and innovative programs that meet the real demand in individual localities, i think that debate would no longer be necessary. >> ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end about time. i would like to thank the american enterprise institute,

thank all you for coming today and doing your part for our shared movement to help those in need. these join me in thanking senator marco rubio. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> in his soon-to-be released memoirs, former defense secretary robert gates is critical of president obama's management of the wars in afghanistan and iraq. also questions vice president biden's foreign-policy judgment. white house spokesman jay carney took questions about the book at wednesday' is white house briefing. >> he played a key role in every national security and and policyicy debate discussion in this administration, in this white house. he played important roles, obviously, in the policy

discussions, carrying out of policy decisions the president made with regards to iraq, and with the policy deliberations over afghanistan. the president has said many times that he greatly appreciates the advice and counsel the vice president gives him on matters both the mexican foreign. -- domestic and foreign. >> how would you respond to the charge of the white house is too controlling on national security issues, micromanaging and meddling? he said he almost considered resigning over it at one time. >> let's say a couple things first. as we noted yesterday, the president greatly appreciates service to the' administration and the country. gates was part of the team here that helped bring

about an end to the iraq war, that helps decide upon -- helped decide upon and implement superior and improved policy in afghanistan that was much more clear in its objectives. and had, as part of the policy, clear to a war that was a policy objective of the president's, which we are implement in now -- and implementing now. the president expects to hear competing points of view from every member of his national security team. a lot of you wrote about or talked about at the time that the president picked a team of rivals. when you pick a team of rivals, you do so in part because you expect competing points of view, competing opinions.

that is very much for the president expects of foreign policy and a messy policy, and that is what he gets -- and domestic policy, and that is what he gets. >> what is the purpose of the nsa meetings in the next couple days? is the president informing people coming to them what he is planning to do, or is he still collecting information? >> he is in the process of deliberating over the review groups and hearing from others on the issues that were raised in the review group's report. justeview includes not those involved in how we gather our intelligence and what reforms we might make to the process. he is at that stage where he is listening and discussing with a variety of stakeholders these issues, and appreciate very much

the opinions and counsel he is getting on these matters. >> to the comments in the book about vice president biden's decision to let photographers and -- >> as you know, the president and vice president have a standing weekly lunch when the vice president is in town. he attends virtually all meetings the president holds, especially on national security matters. as you know, because we discussed this a lot, at the end of last year we had been looking for ways to provide greater access to photographers to the white house and the president. reviving a photo opportunity today was part of the filling that commitment. anybodyme i don't think who has covered us or knows the ,resident and vice president

has any doubt about the president's faith in his vice president as an advisor and counselor. so we don't need to reinforce that. it is a fact. >> is it a coincidence? >> it was a coincidence. he has a weekly lunch. we have had, as you could ask friends in the world of photography here, debate and discussion about how we can better improve access for them. this has been something they have raised in the past. you guys can decide for yourselves. thepresident greatly values council of the vice president on matters foreign and domestic. >> the timing was a coincidence? we had a back-and-forth about this. >> i can tell you what the facts you can watch

this briefing and all of our c-span.org. bob gates will be in philadelphia friday talking about his new book. coverage at live 6:30 eastern on c-span 2 and c-span.org. with t a conversation california congresswoman barbara lee speaking about the federal extending unemployment benefits and 50th anniversary of johnson's war on poverty speech. this is 40 minutes. ost: we want to welcome congresswoman barbara lee. thanks for being here. you.t: good to be with host: we started out talking about the 50th anniversary of l.b.j.'s war on poverty asking our viewers if we are winning it. that s your answer to question? guest: we are absolutely winning it but we have a long way to go, greta.

if you look at the supplemental 25%.rty rate in 1967 it was in 2012 it is 16%. when you look at why, it has to of the tax t credits, earned income tax tax credit, snap, food stamp program. medicaid, medicare. all of those policies that provided for opportunities for people. way to go because we see all of these initiatives and olicies under assault also we have not seen yet -- i ave to say it has been primarily the tea party republican congress -- create so that pportunities people who are living and who want to be lifted from the ranks the poor have opportunities jockbs.job training,and we have to invest in that. is the democrats' solutions? to t: first of all we need

extend unemployment compensation, the emergency unemployment compensation. you look at the fact that 11 million people have been kept of the poor just by the unemployment, the unemployment policies and programs, that is extremely important not only for those not fall into the ranks of the poor but also for our economy, the economic for people to receive unemployment compensation until a job.e able to find secondly, we need to raise the $7.25 to age from $10.10. living we have to have a wage. in some parts of the country $25 an hourbe $20 to to survive. we need universal preschool, care. we need to make sure that these assaults on the poor and working stop. when you look at the fact now passed a $40

billion cut in food stamps what is that going to do? to cut egislation poverty in half in 10 years that has been supported by over 50 democrats. we need republicans to commit to at least reducing poverty in years and we know how to do that. so that is very active. a strong legislative agenda and aware seeking bipartisan support. on extending unemployment benefits the senate cleared a urdle to consider the hrpblg legislation but even some republicans that voted yesterday to consider the bill are saying paid for.be uest: when has emergency unemployment compensation been paid for? why in the world are we using vulnerable, those people living on the edge looking for a job why now are used as a political pawn? we e months' extension so can work this out makes sense. there is no which we would onsider, i don't believe,

cutting benefits to pay for compensation. that is just morally wrong and economically stupid. the president y in phone calls yesterday to a few republican senators senator collins said he was open to offsetting the ats if the congress agreed to larger extension of unemployment benefits. . subsidies, farm subsidies, corporate tax loopholes. that so far the republicans would not touch but have to tell you cutting subsidies for people who are to just -- who are trying to survive, looking for a job, training, i force believe that is a good strategy and i'm confident that the want to cut ld not benefits to pay for emergency compensation. i was at the white house yesterday when the president ave a magnificent speech and

you could feel his passion and understanding. motherraised by a single who had some very difficult times. i have been through that myself. stamps, public assistance, medicaid. this is a bridge over troubled waters. need that life line. there is america. our american values are such that life vide for line until we can figure out how this economy and economic growth can benefit everybody. host: how much are we talking about that people receive for these unemployment benefits? guest: you are talking about $800 a month. right now we are talking about a loss of $300 or $400 a week as relates to the emergency unemployment compensation. that is a heck of a lot of money. has you look at what happened you have to add on top the cut already in food stamps four are mily of losing $35 to $40 a month that. people who are just trying to survive until they can create ob and we can

training. people on the bottom under of the economic spectrum are really being hit very drastically. host: the impact on the economy? guest: the impact on the economy huge. when you look at for instance again snap benefits. every $1 in food stamp theically gets ba icallically $1.70.y gets about e are talking about 300,000 to 400,000 jobs. there are serious economic impac impacts. the "washington post" editorial disagrees they wrote hat one is skeptical of extending unemployment benefits would stimulate recipients boost economic growth. to be h idea is likely minuscule. that is the $6.35 billion is too small to warrant g. disagreemands but they

on stimulating the economy. guest: i would say most disagree with whether the "washington post" says. the facts are extending compensation if we don't do it we will lose hundreds of thousands of jobs. they need to talk to the economists who, whether conserve or liberal or progressive economists most economists there is d understand a huge economic benefit. people have to pay bills and buy food. at the upper income level, you know, do not spend as income and low income people spend in order just to day.y day by host: let's get to our viewers. carol is up first democratic caller. you are on the air with congresswoman barbara lee from california. caller: good morning. you, i'm let me tell not originally from conyers,

georgia, i'm from millersville, georgia, but we had a situation millersville we lost 40,000 jobs there. from our senator switch democrat to republican so they whatever bill they were trying to pals. something. tell you for blacks s known not getting out to vote. that is what killed us in 2010 out actually did not get the vote that. is the truth. notwithstanding everything that happened in between 2010 and 2013, we don't want to talk the real issue which is that we need to be telling our to get out we need and vote. if we get out and vote they are way, we see or a everything that is going on. we are not dumb. the media not even representing everything that the have a hard job

being democrats because you tell e where in the world that you got people that own medicaid sitting here talking about they medicaid. you to have if you had the governors and to esentatives coming georgia telling people not to vote who do that? to hing is if anybody comes me telling me don't get insurance what they trying to keep me from? to me each representative need to do more better. we got time to get everybody out to vote if we start now. nieces, ting with my nephews, uncles and cousins. correct.ou are political empowerment and right o vote is fundamental to our democracy and there are efforts taking place now to roll back act.voting rights i hope that people throughout the country especially in minority communities and community rican understand what is going on in erms of voter suppression and

help people become more educated and aware as to the power of the why we cannot allow this retrenchment it occur. important to conduct voter drives.tion i hope you will continue to forces and community because one vote can make a big difference. turnout in the elections of ial people who came out to vote for president barack obama. we must continue with that that enthusiasm and understand that this is our country also and that we have to vote. and duty host: house speaker john boehner concessions nting from democrats if the house were to take up an extension of the unemployment benefits. we have this tweet will the keystone pipeline be added to of unemployment benefits? that is one area that speaker -- boehner would

like to see the democrats agree to? are we seeking concessions on an emergency unemployment compensation bill is going to help people survive for the next three long we can ever stand it for? i would say that is just wrong, it is mean spirited and we do that.t people are vulnerable and link on the edge -- living on the shouldn't be a pawn in this game and we should not talk about even concessions when we talking about people who work for this unemployment of them are 99% looking for jobs. hey need the support for that and need to get a job. this helps them through that period. o, no, i think providing for and using these individuals, 1.4 who have lost this emergency unemployment compensation, use them as pawns is the wrong thing it do. mcconnell republican

of kentucky was on the floor advance this e to legislation. he said it is democrats that are with g political games this idea of income inequality. take a look. video clip] >> we have seen a number of planes about how democrats to spend the year gearing up for making an election by issue out of economic hardships americans. in other words, instead of working on reforms that would overcome elp people the challenges so many of them ace in this economy, democrats plan to exploit those folks for political gain. host: congresswoman? guest: well, again, that is a political speech. down right wrong. can't tell me extending unemployment compensation for people who need help is a game.ical you can't tell me that raising we have low ing --

wage workers on food stamps. workers no are on medicaid because they cannot their r and take care of families. we are talking about providing a quality of life and the american for each and american who deserves it and they all deserve are working ople hard or they want to work. that is a political speech. public understands the democrats are up here fighting to increase the minimum and extend emergency unemployment compensation. until we can get republican to engage in a real debate and real policy for which creates more jobs. host: let's go to david in caller.a, independent hi, david. caller: hey, how are you doing. i want to say one thing. in the marine corps a long time ago and i follow the military and defense. it is wrong to go into any war but i can tell you how they can all the unemployment and

older people and all that. hey need to cut the military budget and quit messing around and trying to kill people all the time. a lot of solve problems and help the infrastructure in the united states. guest: well, this deficit and crisis began mic really under the bush administration with the two wars wars. we have lost not to mention our young men and women who have so bravely and suffered and their families have, we have in ourillions of dollars national treasury. so, this is where this economic and we cannot forget that. yes, we can cut the pentagon budget. we are over $700 billion. there are policies and programs the progressive cauc caucus which has led really on have identified, we have identified areas that could budget.n the pentagon

cold war air weapon systems direction. of eed to get out afghanistan now. our troops have fought bravely and it is time to end that. there is a way to restructure our senate security policy where not threaten and where we can remain global a pentagon also have budget that is sane and rational. so you are correct. members of ny congress no are beginning to look at the budget and a lot of there is waste, fraud and abuse. rillions of dollars in suitcases given to the karzai government. exposed. been host: we stay on the wars for a second. of were an outspoken critic the iraq war. it is on the front pages lately. t iraq war gton times veterans watch losses of hard fought gains. fallujah where many americans lost their lives veterans are very upset that lost their buddies,

people on the battlefield. hat do you say to them and to parents who lost people who lost their loved ones in fallujah and areas? guest: first, our thoughts and familieso out to these and the sacrifices that were played by our troops. veteran ofghter of a two wars. the tragedy and losses can never be regained. they fought because our country asked them to. ersonally i was against afghanistan. i did not vote for that because -- i was the only one who didn't do that -- it was a blank check it.use force until we repeal many members i think 133 members voted against going to war in iraq. there were no weapons of mass destruction in iraq. to insert o reason ourselves in that. we see what has taken place now and it is tragic.

the iraqis have to step up. they have been trained. -- we did a job, the job they were asked to do in those who have come ome need to -- we need to help them with their benefits, economic security, we need to delays ward and get the in their benefits corrected and make sure they have some security, of economic healthcare, mental healthcare, that they deserve. do in what we have to congress. host: we are talking about income disparity and democrats' to it.h jim a republican from alabama calling. yes, ma'am. ou are talking about unemployment pay. where are the jobs? we had more jobs in this country, we wouldn't need all of unemployment. host: thank you for that.

guest: that is the point. economic growth and the creation f jobs has to be the primary strategy for reducing poverty and for creating the opportunity for people to get off offen employment compensation -- off unemployment compensation. unemployment is reduced but it some areas. i think the administration has tackle ed tackled situation with the tea party putting obstacles in the way. becauseave to do better there are many people especially in rural communities, minority unemployed for 99 weeks or longer. we need to provide skills training and workforce training that as n't need to do a condition of unemployment. we need to invest through our epartment of labor and workforce training so people can have the requisite skills for but no jobs that exist way should that be a condition. so, yes, we have to create chick job creation and also

address income enquality. senator mcconnell, i don't quite between the is gap very wealthy and low income and middle growing and income people, the middle class is feeling very vulnerable they are on shaky ground in terms of jobs. a senator tweets out this article from national journal progressives are flunk being the income inequality test. guest: i have to just disagree. when you look at what the president has put forward, let's start with early childhood situation and universal preschool. start there. also, i'm on the appropriations committee and i see each and day the fact that the republicans do not want to early childhood education, in head start. as a result ofrt

sequester having been cut. kinds of public ducation initiatives being eroded as a result of lack of investment in public education us the budget that require to support our young people. so, workforce training, skills training, early childhood education, investment in public inools, targeted investments schools that are failing for a variety of reasons. do. is what we must the president and the democrats n congress have been very forceful with our education agenda. host: we will go to warren, ohio. a democratic caller. caller: good morning. how are you? host: doing fine. what is your question or comment? caller: i want to ask the the sentative about sequester and budget bill that passed. did help pass those two bills, didn't they? guest: yes, they did.

what i'm wondering is why is it that democrats -- i'm democrat so tered let's get that out there. i just wonder why are democrats for these bills that get on tv and say how horrible they how bad the republicans are. bad the e, we know how republicans are but we need a democratic congress and senate .nd president you are a member of the -- black nal block caucus. why are you not fighting harder people?ular i don't hear it. i don't just listen to the media. stations, regular i'm combing everything trying to find out what you guys are for. working class performance right now because i don't hear it. budgets likeng for the murray-ryan budget and sequester. they are killing us. guest: let me first of all thank

you. i'm sorry you are not hearing it because the chair of the ongressional black caucus is a phenomenal chair and she is leading the caucus on a variety terms of our priorities one of which is addressing economic growth and inequality. we are doing major, major work on that with our legislation. secondly, with regard to the progressive caucus led by emhis son we have been all around the country with raising the kers level of awareness of those hour having to rely on food stamps and medicaid the hy we need to raise minimum wage and make sure the low wage workers benefit from growth that is beginning to take place. so, i'm sorry you are not it.ing we do have a republican run , so you representatives have to engage in working with

majority. hopefully next november that speaker pelosi, our leader, was a phenomenal speaker. passed many bills and the ecovery act, for example, was passed that saved millions of jobs and created jobs. so, as a democrat we are take back the house and win the elections next time. i have to just defend and say that the progressive caucus and caucus and l black congressional asian pacific and s and hispanic caucus democratic caucus are fighting each and every day for the family, every n man, woman and child, to provide the opportunities so they can achieve the middle class so class do not le fall in the ranks of the poor. as a result of some republican parties that is what is happening. host: to her question how did the two-year budget deal you

-- d for guest: i didn't vote for. first of all it didn't include emergency on of unemployment compensation. so i could not vote for that. didn't vote for that because of that. others voted for it because we want another government shutdown. we have responsibility to make with the tea ork party and republicans to try to reate a budget where we can minimize sequestration and get back to as we say the regular we can have projections bills come -- appropriations we can debate. vote john u did no ays does equality mean my income should equal yours? asuld a janitor make as much a doctor? guest: we are talking about disparitiance gaps. janitor should make a living wage. janitor or low wage worker

should make enough money to take care of their family. it r regional statistics as relates to how much a living wage should be, in california it up towards from $15 to $20 an hour. e are talking about people having enough income to be able to take care of their families, their kids to school and do what they want to do. of course we have to provide the for increased job training, education and those economicto move up the ladder. those opportunities must be there. ut we are talking about huge gaps now where the top 1%, the c.e.o.'sres, corporate re making this huge compensati compensation, c.e.o. compensation and when you look workers the gap is much too wide to achieve any american dream. host: we will go to carroll in

philadelphia. caller.ent caller: good morning to all. ohio.e with the lady from representative lee, i think that the democrats need to get more backbone. run away from issues. don't turn away from the affordable care act. fight for the people that are losing these union jobs. nobody supports unions any more. hat is the next scary four-letter word even though it has five. jobs?about the union and what about these corporations that take those overseas? i agree, i don't care if that budget was going to shut the down.nment the democrats shouldn't have ever voted for that budget. scam.budget was a guest: let me say the democrats re fighting to make sure the affordable care act works. 40 attemptseen over to repeal it. the majority of democrats

to make t and we want sure it works. over 20-some republican the nors refuse to accept medicaid provisions of that so there are going to be people in to e states who are going suffer as a result of the republican governors not implementing the affordable care act. so, democrats are fighting each ay to make sure there is universal acceptable affordable health care for everyone through act.affordable care i understand what you are saying about unions. they are under attack. the primary means for acquiring a middle class life in america the primary path has been through our labor union movement. through our brothers and sisters ho fought not only for union members to achieve decent wages and benefits but everyone benefits as a result of the union movement. it is the republican, the tea party. you can look at the record of that they legislation put forward to try to erode and

and the labor s movement. democrats are standing tprpl and fighting - firm and hard but the house of representatives is controlled by republican tea party and that is the uphill battle we're everything weoing can to make sure we do not undermine the union movement and country.lass in our host: up next is greg in union, missouri. republican caller. just going to talk to mrs. lee. ask her how can people trust the president after about the obama care situation? that is terrible. two, why does she think hat the democrats do nothing wrong? they do everything wrong. and e $17 trillion in debt they don't know what they are going to do about it. sorry, greg, i thought you were done. guest: i don't say democrats

don't do anything wrong. to try to do g everything right and make sure -- there is chick growth are mic growth and jobs created so everyone can be part of the american dream. the president has talked about mistakes that were made with the affordable care act and it is beginning to work. a lot of the technical problems are being addressed. in my home state we are seeing people signing up. initiative any new that will provide for the quality of life that people eserve here we are the only industrialized in the country that didn't have universal for all of americans and citizens. so i have to say we are doing sure hing we can to make that the affordable care act works. the president has come forward we have d about it and o just see it as a way, as one blip in the process but it is tg

covered and will be covered. host: the house voting this week on legislation to make healthcare.gov more secure. guest: this is a republican effort. we have to really look. i have not seen the details. the efforts to undo and repeal the affordable care act. a step toward repeal, i will not support it. host: 10 minutes left with the congresswoman. we are talking about income disparity in this country. the democrat approach to it as we mark the 50th anniversary today of lbj's war on poverty he declared on january 8, 1964. the front page of "the washington times" this morning guest: guest: i just have to say, when

you look at the fact the republican through the house wanted to cut food stamps by $40 million, the president did not support that. he put forward many economic growth initiatives that have been stopped dead in its tracks. e tracks.pped dead in its let me read you -- i am glad you mentioned the 50 year anniversary. we have linda johnson come to capitol hill to greet her and talk to her about her family's history and where we go from here. i want to read some of the initiatives begun under president johnson. a civil rights act. the food stamp act.

older americans act. social security amendment of 1965. housing and urban development was established then. the public works and economic development. immigration and nationality act. of 1966.rition act child protection act of 1966. the national school lunch act. we had medicare and medicaid and other policies established 50 years ago as a result of president johnson's vision, who begins to address poverty and income inequality way back then. many of these initiatives have been under attack and part of what has been taking place is democrats have been working just andreserve this safety net the government support system, cane policies, until we achieve full employment. that is what this country should get. >> democrats will be helping to

highlight these? guest: every day, we will have 50 speeches. beginning today. what they havend accomplished, but also, what could take days if these continue to be eroded, and where we need to go from here. that is starting with extended the emergency unemployment compensation of raising the minimum wage. >> making the speeches during the morning our? -- hour? >> they will be at noon. lyndon will be in the gallery. she is a phenomenal woman doing on early childhood education. we want to say thank you to her and honor her dad and mother and to talk about where we are now in 2013 and how we move forward with the same values. that is what this is about. these are the american values

president johnson 50 years ago set forth in his speech and those values remain. >> we will be covering that on our website. we cover the house gavel-to- house on c-span. you can go to c-span.org for coverage of all of the events. you mentioned lady bird johnson. she was part of our "first ladies" series. if you are interested in her , go to ourshe played website to find out more. let's go to camp in missouri, democratic caller. missouri, democratic caller. caller: since there is so much scientific evidence living that building seven was brought down with plea -- pre-planted explosives in 9/11, and 2000

building experts demanding a new investigation of its destruction, in the interest of transparency, why should we not have a new investigation into the cause of why the third tower ell? it when no plane hit it? we have to think once again of the people lost in that tragic event and recognize many investigations have occurred as a result of that. some conclusive and some inconclusive. evidence is still coming out, but i'm not certain a new investigation will lead anywhere. there are those really pushing for that. in a democracy, we have to continue to put our points of views out and continue to ask if what you believe is right. there have been many investigations of many people failing or accurate and provided the most in-depth conclusions. a tweet --

guest: these are really not jobs bills. we are talking about bills that would provide for more tax loopholes,orporate trickle-down theory type of policies. those that would create jobs. these bills do not create jobs. i hope you look at those bills very carefully and recognize the majority of them would continue to allow for income inequality to increase. we do not see any of those bills that would address low-wage workers, that would address raising people out of poverty, that would protect the middle class and create good paying jobs. the bills just did not do that and i hope you would look at them and see exactly what they would provide for. >> we are getting an announcement this morning, breaking news private sector

employment picked up in december as employers added 238,000 jobs. clearly, the economy is moving in the right direction. under this administration, it is always been very difficult. we had an increase in job creation in the private sector, where we have seen you wrote in has been in the public sector with huge bug -- budget cuts. public-sector employees have either been laid off, the jobs have been cut, and salaries have been frozen. this administration, when you look at the unemployment rate, when up -- when the barack obama demonstration came in as a result of the economic crisis, that the bush administration created through their economic this administration has done a phenomenal job. we have a long way to go. and unemployment rate in the african-american community, communities of color, over 12 it -- 12%, that is unacceptable. he looked at different regions of the country, rural community

unemployment rate, we have to intotargeted resources economically distressed communities where we can create more jobs and opportunity. it is clearly moving in the right direction in economic growth, that is key to winning this new war on poverty. host: republican caller in modesto, texas. caller: yes. where thehere unemployment is the lowest in the country. i am self-employed. 25 years. the problem with unemployment is you do not have a job there, you have to move on. your solution, if you

don't have a job, you have to move on? caller: yes. you have to go out and find new jobs were there is work. people, trained hands, they have got their hands out. guest: i am glad you are working. i am glad there are parts of the country where jobs are more plentiful and economic growth is taking place. also, there are other factors involved. i know people often times who are unemployed, for example long-term unemployment, employers will not hire them for a variety of reasons. they may not have the skill set as the result of long-term unemployment. we need to invest in workforce training. , and rick is fortunate to be able to move around, some people are not that mobile and do not have the resources to move to different parts of the country. we need a regional approach to really create economic growth

throughout the country, especially where the unemployment rate is the highest. >> democratic caller. , forwant to thank you bringing out certain things. i want people to remember the republicans said they wanted to president a one-time and it did not work, so they are doing everything else to try to make him look bad. i hope people really look at that. my other thing is, how many --es -- why don't somebody that is not the word i wanted to say. there,ne putting it out when you say cut government spending, that is not just washington. that is all the way down to your city government. you are correct.

city and state government. when you talk about government spending, you're talking about public-sector jobs being cut. secondly, you're talking about services. ,e saw this with the shutdown one that unfortunately occurred. services were not provided. when you talk about government spending, we have to have a government that is functional, but we cannot talk about a .overnment that does not exist many members, especially the tea party, have come to congress not only to create a smaller government but to dismantle government. that is very dangerous. it is a government of the people by the people and for the people. inhere is an e-mail wisconsin. how much poverty in our country is caused by personal choices, such as --

guest: you are talking about a lot of social issues we need to address for providing strategies to help people. single mothers, i was a single mother. unfortunately, i ended up on public assistance and food stamps and medicaid. turning that time, we had some of these initiatives in place where i could get through college and take care of my kids and get a job. i ended up starting a business and working as a legislative administrative assistant on capitol hill. here i am today. it would not have happened had it not been for that. wes is very competent and are not making excuses for people. we have to have strategies in place and policies in place that help people overcome many of these issues and personal responsibility is a factor in this, but not the only factor. we have to recognize it has got to be a comprehensive approach to address all the major social and economic issues and inequality inequities we see in

our society. i say little more about your personal story, how long were you on government assistance in the various forms? >> three years. >> in that time, that helped you go from where you were to where you are now yucca >> there is no way i could've survived during that time had it not been for that. it was a really hard time. often times, looking for someplace to live. fortunately, i had a great family who helped me out with my kids. i ended up going back to college. that is what i wanted to do. go to school. not necessarily run for public office, but so i could take care of my two little boys. i had been through traumas and difficult days. i do not know what would've happened to me had i not been able to go to the welfare office and say, i need help to get through this. the american people were there for me. >> what made you think you would

go there? or was it a person that influence you? was, how i get to the next day and try to do research to figure out how to survive during that time. i wanted to take care of my kids. that was the biggest thing. what do i need to do? i knew i needed to get a college education. and be able to have the skills and the knowledge base to have the quality of life to take care of them. primarily, my kids. >> how old were your boys? guest: they were little boys. and family menrs now. i have five grandchildren and they are all doing great. i am so proud of my sons. me intwo kids who helped trying to figure out how to help them achieve a quality of life. i do not know what i would've done. that the american people and president johnson had

these programs in place to help me through. a bridge over troubled water. people do not want to be on food stamps. they do not want to be and medicaid. they do not want to be on public assistance. they want to work and get a job and take care of their families. the new york democrat serves on the foreign affairs and homeland security committees. congressman will give his perspective on partisanship in washington. the six-term pennsylvania republican announced he will not seek reelection in november. we will also take your phone calls and tweets on robert gates' new book and chris christie. washington journal, each morning at 7:00 a.m. on c-span.

u.s. chamber of commerce tom donohue said that his pro-business lobbying group will continue to encourage congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws. then howard dean talks about the u.s. political system. later, marco rubio discusses economic opportunity. adequatelywoman be prepared for the duties of first lady? >> yes. >> the wife of a governor. wife of the the vice president. >> or if your mother-in-law is first lady. >> i think you can. >> i think it is a golden opportunity to do something. lady bird said that it was the opportunity to do something good. if it by chance helps your husband, all the better.

but the world health organization estimates that more than 1.6 million people worldwide are diagnosed with rest cancer each year. cancer each year. many live in countries where the disease carries stigma and shame. americans can empower more women to detect breast cancer early, which is the closest thing that we have today to a cure. truly a city of neighborhoods separated by parks and boulevards. it is a sitter where walking just a few blocks puts you into an entirely different world of experiences. cut through a park and you go from english to spanish, black to white, order reach into polish. youcross a few streets and go from historic homes and manicured lawns to abandoned buildings and dark street

corners. the opportunities available to a child growing up in one neighborhood might be drastically different than a child growing up just five blocks away. that difference can shape their lives and their life aspects from the moment they are born. talks monday, original cities -- series, "first ladies, influence and image" has nancy reagan through michelle obama. radio and c-n span.org. next, u.s. chamber of commerce president tom donahue talks about the need for congress to pass immigration legislation and the role his pro-business organization will play in midterm elections. he spoke at the state of american business conference. >> we have some additional seats

here people want to move in. we have some additional seats here if people want to move in. good morning. and welcome to the u.s. chamber of commerce. i'm john mccurnen president of the u.s. chamber of commerce foundation. it's become something of a tradition for us to kick off the year with this event. a chance to take stock of the challenges to come and the opportunities to be seized. the u.s. chamber's president and ceo, tom donohue, will outline some of the most significant ones in just a minute. before going on, however, i do want to introduce a special guest. he is a friend of the chamber,

he's the senator from ohio, and as i said, a good friend. i would like to ask senator rob portman to stand. rob, we appreciate you being here. [ applause ] as senator portman knows, the policy challenges we face in 2014 are numerous, they're complex, and they're consequential. voters will make their voices heard at the polls later this year with potentially huge bearing on the way our government works and the policies our lawmakers enact. and all this against a backdrop of an economic recovery that has been slow and uneven. so we have our work cut out for us this year. the u.s. chamber is going to continue to marshal all of its tool and resources to educates the public, to influence our

leaders, affect positive change where we need it, and insure that america lives up to all of her promise. technology will be central to those efforts. today, we're launching a revamped u.s. chamber.com. including a new blog, a blog that will highlight the issues and policies the chamber is fighting for in washington and around the world. and we'll continue our work on free enterprise.com with a new focus, a focus that will carry the story and messages of the benefits of the free enterprise system to audiences beyond the beltway and outside the policy arena. this morning, we'll get a glimpse of the major challenges and opportunities that lay ahead and who better to deliver that message than tom donohue. there are few voices in the

debate today that are as powerful as recognized, and as effective as tom's. businesses of every size and leaders inside and outside government look to him as the head of the chamber of commerce of the united states for leadership. they look to tom for truth, for ideas, and for his inflapble optimism that america remains the best place in the world to do business, to pursue opportunities, and to achieve our dreams. we look forward to hearing from him today, so i ask you to please join me in welcoming the president and ceo of the u.s. chamber of commerce, tom donohue. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you very much, jack.

good morning, ladies and gentlemen. thank you for coming to the chamber. i occasionally, when i do a major speech here, i think about this room and i think about the ceiling. the history, the opening of the western world, the flags, this is the hall of flags or for those courageous people who set out on a voyage to achieve what nobody thought they could achieve, and the end result is the united states of america. i keep that in mind a little bit today while we're thinking about our own challenges and our own opportunities. assessing the state of american business and taking stock of the new year's challenges and opportunities, it's a tradition. we established it over 15 years ago. this year i'm pleased to report that the state of america's

business is improving and our economy is gaining strength. since the great recession officially ended in july of 2009, the american economy has struggled to regain its footing. the recovery has been the slowest and the weakest since world war ii. the 21 million americans who are unemployed, under employed or who have just given up looking for work, have paid a very heavy price and they still are. middle-class families have not yet seen decent increases in their real incomes for a long time. it's convenient to blame all of this on the severity of the downturn, but let's face the facts -- misguided government policies have also slowed our growth and caused americans a lot of jobs and a lot of raises.

we must fix these mistakes and not repeat them going forward. this year, we have an opportunity to turn the page. overall growth for 2013 will probably come in just at between 1.8 pr and 2%. we should do considerably better this year with growth accelerating to near 3%. housing is recovering and overall household wealth is now surpassed its pre-recession levels. this has boosted consumption, which is leading to more business opportunity and investment and some new hiring. our economy is also benefiting from continued strength in domestic energy production and improvements in trade. note to the president and the congress, let business do more

of both and we'll generate more jobs and income than any government program can deliver. alongside the positive signs are some pretty big question marks. employers are concerned about the negative impact of obama care, the cancellations that swamped the individual market last year are expected to hit the small business market even harder this year. many firms are stopping new hires and cutting workers' hours because of the mandates of this new law. there are other uncertainties. driven chiefly by regulatory overreach and concerns about markets at home and abroad. how will an avalanche of confusing and conflicting regulations on energy, the environment, capital markets, and workplace activities impact

business operations just as things are starting to hum? what about europe, our largest export and trading partner as a block, it continues to lag with very slow growth. any one of a dozen or more global hot spots could flare up at any time, which could seriously, seriously impact our prospects. some degree of uncertainty will always be with us. the question is, how do we maintain and build upon the economic momentum that is finally taking hold? 2014 -- in 2014 the chamber will focus its tools, its talents, it capacities and its resources to advance a jobs, growth and opportunity agenda that we believe will benefit all americans.

our plan includes ideas to expand trade, produce more domestic energy, and improve our infrastructure, which together would create millions of good paying jobs. we will push for government reform to modernize a regulatory process that hasn't been updated since the time of harry truman. we'll highlight the need to make thoughtful changes in entitlements, fix the flaws in obama care, curb lawsuit abuse, protect intellectual property and revitalize our capital mark markets by striking the right balance between legitimate investor protections and the freedom to innovate and take responsible risk. we're going to be a leader in efforts to improve education and training. it is a disgrace that our

country has allowed so many children to fall through the cracks and so many of our workers to be left behind. and we're determined to make 2014 the year that im migration reform is finally enacted. the chamber will pull out of the stops through grassroots lobbying, communications, politics and partnerships with our friends in the union and faith-based organizations and law enforcement groups and others to get this job done. now the pundises will tell you it's going to be hard to accomplish much of anything this year, after all, don't you remember, it's an election year. we hope to turn that assumption on its ear. by turning the upcoming elections into a motivation for

change. it's based on a simple theory -- if you can't make them see the light, then at least let's make them feel the heat. in primaries and in general elections, we will support candidates who want to work within the legislative process to solve the nation's problems and who understand that business is not the problem, business is a part of the solution. we previewed the aggressive efforts of the -- that the chamber has planned for the midterm election with a recent victory if alabama's first district as well early advertising success in support of pro-business candidates. in 2014, the chamber will work to protect and expand a pro-business majority in the house and advance our position and our influence in the senate.

the business community understand what's at stake. they respect our political team, support our strategy, and understand the powerful impact our brand can have in pivotal elections. this means that we'll have all the resources that we need to run a most effective political program in 2014. the chamber will also be working on many other important activities outside the congress and the administration. the national chamber litigation center, our in-house public interest law firm, is going to be more active in the courts than ever before. we will be working with governors, mayors, state and local chambers, and many others to improve educational efforts, training and job opportunities, for students and workers.

our hiring the heros program will continue its successful effort to find good jobs and new careers for veterans and military spouses. our institute for legal reform and work place freedom initiative will be active in many states to stop lawsuit abuse and to counterbalance be some of the policy of organized labor. meanwhile, our international die vig and global intellectual property center will be all over the world working to open markets and protect intellectual property that is developed and used here in the united states and around the the world. i think you can see that the chamber's agenda is not only national, it's local, and it's global. let me make some additional comments on just a few of the priorities that i have mentioned. we've got a great opportunity

this year to spur jobs and growth by expanding international trade and investment. the administration is now more focused on trade. the wto is standing again following the xleeg of its landmark trade facilitation agreement. now it is time to move quickly to pass trade promotion authority, tpa. tpa allows the congress to set negotiating objectives for new trade packs. it requires the executive branch to consult with the congress and it gives congress the final say on any trade agreement in the form of an up and down vote. bipartisan legislation has been written and will be introduced very soon. we're going to do all we can to make the case for its approval. what new opportunities will tpa create for us? the first is the transpacific

partnership. we are within striking distance of concluding an agreement that is critical to america's economic and strategic leadership in the world and in the world's fastest growing region. but we must have a high quality agreement that opens markets for manufacturers, farmers and service providers, and forces the digital and creative economies and tpp must include strong intellectual property protections in order to earn our unqualified support and that of the congress. the chamber will also lead the business community's efforts in support of a trans -- transatlantic trade and investment partnership that will be with the eu, and remember i said they need economic stimulus in a big way.

we're also working on a trade and services agreement with an expansion of the wto information it technology agreement. put those all together, there are going to be more jobs, going to be more economic growth, and there's going to be more global economic success. we're pushing bilateral investment treaties with china and other countries as well as much needed improvements in intellectual property protections, especially in india. and with 20 years of nafta success under the belt, it's time to move the north american partnership of nafta success under the belt, time to move the north america partnership to another level, working together to gather energy and build a competitive position in the world that's second to none. whether a company does business around the world or just in their neighborhood, the global economy beyond our borders now

has an impact. that's why the chamber takes very seriously its unique role as the global voice of american business. let's turn to another key part of our agenda, and that's to advance and protect america's energy revolution. in 2012, unconventional oil and gas alone added $284 billion in gdp. generated nearly $75 billion in federal and state tax revenues and supported $ -- 2.1 million jobs. we have more recoverable conventional oil and gas off our shores than the proven oil reserves of europe and asia combined, yet 87% of it remains off-limits to the oil and gas industry. we have enough recoverable cold

to power our economy for more than 200 years. we must have this vital resource, prudently, safely and vig rougs rously. we must support and develop our nuclear energy which today provides more than 20% of our power. and we should continue smart investments in viable terns and renewables and greater energy efficiency, which as you know is the ultimate effort in protecting the environment. america's new era of energy abundance gives us an unrivalled opportunity to transform the united states from a nation dependent on imports, to a significant -- in fact getting them from people all around the world. it means instead we can be an

exporter and that we can attract new manufacturing from all over the world. and over time, trillions and trillions of dollars of investment to our country. yet the progress we made so far has come largely in spite of national policy rather than because of it. we need to thoughtfully open more federal lands offshore and onshore. and we must remove and guard against unnecessary restrictions, delays and regulations. there's no better example than the keystone xl pipeline. we have idled american workers and deeply offended our most important ally for the purpose of shallow domestic politics. we are calling on the obama administration to put american

jobs first, before special interest politics, and improve this project now. and we doesn't only mean the chamber, it means the american business community. it means labor, it means people on both sides of the political aisle. next week, our institute for 21st century energy will unveil the new energy works for the u.s. it's a new initiative which contain the more than 60 recommendations to help our country seize its energy potential and unleash the benefits across our entire economy. i encourage you to watch for this program and announcement, and the chamber will be working to advance these proposals throughout the year and throughout the elections. trading around the world and moving energy across the country requires a safe, seamless and modern infrastructure. families workers, visitors,

tourists and our environment needs these services and these facilities. we need it to speed mobility, conserve energy, clean the air and save lives. the chamber will work for a multi-year reauthorization of the nation's core surface transportation program which expires at the end of september, and we're asking congress to complete its work on a major water resources bill as well as soon as possible. however, our nation won't have the money to invest in infrastructure, to invest in national defense, or much of anything else, until we stop ignoring what i call the big smelly elephant in the room. america's unsustainable entitlement programs. make clear we are not talking about taking away from people

that are depending on them. the recent improvement in the budget deficit is only temporary. we still have a serious overspending problem. we still have piles and piles of debt and entitlement programs are the primary cause. last year, the chamber began an effort to wake up the nation to this reality. it hasn't been easy. and it hasn't been that successful. but we're not going to rest or stop. this is the most predictable crisis in american history. in ten years, that's ten years from now, the total price tag, annually, for social security, medicare, medicaid will reach more than $3 trillion. we're basically going to increase federal spending

between this year and ten years from now -- between 2013 and ten years from then, by $2.5 trillion. the share of the budget to pay for these programs plus the interest on our debt will expand from 65% of the budget last year, to 76% in 2023. now, look, demographics are destiny. you can't change them. in short-term. and there's no way around it. americans are living longer, who ray, i'm for that. each and every day, listen, each and every day, another 10,000 baby boomers retire. and that will add up over 17 years to 77 million new retirees. in just another month, congress

and the president -- excuse me, i'll -- that's go away in a minute. will need to raise the debt ceiling yet again. under no circumstances can this national debt be defaulted on. it would be the end of the american financial system. under no circumstances can this nation risk default. but it is also time to deal with entitlements. producing more energy can help generate lots of new revenues to help pay for entitlements. and stronger economic growth is essential, but even those two things won't get us all the way there. it's time for our leaders to act like leaders, to tell the american people the truth and to craft a fair, sensible plan to reform and save these vital programs.

the entitlement crisis and rising health care costs are closely linked. in opposing obamacare, the chamber repeatedly warned congress and the administration of the many flaws in this massive legislation. by the way, we -- we didn't know about many of them. nancy pelosi said we'll have to pass it to find out what's in it. the administration is obviously committed to keeping the law in place. so the chamber's not out opposing it. we have been working pragmatically to fix those parts of obamacare that can be fixed while doing everything possible to make regulations and mandates as manageable as possible for business. in 2014, we will work to repeal some of the onerous health care taxes. repeal, delay or change the

employer mandate and give companies and their employees more flexibility in the choice of health insurance plans. last year, we organized the health care solutions council. we brought people in from outside of the chamber, from all over the country. and their report contains many useful and practical reform ideas that we will pursue. and anybody who would like to have a copy of it, just let us know. all responsible parties need to work together and be more open to change because this nation still needs true health care reform that controls costs, improves quality and expands access to the uninsured. turning to our next priority, the nation is in the midst of a historic expansion of regulatory activity. do you know federal agencies are churning out 4,000 new

regulations every year. the dodd-frank bill alone has 398 rule-makings and only half -- not even half -- of those have been finalized over three years of work. our center for capital markets, capital markets competitive in this, is pursuing a practical agenda to make sure job creators have access to capital by fixing or replacing some of the provisions of the dodd-frank bill that simply don't work as they were planned. while also pursuing regulations to act in areas that the law did not address. now we're also very concerned about the department of education's proposed gainful employment rule which discriminates against private sector colleges and universities.

this is wrong and this is unfair. these institutions can play a major role in helping our nation close a serious skills gap. we're going to do everything we can to change or stop the rule as it is currently written. another serious regulatory challenge, which by the way, is very abusive, but i think it's absurd is the sue and settle process. with a wink and a nod, an interest group sues the epa. they agree on a settlement. they find a court to bless it. and even get to collect legal fees, courtesy of the american taxpayer, with no transparency and little opportunity for public input, new regulations are then imposed on business and our economy and those that proposed it walk away with a

check. between 2009 and 2012, epa settled with interest groups at least 60 times, creating some hundred new regulations. in 2014, the chamber will continue to work directly with federal agencies and with congress to win changes and improvements to obamacare, dodd-frank and many other regulations. and when these efforts fall short, and they will, sometimes, and the regulators insist on overstepping their bound, then we'll know what we know how to do and we'll head to the courts and sue them. we're also making the case that government needs to reform the way it writes and enacts rules and regulations. the chamber is building support for legislation that would modernize the regulatory system, streamline the permitting process, and blunt the abusive

practice of sue and settle. the chamber will also continue to make a compromise tax reform policy and activity a high priority. this is complicated -- this is a complicated issue for the country. by the way, also for the chamber. and especially for the business community and here's why. everyone likes compromise tax reform, in theory. until it's their favorite provision that's up for elimination. and they're all in there to see us why those three provisions and those four provisions and those five provisions can't be touched. we need compromise, pro-growth reform that lowers rates on both the corporate and individual sides of the code and increases our global competitiveness, and we must simplify a system that has been accurately called a monstrosity.

legal reform, on the other hand, will be a major focus of our work as well. our institute for legal reform is fighting the expansion of lawsuits on every front. in the congress, in the federal agencies, in the states, and even around the globe where u.s. companies are being sued by american lawyers who have moved overseas to take their business to a place where they are not as aggressively challenged. in this election year, i will be very engaged in voter education efforts on state attorney general and state supreme court conn tests. on the federal level, we helped convince the house to pass the f.a.c.t. act, to avoid fraud and double dipping in the asbestos settlement process. we're hoping the senate will follow suit.

we need reasonable reforms in the false claims act. this is an important tool to uncover and punish fraud by government contractors, but it is also being stretched and abused in ways that actually discourage companies from developing strong compliance systems or from coming forward with reports of mistakes or instances of wrong doing. ladies and gentlemen, the proposals i've highlighted with solidify our recovery. they will help create jobs and expand growth. but before concluding, there is a third part of the chamber's agenda i would like to speak to, and it's all about opportunity. you may have noticed that there's been a lot of focus recently on the subject of inequality. it seems to me that what we should really be talking about is equality of opportunity. how do we give everyone a fair

shot at the american dream? and by the way, 50 years ago, when lyndon johnson pressed the poverty program in this country, that's exactly what he said. equality of opportunity. the fact is that we have many americans who -- who are successful, and that should not be seen as a problem. the fact that many americans don't get a fair chance to succeed, that is the problem. let's focus on the real problem and do something about it. we know what doesn't work, getting stuck in stagnant growth as we have been for the last five years, that doesn't work, and doubling down on those policies of tax and spend and regulate and mandate, that won't work. so let's talk about what will

work. instead of devicing more ways to slice up the existing economic pie, let's go out and seize all of the opportunities we have to expand the economic pie. and then we must help those who are struggling by ensuring they have the educational skills, the incentives and the opportunity to share in that prosperity. many other nation haves stumbled along the path of redistribution and government dependency. they have promised equality of outcome. and there is a cost that they followed that was doomed to fail. what would we ever want -- why would we ever want to go down that road? why would we want to follow those people to a course that you can look out in europe -- america's promise is one of

equal opportunity, not outcome. the real challenge is how to give those who have been left out of the real chance to choose their own path and rise on their own efforts, the help that they need. economic growth is absolutely critical. but it is not a panacea. i've talked in positive terms about america's energy revolution. well, we need a positive revolution in american education and training as well. it is beyond me how this nation can be so complacent while 30 plus percent of our young people don't even graduate from high school. millions who do graduate have not even learned to properly read, comprehend, write and count. and tragically, that can be the

prescription for permanent inequality. where is the outrage? where is the you aurgency? where is the political courage to really challenge the status quo if our educational establishment. the severe skills gap we face today is a challenge that could unite us as a nation, as political parties and as a society. of course, the state should adopt and implement the common core educational standards which the chamber significantly supports. but that's just the start, teachers parents, school districts, businesses, community leaders and institutions of higher education must all get directly and personally involved inside crisis. we must ensure that every young person learns basic skills and is properly equipped for jobs and careers that are actually

going to exist in the 21st century. immigration reform is important to expanding those opportunities. why? because throughout history, immigrants have brought innovati innovation, ideas, investments and dynamism to american enterprise, and in terms of demographics, we need immigration. in fact, we must do more to encourage all of our young people and many others to participate in american free enterprise system. in a growing economy, with the proper schooling and skills, there are many opportunities to raise, by one's own efforts, to places you hadn't even dreamed of. even if you don't have a lot of fancy degrees or rich relatives. if you've heard nothing else today that i've said on the

subject of equality, think of that twentyone. please hear this. if our nation doesn't get damn serious about the millions of young people who drop out of school or who graduate unable to master the basic skills and work habits, nothing else we do is going to set this country on the right course. for their sake, and ours, we can't afford to fail. ladies and gentlemen, the chamber's job growth and opportunity agenda is built on the belief that our nation's best days are not over, they are still to come. no other country, no other people, no other society's starts from such a position of strength and advantage as we do. by making the right decisions and adopting the necessary

reforms, we can usher in a new era of economic prosperity and extend its benefits to all americans. i think you can tell i'm basically an optimistic fellow. so let me tell you what i worry about most. i worry that for the first time in our history, we're in a situation where america is taking from the young in order to support the old. we're doing this by continuing to ignore the entitlement crisis. by piling up trillions and trillions of dollars of new debt. by trapping so many of our young people in failing schools, and therefore denying them the fair shot of the american dream. the promise of america has always been that the older

generation will leave to the young a stronger, better and more hopeful country. this is a promise we can still keep. and we must keep. but it all comes down to leadership. leadership in our government. leadership in our business. and leadership in every sector of american life. leadership that puts our country and our future first. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> after his remarks, tom donahue took questions from reporters. this is about 45 minutes.

if you could identify both who you are and what outlet you are with, that would also be appreciated. without further ado, tom donohue. >> good morning again, everyone. his morning. this is just getting started. >> well, good morning again, everyone. and, you know, a few minutes ago, most of you were there, i delivered the chamber's annual state of american business address in the next room. and if you missed it, there's a copy of the speech on your place. joining me to answer questions today as a bit of a change is marty regalia, our