we are partners in trying to resolve the issue. >> we, through our responsibilities in overseeing the flows of financial funds and whether or not there is compliance with u.s. and international laws, we have been very aggressive. when things violate the law, we take action without regard to the home country of the financial institution. it does not always make us popular. friends who are very close and countries with whom we have more attention. our policy, whether it is sanctions regarding syria or countries, the designations are all the same but our policies are to be vigilant.

implement these laws. >> thank you so much for your particularlyrvice, for tip o'neill. i grew up in the district. arms to's distributes the poor all over the world in 30 different countries in areas of severe conflict. back.ed to touch -- anseems to be a extreme lack of accountability among federal officers. we cannot get a name or a number. shelter, provide food, and we are trying to make ventures. we have a conversation and seem to get anybody at the table.

>> it does an outstanding job in certain circumstances. it is heart wrenching in terms of funds consistent with our laws but that have the effect of providing relief at the same time, not just in syria. it comes up in memory -- many troubled parts of the world. i am happy to look into the .uestion we strive to a high level of clarity and communication. toetimes, the issues relate specific matters that are not public matters. i would have to look at the specific matter to respond. >> thank you. >> good morning. stern group.

my question is about the trade promotion authority and the headline yesterday in one of the papers about the pushback from needemocrats, we will bipartisan -- >> you can watch all of this event later on our program schedule. we will take live to the pentagon now for the briefing with john kirby. >> the appropriations bill provides our department for necessary funding with critical investments and an increase in pay and investments. civilians continue training. militaryhat supports operations in afghanistan. congress has debated the defense budget and secretary hagel has worked to provide artifacts and analysis about sequestration pauses impact on the department and the ability to carry out the mission around the world, and preserving our readiness has been the number one priority. additional funds will certainly

help us ensure that our troops can do what they joined the force to do. it does not solve every problem but gives us a measure of stability. visited brooke army medical center in texas to visit with our wounded warriors. he met a medically retired army sergeant wounded in iraq. he continues to receive rehabilitation care there. the sergeant is one of the young people.y retired the secretary is pleased it includes a fix that will exempt medicare the best medically retired personnel. many personally met with to ensure this was implemented as soon as possible and is grateful for the result. he is looking forward to working with congress on a comprehensive

that addresses growing imbalances in our military. the defense department will continue to face tough decisions about the future of our force. nearly $30 billion over the next 10 years were not accounted for. while the bipartisan budget act provides funding above sequestration rep -- levels, it $40 billion less than projected last year. without further compromise, sequestration will remain the law of the land for the next metde area secretary hagel today with senior leaders of the department to continue discussions on the fiscal year 15 budget submission. the meeting included a healthy defense reviewhe currently underway. it is the fifth time over the past year the secretary has gathered the full leadership team and he relies on this

views of defense policy makers and commanders in the field and the toughest issues facing our future. was pleased to welcome secretary kerry, as well, who came to speak to the group and offered his perspectives on global challenges confronting the department of state and the department of defense. with this senior leadership council behind them, they will now turn to finalizing the dod budget plan for fiscal year 15. we will continue to keep you up to speed as that process develops. i will take your questions. wait a minute. before i do that, i have updates for you. all were tracking the air force issue yesterday. we have the secretary of the air force and the chief of staff here to talk about an issue with cheating on an efficiencies and they were giving and dealing

with yesterday. they briefed that they were retesting the whole crew. i could give you some stats. as of 7:30 last night, completing yesterday positive last may, 277 out of the total of 497 icbm crew have taken the test and that equates to over 55% of the force. 96% of them passed. there were a total of 11 failures. is in lineil rate with historical averages. they will be reached reined and returned to duty following a second retest. 186 are still scheduled to complete their tasks by the end of business today. we do not have the results of today's testing. in remaining 34 implicated the investigation are on leave for temporary duty and will be tested on their return.

with that, i will take your questions now. you ifs going to ask there any additional people involved? has the secretary spoken to anyone else in the air force about the problem or addressing the problem, or will he have any personal involvement? have not heard of any other changes yesterday. i would refer to the air force for any more developments. we put a statement out after. he intends to follow the issue very closely and considers this absolutely critical, the security and effectiveness of it is absolutely vital to him and he will follow through very closely and he made it clear and he expects regular updates. save 34arify, did you

officers will be allowed to rejoin the force after retraining e >> they will be tested upon their return. they are on leave now pending an investigation. i would refer to the air force for any more developments. theould you tell us how pentagon assists over the last few days in egypt? the muslim brotherhood has [indiscernible] the process and more than 400 have been arrested. >> we are still testing the results of the referendum. not give you an assessment right now. we are still looking at how it went. we know there was significant turnout. it is difficult to tell right .ow because it just finished he talked to his counterpart in egypt upwards of 30 times.

last phone conversation they had over the weekend, he stressed the strong desire that this be inclusive and transparent and free and fair. i do not have an assessment for you today. update on give us an what his condition is based on the new video and what has the department done in the last five to rescue him? >> there have been reports there has been a new video. i can confirm that is the case. we are aware of a new proof of life video. we believe it was shot recently. without getting into too much being in aarly, thespian in captivity for so long, i am told he looks frail.

probably not in the best health he has ever known. withoutsecond question, getting into detail, i can tell you across the spectrum, diplomatically, we have never on trying to get him home. i want to take a moment to commend his family for their bravery and courage and stoicism. i have seen their statements yesterday. an incredibly brave family, one of the first things secretary hagel did when he took office was to talk to them, within his first month of being here. i would just tell you he is not just part of that family, he is part of the military family. we never lost focus on trying to get him back. >> security agreement with the afghans, will it have on your ability to eventually bring him home? >> i do not know i can answer that. ato not think we are looking

the bilateral security agreement to our desire to get him home? that will not change. we want one and one as soon as possible. his words about obama's relationship with karzai, not particularly liking karzai, will complicate your efforts to get it signed? bsa isfocus on the getting it signed as soon as possible and we made it clear. we need it or planning will have to begin for a complete withdrawal by the end of 2014. about whatspeculate languages in his book and what effect that might have. we have been open and transparent and clear with the karzai administration about the contents of it. we have worked together very and with him and his team we urge him to sign it as soon

as possible. offer thet to pentagon's official review of the book? signing copies right now. obviously, there is some acceptance of the book. >> the fact that he is signing not denotees endorsement of the content of the book. i have not read the book. i have just seen the press reporting. we all have great respect and admiration for secretary gates. . got to watch them up close all of us have great regard for him and his leadership here. we are glad to welcome him here in the pentagon to sign copies of it for the folks that work here. >> should secretary hagel have been revealing conversations? >> the secretary has not taken a position on the content of the book. he had a chance to meet with secretary gates early this afternoon before the book signing and they had a nice chat, but he will not take a

position on the opinions expressed in the book or make a statement about whether or not the book touched -- should've been written. the question he was asked last week, his answer was he does not second-guess the motivations of others. he hit me up in the hallway and said, i just met with them. it was a great conversation, but we did not have a chance to talk. >> was the senior leader session the secretary hosted, on the work improv -- work in progress, or are both of those things done and senior leaders are just coming to grips with budget, and if it is done, will it be skimmer plus or -- >> not done. neither document is completely done yet. this was a working discussion both of thentents defense review and the fiscal year 15 budget. one of the reasons he holds the

senior leadership councils is to get those opinions and have an honest opinion -- discussion. i can tell you it was very frank and honest and open and he values those opinions. neither document is done. >> there was a report this morning about a secret annex that governs the authority over the use of drones. is that your understanding, that he would prohibit that move? can you give an update generally to move the authority? >> about talking about specific provisions that may or may not be in the bill on an issue like that, i think the president, when he spoke, was very clear about his desire to be as withparent as possible respect to those operations. it is a message we got loud and clear here in that -- in the

pentagon. i will not get into the details of the story. just to tell you, like we are with most of our operations, we try to be as transparent as we can. somalia, u.s. personnel there, can you discuss what the role is, the numbers, what do you expect it to grow or -- and what you're doing to ensure security? >> small numbers, i will not get into specifics. of u.s.mall number personnel will be there on a rotational basis. just a few months at a time. they are being detailed their from the combined joint task force there. the rotational arrangement will be the one that persists for quite some time. logisticallping with planning and operations planning and communications assistance and that sort of thing. this is something that is

important to the general and the task force there. it is a good thing. to what us contribute is a growing international commitment in smalley. >> what can you tell us about security arrangements? >> i can just tell you we are alwaysable and we are watching, wherever our troops are. we are comfortable their operating in as secure an environment as possible. >> now that the italians have has the cap and gotten his orders yet? does he know where he is going and when he is leading? >> yes. ,rogress on getting on our way it is on schedule. she has completed two successful trials. test the able to

machines in various states. we have a good idea that even under some height and sea conditions, they will be test te machines in various states. we have a good able to operate the machinery. they are still certifying the ship and equipment. ont is working right schedule and we expect the certifications to be complete by tomorrow. dates, i cannot give you an exact one right now. we are drawing close in the next week or so. i saw the italian announcement on the port for shipment. we are grateful for the italians in being able to offer that up. location as to where it will occur, we have not made those decisions right now. let me go to fill. secretary, he was very concerned this was a top priority. i did not get the sense he was thinking about hanging the threat of job security over anyone over this incident or over recent incidents.

taken inot be isolation. another incident was involving general carry very recently. is the secretary worried this is part of a trend or a bigger issue, that maybe it is time to send a message about accountability? >> the secretary shares the concern, as well as the general's, about the scope and size of this, and that there could be something larger of for here. he made it clear in his discussion with her that he wants this taken very seriously. , traditionally, holds people accountable when there is a need. i think secretary hagel will do that. we are not at that point right now. this just got -- we just literally got briefed on it yesterday. they came to the podium. this just got started. we need to let it go where it will go. i was the other point he made.

youthe investigation take where it may and let the facts take you where they may and we will deal with accountability. was the secretary ever told how the drug part of this got started, which led to the other investigation? an expert on this. i refer you to the air force. he had been made aware last week that two officers had been implicated in a narcotics investigation. that was the extent of his knowledge that day. briefed him up on the extent of that investigation and how it led to this investigation. the general mentioned that to you yesterday, that some of it had to do electronic "lidnication that kind of on this problem. he is aware of all of it.

>> told anything between the time the person learned about it thursday, that there was a drug investigation, and when secretary james said the family became aware there was a team problem, those few days, was the secretary ever told anything else was afoot? >> my understanding was he was first briefed about the investigation the on cheating when he met with the secretary yesterday. that is my understanding. >> on the same subject, the leadership of the pet depth and -- the leadership of the pentagon to pay the missile crews more. there is a question of morale. does there need to be topensation looked at somehow address the morale problem? >> the secretary, actually, when we were there, in a launch control center, and we were

speaking with two young officers, he asked them that question, how much would incentives, one way or another, educational or financial, affect your ability to be recruited into the force or to stay on to the course. it'd death vague knowledge it is something they talk about. the potential value of incentives. they also said they take great pride in what they do and they whether incentives would make much of a difference. what he indicated is that he was willing to think about that. he did not make decisions or promises. he expressed he is willing to the at it and he considers icbm force that important. that vital. he will not close any doors and he will try to keep as many options open as he can as he looks at the future of the force, to keep them vital and strong.

he is open to considering the some incentives. >> there are people who say it is unnecessary to have such a large land-based force in this day and age, given the capability. >> secretary hagel is committed. has committed the nuclear triad but also said, and he said ins last week, that we are an era of declining budgets. force ise military going to have to get smaller in some ways. before he wasg secretary of defense, and advocate of nuclear stockpile reductions. mention when he was out there and support for that, which, of course, is espousing reductions. he is in favor of reductions

across the nuclear enterprise but also in favor of modernizing and making sure we stay superior from a technological standpoint. in that degree, he believes in a healthy and strong nuclear triad. healthy and strong does not mean it has to be the exact same size that it is today. does that answer your question? >> what was the rationale behind the guidance of an 80 -- navy to reduce the program from 52 to 32? with budget ordo the concern about the configuration mission and survivability of the vessel? the secretary visited uss freedom when it was out in singapore and he importance, the value and capabilities that can be brought to the united states navy. about aot speculate

budget that has not been submitted or decisions that have not been made about a budget that has not been submitted. i have seen the press reports you are referring to and i will not speculate about that. i will not talk about a budget not submitted or decisions that have not been finally made. month, the pentagon sent memos saying it was unlikely the most expensive warship ever meet, it is unlikely to the rate at which it launches and lands airplanes. what was the reaction to that conclusion? >> grateful for the work that was done, looking at the capabilities. that, likewell aware every first ship in the class, there are issues you have to work through. this is hard stuff. this is the first new class we have built in decades. it is also a stunning ship that

will espouse great capabilities for the navy -- navy that we do not have right now. he is aware there are challenges and is grateful for their work the navy confident will work through those challenges and we will deliver a great ship. >> there is an election coming up this weekend. are you buried about the results , u.s. and japan? >> i will not venture in to politics. what i will tell you is we are grateful the governor was able to find that over the holidays movehat we can start to dirt here on this new facility. we are grateful for the support and look forward to work with them. earlier, whated type of timeframe is the department looking at right now? it is late in the process.

the budget is still not final. >> we are in much better shape than last year in terms of timing. omb determines the schedule. i will not get ahead of them. we are working very hard on that . to tom's question, it is not nearete, but it is complete. we are closing in soon. weeks. i would not get into specifics. that is for them to talk about. they submit it. >> the super bowl. >> i will not speculate on exact dates. omb determines the schedule for the submission of the budget. i refer you to them on this. >> i would like to go back to videos. secretary's response to the marine video of burning the corpses? is there any alternate explanation of what they were doing, any excuse for why they were burning corpses, and any

indication the pictures or video is fake? >> it is photographs and not video. the secretary has seen the images. , nos deeply troubled question about that. supportive of what the marine corps is doing in terms of investigating that. i cannot tell you with great certainty that they confirmed the veracity of the images. are disturbing images and not indicative, regardless of the kind of conduct and professionalism the men and women of this department and,se and live every day, if they are proven to be accurate and authentic, we will then march down the road of what needs to be done from an accountability perspective. both of the desecration of a corpsesnd photographing

are both violations. but again, we have to let the investigation get underway and authenticated -- authenticate these. he has been very clear with the navy department he wants it taken seriously and he believes they are taking it seriously. point, tmz, who broke the story, are they cooperating with the investigation? they provided blurbs, a big part of the investigation. they would know where they got them from. has this organization cooperated? >> i do not know. you should talk to the marine corps about that. i do not know. >> the burning of corpses was permissible depending on the situation. compoundme into a filled with bodies that had been there for some time and upbeat

-- and occupy the compound, you have to get rid of the corpses somehow. >> desecration is a violation. question, wefic need to let the investigation determine what happens here. if it is true marines burned the courts, why they burnt that course. -- corpse. why they burnt that corpse. expert -- i will get back you. chapter have the exact and verse on burning corpses. let's not lose sight of the big issue. there were other images in the collection which are troubling for other reasons. we need to let them take a look at this and authenticate it and then take it from there. covering the airports recently, and they announced

another dozen would be deployed to japan this month. is this directly related to the tensions and when was this deployment decision made? >> i do not have that for you today. the movements you are seeing to include this are really more focused on rebalancing to the asia pacific. we have been saying for a long time we will flow more resources and capabilities to that part of the world. that is what this is about. >> give me a second here. we began today, passenger movements for wanda forces. two c-17's transported about 70. rwandan forces, with some

vehicles and 11 pallets of equipment. movepect a whole effort to this infantry battalion to take about three weeks. totaling roughly 800 soldiers, about 70 vehicles, and a number of containers of life-support supplies and personnel equipment. that started today and will take about three weeks to work it all out. total flights are like 35. 35 total flights is what they're talking about for this mission. do you have a question? ok. i have got time for one more. >> the number of military aircraft in the last several days, including wednesday. a real bad one in the u.k. several days ago. wondering if you have seen any connection between any of them

and any concern about trend. >> we're always worried about those mishaps. and folks losing their lives. our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the family. no, i do not think we are seeing any trends. just tragic mishaps. but they are all investigated. if there are trends or spring -- strings you can pull between them, they will be self evident. i am not aware of them now. thank you, everybody. appreciate it. >> the admiral wrapping up today's briefing and military news from capitol hill. the associated press reporting two members of the senate are pressing for significant changes on how presidents consult with congress on sending the military into work. and tim kaine of virginia and senator john mccain of arizona unveiled legislation today that would repeal the 1973 war powers resolution often ignored the presence of jet -- i

president of -- questl kirby announcing -- questions of the 2000 and 15 process. they finish work on the 2014 spending. the house wrapping up the spending bill on the senate floor today that funds the federal government to the end of the fiscal year. the house today passed a bill requiring the health and human services department to provide more information on enrollment and website problems at healthcare.gov. we covered several congressional hearing today on the health care law and among them come a look at the implementation of that. we will have the entire hearing later in our program schedule but here is a preview. >> thank you. you know i will bring this up. i've got to do it. i need you to address it. december 19. i asked you a yes or no question. will the enrollment process be ready on october 1 of this year. you said they will be able to go

online and a determination of what they will be eligible for. they will look at the plans live and beere they able to see the premium net of subsidy they would have to pay, and they would be able to choose a plan and get enrolled in coverage beginning october 1. do you recall the exchange? >> very well. >> knowing what you know now, would you like to revise the answer anyway. >> it was clearly wrong, but it was also what i believe and what i understood. based on what i had been told. i would like to answer your question if you would permit me. i knew i was going to be asked the question when i came here and i knew it was very close to october 1 and i was very careful to get a thorough briefing from the responsible people for overseeing the website. the answer i gave you was exactly what they told me our functionality would be. exactly. >> who exactly told you that? amongwas in the briefing

others. >> you heard me say it before and i will continue. i do not understand why no one has been held accountable for an error that egregious. if i were you, i would fire someone under me and it would've happened in october. if i were the secretary, i would've fired you. that would've happened in five -- in october. if i were the president, i would be so mortified and embarrassed by what has been the disaster of my signature piece of legislation signed into law, i would fire the whole lot of you. not done. i do not understand why we should believe you now when nothing you said over the past year or year and a half has been accurate? the site is working. that is why you should believe me now. >> i would submit to you it is not working because it has not been built on the back and. subsidies that were supposed to

go to insurance companies, they tell me were coming as the result of a paper process to be entered by hand. this thing is a disaster. the providers will be the ones who take it on the chin. we are obligated to see the patients when they show up here and no one can verify benefits at 3:00 in the morning. you take care of the problem after the fact and who pays the bill? the secretary said she would not be responsible for paying the bills. doctors in hospitals around the country are asking you, who is responsible for paying the bills? company thatnce enrolled the person is responsible for paying the bills. the payment of tax credits and cautionary or reductions have -- will be slowing. next week, it will begin. >> that part of the website has not yet been built and it is a painfully slow process. i have been told numbers as low as five percent to 10% of the

payments are going through. i would appreciate if you have additional information, that you would make it available to the committee. i hope we have an ability to discuss that in the future. it concerns me. our providers are truly at risk from your mismanagement of the problem. >> later today, the michigan republican governor rick scott will deliver the state of the state address. president obama will comment on a report in the government surveillance program announcing some of his own proposals. he will speak at the justice department here in washington. we will have that for you friday at 11:00 eastern. the president and first lady spoke about expanding college opportunity. this runs about 40 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen troy simon. [applause]

>> good morning. i am from new orleans, louisiana. i could not read until i was 14. i was held back twice. i developed aggressive strategy literacy --de my illiteracy. school, iattended desks,d fights, shoved and wrote on walls. anything to get myself out of the classroom. i could offer excuses for why i fell behind. my parents split. poverty.'s consequent i was shuffling between relatives. the devastation of hurricane katrina. we lived in an abandoned building for a year. .y cousin

14, i saw my brothers and sisters headed down the same path as me. i knew i had to make it better, a better example for them. i decided to change my life. i got connected with my fifth grade teacher and work on afterschool assignments and studied in the library and i know, it would be hard to catch up. time toed much of our writing essays and studying really hard. i enrolled in the academic meport program, which helped , academically and socially, from then on. it has helped me discover myself through writing.

it has gotten me through college and is still getting me through college. now, on a full ride scholarship and i am happy and excited about that. [applause] now that i am in college, i am a , aber of the posse program group of nine other students helping each other succeed to earn a college degree. i know it took me to be committed to education but i also know it took others to help me. i could not do it alone. no doubt. mentors, who helped me. they guided me along the way.

if i put my mind to it. these teachers have been the biggest example to me. they have shown me i have an unbreakable support system. they have taught me to live out that failure is inevitable and quitting is not an option. pain is in the moment. the ultimate measure of a man is not where -- where you stand in times of comfort and convenience , but in a time of challenge and controversy. between these programs and former teachers, there is no doubt. i will succeed. me,event today is not about willvery kid ensuring they

succeed and get a chance to reach intellectual potential. so, it is my pleasure to introduce someone who has shown great support and confidence in our nation's young people, someone working to help students have a future as bright as mine. please join me in welcoming our first lady, michelle obama. [applause] >> thank you, so much. thank you. thank you so much. it is really great to be here today with all of you. we have with us today college and university presidents. we have experts and advocates and civic and business leaders. i want to thank you all for

taking the time to be here today and for working everyday to help young people pursue their education and build brighter futures for themselves and for our country. like to give a really big hand to troy. [applause] that is pretty powerful stuff and presented so eloquently. yesterday, i met him and he was nervous. i do not know why you were nervous. you're pretty awesome. >> thank you. >> his story reminds us of the limitless capacity that lies within all of our young people, no matter where they come from or how much money they have. troy is an example of why we should all care deeply about the issue. he and millions of others like so much aboutcare

the issue and why, in the coming years, i will spend more and more of my time focusing on education. as everyone here knows, education is the key to success for so many kids. specifically, is to directly reach out to young people and encourage them to take charge of futures and complete an education the on high school. i am doing this because, so often when we talk about education, we talk about our young people and what we need to do for them. we talk about the programs we need to create for them about the resources we need to devote for them, but we must remember education is a two-way bargain. while there is so much more we must do for our kids, at the end ,f the day, as troy described

the person who has the most say over whether or not a student succeeds is the student him or herself or ultimately, they are the ones sitting in that classroom and the ones who have andet goals for themselves work hard to achieve them every single day. my hope is, with this new effort, instead -- instead of talking about our kids, we talk with our kids. i want to hear what is going on in their lives and expire -- inspire them to step up and commit to their education so they could have opportunities they never dreamed of. i am doing this because the story of opportunity through the story of my life. i want them to know it can be their story, too. themselvesy devote to continuing their education past high school. for many students, that might mean attending a college or

university like the ones many of you represent. for others, it might mean choosing a community college or pursuing short-term professional training. no matter what they do, i want to make sure students believe they have what it takes to succeed beyond high school. it will be my message to young people. here is the thing. i know that message along -- alone is not enough. it is a two-way street. we all have to step up. make no mistake. he's kids are smart. if we are notce holding up our end of the bargain. themwill notice if we tell about applying for college or financial aid but no one is there to help them choose the right school, or fill out the right form. themwill notice if we tell they are good enough to graduate from college but then no college asks them to apply.

no college invites them to visit their campus. so, we have got to recommit ourselves to helping the kids pursue their education. as you discussed in your first panel today, one of the first steps is getting more underserved young people onto college campuses. now, we are right missing out on so much potential because so many promising young people like troy, who have the talent it takes to succeed, simply do not believe college could be a reality for them. too many of them are falling through the cracks. you all know that all too well. that is why so many of you are finding new ways to reach out to the underserved students in your communities. you're helping them navigate the financial aid and college admissions process and you are thatng them find schools match their abilities and

interests. i know from my own experience just how important all of that work is that you are doing. the truth is, if prince and had not found my brother as a basketball recruit, and if i had not seen that he could succeed on a campus like that, it never would've occurred to me to apply to that school. never. i know there are so many kids out there just like me, kids who have a world of potential, but maybe their parents never went to college here it may be they have never been encouraged to believe they could succeed there. that means it is our job to find those kids. it is our job to help them understand their potential and then get them enrolled in a college that could help them meet their needs. we all know getting into school is only half the story. once students are there, they have got to graduate. is not always easy,

especially given what many of these kids are dealing with when they get to campus. just think about it. you just heard a snippet from troy. just to make it to college, these kids have already overcome so much. neighborhoods riddled with crime and drugs, mom's and dad's not around. too many nights when they had to go to bed hungry. as i tell these kids, when i talk to them, we cannot think they those experiences have had us weaknesses. just the opposite. they are actually strengths. and overcoming the challenges, these kids have developed skills and resilience many of their peers will never be able to compete with, never. when they get out in the world, those are the exact skills they will need to succeed and they will. imagine how hard it is to realize that when you first get

to college. you are in a whole new world. you might have trouble making friends because you do not see any peers who come from a background like yours. you might be worried about paying for classes and food and room and board. you have never set your own budget before. you might be feeling guilty because mom and dad are wondering why you did not get a job to help support the family. obstaclesthe kinds of the kids are facing from day one. that is not all just a challenge for them. it is a challenge for folks like to helping them succeed. that is our mission. not simply giving speeches or raising money or hosting conferences, but to take a real, meaningful action that will help young people get into college and get their delete -- degree.

news is time and again, you have shown you have the experience and passion and resources to help these young people thrive. in recent decades, you have students from across the socioeconomic spectrum have been coming to campus with more and more issues, like eating disorders and learning disabilities, and emotional challenges like depression and exide he and so much more. luckily, you all have not shied away from these issues. i have seen it and i work at a university. you have not said, these are not our problem. we are university and not a hospital. no. you stepped up and while there is still work left, you are working every day to support these kids through treatment programs and outreach initiatives and support groups issues you know these have a huge impact on whether students can learn and succeed at your school. now, as you begin to see more

and more underserved students on your campuses, we need you to direct that same energy and determination toward helping these kids face their unique challenges. fortunately, you have already got the expertise you need to address these issues. simply by building on what you are already doing best, you could make real differences for these kids. many of you are doing with commitments you have already made to the summit. every school offers financial aid services. listen to what the university of minnesota is doing. they are committing to expand those services to include toancial literacy programs help families manage the cost of college. at -- every school has advisors who desperately want students to succeed. oregon tech is committing to set texttech -- test --

messaging program for divisor to connect more easily with students who need extra encouragement or academic support. every college has orientation programs for learning communities to help communities transition to college. of the schools here today are supplementing those programs by partnering with organizations like the posse foundation so students canved connect and build a social network before they even step foot on campus. those were the types of resources that helped a kid like me, not just survive, but thrive at a school like instant. schoolfirst arrived at as a first-generation college student, i knew no one on campus except my brother. i did not know how to pick the right classes or find the right buildings. bring the right sized sheets for my dorm room bed. [laughter] i did not realize those beds

were so long. i was a little overwhelmed and a little isolated. then i had an opportunity to participate in a three-week on- campus orientation program that helped me get a feel for the rhythm of college life. once school started, i discovered the campus cultural center, the third world center, where i found students and staff who came from families and communities similar to my own. they understood what i was going through and they were there to listen when i was feeling frustrated. they were there to answer the questions i was too embarrassed to ask anyone else. if it were not for those resources and the friends and mentors, i honestly do not know how i would have made it through college. instead, i graduated at the top of my class and went to law school and you know the rest. [laughter] whether it is aligning with an organization or offering a new orisory or mentoring program

creating a space where students can connect with one another, you can take simple steps that can determine whether these kids give up and dropped out, or step up and thrive. it is not just good for these young people. it is good for your school. empower thece and students and make sure they have good campus experiences, they will stay engaged with your school for decades after they graduate. they will be dressed up in school colors at homecoming games. they will be asking to serve on your committees and advisory boards. they will be doing their part when fundraising season rolls around. [laughter] the bestl be some of alumni you could possibly ask for. after everything these kids will have overcome to get into college, and get through college, they will have all of run ourls they need to businesses and labs and he's in our classrooms and lead our communities. look at me and looked at troy

and the counselor that -- the countless success stories from organizations and schools represented here in this room. that is how we will win this country. we will win by tapping the full potential of all of our young people so that we can grow our economy and move this he -- this country forward. husbandsomething my understands deeply. story, just like mine, is rooted in education, as well. president, that is what drives him every single day. his goal of expanding millions ofto americans striving to build better futures for themselves, for their families, and for our country, as well. to introducesure my husband, the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause]

>> thank you, everybody. thank you so much. please have a seat. have a seat. welcome, to the white house everybody. troy inegin by thanking sharing his remarkable story. inspired bybe more what he has accomplished. i cannot wait to see what he will accomplish in the future. my wife, it is hard to speak after her. [laughter] [applause] we are in the back, and gene sperling, who did extraordinary work putting this whole summit together, said, everybody is so excited that michelle is here. [laughter] well, what about me?

[laughter] you should be excited for her being here. and a bodya passion , a passion to this issue that is extraordinary. i could not be prouder of the work she is already done and the work i know she will keep on doing around these issues. she left one thing out of her speech. that is that it is her birthday tomorrow. to keep that in mind. [applause] are here for one purpose. we want to make sure more young people have the chance to earn a higher education. economy, wecentury all understand it has never been more important. the good news is that our

economy is steadily growing. and strengthening after the worst recession in a generation. we have created more than 8 million new jobs in manufacturing -- and manufacturing is growing. thanks to keep public investments and research and development, what we have seen is not only an energy revolution that bodes well for our future, but in areas like health care, we have slowed the growth of health care that a lot of people would not have anticipated as recently as 5-10 years ago. thingsre a lot of good going on in the economy. businesses are starting to invest. we are sooner businesses

overseas say that instead of outsourcing, let's go back to the u.s.. that was well for our future. we do not grow for the sake of growth. we grossed about it translates into a growing middle-class, people getting jobs, people being able to support their families and passed on to the next generation. the essentialtore promise of opportunity and upward mobility that is at the heart of america. the notion that if you work hard, you get ahead. you can improve your situation in life. you can make something of yourself. storythe same essential that we heard earlier. it has been getting harder to do that for a lot of people. it is harder for folks to start in one place and move up that

letter. that was true long before the recession hit. that inwhy i have said 2014, we have to consider this a year of action. not just to grow the economy, not just to increase gdp, not just to make sure that corporations are profitable and the stock market is doing well. that this make sure growth is broad-based and everybody has a chance to take advantage of it. we have to make sure that we are creating new jobs and that the wages and benefits that go along with those jobs and support families. we have to make sure that there are new opportunities in the middle class. we have to make sure that those opportunities are solid and accessible for more people. i will be working with congress where i can look on was this. i will also act on my own if congress is difficult.

i have a pen to take executive action for congress won't. i have a telephone to rally folks around the country. today's a great example of how without a collective new legislation, we can advance this agenda. we have the ledger this and business leaders here. we have leaders of non-profits. we have leaders of colleges. colleges andan 100 40 organizations are announcing new commitments to help more go to,eople, not only but graduate from college. medicine extraordinary accomplishment. -- that is on extraordinary, and. everybody is participating

because you know that college graduation has never been more palatable -- more valuable than it has been today. unemployment for americans with a college degree is more than a third lower than the national average. lower incomes if you only have a high school diploma. college is not the only path to success, but we have to make sure that americans of all ages are getting these bills the need to access -- the skills they need to access jobs. a college degree is the surest path to a stable middle-class life. higher education speaks to something more than that. the premise that we are all created equal is an opening line in our american story. but we do not promise equal outcomes. we strive to deliver equal opportunities. the idea that success does not depend on being born into wealth and privilege. it depends on efforts and merits.

you can be born into nothing, and work your way into something extraordinary. a kid that goes to college, but michelle, the first in his or her family, may be embarrassed. the fact is, if we have not made a commitment to the country to send more people to college, michelle, me, maybe a few of you would not be here today. my grandfather was not rich, but when he came home from the war, he had a chance to study on the g.i. bill. i grew up with a single mom. she had me which was 18 years old. there are a lot of circumstances where that might have waylaid her education. there were structures in place that allowed her to go on and get a phd. michelle's dad was a shift worker. he worked at the city water plant.

her mom was a secretary. he did not go to college. but there were structures like that allowed michelle to take advantage of those opportunities. as michelle mentioned, our parents, our grandparents made sure that we knew that we had to work for it. nobody was going to handle something. education was not a passive enterprise. you just stick your head over and someone pours education interior. you have to work for it. i have told the story of my mother when i was living overseas, she would wake me up do correspondence courses in english for a went to the other school. work, dust with her hard work, and scholarships and student loans, we were able to go to some of the best colleges in the country, even though we did not have a lot of money t.

>> every child in america should have the same chance. we have worked hard in a variety of ways to improve these mechanisms to get young people where they need to be an knock down barriers that are preventing that. we call for higher standards in our schools. 45 states and the district of columbia have answered the call. -- set a goal to train new math and science teachers. the private sector is committed to training 40,000. we've taken steps to help students stay in school. the high school dropout rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years. that is something that is rarely advertised. dropout rate among hispanic students has been cut in half.

we still have to hire more good teachers and pay them better. we still have to do more training and development to ensure that the curriculums are ones that maximize the chance of student success. when young people are properly prepared in high school, we have to make sure that they can afford to go to college. system on a student loan that was giving billions of tax pair dollars to big banks and saying, let's give that money directly to students. we were able to double the aid that goes to students. more young people earning college degrees today than ever before. we have made progress there. but as i have discussed some of you, we will still have to make sure that rising tuition does not price the middle class out of a college education. the government cannot continually subsidize a system in which higher education

inflation is going up faster than healthcare inflation. i have laid out a plan to bring down costs and make sure that the students are not saddled with debt. even after all of the steps we have taken, we still have a long way to go. to create affordable college education for more americans. we have to make sure they are wet he ready -- ready to walk through those doors. today only 30% of all low-income students can enroll in college right after high school. only 9% on a20s, bachelors degree. if we as a nation can expand opportunity and reach out to , it couldg people

have a transformative effect. or is this whole network of talent that we are not having. we have dedicated citizens across the country who are ready to stand up and meet this challenge. highlightt to do is some of the commitments that have been made here today. that low-income students are taking the steps to prepare for college. i'm glad at the university of chicago, my neighbor, the place where michelle and i both worked in the past, is announcing a $10 million college success initiative. it will reach 10,000 high schools over the next five years. it is why i mentor. a mentoring program that began 15 years ago, and is committed to meeting -- matching students

with mentors. we also know that too many students do not apply for the schools that are right for them. whereay underestimate they could succeed, where they could go. mismatch in terms of what their aspirations are in the nature of what is offered at .he school that is close by they assume, that is my only option. uva, for example, will toeriment with new ways conduct high achieving, low income students directly and encouraged him to apply. organizations like the college board will work with colleges to make it easier for students to apply to more schools are free to stop -- for free.

for some of you in university administrations, the perception may be that application fees are not a big deal. for a lot of students, that is a barrier that they do not have to apply. when it comes to college advising and preparing for tests like the ect and the sat, low- income kids are not on a level playing field. we call the standardized test, but they are not standardized. by the timesha, they are in seventh grade, they are already getting all kinds of advice. the degree of preparation that many of our kids here are getting in advance of actually taking this test does not level the playing field. it is not fair and it has gotten worse.

--as talking to michelle when i was taking the sat, i barely remember to take a pencil . that is, frustration i did. -- that is how much reparation i did. [laughter] we do not have a level playing field when it comes to so-called entered a test. we have a young man here today named lawrence harris who knows this better than most. he went to the university of georgia, and like a lot of first-generation college students, it was not easy for them. he had to work two part-time jobs and take remedial courses. he had to leave school for a year while he supported his mom and baby brother. those are the kind of day to day challenges that a lot of these young people with enormous talent are having to overcome. graduated, but now he is giving back. he has made it his mission to

help other young people graduate at a college advisor in athens, georgia. today the national college advising board is announcing advisersadd 129 more who will serve more than 80,000 students over the next three years. that once lower income students arrive on campus , and michelle spoke about her own personal periods, they often learn that even if they were in the top of the high school class, they have a lot of catching up to do with respect to some of their peers in the classroom. bunker hill community college is addressing this by giving more incoming students the chance to start catching up over the summer before their freshman year. we have 22 states will join together in a commitment to

dramatically increase the number of students who complete college-level math and english before their first year. this is a sampling of more than 100 commitments that your organizations are making today. that is an extraordinary first up. -- step. we have more colleges and universities around the country. we have more business leaders around the country. we have to think of this is just the beginning. if we want to do something like this again, we want more colleges and universities to take part. for folks who are watching this and are not able to be here today, we want you here next time. start thinking about your commitments now. we want you to join us.

for those who were able to make commitments today, i want to thank you for doing your part. you are making better the life of our country. meansou are doing today that there are a bunch of young people like troy and like whoelle and like me suddenly may be able to see a whole new world opened up that they did not realize was there. i will and have a great story. it speaks to this. there is a former teacher here today -- where his neck? here is next. nick.re is here is nick. recruitsd a group that recent college graduates to work as teaching assistants in low income communities.

the first group of students to work with those teaching assistants are seniors now. is stephane rodriguez. where is he? there he is. good looking young guy. he could not speak a word of english when he moved to the united states from the dominican republic and -- dominican republic at age nine. today, with the support of a tightly knit school community, he is one of the top students at his senior class. last month, he and his put on their sweatshirts and unfurled a banner and march down these re- in new york city through cheering crowds. you would have thought it was the macy's rate.

the crowd on the sidewalk was parents, teachers, neighbors and the flags were college banners. the marquis to the post office where they mailed in their college applications. [applause] some of them just heard back. this son of a factory worker just won a competitive scholarship to dickinson college this fall. [applause] everywhere you go, you have got stories like troy's. we do not want these to be the exception. we want these to be the rule. that is what we owe our young people. that is what we owe this country.

we have faith in restoring the fundamental american ideal that says it does not matter where you started, what matters is where you end up. as parents and teachers and philanthropic leaders and citizens, we all have a role to play. next threed the years as president playing mine and i look forward to working with you on the same team to make this happen. thank you very much everybody. [applause] >> president obama tomorrow will be detailing his response to a white house for order on government surveillance. the ap reports that the government is expected to back the creation of an independent public advocate. it approves google collection.

coverage of live the president's speech tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern on seized and. the fcc chairman stressed the importance of an open internet. the commission will fight to preserve that. >> the fact of the matter is that the opportunities that are before us all are the result of what i have been calling the great network revolution. greatest revelation and how we can mutate between ourselves -- revolution in how we communicate between ourselves. we have learned that change is hard, new networks are disruptive forces, incumbents will oppose the change in a bid

for self-preservation. change, you can anduce successful results those who embrace change become transformational or says. that is the new network opportunity that we have before us today. never in the life of anyone in this room has there been greater opportunity to exploit the new networks for ownership diversity .nd content diversity of sto >> that is what makes the open internet so important. i thought maybe it would make sense to reflect on that.

the reason why broadcast ownership was important in the past was because they gave access to a highly controlled medium. we will not let that kind of control take over the internet period. [applause] on tuesday, the dc court of issued a much anticipated decision in the open internet case. since his -- since it has been so talked about and is so important for the kinds of goals ,e have talked about here please allow me to make a couple of observations. one, the court invited the commission to act.

to accept that invitation. authority, we will redress concepts in the open internet order as the court invited to encourage growth and innovation and enforce against abuse. we have noted with great interest the expressions from many internet service providers to the effect that they will open internetnor concepts, even though they may have been remanded to the commission. the right and responsible thing to do, and we take them up on this. at the same time, we except the core's invitation to revisit -- the court's invitation to

revisit the structure of the rules that they vacated. the great revolution in the internet is how it empowers individuals to consume and create. opportunitynd of that we are discussing here this morning. so, requires an accessible and open internet. we will fight to preserve that capability. >> fcc chairman tom wheeler earlier today. you can see his entire comments tonight at 10:55 p.m. coming up this evening, the state of the state speech. the republican governor of michigan, rick snyder, we will have that live for you. on our primetime schedule, starting at 8:00 p.m., a senate

hearing on president obama's climate change policy. have remarks on c- span2 from secretary of state john kerry on syria. and we will hear testimony from cybersecurity x works. -- experts. >> is the president first stated in march, the goal of the united states and afghanistan is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat the extremists. the international military effort to stabilize afghanistan is necessary to achieve this overarching goal. >> robert gates served two presidents as defense secretary. he was a cia in the early 90s. friday, on c-span2, a live up to the event. he will talk about his management of the wars in iraq and afghanistan and his relationship with the white house and congress.

in a few weeks, look for women's history for beginners author bonnie morris. -- a second, around noon. go to book tv.org and click on book club to enter the chat. >> looking at the events of a person's life, the normal approach is to do chronologically, starting with the subject's use and progressing on through adulthood and old age. we do this with james monroe and we run into the issue of the visual documentary record. greater fear holding the bike is supposed to represent james monroe. flag is supposed to represent james monroe. here is an iconic painting of

the american revolution. these are the two most known paintings from that era. if you look at this figure that is supposed to be monroe and you look at washington, it is the same pose. it is only a mere reflection. not only is munro) general in pretty, but he is much the flag. >> portraits of the fifth president. sunday. three days of american history tv this holiday weekend on seized and three. -- c-span3. >> earlier today, a senior official involved with the healthcare law insisted that he had not misled congress last year. he said that healthcare.gov byld be up and running october. he testified on oversight. was basedus testimony

on information he received from government employees. the hearing is two hours 10 minutes. >> good morning. i convene this hearing to review the implementation of the patient, protection affordable i would like to read you two quotes for your testimony. on april 24, when asked by the ranking member for benchmarks to that we you responded .re on schedule and on track to take it is important a look at all of the steps on the path and make sure we are on track.

i am confident with where we are. this was april 24. on september 19, two weeks before the start of open enrollment, when you asked -- when you were asked to open a moment will be ready, use of the consumers will be able to go online and they will be able to get a determination of what tax subsidies they're eligible or. they will be able to look at the plans are available where they live, look at the subsidies that they will have to pay, and they will be able to choose a plan and get enrolled in coverage between october 1. when pressed further, you said that you had nothing further to add to your answer fall. what we have learned through our investigations of the website, it has failed on launch. three weeks before you told the committee that you did not have any question about the exchange as being ready on october 1, you

were briefed as with a number of other ministration members, that there was a risk facing the website in the federal marketplace. lay policies, delayed designs, and building time. why did you feel confident telling the subcommittee on april 24 that everything was on track? similarly, cms e-mails from summer 2013 show that officials were worried that healthcare.gov would work -- would crash on take off. you told us that everyone would be able to go online and select startingnd role, september 1. i thank you for being here today. you have made yourself available to testify number of times. it seems if you are faced with two alternatives. either you did not know about the problems when you testify, or you did and you decided not to run congress stop

is disheartening to the american people. promises were made and broken. we have spent over $6 million on the website and the administration gave no warning that a disaster was approaching. now we know those warnings were obviously there. broken promises do not end there. after years of saying that if you like your plan, you can keep it, the president apologized. what about the decrease in premiums that the president promised. we do not hear that promise anymore. recent news reports have discussed narrow provider networks is a consequence of obamacare. will americans still be able to keep their doctors? now we ask if they can afford their deductibles. this hearing is not just about looking backward in determining who knew about the web right. one important purpose of this hearing is accountability. i would like us to start fresh in 2014. our ability to do so depends on

your ability to explain what you knew. how did that inform your testimony last year to this committee? as we have often said, this is about more than a website. people need to trust and rely on the system. to trust something so critically important, this administration needs to have an honest and open dialogue with the public about the status of the implementation. do nots of all are well cut it anymore. just a few weeks ago, there were many important issues to examine. if problems are looming, we need to get the facts to the table and do something before it is too late. i hope you will give complete answers today to the following questions. why didn't you tell congress about the problems last year? how many people have actually paid their insurance premiums? for those people locate, how many were uninsured and how many

had their plans cancel? how much will taxpayers end up spending on the healthcare website. not enough people, not enough young people are enrolling. when will we know about the risks and what the federal changes are sustainable question mark i yield not to the ranking member. -- >> welcome back to this committee. i think we could probably stipulate that healthcare.gov had a rocky start. there is no doubt about that. i am thinking that the longer the republican keep beating the dead horse about who knew what and when, and all of that, the longer they keep raising the issues.ues -- the faux it will get worse for their constituents.

after all, isn't our desire to encourage people to sign up or health insurance. if they're eligible for medicaid, don't we want them to sign up? if they're eligible for subsidies, don't we wanted to get the subsidies? sidelleagues on the other of the article talk about this, and i wonder if they really do want their constituents to have insurance. lastly possible with a good example. we voted on this bill that said that we were going to have security at healthcare.gov. everybody think that we need to have security in healthcare.gov stop the clear impression given during before debate and the debate in this committee before that was that somehow healthcare.gov is not secure. in fact, there has not been one breach of healthcare.gov. had, the i.t.g we people told us that they had not had any more attempts to reach

healthcare.gov than any other federal government website. private websites, like target, are not exempt from that. i cannot help but think that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not want to help us implement this healthcare.gov or the affordable care act in a reasonable way. they want to show their constituents not to sign up. i think that is a shame. i was one of the biggest critics of the implementation of healthcare.gov. it was rocky. but the good news is, it does appear now that people are beginning to enroll in this. in a robust way. colorado, the figures were announced for my state. halfway through open enrollment and 50,000 colorado and -- colorado residents have

signed up. 90,000 have enrolled in medicare. this is 140,000 people who did not have health insurance before. this represents real progress. this represents a family that does not have to worry about how it will pay for treatment and child. it represents moms who can get preventive care for breast cancer screenings to vaccines. it represents small businessman who do not have to worry about losing their livelihood if they have an accident stop i'm proud of my governor, my legislature, and i am proud of my leaders for getting it up and going. i know we are not out of the woods. we will continue to have which is. we need to address those. but sitting around and trying to figure out what happened last fall when everyone admits that it was a disaster, is not

helpless towards fixing this problem in the future. one last thing, the white house released enrollment figures for all 50 states earlier this week. the national numbers near -- mirror what happened to my state. 4 million people have enrolled in medicaid. that is 6 million people total who did not have insurance before. morning -- ais memo was released this morning. right now, the affordable care act enrollment is at 31% of projected enrollment with happy open enrollment grow at -- with happy open enrollment period to go. i would ask unanimous consent to put that into the record. thank you. i did not vote for medicare part

d. most democrats didn't. but we work together to make it a success. i think that is what we should do here. one of the things i continue to be concerned about implementation of the affordable care act is enrollment of young people. i know everybody says that they all enroll at the end. what are we doing to make sure we hit the target? the exchanges will not work without them enrolling. let's work together to implement that. let's get our constituents and rolled not write about what happened last year. thank you. >> we will recognize the committee chairman. but it will continue our oversight of the president possible mentation of the healthcare law and its effect on americans in michigan.

we went back to review the transcripts, and at the start of open enrollment, you assured us of two different times, in april and in september, that yes, everything was on track. during your four hours of testimony before the committee last year, there was no mention that you have been warned about the number of risks facing the website. no was there any elaboration on the fact that the ms employees -- cms employees were aware that the website was riddled with problems. the purpose of today's hearing is not to rehash every detail of the failed launch. to move forward, we have to understand what you knew about the status of the website and

the implementation of the president possible on at the time you appeared in front of the committee. you look this in the eye and said, yes, everything is on track. it is time to be candid and transparent with congress and the american public. but the progress has been made lots of promises have been made and broken. you must be transparent about the facts. what can the american people expect about the law? this is an important first step towards were stirring -- restoring the credibility that we all want. there should be no more surprises. i know that you will try to help nd understand what happened a provide some answers. i yield the balance of my time. i think thank you for yielding. i want to welcome you back to the committee. i appreciate the time that you devote to our oversight efforts.

here is the central question, how in the world can we expect people across this country to trust this administration when they have been continually told that everything will be ready? in fact it was not. it is clear now that the administration knew far more about the concerns prior to the launch of healthcare.gov before october 1. andefore us on september 19 each time you came to this committee in the past year, he promised that healthcare.gov would be functional october 1. there were no contingency plans because none were necessary. you insisted that the youommittee members -- insisted to the subcommittee members that everything was on track. i will stipulate that some parts of healthcare.gov might be working now. they are only working now czar had to beh

appointed. i do not know how you feel about that stop it upsets me. you came before the committee and told us that everything was ok. we spent hundreds of millions of dollars. 3.5 years to get it right and then we had to appoint a glitch czar to get it right. the enrollment numbers are meager. perhaps you have a different story. ayres, canceled plans, broken promises. that is just the start. now we know that your agency failed to heed internal warnings about the lack of readiness of the exchanges. will my hope today that he come to the subcommittee, prepared to answer our questions. i hope you will set the talking points aside. .ou owe this to your superiors you owe this to the secretary.

you owe this to the president. you owe this to the congress. you owe it to the american people. this committee is about oversight. that requires that we look at the past. it requires that we look at the future. the problems of the past dictate to us that there will be significant problems during the first year of healthcare.gov. you need to be prepared to work with this committee to mitigate the damage that will be visited on america pass healthcare system and the american people. i yield back my time. >> good morning. mr. chairman, this is our first hearing of the year on the affordable care act. subcommittee this we held told hearings -- 12 hearings on the affordable care act. the hearing but your were frustrating because they were to examinecessarily

exactly what the law is doing. ,hey were part of an effort spread misinformation, and repeal the affordable care act. the unrelenting focus on repealing the affordable care act is one of the reasons that i believe this congress has been one of the most unproductive in the history of our country. as of today, 10 million americans have coverage because of the affordable care act. 2 million have coverage through private plans. more than 4 million have enrolled in medicaid and now have access to doctors and health services that they did not have before. adultsan 3 million young

have coverage through their parents plans. millions more have coverage purchased directly from an insurer. as the ranking member explains healthcare.gov is anything but smooth, and i expressed my displeasure to president obama, people were relying on us. moving forward, i know that there will be hurdles to overcome, but the law is working. members who want to repeal the act will have to explain to these 10 million americans why they should lose their coverage protection. coming from the state of florida, they will have to play to my older neighbors, our parents and grandparents, why they want to take away medicare. care thateventative is available, the fact that we

made medicare stronger. they will have to explain to the 129 million americans with the existing conditions why they do not deserve the same access to health coverage as everyone else. they will have to display to american women why they want to go back to a world where they cannot have the same coverage as a man. they will have to explain to people who work blue-collar jobs why they should play -- pay higher premiums. they will have to explain to millions of americans getting covered for the first time why they would be better off uninsured. i do not think my republican colleagues can make this a. republican critics of the law were incorrect about many things. they were right about one fact. once the affordable care act went into effect, there will be no turning back. to becomeill continue a part of the fabric of this nation. it will lift millions of

american families, provide economic security. act, the social security act, original medicare budget asian, all of them were landmark laws that were -- original medicare at, all of them were landmark laws that were contentious at the time. they said the new rights and protections guaranteed by the laws for our fellow americans were not important. countryt imagine our without a basic safety net. in the years ahead, all of the hyperventilating about the website and demographics will quickly be forgotten. we will look back and wonder how we ever had a health system that spends double than what every other nation spends per capital. have rampant discrimination against people who need the coverage most. i hope that hearing will be the

start of a productive session of congress. i hope we can start to work rather thanthe aca spending another year in the never-ending campaign against a law that is doing enormous good for the american people. >> i would like to introduce the witness for today's hearing. he is the deputy administrator of the center for consumer admin is ration -- for consumer information. he has served as general counsel for the california benefits exchange. i will now swear in the witness. you are aware that the committee hearing as the practice of taking testimony under oath. do you have any objection? you are under the rules of the house. -- do you desire

to be advised by counsel? do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. you are now under oath and subject to the penalties that forth in u.s. code. you can give a summary of your written statement. >> good morning. i appreciate the opportunity to update you on the affordable care act and the health insurance marketplace. millions of americans are now able to purchase high-quality health coverage. when i appeared before the subcommittee before the beginning of enrollment, i said that while we may encounter some bumps, we would solve them. that we the problems encountered in october were far worse than i or any of us had acted. -- expected. the system did not work as well as it should have or as we expected it would. this was not a time to get discouraged. this was not a time to give up.

it was a time to roll up our sleeves and get to work to solve problems. since that time, we have fixed healthcare.gov. the tech team fixed the site software and enhance the sites -- site's hardware. by the end of november, healthcare.gov was able to thousands of consumer visits per day with a response from of less than one second and a error rate well below 0.1%. consumers have responded overwhelmingly to the improve site. we have had a sevenfold increase over october and november combined. havey 2.2 million people elected plans from the state and federal marketplaces. sometimes we lose sight when we talk about numbers this big. these enrollment are more than just numbers. they are individual people, many of whom have not been able to obtain health care or peace of mind that comes from having coverage for years.

one cancer survivor from without now has a plan having to worry about paying more because of his pre-existing condition. he had been paying for a plan with a $483 monthly pyramid -- premium and a $5,000 deductible. now he has a $111 monthly -- 1700and eight 1700 deductible. one woman pick a top tier plan that will only cost her slightly over $100 per month. she will be able to get an appointment at a ob/gyn before requiring surgery. we hear stories like this every day. americans can be confident that the plans offered in the marketplace or hide all the odds affordable. the affordable care act standardizes benefits that insurers must offer. this includes basics like

hospitalization, prescription drugs, and newborn care. besttplaces are assigned designed so consumers can compare plans and make informed decisions. insurers are prohibited from charging higher premiums to enrollees because of health problems, or from charging women more than men. cost-sharing reductions are helping consumers pay for their healthcare coverage. million --ly $2.2 2.2 million marketplace sign- ups, many of them are receiving financial assistance. insurers can no longer refused to accept people because of pre- existing health conditions. to enrollequired individuals regardless of health status, age, gender or other factors. finally, insurance coverages there with people most need it. and can no longer impose lifetime all caps. americans no longer have to worry about hitting a prohibited

dollar amount which could force people into bankruptcy. the health insurance market in 2014 looks dramatically different than a dead -- then it did in the years before the affordable care act. ease the transition, cms is working closely with insurers, consumers, and other key stakeholders were working together to ensure that consumers have coverage. announced thats they will help consumers by requiring insurers to accept payment through december 31, 2013 for coverage beginning january 1. ensures that stepped up of many agreeing to voluntarily extend the deadline for consumers to pay their first month premium. many pharmacies have announced plans to ensure a smooth transition by providing consumers with transitional supplies of prescriptions. i continue to believe what i said in september.

the ultimate story of the affordable care act will not be what happened in the early days when the website went live. the lasting legacy will be people like nathan and emily were able to get the healthcare they need and have the security of knowing that they are able to pay for it. thank you and i welcome your questions. >> the chairman recognizes himself or fives minutes. he testified that it would be ready at october 1. wire you wrong on that? -- why were you wrong on that? andou referred to april september. each time i testify, i gave you the best of the information i had. the problem that that we faced on the website when it went live were, as i have said, just dramatically different and bigger than i

think any of us had expected. not anticipated what was going to happen when we went live, i am not sure i know all the answers. some of the people who are responsible for designing and building the website may give you better answers. initially, we were overwhelmed by the volume of people who came in. as time went by, that was clearly not the sole source of the problem. there were other problems as well. >> you are there for the briefings? subcommitteein the to a number of people within the administration -- you have that information. who told you otherwise that things are fine? >> may i speak for a moment to mckenzie? there's no question that they

identified a number of risks that they saw back in april as to whether we would be successful, october. at no time did the mckinsey people say that we would not make it. they identified a series of risks and some steps that they recommended we take in order to mitigate those risks and increase the likelihood that we would be successful. i think we did that. a number of the concerns that mckinsey expressed, whether the hub would be working, or some of the larger states like new york -- california would 68, would succeed, we could very much to heart what the mckinsey people recommended that we do. we proceeded forward and tried to do the best they could to maximize the likelihood that we'll be successful. >> it was not subtle. it was strongly worded in terms of serious problems stop that

same month you came before us and said that things were fine. who told you that things would be ok? was specifically informed you? -- who specifically informed you? >> i received regular briefings. the person i heard from the most was probably henry chao. >> despite debriefing from mckinsey, did he say that things would be ok? >> we had regular reports on the status of the bill. september, here in the testimony that i gave was based on three things that i had had -- briefings that i from mr. chao and others. >> did you discuss the contents

of the briefings with him? >> i think we discussed the issues that were raised i the briefings. when he was here and speaking under oath, he said that he did not know anything about it. >> i do not know if you saw the report himself. not with significant and that the secretary said that she hired mckinsey to give them briefings and look about this analysis. significant problems are identified. they were not small. now we are not sure whether or not the key person who was advising on this was even told about this report to identify and what to do about the major problems. >> we adopted a number of the recommendations that mckinsey had for us. we put them into place, a number of the things that mckinsey recommended we do. that is what i mean.

mr. chao was aware. says, do youtor have specific symptoms or problems? if you do not tell the doctor your symptoms, they cannot diagnose or treat. what specifically did you tell mr. chao. what did you do in response to that? >> i am not going to be able to recall or tell you exactly what we told mr. chao. there were recommendations with respect to how we should be organized as and changes that they recommended we make in terms of how the process was managed that we implemented as a result of the report. >> thank you very much. today, i noticed this after my opening statement, is called 2014, seeking answers. you forlike to ask

questions about where we go from here. as you acknowledged in your opening statement and your written statement, the problems of healthcare.gov were far greater than what you anticipated before october 1. we are well aware of the administration's efforts to fix the problems. i was wondering if you can tell me as we sit here to a what problems do you see with the federal website and what steps has the -- is the it ministration taking to remedy that? >> thank you. we continue to address specific wayes with respect to the the site is functioning, and that effort has not flagged at all. it is ongoing. as we continue to identify