ethical attorney out there they can find me through the court system. to hire my own guys out. host: i apologize, eric, we are out of time. live now over to the brookings institution. the're holding a seminar on situation in syria. live coverage on c-span. >> we are live here this morning at the brookings institution for discussion on the syrian refugee crisis. millions of syrians have fled the country during the almost

three years of the war between the president's government and opposition forces. the mass exodus has caused tensions in neighboring jordan, turkey, and iraq. millions more are displaced within syria. the two sides are unable to make progress towards peace during a recent conference in geneva. >> thank you very much for joining us for today's discussion. my name is megan bradley, i'm a fellow here with the foreign policy program at brookings. in particular, i work with the brookings l.s.c. project or internal displacement which works to promote the hueman rights and well-being of refugees and internally displaced persons around the world. in particular we work to support the mandate of the u.n. special repertoire on human rights of internally displaced persons. the co-director of the project had hoped to be here today to moderate today's discussion, but unfortunately due to a family emergency was unable to be with us. it's a real pleasure for me to step in to moderate such an excellent discussion. as you know all we are

approaching the third anniversary of the syrian civil war. of course there is no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis facing the region. the current estimates from the u.n. are that there are .5 million syrians displaced within their own countries. in addition to another 2.4 million ref 2350u geese who fled to neighboring countries. in the past weeks alone we have seen massive new displacement from alpeppo of up to 105,000 people. today's event is focusing on the regional depensions of syria's displacement crisis. we are looking at the effects on the resources, political dynamics, economic, and social structures of the neighboring countries. it's clear that the refugee crisis can't be understood in isolation from the internal displacement crisis. so i look forward to exploring the interconnections between these issues with the panelists. when i had the chance to meet with syrian refugees in the region over the course of the summer, i was, like many visitors to the region, struck

by the depth of hospitality in the neighboring countries. jordan, for example, is now hosting some 600,000 syrian refugees. to put this in context, this would be equivalent to the united states taking in more than 27 million refugees over the course of a three-year period. and that's 26.7 million more than are in the united states at the moment. so i think we really have a lot to learn from the neighboring countries and from their tradition of hospitality. of course the united states also has a critical role to play in responding to the crisis and supporting the host governments which will also explore in today's discussion. it's a pleasure to be hosting this event in cooperation with mercy corps, one of the main n.g.o.'s involved in responding to the crisis in the region. so i'd like to thank mercy corps for making today's event possible. for those who are using twitter, you can follow the conversation today using the hash tag syria crisis, or by following at-brookings i.e.p.

we have a full panel and you have the speaker beos in front of you. i won't give long introductions. just to give you a sense of the lateout of today's events, we'll begin with ambassador chedid, ambassador of lebanon to the united states who will address how the crisis is affecting conditions in lebanon. we'll turn to ambassador faily from iraq who will speak to the effects of the crisis in iraq which is facing its own displacement crisis. third we'll hear from deana of mercy corps who will address the situation in jordan and water resources. fourth i'll turn to my colleague who is director to the turkey project here at brook igs who will address the situation in turkey based on field work done there. last but not least, we'll hear from kellen clemmons, deputy assistant secretary with the bureau of population refugees and migration at the state democratic. kelly will be speaking to the role of u.s. government policy

in the region and the ways in which the united states can more effectively support host governments. i'm ask the speaktories limit their comments to eight to 10 minutes so we have time for questions and answers with the audience. without any further ado, i'll turn the floor over to the ambassador from lebanon. > thank you. >> thank you for the introduction. first let me thank the brookings nstitute and mercy corps for organizing this important conference. it is indeed an honor to share the stage with officials and hinkers as we are doing today. our confidence today is so exploratory today by itself, no

end in sight. the refugees have repercussions. my focus this morning is a painful shout on behalf of lebanon and the lebanese to be heard in this international capital of washington, and by the international community. t is, indeed, a shout of pain. the refugee numbers, the statistics, the amount of the valuable assistance doesn't matter that much anymore to us in lebanon. what really matters is that the actual refugee crisis became obviously an extensionalist problem for lebanon. what matters really, ladies and gentlemen, is how to stop this hemorrhage. how to come to lebanon's needs to help her coping with the huge impact of the syrian refugees problem is important, of course, but over and above to improvise new realistic solutions to solve

the syrian refugee problem in lebanon if the, the most important issues -- is the most important issue to us. we need solutions. day by day the negative impact of the syrian crisis in lebanon increases. the latest figures demonstrate that there are now 98,000 seasoned refugees inside of lebanon. it is worth noting that one rning the u.n. had 763,000 refugees, only that same afternoon, that same day, the mber had changed to 769,000, having increased by 6,000 during one single day. this massive increase does not relate the whole story. if we add the legal refugees, and those who are not, the number climbs to 1.3 million, which is around 30% of the

lebanese population. equivalent to having 25 million refugees entering germany in one year, or 93.5 million refugees entering the u.s. in the same period. they have increased lebanon's population by a third. the impact of the country so far s deep and dangerous and can unravel the country economically, politically, and socially. the world bank's impact assessment estimates the total economic loss to the country to be around $7.5 billion for the period extend interesting 2014 to 2014. unemployment is likely to reach 20% at 324,000 lebanese plunge to unemployment. experts have planted 20% growth rate in 2010, 20% have turned into a minus one decline in

2012. tourism tells the same story with the increase of 20% in october 2010, also turn into a disastrous 80% decline. 80%. in addition, the syrian presence is causing distress on the local communities as competition for resources increases. -- their are not presence is causing increased tension. and has increased, unfortunately, racist sentiments towards them. ladies and gentlemen, despite all that lebanon has remained faithful to its international and human commitment not to close its border in the face of anyone seeking refuge from violence. again, this burden represents now a real exy tension crisis in crew of the security and

socioeconomic repercussions of a sudden overpopulation. aside from the assistance coming to the refugees through the united nations commission of refugees, and the international organizations, our state's budget is now in need of an exception and financial shoring up curvers to cover these expenses. i would like to thank the american administration for its valuable assistance. the american assistance is the highest single one offered by any country as it reached $340 million so far. the lebanese need the care and support of brotherly and friendly countries in order to face the negative repercussions of this external conflict, which is not of their own make. which is not of their own making, but which threatens their security and stability and

stretches their socioeconomic situation. not only do they look up to that assistance out of brotherly and friendly familiarity, but also based on the common responsibility thrust upon the international community as a whole regarding the problems which pose a threat to regional and global security. as you know, ladies and gentlemen, lebanon, my country, is a kindly country within a delicate geographical area, we have the size of the connecticut state here in the states. in a delicate geographical area, with limited resources and capabilities and sensitive balances within the country. as it is not possible to impose our nation's or individual, the impossible, and what they are able to do or not to do, it is important for me to iterate from this podium my call to increase the efforts to ease this

escalating burden, mainly at around the following points. one, to provide sufficient funds , human and financial resources, in order to put regulations about the press ns of the incoming syrian refugees. two, to consider these frameworks and spaces to large syrian refugees on syrian those ries, and save outside the reach -- save zones outside the reach of the ongoing conflict knowing that the area of syria is 18 times that of lebanon. three, to agree on holding an international competence on the issue of syrian refugees which does not merely call for financial assistance, but rather begins to search for ways to share the burdens and numbers le ng states based on presence. to provide support for all the

concerned and capable states -- from all the concerned and capable states for the works of the international support for lebanon which has placed the issue of the refugees at the top of its priority. this i.s.g. group will convene in paris on march 5, and i am confident that it will be attended by the highest american ranks. however, in view of the escalation of the continuing he can vation of the fighting and additional deterioration of the situation in syria, an additional number, unfortunately, of families is expected to flea -- flee, adding more to the suffering of those present and on the hosting, hosting communities, and that would definitely stretch the capacities of all concerns to its utmost limits. it is important to note that the displaced families are hosted in arenon in communities, that

disadvantaged and suffer extreme poverty. the coming of the displaced syrian families aggravated the misery and suffering of both syrian and lebanese. that is why efforts of assistance should be seen along these lines. the influx of displaced syrian families, which was thought at first to be a short stay, reflected under many social fabric, hosting families are getting tired, as you can expect, with scarce resources. the labor market has been badly affected, especially the syrians have been historically cheaper labor force. this competition has driven to unemployment among members of hosting families in addition to a sharp increase in prices and many come mitts. -- commodities. moreover, resources are overstretched reaching the level of total paralysis in some areas. this increasing tension is

alarming and creating a feeling of insecurity. international agencies and n.g.o.'s have been quick in responding to immediate meeds. unfortunately assistance remains unequal and fragmented in absence of a framework for action. a remarkable effort is done at the level of the agencies. sensitive efforts have been concentrating mainly on assisting the syrian displaced and touched perfect riff fully on the lebanese hosting -- perfect rifffully on the lebanese hosting communities. it needs to be addressed. this factive in the increase of tension in the two communities. ladies and gentlemen, as you know lebanon has a new government now. a fresh new government which was formed a week ago who is committed to support within the capacities the displaced syrian families awaiting their return

to their homes. that goes along and acknowledging the night of the lebanese hosting communities for adequate social services. however, these capacities have reached their block and immediately help is needed with the escalation of violence and and ve influx of displaced requires extensive resources. if these are not made available, then the government of lebanon is forced to opt for a different approach in dealing with the displaced. all these measures seem urgent pending the desired political solution for syria, which we hope would be provided by the geneva conference which lebanon attended along with 40 other conindustries. a solution that will likely and hopefully ensure for these refugees a dignified and safe return to their country. but as you-all know, unfortunately, only bad news

came out from this geneva conference, which will prolong the suffering of the syrian people and neighboring countries. let me conclude by emphasizing the fact which is the most dangerous repercussion of the syrian crisis in the area. by assisting the neighboring countries of syria to cope with the ref few gee problem, the international community would enhance the security and stability of these countries. the spillover of the syrian situation to these countries, lebanon included, of course, is capable to destabilize the region's stability. thus creating a conducive environment for terrorism and terrorist organizations as we in lebanon are witnessing terrorist acts almost daily, almost daily as you can read in the newspapers. this issue of terrorism should be addressed not only by lebanon

or iraq or the other neighboring ountries, but by international community. thus enhancing to sirously help reaching a political solution to the syrian tragedy. thank you. >> thank you very much, ambassador chedid, especially for your important and timely call to the crisis to respond not only to the needs of the syrian refugees but the dire needs in the host communities. i'll turn the floor over to the mbassador from iraq. >> good morning, everybody. thank you very much, megan. thank you for brookings institution for providing such an important opportunity -- opportunity for such an

important topic. we usually talk about the security issues in the middle east but rarely talk about the humanitarian aspect of it. this opportunity is very much appreciated. if you look at the sirian aftermath of the daily issues on syria, one of the least talked about issue is the tremendous impact or the adverse impact of syria on its neighbors. for so about the future element. unfortunately that issue has not been addressed nor root causes have been identified to address it, nor the geneva 2 and others have provided enough opportunity for us to address. and your title we should talk about in deciding is a clear statement that the day after had not been articulated yet, and unfortunately we have to talk about that today. from iraqi perspective, the syrian refugee added to the internal displacement which you

talked about in iraq, however i can say that it hasn't had a somewhat -- more successful story for reasons i will talk about in a minute. the numbers in comparison to our neighbors are blessed in proportion to the population. 220, it's not far off from the number in lebanon, but bear in mind the population in iraq versus lebanon, which does highlight how a significant impact it has had on lebanon. from iraq, the number isn't bad, 220. primarily in the kurdish reegon. 5,000 are in the anbar province. the rest are in the kurdish region. 95% of the refugees are kurds, which has had a positive sign in the sense that people who will accept them in the region are of

the same ethnicity and background, and have sort of similar understanding of the issues. in iraq ourself we suffer from internal displacement, the kurdish population is an issue, so we have a good understanding of that. we have prothey have provide add better environment for them. only about 30% of those 20,000 are in refugee camps. 70% are in urban areas, in houses, accommodations, so on. schools and others. which meant that life is much more bearable for them. electricity, sanitation. it's been much more manageable for us. as a government we have -- haven't had the issue of finance and providing funds for it. in that sense we have been more than capable and working closely with n.g.o.'s and others to try to address the financial element of that. we have no requirement of national fund as much as we do

with small organizations and coordinations within the iraqi entities and with n.g.o.'s and usngr. in that sense it's more been an operational challenge than issue of fund. the refugee camps, nine of them are in the abdeeth region. in a way it's much more flexible for us to address the issues based on regional issues and reasonalities. camps have a good infrastructure. so that has been good news. the other aspect of it is that only 20 n.g.o.'s have been involved. if you look at the turkish examples, about 150 n.g.o.'s, which creates its own problems for coordinating. by the nature of an n.g.o. that means they are not part of the government institutions and working closely with the government might create its own problems. wever in the area only 20,

within confined region with consistency of the ethnicity and background, meant it's much more manageable for us. however our concern is not the actual dealing with the refugees as to the how long will this be? as to what is the scenario? as to how do we take care for the mental welfare of the refugees? you can always deal with it in a crisis management, but you can't have crisis -- prolonged crisis. in that sense i hope they'll talk about that more than the actual numbers is what can we do to make life easier for them and to provide more or less close the tap than keep getting in refugees because of the crisis continuing in syria. main aid has been provided in

terms of kurdish development and modification center, which meant managing it has become much more -- not easier but doable. and that's one of the key issues as well. the central government has provided funds and capabilities and so on, but we have been more or less been not reading it but working with -- closely with local authorities. anybody who work with the refugees, when it comes to the local authorities, if they have enough capabilities it becomes much more easier than external parties or federal government. that's one of the good stories here. is that we have provided enough funds, capabilities, local authorities do not feel that there's a threat from migration and they have a good understanding of that. the kurds in that region have a good understanding of what's taking place in syria as well. they have been accommodating.

reason for that is, as i said, iraq lux of refugees in to others in the area has been less in comparison to the mop pew lation or compareson to where they are coming from. which meant it became more manageable. the local authority is dealing with it. that's key issues. the key challenge has been getting better quality nation between n.g.o.'s and locals and central government. so the coordination has been one of the key challenges. the other aspect of it is, as i talked about the key challenge, long term challenge is the mental welfare of the refugees, and that's, unfortunately, an issue for any refugee anywhere, let alone a syrian refugee with no end in sight to the situation in syria. that means you have -- you can only provide so much. that's an issue.

and third concern has been on security. ambassador chedid talked about terrorism element. and fortunately for us in iraq, probably beenit's driven it's not a secretarytarian war, it's terrorists against the state and rule of law, against a government, against constitutional institution of iraq. that's been the challenge. the key concern we have with syria has been on the aftermath -- the spillover into iraqi security. it's not from -- it's more to do with political entity. the key question we have to look at here today a as well is how so d we assist in resolving the very nearthin

few tear the refugees will want to have a permanent solution whether it's in iraq, lebanon, or whether they want to go overseas, or whether they will use other tools and methods to force the region to their issues. that's an issue of refugees. he region has refugees which cannot accommodate more. the region has enough tension which should not accommodate more tensions as well. we need to look at the longer view rather than just addressing the immediate issues of the refugees from iraq perspective. from our neighbors, we highly appreciate the mentor in jordan and lebon. and also bearing in mind the limitation of the capabilities because of the actual prolonged issues of the refugees in lebanon, for example. and where you have a region which the polarization is taking

place, you have to address the core issues there as well. so we can see that unless we have a collective view of reoffing it, unless we resign to certain facts on the ground, i'm afraid this prolongness will not have an end soon. so i think we need to somewhat measure up to the situation and deal with the crisis and identify the crisis rather than a refugee issue. thank you. >> thank you very much, ambassador. in particular for drawing our attention to this difficulty of planning and thinking about the long term in the context of a crisis that is still changing every day on the ground. 'll turn the floor over deana. >> thank you, megan. thank you-all for being here today. i'm here today as a

representative of global humanitarian organization, mercy corps, but i'm also here today as a jordanian citizen. living this crisis day in and day out. and before i get into facts and figures, i just want to share with you a story that touched my heart at the beginning of the crisis. at the distributing aid refugee camp, and one of the men with hearing impairment, he was refusing to take a hearing aid. after asking him about why he don't want one, so he shared with us the story while coming to jordan from syria. he was sitting in a taxi with two people sitting next to him in the rear seat. all of a sudden the guy next to him starts shaking. he thought, is he crazy? he's shaking and dancing? and then he felt something warm underneath him.

when he put his hand, it was blood. he looked at the guy and he was taking all the bullets, it was an ambush. he he said i would rather live in my own peaceful world. cry for daysde me and i could not sleep. it has given me more power to do the work i am doing on the ground. jordan has been a stable state in an unstable neighborhood. and this made it become a magnet for refugees. over half of our population is of palestinian origin. many call jordan their home. in recent years with the civil war in syria, at fast new population arrives to town.

we have more than 600,000 syrians with refugee status in jordan. this accounts for more like 10% of the population. there are other syrians who are living in jordan without refugee status. the total number is estimated to reach around 1.4 million. the impact on the jordanian resources have been profound. jordan precrisis population was only 6 million. just imagine that amount of refugees in this country. some cities now have more syrians than jordanians. in terms of city, it is right across the border from syria. there were only 50,000 jordanians living in that city. 150,000 people

living in the city. this coming influx will be difficult for even wealthy countries, just like the usa. for a small country like jordan it would be crippling. our hospitals are overwhelmed. our schools are overcrowded. even garbage industries are piling up. our sewer system are being overrun. so, but the challenge is apparent in the sector. let me tell you how scarcity of water is like in jordan. we only receive water once a week. start in tankswe on our roof buildings. it was a nice change for me to

look from the window in d.c. and not seeing the tanks. this was something unusual. we store the water in the tanks and use it for a whole week. toward the end of the week, we become more rational in using what is left of the water. and sometimes we are not lucky to get the water each week at the same time. water does not arrive for a few weeks. so in addition to that problem and making things worse, we have a very weak infrastructure. out of the water that is being pumped out, treated and pumped to users, the loss through the aging network accounts for 45% is water loss in the

network. with the offset of the syrian crisis, the water sector problems have accelerated. the standard of 100 leader per person for day as a consumption. after the crisis this says drop tremendously. in some areas is more like 30 liters. let me show you what 30 looks like. the container, this is a 20 liter. it is a little bit more than that, what we get. that goes for everything, drinking water, cooking, washing, and basic life needs. jordanian could use less than

20% of what an average american consumed per day. pipelines can run dry for weeks. our water supply companies do not have the resources to fix up the network. our complaints that they receive have tripled during the last three years. we used to have, these to receive complaints of no water 12,000 per year. now it is up to 45,000. the number can go higher. utility company receives 10 box for each complaint. things somehow stand on the triple. not surprisingly with all of these scarce resources and problems, tension began to arise

between jordanians and syrians. lebanon.n syrians for water, come from a althyhy water -- water-we country. let me give you a small example. we use buckets to clean everything from windows to cars. and this is the normal. syrians use the water hose. such a scene between jordanians and syrians began to, click the attention because we don't have enough resources to drink. corps has beency addressing the issue of scarcity of water. with a major support from donors, we expanded our program

dramatic lead to support the community. ar projects operate across wide range of activities from drilling wells at the refugee camps to building the capacity of local partners. our projects have full components. we begin with building the infrastructure. weak, worn-out infrastructure. upgrades are needed urgently. unicef, we are working to improve the aging network. these projects include reservoir renovation, new pipelines, and renovating pump stations. we are also working with our for thertners community-based organizations.

we have invested in the capacity of local to our programs. ,e train them on accounting project management, and provide cash to loans for water saving improvements. then we worked on changing the attitudes and that also goes for working with cbo's. we are helping them to raise awareness to improve the program outreach and expand awareness and educate jordanians and syrian students on water management. we bear that with the infrastructure of green water harvesting systems and this is to add another source as a water supply that they get from the network to schools. the number of students, syrian theents outnumbering jordanian students currently.

education uses a two-shift system. on the conflict through training and leaders and negotiation skills and conflict investigation in addressing the issues emerging in their communities. up thell help building sense of togetherness on how to address issues emerging in their communities and what kind of solutions they might come up with. and of course these solutions are being funded to be implemented on the ground such as rain water harvesting systems, building playgrounds for kids, having parks for

people at the areas. that weof the success witnessed in the first phase of this project, we are expanding to key host communities. the title of this session today insight, sono end how do we move forward? the refugee needs are huge and they need international support. we need to invest in the long-term needs of jordan, specifically infrastructure, and building the community resilience. in this unstable region, we want jordan to remain stable and the civility of the country is at the risk with the continued support of the u.s. and international community and focusing on the long-term challenging facing jordan, we can start to address these challenges.

we are thankful for the support of the congressmen, the u.s. government, the u.s. people for what they provided us so far to help us face these challenges. thus, the needs are still great and the challenges are even greater. thank you for giving me this opportunity. dina,nk you very much, for sharing this powerful perspective from the field and giving us some concrete examples of how to respond to the refugee crisis in a way that provides benefits to the host committee. so thank you. kemal? thanks, megagn. n. participants,nd when one looks at the refugee

crisis, i personally feel that it is so difficult to find the words with which to capture the state in which they are. projectunning a crisis that took us to the border region in turkey with syria. my little anecdote is an encounter with a former judge in syria walking down the street, fairly green streets and clean streets, just a few miles from the syrian border. as we chatted a long, he turned around and said, "when we started in an effort to reform syria, we never thought that a calamity was going to hit us." from that very moment when i heard that word, not a day goes by reminding myself that what we

are facing is really a calamity. each time i looked on the news reporting from syria and see the destruction of the urban centers, and i think this is what makes the city -- the syrian crisis so different than other crisis elsewhere around the world. the destruction, physical destruction that reminds me of the end of the second world war and the state in which some of the european cities were left at the end of that war. so today's focus on the future and the long run is a critical one. thatay i approach it is refugees at least as far as they go in turkey, i hope this is not the case for lebanon and jordan and iraq, is that they are there to stay. just about two weeks ago i was

in turkey and got to interview a series of members of parliament as well as officials and attended a seminar focusing on ins issue and i was struck that there was a common denominator for all of what they were saying. the turkish government opened its borders and established refugee camps that the new york times sunday supplement last week referred to as how to build a perfect camp. they did build perfect camps. i have seen it. i don't want to sound like a government spokesman, but they deserve the credit for the way they are housing about 210,000 refugees in these camps. in that article there was a striking quotation from someone staying in those camps,

referring to the camp as a five-star prison. more and more syrian refugees in these camps are arriving to turkey increasing and preferring to be outside those camps,, five-star camps where air-conditioned, tv, means to use supermarkets for cooking purposes, laundries are all provided for and the streets are looking clean. but they want to get out. outside the refugee camps, it is estimated there are 700,000 refugees all in turkey with half a million of them outside and the numbers keep increasing. the government is expecting by the end of this year the numbers may go up to 1.5%. outside camps, life is tough.

many challenges are faced. children are forced into work, exploit patient. women having difficulties in their own surroundings. national services but there are challenges as far as education goes. recentng to the most regional response plan overview, more than 70% of the children who are outside camps in turkey are not receiving any education. our ambassador from jordan has made references to what the consequences of a generation that is not receiving proper education could be. thell fairness, international governmental agencies and ngo's together with the turkish ministry of

education are trying to address this issue. but the impact remains a limited one. the question of education is company with labor issues. the current lows in turkey do not allow easy access to work permits for syrians. more and more syrians are working in the black market. and work for a pittance is no doubt get exploited. there is another side, as was mentioned in lebanon and in jordan, too. wages are collapsing. rent is increasing. the government remains extremely and aable to the refugees good proportion of the population along the border of syria has been very except if an generous toward the refugees.

resentment is also increasing. a poll taken by a small think 86% in istanbul discovered of those they pulled -- polled want no more refugees in turkey and a third want them to be sent back. yet, repatriation is not an option and it doesn't look like it is going to be an option in the near future. references have been made to the little achievements that have come out from the geneva 2 pro cess. the geneva process has not even started to address the issue of the return of the refugees. but my senserong, is that if a political solution

emerges from the geneva two process where in one way or the other the regime or elements of the regimes stays behind in power, i am convinced that the refugeesd of syrian returning or being able to return is going to be highly unlikely. so what are the options that turkey faces? there are two options left. one is resettlement. so far the resettlement option has not been forthcoming and generous. megan has a paper that refers to the challenges there. turkey has long been a refugee receiving country.

but it has also had the possibility that a large number of countries around the world including the united states has accepted resettlement from turkey of refugees that were recognize by during the cold war as well as subsequently. when you look at the picture today, resettlement beyond a few thousand and the high commissioner made an appeal last slots four,000 resettlement and we have yet to see the realization of the resettlement possibilities coming out there. but this is all about burden sharing. it has been referenced.

refugee problem as an international responsibility. neighboring countries have taken on this responsibility along the lines that have been expressed. the international community will have to come forward with a more realistic possibility of resettlement, at least for the most vulnerable amongst those refugees in the neighboring countries. the last option is integration. people remaining in the countries where they are hosted. not we look at the scene just in the middle east but around the world, most refugees and staying where they are. the average figure that i read not that long ago is 12 years in camps. and yet there are camps were people are being in for 20 if not more years.

i need not refer to the experience of the palestinians in the very region where the syrian refugees numbers are increasing. i would like to conclude by referring to a kind of shakespearean dilemma that turkey is facing right now. or is turkey going to adopt policies realistic andcies and face -- recognize they are here to stay and begin to adopt the education, labor and policies that will help the refugees to integrate in turkey? it is so much easier said than done. right now turkey is a buzz with rumors that this is exactly what the government wants to do, extend citizenship to the

refugees and make sure that they vote in the upcoming elections, assuming that they are going to vote for the government. this is deeply ruffling feathers in turkey, increasing political tension within the country, too. so where, how do you proceed? example of theal dilemma that i suspect hosting governments elsewhere are facing, too. but burden sharing is going to be critical. burden sharing with respect to education in particular, with respect to -- to give you a concrete example. our minister of foreign affairs in geneva declared there were

8500 babies born in the refugee camps. yet we don't know the number of refugee babies that have been born outside camps. refugees,gees, baby are they getting registered? there are more and more women are young girls who are adopting the strategy for security purposes of going into households as second wife. this is not recognized in turkish law. from these relationships are being born babies that bureaucracy is unable to register to take care of. not only do we risk having children that are not receiving the education that they deserve but we are also risking of having babies and children who

are stateless who do not have a status. what is the burden sharing deal or part of it is that the international community begins to raise these issues and finds ways of squeezing into the geneva two process while digging and into their pockets share the financial burden as well. thank you. kemal.k you very much, has been an asset to have you as part of these discussions. kelly. >> good morning. thank you very much. i am delighted to be here. what a rich panel. thank you very much to brookings and mercy corps. beth has been a leader but could

not be here. mercy corps is a key partner in the united states and others around the world. delighted to be here. by topic is a broad one. many of the issues i will discuss have been touched upon by previous speakers. about u.s.to talk government policy with regard to addressing the need of hosts as well as refugees. that is a theme that has come out this morning. we have talked a little bit about the scope of this crisis. dina had any doubts about people they had conversations with in the region. i will not do that. it is important to get beyond the numbers, which are

mindnumbing in terms of their scope and think about each of these 9.3 million people who are affected by this crisis as people, individuals. they have gone through an incredible ordeal. megan talked a little bit about the numbers. inside syria, 6.5 million people. 2.5 million refugees in the nation. we don't have egypt represented but let's not forget egypt as a significant hosting country. in terms of the 2.5 million, one million of them being refugees. these are refugees and they are trying to put a map up on the screen. we have a couple of handouts for you. one of my colleagues who produces these maps is in the audience today.

thatnot sure you can see because this room is so long. ingives you a good scope terms of the regional dimensions of this crisis. the second handout is something that gives you a bit of a picture in terms of how this crisis has quickly escalated over the last three years. we know a little bit in terms of the magnitude of this crisis. we have not seen numbers like this with the exception of afghanistan. the rate of the flows of refugees into neighboring countries, we have not seen mid-1990's. in the serious involvement has decreased and is decreasing by the day. we have heard about the impact iraq andn, jordan,

turkey in terms of gdp, unemployment rates, struggles of host communities to be able to cope. each country in the region is affected. this is a regional crisis of stability. i want to stay on the humanitarian side. we are dealing with escalating crises elsewhere in the world. south sudan. i am pleased we are focusing on this issue today. we have not lost sight of what is happening elsewhere in the world. one priority is not to just deal with it as a humanitarian crisis but to look at the development and macro economic aspects and to what we as a government -- coveragel leave this

to go live to the u.s. house for a brief pro forma session and will return to this panel discussion shortly. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. february 21, 2014. i hereby appoint the honorable andy harris to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner.

speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, reverend gene hem rick, the catholic university of america in washington, d.c. the chaplain: to live without hope is to cease to live. we pray, lord, that our u.s. congress will continue to be a beacon of hope which is its greatest gift to our nation and nations around the world. may its mission be that of replacing despondency with the cheerfulness that comes from looking forward to the next day. may the u.s. congress grow in hope's life giving powers for as st. paul states, now faith is the assurance ever things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, and as dr. martin luther king reminds us, everything that is done in the

world is done by hope. amen. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 2-a of house resolution 475, the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. the chair will lead the house in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, please accept this letter as written notice of my resignation from my appointment to the house committee on the budget effective immediately. i have been honored to serve on the budget committee since my first term in congress and value the importance of the work of the committee. i welcome the opportunity to be a voice for my constituents as we debated the federal budget each year. throughout my tenure on this

prestigious committee, i had been committed to ensuring we meet our obligations to our children, our seniors, to invest in economic growth, and to do so in a balanced and responsible way. it was a privilege to be able to serve on the budget committee. thank you for your understanding of this decision and for your continued support. gned, sincerely, elieson schwartz. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resignation is accept. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. sir, on february 11, 2014, pursuant to section 3307 of title 40 united states code the committee on transportation and infrastructure met in open session to consider resolutions to authorize 17 prospectuses, including seven leases, eight alteration projects, and two capital projects. included in the general

services administration's f.y. 2014 capital investment and leasing program, our committee continues to work to cut waste and end the cost of federal property and leases. these resolutions approved by the committee will save the taxpayer $28.6 million annually, or $400 million over the terms of the leases. all alteration and capital projects approved are within amounts appropriated in the consolidated appropriations act of 2014. these resolutions ensure savings through shrinking the space requirements of agencies and efficiencies created through consolidation. in addition, the committee has included space utilization requirements in each of the lease resolutions to ensure agencies are held to appropriate utilization rates. i have enclosed copies of the resolutions adopted by the committee on transportation and infrastructure on february 11, 2014. signed, sincerely, bill shuster, chairman.

the speaker pro tempore: referred to the committee on appropriations. pursuant to section 2-b of house resolution 475, the house stands adjourned until noon on tuesday, february 25, 2014, for morning hour debate, and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. >> sure refugees are outside of camps. we need to be the view but health, education, infrastructure, all of these various peoplieces.

they are definitely increased tensions, public opinion is changing. and it is very important to recognize, this is not the first refugee flow that this country has handled in the last couple of that it's. palestinian flows, iraqi flows, these are governments that are used to dealing with refugees, but also significantly burdened by it. we in the an international community to be behind them. the not want to neglect issue of resettlement. is ais not something that solution for a vast majority, but it is a very important part of burden sharing very we, the united states, as the rate -- largest resettlement country will be taking significant numbers of syrians before this crisis is over, there is no doubt. what are we doing in the u.s.

government in terms of changing the way we deal with this? >> there something that the u.n. put together called the comprehensive regional strategy. that sound like a big set of words in her arms what we're trying to cheap, but as it is darkly trying to put together the boxes that are not just humanitarian focused, that include velvet and economic pieces as well. they identify needs and folder abilities, they identify the facet the of the house, and delivery tools that might be brought to bear to address these needs. they identify a flowed through all spigots. let me give you an example. in lebanon, there was a groundbreaking world bank, u.n., government of love and on assessment that was done in july that was an assessment and also propose responses. refugees werehat in host communities, and what we can do to address those needs. it is really quite something about something we will continue to look at in terms of response. we have both

humanitarian assistance, and we have also provided significant bilateral aid. we provided education support, have support to health centers, and the armed forces. we very much welcome the government formation, and they will be leaders in terms of how people respond going forward. in jordan, the president last week talked about his intention mou.new the mo you -- and, imf and the world bank have .rovided additional support and in turkey, where i returned just last night, from discussions with the government

we are looking very much at how we support this exceptional government response, through local authorities, and what we can do at the local level to provide additional support particularly in urban areas. that is something we will look to go or and ford. our support has been fast, ad, and beyond our capabilities, and we will continue. thank you very much. >> thank you for this great overview of the u.s. approach to this crisis in the region. we will now open up the floor to a first round of questions. keep the questions as brief as possible, and i would be grateful. we will have people coming around with microphones. >> my question is for kelly

clemens. you gave us a comprehensive overview of the needs and the way the u.s. government is trying to address them. i was wondering if you could speak to the most pressing gaps. are there missing pieces? there is a lot of money, action, esponse,a lot of r but one of the key critical gaps in this vision? >> thank you. any other questions? the gentleman on the right? >> i'm from the university of wisconsin. you had mentioned the powerful suffering that is taking place in lebanon, and we empathize with you.

you also mentioned that this is , but we also talked about how hezbollah is part of lebanon. how not of theme government making? >> the back gentleman? >> i have a question for kelly. how does the government really use it as blackmail for the area. why are you still giving aid to the syrian government? back -- andn in the

the woman in the back on the right-hand side? >> why is the international going into the occupied territory -- >> can you speak up please? >> i'm a researcher at the network. wise international community not protesting the resettlement of the syrian armenians into the occupiedn territory, so it is a violation of the gina treaty -- geneva treaty. >> thank you very much. the last question might be the scope of our territory, but i will give you those. >> there are many gaps, and i

think probably the issues that we're most concerned with right now are about protections. protections for those that are outside of the camps in the that weeas, and those have not been able to reach in terms of services. when i say we, the u.s. thernment works through host countries, and nongovernmental organizations. registration is still a key part turkey.g to access although we hear registration numbers of 700,000 actually the mbers are much higher. it is education, it is health, it is the whole gamut of service livery. we focus very much on the production, production of women,

-- protection of women, children, and reaching as many as we can as quickly as we can. >> the question from the gentleman in terms of the syrian government, we do not work with the syrian government at all in terms of delivering unitarian assistance. assistance.ian they provided by international and nongovernmental organizations. a government with which they need to cooperate, and seek assistance in terms of being able to provide aid, ridiculously any the harder to reach areas, which has been a big problem. particularly in the contested and hard-to-reach areas, which affects about 3.3 million people. >> ambassador? >> when i spoke about the syrian crisis i meant -- about the syrian people of

course. we are suffering from the tragedy, that is what i meant about it. will start itsis third year, and it has a lot of repercussions. , butis why it is not fair the tragedies are not a course of our making. >> we will take another round of questions. all of this is very moving, and is about the affects, but what are we doing about because? -- the cause? we knew that geneva was a nonstarter, and as long as the stonewalling of the assad government continues, we will be

dealing with more and more affects. not prevention of continuing refugee flows. what are we doing about because? >> thank you. the woman at the front? >> i have a question, i was wondering if this current situation on the border pose any threat of sectarian tech kids -- tensions among the turkish people and the syrian people in the sunni syrian refugees. thank you. >> and on the right-hand side? i understand of course that

this focuses on the see refugees, and displays results -- displaced persons, but we talk about other refugees in the countries neighboring syria, they feel discriminated and marginalized, and ignored because of the increased attention and focus on the , especially the refugees in jordan. >> one more question. my name is megan worthington, and i have just returned from peace corps jordan. mention those conditions that i have been

hearing a lot more about recently. i was wondering about safe so save his own- design of syria, and if that was a reality. is that a goal for the near future? go with the first question. it is a difficult one to answer. you need to look at the turkish population. part of the parts of turkey that borders syria is also populated by turks who are of similar ethnic and religious background as the minority in syria that

supports the government in power. a couple ofs led to outcomes. when the government said the refugee camps in parts of that them, therelated by was some tension. considerable tension, actually. but the government, in response, removed those camps from those areas and move them elsewhere. i also hear, and this is very difficult to cooperate, -- that thesee, camps are really overwhelmingly for syrian sunni refugees, and

christian refugees feel uncomfortable with the idea being placed in those camps, and instead prefer to remain outside and go to towns and cities that are governed at the local level by the opposition party in turkey that traditionally have had a supportive raise problem -- supportive base. in turkey, we make these distinctions between these groups. is that thejudgment

government on the one hand and these minorities are not at the level that they were in the orly stages of the conflict, the arrival of the syrian refugees. having said that, this does not problems inre no theey as far as relationship that the government has with these minorities in turkey. however, one of the people that was from the hot i region, and i was quite impressed with the levelheaded way in which he was able to analyze the situation and reflect on it. a questionor, we had

for you on the question of safe zones, and whether this was a realization. perhaps kelly would also like to weigh in. want in lebanon, what safe zoneshave is for them that should be created within syria, to relocate them within their own countries. it is a complicated issue, it needs to be a no-fly zone or betever, which could be used as a military action. we are not the ones who are

going to create those zones. what we have to do is to find , andions for the refugees in our opinion of this is one of the solutions and hopefully at some point, when the political solution could be reached, then the zones could be created within syria itself. >> what is to be done in terms of the causes? is obviouslyt right on the point. there is no humanitarian solution, there's only a political solution, and that is a number one priority, and why the administration has been so engaged in trying to make geneva to work. trying to bring the parties together, bring full support, and to bring russian counterparts to make sure that we have a conversation going to

be able to address the prevention aspects to make it possible. we hope for syrians to be able to go home in the not-too-distant future. the outlook right now is uncertain, but we're are committed to try to make sure that this is something that is successful. the humanitarian issues that we need to deal with right now, in i i am not going to use the term safe zone, because i i think a messenger mentioned -- as i think the ambassador mentioned, it is very difficult to secure and protect the zones, and the last thing we would want to have happen is for refugees or just placed syrians to become targets. that said, we are exploring every way we can to bring more

aid into syria, and to be able to assist people that are in areas that are unreachable. that would be the immediate spot on that particular issue. on thehave any thoughts questions that were raised on refugees from other countries and regions? -- in the region? >> as a global humanitarian organization, we do not deal groups, welitical work with the impact of the political groups. we tried to reach as many people at ease the suffering of as many beauties of possible -- as many refugees as possible.

>> look at that experience to see how we can coexist, and this even though you have different backgrounds. --e various shades this is part of the current culture. we need to provide an example, provide a framework for us to establish.

we need to bring something to the table to give away, not just to take. theseoblem with having people that are saying that this situation but carries on in syria, they have not addressed .ow to address the finance these are internal syrian issues, legitimizing the violence in syria. you have the people who are you have all of

these situations as well. example to expand from, each has its own weakness. beenhe u.s. to have surprised by the complexity of , it is not the issue of providing weapons, or legitimizing of it is more obligated. complicated. waiting for problems a geneva -- it should be a very important item to be discussed.

the political solution should address the topic of the refugees for the sake of the syrian refugees themselves, and the safety, and the sake of the neighboring countries. it should be a priority, and hopefully geneva can win steps again. >> i think that is an excellent note on which to end today's conversation. i would like to thank the panel is for taking the time to join us, and for sharing their insights on what is currently going to be a very long-term struggle for the region and for the united states. [applause] thank you.

>> if you missed any of this program it is available in the c-span video library,. . we have more live coverage coming up this afternoon. antigovernment road just continue -- protests continue. that will be live at the :00 p.m. eastern here on c-span -- 3:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. the country's parliament has restore the presidential powers. the country hasn't had change

the constitution to retain powers. his powers are now significantly reduced. lawmakers also approved amnesty for protesters involved in violence over the month-long standoff. ukrainian parliament has voted to remove the interior minister. the beauty of america is that in this country we have the ability to write the script of our own life. we are in a sense in the driving seat of our own future. our biggest decisions in life there.e out of that you can become an activist, a community organizer,

what are you doing? re living off of the explosion of wealth that you do not even create. >> nobody said america is a but there are a couple of assertions that you have to take on faith that our astonishing. what about the theft of the entire continent? [applause] that doesn't mean that the 90% of the resident that lived here were murdered. that was a part of it too. >> they debate what so great about america, tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. this weekend on c-span for the national governors association kicks off their winter meeting about live saturday morning at 10:00 in eastern, with an opening news conference. throughout the weekend with the

panels on homeland security, jobs, and prescription drug abuse. and then later, on book tv, a conversation with robert edsel. elan on c-span3, real america. watch sunday at four clock p.m. over the past few months c-span has sat down with a handful of senators to get a more in-depth look at their careers, family, and time in the u.s. senate. over the next hour we will show you two of our interviews, and start with senator heidi heitkamp. >> senator heidi heitkamp, a

democrat from north dakota. i want to begin with one of your campaign ads. you describe your mom as a janitor, your dad as someone who never finished high school and you are one of seven. what was that like? >> we did not think it was all that rare. back then, a lot of people in the world war ii generation did not finish high school, who had to help out on the farm. an eighth grade education was considered the most you could ascribe to. for us, it was not odd. our dad was always a community leader and so we never thought about education as being what you learned in school. education was what you did and how you learned in real life. my dad was a community leader and my mom was the protector of the underadvantaged. the worst thing you could commit from my mother was to pick on another kid. when i was born, my mother had 4 kids and the oldest was 2 and they had no twins. we came in rapid succession.

by the time my mom was done, my brother, my youngest brother, joel, my mom had seven kids in nine years. and this was before disposable diapers. life was interesting. to give you a sense of our family, we did not have a lot. we knew that we were not going to college. in the 1960's, the program started becoming available not just for veterans, but for all kids. that has had a huge impact in my life, a huge impact in the life of my entire family. so we were education, education, education. when my mother was asked what

she was most proud of, i thought it would be that we all went to college. she said no, the thing i am most proud of is that they are all each other's best friends. and that is still true today. we are all very close. >> your dad passed away, but your mom is alive. what is she like? >> she unfortunately has advanced parkinson's, so she has had to live in a nursing home. that has been tough for someone who has been independent her whole life. she has given us so many values that we carry forward. one of those, for me, is the ability to stand among a group of people who do not at all agree with you and say things that are unpopular. my dad was much more of a crowd these are, much more of a sit back, listen, see how you can persuade quietly. my mom was full speed ahead. she never took a deep breath and never paused in telling someone what she believed. >> how many boys and how many girls?

>> 2 boys, 4 sisters, five of us girls. the advantage is, i was right in the middle. the other advantage is that i was not the same size as my sisters. as far as sharing clothes and who got to wear what, i escaped all of that. my sisters are all very accomplished and quite capable. to give you a story, and i know a lot of people do not believe this, but when i first introduced my husband, i brought him home for the weekend and we were dating. when we got into the car to leave, he said, if you would have told me you are the quietest person in your family, i would not have believed it. a very opinionated but fun-loving group. >> you described your husband as a shy farmboy.

is he? >> absolutely. he just does not like the limelight. he does not like being out there. very shy and unwilling to put himself out there. i will tell you this. one of the things that happened with my husband -- my husband is very bright. it could have probably done almost anything with his life and chose to go into family medicine rather than surgery or something where there may not have been as much interaction. i think in family medicine, over the years, i have seen him develop the personal skills that you need to be a family physician. i can tell you really honestly, his patients love him and one of the reasons he is not here is that we promised the stations that we would not be moving to washington dc if i won. >> where did you meet him? >> he was working as a researcher in a nutrition lab and i was finishing college. did not really like him the first time i met him. he was friends of my roommate's boyfriend.

they were playing cards and this piece of art, i thought it was quite lovely. it was like an off-loom weaving. he was playing cards and he said, are you the one doing that? and i said, yeah. he said, if you are going to put that much work into it, it should at least look good. at was it. i was done. i actually came here first semester and worked on the hill. when i came back, i had other friends who also knew him. got to know him a little bit better than that one experience. >> have you forgiven him from that line? >> well, it was true. [laughter] it was hard to feel really bad about it because it was not attractive.

so he has a firm grasp of the obvious. but he could zip it up and not say it out loud i thought. >> two children children, a boy and a girl. >> alicia ruth, 28 years old, and mason dennis. they are both really active. great kids. both currently redheads and great personalities. they are fortunate that they have the sense of humor of my husband, which makes them interesting people, i think. >> your legal name is mary kathryn. how did you get heidi? >> i grew up in a very small catholic community. when i was growing up, the two classes, whether it was first and second, third or fourth, all in the same classroom. at that time, there was a small group of girls, and a lot of mary's.

mary beth and she was betsy. mary ann, mary jo, and then there was a mary kathryn. my parents never call me mary. my name was kathy. but my best friend's name was kathy. she decided in the third grade that she would rename me. she was a voracious reader and had already read hundreds of and "heidi" was one of her favorite books and she gave me the name and it stuck. >> how did your parents change it from kathy to heidi? >> well, they resisted. i do not know that they adapted all that well even when i went to college. it was a matter of whether it would be kathryn or something easier to work with and it just stuck. i live in a small community where nicknames are really common. i could talk about the kids i went to high school with and tell you that most of them, to this day, they would still be known by their nicknames and not their christian names.

>> when did you first leave north dakota for vacation, a trip, an internship? >> the first time was 1976. i came here to do an internship in congress and spent a semester here when i was a junior in college. >> when did you first think of a career in politics? >> i did not think a lot about a career in politics. what i was interested in was public policy. i was interested in how government worked, being the person who worked in government. so i work here on capitol hill

for something called the environmental study conference. i am sure some of your listeners would remember that name. back in the day, very moderate republican from new york, but very active in the environmental movement in the 1970's. i worked with that group then it was more of a think tank. they did a lot of research for members. back then, there were not as many staff people so you had these study groups that would provide the strategic to members who joined the group. i worked for the environmental study conference and thought, ok, the federal government, i saw how it worked. this is pretty exciting. i went back to college and was encouraged to do an internship. i became a legislative intern in 1977. saw for the first time that state politics actually provided a real avenue for discussion, a real avenue to get things done. and that it was important. i had a very influential professor who reminded me that there were three branches of government and state and local

were very important as well. so i then realized that i probably wanted to work in state government, which is why, when i moved i north dakota after going to law school and spent a small time here, went to work for camp conrad, his attorney, and when he was elected to the senate, i was appointed. >> let me ask you about the race that you won, but first, the race that you lost. you ran for governor. what did you learn from losing? >> i have a whole list of things that i have learned through losing. a lot of folks may recall that i was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in september of

that race. after the race was over, i got a lot of invitations to come and talk about how cancer changed my life or what it was like having cancer. in the middle of a race. i said, that was not the thing that had a huge impact on me. what had a huge impact was losing a race. having a trajectory, thinking this is the job i am going to be doing, and all of a sudden, you get up on january 1, which is when the transition happened, still attorney general until december, and you no longer have a place to go in the morning. the kind of introspection that happens between all of that. first, i would tell you that i think politicians in general have a real need to be liked. with all due apologies to sally field, i used to call it the sally field syndrome. you like me, you really like me. at the end of the day, you have to like yourself. you have to believe in what you are saying. that maybe is not as important that everyone likes you. i used to win races by 66%. i would wake up the next morning and wonder why the other 34% is not like me. you get over that. you have to take positions that people do not like.

as long as you know why you are doing it, it is easier to live with yourself. i also learned that people are fundamentally good. during the race, i know that the majority of people in north dakota did not vote to send me to the statehouse, but they all prayed for me. i would not be there without those prayers. it has made me very appreciative for the goodness of people. >> let me ask you about your health. before the diagnosis, did you have any suspicions? >> not really.

when you are in a campaign like that, you are not even paying attention. what is the next think? what do i need to know for this meeting? what do i need to do that day? it was not until one night that i noticed a lump under my arm and said, whoa. went to the doctor and they said it was probably an infection. take some antibiotics and come back in a couple of weeks. i am not very good at routines. i would go a couple of days and realize i had not taken any antibiotics. i said, it is better to get a biopsy. even from the time i was wheeled in to get the biopsy done, i did not think i had cancer. it was kind of a shock. but i never, in the whole while that i was dealing with cancer, i never thought it was going to result or that it was terminal. my husband, who knows more than

i do, said to me once, you know, you just need to know that you are in denial. you are in denial about how serious this is. to which i said, so what? what do you want me to do, wake up in the morning and say this is serious and i have to -- you know, it just seemed like a better course to assume you are going to be ok. i think that i can tell very funny stories about going through chemotherapy and losing your hair in the middle of a campaign and what that means for poor staff, trying to manage that challenge as well as all of the other challenges of a very competitive governor's race. i just never looked at it as a real serious health challenge. because of that, i think i was able to just kind of put one foot in front of the other and actually survive the disease. >> we all know people who have been touched directally or indirectly by breast cancer. >> if you look at the trajectory and see this massive increase in diagnoses, it is starting to plateau.

what we are seeing in that diagnosis is more and more stage one and stage two breast cancer. these screenings are working. we are catching the disease much earlier. in the later stages, we still have a fairly high mortality rate. that is one thing we know, that the treatments are getting better and better. because we are catching earlier, i think we are seeing that huge increase and i think it will plateau. we also have to unlock the mystery of why we seem to see more and more cancer in our society.

and we have to confront -- i include myself in this -- what being overweight means, what lifestyle means, what diet and have it means. all of those things are playing into effect. playing a role in the cancer rates. you see it internationally as well. it is absolutely critical that we continue to research. there is a huge study that involves hundreds of thousands of women. one of the challenges here is that we tend to think we have got to cut spending. we made all of this investment and all of this research. we are right at the point at which this research can actually reduce health care costs and then we quit funding. we have to push back against that lack of investment in health care research because it is absolutely critical and we have to put more emphasis so that we can live a healthier lifestyle. >> are you cancer free today? >> no one can ever say -- you do not know that you are cancer free.

so i never say that i am cancer free. i say that i am healthy and i have no reason to assume that the cancer has reoccurred in a way that would have to be treated. >> let me ask you about your brand of politics. how would you describe heidi heitkamp? >> i think i am straightforward. one of the reasons i am here, being from a state where the president lost by 22 points, i said, number one, i started out with a very high name id. most people know who i am and they know me from name -- from years of working in the state of north dakota. when the ads came, heidi heitkamp is this or that, people shrugged her shoulders and said, we know her. she is not that. in a state with a lot of voters and you have a chance to have a personal relationship, i think it is really hard for that tactic to win.

>> one of those ads, you are at a batting cage with a wink at the end. what was that about? >> we were just having fun. i am just getting started, right? >> did you play softball? >> i did. the whole family played softball. my dad started out coaching amateur baseball and we transition to softball, men's and women's. he had 4 daughters. girls in town with time on their hands and my dad picked up a bat and a ball and said get out, we are going to play softball. that started our softball team and we were very competitive and played for years. my sister holly is in the softball hall of fame for north dakota. >> you won by fewer than 3000 votes. besides the name id, what do you attribute your victory to?

>> i would say is that, the message. and the approach that i took to how i am going to do this job. people are tired of partisanship. they are tired of bickering. they are tired of people coming here to do politics and not fix things for the american public. what i promised is that i was never going to put ideology or politics ahead of the citizens of north dakota. i think people believed it and i would like to believe that same bipartisan attitude, the same believe that we are here for, the people that we represent, is the reason why i am enjoying the job and why i am here doing the job. >> if your dad were here today, would he be surprised or say, i think she is going to be in the u.s. senate? >> i will tell you a story about my dad.

my dad never let you relax and pat you on the back. it was always, what are you going to do next? this is a man with an eighth grade education -- we all have eighth grade education, but that was his terminal degree. when i went to law school, that was pretty amazing. when i was smaller and decided to go to law school, girls did not go to law school. that is one of the reasons why i went to law school because i was told i could not. i graduated from law school and i was expecting, way to go. he said, you still have that test you have to take, don't you? i am like, yeah, it is called the bar exam. he said, well, you really are not a lawyer yet. in north dakota, we have a great tradition. a beautiful woman calls every person who passes the bar exam and tell them. after i had passed the bar exam, i called and told my dad. you could hear it in his voice,

he was trying to figure out the next thing to tell me to do. he finally stepped back and said, congratulations. if he were here today, i think he would say you really have not fixed the fiscal -- getting here is not a compliment, doing things while you are here is the consummate. he would be excited to get the farm bill passed. he would want to know what we are going to do for veterans. he started the smallest chapter in the history of the vfw. he along with other veterans in his era. i think he would challenge me to do the job and not just be proud that i have the job. >> on the issue of the background checks, you came under some criticism from bill daley, the former white house chief of staff. he contributed $2500 to your campaign.

he was upset and said he wanted money back. what did you think? >> we sent the money back. when i campaigned -- and it goes back to what i was talking about. i did not fool anyone. i had an a rating with the nra. not to say this is about the nra. that vote was about what i thought would actually work. it is unfortunate, in this country, that we have not focused on the things that i think matter. number one, mental health and how we will get more help for people with mental health and people who do have episodes and have proven that they are dangerously mentally ill. get on a registry so that they are not able to get guns. that is a whole issue that we can talk about surrounding a lot of the shootings and have these folks legally got them. there was not one background check that would have changed outcomes.

the other thing i would say is that i believe that i was sent to represent the people of north dakota. in spite of what national groups would say about what the attitudes are of the people of north dakota, they do not think that a majority of people should be burdened because of the bad actions of a few. we continue to hear about the vote and i continue to believe it was the right vote. we continue to have on point dialogue. i do challenge people and ask them, the department of justice, just a few days after that vote, came out with a report. they do it periodically. they asked people in state penitentiaries and prisons where they got their guns.

less than 1% got their gun from a gun show. they get it because they steal it or using straw purchases someone else purchases it for them. and that trafficking and straw purchase bill is one i supported. you take a look at social security. two probably illustrated the best, if you look at the brian budget, and i have no -- the ryan budget, and i have no reason to doubt, but there's little that i can support. reductions in infrastructure and budget. you take a look at providing a different way of