problems and performance deficiencies that became evident in those reviews. now, the senate select committee has conducted an extensive review that have program. a review that the c.i.a. has devoted considerable resources to supporting over the last several years. the c.i.a. has tried to work as collaboratively as possible with the committee on its report. . i have talked about the report and the way forward. c.i.a. agrees with many of the findings in the report and we disagree with others. we have acknowledged and learned from the program's shortcomings to prevent such mistakes from happening again. we owe it to the men and women who executed this program to make sure any historical record of it is a balanced and accurate one. we have worked closely with the committee to resolve outstanding sues and look forward to

working with the committee. even as we have learned from the past, we must be able to put the past behind us to devote our selves to the challenges ahead of us. g.s.-9 rn in as a officer never believing that one day i would have the honor and privilege of leading the courageous, dedicated and exceptional talented men and women of c.i.a. i go to the main lobby once a month to administer the oath of office to our newest employees. many speak several languages. some have had successful careers in the private sector and want to give something back to their country. for all of them, this moment is a culmination of years' of hard work and see the enthusiasm in their eyes. as i watched them raise their right hands, i feel a sense of

obligation to these officers. they have chosen a profession that is filled with great rewards but also have challenges and sometimes grave danger and it's my job to prepare them for it. from day one, i want them to understand they are joining more than an organization but a tradition of service and sacrifice unlike any in government. i always administer the oath of office in front of our memorial wall. there are 107 stars on that wall. each one representing an agency hero who made the sacrifice on behalf of our nation and i emphasize that we all have the responsibility to remember the officers and sacrifices represented by their stars and carry on their work in a way that would make them proud. it underscores the defining trait of c.i.a. and our commitment that we serve. the women and men have devoted themselves to protecting our nation and advancing american

interests around the globe. their contributions often go unrecognized but no doubt, they are essential to the strength and security of our republic. thank you and i look forward to taking your questions. >> thank you all very much. [applause] >> thank you, director. we are going to have a conversation here and obviously bring the audience in. first of all, the topic of the morning, which you have addressed here, you said you want to get the past practices behind you, but senator feinstein went to the floor and said she did it reluctantly and dealing with you privately trying to resolve this since january and only went public today because of the referrals from the inspector general and because a lawyer in c.i.a. had referred a crimes report separately accusing the senate

of going in improperly into c.i.a. computers. her claim in a scathing speech was that the c.i.a. has hacked into the senate intelligence committee staff computers to thwart an investigation by the committee into those past practices. she also alleges that the panetta-era report was very similar to the conclusions of those past practices. but you, who were involved in that era in the program itself and the c.i.a. currently was trying to thwart the full review of the harshness of the interrogation and practices, can you respond? >> we are not trying to thwart this report's progression release. as i said in my remarks. we want this behind us. we know the committee has invested a lot of time, money

and effort into this report. and they are determined to put it forward. we have engaged with them extensively over the last year. we had officers sit down with them and go over the report and point out where we believe there are factual errors or errors in judgment or assessments. we are not trying to prevent its release. as far as the allegations of c.i.a. hacking into senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth. we wouldn't do that. that is just beyond the scope of reason. >> she says there are potentially illegal and unconstitutional breaches by the c.i.a. >> there are appropriate authorities right now inside c.i.a. as well as c.i.a. -- >> justice department. >> as what the staff members did and i defer to them to determine whether there was any violation of law or principle and i referred the matter, myself to the c.i.a. inspector general to

make sure he was able to look honestly and objectively what the c.i.a. did there. when the facts come out, i think a lot of people claiming that there has been this spying, monitoring and hacking will be proved wrong. >> you said at your confirmation hearing you wanted to restore the trust of the c.i.a. and oversears in the senate. this is preet major goal. if it is proved that the c.i.a. did do this, would you feel that you would have to step down? >> i am confident that the authorities will review this appropriately. and i will deal with the facts as uncovered in the appropriate manner. i would just encourage some members of the senate to take their time to make sure that they don't overstate what they claim and what they probably

believe to be the truth. these are some complicated matters. we have worked with the committee over the course of many years. this review done by the committee was done at a facility where c.i.a. had the responsibility to make sure they had the computer wherewithal to carry out their responsibilities. if there were any inappropriate actions either by the c.i.a. or the staff, i will be the first one to say we will get to the bottom of this. if i did something wrong, i will go to the president, i will explain what i did and what the findings were. and he can ask me to stay or to go. >> malaysia air and the investigation, a lot of people have been shocked that two years after passports were stolen and reported stolen that people using stolen passports whether or not there was a terror linching could still board airlines. what flaw is still in this

system post-9/11 that permits stolen passports to be used so commonly around the world? >> when you think of people who get on airlines around the world it is hundreds of thousands. since 9/11 there have been strides to share as much information as possible not only threats but individuals who are trying to carry out attacks, to include stolen passports. the authorities are looking what went wrong, why they were not aware of it and all of us have to make sure we are doing everything possible. it's close to 13 years since 9/11. the tragedies of 9/11 are still in the minds of many people and this is not the time to relax because we know there are terrorist groups that are still determined to carry out attacks especially against air raft craft. >> is there any chatter? >> i think there is a lot of

speculation right now. some claim responsibility that have not been confirmed or corroborated at all. we are looking at it closely with the c.i.a. and f.b.i. and others and our malaysian counterparts are doing everything to put the pieces together. but this is a mystery that is very disturbing and until we can find out, we will have to do a forensic analysis. >> at this point you are not ruling out it could be a terrorist organization? >> not at all. >> what is the state of al qaeda in malaysia. in the 1990's, they were very active. and there were plots as well. is al qaeda still active as a cell in malaysia? >> al qaeda, which had its -- first in the afghan-pakistan area, earlier in sudan, has spread over the years.

it is found throughout africa and southeast asia. there are a number of areas in southeast asia where al qaeda has tried to develop contacts and cells and put in place the infrastructure, whether for fundraising activities or support and facilitation. there is no place in the globe where al qaeda said they weren't going to seek some type of presence. southeast asia is where al qaeda has had a historical presence. >> [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> later after the house on c-span and c-span.org. the house returns in 20 minutes, 6:30 eastern for a series of votes including a resolution that would condemn russia. live coverage of the house in 20 minutes at 6:30. earlier today, the official text

of the fiscal year 2015 budget proposal was officially presented before the u.s. house. tom cole is a member of the house appropriations committee and we talked to him this morning on "washington journal." >> we turn to the subject of the federal budget. president obama submitted his spending plan to congress and one of the members who is going to review that plan is congressman tom cole of oklahoma. one release from your office called the president's spending plan disappointing, why is that? guest: it's disappointing in a number of ways. first of all, the president does not recognize the house-senate agreement in terms of capping the amount we are going to do in discretionary. he is submitting that he knows won't be accepted and was rejected in the senate. second, he backed away from what i think he deserved credit for

in his last budget and that is dealing with entitlement reform. he changed c.p.i. and would slow down the increase in medicare and medicaid and pays for itself. and he did keep the means testing for medicare. i was glad to see him do that. and finally, i think his defense budget, particularly given the situation we have right now certainly calls for effective thoughts and review. there are major reductions in american capability that i think probably sending the wrong signal in a dangerous world. there are things in there that gives us something to work with. the president said this is an aspirationational document. but it comes up short. host: what do you think paul ryan will put in his budget plan ill that be aspiration asal?

guest: a medicare proposal similar to what he had in the past. he will have language about social security. that is something we could do with in a bipartisan way, probably not in a election year. he will adhere to the caps in the negotiated budget and there will be other things. it's not written yet, but i don't think it will be different from the last two, three budgets. he will grant block medicare grants to the state and we did it with welfare and worpgd pretty well. it will be bold and innovative and political risky, all the things that the president's budget was not. ost: the budget cap in 2015, and agreement that doesn't push back from republicans, a lot of republicans in the house didn't vote for that, do you think paul ryan is going to have trouble passing a budget that sticks to

those caps? guest: i don't think so. we lost 62 votes on that agreement. but what the agreement didn't have that his budget does have is extensive entitlement reform and balances within 10 years. those are two pretty attractive things and it would make it easier for people that would prefer to lower the discretionary number. i sit on the whip team and that is a matter of considerable concern to us and we are going to work it very hard. a budget has to pass with your own party supporting it. we aren't going to get democratic votes. it's preet important that we recognize that paul's dealing with a complex set of circumstances that he is offering some bold ideas and if you don't agree with every one of them, that's fine, but you ought to be there for this particular vote. host: we are talking to representative cole talking

about the 2015 federal budget and he served on the appropriations committee and you serve as chair of the legislative branch subcommittee. this is the committee that funds capitol hill and the agencies of congress. total request in 2015, $4.6 billion to run cock congress. is that -- congress. is that something that is going to pass? > my ranking member, debey wasserman schultz and she has been a great working partner. we have profound differences with one another but we live in the same house. the capitol of the united states, things like the library of congress are the crown jewels n the country.

host: what else does it fund? guest: sergeant of arms, clerk of the house, capitol complex which includes the house and senate buildings and the capitol itself. it is the federal campus. important oversight agencies like the government accounting office and those are indispensible tools if you are going to do congressional oversight in an effective way. we are the plumbing around here. we aren't exciting but without it the place doesn't work very well. host: 4.6 billion that is a 5% increase over 2014 to keep congress running. is congress ok with the 5%? guest: i'm not sure that is our final number. we don't have a final number on

the 12 appropriations bills between chairman hal rogers of kentucky and chairman barbara mcculls ki. we may take a whack there because there are other competing priorities. but it gives us a place to start. we have cut members' offices by about 20% in the last several years. funding for their offices and that leads to staff in cuts. and i suspect it did in most other members' offices. we reduce what we spend on the library of congress and the capitol building, those type things. so you can make a pretty compelling case for stopping the cutting and at least trying to make sure that the essentials are done well. we will be looking for savings. and you'll find both sides work pretty hard.

i don't think there is a democrat-republican difference but what is the adequate level of security. those type things, we are cuss towedians of the greatest symbol of freedom. host: is that on track to begin to refurbish. guest: we work pretty closely with the architect of the capitol. a lot of confidence on his staff. we haven't done much to it except paint it and there is about 1,300 cracks in it, they aren't visible, but they are there. architects took me on a tour. gives a pretty good understanding of what the needs are. but again, everybody wants the capitol to function well. americans come regularly. it's a highlight. we need it to be safe and

functional and we need it to stand as a really strong symbol. host: we'll start in your home state of oklahoma oak. oklahoma city, mike is waiting on the republican line. caller: good morning. i'm from moore, oklahoma. i will wear oklahoma red dirt shirt next time in your town hall. guest: you are welcome. caller: my question is if obama has given $1 billion to ukraine, how is it going to affect your budget and and where does the money come from? guest: has to be voted on by congress. moved through the house and it will frankly -- we'll try to find savings to offset that.

we are trying to behave in a bipartisan manner. ukraine has been a friend of the united states. it sent troops to help us in the middle east. it's not a direct nato ally but on the edge of russia. pretty important country and one that is being dismembered. we are literally, great hostile power in europe is dismembering a neighbor. that evokes a strong american response and that is what we are trying to do. caller: how is it going to be allocated to the people of that country? guest: ukraine has some serious economic challenges. european union has $15 billion, not as if the united states is carrying it by itself. we will try to figure out what makes sense. they have pressing debts and have interest on loans.

honestly, the country has some internal problems and the leadership was kicked out, who robbed the country blind and pressing energy needs. it relies on russia for energy consumption and under pressure right now. they are maintaining their military readiness at a higher rate than normal. the united states isn't going to be the only country that contributes. europe collectively, as they should which is in their neighborhood which is going to do more. host: story in "the hill" newspaper noting that the senate foreign relations has scheduled a meeting on tuesday to act a compromise but it is ununclear about the panel is ready to move on that bill. if you want to read more.

we are with congressman tom cole and go to scott in eastlake, high on our democrats' line. caller: i have an idea. why don't we eliminate the cap on social security deductions while putting a cap in on what you can get back when you retire and make social security safe for the next million years. [laughter] caller: i don't think asking people that make over $100,000 to keep adding to our scorblee security bank roll is a terrible thing to do. and i think most people would agree. guest: people that are earning at that level actually do pay in more to social security now than they receive back. they will not receive back the benefits that they pay for.

so the real question is how much more do you want to take from them and is that the real driver of the issue. we need to take a look at this. this is a really important program. i have been working with a democrat, john delaney from maryland, new member from congress. john has talked about setting up a commission to look at these things. i assure you we will bring back suggestions no one likes on either side of the aisle and have a vote on it. that is an idea with a lot of merit and i told him if he goes forward with it, i will work with him. there are some things some people would if not want to do like change c.p.i. i think gradly raising the age, given the life span, that is something we have done before. progressive indexation where you slow down the grow. here is some ellgict things we

need to look at. there may be the revenue piece that the caller mentioned as well. anything that fits a program -- we spend a lot more on social security than any other single item in the budget. bigger than defense and bigger than medicare, but it's a good program and one that has achieved its function, but its time to repair it. host: we talked with our viewers this morning about climate change on the all-night session that is taking place on the senate floor. senator bill nelson talking about the ocean and its effects and his speech on the senate floor. but your take on this all-night session. guest: this is more about atmospheric and politics in an election year than it is about a serious solution. if you are going to do

something, you don't do all-night sessions but real legislation. i don't think there will be a bill that comes to vote in the united states senate and that's troo bad. there are good contributions on both sides in this area, but this is something politically that is more likely to happen after november 2014. host: danny writes in on our twitter page you made mention about the military budget. why is the budget bigger than the next 20 combined? guest: bigger than the next 12. that is a pretty tricky comparison because people don't pay their soldiers. if you have to draft the army and benefit structure is different. what you need to look at is military capability and we are cutting ours pretty dramatically. for instance, we are getting to send aircraft to poland and those are out of my district. we have 31 in the fleet and cut

them by seven in the president's budget. hopefully we'll avoid that. we are sending planes that hope fully we won't have to send. the united states military has frankly kept the peace and not only defended this country but allowed for the advance of democracy and kept the sea lanes open since the second world war. other countries participate in that, too. people forget 30,000 nato soldiers with us in afghanistan, so we aren't the only people on the front line. we are the biggest power and have the most sophisticated power. and it's kept the peace and avoided major wars. we have had serious wars but haven't had a world war ii since 1945 and you have to give the men and women of the united states military a lot of credit for having done that and they have been an instrument for good, not for quon quest.

i'm -- conquest. it's important we have a robust capability. host: judy is waiting in ohio on our line for republicans. caller: good morning, congressman. at what point is congress going to realize that science doesn't support a government explanation and acknowledged a need for new investigation into the evidence that explosives brought it down. guest: i'm not familiar with the exact case but the investigation has been awfully thorough. the 9/11 commission did an excellent job if you had a chance to read it and you probably have. we are going to continue to have discussions about this. this is sort of like like the

kennedy assassination, lincoln assassination, we still talk about those things. we pretty much know the truth. and in this case, i'm not convinced by anything i have seen, although i'm willing to look at something, that there were explosives inside the building. this was an attack delivered by al qaeda by two aircraft. and if there is compelling evidence, congress is always willing to look at something. st: joe, good morning on our independents line. caller: i have a couple of uestions, i agree with the operational maintenance of taking care of the parks but my roads and bridges where we pay an exorbitant amount to the government and the government puts it out and someone puts it somewhere else and as far as the budget goes, you know a child

that doesn't even know how to talk knows what maple syrup is, why are you appropriating money for that and snypes and you have to have caps on your terms. you need to go. and don't you people in congress and the senate have any shame on how you're cheating the american people? guest: let me go through these as quickly as i can. in terms of maintenance, in a budget the size of the federal budget, is there some waste? no question. expenditures that shouldn't be there? absolutely. we have done a lot. we have cut discretionary spending where most of the examples you used four consecutive years in a row. that hasn't happened since the korean war. and we are spending 164 billion on things like defense and the

national institutes -- less than george bush spent in the last year. there have been pretty discretionary cut. the real driver of debt aren't the things you mentioned. they are mostly things like medicare, medicaid, social security. those are the three big ones. farm programs, things like that. congress just passed a farm bill and cut spending on nutrition programs by about $23 billion. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> the house is gaveling in. vote. remaining votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from texas, mr. brady, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3474 on which the

yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3474, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to allow employers to exempt employees with health coverage under tricare or the veterans administration from being taken into account for purposes of the employer mandate under the patient protect and -- protection and affordable care act. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 404, the nays are 1. /3 being in the affirmative -- the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 206, the nays -- excuse me, the yeas are 406, the nays are 1. 2/3 are in the affirmative.

the bill is passed and mokes is laid upon the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from texas, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3979 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3979 a bill to amend interm revenue code of 1986 to ensure that emergency services volunteers are not taken into account as employees under the shared responsibility requirements contained in the patient protection and affordable care act. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]