>> i ask if the speaker would like to continue. >> mr. speaker. >> i just want to say this. >> there is no question in my mind that the arguments and the statements that i said on this floor came to me by complaints of the members, first that they had not been notified. i don't believe this they were notified. i believe that truly that they didn't get the mail in their office, number one. number two, the sense of your letter here. i'm inviting you to hear a dialogue on my perception of what american policy and what foreign affairs should be. i'm going to go back -- you didn't tell me you were going to back to get clips or 1972 when the gentleman whom i have the great respect, the chairman of our intelligence committee, you were going to ask him a

question as to what policy and how they felt about the vietnam war and the question is, did you beat your wife lately. i want you to come in and answer the questions of the philosophy. you talk about angola. you don't talk about angola how during the eisenhower administration we were for the very people that later on that nixon was opposed to. you don't say anything about that or things of that nature. very interesting. my personal opinion is this, you deliberately stood in that well before an empty house and challenged these people and you challenged their americanism and it's the lowest thing that i have ever seen in my 32 years in congress. >> mr. speaker, if i may reclaim my time. let me say first of all -- >> mr. speaker, i move we take the speaker's words down. >> find more highlights from 35

years of coverage. c-span created 35 years ago and brought to you by your local satellite or cable provider. >> president obama honored 24 army veterans tuesday with the medal of honor. the recipients were found to have been wrongly denied the award because of prejudice. they were recognized for their valor during major combat operations in world war ii, korean war and vietnam war. this ceremony from the east room was attended by the three living recipients and those family members being honored posthumously. this is an hour and 20 minutes. >> let us pray. all knowing god, we are sometimes not the people we like ourselves to think that we are.

we have at times failed to be a people whose actions measure up to our words. we have been called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. we are humbled by the love demonstrated by these men, the valor, 24 whom we honor today. from world war ii to korea and vietnam, you will hear stories would haven into a heroic hole remind us that though we may be different in many ways, we are alike. we are american soldiers. we sell bait a legacy which inspires our service, grant unto us the decency of purpose, steadfast the resolve and strength of will which these men possessed, courage, with humility that we may follow their path. grant us eternal god, that we may never forget that the highest preeshes is not to utter

a word but to become a model of what we advocate and we pray and ask in your holy name, amen. >> good afternoon, everybody. lease be seated. welcome to the white house. the presentation of our nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor is always a special occasion. but today, it is truly historic. this is the single largest group of service members to be awarded the medal of honor since the second world war. and with several of these soldiers recognized for their valor during that war, this ceremony is 70 years in the making. as one family member has said, this is long overdue.

many of these families -- and i had a chance to meet all of them who are present here today, they have known these stories of heroism for decades. still, they were pretty surprised when we called them to break the news about the medal of honor. some of them thought it was a prank. [laughter] >> some of them thought it was a scam. a few of them thought it might be some trick to get their credit card number. [laughter] >> when i called melvin morris, who we'll recognize in a moment for his actions in vietnam, his first reaction was, oh my god, what have i done? when i told him it was all good, the medal of honor, i could hear through the phone, he almost passed out. [laughter]

>> you see, for their gallantry under fire, each of these soldiers was longer recognized with the army's second highest award, the distinguished service cross. but ask their fellow veterans, ask their families and they'll tell you that their extraordinary deeds merited the highest recognition. and today we had the chance to set the record straight. this ceremony reminds us of one of the enduring qualities that makes america great, that makes us exceptional. no nation is perfect, but here in america, we confront our imperfections and face sometimes a painful past, including the truth that some of these soldiers fought and died for a country that did not always see them as equal. so in each generation we keep striving to live up to our

ideals of freedom and equality and recognize the dignity and patriotism of every person, no matter who they are, what they look like or how they pray. and that's why more than a decade ago, congressman dated a review to make sure that the heroism of our veterans wasn't overlooked because of prejudice or discrimination. our military reviewed thousands of war records. they teamed up with veterans' groups and museums to get this right. it was painstaking work made even harder because sometimes our service members felt they needed to change their last names to fit in. that tells the story about our past. but ultimately after years of review, these two dozen soldiers, among them hispanic, african american and jewish veterans were identified as having earned the medal of honor. this is the length to which

america will go to make sure that everyone who serves under our proud flag receives the thanks that they deserve. this is going to be a long ceremony and we are going to read all 24 citations, because every one is a story of bravery that deserves to be told. but first i want to take a few minutes to describe the americans behind these actions. the men these families know, the brilliant lives behind the smiling faces in those old photographs and how they reflected all the beauty and diversity of the country that they served. they were americans by birth and americans by choice. immigrants, include understanding one who is not yet even a citizen. they grew up in brooklyn, rural communities like hooper, nebraska, small towns like puerto rico. they loved to fish and play

baseball, they were sons who made their parents proud and brothers who their siblings looked up to. they were so young. many in their early 20's. and when their country went to war, they answered the call. they put on the uniform and hugged their families good-bye. some of them hugged the wives and children that they would never see again. they fought in the rocky hills of italy, the blood-stained beaches of france and freezing mountains of korea and human jungles of vietnam. their courage almost defies imagination. when you read the records of these individuals, it's unimaginable the valor that they displayed. running into bullets, charging machine gun nests and climbing aboard tanks and covering their

comrades so they could make it to safety, holding back enemies wave after wave even when the combat was hand-to-hand. manning their posts, some to their very last breath so their comrades might live of the. of the 24 american soldiers we honor today, 10 never came home. one of them, corporal joe baldonado from the korean war is still missing, reminding us that we have a obligation to give the families from our missing family members, a full accounting of their loved ones. through their grief, the families of our fallen summon the strength to carry on. wives whose hearts ache for their husbands, sons and daughters who grew up without their dad, nieces and nephews and grandchildren and these families join us today.

and they know more than most that because others laid down their lives for us, we have been able to live our lives in freedom, pursue our dreams. o there's a legacy here, borne of sacrifice. and that includes a soldier's nephew, a kid from new york who gue up to become one of the great rock stars of all time and honors his uncle here today. it includes soldiers who came home and took different paths, some continue to serve in uniform, some beginning new careers, some getting married and raising their kids, serving their communities, taking care of their fellow vets. these veterans lived out their lives in the country that they helped to defend in doing what they loved, like william leonard who at age 71 passed away in his back yard sitting in his chair listening to his beloved yankees

play out on the radio. and that's where this story a friend ended, but of one of these soldiers and army vet himself set out on a mission. he and his wife spent years writing letters and working with congress and our military to get this done. we thank for all of those who worked so hard to bring us to this moment especially marlin and mitchell who are now 83 years old and i ask them to stand so we can say thank you. [applause] >> finally, of these 24 soldiers, three remain with us

and have joined us here today, men who remind us that sometimes the heroes we seek are right in front of us, literally living right next door. most days you can find jose row dello in his san antonio home, 76-year-old retiree who enjoys baseball on tv and working on his 1975 chevy pickup and mowing the grass. joe is such a humble guy that he did not even mention the ceremony to his neighbors, who i think would be pretty shocked to turn on the news tonight -- [laughter] >> and see that the guy who cuts their lawn is getting the medal of honor. [laughter] >> today we remember how 32-year-old sergeant first class rodela fought through his wounds

in vietnam and rallied his men during 18 hours of constant combat. most days you can find melvin morris at home in port st. john, florida. 72 years old. a retired salesman and a great-grandfather. you will find him working on his boat, going fishing, reading the bible, spending time with his beautiful wife mary, married 53 years this month. you are going to have to give me some tips. we aren't that far along yet. [laughter] >> today we remember how 27-year-old staff sergeant morris, one of our nation's very irst green beer a -- berets -- ink about that, that's legendary, how staff sergeant morris recovered a fallen comrade in vietnam and took out

several enemy bunkers and kept going after being shot three times. and on most days you can find santiago erevia at home in san antonio. he is a 68-year-old retired postal worker. he is fixing up his house, tending to the garden, going on walks with his wife or doing some pushups to stay in shape. [laughter] >> today, we remember how 23-year-old specialist 4 erevia, under a hail of bullets in vietnam, gave first aid to his wounded comrades and single hand he hadly destroyed four enemy bunkers. these are extraordinary americans. they are exemplary soldiers. nd so i want to begin by

welcoming santiago areef yeah to the stage for the read -- erevia for the reading of the citation. >> santiago areceivey, united states army, the president of the united states of america authorized by act of congress march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to specialist 4 santiago j. erevia, united states army for gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. santiago j. erevia distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a adio telephone operator in irst battalion air mobile, 101

airborne division near tamky republic of vietnam on may 21, 1969. specialist 4 erevia rendered first aid to several casualties and the rest of the plaptoon moved forward. he came under intense hostile fire from four bunkers. although he could have taken cover with the rest of the element, he chose a course of action. with heaven my fire directed at him, he moved in full view of the hostile gunners as he proceeded to crawl from one wounded man to the other gathering ammunition. armed with two m-16 rifles, he charged toward the enemy positions behind the suppressive fire of the two rifles. under intense fire as he continued to advance, he was near the first bumpinger. disregarding the enemy fire, he pulled the pin from a hand grenade and advanced on the bunk

er, wounding the insurgent. without hesitation, he employed identical tactics as he eliminated the next two enemies. specialist 4 erevia exhausted his supply. still under intense fire, he courageously charged forward. arisk at the very edge of the bumpinger, he silenced the occupant in the for the fix at point blank range. through his actions, the lives of the wounded were saved and the members of the company command post were relieved. his performance in the face of overwhelming danger was an inspiration to his entire company and contributed to the success of the mission. specialist 4 erevia's gallantry and extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life above and

beyond the call of duty where in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflected upon his unit and he united states army. [applause] >> sergeant first class melvin

orris. >> sergeant first class melvin morris, distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commander of a strike force drawn from company d, fifth special forces group airborne during combat operations against an armed nemy in the city of chi lang republicic of vietnam. staff morris' affiliated company were engaged by a hostile force. he learned by radio that a fellow team commander had been killed near an enemy bunker and reorganized his men into an effective assault posture before

advancing forward and splitting off with two men to recover the team commander's body. observing the maneuver, the hostile force concentrated its fire on his three-man element and wounded both men accompanying him. after assisting the two wounded back, staff sergeant morris charged forward with only his men suppressive fire as cover. while enemy gun placements were against him, staff sergeant morris destroyed the positions with hand grenades and continued his assault eliminating four bunkers. upon reaching the bumpinger nearest the fallen team commander, he repulsed the enemy and began the trek back to friendly lines. he was wounded three times as he struggled forward but succeeded in returning his fallen comrade to a fall safe position.

they are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his you noit and the united states army. -- his unit and the united states army. [applause] >> master sergeant first class jose rodela.

aster sergeant jose rodela served as a company commander b-36, company a, fifth special forces group, first special forces against an armed on september 1, 1969. hat afternoon, master sergeant rodela's battalion were under gun fire. ignoring the enemy fire, master sergeant rodela began placing his men into defensive positions to prevent the enemy overrunning the entire battalion exposing himself to enemy fire, he moved from position to position providing suppressing fire and

assisting wounded and was wounded in the back and head while recovering a wounded comrade. alone, master sergeant rodela assaulted and knocked out the b-40 rocket positions before returning to the battalion's perimeter. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the united states army. [applause]

>> before jose returns to his seat, i just want to ask santiago and melvin to return to the stage, please. this is a remarkable moment. and as they come up, i would -- take their positions, i would like to recall the words of a poet, though much is taken, much abides and tho we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are. one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and faith, but strong in will to strive to seek, to find and not to yield. antiago erevia, melvin morris,

jose rodela, in the thick of the fight, all those years ago, for your comrades and your country, you refused to yield. and on behalf of a grateful nation, we all want to thank you for inspiring us, then and now, with your strength, your will and your heroic hearts. lease give them a big round of applause. [applause]

>> gentlemen, thank you. please take your seats. we'll proceed with the rest of he ceremony. l. pecialist 4, leonard alvarado.

>> specialist 4 leonard alva radioedo distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle man with company d, second against , 12th cavalry an armed enemy in vietnam on august 12, 1969. on that day, specialist four alvarado moved through dens jungle to a friendly platoon. he detected enemy movement and opened fire. despite his quick reaction, he and his comrades were pinned down by the hostile force that blocked the path through the trapped platoon. he moved forward through the hostile machine gun fire in order to engage the enemy troops. suddenly, a grenade exploded nearby stunning him.

retaliating immediately, he killed the enemy just as another enemy barage wounded him. he crawled forward to pull several comrades back. realizing his element needed to break away from the hostile force, he began maneuvering forward alone. thrown to the ground repeatedly, he kept advancing and firing, silencing several, including one enemy machine gun position. from his position he laid suppressive fire on the hostile forces and after the enemy troops had broken contact, his comrades discovered he died. for his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life above and the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflects upon himself, his unit and the united states army.

[applause] class felix mrst .uest: -- felix m conde-falcon he distinguished himself while acting as an acting platoon letter in company d, first italian, 501st infantry regiment, third brigade, 82nd airborne division during combat republic ofn the

vietnam on april 4, 1969. while and filling a heavily wooded section, first-class conde-falcon and his company encountered a bunker complex later identified as a battalion command post. following artillery and airstrikes on the enemy position, sergeant first class conde-falcon's platoon was selected to assault and clear the bunker fortifications. leon ahead of his platoon, sergeant first class .onde-falcon charged as the hostile fire increased, he crawled to the blind cried of the entrenchment position, jump to the roof, and tossed a grenade into the bunker aperture. he proceeded to two additional bunkers, both of which he destroyed. platoon, hes advanced about 100 meters through the trees become -- before becoming under intense fire. he moved towards the flanking

position. he single-handedly assaulted the nearest fortification, killing the enemy inside before running out of ammunition. after returning to the three men with his empty up in and taking up an m-16 rifle, he concentrated on the next bunker. with than 10 meters of his goal, sergeant first class conde-falcon was shot by an unseen sailing and -- assailant and soon died of his wound. his selflessness and heroism at the cost of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

four ardie r. copas. specialist for ardie r. copas distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner in company c, first the tie-in mechanize, first infantry regiment, 23rd infantry regiment during combat operations in cambodia on may 12, 1970. that morning, the company was attacked by a large, hostile

force firing rocket propelled grenades and rocket -- automatic weapons. as specialist four copas returned fire, his car was struck, knocking him to the ground and injuring four american soldiers by the vehicle. ignoring his wounds, specialist four copas remounted the burning vehicle and commenced firing his machine gun at the belligerents. breaking the hostile fire and a possible detonation of the mortar rounds inside the track, he maintained a heavy volume of suppressive fire on the faux while the wounded americans were safely evacuated. undaunted, specialist four copas continued to place devastating volleys of fire upon the adversary until he was mortally wounded when another enemy round his vehicle. copas' daringr action resulted in the safe evacuation of his comrades. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the

call of duty, are in keeping with the highest additions of military service and in foot rate credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army -- inflict great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of her father, specialist four jesus s. duran. specialist four jesus s. duran distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty all serving as an acting m-16 machine gun or in company e, second battalion, fifth cavalry, first cavalry division air mobile ring combat operations against armed enemy in the republic of vietnam on april 10, 1969. platoon wasssance moved into a bunker complex when the lead elements begin taking concentrated fire. the command post was in danger of being overrun.

with an m-16 machine gun blazing from his have -- his hip, you rushed forward and assumed a defensive position near the command post. specialist four do ran up -- specialist four dduran stood tall. learning that two seriously wounded troopers were helplessly pinned down under fire, specialist four duran assaulted the enemy position on the run. he fired rectally into the enemy's foxhole, illuminating for and cutting down several others as they fled. specialist four duran then again to poor effect fire on the fleeing enemy. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect hist credit upon himself, unit, and the united states

army. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of of sergeant candelario garcia. sergeant candelario garcia distinguished it self by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an acting team leader for company b, first battalion, second infantry, first brigade, first infantry division, during combat operations against an armed of vietname republic

on december 8, 1968. conducting reconnaissance, sergeant garcia and his platoon discovered communication wire and other signs of an enemy base camp leading into a densely vegetated area. they came upon intense fire. several men were hit and trapped in the open. ignoring the bullets, sergeant garcia crawled to within 10 meters of a machine gun bunker, let to his feet, and ran directly at the fortification, firing his rifle as he charged. sergeant garcia's jammed grenades into the import and placed the muzzle of his looking inside, killing the occupants. continuing to expose himself to fire, sergeant garcia raced 15 meters to another bunker and killed his three defenders with hand grenades and rifle fires. after braving the enemy roche to rescue two casualties, he joined an assault which overran the array -- the remaining enemy

positions. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest additions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of his are old and upward baldonado. he served as an acting machine

gunner in the hundred 83rd airborne regiment in korea on november 25, 1950. on that morning, the enemy .aunched a strong attack most ofoon had extended its ammunition and the platoon leader decided to commit his third squad in a defensive action. since there was no time to dig in because of the proximity of the enemy who advanced within .5 yards, the court -- 25 yards, the corporal provided a withering stream of fire on the enemy. the enemy than concentrated all their fire on his gun and attempted to knock it out by rushing the position in small groups and hurling hand grenades. explodedimes, grenades extremely close to the corporal but failed to interrupt his continuous firing.

i hostile troops made repeated attempts to storm him and with your with casualties. a grenade landed near his gun, killing him instantly. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of his

father, corporal victor h. espinoza. corporal victor h. espinoza, distinguish himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an active rifleman in company a, 23rd infantry regiment, second infantry division during combat against an armed enemy in korea on august 1, 1952. on that day, corporal espinoza and his units were responsible for securing and holding a vital enemy hill. as a friendly unit neared its objective, it was subjected to a devastating volume of enemy fire. , being fullynoza aware of the hazards, left his place of comparative safety and made deliberate one-man assault on the enemy with his rifle and grenades, destroying a machine gun and killing the crew. toporal espinoza continued

cross the terrain to an exposed vantage point where he attacked a mortar position and two bunkers with grenades and rifle fire, knocking out the enemy mortar position and destroying old bunkers and killing their occupants. upon reaching the crest and running out of rifle ammunition, he called for more grenades. himmrade who was behind threw some chinese grenades to him. immediately upon catching them, he pulled the pins and rolled them into the occupied trenches, killing and wounding more of the enemy with their weapons. continuing on, he made a daring charge inflicting at least seven more casualties upon the enemy who were fast retreating into the tunnel. corporal espinoza was in pursuit that hostile fire from the opening prevented him from overtaking the retreating enemy. as a result, corporal espinoza destroy the tunnel with tnt, called for more grenades, and hold them at the enemy troops until they were out of reach. corporal espinoza's incredible this way of valor secure the

point and took a heavy toll on the enemy, resulting in at least 14 dead and 11 wounded. corporal espinoza's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause] >> accepting on behalf of his uncle, sergeant eduardo c. gomez.

oc gomezed ward distinguish himself above and beyond the call of duty while i, eighthth company cavalry regiment, first cavalry division during combat against onarmed enemy in korea september 3, 1950. while conducting combat controls, sergeant gomez's company was ruthlessly attacked by a hostile force which moved within 75 yards of the command post before was immobilized. tank and multiple enemy machine guns continue to rake become funny perimeter -- rank the company perimeter. voluntarilyez crawled 30 yards across an open field, folder bull to enemy fire, boarded the tank, pride open one of the hatches on the turk and drop in activity grenade into the hole, killing the crew. wounded in the left side while

returning, sergeant gomez refused evacuation. of aving at the tripod machine gun was rendered inoperable amah he cradled the weapon in his arm, return to the defensive positions, and swept the assaulting force. although his weapon overheated hands, sergeant gomez maintained his stand and upon orders to withdraw in the face of overwhelming enemy superiority, remain too provides protective fire it up he exacted -- protective fire. he would not consent to leave his post for medical attention until the company establish new defensive position. selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are keeping with the highest duty of the united -- of the armed services. [applause]

>> accepting on behalf of her uncle, private first class leonard m. kravitz. private first class lemon -- leonard m. kravitz the stingers himself by acts above and beyond the cal of duty well serving as an assistant machine gun with company m, 24th infantry division, during combat 6erations in korea on march and seventh, 1951. after friendly elements had repulsed probing attacks, the

enemy launched a fanatical on-site charge with supporting fire and despite staggering losses wrest the assault with ruthless determination. when the machine gunner was wounded in the initial phase of the action, private first class kravitz sees the weapon and poured devastating fire into the race of the oncoming assails. they exploited a breach on the left flank, leaving the position untenable. upon orders to withdraw, he voluntarily remained to provide protective fire for the elements are treated. private first class kravitz swept the hostile soldiers with fire, killing the entire group. his district of retaliation caused the enemy to concentrate fire on his position and enabled friendly elements to withdraw. later, after friendly troops had returned, arrived first-class kravitz was found dead behind the gun he had so heroically manned, surrounded by numerous

enemy dead. andextraordinary heroism selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> excepting on behalf of her father, sergeant juan e. negron.

sergeant juan e. negron distribution self i ask of gallantry and intrepidity above in beyond the call of duty the 65th infantry regiment, third infantry division during operations against an armed enemy in korea on april 28, 1951. sergeant negron took up the most vulnerable position on an exposed right flank after an enemy had overrun the line. when notified that elements of his company were withdrawing, the sergeant refused to leave his position, instead delivering fire at possible truths -- hostile troops. when they approach, he accurately hurled hand grenades and short grenades -- at short range . he held through the night. from the forces relieved him and found the bodies of 15 enemy soldiers surrounding his

position. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> michael david ayn you, accepting on behalf of his father, master sergeant mike c pena. penar sergeant mike c. distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above

and beyond the call of duty of serving as a member of company division inalry korea on september 4, 1950. under cover of darkness am a an enemy battalion moved to within a few yards of master sergeant pena's platoon. he and his men opened fire, but the enemy's sudden emergence and accurate fire forced the troops to withdraw. pena reorganized his men and lead them in a counterattack which succeeded in regaining the position they had just lost. he and his men quickly established a defensive perimeter and lay down fire. hurl troops continue to themselves at the defenses in overwhelming numbers. realizing there scarce supply of ammunition would soon make your positions untenable, he ordered his men to fall back and man a machine gun to cover their

withdrawal. he single-handedly held back the enemy until the early hours of the following morning when his position was overrun and he was killed. master sergeant pena's extraordinary hair was a man selflessness at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

,> sergeant ashley randall accepting on behalf of her grandfather, private demand seo rivera.- dimensio whiletinguished himself serving as an automatic rifleman in the seventh infantry management -- infantry regiment income fund -- in combat 1950 one. on may 23, a large hostile force a merge from a dense font and attacked private rivera and his comrades. responded bya firing until his weapon jam. he threw his rifle down and began to engage the enemy with pistol and grenades. at one point, the private fearlessly called -- crawled

through in a placement to engage a soldier in hand to hand combat. with only the sound of footsteps to guide his aim, private rivera held his position against the odds, inflicting casualties on the enemy until he found himself without ammunition of any kind except for one grenade. displaying a peerless fighting spirit, private rivera pulled the pin from his last grenade and calmly waited for the enemy to reach his position. lead inside troops the bunker, private rivera activated the grenade with the full knowledge that it meant his almost certain death. when the debris from the explosion had cleared, friendly forces recovered a severely wounded private rivera and discover the bodies of four dead or dying soldiers surrounding him. andextraordinary heroism selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> joe rodriguez, accepting on behalf of his uncle, private miguel a. vera. private miguel a. vera distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty all serving as an automatic rifleman with company f, 30th infantry regiment, second infantry division, inquiry on september

21, 1952. despite suffering from wounds inflicted in a previous battle, the private voluntary left the aid station to join his comrades in attack against a well fortified enemy positions on a hill of great importance. when the assaulting elements had moved within 20 yards of the enemy position, they were suddenly trapped by a heavy volume of mortar, artillery, and small arms fire. the company prepared to make a limited withdrawal but private vera volunteered to remain behind provide covering fire. as his company moved to safety, the private remained steadfast in his position, directing accurate fire against the hostile positions to spite the volume of fire which the enemy was concentrating upon him. they'd her in the morning when the friendly force research, they discovered private bear in the same position. his self-sacrifice saved many lives. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his

own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest tradition in the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] accepting onstein,

behalf of her husband, sergeant jack weinstein. weinsteinack distinguish himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while reading first platoon, company g, 23rd infantry regiment, in korea on october 19, 1951. 30 enemy troops counterattack sergeant weinstein's platoon. most of the platoon members had been wounded and withdrew under the heavy fire. remained innstein his position and continued to fight off the onrushing enemy, killing at least six with his rifle before running out of ammunition. under heavy fire, sergeant weinstein refused to

withdraw and continued fighting by throwing enemy hand grenades found lying near his position. he halted the enemy process and inflicted casualties. alone and unaided, he held the ground which is platoon had fought to take and held out against overwhelming odds until another platoon was able to relieve him and drive back the enemy. sergeant weinstein's lake had been broken by an enemy grenade and old wounds and reopen. he refused to withdraw and successfully bought time for his comrades to reach friendly lines. sergeant weinstein's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect rate credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> excepting on behalf of her .ather, private pedro cano distinguishedcano himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving with company c, eighth infantry regiment, for infantry division during combat operations during an enemy in germany on december 2 and third, 1944. on the afternoon of the second, americans launched an attack against german emplacements but were repulsed by machine gun fire. armed with a rocket launcher, private cano crawled through a mighty area under fire and successfully reached a point

within 10 yards of the nearest emplacement. he quickly fired a rocket into the position, killing the two gunners and five supporting rifleman. without hesitating, he fired into a second position, killing two more gunners and proceeded to assault the position with hand grenades, killing several others in dispersing the rest. when an adjacent company encountered heavy fire, private cano crossed his company front, crept within 15 yards of the nearest emplacement, and kill the two machine gunners with a rockette. with another round he killed two or gunners -- more gunners. on the following day, his company renewed the attack and again encountered machine gun fire it up he again -- machine gun fire. he again crossed the terrain and killed six gunners. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect

great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause] >> miriam adams, excepting on behalf of her uncle, private joe gandara. he distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty while serving with company d, second battalion, 507th parachute infantry regiment, 70 airborne division against an armed enemy in france on june 9, 1944. on that day, private gandara

attachment came under fire from a strong german force, pinning the man to the ground for a. of four hours. the private advanced alone to the enemy position. firing from the hip as he moved forward, he destroyed three hostile machine guns before he was fatally wounded. his extraordinary heroism at the cost of his own life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and united states army. [applause] >> excepting on behalf of his brother, private first class

salvador j. lara. private first class salvador j. lara distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and in trinity with the second platoon, company l, 180 infantry, 45th infantry division during combat operations in italy on may 27 and 28, 1944. on the afternoon of the 27th, private first class lara let his inflicting large numbers of casualties on the enemy. having taken his objective, private first class lara noticed the unit to his right was meeting stiff resistance from a well entrenched enemy force in a ditch. gathered three men and attack a wide section of the enemy position, killing four and

forcing 15 others to surrender and causing two mortar crews to abandon their weapons. andofficial performance enable his unit and the unit to the right to continue to their objective. the next morning as his company resume the attack, try the first death lara sustained a severe leg wound but did not stop to receive first aid. class larafirst sustained a severe leg wound but did not stop receive first aid. his company received severe casualties after been fired on upon by machine gun. after receiving permission to destroy the machine gun, he crawled alone towards the nearest machine gun. despite his painful wound and the extreme danger, he rose and charge the nets, killing the crew members. other machine gun opened fire on him but he quickly neutralize this weapon with accurate fire, killing three more of the enemy. his aggressive attack force to other machine gun crews to flee their weapons. after rejoining his company, he

continued his exemplary performance until he captured his objective. private first class lara's extraordinary heroism and selflessness are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] exceptinga kennedy, on behalf of her father, private

first class william f. leonard. private first class william f. leonard distinguished himself by acts of gallantry above and beyond the call of duty all in the as a squad leader third infantry division against an armed enemy near france on november 7, 1944. private first class leonard's platoon was reduced to seven men as a rigged salt of enemy fire. gas as a result of enemy fire -- reduced to seven men as a result of enemy fire. he led them in an assault as they were fired upon. ignoring both which pierced his pack, e killed two snipers of 50 and 75 yards and engaged a machine gun nest with grenades killing its crew. by anarily stunned

exploding shell, he relentlessly advanced ultimately knocking out a second machine gun nest and capturing their objective. private first class leonard's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause] >> alice mendoza, excepting on behalf of her husband, staff sergeant men wealthy mendoza -- v. mendoza. he distinguished himself above in beyond the call of duty the 88th infantry division

during combat operation against in italy onmy october 4, 1944. that afternoon, the enemy launched a violent counterattack proceeded by a mortar barrage. already wounded in the arm, he grabbed a submachine gun and ran to the crest of the hill where he saw approximately 200 enemy troops charging up the slopes employing flamethrowers, rifles, and hand grenades. staff sergeant mendoza began to engage the enemy, firing five clips and killing 10 enemy soldiers. ammunition,ting his he picked up a car being an empty since -- a carbine and emptied his magazine. and enemy flamethrower at almost reached the crest but was eliminated when he drew his pistol and fire. staff sergeant mendoza jumped into a machine gun and placement that had been abandoned and opened fire.

unable to engage the entire force from his location, he picked up the gun and move forward, firing from the hip and spring a hail of bullets into the oncoming enemy causing them to break into the confusion. he set the machine gun on the ground and continue to fire until the gun jammed. without hesitating, he began to throw hand grenades at the enemy housing them to flee. after the enemy had withdrawn, he advanced down the forward slope of the foot -- of the hill, retrieved numerous weapons, captured a wounded soldier, and return to consolidate friendly positions with all available man. staff sergeant mendoza's gallant stand salted and 30 german soldiers killed and a successful defense of the hill. his extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect a ray credit upon himself, and the united states army. [applause]

>> excepting on behalf of his first cousin, sergeant alfred b nietzel. he distinguished themselves -- himself while serving as a section leader for company h, 16th infantry regiment, first infantry division during combat operations in germany on november 18, 1944. that afternoon, sergeant nietzel fought to repel an enemy against his unit. the sergeant employed intense fire from his machine gun and

successfully slowed the advance. the overwhelming enemy force continued to press forward. realizing he desperately needed reinforcement, the sergeant ordered the three remaining embers of his squad to return to the company command post. he turned his attention to covering them with fire. after expending all of his ammunition, the sergeant began firing his rifle into the attacking ranks until he was killed by the explosion of anatomy grenade. nietzel's selflessness ifethe cost of his own l reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> dr. terry schwab, excepting on behalf of his father, first lieutenant donald k. schwab. first lieutenant donald k. schwab distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty all serving as the commander of company e, 15th infantry regiment, third

infantry division against an armed enemy near france on september 17, 1944. as he let his company across 400 yards of exposed ground, and intense forthof fire sprung without warning from the woods in front of the american force. first lieutenant schwab extricated his men from the attempted ambush and lead them back to a deaf lady position. desolated position. led them forward into the lethal enemy fire. one halted a second time, first lieutenant schwab moved from man to man to supervise collection of the wounded and organize his company's withdrawal. ade, he rallied his force and successfully worked

his way to within 50 yards of the german before ordering his men to hit the dirt. while weapon fire laced around him, he rushed forward alone, firing his carbine at the german foxholes, aiming for the machine gun pistol nests. silhouetted through the mist and rain by enemy flares, he charged a german emplacement, ripped the cover off the firing pit, struck headerman gunner on the with his rifle but, and dragged him back to the line. his actions so disorganized the resistant that enemy forces withdrew, abandoning their orderable defensive line -- formidable defensive line. hair above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, it is very rare where we have the opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary courage and

patriotism of such a remarkable collection of men. we are so grateful to them. we are so grateful to their families. it makes us proud and it makes us inspired. before we conclude the program, i would ask all those who have witnessed this extraordinary day to please rise and give these latest recipients of the medals of honor your warmest applause. [applause]

will you give us the benediction? >> let us pray. almighty god, you have surrounded us with this great crowd of witnesses, encouraged by their good example, a verse appeared and completed a mission that is set before us. of their unflinching courage and honor, dignity and devotion inspire our service, to strengthen our spirits, that we work for a true and lasting peace. this we ask in your holy name, amen. >> thank you so much. this concludes our program but

lee's, -- please, enjoy the white house. we are so glad you could come. i bless you and god bless america. -- god bless you and god bless america. [applause]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> i would be delighted to yield to the speaker if he wishes to continue -- mr. speaker? please use the microphone. >> there is no question in my mind from the statements that i said on this floor came to me by complaint of the members. first, that they had not been notified. i don't believe that they were notified. i believe that they did not get the mail in their office, number one. number two, a sense of your

letter here. am inviting you to hear dialogue on my perception of what american policy and foreign affairs should be. going to go back. you did not tell me you are going to go back to 1970's to get slips, 1972 in the instance of mr. edward bowen, a gentleman for whom i have the greatest respect for. you're going to ask him a question as to their policy and how they felt about the vietnam war and a question of, did you beat your wife lately? i want you to come in and answer the questions. the philosophy you had them. you talk about angola. you don't talk about angola, how during the eisenhower were the very, we people that later on they were opposed to bring you don't say anything -- about things of that nature.

very interesting. my personal opinion is this -- thateliberately stood in well before an empty house and challenge these people and you challenge their americanism. it is the lowest thing that i've ever seen in my 32 years in congress. >> mr. speaker, if i may -- [applause] let me say first of all -- >> i move we take the speaker's words down. [applause] from 35more highlights years of house floor coverage on our facebook page. c-span, created by america's cable companies 35 years ago and brought to you today as a public service by your local cable or satellite provider. c-span, the on annual atlantic economy summit. first, chris van hollen. in a panel examining the u.s. economy. that is followed by a conversation with grover norquist about the midterm

elections. on the next "washington journal," a member of the american enterprise institute discusses republican efforts to get younger and minority voters. halperin discusses a potential hillary clinton presidential run. airport on transparency in the obama administration. -- a report on transparency in the obama administration. "washington journal" is light every morning at 7:00 on c-span. the center for strategic and international studies hosted a conversation about rush on wednesday. .peakers include bob schaffer

live coverage at 5:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. the health care problem in the united states is owing to continue and it will not go anywhere. if we do not deal with the issue of innovation, if we do not translate all of those findings that occur at the pharmaceutical industry, at the university level, into health care products which are affordable and treat disease enters them, -- and nots them, as long as we do do that there is no point in talking about the solution of the health care problem. islth insurance coverage going to provide health insurance, but when it comes to drugs, when it comes to the premiums, when it comes to subsidies, where are the subsidies going to come from? taxpayers' money.

it is not the people get dollars out of the trees. people have to pay for that and there is a limit. the economy is basically the sign -- science of limitations. if we don't deal with a better system about working on prevention, working on understanding how we could take care of our own health, then there is no point in just having health insurance because what is going to happen? -- inappens incolobm colombia right now. it happens in europe as well. toy're covered when it comes drugs, but governments are having problems affording every -- affording them. >> the future of drugs. >> house budget ranking committee member chris van hollen said house republicans

are considering a budget plan that would change the turns -- terms of the ryan-maury budget compromise passed last year. this is 30 minutes. >> they crowned on me for crassness. we are moving on to another of our keynote conversations. conducting that is david graham, senior associate editor for "the atlantic." he is going to have a conversation on the state of the economy with chris van hollen, a ranking member of the house budget committee. a hand for david graham and chris van hollen. [applause] >> where you want me? >> i think right here.

>> congressman, thanks for being here. let's jump right in. there seems to be this idea that maybe the budget wars are over. as ryan murray suggested, the détente. is that what it looked like from where you are? what can we look forward to in the next few months? >> first of all, it's great to be here. i appreciate the opportunity. i think you have a temporary truce on the budget wars. the budget agreement that was reached in december carries us through fiscal year when 2014 and 2015. you have an agreement to increase spending on those by 2015 you are back to current law, and that is the sequester with the deeper across-the-board cuts.

look at some point we are going to have to resolve those issues. there were concerns we would have another showdown about the debt ceiling. we were able to approve the debt ceiling without too much forensics. there is some talk, and it is only talk, that the house republicans -- my colleague paul ryan may be considering putting forth a budget proposal that would actually change parts of the ryan-murray agreement. i hope that is not the case because that would route -- would create unnecessary disruption. there is talks they try -- they will try to increase the defense spending and reduce the

nondefense spending for 2015. i should be clear, those numbers were very carefully negotiated. if there was a move in that direction it would create unnecessary uncertainty. as of now, a temporary truce and hopefully that will last. >> you were pretty lukewarm on this deal. you said it was not a perfect deal but it was great there was an agreement. how would a change play out, what would it look like politically and what -- and how with the process go? >> if you have a change in agreement that would show -- that would throw a monkey wrench in the process. the appropriators, the people that actually make the decisions about how to spend and allocate funds within those limits, they have been able to get to work. for years they have not been able to get to work because there has not been an agreement between the house and the senate, between democrats and republicans as to what the overall numbers are. if you were to change the agreement he would throw that up in the air. i do think the agreement was a positive development but it was far from perfect. the president's budget attempt to address some of those issues

by saying within the limits he allocates resources and he suggests it would be better for the country if republicans or democrats could get together to agree to increase our investment in nondefense spending. also increase our military readiness by actually providing $28 billion in additional funds. >> let's talk about the earned income tax credit. many people said it was the greatest possibility for bipartisan. do you see your colleagues going along with that? >> i hope so. she combated poverty and made sure work pays. the idea here is to extend that

to childless workers. right now it applies to individuals who are working with families. according to most projections, it would help lift substantial numbers of people out of poverty. i hope we can move forward. the price tag is over $78 billion. in budgeting the question is always how you are going to offset that. the president offsets that in his budget by reducing certain tax breaks and benefits in other areas. i'm not sure our republican colleagues would agree to that approach or not. >> is the policy agreed or could you imagine siding on the extension itself? >> we will have to seek -- to see. i'm not sure.

for example, one question will be what -- will be if and when the house republicans put their budget forward, will they include this extension? that is the first clue on if they want to before this idea. >> how about the minimum wage. is it fair to say that is a nonstarter? >> we are trying to get a vote on the minimum wage in the house. the democrats have filed a discharge petition, trying to collect signatures to essentially pressure the speaker of the house to bring that up for a vote. we are confident that if it had actually had a vote on the memo wage -- if it actually had a vote on the minimum wage increase it would get a majority vote. so far the speaker has not allowed us to have that vote. i think the votes are there. the question is the opportunity

to actually get the boat and let the house work its will. >> we are praying on that theme. something your democratic colleagues sent over -- unemployment insurance. this is something democrats have said is important to the economy and the people. tell me about the prospects there. >> that is another sore point in the house. one other bill and mentioned -- minimum wage increase, extension for unemployment compensation, and immigration reform are things we think the house should vote on this year. they are all important measures to the country. they can vote yes or no but we should at least have a vote. as you indicated the unemployment compensation extension is not only important to the families who are struggling -- we still have an

economy where three people are looking for each job. it is good for the general economy. dr. elmendorf indicated that if you extend unemployment insurance through the end of this year you would save or create about 200,000 jobs by the end of this year. that is because when people are able to pay their mortgage, pay their rent, go to the grocery store and buy goods, it is good for their local economy and the national economy. people can't make the payments if it just has a negative effect on the surrounding economies. >> we have talked about these concrete policies democrats have put forward. we see a lot of republicans focusing on poverty in a can -- in a new way. paul ryan is probably the most visible in doing that. are they taking this seriously now? is this a new change, is it a cynical ploy?

what is really going on and is there somewhere we can agree on on both sides? >> the test of whether or not this is serious will be in the house republicans budget. budgets are an expression of our priorities, values, what we care about. in the past despite a lot of talk with our colleagues about confronting poverty, the budget have decimated very successful anti-poverty efforts. we all know we can do better on the war on poverty. tens of millions of americans are still below the poverty line. that is unacceptable. if you look at the time from 1967 until today, or 2012 with the latest data, it shows the initiatives that have been taken over that time result in about

40 million fewer americans in poverty. it would be a big mistake to unwind some of the important measures that are in place. we can look at reforms if the goal is to improve and strengthen those programs. last year's republican budget slashed medicaid, which is already a health program that has the lowest cost per capita increase of any health programs from a whether it is the private market or comparing it to the medicare. they would essentially cut that $800 billion over a 10 year period. this is a question of what is your budget -- what does your budget do you? not what you say. paul ryan is a friend of mine

but we have disagreements on these policy issues. i think they fundamentally misdiagnosed the problems. his recent comments suggests this is a lack of motivation, that people just do not want to work. there is a culture of not wanting to work written think the problem -- a culture of not wanting to work. i think the problem is a lack of opportunity and i think it is important we identify the key issues here. if you slash important programs that provide some basis of security, it will be worse. >> we see the report on the war on poverty that argues all of these programs haven't really worked. there are too many things going on, the pocket he rate hasn't fallen nearly enough, and we haven't made a dent -- poverty rate hasn't fallen nearly

enough, and we haven't made a dent in poverty. >> if you look at that report is an inventory of different policy initiatives over a. bank -- over a period of time. it is a catalog of different programs. the opening statement begins with a false premise, and that is that we have not made any progress. the council of economic advisers did a very exhausted of -- very exhaustive report in january. what they found is that we have seen a 40% reduction in poverty compared to where we would be with how these measures have been put in place over time. the premise that we have not made any progress is simply false. if you start with that premise you say let's get rid of these programs as opposed to look for ways to improve them. i don't think you can improve the food nutrition program by cutting $140 billion out of it.

i mentioned medicaid, which is an important health care program for seniors and also for lower income families. that is already on a shoestring. there are already low reimbursement rates. to take almost $1 trillion out of that program would simply be at death knell. >> there were things you liked, you mentioned the gingrich loophole, the kerry loophole. republicans seem less fond of this plan. is there any hope of this going forward? >> the interesting thing about the tax plan is the people who put on the running shoes the fastest and running away from it were speaker boehner and republican colleagues. i give dave camp credit for

putting something concrete on the table. there is lots not to like him to david kamp plan. what he did was make the point many of us were making over the last years. it is harder than you think to bring down rates in a deficit neutral manner, in other words by eliminating certain tax benefits, tax expenditures. for years the house republican budget has said we are going to drop the tax rate from 39% down to 25%. we have pointed down repeatedly during these budget discussions that you cannot do that without actually increasing the tax burden on middle income americans. we think the map shows that. i think dave camp has proved that.

if you look at his plan, you actually have a top marginal tax rate. he also put a lot of provisions in there to try to make it deficit neutral in the last 10 years. he has the bank fee and think tax in there. he has a lot of other provisions in there. he has made the point a lot of us have made, which is this is harder to do than you think. i should also point out that even with everything he did to try to make it deficit neutral, most people believe it will significantly increase deficits in the second 10 years. he because he moves forward through various changes, going from 401(k)s to iras, it moves revenue into the next 10 year window. that revenue that will come in the second 10 years is no longer

there with increased deficits. lots of big questions. >> when he gives up the gavel, will this create a template going forward? >> i think the different components of that are certainly things that are going to be in play and discussed. if and when we are able to move forward on a company of tax reform legislation, these are ideas that are out there. i'm sure when we have a discussion on the budget this year in the house budget committee we will have a healthy discussion of some of dave camp's proposals as well. there is one area in the tax reform universe that is at least overlapping in principle. that has to do with corporate tax reform. if you look at the president's proposals, dave camp proposals,

while they are different there are some important principles. there is some overlap in the way they deal with international taxation. interestingly both proposals use some of the income captured as part of corporate tax reform to increase the transportation trust fund, our infrastructure investment. we haven't mentioned that i would say that has to be an important national priority. in the past year there is not enough revenue coming into our federal transportation trust fund to do the work that needs to be done around the country. all new projects, all new funds for projects will come to a halt in september if hungers does not get its act together. of there are some things -- if

congress does not get its act together. >> for years republicans have been talking about the budgets president obama put forward and there is not a lot of movement on that. what will it take for some sort of change? >> this is something that worries a lot of us. we need to come up with a long-term plan for our national infrastructure investment. right now, as with so many other things in congress, we are on a week to week and month to month short-term horizon. the key issue comes down to funding for the transportation trust fund. either you essentially borrow the money from the general fund and dedicated revenues.

if you don't replenish those and come up with a mechanism to expand those resources, then you are borrowing from the general fund. there are a number of proposals to deal with this. if our republican colleagues don't put up that idea than they should put out another idea on how to pay for. if they want to pursue dave camp's proposal that's fine. >> you mentioned doug elmendorf, who was up here. he has not been especially kind to democrats. reports have suggested there'll be a negative impact on employment. it seems to have stalled political momentum. do you worry about what the cbo projections have been saying? >> i want to salute dr.

elmendorf because he has a tough job being the umpire of who calls the balls and strikes. there will be times where one party or another does not fully agree with this assessment. if members of congress could to make up their on projections you can imagine -- as crazy as the budget process is now it would get that much worse. when dr. elmendorf pointed out the economic recovery helped save millions of jobs in this country, republicans did not like it. there is some of his analysis that democrats may not always love it. on the two issues you raised i did want to point out the fundamental misunderstanding that surrounded one of their proposals.

if you go to work for your employer you get a tax break. your employer gets to provide you with health care tax benefit. people who go to work with employers who provide health insurance are essentially getting a tax subsidized health insurance. that kind of tax benefit was not accessible for people who do not go to work within employer. we have a system where we can purchase the health care in the exchange. everyone acknowledges we have a lot more work to do you you can access a tax benefit -- work to do. you can access the tax benefit and that frees up more choices for people. i want to be clear the cbo

assessment with respect to employment said in the out years, as people have more choices they may select not to work as many hours were selected to work at a particular job that they were working because that was their only way to access health care. it wasn't that they were going to be thrown out of their jobs, it was they have the ability to access the tax credit elsewhere. we can talk about the minimum wage issue as well. they projected in the year 2017 you would have 500,000 fewer jobs. this year if we extend unemployment insurance we would have 200,000 additional jobs. if you adopted immigration reform you would see job growth that would dwarf what the project in the out years.

finally the minimum wage also is going to benefit over 20 million americans directly and then millions more. it is just wrong that in our country you can work full-time and still be below the federal poverty line. i think it is a value we should adopt as a country that if you work full-time, 40 hours a week, you should not fall below the federal poverty line. >> one strict political question, what moral support are you offering your successor? >> steve is doing a terrific job. it is a hard job. i think as we go into the november election cycle, what democrats would like is for them

to be able to punch through some of the specific proposals with respect to the economy. early education, minimum wage, on those policy issues every one suggests it will be a strong support. there is so much polarization, so much focus on dysfunction. we are just going to work hard to get the best job. midterm elections are huge issue on both sides. >> good morning, my name is daniel plummer with daniel plummer incorporated. we are a business and internet strategy company. is congress doing anything to address the student loan debt?

specifically legitimate program that what awaits the debt for any service. is congress working to reform a lot of the credit laws passed in the past 12 years with high consumer interest rates? >> this is a huge issue for the country. i think we are up to a trillion dollars in student loan debt. we are also an economy we want to make sure that in order for people to have the chance to compete in go ahead they can go to college. affordability should not be a major obstacle. there are three areas where the federal government has moved. we have increased the size of payments. this is another difference. the house republican budget would significantly cut support

for the program. we worked to keep down the interest rates of the subsidized federal student loans. they were going to double to 6.8%. we were going to keep them lower. the third case directly addresses the question you raised, which has to do with the ability to repay. there are a number of opportunities for people now, either through public service or other kinds of service that they can see a reduction on their loan payments. there are also safety nets or fire breakers that if your income is below a certain point then you can pay off your student loan over a much longer. -- much longer period of time.

even though support for federal student loans has gone up, so has tuition. it has been difficult to try to develop a system that ties federal student loan or grant assistance to the question of the tuition being charged universities. we are looking at that but it's hard. some universities may be increasing their tuition just because they want to expand operations. during the economic turn down, because there were less resources coming in to state coffers they cut that their contributions to universities and universities had to struggle to increase their tuition in order just to maintain current service. there are lots of moving parts here. we would invite anybody who has an idea on how you can tie federal assistance to some

student accountability. it is a tricky area. in terms of the other credit programs, i'm not sure exactly which ones you may be referring to. we have been looking at a number of reforms of various programs, at least in the house and other areas. i can follow up later. >> we have time for one more question. >> just a follow-up to the prior question, i'm not suggesting this is a father-son chat. what do you see in the new pew poll numbers that changing attitudes in the oncoming generation and what effect might that have on the competition of house of representatives over the next six to eight years?

>> changing social attitudes as as they bleed into political convictions. >> that is a very good and very tough question. it is hard to predict how this will impact our politics going forward. i think you see a mix of attitudes among young people. one is on a lot of the social issues. they tend to be generalized and more socially liberal. when it comes to gay rights, when it comes to a number of the other issues like that, i think that you are going to see a continuing trend. if you look at that issue is one good example we see incredible changes in the country in a very short time. i think that is driven by younger voters and the next generation. i'm not sure yet how all their

attitudes will sort of shape economic policy going forward. there are lots of questions about where the younger generation will ultimately gravitate to politically. the coalition of young voters was important to president obama's election. also 2012. not as much energy and enthusiasm, but a significant voting block. thoseestion is whether trends among young people will continue. there is a fair amount of evidence that people tend to stick with their choices of political parties. wrote their lives on average. -- throughout their lives on average.

it is a good question. a lot of people are spending time and effort trying to get an answer. a big part of campaigning these days is trying to harness the information available. social media. all the data out there. to get a better idea of how voters are thinking, not just young voters but across the board. >> thank you very much, congressman. i appreciate it. job.rrific the one question he wanted to ask but didn't get to -- what would lbj do today? >> let me take a second to answer that question. the answer is yes. but in terms of congress. i think the president has been dealt a tough hand. that is my personal view. we went through a litany of

issues where we were trying to get a vote in congress. if we can get a vote, i think we could move forward. he cannot make them. >> thank you all. >> thank you very much. >> more from the atlantic economy summit with the discussion on the state of the u.s. economy and the budget. speakers include jared bernstein. and a member of the committee for responsible minute -- budget. this is 50 minutes. [applause] >> thank you. my colleague who is a senior editor at the atlantic. he has the most fun job. he is going to moderate what i suspect is a feisty panel. follow by a one-on-one interview with governor knorr quest. i can't -- governor knorr