sitting around a kitchen table who formed this organization, who went out there to lobby for those friends who were left destitute after the service member died because the pension at that time went with the death of the retiree. we were part and parcel part of that very first success of the survivor benefit plan that today is commonplace throughout the military services. mental health first aid for veterans. i think what we are hearing today from everyone who up here will continue to hear, really should resonate with us all that the mental health needs and the call for nonthreatening opportunities for veterans, and most important, their families and those in their community, to have access to resources that increase knowledge of the issue

and provide responsive strategies remains both a significant concern and an american societal responsibility. depression. talking about substance abuse, addiction. the self-isolation, whether we like the fact they're called invisible wounds and is hoping sin because of those who are walking around and don't get the same respect and response from our american public as those who do have the physical wounds because they're each suffering entering as badges of honor in her own special way, that where does go to suicide. as tom said, we have embraced that and we are very concerned about 22 veterans a day are committing suicide. and that is the end result of a lesion of other types of things that have gone to for -- legion of other types of things that have gone on before. what about the undocumented family members committing suicide? that is happening, too. those numbers are not being counted.

we are looking for the possibly some legislation being submitted that is going to start to have the requirement to start counting these numbers, but we have untold numbers that are out there. that is one of the things that happens. when these families moved out into the communities, they are lost from the roles of really oversight unless they have reached out for connection with the v.a. 1% have served to protect our freedoms. the rest of us have the responsibility to honor and ensure the healthiest tomorrow for their lives and future productivity. what i like about the mental health first aid for veterans and servicemembers and their families is it stands as a key component and behavioral health support. lagee, the action plan, and we will be talking further about this, but it is really concrete

and simple. where you are assessing for suicide or harm, listening nonjudgmentally, giving reassurance and information, encourage appropriate professional help, encourage self-help and other support strategies. adjustments are taught how to support someone developing signs in an emotional crisis or mental illness. since 2004 when the national since 2004 when the association launched the purple program, dealing withtially military children of the .eployed we later recognize the importance of the family model the work with family struggling with reunions. they come back together after these multiple deployments and have moved into similar type programs that we do at environmental education centers.

we want to marry up the healing , as has beenso broken before, treating the brain, giving the brain an opportunity to come to the focus on with the program. exercises.ptive the point of my mentioning this thee learn early on is that psychological welfare was paramount. a advocacy.sion is we have been advocating for mental health support because we recognize that there is a dearth of that available. we wanted to be accessible.

if we can get access to these services that they are not equally available, there will not be any progress made here. we have also recognize the importance of trained mental health support and we provide scholarships so that we can have military spouses get credentialed so they in turn can join the cadre of dedicated mental health professionals. we also have an app, which serves as a portal to the assistance program that can also provide on your smartphone access and perhaps access to mental health first aid for veterans. one of my big take away that i hope you'll take away is families and communities have all different types of definitions. we don't look at what was

perhaps the traditional because they have all become traditional families. we have moms and dads caring for service members who are connected to the military. we have opened up to where we have partners -- the world has changed. it is important for us to recognize to be inclusive with families. it is also important to realize we're talking about the importance of the families being a support network because the veteran with mental illness or addiction does not stand alone in his or her treatment. the family support is key to the successful support in treatment. we must not forget that. most importantly, we must continue to reduce the stigma associated with seeking treatment. i think we're all going to vow together to work together to truly underscore that seeking treatment is a strength, a sign of strength and not a sign of weakness. mental health first aid for veterans is a major step in the right direction to make that happen.

thank you. >> thank you, linda. i think the national council for this event. i feel honored to be here today. i am sharon thomas parks, a veteran of the united states marine corps. since leaving the marine corps, i have had a long and satisfying career in behavioral health. i have been a trainer for the past six years. i have trained hundreds of people from public safety officers, many of whom are veterans, to university faculty and staff and students, and health care professionals. the most frequent comment i hear from mental health first aid participants is, i wish i had this training 10 years ago. so while i was in the marine corps, i was part of a very

cohesive unit. we drilled until practice became second nature. mental health first eight has a similar approach to repetition -- first eight has a similar approach to repetition. it was kind of a natural fit for me to get involved in mental health first aid. because it provides support for the person who's in the training winning in battle is not about doing it on your own. it is about being part of a cohesive unit and never leaving your buddies behind. mental health first aid is sort of the same idea, that it is not about leaving someone in distress out there alone by themselves in the world. when i left -- when i was discharged from the marine corps, i felt alone, isolated, and disconnected.

those are three factors that put all of us, particularly veterans, at risk for developing a mental health problem. my transition home might've been a little easier if my family was trained in mental health first aid. fortunately, i just created the support that i needed. i was able to cofound a suicide and crisis intervention center. now, not everybody can do that. and we really should not expect anybody to have to do that. my military training and experience gave me confidence. and i got involved in mental health first aid because it gives people that same kind of

confidence. not to run away in fear from the mental-health problem. it gives people confidence to engage a person who is expressing mental health challenge and to ask, are you ok? do you need help? so winning the battle against mental illness can't be done alone. it is not done alone. if we don't offer help to a veteran in distress, we are leaving a warrior behind. mental health first aid gives people an action plan like teresa mentioned. it is an action plan and it provides the training to help make that action plan become second nature.

this is an extraordinaire program that will benefit veterans, their families, and their community. i am very proud to be a part of mental health first aid. thank you. >> it's a little tight back here. >> hi there, i am liz rearden. i've been a trainer for the past five years. i'm the very proud spouse of an air force veteran. my husband dave served from 1971 to 1975 in southeast asia. you talk about the invisible wounds of war. i know what it is like firsthand have someone who you live -- really loved to have to go through that. train number of years, i did not know what to do. i figured, it is vietnam, long time ago, time will heal those well, it doesn't. i did not know to say.

finally, we got ourselves down to the veterans administration hospital in white river junction vermont where they have a primary mental health clinic. we finally got down there. the very first thing they said to us when we walked in the door was, thank you for your service. and that opened a door for us because also, they were so nonjudgmental. my husband was able to tell his story. they were not surprised. i said, of course, why wouldn't you go through this? but we are concerned about you. those words open the door for recovery for him and the other guys or the program with him. and now, a number of years later, he is healthy and strong, and healthy and strong because someone new the words to say to open the door to help him get treatment. he is also here because we talk about the buddies, the band of brothers in his program. i saw that platoon working in or

helping each other out. the most important reason why he is here healthy and strong is because of him. he is here because of his courage, his sacrifice, and his persistence in getting treatment. i am really, really proud of him. that "we are concerned about you" is what opened the door for us. those are the words we learned to say in mental health first aid. often, those of us who are family members, do not have the right words. with mental health first eight, a gives you something to say, way open that door. the other wonderful thing about this program is, it was designed by veterans, families, and those who are involved in love them. it helps us because the people who have been there are helping us as we go forward. those words changed my life and my husband's life and you can change other people's lives as well. i have, and my sisters and

cousins and brothers generations, we have a bunch of young people coming in. young people who have served were coming out, young people going in. they are nephews and cousins and sons and daughters. i have members of my family and members of people in my committee saying, what do i do? what can i say? mental health first aid can help us know what to say. everybody pretty much has a veteran in their lives. somebody you know, somebody who might be family, it could actually be you. what is so wonderful about mental health first aid, gives us that resource and the ability to connect. i am very proud of being part of this.

i expect this is going to make a huge difference and other people's lives and i'm looking forward to that. thank you very much. >> thank you, liz. i would also like to say thank you to my fellow brothers and sisters in arms, thank you for the family and the friends that i continue to network with in this journey. my name is tasha barnes. i am here with several hats on. i'm a veteran. i served with the 82nd airborne. after leaving the service, i became a peer specialist and a volunteer court nader for the veteran peer network and the great state of texas. i have been a student of mental health first aid and i firmly believe in that this program, like mental health first aid for veterans, will change our country for the better. i am listed as a soldier nine years ago and i was part of an

extraordinary units that supported one another through everything. they were my family. when my service ended, i just wanted to get home safely. i assumed everything else would fall right into place once i adjusted and became a civilian again. but after returning home, after four months of searching for a job and not finding one, i was in despair. here i was, a college student and a veteran, but could not get a job. i was struggling emotionally. i found it hard to reconnect with the community i had previously been a part of.

i was depressed and i was suffering from anxiety. i had trouble sleeping. and when i would hear loud noises and alarms go off in the middle of the night, i instantly will look for my rifle -- thinking i was back in afghanistan under mortar fire. as many of us know i'm a veterans can be reluctant to ask for help. we believe it is up to us to solve our own problems and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. now i know it is not weakness, it is a sign of strength. but i was afraid to admit i could not turn it around on my own. and i was very, very lucky to have family and friends who supported me through that time, including a colleague who literally grabbed me by the hand

and led me to community support program. that one action change my life. she did not have all the answers, but she knew i needed help. and she knew where i could find it. she connected me with resources that help me -- pull me out of that dark come a dark place. that is what mental health first aid is all about. it is recognizing the signs of depression -- anxiety, addiction and mental illness -- and connecting people with help. in the texas panhandle, i cover 30 counties. in many of our communities are rural and secluded and too many people are uninformed about what mental illness looks like or even where to access help. but mental health first aid gives us the tool to educate

everyday citizens, both veterans and civilians, and how to recognize the signs of someone in need. veterans and their families have specific needs, and this program being launched today has been tailored for those needs. every one of us in here is familiar with regular first aid. i absolutely believe everyone should be trained in mental health first aid as well. it is especially valuable for our community leaders, our law enforcement, our educators to be able to not only recognize mental illness and substance abuse, but direct you to those resources. but those of us who work with veterans and members of the military know that this kind of education can make a huge, real difference in the lives of

veterans and their families as they manage this transition home. in my nine years of working with veterans and servicemembers, everyone who has taken the mental health first aid emerges believing a veterans program will have the power to change and even save lives. i am truly honored to be here today to see this become a reality. thank you once again for everybody here. >> thank you. >> thank you for your service. [applause] >> ok, now it is your turn. questions.

>> thank you all for your service and for this terrific program. i am a licensed independent clinical social worker who is done outpatient mental health in the clinic in virginia, which is affiliated with belfour. my question i think will direct to tom tarantino and theresa buchanan. the rest of you can chime in. when i work with these families, this a very different population. the continued family relocation and having to move around to different cities and towns was an issue. however, when i worked with families from pentagon, one of the concerns that was raised by the officer and his family, well, my son or daughter may want to join the military, what about confidentiality? my charting was severed from the military.

what are going to be the repercussions? what about confidentiality? i think the military struggling with, it's ok to get treatment, but that was a major concern that came out of this, even from the spouses, the confidentiality. >> your question is about confidentiality of records? >> the program is great, but when you get on the bases and the charting -- thank you. >> thank you for your question. you raise what has been problematic for years. i worked and family advocacy in the 1990's and recognized in terms of just that fear because it also can compromise their clearances and if you're in an installation, who is going to find out.

one of the programs that has evolved from that and is made a significant difference, i think, is the military family life consultant program. the department of defense did instituted a few years ago during the wars. one of the advantages of all licensed clinicians, mental health professionals, is they don't document think counters. they're not -- they are really making some terminus inroads with helping to mitigate the stigma associated. this is going to be a time-honored process that has occurred. there are resources out there having people, the credibility factor, talking to someone else saying, i used this person and it is going to be fine. there is that concern. we are concerned. i know you're concerned because of the impact with the troop drawdown.

no one wants a mark on their record that is going to set them apart or make them perhaps more vulnerable. i think if we continue to work -- that program is there. there is huge support for it. it seems to have great acceptability with the families because they're placing people in schools, placing people in communities, and also having them at programs so they can then to some of the linkage. for the veteran, it will not be as much of an issue. but getting over the hurdles. >> tom? >> i will be brief. ultimately, and we're still a long way from this, but we need to get to a place we don't worry that much about confidentiality. you don't telik respective employer you broke your arm three years ago -- you don't tell a prospective employer you

broke your arm three years ago. we need to educate everyone and that will help us get there. >> one of the branches of military that has more mental health provided in any other branch of special forces. why would these folks who jump out of planes from a swim underwater for two miles without breathing, come out on the beach and speak five languages, take out osama bin laden and home before dinner time ridding to their kids, why would they need until health? you know what the commanders answer to me was? we don't look at mental health as a sign of weakness, we look at it as an opportunity for strength. we call it in the military a force multiplier. i'm like, i hope we can take

that same idea and bring it to the rest of the country because the military has figured out that they need people at their optimal strength -- physically and mentally. so by getting help, you improve your optimal strength. and don't we as americans onto be at our best? why would we reject something that would make a stronger? i think as tom said so eloquently, we have to take this question head on because it is framed adequately for most of america's public right now, but it is an attitude, hopefully, that will change as some said because we look at this in a totally different way. the mental health is for people who want to be stronger. >> thank you. another question, please. >> i am mike turner. we spend about 18 months looking at a dozen of the best programs

in the country and try to discern what are the features that have the most impacted at the community level. we absolutely felt the programs that involved peers as the first point of contact were incredibly successful. rather than a question, just an urgent request, trying to mental health first aid in the hands of the peers. it automatically incorporates many mental health -- >> one of the things we have done, mike, in every other group we have worked with, the instructors are from that group. so probably between 10% and 20% of the instructors today have lived experience with either mental illness or substance use problems, and the same thing as we launch this. we're looking for people like t ousha to become instructors and work with veterans groups. great point. another question, please.

the other thing is, who have been very good about it, continue to identify where you are from, who you are and where you're from. >> i am patricia with the military times newspapers. you mentioned the amount, the cost of the youth program. was wondering what the estimated cost of this program is and where the funding sources are? >> we estimate that if there were no sources of support, so you had to rent space, yet a pay for an instructor's time, you had to buy the materials, serve coffee and maybe lunch, which it is an eight hour program -- it will cost about $150 to be trained. in all cases, it has been supported through either philanthropy our government funds.

so there are some corporations that are using it to train managers, human resource managers. they in fact are expending their own dollars on the space and the time of the trainers and all of that. but for everybody else, foundations across the country have stepped up. as i mentioned earlier, eight states and i think eight more have allocated money from their state legislative budgets and of course, the congress right here in d.c., bipartisan, appropriated $15 million that will go to ogle school districts and state school districts -- local school districts and state school districts. >> if i can answer that in a different way. do we ask, to cost to put a defibrillator in an airport? do we ask a much it costs to do cancer screening? we would not think of asking that question.

and no one would think we did not have the money to do it. with the lives we would save. the thought that we would have to think about the dollars, when is someone else pointed out here, the suicide rate amongst our returning heroes is indictment on us as a nation. indictment on us as a nation. and we can do better. the fact we don't even keep track of how many of our returning heroes and up in county and local and state jails because there is no counting of how we return our veterans home, and we welcome them home with open arms or put them in a jail cell? tragically too often, we are locking up the very people who fought for our freedom because they're not getting the proper care and treatment for the "invisible wounds" of war. it is scandalous. i think this press conference is so vital because it starts to turn the tide on how we view these "invisible wounds" and we

start treating them with a visible response rather than the invisible response that too often we have treated these wounds of war, by the way, we turn our back on the veterans who are suffering from posttraumatic stress and brain injury instead of turning toward the challenge their facing insane, how can we help you dash facing and saying, how can we help you after all you have done for us as a nation? i think our veterans for their service and we owe it to them to do a better job than we have done so far and welcoming them home. >> well said. ok, we have hit the noon mark. well done. i hope those of you who continue to have questions will feel free to come up and ask them. and if you need more information, we are here.

you can go to the mental health first aid website and contact the national council, any concern the contact any of us. thank you to our fabulous panelists. we are ver

>> secretary of state john kerry spoke about the situation in ukraine and possibility of sanctions against russia. his remarks are 15 minutes.

we met in joan va with a clear mission -- geneva with a clear mission to find political solutions to the conflict threatening the sovereignty and unity of ukraine. and right there in geneva eu, the high representative ashton and i made clear that both russia and ukraine had to demonstrate more than good faith. they needed to take concrete actions in order to meet their commitments. the simple reality is you can't resolve a crisis when only one side is willing to do what is necessary to avoid a confrontation. every day since we left geneva, every day, even up to today, when russia sent armored battalions right up to the

border, the world has witnessed a tale of two countries. two countries with vastly different understandings of what it means to uphold an international agreement. one week later, it is clear that only one side, one country, is keeping its word. and for anyone who wants to create gray areas out of black or find in the fine print crude ways to justify crude actions, let's get real. the geneva agreement is not open to interpretation. it is not vague. it is not subjective. it is not optional. what we agreed to in vene va is as simple as it is -- geneva is as simple as it is specific. we agreed that all sides would refrain from violence, intimidation, and taking provocative actions. we agreed that illegal groups would lay down their arms and

that in exchange for amnesty they would hand over the public buildings and spaces that they occupied. complement t to these objectives, monitors from the organization for security and cooperation in europe would have unfettered access to parts of ukraine where they were needed most. and we agreed that all parties would work to create that access and to provide help to the osce in order to do this. we agreed that the osce would report from the ground whether the rights, security, and dignity of the ukrainian citizens was being protected. from day one the government of ukraine started making good on its commitments. from day one. from day one, prime minster has kept his word. he immediately agreed to help

vacate buildings. he suspended ukraine's counter terrorism initiative over easter, choosing desee sclation despite ukraine's atlanta fundamental right to defend -- dundyamentyl right to defend its own territory. from day one the ukrainian government sent senior officials to work with the osce in keeping with the agreement to send them to work in regions where russia had voiced its most urgent concerns about the security of raugs speakers and ethnic raugses and on day one, the prime minister we want on live television and committed his government publicly to all of the people of ukraine that -- and these are his words -- committed them to undertake comprehensive constitutional reform that will strengthen the powers of the regions. he directly addressed the concerns expressed by the

russians. and he did so on day one. he also made a personal appeal to russian-speaking ukrainions, pledging to support and again these are his words, a special status to the russian language and the protection of the language. d in keeping with his geneva commitments, the prime minister publicly announced amnesty legislation once more in his words for all those who surrender arms, come out of the premises, and will begin with the ukrainian people to build a sovereign and independent ukraine. that is a promise made by the interim government to the people of ukraine. and by complying with actions requested by russia, like removing the barricades and cleaning up the square and ensuring that all ongoing

demonstrations in kiev are actually government approved and peaceful ukraine is thrsh taking tangible concreet steps to move beyond the division of the last months. that is how a government defines keeping your word. that is leadership that upholds both the spirit and the letter of the geneva agreement. the world has rightly judged that the prime minister and the government of ukraine are working in good faith. and the world sadly has rightly judged that russia has put its faith in distraction, deception, and destabilization. for seven days russia has refused to take a single concrete step in the right direction. ot a single russian official not one has publicly gon on

television in ukraine and called on the separatists to support the standdown to give up their weapons and get out of the buildings. they have not called on them to engage in that activity. in fact, the propaganda that is the state-sponsored russia today program, has been deployed to promote -- actually russia today network has deployed to promote president putin's fantasy about what is playing out on the ground. they almost spend full time devoted to this effort to prop gandize and to distort what is happening or not happening in ukraine. instead, in plain sight russia continues to fund, coordinate, and fuel a heavily armed separatist movement. meanwhile, russian leaders are making increasingly outrageous

claims to justify their actions , that the c.i.a. invented the internet in order to control the world. or that the forces occupying buildings armed to the teeth wearing brand-new matching uniforms and moving in disciplined military formation are merely local activists seeking to exercise their legitimate rights. that is absurd. and there is no other word to describe it. but in the 21st cently, where every since sn can broadcast messages, images, and video from the palm of their hands, no amount of propaganda is capable of hiding such actions. no amount of propaganda will hide the truth and the truth is there in social media and across the pages of newspapers and in the video of television where for all of the world can see. no amount of propaganda can

withstand that kind of scrutiny today. the world know that is peaceful protesters don't come armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons, the latest issue from the russian arsenal hiding the insignias on their brand new matching uniforms and speaking in dial elects that every local knows comes from thousands of miles away. the world knows that the russian intelligence operativeses arrested in ukraine didn't just take a wrong turn on the highway. in fact, we have seen soldiers wearing uniforms identical to the ones russian soldiers wore in crimea last month. as international observers on the ground have borne witness, prior to russia's escalation there was no violence there was no broad-scale assault on the rights of people in the east. ukraine was largely stable and

peaceful included in the south and the east. even as we were preparing to meet in geneva we know that the russian intelligence services were involved in organizing cal pro russian militias and during the week leading up to the meetings separatists seized at least 29 buildings. this is one more example of how russia is stoking the very instability that they say they want to quell. and in the week since this agreement, we have seen even more violence visited upon ukrainians. right after we left geneva separatists seized tv and radio stations that broadcast in the upe craneion language. the mayor -- ukraine yg language. a mayor was kidnapped. two days ago, one journalist was kidnapped and another went

missing, bringing the total number of kidnapped journalists into the double digits. that same day two dead bodies were found, one of them was a city council member who had been knocked unconscious and throub in the river with a weighted backpack strapped to him. the government of ukraine has reported the arrest of russian intelligence agents. including one yesterday who it says was responsible for establishing secure communications allowing russia to coordinate destabilizing activities in ukraine. and then just this morning separatist forces tried to overrun another arms depot. having failed to postpone ukraine's elections, having failed to halt a legitimate political process, russia has instead chosen an ill leaget course of armed violence to try to achieve with the barrel of a

gun and the force of a mob what couldn't be achieved any other way. they've tried to create enough chaos in the east to delay or delegitimatize the election or to force ukraine to accept a federalism that gives russia control over its domestic and foreign policies. or even force ukraine to overreact and create an excuse for military intervention. this is a full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation that has brought inside ukraine and it is worse even. we have seen this movie before. we saw it most recently in crimea where similar subterfuge and sabotage by rush was followed by a full invasion for which president putin recently decorated russian special forces at the kremlin.

now russia claims that all of this is exaggerated or even orkstrate, that ukrainians can't possibly be calling for a government free of corruption and coercion. russia is actually mystified to see ukraine's neighbors and like-minded free people all over the world united with ukrainians who want to build a better life and choose their leaders for themselves by themselves. nobody should doubt russia's hand in this. as nato supreme allied commander in europe wrote this week, what is happening in eastern ukraine is a military operation that is well planned and organized. and we assess it is being carried out at the direction of russia. our intelligence community tells me that russia's intelligence and military intelligence services and special operators are playing an active role in destabilizing

eastern ukraine with personnel. weapons, money, operational planning, and coordination. the ukrainians have intercepted and publicized command and control conversations from known russian agents with their separatist clients in ukraine. some of the individual special operations personnel who were active on russia's behalf in chechnya, georgia, and crimea have been photographed in ukraine. some are even bragging about it by themselves on their russian social media sites. and we've seen weapons and gear on the separatists that matches those worn and used by russian special forces. so following today's threatening movement of russian troops right up to ukraine's border, let me be clear. if russia continues in this direction, it will not just be

a grave mistake. it will be an expensive mistake. already the international response to the choices made by russia's leaders is taking its toll on russia's economy. the prime minister has alluded to the cost. even president putin has acknowledged it as investors' confidence dwindles some $70 billion in capital has fled the russian financial system in the first quarter of 2014, more than all of last year. growth estimates for 2014 have been revised downward by 2 to 3 percentage points and this follows a year in which g.d.p. growth was already the lowest ince 2009. meanwhile, the russian central bank has had to spend more than $20 billion to defend the ruble eroding russia's buffers against external shocks.

what i've ake that just described is really just a snapshot and is also regrettably a preview of how the free world will respond if russia continues to escalate what they have promised to deescalate. seven days, to opposite responses, and one truth that cannot be ignored. the world will remain united for ukraine. so i will say it again. the window to change course is closing. president putin and russia face a choice. if russia schuses the path of deescalation, the sbrgs community all of us will welcome it. if russia does not, the world will make sure that the costs for russia will only grow. and as president obama reiterated earlier today, we

are ready to act. >> very quick questions. >> not right now. students were asked what's the most important issue the u.s. congress should consider in 2014? irst prize winners donald, gabriel's, and ajay are sophmores from montgomery blare high school in silver spring, maryland. they want congress to take action against water pollution nd our nation's waterways. water makes up 75% of our bodies. take water away and humanity

would perish within a week. water is the most vital substance to a human body. yet it is because of us humans that nearly 50% of all streams, lakes, bays andest wearies are unsuitable for use due to pollution. in the u.s. we have learned to take water for granted. water is an unlimited resource. ut step outside to our local water. water pollution kills marine life destroys eco system and disrupts an already fragile food chape. and animals are not the only ones who suffer. >> without clean water and clean air we cannot live. >> by what chance are we geving children to grow up and flourish if we can't protect the rivers and bay that is they swim in and the water that is they drink?

>> congress, it's time to take charge of the situation. you have the power to take action against water pollution in the u.s. and help protect one of our most vital resources. one of the most polluted rivers in the state of maryland is the anacostia. the abcostia was once full of life and ecological diversity, a symbol of prosperity in the d.c. area. it is now known as the frolingten river. the entirety of the eight miles is polluted beyond recognition by sediment, pathogens, and wastewater. between 75 and 90% of this pollution is combined sewage overflows the washington, d.c. and the surrounding area using

the suer system that using sewage and storm water, about twice a week this overflows into local rivers. between the 17 entry points to the river, two to three billion gallons of sewage and storm water plutes anacostia every year. d.c. water has started a long-term process to reduce this. the clean rivers project. the clean riffers project is scheduled the construction of tunnels that will capture and store. we took a tour of the d.c. water wastewater treatment plant to learn more. >> so this tunnel itself is designed as a storage tunnel and a conveins tunnel. and what that means is that when the cso overflows the combined suer systems, instead of going into the anacostia

potomac rivers, specially the anacostia, it will overflow into this tunnel through deep shafts along the alignment and filling up the tunnel and transferring all of that overflow water down here to the plant where then it can be slowly pumped back out so it captures, it stores, and it conveys it to the plant for treatment. >> one of the biggest source of pollutions is combining the overflow. so at the end of this project it will definitely be eliminated and make a huge difference. instead of overflowing 70 or 80 times a year it will overthrow twice per year which will make a huge difference to the river. there's a magecommr bind overflow going out there twice a week. so long during those periods the height of the bacteria, you can get sick. so the clean rivers project will fix that.

98%. it reduce it is overflow to the anacostia by 98%. >> when fully implemented this project is expected to help take the anacostia river off the list of impaired waterways in the u.s. but d.c. is not alone in its struggle for clean water. > when it rains, raw sewage, industrial afflupet and storm water come pouring into the harbor. we need to stop it. >> the seriousness that triffers have endured is unknown. >> it would be nice if you can jump off your boat and not worry about what you're going to get. >> one of the lingering problems still to address is sewage pollution. >> cities were built with combined sewage systems. >> the biggest is combined sewer overflow. >> the clean revers project, another initiative, will help benefit our waterways tremendously but it all comes

at a price. >> one of the obstacles mentioned it's a heavy burden. the biggest thing the government could do would be to help fund this and take some of the burden off taxpayers. >> trying to scrape together funds in their quest for clean water. congress in 2014 you must provide federal funding to water treatment agencies across the country. the life blood of our nation is tainted for generations and it must stop here. >> to watch all the winning videos and to learn more about our competition go to c-span.org and click on student cam. and tell us what you think about the issues these stinets want congress to consider. post your comment on student cam's facebook page or tweet us using hashtag student cam. >> the export/import bank is meeting in washington this week. the bank's president called on

congress thursday to reauthorize the bank before its charter expires this fall. one of the roles of the bank is to provide financing to foreign companies buying u.s.-made goods. >> good morning and welcome. i've had the opportunity to welcome you here for five years running. and i couldn't be more excited about today's program and the direction that we're headed. i'm particularly delighted that we'll be welcoming secretary of state john kerry who will be joining us at lunch today. i want to begin today by talking about money. not what's inside this bag. i want to talk to you about the dollar sign itself. everybody in this room know

what is this symbol means. but i'm willing to bet not many f you know where it came from. historians differ on the exact source of the dollar sign. so the series that i like best traces it back to the strait gibraltar long before clumbs sailed to the new world legend held that on each side was a pillar. and the story goes that on those pillars was an inscription meant to warn sailors who had ventured out west. the inscription said, translated from latin, meeps nothing further beyond. for centuries most europeans believed that there was nothing out there beyond the water's edge. and of course all that changed when columbus reached the

americas. on what i would call europe's first trade mission. after word got out of the new discoverry, king charled decreed that the old saying would be changed to police further beyond. those pillars became some of the world's most enduring symbols, a symbol that still reminds us that opportunity and prosperity aren't confined borders. own they can be found further beyond. and that's exactly what i want to talk to you about today. bor they can at ex-im we want to be the wind in your sales equiping you with tools you need to venture out to new front tiers. now, it wasn't so long ago that american business people, myself included, only turned to exports after u.s. markets were

exhausted. many entrepreneurs were like they did not see a lot of value beyond their own shores. .his is what explores it used it is not great for discovering new markets, but it does let me see who is already on twitter at this early part of the conference. [laughter] back in the 1950's, u.s. exports made up about 4% of gdp. has more thanmber tripled. as the world continues to globalize, exports are an increasingly vital part of our economic success and job growth. since president obama announced the export initiative on this very stage in 2010, we have made for stored progress. last year, 16 states set new records for export sales.

america set a new export record for the fourth straight year. america has added 9 million private sector jobs since 2010. at the rate we are going, april is poised to be a 50th straight month of u.s. job growth. the momentum is only going to go stronger in the years ahead. the tremendous progress, we still have more to do if we want to match our overseas competitors. u.s. exports are nearly 14% of gdp. korea's exports represent more than half of their gdp. in fact, korea's export financing amounts to $100 billion. that is nearly four times what america supports for an economy less than 1/10 our size. they are not alone.

when i travel around the world, i see government after government looking to strengthen their economies through exports. everyone is putting their foot on the gas, trying to win the race for leadership in the global marketplace. last year, we pulled ahead of germany to become the world's number two exporter. right behind china. as far as i'm concerned, there is no reason we cannot top them. it was only a dozen years ago that we were the number one exporter in the world. and we can get there again. this is a time to drive forward. that is especially true now that than are going to be more one billion people poised to join the middle class within the next five years alone. demand is going to skyrocket for transportation, infrastructure, power, and high-tech services.

and every other consumer and capital good you can imagine. that seize these opportunities will not just be benefiting the nations that export to. new will be generating jobs and a stronger economy back home as well. so, we know the ground is fertile. we know the opportunities are out there. we also know that foreign competition has never been more intense. you are an american exporter and you feel like you are wearing a big target, guess what, you're not paranoid. everybody wants to talk the united states. they are pulling out all the deals andin trade boost exports. sometimes, for countries like china and russia, that can even mean throwing out the rule book. u.s. businesses do not have that luxury. the rules.

so on an uneven playing field facing relentless competition, how can america succeed on the global stage? first and most importantly, by continuing to ensure that the u.s. produces the highest quality, most innovative goods and services in the entire world. make no mistake, america's success begins with you. ensureond way we can that is by leveling the global playing field so that u.s. goods have an opportunity to succeed on their own merit. your focus should be coming up with the next game changing idea, not financing. a competitorout to on pricing or scheduling. but you should not lose out just because you were steamrolled on financing by an aggressive foreign government. is where we come in. breaking down barriers to

financing. we level the playing field for american businesses. night'seliver a good sleep to entrepreneurs who might otherwise be worried they won't sale.id for an overseas we have been coming through on that for 80 years now. in the 1930's, support of u.s. businesses working on the burma road meant that the trucks constructing that 700 mile road and gm's, ford's, chrysler's. two months ago, after a 26 year hiatus, we announced there would be an opening in burma. loans back's, ex-im to the construction of the first riyadhc power plants in and jeddah, saudi arabia. we're working you transform energy production in saudi

and dozens of companies. mike boyle started loyal energy and technology 20 years ago in a rented room in nashua. for more than a decade, his business struggle to stay afloat due to a sluggish domestic market. then his team came up with an idea for a new technology, one that could reinvent the way power plants were cleaned, tested, and certified. with this innovative approach, have the ability to service power plants in a way that reduced costs, waste, and carbon emissions. they invented a groundbreaking technology but they lack customers. when mikeed discovered ex-im credit support could help him reach new markets. mike's team has now taken on more than 400 projects in 28 countries.

they have doubled their revenue in saudi arabia -- they have doubled their revenue twice in six years. since partnering with ex-im, they have been able to go from about a dozen employees from 50 today. 10 years ago, exports accounted for about numeral five cents -- 5% of sales. support, mike has the confidence to venture to newmarkets. he has the most reliable financing to back it up. mike went further. i am glad my could join us today. could you please stand, let's give him a round of applause. [applause] as exports grow, we are to ouringly central economic success.

america's future will depend more and more on countries like mi -- on companies like mike's. when we empower businesses to reach new markets and win deals, the ripples are felt in cities and towns across our country. added jobs that mike after partnering with ex-im are not just a statistics. that is 40 families in new hampshire and a dozen other states who gained a little more security. that is 40 families where planning for the future is an opportunity to savor instead of a burden to dread. exports read the new life into businesses and transform communities with job growth. that is what ex-im delivers. global polls that read lasting local benefits.

that is especially true when it comes two workers and small businesses. last year, we set a record of small business transactions authorized at ex-im. nearly 90% of authorizations rectally serve italy 90% of authorizations small businesses. access to global markets is what empowers small companies to become big companies. one of those is spacex. you will be hearing from elon musk, their visionary ceo. incex was born in a garage 2002. eight years ago, they had 200 employees. they were a small business with innovative ideas. with limited financing opportunities, they faced serious competition from france, russia, and china.

now, financing rockets is a complicated business. it may not be rocket science, but it is so complicated. towe partnered with spacex overcome those obstacles and they got the support they needed n equalete on a playing field. nearly 4000 people are part of the spacex team today. their supply chain is here in .merica their manufacturing is here in america. their lunches are here in america. launches are here in america. and those 4000 jobs are here in america. [applause] from awth of spacex small business to a global leader is inspiring. , it is the type of story we want to make possible for all of our customers. bound bydeas are not

gravity, your sales should not be bound by financing. not everyoneut, understands the value that ex-im provides. that is in spite of our 80 year track record. despite supporting more than one million u.s. jobs over the last four years. despite the fact that we run a surplus for the american taxpayer. despite the fact we have done more to propel thousands of businesses to new heights of global success. maybe the critics are not talking to entrepreneurs like added more who have and more jobs. maybe they do not realize that other countries salivate at the idea of a world without ex-im. if we were to shut down, russia, china, and other countries would snatch up the opportunities america would be forfeiting. there are a reason,

few folks who still need some convincing. this fall, our charter is set to expire. come unde -- unless congress acts, we will close our doors october 1. all the momentum we have built up these last 80 years will grind to a halt. reauthorizing the bank never used to be a political issue. it should not be today. supporting american job growth should not be controversial. keeping america competitive in the global economy should not be controversial. and that, after all, is what we do. any economist of every political stripe will tell you the same thing. yet there is a minority out there who cannot stomach the fact that the government might have a role to play in and powering u.s. businesses to

compete across the globe. everybody is entitled to their theories and dogmas. theories do not pay the bills. business owners like you live in the real world. for you, those theories can trigger harmful repercussions. let me tell you about one other person, steve. small,s a veteran whose renewable energy company has created 165 jobs in california and has suppliers in seven states since he began partnering with ex-im. two weeks ago, steve was stunned to hear he had last a $57 million order in the philippines. he had been told he was a preferred supplier. he thought he had it in the bag. hisost out because competitor from south korea convinced the buyer that steve's business might not have the financing to get it done. they pointed to the debate surrounding ex-im's

reauthorization and they said there is too much uncertainty. you cannot rely on america. can't rely on america -- that is just wrong. we should not accept that we do not have to. this is not speculation. this is a real company losing real business and sacrificing real american jobs because of political games being played here in washington. our criticsthink have been talking to steve. i don't think they have been talking to mike or elon musk. i don't think they have been talking to you or the hundreds of other entrepreneurs i have met with across the country. i don't think they have been talking to the millions of americans who are learning -- you are earning a living due to export back jobs. if they did, they would know ex-im has a clear role to play in strengthening our economy. we cannot let rigid ideologies stand in the way of american jobs. we simply cannot afford it.

youris the time to add voice to this critical conversation. the president stands strongly behind you is entrepreneurs and their workers. he asked for ex-im to be reauthorized for five years and increased our lending cap to 100 $60 billion. those five years would deliver confidence to countless americans, exporters, and workers. and certainty to their buyers overseas. everyone is counting on congress to get this done and done on time. china is buying u.s. satellites. builds and exports more condos then we import from japan. all across this country, innovative entrepreneurs are ex-im to create new jobs. we cannot look the rug out from under them and play games with

these american jobs. these jobs drive our economy and they drive us at ex-im. we have got a team of 400 people with this singular focus, getting deals done so america can add jobs. actually, we are up to 401, thanks to the confirmation two weeks ago. we are thrilled to welcome back our vice chair, wanda. [applause] we are sleek, we are nimble, we are entrepreneurial minded. we defy every tired stereotype about federal agencies. theeliver government at speed of business. the reason is simple, we live in the world of business. we have spent 80 years cultivating a record of success in this global business community. that success, we are not resting on our laurels. we constantly seek out new ways

to improve. that is why we are cutting red tape and rolling out new tools exporters can use to connect with us and their customers more efficiently. that is why we always take a responsible approach to risk. last year, we supported 200-5000 u.s. jobs. -- last year, we supported 205,000 u.s. jobs. we empowered 305 small businesses to reach out plus ultra beyond our shores. we engaged with more u.s. companies than ever before while maintaining a low default rate .25%.ss than and we did this at no cost to the u.s. taxpayer. in fact, we ran a surplus of $1,057,000,000.

i am so proud of that number, it is the password on my iphone. [applause] don't tell anyone. the u.s. economy is not slowing down, and we are not either. with our support to small business coming in at a record pace so far this year. excuse me. the is a testament to entrepreneurs in this room and around the country. a reminder that america still creates the best products board of the best ideas. your ideas can be deployed to every corner of the globe. to revolutionize industries, to meet the needs of consumers on every continent, and to deliver good jobs and revitalize talons around this country. to ensure that the u.s. becomes the number one exporter again. and home to the strongest, most

horrible economy in the entire world -- and home to the strongest, most durable economy in the entire world. you can be part of that growth. the days of nec plus ultra are over. the world is waiting for you. set a new course for the new market. reach further beyond. will continuex-im to stand with you. a pillar of support for innovators and entrepreneurs all across our country. guiding the way to opportunity, prosperity, and american jobs. thank you, and enjoy the conference. [applause] >> now we will hear from secretary of state john kerry, who also addressed the

export-import bank conference. his remarks are 30 minutes. >> winston churchill said the stand to giveople a standing ovation as they desperately need an excuse to shift their underwear. [applause] i know you had a more noble thought and mind. [laughter] i am very happy to be here. out happy i did not knows axelrod at any time, if i had, i would not have become secretary of state.

congratulations to her. thank you very much for that generous introduction. more appreciate our friendship. i thank you for your support through my political life. and now through my nonpolitical life as secretary. i am delighted to have an opportunity to share some .houghts with all of you today fred's ability to find out about my foray into the cookie business gives you some sense of deep expertise in matters of business and personal affairs. [applause] i will have to make sure that is as far as it goes. fred was very diplomatic and not telling you more about that escapade. he did not really mention that it was a triumph of hope and the late-night wine that gave me that i was going to open this business in santo

in faneuil hall market place. we enjoyed one bottle to many. i don't know if you have ever had the late-night chocolate chip cookie craving, for the right reasons. [laughter] at any rate, i came out of their and i was somewhat bored as secretary attorney. i had this notion i wanted to do something in retail business. there was this vacant space in i said it would be really interesting to open this gourmet food store there. the next morning, i found myself in baltimore with developers and

a negotiated this lease. i wanted to have this really great emporium of cookies that was then going to become a national effort, a flag store whatever. was brought to the ground by the company who said we do not want anymore fast food things here. we really want gourmet. isaid that is exactly what want to do. i gave them this explanation and low and behold we have the lease. we started laying it out and we had these wonderful ovens where you could see the cookies progressing through them and dropping out on the other side. everything was moving swimmingly. i had never done anything like this before. as you will know in a moment when i will tell you that we were one week from opening and i realized god, i need a cookie recipe. [laughter] -- i hadme and i took

been a tollhouse cookie baker since i was a kid. anybody who has traveled with me will tell you. so i started baking and baking. i learned the chemistry of food is the hardest thing in the world. as you get bigger, it changes. it is not an automatic progression. we did it, we put together this incredible cookie with your letter chocolate -- with pure lindt chocolate and honey and all-natural ingredients. within one year, i am proud to tell you we won the best of boston for our cookies, macaroons, brownies, everything. i only sold it when i had the idiotic notion of going into public life and running for lieutenant governor and i did not want anyone accusing me of

having sweetheart relationships. which i didn't, but that does not stop anyone in politics from telling you you do. i sold it to my manager. 20m proud to tell you that whatever number of years later, it is still there and thriving in faneuil hall. --dream had been to take it i had visited harrods in london i was going to put it there. the old motion, you get 40 stores and sell it for 10 times earnings. that was the story. of course, i did not and here i am now. a public servant and i am not making anything. [laughter] it is a long way of telling you all that -- this really helped where ie u.s. senate did become chairman of the small business committee. i was on the small business committee for 20 plus years. not me in enormous amount

about the difficulties of being a small business. having 35 or 40 part-time employees, getting your tax forms filled out, working on withholding, dealing with the health department, getting your license, dealing with inspectors. you know it better than i do. it really taught me about entrepreneurship and risk-taking. if any of us said you do not need a reminder of how critical leadership and vision are to the success of any leadership effort, you can ask anybody if any one of these tables. you are living examples and you know how to do it. as does fred hochberg. i am delighted fred is leading effort.im he himself is a very skilled business person. not so long ago, fred's father tie bar.a

letters, the following ycdbsoya. i do not know how you say that. "you can do business sitting on your ass." [laughter] max and that has driven him to take his family catalog company global. is what made him an exceptional leader at the small business administration where we were friendly. and at his own company. today, it is driving him to work to try to tie the world together with american exports. i think every single one of you here would agree that this man has been anything but an idle executive. in five years on the job, he has $188ed to finance over

billion in u.s. exports and supported 1.2 million american jobs in the process. the ex-im bank has been the driver of economic growth for much of the past century, especially during difficult times. that is been true since ex-im's beginning when it was founded during the height of the great depression. it has been true again in our recovery recently from our own great recession. the ex-im bank has played a driving president obama's national export initiative forward. i want you just to think about it. only a few years ago, a few years removed from the greatest financial crisis in our lifetime. believe me, i will never forget the treasury secretary hank paulson coming up and literally quaking in front of us in the senate room, in the lbj room. pale and faxed as he explained

what was going to happen to lehman brothers and the financial world if congress did not pass was then called a bailout. paid the american taxpayer. there was irony in a number of one party coming to members of another party to austin to save them from themselves. -- to ask them to save them from themselves. it happened. since that recession, which put the financial system of this country and the world on the precipice, since then we have come back. people have forgotten what president obama had to begin to do even before he was sworn in as we try to navigate through that late fall of 2008. since then, u.s. exports have hit an all-time high. a record $2.2 trillion. supporthose exports

$11.3 million and account for 14% of the entire economy of the united states of america. i am happy to tell you that america is selling more goods and services abroad than at any time in our history. that is a remarkable, schmidt. [applause] - that is a remarkable, accomplishment. [applause] let me make clear -- that kind of recovery was by no means inevitable. it was the result of specific economic choices that we made at the federal level of our government. it was the result of strong partnerships between everyone at ex-im and with so many of you out there and others who are not here today. i want to thank the many business leaders in this room who have done so much to gain a bigger foothold for american companies overseas. and to create opportunities for

our workers here at home. and every american needs to understand -- none of this money is a giveaway. it is not a gift program or a charity, it is in our interest. we are not just promoting american businesses here at home. we are promoting american values where they reach a broad. we are helping to strengthen companies that are on the brink, in some cases, of being a failed or failing states. i did not come here to talk about the road we have traveled. it is important, because you have got to know where you have been to know where you are going. i want to talk to you about something that is more powerful than the past five years or even 'se past 80 years of ex-im existence. everywhere i am privileged to travel as the secretary of state everywhereat nation, i travel i see how the aspirations that make america great are moving global.

i see how people around the world want the same kind of opportunities that have defined our country's success. the success of many of our partners. when i was in kiev walking the street down towards the maidan recently where the snipers have protesters, ise was struck by one man who came up to me. a ukrainian who said to me i just came back from australia. i was motivated by what i saw there. i want people here in ukraine to be able to live the way they are living in australia. it was a personal witness to the possibility of how life can be because of jobs and business. and the ability to create a larger and larger middle class. wherever i go, whether it is the middle east or asia or africa, where i will be next week. i am engaged in efforts to

ensure that the rise of the global model class helps advance opportunity here at home. that is what is about. as i said at my confirmation hearing last year, and as i tell our team at the state department every single that, economic policy is foreign policy. and foreign policy is economic policy. abroad, toto invest build businesses, to help people be able to export and import, all of that is the way you tap into the potential of people in the world. and that has never mattered more to our strength than it does right now. when more than half of the world's population is under the age of 30. when hundreds of millions of young people all over the world where entered the job market in the next decade, we honestly do not have a moment to waste. all são paulo to sanaa,

across the world, young people are more connected than ever before. is flip oned to do their mobile device and they are in touch instantaneously with everyone, everywhere, all the time. i can see the opportunities that are emerging across the world. they know the challenge of one country and they share those challenges in another country. they understand the disparities in wealth and the disparities in opportunity. they see that they are just as real. they experience that every single day. what is worse, they fear it is and notsparities the opportunities that are going to define their future. tunisia's revolution was not born out of religious extremism or ideology. wasas a fruit vendor who

frustrated with corruption and the inability to be able to sell his wares. and being slapped around by a policeman out of total frustration. at of not being able to touch the sense of independence and possibility, went and self immolated in front of a police station. that is what ignited a revolution that saw a 30 year dictator disappear and a country began to kick off what we came to know as the arab awakening. egypt, itsquare in was not a muslim brotherhood. it was no religion. it was not sunni or shia. it was young people in touch with each other, texting each and workinging their phones that brought millions of people out there to throw off the yield of corruption and open up a sense of possibility for the future. then it happened again. it took another one because the

government was not responsive to their aspirations and their needs. in syria, where people are so upset and desperate about what is happening, that did not begin -- that was not a revolution in terms of religious backing or sectarianism. it was young people. the same thing that happened elsewhere. they went into the streets and said we want jobs, we want an education, we want a future. withtheir parents went out them after they were arrested the first time around, they were met with bullets and explosions and the rest is history. , as sure as i'm standing here, this connectedness is not capable of being put back in the bottle. by any politician anywhere. end, everybody is going to be affected by these hopes and aspirations. it is both a challenge, but it is a huge opportunity for business.

when you look at the different markets that are out there. half the world's population living on two dollars a day or less. a huge proportion of living on one dollar a day or less. these are people who need schools, jobs, and opportunity. we want these people to be able to reach for the brass ring and have opportunity to be able to tap into that possibility. just consider the opportunities of one con, look at africa. home to eight of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world. at home to 1.1 billion people. they have to educate something like 150 million kids in the next 10 years just to keep up. an unbelievable challenge. think about the size of the opportunity. it is more than twice as large as the european market. that is the largest market in the world. you look at what ex-im and your

companies have helped to do for europe and other developed places. these possibilities exponentially in various parts of the world. whether it is in agriculture or infrastructure or energy, particularly in energy. the marketplace that created the great wealth of the united states of america in the 1990's, which was the greatest wealth creating period in american history. we created more wealth in america in the 1990's. every single quintile of american income earners all their income go up. why? because it was a period of extraordinary growth as a result of the technology boom. the technology boom represented a marketplace of $1 trillion. e one billion

users. the energy market i just $6 trillion a market with 4 billion to five billion users today. it will reach perhaps 9 million users within the next few years. just think about that. that is the mother of all markets. the opportunity to be able to move on alternative, renewable, transportation, efficiency, building materials -- run the list. it is gigantic. i want to see american businesses being the leading innovators of the leading providers in order to capture that market. so i will tell you something. whether it is in africa or the americas or in asia, i see this enormous hunger out there. not just for american products but for ideas and ideals that are uniquely american. young people i met, i was in kuala lumpur last year in

malaysia at this global entrepreneurship summit. 15,000 young people, i heard them screaming and yelling and chanting and i said i am at a rock concert or something. it is not a rock concert. this was their energy and enthusiasm for entrepreneurs. they are excited. they single one of them -- were not interested in becoming pop stars. they were interested in becoming the next bill gates or steve jobs. believe me, they were thirsty for opportunity. everybody else is doing everywhere else in the world, they are talking to them. so we can help create the climate for these young people to take an idea and make it into harnessing their energy and ingenuity. and this, frankly, matters to us deeply. because i firmly believe that the places where citizens have the freedom to be able to develop an idea and take it out there and even to try and make

it a reality, perhaps even fail. to be their own boss and have that option. these are the societies that are most successful. they are the most cohesive and the least conflicted, the most peaceful. not one of the political problems that we are working so hard to resolve today , and not one of the solutions we are working hard to achieve without to endure greater economic exchange and development. i think it is something we have seen over and over again the world over. prosperity is a vital foundation for any kind of lasting, durable peace to take root. it happens to be one of the principal lessons we have learned from asia's incredible rise. it is a story that america proudly helped to write with our anditment to security

economic exchange across the pacific. as i speak right now, it is a story we are building on. the president is hard at work in asia right now, leaving japan and heading to the next stop. strengthening these ties for the future. he is driving forward negotiations on a high standard trade agreement that can be the foundation for greater economic opportunity for decades to come. the transpacific partnership, tpp. it is a trade pact between the united states and 12 of our pacific partners. it would be the largest free-trade agreement of its kind in the world. what would it do? it would set high standards for trade and competition for 40% of the global economy. that matters to us, there are rules of the road and everybody is playing by them. particularly for a nation that lives by and is proud of

something like the foreign corrupt practices act. we are competing in a voracious world market wise. competitive. the chance for an agreement like this where we raise the standards for everybody and create transparency and accountability and rules by , evensverybody lives out the competitive marketplace and provides opportunity. this kind of opportunity does not come often. it does not come easily. i remember the battle for free trade in the senate. i thought that for 29 years. almost every single trade agreement i voted for will start it is clear that these voices are going to be determining where we go as we go forward. the voices of opposition are going to grow louder, obviously. but the clamor for those rules of the road is precisely what president obama is determined to

try to achieve. he wants to break down the barriers to trade, open up the possibilities of opportunity, and that is what he has been setting out to do since the day he came into office. agreementsee-trade that the president sealed with the republic of korea, columbia, and panama during the first term , the president has been very clear about the need to tame the worst forces of globalization and harness the best possibilities of globalization. he continues to lead the charge on the transpacific partnership. as well as our negotiations with the europeans as we investigate a free-trade agreement that would comprise another 40% of the global economy. as you gather here to think andt ex-im and its future the global marketplace, you do

not have to be a big company to do any of this. there are huge opportunities staring all of us in the face. and there is a lot at stake for us. negotiations and in this moment of history. ,t really boils down to this will the global economy be .efined by a race to the bottom but the search for cheaper and cheaper labor, the lowest quality product, and the most lax, if any regulations. or will globalization be defined by a race to the top? with high standards that we set that become the standards of the world. today, as the largest market on earth, we have the power to determine what course the global economy is going to take. because these agreements are so important for our economic future, i have made certain that we elevate the capacity of our

economic team within the state department. that is why i have brought feeders with a proven track record of private sector esperance, private sector, which meant -- private sector accomplishment to the table. like ambassador david floothorne rifkin.rle apple.who i stole from former fund manager scott from boston. they believed in detaining the worst forces of the marketplace and opening up the best opportunities. i have challenged every foreign service officer to be an economic officer and make our prosperity agenda an all hands on deck job at the state department. that is why we partner with of the department of commerce to

bring foreign investment and private sector is. as to our shores -- and private to our shoresnce through select usa to encourage people to invest. we are using the direct line program to connect american topanies with opportunities expand overseas by connecting them to economic insights of more than 15,000 h ambassadors and employees around the world. we need you to tap into that. we are committed to leveling the playing field for the ttip and tpp, we are fighting corruption by advancing the anti-bribery convention. we are working with the ex-im agenda expand uthe nei to the next phase. that is why we are using

public-private partnerships like the palestinian economic initiative and the partnership for new beginnings to try to open up new possibilities for changing life on the ground for people who have seen little improvement in their lives over decades. that is why the president started the presidential ambassadors for global entrepreneurship programs. to bring insight to entrepreneurs across the world. we are doing all this because in the world we live in today there are far fewer borders to trade and talent. that means, you know this better than anybody, our companies have -- muche condition more competition. in the cold war, the united states could make a bad business decision. sole economic power

after world war ii. everybody else was crushed or undeveloped. today is totally different. we are not alone. powerful other economic entities on the planet, many of whom we helped make powerful through the marshall plan and other efforts of our v alues and ideals. the result is more competition, we welcome that. companies are the most innovative in the world and our workers are the most productive. we can compete against anyone. particularly if we have a fair playing field where there is an absence of corruption and a plethora of opportunity. when american companies are the most innovative in the world and when our workers are the most productive, we can welcome competition. when other governments are out there aggressively backing their own business, aggressively under some cases and

above the table and others. we need to be out there pushing back. we need to be partners with you and your businesses every step of the way in order to make sure ttlere able to win in a ba that is fair. we need to be fighting for rules-based systems that level the playing field. when 95% of the world's outside of95%, live , that is exactly what our companies and our people need us to do. i have directed all ambassadors to promote american values that also a powerful advocate for economic interests. we will make sure each of our missions around the world have both a political entity economic mission. and that they are joined at the hip. we need all the gears that drive economic growth driving in the same direction.

the first part of that effort is going to be to tell our economic story. our incredibly economic story. that is a story that everyone of you ought to be proud to tell. i know that wherever i touchdown, whether in tunis or tokyo or anywhere, the words made in america still mean a lot. mostconomy is envy as the innovative economy in the world. it is also the most resilient economy and world, as we have seen in the aftermath of the great recession. that is because it continues to adapt and change to meet new challenges and because we have a greater free allocation of capital and movement of capital to ideas and more people willing to take a risk and possibly fail in order to find an idea that works. let's make certain that we going forward improve on that formula.

let's build partnerships we need to create a shared prosperity in our country and around the world. the world keeps turning. but if we refuse to stand still, which is in the american dna, i am confident that together with ex-im, usaid, world bank, imf, the state department, all the tools at our disposal, we're going to have an extraordinary impact and have extraordinary results at home as a consequence of our economic engagement in this world. and most importantly, as a consequence of american leadership with respect to the rules of the road. thank you and keep on working. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014]

>> the export-import bank conference will continue this morning. we will hear from former economic adviser and treasury secretary larry summers. live coverage starts at 9:00 eastern on c-span3. up next on c-span, a look at mental health care issues facing u.s. military veteran. among those speaking at this event is former rhode island congressman patrick kennedy. on this morning's "washington topics include u.s. poverty in cities, retirement savings, and u.s. public schools. "washington journal" is live each morning at 7:00 eastern. >> according to the national council for behavioral health, 30% of active-duty and reserve military personnel deployed in iraq and afghanistan have mental

health conditions requiring treatment. the organization held a conference on mental health care issues for veterans. we hear from former congressman patrick kennedy during this one-hour event. being here.u for i am thankful to have so many of you who have served our country and whose spouses or children have served our country. president rosenberg, of the national council for the behavioral health. i was thinking about the fact that we are in the press club and how appropriate that is given the fact that we are going to be talking about the very people who have protected our first amendment. the right to have a free press.

i am very grateful we are here .nd in the space i have several tasks. one is to briefly tell you about the national council's involvement in mental-health first aid. to talk about mental-health first aid for veterans. to acknowledge our congressional champions, some of your policy people who know how important this champions are to helping people. lastly, to introduce our speakers and to facilitate your questions and hopefully our answers to your questions. the national council is an association of 2200 not-for-profit organizations. our members are in every state and community across the country. they serve men and women with a mental health and substance abuse disorders. they serve 8 million people year.

their reach is wide and deep. years, i have been involved with people with serious mental health for well over 30 years. i did those years when direct service or iran programs or i was in a policy making position, i was involved with and sometimes even funded anti-stigma campaigns. there is something that we have seen and done a lot of and there are many still going on, and they're all very well intended. but i always wondered, they felt elusive to me. it was about what really is the call to action? in 2008 when i was at the national council, i was talking to a colleague who is based in new zealand. and he told me about a program that have begun at the university of melbourne in australia called mental health first aid. and that it not only taught

people about mental illnesses and addictions, but it helps them help the people they knew and loved. whether it was family members or friends and colleagues. and having had this long anti-stigma history, i thought to myself, now, that sounds fabulous. first of all, it is first aid and everybody knows first aid. it is like cpr. we wanted to be part of health care and part of the world, and this was another way to get there. at that time, mental health first aid was in a few countries and it was started by two people, a nurse in melbourne who herself suffered with depression and her husband -- her name is betty. her husband tony, who i understand spoke this week. he was at john hopkins talking about mental health first aid. he is a mental health services researcher. they were walking on the beach and said, why don't we have first aid for the mind?

they actually went to work at the university to create the curriculum. working with experts from across the world. so we and our partners, the departments of mental health in missouri and maryland, went ahead and said, we are going to bring this to the usa and we did so in 2008. it is now in 20 countries. we have a youth version in the u.s. by the summer, we expect 250,000 people to have been trained in mental health first aid. it has just had an enormously welcoming reception in this country. it is an evidence-based program. it has inrep. shaa.is status at samsun

we went through a long and arduous procedure to get that. research began in australia and it is going on in this country and other countries. it teaches people how to reach out and help someone in crisis and make sure that they get the care they need. we trained instructors who come from local communities. those instructors know their committees. in addition to teaching people about how to feel comfortable working and talking and having the difficult conversation, they can also tell people and help people get connected to the resources in their community. and for veterans, it could be a v.a. or local physician or it could be anyplace they are comfortable. so the fact this then becomes locally driven is very important. let me now just for a second talk a little bit about why we thought about mental health

first aid for the military. it was the early 1980's and i it was the early 1980's and i was running a mental health center in peekskill, new york. we had a whole bunch of programs we ran in peekskill. it is very close to the montrose v.a. and the montrose v.a. had people in their psychiatric unit who had spent years there. they became disconnected from their families and their own communities and wound up in what are called board and care homes in peekskill. a place where you live and gives you meals, but for much of the day, did not have much to do. so we ran a drop in center and they began coming to our drop-in center. we went camping and we even went to atlantic city with all the