cars? because at least what we're seeing from the press is that the children tend to gravitate and come across together, so you're not seeing individual kids necessarily but children traveling together. >> they're very clearly coming in groups. they're herded, shepherded by a civilian guide at various points along the journey. that's part of the smuggling organization. and it starts at the point of origin in central america and goes through mexico. so they're clearly traveling in groups. they're not traveling alone. and the numbers are roughly equivalent among the three countries. honduras might be slightly larger than the other two, but they're roughly equivalent. >> very well. i yield back, mr. chairman. i thank you once again. >> mr. plaza is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. as an active member of the national guard, i see first hand the importance of the national guard supporting our armed forces to protect our country. as guard members return from

overseas, many of them stand ready and willing for their next mission. as many of my colleagues have pointed out today, the national guard can play a pivotal role in securing america's borders. we've seen successful guard missions in the past with operations jump start, phoenix, and nimbus. last year i called on the department to use the national guard to help secure the border. in may 2013, i offered an amendment in this committee to the border security results act, which would ensure that dhs considers lessons learned from past national guard missions on the border. both the current and previous administrations have used the national guard on more of a short-term ad hoc basis rather than on any long-term, strategic plan. secretary johnson, wouldn't it be beneficial for the department to partner with the national guard and develop a long-term strategy for the guard to assist along the borders? and wouldn't it be the borders would be more secure if we had a well-planned, budgeted strategy that consistently used the guard members rather than just using them sporadically?

>> congressman, first of all, i want to consider every option to deal with this circumstance. i take no lawful option off the table. as i'm sure you know, the guard has limitations, including -- a guard can't be involved directly in law enforcement. there are some exceptions to that. and the department of defense obviously has a lot to say about this too. it's their resource. it comes out of their budget. there are a lot of demands on the guard, particularly in this season. we're dealing with hurricane season. there may be different crises they respond to. but i've heard the calls from some that we put the guard on the border. i'd want to understand better what the options are for the use

of the guard depending on the direction of this situation talks. but i don't take any option off the table. but there are definitely some limitations on the use of the guard in this respect, i think, and we have to be mindful of those. >> mr. vitiello, you've been with the border protection for a while. were you a part of any of these guard missions in the past? can you comment on whether there's pros and cons? >> so, yes, we've had a great relationship over the years with the national guard and operation jump start and the ongoing operation fay lynx now in which we use national guard resources to do things like surveillance and sensor monitoring for us. it's not without its challenges. we were blessed to have the guard when we were building the new 6,000 agents. it gave us a bridge to more capability on the ground. we learned from them and the resources that we're reusing from d.o.d. as they come back from theater and are pressed

into service for border security. so we've learned a lot from them in all manner with regard to plans, strategic deployment, et cetera. but having the guard on the border has some limitations. this work is best done by law enforcement agents, in my opinion. learning from the guard, there are some things that they can do. i think the secretary is right to keep our options open. but as it relates to this particular problem, where it's most acute in the rio grande valley, it's not a challenge to arrest people who come as children or families with children. the other zones along the southwest border and in south texas are well patrolled and are either better equipped than they were last year or just as well equipped as they were last year. >> all right. well, i think originally when i -- last year it was suggesting the amendment was to ask dhs to study the lessons learned. it was to look at it. don't take any option off the table. but with the guards basically

sustaining combat missions, humanitarian missions the past 12 years, they've proven they can multitask and do numerous things. i still believe it's much more cost effective and efficient to surge the guard to the border, get the operational control, and work them into your plan. they're going to train somewhere every year. and you could rotate them in, rotate them out. fix the issues, figure out what they could do. to congressman clarke's issue, we don't want kids walking across the border and being met with guns. but there's probably other agencies, nonprofit or federal groups, that could be out there. but our borders are dangerous. people are -- we don't have control over our borders. we don't know what's coming across. but we do know there's drug cartels, gun running, there's drugs. that would be another mission. it could be an escort mission. it could be a rove and patrol. it could be communications. it could be providing the necessary assistance. because i don't think it would be wise to expand the full-time

employees of the border protection agency. i don't think the american people want to see more federal law enforcement agencies when they have this tool, this cost-effective tool at its fingertips. i just want to urge, mr. secretary, to really consider this. i know every member of the national guard that i serve with would love the opportunity to secure our borders. the american people want to know that our borders are secured and that we're safe and sound. so thank you for being here today. >> chair now recognized mr. barber from arizona. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank you for convening this hearing on this very important issue, this crisis that we're facing on our borders, particularly in texas and arizona. thank you, mr. secretary, and the other witnesses for being with us this morning. my state is directly affected by the influx of these children from central america. we have the border patrol station in my neighboring

district, but nevertheless, the impact is felt throughout southern arizona. i share the concern of many of my colleagues. virtually all of us have either young children or grandchildren, and we can imagine what it must be like for these children to be in a strange environment without their family members. and i just want to say that i've seen what our border patrol agents are doing, and they're doing a noble job trying to keep up with a very difficult situation. the cartels are exploiting the situation in many ways. i want to get to a question about that in a moment. i'm very concerned about the influx and what implications it has, mr. tesecretary, for the security of the border. i represent one of nine border districts, 83 miles of border. the people i represent, particularly those who live and work along the border, are concerned about their safety. the concern they've expressed to me is as border patrol agents have been pulled into the

nogalis station in particular to care for these children, we've compromised their ability to secure the border and keep people safe. right now we have about 1200 kids, i believe, at the nogalis community. they've been moved from the border patrol station into a warehouse where they're trying to accommodate the need. and we've estimated that maybe 60,000 unaccompanied minors will be coming and be apprehended this year. as i said before, the border patrol agents, many of whom have family members that have children, have been bringing in books, have been bringing in toys, bringing in diapers, caring for these children. clearly this is not their job, but this is what they're doing. first of all, how many unaccompanied minors are still in cvb custody as we speak? and how many of them are in custody in the tucson sector? let me start with that question and i'll move on to two others. >> well, first of all, i'm going

to nogalis tomorrow to inspect the situation there. and one of the things i'll be asking is the question you asked. are we having to divert border patrol personnel from their border patrol duties? it's very important to me that we minimize the circumstances of that. the capacity at nogalis, i think, is about 1200. it's near capacity with unaccompanied children. we were at one point sending family units there. we're not. we're just sending the unaccompanied children there. from that point, they go to hhs custody. overall, children apprehended in the rio grande valley sector that are in custody right now, i don't have the number offhand. it's probably -- i don't have

the number offhand. i wouldn't want to hazard to guess, but i can get that to you. >> very good. i appreciate the fact you're going to be asking about the impact that the agents being asked to come to nogalis to staff up for these children, what effect that's having on border security. i've been in touch with people who live and work along the border, ranchers and, in fact, heard from some agents about the fact they've been pulled off shifts, that we have less agents on the ground that are helping to secure the border. so mr. secretary, if you could get back to us with some information about how many have been pulled and what the impact is. and let me just close with this one question. it's a common question. i've been particularly discouraged by the fact that virtually nobody in arizona knew that these children were coming. i found out about it through the newspaper, the local sheriff found out about it the same way. even the sector chief found out about it as the children were arriving. what steps is the department taking to make sure that if we have any additional transfers like this, that local authorities and officials are

properly notified? >> well, first of all, it shouldn't have happened that way. the congressional delegation, local officials should have gotten notice that this situation necessitated that we extend our processing to nogalis. i've instructed my staff that when we have to go to these places, we give the congressional delegation and local officials advance information about that. >> thank you, mr. secretary. and thank you for what you're doing to keep up with this terrible situation. and i particularly want to thank our border patrol agents for what they're doing every day. i yield back. >> chair recognizes ms. brooks from indiana. >> thank you. and thank you again, mr. chairman, for holding this very important hearing. thank you all for your service. my question i want to follow up on the smuggling questions and actually to chief vitiello. could you please talk with us a

little bit about additional resources that are being provided to you all to prosecute the smugglers, and has there been an increase in prosecutions of smugglers in the last six months? >> i would have to get back to you for specifics on prosecution cases in the last six months, but we have surged our own resources to develop leads for case work to understand what we know or what we can know more about alien smuggling networks. i.c.e. has also surged resources at this problem for the same purpose, for them to increase their level of case work looking at smuggling networks and just to the point as it relates to border patrol resources, the nogales placement center is being conducted on agent overtime. we've added overtime in all of the locations that have helped us process folks, whether it be nogales or el paso and certainly in the rio grande valley.

>> so smuggling operations have been going on for years and years. this is in the new. i'm a former u.s. attorney in the bush administration. we did smuggling cases. but this is unprecedented levels is what it seems, obviously with children. what are the smuggling operations? what is your intelligence telling you? what kind of groups? is it ms-13? is it barrio 18? is it the gangs that have developed smuggling organizations, and is that really what's bringing these groups? >> i think that over the years, over the last several years, the sophistication of smuggling networks and their connectivity to cartels has been a concern for quite some time. the work that we have from the field intelligence reports that have been generated to our office suggest that people contract smugglers both in their point of origin. sometimes they wait until they're in mexico. sometimes they wait until they're at the border. but that's the kind of thing that we recognize. post-arrest interviews give us information.

we look for indications for intelligence in things like pocket trash, develop phone numbe numbers, and pass those leads in the local sense to the inner agency and certainly to homeland security investigations to follow up and try to attack those networks as they bring folks in. >> do you have any idea from the young people that you've interviewed how many kids have died? >> i don't have any direct information about that. >> do we have any information about any children who have died or are missing? >> not specifically. i mean, i think that, you know, we recognize that this journey is a very difficult one. certainly at the border over the years we've seen people fail in their attempt by succumbing to the elements. >> and mr. secretary, as you've indicated, there is a public relations campaign that you initiated. are we talking about increasing prosecutions of smugglers in central america so that we can

create that deterrent effect and let people know they are being prosecuted, what the penalties are, and that we're actually catching any of the smugglers, if we are? and maybe if we, in our law enforcement resources, working with the mexican authorities are not being successful in our smuggling prosecutions, i'm curious whether or not we're talking about that. >> the answer is yes. i'd like to add to what the deputy chief said. homeland security investigations, which is part of i.c.e., has been surging resources to deal with the smuggling organizations. in the month of may, they made something like 163 arrests of so-called smugglers. identi i've directed we add resources to that. the department of justice is also adding resources to this effort. i think the key is the money trail. because the money trail often originates in the united states. so if we can track the money, we can stop the flow of money that goes to pay these organizations to smuggle the kids, we go a long way to dealing with this

problem. >> and are you publicizing the prosecution of 160 individuals, which i would commend you, for the month of may in central ameri america, you know, letting everybody know who has been arrested and what has happened? >> it's in our interest to do that, yes. >> and i have grave concern that the groups like ms-13, which are growing in this country, are bringing these kids in who now owe ms-13. would that be correct? they owe them a bit of debt for bringing them into this country. is that fair to say, chief vitiello? >> it is often the case that people contract with smugglers without a payment up front. and so that is a concern. >> and so now these young people are coming into our communities owing the gangs some debt. would that be correct? >> it's important for us to know who's responsible for this smuggling and recognize where the networks are in all three countries. >> i certainly hope we keep track of them in our country. thank you. i yield back.

>> so the gentle lady's point, this committee will be introducing an anti-smuggling bill in the future. mr. sanford is recognized. >> yes, sir. mr. vitiello, thank you for your testimony. mr. fugate, you've been incredibly patient during this testimony. a lot of questions haven't been directed towards you. given the fact we are in hurricane season and i am from the coast, i'll be calling. and to you, mr. secretary, i'm a huge fan. you know, the things you've done in the united states military are just incredible. i've been watching you over the last couple hours during testimony. i wrote down, bearing of a military office, verbal dexterity of a philadelphia lawyer, and preciseness of a ceo. so i'm a big fan. but in the few minutes i have, i'm going to ask a couple fairly pointed questions. i'd ask you answer them as qu k

quickly as possible. all with the caveat of i'm a big fan. fair enough? >> okay. yes, sir. here it comes. >> you know, going back to being a lieutenant way back when, it just strikes me that, you know, as you guys set up a perimeter in the military, it is not a conditional perimeter. it's not contingent on what mexico might do or pakistan might do. it is an absolute perimeter. i think one of the things the american public is thirsing for is the same kind of decisiveness and reality they see in the military in a perimeter that isn't breached on the southern border. why can't we have that in short form? >> well, first of all, you have to realize these kids probably want to get caught. in some cases, as -- >> well, not want to.

they're running to officers. >> they will run to the nearest officer and say, here i am. >> right. >> so you have to ask, you know, will it increase border presence deter that? >> i guess let me rephrase it. i only have a couple minutes. should we have a border that is in essence conditional? because part of the testimony was based on what we might get mexico to do, what we might not get mexico to do, or what we might get guatemala to do. shouldn't it be at least a goalpost an absolute rather than conditional border? >> we knead to have secure borders, absolutely, if that's your question. we need secure borders. so one of the things that i've tried to do here in my testimony is lay out all the things we're doing to deal with this situation, which not only involves processing the kids but turning the tide around. >> but i mean, part of what we're doing now -- because i think there's a real difference between words and actions. and a lot of our actions have been absolute. our words have been absolute.

the words you used were, we're going to bring to bear all assets of the federal government. i think that most people don't believe that. they believe that if we brought to bear all assets of the federal government, we could have a secure border. >> translator: wel >> well, let me say this. i'm going to say what i said before. i want to know every option, and i want to consider every option. and i'm prepared to seriously consider every lawful option -- >> no, we've been here a couple hours. i understand. but i guess going to the point, though, as a strategy. i mean, you're an able, fit guy. military guy. as a strategy f you loved your kid and wanted to get him in america, wouldn't you send the kid first, and given our present policy of nondeportation and sending them to a family somewhere domestic in the united states, get them secure and then you'd be able to evade and move

and maybe get into the border on your own and then get reunited with your family. >> i have to tell you, the conditions for me to -- my kids are 18 and 19. but the conditions for me to part with them when they were 8 or 9 and say, go have this thousand-mile journey, and i'll see you later, would have to be pretty dire before i'd give up the responsibility. >> if i'm not mistaken, i think a billion people around the earth live on like a dollar a day or some astoundingly know number. i don't remember the exact statistic. i think there are a number of dire circumstances around the globe which goes back to conditional versus -- one last question since i'm out of time. i think, you know, there was frequent reference to i don't think the law allows me to send an unaccompanied minor home. and my question to you would be, which comes first, the law or the constitution? because as i read through the

14th amendment, i think the constitution is fairly clear on what citizenship entails. >> well, let me be clear. i don't believe that the law would allow us to send an unaccompanied child home in an expedited removal proceeding. they are given notices to appear. deportation proceedings are begun when they're apprehended 37. >> but for practical purposes, would you suggest once they're here, they're here? and you didn't refute that. >> the law requires that once a child is identified as unaccompanied, cbp has to give them to hhs. they do what's in the best interest of the child. that's what the law passed by the congress requires. >> understood, and i'm out of time unfortunately. i know you have to go, but thank you very much for your testimony, sir. >> thank you. and let me thank the witnesses for your testimony. mr. secretary, let me personally thank you for showing up on such a short notice on such a very important issue. i know you didn't create this.

you inherited this. i know you're working hard to resolve it. i pledge the support of this committee to work with you towards that effort. with that, members may have additional questions in writing. without objection, this committee susan writes:

for the second day this week a hearing on the influx of unaccompanied minors at the u.s.-mexico border. today immigration and customs testifyent officials about the 52,000 children that have crossed the border since october. live coverage of the house judiciary committee starts at c-span 3.eastern on coming up, speeches from candidates following the primary elections. then members of congress mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 act. rights and coming up later, a hearing directeffect of the at&t

tv merger. >> for over 35 years c-span brings public affairs events from washington directly to you, putting new the room at congressional hearings, white ande events, briefings conferences. and offering complete gavel to gavel coverage of the u.s. as a public service of private industry. we're c-span, created by the tv industry 35 years ago, and brought to you as a public service by your local cable or provider. watch us in h.d., like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. >> seven state held elections tuesday. in oklahoma, congressman james langford won the primary to run as the republican candidate for coburn's seat.r a summited that cochran won close race. ofator cochran garnered 351%

the vote. next we hear from both candidates. >> thank you, thank you very much. thank you, congressman gregory harper, thank you all for being here to help celebrate a great victory. applause]d it's been a real pleasure closely with so many of in townsg appearances all across mississippi, being in church services with gregory

attending meetings that were important to talk about the weure of our state, and what have tonight is reflected as a consensus for more and better workers.mississippi [cheers and applause] a military force and the securityto defend the interests of the united states of america. [cheers and applause] were our principle grounds, planks in the platform the campaign. but you are the ones who helped the voters make sure that we knew that they were important to this election it's a group effort, it's not a solo. so we all have a right to be proud of our state tonight. [cheers and applause]

thank you very much. for this wonderful honor and wonderful challenge ahead.es thank you very much. applause]d senator.tulations, he's a trooper, a wonderful friend.

[cheers and applause] >> let me just say this. a dream, and the dream is

still with us. for too long we have stood by and we have watched strange things happen. for too long conservatives who needed a voice, someone to stand someone to fight for them. you are that voice. that voice. the party i was born with, the party i joined when i was 13 years old was the party of a man, a former actor from named ronald reagan. applause]d my father called me into the room and says listen, you've got got to seeis, you've with a this man is saying and there in the tv was this former from california and he looks right at me, looked right but he was really

speaking to an entire nation. us thataid things to intuitively made sense. liberty andout freedom. he talked about balanced budgets. talked about traditional values, and personal responsibility. and my father looked at me and says, well, son, we must be republicans. and intoday we were, and are. that's the party i joined. that's the party i've always been a part of. party of principle at one point, a party of courage at one point. reagan that said we will be a party of bold colors, not pastels. and yet there are millions of people that feel like strangers their own party. [cheers and applause]

it appears the different wings are not yet come to a conclusion. i want to be very, very clear. dangerous oring extreme about wanting to balance a budget. [cheers and applause] orre was nothing dangerous extreme about defending the constitution and the civil liberties therein. [cheers and applause] and there's nothing strange at people ofstanding as faith for a country that we built, that we believe in. [cheers and applause] but there is something a bit strange, there is something a bit unusual about a republican decided byt's

liberal democrats. [cheers and applause] for bold colors. so much for principle. guess they can take some consolation in the fact that tonight, byething once again compromising, by once then reaching a cross aisle, by once again abandoning the conservative movement. [cheers and applause] i would like the know which part ourhat strategy today republican friends endorse. i would like to know which part today ourrategy statewide officials endorse.

this is not the party of reagan. done fighting. [cheers and applause] we have fought too long, we have fought too hard to have a voice party. and today the conservative back seat to a liberal democrats in the state of mississippi. and the most conservative state republic this happened, if it can happen here it can anywhere. and that's why we will never stop fighting. [cheers and applause]

the people of this state are the most incredible, loving hospitable people i've ever been around. traveling the corners of this state for the last several months has been the honor of my life. this was a fight we needed to have. tos was a fight that had happen. for the very reasons you saw tonight. for the very reasons you saw tonight. back bonend our again, we will find the conservatives again and we're going to force our party to find that conscience as well. to thank you for being there for me. i want to thank you for standing me. they've called me everything book. millions of dollars to character own.sinate one of their or so it seems. or so it seems.

and that's okay, that's okay. standing. i'm still standing. [cheers and applause] the greatest country in the history of the world, there's no question about that. is an oasis amid a desert of cynicism. ad we conservatives have responsibility to keep it that way. we are going to stand for those principles, we are going to stand for our founders, we are going to stand for the lessons of reagan. even sometimes when it's difficult, even sometimes when own party shunr us or ridicule us. right tonight. we were right tonight. [cheers and applause]

so thank you. know, today, folks there were literally dozens of irregularities reported all across this state. and you know why? the stories. you're familiar, you're familiar with the problems that we have. it's our job, now it's our job to make sure that the sanctity of the vote is upheld. have tohis race ends we be absolutely certain that the won bycan primary was republican voters. [cheers and applause]

and so we will stand with courage. stand with judgment. we will stand with integrity. and we will stand with dedication. this is our fight, it's necessary. if necessary for years, if necessary alone much but we are surrender, we mississippians. applause]d a strong and sturdy people we brave people we are, a people that still can lead the conservative revival in this we will lead the resurge ends. that begins right here in mississippi. bless you all. this has been a great night. thank you for being here. soon.see you [cheers and applause]

thank you all. thank you. york, 22-term congressman charlie rangel faced the challenger in a rematch of

the 2012 primary. that raceresults in and thee el at 47.4% opponent at 43-point of. here are some of congressman rangel's remarks. this contest, he came to support me before his vote was in. won, theair has chairman has won. [cheers and applause] chairman has won. the chairman has won. won.hairman has

the chairman has won. because i'm happy. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. i didn't see any green cabs in here, but i saw a lot of green cabs outside. anyone driving some green cabs here? thank you all. well -- the lion has roared. you.y way, thank where is my wife? myade so many promises to wife, and i'm going to have to start producing. thank you. bring up my wife here. alma.alma, alma,

alma. i'm happy. >> the boss is in the house. >> this is a very emotional night for me. allnt to personally thank of you for the support that

you've given us through the years. a very emotional night for me. it's been a great journey and all your help we wouldn't have been able to do it. and i want to thank through the heart formy supporting us. ministersto thank the who gave me the strength even to consider running for re-election. pastor them are here, johnny green, all the pastors, of us that are here, we can lack ofof the sturdiness of the stage. that were there for me, the rabbis who came out for me. jimmy, the doorman, the twins. there are too many of you for me to thank

individually. one of you to go yourand know that this was victory. this is your congressman, and assured all i will be doing is thinking about you bringing these resources home. you. spanish) thank you so very much. thank you, molly, thank you, sweetheart. thank you so much. thank you my brother. thank you. thank you pastor eagleton. much.you so our ambassador, internationally, much.you so congressional staff. vef eaton, vif kran jones.

neil. let me thank the campaign manager. rashida james. rashida who put it altogether. was theking who consultant on this. matt did a great job over here. those to thank all of people that put this together. hendry who came up and put the pieces together. cutlass, we talked about great star that came up from the west side. people.u, so so many is shaking. thanks to all of you. god bless you.

servicesuse financial committee holds a hearing today on the reauthorization of the bank.-import that's the official export credit agency of the u.s. hearing livehe starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 3. week, asecond day this hearing on the influx of unaccompanied minors at the u.s.-mexico border. today immigration and customs enforcement officials testify the 52,000 children that have crossed the border since october. live coverage of the house judiciary committee starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. >> what i have right here is a partially processed plant that

i've cut down into sections that are the right length for hanging, and then i take off all big fan leaves and those are sent to the kitchen to make edibles. thc, soe a small amount they get that for a really good price for us. thee little leaves here are tight trim, that can be dried and made into joints or it can makent to the places that extractions and made interest hash and that sort of thing. right here we have the finished bud, and this is sent to dry,cure and hang and then cured in buckets for a couple week before they sell it dispensary. >> "washington journal" looks at the recreational use and legal sale of marijuana in colorado. from kfer and your phone calls live friday morning, to 10 eastern on c-span. celebrate thers 50th anniversary of the 1964 civil rights act, and present the congressional gold medal to the family of dr. martin luther

king jr. the u.s. capitol rotunda, this is about an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, the speak of the united states house of representatives, the boehner. john >> good afternoon and welcome to the united states capitol. [applause] as you can see, the dome is construction. getting some repairs, and there's a technical term for

but the architect see we could just refer to it as the donut. on july 2, 1964, congress completed what may be the most fundamental and most ourequential legislation of long history. of 1964ghts act recognizes that every citizen has the right to pursue happiness, without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color thision or national origin was including of course martin king jr. and coretta scott king who we honor today medal.congressional gold we have many special guests. we are especially grateful for presence of president johnson's daughter, linda johnson robb, and along with her husband, former senator chuck robb. [applause]

we're also pleased to have with the king family. all.s welcome them [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of statesors by the united armed forces color guard, and the singing of our national anthem and the retiring of the colors.

♪ oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed as the

the twilight's last gleaming for the ramparts we watched ere so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

>> ladies and gentlemen please remain standing at the chaplain of the united states house of representatives gives the

invocation. >> let us pray. loving god as congress comes together to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights act of 1964, may the hands and hearts of this nation be raised in prayer and raise. we remember a couple whose lives were intimately involved in those great struggles. the reverend dr. martin luther king jr., and caretta scott king. justifiably considered the first family of the civil rights movement. may the breath of god uphold their noble and heroic story. may it carry to all generations a message to inspire all americans. no matter their belonging to a minority in our country.

may the sacrifices of martin luther and coretta and those of so many inspired by them, or who joined them in their struggles for justice, echo now throughout history as it calls to us all to be men and women for others. especially for those whose rights are threatened. god bless america. grant us equal justice for all, both now and into a greater future for our nation. amen.

>> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, from the 11th district of ohio, and chair of the congressional black caucus. >> good afternoon. today we commemorate one of the most significant pieces of legislation in our history, and we honor to of the world's greatest leaders. after martin luther king jr. and president lyndon b. johnson, exemplify the principles on which our nation was founded. the the the service leaders committed their lives to moving america closer to what it can be. due to the work of dr. king and president johnson, i am able to stand here today as the third african-american and second woman to represent the 11th district of ohio. i am here on behalf of the 43 members of the congressional black caucus which i am honored to share. the civil rights act of 1964

did more than help end discrimination in america. the civil rights act made it so legal discrimination could no longer be a barrier to what one could achieve. the civil rights act clarify the difference between all men being created equal, and all men receiving equal treatment. the constitution established one as a principal, the civil rights act of 1964 as a practice. giving a generation of americans hope that they too could be acknowledged as full citizens of this great nation. as president johnson signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law, he stated that america is a founders new freedom would only be secure if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning. what the civil rights act and

his other great works of a president johnson did his arts to protect our freedom, and with his words, activism and sacrifice him a dr. king did the same. today, the responsibility lies with every american. especially those of us in this house. the civil rights movement an act of 1964 established equal opportunity and equal protection under the law for every american. together we must protect it. as dr. kane said the time is always right to do what is right. it is only right that we fulfill the promise of the civil rights act by ensuring every american right to vote is protected. let us pass the voting rights amendment at the 2014. now, please join me in

reflection as we listened to president johnson's remarks as he signs the civil rights act nto law. >> the civil rights act is a challenge to all of us to go to work in our timidity in our states, and in our hearts. to eliminate the last vestiges f injustice. urge every religious leader every business and professional, every working man, every housewife, i urge every american to join in this effort to bring justice and hope to all of our people, and o bring peace to our land.

my fellow citizens, we of come to a time of history we must ot face. let us lay aside a relevant differences, and make our nation whole. let us hasten the day when our on major and -- and measure strength and unbounded spirit will be free to do the great works ordained for this nation y the just and wise god. >> ladies and gentlemen, from the fifth district of georgia,

he honorable john lewis. >> we gather here in the capital to honor dr. martin luther king jr. and hezbollah good wife, caretta scott king. one of the most distinguished husband-and-wife teams of the 20th century. often history remembers speeches, fax, figures. i cannot forget their love from

their union came in endurance of strength that carried many of us through the darkest days of the movement. when they stood together, their bodies became leaders of hope. esting on their shoulders. a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. mrs. king had the rare ability to tell the story of a movement through song, to music, to travel the breath of america. together they taught us the way of peace. the way of love, the way of nonviolence, and they inspired

an entire generation to find a way to get their way. to find a way to get in necessary trouble. through their action, speeches, and writing, they have created the climate for the passage of the civil rights act of 1964, and the voting rights act of 1965. president lyndon johnson signed these two pieces of legislation into law. without the leadership of lyndon johnson, we would not be where we are today. there will be no barack obama as president of the united states of america. it is fitting and appropriate that on the 50th anniversary of the passage of the civil rights act of 1964, we honor this unbelievable couple, dr. martin luther king jr. and his beloved wife, mrs. caretta scott

king. they were my friends, my rother and sister. >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states editor for michigan. arl levin. >> thank you. good afternoon. the congressional gold medal resolution that we are implementing today commemorates the ability of an inspiring couple, armed only with the righteousness of their cause. we all commemorate today the ability of elected officials

led by president johnson. armed only with the desire for justice, to overcome the divisions of party, in order to help overcome the divisions of ace. in october, 1960, martin luther king jr. road to his beloved coretta from a georgia prison 230 miles away, where he had been hauled away in the night. this is what he said. i have the faith to believe this excessive suffering will in some little way make america better country. if the reverend and mrs. king could speak to us now, if our predecessors who passed the

civil rights act could speak to us now, with a not challenge us to come together, across lines of party and geography, in a great cause, with a not encourage us, for example, to pass legislation restoring the protections of the voting ights act? would they not encourage us to pass legislation reversing the policies that leave thousands of nonviolent young men languishing in prison? we can best celebrate the lives of those we honor and remember today by channeling their

inspiration and to taking on the task before us. tasks surely far less daunting than the wines that they undertook. coming together to help lead our nation on its continuing march towards a more perfect union. the duty that we have lai -- the duty they have laid before s. our nation owes a debt of gratitude to your father and mother that can never be repaid. this congressional gold medal is the most congress has the power to give. thank you.

>> the united states army horus. ♪>> we shall overcome e shall overcome e shall overcome eep in my heart i do believe we shall overcome sunday.

e shall overcome someday we shall all be free we shall all be free we shall all be free omeday eep in my heart i do believe e shall overcome someday we shall be free

deep in my heart i do believe we shall overcome someday we shall be free we shall be free

>> ladies and gentlemen, the onorable nancy pelosi. >> good afternoon. thank you all. thank you mr. speaker for bringing us together in the rotunda. we are sitting between the gaze of martin luther king jr. and abraham lincoln. they are looking at each other directly across the rotunda. it is an honor to be here with you.

four democratic assistant leader, honored he is here as ell. i want to join my colleagues in thinking the king family for sharing your mother and father with us. we are deeply in your debt and this is not enough thanks. it is a token of our ppreciation. thank you for being with us today. this would not be possible without your parents, certainly not possible at all without resident lyndon johnson. as we gather in the rotunda under the gaze of reverend king

and president lincoln he recall the gettysburg address, to the declaration of ndependence. ours was a new nation under the declaration that all men are created equal. a century after the gettysburg address, a century later, dr. king stood on the steps of the lincoln memorial and called our nation to act on those words to reassert the vision of our founding fathers. a year later, dr. king stood as an honored guest as resident johnson signed the civil rights bill into law. the law stands as a pillar of

justice and equality in enduring testament to the force of dr. king and coretta scott ing. it made america more american. in 1959, king traveled to india. they traveled to study mahatma gandhi principle of nonviolence to apply to civil rights struggle here at home. hey learn from each other. the word for nonviolence in sanskrit, the same word means nonviolence and it means insistence on the truth. they knew would mean sacrifice

and struggle for their family. for many across the country, the kings would insist on the truth that all men and women are created equal. dr. king was not only nonviolent in his action but nonviolent in his words. that was a source of great strength to him and coretta, and the movement. when the act was passed we never dreamed some of --some of you were born. we would never dream that on this 50th anniversary we would look out in the mall, and there would be a monument, a memorial to martin luther king as a neighbor to the lincoln emorial.

and, referencing what lewis said, what would president lincoln think, that on that day, one that memorial was dedicated, it was dedicated by resident barack obama. all of this progress is made possible because of dr. king's insistence on the truth. that insistence on the truth stirs the leadership of president kennedy and the legislative virtuosity of resident lyndon johnson. we mourn james chaney, andrew goodman. they and so many others made this possible. at the time, the civil rights

act was incomplete without the voting rights act. president johnson and dr. king would get the passage in the next congress. today those stand among the greatest legislative of our country. as we bestowed the congressional gold medal on dr. martin luther king and coretta scott king, we must insist on the truth. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights act, we must pass the bipartisan voting rights act in this congress. thank you all. >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, mitch

mcconnell. >> america is a land of promise and opportunity. it is conviction that unites all of us americans, and one we'd repeat quite often. for too long in this country, that wasn't the case for a large segment of our population. for nearly a century after the civil war, african americans were denied the most basic of american freedoms. a cancer of intolerance and injustice was allowed to metastasize while many with the power to stop it weren't looking. or didn't want to.

a pastor with a booming voice and a potent message help change all of that. through the power of his words and example, dr. martin luther king jr. made those who may have wanted to look away focus on what he once called the long night of racial injustice. he inspired a generation of young people to action. he confronted the defenders of segregation head-on. not with violence, but with a reason, argument, and an unwavering confidence in the justness of his cause. dr. king knew that his role was not just to expose or confront injustice.

but to prepare the country to actually do something about it. by the time the civil rights act of 1964 past, the country was ready. thanks to him, and the many who took up the cause, convinced as he once put it is civilization and violence are at -- anti-pedicle. dr. king and his followers may have had to brave jail cells, fire hoses, and in the case of dr. king, pay the ultimate price, but the sacrifice was never in vain. change came. when he led marches, people otice. convinced of the rightness of this cause, speaking truth for with those paid so dearly.

e deserves as much credit as any president or senator for the passage of the landmark legislation we commemorate today. it is also bidding to recognize those others who work so hard to make the civil rights act possible. president kennedy, and johnson, and many senators whose role in the fight is sometimes overlooked. every time i walk into my office, i am reminded of the role of one of my predecessors as a public and leader eric derksen played in this great ffort. [applause] and his famous words when the votes were secured for passage.

stronger than all the armies, he said, referring to victor has is an idea whose time come. and the time has come for equality of opportunity and sharing in government, in education, and in employment, and it will not be staid or denied. it is here. said everett dirksen. [applause] near that portrait of dirkson in my office hangs a portrait of a role model as a young man, john sherman cooper of kentucky. cooper was another republican who worked tirelessly to overcome the aggressive effort to derail the civil rights act. for months, adversaries in the

segregationist camp held up the bill. but on june 10, 1964, dirksen, cooper, and their republican and democratic allies in the effort, men like hubert humphrey and mike mansfield finally prevailed. i can still remember watching senator cooper round up the necessary votes. it is a powerful memory. and it was a powerful lesson in how determined men and women can use the senate to achieve our founding purpose. at important moments in our history the senate has served an outsized role in leading us toward the more perfect union we all desire. i believe the senate can be that place again and that it must if we are to stay true to the vision of the man we honor today. and it is true that politicians sometimes need leaders like martin luther king to help focus their attention first. so we thank you, members of the

king family, for giving us this opportunity to thank dr. king and you for that work and that legacy, and for the ideal that inspired him which we all renew today. may we all continue to draw inspiration from the vision and the memory of this great man. and from the leaders who helped to translate that vision into law. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable harry reid. [applause] >> today of course we gather to

celebrate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights act of 1964 . there are people in this building, this historic building, who fought to overcome many obstacles in passing this historic legislation. adds we have learned, -- as we have learned, certainly it was a team effort. speakers previous to my speaking today have indicated that, and that certainly is the case. in the senate majority leader mike mansfield and his floor manager hubert humphrey were to cross party libes with republican leader everett dirkson to overcome every teant to defeat this bill. and it went on for months. in the house of representatives, democrat emanual seller and republican charles hall ick proved that

equality need not be a partisan issue as they rallied their parties to support the civil rights act. and the legislation had support from the white house. first championed by john kennedy and pushed across the finish line by president johnson. i think it would be appropriate for you to stand to be recognized as lyndon johnson's daughter. please stand. [applause] >> so we all thank those named and unnamed who helped craft and pass the civil rights act. it was difficult, as i said before it was a team effort. they refused to let inequality continue in our great nation.

but the battle against racism in america wasn't only waged here in washington, d.c. the battle for civil rights was fought on bus rides from south carolina, missesics and even on the ed-- mississippi, and even on the pet tiss bridge in selma, alabama. one of those we already heard from congressman john lewis. while still a teenager he worked alongside dr. martin luther king, jr. he soon became one of the principle leaders of the civil rights movement. when i say that john lewis and others fought for equality, let's take a look at specifically

three years ago i stood next to john lewis as we reenacted through him the selma march. he shared with us what happened on that bridge that day and told us of what happened on that day. of the police beating him and others. he of course that day suffered a fractured skull and nearly died. but even in the face of such violence johns lewis never waivered from dr. king's revolution of nonviolence and he never stopped fighting for freedom. and he still hasn't stopped. john lewis -- [applause]

he coordinated the mississippi freedom summer, a campaign to register black voters in the state of mississippi. he rallied young men and women, predominantly college students, to mississippi. those volunteers were arrested, beaten, and murdered some of them. but still the movement did not stop. it kept moving. i was here in washington, d.c. working and going to school when dr. king delivered his i have a dream speech. i along with the rest of america was moved by his words and am still moved every time we hear that speech again and watch it again. but just a year later after he gave that speech, i was back in nevada, my home. i was at the las vegas convention center where dr. king spoke. i will never forget how he

urged a relatively small crowd there that evening, people of all backgrounds, to "learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools. " and of course i and none of us ever will forget how dr. king gave his life for the cause of equality. so for those who fought for equality, for civil rights, congressman lewis, dr. king, and countless others, the scars born in the life sacrificed were the price paid for freedom and equality. it is because of their sacrifice that we honor and commemorate the civil rights act of 1964. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states

house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. [applause] >> thank you. >> in the fan favor of history, it is easy to overlook the small moments that make big things possible. o let's go back to july 2nd, 1963. nd to somewhere far from these halls. let's go to picoa, ohio. small town in my congressional district. it is not far from dayton where the wright brothers got their start. flying into dayton was a man named burke marshall the assistant attorney general of the united states. he was picked up by the son in-law of the congressman that he needed to see. william mccullough, the top republican on the house judiciary committee.

now, mccullough was a farm kid who went to a one-room schoolhouse but he was also a world war ii vet with a law degree from ohio state. though the white house would try to rush him into something and he would say, hold on, hold on, i'm just a country guy who has got to muddle along a little. but without him, president kennedy had said, the bill can't be done. so marshall is there on this urgent business. he is expecting to meet mccullough straight away. unfortunately, the son in-law said the congressman is busy speaking to the ro taryns. so they got out for a long lunch and they take a scenic tour of the valley. they get into town so he is still with the rote taryns. and they're still killing time so they went to the local hardware store. the meeting finally starts and mccullough looks at the assistant attorney general and

says, i'm going to tell you two things i'll support this bill so long as you commit the senate not weaken this bill. i kind of like the sound of that myself. and two, that the credit for moving this bill is shared between both parties. i like the sound of that as well. [applause] and so the deal was struck. and a year later when the final tes neered, the house paused for a standing ovation for william moore mccullough. there is no indispensible man, but there is a common man. one who makes no distinction between the assistant attorney

general and the local ro tearian. he doesn't use the status for personal gain. he uses it to serve others. is him, the biggest thing the right thing. it isn't a household name. it doesn't doesn't have to be. you can find him right there not in the fanfare but in the fabric of history. my hope is that this gold medal ceremony today serves to honor dr. king and all who set out to answer what he called the most urgent question. what are you doing for others? [applause]

[applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, founding director of the of the ian museum african culture. [applause] >> good afternoon. the national museum of african american history and culture on behalf of the smithsonian institution is humbled and honored to help preserve the legacy of martin luther king, jr., and cortea scott king by accepting into our care the congressional gold medal. there is little that i can add to the well-deserved accolades that have already been spoken. except maybe to offer my thanks on behalf of those of us who

were too young to participate actively in the civil rights movement but who were the beneficiaries of the leadership and the courage of dr. and mrs. king. as a result of their marches in selma and birmingham, and chicago, generations of african americans have had the opportunity to march. but march in their university graduations. [applause] as a result of their sacrifices and their commitment to a fairer america, many of us have experienced possibilities once unimagined. thanks to dr. and mrs. king, our lives and our opportunities were transformed and america was made better. there really is nothing more powerful than a people, than a nation that is steeped in its

history. and there are few things as noble as honoring all of our ancestors by remembering. with the acquisition of this medal, the smithsonian will ensure that as long as there is an america, the courage, the impact, and the legacy of martin luther king, jr. and cortea scott king, will be honored, preserved and remembered. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the united states senate dr. barry black gives the benediction. >> let us pray. gracious god, you created us to live in harmony. thank you for this opportunity

to mark the 50th anniversary of civil rights act and to posthumesly award the congressional gold medal to two drum majors for justice and freedom, dr. martin luther king. r. coreta scot empower us to work as did martin and coreta to build a beloved community where the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind will become a reality. in the spirit of martin and coreta, stir us to resist oppression with transformative love.

in the spirit of martin and coreta, inspire us to continue our commitment to nonviolent direct action. in the spirit of martin and or eta, make us your active disciples who join you in your work of bringing deliverance to captives. restore us to our best selves with new strength and a hopeful faith, hastening the day when all of your children can join hands and sing in the words of the negro spiritual, free at last. free at last. thank god almighty we are free at last. we pray in your sovereign name,

men. >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats for the departure of the official party and until your row is departed to depart by a visitor services representative. thank you. >> for the second day this week a hearing on the influx of unaccompanied minors at the u.s.-mexico border. today immigration and customs enforcement officials testify about the 52,000 children that have crossed the border since october. live coverage of the house judiciary committee starts at 2 .m. eastern on c-span-3. >> now you can keep in touch

using any phone, any time with c-span radio on audio now. >> now, the ceos of at&t and direct tv to testify on the proposed merger. a house judiciary subcommittee is examining the effects of the merger on consumers. this is 90 minutes.

>> the hearing will come to order. i now recognize myself for my opening statement. we are here today to examine the proposed merger between at&t and direct tv. as i reminded our witnesses during the recent comcast-time warner merger hearing, today's proceeding will not determine whether the proposed merger will be approved. rather, this hearing provides an open forum to discuss the potential implications of the merger and allow publicly elected representatives an opportunity to pose questions to the leaders of the respective companies and hear a variety of viewpoints on the proposed transaction. the record created by today's hearing will assist the committee and its ongoing oversight of the ant trust enforcement agencies and our

nation's laws. the proposed merger comes at a time when the structure of the telecommunications industry could be -- or is undergoing a rapid transformation in a relatively short period. the proposed merger between comcast and time warner has already been announced of course and there have been reports of other potential mergers and acquisitions. the business of telecommunications increasingly require significant investment to construct and update essential infrastructure and to provide innovative products and services to consumers. merged companies may be able to achieve economies of scale and have better access yablet to access large amountses of capital needed to build out systems. however, consolidation in an industry also raises issues of market power and the possibility for abuse of a firm's dominant competitive

position. these are all issues that are appropriate for conversation in a hearing like this. for the most part the companies before us today engage in very different businesses. at&t is primarily a provider of voice and internet services while direct tv is almost exclusively a video service provider. at&t recently has begun offering a video service referred to as you verse which is a competitor to direct tv in stern parts of the country. in addition to its video service, direct tv owns and manages a few original sports networks in the pittsburgh, denver, and seattle areas. today's hearing will examine among other things how the proposed merger may impact the future of you verse and its ability to provide video and internet services to consumers while in the proposed merger. and the potential for vertical integration issues related to

direct tv's ownership of certain sports networks. at&t and direct have submitted a public interest statement to the federal communications commission arguing that this merger will allow the combined company to offer a bundled product that would enhance consumer choice by increasing competition in the market for bundled products and services. in addition they contend that the cost savings resulting from the merger would allow additional resources to be deployed to expanding broadband access particularly in rural communities. again, we have the chairman, ceo of both an tt and direct tv with us today to answer any questions arising from the public interest filing. with that, i look forward to the testimony of our panel of esteemed witnesses on these related to the proposed merger. i now turn to my ranking member mr. johnson for his opening statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

today's hearings concern the proposed merger of at&t, global telecommunications company with approximately 11 broadband subscribers, 5.6 million video subscribers, and 246,700 employees with direct tv the nation's second largest video provider serving approximately 50 million customers. the core question at the heart of this merger is whether creating an integrated bundle of at&t's broad band services and infrastructure with direct tv's popular video programming would serve the public interest without substantially lessening competition. according to a survey conducted by consumer reports last year, the consumers are overwhelmingly one-stop shoppers who prefer to bundle phone, video, and broadband

internet into one package. not only does bundling multiple services often save many consumers money at a time of increasing cable costs, but it also avoids the problems associated with multiple installation visits, service calls, and phone calls to resolve disputes. as a new entrant in the video marketplace with only 5.6 million subscribers, there is little to suggest at&t offers serious direct competition with direct tv's video services. instead, the bulk of the evidence demonstrates that each company primarily serves different markets with different services. although the proposed merger represents a concerning trend towards industry consolidation, there is ample evidence that this transaction would create

considerable public interest benefits. at&t argues that the improved bundle and cost savings generated by the merger will "fundamentally and permanently improve the economics of at&t's investment in broad band." specifically, at&t plans to deploy its fibernetwork to 2 million homes with speeds up to 1 gig byte per second and deploy over a fixed wireless local loop to 13 million homes in largely rural areas with average speeds between 15 and 20 mega bits per second. for millions of homes, this internet service will be the fastest ever, improving high speed access for millions while indirectly benefiting other competitors by bringing these homes on line.

as a strong advocate of digital inclusion, i commend this commitment to close the digital divide by bringing us meshably closer to the universal adoption of affordable high-speed internet. it is critical that people of color remain competitive in the internet economy which starts with a fast and affordable internet connection. additionally this merger would benefit the public by expanding at&t's industry leading standards for labor and corporate diversity to direct tv's employees and supplyors. given the television industry's infamous reputation for opposing organized labor, this merger would have transformational benefit for thousands of employees in this industry giving labor a strong foothold in the industry. i urge the federal communications commission and the department of justice to

view this merger in light of these public benefits and to strongly hold the merged company to these commitments. provides cities of deployment of its ultra fast fiber network i call on at&t to deploy this advanced service in atlanta, georgia, which encompasses much of the district that i represent. atlanta is swiftly becoming an innovation economy driven to create improve products and design to deploying an all fiber network in atlanta would benefit many existing local startups as well as untold entrepreneurs developers and other innovators still emerging. as a former county commissioner who understands the power of big ideas, i stand ready to

work with both at&t and local government to make this happen. i thank the chair for holding this important oversight hearing. and i look forward to today's testimony. with that i would yield back. >> thank you very much. at this time i recognize the chairman of the full committee mr. glat of virginia. good lath of virginia. >> thank you. robert bork famously said the only legitimate goal of ant trust is the max mation of consumer welfare. depending on the actions, the telecommunications industry may experience significant change over the next year. as the committee and the relevant government agencies examine the potential issues associated with the multiple proposed telecommunications mergers we should be mindful that assuring the best interest of consumers is the ultimate

goal. it has been demonstrated repeatedly that a free and competitive marketplace yields lower prices, greater innovation, increased investment and better services. we should strive to ensure that proposed transactions result in enhanced competitive market places so that the attendant benefits continue to run to consumers. today's hearing allows a public forum to discuss the potential competitive impact of the proposed merger between at&t and direct tv. the leaders of both companies are before us today to explain how the proposed transaction will increase competition for the benefit of consumers. we also have witnesses who will raise potential concerns about the merger through a fair and objective inquiry by the committee a record will be produced that will provide an important measure of transparency and thoughtfulness to the review of this proposed merger. i look forward to hearing from today's witnesses regarding their views on the proposed merger of at&t and direct tv.

mr. chairman i yield back. >> at this time i recognize the ranking member and former chairman of our committee, the gentleman from michigan mr. conyers. >> top of the morning, mr. chairman and my colleagues. and our witnesses. and our visitors that are here overing this potential tranceaction. now, last month in may we had a earing that covered time arner and comcast. now this month we are looking at direct tv and at&t. and maybe even next month depending on what happens in the intervening time, we may be

looking at sprint and t mobile. question. where does this end? and i am looking at a transaction that highlights the concern that there may be too ch and too rapid a consolidation in telecommunications, especially hen viewed in the light of a flurry of deals either announced or rumored. one rationale in favor of the merger is that it would create a strong competitor to a large cable companies may in fact spur further consolidation in the telecommunications industry

as part of what might be viewed as a race to the bottom. e merger proposed may result in reduced competition for paid television services in many of our nation's largest markets. the sheer size of a combined at&t direct tv entity could raise content prices for smaller video providers potentially driving some of them maybe out of business. and finally, there is a need to focus on whether behavioral remedies are in practice affected. nd so while neither we nor the competition enforcement agencies should prejudge this deal, there are several

concerns that i want the witnesses to address as well as the feelings that i've already expressed. we are he fact that concerned that there may be too much and too rapid consolidation in the telecommunications industry. and while i fully appreciate the goal of anti-trust laws to protect competition, and not competitors per se, this ongoing wave of consolidation will without question result in fewer firms and may harm consumers by limiting choices and also raising prices. after all, it's the very threat of losing business in the face

of high prices or low quality products and services that drive competitive business practices. now, one rationale in favor of the merger is that it would create a stronger competitor to large cable companies. now, that may in fact spur further consolidation in the telecommunications industry. i don't doubt that the merged entity that is under conversation could be large enough to effectively compete against large cable companies but what's to stop competitors from using the same argument to justify even further consolidation? so i will be looking and we ning to make sure that

are not moving in the wrong direction. and i wanted to put my feelings out in front of you so that any f you can feel free to give me any conso longation that you want about the concerns that i have and i will put the rest of my statement in the record and thank the chairman. >> i thank you mr. conyers. at this time i would like to introduce our witnesses. we have a very esteemed and qualified panel of witnesses. let me start by introducing mr. mike white who is president, chairman, and ceo. that pretty much covers everything. of direct tv. one of the world's lead progress viders of digital

television entertainment services with more than 20 million customers in the united states and 15 million customers and latin america -- in latin america. on the worldview corporation board of directors. before joining directv, he was the ceo and vice chairman of pepsico international from 2003 through 2009. prior to that, he served as president and ceo of frito-lay's and asianafrican, division. --dl