republican voters in georgia will finally select their senate nominee today after a bruising 9-week runoff. they will decide between tribesmen jack kingston and businessman a bit purdue. the winner will compete against democrat michelle nunn. 11th district, congressman -- former congressman bob barr this is off -- faces off with the state senator. the un security council meets again this morning, discussing the palestinian-israeli conflict. more than 600 houston in 729 israeli -- more than 600 israelisans and 29 have been killed. the u.s. house devils in today at noon. withwill start today general speeches and come back for legislative work. includingre slated,

want to expedite the process of veterans on honor flights to visit war memorials. we will have coverage of both sections today. c-span3 will be live at 3:00 president obama's pick for veterans affairs department, robert mcdonald, will go before a senate committee. words" --end on "after >> i thought it would be compelling to tell the story of a white family and a black family with the same name who come from the same place, and follow them from slavery through the civil war, reconstruction, jim crow, civil rights, up until today, and compare and contrast. >> columnist and author chris to

mlinson on his family slaveowning history and how the legacy of slavery affects society. antalks to the brother of nfl running back about their families lineage. transportation secretary anthony foxx called on congress to pass long-term transportation funding and investment. he spoke for about an hour at the national press club in washington. the u.s. senate plans to vote on thursday on every expedition funding bill. a temporaryr -- on transportation funding bill.

>> since he assumed the job of u.s. transportation secretary, shipping oil by train has become a hot button issue. the u.s. suffered its first fatal commercial aviation crash in years and the pot of money that pays for roads and ridges in this country found itself running out of money. anthony foxx is ahead of the u.s. department of transportation, which is sometimes overlooked, but in recent months has been at the front and center of the news. when transportation runs smoothly, nobody pays attention. but what bridges fall down, trains derail or more people die in traffic crashes after years of decline, it is the transportation secretary who hears about it that has to try to figure out a solution. foxx was previously the youngest mayor of charlotte, north carolina, elected in 2009 and serving a single term. when the city slipped into financial crisis, he looked to transportation to revive the local economy and later brought thousands of visitors to the city would host of the 2012 democratic national convention. the father of 2 won a rare unanimous confirmation from the senate and keeps a reminder at home, a carolina panthers helmet

in his office. please help me give a warm national press club welcome to u.s. transportation secretary, anthony foxx. [applause] >> angela, thank you very much. i want to thank myron bellkind, your current president, for welcoming me here and thank you for taking time from your busy schedules and days to be here at the national press club. almost since i assumed the role of u.s. secretary of transportation, i have been ringing the alarm bell about the looming crisis with our highway trust fund. the federal source that is used to pay for highways and transit. it is unfortunate that it has taken months of bringing this alarm bell. traveling the country in april on a bus tour, putting up a

trust fund ticker on the dot website, meeting with dozens of governors and mayors across the country, putting shoe leather on capitol hill, to get to the point where just last week, the u.s. house of representatives passed a measure to avert the immediate crisis of our highway trust fund and to pass in effect a 10 month patch on the system. later this week, the senate is expected to pick it up. if this short term patch passes, it will not be time to celebrate. it's hard to imagine congress

will not push the snooze button on this issue again, until crunch time. come may 2015, if we are not careful, we will be right here again with the clock set to expire, looking for an easy solution leaving the real conversation for another time. i can hear folks on capitol hill now -- "gosh, this transportation thing is really important, but we just can't figure it out right now. let's just do what we can and keep moving." today, and until congress passes a long-term bill, i am urging the american people to say no more delays, no more gimmicks, no more short term patches or band-aids. build our country, put us to work and get america moving again and help future generations move forward with the process.

because if we are only building for the present, we are building for the past. it is a sad commentary that we are in effect managing a declining system, a system that is crumbling before our eyes. a system that is growing potholes, a system creating longer commute times and a system that will cause us to lose jobs we have no business losing in america. why? if this system were a patient, we would want to look it with the symptoms are and figure out what the underlying disease was. on the surface, our system suffers from chronic underinvestment and a product delivery system that makes products take too long and cost too much.

and a set of priorities that are more like model t's -- a set of policies were like model t's than teslas. beneath the surface, the american people are confused about who to hold accountable even as they sit in longer and longer traffic jams, even as traffic jams are expected to get longer over time. what i am saying is america needs more than just an incremental adjustment. we need a transportation reset and it's got to be big. let me talk about the symptoms. first, our chronic underinvestment in transportation feels normal. we treat it like it is the way it is, the way it is supposed to be. we talk about the infrastructure

deficit as though it's normal course of things. every year, the cost of catching up grows farther and farther out of reach. the american society of civil engineers estimates that at current spending levels, we will fall almost $850 billion short of transportation needs by 2020. but you don't have to just look at a big aggregate number like that. go to rhode island, where i was a couple of weeks ago and talked to governor chafee and his dot directive. they can tell you that at current levels, even if we get a patch, even if we get 50 more patches, at current levels, over the next 20 years, roads in rhode island are going to get worse. and rhode island is not by itself. just a few weeks ago, pieces of the brooklyn bridge phil to the

underpass, closing the underpass. i could go to nashville and point to bridges doing the same thing. this is happening all over america and we have no shortage of high profile ridge collapses in this country, including minnesota and washington state. as the president says, we have 100,000 bridges old enough to qualify for medicare. we are piling up deferred maintenance and it's not a surprise that our system is falling apart. i characterize the first symptom as we've got a big problem we're treating like a little problem. that's the first symptom. second, we are understating the cumulative effect of these

short-term measures on the system. over the last five years or so, we've had 25 short-term measures passed by congress. so we get into the 11th hour and congress shuffles around, patch ourselves together for a few months, and everything is supposed to be ok, but it's not. when i used to go shopping as a kid, i would go to my grandmother a lot of times and i would get to a store and i would pick up a toy or something and i'd say let's get this and she would say no, put it down, we're just browsing. i learned later what rousing meant -- it means we have no intention of coming back and getting that toy. [laughter] that's what congress is doing. every time they do another

patch, they are driving another nail into the idea that america is going to solve our long-term transportation problems, creating less confidence that the state and local levels. this is something i know a little bit about. i was a mayor and i can tell you when you're trying to put millions of dollars on the table just to plan a project without knowing the federal government support is going to be there, it gets harder and harder and harder to get this project going. so instead of ramping up transportation construction, we are actually ramping down. without consequences, without planning, you cannot design a project. if you don't engineer it, it can not happen and there's no relief. it's a big looming problem in america. that's the second symptom.

which leads me to the third one. in addition to stockpiling a huge infrastructure deficit, chilling activity at the state and local levels through short-term measures and indecision, the circus mirror in washington is starting to make the practical questions seem impractical and the most practical seem impractical. what right is wrong and what is wrong is right. the american people are wise. when we explained the facts, they make the right choices. and i have talked to them over

the course of this past year. give them a choice between a imperfect or expensive solution and a real, lasting, cheaper solution, they're going to take the latter every time. that's what we tried to do with the grow america act. it is a bill we put forth in this administration to end the hand wringing on this issue and put america on a long-term path to growth. let me describe the bill for you in summary fashion. it not only stabilizes the highway trust fund, it actually increases investment in the highway trust fund to the tune of 37%. $22 billion over a four-year

time going into our system creating jobs, creating the kind of activity we need. it is investing in critical repairs, it puts in place money to build a national network so we can capitalize on the growth and manufacturing activity we are seeing. it would help deal with the complaint that projects take too long by streamlining the federal permitting process and to incentivizing states to do the same, reducing cost, creating more value for the taxpayer dollar. it brings rail into the dedicated funding family along with highways and transit. it strengthens by america and local hiring and even helps by directing some dollars directly to local communities so they can get projects moving. the kicker is that congress can pay for the grow america act without

raising deficits or rates, i just doing some common sense, robust tax reforms like preventing companies moving profits overseas. this bill or something like it ought to be a layup. it ought to be easy. but, when you talk to members, essentially the argument against it is we can't do it because we can't. ladies and gentlemen, the idea that congress cannot pass a multi-year, forward thinking transportation bill is one of the biggest self fulfilling prophecies in american politics today. and, by the way, it is killing our transportation system softly, one of the building blocks of our economy. so here we are, on the eve of another patch, another short term measure, another cloud of uncertainty that will certainly grow our infrastructure deficit

and roll the drawbridge up a little more on the next generation. meanwhile, congress is running out of mattresses, out of rocks to look under, to patch us just a little while longer. that brings me to the disease. it is congress, but it's deeper than that. i said this before, but i believe abraham lincoln was right when he said the american people, when given access to facts, will do the right thing. i'm paraphrasing. but when they don't have the on this issue, the american people need the facts. in reality, they know something's wrong because they're stuck in traffic and have been patiently awaiting the new bypass or new transit project or new rail passenger service for years and years and years.

unfortunately, for them, they cannot put their finger on who to hold accountable. there's not a sign on the freeway that says your commute would be shorter if congress would just take action. the dots are not connected. and it gets even more confusing. frankly, when they hear congress passed a bipartisan measure to keep highway funding going because it sounds like something that ought to happen. but they are not told to read the fine print. in the fine print it says this fix is temporary. it's not really going to do what we need it to do. if it were put squarely in front of the american people as a solution, clearly we need a moment of clarity and a moment of political courage.

that will not happen without the american people raising their voices. the good news here is that it is starting to happen. we've got governors, 30 of them who are republican, by the way, are asking for a bill that asks to plan more than 10 months out. they are not alone. last week, 62 associations, including the national association of manufacturers joined together calling on congress for a long-term proposal. they are not alone. 11 of my predecessors and i are joining to push for a long-term solution. secretaries lahood, peters, minetta, skinner, card, dole, coleman -- taken together, the 12 of us have served 35 years watching over

our and nations roadways and railways and transit systems. five of us served under democratic presidents. seven served under republican presidents. while i am sure there are issues on which we may not all agree, there is an issue on which we are united and that is for america to reach her potential, we have to have a long-term transportation investment plan and we need it as soon as possible. so, today, we are releasing an open letter to congress, calling on congress to do just that. if the 12 of us can stand together, congress can stand together and get something done. but we won't stop there. i won't stop there. i'm not going to stop inside the beltway pushing this issue because i'm going to do everything possible until this gets acted on to make sure the american people know they are in charge.

we've got to convene leaders in all 50 states and make the case for ending gridlock on this issue. right now, washington is the dictating outcomes to the american people. but in our democracy, it should work the other way. we are going to let the american people decide whether their futures are worth fighting for. as a department, we reckon ties the trends and challenges coming around the corner in america. we are going to work hard to make sure these challenges are more clear to the american public and policymakers. we have to look past our noses and to do that, one of the tools we're going to use is a 30 year transportation vision that will look at these trends and challenges and by the end of the year, we will have that available to the american people. we've got a plan for the future.

the american people, i believe, are on our side, especially with have access to the information so critical to this issue. that is why i believe we are going to get progress on this long-term plan. i think the moment is in front of us. why do i believe it? i believe it partly because from lincoln's continental railroad to eisenhower's interstate system, we are a yes country, not a no country. we are not a country that looks backwards, we are a country that looks forward. because we are a country not stuck in our past, we are a country that is ever focused on the future. with that, i want to thank all of you and i look forward to your questions. [applause] >> thank you, mr. secretary. as you can imagine, we have a lot of questions on a lot of

topics. starting on the topic of surface transportation funding. are you confident the 10.8 billion dollar patch now moving will keep the highway trust fund adequately funded through next may as it is supposed to do? >> i think from a funding standpoint, the answer is yes. but i want to reemphasize the system we have is really a system that depends on certainty. while there is a patch that congress passes potentially, you got a big project that takes multiple years to get done and you are in the middle of the planning process, do you go for the longer-term or don't you? with a 10 month patch, you don't know what's on the other end of that 10 months and that's part of the problem with the surface system right now.

>> you have a bipartisan letter with hopes that that will spur congressional action. do you think this congress will work to pass a longer-term transportation bill or any signs they congress elected in november would be likely to do so? >> let me say it this way. we really don't have a choice. the gimmicks and smoke and mirrors and things in the past just to patch us along, we're starting to run out of options. we are reaching a point where we are going to have to do something big or fold the tent. knowing this country the way i know it, we don't fold the tent. we don't stop building bridges. we don't stop repairing what we've got because it was given to us by previous generations.

they paid for it and bequeathed it to us and we need to bequeath it to another generation following us, otherwise our kids are going to be stuck. not only as the transportation secretary -- i'm duty bound to fight for this, but i'm a father and concerned citizen also and we cannot allow our politics to screw up the system given to us in good faith by previous generations. >> one of the things you did not mention and president obama has made clear he will not support is raising the gas tax. why has the administration been so opposed to raising fuel taxes for the long term when the other solutions are not getting past either? >> what you have heard me say about this is number one, we have a proposal we believe is a 21st-century bill.

that is paid for through pro-growth business tax reform and can be done without raising rates and increasing deficits. we have also said we are open to other ideas from congress and have been clear not to rule anything out. but let me say this -- the gas tax itself has some challenges. no matter where you set the level, the curve is actually downward facing and that is because vehicles are becoming more fuel-efficient and good reasons, but that's a structural challenge with the gas tax. secondly, historically, there has been an 80/20 split between transit and highways using the gas tax. as we reach into the 21st century, it's becoming increasingly clear that this idea that surface transportation

is just highways, just transit without rail is a question we need to grapple with as a country. that's what of the reasons why the grow america act folds rail into a trust fund. the way we get there is use a different source of revenue so we are not robbing peter to pay paul. that's a conversation that needs to be had and even our stakeholders sometimes get mired in the system we have and i would like to see them focused on the system we need in the future. >> certainly after ray lahood stepped down as secretary, he called for raising the gas tax, which he had not done as secretary.

will we someday see secretary anthony foxx do the same thing? [laughter] >> i didn't hear the question. i really didn't. [laughter] oh. look, i'm going to say this a different way. when our system was built in 1956, there was only growth in the foreseeable future in our revenue stream. it's actually changing because we are at a pivotal point where our transportation needs are here and our revenue is there. our proposal introduces a new way to pay for our transportation system on a long-term basis. i think we will continue to have these questions about how to do it long-term and there are many ideas out there in academia and

even pilots happening around the country that are interesting, but they are not ready for prime time yet. i'm sure i will say a lot of things when i'm not here anymore. [laughter] >> what about vehicle miles traveled tax? vehicle efficiency is increasing and collection is declining but the amount of driving is not plummeting. will that be a viable option or something to consider for this administration? >> i think the crisis we are in right now has to be dealt with as soon as possible. on a scale of solutions that seem more likely or less likely, i think vmt is not likely but there are pilots in oregon and other places that i'm sure in the future these things will be

look that. right now we need an answer and we've got one tailor-made for this congress and we would like to see them do it. >> moving on to the malaysia air downing -- are there other areas of the world given what happened with flight 17 where the faa should restrict flights by u.s. carriers? >> let me say this -- we are constantly in touch with our intelligence community and team about these issues. when notes are issued by the faa, they are not coming out of a vacuum. they're coming out of credible information gleaned from sources we trust. there are notes and other parts

of the world active right now and we continue to monitor the international situation to ensure u.s. commercial carriers are given the best guidance possible. >> when the u.s. banned commercial flights over crimea, why did it not extend restrictions to other hostile areas in ukraine? at this point, do you regret the u.s. did not do that? >> this is a point at which i figured you were going to ask me some of these questions about malaysia, and let me just say to your question that even when it was issued back in april, there was general guidance that urged caution among u.s. carriers. but more generally, let me just say a few words about it. the president spoke this morning and made clear that this is an evolving situation.

but that time is of the essence. our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. at u.s. dot, safety is our top authority and we are working with our partners in the u.s. intelligence agencies and law enforcement communities on a continuous basis to monitor and analyze intelligence. when the agency receives specific and credible actionable intelligence of the threat to the national airspace system, the u.s. aviation system its passengers and the agency provides guidance to carriers, including flight restrictions to airmen and special aviation regulations. in april, the faa's no tamp urged u.s. carriers to take extra caution. a number of operators chose voluntarily to alter their routes beyond just the restriction in the crimean

peninsula. we expanded our no tamp to cover the entire eastern half of the ukraine. my comments are combined to what what i justto said so you can keep asking me but that's what i have to say. [laughter] >> u.s. criminal investigators and transportation safety investigators through the ntsb have been sent to ukraine to lend assistance. is there a role for dot in the response and the investigation? >> we stand ready to help and i stand on what i just said. >> in the 2000s, the faa and partnership with dhhs spent millions of dollars studying the possibility of equipping commercial planes with counter systems. what is the status of that and would these measures have been

effective against the missile fired last week? >> as the president has already said, this is a very fluid situation. there is a lot we still need to know. the international community needs access to the site of this horrible crash. any steps beyond that, i'm not going to comment on at this time. >> what about studies in general to equip planes with antimissile technologies? was that study ended in the previous decade or is that still ongoing after this incident? >> i cannot speak to a decade ago, but i can tell you we continue to monitor the situation and any statement on what we will do or not do would be premature.

>> when the will u.s. aircraft mandated to be equipped with gps so they could be located at all times worldwide? >> this is an area that gets into next gen efforts to mess to -- efforts domestically. we continue to make progress on nexgen. i was in houston just a few weeks ago. we just rolled out 60 or so new functions that are next gen oriented functions that move us closer to the system you are talking about. even if we get it deployed in the u.s., there still a lot of work to get deployed around the world to see this technology advanced and deployed. but we are very alleged on this technology and look forward to working with the international

community to see it get deployed worldwide. >> speaking of nexgen, we have heard president obama mention air traffic controllers as a source of jobs if the system is modernized -- is this a message we are likely to keep hearing of the administration? >> absolutely. we think next gen is the cutting edge of transportation. the intersection of technology and the way our airplanes move hold a lot of promise to not only make the airspace move more efficiently and make airplanes move more efficiently in the airspace, rather, but it has strong environmental benefits and huge fuel savings for our carriers which will hopefully reduce costs and hopefully those costs get passed down to passengers. the statistics i've seen shows it will reduce airplane delays by greater than 40%.

but it is dependent upon getting us off of a world war ii radar system into a 21st-century gps technology. >> moving from air to cars, general motors has recalled 27.5 million cars in the u.s. and the auto industry has recalled a record 40 million vehicles. should drivers feel safe and are regulators doing enough? >> look, on the latter question, i have to say nhtsa has done an incredible amount of work, 12

million-plus recalls -- that's not counting the more recent recalls -- it is pretty significant and our toolbox has improved over that time in the wake of the toyota situation a few years ago, we developed, along with ibm, some analytics that allow us to be more predictive in identifying issues before they emerge. we continue to look to build a better mousetrap. i think when it's all said and done, they've done and incredible job over the entire trend line. in terms of autos and whether they are safe, look, we have, through our work on the gm issue, if you talk about gm specifically, we issued the most stringent penalty the agency has ever issued. and if grow america passes, we be able to pass more stringent penalties because we lift the

penalties because we lift the cap from $35 million to $300 million. we forced gm into settling with additional requirements. fixing some of the things that were broken that the fine won't solve. i have high confidence in our team's ability to make it work. we will work not only with gm but other automakers to ensure our system is as safe as possible. >> gm, as you noted, has come under harsh criticism and 15 people have lost their jobs. has anybody at the agency been fired for not connecting the dots and if not, how do you respond to lawmakers who last week called the agencies and actions the nhtsa shrug?

>> i think you could cite my previous answer to this. we and i are willing to check our own math here. i've asked our inspector general to go through and do an after action on the gm situation to see if there's anything we should've done or could have done better. we will learn from that report and until that time, we will continue to not only focus on gm but the other automobiles out there that need our attention. >> the "new york times" reported last week that gm is failed to address the root cause of several crashes in its correspondence. why did the agency accept what amounted to a no comment on the cause of those crashes? >> i disagree with the premise of the question.

there was activity ongoing to see if there was a data-driven reason to step up the level of scrutiny. as i have said pulicly before, had we been given a timely heads-up by gm, that would have coupled with what we are doing, triggered a heightened level of investigation, i have no doubt about that. i don't agree that they took the answer for granted, they were looking for data to suggest there was a problem and had they had the information, it would have been material to the outcome.

>> this questioner asks does d.o.t. and nhtsa consider stalling to be an issue and does it prompt it to change? >> clearly, it is an issue and ones that our recent experience gives us even more information to look across the industry to make sure these issues are being addressed across the system. it is absolutely something we're focused on. >> the pace of technology will change in the automotive industry is getting faster. life cycles are shorter and midcycle changes are more significant. how does nhtsa remain relevant in this new automotive environment? >> i think they are really focused on this. let me add another footnote.

this whole idea that vehicles in the future will communicate with each other is a really big deal. it's a big deal for safety and a big deal for our team. it's an opportunity to engage the automobile and the work of ensuring collision avoidance, and not only with automobiles potentially but pedestrians. there's a technology that allows the mobile to communicate with the infrastructure around all it. a few months ago, we announced we will be doing the rulemaking on vehicle to vehicle technology. we think this will be pace setting in terms of rulemaking because it will provide the ground rules to do what they do best.

this was not an issue -- we think there's lots of opportunities for our team to engage in not only following the trends in the industry and setting the bar high for safety in the future. >> in terms of that rulemaking, you said you would like to issue it by the end of president obama's term. is that all in terms of a timeline and what needs to happen to make it possible? >> i would like to issue it tomorrow. the process is what it is. we are on pace and we will keep working as hard as we can if we can be it. >> are you concerned about the perception of a revolving door where top officials have left jobs at the agency to go work for the automakers they were regulating? should there be a ban on the

practice or at least a cooling off period? >> we have fairly strict ethical requirements in this administration that put a silencer on folks coming back to the agency in trying to influence outcomes immediately after they leave. that's an effective way of dealing with the problem you are identifying because if the concern is undue influence on the agency itself, we have ethical requirements that guard against that. >> moving over to rail -- rail executives have expressed concern about an upcoming rulemaking that includes speed limit restrictions as low as 30 miles an hour. is that provision included and given the rising balance of crude sent by rail, how do you

balance it with increased safety? >> are you asking me to comment on a rule before the rule is issued? >> yes. [laughter] >> i think it is undeniable we are in a country that has a chance to build a new economy on our energy production. it's one of the drivers of our economic growth today and will probably be so for the near future. one of the things we recognize as an agency and had my full attention since i came in was in order to realize that future, we've got to step up our game on the safety front. without getting into details, i can tell you what i know about this issue is that has to be dealt with comprehensively. it can't be dealt with -- sorry folks say we can just figure out

what it ought to look like. that's one piece of it but speed is an issue and there are several other components. we are working as hard as we can in promulgating a proposed rule so the public can comment on it. i hope we can get this done very soon. >> as part of the rulemaking, will you require produces of oil from the bakken region stabilize their product before it's shipped? >> i'm not going to comment on what the rule says or doesn't say. i will say what we are finding, unlike in parts of texas, where there is an industry built up around oil production, so

separating material, using all those pieces of the material that is separated, we have infrastructure in north dakota excavating this material, so the question of stabilization is the issue at the forefront of my mind, but i'm not going to comment on what our approach is going to be. it's an issue that we as an agency are very well aware of. >> how has the oil industry responded to d.o.t.'s requests on the chemical properties and has d.o.t. been satisfied with the response and chemical data available? >> the information we have received from industry has gotten a little better. we've gotten some information that is consistent with what we have seen in our own studies.

we've seen some information that is entirely inconsistent and is not apples to apples study we would have undertaken ourselves. there is a fair amount of confusion generated when the industry says this is just the same type of stuff being pulled out from the other part of the country because there are a couple of things that are a little different. number one, there's more stabilization activity that occurs before it is transported. secondly, there is a fact that these trains are moving in huge units, sometimes 100 at a time the sheer scale of the impact of these trains can be challenging.

we are pushing as hard as we can and i look forward to getting something out very soon. >> on biking, this questioner asks how do we make american cities more like copenhagen for biking and do you think it is a worthy goal? >> ok, so, true confession -- i have been trying for the entire year to figure out how to bike to work. [laughter] i finally got it figured out. two weeks ago, i finally biked in to work and is very proud of myself i wanted you to know how proud i am. [applause] let me say this. when you have 100 million more

people to move around over the next 35 years, we are going to see more congestion if we are not careful. a lot of that population is concentrating in areas that usually has a city in the middle and suburban rings and rural areas around it. i really believe bicycling is part of the transportation ecosystem that we are going to need. in fact, if you look at folks who are younger than me, who are moving into these communities, many of them are not driving cars. many of them are trying to locate in central areas so they can use bicycling more. i think it's happening at the local level. i was with the republican mayor from indianapolis last week who

has -- his city is so bicycle friendly that he was invited to speak to portland, oregon's community. [laughter] you are starting to see communities figuring out how to make more bike friendly areas. one thing he said that's instructive as he said there's a company that wanted to make a $100 million investment in indianapolis putting a new facility in place, but they insisted on being near the bike path. you talk to mayors in this country enough and you'll find that's happening more and more. we can play a facilitative role and that's one of the things i would like to do is help not only with the growth of this but ensuring bicyclists and pedestrians as well are as safe as we want folks in automobiles and other modalities to be.

>> squeeze in a drone question -- a recent report said the faa won't be able to report the use of unmanned vehicles and the use of airspace by -- i'm sorry, i can't read the number. the 2015 deadline? what will you do to make sure the faa reaches its deadline? >> as i understand it, we are on track to meet the 2015 deadline. we will work toward that. this is another convergence of technology and transportation and it's interesting and exciting though we had to figure out a way to do it safely. >> and passenger rail -- any comment on amtrak removing california

from the high-speed nextgen procurement? >> that is an interesting question. removing california from high-speed nexgen procurement -- i would have to get more clarification because that's mixing rail and airspace to me. that's an interesting convergence. [laughter] >> we're almost out of time and i think we've covered most of the modes but before asking the last question, got a couple of housekeeping matters to take care of. first of all, i would ask that the audience remained seated when the program concludes. the secretary has an important meeting to get to so we will let him exit before we all stand up. second, i would like to remind you about upcoming speakers at the national press club. tomorrow, we will have dr. thomas frieden, the director of the centers for disease control who will address the mers virus and other key health issues.

august 1, we will have his excellency, the president of the republic of congo who will discuss peace, security and stability of the central africa region and oil investments in his country. on august 4, will have his excellency, jacob zuma, president of south africa. second, i would like to present our guest with the traditional national press club mug. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> it can go in your office right next to the panthers helmet. and finally, one last question. i understand your daughter is quite the constructive critic it comes to transportation. i would like to hear what advice and useful ideas she's given you lately.

[laughter] >> very good question. my daughter is 10 and i brought her to work one day. she went off into another part of the office while i went and did meetings. she came back and said, "daddy, do you think you can influence the bill?" she knows this because she's seen the "schoolhouse rock" stuff and i said i don't know. she says "i have some ideas for you." we just come back from a vacation to my wife's family in baton rouge. she said "here's my bill" -- she handed me a piece of paper and it said number one, airplanes

should not have first class. everybody should have big seats. number two, the bathrooms need to be cleaner. [laughter] and number three, when you land, they need to come up with the technology that prevents your ears from popping. that's the advice she's given me. thank you very much, it's been great to be with you. [applause] >> thank you, mr. secretary, we are adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014]

morning "the hill" is reporting that a federal appeals court has rejected several subsidies in the health care law. a three-judge panel in washington ruled 2-1 that the law as written only allows insurance subsidies in states that set up their own exchanges. that invalidated an internal thatue service relation allowed subsidies in all 50 states. if upheld, it could mean premium increases for what half a million americans who purchase xp or subsidized insurance under the law. toobin, law professor and cnn correspondent, tweeted it means the likely

overturning of obamacare ruling today." the u.s. house will meet at noon eastern and began the day with the general speeches and return at 2:00 eastern for legislative work. there are 14 bills scheduled, sanctionsone imposing on financial institutions helping hezbollah and another one on expediting the process flightsrans for honor to war memorials. the director of the centers for disease control and prevention, , will answeren questions about how the cdc has handled anthrax. c-span2 has live coverage and that will begin at 1:00 eastern. live at 3:00 eastern, president to head the veterans affairs department, robert mcdonald, will go before the senate veterans affairs committee. he is expected to explain the administration's plans for the department's future.

we welcome your conversation, your input on facebook and twitter. for over 35 years, c-span brings public affairs events from washington directly to you, putting you in the room for congressional hearings, white house events, briefings, and conferences, and offering complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the u.s. house all as a public service of private industry. there c-span, created by cable tv industry 35 years ago and brought to you as a public service by your local cable or satellite provider. >> the un security council is meeting once again this morning heard it will be discussing the israeli-palestinian conflict after more than two weeks of fighting between israel and hamas militants. more than 600 palestinians and 29 israelis have been killed. an israeli soldier is reported missing today.

john kerry met with egypt's president today in cairo. egypt has proposed a cease-fire plan. it is backed by the u.s. and israel, but has been rejected by hamas. expected to get underway in just a moment. live coverage on c-span.

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>> live pictures from the when this morning. -- live pictures from the u.n. this morning. meeting to discuss the escalation of military operations in gaza. benjamin youthat know who -- benjamin saying that the international committee once held hamas responsible for negotiations.

blaming moscowes for support for separatist rebels. calling for an investigation of the crash site. could be another moment or two before this meeting gets underway. we will look at a discussion this morning from washington journal on u.s. foreign policy, diplomacy challenges facing the country. matthew lee writes about diplomacy efforts for the associated press goo. good morning. raising the heat on russia. what is the strategy? guest: as they make their case

and certainly there is in europe make their case that russia was ultimately culpable for the downing of this plane, they are going to be taking a hard lobbying case to countries in europe that were reluctant or resistant to increasing the cost on putin for his actions in ukraine and impose more sanctions. whether or not they succeed is a very open question. just as morning, we see the european union foreign ministers meeting here at they are not europeanto net -- union foreign ministers meeting. -- it's very up in the air whether or not this strategy will work. host: what about the u.k.? guest: they have their own interest in keeping relations positive with russia.

there is a lot of russian money in london and surrounding areas. at the same time, we see the brits this morning have decided to reopen the case of this extra russian spy -- x russian spy who have been killed by polonium poisoning. a there is a lot going on within ukraine. a lot of behind the scenes diplomacy going on. howproblem is we don't know it's going to end. host: david cameron was speaking to the british house of commons yesterday. the time has come for fundamental change. [video clip] >> this is a defining moment for russia. at the world is watching. president putin faces a clear choice and how he decides to respond to this appalling tragedy. to find a paths

by ending russian support for the separatists. if he does not change his europe and the west must fundamentally change our approach to russia. note of us in europe should need to be reminded of the consequences of turning a blind eye when big countries bully smaller countries. we should not shrink from standing up for the principles that govern conduct between independent nations in europe and keep the peace for our continent. tore has been a reluctance face up to the implications of what is happening in eastern ukraine. it is time to make our power, influence and resources felt. i agreed with chancellor merkel ourt we should push partners and the european union to consider a new range of hard-hitting economic sanctions against russia. host: strong words and calling out his european allies as well. guest: you have a new foreign

secretary in britain who is known to be quite a eurosceptic. tough andron talks makes his case in front of parliament, it's not at all clear that that message will resonate with eu headquarters in brussels. there are many countries that are fearful of what russia could do to them. ,utting off gas supplies economic retaliation for anything they might do. it's a very murky situation and they love countries are looking very warily at what a tougher stance on russia will mean. host: does iraq overshadow decisions? guest: there is lingering concern over the whole situation. much amongst the british government which supported the iraq invasion. but amongst the british public

which was opposed to it. europe, as the bush administration called it, the french were very much opposed and the germans as well. it might have been immediately -- in the immediate aftermath of the iraq war. sure, there is some lingering suspicion and a lingering mistrust. host: how are they looking at the u.s. to respond? will they wait for a firmer u.s. response before they move or word? guest: we are seeing an enormous propaganda war going on between washington and moscow. or until evidence, is presented, i think you will see some caution on the part of european

countries that are concerned about russian retaliation. until there is a case of uncertainty that can be backed up with intelligence evidence, not just people saying this is what we assess, but showing why the assessment is such, i think it will be more difficult until that point is reached. until we get to the point where an investigation comes to a final conclusion. host: the headline from the new york times this morning. guest: that's exactly right. one thing i find interesting, thus far, until yesterday when the russian defense ministry had this unusual press conference where they raised questions about what actually happened to the plane, russian officialdom blamed ukraine and the government in kiev for fostering

and creating this kind of environment that allowed this tragedy to happen. but they have to actually denied and they had not until yesterday said, "no, all the u.s. -- they have not denied these charges. it looks like they could be setting the stage for some kind of move to knowledge what really happened. fact what happened was what the u.s. claims it was. there is a lot of moving parts here. until they all play out, i don't think we will be able to make an educated guess about what is going to happen. host: how much has the

state department revealed? guest: the case and they have made is the case that samantha power made at the un security council last week on friday. secretary kerry made comments on the sunday talk shows. not much beyond that. that case is based on a large body of circumstantial evidence involving intercepted phone calls which don't necessarily prove much of anything. or youtube videos showing the rocket launcher. the americans claim they have missile being launched from this rebel held area in eastern ukraine. they say they have it, but they have not shared it yet. one not necessarily that should be automatically skeptical or think that is

false, but i think the problem of thece in the wake iraqi intelligence failures is that one should not automatically assume or believe that this is the 100% truth. until that evidence is presented, skeptics and russia are perfectly within their rights to raise questions. tot: matthew lee with us talk about diplomacy efforts on several fronts. you heard about ukraine. other topics as well. (202) 585-3880 for democrats. (202) 585-3881 for republicans. (202) 585-3882 for independents.

>> the provisional agenda for this meeting, the situation in the middle east. the agenda is adopted. i wish to warmly welcome the

distinguished secretary-general, the minister and other entities.hed your presence is the new indication of the importance of the subject matter. rule 37 of the councils procedure, i invite a representative of algeria, bible bangladesh, bolivia, brazil, , korea, ecuador, egypt, el salvador, guatemala, iceland, india, indonesia, he iran, israel, kuwait, lebanon, malaysia,

zealand,orocco, new nicaragua, norway, pakistan, qatar, saudi arabia, south turkey, vietnam , venezuela and zimbabwe to participate in this meeting. it is so decided. propose that the council palestine to participate in the meeting with the accordance of the provisional rules of procedure. being no objection, it is so decided.

rule 59 ofce with the councils provisional rules of procedure, i invite the following to participate in this meeting. the head of the delegation of the european union to the detonations -- to the united of the, the chairman available rights of the palestinian people -- inalienable rights of the palestinian people. it is so decided. the security council will now item two of the agenda. i wish to warmly welcome the distinguished secretary-general. us via video

teleconference. i give the floor to the secretary-general. for theply apologize video visual. i think the security council for their strong support of my efforts. nk the security council for their strong support of my efforts.

[indiscernible] i had the opportunity of meeting the minister of foreign affairs from norway. andad a conversation our views and

discussed the competition in their region. it is my goal and believe that these talks will lead to an end in the verying an near future. there are many complexities. just as i landed in the region, -- terrible fighting

first, stop the fighting. the cease-fire is essential. the fighting will continue. if people --

the prospect of the cease-fire comes in the form of a proposal by egypt. unfortunately, hamas has yet to respond. this is the most meaningful pathway to peace. -- i willty concerns continue my meetings with the president and ministers. the indiscriminate rocket fire launched by hamas into israel

has taken a deadly toll. they have paid the price for this latest escalation. this decision affects most of the countries.

[indiscernible] the escalation in cairo is affecting operations. worldwide corporations are closed as a result of the crisis. this is unacceptable. more than 5% of the population -- a serious loss of

life. i urge all of you to respond to the tremendous pressure. we must eliminate their sufferings . ank the many countries present to work towards order. i also thank the un's staff

for their devotion to respond to amanda terry and needs. humanitarian to needs. we the international community have to assume .esponsibility [indiscernible]

it is imperative that we show balance. in gazathousands continue to receive salaries without performing essential government functions in gaza. this is the third time that i

the region come to to help end the crisis. are now inn of gaza the middle of a major assault of international imbalance. the cycle of suffering must end. the opportunity to bring a political separate superiority is the best idea for gaza. to endunsel is formed this filing crusade. council is formed to

end this violent crusade. proceed -- the international community wants to help and bring justice. thank you. i'm trying to help this region as best as i can. thank you. secretary-general, thank

you for his statement. thank you, mr. president. your strengthr this month. the efforts to address the crisis being faced by the palestinian people. due to the military aggression in the gaza strip. i think the security general for his briefing and convey deep gratitude to him. cease-firen urgent based on the egyptian initiative . i want to welcome the foreign

minister of luxembourg was with us. thank you for attending this very important meeting. recognize the efforts of the special coordinator on the ground with regard to the goals for the humanitarian cause and the government efforts. under the leadership of pierre and the general and other u.n. agencies and humanitarian organizations, including the icrc providing vital emergency assistance to the palestinian people at this time of crisis. president, despite all of

these regional and international palestinian civilians have been killed. thousands have been injured and tens of thousands have been displaced by the israeli military aggression in gaza since we last came before the council on friday. the israeli bombardment including missile airstrikes, from air andillery seen on densely populated civilian areas has also resulted in the destruction of more than 1000 homes and damaged more than 18,000 other homes. fear and panic have gripped the population, leading to the displacement of more than 100,000 people who are now sheltered in nearby schools.

palestinians have sought refuge in the schools. we urgently appeal for efforts to address the humanitarian needs of the palestinian civilians in gaza, including donor support. occupying and slaughtering entire families. , a familyf 26 people of eight people in northern gaza , a family of 10 , a family of six , a family ofria

, a family of five people and the family of four people in northern gaza were among the many. these attacks in just the past three days constituting the majority of the dead. the casualties are mounting with every passing minute. sunday, 95 palestinians were brutally killed with at least 72 people, including 17 children, 14 women and for elderly persons massacred by the occupying who passed through the streets littered with bodies, ensuring the rising

death toll. that theredeclared are no injured, only dead. it is nearly impossible to keep up with the pace of killing and injury caused by the occupying forces with weaponry. hours,tter of just two another 23 palestinians were killed. their names and stories not yet included in the vast documentation of the israeli war crimes. will continue to insist be recorded by the u.n. t

the death toll stands at more than 600 palestinians and more than 3500 people injured. we are haunted by the images of women, boys, girls, murdered by the israeli occupying forces. and the refugee camps. by the images of the thousands of wounded people, their lives forever marred by the sight of thousands of palestinian for safety from the israeli assault. let me show you some of the pictures of these victims.

these are the human faces of our victims. these are those who suffered the most. the largest number of them killed, the children.

we are not numbers. we are human beings. when hospital floors are covered in blood of the , filled with the deafening screams of pain of the wounded and the cries of grief and anguish for loved ones killed and doctors with barely any supplies and deprived of sleep and sustenance, fighting courageously to save human lives , despite themselves being targeted, we know the international community has civilians intect armed conflicts, failed to enforce the rule of law and

its promise to humanity. we are wearing the black ribbons today to honor all of our children, women, men and older civilians killed in this genocide by israel against our people in the gaza strip. [reading the names of the children killed]

age nine, age 11, age three, age age 15, age four, age 15, age four, age 13, age three, 12 months

old. while council members may be fatigued by a repeated lists, we must bear witness to the despair of our people and insist on their dignity. these palestinian children whose lives have been so cruelly taken by the occupying power a had names. mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and friends who are grieving their deaths. devastated by this massive loss of human life for which there cannot be justification and consideration. the president, on behalf of the

people, wenam palestinian ask, what is the international community doing to stop the israeli atrocities? what is the security council doing to uphold its commitment to protect civilians in armed conflicts? without decisive action, the resolutions and statements ring hollow as civilians find no relief from the murders. and everywherey in gaza, the palestinian people are suffering greatly. the humanitarian fallout is on

the brink of collapse and the impact of the israeli aggression to ensure theion safety and well-being of the civilians is gravely breached by israel. appeal tote our the un security council to uphold its duty to ensure peace. without exceptions and without delay. in the region to secure a cease-fire continue, the security council still has the responsibility to act to stop the slaughter of innocent men, women and children. halted.impunity must be we can no longer deny that such crimes are being deliberately land and carried out to exact maximum loss and carry out

people.ment to the humiliation of the people in leadership. verified by the declaration of israeli prime minister and other government officials. it is a fact that has been proven by the illegal actions of the op yo occupying power. we reject the label of the entire people as terrorists. the women and men are not terrorists. not allow our loved ones to be used as human shields.

they have been held captive by israel in an open prison called which remains under israeli occupation and control. regardless of the narrative , we have the 2005 never once heard it mentioned before this council running occupation. conveniently ignoring the fact yet israel is an occupier, somehow clamming the right to from theself very people they are oppressing. let me reiterate that it is no coincidence that this latest aggression was launched to increase international pressure.

international acceptance of the palestinian unity government, intensifying more condemnation of the settlement, provocations --is incident provocations in this incident and the israeli destruction of and thestate solution growing call for sanctions against israel. the council must live up to the and theof the charter expectations of the international community. the injustice being adored by the palestinian people under this depraved israeli occupation affects people of every race, color and creed. demanding

accountability for these war crimes, including the international criminal court. the council must lay its role and contribute to the efforts for security a cease-fire. to ensure the cease-fire is sustainable, preventing the recurrence of such crises, including the need to end the israeli blockade of gaza. the need to ensure protection for the palestinian people and the need for a political horizon forward. odds and thehe immeasurable loss and grief, the palestinian people hold firm to their conviction and the

promises and commitment to bring an end to their oppression and achieve justice. we affirm that we continue to strive for a peaceful, political solution for this conflict for which there is no military solution. we appeal again to the international community to render all support possible to the growing effort to achieve a just, lasting and peaceful long-overdued the long-overdu rights of the palestinian people come including freedom and independence in their state of palestine. in conclusion, i read rate my my call foriterate the adoption of a solution to condemn the israeli aggression ,gainst the state of palestine to stop this aggression and lift

the blockade against the gaza strip and provide palestinian people with international protection. i thank you very much, mr. president. the observer state of palestine, thank you for your .tatement israel, you have the floor. guest: before i begin, i would like to thank the secretary general for his briefing. and to you for presiding over this debate. ago, the great german writing statement said the hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes. look around the world today and you will see that the primary threat to global peace and is staring this council right in the face.

from benghazi to boston, no nation is immune to the threat of islamic terrorism. armed with dangerous ideologies and deadly weapons, radicals are life. war to destroy we have become too familiar with hezbollah, boko haram and thomas. they share a disdain for forcracies, a contempt toiety and willingness attack civilians. the region has been plagued by instability and intolerance, dictators, disorder, tyranny and terrorism. apart.ion stands the state of israel is the only liberal democracy between the red sea and the caspian sea.

we are on the front line fighting radical islamist terrorism. the struggle we face today is a preview of the struggle that the rest of the civilized world will likely face tomorrow. mr. president, as we speak, the israeli defense forces are fighting to rid gaza of the hamas military infrastructure that has terrorized the israeli people and devastated the palestinian people for well over a decade. trust me when i tell you, gaza is the last place we want our soldiers to be in. the very last place. this is not a war we chose. it was our last resort. hamas has sent suicide bombers into our cafés. have sent armed terrorists throw tunnels come into our homes and into our schools.

they have launched over 12,000 missiles and rockets into our cities in the last 10 years. every single person has been affected by terrorism. israel has grown up with a thread in our backyard, and we will never grow used to it. we will never grow used to the sound of armed rockets overhead. refuse to be beustomed -- we refuse to accustomed to this conflict. israel did not want this war. times israelnt agreed to accept a cease-fire and every single time hamas refused. and launched even more rockets. each of these rockets sends the

message loud and clear. wage is determined to war. even when the red cross and united nations asked hamas to stop firing so they could assist their civilians, hamas refused. they have proved that they have no regard for the well-being of the palestinian people. egyptian foreign minister stated that if hamas accepted the egyptian people, they could have saved the lives of palestinians. let me make the picture very clear. the palestinian civilians casualties are a direct result of hamas apostate decision to continue sending rockets toward israel while putting their civilians upfront to protect their so-called leader. delegation and their

refused to stand up and say to hamas, stop. , in the past month, israel has been attacked on four fronts. rockets have been fired from and hamas has launched an all-out assault from gaza. in addition to firing rockets, hamas has developed a new strategy to wage war against israel. in gaza, there are two cities. a city above ground and a city belowground. the street are dense tunnels crisscrossing like a giant web. hamas has built a underground network. theyrecently declared that

have a new strategy in confronting the enemy from underground. idea --tering gaza, the they have uncovered tunnels under homes and schools. one tunnel -- >> we bring you live coverage of the u.s. house. you can continue watching online at c-span.org. the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., july 22, 2014. i hereby appoint the honorable george holding to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 7, 2014, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority ad