closed. until we resolve the issue in west africa, we will not allow folks with diseases from that region to be coming to the united states w get the problem fixed. >> thank you. . want to restate i gave a list of several recommendations. i want the white house to consider those. including a travel ban on people who are not citizens coming to the united states currently until we have some problem solved. also to make sure that we have travel restrictions once they come back here. and on people who are treated ebola patients. -- have treated ebola patients. it is clear from the errors that were made, the people can make mistakes, that they will not be trustworthy in the places where they have been. what we ought to be doing is all of these steps. what we are asking for may amount to an inconvenience for

some. the alternative is illness and death for some. we believe we should hold a higher standard at present, and the white house has the tools to make these decisions right now, and we would like to have bcdc work with us on this and move forward -- the cdc work with us on this and move forward. the hearings clarified to the american people some aspects that a number of government agencies are looking at. i think it also sent mixed messages, saying that they believe, right now, that they construct folks to be honest and aware of all of their exposure, and they may not do that. i think that it is important that they know that congress is partners with the administration on this. we are pushing strong for this, we want to protect the american people. that is our first step. >> again, i think the need for a travel ban is cleared.

reasoning, they said they need to make sure they have the opportunity for supplies and personnel, and yet they do not know the number of flies and personnel and supplies that are coming in. how can they base an entire decision on avoiding a travel ban when they do not even know the number behind the reason they are stating their opposition? the reasons are basically the same thing as saying that we should make sure that all children with chickenpox stay in school so we know who they are. we must make sure that we are protecting the american people by making sure that travel from the affected area is restricted. >> any other questions? >> i join with the chairman and others in calling for president obama to immediately issue a travel ban. he has the ability to do this. and there are still so many unanswered questions. this is something that you should do at a minimum, to stop non-us citizens from those

affected countries from coming here. i was disappointed that he had a bcdc would not discuss whether or not he has had conversations with the white house about doing it, and if the white house has .uled out a travel ban there are other questions that we need to find out. theif you look at some of complaints from people like doctors without borders, samaritan's purse, some of the organizations that have been in western african countries for decades, they have been critical of the cdc procedures. some of them have a suggested that they have been blown off are the cdc. -- by bcdc. cdc. the they had ought to be finding out about that -- the head ought to be finding out about that. >> first of all, we have asked for the president to institute a travel band.

they will not say that it has been rolled out a raid are putting that on the president's desk and asking him to do that. one of the things that we have done is show, by coming today, that we will take the issue seriously. we will be here to do whatever needs to be done. right now, the ball is in the president's court. he can institute a travel ban, and they can do that. they should answer the questions, have they ruled out out, it is a yes or no question. >> i want to say that on behalf of moms and nurses and health care workers across the country, i do believe that we are working together in a collaborative way. we want to work with the white house and the president on this issue. if there is a better time for the president to take out his hand and his phone, and i was that time. -- now is that time.

let's put into place to travel restrictions we are looking for and get to the bottom of the issue before any other american is infected. >> getting back to your question, one of the things that we have to remind americans is that the chance of contracting the ebola virus is very small as long as you are not exposed to someone else with ebola. that is why we want to travel ban, to protect the health of americans. want the travel ban, to protect the health of americans. u.s. citizens have a right return to the country, but they can be quarantined once they come in. we are waiting for a proposal from the white house. the procedure is full of holes. anything else? thank you.

>> on thursday, president obama met with cabinet members on the u.s. response to the ebola crisis. hhsndees included the secretary and the head of the cdc or afterwards, he spoke to reporters about a travel ban and the possibility of appointing a czar. give the american people an update on what happened today. remains concerned about the ebola update. i have been working with my team on issues that have been raised publicly. obviously, our

heartfelt concern goes out to the nurses who have been affected. they courageously treated at mr. .uncan when he was in dallas it is typical of what nurses do each and every day, caring for us. third -- has now been transferred to nha's facilities facilities. the other has been transferred to emory. we're continuing to monitor their condition. number two, the second nurse to be diagnosed, as all of you are aware, traveled from dallas to cleveland and back. as a consequence, it is very important for us to make sure that we are monitoring and tracking anyone who was in close proximity to the second nurse. to make sure that their temperatures are being taken,

arewe know that they receiving the kind of attention that they need to ensure that there is not additional spread of the disease. i spoke to the governor in ohio today. he was on top of it. we have deployed cdc personnel there to make sure that they are getting all the support that they need. continue to work both with them as well as the airline . getting the manifests and ensuring that we are keeping anybody who was in some of the to the second nurse. we remain focused on the situation at texas presbyterian in dallas. when we haveore, tight protocols with respect to the treatment of patients, then health care workers are safe.

because of these two incidents, we know that there may have been problems in terms of how protective gear was worn or removed, or some of the additional treatment procedures may have impacted potential exposure. we do not know yet exactly what happened. in the meantime, we have a number of health care workers at texas presbyterian who did provide care to mr. duncan. and we are instituting a constant monitoring process with them, giving them the information that they need in order to keep themselves and their families as safe as possible. as the period in which they could potentially get the disease remains in place. i also spoke to governor perry today about making sure that dallas, and the state of texas, had the resources that it needed

in order to respond effectively if additional workers at texas presbyterian are determined, in fact, to have been exposed and contracted ebola. , as well as the mayor, have been cooperative, working with the cdc, health and human services. they have legitimate concerns in terms of making sure that the is searchingnment the kind of resources that they need in order to handle any thetuality there --surging resources that they need in order to handle any eventuality there. to make sure that they have the training and equipment that they need. we'll be working closely with them in order to ensure that they have what they need to get the job done. throughout this process, i have been focused on making sure that

we are dealing with this problem at the source. the most important thing, in addition to treating and monitoring anybody who even has a hint of potential exposure here in this country, the most important thing that i can do for keeping the american people safe is for us to be able to deal with the ball at the source. the huge outbreak in west africa. the united states is obviously beating the way in terms of providing resources, equipment, and mobilizing the world community. over the last several days, i continue to call other world leaders to get them to up their commitments of equipment and personnel and logistical capabilities to make sure that we are getting our workers on the ground there. we have seen some progress in liberia and sierra leone and guinea, but not enough.

we have more work to do. the good news is that increasingly, when i talked to these world leaders, what you're theng is a recognition that sooner that we control the outbreak at the source in west africa, the less our people will be at risk. more and more of them are stepping up, although it is taking a little longer than it should. that is something that all of us should recognize. one issue that i wanted to address, because i know this is been a topic consistently in the news, is the issue of a travel ban. fromw that you have heard public health experts about this, but i want to make sure that everybody is clear about the issue. i do not have a philosophical objection, necessarily, to a travel ban, if that is the thing that will keep the american people safe. the problem is that in all the discussions i've had thus far with experts in the field,

experts in infectious disease, is the a travel ban is less a travel -- is that ban is less effective than the measures that we are currently instituting. those involve screening passengers coming from west africa -- first of all, spreading them before they get on the plane of their to see whether they are showing -- screening them before they get on the plane there to see whether they are showing symptoms, and then screening here. if they are showing signs of illness, obviously, we want to make sure that they are directed to a well-equipped and prepared facility. if they are not showing any signs, we still want to have their information. where they live, where they are staying. contact information that not only does the federal government keep, but that will be forwarded to the states where they reside.

if we institute a travel ban instead of the protocol we have in place now, history shows that there is a likelihood of increased avoidance. people do not readily disclose their information. thingay engage in some called broken travel, essentially breaking up their trip so they can hide the fact that they have been to one of these countries where there is a disease in place. as a result, we may end up getting less information about who has the disease. get're less likely to treated properly, screened properly, and quarantined properly. we could end up having more cases rather than less. ask ourue to push and experts whether we are doing what is adequate to protect the american people. if they come back to me and they say that there are additional things that we need to do, i assure you, we will do it.

but it is important, in the circumstances, for us to look at the history of how these infectious diseases are best dealt with. it is currently the judgment of all of those who have been involved that a flat-out travel ban is not the best way to go. but we will continue to monitor this. out that i, it turns am getting different answers, then i will share that with the american people. we will not hesitate to do what is necessary in order to maximize the chances that we avoid an outbreak here in the united states. which brings me to my last point. i understand that people are worried. this is a disease that is new to our shores, although it is something that has cropped up periodically in other countries. because of the virulence of the way it isnd the transmitted, and the symptoms that occur, i understand that

people are scared. once want to emphasize again that right now we have one individual that came in with the disease. who have beenrses diagnosed with the disease as a consequence of in some fashion being exposed during treatment. what remains true is that this is not an airborne disease. it is not easy to catch. you can only catch it through the incontact with the bodily fluids of an individual who not only has the disease -- bodily with the bodily fluids of an individual who not only has the disease, but is showing signs of the disease. it is important to keep perspective in terms of how we handle this. we are taking this very seriously at the highest levels, starting with me. my entire team has been

essentially deputized to work with health and human services and cdc, and that includes, by the way, the department of defense and the national security team. we understand why it is important for us to provide thatances to the public folks are taking this very seriously, and they are. and obviously, because of the two nurses getting sick, that has made people that much more concerned. all of that is understood. everybody to understand that it remains a very difficult disease to catch. and if we continue to take the steps that we need to, then this will be contained. thing thatn everybody needs to focus on is involved remain relatively low, extremely low,

for ordinary folks. the biggest thing that we need to do is make sure that health workers have more confidence. because they are on the front lines. we are entering into blue season, which means that there are people that may be coming in the symptoms. -- in with symptoms. there may be false alarms. we will spend time working with public health workers to make sure that they feel safe and adequately protected. i want to assure the american people, we are taking this seriously, but it is hard to catch. if we do what we need to do, and we stay focused, then this is going to be something that is contained here. the work that we have to do overseas is going to be a lot tougher, because, frankly, they do not have our public health infrastructure. they are not well organized. they are poor countries. and the epidemic is already

raging there. that will take several months for us to be able to start seeing because of progress that we need to see. -- the kinds of progress that we need to see you in the meantime, everybody here is on the case. all right? thank you very much, everybody. i will answer just one question about an ebola czar. up until this point, the individuals here have been running point, and doing an outstanding job at dealing with a complicated and fluid situation. those of you who do not know, lisa, who does a lot of my counterterrorism work, as well as national security work, has been working with the secretary of health and human services and thomas cdc. -- tom at the cdc. it may be appropriate for me to appoint an additional person, not because these three have not

been doing an outstanding job. it is not because they have not been doing an outstanding job, working hard on this issue. if they are also responsible for a whole bunch of other stuff. -- but they are also responsible for bunch of other stuff. lisa is responsible, as is susan, for iso-. -- isil. every year, tens of thousands of people but eventually die from the flu, and 100000 and more may go to the emergency room because of the hospital. that is something that tom is also responsible for. it may make sense for us to have so that, after the initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process, just to make sure that we are crossing all the t and dotting all theas -- ts and dotting all

the is going forward. if i appoint somebody, i will let you know. on the next "washington journal," teresa discusses new ebola screening procedures at airports. then a look at the u.s. effort to fight isis, with lieutenant colonel john nagl. c-span.7:00 a.m. on coming up friday, a discussion on u.s. nuclear policy. allison, the chair of the nuclear regulatory commission, speaks at the fulbright u.s. student program's annual conference. you can watch live coverage starting at 8:30 a.m. eastern on

c-span two. later, the brookings institution hosted a panel on the impact of marijuana legalization in the u.s. on international drug treaties did that is at 10:00 a.m. eastern, also on c-span2. the c-span cities to work takes book tv on the road, traveling to cities to learn about their literary life. this weekend, we partnered with time warner cable for a visit to green bay, wisconsin. >> we make the most jews and also the best cheese. -- most cheese and also the best .heese the industry developed because of homestead cheese, where each farm family made their own cheese. it was recognized that we had an ideal environment to raise very cattle. cheese was really just a way to take that perishable product, milk, which, before

refrigeration, would only last three days. if you make cheese with that, gender cheese can last for a decade. this was -- cheddar cheese can last for a decade. this was the 1800s. they would build a cheese factory in a higher a cheese maker -- and hire a cheese maker. the cheesemakers would move around a lot. in 1830, they built a cheese plant in wisconsin. there was consolidation among the smaller plants. the continued up until about 1990, when there were only about 200 cheese factories in wisconsin. >> watch all of our events from green bay. >> on thursday, the defense

department held a briefing to update reporters on the ebola response in liberia. and thes from usaid u.s. ambassador to liberia took part by phone. this is about 40 minutes. >> good afternoon. we are ready to go, so i'm going to get us started here. major general darryl williams, this is an on the record briefing.

obviously, nobody can see each other, so everyone speak up a little bit and your name and who you are with, so they can get a visual. i have already described the set appear on the phone. he can get a mental picture hopefully. ambassador, can you hear us? >> good afternoon. >> and it, i think we have a few opening comments, so over to liberia. >> thanks, ladies and gentlemen. i am major general in here with me is the u.s. ambassador to liberia and then hemingway from usaid. -- been hemingway from usaa id -- usaid. i have a brief statement i would like to give before the monitor opens the floor for questions. joint forces command united assistance and u.s. africa command is supporting a comprehensive u.s. government effort led by the u.s. agency of international development here to fight the outbreak of the

ebola virus in liberia. africom established the joint force headquarters to facilitate all u.s. military forces to support usaid and other agencies in stopping the ebola outbreak. we are currently overseeing the establishment of logistics nodes, the monrovia medical unit, which is a 25 bed hospital, and up to 17 ebola treatment units as well as the training of health care providers and other usaid requests as approved by the secretary of defense. we have made great progress since the president announced our participation here. the usaid-led mission is getting momentum every single day. we have added two military labs, and i can talk about that

later. i can add that to the already existing labs here and they're making a tremendous difference everyday. they are literally saving lives. we completed construction on the monrovia bed unit. soon it will be staffed by medical professionals from the u.s. public health commission core and fully operational. we are moving forward on all fronts and our servicemembers are excited to be here working hard with their liberian counterparts to help end the outbreak. this is not an easy or simple mission, but working with the liberians, i believe we are starting to make real progress. at this time, i would be happy to take your questions. >> per our customs, we will start with our senior wire reporter from bloomberg. >> what provisions are being made in case u.s. troops are infected by the virus? have the hospitals been designated for care? what is in place right now if that happens?

>> yeah, so, we have protocols in place with the augment of both increased medical capability and the special-purpose tag that will be helping soldiers get out of your a -- out of here in a non-ebola event. if someone were to come through and unfortunately contract this disease, we have quarantine protocols we would enact. they would be quarantined and we would put on the appropriate gear to take care of and stabilize that patient until he can arrange for transportation to move them back to a facility. that would not be done here. >> do you see any need for contracting private transport companies for shipping and

roll-on rolloff containers to supplement the military logistics equipment at this point? >> there already was a vibrant and robust logistical architecture. we are finding that out. one of our concerns when we came in here was does the country of liberia have the contracting capacity? and we are very happy with the both the local contracting capacity that is here and we are using a lot of the leveraging, gravel, wood, nails, those sorts of things are critical to building these ebola treatment units. so we are bringing some capacity in but most of that is found in the local economy used to build our various projects. >> you are spending millions of dollars of defense dollars on private u.s. or foreign contractors coming in and providing transportation

assistance or construction assistance. >> say that again? >> you do or do not anticipate spending millions of dollars of u.s. money for private contractors from the united states or europe to complement your effort? >> we have a continuum of contractors here, as i mentioned. we are leveraging local contractors and contractors from other places as you just mentioned. so what is a continuum of contracts. there is no sole-source we are using in terms of leveraging the contracting capability in this great country. >> the next question will be from cnn. >> comeback on one thing and i have a couple of questions. on the evacuation capability,

are you saying people who need to be evacuated because they may have been determined to be at risk are showing no symptoms or may have fallen into a risk category, could they be evacuated by marines? that's my first question. >> so, thanks, ma'am. there would be multiple ways we could evacuate. that's possibly one way we would evacuate folks that had no known exposure or low risk and would not have ebola or exhibit ebola like symptoms. we measure twice a day, are monitoring is required by the recent guidance put out while we are here in liberia. yesterday, i had my temperature taken, i think, eight times before i got on and off aircraft and before i went on the embassy. before i went to the place that i am staying. exercise basic sanitation and cleanliness

protocols using the chlorine wash on your hands and feet, getting your temperature taken, limiting the exposure, no handshaking, those sorts of protocols, i think the risk is relatively low. i'm not an epidemiologist, but it's been shown this disease is most manifest when handling bodily fluids, blood, other sorts of fluids. and there is no plan right now for u.s. soldiers or sailors to do that will stop the exception -- that. the exception is the mobile labs that are here. the ambassador and myself went up a day or two. there are four more coming. the sailors performing the confirm or deny on the ebola virus are wearing ppe and they are testing for this virus.

the other soldiers, sailors and marines are not coming into contact with specimens. >> when i guess i am asking is -- what i guess i am asking is if someone is asymptomatic at the moment but yet you have determined they came into contact but are currently asymptomatic, nonetheless, they need to be monitored or evacuated out of the area, how are you getting them out short of them being determined to have the virus? >> they currently would be quarantined and watched. the personnel would attend to them would wear ppe and they would be stabilized and we would provide one of these contracting mechanisms mentioned earlier. they would come and move them out to a medical facility. >> very quickly, sir. given the fact that in the united states over the last couple of days, the cdc

guidelines seem to have potentially not worked as expected. as you monitor that and look at your own following of the cdc guidelines, are any of you looking at changing anything or censoring your own practice beyond the cdc guidelines? >> ball, ma'am, i will start and offer the ambassador to weigh in on this, but i have great confidence in the cdc guidelines. i meet with the current lead here daily and i have great confidence and don't plan on adjusting any of the current guidelines. >> if i could just follow up on the comments related to the guidelines.

our staff here, our embassy has been open and operating in this ebola environment for six months and we have been following very carefully the cdc guidance from day one. and we don't feel any need to have to make a change or deviate from the guidelines. there have been very successful. we have made sure everyone on the staff including local employees are well versed in all of that information and to this point, they are keeping us safe. >> thank you, sir. >> this is courtney from nbc news. i'm sorry, i'm still a little unclear on the procedures if some u.s. troops are exposed. not necessarily if they have blood, but if they are exposed to it, especially if there is a group of them. the contracting mechanism, i am assuming that is a contracting flight that would take them back to the united states. what medical facilities have been identified? would they go to a civilian the

-- facility or military one? since you brought up the task, i believe those marines will redeploy. has there been an agreement with the government there about procedures for when they get back and whether they want them quarantined? considering they are not going back to the united states immediately, is there any kind of agreement with the government? >> i will start with the second one first. i know that africom is currently working the procedures for those sorts of things and as you know, the 101st will come on and take this mission through its completion. is on route this weekend, and we will change out next weekend, so we are also starting to work not just with spain but italy and other places where my current forces are coming from. we have folks that are here from germany, from italy and all

over. that is being worked at higher levels to work those pieces will -- nieces. your first question again, ma'am? >> i'm a little unclear on the specific features for evacuating troops, particularly a group of troops exposed to ebola. they will be quarantined in liberia, and it is that a contracted aircraft that brings them back to the u.s. and where will they go? military, civilian? >> i would start as the ambassador just mentioned, there are nongovernmental organizations, a id. we fell in on a host of folks who have been living here for some time and operating in this complex environment. if, god forbid, one of these soldiers, sailors and or marines came into contact, we would go through the appropriate

protocols and people would be attending to them. no one has shown those symptoms -- i've been here 30 days as of today, and so they would be quarantined and we would synchronize and work those actions so they go back to the appropriate medical facility. >> and has any u.s. military medical facility then identified as the one that would accept potential ebola exposed patients? >> not to my knowledge. i would have to get back to you on that. i know the joint surgeon, we are in constant contact with not only the joint surgeon but our own army surgeon about the appropriate protocols. i would envision -- i've got a lot of time in europe that it would be activated but i cannot comment on that. i know that here on the ground, i am on the tactical level.

my concerns would be about stabilizing the soldier, airman or marine, making sure we use the appropriate ppe and then work the court visitation -- coordination and synchronization to get them to the appropriate facility where they can get the treatment they needed. >> thank you. >> this is christina from the hill. some lawmakers here are advocating for troops to directly treat it will patience. -- treat ebola patients. does that idea have any merit and do you foresee that happening in the future? >> that is not currently in the department of defense portfolio to do that. as i mentioned, what we are currently adding to help fill usaid are the mobile labs. that's the closest it comes to the ebola virus jane, if you will.

we have three man sailor teams in the county who are making a big difference and handling specimens of people who have been inflicted with the ebola virus. and so the medical treatment you are talking about, currently the closest that comes to is the public health command i mentioned that will be manning the 25 bed hospital. 65 doctor-nurse teams that will flow in in the next week or so will actually be involved in the care and feeding of health care workers who have been infected with the ebola virus. >> so that team of 65 doctors and nurses, are they u.s. personnel? >> yes, ma'am they are. secondly, progress on slowing the spread of ebola -- have you seen any progress in slowing the spread?

>> so not an epidemiologist. n wants to talk about this -- in the 30 days i have been here, i have seen great momentum. this disease requires a team of teams, the department of defense team, the department of state team, the cdc, nongovernmental organizations, all of those together are providing the momentum we currently have. i won't speak for the ambassador, but she will tell you that there has been some change and a lot of the projections have been assuming no interventions. and a lot of interventions are happening on scale. aid has six streams that they track and the ambassador runs a daily update and we get the progress of how we are doing against it. and i will tell you a lot of momentum is starting to occur and i'm very optimistic about

our ability as a team to get after this fight. >> we will go to you, then shift to the side of the room. >> if you could elaborate on what exactly you think the impact has been so far of your mission there on the overall effort to stem the outbreak. and then related to that, one of , the explanations we heard at the beginning was reading in this logistical help, more ngos and more organizations would be able to then move in, arrive and help. are you seeing that and could usaid address that? >> i will let them start that. >> in line with the question regarding the trends, it's difficult to make a concrete statement on the trends based on epidemiological data.

when looking at trends, you have to look at several epidemiological weeks and we are constantly working to improve the surveillance on the data and monitoring a trend there. what i can say is the whole of government efforts that the u.s. has wrought has definitely been catalyzing and not only bringing the hope for improved efforts at breaking this chain of infection but has improved the momentum behind the international expert . we work in full support with the government of liberia's for the reduction of the ebola out rate. we are putting together up to 17 ebola treatment units will stop 65 community care centers, to laboratories are in place. providing training for local and international staff that will man these ebola treatment centers.

also significant logistics , a undertaking, both international and in country. we have stood up 56 face burial teams -- safe burial teams that provide access to safe aerials -- safe burial's countrywide. is in addition to the effort of the united nations to support the effort of the government of liberia. >> if i could add on to ben's excellent explanation. in this fight, leadership is very important. the leadership is working in complex ambiguous environments and leadership by the government , of liberia and others here cannot be underestimated. i often hear from folks as the ambassador, myself and aid confront this, they say you give

us hope. the ambassador's leadership, aid's leadership is adding fuel to those gaps, trying to fill those gaps with our unique capabilities and logistics, as you mentioned, our engineering oversight. the first week i was here, africom commander redirected a lot of the effort and there has been over the shoulder expertise and stuff is going up in a vertical and resolved away very quickly. lastly, i will talk about the armed forces of liberia and what we are calling exercise united shield. the brigadier general who is the commander of the armed forces of liberia, we have partnered with them and had you been out with us yesterday -- i invite you all to come out. if you had been out yesterday and you had seen all of these sappers, the liberian engineers constructing one of the ebola

treatment units, it was awesome. and so we have a lot of momentum started here. >> i have a follow-up. sorry, sir. just a follow-up. going back to your comments earlier about the hospital that is now constructed, we had understood that u.s. personnel would be training health care workers. but it sounds like what you are saying is that u.s. personnel will actually be working with and treating health care workers there who may be infected with the virus. is that correct? >> yeah both of your comments , are correct, sir. we have been asked by aid to help train the health care workers year, up to 500 week. we will do 200 here in and around monrovia and then have three teams in and around the area. so up to 500 health care workers, we have been helped to ask any overall training effort. not just -- dod is not

shouldering all of the training piece. the u.s. public health services are actually providing pport to health care workers who, if they are unfortunately stricken with the disease, that is what their purposes. -- purpose is. it is a 25 bed hospital. i hope we never have to put anybody in it, but that is the purpose of the u.s. public health services and their job here. >> this is 65 u.s. troops? >> this is u.s. public health services. >> tony, maggie, jennifer and that is probably it. >> my question goes to budgetary resources. the dod portion is expected to last about six months. i'm wondering if you can say that would be sufficient or if you expect to have to come back and get additional funding will stop i think -- additional funding. i think it's $725 million so

far. the dod portion right now. >> i believe we have the resources we need to fill the gaps that aid has asked us to fill what our unique capabilities. that's probably all i want to say on that right now. i know the department of defense is committed to this, but we are only one actor here but the . ambassador talked about that. there have been folks pulling on this rope for some time and we were brought in to fill some of those unique gaps. i will have helicopters here, and what they are principally doing -- i did not answer this earlier. but they are principally completing the flight surveys. when you go to one ebola treatment unit, you have been to one ebola treatment unit the . ones in and around monrovia are flat.

but when you go up north or south east you are in the jungle. you have the afl helping us clear the sites, and they are there with machetes hacking down the jungle, and that is also the local officials there. so we are not just dumping these ebola treatment units where we want. we are working with the communities and districts, the government of liberia to put these where they need to be and they are cited based on where the government of liberia tells us they need to be. so i'm comfortable where we are with resources. we will see this through. i think the fact we are bringing in one of our 10 divisions, the 101st airborne division, he has about 40 folks on the ground. we are doing the left seat-right seat piece. if nothing else, the last 12 or 13 years have taught us how to do that. he will fit right in with the leadership already extant.

>> jnifer griffin from fox news. if i can ask all three of you what are the biggest challenges, and most urgent challenges you are facing right now, the biggest problems you are facing . and also, do you believe the u.s. should halt flights from liberia and the affected areas there? there are neighboring african countries have closed the borders to people crossing from liberia. why do you not think it's a good idea to halt flights from west africa? >> yes, ma'am. i will do the first part and hand the rest to the ambassador. challenges for department of defense -- it rains a lot here. and the infrastructure is challenging. which is why we are using the vertical component of this great country. so we have been asked to build these ebola treatment units and resource them by using the water , the air, so my biggest challenge right now is working through the environment.

now the ambassador tells me, she has lived here longer than any of us, that the season is about to change, so we are about to go into different conditions. i would not say we underestimated, but i think we did not realize how wet it would be here and that is somewhat of a challenge or i will of the ambassador handle the other two. >> major-general williams has outlined some of the physical challenges. on top of this, i would emphasize the issue of poor infrastructure. that, you can interpret in many different ways. physical infrastructure, human infrastructure, this is a very poor country only 11 years removed from a long and devastating civil war that really destroyed everything. some of that rebuilding has happened, but when you have an epidemic like this if ebola epidemic, that's affecting all

parts of a country, it's very difficult to access many of the parts of the country in order to find out exactly what the disease is doing in some of these remote areas. so we have the overall challenge of understanding how we can communicate with all parts of the country. at what level we need to communicate our messaging to liberians. it varies greatly. and the complex nature of this epidemic in an urban area like monrovia has never been seen before. so we are looking at two separate kinds of epidemics. what happens in monrovia in a crowded, urban area, and what happens in a rural environment where you have a population with very low literacy, that is quite cut off from the rest of the country. so the challenges are many, but that said, we are making progress on overcoming those challenges.

fortunately, soon, the weather will be one of the least of our challenges, but we will continue to confront this difficulty in getting out to the other parts of the city, other parts of the country. as to the issue of whether or not orders should be closed, president obama and others have been very clear all along that isolating these countries is not the way to address the epidemic. we need to be able to get people, and resources, and supplies in. it has been quite challenging over the last several months because there has been a reduction in commercial flights and reduction in shipping that comes to the country. it's very difficult to get angst -- things like food and supplies that are critically needed to help address this epidemic. thank you. about thebeen said challenges that we face in this response, it is unlike anything we have undertaken before. based on the range of activities

of the leadership brought to this response, certainly in part by the u.s. government, we are seeing a more effective and responsive international effort. that you wantis all of these deficiencies that among all theng deficiencies that exist in the health system and the lack of knowledge of how to balance the disease. the challenges maintaining the response against an unseen adversary. times the -- hi five, "washington times pic."

this indicate that supplies are too expensive? allnext question is for three of you. germany wants to assist with the ball epidemic, but they would be unable to transfer people back to germany. would the u.s. government consider providing transportation to international partners in order to facilitate the process? and is that a conversation that is ongoing at this point? >> i will speak to the professio -- protective equipment piece. when treating ebola, the specifications for pbe are of the highest importance. many of these infections among health-care workers are when they are taking off for putting on the ppe. while there are a range of items available throughout the world, it is important that we have the exact specifications required to safely provide care to ebola patients.

there certainly is a lot of discussion around how to improve the pipeline and supply of these materials. there is an international working group amongst many organizations and nations to make sure that that pipeline stays robust and adequate for the response. >> if i may, on the issue of medical evacuation, this is a topic of great discussion for the past several months, not just since the arrival of the military. have salt toer, encourage health responders to help fight the disease. i would point out that, in fact, germany is going to take over the operation of one of the ebola treatment units within the next two or three weeks. it will be a combination of a german red cross as well as german military medical personnel. hasact, germany

received, to date, three patients that come from liberia or sierra leone for treatment. they do, in fact, have the capacity and germany to treat these patients. the discussion about -- we obviously need a more robust and coordinated process. so it is ray clear what will happen in the event that a clear whatn -- very will happen in the event that a person is in need of evacuation. this is an ongoing conversation at the capital level. i know my colleagues in washington are quite engaged with a number of countries to determine how best to manage the type of system. "stars & stripes." do you anticipate that you are going to need more troops as the effort goes on, including national guard or reserve?

also, what kind of force protection measures are in place in liberia? >> as you know, the president announced that the troop level we would beat over here. -- the troop level that we would need over here. the commander on the ground will make recommendations up the chain of command if he or she needed more resources to a compost emission as reese -- accomplish the mission as we support aid and liberia. i'm comfortable with what the secretary of defense approved in terms of the forces only over here over the next -- i should have mentioned some time ago. we are about 500 in a joint operational area, and that includes senegal. we have a staging basin senegal. -- base in the senegal. idea is to give us more

agility as we move into the theater and increase our ability and bring soldiers, marines, and equipment into monrovia. that is where aid has asked us to focus, which is why commanders here. -- command is here. we'll also have capacity and senegal to aid removal. force protection -- >> including if someone with ebola tempted to approach u.s. troops or at there was domestic unrest. on the higher and, in terms of the force protection piece, i have worked very closely with the government of liberia and the ambassador. i feel very comfortable with the place. roe in

as the commander on the ground, we have certain authorities to ,rotect american service folks soldiers, airmen, marines, and equipment. those are in place now, approved by the ambassador and the government of liberia. i mentioned earlier this is a very permissive environment. this is not afghanistan or iraq. have, depending on where you are in the country of liberia, in terms modulated roe of that sort of force protection. with respect to be a piece, it is discipline. every day, and the morning with my breakfast, i take a malaria pill. we don't shake cans. -- shake hands. i wash my hands a lot with chlorine. we don't shake hands.

we keep our distance. before, soldiers are not in contact with folks inflicted with the ebola virus. they are not going to be, besides the folks i mentioned, if, god for bid, one of our health care workers came in contact with that. that is our force protection for the ebola piece. comfortable -- when i came in here 30 days ago and i was flying in, i was talking to all of my cdc friends and trying to find out exactly the kind of environment that we were going to be operating in. there is vitality here. this country is not hunkered down from the disease. i drive around and fly around, there is vitality here. folks are getting about their daily lives. resilient.ry

i would not say there is no that but there is the risk can be mitigated if you take proper protocols as established by the cdc. >> that is it for questions. do you have any closing comments? >> no. >> i would just like to say that we appreciate all the assistance that the u.s. military is bringing to the fight here, and that we are all together working very strongly and very well together to support the plan, and we are going to get on top of this however long it takes. we hope it will be faster in sooner than anybody would like. but we think it is going to happen, it is just a question of when. >> i would like to answer the comment that the department of defense -- they are more than

marines, there are civilians over here doing a fantastic job. we are motivated as part of a greater team, and we are here to fill the gaps as a id identifies -- as a.i.d. it is a very noble mission and we are proud to do it with our teammates. on friday, general lloyd austin will brief reporters at the pentagon about the latest efforts in combating isis in the rack and syria. you can watch the live briefing on c-span. join the hudson institute for a discussion on the obama administration to grade and destroy approach to combating isis. that starts at noon eastern on c-span two. coming up on c-span, tonight's iowa senate debates between bruce braley and joni

ernst. commercese energy and subcommittee hearing examining the u.s. response to the evil outbreak. the defense department briefing on u.s. efforts to stop ebola in liberia. >> on the next washington journal, theresa brown discusses new ebola screaming -- screening procedures. then a look at efforts to fight isis with john nagl. plus, your calls and facebook comments and tweets, all on washington journal, life every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. c-span's 2015 competition is underway. this nationwide competition for middle and high school students will award 150 prizes totaling 100,000 dollars. create a 5-7 minute video on the

topic of the three branches and you. videos need to include c-span programming, show varying points of view, and must be submitted by january 20, 2015. grab a camera and get started today. next, from earlier tonight, the iowa senate debate between bruce braley and joni ernst. this is the third debate between the candidates. reports list of the race as a tossup. this is an hour. >> now, your local election headquarters presents the final senate debate. >> will come to beautiful sioux city. we are like this evening at morningside college.

the race to determine who fills the shoes. good evening. >> candidates, welcome. thank you for being here tonight. >> to our left is congressman bruce braley. to my right is joni ernst. thanks for being with us. >> as you can see this debate is not like the others that you have watched. the candidates have previously taken part into more traditional debate. tonight we are throwing out tradition. >> no lecterns, no filtered questions, just plain talk and honest questions. >> now for some basic roles. -- rules. there will be no opening statement. each candidate will have one minute to answer the question. their opponent will then begin than 45 seconds for a bottle. there will be a 92nd closing -- ninety second closing

statement. out of respect to the candidates, the audience has been asked to hold their applause. >> we want to ask you to join us and participate by going to twitter. you can tweet us your observations and opinions and tell us if you think they are answering what they are asking. you can use the hashtag #iowadebate. we did have a coin toss to determine who would be asked the first question and braley you will have the first. let's start with your resume. you are 56 years old, has been in congress for eight years, a track record that characterizes you as a rank and file democrat that goes along party lines. you have successfully offered one bill. i guess tonight the first question is tell us about your resume and how it will assure iowa voters that you are the person who should fill senator harkin's shoes.

>> i to begin by honoring the memory -- who dedicated his life to serving others into died tragically this week. my thoughts and prayers go to his wife and family. i want to thank kcau for hosting us tonight and i want to thank senator ernst for joining me. most of all i want to thank my wife carolyn, who surprised me by joining us here tonight. tim, i have introduced a lot more than one bill. i have worked with republicans to pass legislation that has benefited iowa. the first bill i introduced was a job-training bill in biofuels. community colleges train people for careers in iowa's growing biofuel industry. i passed legislation by working with republicans from georgia to help benefit one of iowa possibly leading manufacturers to keep jobs in iowa and i pass legislation to help hire

unemployed veterans and help them stay in their homes. my record has been one of helping and serving the people of iowa. >> senator ernst, let's take a look at your resume. you are 44 years old. you have been a county auditor and you are currently a lieutenant colonel in the national guard and a state senator since 2010. the heat gets turned up when you walk into washington. our senators are faced with critical national and international crisis decisions every day. why should voters consider someone with your limited legislative resume for such an important leadership position? >> first, i would like to thank our host this evening for the opportunity to be here. thank you for joining me. i want to extend my heartfelt prayers to the doctor's family. we do have a number of overwhelming things going on around the world, not just a

mess but also internationally. domestically, but internationally. the way i describe myself is i am out traveling across iowa is that i am an average iowan who has had some extraordinary opportunities. i have served my local community and my state and my nation. we are facing a crisis in the middle east, so i do believe i am a credible candidate when it comes to dealing with those issues. i have had my boots on ground, leaving iowa troops in iraq and kuwait and will always stand up for our servicemen and women. >> thank you. >> something we could have never anticipated when this campaign began his at the forefront of everyone's mind -- the ebola virus. it is spreading around the world and right here in america. voters are very concerned and we

would like you to direct your attention to this. >> my question is that we have now seen to ebola patience just down the road in omaha. what steps should the federal government be taking to protect me and my family? >> mr. braley, we will start with you. i know you just returned back from washington where you spent some time in an emergency meeting to discuss the response to ebola. what can you tell us tonight about what happened? >> what happened today is that it was plain talk and honest questions to the head of the agencies that are dealing with it. the cdc, the national institute of health, is a border patrol, and i asked tough questions and demanded answers on what we are doing to protect the american people. what i found was that we need to do whatever is necessary to that. if that is putting travel bans, to do that. if it means anything up travel restrictions and to do that. if it means changing hospital

protocols that patients in atlanta already taken care of, we need to do that. one of the leading companies in the united states developing vaccines, -- i had a chance to talk with some of their employees. they are developing a vaccine that is in clinical trials right now. >> ms. ernst? >> this is a tragic disease that is sweeping through western africa. we have seen it now on our own shores. as a mother, to see families that are experiencing this, it is devastating. i do believe that we need to do more. unfortunately, our administration, including congressman braley, has been very reactive rather than proactive.

we have seen the threat from ebola for the past several months, and i would encourage temporary travel bans, additional screenings for travelers, continuing aid, but also supporting those that are researching and coming up with cures and prevention. >> tim, i have to respond to that. one of the things that senator ernst has made clear is that she supported a radical plan to shut down the federal government, said she would have voted for it. we learned today that that were genetically cut the funding for the cdc and the national institute for health. it also dramatically cut or in aid. -- cut foreign aid. you can't say you support those things when your policies you are promoting would have made it more difficult for us to address the problem. that is why i pressed that health and human services need to get these contracts so they can get these vaccines tested and in clinical trials in africa

which they are preparing to do, make this vaccine widely available and commercially feasible so that we can protect everyone. people in the united states, in west africa -- that is what american innovation is all about. >> this is, again, a huge tragedy. but again, we are seeing failed leadership coming from the congressman and president obama. we have seen the threat from ebola for the past several months, and only today did they call hearing to address the lack of leadership within the department of health. we should have moved to this up and been working on travel bans much earlier than this, before it ever came on to american shores. >> that hearing was called by the republican leadership in the house oversight and investigations committee. they were the ones that scheduled it and that is why i made the trip out there today to be involved, to get some plain talk and honest questions. >> i would say yes, and i released a statement about ebola

before the congressman dead. -- did. he sits on an important committee and could have been pushing for this a number of months ago, and yet again we have seen failed leadership. >> thank you. we will move on to our next topic, a sensitive one, but important that needs to be discussed. when it comes to abortion and contraception you both have different points of view. we are hoping to get some clarity on your positions. ms. ernst, we will start with you. we will go through several points, then we will have it chance to respond. you cosponsored the personhood amendment, meaning that a fertilized egg would be considered a person. here's the key line of the amendment -- "the inalienable life to right to life shall be recognized and protected." it did open the door to your critics that suggest the support of the amendment

means you want to and all abortion, certain types of contraception, and would be against in vitro fertilization. there is a lot here and we will give you a chance to be very clear. we are going to go through each of these points one at a time. we are looking for short answers. do you believe that life begins at conception? >> i do believe that i would like to respond to all of that. i do believe in supporting life, and i believe that the united states and the state of iowa -- we do support life. i do want to believe that. i do support life at conception and i will always support life. and this is a very, very sensitive issue, as you stated, and we do have to have civil discussions when it comes to this very issue. i will always support life but this is where we as republicans

and democrats need to come together to find those areas that we agree on when supporting life. there is an area where we have done this in the past, where democrats and republicans came together to ban partial-birth abortion. harry reid, joe biden -- they are democrats that supported that. congressman braley doesn't even agreed to that. preventing partial-birth abortions. >> senator ernst we will get to specifics. should all abortions be banned or are there exceptions? >> there would be certain exceptions. it is something that has to be discussed. i support life. those things come together and there is consensus upon what is put into legislation. right now there is not consensus but i do believe in spreading

life. >> you said there are some exceptions -- what would those be? >> i support life so, going back to perhaps the life of the mother, i think that would be important. again, civil discussion needs to happen. >> let's move onto contraception. would you consider banning any specific form of contraception? >> know, and this is where i have stood up and said over and over that i do support a woman's right to accessible, reliable, safe contraception. the congressman has made many mistatements about this and those have been called false by "the washington post." he has been given many pinocchio's on this issue. i find it rather disconcerting that i am a woman, a mother of three daughters, to be lectured on these issues of contraception -- it's laughable. >> one more question in regards to in vitro fertilization. because they may be destroyed,

do you believe they should not be banned? >> i have a friend that has two beautiful daughters because of in vitro fertilization and i'm glad she is blessed to be a mother. >> congressman braley, we will move on. mr. braley, we would like to ask you to please be specific with your answers. at what point during fetal development do you believe a woman should not have an abortion? >> i have always stated, contrary to what senator ernst said, that i oppose all late-term abortions that are necessary to save the life of the mother. >> can you be specific? >> it is a term that has a specific legal meaning because of existing law. when the rights of the mother and the rights of the child have significance in terms of deciding. >> do you support employers

selecting the types of contraception they are willing to provide? >> no, not at all, and senator ernst made the blanket statement that she supports a woman's right to contraception and yet she supports the supreme court's decision that allows employers to interfere with an individual woman's health care decisions about her contraception. she has voted in the iowa senate to limit women's access to contraception. and she wants to repeal the affordable care act, which would provide -- which would increase the cost for contraception by $600 per year. >> do you support life? >> i do support life. >> according to political act, -- to politifact, experts look at the personhood amendment and determined it is too ambiguous to predict its legal ramifications. abortion is currently protected via roe v. wade.

>> why else would the american college of obstetrics and gynecology, which takes care of pregnant mothers and babies, say that the things that are in the personhood amendment would do all the things that i have just said? it would outlaw all forms of abortions, including in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of a mother. it would interfere with in vitro fertilization procedures. senator ernst has said that under the personhood amendment, doctors should be prosecuted for performing legal, medical procedures. >> a chance for both of you to rebuttal. >> mischaracterizing my position. especially when it comes to birth control. i will always protect a woman's right to access to birth control. i agree with the supreme court's ruling but that doesn't mean a woman can't get reliable, safe birth control.

she can still go to her doctor and receive birth control. it is not outlawing birth control. this is a ploy to scare women and we shouldn't be doing that. i will protect their right to access to birth control. let us make that clear. when it comes to a deciding whether there is life, you've just said that it is determined by law. there has to be consensus on these issues. where there is not consensus, there will not be a law. >> thank you. >> senator ernst, your words have consequences. you can't say that you protect a woman's writes to contraception and then vote against it on the senate floor. you can't say that you want to repeal the affordable care act which provides free contraceptive services to women and increase their cost by $600. you can't say that you support that right and then say it is ok for employers to

interfere with it. your words have consequences. i would raise the cost of -- they would raise the cost of contraception and for some woman that cost would prohibit them from getting the contraceptive services they need. >> i think we need to jump in. we could go back and forth. let's move on. the affordable care act, obamacare, will soon be in rolling participants for its second year. ms. ernst, you have made it pretty clear that you want to get rid of obamacare, to repeal it. $20,000 were added to parents insurance plans. 1.2 million people cannot be discriminated against for having pre-existing conditions. medicaid patients have saved more than $120 million on prescription drugs. ms. ernst, let us know -- iowans that have these benefits, that have come to rely on them and knowing how hard it is to get any kind of

legislation passed in washington, can you explain to people why they need to give these benefits up? >> every iowan and every american deserves to have affordable, quality health care. but obamacare is not the answer. i will tell you why. obamacare is a job killer and we have seen that here in iowa. it is a massive tax increase. $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years for the american people. it takes our health care decisions out of our hands, out of our doctors' hands, and places them in the hands of nameless, faceless bureaucrats in washington, d.c. i don't support obamacare. however, the congressman has voted for obama care and continues to defend it today. he promised us that obamacare would lower health care costs. it has not. we heard it just last week that health care policies costs are going up an average of 19%.

he was wrong. he said we could keep our policies and that we could keep our doctors, and he was wrong on that. >> why is it a job killer? >> because what we are seeing and i have heard, there are businesses around that 50 employee mandate of being a big business, and they have evaluated the cost to their businesses and they can't afford to pay for these types of plans under the affordable care act. so what they are doing is lowering the number of all-time employees that they have. they are not expanding their businesses. we have seen a loss of jobs here in sioux city. blue cross blue shield laid off over a hundred employees and attributed it directly to obamacare. >> what would you do to make sure that wouldn't happen? >> first, i would repeal obamacare. with patient centered health

care that does address pre-existing conditions. you mentioned having children -- we already have that here in the state of iowa before obamacare was enacted. i believe we should allow insurance providers to sell over state lines. tax credits for those that privately purchase insurance. allowing our small businesses to pool together their policies just as we already allow large businesses to do. but we must make sure they address pre-existing conditions and it must be affordable and work for iowa families. >> mr. braley, a quick rebuttal. >> soundbites have consequences and when you say that every iowan deserves affordable, quality health care -- there were 47 million americans who didn't have access to health care before the affordable care act became law. it is not perfect but we need to fix it and improve it instead of doing what you would do which is vote to repeal

it. it doesn't do anything to make it better. i voted to allow people to stay on policies for two years. i made it simpler for small businesses facing the heavy burden of paperwork. but we can't go back to where we were. i had a two-year-old nephew diagnosed with cancer. he is one of those children with a pre-existing condition who was defected by being unable to get coverage because of his pre-existing condition. that no longer is the case. that is why the statistics you cited are importance to islands, because it is making their lives better. >> give me a couple quick specific points. >> i gave you some examples of things we already have changed but one of the biggest was i have been working very hard -- doctors and hospitals in iowa with the reimbursement formula that penalizes doctors and hospitals in iowa who do great

work and get quality patient outcomes but don't get paid as much as doctors and hospitals in other parts of the country. that is why during the debate on the affordable care act, i was their champion -- to make sure they were getting fair pay and that we moved to a system that rewards quality patient outcomes. that is where health care reimbursement is heading. you pointed out that 100,000 iowans know have coverage because i worked with governor branstad to expand access to medicaid and you talked about the in norma's impact that has had on iowans who had no health insurance. >> thank you. >> quickly -- under obamacare, there are still 31 million americans that will not have health care. the congressman has stated that costs will not go up, but we are seeing heavy increasing costs because of policy cancellation. you have stated just a few years back that you would not change

a thing about obamacare, and yet today you are saying -- we do need to make some changes. you said you read every page of this bill. you tabbed it and highlighted it. so either you didn't understand what was in the bill or you were misleading iowans and i don't know which one is worse. >> please, i can't allow that to go unanswered because it is not true. the reality is that when you have a huge change in how health care is delivered to millions of americans, there are bound to be something's have to deal with along the way. repealing the entire bill and taking health care away from millions of americans and adding costs, premiums will go up 225% if you eliminate what is in place right now and that is not a good thing. >> we are going to move on. >> we talked a lot tonight about

these heavy issues and we know that both of you can talk about where you stand on the political landscape. >> folks can get the chance and ask you questions and get to know you personally so we want to ask you tonight -- one quality you possess that makes you unique. mr. braley, let us start with you. >> i am a bridge builder, not a bridge burner. i spend a lot of my time getting to know the people i served with in congress, republicans and democrats. i have them over for dinner so i get to know where they came from. i get to learn about their families, the work they did before they came -- that is why i have had so much success working with republicans to pass legislation that has been beneficial to iowans. in the national guard came home from iraq and was denied benefits by the pentagon, i worked with republicans in minnesota to get their orders changed so they got paid the benefits they deserved. i had a constituent who was

denied of the adaptability grant. i helped him to get that so he could stay in his home and then i had him come to washington and testify and introduce a bill so that other veterans would have those same benefits because the program is going to expire. that is what iowans expect. somebody like senator harkin who can bring people together, not to drive them apart. >> what unique thing is there about you? >> i am a public servant. i have served in my community, my state, my nation. many different capacities. i still serve as a confirmation teacher and the church that i grew up in. i remain committed to my hometown and my community but i have also served my faith and my nation and the army reserves in the iowa army national guard. i don't do these things for

personal gain, i do them because i believe in serving the public, whether it is a time of flood in eastern or western iowa, whether it is during winter storms, making sure that iowans are safe is important. but i have also served overseas during a time of war and combat in kuwait and iraq. i believe that is important. but soundbites do have consequences and i believe i have a pure heart and unwilling to serve iowans are congressman braley behind closed doors has poked fun at our senior senator. i don't call that building bridges, i would say that is burning bridges. >> we are going to move on. we have a couple questions. >> i didn't poke fun at the senator -- she knows i talked to him that same day and apologized to him and i apologized to iowa farmers because that is what people expect iowans to do. if you are questioning my pure

heart, senator, i can tell you that i have been an elder in my church and taught sunday school to adults and children. i have never seen a next to me in the church. and yet you believe that their interest outweigh those of women in iowa. >> very misleading. i said i will support a woman's writes to contraception but what you say behind closed doors matters to iowans and maybe you did apologize. my father is a farmer also without a law degree and i think he has done very well. i contribute to my community, my state and my nation. i am ready to serve the people of iowa. >> tell us about the meeting you had with -- >> we are going to jump in. we have a couple things we want to talk about. >> thanks. these are meant to be a little more lighthearted. we want the voters to get a

chance to get to know you better. nothing difficult here. we will start with you, ms. ernst. iowa or iowa state? >> iowa state, unless they're playing each other. [laughter] >> congress and braley, same question. >> i graduated from both universities and when they play each other, i cheer for iowa state. >> say something you admire about your opponent. >> she has served well in the iowa national guard. i have great respect for senator ernst. >> i thank congressman braley. he is a great father. >> let's move ahead.

we have to bring something up that voters feel very strongly about. one of the nastiest we have seen in history -- $17.8 million has been spent on tv advertising only through october 1. obviously you have to be living under a rock to not see these commercials. we asked our viewers to send us questions through social media and many of them are angered, even disgusted about all the negative advertising. one said, "what ad on your behalf has embarrassed you most?" congressman braley, senator ernst, which one would it be? >> it wasn't run on my behalf but it was an ad that was run earlier in the race that showed

a bunch of people looking into this box. i thought it was a horrible ad and i thought it was not an effective way to talk about the very real differences between us in this race. i am the only candidate in this race who has voted to try to limit the influence of these outside groups, most of whom are funded by secret donors. when senator ernst and i put an ad on television, we have to tell who our donors are. we have to say how we spend the money. because of a supreme court decision that i think is one of the biggest threats to democracy there is, there is an unlimited amount of outside groups who can say whatever they want to distort our record and that is wrong. that is why i called during the last debate for senator ernst to join me in encouraging all these outside groups to take down their ads and to make sure that we know who the donors are who will be behind these ads.

>> thank you. this has been a very, very negative campaign. it started the very day after the primary in june. the day i won the primary there was an ad that compared me to a baby chick. i didn't appreciate that ad. i would have to say -- i really don't know. i don't watch television any longer. i don't pay attention to those ads because i have been so heavily affected with all of these negative ads. my husband and daughter don't watch television anymore. it is disheartening when you have a failed record in washington, d.c. -- you have to tear down your opponent and that is what the democrats are trying to do. >> you don't watch tv? >> i don't. >> i will ask one more thing.

you mentioned outside influence -- at the end of those commercials it says, not endorsed by the candidate. is it time that it says who it is endorsed by? >> it is time to get secret money donors out of politics, period. that is what needs to happen. so that it is a focus on the differences in issues between the candidates, which as you can tell, are very clear. just like you, my family doesn't watch tv. it's not what i will do, it is what i already have done. i am the only one here who has voted to limit the influence of these outside groups. i voted for the disclose act which would require transparency and the disclosure of donors who are paying for these ads. >> let me turn to you -- what would you do?

>> i do believe in political free speech and this is a way that individuals are exercising their political free speech. that is a first amendment right. whether we like it or whether we don't -- and i don't -- i am being heavily hit by outside interests in this race. i don't like it, but i do believe in standing up for our citizens rights. >> senator ernst, you know you are not being heavily outspent. the big difference between us on this issue is that i am willing to say to those outside interest, you have to come clean and take your ads down. that is the big difference. these outside groups are lying about my record, doing it to distract from the real issues. i am here standing up for everyone in this room who is sick and tired of these ads, saying i will work because the political free speech of secret donors is not more important

than the political free speech of iowans. if you elect me, i will work for reasonable campaign-finance reform that gives everyone's political voice the same clout. it should not be secret donors ike the koch brothers, who are spending more money to buy your vote -- >> very quickly -- >> i am being mischaracterized as so many ads, and yes, i have been coming from outside money, outspent by about $2 million. that is a lot of money in iowa air time. it is hard to come back that. you have earned pinocchios -- there have been several different issues, the birth control issue and social security, where i have been mischaracterized. >> let's talk about social security right now. the social security trust fund under current conditions will

run out in 19 years. neither of you has officially supported raising the retirement age. social security isn't going to be solved if it continues the weight is going. this ernst, you said you want to look at options for fixing the system. mr. braley, you have said you have a plan that lacks details. we know you have your four-point plan. it seems pretty vague. give me one fundamental change that you support to keep social security programs open. >> i mentioned this during the debate in davenport. i think that's millionaires and billionaires should be paying the same portion of their earned income into social security as hard-working iowans in the middle class, and they are not. my plan would require them to do that and would dramatically

increase the amount of money in the social security trust fund and it would actually increase benefits for seniors. i also believe we need to increase the minimum wage, get 300,000 iowans a pay raise, and it would put billions each year into social security and medicare. what we also need to do is grow our economy and the ways we can do that is by investing in our crumbling infrastructure. for every billion dollars we invest, it creates 25,000 new jobs, and those workers will pay into social security. those are concrete, tangible things we can do to make social security solved. >> thank you. ms. ernst, you said you were open to option but at some point you have to stand up and say you are for one thing. what is your one fundamental change? >> i will always stand up for

social security and medicare for our iowa seniors, just like my mom and dad. we have over 600,000 i that rely on social security and we have made them promises. we must stand by those promises. however, we have to recognize that there is a problem and to this system will run out of money within 20 years, before i can retire. any solutions that we come to -- they must not affect the benefits of those that are retired and those that are nearing retirement. we must keep those promises. one solution i would say we could do would be bringing in state and local workers that are not currently engaged in social security, bringing them in. the congressman has stated that raising the minimum wage -- that

would eliminate up to 20,000 jobs here in the state of iowa. 500,000 jobs nationwide. i don't see that that is the solution. >> about a month ago, president obama had a high-powered air attack that help to degrade and destroy isis. despite that, the terror group continues to capture and move forward. voters we talked to have renewed concerns. >> i live in cumming, iowa. i served in the u.s. army. my question is -- you both say you support u.s. troops and agree that we need to defeat isis. my question is how do you think we should do that? do you support putting troops in the middle east again? >> mr. braley, we will start with you. >> the first thing i say is thank you for serving us. i notice you are from senator harkin's hometown.

when i was in washington, d.c. today i got an updated classified briefing on what is going on with isis. some of the questions i asked were -- what is the currents troop strength, because they have been significantly degraded as a result. what is the status of the new government in iraq? it is absolutely critical to any success against isis. i voted with my republican colleagues overwhelmingly to get the president limited authority to arm moderate syrian rebels and coordinate our airstrikes and i got an update today on what our allies in the region and around the globe are willing to commit to try and address this terrorist threat. isis is a threat that must be destroyed and that is why we need to make sure we are working to make sure that they are eliminated because they need to be brought to justice or to the

grave, period. >> would you like to rebuttal? >> isis does need to be destroyed. they are extreme terrorists and we have seen the threat for a number of years, as it has grown in strength. before we commit to any military action, and we are engaging in that now, i have several criteria that i would need to evaluate. the first is to we have actual intelligence and can we be successful in combating the threat? second, do we have a clearly defined motion and will he put the resources for word and necessary to support that mission? last is once we have achieved the mission, do we have a withdrawal plan and will it car ry our men and women upon their return? i am not sure where the congressman stands on this issue. in june after mosul fell, he voted for no combat funding in iraq.

today he is stating he would not support action. >> i would like to follow-up -- what would be actionable intelligence for you, in terms that we can grasp? >> it would be intelligence that shows us there is a threat to our national interest or to our safety as americans. national interests could include infrastructure, our allies in the region, any of those threats that have been laid out, and show that we would be impacted as americans. >> senator ernst knows that the vote she is referring to had nothing to do with action against isis. that is why 23 republicans joined me in making sure that before the president committed boots on the ground in iraq, he had to come to congress and get authority to do that. the truth is we can't continue to be the world's police force.

secretary gates, in his last address at west point, said that for any future defense secretary to advise and american president to a large-scale land war in the middle east -- they ought to have their head examined. i agree with senator ernst on the three criteria she says must be met, but the thing she left out -- you also have to make the case to the american people on why that investment of treasure and blood is necessary and that hasn't been done yet. >> i believe that has done. i believe there is overwhelming support coming from the american people, feeling the threat of isis. going back, this is another issue that our president and the administration and congressman braley have been reactive rather than proactive. we know the president didn't -- follwoing the closing of the iraqi campaign. his own secretary of defense

advised that we keep boots on ground and i know that the congressman twice voted to defund our men and women as they were serving in combat in iraq and afghanistan. >> she knows that i voted to end a decades long commitment of u.s. ground troops in iraq. she knows it was the prime minister who refused to enter into a forces agreements to keep troops on the ground. are you saying tonight that you are prepared to commit u.s. forces on the ground in iraq to deal with this threat in syria? is that what you are suggesting president obama should have done? >> i am stating that i would have to use the criteria i have laid out before committing american sons and daughters. i will remind you that i have served in iraq. my boots were on that ground that is now held by isis.

when we make these decisions i take them very seriously. before i would commit our sons and daughters i would go through those criteria. we have to recognize that this is a threat that has been out there for years and we have an administration that has reviewed that knowledge. this is a group that is killing innocent civilians, christians, even americans. >> thank you. we turn now to immigration. right now the federal government and all government contractors must use the e- verify system when they hire someone. it is a system that identifies if the person is legally eligible to be hired. it is more than 90% accurate all stop private businesses are not mandated to use it. by requiring all businesses to use e-verify you could stop undocumented workers from being hired. would you support a legislation requiring them to use it?

>> the first thing to know is what it is going to cost and what type of assistance you are going to provide for businesses that may have difficulty affording it. we know that e-verify can be very helpful and we know that we shouldn't be encouraging employers to hire people who are ineligible to be hired under the laws of this country. we need to promote respect for the rule of law. the most important immiigration challenge we face is comprehensive immigration reform. that is why i support the bill that the senate passed with overwhelming bipartisan support -- 68 senators voted for it. it was strengthen our borders, added agents, and provide a legal pathway to citizenship for those who are in this country illegally, by forcing them to admit they broke the law, pay a fine, go to the back of the

line, and make sure they are held accountable for breaking the law. >> congressman braley, wouldn't e-verify fix a lot of those problems? >> it wouldn't fix it what we do about all those people in the country and it won't solve the problems of the employers who are struggling every day to deal with a workforce that is changing. we see that happening here in iowa. we do need to promote respect for the rule of law, and expanding e-verify is a good idea. >> would you support a bill requiring all businesses to use e-verify? >> i believe that is a step in the right direction but we do need to look at the cost to employers and making sure they are able to afford this system. perhaps providing the supports necessary to get that in place for private employers. there is a greater issue with immigration, and i spent time overseas when i was in iowa state university on an exchange.

i was staying on that farm in the soviet union and the leaders didn't want to talk about agriculture issues but what it be an american. to be free and experience our opportunities. i understand why families wants to come to the united states and experience that american dream. but we are a nation of immigrants and we are also a nation of laws. we do need to enforce the existing laws but i believe we also needed to secure the border. that needs to be done first. i see it as more than just an immigration issue but also one of national security. >> we have had some lengthy questions -- i give you a brief one. is there any scenario where you would support raising taxes on iowa voters? >> no, i believe we can find

ways to make our government more efficient without raising taxes on our hard-working iowans. i would like to see our iowans keeping more of their tax dollars in their own pockets so they can save for their children's college education, so they can pay their bills, so they can buy a home. here in the state of iowa, i implemented one of the largest tax cuts with the leadership of governor perry branstad. it was the largest tax cut, and we are saving taxpayers $4.4 billion over the next 10 years. this is just one part of our greater economic plan, which also includes reducing job killing rules and regulations and balancing the budget, which we have done here. >> would you consider raising the cap on social security tax? >> it is an option that can be discussed but i think we have

better options that we can look at. >> mr. braley? >> senator ernst may think there are better options but you gave her an opportunity to explain and she did not. the thing i will tell you is that right now one of our biggest problems is that we provide tax incentives to corporations that ship u.s. jobs overseas. i would eliminate those taxes. that would cause taxes of corporations to go up and i think most iowa voters can accept that reality. they want a tax system that is fair for people and the working class. senator ernst has expressed a tax change to the way we currently tax people. she has expressed support for a 23% national sales tax that would dramatically increase the tax foreign on working-class family. it would add to the 66% you pay, reading you pay almost forty

forty cents for every dollar you spend. >> you mentioned several points -- >> i do believe that we need to lower taxes on our hard-working iowans immediately. immediately. it is something that we have done with this tax cut with this implemented here, but over the long-term, to reform our tax system, i say scrap the irs. let's start all over. but we need tax that is fairer, flatter, simpler. we do need to find an option. i am willing to sit down. we need to have bipartisan support on this. let's make life better for hard-working americans. we can to tax them to death. my opponent -- that seems to be the answer to everything, higher

taxes and more spending. we can't keep doing that to our hard-working iowans. >> scrapping. scrap the irs, get rid of it. get rid of the department of education. the epa. get rid of the clean water act. every solution has his throwing darts at the board, trying to get rid of programs that have had significant impact is made a difference in the lives of iowans. she wants to give the federal government out of the student loan business -- what would that mean? their rates skyrocket analyze much worse. i think the solution is to find problems and fix them if they make sure that iowans have clean water, clean air, and that they have the ability to get the education they deserve. >> would you raise tax? >> yes or no, would you raise tax?

>> i already said that i think employers who shift jobs overseas shouldn't get the tax benefits they deserve. their taxes would go up. >> yes, when it comes to taxing and spending, i would say the congressman has made his position clear. over the eight years he has served in congress, he has voted eight times to raise our national debt ceiling. the national debt has doubled in the time he has been in congress. this is immoral. we are taxing on the debt to our children and grandchildren. my daughter's share is $50,000. we can't keep spending the way we are. i don't believe in a bloated federal bureaucracy. we need to return a lot of that power to the state. >> thank you both.

>> it has been a quick hour. we had a good discussion and appreciate you joining us. thank you for the answers. >> we wanted the candidates to share closing statements, who are shaping their voting decisions. mr. braley, you have the first word. >> thanks. congress isn't working right now. heart of the reason is because of partisan gridlock. one of the reasons for that gridlock is people who aren't willing to work together to get things done. i am a bridge builder, not a bridge burner, and i had a proven record of working with republicans to improve the lives of iowans. chuck grassley and tom harkin, who even though they don't agree on everything, have been able to put those differences aside to

advance an agenda that is helpful to iowa. as your next senator i will -- as your next senator i am going to get up every morning thinking about what i can do to make your lives better. i'm going to focus on economic policies that will strengthen the middle class. that is what i was always dependent upon whether it is in agriculture, education, energy, our economy has been based on hard-working iowans who get up every day and do what is necessary to get the job done. as your senator that is what i'm going to do. i'm going to work hard to make sure that your lives