you would rather forget about. what the reins act does is make federal regulators accountable. i know you support the president's agenda that raises our taxes and raises price. what it would do is simple common sense. it says if any federal regulator wants to impose a regulation that will cost more than $50 million they have to be accountable to the congress for an up or down vote. that makes sense. if that had passed, we would never have had to deal with this at all. congressman maloney voted no and that's why we are in the mess we

are in. >> it's a terrible bill. it is a terrible bill. the league of conservation voters called it a radical attempt to destroy safety and environmental regulation. right now we are in need of putting whole new regulations in place to count ter ebola crisis. the bill she supports would sthaubt to a vote in congress. if you think congress is working, great, you should listen to her on this. it's a way to let the most radical people in congress veto l kind of progress on safety and health that keep your food safe and allow us to respond to crisis like the ebola epidemic. it's a radical attempt. i passed a bill with chris gibson to stop this energy price hike and we got it passed through the house that. is more than anyone has ever done on this. we started from behind because she left a mess and we are

trying to clean it up and we are going to win this thing. >> let's move on to foreign policy specifically in the middle east. we are engaging in air strikes in iraq and syria to combat the islamic state and arming rebels in syria to engage directly the islamic state. president obama said he does not want to put boots on the ground but each day it seems we are hearing more negative news to advances that isis is making. do you think at some point the u.s. is going to have to put troops on the ground to directly combat the islamic state? >> like everybody here i'm deeply concerned, i'm alarmed by the turmoil we see in the middle east, by the violence by americans and citizens of other countries being beheaded by isis. this say terrible threat.

we have a real problem in the united states because there has been a lack of leadership by the president. it is a problem not only for us but for the world. what we need the president to do is art late a clear strategic goal, a clear national interest certainly can do. when we say something, we will do it. we need an exit strategy. that is crucial. we need a plan for victory and an exit strategy and accountability to the public. until the president has led on these crucial issues, it's very hard to have confidence in what he is doing. >> and on the second point. >> congressman maloney failed to stand up to the president on issues like that th and that's a problem in addition. >> on the second part, do you think the military is going to have to put troops on the ground

if we really want to combat isis? >> there are military experts who have said that. unless we have leadership and a clear vision that has goals and an exit strategy so we are protecting our troops, yes, i am concerned about it. but i don't want to commit troops unless we have that clear leadership from the president. we don't have that clear leadership and the congressman on not chaled the president issues like this. >> that is ridiculous. i voted against the president's request for authorization to do this action. i stood up to my own party and the leadership of my own party. that's why i'm in the top three members of congress for bipartisan. i'm working for you. i don't think we had a good plan on this and every day that goes by proves it. putting troops on the ground is

a terrible idea. we need a real coalition and real partners and they don't exist. where is turkey? do not support putting american kids there. i stood up to the president on this and think it was the right thing to do. i want our kids here getting good jobs, going to school, starting a business. i want to take your tax dollars if you have to spend them on washington and pour them back into our communities. i don't want our taxes going to all the other countries in the world. i want to invest in the united states of america. we do not have a plan for success in this conflict. but we can kill the people who hurt our citizens. we have tools in our kit. i support going after the guys who hurt these americans and capture, killing them, bringing them to justice. no one has stood up to the president more than i have and

that's facts. is the e hudson river indian point energy center. this question is for congressman maloney. should it be recertified and what should replace the power as a source of energy for the new york city area? >> what i have said is we need a responsible plan. this say big difference between us. congresswoman says let it go forever. might have to do with the fact she received more money from the nuclear industry than any other when she was in office. as a parent, as a member of the community, i think we have to ask tough questions about whether we can keep it going. we have all kind of new generation coming online, we have renewable projects like the one she's been criticizing that

i support. there are all kind of ways we can replace that 2,000 mega watts. and we know where this has been done communities have created jobs by transitioning these plants and grown the economy in the surrounding area. i'm concerned about the workers and economy there. but no one would ever put a nuclear power plant in the middle of our region today. it's a ticking time bomb. the congresswoman says let it go forever. i believe we can transition it away from indian point and keep energy prices low and keep the economy going and get that thing offline. >> indian point energy center if closed would -- closing indian point as the congressman advocates and i'm not surprised because he wants to you pay more for your energy. you could imagine what it would be like if we shut down indian point which would result in a

30% strike in our energy prices. people can't afford that congressman. and 2,000 people would lose their jobs. not only, that but indian point only emits steam into the air, just water vapor. no carbon. if you want to talk about a low carbon footprint. talk a zero carbon footprint from this energy center. would we put it there today? no. but do we operate it safely? absolutely. they are doing their best to make sure it's safe and reliable. it's a great clean source of energy for us. it would be a terrible burden on the people of the hudson valley and our environment if it were shut. >> if you could be more specific about what transition opportunities are available right now. >> the congresswoman received

more money from the owners of the indian point than any other member of congress. she visited. she was probably there to pick up a check. even the people who support indian point will tell you in 20 years it's going away. we have to plan for a new source of energy that the location. if you look at natural gas coming online. if you look at the transition nish they've the governor put on the table to bring more power into the region. if you look at the opportunities through conservation. i have a bill called the pace bill that would allow home owners to make energy efficient improvements. the best generation is conser is vation. we can do better on that. if you look at the renewable technologies that have come and gone. and things like wind and solar. there is every reason to believe we can over time responsibly move away from indian point and remove forever the threat of a

nuclear accident in the middle of the hudson valley. >> i do want to give her a quick chance to respond and i believe we are going to closing statements. >> i support an all of the above energy plan that will lower our energy prices, not raise them the way the congressman l. when he takes credit for the pace protection act that is classic congressman maloney. because i was the original sponsor of that bill in the house of representatives. i put it together. nice to fail to credit the folks ho came up with the pace plan. great democratic councilman with whom i worked in a bipartisan way to make sure we got that bill on the floor. we need to have energy prices we can afford, not $200 million poured into a project that makes no sense and will only pollute. up. have to ask you to wrap

have you one minutes for closing both of you. >> i want to thank the college, time warner cable news and ourst host and congressman maloney for joining us tonight. there is a very clear contrast here in where the candidates here stand. i stand with you. i stand with the hudson valley. i stand for jobs here in the hudson valley. real jobs that mean we can put people to work because our mom and pop businesses that have endorsed me will have fewer burdens, lower energy prices, lower taxes and less regulation. congressman maloney wants washington to make decisions. he want towline his pocket with campaign dollars so he can direct money to you, including $200 million worth of hard earned money from folks here to go forward not an energy

generator. it's just a shame that the folks in the hudson valley have someone standing with washington right now instead of with them but i will stand with you. >> thank you all for a lively debate. listen folks, you gave me a chance to represent you in washington. i want to say thank you for that. it's been the honor of my life to do . so i'm proud we listened to you and the solutions we worked on came from you. we listened to our vets so we lowered wait times. we passed the farm bill and reformed the crop bill. we listened to folks that said fix the dams and local infrastructure. that's what i'm doing. we have so much work to do together. i promised i wouldn't forget i'm a product of the middle class. i am proud i built one of the most bipartisan records in congress. top 3%. here we are again with a choice to make.

are we going forward together. keep this progress up, keep someone in washington who is fighting for you, listening to you or go with a radical agenda of congresswoman? we rejected that two years ago and it was a good choice. we need to create jobs and build a hudson valley where our kids will want to stay here and where they can be free and have an equal opportunity. i'm asking for another two year term to fight for you in washington. thank you very much. >> that does conclude our 18th congressional district debate. want to thank the congressman and dr. hayworth for participating. please remember that the election is on november 4. we encourage tonche get out and vote. we'd like to remind you to stay with time warner cable news for

tomorrow on "washington journal," as a campaign issue. -- health care a campaign issue. atshington journal" live 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> this weekend, friday night c-span, at 8:00 p.m. debate coverage continues in primetime. color empowerment conference. filmmaker and daughter of robert f kennedy laurie kennedy on her latest film, the last days of vietnam. on the latest advances in brain science, michio kaku.

bookcoverage of the texas festival in austin. continues sunday. on american history tv on c-span 3, the 1864 reelection and saturday night at 8:00, on lectures and history, the modernization of businesses and households and its impact on society. reagan's 1964, a time for choosing, speech. think aboutwhat you the programs you are watching. call us -- e-mail us at comments@c-span .org. or send us a tweet @cspan # comments. follow the conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. the 2015 student cam

competition is underway. worth $150,000 in prizes. the theme -- the three branches and you. you must use c-span video, show varying points of view. grab a camera and get started today. in illinois 13th district, republican congressman rodney davis facing a challenge from ann callis. they met for a debate last week in champaign, illinois. this is one hour. [applause] >> welcome to the 13th congressional district candidates debate. we wanted to make this debate different from others you've seen. we are going in depth on a few topics to get to the heart of what these candidates believe. there are no podiums, just two people who want to represent you in congress.

let me introduce them now. you in congress. let me introduce them now. republican rodney davis and democrat ann callis. asking the questions tom case sis. my role is asking for clarification when need, making sure things keep moving for you and our studio audience. we're going to take questions for the candidates from our viewers and listeners on twitter and fsh. -- facebook. let's get to it. it's been about a year since the launch of insurance exchanges under the affordable care act. we drew straws and quongman davis gets the first question. >> congressman davis you pivotted from wanting to repeal and replace the affordable care act. what has changed? >> nothing has changed. i don't believe i've pivotted at all. i've been clear since i was a

candidate for this office and since i've been serving. i would be for repealing and replacing and i've led the charge to make fixing to the affordable care act and i'm going to continue do do that. my latest fix was a hire more heroes act. came from my advisory board to ensure veterans who are receiving their healthcare wouldn't count toward the affordable care act 50 employee limit and that would incentivize small businesses to hire more heroes that. went to legislation. it passed the house of representatives with only one no vote. you can't get much more bipartisan than that. it's waiting in the senate to be heard. it passed the house again as part of a larger package and it sits in the senate with over 380

good pieces of legislation, many common sense fixes to the affordable care act. >> spevingically what would you change or repeal? >> that's one change i led the charge on. i'm proud to be talking about that change. i want to make sure we put together a plan that's not going to cost consumers more. when you look at the affordable care act, there were many in illinois that signed up for private policies. 185,000 individuals were estimated to have lost their coverage before the affordable care act. the coverage they were promised they could keep. those are the types of changes why we need a system that's going to cover preexisting conditions. to make sure we have no lifetime caps. make sure that youngsters who can't find a job are able to stay on their parent's insurance plans until they are 26. we can't continue to see families have to pay more.

and in the first year, besides the fact that $2 billion was spent on a website, many families, especially women over the age of 55 are paying an average of $2100 to $2800 more per year for coverage tifpblet crease on families has to stop and i want to make the fixes that are necessary and many of those is it stalled in the united states senate and they need to move to the president's desk. >> same question to you. are there parts of the law you'd like to see changed? >> i think mr. davis has developed political amnesia because he voted 50 times to repeal at this time a.c.a. and shut down our government to the tune of $24 billion because he didn't like the law. but traveling around our district people do like parts of it and people i've heard as it unfolds having become a candidate when it first came out

and now traveling around that people like they can stay on their parent's insurance policy until they are 26 since we have nine colleges and universities in this district. seniors like the prescription drug savings close to $2,000 a year and no discrimination against preexisting conditions. they do like that. and i hear more and more stories, for instance a woman came to my office about a month ago and five or six years ago her son had developed non-hodge kins limp foam massachusetts he as aged out of her insurance and she shopped around to get him treatment. it was expensive and her son finally passed away. and she believes if the a.c.a. were in place at the her son would be alive. i hear stories like that. we have to keep in place what works. 14,000 people in our district in the 13th congressional district

have insurance now that didn't before the a.c.a. was passed. so to take congressman davis and his party's position to rip that away from 14,000 people isn't what we should do. we should see what works and what i would do is travel around the district and listen. have office hours. listen to what people are saying so anecdotele evidence would turn into impeer cal evidence and we can fix what doesn't work. >> are there any things you don't think work? >> if people want to stay on their own insurance policy they should be able to. i hear that a lot. i hear about some small businesses would like to increase the size instead of 50 to receive the subsidy. so i do hear that. those are two specific things i would try to start working on and of course lowering the cost for middle class and our working families. that's how i would listen and see how it unfolds and get right to work.

>> we want to get to cost. >> if one of the goals of the affordable care act is to make healthcare more affordable to cover more people, we have people who are signing up for medicaid and subsidies but for those that don't qualify but see their premiums rising, what can congress do to make it more afford snble >> one woman came up to me and she's never had insurance. she's self-employed and she's terrified that's going to be ripped away if the republicans have their way and repeal the a.c.a. again, it's listening. listening to the people and how we contain cost. that was the goal of the a.c.a. is lowering the cost. what can we do to lower the cost and listen and get to work. >> you have no specifics in mind right now? >> yes, i think we should, as i mentioned before, that we should be able to with companies that

are r50 plus companies should be able to possibly receive some of those subsidies and people should be able to stay on their own insurance and that would lower cost. >> same question, if the goal of the a.c.a. is to lower cost for people, do you see that happening? >> if we're success informal changing the affordable care act with a market based approach it's going to cover preexisting conditions and continue to make sure there are no lifetime caps and make common sense changes like the hire more heroes act. i appreciate my opponent reminding the viewers i voted 50 times to repeal or replace or change the affordable care act. it's actually 54. i would ask which of those 54 otes would she not have taken? what would she support or not support? these are common sense changes we've tried to implement.

that's why i'm going to continue to fight to lower premiums. i'm on obama care by law members of congress have to sign up for their healthcare benefits on the a.c.a. exchange. my premiums went up. my deductibles went up. and in my families case i've reached the out of pocket maximum due to an illness because my wife is a 15 year colon cancer survivor. we've seen how families strug toll meet that out of pocket maximum. those are real cost to real families and we need to make real changes to this law. >> before we get to the next topic we have a question from twitter. about half of this district will vote for the other candidate. how will you represent the other half if you win? >> the exact same way i've been representing the entire district for the last almost two years.

i believe i've gone to washington making the promise that i wanted to pass a farm bill. not only i did help pass a farm bill. i helped write it into it's final completion a's member of the conference committee. a committee where both members of congress come together where w members from the senate and work out our differences and put together a good common sense piece of legislation. and that's what we did to make sure agriculture remains a pillar of a growing economy and saved taxpayers $23 billion. it's the common sense fixes i'm going to continue to do on a district wide basis regardless of whether or not one votes for me. >> i'm glad congressman davis did help pass the farm bill. but this is the most non-productive congress since we've measured congress. it's a do nothing congress and we need to start getting things done. when i was chief judge, in a

bipartisan way instituted significant court reforms. started the first veterans court in the state of illinois and i'm glad to see that congressman davis showed an interest in our veterans. t we started that rude meant you willryly. when i put a committee together to start reform, i never cared if that person were republican or democrat, we put the best people on that committee to get the job done. we were able to create the first veterans court in the state of linois, no taxpayer dollars, recruiting the best people to be a part of that program. it's grown to be a model for our nation. hundreds and hundreds of veterans have gone through that program and graduated. they don't reoffend. it was nominated for a national awarpped and won.

a few months ago i had two veterans come up to me separately and they told me the veterans court saved their lives. it was the first time they felt like someone cared about what they were going through. i think i have a record of reaching across the aisle and getting things done and that's what i would do. i always had an open door policy as chief judge, listening and then acting. >> next topic. jobs and economy. the first question for judge. >> there is increasing the minimum wage but the congressional budget office said it could lift 900,000 people out of poverty but a half million could lose their jobs. business owners say they can't afford it and they'd have to lay off people or push the price on.

do you support that? >> absolutely. i have traveled around this district and gone to many community centers. people are choosing between food and diapers. people are going to school full time and trying to better themselves and they are falling further beneath the poverty line. it's time we raise minimum wage in this nation. 6-10 minimum wage earners are women. many of them heads of households. then when we raise the minimum wage, these people then are moving into commerce and spending money and reinvigorating our community. >> is there anything you would want to imp meant to off set the cost to businesses who might struggle to raise that wage for their workers? >> i just think it's time we raise the minimum wage. again, as chief judge i listened and had an open door policy. if i would of course listen and see what was going on and see if

actually businesses were cost were raised. but fundamentally it's time we raise the minute wage. i hear frit so many people in the community centers traveling around our district and it's just time. >> congressman, do you support raising the federal minute numb stpwhage >> i would support an increase as long as it was paired with off set,, tax credits, similar to a bill i introduced to allow for tax drotes allow businesses to hire young apprentices in the trades and labor. we need to grow infrastructure jobs. we need to off set cost. at's not the most partisan organization thattest mates without any off sets 500,000

families would lose their job. i don't want any family to lose their job. we need to find solutions to grow our economy. illinois is lagging behind the rest of the nation. as a matter of fact, illinois over the first seven months of this year has been last in job creation because we have a dysfunctional government in springfield. we need to work toward creating real jobs. i'm happy to be joined by my dad tonight. my dad walked into a brand new restaurant called mcdonalds and he started working a minimum wage job. starting flipping hamburgers and had no intention of staying there. my dad worked his way up and because he did that, he allowed my family to that, he allowed my family to achieve the american dream and no young person should ever listen to a policymaker who says you should turn your minimum-wage job into your career now.

because your career should be the american dream, not keeping a job that is paying you minimum wagering out. and talk toeges many students and asked them if they are on minimal wage. many do. i ask him any of you want to stay in that career and none of them are raised. if we raise the minimum wage, it will cost our universities and to lament anyons minimum wage at a time when the state is not fully funding higher education. it is a time when students will have to be laid off on the job when they are working so hard to help pay for their ever-increasing costs of college education. >> the congressional budget that the lowest earners in the middle class of lost ground in the past three decades while the income of the highest earners have grown sometimes by three digits. is it the government's role to address income inequality and,

if so, how would you do that? >> one way to address income inequality is by minute -- by raising the minimum wage. i don't know what student to have a that would minimum-wage job that would keep them from falling further into the poverty line. point his finger at the dysfunctional government in springfield, but what about the dysfunctional government in washington, d.c. today? that is one way we can address income inequality. also, it's time that we passed the paycheck fairness act. i talked to many women around this district and the fact that in illinois 70 plus cents on the dollar that women make not commensurate with men. it is time we do that. -- even could even

warren buffett has said it is s a lessert he pay tax rate than even his secretary pays. we need to reform the tax code, loop holeslosing the for corporations. >> i will tell you, when we look at the minimum wage, and the students i talked to, let me make myself perfectly clear, many of them work at the universities to pay their way through college. when the university tells us they will have to lay off students, that is not a net positive if they can't have an offset to that minimum-wage increase. we want the students to continue to work through their education. we need to also look at equal pay. i will tell you the best thing you can do to find out on a

politician how they view equal pay is look at what they can control. if you look at my office, i pay the women in my office $4000 more per year. my opponent, when she was in charge of the county court system there was unable pay from anywhere to 8% to 15% per year. >> what about income inequality? should the tax could be changed? absolutely. >> we need to grow our economy to grow jobs. we need to do everything we can to create good paying careers and that is exactly what i have tried to do throughout my short time in washington. that is why i helped write and processough ethe entire for the water infrastructure bill. water infrastructure is enormously important to our

entire district's economy. upt of the products or go and down the mississippi river screams the old district of illinois. we need to put folks back to work and that is the first step. >> you have been talking about university students. we got tweets from two of them. i am a student and an undocumented immigrant. how do you support students like me? how about comprehensive immigration reform. >> massac county was unionized and i am honored to have the support. negotiations.

i don't know where he is coming from with that at all. it is time we pass comprehensive immigration reform. i have traveled around this district. students have addressed that. but also looking through and touring research park and talking to the executives at their number one issue is comprehensive immigration reform. daviss time that mr. asked speaker boehner who came down to raise money for him, hey, let's pass comprehensive immigration reform. it is a difficult process. 10 to 13 years and people have to pay fines and have extensive background checks. liberated -- it is a deliberative difficult process. if we pass competence of -- if we pass comprehensive immigration will have $1.4

trillion into our nations economy in the next nine years. gdp after that would go up 5%. it is really time. i think it would be about $1.4 trillion added into our economy. i am open to discussing comprehensive immigration reform package. but the one that passed in that my opponent supports will not pass in the house. we have good ideas to move in a step-by-step approach to address many of the issues at the students at the universities and colleges i am blessed enough to represent. i find it completely wrong for es to attract -- for universities to attract students for degrees. we need scientists and cyber security. i find it wrong that we don't have a system in place that will

then allow them to be employed here in america. we tell them to come get educated here and then tell them to go back and compete against us. these are some of the types of provisions that we can't come together on. the far right in the far left don't want to solve this problem. sa system.broken vi most of the illegal immigration in our system does not come from our southern border. they comes from our airports. we have to develop a system that will be a true solution without playing politics. i want to make sure that when my children as may 27 years from thishich was the last time issue is supposedly fixed, i want to make sure that we put a solution on the table that is actually going to work to fix that broken visa system. >> last month, president obama and a handful of u.s. allies launched airstrikes against

isis. obama recently described it as a "long-term campaign." to ask suffers question. criticizedyou have the military action against the islamic state. what would success look like to you and how long are you willing to continue with just primarily airstrikes in that region? >> is a great question but i don't profess to be a military strategist and i don't have access to the intelligence that the president does. it is why i have supported him. he says he has listen to the generals under his command as commander-in-chief and he has told us this is a plan and the strategy that will succeed. if he and the generals and their military leaders offer up a different strategy, i am willing to take a good look at that and consider it. i want to make sure that victory is wiping out isis. this is the most inhumane

radical organization that we have seen in my lifetime. an organization that glorifies the heading individuals, an organization that is estimated at 31,000 soldiers, these are people who are waging a war against humanity. not a war against restraint hattie -- not a war against christianity and not a war against the west, most of those who have fallen our fellow muslims who were not pure enough. this is the type of battle that we have to rewrite it in this group. i believe we missed a golden opportunity to do so when isis was marching across the open desert of iraq. i wish he would have acted sooner. i was proud to support his plan before we left washington just a few weeks ago. i stand ready to go back tomorrow if there is a better plan. >> how do you know if you have eradicated it? is there any way of telling? couldn't this go on forever? >> when isis does not control any towns or cities in iraq or

syria, believe that is as close as we can get to eradicate. -- to eradication. that doesn't mean we stop. that doesn't mean we stop asking our allies to take the lead on the ground. that does not mean that we stop making sure that isis doesn't have the ability to regroup and make more tax on innocent americans and innocent syrians and iraqis. pbs poll show that the majority of americans believe u.s. ground troops will be necessary. do you agree? i do have to separate my pressure all from my personal in this. my son is an army ranger, and infantry ranger. he was sent to kuwait. he is blessedly home now and i was able to welcome him home.

but the airstrikes i did support. i am not privy to the security briefings. my son did not tell me much. one thing he did tell me was sheer and utter brutality that is going on there. so i think we will need to join with non-jihadist sunnis in iraq, a multilateral approach, not a new unilateral approach, and listen to our military leaders. i know we have the best military in the world but we should not go in there unilaterally and yet on down. it would have to be a weight-nine-see. wait-and-see situation. >> would you support groups on the ground? >> if our military leaders say so and if it is a multilateral approach, i would. i haven't seen firsthand. i know we have the best fighting force in the nation.

my son is now in a different he is calledow, if over there, he and his brothers and sisters in arms will do the best of their ability to defend our nation. >> do you think more terror attacks against the u.s. are inevitable? if so, should we be prepared to give up even more civil liberties than we have already? >> it's a balance. and i hope it is not inevitable. i hope not. having been a judge, i think any --these types of process is processes that would continue to gather information, whatever that means, that it should go through judicial process. but security has to be balanced with our freedoms and our individual rights. the way it has played out the last several years? >> having played a judge, yes. a little concerned. i think it should go through a worn system and go through a judicial process and have judicial oversight, absolutely.

>> next, entitlements. like socialrams security, medicare and medicaid, food stamps among others. social security is one of the largest domestic expenses of the federal government. boomer generation retiring, cbo expects the cost to keep rising without the revenue to fully supported. -- support it. you say you want to preserve the system. how would you do that? would you be for changing benefits? >> social security is so important. traveling on the district, it is so important. a lot of people in this district, i was at a pig roast and an over -- an older woman grabbed my arm and said please do everything you can to protect social security. so i would be against any change cpi, raising the retirement age.

but in a bipartisan manner, we could create a commission and see how we could keep social security solvent for not only now but for future and future generations. who was anandma irish immigrant who came over and she was a nurse at saint elizabeth hospital. i saw her when she retired rely on her social security firsthand. so what should we keep on the table and possibly raising the payroll tax cap and where that is, i don't know. i would have to listen. but it would be a great priority for me to keep social security solvent. and how we do that and how we could work together and get it done. >> if the payroll tax cap, if viable atn was not the time, do you have any other area -- other ideas? >> i don't know why that would not be politically viable at the time. that should be on the table. but absolutely, i would be against any type of change cpi or raising the retirement age. >> same question.

>> i want to say, first of all, thank you for correcting my error in grammar. inhumane and humane. i apologize to the viewers. i do agree with my opponent that we do need to create a bipartisan commission to do with social security. as we have seen actuaries say, social security will not be sustainable as is. i hope we can have an adult obsession, a bipartisan conversation in washington to do so. that is exactly what was part of the ryan budget proposal to do, which was to create a bipartisan opportunity to discuss possible andtions to social security its insolvency that is coming up -2033.ut 2032 we both agree. we don't want to see benefits cut at all for anyone who is on social security and i want to continue to fight to make sure our social security recipients

get everything they were promised. weneed to make sure that have social security notches for this generation but for future generations. i notice i did not get asked your question. i think by voting record clearly shows that i want that balanced approach between privacy and protecting americans. i want to make sure our intelligence officials don't acquire so much data and they tell us they need to find a needle in the haystack that they haystack hack -- the so large that they will never find a needle. thatt to rein in issues are a threat to our individual liberties. >> would you be for raising payroll taxes? a i want to make sure we have bipartisan commission that will discuss a portfolio solutions. i talked about discussing means testing. i don't think it is appropriate that bill gates can receive social security benefits when

others who are living on social security have to do so. i think bill gates would gladly give up his social security benefits to save the system for those who need it the most. that needs to be part of the discussion. we need to make sure we have that adult conversation and i hope there are some new ideas that come out. the president stood in the room speaking to a republican conference in washington and professed his support for changed cpi. many in the room were surprised by that. so i think the president will want to discuss change cbi and i don't know if that is a proposal that will become reality or not. >> both of you brought up bipartisanship. what would be your nonnegotiable? what is your top priority? 55, 50 six ande above and a receiving benefits right now see no benefit cuts whatsoever. >> is for social security? >> right. >> changed cpi, absolutely

against that and raising the eligibility age for retirement. >> you mentioned the paul ryan budget which you voted for. you said it was an imperfect plan. are there a lot of parts that you would like to revise or undo or eliminate? >> there is no perfect bill that comes out of washington. what we need to do is make sure that we judge the quality pieces of that legislation versus those that you may not be as favorable on. case, we have to, as americans, we have to look at balancing our budget. this is the only budget that was ever offered that balances in 10 years. i think that is a very great goal. >> you said it was a perfect so aboutst have a few ideas it that need to be eliminated. >> i do.

when it comes to addressing telegrams, dressing other programs that are related -- andessing pell grants, addressing other programs that are related, we need to prioritize how we spend money. that is exactly what you need a vision. that is exactly what this rhyme budget did. it gave america a vision that we will have a balanced budget in 10 years. it also gave us the opportunity to make the senate actually have to fulfill their constitutional duty and pass their own budget. i proudly supported one of the first of those i made in washington, no vote/no pay. but you know what, typically, their budget never balances. it increases spending at a time when we have been working at a dutch in a bipartisan fashion to reduce our deficit for the first time since world war ii.

it is a travesty we cannot continue to work together to cut spending in areas that need to be cut and increase it in areas that need to be increased and do it through the constitutional preparations process, which is the way washington used to spend money. the washington want. >> -- that washington won't. welfare,tamps, according to the center of budget and policy priorities, the average recipient received 133 dollars a month last year, which is about $1.48 a meal. food stamps is one example. it is meant for people who are certainly to make ends meet. the poverty line for a family of four is to refer thousand dollars a year based on measures from the 1950's. risk orho is most at falling through the cracks? >> thank you very much for your question. i actually make sure i was part

of that debate in the farm bill. together somet very commonsense provisions that ensured that we saved taxpayers $8 billion. there is a loophole that some states where using that gave food stamp benefits to anyone who qualified for one dollar a feeding assistance. we did not take away that program. we raised the barometer to $20. it saved taxpayers $8 billion in the program. that is a billion dollars we can put to make sure those who need the benefits the most are going to get them. i also believe that we ought to implement some type of work requirement that was commonplace under the clinton era welfare to work program that has been changed during this administration. for the life of me, i cannot understand why america should be satisfied with a program that doesn't require an able-bodied adult who has no dependent children, who is not enrolled in training or education program, who doesn't take care of an adult dependent, who doesn't have a plethora of other

exemptions, i don't know why we can't pair them with a job. if a job is not available, why can't we fed them with community service or volunteer opportunities that will give them skills that will give them the best benefit their families can have. talking to people in these i think it isers, not the right approach to demand someone that they have to have a job when you don't know what that person is going through in ,heir own lives with whatever domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abuse. i think it is a presumptuous way to govern. if you listen to mr. davis, they were burning the midnight oil passing bill after bill after bill. this is the most nonproductive congress we have had since the history of congress. so i think it is a holistic approach. we need to -- first of all, we

should not let, as congressman did, extendress long-term benefits. a dyed in the house because everyone went on vacation. were left outns in the cold because they did not have the long-term unemployment benefit. so what can we do? pell grantsngthen for incense, so these people can go to school. people on minimum wage can go to school and be able to better themselves, get a better job. it would not be the rhyme budget way where the needs analysis testing was restricted. a philosophyis that i would have as a congressperson. and you'rethe ground listening. what can you do at these community centers? when i have gone there, there

are things that are going on with these urban league, like man can come up where people come out from prison or probation and to sam to get into the employment universe. i have been a statewide leader on justice and mental health and restorative justice issues. not only veterans corps but a true believer in drug core and mental health corps where people can become productive citizens by going through these programs. i can see how i can travel throughout our district to meet county and see what they have going on what they don't and really be our bridge to the justice system which i think would still a true groep to the people in this district. >> what will you do to help improve new fuel energies in illinois and the u.s.? >> i was pleased to see that illinois is number one a renewable energy sources. we have great opportunities here with our nine colleges and universities, especially here at

the university of illinois with the wonderful innovators here. so what can we do to expand on this and grow great jobs right here? draw out our innovators. join them with our local businesses. so our students graduate from this wonderful university and want to raise their children in these wonderful world-class communities. so how we can advance them forward. decatur had a chance to get the juno type lab. -- the genome lab. i would continue to work, build coalitions, get things done. i appreciate those comments and that is exactly what i have been trying to do, build coalitions to make sure we actually make our next mission to the moon, to make america energy independent. when you look at energy independence, we have the ability to grow our economy by

doing something as simple as building the keystone pipeline. the president, his administration has ever studied this permit more so than any other project in our nations history and even members of organized labor say it will create 45,000 new jobs. canadal is coming from via train and be a truck now. let's put in a pipeline. us make sure we can create american jobs. that is the first step to becoming energy independent. energy homegrown sources, especially here in -- in north dakota, the minimum wage is not set by government. it is done by the market. it is $18 an hour. they decided to make north dakota energy independent. they are reaping the benefits of february low unemployment rate. they are be -- they are reaping the benefits of a growing economy.

we are sitting in allawi -- in illinois with the worst job growth numbers in 18 months. >> moving to education. recent estimates show the tuition continues to get more expensive while total stallone that has grown to more than a billion dollars for the first time. education is next. years ago in a debate in the studio, you said that you would increase access to pell and you would not have supported the rhyme budget that would ts.sh funding to pell gran yet you did. what changed? >> nothing changed. a -- thathat it was

was a ryan budget that was done before i was elected. that was a much different budget from the one that i supported the balances in 10 years. look at the rhine-murray bipartisan appropriations package that i supported with increased pell grants. it's not just about putting a vision in place. -- only ington, d.c. washington dc can a zero growth be considered a cut. if we can get away from that process, you will not have things like across the board cuts and sequestration. he will let a rank-and-file member of congress who is a freshman to have a say in spending and make sure the college is affordable. i am proud that i actually voted to stop the student loan

interest rates from doubling in june and july of 2013. this is something that should never have happened because, at that time, that is something that should never have happened because, at that time, congress was in the business of setting student loan rates. congress should not be in the business of setting student loan rates. sam is should be able to take advantage of student loan rates that are at historical lows. we have to change the debate for how much a student will pay for for ever-increasing debt at the end of college education and what interest rate it going to be because we stopped them from doubling. and we need to do what i have been doing is a member of college -- of congress. campuses, i college talk to those who are in charge about -- when they ask me to ll again, i say what are you doing to make sure those pell grants go further for our students and that students have the ability to work on the

university if they want to to help pay their college so they don't have that debt when they leave college? that is the type of leadership i have been exhibiting on this issue and in this district and that is exactly what i intend to continue to do in my next term. >> would you support an increase to pell grant funding? and how would you pay for it? >> -- and how would you pay for it? >> absolutely, we need to increase pell grant funding. a bill out there called the government waste reduction act. it will go after and see where we can cut, see where we can/, see where we can save dollars international economy. set in the studio and said you would not vote for a ryan budget to cut pell grants and then you voted for a ryan budget that cut pell grants. another urban we have that can bring in billions of dollars is

the heat program that goes after medicare, fraud, waste and abuse and medicaid fraud waste and abuse. i think it is seven united u.s.s cities and it is a attorney-driven program. it is those types of programs that, talking to students, they do rely on pell grants. whoseed to one woman husband and partner was deployed and and she was struggling going to school so pell grants were very important to her. and that was at the campus of southern university -- southern illinois university at edwardsville. it is the next bubble. that trillion dollar student debt. how do we address that? i think people who graduated and have this student debt should be able to renegotiate their student loans at the current rate. you should not do with the ryan budget does and that is charging students interest on their loans while they are still in school.

>> earlier this year, congress cut off funding a comprehensive transportation bill until next year. >> would you support an increase gallongas tax, 18.4% per federal gasoline tax for bridge and highway repairs and other transportation items given what jennifer has laid out? '>> no, i don't. it would overly burden are middle-class and working families. down the roadcan which causes a lot of uncertainty for our labor, whether they will have any infrastructure project are not. i have heard this from a lot of our labor unions. again, i would be against a gas tax. >> use it on the transportation

committee. what do you think? >> before i get to that, let me just what my opponent has said. let me be clear. the ryan budget i voted for did not cut tell grants. -- pell grants. the only issue on pell grants that i have raised is raising pell grants. i will continue to make sure that we put college affordability first because i've got a daughter who is going to be going to college next year. i know that many families are facing costs that they did not imagine would be that high when they took their child to kindergarten for the first day and dreamt that they would be able to get that college education. we need to work to reduce the cost of attending college, make sure the state lives up to its promise. transportation. during my endorsement from the chicago tribune, i was called an infrastructure wallop. i was one of the few republicans who actually stood and said we

need to invest more in infrastructure. how do we do that? do we do it by sibley raising the gas tax? even -- do we do it by simply raising the gas tax? it is agreed it will go down and dwindle and put us in the same position we are in today with an ever decreasing amount of money that we can dedicate toward infrastructure spending? that is not the best idea. what we need to do and what i have been talking about is putting together a portfolio funding sources. us look at energy independence. let's build the keystone pipeline can mistake revenues from making america energy independent and put it towards our crumbling infrastructure. it is exactly what we did on the water for structure bill that i was proud to cosponsor and pass. that is exactly the type of bipartisan leadership i will continue to exhibit when it comes to our highways and our bridges. i want to make sure we have that debate.

as a matter fact, i drove an electric vehicle here in the champagne area because it was a trade with my colleague janice hahn who talks about having an electric vehicle and never putting one penny towards the highway trust fund. it was a great example of bipartisan -- a bipartisan example when we talk about the different transportation needs in her region, which is downtown los angeles, and my region which is 14 counties. in the electric car, i could make it home to taylorville. these are issues we need to address. locally, there is a lot of talk about high-speed rail in central illinois, especially through champaign-urbana. how can an expensive project [indiscernible] >> it is being financed and it is becoming a reality in the

chicago-sailors corridor. -- chicago-st. louis corridor. we have seen the improvements. what we need to do is make sure that we put the policies in place. we need to make sure we get that good portfolio of sources. >> i guess what i am talking about is the one through champaign urbana would operate to 20. is that really possible, the cost of that? >> i don't like to say anything is impossible when it comes to infrastructure, tom. we have to make sure that we put our good possibly as -- good policies in place and make sure that america's able to afford that infrastructure so that champaign can be the beneficiary of a high-speed rail corridor. with all ofo work the officials who have come to me and talk to me about this project. we will continue to make sure that we put infrastructure first. that is exactly why i requested that seat on the infrastructure committee.

it is why i want to remain on the committee. >> do you think that is a doable project? >> i wouldn't absolutely say no. my role as your congresswoman if i am honored to be elected is what kind of infrastructure projects are feasible and what we can do to improve our communities here. mr. davis said he was in leadership on transportation in he sea -- in d.c. why was the can kicked down the road? i'm sure it is fun driving around in an electric car, but i don't know how it helps the people of this district. we need to get back to serving the people that we were honored to be elected by instead of serving ourselves. so it's an entire philosophy change that needs to be done here. >> we are getting down to the last couple of minutes. tom, you had a question you wanted to ask about military gear to local police departments. demilitarization of local

police, we reported that a federal program sold several gear. and is that something the federal government should do? >> it probably sounded like a good idea at the beginning because it was excess military gear. but seeing the visual on tv, what happened in ferguson with these tanks and these police officers dressed in absolute military gear and armed with assault weapons was -- with demonstrate is on the other side should not happen. so there should be some transparency and oversight. i can't tell you my son is an expert on m-four assault weapons. that takes a lot of training. it concerns me that police officers would not have the training to handle these types of weapons. so, yeah, i think this should be looked at and see what you can do with this type of program. >> commerce and? >> i think some of our police

officers are some of the most well-trained individuals we have. but i am also concerned about amber apps, about the visual that we sign ferguson, missouri. and that is why this program needs to be looked at by members of congress. we need to ensure that it is going to provide the equipment that will be beneficial to our communities. >> would you prefer that it be shut down? amno, that is exactly what i getting at. you can throw the baby out with the bathwater. in --me program has gave has given to a county a humvee. that takes deputies that when it is snowing and pulls drivers out of the ditch. this is good military equipment and we have to be diligent in making sure that we don't get rid of those opportunities. we have to make sure that we address the visuals that we sign ferguson with the mrap and make sure that those driving through dewitt county have an opportunity to get served.

>> you had a question about climate change. >> do you believe that climate change is real and man-made? and what can the federal government do to reduce the effects? >> i have been clear. climate change is real. we can discuss, the chip -- we can discuss how much of it is real and how much of it is man-made. we can lead the world in emissions reductions. but at the same time, not sacrificing growth and jobs in our economy. change, absolutely exists. man-made climate change exists. and all we have to do is look out our window on sundays and absolutely have -- on some days and absolutely have first knowledge that it exists. i think in emissions restrictions should be a place but not at the expense of jobs. it is not a black or white issue but it is a fine balance in but

-- balance. but we continue -- we have a great opportunity here with our nine colleges and universities to really go to explore the alternative energy and renewable energy sources and really be a in thisn our nation district with renewable energy sources. >> i have to ask this. if you had a song that played -- [laughter] when you walk in, what would it be? >> what would your theme song be? "roar."perry's >> what's your theme song? >> let's say create "higher." [laughter] >> i love that song. >> thank you to the candidates candidate campaign

organizations. i am jennifer roscoe. good night. >> c-span bus campaign 2014 coverage includes debate for the control of congress. stay on touch and on top of the debate. follow us on twitter at c-span. facebook. >> with the 2014 midterm elections just a week away, campaign coverage continues. 8:00, the iowa fourth district debate between steve mauer.nd jim

betweenhe utah debate doug owens and his opponent. the new hampshire senate debate. the worknly debate in in senate debate. and then the louisiana senate debate between seven candidates. c-span campaign 2014. more than 100 debate for the control of congress. >> cure a few of the comments we have received on the bowler -- ebola coverage. >> why can't we get behind the president and what he wants to do for the good of the people? that is the ebola thing i think it is overhyped by the media.

the time they give it, 10-12 minutes every morning. they are still talking about it. there are other things that are important to talk about, too. >> i would like to see c-span do a question about, is ebola the proof we need a national one payer health care system? we saw what happens in texas with thetalistic -- capitalistic health care system. it will cost millions and millions to clean that up. >> regarding ebola and hospitals not been ready, you had a guest -- it could have been eager nine years ago. -- eight or nine years ago. she wrote a book called pandemic. she went into hospitals preparation.

there was readiness for nothing. we have a shortage of doctors and nurses. i wonder how that is going today. we were not ready then. we are not ready now. you should have her back on again. >> continue to let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us. e-mail us. or you can send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. on tuesday, the head of the u.s. olympic committee spoke at the national press club about the relationship to team -- between college athletics and deliberate teams. after his remarks, questions about the olympics and the bid to host 2024 summer games.

this is one hour. >> good afternoon and welcome. at the schoolor of public affairs. and the national press club. they are the leading organization for journalists. we are fostering a free press worldwide. for more information about the club, please visit the website. members, if our would like to welcome our speaker. guests. table includes

if you are applause in the general, members of the public are attending. it is not necessarily a lack of journalistic objectivity. i would like to welcome the c-span audience. you can follow the action on twitter. concludes, iech will ask as many questions as time permits. it is time to introduce error head guest. right, quinn woodward. bright line interactive.

shan zynga are, guest of our speaker. mark, washington bureau chief, chairman of the npc broadcasting, and a former president of the national press club. amy morris, of 99.1 fm. ursula larsen, capital standard magazine. and the health and wellness reporter for u.s. news & world report. [applause] a year ago, scott blackmun received a four-year contract extension as ceo of the u.s. olympic committee, which he headed since 2010. this degree of stability is rare for the labor committee.

his two predecessors lasted less than a year, and feel a bit committee has had seven ceos in the last 14 years. when blackmun took the reins, the committee had been embarrassed by chicago's failure to land the 2016 olympic games. in fact, chicago finished dead last among the competitors. the organization was criticized by not knowing how to deal with international olympic committees, and it was hit by layoffs and low morale. blackmun is credited with helping restore the financial health of the committee, usoc operates olympic training centers where aspiring competitors train for international optician. unlike what happens in many countries, the usoc is largely dependent on corporate sponsorship. during his tenure, revenue has increased. but there have been a few bumps

along the way. the usoc was silent in the wake of the arrest of hope solo. they did speak out against the abuse, calling these charges outstanding. blackmun refrained from any demonstrations or political speech during the winter olympics in sochi. many were upset by what they considered russia's anti-gay laws. today, mr. blackmun will discuss the state of college athletics, and how it impacts the u.s. a team. the usoc has a strong interest in college athletics because so many olympians are college athletes. at the london games, 65 american olympians had participated in college athletics.

ladies and gentlemen, scott blackmun here to tell us more about this. join me in welcoming him to the national press club. [applause] >> thank you. and thanks to all of you for being here today. it is an honor for us to be here. i know you all signed up to hear bob bowlsby. i would've loved to hear from him today, bob has been a member of the board of directors at usoc for eight years. i know what a great speaker who he is. bob, you are probably watching. i wish you a speedy recovery. the theme today is college athletics. you all know the stakes for the universities and for the athletes. but it is also an incredibly important topic, more important than you probably know for the success of the united states at the olympic games. before i talk about that, i want to start by giving a brief introduction about the usoc, who

we are, what we do, how we came to be. we have been around in one form or another since the late 1800s. during most of our history, things were relatively confusing. there was outright conflict for a long time between the usoc and the aau. while there was consensus that we didn't want to fund our olympic teams with federal dollars, there wasn't a way to bring altogether. that all changed with senator ted stevens, the author of the amature sports act. it may surprise you to learn that we are a 501(c) organization. we are not a government organization. we were given complete

responsibility for olympic sport in the united states. and shortly thereafter, paralympic sports. we were certifying a national body for each sport. we have 48 national governing bodies, 39 of which are in olympic sports. each of those ngb's is a separate nonprofit organization responsible for their sport from the grassroots level all the way up to elite competition. what that means is we have to work hand in glove with each of those 48 or each of those 39 olympics sport ngb's. it is not such an easy task. until 2004, the usoc tried to be too many things to too many people. we focused our mission in 2004. we used to have a board of

directors of 125 people. we now have 16 people. we still have an executive committee of 25 people, now we have no executive committee at all. importantly, we also focused our mission. our mission was to help olympic and paralympic athletes. how do we help american athletes get medals put around their necks? we have a line of sight between every decision we make in the impact on how many americans will win medals. the act gives us exclusive control of our trademarks. these cookies are a problem. they didn't ask us if they could put the olympic symbol on the cookies. we will have to confiscate those. patrick, who is a former football player, will the what

to do with them. we protect our trademarks. they are extremely valuable. senator stevens saw that before anybody else. he saw it as a way to give american athletes the same opportunities that athletes that we compete with around the world get. we don't have the same budget that other countries have. but the word olympic, the word paralympic, the rings, are all things you can't use except under journalistic conditions without our consent. it is that consent that we provide to our sponsors and our licensees. and that is what drives our budget. our budget is about $200 million. that really pales in comparison to the amount spent by our colleges and universities. we, the united states of america, when it comes to olympic and paralympic athletes, are only as strong as the collegiate system today.

65% of the u.s. team in london participated in college sports. students in the pac 12 had 88 medalists. we had 88 medals. we ended up with 104 medals in london, so as you can see, it was an unbelievable contribution to collegiate sports and collegiate athletes. one third of the team in sochi this past winter, including 31 medalists, participated in college sports. if there is one primary message for today, it is this. there are countries like china and russia, who spend billions of dollars on theireathletic programs. and our government has chosen not to.

we fully support that. we cannot maintain our position at the top of the medal table unless we find a way to preserve olympic support programs at colleges and universities. the so-called nonrevenue programs are beginning to disappear. in 1981, we had 59 men's gymnastic programs. today there are 16. women's gymnastic programs have dropped from 99 to 62 over the same timeframe. today we have 77 wrestling programs, down from 146 35 years ago. that list goes on. someone said to me no college athletic director has ever been fired for terminating and olympic sport program. our concern, stated very bluntly, is that the inevitable reallocation of resources in college athletics will make it even more difficult for olympic sport programs to survive. the call to action today is urgent.

it goes beyond eligibility rules, and focuses on the survival of olympic sport in our country. i think about gwen jorgensen, she attended the university of wisconsin where she swam and ran for the badgers. she earned her master's degree in accounting. she passed her cpa exam. and went to work for a big accounting firm. gwen was well on her way to using her education as a professional, in something other than sports, like so many of for peers. but she discovered the sport of triathlon. she became usa triathlon's rookie of the year in 2010. she made the olympic team in 2012. in 2013, she placed first in four triathlon races, something no other female has done.

the united states owes much of its olympic success to collegiate institutions, to the coaches, programs, and facilities. we can't expect them to continue to support us out of the goodness of their hearts. we have to build partnerships that benefit them in addition to us. we want to work with the coaches and the donors. we want to work with the conference commissioners like bob. anyone interested in maintaining and strengthening collegiate sports programs to build partnerships that not only support olympic programs, but help build strong athletic departments at institutions that believe in a balanced human being, and the power of sport to enrich lives and enhance achievement. indeed, to make the world better place. it is not just about team usa.

and whether we win or lose, i know as well as anyone, the role of collegiate programs play as developing us as human beings. i went to dartmouth a long time ago. i played soccer, i grew up in chicago. i was a goalie. there was only one goalie on the team at a time it. i thought i was pretty hot stuff. it was 1974. i was allstate, the coach called me. i hadn't heard of dartmouth. he convinced me to go to dartmouth. about a week before i arrived, he told me he had recruited another goalie, my same age and year from the town next to me. who i hadn't heard of, and i frankly wasn't too worried about it. we arrived on campus, and this was a young man who had tremendous athletic talent.

my whole identity was wrapped up in being a soccer player. when i got to dartmouth, he ended up starting most of the four years, and i didn't. i started one year out of the four. and it had a huge impact on me. i kind of had to reframe what i wanted to do with my life. how i looked at myself. i knew i was never going to be a professional soccer player. that four years going into a situation thinking that is how you are defined, and then having to kind of retool and figure out what you are all about, had a huge impact on me. fast forward i joined the usoc as general counsel in 1999. i got promoted quickly to run our sports group. we basically have a sports group and a marketing group. i ran the sports group for eight months, and that got promoted to deputy executive director. and then i got promoted to interim executive director while we did a search. i was strongly encouraged to stay.

i did stay. at the end of that search process, they picked somebody else. and for reasons that are probably too long to go into now, i decided not to stay. that experience in college really helped me think through what i was going to do. i was a recovering lawyer, i practiced law for 20 plus years, but had been out of the practice of law for five years. it is tough to go back. it is tough to find clients again. it ended up being the best thing that could have ever happened to me. i got to go to los angeles and be the chief operating officer of a company called an chief entertainment group. we owned six professional soccer teams. i learned so much. my experience in college athletics is not at all unique. there are thousands of young athletes who have life-changing experiences, and you are better people, more successful people because of their participation in college sports. it is not just football players

and basketball players. it is not just the gwen jorgensen's of the world who represent our country at the games. that is one of the reasons that americans love the olympic games so much. we love the americans. we love overcoming. we love seeing that american flag when we walk in to our schools and places of work. being american is a really important part of why we get so much support from the american public. the other reason we get so much support is because we are about much more than competition. we are about much more than winning and losing. it is about how we win, and how we lose. it is about being the best that we can be. one of my greatest mentors, in the sense that i read what he wrote and watched him speak, was john wood. he defines success as the peace of mind from knowing that you did the very best you could.

it's about the joy found in efforts. it is that that makes us different from any other professional sport in the united states. but it is also that which makes us very similar to collegiate athletics. it is based on a value system. it is based on a balance of mind, body, and spirits. it is based on broadening's peoples experiences. it's why this relationship that we have with the ncaa institutions is so important to us. so what can we do to make that relationship better? since 2011, the usoc and our national governing bodies have partnered with the national association of collegiate directors of athletics. to create the u.s. olympic achievement award. that recognizes colleges and universities whose student athletes and coaches have won olympic medals. the u.s. olympic achievement

award was a step in the right direction. we will continue to publicly recognize the importance of our success at the olympic games. but we needed to do more. can we do endowments for olympics sport coaches or scholarships. can we use the great olympic brand or the experience of our governing bodies to build revenue-generating properties with conferences and schools? and we allow colleges and universities to use their olympic identities and success to recruit athletes and coaches, and perhaps to build facilities? can our national governing bodies work with the ncaa to host conference championships and national championships in their sports?

usa triathlon is already doing this. who knows, maybe she would have been number one much sooner if we had been able to do that. can we encourage nbc to promote the university backgrounds of our olympic teams? we believe that the united states needs to host the olympic games again. we haven't hosted the summer games since 1996. what that means is there is a whole generation of americans who haven't seen the olympic games on american soil. we believe that hosting be olympic games can inspire a whole generation of athletes who will attend the collegiate institutions. that doesn't mean we have made a final decision to bid, but we are very seriously considering it. we have four great cities, boston, los angeles, san francisco, and washington. we will make our decision probably by the end of january. maybe earlier than that. we have met one-on-one with a number of athletic directors

from some of the schools that we depend upon the most. we talked about many of the ideas i just mentioned, things that we can do for them, for their schools, and for their programs, for their athletes, for their coaches. we also want to form a working group to look at opportunities that can benefit college sports across the board, and to jump start the discussion, we have a $5 million donor that is prepared to invest in the preservation of olympic sports at colleges. we need to have a conversation about the role we'd aged to play in creating a safe environment for sports. there is no agency, no commission today responsible for the safety and well-being of young athletes. our best estimates suggest that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused the time they are 18. and yes, it happens in sports,

if not more than in society at large. the usoc board of directors unanimously supported the establishment of a new independent entity to create and sustain safe environments for sports. the usoc is investing $5 million for a pilot program in all of our ngb's collectively. we are trying to raise an additional $15 million to get this organization off the ground. we think there are enough people and organizations who believe in us, believe what we are trying to achieve here, that we are going to get it done. this entity will have two primary functions -- education and awareness on the one hand, and for olympic sports, investigation. one of the biggest challenges that we have is that some of our ngb's have limited budgets.

with this independent entity, we will have the ability to provide the ability to provide that resource to them, so that we can do this. the usoc safe sport program will help raise awareness about misconduct, will promote open dialogue, and will provide training and resources. it is a big problem that nobody is addressing on a national level. we will try and fill that vacuum, but it is not cheap, and we would very much like to partner with as many of our college and university partners as we can. let me close by simply saying that i am grateful for the opportunity to be here today, and to tell you a little bit about the u.s. olympic committee, about team usa, and about why college sports really matter to us. the state of college sports in this great nation is in a state of great flux. you all, much more than i, know what direction that is likely to head. but if athletes like when

-- jorgensen are going to continue to read the benefits of college athletics, and our country will enjoy it spotted the top of the podium, both on and off the field of play, and in board rooms and availability games, we have to support all of our student athletes and the programs that support them. there are immense challenges facing colleges. we understand there is not a single college administrator in the country that was to shut down an olympic sport program. we much appreciate the opportunity. [applause] >> you outlined the professional successes you had after not being elected to the ceo position of the usoc in 2001.

what drove you to come back to the usoc after you lost that vote? >> i have to go back in time. i joined the usoc in 1999, it was the fall of 1998 when i realized the thing i liked best was going home and mowing the lawn on friday afternoon. i get home, i would look over my shoulder, and i could see i made the world better place. it was a small piece of the world, but it made me feel really good about the fact i had done something that was tangible and had improved some state of affairs somewhere. as a lawyer, i didn't often feel that way. when i was back practicing law in colorado in 2009, and i got the phone call asking if i would be interested in coming back, it was a dream come true. it was something i honestly never expected. i wasn't going to apply for the job. i had more or less assumed they had moved on from me. they had a lot of turnover.

the more i got to see the impact of the 2004 reorganization on the usoc, the more i got to see the tremendous leadership that we get from our board of directors. we have a wonderful group of people. six people who are independent, and have no relationship to olympic sport. generally, three people elected by the national governing bodies, three people elected by active athletes. for the first time in the history of the usoc, coming to the table, trying to do what is in the best interest of the usoc and its athletes, as opposed to acting in the best interest of the constituency it happened to send them. i came back because i believe in the power of sport to make the world a better place. my lawn hadn't gotten any bigger, so i wasn't getting as much enjoyment from that as a used to. >> one more personal question

before we go into some steps -- substantive questions. how is your life changed? >> lots of travel. it seems like a low-level to those of you who are directors of athletics. i'm an empty nester as of a year ago. the good news is, i can bring my wife. the most important change is the time i get to spend it training centers, seeing our young men and women, most of whom don't get the big dollars of professional athletes. they are there because they love competing. they really love representing their nation. it is just inspiring to be around them. >> you spoke about the importance of college boards programs. certain college athletes, specifically football players, generate millions of dollars for their schools. why shouldn't they receive a portion of that revenue? >> this is one it would have been good to have bob here.

[laughter] bob knows the answer to that question, i'm not sure that i do. we think our athletes create great value, both monetarily and in terms of the inspiration in what they do. we also know that our colleges and universities have jobs that go way beyond athletics. i'm probably being overly noncontroversial here, but it is a complicated question. the people who should answer that question are the people who were involved in the business of college sport. we need college sport. we need to figure this out in a way that doesn't cause us to lose college sports on the olympic side. but i don't know what the answer is to that question. obviously, those athletes create a heck of a lot of value. i'm not sure that we have adequately answered the question about why don't we give them all that money, but why haven't we done more for them. >> if there is one thing you

could change about the olympics for the 21st century, what would it be? >> that is a great question. i think the ioc's meeting in europe to talk about that question. they are talking about what changes do we want to make is a part of a project they call agenda 2020. if you look at how we select cities for the london games, -- for the olympic games, it is different from the way business would make that decision. it's a multibillion-dollar program, a multibillion dollar value. the selection is made based on whatever cities sign up to be host of the olympic games, and then there is a competition in a vote among those cities. it would be great if we could find a way to strategically make that selection in a way that helped build the olympic brand around the world. >> the united states has not hosted an olympics since the

2002 winter olympics in salt lake city. what would it take for the ioc to approve a us bid? >> based on our discussions with the ioc, they are very open to coming back to the united states. we have made a sincere effort to become much more active and engaged in the global olympic movement. we have tried to be at the table when decisions get made and contributions have to be made to various projects. i think the time is right for the u.s. to compete to host the olympic games. we want to make sure there is a compelling reason for the ioc to look at our bid and say that will make the world better. it will make the city that hosts the games better. it is so important that we not

spend huge amounts of money that wouldn't otherwise be spent on the olympic games. it is one thing to spend it $10 billion on every structure, if you were going to spend $10 billion on infrastructure because it's in the city's best interest. because they need a new railroad, new streets, things like that. but we can't do is put ourselves in a situation with the citizens of any city are paying to host an event, and paying expenses that wouldn't otherwise be spent on their city anyways. for us, one of the greatest challenges is how do we make it affordable? and we make it a value-added proposition for the citizens of whichever city will host? >> here we are in washington d.c., and we have a few questions related to washington. what do you think of the d.c. 2024 bid? >> i think russ ramsey is doing

a great job. i think this is an iconic american city, a city that represents our nation. i think our other three cities are equally as good. [laughter] >> you have touched on this in your remarks to an earlier question. why should d.c. residents want and pay for the 2014 olympics? >> i think the olympic games are especially important to us now, as we as a nation seem especially divided. i think the olympic games cross all religious lines, all political lines, all economic lines. they are about coming together to do something other than focus on your disagreements. it is something that focuses everybody's attention on what we have in common, as opposed to what makes us different.

there is healthy competition, but is in the spirit of all of us, every country, every 204 countries that comes to compete, being the very best we can be and moving forward after that competition. i think the great benefit for any city hosting the games is that they can be a part, again of making the world a better place. be a part of something that is much bigger than just a sport or broadcast event. >> what are we doing to set ourselves apart as olympic hosts, compared to other countries? >> i think it is too early to be able to answer that one. we don't know if we are going to submit a bid to host 2024. we don't know who we will be competing against. we are at a phase now where we are just evaluating if this is the right thing for the united

states, and if so, who should our bid city partner be. for us, i think one of the things that any city we would pick would offer is some reliability. access to great technology, access to great infrastructure. i think the united states has historically done a fantastic job of hosting the games. salt lake city, los angeles, lake placid, we have a rich history of doing it well. i think the ioc would look at the united states and feel comfortable that we would be able to do it in a way that would create a great experience for the fans, the athletes, for the guests, for the sponsors. >> the recent article in the atlantic monthly asked what if democracies refused to pay for the olympic games again? this was in response to the lack of enthusiasm in the parts of western nations to host the 2022

winter games. can you comment on this, and what the ioc can do to encourage bids? >> that's a fantastic question. if a democracy were to spend as much as sochi spent on the winter games, i think it would be a problem. we, as a democracy, have a responsibility to be fiscally responsible to our citizens. if we can't look at a pll for the olympic games that doesn't have an adverse effect on whatever city is hosting, we will make the decision not to host. when russia spends $51 billion, that sends a message that the games are expensive. but you have to remember, most of that was for bridges and roads and railroads, and venues that didn't exist. in most cases, associated with the united states bid, or a bid from a lot of other nations, those kind of expenditures won't be necessary.

i think the ioc is headed in the right direction. by asking to focus everyone's attention on the facts that it costs 3 or $4 billion, plus whatever you need in the way of infrastructure that is otherwise good for your city. >> some of our questionnaires anticipated the flow of your comments. this is coming along in the order i wanted to make this a good discussion. many countries that the u.s. competes against receive direct and generous support from their governments. the united states does not. should the united states olympic committee received government funding? >> i think as time goes on, we are going to have to increase the amount of resources that we can make available to our athletes if we are going to stay competitive with china, russia, and others.

i'm not at all convinced that the best route to that is government support. when i started in 2010, we were raising less than $1 million a year in major gift philanthropy. this year, we should be over $20 million in gross major gift philanthropy. that is the opportunity for us. we have to figure out a way to make americans realize that we are the only developed nation in the world that isn't funded by its government. if most americans realize that, we could substantially increase not only the major gift philanthropy, but gifts from americans who are able to give $25, to $100. that's the direction we want to go. we are not considering approaching the government to change the rule that has been in place. it is hard to say that we should.

we won medal counts in every summer games since 1996. we are ok now. but we need to keep laser focused on how we increased those resources, and we are not for the time being going to the government. >> what do you think of the balance between professional and amature athletes in the olympics? should baseball be an olympic sport? >> the challenge that the ioc faced was that they wanted the athletes competing in the liver games to be the best athletes in the world. it doesn't make much sense, the value will be affected if the best athletes aren't competing. i understand where the ioc is on baseball, because the best players in the world are more

focused on winning a world series title in they are on winning a medal. with that said, i think it is a great tragedy that women's softball that doesn't have a world series is not in the olympic games. we've been working to support women's softball in getting into the olympic games. the ioc is not sure that is the best move. they don't want to admin sports without women's sports, women's sports without men's sports. from the united states alone the committee standpoint, we would like to see women's softball in the games. they don't have the world series. they don't have that premier championship that young women athletes can aspire to after their ncaa championships. i think that is a great question, but i think the ioc has decided for the time being they want the best athletes in the world coming to the olympic games, not something else.

in baseball, that wouldn't happened. >> a follow-up question. it points out you have been involved in the rescue of women's softball and wrestling as olympic sports. wrestling made it, softball did not. why do you think the olympics committee doesn't want to consider softball, and what are your thoughts about this? i realize you just touched on that, you may want to elaborate. >> i think the ioc does want to consider softball. in that context, they can only add one sport. they had to pick between wrestling and softball. and that was a difficult choice. i played squash for a long time. i would love to seize squash in the games. i would love to see women's softball. i can't imagine the games without wrestling. they need to ask themselves what can we do to continue to make the olympic games relevant to younger audiences. if you look at what happened in the winter games, they did a beautiful job when they added snowboarding. the ratings went up, interest

went up, snowboarding is a big winter games now. how do we get skateboarding in? there are kids all over the world doing this. if we want to connect with the generations, we have to find ways that the sports they are active in are the sports that will be competed in the olympic games. >> after the controversy about outstic violence, you spoke about the charges filed against hope solo. the team, noon punishment levied against her as trial.its also michael phelps has pleaded

d.u.i. and is suspended. are there any specific rules about punishing olympians charged with a crime? do you see a culture shift in it comess world when to violent behavior against athletes? lastt me answer your question first. i do see a culture shift. reason itr whatever doesn't seem acceptable just to say to wait and see what happens the trial. there seems to be more and more takeure on sports to action when an athlete is charged with a behavior as to when an athlete is found to have committed the behavior. iu probably know better than do what's driving that. but i know that a lot of our national governing bodies are feeling the pressure because in all truth so many of them aren't meaningful do investigations when an allegation of miss conduct is that's one of the