response to the fence jumping incident at the white house and possibly as a possiblee move to canadian parliament style attack that happened earlier this week. josh earnest will respond to media questions. some discussion on new mortgage lending rules this week from washington journal. you toroduce david stevens, president and ceo of the mortgage bankers association here in washington, d.c. he is former assistant secretary for housing at hud during the obama administration, former coo of the long and foster company as well. watttevens, what did mel announced the other day in las vegas? thet: as you know, he is director of the federal housing finance authority. he rolled out what i would describe as minor modifications

to policies related to something that we call remnants and warrants. host: in english? guest: when a lender originates -- today a home file can be to 1500 pages500 long. the likelihood of clerical error is very high. givehis goal was to greater certainty to the lending community across the country, community banks, credit unions, to have the confidence to lend without fear of having to buy back a loan if they get a minor mistake in a file. it was this idea of defining what constitutes an error. expandedolled out an program to allow borrowers with a lower down payment of 3% to valueloan at 97% loan to on a 30-year fixed rate loan to fannie mae or freddie mac. that should help expand opportunities for first-time

homebuyers and minorities in this country which tend to have lower down payment available for purchasing a home. host: most of the articles of what he had to say had similar headlines to this. "u.s. loosens the reins, makes it easier to get a mortgage." is that a fair interpretation? guest: the challenge with anything that comes out of washington is that it tends to go to the extreme. swung farendulum had too liberally in the last decade that created absolutely unsustainable mortgage programs, put so many americans in jeopardy, they lost their homes, so as a result, we put in a credit regime that shifted the pendulum all the way to the right. so the question is, did we go too far? what the director did was he modified some of that that, loosen the reins, sure. the question is a degree -- the

question is a matter of degree. host: the numbers are on the screen. we have divided them a little differently because we are talking about home mortgages and some of the rules surrounding it. owning a home, looking to buy, if you are a renter. david stevens, during the bush administration, there was a lot of talk about this ownership society and an increase in the home ownership rate, which was very important. from your perspective, do you think that is important? guest: if you target a homeownership rate, you can expose yourself to problems. we have various economic conditions, we have wage

conditions that are different, student loan debt. making about an absolute target for homeownership rates can actually create a motivation to put products into the community of american homebuyers that are actually not sustainable, and we saw that in previous administrations, not just the bush administration. it has no political boundaries in that kind of discussion. what mel watt and the administration recently announced, took on the fact that he had loosened this morbid rule , he did it in a casino in vegas and they had a little bit of fun with that, the fact that we are back in this. how far did the pendulum move that you discussed earlier? guest: it is extraordinarily minor. freddie mac and they may both had a -- fannie mae had a 3%

down mortgage program for decades. program a 100% finance which they do not offer today. the director has brought back a product which is the 97% loan to value program. it will come with more scrutiny under the underwriting requirements, will come with higher fees associated with it. most importantly, will come with a mortgage insurance premium that is paid to give protection to the taxpayers so there is real private capital protecting the first loss, should the loan go into default. that program has been offered sustainably. the challenge is to attack that is attacking the biggest barrier to entry for homeownership in this country which is down payment. we have a housing recovery which is very tepid. in fact, the economic recovery is dragging along housing compared to previous recoveries.

usually housing leads us out of the economic recession. in today's world, demographic shifts are happening, the millennial generation, which will make up a vast majority of first-time homebuyers, without something to overcome the down payment barriers, with a clear focus on sustainability and qualifying guideline, offsets, to make sure the buyer can be sustainable, we can create a barrier for entry for a large number of americans. what he is trying to do is to find the delicate balance between the two. should we tweets in, have focused more on fannie mae and freddie mac and how they were run prior to the meltdown? guest: there is no question fannie mae and freddie mac lost their way, and that is why they are in conservatorship. guaranteed fully documented 30 year fixed-rate mortgages, we would not have had a bubble ultimately. just like if the wall street firms like lehman brothers did

not have an appetite for no documentation loans -- too much appetite for yield, they believe that this market would never correct. that ultimately put millions of americans in jeopardy, losing their homes, damaging credit, and help to stimulate a broader recession. fannie and freddie are in conservatorship right now and we need to think about what that system should look like going forward to make sure that that can never be repeated. mortgage bankers have a role in the 2008 meltdown? guest: absolutely, no question about it. while the vast majority of these companies are no longer in business anymore, and their portfolios have been taken over by the remaining large financial institutions, companies like countrywide are gone, walkover you are gone, washington mutual are gone. let alone the wall street firms

-- our industry really owns its share of responsibility, but is not limited to that. inre were programs created congress that motivated homeownership, programs that were completely unsustainable hfa.harm the f without question, having the right boundaries in place for the financial services system to protect consumers is not only good for the american family, but the industry as well. this trust, this confidence deficit that we have right now, i think we are merging out of, is something that is critically important for the american potential homeowner to trust the system. host: there was talk for a while of getting rid of fannie mae and freddie mac. what would happen if they were no longer with us? there really is very little private capital coming into the market system.

almost every loan today originated today either goes to fannie mae, freddie mac, or into ,ne of the ginnie mae programs fha, veterans administration program, or rural housing. government guarantees play a big role in financing housing because there is trepidation about coming back into the u.s. markets. there is some question there, but the question is what to do with fannie mae and freddie mac. several pieces of legislation have been introduced on the hill to reform them, perhaps mine them down and create new entities. that is a very active debate. the senate banking committee had a bipartisan bill that they voted to the committee as a majority which would have reformed freddie mac and fannie mae into some sort of new entity. that debate will take some time in washington. ultimately, that will need to be resolved. host: what is the difference between fannie mae and freddie mac? today.very little

they were originally created as parts of the different parts of the financial system. they both guarantee mortgages and those are put into mortgage-backed securities and sold globally. watchersure the average is aware, but the mortgage-backed securities market is the second-biggest currency in the world next to the treasuries market. we are talking trillions of dollars of mortgages bought by sovereign nations, pension funds throughout the globe. it is that guarantee -- the federal government guarantees that mortgage-backed security, that instrument, so that investors will buy the security. the job of fannie mae and freddie mac is to make sure the quality of those mortgages and the products originated that go into those mortgages are safe, sound, sustainable, so that the investors can have confidence it will perform over time. host: david stevens is our guest. michael in old lyme, connecticut. homeowner.

caller: i just wanted to make a general comment about the state of the programs that are out there. we got 30 days behind on our mortgage about two years ago. we have made a payment every month for the last two years, never been late, had the same company for 10 years. of course it is difficult to pay to mortgage payments and money month. we currently make $100,000 a year, little to no debt, one of us has a stable job at yale university, has been there for 10 years, no chance of being laid off. we cannot get a refinanced mortgage because we have been 30 days late for the last several years. from what we have seen, absolutely nobody will touch it. i was interested if you have any comments about what to do, anything like that. i think michael's scenario is the kind of thing that we have to resolve.

there is a program that was approved through the regulators that allows for a refinancing of a freddie mac or fannie mae loan in a streamlined way, you'd if you were in negative equity, but the rule is you have to be current. how do we gets, this particular individual current on his mortgage? this is the kind of challenge we face today. even one 30-day late for two in a position where the credit access is narrow. that is what we are talking about and what the director is trying to address and some of the policy changes. late two years ago, is that going to live with you like a felony? i could not--guest: tell, perhaps he is currently late. if you have one a couple of years ago, that could be harmful. however, it is a loan that is held by freddie mac or fannie you canthe fha,

refinance that today without concern as long as your current now. host: randy is in st. paul, looking for a home. say, i i just wanted to have been looking for a year. they have been taking care of other people's property. i have never had the opportunity to own my own home. the payments that we do make are always on time, never late for the past 30 years, me and my spouse. we are black. nobody wants to give us a mortgage at all. heard the 97% deal with the mortgage, that sounds great, but i do not know how to get to that place, how to make that happen for us. host: before mr. stevens answers, can you give us an idea of what your income is?

you have been renting for 30 years, how much of a down payment could you put down? we could put down 10%, but nothing has been available to me. low income, about $25,000 a year, but we have never been late. host: what kind of credit rating do you have? guest: my spouse has a good credit rating today --caller: my spouse has a good credit rating today. at this point in the game, i am 50 years old. but we it is never over, would like to have our own house before our time is up. host: what advice do you have obviously, you are asking the right questions and it is important for someone like that to have access, for some a to counsel them through this. a couple of ways that you could approach a potential homeowner like this. one is to use a housing

canceling agency -- counseling agency. hud has a list of approved counselors on their website who can work with lenders, and can meet with a potential borrower and talk to them about their credit, credit history, what their opportunities are, potentially partner them with a lender. there are agencies in the community where this individual called from. they can find that on the hud website. that would be my first recommendation. he did emphasize another point. at his income level, the available inventory of homes can also be a challenge. either homes in the price range that are available in the community where you live, where you can qualify -- $25,000 a year. you need a home that is for sale in the $150,000 range. that depends on your debt and other variables. available, istory

my credit history such that i can qualify? do i know have to go through the process? i am a big fan of counseling and i think that should be leveraged. again, that is on the hud.gov website. the other alternative would be to speak to a real estate agent in the community to see what is available. they might be able to partner with a lender who focuses in that community. helping minority borrowers in particular over the next decade will be critically important. they will make up two thirds of all new home sales in the next few years. access to to get people like this who have a lot of questions about how they get into a home is important. host: market in huntsville, alabama. renter. caller: how are you, good morning. the last caller was asking the same questions that i was going to ask. i would just take the time to say that i really appreciate c-span.

you are truly the heartbeat of america. keep up the good work. host: thank you very much. ernie in new carlisle, ohio. homeowner. caller: good beautiful morning to you. because, not long ago, our mortgage servicer was i made a list of all the horror stories with this particular mortgage servicer. i won't say the name of us you ask. host: what's the name? what i have found is the mortgage banks have turned the service of their loans over to these unregulated mortgage service. things i've seen

have been trumped up charges and fees. amend made intentionally late so they can charge a late fee. they send a driver by to see if the house is occupied. there are so many things. why isn't the mortgage industry -- everyone i know including my neighbor who just got switched, when you call india, you can't understand the people you're talking to. you can't talk to someone in the united states. research and he moved to an island. why isn't the mortgage service industry being regulated? you are raising an

important question. the answer is important. the new rules,k, one is the national servicing standard. the standards apply to the company you just mentioned. requires to be compliant that when you do a transfer of servicing, that that handoff follow a series of steps that are required so it happens very smoothly. the director of the cfp be will say publicly that his greatest concern is the treatment of the borrower if that is bought or sold. some do it better than others.

if you look at some the enforcement actions that are taking place, there is a lot of focus on this exact question you are raising. i think it is an important one. not just in your case when it gets sold, but in the next recession, if you get in trouble you want to know that you're going to be treated fairly and with good communication. somebody who can offer you as to helpigation options you get through that troubling time. new bureau, this was up under the dodd frank legislation. there will be those who continue to make mistakes. i think you should be very vigilant in reporting those when you see them. servicer. the go to the appropriate regulator in the bureau has a complaint

database. you can go to the complaint database and submit concerns you have with scenarios like that. thank you for raising that. host: because of what bernie was describing, you don't know who owns your mortgage anymore. it is so difficult sometimes to contact if you want to talk to your mortgage service provider. in you have any say so whether or not your mortgage gets sold? guest: you give that up at closing when you sign the papers. i have gone through plenty of them. i am in the industry and i don't read every piece of paper. there are far too many documents in the file. there is a document that talks about whether they plan to sell the servicing or retain the servicing. that is an important document. goingl see an environment forward were many institutions

will have to reserve the right to sell the servicing. it deals with other federal regulations. it can impact capital requirements and retain servicing is a bank. there is going to be services sold. fullyndoff has to be transparent and the bar were has to be seamless to the borrower. they don't have to deal with a disruption personally. and then has to be disclosed. it has to be consistently applied across the country. i think the rules in place are new this year. we will see the institutions acclimating to those roles. i believe confidently that as we look ahead, it will be a much safer and sounder environment.

host: mary is in california. that is an expensive market out there. caller: it sure is. it seems like no matter where you look, unless you're sitting on a mountain of cash to buy the house outright, you can't compete with the investment companies that are gobbling up affordable property. if you have shining credit and even 20% down, you still have a trundled stash struggle trying to get a house. there is lot of cash coming from large companies and foreign investors. i apologize. i thought you were finished. the entry-level point of the market over the last couple home prices at the lowest level in about a decade, investors were coming in with

private equity and buying up a lot of inventory at the entry point. that is what mary sounds like she wants to get into. i think we will see less of that happening. home prices turning to appreciate again. it makes investment less desirable. we are seeing new builder inventories increase. we expect to see new builder starts to be about 13% higher over the next year. that is going to help bring inventory into the market. we do need to focus on the entry point. we won't be able to resolve the concerns that she shares with many other people. bill beatty tweets in. guest: my guess of the if he talked to a housing counselor, that would be the place where he

would ultimately start. fha is the greatest point of access for first time borrowers. 96%, with asans at little as 3% down payment. they allow lower credit scores. this borrower that to, that is why i suggest the housing counselor route. they will know the available programs to the fha or housing finance agencies. there are options. host: why will minorities purchase two thirds of homes in the upcoming decade? guest: let me give better clarity. the harvard kennedy school did a

study. anybody can go online and pull the latest that down. they do it every year. the existing household stock in america, 70% of it is owned and occupied by white non-hispanics. over the next decade, it is going to be the opposite. about a third of new households formed will be white non-hispanic and two thirds will minorities, hispanics, african-american, asian. will they be owner or renter households? that comes down to will there be inventory, will the rules be such that they block out those borrowers from getting access. concern forreatest our housing society, to make sure we don't have a separate and unequal housing system where wealthy people can on a home and

those who are at the entry point without a lot of inherited have lower down payments. we need to make sure that the programs can responsibly and sustainably give access to those borrowers. in northis is carolina. thank you for taking my call. i am currently a renter. i have been in the same house for seven years. there is a house two doors down from me that is for sale for $18,000. thatnot find a single bank will loan that small of an amount on a mortgage. i have talked to some mortgage brokers.

no one will ensure house for that low of value. homeowner's insurance doesn't want to ensure anything with a value of less than $70,000. what is my way to get into the market? guest: can i ask you a question? can you tell me about the house? that seems like a low amount. as a manufactured home? it's a two-bedroom one bath, 820 square feet. it was remediated for lead-based paint by the city. mechanically, it seems fine. the neighborhood is not the best, which is part of the reason for the price. is tearing down abandoned buildings. there been three and my street

in a been torn down. this one has been rented for two years and the people moved out. it is been sitting empty for almost a year. if you finance to the owner, he wants 34,000. caller: if that is the listed that salesever prices, if the lender is telling this individual that they won't lend in the home, that is something i would scrutinize very closely. the new hud secretary is going to be talking nationally about the need to change the dialogue on home ownership in a more positive way. if you get no from the first lender, it is worth checking with another. in north carolina, i would check

with the bank as well. banks have cra obligations. if they take deposits from the community, they need to make sure they are reinvesting as well. i wouldn't give up. i would make some calls to some the local banks. i can't look at the property and find out if it is consistent with other home values in that community. there is love this going on in some the more hard hit communities. the present has named promise loans like detroit where they are doing the same thing. they are trying to return it boarded up homes to the community. high point is a similar place. there should be financing available. legally turn that away because the balance is too

small. that should not be the case. host: daniel is in michigan. i am reading about the rules. here we go again. greed and ignorance. greed on the part of lender's, that is how they make their money. against on the borrowers, people who borrow the money's that they can afford or don't need. they don'tecause read the rules and regulations that they signed. all they look at is the price. they wonder why. they need to stop being so

ignorant. they need to have a logical and adult approach. hank you. guest: you bring up several points. let's start with the complexity point. if you're going to buy a new car today, which is a much smaller investment, you just have a handful of documents to sign and it is inch -- easy to understand your interest rate and what will pay it off. house has a mortgage. the documents range about 600 pages. it is very complex for the average consumer. i know we are trying to change the disclosure requirements. to the other point if i could, the point about here we go again , i would take issue with that.

what got this housing market greed for theas institutions that went down this path. there were no documentation loans. no down payments. this over exuberant selling around the nation from everybody involved and home prices were rising. -- quickget rich creek opportunity. the dodd frank legislation outlawed all those products. to proven, you have ability to repay. there are no more of these loans. about -- thelking rules have put us back to the side.

you come back a little bit. known as ever going to go back to the way it was. that has been outlawed it permanently. host: recently, daniel gallagher said that the rulemaking makes the untenable housing policy guest: that is a great comment. have inthe challenge we this debate, and with a lot of debates, is it is one of the other. you're either trying to bring back all the risks of some -- subprime existed once before or to the other end, you are trying to block access to every american who wants to buy a home. there is nuance here.

think that we need to make certain is any rulemaking going certain we have to make that we are not blocking access to well-qualified families for the wrong reasons. we have to make certain that we don't the pendulum swing back near the level that created this terrible crisis in the first place. thank you for holding. it were on with david stevens. caller: thank you. my question goes to that point. you said the regulatory pendulum has strong -- swung too far one direction, how should policymakers maintain consumer protections on the one hand while also responsibly expanding credit availability on the other. answer,fore we get an

you said you're looking for a home. caller: i am looking high and low. it is tough. host: is it because it's expensive? or the inventory? caller: i think it's a little bit of both, to tell the truth. there is a tough credit environment. this will be my first home. i think he is pointing to what is the balance we need to get right. if you look at new households being formed in this country over the next year, if you look at harvard's forecast, these will be single person households. you are going to have a lot of single person had of households coming into the marketplace. the other big get -- demographic is going to be the hispanic community. they have different underwriting needs. you have multiple family members living together in places like los angeles.

you may have multiple jobs and are contributing to the income. you might have some self-employment income from another job. it makes it difficult to get a borrower to approve if the risks and the boundaries are so narrow. i think the point is we need to not have a political discussion. we need to make sure that we are creating rules that protect the consumer. understanding that borrowers situation is still compliant with a payroll that is part of law. this is the way to expand the box. it is working with the enforcement agencies to make sure that they are not too aggressive. getting this balance right is

buyers into the market to be able to have access. host: when congress comes back in january, what is an actual law or regulation that you would like to see them pass? i think the biggest piece of legislation is the one that is left unanswered. freddie mac and fannie mae were put into conservatorship before this is ministration came into being. this is the biggest market there is. we don't know what can of credit is going to be provided. that is the piece of work that congress has to engage in.

it involves the government's guarantee of a mortgage-backed security. that, i think the regulars have a lot of work to do. for lenders who want to do this we need tosoundly, give confidence to builders. homes, build entry level their need to be borrowers who can qualify. they're not building at the entry point like they used to because they are worried that the homebuyers won't be approved. confidencecreate that the regulators will. we need to create policies around those that move us off the edges of the pendulum.

we to make certain that it is not to the point where the financial institutions across this country, not the big banks but the committee banks in the , theyt and credit unions can't afford to make one mistake. there has to be the ability to be prudent and meet the obligations of qualified mortgages. host: we have just a few more minutes. john is in michigan. caller: congress is up there fighting, i lost my house. i borrowed against it in 2000 for my business. i got cut up in the fha deal. i had 25 years of work in that house. i was -- it was paid for until i mortgage it.

i am rural america. everything i do is cash. i don't go looking for money anymore. i have a nice house now. it is all paid for. the guy down the street got the same can of property and paid cash for it. everybody is up there fist fighting and talking about rules , we are doing it cash. we still know how to swing hammers and use paintbrushes. you guys have a good day. you have to commend john for his ability to get out of a difficult situation and build his own equity again by paying cash for home. that everybody has that opportunity. if you look at the small asinesses across the country, high percent uses their home as a way to finance the small

business. if you own a convenience store or a diner or a paper goods store in your community, you have a home equity line of credit because that's the only way to get that revolving debt line to finance the cash flow of your business. during the recession, many people lost their businesses or at least could not cover all their debts. a variety of other scenarios. the home could ultimately be at risk for the long-term stability. this is something we'd to think about going forward. our last call is from rose. rose. you've got to turn down the

volume on your tv. otherwise you get a delay. let's finish with this tweet then the. guest: we did spend hours talking about what created the derivativeset and were part of that. they were hedged with derivatives read all that collapsed. that only tells part of the story. there is a psychology that we need. i have been in the industry for three decades. i started off as a loan representatives.

i bought my first home way back when. we never thought about how much it would appreciate. it wasn't considered an investment game for us. we wanted to own a home. we lost our way in this country in the last decade. we began to look at housing as a way to make quick profits. we lost the requirement that you had to show income and be able to sustainably support that home over the long term. the dialogue has changed because of the rules and regulations that have been put into place. we need to start having a dialogue at who is being left out. if we can answer that question, i think we will find that on the margin it, there is opportunity for the dialogue to shift.

we are going to leave communities of hispanics, african-americans, young people, we will leave them on the sidelines. economy, weall can't do that. reverse mortgages are a complex product. the primary provider is the fha. it is a different kind of program today. a group of millennial's that are coming into the entry point. the aging society may need to use that home for living expenses. how do you make certain that program for seniors is done in a way that actually works to their advantage? there is great opportunity in the reverse mortgage program.

there are some fixes to at the could make it even better. stevens, thank you. please come back when congress >> a live picture from the white house briefing room. it is set to begin momentarily. we will have a live with josh earnest when he gets underway. in the meantime, cbs reporter who covers the white house tweet this picture from just outside the buildinged. this apparently in response to the recent fence jumping incident at the white house and height levels of security after the canadian attacks earlier this week. we will likely get more about that at the briefing. josh earnest set to talk to reporters said to start momentarily. we will have it live on c-span. while we wait, comments from stephen harper to parliament

after the shooting attack on parliament hill earlier this week.

>> guide us in our deliberations as members of parliament and strengthen us and our responsibilities as members. grant us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to preserve the blessings of this country for the benefit of all and to make good laws and wise decisions. amen. we will now have a moment of silence for private collection -- reflection and meditation. amen. [singing o canada]

[applause] >> i understand there have been consultations among the parties and we will hold a moment of silence at this time and memory of nick and sir low -- cirillo.

>> statements by ministers. the honorable prime minister. [applause] >> thank you, colleagues. mr. speaker, i would like to begin today by acknowledging and thanking the leader of the opposition as well as the honorable members for their encouraging words last night.

[applause] mr. speaker, and our country, we are opponents but we are never enemies. we are all canadians. [applause] when faced with the attacks on our country we all love and the things we all stand for, i know we will always stand together. [applause] mr. speaker, today more than ever before, i am very happy to see all of my colleagues from all parties in good health

across the aisle. maybe use that, mr. speaker, three, to provide a little bit of life to my colleagues -- through you, to provide a little bit of life to my colleagues. we all here are engaged in extremely demanding and stressful jobs, but the stress that many of you faced yesterday was really beyond and above anything that any of us are really expecting to face. i would just say while we resume our duties -- and i will talk about that in a moment -- i would encourage everybody here to take care of their health. be sure you find some time to relax in the next little while. and also, if you need view,

because we're not in perfect health, if you expect any undue physical stress as a result of what occurred yesterday, please, take the time to see a physician and get that checked out. [applause] i also just want to say to canadians, we heard a lot of fate back from canadians yesterday and we are all used to the feedback we get regular from canadians. [laughter] ofunch of it in the form riffraff and some of it deserved, but in this case, mr. speaker, i think we all experienced a tremendous outpouring of formed and affection and good wishes for people across the country and we thank them. [applause]

i just also want to convey all the good wishes that i heard personally, not just from canadians, but from our friends outside the country. i heard from president obama, from prime minister abbott, cry minister netanyahu, through statement from prime minister cameron. we've heard expressions across the world. i think we were all touched by the wonderful gesture show last night. thank you to our friends in the united states and around the world. [applause] of course, mr. speaker, we know all too well that this is not a happy day for everybody, in particular, terribly sad day for all of the family, loved ones, friends, colleagues of both cirillo --

we have seen photos of those lovely men. guysres of these beautiful . our hearts really are with all of them. we are so fortunate to have people like this. the past couple of decades, we sit across the world, -- we see it across the world where the planet is descending into savagery. there are people who every day of their lives stand on guard for this country, for all of us, and we obviously want to convey our gratitude to these two servicemen and the families, but also to all of the people who undertake this extremely dangerous work. [applause]

mr. speaker, i spoke of the state of much of the world and i think for all of us who are blessed to live in a country like this, it is hard to appreciate -- how we can have despise and are involved in a movement who so ,ant silence, who so despise hate progress, that they can desire to drive out medical workers from their community,

harm them, how they can enslave women, torture children. how they can kill, want to kill anyone who looks or thinks different than them. it is beyond our comprehension but it is a very real. in this struggle in which we are ourged, in which not only finest of values must be put to work, so must be and will be. they are our ultimate and indispensable weapons, and that is what these people will face. >> mr. speaker, as regard to the

events of yesterday and in recent days, many questions remain unanswered. during the course of the police investigations we will find answers to these questions. todaytell the house this the objectives of these attacks was to instill fear and panic in our country and to interrupt the business of government. well, members, as i said yesterday, canadians will not be intimidated. [applause] we will be vigilant, but we will

not run scared. we will be prudent, but we will not panic. as for the business of government, well, here we are in our seats, in our chamber, and the very heart of our democracy and our work. [applause] >> mr. speaker, this house in its diversity personifies canada's spirit. >> canada will not yield to terrorism and neither will this house of commons. we carry on. we will attend to the country's affairs and we will be faithful to the trust that people have placed in us. now, mr. speaker, as i said earlier and as i have been saying for a long time, we live in a dangerous world. terrorism has been here with us for a while and dangerously close on a number of occasions.

i speak, for example, i draw our members' attention back to incidents such as toronto 18, the via rail conspiracy in 2013, and i could point to a number of others, as well as many that most will never know about. for that reason, and with the belief and security that canada is the government's primary responsibility, we have over the years passed such legislation as the combating terrorism act and the strengthening canadian citizenship act to better protect canadian and secure institutions. last week our government proposed amendments to the legislation under which the canadian security intelligence service operates. in recent weeks i have been saying that our laws and police powers need to be strengthened in the area of surveillance, attention, and arrest. they need to be much strengthened and i assure you, mr. speaker, that work which is already underway will be expedited. [applause]

in conclusion, mr. speaker, we are all aware and deeply troubled that both of this week's terrorist attacks were carried out by canadian citizens, by young men born and raised in this peaceful country. >> i share this concern, and wonder what weakness could lead someone to reject a nationality that so many people in so many countries want for their children. >> that is a question for another day. for now, make no mistake, even as the brave men and women of our armed forces are taking this fight to the terrorists on their own territory, we are equally resolved to fight it here. we live in dangerous times, yes,

but the mission of our country and the work of this parliament goes on. and so does the work throughout this city. let me just say one final word, and recognizing all of the heroics of yesterday. first of all, i know so many -- i could certainly speak personally to my staff at 24 sussex, mr. roger charbonneau, the chefs, tim and tina, who were up all night. but i know people who for all of us across the country here in ottawa are working day and night to make things as easy as possible, officials who are busy at work trying to respond to the situation, first responders and citizens who put themselves in harm's way when this incident began to unfold. but obviously, mr. speaker, and in conclusion, most particularly the men and women of our security forces, the royal canadian mounted police, canadian armed forces, the city of ottawa police, and most

particularly of course, mr. speaker, i would be very remiss if i did not conclude in acknowledging specifically the work of the security forces here in parliament and the great work of our sergeant at arms. [applause] [applause]

>> as remarks from prime minister stephen harper yesterday in the canadian house of commons. we expect to hear more about that shooting in today's white house briefing. two-minuteen a warning. you can touch -- he will touch on security and federal buildings as well as reaction in canada. we will also possibly hear more about u.s. response to ebola. whonurse from texas contracted ebola was released. she was declared ebola free today and spoke during a news conference earlier today. couple ofarned a minutes ago that president obama is planning to meet with her this afternoon.

that meeting is set for 1:15. if there are remarks after the meeting we hope to have that for you. josh earnest is coming to the podium. this is live on c-span. >> good afternoon, everybody. i don't have any announcement at the top. nurse ninalk about pham's visit to the white house this afternoon. it seems like a very powerful image, having her in the oval office hours after being discharged.

is this designed to reassure people of the presidents confidence that there is no danger to the public from people who are symptomatic? >> that is what our experts tell us. this also should be an apt reminder that we do have the best medical infrastructure in the world and certainly the metal and -- the medical infrastructure in place to protect the american public and the track record of treating ebola patience in this country is very strong, particularly -- you are quickly diagnosed and live through the system. this is a testament to a young woman who, over the course of doing her job, got sick. the work that many nurses do on a daily basis. it did put her at some personal

risk. she didn't to do it because she was promised a raise. she didn't do it because it was glamorous. she was committed to a profession and committed to treating it individual who was sick. i think it answers the prayers of many people across the country today. we certainly are pleased that so much is done in recent days and is very useful. as you know there are medical professionals who conducted training for professionals in

new york to ensure they had all .f the training they needed the president has designated five airports, where individuals traveling from west africa could enter the country. by funneling these passengers to these five airports we were able to marshal the appropriate resources necessary to apply to an additional layer of screening, or for individuals who have traveled recently to west africa. in conjunction with that state and local officials worked to identify hospitals in each of these airports.

the passengers who were detected with a higher fever or otherwise sick would be sent as they were coming off the airplane. bellevue is a place where significant planning had already to ensure protocols were treating people and patience. it was prepared to treat ebola patience. a lot of training and planning went into that. spencer was admitted to bellevue hospital yesterday there actually happened to be a team of cdc experts already at the hospital, making sure they were up to the needed standards .o treating ebola patient consistent with the order the president gave last week for cdc swat team of experts to rapidly deploy to a hospital where an embolic patient had been identified. this what team arrived last night.

a confirmedual was ebola patient. we have experts working side toh hospital administrators ensure that the strength and protocols of the cdc and announced earlier this week were in place so that this individual could get high quality treatment and that treatment could be administered in a way that the risk to health care workers was not significantly elevated. we talk about bellevue being one of these designated hospitals. would you like every state to designate hospitals to treat ebola? is an indication of the solid preparation that was put in place by state and local officials. they deserve a lot of credit for the effort they put into ensuring that new york was prepared to deal with a situation like this. we value the strong working

relationship that exists between federal officials and experts in the medical government and state and local officials across the country. continuetionship will to be important as we deal with the situation. so far we have worked with state officials to ensure that regionls are in the same as the airports, where individuals are arriving in this country. those hospitals are prepared and have the training and information and equipment they med to receive patients that test positive for ebola. that is the kind of detailed planning that has been done. also seen the cdc offer up strength and guidance to health care workers and public health officials all across the country, to give them guidance about what they should do to prepare to treat and ebola patient.

we continue to believe to this of ahat the risk widespread ebola outbreak in the united states continues to be exceedingly low. >> this morning it was said that a mandatory quarantine for people returning from the ebola hot zone in west africa was up for discussion. can you talk about those discussions and what it might look like? >> i continued protocols that restrictions that are in place on individuals returning from west africa. we have our medical experts looking carefully at how we treat ebola patience and how we can protect the american public in a way that protects health care workers that are rendering life-saving aid. to relyoing to continue on that advice to protect the you'll recallc

one of the measures this week was the cdc sharing contact information with state and local officials, so state and local can take the necessary steps to protect the public. when it comes to individuals who have returned to the u.s. after traveling to west africa -- that is an example of the beef the procedures that the cdc has put in place to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the american public. plan nextsident has a week to campaign across the country for democratic candidates for governor. the president only did one back in february. the focus of his fundraising has been for house and senate. if the governor's races are so important, why didn't he do more earlier in the year?

them on the president has to in a number of things to boost the candidacy. the president has worked to try to boost the candidacy of democratic gun -- democratic governors. in terms of the fundraising to what, i refer you requests they made. i can tie your democratic candidates, like others, benefit from the kind of resources the president raised for the committee. we have a party working for democrats up the ballot. we also anticipate the events

the president will be hosting will also significantly benefit those campaigns. >> does the administration feel that -- how much thought has been given to people who need some kind of self isolation, self quarantine, unless they arrived back? expect these active monitoring procedures that are in place for individuals who have recently traveled to west africa will be in place on monday. those measures are being ramped up. we do continue to have as the public health commissioner in new york state of yesterday. the risk continues to be exceedingly low.

as they feel about their safety as they go about their daily business. discussedd because we -- he was screened at the airport. the way you can contract ebola is by coming in contact with from someone with ebola. he was regularly taking his temperature and monitoring his health. as soon as became clear that his temperature was elevated he contacted medical authorities.

those medical authorities responded promptly. he returned to bellevue hospital to receive a possible ebola patient. he was appropriately isolated. treatment receiving while he was being tested for the ebola virus. this is an indication that this kind of planning and preparation will be very important to the successful treatment of ebola patience and the continued safety of the people of america. >> he went out instead to the community to the limited degree.

some additional member -- additional measure. the fact of the matter is the cdc is doing the necessary contact. as a result of that contact -- there have been people who have been isolated. average --cing the the average new yorker is exceedingly low. this is an individual who was monitoring his health very closely. what we know about ebola, it is clear about the way it was transmitted. when youy transmitted come in contact with the bodily fluids of someone who has ebola. to take note of the fact that we only have to eat up instances where the ebola virus has been transmitted inside the united states.

you have health care workers who were treating very sick ebola patience. that is obviously very different from the kind of thing counters that people have as they go about their business. risk of people facing new york and america continue to be exceedingly low according to medical experts. i'm not going to get into the of the deliberations public health professionals. these kinds of policy different -- policy decisions are going to be from the best advice of medical experts. we've got teams on the ground at and infectiontal

control or experience in limiting control inside medical facilities. these have an expertise in training the ebola virus. we are quite a make sure they take the necessary steps to treat dr. spencer in a way that will protect the public and health care workers that are rendering him aid. >> when someone who has eaten , are there additional layers of precautions taken? is there a white house overseeing the medical check out? icon part of the news conference earlier today. -- i caught part of the news conference earlier today. she testified to say she no longer had the virus. all the necessary testing that allows her to faithfully return healthth a clean bill of

is the same guidance that she has gotten in terms of meeting the president. >> i would like the eye -- the white house to review to open this event to the full complement of television and radio reporters who would typically cover an event like this. >> why is it out of concern for her? it seems like it produces the magnitude that this event -- nothing against -- >> i think we determined the photographers would provide the access as necessary to ensure you and the american people were informed by this event. >> can you talk about some of the balancing acts you're trying

to do when you are looking at whether quarantine affects the ?ngoing international effort there are a lot of concern between folks in commercial traffic, changes in policy, and something like this, it is becoming more difficult to its volunteers. >> as usual you raise an important point, dr. spencer somebody i alluded to earlier who volunteered his time to treat with ebola in west africa. doesn't exactly sound like a look jury is vacation. this is somebody who was prepared to use his skills as a doctor to meet the needs of those less fortunate than they are. that is a pretty astounding display of generosity and charity and good will.

it reflects the spirit of the american people. in order to stop this outbreak at the source in west africa we are going to need to surge personnel and supplies to stop this outbreak. we are certainly appreciative of what dr. spencer has done, not only because it reflects the chu spirit of america but it also reflects the commitment that is required to stop this ebola outbreak at the source. to answer your question more directly, we want to ensure that whatever policies we put in -- we don't want to overly

burden those individuals who are tong to great lengths to try serve their fellow man and stop this outbreak at the source, which is ultimately in the best interest of the american people. >> can you tell me how this visit came together. what was the instance of that. thesure you heard information on the hill where the administration was ponce -- was possible for some degree of criticism. can you tell us what the ebola czar will be doing in days to into a sort of get that better place and respond to some of the criticism he has been getting in response to this.

>> the white house earned the white house learned she was going to be released from the national institute of health medical facility that had been treating her's -- treating her for the last week or so. white house officials contacted the nih to let the president know he was interested in meeting her. i did not see much of it. it does seem much of the criticism was registered by summary who struggle to pronounce the virus at the name of hearing. might not be too concerned about some of the partisan criticism that was on display in the hearing. the was representation at the hearing. reflect to ensure that they are responding to the situation.

we will continue to do that. you tell us how he will be spending his time. >> it is his thursday -- his third day on the job. he is somebody who has been convening meetings and regularly looking -- regularly working closely with officials at the cdc. to ensure that the state and are feeling the kind of support they are receiving from the obama administration as they deal with this latest ebola case. he is planning to travel to atlanta. >> give us some details on the

swat team. people -- >> i know it is a general matter when there are members of the swat team -- it typically will include individuals who have dealt with ebola patience in the past. they also talk about the importance of individuals who can be closely monitoring health care workers as they are donning personal protection equipment. there has been the designation of a site manager, somebody who can be in charge of ensuring that the protocols are very closely followed. we refer to the cdc about how many individuals i described. i can give you more color and one other aspect.

to quickly transport team from cdc to new york, the president ordered the department of defense aircraft be fromssioned to fly them atlanta to new york and survey can be in place as soon as possible. a pretty bad storm in new york last night. tois because we were able draw on some dod resources and because this team was prepared that they were on the ground within hours. just a couple of hours of this individual testing positive for ebola. that indicates the kind of commitment the cdc has to take seriously the responsibility to support local health care professionals when they are dealing with an ebola patient. >> house and the president make >> because of his

travel history and close contact with ebola patience in west africa, there is a strong suspicion that he would test positive for ebola. some of them wheels were put into motion because of this individual case. >> and i know you won't comment on specific plans, but as a general matter, does news of the fact that we have another case of a bullet in new york indicate that something more needs to be done, more steps need to be put in place? >> the answer is not necessarily. we continue to believe the risk facing new yorkers from the ebola virus today continues to be exceedingly low. of there a small number individuals who had close contact with him who have been

isolated. for the average new yorker taking a stroll along the -- those individuals do not face a significantly elevated risk in this situation. dr. spencer was closely monitoring his own health. wasan as he noticed he displaying symptoms -- as soon as he noticed he was displaying symptoms he contacted someone. >> the president would not have any qualms of riding the subway in new york are going bowling at the bowling alley. >> the president is a big fan of bowling. he is an accomplished bowler. he had been practicing. the president would have no qualms about riding the subway in new york.

the average person going to those places remains exceedingly low. time, this is quite an extraordinary event. what is the symbolic significance of the president meeting today? >> it is an opportunity for the president to thank her for their service. this is somebody who didn't get a raise. i certainly didn't do it for the glory.

this is somebody who displayed the service of the fellow man that is worthy of some praise. relieved thatly she has recovered from ebola, i the prayerseflects of countless americans have been answered today. >> just to follow on what was asked about. wide ban reporters from this meeting? countless other events in the oval office, there are reporters for why does this important to say reporters are not allowed? >> reporters will

be allowed at the event. chemotherapy reporters allowed, there are no television reporters allowed. still skilleding photographers. >> many of you have the opportunity to deliver remarks. then i why was this decision maybe? reporters have the opportunity to see as an opportunity to present to the white house. suredn't want to make photographers secret is the democrats make any comments today.

>> it is certainly good news and i understand there will be wire photographers in the oval office. the good news is they will see if at a graph of this woman meeting the president. briefed onpresident ?he attack in new york >> the president was informed last night. this is a situation that is under investigation by the new york police department, local law enforcement authorities. officials at the white house and other officials have been in touch with local law enforcement on this matter.

>> i wanted to go back to ebola. you said dr. spencer was monitoring himself very closely. just camedoctor who from treating ebola patience allowed to monitor himself as opposed to having the government keep a closer eye on whether or not he was getting sick. the capacityhave to take his own temperature. he had been advised by the government about what steps he should take should he notice -- should he notice that high fever were evident. because of the preparation of state local officials in new york he is receiving treatment already. >> we do not need a travel ban because we have these tough restrictions in place which include taking people temperatures when they come in.

he did not have a temperature at that point. >> there is not a gap in the system. the only way an individual can contract the ebola virus is by coming into close contact with the bodily fluid of an individual who is already displaying symptoms of ebola. you can't catch ebola through the air. you can't catch it by drinking water. >> i'm saying there is somebody who was interacting with people who have ebola in west africa. we know he was high risk for this. is important for people to understand. of health cares workers who have treated ebola patience in west africa and did so without contracting the ebola virus.

>> why isn't he stopped from coming to america until we know for sure he does not have ebola, since he was interacting with people and treating people who have ebola? >> he's some buddies who was screened before returning to the united states. he was screened upon arrival in the united states. in both situations he did not exhibit any symptoms of ebola. he was not at all contagious. anybody who happened to be in the airport is not face, he still got ebola later. hopefully he did not infect anyone else. got through there because he was not showing symptoms. >> it shows that people can't catch ebola unless they come

into close contact with bodily fluids of someone who is displaying symptoms of ebola. he starteder displaying symptoms of ebola and contacted public health officials who safely transported him to a hospital where he was isolated and where he started treatment. indication that the american people and people of new york city do not face a significant risk. >> a conservative group just put out a statement yesterday saying when the president voted on fast and serious, it included 20 e-mails between the attorney general, his wife, and his mother. did the attorney general talk about the sensitive gunrunning operation with his wife and his mother and that is why he had to be taken back to prison? >> irate for to the department of justice. i contain the department of justice can discuss the e-mails with you.

that thisear is lawsuit that has been filed by judicial watch actually does not have anything to do with the fast and furious operation. it has to do with e-mails and documents related to the operation. more than 7500 of those pages have been turned over. they conducted countless interviews. this is something that has been thoroughly investigated. >> there is nothing sensitive in the e-mails. prison the could have been turned over. >> 7500 pages of documents were turned over to the -- to the inspector general as well as republicans and congress. we have demonstrated a pretty clear commitment to a legitimate oversight on this matter. >> the administration is investing allegations that there

have been chlorine attacks by isis on the ground. can you tell us that was in iraq or in syria and how concerned are you that these terrorists were also using chemical weapons? reports and we are continuing to investigate them. have -- we take seriously allegations of chemical weapons. we will have staff on the ground and other places analyze what happened. i am not in a position to confront them at this point. >> how would it change the equation in iraq that go >> we are going to investigate those reports. i have seen them but i have no comment beyond we're looking into them. we are going to review those reports before drawing any conclusions. said theredoctors

would be a larger overall failure when it comes to being repaired to infectious disease. takenere steps being beyond the symptoms? >> there have been a lot of steps taken already to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the american public. a significant commitment by this administration, even before the latest outbreak to ensure we are doing the necessary steps here in the u.s. but also around the world to try to protect the american people from diseases like this. what we are typically concerned that existstuations like those countries in west africa. outbreak isof something we have been focused on for quite some time.

i will tell you as recently as september the united states tovened a major global event garner international commitments and resources for the health security agenda. i haven't seen the specific testimony of those individuals. what i can confirm for you and is evident for anybody who takes a look at the track record here is the united states, under the leadership of his president, has been focused on ensuring we are doing what we can to protect the american public from diseases that may break out anywhere in the world. >> i want one more try at this question. congress says you cannot have someone who has had direct

contact with the ebola patient and allow them to go bowling. on some level there is a problem with that? does that expose a gap in the system? >> i think the problem that is exposed may be related to how ebola is transmitted. the only way you can contract ebola is by coming in close contact with the bodily fluids of individuals who are displaying symptoms. teed up otherre people who are quarantined because of one individual -- other people who are currently because of one individual. me answer this a slightly different way. two instances in which the ebola virus has been

transmitted inside the united states. and those were two health-care workers in dallas who were treating a patient who was very sick with ebola. individuals who, because of their commitment to serving this individual and because of their commitment to their profession, probably came in close contact with bodily fluids of this individual. thatxact circumstances were in place that allowed them to contract the disease is still under investigation. we know why they were at a high risk. this, should understand people who were living with mr. duncan, even after he was sick with ebola, recently were cleared from monitoring because they had -- it had been more than 21 days since they were in contact with him. --t is an indication of just under the circumstances of which someone can contract ebola.

indication that he might have symptoms of ebola -- therefore at the first indication that he might at all be the slightest bit contagious with ebola he contact health care professionals and responded quickly. underransported him protocol to the hospital that was prepared to receive him. they isolated him and began giving him treatment. sure there are people who, for whatever reason, might be in there one that might be in their interest one way or another try to provoke anxiety among the american people. i would strongly encourage anybody who is concerned about the situation to focus on the facts and focus on what we know about how this virus is transmitted, how limited the circumstances has been, where individuals who contracted ebola in this country -- it is

important for people to understand there are circumstances where people did appear to be at an elevated risk but they did not contracted. that the fisa would not sure to average americans. i would share it with politicians on capitol hill. >> you said the reason the reason the- the president wanted to seniors spam was to thank her for her service. --ldn't you want him have wouldn't you want him to do that in front of the rest of the in front of a camera so the rest of the country can see it? -- want him to do that in front of a camera so the rest of the country see it? and if there was would you then put that -- >> if you are interested we can talk about that.

we can engage in this hypothetical discussion after the briefing and whether or not i have determined there is a television camera there. report that the white house is pushing a particular deal with iran, with the rest of the p5 plus one gets . big done by the deadline what can you tell be about that? >> discussion continues to be under way about -- along the anders of the p5 plus one iranian representatives. steps can be taken to resolve the international community's reserves -- community's concerns nuclear program. we are pushing a solution that would allow the international said -- international community to have clear insight into iran's -- this is

something that is being discussed in a very detailed fashion. >> my first question is why the president went to the state asartment, especially seeing -- >> he typically does meet with them here. the president convenes a national security council meeting at the pentagon. has an important role in our strategy to do great ultimately destroy i sold. -- destroy isil. we're working through the nomadic channels to broaden this coalition. the president will convene a meeting there. the meeting will run the

gamut of all of the elephants -- all of the elements. >> combating extremism and internet recruitment of people, especially in light of what is going on. unaware of the specific meeting you are referring to. there are a lot of elements to our strategy. i don't know whether it is on the agenda for this meeting. thing.last donald was asking top staff say whether or not they would stay through the presidents term. i was wondering if that is a conversation you had with him or if you are aware that others can

had it with him -- others had that conversation with him. regimennot know if any or schedule of conversations the chief of staff is going to have. >> the administration rejected the meeting of an israeli defense minister and the vice president and the secretary of state. to have any comments on these? understand the defense met with his american counterparts. i can speak to the meeting that did occur. >> the white house rejected the ask of these meetings with the president and the national security advisor. >> i do not have information to

share about the meetings that occurred to there is a meeting occurred between secretary of defense chuck hagel and his counterpart. it is arguably as strong as anybody else. those kind of meetings are an important priority. they take place frequently. you can contact the department of defense. >> is it a good idea for the president to meet with no spam, given the fact that she just got of -- got out of a specialized hospital and is being treated for ebola? >> she tested negative five times for the virus. her doctors, were some of the foremost experts in the field have confirmed she is fire is free.

i think the only question people have is whether or not she would be up for making the trip down here to the white house and we were please to see on television she looked really healthy when she was delivering her statement. >> according to the people who win inside the presidents .eeting, he did hug the nurse should maybe he hold off on that a little bit? just to be cautious. he is the president. at all concerned about any risk that would be associated with him showing his gratitude to her. not present ans interesting to session about personal responsibility.

it could be argued that every doctor would not be as diligent as west africa. aren't you leading it up to the personal responsibility to do the right thing and make sure you do not have exposures like what could have happened in new york. -- >> i would posit that they would take seriously their responsibility to ensure they were not responsible for others. was so dedicated to stopping the spread of this disease that he monitored his own health very closely. it is not surprising that somebody who was so steep in the

details of the treatment of this disease that he would respond in the appropriate way once it became clear that he was experiencing elevated body temperature. dedicatedtact the individuals. transportedse team so quick way to the hospital and began receiving treatment early. >> has the president mentioned at all as it priority to the people at these ebola gatherings? klain prodding people to get this moving? , a lot of these decisions are driven by science. there is a sense of urgency

associated with dealing with this ebola outbreak. the leeway we can entirely eliminate the risk to the american people from the ebola virus is to stop this outbreak at the source. certainly a vaccine could play a key role in doing exactly that. hasn tell you the president come on countless occasions, spoken about the value of medical research in this country , both of value in terms of enhancing the safety of the american people, but also the value in strengthening our economy. this kind of research often leads to important innovations that can lead to job creation. thatve been disappointed some republicans in congress haven't shared the presidents commitment to this kind of issue that would be good for the american people but also for our economy.

>> how does our current system protect us from a psychopath coming from africa who would want to do us harm? who would want to infect people? it sounds like somebody who is infected could pass through to the united states area had we stop those people? united states. how do we stop those people? --we have screening measures you will recall that earlier this week the cdc announced a regimen for the active monitoring of all travelers. the cdc will share public health so they may monitor the health of individuals who traveled to west africa. for certainly would account far-fetchedably a

hypothetical scenario. last year the administration [indiscernible] throughout the country. the exception of that is social security and veterans benefits [indiscernible] now there is evidence to say that -- [indiscernible] to compel the administration to do so. consideration to making a policy change to extend social security benefits? i will refer you to the department of justice. let's