ministerial level led by secretary kerry and a number of international organizations where the ministers of 47 of the countries of the 62 joined all of those members, all of the states in commenting on the strategy and commenting on the lines of effort in committing their national purpose and their national resources and assets to this common endeavor that we we have undertaken, which is ultimately the degradation and defeat. and that is an important moment. i have then involved in a number of coalitions. i think this is my fifth. when you think about how we operated in the context of the international security assistance force in afghanistan there was a clear legal international basis for that that flowed from the united nations security council resolution but there was also an international framework in the context of nato which gave us

that framework to meet periodically for the very important process of political consultation. neither of those are present in this coalition. to see it come together this way, to see us meet at the ministerial level in this manner thomas to hear the really profound words of the ministers and leaders last wednesday in their commitment to this cause and the importance of an ongoing political consultation where we have come in about three months is important. six months ago yesterday is when mosul fell. six months ago yesterday was when we all wondered whether this was the beginning of the end. and so from that moment in to this much has happened, many things have occurred. we believe that the strategic and operational momentum has been halted.

we believe at the tactical level, while their will still be the training of some ground back and forth, the initial efforts supported by advisers from within the coalition but ultimately the iraqi security forces, which we will be trained in our training program which we will kick off relatively shortly, we believe that will begin the process of reversing moment am ultimately in iraq and to restore the territorial integrity, sovereignty as we continue the process of working with the moderate syrian opposition not just to the political level but importantly in the field. let me stop there. those offer some overarching perspectives on the role that i play and, again, it is an honor to be associated with this. i cannot overstate how grateful we are for our coalition partners in joining us in this undertaking. again, thank you for your and leadership and letting us to

come together today. >> thank you, general. i think the entire audience wants to thank you for your service and your continued service and the service of your wife and family. listening to you talk about what you have gotten done in ten weeks prompts me to ask when this assignment successfully concludes, should president obama ask you to take over obamacare? [laughter] >> why don't we schedule that for another session. >> all right. turning to some questions obviously based upon your comments you talked about first in the first of five lines, military, the military campaign. you said you hope to build partner capacity. we have all read about the training. congress was involved in the effort to fund the training mission for a limited number of people. what is the potential for partner capacity, and could that capacity really be the so-called military boots on the ground that everyone keeps talking

about? >> the answer needs to be segmented a bit. when you talk in terms of the campaign of this nature you often hear the operational term. the main effort, the supporting effort, the shaping effort. sometimes when you view the campaign depicted are portrayed -- you will it portrayed as a rack first -- iraq first and syria second. we are dealing with them across boundaries. to two them as a threat countries in particular but a region more broadly into the international community. by virtue of its breach and direct and indirect influence. it is important to say the main effort of the campaign for the moment is in iraq. that main effort is not only

dedicated or directed at an attack on the formations in the -- and the nervous system, but it also is complemented importantly by this building a of partner capacity. that is an inherent part of the strategy. it has been the reason that the numbers of our troops and coalition troops are increasing as to provide the basis. iraq has recognizable government in terms of the context of having a political partner. there is a new and hopeful presence in baghdad in the form of prime minister baghdadi. it is also important as we judge the progress that is occurring, it is important to understand that that government has only been complete for 60 days and

, two months. the first time there has been a full government since 2010, the first time we have seen a minister of defense and the minister of interior, and in the context of the prime minister's having been appointed as only since the eighth of september, i think that we can all be pleased with the direction iraq seems to go. we have a political partner. the relationship is evolving. his government is evolving. he will have to take full appreciation of the many challenges he has to face in the aftermath of the maliki regime but also the challenges that one third of the country is in the their hands much of the security , mechanism collapsed. this is a gentleman who we no -- know well, i government that

is taking shape, faces economic difficulties as well as political challenges and security challenges, the full a full platter for this individual. supporting him at the political level is work that we have to do on the security front to go about the business of restoring territorial integrity and providing back to the central government and to the regional governments, the provincial governments the capacity for , full sovereignty, and that is where the building partner capacity occurs. there are some iraqi security force elements that remained intact in the aftermath back in june. those units are being assisted now in limited tactical operations in key areas. they are setting the conditions for additional activity later. for for example -- and i won't go through the whole list, but kurdish forces were supported by direct air support in pushing them off of the mosul dam.

i think we all no that that would have been a potential catastrophe downstream had they been able to hold on. it is now firmly in the hands of the kurds, and they have done a magnificent job in taking it. we reduced the pressure. the verge of taking another dam. taking control of that infrastructure was imperative. the iraqis were able to hold on with american support and the pressure has been relieved. they attacked up route one and ultimately relieved the refining center which had been encircled and cut off and besieged in the spring and summer offensive, which has just been relieved by an iraqi security force column that has worked its way up to take possession of this enormously important hydrocarbon

center in a rock. and there are many others. were dropping supplies out of iraqi c-130s on the population. these are limited activities at at this point. trainingablish the camps in the four particular processhat begins the of the retraining and reinvigoration of the iraqi forces that will enter into the fight. we are beginning to establish training camps elsewhere in the region where moderate syrian opposition elements will be trained as well. that is the significant support that we received from congress. >> that is the harder problem. >> >> it is because the partnership that we enjoy in security,political,

and governmental level is not as apparent, nor is it as far advanced for developed. determining our partners, ensuring that the process of recruiting, the vetting occurs in a proper manner, the training and the supporting is a challenge, and we are only now getting the camps to come to fruition. >> and you mentioned syria, which is obviously a hard problem because we don't have a relationship with the syrian government, but the aspirations are way beyond iraq and syria. we have seen incursions, but is it not also possible that they would want the headquarters of their so-called islamic state to be in mecca? some kind of a huge regional reach. would that be something we should be thinking about? >> it is something that we are thinking about every single day. you would actually have to ask what his ultimate objectives are.

we are very attentive while we conduct this operation, we are very attentive to containing the spread beyond the area of operation in which we are continuing the campaign at this particular moment. it is important to recognize that not only may they have additional contiguous aspirations, contiguous in the context of countries that are on the borders of iraq and syria, and i think we know that they do, it is important we are keeping close tabs on other groups that may swear fealty to baghdad he and the organization. that gives them a franchise reach into other areas of the globe as far away as east asia. we have seen and thankfully the national police in australia

were able to thwart the intention to kidnap random tourists and behead them in syria -- sydney. so we have to be very attentive through social media and other means of communications, the long reach beyond the simple terrestrial reach within the context of contiguous states. we are attentive to saudi arabia, attentive to the equilibrium in jordan, certainly in turkey and lebanon and we watch it closely. >> and yemen. if there really were an affiliation and the tools that the bomb maker in yemen is able to produce got into their hands that could obviously enhance -- that is a terrible word. >> accelerate. >> accelerate is a better word.

>> for the moment, we know that there is a substantial and that .- substantial tension i don't know we would ever believe that either of those two guys could become the good guy in this relationship. al qaeda has broken from them in important ways. and so long as they are unable ultimately to see a common future and the common road that they can walk together, that works to our advantage. >> let me just returned to -- return to congress for a moment. congress on a bipartisan measure funded the training mission. training to occur in saudi arabia. congress is about to, i hope, pass a budget for this coming cromnibus.o-called

but also congress has to find a humanitarian assistance you are talking about. and so my question is how is that going? are there things congress should be doing but isn't? do you think that the bipartisan cooperation that occurred on the funding bill for the training mission could continue? it certainly occurs to me that the terrorists are not going to check our party registration before they blow us up. you talked about the fact that the way the social media campaign works does reach people in their homes and basements and computer cafes and does radicalize people. i would assume, including in this country. so we have to think about this not just as a foreign mission to protect an entire region but as a mission to protect the united

states. >> it would be difficult for me to overstate how pleased i have been to see how the congress is -- has reacted to this. i don't comment on political dimension or bipartisanship. it is not for me to do that. i will tell you that i have i have had the opportunity to speak to a number of members of congress. i come away from every one of those experiences whether at the committee level or the entire house convinced that we all share a common sense of the challenge, common sense of the threat, and a common desire to act decisively and appropriately to deal with it. so we are very grateful for the support of the congress and the support to the train and equip mission. very grateful for continuing to

support the humanitarian nature, and i think we all have an obligation to continue to talk to congress, to inform the members, to help them to understand what it is that we are doing, to help them to understand the nature of the crisis to inform the congress and through the congress to inform the american people. to this point, this.we are we are very grateful for what the congress has done. >> i would just add that my own view, i think that their are -- they are good people and leaders in congress in both parties, and it is just imperative that the administration and obviously you call on their talents because everyone is needed in this. >> no reluctance to offer their support. i think this is an opportunity for us to create opportunities for communication that can help us to remedy this emergency. >> just a final question, and then we we will go to the audience. please identify yourself and ask

a question, no speeches. a lot of people, i am sure, want to talk. i mentioned you had a second mission, keeping the security dimensions of the israel - palestine negotiations warm. what our of what day do you have to spend on this mission and how is that going? >> well, the week i retired i got a call from john kerry who asked if i would help in that regard. i had some background in that when i was on active duty. i consented because of my strong desire to bring about a two state outcome that provides both - for israel's security but also provides a future for the palestinian people. i still do strongly deeply believe that that is the outcome that is the only way ahead in the middle east because i have a

background in that area because , i knew the players on both sides, that began a process were over 15 or 16 months i travel to -- i traveled to the region 13 or 14 times, met with israeli counterparts, palestinian counterparts, and we begin we -- began the process of looking in a systematic way to do, as i said, preserve the security of israel and at the same time provide for the security of the palestinian people and the sovereign state and to do so in a manner which seeks to create not a divorce but a partnership, and i think that process was well advanced and obviously in the last several months we have seen that the political dimension of the process has really ceased. for the moment. but our intent and our hope is to continue to talk about the potential security outcomes.

so if the political process picks up again we don't have to , start this afresh. we have had the conversation about the region, we have had the conversation about the west bank, had the conversation about how a long-term security relationship might look and we just don't have to start all over again. as we have seen many times, as the political process has sought to address these difficult final status issues the first part of , the conversation at the political level is tell us how we solve the security piece because we can't go forward with the more in-depth conversation on the final status issues we have not solved the security piece. we got got well down the road in a trilateral way of addressing some of the more difficult security aspects. we did not come to final closure but we certainly came a long way , down the road toward progress,

and we don't want that to start all over again if we are fortunate enough to see the political process catch fire again. >> well, changes in or there may be because their are new elections in israel, but i sure hope the leaders in the region are listening. >> we do as well. >> this would be a great contribution by them to the region. >> absolutely. >> audience. latee welcome a bit ambassadors from finland, italy, and denmark. thank you for coming. we invite the audience to ask weston's. is michael crowley here? >> i am michael crowley with politico. there has been recent reporting you have been in conversations with the turkish government about some sort of exclusion or no-fly zone along the border. the white house evidently is not sold on this idea yet. is there anything you can tell

us about those conversations with the turks and in washington? what are you saying to the moderate syrian forces you may them -- who may be asking will american and coalition jets in the region come to our aid after we are sent into battle and we may be suffering extreme damage from syrian regime forces? will you come to our rescue if we are being barrel bombed and cannot defend ourselves? >> that is two questions. the conversation with the turks has been quite constructive. i think that it has evolved. i won't go into the details. the conversation is not over. i have been pleased with the trajectory of that conversation, and it is about not just the military dimension of how the turks might participate in the coalition, but i think we all have to understand that turkey

is a frontline state. hostings currently between 1.5 and 1.8 million refugees. it has done really good work on their behalf in a very compassionate way. the situation on the ground in syria is very difficult, complex, multilayered situation. the conversation with which we are currently engaged with the turks seeks to understand that that permits us to have a common vision on the measures we can take together conceivably to further the , objectives of the coalition. the conversation started some time ago with the conversation of a no-fly zone. the nature of that conversation has changed, and i will depicted

it as a constructive conversation. turkish counterpart would say it is a constructive conversation as well. it continues. it is not the moment to talk the specifics or details. but the conversation continues in a constructive way. i have personally seen it change to the benefit of both countries in the last couple of months. with regard to the syrians, the moderate syrian opposition, our conversation continues to evolve on how the campaign we will take -- will take shape in syria, the many ways in which we can both support the free syrians or the moderate syrian opposition in the field today but also how we can support them over time. that conversation has a variety of facets to it. it is not just about humanitarian support, direct assistance, military assistance,

and training assistance, but how the coalition might be helpful. let me stop there in terms of specificity. >> let me invite you all to ask one question. i am not criticizing two questions. sometimes it is one question in six parts. both very important questions. >> she is the director of the middle east program. she has done groundbreaking writing on the treatment of women in the region. just two days ago we hosted a meeting with a member of parliament from iraq, the only yazidi member. talking about the dire conditions. >> the woman in pete who was here mentioned there are 1,200 families still, roughly between six and 7,000 people,, and they

have not received much help. -- much help from the iraqi government. the iraqi government has given them four helicopters for evacuating. each helicopter takes 25 people. it is it is winter. it is cold. they feel surrounded by isis. can the coalition do something to help? >> there has actually been much more that has been done than just the activities of four helicopters. i don't have the exact number of sorties, but the iraqi air force, flying iraqi c-130s have dropped several tens of times. the best of times -- have dropped several tens of tons of supplies to those families on sinjar mountain.

we are working very closely with the kurds and kurdish forces to continue to provide support and security. as we are able to find them, we positions with not insignificant effect in several of those attacks with respect to attacking command-and-control site and troop concentrations. so the coalition is helping. i suspect that we will always say that more could be done, but in terms of what iraqi has done and what we are continuing to encourage that iraq continue to do not just to provide helicopters but providing airdrops, providing medical support where able and encouraging the activities of the kurds who are also committed to helping, i think that their , more being done than is necessarily depicted.

it is obviously an area where we are heavily invested. the numbers of people that chose to remain. there are particular points that four attract our attention in terms of concentration of families and we we will continue to provide support as we can. >> the slave trade, one of the funding sources. and a lot of those are women who are used as reward for the conquering soldiers. anyone in the back? the man right here. retired international healthcare worker, also a marine. i spent three years in active duty. my question question is based on information i got at the school of advanced international studies, the saudis play a somewhat complex rule. the government and individuals.

i understand that individuals are contributing money to isil in iraq and in their expansion as well. what is your understanding of that? we have worked very closely with the saudi government. the saudi government has been aggressive in working to reduce and end that saudi support for those groups. you are exactly correct. it is a complex relationship. asy were here just yesterday we continue to work on the strengthening and deepening of our partnership with saudi arabia. saudi aircraft flew alongside american aircraft in syria. i won't go into what they may be willing to say publicly, but they have been helpful to us not

just in helping within the region to strike a blow against the legitimacy both in terms of , clerics and the public pronouncements of leadership, but the saudi's gave an early contribution of $500 million into humanitarian support and have also been active in assisting. i will let them speak to it publicly. active in assisting us to begin to train the moderate syrian opposition. whether it is humanitarian assistance to the region in particular, specific provision of arms and equipment to elements that we are beginning to train whether it is joining , us in the air over syria to attack directly, or taking domestic measures to staunch the flow of individual contributions

to these extremists organizations, i would simply say that saudi arabia has been active in the context of the coalition and is looking to do more. > ok, right in the middle. >> i'm jim, a school rar here at the wilson center. could you elaborate about the interface with worldwide islam and tapping and mobilizing the horror of worldwide islam towards this and also attempting to undermine the notion that this crowd is a legitimate beginnings for an islamic cal fate, this deep seeded longing for centuries, how do we undermine that notion

that this crowd is legitimate holds this idea? >> thank you, jim. >> i think one of the most important aspects of this undertaking is that we seek and really more importantly the region seeks to be the leading voices in this regard. the value of, in the region of an american condemnation often will ring very hollow with much of the region for a whole variety of reasons. we don't live there. we're not part of the social fabric. our history and faith is different in many respects. and when you talk to the partners within the coalition who are of the region, what you hear very early in the conversation is that this is our fight. this is our crisis. islam is our faith and they have hijacked our faith and it s up to us to be the leading

elements seeking to create the momentum for their claim to be an islamic entity and state. that's really encouraging from my perspective and as time goes on in this line of effort as, for example, we have had in one country, they sponsored a conference where all of the g.c.c. states were present as were many other members of the coalition and we spoke in great detail about the nuance of the message and who should be saying what and how they should be saying it in the region to have the greatest effect. and so while we will have common themes, how those common themes are depicted in the region versus how we americans may articulate it both in terms of our population and to other elements within our own population that could be susceptible conceivably to

radicalization and recruitment. that will be a unique national challenge and it will be a unique national contribution. so importantly i think the members of the coalition operating along this delegitimatization line of effort are developing the common themes on which we can all agree and i think we can agree on all of the common themes. it's how they're ultimately expressed by, by whom, where, and when that requires the art associated with the science of this kind of an approach. the most encouraging piece of this to me isn't necessarily the words that are being spoken, but this intense anxiety to take ownership in the region of this to strike the blows regionally, locally, nationally, against the falsehood that had is both an islamic entity and a state. i think there is no better way

to judge this than if you listened to the condemnation by qaeda of the declaration, the condemnation was very loud that they weren't ready. they weren't ready to be an islamic state by virtue of the things they had done to muslims, by virtue of their ideology and just within this broad movement of extremism and radicalization of large scale pulations, they couldn't agree either. so there is a real susceptibility here. and while we'll seek to shrink the surface area on which it operates, attack it across its entire nervous system and in a kinetic way and a physical way begin to shrink and degrade it as we seek to diminish its access to resources, it's

ability to generate its own as we seek to reduce the flow of foreign fighters to the battle space to assist them operationally, in the end, it is defeated when we have killed the idea of it. the i think that's what is very positively the members of the coalition are interested in combining their respective assets to kill the idea of it. >> another way to say that is we need to win the argument. >> we do. dolla of jordan, there are muslims and then there are extremists, the point being these extremists are not carrying out activity consistent with the core guantanamo and the must -- koran and the muslim faith. >> those voices in the region are our greatest weapon in this regard. we have very little time so i think i will ask for three people and please forgive me to ask questions and then give

general allen a chance to wrap up. there is someone, there are two on the side, there is a woman in red, you will ask one question, let me just call on other people. let me just see here. i can't decide here. i'm going to call on the two in the front row, mike from the wilson center and the other gentleman will identify himself. wilson a with the center. >> you talked about the efforts going on in iraq now and if i understood that there are still relatively in the preliminary stages. how likely is it that mainly battles will be forced on you before much of the training has taken place? i'm thinking about the situation, one is the battle for ahmaddy that it's likely to

be imposed on you by isil if the reports are that they're closing in on the city is right. and the second is the battle for mosul. there are reports in the iraq government warrant the battle. >> two questions. in front. >> yeah, mike from the wilson center. general, thank you very much. the question i wanted to ask is long the lines of marina's. i would add to the problems cannot wait throughout the winter. my real question is, we have been here for an hour and the elephant in the room has not been mentioned, iran. do you see are iran as a helpful or unhelpful force in terms of what we have to do in iraq? i know it's more complicated than syria, if you want to comment on iran. >> thank you, general, we had a

week ago from general david rodriguez that the u.s. has identified what it thinks is a training camp, an isis training camp in libya. can you give an assessment what you see as isis in north africa and it's possible entrenchment and expansion. >> let me hit the last one first. e're very attentive to this. it is, i'll leave to the intelligent professionals the specifics. we are attentive to those elements that choose to depicted themselves as dasch from a distance, but in the ontext of dasch as it exists in the capital in morocco and distant capital in mosul, if you draw a line around where they control, the stay, the

protostate, we have a pretty good sense of the contents of that area, but we're also now increasingly attentive to those organizations as a distance that seek to affiliate themselves. what i can't tell you because again i'm not an intelligence specialist here. i have not been looking specifically into libya is whether this is a camp that is set up by elements from within that proto state on behalf of recruiting and training effort or whether this is a training camp that already existed, which ultimately rebranded itself from a local radical or extremist organization to simply seek to achieve a level of legitimacy in some cases by calling itself a franchise of dasch. we're very attentive to this and concerned about elements within the aqim. the al qaeda in the lands of the islamic, we're attentive to the line crossers there and what they may do on behalf of d

afghanistan sch. -- dasch. watch how it is on the ground in syria and iraq is part of the broader attention we're paying to the franchise elements that begin to expand and swear loyalty all the way from the philippines to areas in north africa or even inside africa, we're watching that very closely. with regard to iran, iran obviously has an enormous presence and influence in the region. would say that it differs for us in the role that it plays in iraq versus the role that it plays in syria versus the role it plays in the context of the nuclear portfolio versus the role it plays more broadly in the region, everything from the

activities of lebanese hezbollah to its support to the huti tribe which has destabilized in some respects yemen. we would hope, we had a conversation last night at dinner, it's a very complex issue with respect to iraq. i don't want to dodge it by saying it's a complex issue given your next question, but i of say that the nature the debate that occurs or the conversation that occurs in teheran today with the acceptance of the coalition on the ground on behalf of iraq is a very different conversation today than it might have been two or three years ago. the reflexive reaction of shiah militia elements which i think unrestrained, we would conceivably have been under attack from them immediately, interestingly enough, they haven't yet.

the role of the grand ayatollah, it's difficult to overstate the importance of his role both as it relates to the conduct and behavior of iran, but also in providing support to prime minister abaddy and through his voice and having called for greater support to given the ibes space to consolidate his political portfolio, reach out o the sunni elements in iraq and to do so without having constantly either violent shiah mylishas breathing down his back or iran seeking to derail the process. so iran is a very complex player, not just in iraq, but in syria. it's a very complex player in lebanon and through lebanon, of course, we watch the results of

what could occur in syria as it relates to lebanese hezbollah and in that context, we worry about israel as a partner and an ally in the region. then more broadly we look at the activities of iran with respect to allied populations within the regions as well and yemen, i think, is an interesting, an interesting case study because as i have spoken with leaders in the region, they're deeply concerned about their perspective about iran's role and how that is affecting the stability of yemen. they put it this way. it's not just about that, but the polarization that is occurring within the fabric of society in yemen is forcing elements that would otherwise never be thinking of aligning itself into the arms of al qaeda, the arabian peninsula to ally with them to deal with the

concerns over the iranian influence with the huztis. it's an interesting perspective "know if i share that, but that's an interesting perspective. iran is a key player in the region. we have to understand that. it's important to understand the complexities with the iranian involvement because it is different in each one of those places and understanding how it exists in each one of those places and how it could conceivably interact, if we did something here, it could play out here is important for us. the hen the issue of specifics associated with a counteroffensive. it will be very important when we see the counteroffensive which in some respects is underway now in a limited manner. it will be very important that we win every battle. so giving battle and not giving

battle is for a commander who is commanding a large field force, it is sometimes much better to know when not to fight than when to fight. it is sometimes better to ensure that you set the conditions ultimately to win rather than to reduce the risk associated with the engagement as opposed to be willing to accept greater risk. what i mean by that is for example, ahmaddy. it is both iconic, i think, with respect to iraq at large but certainly for the sunnis cause it is the provincial center. i will tell you that just up the road, if you know the area well, i suspect you do, just up the road and to the west of it strong ad, one of the points in the division. while there was mixed success

around the city that brought the defeat of a tribe which heroically defended its area, as dasch has continued to pressure ahmaddy, there have been significant air strikes that have gone it on behalf of the security forces, on behalf of the tribal confederation that operates still in and around ramadi. at this point we believe that we have stabilized the situation and we duesed the ability of the -- of dasch to threaten ramadi and we'll continue to provide that kind of support until the counteroffensive ultimately eliminates dasch as a persistent threat to ramadi. with respect to mosul, that will probably be the climactic battle of the fight in iraq. once again, i don't want to predict timelines. i don't want to predict the

occur, which it will but this is a city where the declared. iphate was it was a city where the iraqi security forces ultimately began to come apart. for one party, they can't lose and for another party, they can't afford not to win. so i think the moment when the battle is joined at mosul has to be one that is very seriously considered and that the forces arrayed are the right combination of forces with the right kinds of support so that when dasch ultimately feels the weight of the counteroffensive, it is something that it simply cannot resist. >> well, general, let me quote something to you, something that you said to you and thanking you for this very informative hour. you said it's very important

that you have conditions to win rather than just reduce the risk. we talked about winning as winning the argument ultimately, not just winning a kinetic fight. i want to say to you on behalf of the wilson center and i'm sure this audience that if we ever get to the point and hopefully we will where we win the argument, your personal contribution will have played a major role. i want to thank you for coming this morning. >> it's an honor to be with you today. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national able satellite corp. 2014 >> coming up tonight here on c-span, our conversation with

former attorney general during the george w bush administration, alberto gonzalez. he comments on the c.i.a.'s enhanced interrogation techniques which begin after 9/11 and detailed in the senate intelligence report released this week. here is a look. >> sir, what was your role when knowing o approving or about the interrogation techniques used? >> i'm not sure these are the kinds of questions that can be discussed very quickly as you said in your introduction, but 'm happy to talk about them. i was white house council, of course, in 2002 when discussions about enhanced george es began and tenet was c.i.a. director felt strongly he had information about pending attacks and needed to find a way to gather that information consistently

with the law and so he brought to the members of the national security council this predicament that he was in and talked about or presented the possible option of doing enhanced techniques. and, of course, that began to dial up primarily between the department of justice and c.i.a. in terms of what would those techniques look like and based upon the requirements of the c.i.a. in terms of having an effective program, the department of justice was then charged with determining whether or not it could be done in a way consistent with our laws. of course, as the white house council, i sat in on these meetings and sat in on the discussions amongst the lawyers. at the end of the day, it is up to the department of justice shall the attorney general to make the decision whether or not this is something that can be done consistent with our laws. obviously, i provide input, but at the end of the day, the attorney general and the department of justice has the

final say on what can be done consistent with the law. i have been asked questions about what was the president's involvement, and what i can say is in the beginning of these discussions, visiting with andy carr, the president's chief of staff, what should the president know about these discussions. obviously the president of the united states is every day, every moment is filled with information and decisions and you want to be careful about information that you bring to the president. we felt that the president needed to know the fact that we were in discussions about enhanced techniques, the details we couldn't provide them, not much detail because those were still being hammered out between the c.i.a. and the department of justice. i remember having a conversation with president bush fairly early informing him that these discussions were ongoing and assuring him that we would be focused on ensuring that the techniques were effective and that would come

from the c.i.a. and also that the techniques were lawful, that would come from the department of justice. that was very important to president bush. they had to be effective and they had to be lawful. i can say that subsequent to that conversation in ensuing months and years, i was privy or present at conversations with the president involving other people where it was clear to me that, at least it was apparent to me that the president may have been advised, may have been briefed on the specifics of the techniques, i don't know for certain. clearly there were parts of the techniques that the president was aware of. as you read his book, decision points there are various references of conversations the president had, particularly with george tenet in which it's clear that the president had knowledge that we were engaged in these enhanced interrogation techniques. i don't know what level of specificity the information was provided to him.

he understood what was going on. again, the program moved forward with the clear directive that they be effective and that they be lawful and of course it was very important for the agency and the white house that key congressional leaders be informed that have knowledge of what the agency was doing and those briefings occurred as well. so we moved forward again with the clear understanding that they were effective and it would be useful in protecting america and it would be consistent with the rule of law. and the lawyers worked very hard to ensure they provided a framework with safeguards to ensure that the techniques were consistent with both our domestic and international obligations. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014 >> the author of several

department of justice memos, he was a deputy assistant attorney general in the bush administration and is now a law professor at the university of california. watch newsmakers with john yoo sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. a live look now at our companion network c-span 2, the senate is in session and has been all day today. lawmakers earlier passing the defense authorization bill 89-11, which authorizes $575 billion for defense programs and policies in 2015. members also have voted on a number of executive nominations and right now the senate $1.1 trillion spending bill which the house passed last night. the president has signed a two-day continuing resolution or c.r. that funds the federal government until tomorrow at midnight and gives senators more time to pass the long-term spending bill if they need the time. the house has passed another

temporary c.r. funding the government until next wednesday at midnight to allow the senate even more time to pass the full spending bill if needed. that latest c.r. could be approved by the senate either today or tomorrow and be delivered to the white house for the president to sign before saturday night's deadline. the president spoke about the $1 trillion federal spending bill today during a meeting on ebola at the white house. here is what he had to say. >> let me say a few words about the bill passed last night to keep the government open and make sure our agencies are funded until the fall of next year. this by definition was a compromised bill. this is what is produced when you have the divided government that the american people voted for. there are a bunch of provisions in this bill that i really do not like. on the other hand, there are provisions in this bill and the

basic funding in this bill that allows us to continue on the progress in providing health insurance to all americans, to make sure that we continue with our evidence to combat climate change, that we're able to expand early childhood education that is making a meaningful difference in communities all across the country, that allows us to expand our manufacturing hubs that are contributing to the growth of jobs and the progress that we have seen in our economy over the last couple of years. nd so overall this legislation allows us to build on the economic progress and the national security progress that's important. and i have been able to draft my own legislation and get it passed without any republican vote. i expect it would be slightly different. that is not the circumstance we find ourselves in and i think what the american people very much are looking for is some

practical governance and the willingness to compromise and that's what this bill reflects. so i'm glad it passed the house and i'm hopeful it will pass the senate. one of the things that was very important in this legislation was it allowed us the funding that is necessary to battle isil, to continue to support our men and women in uniform. put a lot of burdens on our defense department and our armed services over the last year, some of which were anticipated, some of which were not. and this gives our military as well as our other agencies the ability to plan over the next year with some stability. that brings me to the topic of this meeting here today. this bill also contains the necessary funding to continue to make progress on our fight against ebola, both at home and abroad. >> as the lame duck 113th congress finishes up its

legislative work, members have been giving tributes to retiring members. here is some of the praise that congressmen gave to george miller and henry waxman who have served their california district since 1974. this is an hour. >> i am the chair of the california democratic delegation representative miller and representative waxman were the final two remaining members of the house elected adds part of the historic watergate class of 1974. both were instrumental in passing the affordable care act of 2010 which is the ulmination of a nearly century long struggle to guarantee that

every american have access to quality and affordable health care. representative waxman was one of the most prolific lawmakers in american history. not s a long record of only legislative but overtight achieved. he was elected in 1974 and re-elected 17 times. he chaired the energy and commerce subcommittee on health and the environment, the energy and commerce committee from 2009 to 2011, the house oversight and government reform committee from 2007 to 2009. left his mark all over this body, but his five areas that he will be remembered most about is health care, consumer protection, environmental protection, telecommunications policy and just plain good government laws. some of the most important bills that he either wrote or co-authored was a 1990 clean air act amendments, we can

recall when he couldn't breathe in los angeles, that's no longer the case because of henry's leadership and work preventing smog, air pollution, acid and his nursing home reforms help protect the most vulnerable people in america. the generic drug act gave rise to be generic drug industry and give hope to families across the country whose family members had diseases not lucrative prior to the act. white care act to the nutritional labeling after the cigarette and smokeless tobacco laws, henry has been recognized as a leader. his oversight efforts were

simply marvelous. fraud, andwaste, abuse, he identified over $1 trillion in mismanaged federal contracts including billions of dollars in wasteful spending in iraq. and in response to hurricane katrina. his oversight of the tobacco industry and the wall street collapse are known throughout the country. he has, over his 40 years here, provided tremendous service to our country. our colleague, representative similarlyler, has left his mark not only on this body but on this country and the world. urges an aggressive and unapologetic investigator on behalf of taxpayers and the health and safety of children. --took on asbestos exec

executives, for-profit colleges, oil companies, and administration officials of both parties to stand up for the little guy who did not have a voice. he shared it three committees during the past 40 years. the select committee on children. the committee on natural resources. and the committee on natural resources and labor. he is among the 50th consecutive longest-serving members of congress in history. out of more than 10,000 members. his list of a competence is too long to read but certainly fair pay for women, investigating buttshops, not only here around the world, fighting for pension reform, standing up for occupational safety and occupational disease compensation, international labor standards, the minimum

wage, and our discrimination and -- defense of the right antidiscrimination laws and the defense of the right to collectively bargain. written by george, the fair minimum wage act, the student loan reform of 2007 and 2010, the no child left didactic -- leftnto, dekalb behind act of 2002. the individuals with disabilities act. the pay-as-you-go act, passed in 1982 to reduce the deficit and instill greater discipline and the budget process and to make sure that military and nonmilitary spending was treated under the same rules. he played a key role in shaping the american recovery and reinvestment act in response to the greatest recession since the great depression.

california is proud of our two colleagues and many californians and indeed some honorary californians are here tonight would like to say a few words to men. these two outstanding first, i would like to yield to mr. alan lowenthal, who represents a district in southern california, three minutes for his tribute. >> thank you, and thank you for yielding to me. gentlewoman from san jose. i am really humble dwelling chance just to say a few words. george miller and henry waxman. as a new member, i have had the wonderful experience of spending my first two years as mr. waxman and mr. miller conclude a great career on both. a little bit on george miller, as we pointed out, he is a

progressive. he has fought for the environment. he has been a leader in the natural resources committee. production ofe public lands such as in the 1984 california desert protection act . he created death valley national park. it was the sheep sponsor of the central valley improvement act the chief sponsor of the central valley improvement act. i came to the legislature, to the congress, after chairing and california and george miller was a champion and a leader and we looked up to him as was pointed out already. his great work on drafting no .hild left behind a great supporter of school modernization and community colleges. finally about george, passion, humor, respected by all. a zest for political combat.

on the other hand, we can say -- it's say what people say about my good friend henry waxman. like myself, his grandparents were jewish immigrants. they both served in the legislature. "the washington post" said that he was a natural. whilst nader once said the henry waxman is the only argument against term limits. "the los angeles times" represents his tenacity as legendary. we all know his work on the environment. i will point out that it is legendary, not only in terms of the clean air act, the amendments, but also the safe drinking water act amendments, laws reducing childhood lead , reduction of greenhouse gases, and taking on the tobacco industry.

role as a with his defender of the environment, mr. waxman has served as the chair of the safe climate caucus. it was a distinct honor for this new member to serve with henry toman and the greater honor be selected as the next chairperson of the safe climate caucus. every hope that i and member of this body can live up to the amazing legacies of public service that george miller and henry waxman have have leftagency -- this congress. and i yield back. >> mr. speaker, i am honored out to yield one minute to the democratic leader nancy pelosi. you to the leader of our california democratic delegation. thank you for bringing us together this evening for a very

bittersweet circumstance. that is to say how proud we are to honor the leadership of two great giants of the congress. henry waxman and george miller. how sad we are that they are leaving us. i come to the floor mr. speaker to join in celebrating two of the most of published members of this great body. and when i say most accomplished, i am not just speaking in the context of the present congress. i am speaking about two of the most accomplished of all time. a pair of californians with 80 years between them. 80 years of service in the house . retiring with an unparalleled record. certainly an unsurpassed record of legislative achievement. congressman henry waxman, congressman george miller. i am proud to do that as a californian and i thank our

chairwoman again for this opportunity. as they depart for new endeavors at the end of the session, which is in about 48 hours, each of them leaves a legacy of leadership that is felt in the lives of everyday americans. and that is so important. in doing so, they are both pioneers. for four decades, henry waxman's synonymous with responsive action, legislative skill, public service, and bold leadership on behalf of the people of los angeles and the american people. time and again, henry has been the first to appreciate the seriousness of the challenges before us. in the first to bring forward solutions. -- and the first to bring forward solutions. time does not allow to mention somebody a compliment but i want start,s on, from the

this is what i saw up close and early. from the start, in the dark days of the hiv/aids epidemic, henry waxman fought to invest in aids research, support treatment and care and passe landmark act -- pass a landmark care act. long before the rest of the nation awakened to be gathering storm of climate change, early on, congressman waxman worked to create bold new protections for the air we breathe, the earth -- we call home. from the first day, he recognized the urgency of delivering health care to all. and together with some of our other colleagues, it was his leadership as the share of energy and commerce. we honor that commitment with the affordable care act. also working on the afford will care act from his committee, the --cation and labor committee

affordable care act from his committee, the education and labor committee, george miller has left a mark on this august body. model of a a substantive legislator, a champion who was had his hand in some of the most important legislation of our times. members talk about his legislative accomplishments, and i just want them some. i mentioned the affordable care act. lilly ledbetter, the first bill signed by president obama, to end his commission in the workplace. the repeal of don't ask don't tell, the last bill passed by a democratic majority. ending discrimination. for women in the workplace and men and women in the military. the earned income tax credit. one thing i want to mention is pay go.

this is something i saw firsthand. together the put initiative for pay-as-you-go so that we were not increasing the deficit as he made investments for our future. it was 1980 two, we were at a midterm convention of the democrats in philadelphia. -- 1982, we were at a midterm convention of the democrats in philadelphia. before pay go and it passed, the resolution passed. it was so revolutionary that they never had a midterm convention again because it was really there not to make speeches but to make change. in any event, he made that change. it did not become effective until several years later when president clinton became president of the united states. and then we went on a pay-as-you-go basis so whatever we were doing were not increasing the deficit. and he has been a deficit hawk. a very progressive liberal deficit hawk.

in the lead on that subject. and so when he was doing the kids, income tax cut, the and we have not passed that yet, but george has invested in the house and a number of times, early childhood education to lifetime learning. i keep coming back to the children. i have said that when people ask what is the most important issue facing the congress i we say the same thing. our children, our children, our children. and economic security, the air they breathed, the environment in which they live, a world of peace in which they can reach for filament -- reach fufillment. no one in congress has done more for our children, our children, our children than george miller, george miller, george miller. -- having a world

them live in a world that has taken us outside of our country. so forceful was he for social justice that he became the subject of salvadoran death squads that tried to search them down because he was such a fierce champion, a champion for fairness in their country as well. .nd so here we are two grates, very committed people. -- great, very committed people. secret of them the their success and how they achieved so much, they will tell -- they will be modest. well, sometimes. but they will both are you -- tell you separately, the guidance that they give us, just stick with it . make sure that the other side knows that you were not going to go away because you have a goal that is responsible, 11 urgency

for the people -- you have an urgency for the people, and you will make sure that you make the difference. nation shaped, define, and a strengthened by george miller and henry waxman. their leadership has put them in the ranks of the greatest legislatures -- legislators in our history. when they leave this house, we can be certain they will --tinue their extraordinary to use their extraordinary knowledge and talent in new venues and a new ways to serve america's children and families. as with knowledge demonstrates and express appreciation we also have good knowledge their spouses. janet waxman and cynthia miller have contributed 80 years as poses of members to congress. that is almost like a years each. that is twice as long -- 80 years each. that is twice as long with all the sacrifices that involves.

we say a heartfelt thank you not only to georgian henry and voice our gratitude to them -- george and and read, but also to the waxman and miller families for .haring these great men with that, i yield back to the dissing was speaker of the delegation. >> mr. speaker, i would know told two and a half minutes our colleague from california, mr. mark takano. -- think the dean of the delegation. i come to the floor with tremendous pride in a heavy heart as we say goodbye to two of the greatest liberal legislators california has ever known, henry waxman and george miller. i had the honor of receiving henry waxman's endorsement for my first congressional bid in 1992 but i had been in an buyer or long before that. -- an admirer long before that. i believe he will be judged favorably by history.

going back to his cofounding of the los angeles democrats in 1973. his passion for social justice is long and storied. i have to say, as a member from the inland empire, where we suffer from some of the worst air quality in the nation, i am grateful for henry's commitment to clean air. he has been a stalwart of progressive values, conducting our full on water pollution, age, tobacco, to name a few. who else could have cajoled executives of tobacco companies to claim that nicotine was not addictive undergrowth? -- under both? only henry. i will turn to the other 10, george miller. his work on education and labor are unparalleled, from leading the effort to raise to raise the minimum wage in 2007 to his commitment to protecting pell

grants and expanding college access ability for all students. the support of my bill to the education and workforce made one of this teacher's lifelong aspirations a reality. to honor george, i plan on renaming the committee education and labor when we retake the majority. and presenceion was powerful and will be missed. the commitment of both of these men -- the equipment both of these men had to the right issues, not only the easier popular issues, make some true public servants and examples for or popularw -- easy issues, make them true public servants and examples for us to follow. the house is losing two of its fiercest liberal voices and i am humbled to have served one term alongside these gentlemen but which i could work for them and for more. , they are leaving big shoes to fill but i can speak for all of us when i say

to henry and to george, it has been an honor. thank you and i yield back. >> mr. chairman, i know yield ow yieldnutes -- n of three minutes to my neighbor in the bay area. >> i think the california democratic leader and want to say very simply that members coming to want the hell but some you cannot imagine leaving. --, and go on the hill but summit you cannot imagine leaving. today i speak of two that will come.for years to these men are giants of the .ongress henry waxman and george miller have honorably served the state of california in this chamber for a combined 80 years. we heard that earlier. exactly 40 each. local arrived in the shadow of watergate, ushering in an era of strong congressional oversight.

they led to some of the most significant achievements in our history and set the gold standard for active oversight for all who follow. representative waxman, the mustache of justice, never back down. down.ked his book chronicling his investigations is the bible for effective oversight and holding industry and government officials accountable. his work combating the tobacco industry is one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. at it is only one of many competence, including the clean air act, the safe drinking water act, the affordable care act, and holding the bush administration accountable throw the iraq war. war.roughout the iraq his truth serum inquiries caused ceos to squirm and brought americans cleaner air and better quality of life. congress's iconic and his oversight techniques are

legendary. remembered as be the grand inquisitor. representative miller was mentored by philip burton, famously said that people sent me to congress to kick a and take names. george miller took that to heart, making his presence felt on the house floor through passionate speeches and actions to match. he did not mince words or volume . george looks like a warm teddy bear but much like a teddy bear, he is ferocious in protecting his children. all the children in this country. educationalprotect opportunity for low-income students and children with disabilities from preschool to college. he works to expand education through a white house initiative. he has been an unwavering champion for the environment. he fought paid discrimination

with the lilly ledbetter pay act. he has worked to keep college accessible for all and has conserved the california landscape through his efforts to preserve san francisco bay. the centralss valley project improvement act of 1992 which increased water allocations for san francisco bay in the sacramento-san joaquin -- and the sacramento-san joaquin basin. he has protected endangered species and seven runs. on runs. he was intent on extending health care to all and thanks to his leadership, nearly 11 million people insured under the care act. it is not often that members achieve such lofty goals for this massive work has a twitter law for the history books -- but

his work has led to a law for the history books. i hope that we can all learn from their examples. novak. yield back. >> i know yield two minutes. -- i now yield two minutes. you for giving me time and, mr. speaker, it is with such great pride mixed with a heavy heart that are pending are pending loss is together this evening to honor giants of the house of representatives -- two of the giants of the house of representatives. they are friends. friends to me, friends to us all. henry miller -- george miller and henry waxman. two ofnd george are

america's greatest public servants. each serving their california constituents and serving the years.for almost 40 but it is not just a longevity that makes them so notable. they have been incredibly effective. they have used each of their days here in this institution to improve the lives of all americans. they have taught us who served with them. by their example, to do the same. they have made their footprint, their imprint, on this place indelible for all ages. because they have focused on all americans and particularly vulnerable. .- the vulnerable each of them has been especially skilled at combining their key knowledge of how to get things with theirn the hill ability to dive deep into policy and to see how average americans

, everyday americans, are affected by: their districts but all americans -- back home in their districts but all americans. if you look at the policy, their imprint is felt. for example, henry waxman was so intimately involved in our nation's best efforts to strengthen medicare and medicaid coverage, to improve access to generic drugs so that all americans could afford their medicine. to protect our air and water. these topics have been covered and mentioned, but they are major pieces of legislation. as we move -- he has let us in led us inard -- moving towards a clean energy economy. henry waxman wrote the laws that have improved the lives of so many including the landmark

clean air act amendment of 1990, the 2009 family smoking tobacco control act and prevention act. with you on the energy and commerce committee has been one of the greatest joys that i have experienced here in congress. similarly, george miller has been such a stalwart in protecting middle-class families , the ones i work within the school district i used to represent. similar to the district across this country. acrossmoted -- districts this country. you promoted opportunity for the least of these for all of these. he authored the last increase in the federal minimum wage. the cast the lilly ledbetter fair pay act so that we could address discrimination. imagine what that means to every woman, every family in this country. because of this legislation.

he has led efforts to reform the education system. as a school nurse, this hits home with me. make college more affordable. to protect the environment and coastal communities from oil rilling. that is an issue you empowered me to focus on when i came here .s a new member it must be noted that thanks to each of these members, to the work that you did on the a -- thecare act, filling affordable care act, so incredibly important each of you were to this passage, emily's now can have the peace of mind cannow that -- families now have the peace of mind know that they will not go bankrupt this because they go sick. although we will miss you in this place next year, as , -- wer to vote tomorrow gather to vote tomorrow, if you

look around the chamber, you can see each of the people you have mentor during your time here, edcluding me -- mentor during your time here, including me. the legacy that you are leaving will live on for a very long time. on behalf of this chamber, this congress, californians in my district and throughout the state, and all americans, i thank you. each of you, both of you. i yield back the balance of my time. >> at this point, i would like to yield three minutes to the gentlelady from california, our colleague. three minutes. >> thank you to the gentlelady for california, our dean, for yielding this time to me. we are herepeaker, to thank and honor two of california's greatest congressional legislators and

our dear friends, henry waxman and george miller. the is especially, as leader has said, a bittersweet time because they are our friends and we are so proud of them are going to miss them dearly. -- and are going to miss them dearly. the reason they are so significant is that they are the architect of the most significant legislation of the last 40 years. you think about anything we have done in this house, whether it is health care, environment, ,nergy, consumer protection communications, workforce protections, education opportunity, it goes on and on. and the reason why they have been so successful, and why they are so dearly respected and loved, is that they are men of the house. men of the people.

they love this institution and they honor this institution. and so this institution honors them. , individuals who understand this country and understand what makes it great. understand it is the people that they are going to be helping. henry has been a dear friend of mine for over 30 years. and his absence will be keenly felt in the house of congress and in the energy and commerce committee on which i serve. in his four decades, he has been a stalwart advocate for his speech wins in los angeles and -- constituents in los angeles and the nation. i have worked closely with henry e a number ofth critical issues.

the thing that stands out in my mind is one of the committee's greatest the competence, henry has been a true leader in that passage. we work together to combat to expandange -- internet service for more americans. he has been a true leader. we are also saying goodbye to my really good friend george miller . during my time in congress, he has become a trusted friend and colleague. he led the fight on raising the minimum wage. fighting for a vibrant education system. but what i remember the most and cherish the most about him is that he leaves such a great legacy on water policy in california. the historic california reform law that required the balanced use of the scarce water resources. to the many battles on before fending off ill-conceived

attempts -- on the floor fending off ill-conceived attempts to distribute the water. with the departure, congress is losing the champions of the people whose knowledge and passion will not soon be replaced. he leaves -- they leave many of us behind to understand how important it is. we say farewell to them but also wish them well and soon they wish their families well and i yield back. mr. speaker, i would now like to recognize our colleague and yield to congressman mike thompson from napa two minutes. >> i think our california delegation leader for yielding -- thank our california delegation leader for yielding. to speaker, i rise tonight speak about the two manual i've had the honor to serve with for the last 16 years in congress. george miller and henry waxman.

and i have had the unenviable task to try and represent part of george's old district. i tell you, you have to work about three times as hard just to catch up to where he has been. when i was first elected to congress, i learned quickly that none of us are able to accomplish anything without the help and the sacrifices of those who came before us. for many of us, myself included, not have helped our sacrific -- or sacrificed more than georgian henry. they have -- george and henry. they have fought battles and america is a better place for it. george, i remember like it was yesterday joining forces with decisionverse a water that a former administration had made the killed 80,000 spawning salmon in my district.

devastated economically the area that i represented. had it not been for you, they would have still been washed up on the rocks. you were able to help those that terrible time and i appreciate your help and so today. it has been said -- do they. it has been said that anyone who explained to success in congress does so on the shoulders of giants. this institution has seen many giants but none larger than henry waxman in george miller. legislators.t legislated on everything from health care to education to tobacco to natural resources. they have fought the fight that has made american people live a better life. we will always read in our history books about the great men and women who have worked in

this magnificent institution. i for 1 am thankful that i had the opportunity to serve up with two of them. they are living legends we should all recognize how fortunate we have been. their work and accomplishments will endure long past their retirement and our country will forever be a stronger and better place because of george miller and henry waxman. thank you, thank you, thank you. i yield back. >> mr. speaker, i would now like overeld to my colleague the mountains, talisman sam farr, two minutes. farr, twosman sam minutes. >> think you very much for yielding and being chair of the california democratic delegation, the largest single delegation in the united states congress. and it was a champions of note, george miller and henry waxman

-- and it's champions of note, george miller and henry waxman. ais is a historical room and historical moment and that is why it is being recorded and being covered by c-span. this room is historic and that the leaders of the world come to speak your to joint sessions of congress. we are surrounded by reliefs of the greatest lawmakers in the history of the world and are reminded that one person can make a difference. tonight we honor two people, each of who has made one hell of a difference. i do not think that i have ever and my contact with the statement goes way back to george miller when he was nine years old and he was a pudgy kid and i was a tall skinny kid. now i am the pudgy kid and he is the tall skinny kid.

but he had a dedication to the out-of-doors. went camping and fishing and skiing, things that our fathers who introduced us to politics have a state level. both of us ended up as staff members in the california state legislature, where in 1968, henry waxman was elected. george on the senate side, myself on the assembly side, i worked a lot with henry waxman. because i was doing constitutional revision work in one of the few things that henry was interested in was confidential revision. -- constitutional revision. this is the history and he would carry these complicated constitutional amendments to clean up the constitution. and i just remove the dedication . the style was always -- remember the dedication. the style was always one of intellect, will you like, but quite -- all your late, but quiet.

george is like his dad, he is the fiery one. in fact, this podium i saw broken by george hitting it. this is a new podium, thanks to george miller. now it is adjustable and all kinds of things it did not used to be in the old days. look, behind us is the american flag. there is 50 stars on it. everyone knows those represented 50 states. in my opinion, they will remind us of the 50 pieces of major legislation that each one of these members carried. and a lot of these people that come to hear our famous. -- come through here are famous. we have had similar kennedy and we think of the legislation they created. these gentlemen have done more in major legislation than any people in either the senate or the house. little it be known, but george miller would have been

speaker of the house when nancy pelosi wanted him to run. and he said, nancy, this is your job. we will make history with you. these gentlemen are some of the greatest people will never served in the united states congress and i hope the record will remember all of their incredible compliments -- who ever served in the united states congress and i hope the record will member all of their .ncredible accomplishments >> i yield to a new member of the delegation, congressman eric swalwell of the east bay, for two minutes. payt is truly an honor to tribute to two legislators, two liens of the congress why am honored to have had the privilege to serve with for two years. and rate, it is often said that there is nothing more important than oneself. often said that there is nothing more important than one's health. no one has done more than henry waxman. r healthded bette

care, offered federal help to those with hiv and aids, and expanded the use of generic drugs. on and on and on. henry also worked with them public health by improving the environment in which we live. this included pushing for legislation to protect the quality of the air, water, and food. now george, my neighbor to the north, i will never forget the first day i met george. it was in the caucus meeting and he came up to me and said, how old are you? i told him i was 31 years old. same age, was the just a bit younger, when he was elected, and he gave me one piece of advice. he said you were not elected in this town until you are reelected. you go home every single weekend and you represent your constituents. and i saw george every single weekend flying home on that plane and i never felt sorry for myself because i knew that george went home for the past 40 years of recent weekend. he has also -- every single

weekend. he has also advocated for working families. not just with the minimum wage but he came to my district and talk to the local brothers and sisters and labor about how we can teach me to work with them and listen to them and advocate for them. he stood up for children to make sure that poor kids a crossed our district -- across our district have access to education and a better chance to expand on that freedom. i think what are the greatest things about george is not just the legacy and the legislation his leaving, but also the -- he is leaving, but also the members he has meant toward. -- mentored. inspire. but perhaps my favorite memory of george is coming down onto the house floor as george's giving an impassioned floor speech. george tends, as you know, to go

just a little bit over time. but when he starts to go over time, he start to raise his voice and too an and bang on that podium as he is standing up for working families and .hildren and our country and the poor speaker tries to gavel him down. but never, never, never has anyone been able to gavel down to george miller and what he has to do for this congress. long live your memory, george read along with your legacy. and may you continue to inspire all of us to do better. >> mr. speaker, i am pleased to from to our new colleague the, charisma jared huffman, 1.5 minutes. >> i think the gentlelady and i also rise to join my colleagues in honoring ketones of the all-time greats of the united states congress -- two of the all-time greats of the united states congress. these two will go down in history as some of the most able

policymakers, intellectual engines, and progressive champions in the history of the house of representatives. people around this country benefit everyday from their work in this body, from the clean air and clean water that we have because of their work, to human , tots and workers rights education and consumer safety, to public land protections, safer and more affordable pharmaceuticals -- the list goes on and on. the millions of people in this country today that have access for the first time to affordable, quality health care because of the very important and historic health care act that they helped to bring into law. this special order does not give us anywhere near enough time to do justice to these titans accomplishments -- titan' is a competence, so i will just mention it two that have special meaning to me personally. waxman, your work to

strengthen enforcement of the clean air act has been tireless and over the decades has meant huge improvements to the public health of the american people. henry was one of the leading architects of the clean air amendment of 1990 that targeted environment hazards like acid rain, smog, anything ozone layer. -- and the thinning ozone layer. and he helped lead the groundwork for president obama's efforts to address climate change. henry has also led the safe climate caucus, a bicameral effort have been to make a climate policy in a file. of thisly, the science issue will catch up to the minds of our colleagues across the aisle and the duty to future generations will catch up to the hearts of our colleagues across the aisle. meantime, henry, the work that you have done this house has helped keep the positive track on climate change alive. and the work that we accomplish in the years ahead will be

standing on your shoulders. george miller, my neighbor to the east. manyrked, among many, things, to bring california water policy into the modern era . culminating in the central valley project approval., signed into law in 1992 by republican president george h w bush. for the first time, the federal government was required to consider the impacts to california's fish and wildlife in managing the central valley project, one of the world's largest water management systems but also one that did enormous damage to fish and wildlife. inmoved the pendulum too far one direction and it had to be reset and that is what george miller did. more efficient water use, established conservation requirements and water metering. started to reform the antiquated water contracts that gave away a public water for 40 years at a time at below market rates. pave the wayhelped

for the restoration of the san joaquin river. although we will miss the daily leadership in the delegation and in congress, i know that their body of work will continue to stand test of time. the people of california have been very fortunate to have them representing them for the past 40 years. it has been a privilege and an honor for me to serve with them for two years read i yield back. mr. speaker, i would not yield to artist and was colleague from los angeles, -- i itwoman lucille would now yield to our distinguished colleague from los angeles, congresswoman lucille. >> tonight is a bittersweet event for all of us in the california delegation. are here to celebrate accomplishments we are also here to bid farewell to these

outstanding statesman who have made indelible contributions to the house of representatives and to our nation. 1993, came to congress in they had served 18 years as a colleague of my father, who had great respect for these men. i, as a freshman member, remember being very much in all of them and there a competence -- awe of them and their accomplishments. but their contributions to our country had just begun. as a member for 22 years, i have seen firsthand the expertise, the passion, and the courage with which they fought for policies and laws to improve the quality of life for all americans. and while their accomplishments are much too many to mention,

and we will always be remembered for his championship of universal health coverage, his efforts to ensure the affordability and availability of prescription drugs, and for his leadership in tobacco policy . george's legacy will be a stewardship of a fair minimum wage, worker protections through secret ballots, and his staunch advocacy for student aid expansion. my constituents and all americans, including future generations, will benefit from the educational opportunities, labor protections, clean air and water, and expanded health access that were made possible by these two california statesman with which i have had the privilege to serve. i will always cherish the opportunities i had to collaborate with them on issues immunization, newborn screening, and education technology. henry waxman and george miller will leave a void that is nearly

impossible to fill in the heritage of critical policy policyives that -- and a -- heritage of vertical policy imperatives that will define justice for congresses two,. these men truly understand the meaning and the responsibility of serving in the house of representatives. i wished him godspeed, good health, and sincere thanks for the lifetime of service -- wish them godspeed, good health, and sincere thanks for the m of service doing work in the people's house. -- they're a lifetime of service doing work in the people's house. >> would be honored to yield to our colleague from new york. , newessman paul tonko york's 20th district. 1.5 minutes.

giving to join in the tributes >> it is an honor this evening to join and attributes for two members who have served so well. butlead not only the nation the world as well. this evening, recognize the contributions of henry waxman and george miller. when i first arrived in the house some three terms ago, my first assignment was on education and labor. i thank you, resented miller, for being an outstanding chair who enabled me to join in your efforts -- representative miller, for being an outstanding chair who enabled me to join in your efforts to allow for the empowering of children and the strengthening of workers and stepping out discrimination, gender discrimination, and also to work that enable us to address the only issues of your

home state of california and my district in new york but the entire nation and the world for that matter. it has been in empowering statement. empowering an statement. to henry waxman who was the rancor when i joined --r ranker when i joined earlier in the term, it is an honor to join with you on public health. from the warnings on tobacco to affordable prescription drugs to moving forward with the affordable care act. it has been an honor and a great treasure to call you colleagues and friends and i want to thank you for your intellect, your institutional memory that you carry with you, and the passion that you poured forth for your state, your country, and the world. thank you so much for your service. we will deeply miss you. with that i yield back. >> mr. speaker, i would be so honored to yield to our colleague from maryland,

progress when chris, urinary eight -- a minute and a half. >> it is an honor to stand with the california delegation tonight in saluting two extraordinary members of the united states congress. george miller and henry waxman. , two individuals will been an inspiration to me and so many other americans. what is extraordinary about these two men is that they greeted every day, every day of their 40 years here in the united states congress, as if it were their very first day. with the same determination, with the same drive, with the same passion to make our country little better place than they found it -- a little better place than they found it. they came here with a mission to build a more just, a more inclusive nation, where every american has a fair shot at the american dream.

and through that determination and that perseverance they succeeded. you look around the country today, and almost every aspect -- inrican life, these the almost every aspect of american life, these two gentlemen have made their mark from health care to workers rights to protecting the environment. they have changed the arc of american history. one quality really stands out when i think about both of these individuals. fearlessness, moral courage. a willingness to take on the most powerful special interests on behalf of the common good, no matter the personal risk, no matter the political cost. they have been warriors for the public good. sometimes, happy warriors. sometimes, just tough warriors. but always standing up for what is best in america.

it is the job of those of us who remain here to dedicate ourselves to carry on the work that these gentlemen carried out for the love of their country. thank you. >> mr. speaker, i would also like to yield to another distinguished gentleman from maryland, canvas when john sarbanes, a minute and a half. -- congressman john serbians, a minute and a half read >> is a privilege to rise and it knowledge the incredible service of george miller and henry waxman. with the honor of serving both of them on each of their committees, the education and labor committee, the workplace committee. in the case of george miller. and the energy and commerce committee and oversight committee with henry waxman. as public servants, they are unrivaled. when, unfortunately,

many americans have become cynical and wonder whether their voices heard here in washington -- voice is heard here in washington, these are two gentlemen that when you look at their careers you cannot have cynicism because they went up every day determined to do the right thing, to help people across this country. in the case of henry waxman, his fight on behalf of consumers is legendary. his work to guarantee access to affordable health care is before us everyday. see every citizen be able to live in a world where they have clean air and clean water, a world that is protected the ravages of climate change, that is his legacy. when it comes to climate change, i think we can say that he is the conscience of the congress.

in the case of george miller, somebody who was deeply committed to making sure that the next generation had decent educational opportunities and fall for that during his entire tenure in this congress -- fought for that during his congress,e here in and always putting the priorities and needs of working families first. if legislating is a profession, then these individuals reached the height of that profession. the new the substance of the work, they fought hard for what -- they knew in the substance of the work, they far from what they believed in, but they knew how to reach compromise. as people, they are decent, ethical, and caring. and most important, down to earth. getting up every day, saying i have a job to do, and going out to do it. we will miss them and we thank them for their service. as long as we have the privilege of serving here we will cherish

the legacy. i yield back. >> mr. speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from new jersey, rush holt, one minute. >> as one who was also chosen to step aside at the end of his term, i want to recognize and thank two legislative giants, and relaxed when in george miller. they came at the same time, although they are very different people. but each showed compassion, courage, determination, persistence, a powerful mind, and even good humor. in a couple she all of these things we have heard about tonight. -- accomplishing all of these things we have heard about tonight. i have been with henry as he stands for fairness and justice in israel, i have been with george miller as the inspects the vanishing glaciers that are the victims of climate change.

you have worked, as heard, on elementary and secondary education, worker protection, can indication, clean air and water, and climates. they will not tolerate those who violate worker rights, family welfare, educational opportunities. in america or elsewhere. we have heard about central america. i was with george miller in chile when he received the that country gives, the o'higgins metal for --meda m that he did for activities that he, did when he's courageously stood up in forface ofedl;a -- medal activities that he did when he courageously stood up in the face of interface terrorism. pinochet's -- of

terrorism. simply put, they put to rest the idea that government cannot help people and special interest always prevails. it makes us proud to be members of this body and to be in the states of america. nry.k you, george and he >> i yield one minute. >> the gentleman's our has expired. >> i wonder, mr. speaker, -- gentlewoman's hour has expired. >> i wonder, mr. speaker, if i can ask for an additional two minutes to >> the gentleman would have to receive the permission of the next speaker. >> i will yield. >> i appreciate the gentlelady. >> two minutes rea. >> just squeaking under the wire. i will not do a george miller imitation, talking over the speaker and pounding the lectern. nor will i tried to repeat what

to come before us -- try repeat in terms of what has come before us and talking about the legendary accomplishments. when i first came here, i was privileged to be a part of a small discretion group on faith and politics. it had henry and george. colleagues, extraordinary kind thans both had given to me and my family, and give a and give a face to this institution that is too often missing now. y be their greatest contribution. ms. lofgren: mr. speaker, we are through with an hour, we could have fill maryland hours, but we say good-bye to these two colleagues' 80 years of experience and expertise -- good-bye to these two colleagues. 80 years of experience and expertise will be leaving