wither away and i think it is an important strategic asset. so rather than ask you to take a position on this decision i'd like to get your commitment, once you're confirmed, to meet with me and others who have a concern with this, not as a north carolina issue but as a perhaps not a good strategic decision and walk through this and see if either i can be convinced that it is the right decision or you can be convinced it may be something we have to rethink and i would appreciate your commitment to doing that. >> absolutely, you have that. >> thank you. thank you mr. chair. >> i'm told that senator lee is on his way. is his staffer here? from the airport? pope field. i just don't think we can hold up the witness. can i just say, we intend to

receive as many written questions as necessary to -- by the end of business today so you can review them and have your answers returned so that we can get your confirmation to the floor early next week. if not, as you know the week after that we're in a recess so we'll try and get it accomplished accomplished. i heard a door close. >> i just simply want to thank you for the service of the nation and thank you, mr. chairman, for a very productive hearing. thank you. >> well, i just can't hold the witness any longer --

>> senator mccain, i think he's running around the ante room to this entrance. i would expect him to pop through in about ten seconds. >> senator lee. welcome. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. you've been very patient today and answered a lot of questions and i just wanted to talk to you briefly about religious freedom within the military. i think the ability to believe according to one's own belief system and to express those views appropriately is of utmost importance to the morale ofto all of our servicemen and women as to their families.

i think something somewhat of a pillar of our society something that we have always expected would be tolerated, diversity of religious viewpoint and religious expression. certainly one's religious freedom should never be curtailed merely because one decides to serve one's country in the military. i was concerned late last year to hear about a situation in the army in which a chaplain in the course of some suicide prevention training was reprimanded for sharing his faith, talking about how his faith played a really important role in his personal recovery from depression. my understanding is that he was reprimanded despite the fact that the army itself, of course, recognizes the importance of spiritual wellness and the importance that faith can play

in a person's life and dealing with mental health issues of all kinds. and an army that's affirmed the important role that chaplains tend to play in our armed services. congress has acted several times in recent years to prioritize protection of religious freedom and religious expression within the armed services respecting the necessity, of course, of maintaining good order and discipline and making sure those things aren't ever compromised. what's your view on religious freedom and freedom of religious expression within the military and what will you do if confirmed as secretary to make sure those rights are respected and obligations imposed by congress on the military are honored? >> well, i do think it is important and i don't think there's any inherent conflict between religious freedom and

religious expression and good order and discipline. we can have both. i don't know anything about the particular case you introduce, but that -- this idea of having both and that they're not in inherent conflict with one another i think is extremely important. and one that if i am confirmed in this job, i would want to see to it that no one thought that there was an inherent conflict between those two. >> thank you. i appreciate that. those who serve us certainly appreciate that as well. i appreciated what i heard you say earlier. i think it was in connection with a question asked by senator earnst regarding national guard units in combat.

i hope as services continue to reassess their force mixture those sentiments that you expressed very very well will continue to be the forefront of your mind and that you'll be conscious of those things. as i look at guard units in my home state of utah those guard units have served us very well and a lot of them -- lot of our service members who serve in our guard units have been deployed many, many times just over the last few years. they've served exceptionally well and i hope you'll continue to recognize them, their contributions and to utilize them appropriately. i assume you don't -- >> i will. you just said it very, very well. they've really come through for us. >> thank you very much. thank you, mr. chairman. i see my time's rapidly expiring. >> thank you doctor. as i mentioned, we will try to

ask our members to get in any written questions they have for you by noon tomorrow so that you will have time to return those either before the weekend or just after and we will talk to the majority leader to see if we can't get your nomination to the floor so that you can get to work. we thank you for your patience today and thank you for your appearance and thank you for your willingness to continue to serve this nation. >> thank you mr. chairman. >> hearing is adjourned.

>> the senate armed services committee meets tomorrow to look at guantanamo detention facility. the director of the national counterterrorism center will be among the witnesses. you can watch it live at 9:30 a.m. eastern on c-span3.

>> c-span, jeb bush visits detroit. the house foreign affairs committee looks into negotiations over restoring diplomatic ties with cuba. maryland governor larry hogan delivers his first state of the state address. >> here are some of our featured programs. on c-span2's book tv, saturday night at 10:00 washington bureau chief toby harnden on stopping the taliban advance in afghanistan. sunday at 10:00 mark on the u.s. torture report and why his company decided to publish it.

all this month, interviews with former korean war pows. this weekend, charles ross, who was captured by the chinese. just after 9:00, a look back at "selma." you can find our complete television schedule at c-span.org. let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us, e-mail us, or send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. >> today, jeff bush visited the do try to economic policy, but avoided making any declarations about his own plan for the 2016

presidential race. the answer questions about how the bush name affects his political aspirations and discussed immigration and foreign policy. this is just under an hour. >> thank you. leadership makes a difference. right here in michigan, we are witnessing the power of old, new, and creative leadership in our companies and in our cities and in our states. the alignment of these leadership qualities over multiple sectors has resulted in a paradigm shift of what we as michiganders believe is possible.

our nation has seen the paradigm shifts before and in 1980 our nation ushered in an era with the election of ronald reagan and george h.w. bush. the power of clear and strong principled leadership infused with good well and a sense of humor that changed our nation. across the country other states have experience a type of rebirth that we are now seeing in michigan. one of those states that charted a new course was a state, the state of florida, the nation's third-largest. florida's economic powerhouse status was not a foregone conclusion. building blocks were not set in place until our speaker that we

are fortunate enough to have here today, jeb bush, arrived. his time is the 43rd governor of the state of florida was a time of dramatic change. education moved to the top of the agenda with corresponding increases in student achievement. the business environment was reformed along with the size and scope of government to unleash a tour in of investment and innovation job creation. he was the first of reform minded governor's that have swept across the nation and in many ways has become the template for other governors to follow. since leaving the governor's office after two terms and returning to the private sector, jeb bush has maintained his

commitment to the important public issues of our time. notably fixing our nation's immigration system and reforming how we deliver all the education to the next generation of leaders. views have been called conservative, they have been called mainstream. they have been called bold and they have been called common sense. for those of us who have been watching jeb bush for well over a decade now, call them kids because what he says is what he means because he is not tailoring his remarks to the audience of the day. as you likely know, governor bush has had some close family members who have been also elected to high public office.

without further delay, please welcome the father of george bush, the texas land the texas land commissioner, the honorable jeb bush. gov. bush: thank you. i was going to use that line. i am very proud of my son who got the highest vote total force choice of a candidate running for statewide office in texas, george is going to great job on the part of the but i'm pretty but also of 41 and 43. i love them very much. i know that's hard for the political world to accept. [applause] but it's pretty easy for me to love them. i love them unconditionally. now that therapists can opine

about that. sandy, i really appreciate the chance to be here. i'm delighted to be here because you are part of a great story, the revival of the city that means so much to all americans. these past few years when confronted with great challenges, you've seize the opportunity to reform the city you love. you've begun to repair the damage done by decades of mismanagement and empty promises. i want to congratulate governor rick snyder for his leadership. i want to acknowledge secretary of state with where the johnson and general shooting for being here. and mayor mike duggan for his determination to serve the city of his birth, but i also want to recognize as well the hard work of kevyn orr, who i'm proud to say is a son of florida. and find a want to recognize all those who involved in making really difficult and often painful decision to look, your

work is not complete but your efforts have captured the attention of our nation because across the united states were asking ourselves the same questions. how do we recapture prosperity and opportunity that once defined cities like detroit? how do we restore america's faith and the moral promise of our great nation that any child born today can reach further than their parents? this is a really urgent issue. far too many americans live on the edge of economic ruin. and many more feel like they're stuck in place, working longer and harder, even as they are losing ground. tens of millions of americans no longer see a clear path to rise above their challenges. something is holding them back. not a lack of ambition, not a lack of hope, not because they are lazy or see themselves as victims. something else. something is an artificial weight onto their shoulders. today and the coming weeks i will address this critical issue and i will offer a new vision, a

plan of action that is different from what we've been hearing in washington, d.c. it's a vision rooted in conservative principles, and tethered to our shared belief in opportunity and the unknown possibilities of a nation given the freedom to act, to create, to dream and to rise. we see that believe every day in action, in the oil and gas fields once given up for dry we now assuring america's energy security. in hospitals we are extending life and beating back once untreatable diseases. in charter schools we are connecting students to their incredible potential. in labs and hacker spaces, invention comes from every corner of society. and the world still comes to america to learn how to create and to innovate. people know this country can be more than it is today, and that each one of us can and must be part of it. but i also know this as well. we have a lot of work to do. today, americans across the country are frustrated. they see only a small portion of the population writing the

economies of escalator. it's too enough we've seen recent good games with welcome news for the economy but it is very little and it has come very late. six years after the recession ended, median incomes are down households are on average for common millions of people have given up looking for work altogether. roughly two out of three american households live paycheck to paycheck. any unexpected expense can push them into financial ruin. we have a record number of americans on food stamps and living in poverty. the recovery has been everywhere in the family paychecks to the american dream has become a mirage for far too many. so the central question we face here in detroit and across america is this. can we restore that dream, that moral promise that each generation can do better? if we can't answer that question, look, no tax, no welfare program will save our system for our way of life.

because america's moral promise is broken when someone is wealthy. it's broken when achieving success is far beyond our imagination. america is a place where as lincoln dreamed, any person, quote, "they look forward and hope to be hired, i hired labor this year, and the next work for himself, and finally to hire men to work for him," unquote. america though has not given up on the dream of lincoln. the dream of lincoln is alive at 5:00 a.m. at a bus depot in a distant suburb or an inner-city as workers get the jobs in hotels and restaurants and hospitals. the dream is alive in the breath of a construction worker running cable under a city street in the bitter nightmare. the dream is alive in a in the college student driving and uber car part-time graduate debt-free. lincoln's dream is alive every day and that every moment when

people choose to buy a home, start a business, enroll in school or save for the future. they know such commitments are not easy and they don't pay off right away, but they're worth doing. if americans are working harder than ever, earning less than they once did, our government, our leaders should step up offer a plan, fix what's wrong, or they should step aside. let's ask him we got to this point and let's start in detroit. because in essence the troubles of detroit are an echo of the troubles facing washington, d.c. decades of big government policy, heady politics impossible to meet pension promises, chronic mismanagement and broken services, combined with the massive loss of jobs in the auto industry drove tens of thousands of people from the city and this region. for example, detroit under the previous administration, or under a previous admission was so proud of shutting down businesses that have not paid or licenses and.

they bragged about it in press releases. the city threatened nearly 900 businesses with closure and follow-through on nearly 400 businesses literally shutting them down. many of these were small businesses run out of homes and ally face and rogers run by people who just wanted to take that first step up the economic ladder. one of those business owners derek little, had a simple way to describe his frustration. "i'm running a legit business. they could be doing something better." and while the city was shutting down people who were trying to build a business, it couldn't do its job correctly. the city was losing money writing parking tickets. i don't know how you can manage that. of course, on amtrak they lose money on the snack cart. they literally have a captive audience. it's an incredible feat, but a government inefficiency isn't just irritating, it's instructive. if the government can't collect parking fines over self max -- sell snacks are doing, how would government enable every system

to move up in life? that's why i have launched the right to rise backs as a wispy as a way for people who don't want to wait for the government to deliver prosperity. they want to earn it themselves. government isn't the only issue here. there's far more at work. fixing government policy is the easiest problem to solve and it's the one that is most responsive to the demands of voters. so in getting involved in politics again because that's where the work has to begin. the opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time. more americans are stuck at their income levels than ever before. it's area are for people to go from the bottom rungs of the economy to the top, or even to the middle. this should alarm you. it has alarmed me. the problem starts when we fear the one thing that could help unlock the economic status quo the freedom to compete and work as a team to build great things. competition is messy, but it's essential. we have seen all the battles. the cab companies fight the web

enabled car services. the restaurants fight against the food trucks. the brick-and-mortar retailers fight against the internet companies. look, i'm not here to take sides and i don't think government should be there. but when government protects one business against another or tilts the field of competition there is a clear loser. anyone who wants to read something is the team to anyone who wants to innovate and shake things up, anyone who wants more choices and better service, and we know that in the end standing against the petition and dynamism is a losing battle. in 1955, 60 years ago, the fortune 500 list first appeared. of the companies on that list, fully 88% don't even exist today or have fallen away. today's fortune 500 will be replaced by new companies that are just starting today. this is hard for some people to accept. because entrenched interests don't like giving up what they have.

that's why they fear small companies who have nothing to lose. you know the stories. the president of michigan savings bank imparted some wisdom to a young lawyer or a small startup company. the horse, the bank president said, is here to stay. but the automobile is only a fad. the small startup that lawyer represented was the ford motor company. we can laugh about it now because ford and the other innovators of detroit and economic freedom to compete, and to prove the doubters wrong. our nation has always found such economic freedom because and economic freedom, each citizen has the power to propel themselves forward and upward. this really is not understood in washington, d.c. you can see why. it's a company town. the company is government. it's all they know. for several years now they have

been recklessly degrading the value of work, the incentive to work in the reports of work. we think about the definition of a full-time job for 40 hours to 30 hours, slashing the ability of the paycheck garners to make ends meet. we have seen them great welfare programs and tax rules that punish people with lost benefits and higher taxes for moving up. those first rungs of the economic ladder. instead of a safety net to cushion our occasional false they have built a spider web that traps people in perpetual dependence. we have seen them way the rules that help so many people escape welfare. the progressive and liberal mindset believe that to every problem there is a washington, d.c. solution. but that instinct doesn't solve any problems. other than the problem of how to keep washington's regional economy well lubricated, and the cost is enormous. let's say you're a hard-working middle-class family. you work hard, pay your mortgage on time. as president obama likes to say, you play by the rules.

but for president obama one of the rules is this. he reserves the right to change the rules. just last month he thought was a good idea to tax 529 college savings plans but remember, i 29th are great to be tax-free ways to save for college. and literally hundreds of thousands of people have done so. millions in fact have started them for the kids and grandkids. so it's no surprise people hated the president i didn't, and thankfully he dropped it. but it was instructed us a lesson. saving for college is the responsible thing to do but instead of embracing 529's the liberals moved to tax them. it's frustrating but it shows how they think. if you want to know how to act ask sharon delay. sharon found a recruiting company in westerville, ohio. here's what she said. it's as if the politicians and

regulators in washington want me to fail. and spent all the time thinking up new ways to ensure that i do. you either want me to be the engine of the economy or you don't. here's a message for sharing and millions like her. there is a better way. let's define this path first by four principles of the right to rise society. because once we do, the policies, the laws and the way forward becomes a lot clearer. let's start with the first principle. when it comes to ensuring opportunity and a chance at success, the most important factor isn't government. it's a committed family. social science us across the ideological spectrum agree on this. you want to predict whether someone will graduate from school, go to college and move forward in life, you just have to find that one thing. where the race and 11 household by two parents? if you didn't, you can overcome it, but it's really hard.

if you did have a built-in advantage in life. the evidence is overwhelming. every child has a greater chance that opportunity when they're raised by loving, caring supportive parents and a committed family. this isn't the work of government but it's critical that government leaders recognize that and support it. a second principle, and this one is often overlooked, growth above all. a growing economy weather here in detroit or throughout this country is the difference between poverty and prosperity for millions. you want to close the opportunity gaps, grow the economy this is a principle that concentrates the mind. if they a law or a rule does contribute to growth, why do it? if the law subtracts him growth, why are we discussing it? and for what it's worth i don't think the united states should settle for anything less than 4% growth a year, which is about twice the current run rate estimated by most economist at at that rate the middle class can thrive again and in the coming months i intend to detail how we can get there with a mix of smart policies and reforms to tap our resources and capacity to innovate, whether it's in

energy, manufacturing, health care, or technology. third, the right to rise depends on a government that makes it easier to work them not to work. that means fewer laws restricting the labor market and reducing the penalties that come with moving up from the lowest rungs of the ladder. fourth, to address the income gap, let's close the opportunity gap. that starts with doing everything we can to give every child from every neighborhood a great education. this won't happen overnight trust me, i know. but it takes every tool we have, every tool. accountability for teachers and school administrators, assessment for student learning, high, rigorous standards and school choice across the board. these are the key elements that make education worked for more and more of our students. and we have the results to prove it. finally, let's embrace reform everywhere, especially in our government.

let's start with the simple principle of who holds the power. i say give washington less and give states and local governments more. we make multibillion-dollar infrastructure decisions based on a labor law written in 1921. president obama proposes making rules on the internet using laws written in the 1930s. we regulate global airlines using laws written for railroads. our immigration laws were written half a century ago. government policy seems frozen incapable and fearful of change. it's been the way to be honest with you and we deserve better than this. if we don't transform ourselves to meet the new challenges and seize new opportunities, we know what happens next. look around this city it in its history there's a warning to all of us. a century ago, detroit was america's great innovation hub

and the silicon valley of its age but it was bigger than chicago. it was the nation's wealthiest city in 1960. detroit with the world on wheels and created the jobs that lifted millions of americans into the middle class. this city was the arsenal of democracy and delivered deliver the arms needed to defend freedom across two oceans. detroit promised prosperity, and it delivered. sunset sharecroppers coming up from the south, south, farmhands from the upper midwest immigrants who spoke polish, jewish, greek and arabic. their children settled. they prospered. some of their grandchildren are in this room today. and now you are rebuilding the city. i know you will be that great city again because americans by nature work and strive to succeed. it's already happening. in the madison building not far from here, new companies are rising to one of them, i've rule, is led by two young men, one born in russia, the other initial. they left secure jobs as automotive engineers to start their business in 2009 at the

very bottom of the recession. i imagine it wasn't a terribly popular decision with their spouses here's what one of them said. we know detroit has its baggage but we believe we are part of a solution. three years later, 21 employees, including the father of the cfo. must be nice to hire your dad. i thought about it but these kind of retired. this activities happening downtown in an area once ignored. another detroit entrepreneur grew up in the suburbs. he rarely came downtown as a child but today he works here. he lives here. and here's what he said. we see this city for what it can be, not for what it was. that's how we should see everything, not just detroit but in all of america. i know some anything conservatives don't care about the cities, but they are wrong. we believe that every american in every community has the right to pursue happiness. they have the right to rise. so i say lets go where ideas will matter the most them where

the failures of liberal government policies are most obvious. let's deliver real conservative success. and you know what will happen? we will create a whole lot of new conservatives. i know because i've lived it. i come from ina, another city that faced the same struggles as detroit has faced. in my city the schools were failing to opportunity with scarce were too many. simply being born in the wrong neighborhood meant the american dream was cruelly out of reach. i join with my friend, the longest-serving head of an urban league in the united states, and a courageous leader in the civil rights movement. we decided the right to rise is also a civil right. so we went to work to change education in florida. and boy, did we. we great school support the true accountability so moms and dads know exactly where schools stand. we raised expectations and standards and we assessed faithfully to the standard. we made sure every child counted

in the system, that they were cast aside if they're there struggling readers or had problems. we eliminated social promotion in third grade. this insidious policy that exist in most parts of our country where if you're functioning illiterate your passed along to fourth grade with the caps begin to grow and grow and grow, and the social cost grow as well. we expanded school choice programs in every capacity weather was digital learned, vouchers or for the expansion of charter schools. and the net result after 10 years of struggle, and believe me, that tire marks on my forehand are there for this reason, we moved the needle in

student learning. florida is the state that has consistently improved the gap between outcomes amongst african-american and white students. florida's hispanic kids are the best of any hispanic group hispanic students in the united states. in fact, two grade levels ahead of the average in the united states. our graduation rate was 50 of out of 50 states. we have moved it successfully each and every year to the point where if something without a 25- 25-26% gain in the graduation rate and that will continue to grow. so don't let anybody tell you that it's not possible with reform and leadership to be able to move the needle. my guess is that hundreds of thousands of kids that now can read and write are going to be living productive lives in miami. and we will be blessed as a community because of that. all communities ought to be able to do that, and having a reform orientation is part of that strategy. while there's much to do, much more to do, because this is a continuous journey, we have seen lives change and hope restore. you can do it and he toured. we can do it across america. because this morning, 320

million americans got up and they are on 320 million different paths of life. it's our goal to see them succeed. it's our responsibility to do everything possible to help them. because by their success they will not only build prosperity for themselves, they will renew the promise of this nation. where everyone has the right to rise. those are the stakes. that's why we are here. please join me in this cause. thank you all very much, and may god bless detroit and they can't -- and may god bless america. [applause] >> governor, thank you so very much. we have some questions for you. actually we have a lot of questions for you. start with the first one. you talk a lot about education. why is education such a big

issue for you as your time as governor and now that you're potentially considering a presidential run? gov. bush: well, it was important for a lot of reasons. one, you ask governors around the country what's the number one thing that they can do to create the best business climate. increasingly it's transforming the k-12 system and making sure that the community college system and higher education is oriented towards helping deal with this this opportunity gap . it is in economic development issue for sure. but it's also i think a great moral issue of our time. a third of our kids around of their, depending on how you measure, a third of our kids are truly college or career ready. that's just slow-motion tragedy. in the world we are moving towards where automation and acceleration of innovation is making it harder and harder for the first job to be great for

people that are unskilled. imagine what it would be like 10 years from now or 20 years from now if we continue to just blame it on poverty, plan of this or on that, excuse the way why we have so few kids that can enter the military or so few kids that have to take, don't have to take remedial classes if you want to go to college. and so few kids that have the career skills to be up to get a job. so it's an economic issue but it's also a huge moral issue. our country doesn't do this well. these huge gaps that exist that are not increasingly because of education outcome, this is not the america that is lead the world. other countries might be able to deal with this better. we do better when everybody has a chance to rise up. unless i'm missing something, if you don't have a quality education, if you can't read and write and calculate math, have a sense of why this matters in your own life, no matter what

drive, i think a lot of young people have huge drive and determination to succeed but they won't have the skills, the capacity to do so. i hope everybody -- i would like to see more people marching in the streets for rising student achievement. less people marching in the streets that might important for them but rising student achievement should be the highest calling for all of us and we should be outraged that it's not happy to the degree that it should. >> your last name is bush. gov. bush: that's what i've been told. >> many people wanted to make sure you knew that. what impact is having a father and a brother who have served as president weight on your decision to potentially run? gov. bush: well, on one level i got a front-row seat to kind of watch history unfold, a unique seat, has given me some perspectives that are helpful. and on another level i know it's an interesting challenge for me. one that i have to, if i'd been

any degree of self-awareness this would be the place where it might want to be applied. and so if i was to go beyond the consideration of running i would have to deal with this and turned this, this fact into an opportunity to show who i am, to connect on a human level with people so people began, and offer ideas that are important to people so that when they think of me, they think that i'm on their side, that i care about them and that the issues i'm passionate about will help them rise up. so that's a really compelling strategy but that's the god's honest truth. i've done this as governor. i ran when my brother was governor and my dad was just out of president, and there i ended up losing the first time, which by the boy for those who are thinking, it's always better to run against a bad candidate been a good candidate. i proved that 1984. i lost against a guy who never lost.

i had better luck the next time. and gain that experience i knew i had to share my heart. i had these deeply held views about education, for example but people didn't connect with me. so when the attack started they didn't shrug their shoulders. a problem in politics but you've got to care for people before you can get their vote. so 1998 i had the same views about education by which a visit 250 schools. trust me, by the end of that journey people knew that it wasn't just the brother of george w. and the son of my beloved dad. it was my own person. i earned it by working hard to connect with people on a level that truly mattered. so that experience on a national scale has got to be part of the strategy. i love my my dad. and i find that is the greatest man alive and if anybody disagrees, we will go outside,

unless you are 6'5" and 250 and much younger than me, then we will negotiate. i'm still not going to change my mind for sure. and i love my brother and i think he's been a great president. it doesn't bother me a bit to be proud of them and love them but i know for fact if i'm going to be successful going beyond the consideration that i'm going to have to do it on my own. >> a couple years ago you spoke at the mackinac policy conference and he spoke a lot about immigration reform. you touched on it in your remarks. where does this nation need to go in terms of immigration reform and what are its prospects for actual success? gov. bush: great frustration. this should be the lowest hanging fruit, to be honest with you, because this is a huge opportunity. immigration is not a problem. the immigrant experience in our country makes us unique and special and different, and it is part of our extraordinary success over time. so while the political fights go on we are missing this opportunity. i view it as that. fix a broken system as a huge opportunity to get to that 4% growth.

it were going to stick around to the 2% run great, a little higher this quarter, a little bit high the last but that's what economists say, the new normal. have you heard that term? the new normal is european-style growth. if you're going to do that than the demands are going to overwhelm all other people. if we grow at 4%, but all sorts of policies but immigration has to be part of that. we need young, dynamic people that can make an immediate contribution to our economy. we shouldn't be careful of this. we should say what an incredible opportunity. and so i would hope that that mentality of shifting just an economic issue rather than a political issue will be helpful. it starts with reading confidence that the federal government can enforce the border. they need to secure the border. first and foremost to there's no denying that. that ought to be the highest priority. i don't think the president should use his executive

authority to go beyond his constitutional power. that creates a greater doubt as well. i don't think that people are totally confident that the e-verify system we have in place right down is working to the extent that it needs to so we need to fix that. i know for a fact that people are surprised that 40% of undocumented workers undocumented people in our country have come with a legal visa and they just overstated their time. a great coach i figure out a way to deal with the issue. so once we got that done, then it seems to me we ought to be strategic about this. shift away from family reunification being almost the sole driver of illegal immigration to narrowing that do what every other country has spouse and minor children, and dramatically expanding immigrants that are coming to work. a guest worker program to do in the areas where there are shortages. the high skills agenda that is desperately important for us where h-1b1 visa holders language and don't get, don't get their status improved. investors, dreamers, people that

come to our great universities all these people should be welcomed in a in the country and the unwritten contract ought to be embrace our values, and you can pursue your dreams in this great country. and by doing so your greatest opportunity for more people. because if we don't do that, 10 years from now, i'm guessing and i hope this is the case that everybody in this room will be 10 years older. and family formation rates in this country are at an all time low. and birth rates are below breakeven. there are more single women than married women in this country for the first time in our history. our demography could be huge strength or high sustained economic growth, or if we do nothing of it will end up becoming a significant problem. they be not as bad as japan or europe, but a significant problem. shifting just an economic driver i think is important to sandy,

one other thing that is really important and that is we see the struggles of immigration in places like japan where race is the identifier basically of national identity. or europe where there are many immigrants that come but they are not necessarily embraced as full europeans were full french or german or whatever. the american experience works when people embrace a set of shared values. it doesn't work when we divide ourselves up in our disparate parts. so i would urge every state to focus on how do we expand civic education as well. we should love our country. we should have come we should embrace our heritage and we should encourage immigrants to do so as well. and that will reestablish this unique american experience which is you come, you work hard to embrace these values and your as american as anyone who came on the mayflower. that's the america that will yield great, great results. [applause]

>> governor, any truth to the rumor that you approached about being nfl commissioner back in 2006? that in job might be open again. gov. bush: yes, it's kind of true, actually. i saw roger's pay package, wow. he's got a tiger by the tell right now. it's not as easy a job as it appeared in 2007 but actually i was encouraged to consider it's not as though it's going to be granted me but there were owners that asked me about it. and it was nine months prior to my tenure as ending my tenure as governor. to be honest with you that is the greatest job in the world, being governor of a state, and i could never have imagined abandoning that job because i thought when i put my hand on the bible it was to swear to uphold the law for all eight years, not seven years and three

months. and so it took me about 10 minutes after the flattery of a couple of calls for owners to realize this is just, this is not possible. and so i finished strong as governor, and strong as they could. it was a blast. that's another thing i encourage. if you're going to run, run against a bad candidate and run for governor because it's the best job in the world. >> vaccinations are in the news. a few potential presence of candidates have stumbled on the this week but what are your views? gov. bush: parents need to make sure their children are vaccinated. [applause] do we need to get into any detail of that? just seems, look, it's easy i've done this. i've said things that are misinterpreted or partially interpreted ending and then heads explode and all source of media, just create all this controversy. i think it's better just to say

parents have a responsibility to make sure their children are protected, over and out. >> lots of political questions. so if i were to summarize them it would be this. the 2012 republican presidential primary system looked like the canteen scene in star wars. [laughter] how do you anticipate the 2016 -- gov. bush: heck, i get in trouble -- i'm going to get in trouble just listening to that. so look, politics is chaotic. it's not -- the idea that there's some smoke-filled room where big dogs, men and women of that have all this power decide who's going to be what. that was gone a long time ago. and as the old order has been disrupted, it's been replaced by a little more of the wild west kind of process. i think this time around there's a couple things that will help republicans. one, the desire to win. it slowly sticking your head

through the white house gate and wondering what's going on. eight years is in exile is a longtime. i think it will be some discipline to be able to recognize how important this race is for the future of the country. secondly, the rnc itself has narrowed the number of debates which i think is probably helpful. and shortened the primary process, which is as well probably helpful. so they have done what they can to take away some of the chaos. but look, it's a big deal. there's a lot riding on this. so my guess is to be a lot of people running, and people will hopefully focus on what therefore, why them. as i asked by a student, to answer the why question, why are you doing this? why you and what are you doing it? those are huge questions to answer. and not to tear down the other people all the time. i just don't see how that's productive. people are tired of it, and this unity that exists is because people are being preyed upon.

the anxieties are being preyed upon by people that are causally sticking their finger to the tv set saying this is bad, you bet are bad or better whatever. i don't think you can govern effectively and solve problems. my belief is four or five big obligated things if they are fixed in this is the greatest time to be alive as americans. i totally believe it and i'm not delusional. it's the gods honest truth the if anybody wants to disagree with me on that, we can go outside, too. this is the time of enormous possibility. we've got to fix these things and just making points all the time and tearing down somebody is not going to work. if i go beyond the consideration of the possibility of running, i hope i have the discipline not to turn back and get into the food fights that seem to been prevalent on both parties by the way. this is not just uniquely republican. >> we shall see. we have had a slow recovery, but

more than just the u.s. economy recovery, how do we get the rest of the world to continue to grow? gov. bush: well, our growth, which because of our unique scale and the fact that we are not as dependent upon, we are increasing depend but not as dependent upon foreign economies given our scale and given the size of our consumer base and a lot of reasons, we have the chance if we can create an energy policy based on america's innovation and north american resources, canada, mexico and the united states, to great the lowest cost energy source in the world over the longest period of time, to help consumers with their disposable income and to help reindustrialized the country. we have a chance to lead the world. if we fix our immigration system and turn it into an economic driver for high sustained economic growth over the long haul. we can lead the world. if we fix outdated rules and a

tax system that is just convoluted beyond belief, that actually is now a seat on the creation of the next generation of job creators, business start up rage right now are lower than right now are lower than they were i believe in the 1980s. we have seen dramatic declines. workforce participation is back to that level as well. and so fixing a few of these things, we could grow at 4%. and trust me if we grow 4% incomes rising for the middle and people having a chance to leave poverty, we would help other countries that were prepared to follow suit. that countries that are not going to make it are the ones they can't deal with their endowment issues and believe that more stimulus to monetary policy and more fiscal stimulus is the answer. all you've got to do is just you know, look at greece, look at these countries that haven't made the necessary structural changes and you end up with serious problems that they will never get out of.

but the countries that embrace the kind of reform that we need to embrace, they are going to be fine. >> final question. how would you handle the threats that we face with a new kind of terrorism? gov. bush: so these new asymmetric threats are going to go away. you can't, you can't think they are or claim they are. the many people back and the minute you're no longer nurturing the alliances and relationships that make this a global fight, boys are filled. so as we pulled back from the middle east -- voids national look what happened to the would have with isis and see. look at what happened with isis in iraq. the big victory in yemen at the present has talked about lasted about six months and now we are closed, the are no embassy personnel in yemenese capital. we have to be engaged.

and it doesn't necessary mean boots on the ground in every occurrence. this is not a zero-sum game. our president always wants to frame in a way that makes it appear like he's engaged, and those that don't agree with them think, me, those who don't agree with them, he placed the are war mongers. engaged diplomatically in terms of intelligence gathering come in terms of military that we are totally engaged, that we have relationships with our strongest allies where they never doubt us. ask israel today about what does the united states have their back? ask eastern european countries or the baltic countries, does the united states have their back? there's growing concern that we have pulled back to ask the middle eastern countries do we have her back? and the answer there is not with great certainty, that they believe that. so being engaged doesn't have to mean, you know, launching attacks but it does mean that engagement creates the possibility of dealing with this over the long haul. we have to be engaged in this because this is a significant threat to our own national security and economic growth and

prosperity for america. i don't know what that makes me but everybody has to have a title. what would you call me, sandy? >> president? [applause] gov. bush: thank you. i need to make one shameless plug if you don't mind. i have -- if you're interested in learning more about the right to rise pac and the right to rise in general you can text 44144 and put rise in it and you'll get information to thank you all very much. >> thank you so much, governor. [applause] >> governor bush: thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us today and all the best.

ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us today and with that, this meeting is adjourned. have a great day, thank you so much.

>> on the next "washington journal, whil" brendan sasso on that neutrality regulations. -- all net neutrality regulations. we will talk to william harvey. "washington journal" begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern time. : with your questions and comments. -- call in with your questions and comments. recently, the u.s. and cuban governments reached an agreement to begin going down the path towards normal diplomatic relations and easing the united states trade embargo. house foreign affairs committee held a hearing and heard from state department officials involved in the negotiations. other federal officials testifying about implementing new rules on trade with cuba and

travel. to the island nation this is chaired by ed royce. >> this hearing will come to order. we look at the obama administration's sudden shift on cuban policy and sudden it was. members of congress were left in the dark. most of the administration am a including the state department, was left in the dark as well. instead, talks with the cuban regime were conducted by two white house officials. unfortunately, the white house was unwilling to provide these key witnesses today. this committee, charged with oversight of our foreign policy, is handicapped when those

officials most involved in policymaking are unavailable. the administration's growing track record as secret negotiations whether this is on the subject of iran or the release of the five taliban commanders is increasingly troublesome. had the white house consulted more widely, it may have heard that havana is facing the threats of losing venezuelan oil subsidies and mounting public pressure for basic reforms within the country. this could have been used to leverage meaningful political concessions on human rights in cuba by that regime. but this was a one-sided negotiation with the u.s. making a series of concessions to havana. the release of 53 political prisoners is one area in which the administration did secure a commitment from the cuban government. in an odd twist, the administration cap these names

secret for weeks. only after bipartisan pressure from the committee was the list ever released and human rights advocates can track whether these individuals are put back in jail or harassed or monitored. four years ago, rail castro plant -- promised to release all political prisoners. yet in a recent freedom house report we read that systemic use of short-term preventable detentions along with harassment and beatings are used to intimidate the dissidents and maintain control. advocates put the number of political arrests in cuba at over 8000. assistant secretary jacobson, i appreciate your meeting with dissidents when you were in havana last month but i am very concerned that your cuban counterparts are attempting to

link your discussions to a commitment that the u.s. sees all democracy programs. castro is making more demands. last week they dictator called for the return of the u.s. naval station, an end to u.s. broadcasts, and just compensation. there is little debate over the importance of this facility for the u.s. navy to conduct counter narcotics and he military and missions. our broadcasts are vital until a free media can operate. in defending this policy change, the president compared our economic relationship with cuba to that of china and vietnam. in china and vietnam, while communist, at least foreign firms can hire and recruit staff

dreck they without pay going to the government. not so in cuba which is more like north korea that it is vietnam or china. acumen worker receives only a fraction of their salary, as little as 5%. in the regimes of the castro brothers, the method is the same. extract hard currency from foreign businesses and invested in these security apparatus. instead of dismantling of 50-year-old failed policy as a claims, the administration may have given a 50-year-old failed regime a new lease on life to continue its repression at home and militant support for marxist regimes abroad. before going to mr. ingle i am going to yield my remaining time to ileana ros-lehtinen. the chairman emeritus of this committee.

she fled committee -- cuba as a refugee in age eight and her years of work has been marked by a tireless commitment to freedom and democracy for people around the world. >> thank you so much and i strongly second your grave concerns about the way that foreign policy is being run from the white house by secret negotiations with the castro regime while keeping congress, the american people, even our own diplomats in the dark. this decision is in line with the president's other examples of executive overreach and bypassing consultations with congress. just like the taliban and five trade, the president has established a dangerous precedent that the u.s. does negotiate with terrorists putting a target on every americans back and jeopardizing our national security. ever since the secret negotiations began in june 2013, this is what the castro regime

has been doing since they won the talks. just a few examples. july 15, 2013. a north korean flag cargo ship was caught in panama after it left cuba heading to north korea after inspection. it included components of surface-to-air missile systems and launchers make 21 jet fighter parts and engines showcasing's, rocket projectiles, and cargo was hidden under 200,000 bags of sugar. october 6, 2013. over 135 democracy activists arrested in one day throughout cuba up. also arrested was the leader of ladies in white who was dragged through the streets by her hair and her husband and boy was also arrested.

june 12, 2014. others were arrested. cuba and russia agreed to open the spying facility. in 2014 it led to almost 9000 arrests of pro-democracy leaders in one year. almost a 40% increase from 2013. while we were in negotiations in 2013, 2014, and last month while the u.s. delegation arrived, russia possible i ship docked in cuba. last week, the castro regime sentedenced a young man.

dangerousness that may lead to a crime. an activist was brutally beaten all over her face and body and she told state security, "i would rather die than remain quiet and accept this." all this happened why the u.s. was negotiating secretly with the regime. shame on us. thank you. >> mr. eliot engel of new york. >> thank you very much. let me think -- thank you for calling this hearing. i have worked with bill young a loss written in -- worked with iliana ross lehtinen. firstly i am delighted that

allen gross is finally home after five long years. i first met his wife judy back in december of 2009. one of my sons went to school with one of the children so i always felt a connection to the family. alan's release from prison was long overdue and i am overjoyed he has been reunited with his family. as we know, president obama announced several changes in u.s. policy toward cuba but this is not the end of the story. the onus is on the cuban government to respond by moving forward with real reform. what does this mean? it means free and fair elections, respect for the rule of law, an independent press and upholding the values enshrined in the inter-american democratic charter. it also means releasing each and every political prisoner currently jailed in cuba and ending the harassment affordable activists. we want to see the formation of

political pluralism. only then will we be comfortable with cuba moving along the path to democracy. president obama has the authority to reestablish relations with cuba and to pay the regulatory changes he announced on december 17. at the same time, congress has the authority to maintain or eliminate the trade embargo on cuba. normalizing relations cannot be a one-way street. it has to be give-and-take on both sides and at this time i believe that congress must see a greater political opening in cuba before lifting the embargo. last month, chairman royce and i sent a letter to secretary kerry and asked for the names of the 53 political prisoners to cuban -- the cuban government committed to releasing. i was grateful for his response with a full list of the released

prisoners. to be sure, the release of these 53 prisoners was a very positive step. unfortunately, a few of these prisoners were subsequently detained because of their political activism. while these individuals are no longer in jail we must be vigilant in insuring their safety. iron's the state department to use its talks with cuban officials to continue pushing for the release of all political prisoners. let me say that the upcoming summit of the americas in panama presents an important opportunity for the countries in the region. we will be eager to hear from cuban civil society leaders along with other independent civil society leaders from throughout the americas. i hope to be there and i hope it will have a delegation, a bipartisan delegation going there. irish the government and regional leaders to be as open and transparent as possible and allowing civil society participation at the summit.

one request before close. i asked unanimous consent to submit for the record to statements. one on behalf of allen gross in the second from our colleague representative for -- barbara lee. along with her questions for the record. >> without objection. >> thank you. i would like to close by thanking our witnesses for being here today. i look forward to hearing from each of you and thank you for holding this important hearing. >> we go now to mr. jeff duncan. chairman of the subcommittee on western fair. >> thank you. in addition to the other comments, i remain deeply skeptical of the obama administration's unilateral shift. in addition to circumventing congress and failing to consult cuban dissidents, the president made his decision.

you want to associate myself with your remarks and those of the general lady from florida. yesterday witnesses and testimony in the senate hearing recognize that the western hemisphere -- that russia is one of the most openly challenged the united states in regard to cuba. these external actors that have influence in the region. and in view of the events that i thought the jollity from florida spelled-out, the u.s. must protect the u.s. national security interests and including maintaining u.s. permanent rights to the naval station at guantanamo bay. i know yield back. >> i recognize the ranking member will also as the one

other cuban born member of this committee. it was also born in havana. for you about 11? >> yes. >> thank you. >> i did come when i was 11 and -- in 1960 two and i experienced some of this government tactics. my biggest disappointment with this process has been the night felt the embargo in the pressure we were putting on cuba would lead to some changes in cuba. i really do not see what we negotiated where it will lead to anything. just -- it is beyond me that a singer -- a signature on a piece of paper somehow released this dictator of this pressure. people are not going to benefit. you still have to go through the government for anything. even if you want to put a church in cuba you have to go through the government. do we think that we are going to

be able to invest and do economic progress for the cuban people? i do not see that happening. i would like to associate myself with the chairman's comments in the ranking member. i do not see where we are headed with this. i know it is the last two years for the president and he has a history to build. but i was disappointed in the fact that we are not using this as a pressure point on a government that has been so brutal. there are thousands of people in jail. i do with these people. my district has the second largest concentration of cuban-americans in this country. i could probably get more intel that i do from some of the breeze -- briefings in this place. i thank you, mr. chairman. >> this morning we are pleased to be joined by witnesses from the departments of state and treasury and commerce. reverted jacobson is the -- roberta jacobson served as the

deputy assistant secretary for canada and mexico. mr. john smith is the deputy director of the u.s. department of the treasury's office of foreign asset control. previously he served as an expert to the u.n. al qaeda and taliban sanctions committee from 2004 through 2007. mr. matthew borman serves as the [inaudible] the full prepared statement will be made part of the record. members will have five calendar days to submit statements and questions and any extraneous material that members want to put in the record. if you would please summarize your remarks in five minutes and then we will hear from the other witnesses. >> thank you.

thank you for the opportunity to testify on a new approach to u.s.-cuba policy. i want to say that i appreciate this committee's engagement in the western hemisphere and i know all of your strong commitment to democratic values, human rights and social and economic opportunity in the americas and in cuba. i want to thank you also for support in a welcoming the long over to return of allen gross to his family. during his five years of detention, the administration worked closely with mamie embers of congress in both houses in both parties to secure his release. as the president and the secretary said, we are grateful for the essential role of canada, pope francis, and the vatican in reaching an agreement that made his freedom possible. i december 17, the president announced a new policy toward cuba, one that will better enable us to effectively advance our values and helps the cuban people move into the 21st century. the previous approach to

relations with cuba are rooted in the best of intentions, but they fail to empower the cuban people. it isolated us from our democratic partners in this hemisphere and around the world. the government used this policy as an excuse for restrictions on citizens and the most deprived for the cuban people. the new approach is designed to promote every cuban's universal rights as well as our national interests and we're seeing signs that our updated approach gives us the greater ability to embrace other nations in the hemisphere in advancing respect for fundamental freedoms in cuba. ultimately, it will be the cuban people who drive economic and political reforms. we lifted restrictions to make it easier to travel and send remittances to their families and open new pathways were academic of our religious, and people exchanges. our new steps built on

[indiscernible] nobody represents america's values better than the american people. increased contact will empower the cuban people and reduce their dependence on the cuban state. the regulatory changes will increase financial resources to support the cuban people and the emerging cuban private sector. it will enable companies to expand telecommunications and internet access within cuba. u.s. policy will no longer be a barrier to connectivity in cuba. two weeks ago i made a historic trip to cuba, one that helped me understand the burden and hope in bodied in this policy. where cubans in cuban-americans wished me luck and said god bless you. during talks will work clear that our governments have shared interest and sharp differences. on practical issues such as establishing direct mail service, we agreed to continue

dialogue and deepen cooperation but this administration is under no illusions about the nature of the cuban government. i also raced with cuban officials are concerned about their harassment, use of violence, and arbitrary detention of cuban citizens peacefully expressing their views and that with dissidents entrepreneurs and independent media voice is to talk about with their needs are from their government and from us. we will continue to use our diplomatic efforts to encourage our allies now more likely to move with us to take every opportunity to support increased respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in cuba. as the president has said, the u.s. believes that no cuban should face harassment or arrest or beatings simply because they are exercising the universal right to have their voices heard and we will continue to support civil society there. i encourage members visiting cuba to expand their engagement within independent society voices and cuba.

the value -- offer a diversity of views. i raced several elements that prohibit the work of our interest section including limits on staffing, local access to the mission, and problems receiving shipments. the successful resolution will enable a future u.s. embassy to provide services with our diplomatic missions around the world. i hope you aren't -- won't object if i take this opportunity to [indiscernible] they are dedicated public servants. we have only just begun this effort to normalize relations and we appreciate that there is a diversity of views in the u.s. congress on this effort towards cuba. we hope that we can work together to find common ground towards our shared goal of enabling the cuban people to freely determine their own future. thank you very much. >> thank you. mr. smith.

>> thank you chairman. thank you for the invitation to appear before you today to discuss our [inaudible] i will be addressing changes we made. to implement changes announced by the president a month before. these sanctions related to cuba in a number of key areas including travel, remittances, financial services, and trade. ebay is the only -- cuba is the only country -- by licensing travel and regulations.

this means that the travelers who satisfy the criteria of the general licenses may travel to cuba and conduct travel related transactions there without requesting individual authorization. travel to cuba for tourist activity remains prohibited. these expanded general licenses earn -- are intended to lessen the burden on unauthorized travelers making it easier for americans to travel to cuba to interact with the cuban people, provide humanitarian assistance, and engage in certain educational and cultural activities. the regulatory amendments also authorize airlines to provide air carrier services, to them a from, and within cuba in connection with authorized travel. air carriers wishing to provide services will need to root secure regulatory approval from other agencies such as the departments of transportation and homeland security.

travel agents and tour group operators also may now provide travel services in connection with authorized travel. these chances are intended to make authorized travel easier and less expensive i reducing the paperwork burden for an increasing competition among those providing travel and carrier services. to improve the speed efficiency, and oversight of authorized payments, [indiscernible] and to allow travelers to use their credit and debit cards while in cuba. within the context of trade, ofec modified the interpretation of the term cash in advance which describes the financing requirement for trade between the u.s. and cuba but is imposed by statute. it is revising its interpretation of the term to allow the export of american

produce, agricultural, medical and other authorized goods to cuba so long as payment is received by the u.s. exporter prior to the goods' arrival to a cuban port. this should increase authorized u.s. exports to cuba. cuba has an internet penetration of approximately 5%. one of the lowest in the world. in order to better facilitate the free flow of information to, from, and among the cuban people ofec used restrictions to provide efficient and adequate telling vision -- television services and to increase access to committee kaisha and and internet-based services for the cuban people. as i conclude, i should make one thing absolutely clear. even with these changes i have described, most transactions between the u.s. and cuba most imports, most exports, and most other activities remain prohibited. as it implements these changes

we will continue to enforce the cuban sanctions program vigorously using all of our available tools and take action against violators as appropriate. the president's december 17 announcement laid out a new course for our relations with cuba. driven by a hope for a more positive future for the cuban people. the amendments to the regulations in concert with the revisions by colleague at commerce will highlight marks significant changes to our sanctions policy that implement the new changes announced by the president. these changes are intended to benefit the cuban people and help them to determine their own future. thank you and i am happy to answer any questions. >> mr. chairman, ranking member angle, thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee to -- described policy

changes. these changes are intended to create more opportunities for the american and cuban people, promote positive change and influence outcomes throughout the western hemisphere. a generous 16, the bureau of industry and security amended the export regulations to authorize the export of certain items that are intended to improve their living conditions of the cuban people. it will improve the flow of information. the i.s. expended regulations to create a new license execs and -- exception. all items that are subject to the commerce regulations require license for export or reexport to cuba unless authorized i the license exception.

these are consistent with the goals of that embargo and relevant law. the may issue licenses for specific transactions or make types of transactions eligible for exceptions that support the goals of the u.s. policy while the embargo is in effect. only items of lower technological sensitivity that are subject to restrictions are eligible for these licensed exceptions. the first licensed exception that was expanded was the license expended -- exception of gift parcels, to allow shipments of parcels to go under this exception. previously the required individual licenses. this change will enable more donations to the cuban people because individuals wish to donate will no longer have to search for a consolidator. the ilsl.s. also authoritzed the

commericial sale of phones and digital cameras. they can be sold commercially now. the new license exception that we created is support for the cuban people. this license exception enables the export and reexport of items intended to empower the nation and private sector by supporting private economic activity. that includes building materials, tools and equipment for agricultural activity, and goods for use by private sector onto printers such as auto mechanics, barbers and hairstylists. this license exception is intended to support the private sector and facilitate lower price access to goods to gain greater economic independence from the state. other provisions authorize the

temporary export by persons within the united states of items for the use and agricultural ecological, educational, historic preservation, scientific or sporting activities. it authorize the export of certain donated items to the -- by the cuban people engaged in the activities i just mentioned. any export to human rights organizations or nongovernment organizations that promote civil activity. these provisions at lament the president's goals of harnessing the power of the people's engagement and of helping the cuban people reach for a better future. as the president observed, nobody represents america's values better than the american people. to implement the president's goal by increasing the access to information through the internet and their ability to communicate with one another and with people and the united states and the rest of the world license exception authorized the export to cuba of items for the establishment and upgrade of the telecommunications related systems in addition to the consumer communications devices authorized by isis exceptions. -- license exceptions.

it authorizes the export of certain items for use by news media personnel and news bureaus engaged in the gathering and dissemination of news to the general public. this role recognizes that environmental threats are not limited by national borders and circumstances may warrant the export of certain items to cuba to attacked the u.s. air quality, water quality. although pre-existing license policy -- we have now amended the regulations to make explicit the general policy of improving such exports. in summary these revelatory revisions and limit the president's cuba policy changes consistent with the comprehensive embargo the united states maintains on trade with cuba. to support the president's goal of the united states becoming a better partner and making the lives of ordinary cubans a little bit easier and more free. and is in line with u.s. national security interests. i would also be pleased to answer questions.

thank you. >> thank you, thank you. i would like to go to assistant secretary jacobson with the question, because administration negotiators stated that they did not seek human rights concessions in exchange for taking steps towards normalization. you know our concern about the state department, and you not being included in this on the front end, being kept in the dark on it. but the reality is that pro -democracy and human rights activists in cuba have lamented that the human rights were not inter-goal to the secret negotiations. in fact, the lead cuban government negotiator who would be now your counterpart, he said "change in cuba is not negotiable." we have not, you know,

indication here that the cuban government intends to give ground. and so, if the regime refuses to ease its repression on the people in cuba, how do our concessions advance the interests of the cuban people? >> let me be clear, mr. chairman, and part of this. i think it is crucial to understand that there were no concessions from the obama administration. moving forward with the establishment of the diplomatic relations is not a gift or concession to governments. it's a channel of communication. as you know, having embassies in countries is often not seen by government as a gift. quite the contrary. we are quite irritating to governments sometimes. and in fact, it is not necessarily something that the cuban government wanted. but we think it's, that things

that were announced on december 17 are much more effective way to pursue our own national interests. so we believe that we can more effectively pursue the human rights policies, the democracy policies that we want in empowering the cuban people and in having that direct channel with the cuban government to convey those concerns, and to work with allies around the hemisphere who no longer fear association with a policy they did not support -- >> but i just pointed out, what you are leaving out of the equation here is the fact that under these initiatives that the white house took, without the state department. the white house is now increasing the amount of dollars that flows into cuba, specifically, that flows into t he regime and helps their bottom line at a time when the

regimen,, as you could've told the white house, now faces being caught off in terms of the subsidy from venezuela. at the very time that you would think we would exert leverage, you have a situation instead where you have got a lifeline. that's my concern. let me go to another question i had. and that is last week raul castro stated that normalizing bilateral relations with the u.s. would not be possible until the u.s. returns the naval station at guantanamo bay to cuba. is the administration considering transferring this military asset back to the cuban people? i'll remind you, when we talked with the state department before i negotiations on another subject, the state department spokesman said unequivocally that the united states is not considering the release of any member of the cuban five.

one of who was convicted for his part in killing four americans for alan gross. we we have got a little history of her and one thing and then finding out another after the fact. on-- of hearing one thing and then finding out another after-the-fact the fact. on the issue of guantánamo. >> the issue of montano is not on the table and these issues. i want to be clear what we are talking about is the reestablishment of diplomatic relations which is only one first step in normalizations. obviously, the cuban government has raise guantánamo. we are not interested in discussing that. we are not discussing that issue or return of guantánamo. we also, i want to be clear, we didn't return the cuban agents for mr. gross. we returned the cuban agents for

an intelligence agent that we wanted. >> let me ask you one last question. for years to regime has perceived -- received broadcasting as a threat. last week the cuban government refer to these as illegal, and castro has demanded to the broadcast be stopped. to what extent has our broadcast been discussed? >> the cuban government has always raised radio and tv marti both in migration talks, and they raise them again as a part of the list of things they object to in the normalization talks. but we have no plans to end those, either. >> i know cuba is demanding they be shut down. i'm hoping to hear you say that we are demanding that cuba drop its jamming. but thank you. i am going to go to mr. engel because my time is up. >> thank you. secretary jacobson let me give

you broad leeway because you have answered several -- i want to hear more. how do you answer the critics who say that we gave away the store, that we've, we had leverage and we just tossed it away, did not get concessions in exchange, and if we didn't, doesn't it show you the true intentions of the castro regime? raul castro has to how to the fact that he gave up nothing and essentially we made all of the concessions. how do you answer that? >> i appreciate the question congressman. because i think it is important. there's nothing in what we decided on the 17th that we believe is a concession to the cuban government. it is true that we have begun to talk about diplomatic relations. it is also true that we're going

to try and move forward with indices -- with embassies in each other's countries. we strongly believe having an embassy and havana will enable us to do more things that help us and power the cuban people. not hidgh on the cuban government's list of desires. we also believe that by allowing american companies to engage in telecommunications sales and ac ting to get greater information into cuba, to work with the entrepreneurs who i sat down with we can begin to increase the pace at which people separate themselves from the state. also, not something the cuban government has ont its list of priorities. i think that they may tout this as support for their government, but we have diplomatic relations

with lots of governments around the world with whom we sharply disagree. it is a channel. it is a mechanism. it is not, as somebody said yesterday on the senate side, it is not the good housekeeping seal of approval. we will continue to speak out on human rights. to support democracy activists. but we believe that this policy has become such an irritant in our work with other latin american countries, with our european allies, that is also enables us to work more effectively with them in bringing outabout that support in cuba. >> thank you. i mentioned in my statement that i was pleased with the release of the 53 political prisoners but obviously much more remains to be done on the human rights front in cuba. the havana-based cuban commission on human rights

reported 8899 short-term detentions in 2014. that was a 39% increase over 2013. so what is the obama administration strategy for pushing the cuban government to improve its human rights record? are we working with other governments in the region and in the european union to urge the cuban government to put an end to short-term detentions? >> i think that is a really important point, because i think this question of short-term detentions is a crucial one. we obviously have seen a shift from longer-term sentences to short-term detentions. that number has gone way up in the last year. it is of enormous concern to us. and we have made it clear, both to the cuban government directly now in these talks and others but also with allies international organizations that it is unacceptable. we do believe and we had those

conversations already that the new policy enables us to work better with other governments. the reaction of many governments in the region was we strongly support your policy shift. it has changed the dynamic. what can we do to help? as we prepare for the summit of the americas, which you mentioned, we believe that cuban civil society activists independent human rights activists, will have an opportunity to interact with latin american leaders for the first time. all of those things i think will help. that same national commission has noticed a drop in short-term detentions in january. not a trend. i want to be clear about that. we cannot know whether that is the beginning of a trend, and we will be watching them very carefully because it must end. not just come down, but it must end. >> you mentioned civil society. i want to ask my final question about civil society and the summer of the amir -- the summit

of the americas. what compensations -- what conversation have you had with your panamanian counterparts to ensure there is robust precipitation -- robust participation from cuba at the summit? and in your discussions with cuban officials in havana, did you urge them to allow civil society leaders from the island to participate in the summit? did you encourage political dissidents to participate in the summit? >> the answer to all those questions is yes. we have had extensive conversations with the panamanian government. with the nongovernmental organizations that will be organizing the civil society forum. with other ngo's, including in the united states. as well as making sure the rules for the civil society summit are not the same as in previous years. a beasley, it had them that you could only participate if you were an ngo registered with the oas, which would preclude cuban independent organizations. that will not be the case this

year. so that cuban dissidents and independent organizations may be invited. >> thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> we go now to iliana. >> thank you so much, mr. chairman. as we know the u.s. has been negotiating and secret with this statistic dictatorship for now 20 months, because it is still secret. for 18 of those months, the white house negotiated to trade three spies for an innocent american. even if you say that was not the swap. that is so disingenuous. assistant secretary jacobson this week in the senate, just yesterday, you justified -- you testified "this policy is not based on the castro regime changing. we have no illusions over that ." so, let me get this straight. we are telegraphing to the castro regime ahead of time that

it does not have to change. we have no illusions that is going to change. so we are going to get further concessions from this administration. what is the point of negotiations then if they were negotiating, we have no illusions. let's see where this leads us. the media have been reporting this week that arrests in cuba for last month, and january decreased to only 178. making it seem like the arrests of peaceful, pro-democracy activist -- 178 of them -- is a low number. only in castro's cuba could the arrest of 178 people in one month be considered a victory. now, for the president's state of the union address last month, i invited marlene the daughter of armando alejandre. they were kept in the dark about this trade -- nontrade.

her father was murdered by the regime when his brothers to the rescue plane was shot down over international waters. on december 17, the president released and pardoned a cuban spy convicted in our u.s. courts for conspiracy to commit murder for his connection to the shootdown. so the family wanted me to ask you these questions, assistant secretary jacobson. how will i explain to my three little girls of that fair u.s. marine vietnam veteran grandfather was denied the only justice for his murder when hernandez was set free, pardoned and returned to cuba? next question. why was the u.s. so giving to with it -- to give her an and is the opportunity to father a child while he was in prison when some of the victims of the shootdown will never be able to have children of their own?

now, as if negotiating in secret is not bad enough, the castro regime continues to defy this administration , as the chairman had pointed out setting preconditions publicly on the negotiations such as demanding the return of the land of guantanamo which is so vital to u.s. national security interests. it's so pathetic for this strong wonderful, generous country to look so weak when negotiating with the regime. isn't it true that cuba owes american taxpayers at least $8 billion in certified claims for the unlawful taking of property, of businesses, of unpaid debts owed the american citizens? cuba has failed to pay these claims for close to 60 years. isn't it true that u.s. law

requires these claims be resolved before relations be normalized? so i urge all of your departments to explain how it illegally confiscated properties will be resolved? u.s. claim holders to serve their claims to be protected. don't you agree? assistant secretary jacobson it is important to note that what the castro regime will do with this new assistance that president obama is going to provide on telecommunications. now, in 2012, pope benedict visited the island. the regime responded with rounding up and arresting hundreds of civil society individuals and he blocked the pohones of opposition leaders. as we know, castro held an american for five years for trying to provide internet equipment to the jewish community in cuba. so the track record is clear about castro and his hatred of this telecommunication equipment. and in this latest misguided

talks, the castro regime asked the u.s. interests section to stop providing internet services for the cuban people. the track record is clear. there is no intent of opening up the internet or telecommunications opportunities. if given that opportunity, it is probably going to be used to further oppress the people of cuba. and then, just one last -- you can answer it in writing. did secretary kerry lied to the congress when he told us that we would not free up these convicted murderers, these spies? four was he kept out of the dark of these negotiations -- or was he kept out of the dark of these negotiations? were you part of the negotiations from the start or did you enter them later on? i have run out of time. thank you. >> i'm going to suggest a response in writing. that way we can go to brad sherman of california.

>> thank you. said that our policy toward cuba for the last 50 years has failed. this comes from an american view. it is all about us. that the only thing that, if cuba is not better, it must be our policy. our policy is exactly different or has been for 50 years, than europe's and canada's policy. maybe it is their policy that failed to bring democracy. maybe it is ours. ms. jacobson cuba got caught smuggling 240 tons of weapons to north korea violated u.n. sanctions. cuba's not cooperating in the investigation. are these reasons to keep cuba on the state-sponsored terrorism list? >> congressman, we are undertaking the review of the state-sponsored terrorism list right now.

we are evaluating all of the information. >> i know that. >> we also made clear when we were looking at that incident with the gang that we did not think cuba -- we did think cuba 's behavior violated the sanctions regime. the only entity that was sanctioned as a result of that investigation was the north korean company which can no longer operate. >> i've got to reclaim my time. i've got so many questions. ms. havana jacobson, americans paid in blood for cuban independence. we got a base in guantánamo that is valuable to our national security. are you prepared, and hopefully this is a yes or no question, to say now this administration will not abandon, return or failed to pay the modest fee so that we can have that naval base for the next two years? >> i don't see that discussion

taking place. >> that is not what i'm asking for. that was your testimony. can you make a commitment? you have got to see it from our side. we were shocked. so you telling me you're not taking a something means i have to get ready to get shocked tomorrow. the administration was so angry that they hadn't been consulted on bringing one guy to speak here. it was not a lot of consultation on this huge change in cuba policy. would the administration object to language in appropriations bills designed to make it impossible for this administration to give back the naval base? >> that issue is not on the table. >> it could be on our table. would you object? >> i do not know the answer to that as a matter of -- >> let me go on to mr. smith.

we have got the cuban liberty and democracy solidarity act. it does not allow us to deal with certain properties that have been seized by americans. you have got new regulations on travel, credit cards, etc. how do you plan to make sure american travelers are not breaking the law by staying at hotels that were confiscated from americans or otherwise violating the cuban liberty and democracy solidarity act? >> one thing i should state -- sat at thy at the start. what that does is say you cannot provide financing to further those transactions to -- involving confiscated property. it is not say you cannot stay at a hotel. >> does the credit card company extends the loan when you use a credit card to pay for a hotel stay at a confiscated property? >> a credit card company may extend the loan to the traveler.

>> you are extending alone to facilitate staying at the hotel. you think that is in conformity? >> we have the provision of the act that was replicated in our regulations. we will follow to the letter what is in the act because we have it in our regulations. we will follow that. but nothing that we have authorized woudl come -- would abridge those provisions of the act. >> i would jsutust close by saying i might be more favorably impressed by the policy if it not been such a complete shock and if congress had been involved. and this u.s. government will work better if we coordinate on foreign policy and have one national foreign policy that reflects the views of both elected bodies instead of a view of congress as simply an annoying body that has to be consulted now and then. i yield back. >> we go downnwow to mr. chris

smith of new jersey. >> think you so much. i say to my witnesses in welcome to the washington post" has done several editorials. pointing out that with the soviet union and now venezuela less able to prop them up, now potentially u.s. funds will do that. secondly, president obama's betrayal of cuban democrats and the fact that we should have listened to the ladies inw white who will be testifying tomorrow. two of those are going back. two individuals. talk about bravery. speaking to the senate,into the house. they are going back. and yet the "post" talks about betrayal of cuban democrats. another editorial said that with no consequences in sight, cuba continues to crackdown on free

speech. i would ask you, now an assessment since it has been -- the negotiations and the publicity of them -- are there any second thoughts? 2012 we had a hearing. we heard from a doctor who spent 11 years in prison and the same type of scenario was playing out, even some of the 53 that were freed. he was in and out of prison constantly. it is part of the modus operandi. maybe you can verify that some 100 to 200 additional prisoners over the last six weeks have been arrested. is that true or is that not? some comments have been made that the -- they may get to go to cuba. that is not the issue. they need to go to the prisons. the last time they were able to negotiate that when he walks point on behalf of, in the 1990

's. i was with him in geneva when he secured that. representatives went into the prisons, interviewed people, and everybody including family members were severely retaliated against. the icrc has to have unfettered access to prisons, meeting with fidel castro are anybody under him does not cut it. i would like to go again. i have tried repeatedly. madame secretary, maybe you can facilitate that. i want to go to the prisons and lead a delegation to the prisons. i have been to prisons in the soviet union in prisons and east bloc countries. as well as in asia. cuba's the one that will not let me or others into the prison. please help us with that. if you can answer those questions. let me ask you in the negotiations, there are many convicted felons who gunned down were an enforcer -- in my state -- in cold blood, shot in the back, having escaped from prison. convicted, a fugitive felon, yet she got asylum there.

was that part of the negotiation, the discussions? or was it not? finally, just let me ask with regards to the time i have, please answer those and i will come back. >> ok. let me say that the whole point of this new policy is not that we are telescoping to the cuban government that they do not have to change or that we expect them to change right away. certainly we want that. those practices to change. we simply are not naive about how quickly they may change. so our efforts are to empower the people to take their lives into their own hands. i had not heard that 100 to 200 people had been arrested. there were certainly as many as 50 or more arrested around the time of -- the performance artist. to the best of my knowledge most if not all have been released, although there are severe constraints on them.

and none of them should've been arrested. just as there are still political prisoners in cuba who should be released. i want to be clear about that. and the fact that a downturn and detentions is not good enough. no matter that -- >> they arrest, re-arrest. let out. 17 years in prison. he has been tortured. a doctor testified by way of phone. he said, don't life the embargo. because you have got to get substantive -- >> i saw oscar on the island. i have the utmost admiration for him and his views on this. let me also say that every time i talk with the cuban government i mention the case of joanne -- i'm a daughter of new jersey. i grew up with this case and other fugitive cases. >> what is their response? >> we have not gotten a positive response. they have said that they are not interested in discussing her return. on other cases, we have made

some more progress. there have been felons, accused felons expelled to the united states. this is a very high priority for us. we are frustrated we have not made progress. there are other cases that we will continue, all of these cases, we will continue to pursue. we are going to have further dialogue on fugitives in law enforcement because this is critical to us. that is part of what we hope we will do better on in having conversations that are more expansive with our justice department colleagues. this is a critical part of having a channel. >> we all know the castro brothers have pushed this as a major diplomatic win. i would have hoped that human rights concessions were -- would come first before being recognized diplomatically. >> we go now to mr. greg meeks