we should be able to agree that a great city like indianapolis needs to keep its infrastructure in good shape and order to attract new businesses. so that they feel confident that they can get their products and services out to markets, and that we have the best trained workforce in the world. that is what will make companies want to locate here. those are things that we can agree on. we should agree that the tax code should be fair. and that nobody should be treated better just because they have better accounts are lawyers. if republicans disagree with the way that i'm trying to solve these problems, they should put for their own plans. i am happy to look at it. what we can do is ignore the problems created and pretend that they do not matter. pretend that families are not out there struggling to do their best.

i believe in the crazy thing that he once said, that the other party may have good ideas. that is shocking. i know mayor ballard believes the same thing. i certainly do. let's roll up our sleeves and work together and try to get some stuff done. that is what all of you elected us to do. not just turn everything into a washington food fight. not to refight old partisan battles. let's have a debate that is worthy of this country and build on economy that is picking up steam, and make sure that it is serving everybody. that prosperity is broad-based. that not only everybody sharing in america's success, but everyone is contributing to america's success. that is what we are trying to

do. that is what is on my mind now. i want to hear what is on your mind. we will start taking some questions. the way this will work is it will be simple. you raise your hands, i call on you. if you could stand up and introduce yourself, try to keep your question relatively short. i will try key might answer relatively short. in fact, the only rule that i will impose is i will go girl-boy-girl-boy. make sure it is even and fair. let's get started. who wants to go first? this young lady right here. >> hi, i am erica walsh of the college democrats of indiana. i would like to hear how you think offering two years of free college will impact for your universities? >> i think a lot of full flow

still use the traditional pathway of going to a four-year university. if that is your best option, god bless you. that is great, there will always be a market for indiana university or notre dame. it is not like suddenly people will stop when to go there. what the two years of free me college potentially does is for somebody who is cash-strapped, their best option may be, let me go get two years in a community college, i may at that point have artie got in the training that i need to go on the workforce, and get a good paying job. or, if i decide i want to continue with my education, i can now transfer to a four year institution with those credits which means that the amount of

tuition i am paying at the four-year university will be reduced. either way, you are saving money. this is part of what we need to do. to be more creative about how young people get the skills that they need without spending as much money, or taking on as much debt. this is the only kind of thing -- is not the only kind of thing we're looking at. for example, i think ivy tech is looking at this sort of partnership with high schools. a number of to me college is now our linking up with -- are now linking up with high schools so you can start taking college credits and high schools, so that anytime you get the community college, you are you have some credits. this reduces the amount of time you need to spend and the comedic college, that will save you money to. the point is, we have is very rigid system.

we have this image in our head -- you go to high school, then right away you go to a four-year university. instead, what we should be thinking about is how we create, from the time you are in ninth grade, until you have a job, how do we make sure you are able to get the best skills possible at the cheapest cost. if there are faster pathways to doing that, let's use those faster pathways. if there are cheaper pathways, let's find ways to reduce costs. let's use technology in some cases. online learning is getting better and better. are there ways in which -- particularly for someone who is saying, mom, and has an ear regular schedule, and cannot be on campus all day -- are there ways that she can get some credits walls still looking after a family?

or working part-time? we just have to be much more creative about these issues. the one thing, in addition to being creative, we have to remember that state legislators have a responsibility to make sure that state institutions are still getting the support that they need. part of what is happening -- part of the reason part of the reason that the cost of higher education has gone up so rapidly it is that state support for those institution has gone down. or it has not kept up with inflation. so what happens is when administrators have to make up for it, they raise tuition. state legislators have the upper -- responsibly to be more efficient. students and parents, we have the responsibility to be smart.

i joke with melia and sasha because melia is around the age of looking at college. i say, everyone is looking for fancy jensen gourmet food. expensive dorms. let me tell you, when i was in college -- i started at occidental college, there was a gym but the weight room was -- there was like a medicine ball -- it was not fancy. it was not state-of-the-art. the cafeteria -- i do not remember some of the stuff that they serve, but it was not that appetizing. there was something on the menu that we called roast beef, we cannot really tell what kind of mean it was. it was some sort of meat product.

so, students and parents have to be better consumers. universities have severe out how to be more efficient. and also give information to young people ahead of time. part of what happens these days is in recruiting students, they say, don't worry about it, you will be able to afford it. it's true that in part we have extended hell grants, and eliminated the bank middleman. a lot of people are able to finance college who could not both before. but, when you get out, you may have a $60,000 or $80,000 bill. that is a problem. we at the provide more information. but ultimately, state legislators have to step up. the federal government will do its part. we have expanded the support we

will give students. but, these institutions have an obligation. and it is a good investment. it is true, not just in this country, but across the world. it is a german's turn. this young man right here. white shirt. how loud are you? can you dish out? no. >> hi, i am mario. i am a student here at ivy tech. my question is if community college becomes free, it to you become -- 00:29:17 think the value of an associate street -- degree will jot? >> absolutely not. i have been asked this question before, and i do not know where it is coming from. i will give you an example.

there is a college in new york called city college of new york. and back in the, you know, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's, the city college of new york produced as many nobel laureates as a lot of ivy league schools. it was free. but it was considered one of the best universities in the country, one of the best college systems in the country. nobody thought, because you went to the city colleges, and it did not cost you any money, that somehow the education was devalued. so the issue is not whether you are -- how much money you are paying.

the issue is what that education is providing your -- you. the reputation of the school is going to be determined by, when the graduates, out, do they have the skills they need to do the job? and if they do, employers are going to know it, because employers are hungry for well-qualified students. i cannot tell you how many businesses i talked to where they say, our biggest problem is, we cannot find enough workers who are trained in the fields that we are searching for. so don't let anybody think that paying more means of better education. -- a better education. one thing we do have to think about, and this is where community colleges can be an outstanding bridge, is making sure that we are reaching out

to businesses and finding out, what do they need for the positions they are hiring? and having those businesses help committee colleges design training programs and departments to serve those needs. and we are seeing a lot more work done by community colleges on that front. a tech school does a great job in a pretty ships with a partnership with the labor council. that is another example of smart education. turns out the average apprentice gets a $50,000 starting salary, once they get out of an apprenticeship, on average across the country. so we are doing a lot to encourage schools to expand apprenticeships and partnerships. do not think paying more is better. paying less is better.

i am -- i am always looking for a deal. all right. yes, right there. mike is coming right there. hold on, amy. >> sure, thank you. my name is amy saxton. i paid for my daughter's college. i am now saving for my children with a 529 lan. do you see any changes that might impact me as i go into retirement? looked at changing the 529 plan. and the reason is that i have 529's for both malia and sasha. for those who are not familiar five to nine is basically a savings account you can put in tax-free up to a certain amount for savings for your child's college. the problem is, when you looked

at the statistics, the folks who use them most is folks who were a little more on the high-end. a lot of people could not use them because they just were not generating enough's ratings to be able to take advantage of the benefit. and so our thinking was, you could save money by eliminating the 529 and shifting it into some other loan programs that would be more broadly based. but i think enough people -- and we were going to hold harmless folks like you and me who already have money in a i've 29, so it was not like suddenly you had to start paying taxes on it. just going forward, we were going to change it. there were a lot of people who were already utilizing 529 class that started feeling as if changing like this in midstream, even if i am not affected right now, i like the program. it was not worth it for us to eliminate it.

the savings were not that great. so we actually, based on response, changed our minds, and we're going to be paying for the two years of free community college with other sources, including some of the tax loopholes we are closing. the short answer to your question is, 529's will not change at this point. a gentleman has a question right here. he is waving and everything. it is going to be a good one. >> it is with the indiana pacers. president obama: good to talk to you. >> basketball is really important to the state. this is indiana. years ago, on a radio show, you told me, when i asked you about your game -- you said you were a poor man's hey sean printz. -- a poor man's prince. who are you today? and tamika says she is ready one on one any time you want.

me make a couple of points. first of all, she refereed the game we played. when it comes to me playing her one-on-one, i am not sure. my game is a little broke. i mean up, a little bit. what happens is, sort of the risk-reward ratio starts shifting. like the chances of an achilles tear or an acl injury is increasing each month. and then the satisfaction that i get from playing diminishes, because i am so bad. and so i think, golf

likelihood of injury much lower. i still love the game. this is a good time for me to give a shout out to the nba. mayor ballard mentioned the work he is doing with my brothers keepers. this is something we initiated in response to all the negative news that we were hearing about young african-american men and young latino men, and their interactions with police. we said, there are a bunch of issues we have to deal with on the criminal justice side. but we have to have an affirmative agenda to make sure that young people feel hope and opportunity, and pathways. and so -- the idea of my brother's keepers is, we are working with the private sector and public sector all across the country on

mentorship programs, with mayors, talking to folks about doing a zero to three program. we know that if you invest early in young people, they are much more likely to succeed in school. we know there are certain points in time when kids are more likely to drop out, or more likely to get in trouble with the criminal justice system. and so figuring out interventions they are reading at grade level at third grade, they are more likely to graduate. we want to make sure we concentrate on reading skills at that level. the interest and involvement has surprised even me. people have been really generous and stepped up to the plate. and the nba is participating. some of you watching the games may have seen some of the ad of some of the players talking directly to the tv screen, saying to young people they matter. i just want to commend them for

the great work they are doing on that front. commissioner silber has been very good on it. so we appreciate it. all right. let's see. young lady way in the back right there. hold on one second, though. wait for the microphone. >> i want to get this right, so i am going to read it off. have to talk that fast. you are just a little nervous. a little bit. i am a junior at my high school, cochairing a bipartisan event to help engage high school students in our political process. what do you do to attract high school students and get them more engaged in our country's politics? leaders like this, juniors in high school taking an interest. make sure one of our

volunteers gets -- what is your name again? isabel? ok, let's get isabel's e-mail, and maybe i will send her a note to kickoff the event next year. one of the big challenges we have in this country is the lack of civic engagement. the lack of participation. in the last election, only about of the third people who were eligible to vote voted, a third. and, you know, u.s. -- you have elections that take place in ukraine, where they are in the middle of a war, and their participation rates are 60%. and here, with all the blessings that we have got, the notion that only a third of us

would vote that are eligible does not make any sense. and so it starts at a young age. and i think the most important thing is, in any bipartisan event like that, is to help young people understand that politics is not some sideshow in washington. it is not some cable chatter yakking, arguing. it is how we, together, as a community, make decisions about our priorities. what do we think is important? when you are a junior in high school, if you are like malia, if you decide you and your friends are going out, you have got to make all kinds of decisions about, where are we going to eat? what movie do you want to see? you take votes, and you are trying to figure out -- maybe one of your friends does not have enough money, and we have

to chip in to help make sure she can go to. -- too. the same thing is true for a country. we have got to make priorities, got to make decisions. are we going to invest in schools? are we going to make sure that when you graduate you can afford to go to college? are we going to make sure we are investing in the research that creates new medicines that will help cure cancer or parkinson's disease? are we going to make sure we are treating our veterans the way they need to be treated when they come home? how are we going to pay for that? who is going to pay for that? are we going to make sure we are passing on an environment with clean air and clean water? and how are we going to do that? how are we going to balance that with making sure that we are growing and economy, so when you graduate from college there is a job for you? those are all the things that

-- that politics determines. so i think, more than anything just helping young people understand that this stuff matters to them, and that government is not something separate from you -- it is you. in a democracy, it is you that makes these decisions. and then making sure you got good pizza at the event is also important. all right. who is next? young man right here. thank you. thank you. >> i am -- first, i want to say thank you for the things you are doing and going to do for our nation. secondly -- mark: my name is mark kelly. my question is, what is the

criteria and the requirements for this plan you are trying to propose? mark: for two years. president obama: of college. you would have to maintain at least a 2.5 average. so we are not going to -- there is no such thing as a completely free lunch. we want to reward people who are making the effort. because one of the problems we have, when it comes to college education, is that young people are not graduating fast enough. they are dragging things out too long. that just adds costs. and even if they are taking out loans, it is technically -- they are paying for it. the problem is that the more expensive it gets, the more likely it may be that they can pay it back. what we are saying is, you have got to earn it. you have got to have a 2.5 average. you have to maintain

attendance. you have to stay on a schedule and have a game plan at the front-end so you graduate on time. there would be special circumstances like illness or what have you. the point is, this is not, you get two years of free goofing off. this is to help you achieve your goals. but that means you have to put in the effort. that would be the main criteria. all right. yes, right here. hold on a second. the mic is coming. >> my name is christine lee vickers. i am a veteran from the u.s. army. and i am a member of the collegiate veteran association. president obama: which branch were u.n.? >> i was a mechanic.

veterans get use the g.i. bill. they also get rehab if they are underemployed or use their bill, or if they were a cold war veteran, they never got that. how does this affect a veteran cloth use of education? veterans today are dealing with unemployment rates higher than other people. they are dealing with unemployment altogether. and what is really important is getting a veteran who is dealing with posttraumatic stress or other problems to get an education and have people who understand the fact that they have issues, but at the same time, they have benefits they have earned and paid for through blood and tears. president obama: first of all, thank you for your service. we are proud of you. for those who qualify under the post-9/11 g.i. bill, you are already supposed to be getting the

benefits that you have earned. and so nothing would change about that program. as you point out, it is not just college tuition that is often a burden on our veterans. so i am very proud of the fact that i have increased veterans funding more than any administration since i have been in office. and a lot of it is focused on some of the challenges you talk about. for example, we made it much easier for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder to qualify under disability claims. we expanded significantly the number of mental health facilities that were available. we set up, for example, special

programs for women veterans, because they have differing medical needs, through the v.a. system. another example that is really important is, we have been working with states and local governments around issues of licensing. so you said you were a mechanic. there may be, in a lot of states, licensing requirements for you to be a mechanic, or to be ems officer, or to be a nurse. and what we were finding was -- i still remember, i had a conversation with a guy in minnesota when i first came into office. it was in a little diner sitting down. he had just come back from iraq. he had two or three tours in iraq.

and you can imagine what the emergency medic in iraq was dealing with in 2006 and 2007. he decided he wanted to make a career as a nurse. he was having to come back and start with nursing 101. i mean, he had to start from scratch, as if he did not have this incredible wealth of experience and skill. and so we set out to work with state legislators and cities and others that oftentimes are responsible for licensing, to say, there has got to be transferability and credit for the incredible work that veterans do on the job, so that they do not have to start all over again and take a whole bunch of new classes just to get certified on stuff they already know how to do. and that has been really helpful as well. the key now is to get more employers to recognize

the skills of our veterans. so michelle and jill biden through their joining forces program, have been able to recruit companies all across the country, major corporations like honeywell and smaller companies, to not just do job fairs, but make concrete commitments. we are going to hire a certain number of military spouses. and hundreds of thousands of folks have come through these programs. the challenge we have still got is that we have got to find ways for veterans to upgrade their skills through this process. and that is where things like apprenticeships, so that folks are not just getting hired at the bottom rungs, but have the opportunity to maybe, in at a higher wage or a higher salary. we have to tie together the education process with the hiring process. sure. >>

president obama: right. saying if you and a veteran have the same qualifications i feel like that is somewhat fair, because they put their lives on the line for our country. and they are taking this job do you agree with that?

president obama: i am always careful about not agreeing with bills that i have not read because that is how i get into trouble. but if there are any state legislators here, this young lady is going to be very interested in talking to you. >> president obama: well, there you go. that is your representative. your senator is hard at work. but i think the basic concept of making sure that we are crediting the work that is done by veterans is really important. the sacrifices that not just veterans, but their families make our incredible. and i am proud to say that we do much better now than we did

in the past. when you read about the vietnam era, it is just heartbreaking how veterans were treated when they came home. i think we as a society -- and this has been bipartisan -- have really improved. but we still have a lot more work to do. so the veterans health system, for example, is far better now than it was 30 years ago or 20 years ago. the monster but better. but as we saw, remember, in phoenix, there are still situations where the wait times are too long. veterans are really satisfied once they get in the system, by getting the initial appointment is often too tough. there is too much bureaucracy, too much red tape. we have to constantly keep at this and constantly keep improving it. we have no end in both the afghan war. we got millions of people, in terms of the combat role -- we have hundreds of thousands of folks who are coming home, and they are going to need help making this

transaction -- transition. we still have folks in harm's way, dealing with iso, as well as helping to train the iraqi and afghan armies. they are still on rotation. their families are still missing them. they are missing birthdays and soccer games. it is a big sacrifice. thanks for the question and thanks for your service. we have a gentleman -- let's see. a good question to choose from. he has got a veteran's hat on, which makes me more biased toward him. this is an example of -- are you when to ask another veterans question? ok, right here. >> mr. president, thank you for coming and thanks for taking my question. i am chris bolin, the student government president. i represent the students in the central region, for

ivy tech. we could use a tax credit for books. the costs on the books are running away. we need some help in that area. and then the same thing with advisers. we really need advisers that know the classes that we need, to look at the skills we already have in our life and say, have you thought about looking at the approach in a different way? we really need some help from the federal government in those areas. president obama i think that is a great point. first of all, i should have mentioned at the outset, when michelle and i -- when we got married, in addition to the bonds of love, we had the bonds of debt. our net worth was negative because we had all these student loans. basically, for the first 10 years of our marriage, we paid more in student loan repayment than we did in our mortgage.

and since we both went to law school, we both remember well the cost of books. and for those -- and then i taught in a law school, so i remember having to assign books. i actually cheated a little bit and put together these syllabi where i would xerox stuff off. make it a little cheaper for folks. that is not always possible. nothing is worse than when a professor assigns their own book. because then you know they are getting over it. you know, the book costs are enormous. they are real. one of the advantages of the two-year free college tuition plan -- that does not include room and board and books.

but what that does is, it frees up your ability to use spell grants or other programs for books, right? so it would relieve some of those costs, living expenses and transportation and all that stuff. school still would not be perfectly free, but you would now have the budget to manage that. with respect to advisers, i think this is a great point. we are starting at the high school level. michelle just had an event to celebrate counselors, and she had connie britton -- remember she played a counselor in "friday night lights." you all watch that show? that was a good show. she came to speak. it was celebrating the role of counselors and high schools. the same is true in community

a lot of young people have a general idea of what they want to do, but do not always know the path to get there. do not know what the requirements are. do not know what classes they should be taking. one of the big problems that drives a college costs is, young people start down one path, they get about halfway through it. they realize, that is the thing i am more interested in, over there. they switch, but all those credits they took now are wasted , and they have to start all over again. that extends greatly the amount of time it takes to graduate. having more counselors and investors on the front end and set being a good investment for the system overall. i have not talked to your president here. about how schools are currently budgeting advisers. certainly, this is something we are interested in.

we are going to want to partner with community college is an public universities, as well as with high schools, to see what more work we can do on that front. so good suggestion. that is why you got elected president. absolutely. all right. it is the young ladies turn, right here, right in the middle. >> good afternoon. my name is dana phillips. my question is, with the focus being on two-year community college is right now, what focused as your administration have for historically black colleges and universities, for students outside of indiana, where they may choose to attend these institutions with such dire straits that many of them are facing right now? president obama: we have some outstanding historically black colleges and universities. we have some universities that

historically served primarily latino students, who do a great job as well. many of those schools, because of their critical role in serving underrepresented communities under federal legislation get additional dollars to help with infrastructure and maintain their faculties and so forth. many of the problems those schools face are the ones every other school faces. which is rising tuition, students taking out too much debt, graduation rates that are too low. we are working with them on this common set of problems. i will say this. there are some historically black colleges and universities that are not doing a good job with graduation rates. and so one of the things we are doing is, we are saying to

schools of all stripes that we are going to develop some measures so that parents and students can know ahead of time how those schools are performing , so that we can increase consumer education. because what i don't want to do is to have the federal government pay for a hell grant for student loans, and you go to a school where they are taking that money, you are getting into debt, but your graduation rate is low, which means you may end up leaving without a degree now are on the hook for this debt. if you can't pay it, taxpayers have to pay for it. that is a problem. so what we are doing is, those schools that are doing

outstanding jobs serving underrepresented if communities, we are going to give them some extra help. schools that are not doing a good job, we are saying to them, we are going to give you the training to get better. but at a certain point, if you don't get better, we are going to start advertising the fact that your graduation rates are too low. we have got to have some accountability in this overall process. all right? good. the gentleman right here. there you go. in the spiffy gray jacket. frank: you have been our leader for six years. you have two years left. what would be your number one priority, and what can we help you do to accomplish that? president obama: i appreciate that. my number one priority is to make sure that the american people's wages and incomes are going up, since right now the

stock market is going up corporate profits are at an all-time high, corporate balance sheet have never been better in history -- that is not according to me. that is according to bloomberg and "fortune magazine," not generally my big promoters. so they are doing well. and the question now is, the folks who work in those companies, how do we get them more income and more wages? that cannot happen if the economy does not grow. first and foremost, we have got to keep this growth going. one of the worries that we are going to have this year -- the economy is doing well. the problem is, overseas, the economies are not doing so well. europe is not doing well.

china is slowing down, because they are transitioning. that is having some impact on our exports. so if we want to keep the progress that is going on right now, the best thing we can do is to make the investments i talked about in the state of the union to create more growth and demand here in the united states. i will be very specific this time, what you can help on. infrastructure. we know we have about $2 trillion worth of deferred maintenance we need to do in this country -- bridges that are unsafe, sewer mains that are bursting. airports that are out of date. we have got an air traffic control system that does not take advantage of new technologies.

if we put in place a new state-of-the-art air traffic control system, it is estimated that airlines could save 30% on their fuel costs, because they would not be hovering around trying to wait to land. that means 30% less pollution from fuel. it means we could cut delays by about 30%, which i know everybody here who has flown lately would really appreciate. it would be good for business. and the good thing about infrastructure is, you cannot export those jobs. they have to be done here. by american workers. and then those american workers have more money in their pocket. they go to the restaurant nearby, and the restaurant is doing a little better, so they fire a couple more ships. you get this virtuous cycle.

and traditionally, that has been a bipartisan issue. so if we can get republican representatives and senators and democratic representatives and senators here in indiana -- if you guys can push them to say, let's go ahead and move forward on an infrastructure program -- i know the mayor would not mind doing it, right? and convince them that keeps the economy growing overall. but then there are also some things that i want to do more directly for middle-class families. that has to do with this tax system. as i mentioned before, there was a young woman i talked about at the state of the union. wonderful family. two little boys. one of them is school-age. one of them is still too young, in preschool. their childcare is more than tuition at the university of minnesota, or at least close.

we are the only advanced nation on earth that does not provide support to families when their kids are really young. and does not invest in making sure that our child system works the way it should. i put forth an initiative that says, let's consolidate and make more helpful a tax credit for child care. let's boost the quality of childcare, so that parents have confidence when they're putting their kids someplace that the teachers there are trained, and they are getting good early childhood education. let's get more slots. that is something that is concretely helping families right now. and by the way, it is not just the poor family that has trouble here. there are a lot of folks who we do not consider middle-class who have the same problem.

it is just hard, especially now that the typical middle-class family, they got two breadwinners. folks both have to work in order to succeed. and we know how to do this. my grandfather, when he went away to war, fighting patent's -- patton's army in europe, my grandmother stayed home. she was rosie the riveter, working on an assembly line for bombers. and this country provided childcare, because they knew it was a necessity. if women were in the workforce you needed to have some of the looking after those kids. it is not that we have no experience doing this. we just need to do a good job. paid sick leave, for example. we have got 43 million americans who do not have paid sick leave. we are like the only country in the industrialized world that

does not provide paid sick leave. people will get sick. the idea that in a society like ours, we would force people to choose between leaving a sick child at home, for example, or giving up a day's pay -- that does not make any sense. the way hoosiers can help, the way folks all across america can help, is to let folks in congress know, these things are important. if, as i said before republicans in congress -- mitch mcconnell, john boehner, and the leadership there -- if they disagree with how i am paying for a bigger childcare tax credit, if they disagree with how i plan to pay for

infrastructure, if they do not want to raise or close loopholes on the top 1%, or go after some of these loopholes that send profits overseas -- if they do not want to do it that way, then they should show me another way. your voice, letting them know this is important, not because it is partisan, but because it is the right thing to do for america -- if they hear that from enough people, it will make a difference. it goes back to what that young lady asked about, isabel. i got a good memory. it goes back to what isabel is saying. our system only works when people are involved. when people are involved and informed, taking the time to ask questions and their

opinions be known, ultimately, the government will respond. when nobody is saying anything the government does not respond, and you get the government we have seen lately in washington, which is unresponsive and were not doing enough. you have got to be informed. i am so optimistic about this country. the reason we have gotten out of this recession over the last six years is, in part -- i am going to go ahead and brag a little bit. we have made some good decisions. we made some decisions that saved the auto industry, some decisions to stabilize the financial system, decisions to help local government keep their teachers on the payroll and not lay them off. we made a bunch of decisions to do infrastructure spending.

and all of that helped lift us out of the recession we are in. but the main reason was because people worked hard in the private sector and small businesses. they tightened their belts and they made sacrifices and pay down debt, and dug themselves out of holes. the resilience and the great and the basic decency of the american people, and our willingness to work hard, our innovation, our willingness to take risks -- it puts us in such a good position. i travel all around the world. i know the economies of every country in the world. i know their problems. i know their advantages. people talk about china. they talk about germany. they talk about india. nobody has got a better than we do, if we make decisions together. someone said about america, we always end up doing the right thing after we have tried everything else.

i am hoping that we do not have to try every other thing before we do the right thing right now to help middle-class families get ahead. if we do that, the economy is going to be stronger. businesses are going to do better. consumers are going to be more confident. we will sell more goods overseas. our kids will have the kind of future we want for them. that is what i am going to be working on for the next two years. i hope you help me. 's [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption contents and accuracy. visit ncicap.org

>> it may have seemed like groundhog week in the senate as three failed attempts to bring the spending bill to the floor were tried. we are joinled by lauren who has been covering the issue. what is the holdup? >> well, the holdup is the fact that democrats are upenite against this piece of legislation which rolls back the executive actions in 2014 and also his docka action in 2012. they have continued to hold their filibuster even after three votes.

and republicans aren't quite ready to budge either. they want to continue to put democrats on the record for being against -- for not being against's the president's executive action. so i think that's where the holdup is. so i think what we're looking for is whether or not republicans are ready to start the negotiating process here and whether or not democrats will even accept anything less than a clean department of homeland security funding bill which at this point they're not willing to do. >> ahead of next week's action, the piece you helped write has the headline that here are the options. to end the immigration stalemate. and none of them are good. so what seems more likely at this point? >> republicans can continue to bring this house bill to the floor, make democrats vote on it. of course we don't expect the votes to change much. the other option is that republicans could accept a clean department of homeland security bill. they could pass it. that would upset a lot of the

republicans right flank both in the house and in the senate. people like jeff sessions, ted cruz have repeatedly said they would really like to make the president's executive action the centerpiece of this d.h.s. funding bill. one other option that has been floated senator collins introduced an amendment that would essentially take out the controversial piece decrying the president's 2012 action rolling back dacka there. but still include language that would make senate republicans hold democrats accountable for what the president did in 2014 on his executive action. of course democrats even though who said in november that they didn't approve of the way he did it they don't appear like they're willing to vote with republicans on that. so that's an unlikely option. and what we're hearing is that if they cannot get on to the bill senate republicans want the house republicans to send them a new piece of

legislation. of course that puts house speaker john boehner back in a precarious situation where he has to sort of fight off his right flank and look to pass something else that the senate can pass. so none of the options here look good. and it certainly is going do be between mitch mcconnell and house speaker john boehner to work out. >> the house is going to take up a measure passed in the senate. snelt the senate passed keystone xl pipeline bill. they're taking up the senate version instead of going to conference. why that choice? >> i can that it would just reduce the amount of time. they want to get this on the president's desk as fast as possible. of course the president has said he is not going to sign it. but they want to have that confrontation asap. >> we joined by lauren fox who covers capitol hill. you can read more on twitter. and read more on line. thanks for joining us.

>> you bet. thank you. >> republican congressman alan nunly of mississippi has died. a spokesperson in his congressional office said he died in his hometown of tupe lo. last june, representative nunly had a stroke while surgeons were removing a brain tumor. he was too ill to go to washington in early january to be sworn in for his third term. house leaders let him take his oath from a federal judge in mississippi. he was 56. >> next, congressman paul ryan talks about international trade deals. then remarks by the united nations high commissioner for human rights. after that, national security adviser susan rice on national security and foreign policy. >> on thursday wisconsin representative paul ryan mosted

an event. he says that america is being left behind as other nations like china and brazil make trade deals around the world. representative paul also touched on the upcoming trade deal with the european union known as the atlantic trade and investment partnership. he calls for the eu to remove all tariffs on u.s. goods. this is about 20 minutes

nothing is done more to lift people out of poverty than the free enterprise system. nothing. but this is an idea that needs defending but not every country shares our way of life or even understands for that matter. a few years back, a foreign politician was talking to an american journalist. the first question he asked was here in the united states you don't have this phenomenon of passing money under the table. the journalist explained that in our country the way to get ahead isn't to grease the palms

or to cut the corners but to make an honest living. competition is the only real cure for corruption, he said. so what we are offering the world is not just an economic vision. we are offering a moral vision, too. and it is our job to make this vision a reality. luckily, we have got an opportunity to do just that. right now we are negotiating several trade agreements. these are great opportunities. first there is the transpacific partnership. then there's the transatlantic and investment partnership with our friends in europe. finally, there's the trade and ser services agreement with countries all around the world. these could bring huge benefits to our country. tpp and t tip could give us access to over 1 billion customers in two thirds of global g.d.p. think about that. all negotiations are ongoing. and i don't want to presume the outcome now but all agreements

must win congress' support. so i want to explain a little bit what we are looking for in congress. if i had to sum up my approach it would be basically this. aim high go for the gold, take down as many barriers as pofpblet in fact i would rather have fewer countries signed up if it went we took down more barriers. so say for tpp. japan and canada have to lower their agricultural tariffs. in some cases japan's tariffs reach as high as 700% and canada have big restrictions on teary poultry and egg products. dr dairy poultry and egg products. if any of these country think that our standards are too high, i would complete the agreement without them and then invite them to join later when they can. for t tip the european union must eliminate all tariffs. every one of them. just as they promised they would do at the outset. and they must go further. they must justify these unjustifiable regulations. they need to reform these.

labels are labels. they are meant to inform. they are not meant to frighten. and regulations are meant to deep people safe, not to keep politicians in office. so the way i see it it, this is ra great opportunity for our friends in europe to set up a system that's first rate. everybody benefits. and any agreement must include strong protections for cross border data flows. investment, financial services, intellectual property rights. now for tisa we need to think big.

we've got to expand the information technology agreement because we can keep our crucial edges in this sector if we can do that. wofe to look for all opportunities to take down barriers for all members of the wto especially the major emerging economies and we have to use the disputed settlement process to enforce our rights. otherwise, what's the point of having a trade agreement? before we can conclude any of these deals, there's one thing that we have to do. we've got to pass trade promotion authority. here the issue. when the united states sits down at the negotiating table every country at that table has to be able to trust us. they have to know that the deal that administration wants also the deal that congress wants.

because if our trading partners don't trust the administration, if they think it will make commitments that congress will do later on they won't make concessions. on the other hand, once our trading partners know that we are trust worthy, once they can see that we are negotiating in good faith they will be more willing to make concessions. that's why we have to pass tpa before negotiations are complete. what iment saying is that what tpa does is enhancing congress' tower. nothing stops the administration. they can do this right now. so if we waited until after the nellingshations to get involved and simply reacted, we might

just kill the deal. that means we have to get involved before the deal is done not after it's finished. we have to be proactive not reactive. that is what tpa does. we call this process trade promotion authority. i think of it more a contract. we say to the administration if you want this top up or down vote you have to meet three requirements. number one you've got to follow our guidelines. here's what we want to see in the trade agreement. number two you've got to talk with us, you've got to consult with us. number three you have to remember congress gets the final said. we simply can't get the best deals without tpa. and that's why we've got to pass it as soon as we can. and that's why the president also has to show leadership on this issue. completing these trade deals is my number one priority. and in the meantime there are few other thing that is are on our to do list. this is going to be a very busy year for trade. first, reauthorize gsp. many small businesses need this program to stay competitive.

second, pass a seamless and timely renewal of the african growth and opportunity act as soon as possible. this has helped promotors. it's helped free enterprise come to these countries. it has created an opportunity for the continent. it's basically said to our reformers in africa free enterprise is the way to go. third, find a way forward for the miscellaneous tariff bill. this has been vexing for some time. it's been slipping through us. we've got to get this done. we've got to get a common-sense solution to this. the basic thing is the bill would eliminate duties on hundreds of products that we don't even make in this country and that our manufacturers need to make their products. we're needlessly raising prices for consumers in america and we have to finish this. finally we've got to pass the customs trade performance act. congressman brady has done solid work. it would stream line our laws

and congressman boustany has come up with a very creative way to fight trade invasion. this is all important legislation. we've got to get it done. this is a long wish list but it is a plan to excute on all of these fronts. but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture. of what we're doing and why we're doing it. because it's not just our economy that's on the line here. it is america's credibility. there is no question it's taken a beating over the last few years. we have left the world wondering, does the united states have the staying power? finishing these trade deals would emphatically answer with a yes. yes, you can count on the united states. yes, we will be there. we won't abandon the field. we will stick up for free enterprise and free people. the world still looks to our example. and on the big questions of the day they still look for our answer. and when it comes to this question, the future of the global economy, we will have to pronounce our answer clearly

and without hesitation. only in a free enterprise system is it true does not determine the outcome of your life. that idea, the idea we call if american idea, that -- that without question is our most valuable export. thank you very much for indulging me today. i appreciate it. [applause]

enterprise system >> representative adam smith of washington ranking member of the armed services committee will discuss authorization of military force against isis ashton carter, the defense budget debate and other key military topics. newsmakers on c-span. this sundays on "q&a"," david brooks columnist for the "new york times" on writing an article for the times and the awards he gives out at the end of the year. the sidney awards? >> the sidney awards are given for the best magazine he is says of the year and they can be in journals or in the new yorker, the atlantic or obscure literary magazines. the idea is they always come out around that christmas week between christmas and new year's. the idea is that's a good week to step back and not lead little

stuff, newspaper articles but to read something deeper and longer, and it's to celebrate those longer pieces. i do believe magazines change history. the "the new repuckblic" was the most influential american magazine of the 20th century, really did change history. it created progressivism. conservatism barely existed before then and gave it a voice. >> sunday night 8:00 eastern on c-span's q and a. >> human rights official hussein speaks about isis. he said he was filled with anger and disgust at the recent hostages killed by isis and it was a tradition. from the georgetown university law center's human rights institute, this is 30 minutes.

>> thank you for coming. i would like to introduce to you the u.n. high commissioner for human rights zeid re 'id hussein who took office in september of last year and i welcome him. >> good morning, lanny of the press. permit me if you will to begin my remarks by speaking plainly as a jordanian and the u.n. human rights chief. i am filled filled with anger

and disgust at what was done to my come patriyacht muath muathkesekebah, to the two japanese captives, toot british and american can't tichz, to the z men, women, children and many others in the form of burning, beheadings and raping sometimes of children the perpetrators who have committed these monstrous crimes killing the defenseless in defense of what, exactly? who would want to live in that so-called state, a state that crucifies, burns and buries children alive?

let us be clear: killing and torturing defenseless captives is a betrayal of the islamic tradition. it is forbidden in customary norm. it is forbidden in international humanitarian law the geneva convention and previously to that or prior to that the hague regulations. and human experience it is forbidden, period. what virtue or courage is there in beheading someone defenseless, raping a young girl? does a person who calls themselves the fighter believe this is -- this is a definition of courage? these people of an aisleilated con

shens are so far outside of human experience. the young adherents seek to go join must know what they seek to join is not an adventure, it is an utterly criminal existence. if you are looking for some meaning in your life, do good deeds. >> will be your salvation. this is the first official trip for high commissioner for human rights to washington in eight years. it has been important for me and my office to reengage with the administration and with members of congress particularly during these troubled deeply troubled times. just as a first step, i hope to

be back for more visits, of course to cover other issues. this is a preliminary visit. not surprisingly, given what is going on syria and iraq and nigeria, somalia and elsewhere, the main focus of the discussions has been violent extremism. in the was brought in to the stark focus on tuesday with the appearance of the video showing the horrendous killings of muath kesebeh, the gruesome killing, with the other hostages overshadowed virtually every one of my meetings. i had serious discussions of this and related issues and with many of the senior state department officials whom i met as well as members of both the house and the senate from both parties. as you may be aware yesterday,

at an event, kindly and very appropriately hosted by the hol caust memorial museum i laid out some ideas about how we should and how we shouldn't attempt to deal with the spread of extremism carried out by the groups such as isil boko haram and al shack obvious and others in addition to -- al shabaab and in iraq and syria. and, of course it is not simply syria and iraq but also, an increasing number of countries, especially in the middle east, south asia and all across the northern part of africa. libya is in an extremely alarming state. yemen is deeply trunld the

south sudan could easily plunge back into religious and ethnic violence and boko haram is rampaging across parts of northern nigeria and in camaroon slaughtering and kidnapping people wherever they go and laying waste to towns and villages. i have suggested an armed response is clearly not enough. we have been responding in that way borrow more than a decade now. and yet these groups have simply spread and grown like some particularly virulent can scary feeding off of our assets to contain them. i have taken pains to point out that isil in particular for all of of its barbarity is extremely quick and clever in the way that it exploits our reactions, our overreactions, our mistakes. we must be extremely careful not

to allow them to drag us into betraying our own core principles, namely the powerful system of human rights protection that we have built up after world war ii and when we do it helps their recruitment. it will feeds their fiendish nilistic killing machine. if there is one small silver lining in all of the horrors we have seen in recent weeks, it is that we are starting to understand this. later this month, the united states will convene a summit on violent extremism designed, if i understand it correctly, to delve deeper into the complexities of dealing with this will increasingly lethal phenomenon phenomenon. i hope and believe we will develop more sophisticated ways to undermine isil and the other

groups. simply bombing them and denouncing them is clearly not enough and more and more people are, i think, starting to realized this we have to fight failure ideas with better ideas. stop undermining our own worldwide system of human rights because they push us to do so. tackle the hopelessness and disillusion that is providing them with the apparent endless stream of young men and young women sucked in by their apparent successful be in confronting a world that is offering them too little hope. we are in a very grave period we have failed to comprehend how we hand or miss handle thesibs may affect us in uncreasingly unpredictable ways for years to come. i thank you for your attention i will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

>> that would be great if you can idea the media organization you work for when you ask your questions. >> [question posed away from the microphone.] >> as i said in my statement i just read out, i think for all jordanians the killing of muath kase sp eh was so shocking but in one way, no less shocking than everything else that he they have been doing, has galvanized the jordanian public into realizing that these people must be resisted.

the arguments that many of us are making when looking back over the many years that they have been operating across many parts of the world is that it would seem that armed action taken against them is simply not enough. there are attempts of course to seek out the funding mechanics that keep them going but we also believe that there must be a new battle line in the form of an ideological battle line that responds to what it is that they say and they do, and the letter issued by 126 muslim scholars back in september is an initiative, i think, that is worthy of support, that if the

muslim world and muslims take it upon themselves to answer back to the -- the ideas that they hold that this will be the first step in terms of unwinding what it is that they seek to actually sort of promote in terms of their ideology. i think this would be good. >> [question posed away from the microphone.] >> i wish to commend you for take okay this formidable and important post. we know your office is concerned with the universal declaration of human rights is there. a core responding universal obligation for governments on all levels to foster the

recognition of these rights and protect them? >> that's a very good point. assem, the deck collaration was adopted by the general assembly soon after it was written up. a number of key treaties and conventions were developed whereby governments undertook upon themselves by accepting these treaties certain obligations and our office is of course there to remind these governments that these obligations are not simply declaratory obligations but obligations that must be implemented at all stages and even with the passage of the years, there should be no dimunition in the support given

to them. so we havee we believe that this is absolutely the right way to proceed. and in particular when you look at certain treaties such as the convention against torture, for example, itself-executing treaty. the mostment you accede to it, it's applicable in your law. it was a very clear convention very clear convention. no exceptions. it can be provided as grounds for breaching the treaty. that is very clear. when governments under take these obligations, we hope and expect that they will abide by them. what we are worried about is in an effort to overturn extremist violence that we see that

governments feel inclined at times to -- and they were justified as temporary measures to reach some of these treaties. what we are saying is that these obligations relate to treaties that were developed as response to wars and torture that have been part of human experience for the past few mil inyell. the treaty attempts to distill this experience the experience as couched with humor through human wisdom into a law that reflects that experience and so there should be no grounds i hope this is something that we will continue to press upon

them. >> my name is michelle. i sit here at university mr. mr. ambassador, i work in the health sector obviously, and there, i bring the principles of rule of law and governorance to assist to implement their obligations obligations. obligations. it's my observation that too often governments do not know how to actually operationalize their obligations under the law. and i note your -- some of the materials i have read about yourself and your thinking about the work you are setting out to do is you are looking at the health sector and we could look at education. we could look at the court system. we could look at any number of institutions within governments that are probably failing in a lot of places where terrorists

are rising up. in recent yield, i worked in afghanistan where just a few days ago, i read about the talibantable constructing court to actually hear cases, disputes between people because the court system is failing. i wonder if in your thinking and perhaps premature in your tenure if i had some thoughts around how to operational eyes and to assist countries to operationalize their obligations so that institutions can be rebuilt or built anew so that we can provide this level of support to citizens in countries. thank you. >> yes. it's an excellent question. six million of our youngest people little people, people between the ages of one day old and five years of aiming die every year from preventable,

preventable causes and in many instances, as you are rightly pointing out, it is because the authorities that are at least nominally responsible for the health are delinquent in the discharge of their duties. and 6 million is the equivalent of many average-sized countries. it's quite a amazing. if we -- if we were to say that isil was killing 6 million people a year, you know, you can imagine the reaction we are not determined when we say 6 million people die as a result of preventable causes and that they are very young, that we are not more determined to do better and i even said at one stage n some cases it must amount to

criminal, and there must be more local authorities for deaths in this regard. >> you are absolutely right. if people do not see government stand up to their obligations and respect their health in respect of education, it creates spaces, then for those of more extreme ideological bent to exploit this and that's what we have to integrate into the discussion on countering environmental extremism. so, i agree with you. >> any more questions from the journalits present? >> in regards to getting a society to stop pushing for exceptions during times of war or times of violent extremism, how do you suggest that governments kind of encourage and foster these ideas at the

most basic level of society? >> it's important that governments, i think, take a comprehensive view of this and understand that if societies felixcluded, if societies at the fringes are okay with allowing for alienations and are not determined to end it, we will have adherence attach or we will have young people attachthems to philosophies or let's say ideologies of the more extreme. and human experience as i said before especially in the 20th century is filled with violent drama which we really do not want to see replayed in the 21st

century. we do not want to go back to the horrors of the 20th century that just passed. so we have to take stop and learn what it is that contributed to the tum tult, did he ever did he have -- that led to the death did of many people violently and understand we cannot put ourselves in a situation where we cannot the trajectories from taking us to that sort of outcome and so it is important for governments to view not just the people through a security prison to protect them in security terms. it has to be seen with a big s that it's not just security in

terms of physical protection in terms of food in terms of health for all parts of the population. if you can have that -- and surely you can -- you immunize yourself better against the forces of extremism when you are willing to accept scrutiny of better position for the long-term. some are more prone to sudden shifts and instability long-term. so we, as the human rights office will remind government and they will be uncomfortable when we do this that they have obligations that they need to uphold. but we also believe that we are

not doing them a disservice. we are actually doing them a service. they may be sometimes uncomfortable with what we say. all of us are pushing in the same direction, and that is for the betterment of the people of the country concerned and we are looking for them to enjoy a better standard of life with the full protection of the law provides for them. >> i think just one last question. >> i wondper what is your concern on ukraine conflict right now and did you talk about this issue with your officials going over what their reaction and what do you think the united states and russia should do in

this region? >> thank you very much for that question. the office which i lead has a monitoring mission in ukraine that has been in place really almost ever since the crisis began in the eastern part of the country. we have periodic reports that we make available to the international community. and yes, we discuss ukraine with a large number of countries. naturally, it's of great concern to the enter the national community writ large. and we have seen of course even though we have all of us have called for full compliance with the menska court we have seen the cease-fire unravel and

the other day, i issued a statement and i made clear that now what we see in donetsk and luhansk is bus stops public transport market places schools, kindergartens, hospitals and residential areas have all become battle grounds and at risk: 5.2 million people in the eastern part are now vul vulner vulnerable. i mean surely and i think all of us share this. surely no one wants to see this crisis deepen and expand. and sentially the 5,358 people who have been killed are 5,358 people too many. we appeal of course to all sides to deescalate this crisis.

the world can ill-afford to have a crisis of this sort, given everything else that we have to deal with and so we will continue to make this appeal along with all of the other u.n. agencies and partners across the international community. i do expect in early march to be discussing ukraine with a number of key officials when they come to geneva and at that stage, i will address members of the press on the outcome of the discussion. thank you. >> okay. [question posed away from microphone.]? >> revealing every option. i won't comment about the

actions taken by individual states because, of course t monitoring mission is monitoring the situation there on the ground. we are not monitoring the performance of other states in respect of ukraine, as such. and what concerns us of course is the minsk accords and have the cease-fire put back in place that the unravelling will continue. again, surely this is not to the ad vantage of anyone in the international community. >> a very long question. we have to rush off. >> you couldn't have a list of like the top 10 worst offenders of human rights? if so how would america appear

on that list? and what is the high end for you to -- the tie for you to come to georgetown? >> you've just given me an idea. we haven't had a talk on this. we remind all states just a review of all of the comments that my predecessors and now mace have made in respect of many, many countries around the world. we don't pick on any one country or one region. we continuous will you review and studies the comments that states, themselves make when they come to geneva. under the international periodic

review. all states submit human rights performance to the scrutiny of the human rights council and that they all, of course will point out that they have been able to accomplish x, y and z but there are still some issues outstanding. they are told they should do this and that, and then they will accept those recommendations or not. we remind them of their -- the recommendations that they have accepted. and we hope that they then do so. there is no ranging, as such but maybe one day, there should be. there is the first press conference i have been to where the press is not just asking questions but making suggestions. >> prior to the press conference with members of the faculty and students at the law school very

enjoyable discussions and at times, of course somber as well, given the state of the world. thank you. >> thank you very much indeed. thank you so much. thank you. >> the c-span cities tour takes book t.v. and american history t.v. on the road travel to go u.s. cities to learn about their history and literary life. this weekend, we partnered with time warner cable with a visit to corpus christi, texas. >> we are in the daniel kilgore reading room of the special elections at the mary and jess library. hector p garcia, papers are the flagship collection we have here in corpus. he made it his life to help local and beyond mexican americans lirp to be more civ civically active and get benefits they had coming to them as veterans which were sometimes

difficult for them to obtain. this represents a case of felix longoria, which was an incidence that occurred only in the history of thegy gi forum. private longoria served the united states during world war ii and was killed by a japanese sniper toward the end of the war. his widow arranged to have his funeral conducted by the only funeral home in her hometown of three rivers, texas, which is near corpus cristhristichristi. they were willing to conduct the funeral, but they were not willing to allow his body to remain at their funeral home overnight for fear of offending the white citizens of the area. she appealed to dr. garcia, and he conducted a letter writing campaign to people with positions of influence. a response came from lyndon johnson who had recently been elected senator. he states his belief that it was

wrong for a soldier, a fallen soldier to be discriminated against after death. he offered burial in the arlington national cemetery and that is where private longoria was laid to rest. >> watch all of our event from corpus christi today on noon eastern on book t.v. and sunday afternoon at 2:00 on american history on c-span 3. >> now national security advisor susan rice discussions president obama's new national security strategy at a forum hosted by the brookings institution. ambassador rice also outlined the president's foreign policy priorities and agenda. this is about an hour and 10 minutes. >> good afternoon everybody. it's my great honor to welcome all of you here. with respect to our guest ofhon,

ambassador rice, i want to welcome her back to this premises. she is a former colleague of mine. a special welcome to her mom. how about that? her mom has come out. >> to hear her daughter speak on a very important subject. i have to say just a quick word on lois rice. i am quite sure that in the 99-year history of brookings there has only been one mother/daughter team here at the planningings institution, both senior fellows, one in foreign policy and susan and lois until economics studies and lois continues to be a very important part of this institution. now, as you all know, susan is

here to talk about the national security strategy for 2015 and into the future. the origins this document and this exercise witness the executive branch goes back to the aftermath of world war two and the dawn of the cold war. today, the big challenge facing the united states and its partners and allies in the international community is not containment although russia is back and moving backwards in troublesome ways. the number one challenge today is building an inclusive, cooperative that will among other things bring rule-based order out of violent chaos of

the sort raging in eastern ukraine and in the self-proclaimed islamic state. that's a goal of a new initiative that martin and his colleagues at susan's alma mater will launch next week. we hope, susan, that our efforts at brookings and those at other think tanks will reinforce the government's efforts you are going to talk to us today. the podium is yours but let me tell -- what do i say tweeters? i almost said twitterers. the tweeters here can follow and report on the what susan has to say under the hash tag of 2015nss. susan, thank you [applause.]

>> good afternoon, everyone. thank you very much, joe for that very kind introduction, and thank you to everyone here at brookings. as he said this was my home for six very peaceful years. and truthfully i miss it. and thank you especially for saying such kind words about my mom, lois rice whose ties to brookings go back many many years. looking away the room i am grateful to see many friends who challenged and encouraged me throughout my tenure here at brookings and who continue to generate some of the best ideas for america's foreign policy. broadly speaking in every respect, i am very glad to be here. this morning president obama released his 2015 national security stra strategy.

it's a strategy to strength en the foundations of american america's power: political, economic and military and to sustain american leadership in this new century. r so we can surmount the challenges of today and capture opportunities of he tomorrow. it is guided by four enduring national interests that we laid out in the 2010 national security strategy: security prosperity values and a rules-based international order. 2015 is a new ball game. much has changed in the last five years. as a nation we are stronger than we have been in a very long time. since president obama took office, we have arrested the

worst financial crisis and repaired the biggest collapse in world trade since the great depression. in 2010, unemployment in the united states was almost 10%. today, visitors have -- businesses have added more than $11 million and unemployment is down to 5.7%. >> 2010, our deficit topped$2,010, our deficit topped $1 trillion. today, we have cut that in half to less than $500,000,000,000. our kids are graduating at higher rates. millions more americans have healthcare. we have unlocked a domestic energy boon that's made us the world's number 1 producer of oil and gas, strengthening our energy security with huge ripple effects form global oil markets and geo politics.

we brought home almost 170,000 american troops, responsibly ending two long and cost lyn ground wars and repurposing our military strength so we can bet other enable respond to emergeing threats and crisis. the diversity and creativity of the american people continue to be a well-stream of american power driving innovations that are revolutionizing everything from the way we hail a cab to the way we treat disease. by fortifying our foundational strengths, america is in a better position to confront current crises and sees the opportunities of this new century. yet few know better than we the complexity of the challenges that america faces. every day, i start my morning with a briefing that covers the most sobering threats and the

difficult problems that confront us around the world. these include the fallout from the arab uprising russian aggression ebola, cyber attacks and a more diffuse terrorist threat. but too often, what's missing here in washington is a sense of perspective. yes, there is a lot going on. still, while the dangers we face may be more numerous and varied they are not of the excess excesstential nature we con fronted during world war ii or during the cold war. we cannot afford to be buffeted by alarmism in a nearly instantaneous news cycle. we must continue to do the hard work of leading in a complex and rapidly evolving world, of seizing opportunities and of winning the future for our

children. strong and sustained american leadership remains as essential as ever. think for a minute where the world would be today without decisive american leadership. ebola would be spreading throughout west africa and likely to far corners of the world. to roll back this honorable disease. without us russia would be suffering no cost for its actions in ukraine. the ruble is in the free-fall and russia is paying dealer for throughouting the rules. without us there would be no military campaign or sixty countries countering isil's advance, there would be no goal for an agreement on climate change no