in terms of attacks and the visible bonds could drive up transportation cost dramatically if they start taxing. guest: in addition, investment market is an issue for us because as he indicated, a lot of pension earnings come from investments. host: david lillard, tennessee state treasurer, jim mcintyre, treasurer for washington state thank you for being here. now we will go to live coverage of the house. the house will be gaveling in for the prayer and pledge, and then they will recess until approximately 10:45 when the senate will be joined by the house with a joint meeting to hear from the afghan president ghani. thank you for watching and we will be back tomorrow morning.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room washington, d.c. march 25 2015. i hereby appoint the honorable alexander x. mooney to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain reverend tim crumpton of clevern county

baptist church in arkansas. the chaplain: let's pray. dear heavenly father, thank you almighty god, for the promise in your holy word that says whoever believes in your only begotten son jesus christ has ever lasting life. thank you, lord, for the freedoms and blessings that still remain in our great country. thank you for those that sit strong for the biblical principles that have shaped us and also for those that fought for these principles that have kept us free. lord, please forgive the since of our nation -- the sins of our nation. exalt at the nation but sin is a reproach to any people. lord please help this congress and their families when each item of legislation is presented, help these men and women to seek your wisdom and perform their duties ethically

remembering, always the people they represent and also your principles that have continued to preserve this country. in the name of jesus christ i pray, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1 i question a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. mr. crawford: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert. mr. gohmert: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. crawford, is recognized for one minute. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to recognize my friend, pastor tim crumpton of hew bree springs, arkansas, who served as guest chaplain in the house of representatives. i haved the pleasure of knowing him for the past several years and i'm humble of his leadership, through his dedication to god and scripture. ever since he was a young man he has been involved in various ministries and holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in christian education. he preached in children's

ministries, christian youth camps and singing in churches throughout the state and the country abroad. today he serves as the pastor as cleburne baptist church in hebrew arkansas. he and his wife will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next month. please join me in thanking pastor crumpton for leading us in prayer today as our guest chaplain of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. after consultation among the speaker and the majority and minority leaders and with their consent, the chair announces that when the two houses meet in joint meeting to hear an address by his excellency mohammad ashraf ghani president of the islamic republic of afghanistan, only the doors immediately opposite the speaker and those immediately to his left and right will be open. no one will be allowed on the floor of the house who does not have the privilege of the floor of the house. due to the large attendance

that is anticipated, the rule regarding the privilege of the floor must be strictly enforced. children of members will not be permitted on the floor. the cooperation of all members is requested. the practice of reserving seats prior to the joint meeting by the placard will not be allowed. members may reserve their seats by physical presence only following the security sweep of the chamber. pursuant to the order of the house of thursday march 19 2015, the house stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. >> that after three hours of debate yesterday.

the house will also debate alternative budgets, one each from the progressive caucus, the belongal black caucus, the republican study committee and house democrats. and two versions from house budget committee chair tom price. one with $2 billion in extra war funding that is not offset, and one without the extra war funding. but as we said before that in an address to the joint meeting of congress from afghan president ashraf beganny. he arrived for talks with president obama. they met in the oval office. and after that they held a joint news conference in the east room. at that news conference, president obama announced blans for about 9,800 u.s. troops to remain in afghanistan until at least the end of the year. afghanistan's president had requested that delay in the withdrawal of u.s. troop.

>> the afghan president entering the white house for meetings with the president. we are going to show you as much of yesterday's news conference as we can before the house returns for the afghan president's speech at 10:45. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the president of the islamic republic of afghanistan. the president: please have a seat. before i begin i want to say that our thoughts and our prayers are with our friends in europe especially the people of germany and spain, following a

terrible airplane crash in france. it's particularly heartbreaking because it apparently includes the loss of so many children. some of them infants. i called german chancellor merkel and i hope to speak with president rohoi of spain to express the condolences of the american people and offer whatever assistance we can to investigate what has proven to be an awful tradgedy. our team's in very close contact and we are working to confirm how many americans may have been on dord. germany and spain are among our strongest allies in the world and our message to them is that as their steadfast friend and ally, america stands with them at this moment of sorrow. now, it is a great pleasure to

welcome president ghani to the white house. as many of you know president ghani spent time here in the united states as a student and as a scholar. he happened to go to columbia university where we both studied and then spent time in the world bank just down the street from here. so his life reflects in many ways the friendship and mutual respect between americans and afghans. in that spirit, mr. president, i want to extend to you the warmest of welcomes. president ghani's presence here today along with chief executive abdullah underscores afghan's -- afghanistan's progress. in last year's election, millions of afghans defied the threats from the taliban and bravely cast their ballots. in the spirit of compromise in putting their interests behind the interests of the nation president ghani and dr. abdullah ensured the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power in

afghanistan's history. together they now lead a national unity government that reflects the diversity, the strength and the determination of the afghan people. their government signed a bilateral security agreement between our two countries, and on december 31, after more than 13 years, america's combat mission in afghanistan came to a responsible ind. afghan forces now have full responsibility for security across their country. some 330,000 afghans serve in the police and security forces. and they are making extraordinary sacrifices. fighting and often dying for their country. and they continue to grow stronger month by month. today we honor the many afghans men, women, and children who have given their lives for their country. we salute the more than 2,200 americans patriots, who made the ultimate sacrifice in

afghanistan and the many more who were wounded. this morning, president ghani and dr. abdullah visited arlington national cementary to pay their respects to our fallen heroes. we are grateful for that gesture of gratitude and we know it meant a lot to the families as well. we'll see the bonds again between our people on display when president ghani has an opportunity to address congress tomorrow. so, with a new government in afghanistan and with the end of our combat mission, this visit is an opportunity to begin a new chapter between our two nations. president ghani and dr. abdullah, i thank you both for your strong support of the partnership between our two nations. yesterday, they had a chance to spend time in camp david with our respective teams and had excellent discussions on how we can move forward together. today guided by our strategic partnership, we focused on several areas. first, we agreed to continue to

keep in place our close security cooperation. afghanistan remains a very dangerous place and insurgents still launch attacks, courage suicide bombings against civilians. president ghani is pursuing reforms to further strengthen afghan security forces including respect for human rights and as part of the ongoing nato mission, the united states will continue to train, advise and assist afghan security forces. as we announced yesterday, we'll work with congress on funding to sustain 352,000 afghan police and troops through 2017. at the same time, we'll continue to conduct targeted counterterrorism operations and we agreed to maintain a dialogue on our counterterrorism partnership in the years ahead. at our peak four years ago, the united states had more than 100,000 troops in afghanistan.

in support of today's narrow missions we have just under 10,000 troops there. last year, i announced a timeline for drawing down our forces further, and i have made it clear we are determined to preserve the gains our troops have won. president ghani has requested some flexibility on our drawdown timelines. i consulted with general campbell in afghanistan, my national security team, i decided we'll maintain our current posture of 9,800 troops through the end of this year. the specific trajectory would be the 2016 drawdown would be established later this year. to a final consolidation to a kabul embassy presence by the end of 2016. this flexibility reflects our reinvigorated partnership with afghanistan, which is aimed at making afghanistan secure and preventing it from being used to launch terrorist attacks. reconciliation and a political

settlement remain the surest way to achieve the full drawdown of u.s. and foreign troops from afghanistan in way that safeguards international interests and peace in afghanistan. as well as u.s. national security interests. second and a best way to ensure afghanistan's progress as a political settlement, we'll continue to support an afghan-led reconciliation process. president ghani, you have shown both leadership in reaching out to pakistan, which is critical to the pursuit of peace. afghanistan and the united states agree on what the taliban must done, which is break with al qaeda, renounce violence, and abide by afghan laws, including the protections for women and minorities. we'll continue to support the national unity government in its efforts to truly serve the afghan people. we discussed the urgent need with parliament support to seek a full cabinet. president ghani in your inaugural address, you spoke

forcefully about the need to combat corruption and strengthen democratic institutions, and the united states commends you for those efforts. you moved many afghans with your elquint trib -- eloquent tribute to your wife and partner. american will continue to be your partner in the rights of all afghans, including women and girls. finally, we'll continue to support the development that underpins stability and improves the lives of the afghan people. over the years, there have been major gains, dramatic improvements in public health, life expectancy, literacy, including for millions of girls who are in school. president ghani is a leading expert on development, and i'm impressed by the reforms he's making to make afghanistan less reliant. under the new development partnership we announced yesterday, u.s. economic

assistance will increasingly go through afghan institutions in support of afghan priorities with an emphasis on accountability performance, and achieving results. in closing, i note that as many of you know president ghani is by training an anthropolgist, as was my mother. it's been said the purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences. afghanistan in our world is marked by incredible diversity and differences of history and culture and faiths. i believe that the progress we have made in this visit will help to advance the goal for which so many of your citizens, mr. president, have sacrificed over the years. the goal of making our two countries and the world safer. president ghani, chief executive abdullah, thank you both for your leadership and partnership. america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over, but our commitment to the afghanistan people, that will endure. president beganny.

president ghani: president obama. first of all i'd like to express the deep sympathies of the people. german and spanish families. both of these countries -- a major commitment in afghanistan i'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those common sacrifices and take the opportunity to pay tribute to the 2215 american men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. more than 22,000 american soldiers have been wounded in action. civilian contractors and others. you stood shoulder to shoulder

with us, and i'd like to say thank you. i would also like to thank the american taxpayer for his and her hard earned dollars that have enabled -- yesterday i saw a young girl. . her father came out of retirement, out of reserve, to serve again in afghanistan. she's sending a care package every week to her father, and i want to thank her and the father of all other american children for making sure that their parents are helping us and standing next to us. i promise now three million afghans in school and those sisters are breeming of achievement and hopefully one

day you will see an calf began woman president. it should not be too far, we soon now have four women in the cabinet. 20% of our cabinet are women. i hope some other countries will match it. we are intend and thank you for the ref frens to the first lady. she's devoted her life to the most underprivileged of our kind. and all of us are committed to make sure that 36% of afghans that live below poverty will live with dignity and one day not in the distant future prosperity. we are grateful for the reception you have accorded us, mr. president.

your national security team has gone out of its way to engage in intensive, comprehensive discussion and both of us would like to thank secretary kerry for the loss of hours of sleep we caused you. and for your abled diplomacy and catalyzing the unity that today is on display. the government of national unity is going to be an enduring phenomena, and both sides stand for the unity against the division that our opponents, enemies had hoped for. this unity is a reflection of the desire of one republic, the last 200 years of our history where rarely public figures have chosen the country before themselves. we are committed in this regard to emulate the founding fathers

and mothers of the united states where national interest will stand above personal or factional interest. i'm glad that the security transition is completed. you promised your people and we posed our problems to our people. afghans for millennia have guarded our homeland and have a reputation for serving. the last years were an exception when we needed so, and we are grateful that help was provided, but we are pleased that the security transition has been met according to the timeline that you set. today the combat withdrawal of the united states in afghanistan is over. but the training, advice, and mission is a vital part of our collective interest and collect

ive indifferences. tragedy brought us together, interest now unites us. and we can assure you that the government of national unity is revitalized the partnership and looks at this partnership of the united states as foundational. not just for -- for regional and global stability. much binds us together, and the flexibility that has been provided for 2015 will be used to accelerate reforms to ensure that our national security forces are much better equipped, trained, and are focused on their fundamental mission. i'm pleased to say that the departure of 120,000 international troops is not brought about the security gap

or the collapse that was often anticipated. i'd like to pay tribute to this moment to the continuous sacrifice about the security forces civilian, and a patriotic nation. patriotism is part of simultaneously our international unity. we are a unique in that we have embraced democratic ways. we are very proud of our islamic civilization. that is truly in dialogue with the world. and we have the capacity to speak truth to terror. they do not speak for islam we do. and it's a genuine islam that is interested in dialogue with civilizations, and corporations. on regional cooperation we have taken both in novel steps we do hope that these steps would be

reciprocated because the threat that exists, the changing ecology of terror, are making it imperative that all governments cooperate with each other. today the state system as we have known it is under attack. these are not classic national liberation movements. these are destructive neolithic movements and it's essential that we confront them with vigor and determination. but we must differentiate between those and citizens who desire peace. any political difference, any -- anything that divides us must be resolved politically. and we have shown the wisdom and determination that we can arrive at unity of purpose. so our commitment to peace is clear. what we require is the

reciprocity so the afghan patriots will choose their country over themselves and unite in resulting whatever might be that divides us. but we will not have peace with those who use our territory as a proxy for other purposes as a battleground for alien forces or as a launching pad for global terrorism. this trip is pro-- has provided us an opportunity to have an overview and i again want to express thank you for your commitment to submit to congress to support our security forces through 2017. there's much work that lays ahead of us. and the flexibility that has been provided will be used to maximum effect, to exhilarate reforms, to ensure that their

security forces honor human rights that they internal the practice that is bind an army of police force of service to the people, violence against our people is not within our security culture, and we will overcome those types of legacies. it's again a pleasure to stand next to a graduate of columbia university. there's much that unites us. and your mother as an inspiration to us. i understand the president of the world bank actually got the job because he invoked your mother's teachings to convince that -- so thank you for according him that great opportunity. the president: we'll take a couple questions. leo.

reporter: thank you, mr. president. with the increased slow down in the drawdown here, we are looking at more risk, more danger for u.s. troops that are in afghanistan. how do you justify that to them? how do you tell them that the mission is still worth it? and how do you assure them that there is an end coming to this mission? for president ghani, you talked the last couple days a lot about sacrifice of u.s. troops. you were at arlington earlier today, how do you tell them that this continued sacrifice will be worth it to them as well? the president: first of all, i think it's important we ought to remember the timeline for a withdrawal down to an embassy centered presence, a normalization of our presence, in afghanistan remains the end of 2016. so that hasn't changed. our transition out of a combat role has not changed.

now, i am the first to say that as long as our men and women in uniform are serving in afghanistan, there are risks involved. it's a dangerous place. casualties have come down precipitously as we engaged in the drawdown. it's been over 90 days since two americans were killed in afghanistan. that has occurred precisely because we are not in a combat role. and i think it's worth noting the significant casualties that the afghan security services have incurred as we have drawndown, they have stood up and they are fighting. and they are fighting with courage and tenacity. and they are getting better month by month.

but you can't minimize the sacrifices that our military families make. it means some folks are going to be rotating back into afghanistan for a few extra months relative to what otherwise would have been the case. we are essentially moving the drawdown pace over to the right for several months in part to compensate for the lengthy period it took for government formation. in part because we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help afghan security forces succeed. so we don't have to go back. so we don't have to respond in an emergency because counter -- because terrorist activities are being launched out of afghanistan. we are on the path to do that, and it was my assessment as commander in chief that it made sense for us to provide a few extra months for us to be able to help on things like logistics.

making sure that equipment is not just in place, but it's also used properly. that the training and advising and strategic input that's been provided continues through this fighting season in part so that president karzai, who has taken on the mantle of commander in chief in the way we have not seen in the past from an afghan president, can do a serious review. and can assess here's where our strengths are, here's where our weaknesses are and we can proceed with more effecty -- effective joint planning going forward. the bottom line is our men and women in uniform make enormous sacrifices. their families do, too. they serve alongside them. this will mean that there are going to be some of our folks who are in afghanistan under the new schedule who would have been home, but it is important to

keep in perspective first of all that we've gone down from 100 ,000 down to under 10,000. that they are not on the frontlines because they are not in a combat role. we are doing all that we can do to make sure that force protection is a priority for those who are in afghanistan. and the date for us to have completed our drawdown will not change. but it is my judgment it's the judgment of general campbell and others who were on the ground that providing this additional time frame during this fighting season for us to be able to help the afghan security forces succeed is well worth it. and in that sense once again we are asking our men and women in uniform to fight on behalf of our freedom and on behalf of a

more orderly world. it does, perhaps, raise one thought, which is right now there's a debate going up on capitol hill about budgets. it would be a good time for my friends up on capitol hill, including on the other side of the aisle, to take a look at their budgets. if we are holding both our defense and nondefense budgets to 2006 levels it's a lot harder for us to do the job we need to do not only on the national security side but also here at home, making sure that when our men and women come home , and when they potentially go into civilian life, that they've got a strong economy, that their kids have good schools that they can send their kids to college. that they get the veterans benefits that they have so richly earned and deserve. that would be a good way for us to express the thanks for the

sacrifices they consistently make. president ghani: i met yesterday the widow of a general. she was like the memory of her husband to be preserved by a sustainable afghanistan that is secure. the 2,015 americans that have died, they must leave behind a legacy of a stable afghanistan. and it's that preservation of those gains that i think inspires the service men and women to obey their commander. second we have taken them out of harm's way. as the president mentioned for the next 100 days because the

combat role has ended. the exposure, number of casualties is really down. there isn't -- my most horrible reading of the day is my first middle of the day and end of the day security reports where i see the casualties. but thank god they are no longer american or european casualties. general campbell is making sure that they remain in support roles to train advise, assist the growth. but they are nowhere comparable to combat role. and end of that combat role is very significant. and again the institutional gains that would be achieved through the training, vy, and assist roles is what you guarantee the investments of the last 14 years pay off in terms of gains that was ensured.

last point afghanistan is the frontline. because of american engagement in afghanistan, there have not been attacks on mainland united states. but let's not forget that fortresses cannot be built on countries or continents. we are living in an interconnected world and our security is joined together. reporter: you're talking about the long-term partnership between afghanistan and united states. at the same time you're talking about withdrawal of soldiers from afghanistan. how do you ensure the long-term how do you define the long-term partnership after 2017?

mr. president ghani, what do you expect mr. president, what are the expectations coming to the united states and what you would like to return with to afghanistan? president ghani: our expectations are that our cooperation will be enhanced and we will have clear vision and practical vision for cooperation for an enduring cooperation with the united states be there. and this change of environment has occurred and today the united states government and -- considers the government of afghanistan a really reliable partner. commitments that are made are considerable. and the funding proposal of

supporting our afghan forces by 2017 and it has reached to $4.1 billion. it's nothing less. it's a significant issue. it's a very important issue. as of yesterday, there was a new framework of our economic cooperation was laid out according to $800 million were made a commitment were made that those will be spent on the afghan budget. but most importantly is the flexibility that has been shown in the area of security cooperation, and this flexibility is going to ensure and provide security forces for our people and also going to send a very strong message to the region that this cooperation is not short-term but it's enduring and long term.

the president: our strategic partnership is based on a very simple principle, we want the afghan people to their security forces directed by their president and commander in chief to be able to provide for their own security. and our goal is to make sure that we are a strong partner in helping to build and sustain effective afghan security forces. so from the start when i first came into office, we put additional u.s. troops, coalition troops and resources into afghanistan to shift momentum at a time when the taliban and the enemies of peace and stability inside of afghanistan i think were moving and had momentum. we broke that momentum.

elections took place. and the afghan national security forces began to build up and train and become more effective. and because of a successful election and a national unity government and the leadership of president ghani and dr. abdullah, we are now in a position where the afghan security forces are not only more effective, but they are also better directed by the civilian government. we have been able to draw down and remove ourselves from a combat role, as president ghani indicated, without collapse as was predicted. and afghan soldiers have fought and they fought well. and obviously there are still improvements to be made, but they are making significant progress. so the strategic partnership involves us continuing to help support the afghan security

forces. that means financially. the international community will have to continue to provide assistance to the afghan government, which is carrying a significant security load not only for it sex but for the region. and in some ways the world. and we have made a commitment to do that. we are going to continue to provide the kind of security cooperation and support that is required training, assisting advising, helping on logistics, helping on developing, all the things that go into a modern military professional military, professional police force, that can provide security on afghan soil by afghans. and the cooperation and strategic partnership involves building up the prosperity and opportunities for the afghan people through the economic development that was mentioned by the president. we intend to be working with the

afghan government and the afghan people for a long time. and in many ways 8 our troop presence -- ways our troop presence, our military assistance is just one component of what is a much larger process. and the more successful we are in building afghan capacity and strengthening the afghan economy , the more the strategic partnership that we have will be like the partnership that we have with many countries around the world. and it will be based on mutual interest and scientific and educational exchanges and business opportunities and commerce and trade. that i think is the goal that we are all looking for. josh. reporter: thank you, mr. president. you have made very clear that you're not buying prime minister netanyahu's accounts to walk

back the comments he made before the election opposing palestinian statehood and you are reassessing your approach. what could prime minister netanyahu do, if anything, in the short term to persuade you that he's serious about israeli-palestinian peace and he's an honest broker you can work with. or is it too late to build that relationship during your presidency? is there any truth that there was spying on the iran talks? president ghani, if i may, you have been working hard to pursue reconciliation talks with the taliban. there are indications that's not going well and they may not be willing to sit down with you. what makes you hopeful that you can get those talks off the ground? do you want the u.s. to be involved in those talks? the president: let me first of all address your second question about spying allegations. as a general rule i don't comment on intelligence matters in a big room full of reporters.

and i think i'll continue that tradition. with respect to the possibility of a -- an agreement that ensures that iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, we have not just briefed congress about the progress or lack thereof that's being made, but we also briefed the israelis. and our other partners in the region and around the world. if, in fact, an agreement arrived at that we feel confident will prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it's going to be there for everybody to see. and people are going to be able to lift up the hood and see what's in there. i have confidence that if there is an agreement it's going to be a good agreement that's good for american security and israeli

security and the region security. if it isn't then there probably won't be an agreement. there will be, i think, significant transparency in the whole process. with respect to israel's relations with the palestinians, i think it's important to understand that the issue here is not what i believe but it's what the palestinians and the parties in the negotiations and the israeli people believe is possible. that's the most important issue. i have said before and i'll simply repeat. prime minister netanyahu in the election run-up stated that a palestinian state would not