poke with -- i spoke with and pat biden spoke with leaders of charleston to express our deep sorrow over the senseless murders that took place last night. michelle and i know several members of that church. we knewir pastor who along with others, was murdered last night. and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel. any death of this sort is a tragedy. any shooting involving multiple

victims is a tragedy. there is something particularly heartbreaking about a death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship. mother emanuel is more than a church. this is a place of worship that was founded by african-americans seeking liberty. this is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshippers worked to end slavery. when there were church services in secret. a nonviolent movement to bring us in line with our highest i'd else.

some of our bitest leaders spoke and led marches from this church's steps. this is a sacred place in the history of charleston and in the history of america. the f.b.i. is now on the scene with local police and more of the burro's best are on the way to join them. the attorney general has opened a hate crime investigation. we understand the suspect is in custody and let the law enforcement do its work to make sure justice is served. until the investigation is complete, i'm constrained in terms of talking about the details of the case. but i don't need to be constrained about the emotions that tragedies like this raise. i have had to make statements like this too many times. communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this

too many times. we don't have all the facts but we do know once again, innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. now's the time for mile-an-houring -- mourning and for healing. let's be clear at some point we will have to reckon that this type of violence doesn't happen in other advanced countries. it doesn't happen in other places with this kind of frequency. and it is in our power to do something about it. i say that recognizing the politics in this town.

but it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it. and at some point it's going to be important for the american people to come to grips with it and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively. the fact that this took place in a black church obvious raises questions about a dark part of our history. this is not the first time that black churches have been attacked and we know that hatred acrosses races and faiths poses a particular threat to our democracy and our ideals. the good news is that the outpouring of unity and strength and fellowship and love across charleston today, from all

races, from all faiths, from all places of worship indicate the degree to which those vestigaes can be overcome. this was dr. king's hope after four little girls were killed in a bombing in a black church in alabama. he said they lived meaningful lives and died nobly. they say to each of us black and white alike, we must substitute courage for caution. they say to us that we must be concerned not merely with who murdered them but about the system the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers. their deaths say to us that we must work passionately and unrelntingly for the realization

of the american dream. and if one holds off one will discover god walks with you and lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyanc ymp of hope and to a better peace. the congregation understood that spirit. their christian faith compelled them to reach out not just to members of their congregation or members of their own communities, but to all in need. they opened their doors to strangers who might enter a church in search of healing or redemption. mother emanuel and its church have risen before to give hope to generations of the people of

charleston. and with our prayers and our love and hope, it will rise again now as a place of peace. thank you. reporter: what will you do on gun control? [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> on capitol hill, leaders from both parties spoke about the shooting in south carolina. we will hear from house speaker john boehner and minority leader nancy pelosi. the speaker: on behalf of the whole house, how shocked and heart broken i am about the murder of innocent church goers in charleston. the department of our greff reveals the department of our love and our resolve and our

prayers go out to all the victims' families and thoughts go to the law enforcement officers working to bring this perpetrator to justice. anyone who would do something so unspeakable is pure evil. ms. pelosi: just such a shocking attack that was made in charleston. congressman clyburn has already returned home. our colleague mr. sanford, will have a moment of silence on the floor. when the news came forth about this, i thought maybe they were reporting on the anniversary of something that happened a long, long time ago. i said what is this in the news? why is it in the news today, unless this is the anniversary day. it wasn't that of course. it was a new fresh reality of a challenge in our country in

terms of respect for one another and use of violence to express that or lack thereof. words are totally inadequate and they become less and less adequate the more this happens. i'm pleased that the justice department will be treating it what it is a hate crime. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> senator linds a graham, a statement on the church shooting. >> senate chaplain barry black and oklahoma senator james lankford led a prayer for the victims of the church shooting in charleston, south carolina.

>> come to the mercy speak fervently, kneel. here, bring your wounded hearts. here, tell your anguish. earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. a church should be one of the safest places on the planet. and people assemble to lift

their hearts in prayer and to hear the word of god as they were brutaly murdered in the house of god. our hearts ache for the families of the victims. our hearts ache for the citizens of charleston, south carolina. our hearts ache for our nation. and we pri and ask that god would somehow use up to end the insanity of violence that we see. our hearts ache because the alleged murderer killed without mercy. it didn't matter regarding gender. it didn't matter regarding this,

because in the future people will feel fear in the house of god, when they should feel peace and serenity. our hearts ache because we must acknowledge that we all to some extent play a part in the pathology that we see in our land. john dunn said, every person's death diminishes us for we are a part of humankind therefore send not to ask for whom the bell tolls. it tolls for us. our hearts ache because we seem

to have forgotten that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. and our hearts ache because we have neglected the promise of second chronicle chapter seven verse 14, if my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my faith and turn from evil then god says i will hear from heaven, forgive their since and heal their land. we need healing in this great land. and i think our coming together in such a united and passionate way today can be the beginning

of that healing. god bless and keep you, is my prayer. >> it is amazing today even more amazing yesterday. it's amazing that senator tim scott would launch a 7th annual prayer breakfast concerning prayer about our nation our family, our communities and truly today, it's about our churches. and as a pastor that's from

charleston, back home, i hear of such a tragedy to the families and the be reefing ones -- be reesk ones at this time. and so today, it is my desire as i stand here and i plead to our nation especially back home in charleston that we will come together as a family that is full with compassion and unity and strength. so on behalf of senator and pastor of the church, our hearts and to see and hear the tragedy.

so we desire to do a short prayer. but i would like to say this. this is not the time to back off to slack up concerning our convictions as the body of christ but to move and to push thoroughly relentlessly forward with grief with compassion, tenacity and unity. may we just bow our heads in a moment of prayer. today, father, we stand as your people your call, your chosen. and father, we thank you and we ask you that you will grace, bring peace to the families and

to charleston and that your love would usher in a flood of hope, of joy again and restoration. and father, we thank you today that as we stand together, as we pray together, we shall see your glorious hands together. and we pray, father, that charleston would never be the same because of the love, the commitment of the communities may now come together and stand in our convictions. in jesus' name. amen. >> thank you all so much for coming.

the senator is really humbled by how many of you guys came out today. and so many of his good friends are here. i thank you so much. the south carolina delegation is humbled by how many of you are here today. i can't possibly go after two amazing pastors i would really love if someone else come up and offer their thoughts and prayers. i see so many amazing people that can do a much better job than i can. senator lankford, you are probably one of the best to come up here. senator lankford: not in this circle. there are multiple others. there is one word and the scripture says god is near to the broken hearted. and that means in south carolina and all of us too. we need to stop and say god is

near and let us knowledge -- acknowledge that he is here. let's pray together. father our nation is in needy of you. our families are broken and people are just angry. god i pray that you allow us and you speak piece to places that need piece. god, our hearts cannot believe a man would be so angry and venomous that he would sit in a church prayer circle and murder people. i can't process that, father. god, i pray that you bring righteousness and justice where it's needed. i pray that you would help us as a community to reach out to

people that are that angry and be able to speak your love to people that desperately need it. wrap around families that don't want to understand this day, raise up pastors and leaders and individuals. god, we look to you to that. tell us what is our part. god, i pray for the south carolina delegation, leaders in their state house, state senate, governor leaders within the communities and city that you give them instinctive wisdom for the churches and pastors that will have unique responsibility. give them words to say and pray they will be overcome with the love that you can provide and that you roll off their lips and out of their hearts. god, heal us as a nation. we need your help.

your wisdom for this day and your joy and in the name of jesus, i ask. ame. >> give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, lead us from temptation.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> the house of representatives today approved fast track trade promotion authority that would require an up or down vote with no changes on trade deals negotiated by the president. the bill did not include language to provide assistance to workers who lost their jobs due to foreign imports because that assistance to laid off workers was part of the senate version of the bill. this new version must be approved by the senate before the president can sign it.

also today, the house approved legislation to repeal the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices that was signed into law as part of the affordable care act in 2010. president obama has issued a veto threat against the medical device tax repeal, but the president supports the trade legislation passed by the house today.

mr. ryan: we are going to get it done here today. why do we need t.p.a.? well mr. speaker it's pretty easy. easy question to answer, we need more trade. 95% of the world's consumers, they don't live in america, they live in other countries. and if we want to make more things here and sell them there, then we need to tear down those trade barriers that make american goods and services more expensive. we know that trade is good for our economy. one in five jobs in america are already tied to trade and pay on average 18% more.

have all called on congress to pass t.p.a. they understand what is at stake here, mr. speaker. what is at stake is no less than america's credibility. because the rules of the global economy, they are being written right now. the question is, who is going to write those rules. will it be the united states and our allies or will it be other nations that don't share our values or don't share our commitment to free enterprise and the rule of law. our friends in asian europe are getting ready to place their bets. they want to sign up for

american style free enterprise, but need to know that the united states is going to stand strong as a reliable ally and reliable trading partner before they do that. that's what t.p.a. is all about. so how does it work? we've heard all kinds of crazy misinformation spread by the opponents of trade. i mean crazy stuff really. let me one more time explain what t.p.a. is and what t.p.a. is not. t.p.a. is a process. it's not an agreement. it's a process that gives us the best shot at getting a good trade agreement. it's a process dating back decades that congress has used to insert itself into trade negotiations in order to provide more accountability and more transparency to the

administration to the president. and this t.p.a. this t.p.a. has more transparency and more accountability than any version ever before. it lays out 150 objectives and guidelines that the administration must follow while negotiating a trade deal. these are our priorities. and if a president wants an agreement then he must meet to address these priorities. he must meet these guidelines in order to get it passed through congress. this t.p.a. also requires that the administration consults with congress during the negotiations. give us access to all of the text. provide timely briefings on demand. allow members to attend the negotiating rounds. and if we are here in session, that's what the amendment accomplishes. perhaps most importantly t.p.a. ensures that the american people

can lead any trade agreement every trade agreement long before anyone is asked to vote on it. 60 days. an agreement must be made public and posted online for 60 days before it sends it to congress. mr. speaker, it's transparency, effective oversight and accountability. because if the president doesn't meet these requirements or doesn't follow the negotiating objectives we can turn t.p.a. off and cancel the vote. amend the agreement or stop it entirely. so ultimately, we, congress, we always have the final say. no agreement takes effect. no laws are changed unless we vote to allow it. this process t.p.a. creates a path between congress and the administration that allows our trading partners to know we speak with one voice and allows

them to make the best efforts as long as the administration follows it t.p.a., congress won't try to rewrite an agreement. it gives america correct, and boy, do we need correct right now. make no mistake, all of my colleagues make no mistake, the world is watching us and watching this vote. the foreign policy failures of the last few years, not to mention the stunt pulled here have capitals wondering if america still has it. are we still the leader and still the republic that other countries aspire to be. they want to know if we are still willing to engage and still willing to lead and still a nation out front or are we in retreat or decline. we are here today to answer that question again. america does not retreat. america leads and i urge my

colleagues to vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i yield myself such time as i may consume. to vote for t.p.a. now is to surrender congressional leverage to get it right in shaping t.p.p. the most significant trade negotiation in decades. congress will have settled for a bill with so-called congressional negotiating objectives, so vague they are essentially meaningless. that won't matter to those who basically approach trade with a

19th century doing ma, the trade between -- dog ma, the trade between two nations will be imperative. but that has not worked out when in this era, one nation manipulates its currency as it trades with the other when nations suppress worker rights to keep their wages low or degrade their environment to help them compete or when nations heavily subsidize their markets or keep their markets closed while the competitor keeps them very open inviteal areas, whether industrial or agricultural. so let us write the rules that congress must be sure they are right. we must make sure that the beneficiaries are the many in our nation not just the few.

as often stated in this debate trade does indeed create winners and losers. as one who has worked hard to help put together expanded trade agreements, i know that in a globalizing world economy failure to write the rules effectively is one of the reasons there have been too many losers. millions of jobs lost with middle class wages stagnant for decades while the relative few have done so well. congress should not give what would be essentially a blank check to ustr on key outstanding issues in the t.p.p. negotiations. with this t.p.a., you are saying fine to no meaningful currency provision. you are saying fine to giving private investors in growing numbers the ability to choose an

unregulated arbitration panel instead of a well established judicial system in order to overturn local or national health environmental regulations. with this t.p.a., you cannot be confident. vietnam and mexico would adhere to meaningful labor standards. with this t.p.a., you can't be confident that japan will open its market at long last to our cars or agricultural products. and with this t.p.a., you can't be confident that there will be access to life saving medicines. despite a bottom barredment of rhetoric. instead of the approach that we laid out in a substitute that we have not even be allowed to consider in the committee or in this house the reat that this t.p.a. will not put congress in

the driver seat, but the back seat. for t.p.p. and for six years, important negotiations with europe and who knows what else. congress has a responsibility to get trade negotiations on the right track

they will be priced out and shut down. texas is made for trade. america is made for trade. preserve these economic principles that have helped us thrive. and so that's why congress flexing its constitutional muscle and setting clear rools for future american trade is not just a good thing for america, it's a great thing. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i now yield two minutes to the chairman of our caucus and member of our committee, mr. becerra of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. becerra: who will retreat

and insist on free and fair trade. this t.p.a. legislation sets forward the instructions on how we will write the rules. who is going to lead in writing the rules? on currency manipulation, on countries that want to trade with us are cheating by manipulating their currency to make the value of their goods look less expensive. under this t.p.a., we can't say anything because we are prohibited from including in a trade agreement that will deal with currency manipulation. you have to ask the second question. you are telling me that countries that are going to sign

these deals are allowed to cheat how it comes to manipulating their currency so their products look cheaper than ours and depend on those countries that are treating against companies in those countries that are cheating? what kind of instruction is that? what about when it comes to letting people know what's in these deals and the products that are going to be bought and sold. should we have the right if we want to know the country of origin of a particular product? i heard of tainted milk. we have heard about toys that have dangerous chemicals in them. don't we want to know where these products are coming from. just to know where they are coming from. not we are going to degree grade. made in the u.s.a. or somewhere else.

we won't be able to find out where the product is made because someone else, a tribunal will decide whether we can label a product as made in the u.s.a. or not. and right now these international tribunals that have no american judges sitting on them get to decide for us if americans have the right to know where a product is coming from that they are buying from a store in the neighborhood. how does that lead on making sure that trade is free and fair if we can't put a label on a product.

get a better trade deal that is free and fair. it doesn't give us the right rule. reject this t.p.a. legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: reserve. mr. levin: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin another distinguished member of our committee, mr. kind. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. kind: last week in a bipartisan majority this house granted trade promotion authority to elevate standards and level the playing field for our farmers, workers and businesses so we can effectively compete. it's time for us to move forward and i feel confident with the assurances we have received from the republican leadership, this

body will have another opportunity to also pass trade adjustment assistance so the training programs and education for the workers who need it will be in place. and out of consideration for some of our colleagues who are trying to get home with their communities after last night's terrible shootings, i yield back the remainder of my time and encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. it's time for america to move on. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pascrell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. pascrell: mr. ranking member, mr. chairman if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. that is the approach on trade despite the fact that t.p.a. passed the house by only eight

votes. at no point did the light bulb go off for the leadership that perhaps they could work with the majority of the democratic caucus to find agreement on how to move forward. i don't know why that didn't occur to you. instead of cooperation, they have opted to use procedural tricks to pass the t.p.a. now, the leadership has chosen to take a bipartisan bill passed by both chambers of congress that would aid our law enforcement officers and public safety workers and inject the unrelated controversial trade debate into it. i can speak firsthand because i'm one of the sponsors of the bill. this bill, the defending public safety employees' retirement act i worked with congressman reichert on on behalf of the men and women who serve the public in physically demanding work each and every day. it would assure it would access

their full retirement benefits at the time they retire without incurring a tax penalty. it's a good bill. i'm not only one of the sponsors, but voted for it. but today this bill, to provide tax fairness for our law enforcement officers has been twisted, diminished to a con convenient -- con convenient vehicle for fast track. this is not the same bill, mr. ranking member, through the speaker, through the chairman. this is not the same bill we voted on friday. please read this bill. it's not. i urge a no vote. in fact, the president of the international association of firefighters has written a letter urging members to oppose attaching t.p.a. to this bill. the transpacific partnership

would establish the biggest trade agreement we have seen in years, encome possibling 40% of the world's economy. we need to take our time and do it right. in its current form, t.p.p. is inadequate and fails to ensure a fair deal for american workers, issues that have been neglected such as prohibiting currency manipulation ensuring food safety. as an example only one% of imported fish into this country seafood, is inspected. i hope you ask the next time you go into a restaurant you ask the owner, has this fish been inspected and he'll look at you like you have three heads. creating strong rules of origin. you saw how this country mr. speaker. mr. levin: i yield 30 seconds. mr. pascrell: our country got

shafted on automobiles. and you don't see cars traveling through korea or china that are made in the united states of america. we are taking a back seat. instead of protecting the interests of american workers this trade deal gives protections and sweetheart deals to multinational corporations, pure and simple. and the american people look at every poll from the left, from the right from north rgs south east west. do not accept this deal. and we shouldn't either. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield mr. davis, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. davis: what a difference a

week does not make. the vast majority of the people in my congressional district were opposed to fast track last week and they're even more opposed to fast track this week. we've seen fast track before. we have's seen the jobs leave our community, our district, our state and our nation fast enough. they don't need our help. they don't need anybody else's help. we need to create jobs here in america, not have them flee. i agree with my colleagues who have said vote no. i agree with the people of my congressional district. and i shall vote no. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan.

mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cuellar: thank you for yielding. i support t.p.a. to give the president the authority to negotiate this agreement. it's very simple. a lot of those countries already are able to send their goods into our country duty free. what we want to do is allow our exporting companies to be able to export to those countries duty free also so we can send our goods over there. look at what is happening in texas. texas exports more than $189 billion last year, up 146% from 2004 and let's look at the number of companies that export. they are not the big companies. 93% of those exporting companies 93% of them are small and medium-sized businesses. members, i ask you to please support t.p.a. and good for

texas and the united states and no-brainer to allow to export to those countries. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. scott: thank you very much. the people of this great nation are watching us today. and they are begging and pleading with us to please vote down this bill. this bill, all you have to do -- who knows better than the american people, who live in the towns and the cities where they have seen their manufacturing plants close and they have seen their jobs shift overseas. every trade deal has done it. let's look at the china deal. as a result of the china deal,

two million manufacturing jobs have been shipped from america over to china. look nafta. yeah it created jobs, but where have they created jobs? in mexico. where did the plants go? they went to mexico. that's why the american people are ringing everybody's office and urging us please, let us not lose any more jobs. those of you concerned about income equality. the reason we have that as a burning issue in the heart and soul of middle class america is because we are seeing the middle class vanish. these are the jobs, these manufacturing jobs, ladies and gentlemen, not what the big corporate presidents make millions of dollars. they are going to make billions of dollars.

but these jobs go into the middle section of our economic stream and lower income. look at akron, ohio look at atlanta, georgia, look at chicago, look at detroit. once vibrant cities and the backbone of america is manufacturing. and we're shipping it out to the world. and you know what else we're shipping out there? we're shipping these jobs. not only that, the profits of these companies. last year, $2 trillion of profits held in these overseas' accounts away from our taxing structure. can't you see america is getting weaker because of these trade policies. i urge you to vote no and stand up for the american people for a change. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is

recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank our ranking member for yielding and once again for your tremendous leadership. i rise in strong opposition to this bill and to once again say no to fast track. this legislation uses a bill that would exempt retired federal police officers and firefighters from paying a penalty on withdrawal from their retirement accounts if they retire after the age of 50. what does that have to do with fast track? absolutely nothing. this is just plain wrong. once more, we know now that the senate is considering taxing the t.a.a. to the recently passed africa growth accountability act, known as agoo as a means to get this trade package passed. my colleagues, congressman butterfield and congresswoman bass and congressman ellison and

myself wrote a letter. they are using agoa as a bargaining act. that is a trade preference program that has enhanced job creation in democratic institutions throughout africa and has no means -- in no way should that be used as a bargaining chip on this bill. it's outrageous. members shouldn't have to choose between programs that they support like t.a.a. and agoa and then supporting fast track. these gimmicks are dishonest. if members fall for this maneuver we not only risk imperiling the t.a.a., a program that many of our constituents rely on, but also agoa. we have to vote no on this bill, no to attaching t.a.a. to agoa.

let's come up with a real fair, free and transparent trade bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. sherman, who i think is ranking on the asia subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. sherman: if you vote for this bill, you get fast track without trade adjustment assistance. there is no assurance trade adjustment trade assistance will come to this floor or in a form that neither democrats or republicans will support. the supporters of this deal can't make their case without repeating false statistics. the fact is we $177 billion deficit in goods with countries

that we have trade agreements. it brings the net to over $1 billion deficit. so how many members have been misled by lobbyists into coming to this floor and giving false statistics. they are given this slippery phrase go down to the floor and talk about what has happened since nafta. since nafta sounds like since the early 1990's. what they mean is excluding nafta. excluding nafta when we review free trade agreements is like excluding lebron james when you have the cavaliers. this is catastrophic. it hollows out our manufacturing base and it is the greatest gift to china that we could possibly make because it enshrines the nature of currency manipulation.

and says in the future, countries can manipulate their currency all they want and no accounting for it. in addition, the rules of origin provision allow goods that are admitted 50% or 60% made in china that are actually 70%, 80% made in china. china gets the benefit without having to admit a single american export. as to vietnam, our workers are going to have to compete against 40 cent an hour labor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. sherman: we are told we get free access. vietnam doesn't have freedom or markets. they are not going to buy our exports any more than their communist party decides to do so. and the chairman points out that with trade comes influence.

nike lobbyists here financed by this bill going after suppression of unions and they will have influence here in washington and will continue to not have freedom and we will continue to lose jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: mr. levin has 10r minutes remaining. mr. ryan: members are trying to get home. i yield two minutes to mr. tiberi and hold to close. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, the chairman of the trade subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> read the bill.

the content is the same. t.p.a. is not a trade deal. it's a process that holds this president accountable and sets in motion, congress, inserting itself and by the way nafta, i mean i just continue to get blown away by the misinformation. no wonder the american people get confused and i take this personally. as the gentleman from new jersey notes, my dad lost his job. we have a trade surplus in trade and services with nafta. we have a trade surplus in agriculture and food and beverages with nafta. and we have a trade surplus with nafta if you take out oil and energy products. we have a trade surplus in manufacturing with nafta. i do get fired up about this. 95% of the world's population is outside the united states. a multinational corporation can

move anywhere they want to. a fortune 500 company can move wherever they want to. and they do. this is about breaking down barriers for lakeshore for screen machine because they can't move a plant overseas and they are at a competitive disadvantage. a large corporation can move. they can't. ladies and gentlemen, this is about jobs. this is about the american worker. this is about the fact that we have the ability today to compete anywhere in the world if those trade barriers are broken down. we have to break them down, mr. speaker. one out of every five jobs is traded for a good job. vote yes on t.p.a. and yes for the american worker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i'm trying to limit our speakers to one minute. so now i will give one minute to a very distinguished member from california karen bass.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. bass: last week i spoke in favor of h.r. 1891, the agoa enhancement act of 2015. it was encouraging to have legislation that wasn't controversial. in fact had overwhelming support with 397 votes. the bill was sent to the senate and hopeful that h.r. 1891 would have already made it to the president's desk. unfortunately, the bill is a victim of its own success. so many rumors are floating around that because agoa is popular supported by both democrats, republicans senators and house members that they are considering adding more controversial bills into agoa. we are hearing t.a.a. might be added and even consideration is giving agoa as a vehicle to extend the exim bank. we hear the thinking that since agoa failed in the house last

week that if t.a.a. failed in the house last week, if it's added into agoa, we will vote for it. agoa can and should stand on its own. the senate should pass agoa and send it to the president. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from new york ms. velazquez. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, we are being asked to vote for an agreement that will cost jobs, undermine environmental protections and erode workers' rights all in the name of so-called free trade. this agreement is being negotiated in the dark behind closed doors. that process may benefit large multi corporations and their lobbyists but does not help small manufacturers in brooklyn

and does nothing for new yorkers struggling to raise a family while keeping their jobs from being exported. when there is this, we end up with a bad deal for american workers and we have seen this in the past. new york lost 374,000 manufacturing jobs since nafta and the world trade organization agreements. this vote, mr. question. are you going to side with wall street, large corporations, and their lobbyists? or will you stand with working families in your district? i will take the latter. vote no. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i now yield, two minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. doggett: in washington, we never seem to lack for self-certified smart people.

they are the folks that know what's best for you and your family. and while they, today, are insisting on railroading through this fast track trade deal is it -- and i say it so sweet for working families, is it so unreasonable to ask what do the workers think about this bill? and while the environmental provisions have been secreted away from the public, we do know that ustr does not believe in environmental law enforcement. is it unreasonable to stop and say, what did those who advocate for clean water and clean air and conservation of our resources, what did they think about this trade deal? i believe they support fair trade. they recognize that it raises all votes but unfair trade sinks too many of them. they are capsized by competing

with those who paid an average minimum wage of 60 cents an hour and whose only worker organization is the communist party in vietnam. i believe our workers deserve respect. this bill asks american businesses to go out and compete with countries that mistreat their workers, that pollute the air and water and destroy their natural resources. and those that inflate -- adjust their currency, manipulate in ways that are unfair. railroading this bill through today will deny any opportunity which we have struggled so long for so many months to try to achieve to make this a better right track bill. the fast trackers have rejected every constructive improvement that we have offered to this measure. and all of us here in congress have to concede we know less about what is in this trade bill than the vietnamese politte

burrow than the malaysian government that has sex trafficking. we need an open fair process to advance real trade opportunities for all families. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. doggett: reject this fast track. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: we had one additional speaker. i don't see her. lrts. -- all right. mr. ryan, the chairman, and i have agreed we'll each speak briefly. you know, i started off by saying it's said we should write the rules, not china. and that's true. we have been striving to try to help write the rules. we did so for years. we introduced a substitute bill that outlined where we were coming from and where we thought these negotiations should go.

that wasn't even given time for discussion. so here's what we are left with. when you vote for t.p.a. under these circumstances essentially what we are saying to this administration it's essentially a blank check. and they take, they may let us see some of the documents, but often in ways we can't discuss in public. this is likely to add up to a t.p.p.. it will be even more controversial than this t.p.a. for that reason, i strongly urge that as was said earlier, we slow down this process in order to try to find a root -- route to a t.p.p. that would have broad bipartisan support.

that has always been my aim rather this kind of a vote with only a small handful, few handfuls of democratic votes making this far, far, far from a bipartisan vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: mr. speaker, for those who are coming to the floor protesting this particular process, for the minority, it's the stunt pulled last week that brought about this process. we talked a lot about what t.p.a. is. it's a process. not a trade agreement. i want every member in this body to think about what this vote represents. it's one that will speak loudly about our political system. can it still work? it's a vote about what kind of congress we want to be. will we empower ourselves in trade agreements or just let the administration do whatever it

wants? it's a vote about what kind of country we want to have. are we still committed to leading? are we still the symbol of freedom and free enterprise? so mr. speaker, this is a vote for accountability and for transparency. this is a vote for a stronger economy and higher wages. this is a vote for our system of free enterprise. this is a vote for american leadership. this is a vote to declare that america still has it. this is a vote to re-establish america's credibility. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute,

which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> no changes on trade deals negotiated by the president. the bill did not include language to provide assistance to workers who lost their jobs due to foreign imports. because that assistance to laid off workers was part of the senate version of the bill, this new version must be approved by the senate before the president can sign it. also today the house approved legislation to repeal the 2.3% excise tax on medical devices that was signed into law as part of the affordable care act in 2010. president obama has issued a veto threat against the medical device tax repeal, but the president supports the trade legislation passed by the house today. >> president obama today spoke at the white house about last night's shooting deaths of nine people at the emanuel african methodist episcopal church in charleston, south carolina. a suspect was taken into custody shortly before the

president spoke. president obama: good afternoon, everybody. this morning i spoke with and vice president biden smoke with mayor riley and other people in charleston to express our deep sorrow over the senseless murders that took place last night. michelle and i know several members of emanuel a.m.e. church. we knew their pastor reverend clementa pinckney, who gathered with prayer and fellowship and was murdered last night. and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn't say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness

and the anger that we feel. any death of this sort is a tragedy. any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. there's something particularly heartbreaking about a death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace. in a place of worship. mother emanuel is in fact more than a church. this is a place of worship that was founded by african-americans seeking liberty. this is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshipers worked to end

slavery. when there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted church in secret. when there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country closer in line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church's steps. this is a sacred place in the history of charleston and in the history of america. the f.b.i. is now on the scene with local police and more of the bureau's best are on the way to join them. the attorney general has announced plans for the f.b.i. to open a hate crime investigation. we understand that the suspect is in custody and i'll let the best of law enforcement do its work to make sure that justice is served. until the investigation's complete i'm necessarily constrained in terms of talking about the details of the case.

but i don't need to be constrained about the emotions that tragedies like this raise. i've had to make statements like this too many times. communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times. we don't have all the facts but we do know once again innocent people were killed in part because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hands on a gun. now is the time for mourning and for healing but let's be clear. at some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. it doesn't happen in other places with this kind of frequency.

and it is in our power to do something about it. i say that recognizing the politics in this town, foreclose a lot of those avenues right now. but it would be wrong for us not to acknowledge it. and at some point it will be something the american people will come to grips with and for us to be able to shift how we think about the issue of gun violence collectively. the fact that this took place in a black church obviously also raises questions about a dark part of our history. this is not the first time that black churches have been attacked, and we know that

hatred across races and faith pose a particular threat to our democracy and our ideals. the good news is i'm confident that outpouring of unity and strength and fellowship and love across charleston today from all races from all faiths from all places of worship indicates the old vestiges of hate can be overcome. that certainly was dr. king's hope just over 50 years ago after four little girls were killed in a bombing in a black church in birmingham alabama. he said they lived meaningful lives and they died nobly. they say to each of us, dr. king said, black and white alike that we must substitute courage for caution. they say to us we must be concerned not merely with who

murdered them but about the system, the way of life the philosophy which produced the murders. their deaths say to us we must work passionately and unrelentingly for the realization of the american dream, and if one will hold on, he will discover that god walks with him and that god is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair, to the boyansy and transform dark and desloate valleys into sunlit paths for better peace. reverend pinckney and his congregation understood that spirit. their christian faith compelled them to reach out, not just to members of their congregation, members of their own communities but to all in need. they opened their doors to

strangers who might enter a church in search of healing or redemption. mother emanuel church and its congregation have risen before from flames, from an earthquake from other dark times to give hope to generations of charlestonians and with our prayers and our love and the boyancy of hope, they will rise again now as a place of peace. thank you. >> on capitol hill today, leaders from both parties spoke about the shooting in south carolina. first we'll hear from house speaker john boehner. then minority leader nancy pelosi. speaker boehner: on behalf of the whole house let me say how

shocked and broken i am about the churchgoers in charleston. in times like this the depth of our grief reveals the depth of our love and our resolve and our prayers go out to all the victims' families and our thoughts go to the law enforcement officers working to bring this perpetrator to justice. anyone who would do something so unspeakable is pure evil. ms. pelosi: it's such a shocking attack that was made and in charleston. my colleague, congressman clyburn, has already returned home. our colleague mr. stanford, will have, my understanding, a moment of silence on the floor. i might say when the news came forth about this, i thought maybe they were reporting on an anniversary of something that happened a long, long time ago.

i said, what is this that's in the news? why is this in the news today? unless this is the anniversary day. it wasn't that of course. it was a new fresh reality, of a challenge in our country in terms of respect for one another and the use of violence to express that. or lack thereof. words are totally inadequate, as we say, over and over again and they become less and less adequate the more this happens. i'm so -- i can't say i'm pleased but i'm pleased that the justice department will be treating it what it is, a hate crime. >> and from south carolina senator lindsey graham, a statement on the church shooting in his state.

>> outside the capitol today chaplain black led a prayer for the victims of the emanuel a.m.e. church shooting in charleston, south carolina. >> there is a hymn that says come ye the consulate where ye you languish, come to the mercy , seek vervently kneel. here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish. earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

a church should be one of the safest places on the planet and people assembled to lift their hearts in prayer and to hear the word of god and they were brutaly murdered in the house of god. our hearts ache for the families of the victims. our hearts ache for the citizens of charleston, south carolina. our hearts ache for our nation. and we pray and ask that god would somehow use us to end the insanity of violence that we see. our hearts ache because the

alleged murderer killed without mercy. it didn't matter regarding gender. it didn't matter regarding season of life. our hearts ache because in the future people will feel fear in the house of god when they should feel peace and serenity. our hearts ache because we must acknowledge that we all, to some extent, play a part in the pathology that we see in our land. john dunn said, every person's death diminishes us, for we are a part of humankind, therefore

send not to ask for whom the bell tolls. it tolls for us. our hearts ache because we seem to have forgotten that righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. and our hearts ache because we have neglected the promise of second chronicle chapter 7, verse 14, if my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my faith and turn from evil, then god says i will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.

we need healing in this great land. and i think our coming together in such a united and passionate way today can be the beginning of that healing. god bless and keep you, is my prayer. >> it is amazing today. even more amazing yesterday. it's amazing that senator tim scott would launch a seventh annual prayer breakfast concerning prayer about our nation, our

families, our communities and truly today, it's about our churches. and as a pastor that's from charleston, back home, i hear of such a tragedy to the families and the bereeving ones at this -- bereefing once at this time -- bereaving ones at this time. and so today, it is my desire as i stand here and i plead to our nation especially back home in charleston today that we will come together as a family that's full with compassion and unity and strength. so on behalf of senator pastor

pinckney and emanuel a.m.e., our hearts -- it's heart felt today to see and hear the tragedy. so we desire to do a short prayer. but i would like to say this. this is not the time to back off, to slack up concerning our convictions as the body of christ, but to move and to push thoroughly, relentlessly forward with grace, with compassion, tenacity and unity. may we just bow our heads in a moment of prayer. today, father, we stand as your

people, your call, your chosen and your elect. and father, we thank you and we ask you that your grace will bring peace to the families and to charleston and that your love would usher in a flood of hope, of joy again and restoration. and father, we thank you today that as we stand together, as we pray together, we shall see your glorious hands together. and we pray, father, that charleston would never be the same because of the love, the commitment of the communities may now come together and stand in our convictions. in jesus' name. amen.

>> thank you all so much for coming. i think i know almost everyone here so thank you so much. the senator is really humbled by how many of you guys came out today. and so many of his good friends are here. i thank you so much. the south carolina delegation is awed by how many of you are here today. but since i can't possibly go after two amazing pastors, i would really love if someone else come up and offer their thoughts and prayers. again, i see so many amazing people that can do a much better job than i can. senator lankford, you are actually probably one of the best to come up here. senator lankford: not in this circle. there are multiple others.

let me just say this one word and pray together. scripture says god is near to the broken hearted. that would match south carolina and all of us today. we need to stop and say god is near and let us knowledge -- acknowledge that he is here. the work he is do across the nation and across the charleston area. let's pray together. father, our nation is in need of you. our families are broken and people are just angry. god, i pray that you would allow us as believers in you to be able to speak peace to places that need peace. that you would sweep righteousness in the places that desperately need it. god, our hearts cannot believe a man would be so angry and venomous that he would sit in a church prayer circle and murder people.

i can't even process that father. god, i pray that you bring righteousness and justice where it's needed. but i pray that you would help us as a community to reach out to people that are that angry and be able to speak your love to people that desperately need it. god, i'd pray that you wrap around families that don't understand this day, don't want to understand this day that you'd raise up pastors and leaders and individuals around them. god, we look to you to that. tell us what is our part. in that role. god, i pray for the south carolina delegation, leaders in their state house, state senate, governor, leaders within the communities and city that you give them instinctive wisdom. and for the churches, especially and the pastors that will have unique responsibility in the days ahead to lead well. give them words to say and pray they will be overcome with the love that you can provide and

that you roll off their lips and out of their hearts. god, heal us as a nation. we need your help. pray wisdom for this day and your joy and in the name of jesus i ask. amen. >> our father who art in heaven hallow be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily

bread, and forgive us our press passes as we forgive those who trespass against you and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. amen. >> the house of representatives today approved fast track trade promotion authority that would require an up or down vote with no changes on trade deals negotiated by the president. the bill did not include language to provide assistance to workers who lost their jobs due to foreign imports. because that assistance to laid off workers was part of the senate version of the drill, this new version must be approved by the senate before the president can sign it. the house is finished for the week but will be in for a pro forma session. watch that live here on c-span. and over in the senate today, members passed the 2016 defense

programs and policies bill, providing about $612 billion for the pentagon. that was on a 71-25 vote with 22 democrats voting in favor while presidential candidates ted cruz rand paul and bernie sanders joined the 25 no votes. later, lawmakers failed to advance the defense appropriations or spending bill. that vote was 50-45, failing to achieve the 60 ayes needed to limit debate and move forward. south carolina senators tim scott and lindsey graham did not vote today. watch the senate live on our companion network c-span2. >> here's some of our featured programs this weekend on the c-span networks -- on c-span saturday night at 8:00 eastern supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg on national issues like gay rights, race relations in america and the production of a new movie about her life and career. and sunday night at 6:35, a

profile interview with presidential candidate texas senator ted cruz. on "book tv" on c-span2 saturday morning at 10:00 eastern, we're live for the annual roosevelt reading festival at the f.d.r. presidential library and museum. authors include christopher o'sullivan, harry hopkins, sheila collins and her book "when government helped" and molly on how books helped the morale of our military in world war ii. on sunday night at 9:00 on "after wards," mona on the need of a sexual revolution in the middle east. and this weekend on "american history tv" on c-span3, we're live from the gettysburg college civil war institute annual summer conference on the civil war's end and aftermath. saturday morning beginning at 8:30 eastern with university of california-los angeles history professor on general grant. and at 11:00 on abraham lincoln

and the press. and sunday morning we continue our live coverage beginning at 8:30 with city college of new york professor gregory downs on the consequences of the civil war. later at 11:00 a discussion about treason and loyalty during the civil war with penn state university history professionor william blair. get our complete schedule at c-span.org. >> eliza johnson was 54-year-old and an invalid when she was thrust into the role of first lady. determined to be a helpmate to her husband andrew johnson as he navigated the turbulent to the end of the civil war reconstruction in the south. eliza johnson on "first ladies: influence and image, examining the public and private lives of those who filled first lady and their influence on the presidency" from martha washington to michelle obama sundays on "american history

tv" on c-span3. >> the annual faith and freedom coalition conference began today in washington, d.c. with a lunch program that featured speakers including senator marco rubio of florida, senator rand paul of kentucky and senator ted cruz of texas, all candidates for the 2006 republican presidential -- 2016 republican presidential candidates. and republican congressman steve king of iowa. >> if we can grab our seats we're going to go ahead and get started. we have a pretty full program through the rest of the weekend on the whole, but particularly for the next hour and 30 or 40 minutes, i think this is going to be well worth all of our time. i hope y'all are excited -- as excited as we are. my name is timothy head executive director for the faith and freedom coalition.

and we are thrilled -- [applause] timothy: to be kicking off this year's majority conference. but as we begin this year's conference, we're reminded -- we had just a sober reminder, actually just in the last several hours that the truth is while we love -- we love this country, the truth is that heaven is our home. and when we are visited by tragedy our hearts long for that home ever deeper. i'm sure that many of you have seen reports either late last night or this morning the tragic events in charleston, the emanuel a.m.e. church there in charleston. a tragic shooting that there were nine of our christian brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the midst of a

really just a peaceful prayer meeting on wednesday night. so as we gather for not only the fullness of this weekend today as we're talking about a lot of important public policy positions and certainly many critically important positions of leadership, it can't be lost on us that the preciousness and the fragile nature of life. so we pause today to express a simple and an earnest -- and our simple and our earnest condolences, of course, to the families of those that were affected yesterday. and i ask that you would pause not only as we pray for our meal today but also for that family. heaven father, we -- our lives are but a mist so we look to

you for our provision. we look to you for our sustenance. we look to you for our protection, and we honor you in the midst of a victory, we also honor you in the midst of tragedy. we ask particularly for the families of those who were impacted last night, we ask that the peace of god that passes understanding would be near and very real to them in this time of deepest of mourning. as they grieve, i ask they would know your love, they would know your presence and beyond logic and intellect we ask that they would still somehow find your purposes and your presence in the midst of this. for the remainder today and this week, we thank you for your abundant grace and for your abundant love and all

these things we ask in the name of jesus. amen. we're also going to be joined by larry denber, our faith and freedom coalition and pennsylvania's leader. while he approaches -- all those who have served in the military, would you please rise. we'd like to honor you as we honor america. >> we certainly want to honor everyone that's served in the country. it's a very small minority of people who put on the uniform let's have a round for everyone that served. [applause] and then if everyone could stand and join me in a pledge to the flag.

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. thank you. timothy: well, thank you very much larry. so i wish that these seats came with seat belts because the remainder of this lunch is going to be pretty fast pace. with that said, to guide us through the rest of our luncheon today we're joined by kellyanne conaway a name that everyone probably recognizes.

she's the president of the polling company and woman trend. she's one the most quoted pollsters on the scene and her company -- she provides commentary over 1200 shows including abc, nbc pbs cnn cnbc msnbc hbo comedy central, mtv and fox news. some of y'all may all recognize one of those outlets in this room. but nonetheless, she is -- she is prolific, to say the least. kellyanne has worked for the late congressman jack kemp former vice president dan quayle former senator senator fred thompson, governor mike pence, congressman steve king. senior advisor and pollster to neat gingrich in his 2012 presidential campaign. so i ask you would you please join me in welcoming to the

stage kellyanneconway -- kellyanne conway. kellyanne: i'd like to thank you for coming this afternoon and on behalf of my prayers to the families in charleston. i hope it's some comfort to those families that their loved ones had died the way they lived, in the glory of christ. i will introduce to you as very special man and a very true american original story. his name is senator marco rubio and a senator representing the state of florida. he was elected in 2010 after launch whag many called a long shot uphill for the united states senate in 2009. senator rubio launched that united states senate bid after having served in the florida

house from 2000 to 2008. his committee assignment currently includes commerce, science and transportation, foreign relations, intelligence and small business and entrepreneurship. when he came to washington he pledged to stand up to reckless spending and to promote and protect free enterprise. he's made good on his promises. senator rubio also joined four other speakers today at lunch all of whom have i think a great deal in common. they were all told at some point in their career ascending to federal office, you can't win. don't even bother running. you're not electable. have you heard that before? each of them heard it, including senator rubio. but senator rubio knows that voters don't ask who can win, they ask who can lead and their definition of leadership is very different than the inside

the beltway definition of electability. you may also be aware that very recently senator marco rubio had a special announcement. he is indeed seeking the republican nomination for president of the united states. [applause] kellyanne: few if any tell their american dream story quite like senator marco rubio of florida. as he likes to say, he's a public servant because he feels he owes his country so much for having given he and his family so much. senator rubio and his wife janette are the parents of four small children and they live in west miami, florida. ladies and gentlemen senator marco rubio. [applause] senator rubio: thank you. thank you. thank you. it is an honor to be with you

here again today. a great turnout. i appreciate it very much. am i the first speaker at the event? good. well, i'm glad to do the kickoff. it's great to be with you. and a real honor to be with all of you as we look forward to 2016 and the challenges before our country. so as kellyanne mentioned, about two months ago i announced -- about nine weeks ago, to be frank, i said i was running for president and i traveled the country extensively. something i will -- i will see something that reminds me of my parents. today, it's easy. i'm in a hotel banquet room, which is what my father did for many years as a bartender. and i always open my speeches with that because it's a reminder to me and hopefully to my audience, the opportunities that i've had have been directly the result of what they sought in my family. they were born in cuba, born into societies like most

societies in the world where your future depends largely what your parents did before you. and so in 1956, my parents left their homeland and came here to the united states of america. life in this country was not easy for them at first. but in time they found good jobs. my father became a bartender primarily working banquets like this. my mother was a cashier, a stock clerk at kmart, a maid at a hotel like this. in time they earned enough money to buy a home, retire with security. and most important of all, they were able to leave all four of their children better off than themselves. i'm often reminded that i don't come from privilege. by privilege people mean money or fame, they're right. but i know this. that while my parents never made enough money to save for me to go to college -- that's why i had over $100,000 in

student loan debt which i was able to pay off recently with the proceeds of my book available on paperback and i didn't enharnte any real estate, i didn't inherent any money. even by the way our mortgages are still a larger part of our budget than i wish it were. and yet i still consider myself to be a child of incredible privilege. because i was raised in a stable home by two married parents who loved each other and loved us and who taught us and instilled in us the values we would need to succeed and most important of all, they taught me that there was no dream too big and there was no goal out of reach even for the son of a bartender and a maid because i was an american. and these opportunities, my life's journey, my parent's life journeys and the journeys that i had are the direct result of one thing and that the fact my parents came here

and i grew up during the american century. the 20th century was a century where america led the world against evil, a century driven by an american economy that produced the best companies, the best products, the best jobs in the entire world. and a century in which america was the one place on earth where anyone willing to work hard could achieve the universal dream of a better life. but the world is different now. in the early years of this new century have brought about the most significant period of change since the industrial revolution. for much of the 20th century, america had limited international competition, but now we are engaged in a global competition for the best companies, the best talent the best ideas and the best jobs. for much of the 20th century we had plenty of good-paying jobs. even for people like my parents with a limited education. but now many of these jobs

either no longer pay enough or they've been replaced by a machine. for much of the 20th century, the world was defined first by two world wars and then a cold one. but now from autocratic governments in china, russia and iran to radical jihadists, we don't face one, we face multiple threats to our prosperity and to our security. we now live in a time, unlike any moment before it, with problems and opportunities unique to this moment. now, there are those seeking the presidency based solely on what they achieved in the past. but i'm running for president because we -- what we need now are leaders and solutions that are grounded in the future in this new era that we now have. [applause] senator rubio: so today -- today, while the cost of living

keeps climbing, 2/3, two out of three americans make less money today than they did in the year 2002. our outdated policies from yesterday are not going to fix this but if i am honored with the opportunity to be president, we will put in place new ideas there will help our people increase their paycheck and reduce their bills. first, we're going to have new tax policies, tax policies that say the more your employer pays you the less they will owe in taxes to the i.r.s. we will help working families by helping them to keep more of what they earn so that middle-class children -- middle-class families will have the funds necessary to raise strong families in the 21st century. and we will lead the world in the production of energy so that the cost of utilities and of gassing up your car will stabilize and in time come down and no longer keep going up for our working families. today, because of automation

and technology the good-paying jobs require more training and more skills and more education than they ever have before. but because millions of americans lack these skills, they find themselves out of work or stuck in low-paying jobs. but if i'm blessed with the opportunity to be president, we will change this. we will put in place new policies that will give our people or help our people acquire the skills that me need for the better paying jobs of this new century. for starters, instead of pushing everyone to go to a traditional four-year college we will transform higher education so that it's accessible and affordable to all of our people. we'll focus on training more people, more young people to be in a skill trade. we still need more welders more plumbers, more electrician, more people to work the construction trade. and for the life of me i do not understand why we have stigmatized these good jobs that pay more than the job of a psychology major.

[applause] senator rubio: we need to modernize higher education so that people who have to work full time and raise a family can still go back to school. if you're a single mother raising two kids of your own working for $10 an hour, you can't just drop everything and enroll four years in college somewhere. we need to have flexible programs that allow you to learn online, on night and on weekends so that a receptionist making $ an hour can become a paralegal making $60 a year. so home health aide making $10 an hour can become a dental high jenks making $50,000 -- high gentist making $50 a -- $50,000 a year. and by the way, traditional college will still be available, but i believe before you take out a student loan you should know how much people

will graduate from that school with that degree. [applause] senator rubio: so that you can decide if you want to major in roman philosophy. because the market for roman philosophers has been very tight for the last 1,500 years. [laughter] senator rubio: today, because of high taxes and out-of-control regulations, for the first time in 35 years we have more businesses dying than we have starting in america. and yesterday's ideas are making this worse, not better. but if i am blessed with the opportunity to be president, we will pursue policies that make america the best place in the world to start and operate a business especially a new one. we will repeal dodd-frank which is killing the small banks that loan money to small business. [applause] senator rubio: we will lower the tax rate on small businesses so they can compete with the big businesses. and we will put a cap on

regulations which are crowding out innovation and making us uncompetitive in the global economy. regulations are particularly problematic for a small business who cannot hire an army of lobbyists and lawyers to help navigate big government. and last but not least, we will repeal and replace obamacare before it repeals and replaces more small business. [applause] senator rubio: today, we are on path to lead the next generation -- leave the next generation with a staggering amount of debt. yesterday's ideas make this problem even worse in the years to come. but if i am blessed with the opportunity to be president, we will make it our priority to fix this. through the only way it will work, a combination of economic growth and spending reform, we will balance our budget and we will save social security and medicare so those programs exist for future generations as well. today on the global stage,

america's influence has declined. the world has gotten more dangerous and our people and our interests less secure. but if i am -- yesterday's ideas, by the way that america can no longer afford to be the most powerful country on the planet is what has brought us to this point. but if i am blessed with the opportunity to be president, you can rest assured of one thing. we will be trusted by our allies, feared by our enemies and respected by all. [applause] senator rubio: for starters, we will reverse these dangerous cuts to our military. at a time when russia and china and everyone is expanding their capabilities. we won't just talk tactics, we will actually work with our allies to come up with a strategy to deal with the threats posed by china and asia and russia and europe and iran and the middle east.

we will have a real strategy, not just to debate tactics on how to confront isis and radical jihadists everywhere, we will rally the world the cause of persecuted christians throughout the world. [applause] senator rubio: and one more thing -- and one more thing. one more thing we cannot say today. if i am blessed with the opportunity to be the president of the united states our relationship with israel will be clear and unequivocal for the world to see. and here's what it will be. here's what the world will know. that if i am president, this country will do whatever it takes to help the people of israel survive and prosper as a jewish state. [applause] senator rubio: and last but not least, today we see an erosion in our culture and in our

values. yesterday's ideas that somehow the government could replace the family has failed miserably as we knew it would. but if i am blessed with the opportunity to be president, we will have someone in the white house who understands that you cannot have a strong country without strong people. you cannot have strong people without strong families. and you cannot have strong families with a government that strong arms parents and our faith. [applause] senator rubio: we will have a president, if i am blessed with that opportunity, we will have a president that understands and believes that the government is not meant to replace moms and dads. it is meant to empower them. and it is not meant to marginalize churches and synagogues. it is meant to protect them and their constitutional right. [applause] senator rubio: and we will have policies that reflect our values.

we will remove marriage penalties in our tax code and in our safety net programs. we will redesign anti-poverty systems so that they cure poverty through education responsibility and work. and if i'm president of the united states, we will appoint judges and we will have an attorney general who will protect our second amendment right and defend the right of every american to live out their faith at home, at work or in their business. [applause] senator rubio: and so you see, despite all of these challenges a strong america with strong values, good jobs and a healthy economy, that is a future we can build together. i'm honored to be gathered here today at the road to majority conference. i really like that name. especially the road part, because it reminds us that every single candidate, every party, every country is on a

road -- >> [inaudible] senator rubio: i'll continue my speech in a second. >> [inaudible]

senator rubio: you would be in jail tonight -- if you'd do that in another country your family's house could be raided, your businesses can be closed and in america, people have a right to interrupt speeches, they have a right to be rude, they have a right to be wrong. we live in a free society. i thank god every day for it. now let me just pose by talking about the road because the fundamental question for is where is the road that we are on lead to? there are those that run based on the path, on what they said or what they did in the decade or in the strentry that we leave behind -- century that we leave behind but this election will not be about the past. this election is and must be about the future. an election that is not just about what laws we're going to

pass. at the core the fundamental question is, what kind of country will we be in this new century? and today because of our outdated leaders, america's wheels are spinning, and while hillary clinton, i will confess, has a plan to get us moving again, it's a plan unfortunately that will get us moving in reverse. . no one has ever won a race and no one has ever won the future by running backwards. we must change the decisions that we are making by replacing the people who are making them. yet we know that a transition, making a transition has never been easy. it always meets with resistance. and this time will be no different. now when i announced, some suggested that instead of running for president, i needed to wait my turn. i've heard that before. they said the same