federal funding expires friday. then the discussion on the next legislative and legal challenges for the health care law. megan mccarthy joins us. washington journal is life every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern on he spent. host: good morning everyone on this tuesday. back up on capitol hill will be secretary of state john kerry along with energy secretary jack monique and treasury secretary jack lew all testifying before the committee on iran. in the senate, lawmakers are attempting to complete a six year highway funding bill before the funding expires this weekend. the house has rejected the senate lan and last night offered up a three-month extension. supporters of a longer-term ill

say that certainty is needed by states to repair the nation's infrastructure. we want to return to you -- turn to all of you and say what are your infrastructure needs. if you live in the eastern central part of the country dial in (202) 748-8000. mountain specific dial (202) 748-8001. if you want to join the conversation on twitter or go to facebook.com. you can also send an e-mail. the phone lines are open and we will begin with the "washington times." the highway funding bill stuck in limbo as the august recess quickly approaches. kevin mccarthy shut the bill to a six-month bill. saying even if the other changer gets it done -- chamber gets it done this week it would be impossible for history is to

study a thousand page deal before the house leaves thursday night. the majority leader announced that his side are a past a five-month road bill and last night they introduced a three-month extension. senate negotiators barreled forward anyway saying that congress's reliance on short-term patches has passed uncertainty on state and local projects. look at what senator barbara boxer had to say. she was on the floor yesterday. >> we all know from the association of general contractors it is stated right here and i ask unanimous consent to place this in the record. >> without objection. >> and 25 states we are seeing layoffs right now in the construction arena because we have not acted. that is tragic. what happens when people are laid off. we know what happens. we are getting out of this tough recession and none of us wants

to walk down the path of the short-term solutions. >> barbara boxer on the floor saying that certainty is needed in the state so we invite all of you to call in this morning and tell washington what is needed. what is infrastructure like where you live. the wall street journal editorial or weighing in. they are opposed to what the senate is trying to do. they write this to pay for the shortfall overspending and gas tax seats the senate bill uses the familiar gimmick of counting revenue over 10 years to finance ills over three. mr. mcconnell also turned over the couch cushions to find spare change like the sum of 7.79 billion dollars from the tax compliance measures. the feds will also sell $9 billion of oil through the strategic petroleum reserve -- reserve and someone because republicans have said that an

increase in the gas tax is off the table for anything that comes before the gop controlled house and the senate. we turn to all of you this morning. what is it like where you live. where is miami arizona for those that do not know. caller: 45 minutes east of phoenix but only about 45 minutes from the metropolitan area. in miami arizona there is a big construction going on and we need offices in the structure. my commander in chief which was president eisenhower he was the one that established the interstate highways and i don't understand why the republicans are bucking this. we need to keep jobs going and etc.. host:, the wall street journal says this about the gas tax. the virtue of the gas tax is

user paid, user benefit. if the taxes become less of a proxy due to more efficient cars and lower energy prices than prioritized federal highway money for the most urgent federal needs and devote more power to the city's which can use more power in their own levees to lay asphalt. a real long-term bill would give more responsibility to governors who are more likely to invest in repairs. we are not among those who think the federal government has no role to play in highways but no doubt americans can and would pay to relieve congestion and encourage interstate commerce if they had more confidence in the storage of the dollars. the too often defined federal highway spending. the federal gas taxes 18.4 cents per gallon. no increase since 1993.

the index for inflation -- the gas tax would beat what you nine cents per gallon and diesel would be $.39 per gallon. that from the congressional budget office which says in order to fund this you need about $100 billion for six years of funding for the highway trust fund. sam and hillsdale michigan also a democrat, what is it like in michigan? caller: most of the main streets are all right. many of the residential streets are down to dirt. i've actually seen city road crews patching holes and her. another thing that i want to say was i don't live too far from ann arbor michigan which many people know is a cosmic all in part of the state.

they have a lot of businesses that i would like to shop at. but the roads into ann arbor are so bad, many of them with potholes and congestion during i won't drive up there. i could easily spend $200 on a trip to ann arbor. that is just me. but i cannot go there and spend the money. i would love to but i will not drive up those roads. and the funding. the gas tax is not good. people have been trying to save -- to conserve gasoline. they are buying cars that do not burn as much gasoline. they are working hard for it and to raise the gas tax would be punitive. host: how do you pay to fix the roads? caller: here in michigan they

talked of a penny increase in the income tax. a penny raised in income tax or it might have been a 1% raise -- but it was loaded -- voted down. i don't know what to do. host: the wall street journal knows that the house has passed a five-month a billion-dollar pass. the interim bill is met by time for negotiations among treasury secretary jack lew, the white house and paul ryan. they're attempting to work on a larger tax deal and we reported the pros and cons of it. what they are looking at is a one-time tax on multinational companies and other ways to fund the highway trust fund. jim a republican, good morning to you. how far away are you from hillsville.

>> i do know, maybe quite a ways. i cannot see -- the gas tax. that is a no-no. host: i have to move on. you have to listen to the phone. turned on the tv otherwise you get that annoying feedback and it is hard to listen. taylor and washington, where are you located in washington state? caller: i am located in vancouver washington on the border between portland oregon which is the largest mr. paulson city in washington state. i wanted to call-in because it is a rather unique position here and watching to and. the majority of the local funding goes toward seattle which is not surprising. as he talked about the federal boondoggle projects.

but the point that i wanted to make is that we desperately need a better infrastructure to get from state to state and i can easily see that while raising the gas tax is extremely unpopular we clearly need to be getting more tax revenue from the wealthy and larger corporations. it is the social responsibility of those larger companies to do so if they want us to be a prevalent society and to pay for the goods we want to consume. host: ucs as a competitive issue for the united states and to have companies invest and bring jobs here and they need to pay for the nation f stroke infrastructure to make it as competitive as other countries. >> while we do spend $700 billion on defense we need to be competitive with europe and even asian countries. >> look at the spending. this is what together this is

all levels of government funding for highways in transit. this is 2007 to 2011. the federal government spent $51 billion. about 25% of the funding comes from the federal government. 40% comes from the state and 36% comes from the local government and that is about $74 billion. there is this shortfall for the highway funding. and that projections have gone down and down. here are the federal and state governments that rely heavily on gas tax revenue to fund highways. these are the resources used by the level of government. the darker area that is the gas tax. the resource for the federal government is 66% that comes from the gas tax. four states it is about anyone percent. for local governments at 4%.

the other in the greater areas it is bond and other taxes and fees and investment income. darker shades and property taxes in the general fund. the great area for the local government 47% from tolls. >> we will go to myra and illinois. what are your -- what is your community's infrastructure and transportation needs? caller: the community has done good. but the main highway. before you get on the exit lane, it needs the rebar repaired. it is showing through and it can take your car and jerked the tires. so you might move into the left lane or hit somebody. the whole thing needs repaired. it is rough and bumpy and people

travel left lane more than the right. host: take a look at what members of congress are saying about transportation needs in this country. congressman tim ryan twitting out that 5052% are in poor conditions costing $800 every year and we need a transportation bill he says. and steve says the house gop refuse to pass a long-term highway bill. they pay a thousand dollars per year because of damaged roads. they say we need a robust highway bill that builds safe modern infrastructure that the economy deserves. she says they are funding to rebuild america's infrastructure because 65% of america's major roads are in critical condition. then also, senator blunt from missouri tweaking out that passing a multiyear highway bill

would give them the certainty they need. he is a republican and he is in support of the senate. and the republican from west virginia pleased with tonight's vote will begin debate on a long-term highway bill. senator mike lee tweeted out that he was waiting for the 1000 page highway bill to be rented. we are scheduled to vote on it at 4:00 p.m.. he noted in his instagram picture they received the bill a little after 3:00 p.m. and was scheduled to take their last vote on -- at 4:00. the wall street journal says it is more of the status quo. transportation spending would increase by $76 billion. politicians in washington will still pick winner and loser states since eisenhower. the bike trails, scenic overlooks at trolley cars will

proceed as scheduled. joe, democrat. tell us what it is like where you live. caller: i just want to say in florida we don't call it potholes we call it craters. we need a high-speed train. that will create 60,000 jobs and the governor said no because he is about the oil. and with climate change he said he will fix the problem. he just banned the word. simple as that. host: why do you think a high-speed rail is needed? caller: it is going to be cheaper. it is like new york. other countries.

it is cheaper for the country for the people. nobody can afford a car or a truck. it will be cheaper. host: "the miami herald's" editorial board weighed in on this. patrick -- patchwork won't fix transportation and for structure needs. nowhere is is more apparent than florida where we are challenged to increase funding for transportation options. in the meantime the florida department of transportation has become a national model for doing more with less. their creative thinking is helping create jobs and keep our regional economy moving. the miami-dade expressway authority has funded numerous expansion projects on critical transportation arteries in miami-dade county which has helped reduce congestion.

many of these projects would not have been possible if miami had to rely exclusively on funding from the federal government. while toll roads and local funding is part of the solution a transportation bill is necessary to continue repairing america's deteriorating transportation systems and order to increase our mobility, safety and quality of life across the country. what is it like in your community? rich, republican. you are on the air. caller: good morning, greta. the problem with the gas tax numbers are -- it is misleading. the federal tax has been stuck at around $.15 since the early 90's, but state taxes have gone up on gasoline. to the point where new yorkers for instance are paying a total of $.88 per gallon between the

federal tax and state tax. that varies from state to state. in virginia it is not so bad. it is easy to say the federal gas tax remains stagnant. the white elephant in the room is the state taxes. you have to look at the total tax burden and i would say it is high enough. host: how much are you spending? you sound like you might be in the car now. caller: i think virginia is about $.38 on top of the $.15 federal. maybe around $.52 per gallon. host: do you know what your monthly gas bill is? caller: it is pretty high. about $300. host: it sounds like you travel for a living. are you on the road everyday? caller: i am.

if you want to raise money at has to come from somewhere. we spent the last seven years under obama creating a welfare state. 50 million people on some form of public assistance between welfare and ssi. cut the numbers down and you will have plenty of money to fix the roads. host: that is rich in charlottesville, virginia. in south carolina, republican, what you think? caller: i think we should open leases on federal land and drill. that way they will take the oil and build these roads and infrastructure. also it would save sending all of that money to countries that don't think much of us and keep it here at home. plus, that would open up many

jobs if they do the drilling here and get our own oil. host: alan in delaware, what is it like in delaware? caller: delaware roads are not that bad in general. but you go across the line and i saw a car not too long-ago blow attire in front of me. -- blow a tire right in front of me. unbelievable. if you had a one-time 25% increase in the gas tax and use it for two things. the roads and to shore up social security and medicare. not use it for anything else at all. host: do you think you can get republicans and democrats to sign onto that? caller: i don't know about republicans. they seem to be a species from another planet but it is something to think about. host: what do you think about it in new york?

caller: hello? host: you are on the air. caller: i have a great question. talking about tax rebates -- host: go ahead. john, i think we might have lost you. tom in pennsylvania. go ahead. caller: i live in central pennsylvania. we just had governor corbett put gas tax on us last year of $.28 a gallon, in addition to raising drivers license fees and registration fees. i just want to point out the fed wants to put $.18 more on us and they will raise diesel up to $.24. host: where did you see that? the proposals before the house and the senate, the long term in

the senate and the short-term in the house does not have a gas tax increase. caller: well, i thought they did. host: they don't. caller: my point is -- with the gas tax is, you could double that here and pennsylvania as far as the transportation bill. the truck drivers are going to pay $.18 more. they will pass that on to the retailers. the retailers will pass it on to us. when they increase it $.18, that is actually $.36 as we will pay for both of them. caller: that is tom -- host: that is tom in pennsylvania. joanne is in greensburg, pennsylvania. caller: good morning. i just took a road trip through

wisconsin. the roads were atrocious. it was like a third world nation. it's the worst i have seen in my long driving history and the money should have been spent on infrastructure. scott walker had no priority to do it and it shows how bad republican governance can be that they cannot maintain the roads. horrible potholes. six feet wide by three feet deep. host: the next call comes from wisconsin. randy, a republican, is that what it is like? caller: she sure has that wrong. we just passed a bill in wisconsin that all of our gas tax money for roads -- our roads are great. i don't know where she was driving. not driving in wisconsin. that is 66% of the money that goes into the federal

government, that is 66% of one dollar. look up how many gallons per state. in minnesota approximately 8 million gallons of gas per day in minnesota. you take that, what you are paying per gallon at 66% and there is a lot of money going. but it has to stay out of the general fund. i bet that lady -- she better come back to wisconsin and open up her eyes this time. host: where is your city in relation to the bigger cities? caller: we are on the western side south of st. paul, minnesota. host: alan in stanley virginia. an independent. tell us what it is like where you live? caller: our roads are in good condition. we are in virginia close to interstate highways but as a whole they are very good. host: what do you think should be done?

caller: there is enough money to go around based on the volume of gasoline being used in the country and state. the problem is, just like a lot of other programs, we have people who do not understand how to manage money. the federal government is a perfect example. if we would be if efficient and effective we would not need that money. that is the whole problem. until these people learn how to use money wisely, this is not going to stop. we could give them $10 billion tomorrow and in five years they need it again. they need a long-term comprehensive plan and learn how to use people's money. just the way people sit at their tables and balance their budgets. host: "wall street journal's" editorial board says put it in control of the governors and local officials. get the federal government out of it. do you trust local officials more than the federal government?

caller: yes. but some are just as bad. that may be a start but there nice to be a lot of discussion as to how you go about it. there is a way of resolving this problem but we need to put people in charge that have integrity and honesty and are competent. right now i do not think we have it. no disrespect but that is a problem with the whole country. it is a mess. everything the federal government gets involved in, they screw it up. host: that is alan in stanley virginia. we're getting your thoughts on what infrastructure and transportation needs are like in your community. keep dialing in. we will take more phone calls. i want to share other headlines. the front page of the "boston globe." games over. u.s. olympic committee and boston organizers halt the bid after the mayor balks at the guaranteed to cover overruns.

boston having the bid is unpopular with bostonians. the los angeles times say the 2024 games in l.a. is a player again. los angeles appears the favorite to become the u.s. candidate. that is the los angeles times this morning. the detroit this morning with this headline. the fiat chrysler penalty could exceed $1 billion. there is a tougher regulation in the buyback requirements and these finds. this story on the front page of "the washington times" about planned parenthood and the video controversy. planned parenthood's long-held insistence that abortion constitutes only 3% of the organization's services is increasingly coming under scrutiny. this comes as kevin mccarthy at

the end of this story this morning asked -- he is calling for those in congress to freeze the roughly half billion dollars in annual federal funding to planned parenthood while house committees investigate. the front page of the washington times above the fold, their banner is that republicans are calling on president obama to fire the irs chief. they may pursue contempt charges against the irs chief. the house panel considers impeachment and obstruction charges over deleted e-mails. the front page of the new york times this morning on gun control. it is a story in the washington post as well. these two recent shootings at the louisiana movie theater and the charleston church. the new york times says these two cases show the one system that gun rights and gun control

advocates agree on is the national background check system which is supposed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people is riddled with roberts. while -- with problems. while it is prevented more than 2.4 million sales it still has major gaps. narrow definitions of who is considered too mentally ill to own a gun. the shootings exposed the gaps in the background check system and they say that it needs to be tightened up. the opposing view is written by gun owners of america. they say the fact is the entire background check system is flawed. not only is it unconstitutional, its failure to keep criminals -- guns out of criminal hands is not keeping people safe. there is also this. legal issues delay arming

recruiters for u.s. military. capital republicans are pushing to arm service members in the wake of the chattanooga tennessee attack but a patchwork of laws may get in the way. scouts took the big vote yesterday. here is "the washington post." boy scouts end ban on gay leaders. the boy scouts of america are expected to shift the fight to local levels. that in the papers this morning among other news. back to our discussion with all of you. what is the transportation infrastructure like where you live? jim, on our line for democrats. caller: good morning. in reading pennsylvania, we have a bridge that is down for two years that is going to be worked on. and we have infrastructure over

reading to put in new gas pipes. the people that could not have gas, they are going to switch over to gas. there is so much going on here that next year one guy told me they are going to pave -- repave the whole street all the way out because it is too much patches and everything else that is going on. so i approved this. i mean, something has to be done. our infrastructure is so bad that something has to be done. thank you. host: frank in wyoming, a republican. what is it like in sheridan, wyoming? frank, you on the air. good morning. caller: good morning. i am calling about the transportation infrastructure,

and i was watching c-span. i always watch it. i am so tired of these people trying to add housing, everything else, but stick straight to the roads. that is all we need. we can put a nice tax on it and keep it for the tax on the road only. host: one thing added on to the senate bill last night was reauthorization of the export-import bank, something that house republicans oppose. the authorization for that agency expired. republicans and some democrats in the senate are trying to get that reauthorized, and they did so successfully on the senate bill, but house republicans are saying they are not going to act on this senate long-term bill. they want the senate to has a three-month or five-month extension, giving them both more time to work out a longer-term bill. there are negotiations happening

between paul ryan to come up -- and the treasury secretary in the white house to come up with some solution for some reform. we go to paul from wisconsin, a democrat. caller: good morning. i wanted to comment on the roads around the fox valley. they are terrible. ever since scott walker became our governor, he has been running the state into the ground. host: how so when it comes to roads, paul? caller: you should drive in wisconsin. i wonder if my rims are going to break on some of those potholes. every road is cracked up and potholed. host: what are the solutions being put forward in your state? caller: he gave big tax cuts to the super rich in our state,

and now the state doesn't have any money to fix the roads. host: we are taking more of your calls. this is from "the washington post." "the house ben ghazi panel says the state department is providing more documents. the state department has pledged to handle 5000 new pages of documents related to the incident today. the documents are not expected to include e-mails revolving then secretary of state hillary clinton, who has been embroiled in a controversy over the use of her private e-mail account." she will be testifying before that committee in october. "the chairman of the committee says he wants all relevant documents before clinton testifies. her campaign has said she will testify in october, but the timing is not set. in exchange for receiving the documents, chairman gauowdy

says the committee had granted a request from john kerry's chief of staff to postpone it." in 2016 news this morning front page of "the new york times." hillary clinton laid out her energy plan, if she were to become president yesterday. that in the new york times. then there is the story in "the washington post" about jeb bush and his stewardship of the florida economy. they say florida's boom was fueled by the housing double. they report florida bowed a substantial -- that florida owed

a substantial portion of its growth under bush not to any state policies but to a housing bubble. the bubble drove up home prices and had many short-term benefits for the state including construction, spending, and jobs. after eight years of service florida went into recession deeper than the rest of the country, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes. that is a front page story in "the washington post," if you are interested in reading that. there is also this from "the wall street journal." "donald trump sells his condo in new york for $20 million." it says "the presidential hopeful sold his condo at $21 billion, priced at $35 million was last offered at $25 million but it is not related to his run for president."

there are also these headlines in "the wall street journal." "president obama slams republican candidates for their wrong criticism." president obama in africa this week, slamming what the republican candidates had to say. below that headline is a story about jeff flake, the republican from arizona. "senator key bipartisan support for nuclear deal." "the amiable sandy haired senator has maintained a neutral approach to the agreement. he was the only republican to fly on air force one on a presidential trip to africa. he is the foreign relations africa subcommittee chairman. he may get one senator to vote with him if jeff flake is to support him." some of his questions were answered, but some were not.

those opposed to the iran deal like senator john mccain, his colleague from arizona, believe republicans need to be unanimous to send a powerful message about the iran deal. congress is expected to vote on a resolution on the agreement in mid-september, is what "the wall street journal reports on that this morning. that are -- that is headlines in the paper this morning. secretary of state john kerry energy secretary ernest mont is -- ernest mont knees -- ernest moniz, and john luke, will be before the foreign affairs committee. back to your calls. casey in westminster massachusetts, an independent. what are your infrastructure transit needs? caller: overall we are doing well in massachusetts.

a lot of paving jobs are going on on route 495 which is very congested. overall, the roads here are pretty decent. host: ok. what do you think should be done about the highway trust fund? how should it refunded? caller: is it really a trust fund or is it a line item in the general budget? is the money actually held the side -- is the money actually held aside? host: from "the washington times," "congress faces a deadline to pass a bill that would provide continued funding for the highway trust fund." look at the drop off, june of 2015. there it is, $6.9 billion. look at the projected shortfall heading down. june of 2015 you are at about $2 billion, and then the projected

shortfall after that. the deadline is this friday-saturday. congress needs to pass something before they leave town for the august recess. it is quickly approaching. in washington, d.c., an independent. good morning to you. go ahead. caller: thanks for having me on. the roads here in washington d.c., are actually pretty good. i travel between baltimore and d.c. pretty much every day. in d.c., just in the last week, a road was being paved and they had the machines and the equipment. these guys paved at least a mile and a half of road overnight. i do not understand why the same thing is not done in other municipalities. i think the technology should be better everywhere.

presidential candidates -- the republicans, there are 20 of them running. same thing with the democrats. the only guy i like his bernie sanders. the media is not going to give him any traction. host: bruce in california, a democrat. what is it like where you live, and where is your town? caller: new palm springs. the roads in the city's are pretty bad -- the roads in the es are pretty bad. we are paying four dollars a gallon for gas right now because of our refinery system here. when we have $.70 tax, that is very tough. it has crept into my profits.

i am a small businessman. i see that around the country everybody is paying $2.40 $2.80 for a gallon of gas. in arizona, that was lowest i saw. in california it spiked up to $4.09 in over a week. host: what is your gas bill per month? caller: i am spending almost $200 a week in gas. i am all over the county. every time it goes up to four dollars or over, i lose my profits. it is very hard. in california, it is the refinery system. host: so you go in the red when gas goes up four dollars -- goes over four dollars.

wesley in san diego, a democrat, what is it like in san diego? caller: our infrastructure is outstanding. we do have a lot of potholes. we need constant repair with potholes. other than that, it is outstanding. i think it should be funding. i think it should be funded. it is always needed. if they are going to go bad, we need roads. it always needs improvement. host: wesley, how should it be funded? should be -- should it be through a raised gas tax? caller: it should be through the city, the county. it should be distributed to the needs of the community of that district. host: many of you have called in in recent weeks about the trade debate that happened here this summer in washington, giving the

president fast-track authority. there is an update on that from jonathan weisman in "the new york times," writing that "the top trade negotiators are gathering this week at a luxury resort in maui for one last push , roving together 40% of the world's economic output. even though it is billed as the final round of transpacific partnership negotiations, trade representatives from the united states japan canada, chile and australia and vietnam have high hurdles to clear. australia and new zealand are resisting american rules on access for pharmaceutical companies to their national health systems. canada is so reluctant to open its agricultural market to competition that it might drop out of talks altogether. just monday, the state department's decision to date -- to upgrade its rating of malaysia's average to combat

human trafficking caused an uproar among labor and human rights activists who accused them of a maneuver at the expense of wage and sex slaves." andrew walcott connecticut, an independent. what is it like where you live? caller: we just happened to be talking about this traffic situation. a friend of mine is coming from the carolinas, and he asked to come in through 95, which everybody pretty much takes 95 to get to work in the morning the 95 corridor, through fairfield county and into new york, some of the richest people in the world. every day, somebody dies. a truck driver died this morning. we have made a joke out of it but it is not a joke that every morning somebody is not coming home to their loved ones because of how bad the situation is. our governor is trying to work

on it, but it has been bad for a while, and people die every day. somebody is being told their loved one has been killed, if not more than one. host: what is the debate like for a solution in your state by your governor, buyer legislature? caller: the governor is working on it, and we still have the same old problem. we have one of the richest states, but most of the money is set in fearful county, and those are deep republicans and they refused to even give an inch. we have more money than anything in this state and we are getting nowhere because republicans block every single thing. i am not for democrats or republicans, i am for right and wrong. people are dying every day. there is a mother not coming home, a father not coming home or a child not coming home. we have been listening to this for endless years.

it is called greed of the rich, and they refused to do anything to help unless they can privatize it. they want it all private so that when they get it privatized, then they can overcharge. they own it all. host: let me ask you, has connecticut raise the gas tax? caller: we are already one of the highest, and we get nothing. we have already done this several times, and we are told a long time ago that everything was supposed to go for the highways and everything disappeared. the net -- the money never gets to where it is supposed to go, and we have been lied to so many times that we should have beautiful highways and schools by now. where is all the money going that they take the texas for and we never get it done? host: our producer just found this. the traditional $.25 per gallon gas tax -- connecticut has a

wholesome fuel tax that is charged when the gasoline is imported into the state. on july 1, the wholesale tax was increased from an effective rate of 7.53% to 8.81%. mike in new jersey, and independent. caller: thank you for c-span and taking my call. i do not think the states can afford right now for everything else that they are paying for with the citizens. i think it should definitely be funded by 10% of foreign aid. host: all right, mike. jerome in burleson tennessee, a democrat. what do you think? i have to push the button. there we go, jerome. you are on the air. caller: it was wasted by the republicans with the infrastructure. at the same time, they call

themselves conservative but they are taking money. the government shutdown -- billions of dollars wasted. obamacare, 50 or 60 times being repealed -- money wasted. benghazi, then ghazi, then ghazi -- money wasted. host: another quick headline for you this morning. this is about the nsa's program. "the national security agency will destroy the telephone records of millions of americans collected over almost 10 years once it has resolved pending litigation and implemented a new surveillance law. president obama signed into law the usa freedom act, which requires intelligence agencies to obtain targeted records directly from our phone companies." so an update on that for all of you this morning. up next we will keep this conversation going.

we will talk with the former transportation secretary, ray lahood, and later we will talk with meghan mccarthy about what is next for the affordable care act. we will be right back. announcer: the c-span cities tour, working with our cable authorities -- without cable affiliates is moving across the country. we talk about augusta, georgia. jimmy dyess was awarded the medal of honor posthumously for his actions in world war ii. >> we are sitting here in the augusta museum of history. about 10 years ago a decision was made to do a military

display, a permanent military display, to honor jimmy dais. when i did my research on the book, i went through over 9000 carnegie medal recipients, and the 3500 or so medal of honor recipients since the civil war. he is the only person ever to have earned both awards. he would almost for sure say he did not deserve it. he might point out to someone else who was more heroic than he was. he was very humble. he never talked about the carnegie medal. when i interviewed people who knew him, when i did the book a long time ago, people who knew him well -- i said, tell me what about the carnegie medal that here and when he was 19. they did not know anything about it. most will tell you i did not deserve this metal. it should have been given to somebody else. it is a piece of humility, and i

think he would have been in that category. announcer: we also visit the boyhood home of woodrow wilson. >> he moved -- he moved to this house when he was 3. president wilson's very first memory was in november of 1860 before he was 4 years old. he was standing on the front gate in front of the house and two men came by in a hurry with excited tones and said abraham lincoln has just been elected president, and there is going to be a war. so young tommy ran inside and asked his father what was war and what did that mean and why were they so excited? we think it is remarkable that his very first memory was about another president, abraham lincoln, and about another war the civil war. wilson would have to leave the country through world war i.

announcer: see all of our programs from augusta on bloomberg's booktv and sunday on american history tv on c-span3. "washington journal" continues. host: we are back with ray lahood former transportation secretary, who served seven terms in the house and is the cochair of building america's future. let's talk about the highway debate between the senate and the house. do you like what the senate is doing? they have a six-year bill. they will not fund it by raising the gas tax. guest: i like the fact that there is real bipartisanship between senator in half and senator -- between senator in hofe and senator boxer. this is the same thing that happened when she was the chair.

this is the bipartisan part of it that i think is a good signal. transportation has always been bipartisan. there are no republican or democratic bridges or roads. this is about what we can do for our friends and neighbors around the country in terms of putting them to work and filling potholes and fixing roads and bridges. i prefer a six-year, fully funded bill. i prefer raising the gas tax. it has not been raised in 20 years. but the idea that the senate has come together and is working together, i think it is a very strong signal. it is a good signal. host: "the wall street journal" editorial board way in this morning. they said it would really keep the status quo, that it would increase funding by 76 billion dollars above current law, 3% per year. politicians in washington will

still pick winner and loser states, as they have since eisenhower. the bike trails, scenic overlooks, and trolley cars that consumed $.25 on the dollar since 2014 will proceed as scheduled. guest: i would prefer a $500 billion bill over six years. i think that sends a strong signal, but we are where we are. the idea that senator infhofe and senator boxer and people on the ep w committee, in both parties, have come together. it is a little bit of congress. it is not everything i would want, but it is progress. we should be applauding them for doing that and encouraging the house to take a close look at it. host: is that how it works, though? federal politicians in washington get to choose winner and loser states for transportation funding?

guest: the wall street journal does not have it quite right. this bill is a bill that really reflects what needs to be done around america. we need to fix up the interstate system, which is crumbling. we need to fix a lot of bridges many of which are in a state of bad repair, one of which here in washington, the bridge that leads to arlington cemetery, is about falling down. there are a lot of bridges like that. there are plenty of roads and bridges all over america without any politician picking them, and really then it is up to the governor's and people in the states to make those decisions. in the era of no earmarks, the idea of picking and choosing does not really exist. the idea of saying to states here is the amount of money that is going to be allocated to you and then there are also opportunities for other funding. host: "the wall street journal"

says "the virtue of gas taxes is user paid, user benefit. if the taxes become less of a proxy, prioritize federal highway money for the most urgent national needs and evolve more power to the states and cities, which can use tolls and their own fuel levies to lay asphalt." guest: a lot has not been happening in washington. 14 states in the last year raised their own gas tax. almost all of them were controlled by republicans. conservative states like utah raise their own gas tax five cents a gallon so they could fix up their roads. in the absence of any leadership in washington, d.c., in the absence of any major transportation bill, wyoming raised their own gas tax. is it easy?

of course not. it is hard for politicians to raise the tax, but the one thing they know is when they do that, the constituents they represent realize that potholes are going to be filled, roads are going to be fixed, bridges are going to be fixed, and people see their friends and neighbors doing the work. the money does not stay in washington. it does not go in some politician's pocket, it goes back to the states. people in the states see progress, and that is the reason there is not that much heart and about the idea of raising the gas tax. host: you served as a republican from illinois and the congress dealing with transportation issues while you were there, served as the transportation secretary for the obama administration. why is the transportation department needed when some republicans get the federal government out of it, that it should go to the states. why do you say the

transportation department -- guest: this idea of devolution which is what you're talking about, where you give the money back to the states and they have at it, we would not have a national program. we would not have an interstate system because really when eisenhower signed the interstate ill, there were some governors if you look -- the interstate bill, there were some governors if you look at it that said we are not going to have an interstate through our state. here we are 50 years later with an interstate system because we have national priorities because we set that as a priority. there are is not enough money in the states to fix of the bridges that need to be fixed up. these range projects are very expensive, in the neighborhood of $50 million to $100 million to fix up a bridge, rather than -- not to mention building a new one, which is very, very expensive. states left to their own simply would not have the resources to

do it. they really would not. and we would not have the national priorities for safety safe roads, safe bridges standards that may be some states simply would not adopt. host: what about competitiveness with other countries? anybody that's been to china or asia or south america knows that high-speed rail, new highways, new roads. every time you go to china there is a new high-speed rail line. why? because the national government has set that as a priority. you build it, they will come. you build it it you develop economic opportunities. and people go to work building this kind of infrastructure. we are being out-cpmompeted by every place in the world. that's why companies are moving to those places. they have good infrastructure. they have good roads. they have good bridges.

you build infrastructure, you build economic opportunities. a road becomes an economic corridor. look at how many jobs have been created by the interstate system. they are small businesses. they all employ people. that is what a road or corridor does. infrastructure is a win-win for america. for the people who do the work, for the people who benefit from the roads, for the jobs that are created once it is in place. this is kind of a no-brainer. if we want to jumpstart the economy, the largest segment of unemployment in america right now is in the building area. these are the people out of work. because there is nothing happening. there is no transportation bill. the highway trust fund is broke. so nothing is happening and a lot of people are out of work.

here we are at the end of july. right in the middle of construction season. not much happening in america because we don't have a road program. we don't have a highway program. and the highway trust fund is broke. gas taxes have not been raised for 20 years. you can't think of another thing in america -- a dozen eggs, a gallon of milk. you name it. they have all been brought up after 20 years except aghast the gas tax. host: barbara is up. an independent. caller: i had a question about the gas tax. my son is going to be driving soon. he is 12. would it be ok if you took off his shirt, because he is jerking off right now -- host: ok.

another caller. caller: good morning. i have written my congressman and my senator and i do not believe that when you raise the gas tax at the federal level. the big project. that is just one of hundreds. it first came in at $2 billion. that hole in the ground in massachusetts. it went out with cost overrun at $22 billion. the money was siphoned off. it is nothing but corruption. kennedy was alive. then when they opened it up, the ceiling fell in because they used garbage up there and it a woman. remember that? we don't trust the people in the

federal government anymore. i was drafted during vietnam and i was a policeman for 25 years and retired. i can tell you this. we have the most corrupt government in the whole entire world right now. until you straighten out, that is why the people don't trust anymore. host: ok. guest: will thank you for your service as a 25 year policeman. we appreciate the work you did. i don't agree with you. i don't think our government is corrupt. i think the big dig was a huge cost overrun. it is inexcusable that that project cost so much money. i'm proud of the work that we did at d.o.t. while i was secretary. we funded a lot of projects that kept a close eye on them and major they were done correctly.

i worked with mayors and governors all over the country. who are people that really want to get things done. and really innovate in infrastructure. but i take your point. that project was a huge cost overrun. host: jim in florida, a republican. caller: the previous caller stole my thunder. i was also going to raise the issue of the big dig. the last four governors of illinois have gone to prison for corruption. republicans used to stand for conservative fiscal policy. this is the old concept of just spend and spend our way out of

economic woes and problems. we have an $18 trillion debt, mr. lahood. your grandchildren's grandchildren couldn't pay that thing off. host: ok jim. let's get a response. caller: i served in congress for 14 years. i am proud to say we passed two six-year bills and fully funded them during that time. speaker gingrich was the speaker and i was part of the majority party. we passed three balanced budgets. though clinton was in the white house. -- clinton was in the white house. we passed major legislation very competence of transportation bills, and balanced the budget at the same time. people in washington can do those things and i think there are people who want to do that. host: how was it funded? caller:guest: the two bills that we

passed were funded primarily by the gas tax. it had been raised in 93 and i was elected in 94. under president clinton's first administration, the gas tax was raised $.18 a gallon. during president reagan's administration, they raised the gas tax five cents a gallon. he was a pretty conservative fella. he saw the need for resources and that is what we need today. we to say the highway trust fund is broke and there is no money there. and it has done a good job helping to build an interstate system and some pretty magnificent infrastructure in our country, which now is crumbling pretty badly. host: beyond raising the gas

tax, how do you pay for the highway fund? guest: there are a number of other things that can come into play. a lot of states have raised their own gas taxes. some in very conservative states. a lot of states are doing tolling. i'm from illinois. i still have a home there. we have done a lot of tolling around o'hare airport. in northern virginia, tolling is -- has come into play in order to build roles. that is one way. public-private partnerships. when i was in d.o.t., we funded the silver line here. that was a public-private partnership. not totally funded by the government, but funded by private funds. public-private partnerships,

tolling -- there are people around the world that want to invest in infrastructure, too. you have these investment bankers that are looking at infrastructure as ways to invest. we don't say it is all through the gas tax. you have to have other resources. host: john, a democrat in michigan. caller: good morning. i drove over the road 22 years. the last truck company, i drove with them for 15. never had a ticket. guest: congratulations. caller: the only way to do is to raise the gas tax. because we were reporting miles and you guys up in washington -- the drug company was paying the

mile maker. they were stuffing them up 22% out-of-pocket. so the easiest way is just to go ahead and raise the fuel tax. most people don't realize. a couple of cents at the pump and we don't have to worry about the roads. host: is that true? guest: well, not really. we need a pretty big chunk of money right now. the infrastructure in america is really really in bad shape. there is a list of bridges at d.o.t. that are in a state of bad repair that need funding. these are very very costly projects. the bridge that leads to arlington cemetery is in a state of bad repair and it costs millions of dollars to fix that bridge alone. we know that the interstate system is now 50 years old.

it needs to be fixed up. there are roads all over america that need repair. we are talking billions of dollars. $.10 a gallon, i would say $.10 a gallon and index it. if the gas tax had been indexed in 1993 to the cost of living we wouldn't have a problem. the truth is gas taxes are pretty low right now. in some places they are below three dollars a gallon. host: do you that happening in this congress? guest: i don't. i am not optimistic and it is very difficult for politicians to raise taxes. host: and independent in san diego. you're next. caller: good morning. i have been in this city for 42 years and i own my own business

for 25 of those years. and i traveled as a salesman all those years. i think san diego has done a terrific job with their roads. maybe there is one exception i would complain about, the toll road from san diego to chula vista that was originally paid for by a company i believe out of australia. you could count the cars on that and i have used it. i had one of those easyz passes and i used it frequently. i am probably one half of 1% of the people that use that road. it was so bad and so underused that it had to be taken over by the state and i don't know how much money we had to pay for that. and secondly, i'm going to ask a few things and then i'm going to hang up. if there is 100 million people in the united states that are on government subsidies of some kind, how is any increase in

test tax going to help those people? and i noticed, mr. lahood how you brushed off the big dig as a big mistake. that was an enormous mistake. and, i mean, that set the highway trust fund back years. host: ok. we will take those points. what does raising the gas tax due to lower income americans who are already struggling? guest: if we raise the gas tax we have the ability to put together a comprehensive bill. there are a lot of people in america that use mass transit. think of the people here in washington, d.c. that use the metro system. it is true all over america. if you have a good transportation program, it is not just for roads and bridges. it is for people who don't want

to own an automobile or can't afford one. but still late to get to work and get to the doctor and get their kids to school. and they need mass transit. that is part of a comprehensive transportation program. you can't have that unless you have the resources and we don't have the resources right now. that's why the senate is struggling. they put together a six-year bill but only funded it for three years because the resources aren't there because the highway trust fund is broke and we need to replenish it. host: what you make of the senate last night attaching reauthorization of the export import bank onto the highway bill? guest: i am a big supporter of the export import bank. if i were serving, i certainly would be supporting that. it was a commitment that the senate majority leader made to people in the senate who support the export import bank. a way to revive it.

frankly, that is laying dormant right now because it ran out of its authorization. so the senate majority leader said that there would be a vote on it and obviously there is support for it in the senate. it is a way to get that organization up and running again. obviously it passed. host: what happens at the end of this week? the house says they are not going to take the six-year bill. the senate says they are going to pass it before the recess. let's say they didn't come together before the august recess and the funding runs out. how does the transportation department and the federal highway at ministration respond? guest: i don't think that will happen. as a former staffer of 17 years i think there is a lot of discussion going on between the speaker staff and majority

leader staff about putting together an extension similar to what the house passed. before everybody leaves here on thursday, there will be something.

caller: i am retired as of a couple years now. i was a telik medications engineer. you are correct as -- telecommunications engineer. the department of transportation has basically failed because if they hadn't failed, all of these things wouldn't the in such disarray and horrible conditions and we wouldn't be out of money if it was a true trust fund.

it wouldn't have been rated in order to buy votes. the american pack taxpayer pretty much gets screwed. i think they should fire everybody because when i worked if you didn't take care of business you didn't have a job and it should be that way for the government and everyone else. host: ok. do you have a response to what she had to say about congress and how they work? guest: when i served in congress , we passed to six-year bills. they were good bills. they really put people to work and kept our infrastructure in a state of good repair. i think that is what we need to get back to. host: here is a tweet from one of our viewers who says, you were part of the obama administration, so please explain were all of the stimulus money promised to fix crumbling roads went? guest: we got $48 billion at

d.o.t. as part of the $870 billion. within two years, we spent $26 billion on roads and bridges. $8 billion to begin to implement high-speed rail. $8 billion for transit. a billion and a half to start the tiger program which funds projects in cities. $1 billion for airports. that money was spent in two years. host: not enough? guest: of course not. no earmarks, no boondoggles, no sweetheart deals. we did it the right way. put a lot of people to work. host: there is a story in the new york times today. more fees propel airlines's profits and embittered travelers. profit margins for add-ons could be as high as 80%. this is how the airlines are making their profits.

by charging for these add-ons. what do you make of that? guest: i think the fact that energy costs have come down so dramatically, that has been a boon to the airline industry. one of the biggest costs other than buying airplanes for the airline industry obviously is the jet fuel that they buy. as these costs have come down, it has been a tremendous boon to the industry. obviously, charging for a pillow or a meal or a better seat is a great source of irritation. but these are private companies. they have a bottom line to meet. they have a board of directors they have to report to. they have figured out ways to make money. the main reason they are doing so well financially is because their energy costs have come down so dramatically. because gas prices have fallen

and the price of a barrel of oil has gone way down. host: suzy in california independent. you are next. caller: hello. i have a question, but first i want to say shovel ready, shovel ready, shovel ready in 2009, $1 trillion stimulus, about two years later, president obama yucking it up about how shovel ready wasn't shovel ready. i am always on the side of the taxpayer and i wish that every time a politician asked for a tax raise that the whole of america would say, not until you stop disrespecting our tax money. do not disrespect the hard-working taxpayer's tax money. the question is, do you think if a republican president had sat and left with jeff inimill

over a trillion dollars, with a have gotten away with that? guest: um. of the $870 billion from the economic stimulus bill that congress passed within the first 30 days of president obama's first term, we got $48 billion. we spent it all correctly. we put a lot of people to work. we show that when you invest in infrastructure you invest in the american people and provide jobs. so i make no apologies for that. i am proud of the work we did. and we proved that we could put people to work and jumpstart that segment of the economy. as i said earlier, even republican presidents like president reagan raised the gas tax five cents a gallon. because he was a former governor, he saw the need for infrastructure and saw the need

for the kind of resources that were needed. that's the kind of leadership we need today. host: paul in north carolina, a democrat. caller: good morning. i would just like to comment on the fact that we live in one of the highest taxed states in the union. like a lot of other states, they are always broke. no matter how many taxes they put on us, there always broke. they start the lottery a couple years later. they have no money for the highway fund except to help the developers. they build major bridges across the island's so that developers from the north and south can come here and to develop violence and so forth. that they should be developing to start with. even on the lakes they do it. they have all the money to build an entrance into a huge store somewhere, but they can't fix a dangerous intersection out in the community. and they are always broke.

we have a bridge down here on the interstate they have been working on for like two and a half years with stimulus money supposedly. it is nothing more than an advertisement for the realtors to sell the mountains off to people that live a broad and are ruining it for the locals. there are lobbyists pushing down in raleigh to get funds for projects to help develop which is actually destroying our state because we don't have any jobs anymore because they were all off short to china. -- offshored to china. guest: obviously you have a disagreement with the way that your tax dollars are being spent. that is why we have elections, to elect people that are responsive to the people that they serve. host: scott in maine.

an independent caller. caller: back when the stimulus thing was going to rebuild bridges and highways. -- for this fella that is on right now, wanting to raise taxes another quarter on gas. gas is cheap right now because of all the fracking and whatnot. people are catching on to fracking. so gas ain't going to be cheap forever. that quarter you are talking about is just going to add to the burden of people who already have low income jobs and are having a hard time getting the -- you need to stop taxing people. you need to get the congress and the senate together to get rid of half of them or most of them and get some real people in there that are serious about doing something. host: all right, secretary lahood.

guest: i am proposing not a quarter but a $.10 increase. host: so about $.28. guest: that's right. host: a couple of callers have mentioned the safety issues. we had one caller from connecticut saying people were losing their lives almost daily in connecticut on the highway system spirit what is going on with the safety of this country's infrastructure? host:guest: the current administration has placed a very high value on safety. we worked very closely with organizations that promoted bus safety and truck safety and safety on the roads. we have had a whole campaign against distracted driving. texting while driving, which

people weren't even talking about when we came into office. now we have almost 50 states that have passed laws against it. safety is always the number one priority for the department of transportation. i believe it is today. i believe the statement that secretary fox just made in the last few days about safety with respect to the fine that was leveled against fiat for the jeeps that have gas tanks that are troubling and chrysler has also talked about -- they're going to buy back their dodge ram trucks. the largest fine ever leveled against a car company was leveled by secretary fox all around the idea of safety. so nobody is going to take a back seat to safety when it comes to the dot and i'm glad that secretary fox has really stepped up yo.

host: what do you think having a fine or penalty that could exceed one billion -- guest: i think it sends a message to consumers that there is a group in washington at the dot that takes safety as its highest priority. there is somebody looking out for consumers. that is what this message is about. that car manufacturers and anybody involved in the production of automobiles needs to recognize that safety has to be their number one priority. it certainly is at dot and i applaud secretary fox and his entire team for what they have done in the last few days. host: what do you make of the stories about cars, because of the computer systems, that are vulnerable to hackers? what do you make of the future of cars and technology? guest: i think that obviously they are going to have to be

smart people that figure out ways to prohibit hackers from hacking into automobile computers. and the chips that go into those automobiles. i'm sure there are smart people trying to figure that out in the industry right now. host: we will go to randy in texas, a republican. you are on the air with ray lahood. go ahead. caller: good morning mr. lahood. my question is, every year you have to have your car inspected and registered and i was wondering -- that inspection cost in texas is $15 and the average registration is $55. i know it is a lot higher than that for 18 will trucks. i'm wondering where that money goes. guest: you know, inspection of automobiles is more at the state level. not every state requires cars to be inspected. i know that in this region, cars

have to be inspect it. ed. in my home state of illinois, we don't have the kind of program. it is really up to the states to decide whether a car or truck is going to be inspected and what the fees are and where the money goes. i suspect the money goes into the state coffers in most states. it is not true in all 50 states. host: greg in texas, and independent. independent. caller: good morning to both of you. i don't really mind paying for the roads that i use. i don't mind paying a gas tax. the money has to come from somewhere. why not the people who are using it. my rouub is that a good part of the fuel tax doesn't even go to the roads, it goes to public education and light rail.

why aren't these people paying for this? i just got done driving through colorado and i got a 30 minute toll road ride for $20 coming and going. it rubbed me the wrong way when i heard about raising the fuel tax. we have all these companies that want to go into the inner cities to serve these people and it's like no, we are going to spend money on light rail or public transportation, and why are we fighting to keep these people out and sinking money and from the federal money -- it just doesn't make any sense. you have people in idaho paying for a very dispersed road system that are paying for a public transportation system in big cities. why is it that done at the state level? guest: i know people don't like to pay tolls. we have heard about that a lot.

but the lion's share of the money that is spent on transportation is spent on roads and bridges. and if you look at the stimulus money that we were talking about earlier, $40 billion came to dot. $28 billion of that went to roads and bridges. the lion's share of the taxes that are paid goes to roads and bridges. does some go to transit? yes. some goes to transit. there are people that need to -- in washington, d.c., if we did not have a metro system, think of all the cars that would be on the road. we wouldn't be able to fit them all. the same is true of new york and chicago and other cities. some part of the money does go for buses, transit, light rail. in some instances for streetcars. because this is what people in the community have said that they want to use as their

transportation. either because they do not want to own a car or because they can't afford to. host: john in florida. an independent. caller: my question has to do with energy. a lot of people are saying that gas is cheap. i don't believe it's cheap. i'm 50 years old and lived through the last energy crisis. we have more oil in this country right now in storage than we ever have. ok. so that being the case, why are we refining it and sending it elsewhere? guest: well because oil companies want to make money. caller: but why tax the american taxpayer instead of putting taxes on what we are exporting? guest: there are proposals to do that. that is a good point. there are members of congress that have introduced bills to tax a barrel of oil and also to tax oil that is exported.

these bills haven't passed. but it is an alternative to raising the gas tax. host: another alternative that is being floated -- a one-time tax on multinationals to help fund a longer-term highway funding bill. what you make of that effort? guest: i think it's not going to be very popular with the business community. these companies that are parking their money in other countries. i think they are going to be reluctant to want to use that money for infrastructure. i know the president has talked about that. i know the chairman ryan has talked about it. other people in the senate have talked about it. i don't see it getting much traction in the business community. host: what do you make of the effort to tie tax reform to reforming the highway fund? guest: i think it's probably a

good place to do it. in order to raise the gas tax it has to go through the ways and means committee in the house and the finance committee in the senate. i just testified before them. chairman hatch was good enough to invite me. i promoted the idea of raising the gas tax and i know that there are people -- most people probably across the way here at the capital that are not too gung ho about that. but i think it is the major solution to our funding problems. host: fill is a democrat -- phil is a democrat in baltimore. your governor just lowered the bridge tax. caller: well i didn't vote for him. thank you for your service. guest: thank you. caller: that was probably not an

easy thing to do and i appreciate it. i don't think people realize how many fatalities there are each year in the u.s.. somewhere around 30,000 from traffic fatalities. somewhere around three times the level of gunshot homicides. we hear so much in the news, appropriately so, about guns, but so little about cars. what do you think is preventing the media from playing a more active role in making people aware of the issue and promoting more safety? guest: it is truly not up to the media to do that. it is up to people at the dot and people in transportation and safety advocates. there are very strong safety advocates in washington and around the country. we wouldn't be in the position we are in with taking a lot of drunk drivers off the road if it hadn't been for the mothers against drunk driving.

they persuaded congress to set a standard that now has -- now is a national standard. so i do not fault the media. we need to just be vigilant about the spirit we woke up every day at dot thinking about safety. we just consider that to be our top priority. i want to continue to applaud secretary fox and the entire team at dot for continuing to promote safety. it just has to be the department's number one priority. i agree with you. 30,000 plus lives lost on our highways is way too much. we just only to work on it. host: the insurance institute for highway safety put together some numbers. the most recent is from 2013 on this issue of fatal crash totals. there were over 30,000 fatal

motor vehicle crashes in the u.s. in 2013. guest: that is just way too high. any death is one too many. host: danny in silver spring, maryland is next. a republican. caller: good morning. republicans lower taxes democrats raise taxes. by thing is it takes too long to build a road around here. -- my thing is it takes too long to build a road around here. guest: it takes a long time because there is a lot of red tape involved. we tried to reduce it from 10 years of red tape down to about four years. it is not easy. there are a lot of rules and regulations. i don't disagree with you. it does take a long time. host: what goes into it? guest: a lot of standards, a lot

of environmental concerns that have to be met. a lot of studies that have to be done. making sure that all of the citizens understand that there might be a road running through their front yard, where it is going to go. what environmental impact is going to have. these things take a lot of time and a lot of money. host: they are having a debate on capitol hill, the short-term patch, how do you plan ahead? guest: it is not a way to build roads. it is just not. we need to do better. we to have a six-year, very comprehensive, fully funded transportation bill to get our country moving again. host: wayne, a georgeia democrat. caller: if you have already spoken about it, february 2015

president obama made a proposal to actually do a six-year revenue fix for the transportation infrastructure by taxing the businesses that take their business overseas. and are doing overseas. can you speak to that? guest: that is called repatriated funds. some people have proposed the idea of using that money to pay for infrastructure. i think the business community is going to resist because they are parking that money offshore. they want to use that money. we will see. it is a debate that is going on. it has not only been proposed by president obama, but by some people on capitol hill. maybe it will have legs. host: before we let you go, your son is looking at having a turn in congress.

he won the republican primary and now has to run against a democrat in the special election coming up. guest: it's a republican district and i'm sure darin will do very well. he has put together a very good organization. he is working very hard and not taking anything for granted. governor romney carried the district with 62% of the vote. it is looking very good and i am very proud of him for the way that he has conducted himself the campaign that he has run. he is his own person and he will be a good member of congress and gives me an opportunity to continue to live vicariously through him and still be involved in politics. host: have you given him any advice? guest: the advice i gave him was please never forget where you came from.

if you remember where you came from, people will respect you for that. host: secretary lahood, we appreciate your time. that conversation continues in washington. we will turn our attention next to the health care law. the affordable care act. what is next for it. the debate on capitol hill. we will talk about all that coming up after this break. first, yesterday the state department upgraded its ratings of human rights trafficking in malaysia. it got an upgrade along with cuba. here is john kerry talking about the release of the 2015 human trafficking report. here is some of what he had to say. >> the purpose of this document is not to scold and it is not to name and shame. it is to enlighten. and to energize. and most importantly, to empower people.

by issuing it, we want to bring to the public's attention the full nature and scope of a $150 billion illicit trafficking industry. and it is an industry. pick up today's new york times front page. story about a young cambodian boy promised a construction job in thailand. goes across the border and finds himself held by armed men. and ultimately is pressed into service on the seas. three years at sea shackled by his neck to the boat so that he can't escape. and take off when they are around other boats. if that isn't slavery and imprisonment, i don't know what is. we want to provide evidence and facts that will help people who are already striving to achieve reforms to alleviate suffering and to hold people accountable.

we want to provide a strong incentive for governments at every level to do all that they can to prosecute trafficking and to shield at risk populations. in conveying these messages, limited knowledge that even here in the united states, we americans need to listen and improve. like every nation, we have a responsibility to do better and a better job of protecting those who live within our own borders. whose passports are taken away from them, who are imprisoned for labor purposes or for sex trafficking. >> washington journal continues. host: we are back with meghan mccarthy, editor-in-chief of morning consult your to talk about the health care law. the senate voted this past weekend to try to once again repeal the affordable care act. what was this boat? what happened? guest: this was the first vote

they have taken since the republicans won the chamber in january. it was a couple months longer than people anticipated when they won. it was largely symbolic. it fell obviously. a couple republicans were out since it was a sunday vote. it likely would have gotten 51 votes with everybody in. it created a lot of fireworks. host: let's listen to what the majority leader from kentucky had to say. mitch mcconnell, trying to convince senators to vote for it. >> higher costs, fewer choices and broken promises. this is a law that has failed repeatedly and that continues to hammer hard-working middle-class families. the vote we will take this afternoon represents a stark choice for every senator. protect a president who likes a law with his name on it, or

stand with the middle class by finally opening the way to truly affordable care. host: mitch mcconnell they're talking about trying to once again dismantle the affordable care act. any efforts to try again? guest: there were a lot of fireworks over the last day or two. senator mike lee and the hard-line conservative republicans accused mcconnell of using this as a tactic to just kind of placate that group of the base to vote for xm or the highway bill. so mike lee had a plan to try to use a procedural tactic to get the senate to vote once again on repealing the a for the character and having that the ruled germane to the highway bill. so that is now kind of a wait and see situation.

there is a lot of pressure from conservative groups to use reconciliation to repeal the affordable care act. it is something they could theoretically do since they hold the majority in the senate. president obama would likely veto any of those efforts. host: harry reid also came to the floor during sunday's debate in this discussion over what republicans were trying to do. here's what he had to say. >> today's vote is about reducing deficit and caving to special interests. it is about the republican and their leader desperately trying to appease their base. i am really appalled. and more than that, disappointed, by these continued partisan attempts to strip away insurance coverage for almost 20 million americans. congress passed the affordable care act. the president signed into law. and the supreme court has put a stamp of approval on it, not once but twice. so is time for republicans to move on.

not take another politically motivated vote. it is going nowhere. host: that was the democratic leader in the senate. how do house republicans feel? guest: there was a july 24 deadline for committees that have jurisdiction over health care to report their instructions. it was largely a symbolic deadline, but all of those committees did miss it. observers that i have talked to say that it is a sign that there is disagreement or there is not really a plan yet. not everyone has come around. about how exactly to use reconciliation to appeal the affordable care act -- repeal the affordable care act and if they should even be focusing on it considering the president has said he would veto that effort. host: it has been a month since the supreme court ruled on king

v. burwell. what has that meant for these efforts to repeal the portal care act? guest:-- the affordable care act. ? guest: there was a lot of waiting to see what the ruling was if the supreme court had found against the ministration. that would have meant a lot of activity on the hill. addressing the subsidies that would have gone away. it is kind of picking up the pieces now and starting over again and figuring out what is the best timing for lyrically to move some of these -- politically to move some of these efforts. host: what are people saying about these efforts in congress? what do americans want? the lawmakers now and those that are running to do about it? guest: opinions have remained stagnant over the last five years.

we did some pulling in june 2014 and in this month of this year and found that there is a slight uptick in people saying that they want congress to expand the law as opposed to repeal it. the largest group wants congress to make changes to the affordable care act to improve it. there is more of a positive move. host: expand in what way? guest: it is up to their interpretation in that regard. i think it is get insurance to more americans. the law has brought the uninsured rate down to its lowest amount since gallup has been tracking those numbers. host: we are talking with the editor-in-chief of mourning consult, meghan mccarthy here to talk about the affordable care act. what are your thoughts on the law? how is it working for you?

democrats, (202) 748-8000 republicans (202) 748-8001 independents (202) 748-8002. any future legal challenges? guest: there are some. the republicans in the house have sued the law. none have come to the level that king v. burwell got to. that was kind of a dark horse case for a while as well. it survived two major challenges. i would guess there is not going to be a third of that level. host: hhs for will will be on capitol hill testifying -- burwell will be on capitol hill testifying. what do you think lawmakers will

be asking her? guest: i think the intense vitriol and politicking has died down in the past few months. i think this hearing will be a lot more about the programs that hhs has that fall under more education type things. there will still be difficult questions about insurance premiums and whether or not people are going to be able to afford the coverage they are getting now. host: we will have coverage today of the hearing. you can watch it on c-span.org with the hhs secretary before the house education and workforce committee. what is the next phase of the afford care act? -- affordable care act? guest: i think with king v.

burwell behind the administration, you might see more state exchanges become federal exchanges. it is pretty difficult for them technologically and financially to run a state-based exchange. that might be a trend that develops. i think the largest criticism that republicans have of the law is that the prices are fine now on the exchanges for people, especially because they are receiving subsidies, but in the next year or two or three, they are going to grow at a rate that people will be able to afford anymore. host: we will go to an independent in brooklyn. go ahead. caller: i think the affordable care act is good for a lot of people in this city, especially where there is a lot of poor people that can't afford expensive health care. is that your opinion too? guest: i think there are definitely millions of americans

that have received health care that they would not have been able to afford on the individual market before the affordable care act existed. i think there are some legitimate arguments to be made about whether or not those costs will remain affordable. a lot of that depends on how much the government can actually help subsidize the cost for lower income people. host: carol in south carolina, a democrat. good morning. caller: hi. our governor wouldn't take the expanded medicaid. i am wondering if that affected what people are quoted for individual insurance rates. i got quoted $451, which i cannot afford a month because my husband has parkinson's. he is on medicare and he still has to pay out-of-pocket. his dental is not covered by medicare. there are a lot of costs with my husband. i care take him full-time to i do not work outside the home and

i cannot afford health insurance. and i am a breast cancer survivor and haven't had a mammogram for two years. so i'm just wondering -- states that do not accept medicaid expansion, are they getting quoted the entire rates? guest: i'm sorry for all the struggles that you face with your health issues. yes. if your state has not expanded medicaid, it is possible that that is the reason why you are getting quoted such a high rate per month. medicaid expansion that a lot of states in the south have not agreed to take the federal money for -- basically captures people that are within a certain income range that you are going to miss out qualifying for subsidies on the exchanges. but can't qualify for medicaid under the original rules before the affordable care act. host: mike in florida, a

republican. good morning. caller: i have a few things to say. i think what's next for the affordable care act is we are going to elect a republican hopefully not donald trump. but we are going to elect a republican and they are going to totally repeal it and replace it with something effective. but me give you my story. i looked for health insurance a year or so before the affordable care act was enacted because of my concerns. i am just getting a little older. i'm 49. very good health, don't take any medication. it was going to cost me about $150 a month for a normal policy. i didn't have to pay for maternity because obviously i'm not a woman. after the affordable care act, it went up to $250. which i have rejected because i am not going to spend $250 a

month to subsidize the health care of -- adult onset diabetes and these things, a lot of things we could take care of ourselves. it just came out in the paper the other day about a week or two ago that florida is going to get 15% to 20% increases in their premiums. so it would be well over $300 now. or close. and this is for $9,000 deductibles. i mean it is insane. it is not at all affordable. so i personally will not take part in this health care system. i will wait. if i break my leg, i will go and pay cash. i will work them down to a number that i can work and the doctor will take it because it is cash. host: all right. a lot of issues there.

obamacare 2016 rates to rise just 4%. a 4% average rate increase for the second year in a row. guest: that obviously was a big surprise considering how much coverage there was of california really trying to push down the rates that insurance companies had presented to the exchange board there. one thing to consider with insurance rates is that they can be very regionally-based. one state having only a 4% increase does not mean other states will see the same numbers. another thing to keep in mind is that insurance rates have gone up by several percentage points every year and that was before the affordable care act was passed. host: california's rates are a key barometer of how the a portal care act is working nationwide.

the results indicate that industry giants like anthem and kaiser permanente are eager to compete for customers in the nation's biggest obamacare market. that is from the l.a. times. the caller also mentioned that if a republican wins the white house, they are going to get rid of the affordable care act. is that what the candidates are saying? guest: i think there is no republican out there who says that they wanted to keep the affordable care act. i think there are a lot of different ways they would probably have to think about that. there are millions of americans that have health insurance now that they didn't have before. and they are voters. those are people that are going to be upset. you might see the rhetoric shift and become a little more nuanced in this cycle. host: what about this tweet. how much better with the aca be if the gop had spent time they spend to break or repeal it instead trying to improve it? guest: there actually have been

a decent number of i partisan efforts to change the law. a lot of them are about doing certain them are about an doing certain things. medical device taxes are an example congress has voted on several times. there is a bipartisan effort to get rid of rules for smaller employers and where they get their insurance and what kind of requirements are on there. there have been small efforts that do not rise to the public's attention. health insurance rates and individual mandates. host: springfield, virginia. vince, independent. caller: i am all for affordable care, but it seems to be so inefficient. i do not like to to agree with anyone republican or democrat. it seems like insurance rates have significantly rise because

of it. i am wondering why that is. can it be more efficient so our rates are more sustainable? you quoted california, but that is difficult to believe, seeing what i have heard around here. from people's insurance rates. host: what have you heard? caller: that insurance rates are going through the roof like mine. host: meghan mccarthy? guest: i think republicans would make the argument that rates are definitely going up because of all of the rules that the affordable care act puts in place on what kind of insurance can be offered to people on exchanges. there is a lot more requirements plans have to hit. the central health benefits. a certain percentage of costs. democrats are supporters of the law would say that benefits consumers. and plans offered cheaply, like

the guy from california mentioned. $150 a month. was not really covering anyone. you get to the hospital and realize you have a bill with thousands of dollars. there are arguments to be made on both sides. that is part of the cost increase though. host: eric, independent caller from florida. caller: you made some point earlier about people who want to expand the act. you did not mention who those people were. i will make a guess but i imagine it is that people either getting their coverage paid for by somebody else or they are the people supplying it. i have a couple of issues i would like to bring up. a lady called from florida and mention the governor was not going to accept the medicare expansion.

looking at the details, the federal government has no money. we are trillions of dollars in the hole on the stuff we can find the books. something like 100 trillion dollars in unfunded liability and social security. you can see the numbers at the u.s. debt clock.org. are you aware how much we are in debt? guest: the increasing cost of health care is the next major focus after the affordable care act. the affordable care act gets people access to insurance but the cost of health care is a problem for the federal budget. it is one the biggest chunks of the pauline -- of the pie. there have been signs of the cost of medicare increasing at a decreasing rate. that is the next big fight for democrats or republicans regardless of who was in the white house. host: and the caller was

wondering about who wanted to expand it. when you look at the polls that morning consult did in june of 2014, that is the light green in the column. dark green is july this past month. these are the people who want to expand the law, delay the law. can you explain? guest: opinions on the affordable care act are stagnant. while these are small changes, it is interesting that it was happening on what was considered the most positive thing congress could do to the law, which is expanded. the caller asked pacific life who are those people. we did not break it down based on whether or not they were receiving insurance on the exchanges. but it did see an increase from democrats and republicans. republicans want from 2% warning congress to expand the law to 7% over the course of the year.

host: this is the first time for our viewers to talk to someone from morning consult. what is the website? guest: it is a media and polling organization. we bring together the best of policy and politics reporting with unprecedented access to public opinion polling. our team is out in the field with a 2000 person national voter poll every week. our audience right now are the people in washington that want to know what is happening on capitol hill whether it is an health or energy. finance or tech policy. what is happening on the campaign trail when it comes to members of the house and senate. we are also writing for people outside of washington who need to know what is happening on the hill for the industries they are working in. whether it is an insurance company or oil company. we are aiming for both they d.c.

crowd of people across america. host: when do you publish? guest: we have five e-mails in the morning and the topic areas i mentioned and a general one on congress where we round up the top news of the day in business and in washington, d.c. for those five areas. we collect news not just from what we produce every day but from any outlet out there. we remain more agnostic about who we include in our morning e-mails and some of their competitors. in addition to e-mails, we have individual enterprise reporting. we have reporters on the hill we ask members questions about the different topics of the day. host: is it free? guest: everything is free. go to morningcounnsult.com to see

our newspapers -- news updates and our polls. all of our stores are free. host: who is funding it? guest: we make our own money. we generate revenue from selling advertisements, mostly on the e-mails that go out and the morning. and sponsored polling. host: who owns it? what was the idea here? guest: our owner started this several years ago. he is a health policy expert. it was basically to round up the news. there was so much happening and health policy, it was hard to keep track of. so he started this morning e-mail that really grew in popularity answer against. i started reading it when i was at health reporter and i relied on it every morning.

that is one of the reasons i joined the company now. host: meghan mccarthy, editor in chief of morning consult to talk about health care issues. eduardo in boston. it morning. -- good morning. you are on the air. caller: good morning. thank you for having me. i want to talk about the -- i had done. i spoke to people who are on medicaid. medicaid, it has not been the patients. in 2003, they called 52

pharmacies were stealing for medicaid. i called medicaid to report two people. first was in a program in manhattan. they still from medicaid in my name. and bnsf charted who stole six months of medicaid in my name. i called medicaid to report them and they did not do nothing about it. but they had take away most of everything from us. host: any comments there about medicaid and what is being offered? guest: fraud in in the medicaid and medicare system. that is a big focus in the obama administration. a task force was set up that reported record numbers in cases they have won. as far as medicaid, thanks in

part to the affordable care act, it is one of the largest insurers in america. as it gets bigger, challenges will go with it. host: michigan, independent. you are next. caller: good morning. i am retired. over the last six years, i have seen my deductibles darn near doubled. i have a couple friends who have been able to get insurance recently, but like the gentleman called, he said i have insurance and he said it would be good if something catastrophic happens to us, but he says my deductible is $6,000. he says to use it on a normal basis, we need prescriptions or whatever, he says it is not helping me. i have talked to a lot of people in this area. one lady, her and her husband

are retired. he lost his benefits from wherever she -- he retired from. at 68 years old, she had to go back to work just so they could pay premiums for their health care. the bottom line is there are subsidies out there now, but when you look at it, subsidies are taxpayer dollars. in the end, there is no free lunch. something has to be done here. i would love to be able to see everybody have good health care. host: sorry, that you are finished. meghan mccarthy. guest: your experience is not uncommon. a high deductible health plans are being offered more frequently than five years ago. the theory is that because costs and health insurance premiums work going up by several percentage points every year,

this is the response, largely from employers do not necessarily want to pay for high premiums. that is often where most people are getting their health insurance. so this helped those costs go along. you might have to stand thousands of dollars before coverage kicks in. host: victoria in oregon, democrat. caller: longtime registered nurse here. people are talking about the quality initiatives that the affordable care act has embraced and will improve care and reduce costs. to the man who does not want to pay for maternity care, i am not in an all-female risk pool should i have two pay for prostate cancer detection? we have to balance this. my daughter is a diabetic. she lost her health care.

she could not afford cobra. she got on the exchange. she pays co-pays, but she can get care. she is temping in a job she loves now. she does not have to take a crappy job just for the health care benefits. host: meghan mccarthy? guest: you are right. there are quality initiatives included as part of the affordable care act. the overall thing the law did was expand access to health insurance but it also pushes hospitals, in particular, to improve the quality of care they provide. that is the aim. for the first time, medicare is not reimbursing hospitals for certain infections that their patients might get while they are in the hospital as a result of care. host: philadelphia, independent richie. caller: being a health care

provider for 30 years, a health care card is not health care. democrats are supposed to be pro-choice, but why are they not? this is the opposite of pro-choice. making someone have mandatory health care. it is because a democratic favorite president who said ask yourself what you can do for your country. democrats are still lying about the affordable: care act. -- the affordable care act. it is not cover your case if you have ea medical care. host: meghan mccarthy? guest: that is an interesting point about the v.a. or medicare not covering kids up until 26. that is for private insurance plans through employers. access has expanded. that means people might have more choices than they ever would have indian the visual

market before the affordable care act -- than they ever would have had in the health care market before the affordable care act. host: what states are moving to expand it? guest: more right-leaning states are trying to expand medicaid. alaska's governor intends to accept the federal funds to expand medicaid to a larger adult population. but southern states are the least likely to move in that direction. host: why not? guest: it is such a political issue in the south that it is an interesting regional divide. but it is difficult to turn down hundreds of millions of dollars federal dollars. but in those states, it is so toxic they cannot even approach the subject. host: what is the administration

trying to do to convince states they should expand? guest: they have worked with a lot of republican governors to use section 11.15 laborers and medicaid. it means they can rework a lot of the adderall rules around medicaid, which can be stringent. and plans more amenable to a republican state legislature with certain requirements that are listed. and others they like, such as requiring people to work a certain amount. that is a major trend in expanding medicaid in republican states. host: pat in georgia republican. caller: good morning. i have two points. prior to the implementation of the affordable care act, i checked out insurance costs for my family of 4 p.m., in case i

decided to be an independent contractor. policies were affordable. $300 a month. it nicely coverage i had with my employer. since then, i had a layoff and am currently unemployed. for me to get medical insurance, i have to pay which is not as good as what i had. more than $600 a month. i got that through a broker. if i had gone through the exchange it would have been $1400 a month. that is based on the income i had last year, but i am currently not working. i do not know what is affordable about the affordable care act. i do not know why you base it on income i had last year when i am not working. host: do you know about this, how they base it on income? guest: the law requires people to base it on their taxable year

income. that can create challenges if you end up earning more than anticipated or losing your income. it can affect the subsidy level you get. you might and up having to pay some of that back in your taxes. host: charles in dallas texas, democrat. caller: i listen to people talking about the insurance. insurance has been going up every year since i was a member. i used to be in a program the company i worked for. i had to pay up to $1500 a year. so they got a deductible. it had nothing to do with the affordable care act. i heard criticism about the affordable care act, but what is their solution to the problem i have? do they just sit back and say no to everything the president want to do?

guest: that is one of the bigger challenges for republicans in using reconciliation. they want to repeal the law, but there has not been a coalescing around a replacement. that work started with the response to the king v. burwell supreme court case. but it has since stopped. similar to deciding whether to repeal the law, it is kind of wait and see and figure out what is the best path forward. host: roger in tennessee, independent. good morning. we lost roger there. meghan mccarthy, before we wrap this up, remind our viewers what is coming up next on the affordable care act. guest: we have not seen the last of the reconciliation deviates -- debates. the house leaders said that he anticipated their reconciliation

plan or some sort of comments on that would be after the august recess. they have a tight schedule in september. they have to fund the government. i would not be surprised if he gets pushed to the end of the year. host: for more information follow meghan mccarthy and author reporters from morning consult, you can go to morningconsult.com. we will take a short break. when we come back, we open the phone lines. you can talk about any issue we have talked about this morning or in the news. earlier, we played secretary of state john kerry at the state department talking about a new report on human rights. the state department upgraded the country of malaysia and cooper -- cuba. bob menendez responding to the findings of the report and critical of the administration. [video clip] >> i rise because i am deeply

and profoundly disappointed in this year's trafficking in persons report released today. by upgrading malaysia and cuba, which were at tier three, the worst that any country could be considered at, the administration has turned its back on the big comes up trafficking and turned a blind eye to the facts and politicized the report. they ignored the calls from congress leading activists from the realities on the ground from cuba. and from malaysian government officials themselves. to preserve the integrity of this important report. they have succeeded in elevating political considerations and goals above the most fundamental principles of basic human rights. i heard secretary kerry in his

presentation of the report say something to the extent that we should not put a price on our fellow human beings' freedom. it seems we have. in arbitrarily upgrading malaysia and cuba, they are politicizing the report. giving an undeserved stamp of approval to countries that have failed to take the basic actions that would merit this upgrade. this flies in the face of what malaysians themselves want. members of the malaysian parliament legal profession, human rights activists, had urged the u.s. to support their efforts and maintain the tier three ranking they tell us malaysia deserves. today, mr. president, we have failed them. in cuba, adults and children are subject to airstrikes -- to sex trafficking. the administration's decision to

upgrade cuba defies common sense. in the state department's own words, cuba is a source country where adults and children are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we are back in open phones for the remainder of today's "washington journal." we can continue talking about health care or other issues. on lines on your screen. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. the l.a. times, obamacare 2016 rates to rise 4%. the average increasing the california marketplace defies productions of double-digit hikes. some say california a key

barometer for insurance rates across the country and whether or not take insurance firms will play along and want to compete under the health care law. what are your thoughts on this and other public policy. teresa in virginia, republican. good morning, you're on the air. caller: i have a question. they talk about obama care. why does not all of this medicaid expansion everyone is writing for, they do not have the same restrictions that medicare does. how come they do not have the same hospital restrictions? no wonder the hospitals want it. i know it person who had a urinary tract infection. she was on medicaid. she was in the hospital three days. i had another friend on medicare. she is retired and pays for back

of insurance and pays quite a bit in premiums. she had a heart catheterization and they had in keeping and keep her in action today is the keep her stabilized. they jerked of these out of her arms and told her medicaid only paid so many hours for this procedure and she had to go home . if medicare did not pay her back, insurance would not pay. she had to call an ambulance to take her home. but if she was on medicaid, she could have been -- they told her that pretty much. that if she were on medicaid, she could have stayed as long as needed. this is not rice. when we pay for medicaid our whole life and we are not allowed to care -- of the care we need but people on medicaid and, why do they not have the same restrictions? and why is obamacare so safe why did the government keep

themselves from it? the government wanted us to have it and stripped our medicare, but they do not have to live by it? host: kristan on twitter says why do people not accept that aca has done more to help the country that hurt it? weigh the benefits to the uninsured. lee in new york, republican. hello. caller: my question is this. i heard on three different news reports that social security's ability will run out in 2016. they said that 50 million people on social security disability will lose a portion of it. breaking it down, if you get $1000 a month, which is 12,008 year, you will be reduced by close to $200, making you 9600

far below the poverty level. if a person is on social security disability and they have medigap you can no longer afford that. so 50 million people will be thrown on medicaid, which taxpayers have to pay for. host: here is a story from the associated press on nbc's website. you haven't people who receive social security disability-based state that the cuts next year unless congress acts. they say they disability fund will run out in late .16 in the presidential campaign. that would trigger an automatic 19% cut in benefits. the average benefit is about $1017. greg from wisconsin. caller: i just got a comment on

health savings accounts. i had an account. it was not taxed on the way in but i got taxed on the way out when i needed it. my question is -- i am kind of nervous. host: you're doing great. caller: would it be feasible for everyone talking about health care to have a tax-free health care system or savings account? tax-free on the way in and on the way out and be able to make a transferable. host: james in indiana, independent. caller: i am calling in about the health care. my concern is the rate, the cost is so high. if you make anything above $12,000, you are finished. it is concerning that our

representatives and the president -- he has an opportunity to clean up, make it where it will work. and he will not do it. if they were on that is, they would change their ways. i am just concerned that there is so many people that are struggling, out of work, that cannot afford it. my wife and i spent over $11,000 in insurance. we are below the poverty rate. it is ridiculous. and no one cares. everybody sits up there and they are making it. most of them are millionaires. they are out of touch with the american people. that is my thought on it. host: "boston globe" games over. the u.s. olympic committee and

boston organizers halt the bid after the mayor box at the guaranteed to cover the overruns. boston's improbable bid to host the 2024 games clashed monday. it was wracked by tumultuous -- by acrimonious debate, public relations blunders, and limited public support. the los angeles times this morning, their headline, 2024 games. they say a lay is a player again as boston ends its bid to host a obex. kelly appears to be the favorite to be a u.s. candidate. this from the detroit free press. out of the federal regulators

plan to have a penalty against the at chrysler -- fiat-chrysler that could exceed $1 billion. jade, new jersey democrat. good morning. caller: good morning. this is about the affordable care act and those states that did not take medicaid in order to help expand the affordable care act. the young lady you had on from morning consult, very nice and thank you for having her there. she brought up a point about the political problems that some of these states were facing. that it was a hot button issue. what about the issue of the people who live there? if you could take political views to hold it against the people who need health care the

most, especially in the south that does not speak much for the politicians. the people in congress need to get off their behind's and get this thing done. they are having a political issue, though they receive health care. this is the most modern country in the world yet we are so behind. it is not necessary to be this way just because of a political issue against the president. they need to take the consideration of all people and get this thing fixed. everything is not perfect. we have people in congress who can repair it and improve it. everybody should have good affordable health care. stop robbing from social security or pay for all of the masses they have. direct the money into the correct place. thank you for being there and for taking my call. host: thank you for calling.

michael in illinois, independent. caller: listening to the callers, you and your guest, you missed the major point. every civilized country has health coverage for everyone. no one is bankrupting people. no one is filing to cover their health care costs. every country has it except for us. i live in a small town in illinois. there are single mothers in jail because they cannot pay a $10 a month medical bill. in small towns here, people are going to jail over medical bills. if they cannot make up to $10 in payment, they go to jail and their kids are getting taken away. i am getting tired of people going bankrupt. people are going to jail over medical bills. we are the only civilized country -- we could afford health-care for everybody, like all the modernized countries. our politicians are all multi

millionaires and billionaires. their families all have coverage. they do not care about us. i'm -- we are rising as veterans. it is coming. a civil war in this country is coming. we have had enough of this government -- host: michael in illinois. cnn out with a new poll on several fronts on president obama's job approval rating. the majority feel that congress want to reject -- congress should reject the nuclear deal with iran though obama has -- 47% disapprove of the way obama is handling his job. it says the president's approval rating was at 50% for the first time since 2013. the same as a june poll. on the president's biggest cost and since then, the nuclear deal

, most say they would like to see congress rejected. 52% said congress should reject the deal. 44% say it should be approved. some opposition of the deal may be from skepticism. a poll in late june said that two thirds of adults said it was unlikely the negotiations would result in agreement that would prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons. secretary of state john kerry and secretary of energy earnest money is will testify before the house foreign affairs committee. that will be on c-span 3 at 10:00 eastern time. judy from california, democrats. you are on the air. caller: hello. thank you for speaking about obama care.

i am supporter -- i am a supporter of it. if we do not have something like this in america, the people who need it the most will suffer. i have seen in my county. i experienced it myself. i worked all of my life and had three major illnesses. if it were not for obamacare, i would probably not be able to pay for any of the health care. so it is necessary. host: mark in texas independent. caller: i would like to go back to the highway trust fund. what might fix part of the problem is with the deteriorating bridges, if they would spend a greater percentage of the money they take him through the gas tax on fixing the bridges and less money on putting up cameras to document

the bridges' collapse, they may have enough money. host: the highway funding bill stuck in limbo as the august recess or purchase. that is in the washington times. the senate plugging away at a six long-term bill. house republicans say they will not pass that. they passed a five-month extension recently. last night, the house republican leadership put a three-month extension. it is likely they will come together before the end of the week in before lawmakers go back for their august working recess. barbara in new jersey, republican. caller: good morning. i am 75 years old. i have two points on social security and the affordable care act. i have paid social security since 1966. in the 1960's, democrats took the lock off of the social

security box and a co-mailed it into the general fund. put the damn lock back on social security. it should have nothing to do to support medicaid. it is for people who paid into it. medicaid, i believe people do need it. but let the government, who created medicaid, find a way in the general fund to pay for it. to the affordable care act, i am paying over $700 a month in medical bills plus another $100 a month in prescription. it hundred dollars a month i am paying out. the affordable care act is not affordable, has nothing to do with health. it is a progressive tax that is controlling your health, your religious beliefs. the affordable care act is a big scam. host: du make too much money to qualify for subsidies? caller: no. all i get is social security.

that is it. so i am very angry at the government for taking the lock off of social security. solution -- put it back in. put it in an interest-bearing account and social security will be fine. medicaid, pay that out of the general fund. do not touch social security. host: do you qualify for medicare? caller: i pay for it out of my social security every month. host: anne in florida, democrat. caller: hello. i have the affordable care. it is not affordable. it blows my mind that i am paying a monthly premium, which my sister makes the same money i do, and my premium is $78 and hers is $40. we live in cities two hours apart. what is killing me is when they

send me to the doctors for an mri or some type of test, i have this up to $500 deductible for each test i am taking. it is breaking me. and if i were to go, i found out the reason it is $400, they said they have another facility two hours away and if i were to go to that one, it would only be a $200 charge to the test. they say because the hospital is affiliated with these doctors they are sending me to that they have contracted for these deductibles to be $400 and $500. where i could go to another facility and pay $200, $300 for the test. but then it would not be considered towards my $2000 yearly deductible.

darned if you do and darned if you don't. host: president obama slams gop presidential candidates who have been critical of his iran deal. comments coming from mike huckabee and others. below that, senator key to bipartisan support. it looks at senator jeff flake, republican from arizona. they note that the gop criticism of the pack, he has maintained a neutral approach. he was the only republican to fly on air force one with the president to africa. he is the foreign relations committee some chairman on africa. when congress votes on an agreement in mid september. on trade, the new york times trade pact's last spring is

more a hurdle race. all parties meeting in maui for the latest -- for what is being dumped the final round of negotiations. but jonathan weisman notes there are many more hurdles to be cleared. u.s. japan canada, australia and vietnam have high hurdles. australia and new zealand are restricting american rules on access for pharmaceutical companies. vietnam, mexico, and burning -- brunei have far to go to comply with international standards on labor organizing. cannot might drop out of talks altogether. and the state department's decision to update its rating of malaysia's efforts to combat human trafficking cause an uproar among labor and human rights activists. if you missed that update on human rights by the secretary of state, go to our website c-span.org.

we showed you earlier how new jersey senator bob menendez came onto the floor after that update to criticize the administration for doing that. susan from florida. independent. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. last week, apparently humana insurance company was bought out by aetna i believe. and there was another big insurance company that bought a smaller one. the news is not reporting -- i believe this to be a monopoly. these people can increase rates again. it is a mess. it is upsetting and questionable. i wish they would respond on that. i agree with most of the people about health care insurance. the only thing about social

security i think it needs to the, a dedicated on -- fund end of story. even ronald reagan took money out of social security to find his star wars project. -- to fund his star wars project. congress should not be able to dip into our money. in medicare, every month, a person does pay for medicare every month. i am in that bunch. it is very difficult to make ends meet. host: susan in florida, independent. bud in missouri, republican. you are on the air. caller: thank you for accepting my call. 1985, i had an accident and i have been on social security disability ever since. i will tell you that when everyone walked off --

ever since then, both parties have been guilty of -- host: you are breaking up quite a bit. hopefully you can call back on a better line. such a shift from florida, democrats. hello. caller: good morning. i will say to the state of government -- the state of florida, that the good governor as i have learned to call him he seems to have this mantra that no one wants to work for their health insurance or jobs or anything. people do not understand how it works in florida. people deserve health insurance. i had it all my life until i moved to florida, it stumps my brain how people can go on and on saying that any one of us do not deserve health insurance in this life. especially since the economy is so bad, the jobs being put out

there do not cover anything, let alone health insurance. yet, there are so many of us in lord of who are uninsured through no fault of our own. we are being punished forever, it seems. host: the washington times this morning, gop calls on obama to fire the irs chief. this being led by the chair of the government and oversight reform committee. the house panel is considering a perception over deleted e-mails. writing in the opinion pages of the wall street journal, jim jordan, calling on congress -- writing about the stonewall at the top of the irs. if the president does not tell the irs commissioner to go, we in congress should in peach him. that is in the wall street journal. also in the wall street journal this story about the nsa

program. they will begin deleting the phone numbers that have been collecting. from millions of americans. over the last 10 years. this comes from the usa freedom act the president signed into law. back to calls. susan, pennsylvania, independent. caller: hello. good morning. thank you so much for c-span. all insurance is socialized whether it is health insurance car insurance, home insurance. those who pay the premiums cover all of the claims that comment. it is all socialized. we lived in england six years and had wonderful health care under their national health care system. prior to being on medicare where we are now, we had a private

catastrophic policy that cost about $16,000 a year. it was a 10,000 dollar deductible with $6,000 in premiums. it was a great hardship for us to. . -- it was a great hardship for as to pay it. in the end it was a good thing because my husband got health -- got cancer. health care is a leading cause of bankruptcy in the country. i think of the affordable care act is a move in the right direction. it excludes pre-existing conditions, which happened before, and it also brings women on the same level of cost. before, they were paying more. there is just a laundry list of reasons why we do need good national healthcare. host: justin in south carolina

democrat. caller: cut it -- host: is it justine? caller: yes. i have a solution for the broken social security and medicaid. we would not have to cut anything if congressman would first cut their retirement to $50,000 instead of $174,000 at year. they get this retirement benefit after serving two years in congress. i think that is abominable. they should have to work 26 years, at least, to get their retirement. they are getting, like, 10 times as much as the average person. and yet, they are thinking of cutting his ability --

disability.that's a sin. host: about 10 minutes left on open phones. beverly in texas, independent. welcome to the conversation. caller: thank you. i admit i have an addiction to the journal. i watch every morning. i have a good solution for the whole economic mess of the united states. i live in a town, a small town and i see so many of our young people hanging out in parks walking the streets, doing nothing. i do not mean just teenagers. i mean our younger people. they are not disabled. they are not doing anything. they need to get off the welfare, click going around in proclaiming -- quit going around

impregnating women or women having babies. if you do not work, you should not be able to eat. i think hunger would drive people to find jobs. there are signs everywhere saying we are hiring. and they are hanging out and they are not working. that would leave enough money for the people who really need it to have it. host: let me add some more topics to the conversation. headlines from the new york times. here is this one on isis. the u.s. and turkey have signed what is being job as a significant deal to fight isis. turkeys primary goal would be to oust the prime minister and get a secure border. and keep a syrian-based kurdish militia force that it considers a threat. but when it comes to the agreement described by four

senior american officials competitions remain. not least, the new campaign draws the united states more deeply into the chaotic syrian conflict. there is also this on gun control in the "new york times" this morning. it is about the shootings in louisiana as well as in charles m. in both those cases, the new york times says that the one system that gun rights and gun control advocates agree on the national criminal background check system, supposed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, is riddled with problems. this is how both of the gunmen were able to get a gun. this on 2016.

hillary clinton energy plan yesterday. her goal to produce 33% of the nations electricity from renewable sources by 2027, up from 7% today. the "washington times" article on clinton's speech yesterday. we cover that and you can find on our website. it is noted that the secretary of state keeps quiet on the approval of the keystone xl pipeline. charles in north carolina, democrat. good morning, you are on the air. caller: good morning. i have been listening to people complain about health care. those running for president could probably solve a lot of his problems. vote bernie sanders. host: why is that? caller: this guy, what he is talking, he has been talking

this for years. i like his style. he does not attack his opponents. he says he will not do that. we need someone who was not in corporate america's pocket. that is one reason why i like care. he speaks to the truth and he speaks to be equal to everybody. he is the kind of guy that can relate to people. hillary clinton is a good candidate, but bernie sanders i think would be a great president. host: wiggled to tennessee. jessie, republican. you are on the air. caller: i watch every morning. i enjoy it. i want to talk about the republicans repealing obama care. why do they lie to the people? several times they said they would repeal. and obama just turned around and

got it going again. he gets what he wants. we need to vote these republicans out that do not listen to the people. they do not care whether people say. they will do what they want to do. i get so tired of it. there have been a lot of people on this health care that is really hurt that is going up. host: lawmakers are in town this week, working on final pieces of legislation. the senate working on a long-term six-year highway funding bill. the house has other legislation they are putting on the floor. the introduced a three-month extension of the highway will last night along with a way to fill the gap for the veterans affairs budget. a $3 million shortfall. the house once to leave washington by thursday. the senate is scheduled to be in

town this week and they will continue next week. we will see what happens after they approve or disapprove of this six-year highway funding bill. and if they continue to stick around next week. that is what lawmakers are slated to do. several healings. sylvia burwell, testifying. you can go to c-span.org for details. at 10:00 a.m. eastern. and as we told you, secretary of state ron carey talking about the iran deal for the house foreign affairs committee. coverage of that on c-span 3 at 10:00 a.m. one hearing that was supposed to happen was before the select committee about what happened in benghazi. that has been canceled because the state department agreed to handle over 5000 new pages of documents related to the incident. because they agreed to do so, the chairman of the committee canceled a hearing slated for

wednesday at the request of secretary of state john kerry -- secretary of state john kerry's chief of staff, who was supposed to testify. they were able to comment to an agreement. he will no longer testify this week. the house not expected to be in. here is an update. they are not expected to be in past tomorrow. we will see what happens. they will gavel in in a few minutes. stay tuned into c-span for our coverage of their legislative session. ron in florida, independent. good morning. caller: morning. i would like to comment on the iran deal. it seems like they are getting a lot of money. the money would go to the victims -- but they are terrorists.

it does not make sense. i feel like it is criminal. host: are you following this issue closely, watching the hearings? caller: i have been watching it. you know how lawyers talk? they make things sound real good. it don't have common sense to it. host: archie, independent caller. what is on your mind? caller: i was hurt in 2010. i have been fighting for my social security since 2011. i cannot get it. but i see all of these people getting supplementary social security that have never paid a dime in. they are getting money for nothing. it is so screwed up. and to the president, he was

doing some kind of speech where he was saying that all americans need to surrender their rights to the government and that we are too stupid to take care of our own affairs. that is more or less what he said. it is on my facebook page. -- host: ellen in danville illinois. independent caller. caller: i am calling about health care. i have a granddaughter. she was paying $200 a month for her health care. because they needed it. when obamacare came in, all she could find was now $400 a month. double. i just do not understand. it was supposed to be economical. it is not. it has been a real strain on their budget. there has to be a better and to

that. i know several people that had the same problem. i have an acquaintance that their health care don't -- doubled to $6,000. host: want to come on that conversation. by the house about the gavel in for their morning session. [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] representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] 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 rooms, washington, d.c.,, july 28, 2015, i hereby appoint representative valadao as speaker pro tempore on this day, signed john a. boehner speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will now recognize members