fighting for since the middle of the 90s so the governors and legislatures can come up with more innovative and practical ways to treat and also to have a medicare system that will last for these young gov. kasich: the same is also true for welfare. in ohio, we tried to be very innovative, guided by the same idea my mother used to say, it is a sin to not help somebody who needs help, but equally a cent to continue to help someone who needs to learn how to help themselves. very time, we are asking the federal government for permission to allow our people on public assistance to be able to get education so that they can get a job, and we have to

ask the federal government to approve this. it is nonsense. let me run it. let my legislature run it. taylor a program that we can learn from all across this country. this is our country. we make the choices that decided future. if we want prosperity, futures, opportunities for kids, we need to make it happen, and we need to make it happen now. let's win our energy freedom. let's get smart on train. it works together as one strategy. if we want to see results now,

we will have to fight for it. i'm fighting for the 50-year-old woman who lost her job in this bad economy, and for the businesses that could grow and give her a new opportunity if they were not drowning in high taxes and red tape. startupsting for a bit with a breakthrough ideas that could hire the single mom who is struggling to provide a future for our kids. i am fighting for the men and women whose wages have been flat for seven years, the young people with their whole lives ahead of them, wondering if they will have the same opportunities that the generation before them. on putting out today are for every american who wants a better and brighter future, all of us. is it easy? are you kidding me? oh, it's extremely hard to get this done. this is doable. this is doable and achievable, to help our country.

there will be a lot of people working against this. that is inevitable. i have faced it all of my lifetime. there are going to be skeptics. i'm going to tell you, i become president, relying on you for your help and support, we will get it done. i have done it before. by building a great team that works with me and rallying support from people like you. going to come together and rallied these people behind the changes that we all know need to be made. we have to make them happen now. no more fooling around. no more delays. no more confusion. no more inexperience. no more polls. no more focus groups. now we need to get this done. [applause]

gov. kasich: again, when you leave, the gun you what did he say. he's going to cut taxes. he's done it before. his gun balance the budget. he's done it before. he's gunnison programs back so that we can get our hands on them and fix them to suit who we are so we can fix all of our problems. he has done it before. he is going to control the regulators. well, in ohio, we have with our common sense initiative that repealed silly rules and regulations. he says he was to develop energy and make is independent. well, our industry energy in ohio is unfettered and working and exciting. he says he wants to change welfare, so we help those people who need help, but also asked them to assume personal responsibility.

he is doing that in ohio. andaid we need to stand up protect the american worker, while at the same time we reach across the oceans to make sure our products can find markets, that if we get cheated, we will fight back. you can count on it. race, i got into this don't want to write another book because i am and politics. i don't need another television show. i am doing this because the good , andhas blessed me throughout the course of my lifetime, he has given me these skills. he has given me the friends. he has given me the instincts and the judgment to be able to make our nation strong, respected all over the world again. i am going to carry this out.

but i need you. right here in new hampshire and all across this country. no more politics. no more nonsense. we will get down to it, and america will be a brighter, asonger, more hopeful place a result of what we can do over the course of the next eight years. thank you all very much, and god bless you. [applause] >> thank you governor kasich. the governor has been kind enough and generous enough with his time to participate in our student form, but before we began, i would like to introduce

thechancellor to talk about forum. [applause] >> -- and ask questions to the candidate. students are the future of our country. thishave a huge stake in election, and we want to take advantage of the 100th anniversary of new hampshire's first in the nation primary to make sure that it is have a voice in this campaign and get to directly engage with the candidates, and our students are here. they are looking for to this opportunity, and we thank you governor kasich for taking their questions.

[applause] our first student is ryan long, an economics major, and he hails from new hampshire. >> how are you doing tonight, governor kasich? >> i am doing well. you know why god invented a strong must -- astronomers? to make economist look good. loweringyou advocate or eliminating -- gov. kasich: on the nondefense discretionary, we will freeze that for eight years as a starting point. at the end, i'm not sure that it will even fair that well as we dig in and get under the hood. we will increase defense

spending and we will be able to reduce a lot of the backlog because defense is our primary purpose, and we will deal with entitlements, just like in a while with medicaid, reform that, nationwide, make sure you're able to stabilize medicare, and we have got a lot of detail about how we believe we can do that. to cut taxes, because if you both cut taxes and control spending, you can ask again to a balanced budget, but i have to tell you that i have to count on you, because there are going to be a lot of people whining out there that you can't touch me, but we have to get used to that. we have to make sure that we have the discipline to get it done, because we get it done, you job. that is what this is all about. this is all about raising america to a level where people really have opportunity and we have job creation. >> thank you. age beingtirement

increased to 67 for people born younger people have found themselves less likely to have a job. of 20-24tween the ages have an unemployment rates of 9.1% according to the bureau of labor statistics. this is 4% higher than the national average. how would you address the issue of national security so order people can have the same retirement and young people can have at the same time have just ability? stability? gov. kasich: in 1999, i've proposed a solution that would have stabilized it for about 100 years, and that would have left our seniors ok, the baby boomers would have started at a slightly lower rates than what they would have gotten, and our young people would have been able to get 2% private accounts we could be connected to the economy just like federal workers.

and was about 16 years ago, they did nothing, so now we are in a deeper hole, and we are looking at all the possible solutions for social security. we will be oh to talk about that in more depth later, but i take there are about four things we need to think about. we need to deal with the issue of early retirement. we need to look at the issue of raising the retirement age. we do need to have an indices for prices and not prices and wages, and those things will get us in a pretty good place, and we have to think about a disconnect between what we pay in and the benefits we pay out. the social security is so expensive that it has to be stabilize, and i had to let you in on something, we are going to have to include some democrats in this who understand this program needs to be fixed, and we will have more to say about that, which is a separate issue, but getting us in a position a balancing the budget today. >> thank you very much.

gov. kasich: thank you. [applause] >> our second student is a communications major and she has from -- amanda? good morning governor kasich. my question also involves social security. according to various news sources such as washington times, new york times, and washington examiner, social security disability payments will run up by the year 2016. you said some people will have to "get over social security cuts." what about citizens who have paid into their social security their entire life. how will you assure them that they will be taking care of? the area of in social security disability, to

have been a lot of shows, including 60 minutes, that have talked about this program. of course, when some it is disabled that they have to be in a position where they did help, but we have to make sure that people aren't able to just approach the legal system to get them to go out and try to qualify for something that they really shouldn't be on, so we have to look at so security disability. my mind is not closed on at. i'm not sure about it, but it's something we have to carefully look at. now, here's with the story is on the benefits. start sociale security with an indices that is lower, then you're going to get your so security slightly lower, and will contribute to saving the program for the life of it, which you one anyway, and just a you know, we were in a form here in new hampshire, and we were all kind of chuckling about where we start, most people don't know what their initial benefit is. how many of you know what your initial benefit is calculated

down to the dollar? there are about two of you. look, working have to start a little bit lower, and she said, and i said well, we will just have to do it, and we all kind of chuckled and said we will all have to get over it. you know, that is part of what happens when you say things. it is part of why we don't get anywhere. by,use we get distracted you know, a criticism. i'm not going to be in a position where i'm going to be distracted. all of my lifetime, i've taken heat. i've taken it from republican presidents. i've taken it from republican party members. i taken it from democrats. if you're not prepared to take the heat, get out of the kitchen. get out of the kitchen. ok. thank you. [applause] gov. kasich: but i want the program for you. i went you to get a job. we need to anything do, it is emphasized the

capability of these community colleges to give your skill for what you want to doing your lifetime. words not just for you, but for my younger daughter's who one day will be in the school just iq are today. thank you. >> thank you, governor kasich. [applause] good job.h: >> out third student is a liberal arts major, and he helps from -- [applause] >> how are you? gov. kasich: good to see you. , you served six years as chairman of house budget in ohio and balance their budget. what procedures will you take to bounce the national budget, and would you consider modifying the tax code in getting rid of loopholes? gov. kasich: i used to say that we always want to look at provisions in the code that were put there by special interest groups. back in the old days, when i was

in congress, used to say that we can reform welfare for poor reform and we can welfare for rich people too, fair is fair. to we would look at all of those. sometimes those loopholes are legitimately loopholes, and sometimes they are necessary. example, the research and develop a tax credit. some my call it a loophole. i caught essential to develop new technologies. you have to scour everything. let me suggest how you do it. you look at every single program and say if the program is working, is it not working, you have to remember that every program has somebody that supports it. is it working, not working, kennedy privatized? does government need to do it? can we make it work better, more effectively? you just go through all of that, and nobody gets a favor. everything gets looked at appropriately, because the time

you come off the moral high ground is the minute where it is pretty hard to leave, so we will look at everything, including these kinds of things that you call and i used to call loopholes. i used to activate everybody when i said that your member -- maybe you can be a junior partner and come help us look at everything? >> would you supported a universal basic income that would lighten the burden of poverty on the working class? a lot of people wouldn't be paying income taxes. they would be paying significant other taxes, but we want to make sure we give people an incentive. here i propose the earned income tax credit, which i fought for when i was a congressman. a lot of people in my party did not like it. i thought it was important to give people an incentive to rise. the other thing we have done in ohio is that if you are a working mom, we are raising the amount of money you can make

300% of poverty without losing your childcare. there are many rules and regulations to keep you from being able to rise, because you lose more than you gain. we have to remove that and make sure we tailor our welfare system to encourage independence, not continued dependence. ok? >> thank you governor. [applause] carolyn,xt student is and she is a major in andrnational relations comes from new boston, new hampshire. carolyn? [applause] >> my question is where do you stand on president barack obama's proposed free two-year community college? if you are for, can you tell us where the money will come to pay for it? gov. kasich: we have to pay for things, right? you would like to have a new car, wouldn't you? >> yes. gov. kasich: i can't

gov. kasich: i can't just give you one for free good we have to learn to control the cost of higher education, and that comes number one to leadership, mr. provost. that means you sometimes have to aggravate the faculty, the people who work around here to take costs out. in ohio, we have just had a group of business people come in with a series of about 25 recommendations to reduce costs, and let me give you an example page you are going to believe this. your heard of ohio state? it is a little stroll in the midwest. what is your name? >> carolyn. gov. kasich: ohio state's president, who is a great man, made a decision that he wanted to least the parking garages and parking lots, because he said why is a university running a parking garage. he was fought tooth and nail.

, andnally got it through ohio state release -- release to those parking lots and parking garages, still maintains control and is receiving a half $1 billion that can be used to help students with scholarships or reduce costs. in bowling green, they have now outsourced their dining. why is a university running a dining facility? it ought to be done by the private sector. so, we need to scour everything to reduce costs, because if these costs keep rising, students are just going to go to online education at a fraction of the costs, and it is going to become more creative. alisa just one other thing. when you enter this goal, you ought to have somebody who virtually guides you every week. what you want to be? would he want to do? what courses are you taking? are you on track? and i am here

to beer helper. we need to know what the in demand jobs are so were not after getting an education for basket weaving when there are no more basket weaving jobs. other thing is that i don't believe universities or community college's should be paid one dime for overhead. they should be reimbursed by government when a student completes a course or graduates, anything short of that will .esult in high costs thank you. [applause] gov. kasich: you have another one? >> yes, i do. should able-bodied, mentally capable adults be required to work. if so, how would you monitor this? gov. kasich: when i was in congress, if you get food stamps and able-bodied and ares were you don't have high and implement, you need to do community service at least 20 hours a week. i think the same is true with

welfare. fostering a culture of dependency helps no one. it doesn't help the person on welfare, and it doesn't help the children who are in the family. , let's not think this is easy. , young person, you wake up in the morning, you don't have a stable family, you hear gunshots, and you wonder about going to school, and you don't have anybody that is giving you the love and encouragement you need. all of these people are made in the image of the lord. they are not to be discarded. they are not to be demeaned. they need to be lifted. but you don't lift them just by giving. you have to expect something back, and that is our philosophy in ohio, and i want welfare to be sent to you.

no more strings. you do it. you tell me what is working here. i would take what is working in other parts of the country. so it is about -- just like my mother used to say -- it's a sin to not help people who need help, but a sin to continue to help people who need to learn how to help themselves. ,hese are difficult problems and our schools of the local level must be made excellent, and that is not up to a president. it is up to you, us, to get it done. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] our last student speaker is evan richardson. he is a criminal justice major. [applause] morning, everyone. governor. what ideas you have to reduce the overall debt of school loans and reduce the cost. gov. kasich: you have to reduce

the cost drivers. are you going to go onto a four-your school? if you do, you have cut your costs, haven't you? because you are here, where it is less expensive than in the four-year. for some people, that's right. i think i have outlined the number of things that we need to do to get on top of this whole cost issue. also, i think in high school, you are to be able to get college credit at the same time that you're getting high school credit. some students in my state have completed almost an entire year of college when they are still in high school, and we are now training teachers to be able to get qualified so that when they teach a course, the students can get college credit. there are whole number of things, but sometimes, let me r areou question, when you a college present today -- president today, what is it tomorrow?

hard tos, it is really go against the grain, because when you go against the grain everybody gets uptight. but you know what leaders do? why am i made this way? because i had a mom that shook things up from top to bottom p she was my model of how you stick and hang tough even when people are criticizing you, but let me give you a little lesson. when you believe in something, whatever it is, if you're right, and you need to check your friends, even though you don't have a big crowd, you keep pursuing it, and you know what will happen? you will have a crowd, and you will be the leader. leaders always stand out from the crowd. if they are in the crowd, they are not a leader. if you get too far ahead of the crowd, they cannot hear your see you, so there is a certain magic , a certain skill about knowing

how far to get and how to bring the crowd along with you, because we can't do it all yourself. surround yourself with people who like you, support you, and reinforce you. ok? good luck to you. >> thank you. [applause] >> my second question. gov. kasich: you have another question could i thought i was done. >> what is an acceptable number of immigrants to let in each year. our country has always taken pride in opening is stored to immigrants. what is your plan to help these people without putting a strain on social services? gov. kasich: we have immigration law that limits who comes in. that can be looked at. now we don't have any way to protect ourselves from people who walk into the country. i was talking to a man that -- i said to him, where

you live question mark he said, texas. you lock your doors and night? he said, i do. i said, shouldn't a country like a stores? doors? its workerld have a guest program for people to come in and out legally. if they violate the law, pay a penalty, path to legalization, and i think we can look at our entire immigration program, because we want to be -- i wouldn't be here today -- my mother -- her mother could barely speaking with good she is yugoslavian. my father's parents, they came over. we weren't even sure at one point what our real name was because my grandfather may have taken the name of a family that he came over on the boat with. and if i haven't got here, i would be running for president of croatia, i'm here, you know.

so we want to welcome immigrants. it makes you stronger, better, but we want to control it. -- peopleant to come to come here just to get on some benefit. we want people to come here to assimilate themselves and get work and contribute. i believe that most of them do. ok? thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. [applause] thank you to the students. i would also to thank the professor for her hard work and working with the students. thank you very much. [applause] >> governor, we appreciate you taking the time to meet and speak with our students, and many of our students are in the audience. i know your commitment to education. thank you, and please join us for a reception following this immediately. gov. kasich: thank you all very much. [applause]

♪

>> welcome to new hampshire. gov. kasich: thank you. that is what we need to hear. waiting a long time to listen to. gov. kasich: i'm thrilled to be here. thank you very much. god bless. thank you. do i know you? how are you? >> i'm good. gov. kasich: nice of you to come today. i didn't know that. we just put out an education program on how to control costs. it's really comprehensive.

>> let me give you my card. gov. kasich: great. hopefully you can help. thank you. great, i enjoyed being here. >> how are you? nice to see you. how are you? gov. kasich: i could write on

the top of one of your cars. ride on the top of one of your cars. thanks. you're doing well? your wife as well? give me one second. >> can i get a selfie with you? gov. kasich: of course. >> thank you.

gov. kasich: i think it's good to be able to be talking now about our programs. i think that people want to hear specifics. i think that is good. i also think this is good for the country, the debate, balanced budget, cut taxes, creative, imaginative, dealing with entitlements, rebuilding the fence. everything doesn't have to be about me. some of these things are good because they are inherently good. hopefully this will become the focus of what people will talk

about, because this is is the real deal. we will see. growth --ed economic other taxes. this plan does the opposite. all, inich: first of ohio we have been able to cut taxes because we cut government. >> you also increased it. gov. kasich: no, the bulk of the tax cuts -- we have not been able to pass most of the increases and tax reform where i want to go from a consumption-based to an investment-based economy. we have been able to achieve the bulk of these because we have reduced government. if weld go lower in ohio can substitute some consumption taxes for income taxes. in this plan, is fair to have dynamic growth in your plan. anemic,nomy has been so

we know we will get a boost if we can do all of these things, but you have to remember that we are cutting spending in this ofn, reducing the growth spending in this plan, so you get it done two ways, grow the economy, reduce overhead. >> [inaudible] i haven't seen -- well, because you don't do with a check off the box strategy. i haven't seen any budget land. a couple of things, trade, regulatory, taxes, controlling spending, a whole variety of things that you need to do, just one thing after another is not the way i do things. planet can bemic achieved, and i think were seeing a lot of voices around the country saying, look, if there's anybody that knows how to pass he sings, it's governor kasich.

i agree with them. -- how to pass these things, it's governor kasich. i agree with them. >> your announcement to obama's announcement that he's going to drawdown. gov. kasich: i thought he was not going to draw them down? he called it a drawdown. well, the conditions on the ground had deteriorated. for me, i would never have done the second increase in troop levels. i wouldn't use special forces to be lethal and mobile to take care of the job. i would not have supported additional troops. now that the situation has deteriorated, i think it is a wise decision to say we are not going to go running out of their and lose all the things that we have invested over the years, so i just don't know much about what he is saying, but to me it is probably a reaction to the 60 minutes interview where people said he looked weak. >> thank you. >> thank you, governor. >> how are you?

you know the global fund saves hundred thousand lives. gov. kasich: i don't know that much about it. >> do you plan to look into it any closer. gov. kasich: we will look at it at some point. we have to balance the budget. we don't know all these things. there is a chunk of foreign aid that doesn't get to the people who need it. so we will see. i am open to it. >> thank you. all campaign long, c-span takes you on the road to the white house, unfiltered access to the candidates at time meetings, news conferences, rallies, and speeches. we are taking your comments on twitter, facebook, and by phone, and always every campaign event

we cover is available on our website at c-span.org. >> on the next washington journal, former indiana governor mitch daniels on college affordability. then the president and ceo of better markets incorporated on the role that wall street is playing in the 2016 presidential race. molly o'toole on where candidates stand on national security issues. washington journal is like with your phone calls, tweets and facebook comments at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> known as the city of good neighborhoods, this weekend our c-span cities to explores the historyur and literary life of buffalo, new york. we will visit the mark twain room at the buffalo and. county library, whose centerpiece our

pages of the original handwritten manuscript of adventures of huckleberry finn. against the feature grain, the history of buffalo's first -- >> the irish were desperate, came over airing the famine, things weren't still great, and it take one relative to find out about these wonderful jobs along the waterfront, working in the grain elevators, in the mills, and then word would go back to ireland, you want to come to buffalo. you want to become rich, but you were going to have steady employment. -- you weren't going to become rich, but you would have steady employment. the first ward has its name because when buffalo was created in 1832 as a city, it was divided into five political wards. in this area along the buffalo river has always been the first ward. history tv,an september 6, 19 oh one, president william mckinley was assassinated in buffalo.

1901, president way mckinley was assassinated in buffalo. then discover the history of the buffalo waterfront and how it has adapted from the nation's center to modern redevelopment. we are at silo city. this is a collection of grain elevators built for different today by, but all own -- and besides being regenerated for different purposes, music, history to her's, taking people around grain elevators to tell the story of buffalo's history, theatrical productions, opera, poetry readings, different uses for the historic silos. frome all of our programs buffalo, saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2 booktv, and sunday afternoon at 2:00 on american history tv on c-span3. workingan cities tour,

with cable affiliates and visiting cities across the country. president obama announced plans to keep 5500 u.s. troops stationed in afghanistan through 2017. these soldiers will serve in noncombat roles, training and advising afghans military. the president made announcement from the white house in a 15 minute briefing. pres. obama: good morning. last december, more than 13 years after our nation was attacked by al qaeda on 9/11, america's combat mission in afghanistan came to a responsible end. that milestone was achieved

thanks to the courage and skill of our military, our intelligence, and civilian personnel. they served there with extraordinary skill and valor. it is with remembering and the 2200 american patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice in afghanistan. i visited them last year to thank them on behalf of a great -- grateful nation. i told them they could take great pride in the progress they have helped achieve. they struck devastating blows against the al qaeda leadership in the tribal regions. the delivered justice to osama bin laden. prevented terrorist attacks and saved american lives. they pushed the taliban back so the afghan people could reclaim their communities. send their daughters to school. and improved their lives. our troops trained afghan forces so they could take the lead for

their own security. and protect afghans as they voted in historic elections, leading to the first democratic transfer of power in their country's history. today, american forces no longer patrol afghan villages or valleys. our troops are not engaged in major ground combat against the taliban. those missions now belong to afghans who are fully responsible for securing their country. but, as i've said before, while america's combat mission in afghanistan may be over, our commitment to afghanistan and its people endures. as commander in chief i will not allow afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorist to attack our nation again. our forces will remain engaged into narrow, but critical missions. training afghan forces and supporting counterterrorist operations against the remnants of al qaeda.

of course compared to the , 100,000 troops we once had in afghanistan, today fewer than 10,000 remain in support of these very focused missions. i meet regularly with my national security team, including commanders in afghanistan to assess honestly the situation on the ground. to determine where our strategy is working and where we may need greater flexibility. i have insisted consistently that our strategy focus on the development of a sustainable afghan capacity and self-sufficiency. when we needed additional forces to advance the goal or make adjustments in terms of of our timetables, we have made those adjustments. today i want to update the , american people on our efforts. since taking the lead for security earlier this year, afghan forces have continued to step up. this has been the first fighting season were afghans have been on

their own and they are fighting for their country bravely and tenaciously. afghan forces continued to hold most urban areas. when the taliban has made gains, unduz, afghan forces backed by coalition support have been able to push them back. it has come at a very heavy price. many troops have lost their lives as have civilians. , at the same time, afghan forces are still not as strong as they need to be. they are developing critical capabilities. intelligence, logistics, aviation, command and control. meanwhile, the taliban has made gains in rural areas and can still launch attacks in cities including kabul. ,much of this was predictable. we understood that as we transitioned, the taliban would

try to exploit some of our movements out of particular areas and that it would take time for afghan security forces to strengthen. pressure from pakistan has resulted in more al qaeda coming into afghanistan and we have seen the emergence of an isil presence. the bottom line is that in key areas of the country the security situation is still very fragile. in some places there is risk of deterioration. fortunately, there is a national unity government that supports a strong partnership with the united states. earlier thisvisit year, we agreed to continue our counterterrorism operation and for continued support.

following consultations with my entire national security team, as well as our partners and members of congress, the president and the chief executive, i am therefore announcing the following steps which i am convinced offer the best possibility for a lasting progress in afghanistan. first, i have decided to maintain our current posture of 9800 troops in afghanistan through most of next year, 2016. their mission will not change. our troops will continue to pursue those two narrow tasks that i outlined. training afghan forces and going after al qaeda. maintaining our current posture through most of next year, rather than a more rapid drawdown, will allow us to sustain our efforts to train and assist afghan forces as they grow stronger. not only during this fighting season, but into the next. second, i have decided that instead of going down to a

normal embassy presence in kabul by the end of 2016, we will maintain 5500 troops, a small number of bases including at bagra and kandahar in the south. our troops will focus on training afghans and counterterrorism operations. these bases will give us the presence and reach our forces require to achieve their mission. in this sense, afghanistan is a key piece of the network of counterterrorism partnerships that we need from south asia to africa to deal broadly with terror threats quickly and prevent attacks against our homeland. we will work with allies and partners to align the steps i am announcing with their own presence in afghanistan after 2016. in afghanistan we are part of a

42-nation coalition and our allies and partners can continue to play an indispensable role in helping afghanistan strengthen its security forces. including respect for human rights. finally, because governance and development remained a foundation for stability and progress in afghanistan, we will support the president and national unity government as they pursue critical reforms. new provincial governors have been appointed and the president is working to combat corruption, strengthen institutions, and uphold rule of law. as i told the president and chief executive yesterday, efforts that deliver progress and justice for the afghan people will continue to have the strong support of the united states. we cannot separate the importance of governance with the issues of security. the more effective these reforms happen, the better off the

security situation will be. we also discussed american support of an afghan led reconciliation process. by now it should be clear to the taliban and all who oppose afghanistan's progress, the only real way to achieve the amount -- the full drawdown of u.s. and foreign troops from afghanistan is through a lasting political settlement with the afghan government. likewise, sanctuaries for the taliban and other terrorists must end. next week i will post prime minister sharif of pakistan and continue to urge all parties in the region to press the taliban to return to talks and do their part in pursuit of the piece that afghans deserve. in closing, i want to speak directly to those whose lives affected byectly the decisions i announced today. to the afghan people, who have

suffered so much, america's commitment to you and to a secure, stable, and unified afghanistan, that remains firm. our two nations have forged a strategic partnership for the long-term and as you defend and build your country, today is a reminder that the united states keeps our commitments. and to our men and women in uniform, i know this means that some of you will rotate back into afghanistan. with the end of our combat mission, this is not like 2010 when nearly 500 americans were killed and many more were injured. but still, afghanistan remains dangerous. 25 brave americans have given their lives there this year. i do not send you into harms way lightly. it is the most solemn decision that i make.

i know the wages of war and the wounded warriors i visit in the hospital, and the grief of families. but as your commander in chief, i believe this mission is vital to our national security interests in preventing terrorist attacks against our citizens and our nation. and to the american people, i know that many of you have grown weary of this conflict. as you are well aware, i do not support the idea of endless war. i have repeatedly argued against marching into open-ended military conflicts that do not serve our core security interests. yet given what's at stake in afghanistan and the opportunity for a stable and committed ally that can partner with us in preventing the emergence of future threats, and the fact that we have an international coalition, i am firmly committed -- convinced that we should make this extra effort. in the afghan government, we

have a serious partner who want -- once our help. and the majority of the afghan people share our goals. we have a bilateral security agreement to guide our cooperation. and every single day, afghan forces are out there fighting and dying to protect their country. they are not looking for us to do it for them. i am speaking of the afghan army cadet who grew up seeing bombing and attacks on innocent civilians who said because of this, i took the decision to join the army to try and save as -- innocent people's lives. or the police officer trained to diffuse explosives. i know it is dangerous work, he said, but i have always had a dream of wearing the uniform of afghanistan. or the afghan commando, a hardened veteran of many missions who said if i start telling you the stories of my life, i might start crying.

he serves, he said, because the faster we bring peace, the faster we can bring education. the stronger our unity will grow. only if these things happen will afghanistan stand up for itself. americans after so after so, many years of war, afghanistan will not be a perfect place. it is a poor country that will have to work hard on its development. there will continue to be could contested areas. but afghans like these are standing up for their country. if they were to fail, they would endanger the security of us all. we have made enormous investments in a stable afghanistan. afghans are making difficult but genuine progress. this modest but meaningful extension of our presence while

sticking to our current era -- narrow missions can make a real difference. it is the right thing to do. may god bless our troops and all who keep us safe and may god continue to bless the united states of america. >> mr. president, can you tell us how disappointing this is for you? this decision is not disappointing. continually, i goal has been to make sure that we give every opportunity for afghanistan to succeed while we are making sure we meet our core missions. as i have continually said, my approach is to assess the situation on the ground, figure out what is working, and what is not. make adjustments when necessary. this isn't the first time does -- those adjustments have been

made, it probably won't be the last. what i encouraged by is the am that we have a government that is serious about trying to deliver security and the prospect of that of life for the -- of a better life for the afghan people. we have a clear majority of the afghans who want to partner with us and the international community to achieve those goals. we have a bilateral security arrangement that ensures our troops can operate in ways that protect them while still achieving their mission. we have always known we had to maintain a counterterrorism operation in that region. tamp downto the emergence of active al qaeda networks or other networks that might do us harm. this is consistent with the overall vision we have had and we anticipated, as we were drawing down troops there were

times when we might need to slow things down or fill gaps in afghan capacity. this is a reflection of that. it is a dangerous area so part , of what we are trying to balance is making sure afghans are out there doing what they need to do. but that we are giving them a chance to succeed and that we are making sure they can conduct -- that our force posture in the area in terms of conducting those narrow missions that we need to conduct, we can do so relatively safely. there are still risks involved. force protection the ability of , our embassies to operate effectively, those things all factor in. so we have to constantly reviewed these approaches. the important thing i want to emphasize is that the nature of the mission has not changed. the cessation of our combat role has not changed. now, the 25 military and

civilians killed last year, that always weighs on my mind, and 25 to many, degree for the families of the fallen. to whatrstand relative was involved when we were in an active, role and actively engage in war in afghanistan was a very different scenario. here you have a situation where we have clarity about our mission and a partner that wants to work with us. we are going to continually make adjustments to ensure we give the best possibilities for success. i suspect we will continue to evaluate this going forward as will the next president. as conditions improve, we will be in a position to make other further adjustments. i'm confident this is the right thing to do. i am not disappointed because my view has always been how do we

achieve our goals while minimizing the strain and exposure on our men and women in uniform and make sure we are constantly encouraging and sending a message to the afghan people this is their country and they have to defend it. but we will be a steady partner for them. ok? thank you everybody. next on c-span, "washington journal" live with your phone calls, tweets, and comments. the heritage foundation hosting a conference. hillary clinton making a campaign appearance in new hampshire. on "washington journal", former indiana governor mitch daniels on college affordability. then president and ceo of better markets incorporated discussing the role wall street is playing

in the 2016 presidential race. and molly o'toole on where the presidential candidates stand on national security issues. pres. obama: as your commander-in-chief, i believe this mission is vital to our national security interest to prevent attacks against our citizens and nation. host: we are taking your reaction to the announcement that thousands of troops will remain in afghanistan even after the president leaves office. no good options on the table, and it hands off the afghan situation to the next president of the united states. here is how to take part in this edition of "washington journal". if you