we have an amazing thing happening. [applause] it is just -- look, that's their way of marginalizing, not even me, they are marginalizing you. it is disgusting. -- i started this journey that's what it is, a journey, of remember the old days of the silent majority? this is a noisy majority. i have people and you can't even hear -- this is an amazing thing that is happening. i received a call from a reporter who happens to be liberal. we can have a couple of them. a guy who's really respected and he says how does it feel. he says what you have done has never been done in the history of politics in the united states . even cnn says number one wastical story -- isis

number two. not the hell out of them and make me number one next year. [applause] this reporter, who is a great intellect, he says what you have done has never been done before. newt gingrich was on a television show and said this is one of the great phenomenons i've ever seen and politics. they sent 3000 people home. can you believe it? it is unbelievable. it is beautiful what is happening. newt gingrich said he's never seen anything like it. he said it's never been done before. but if i don'te, win, it's a waste of time. he says what you have done is incredible. totally changed the

landscape for politics. [applause] don't applaud. he says you have totally changed the landscape of politics. there has never been anything like your campaign. i said you don't understand. if i don't win, i will consider this a total and complete waste of time. i really do because we are not going to do anything. and trump ran this rather good campaign. if we don't win, it is a total waste of time. if you have someone else in won't be able to do what i want to do. ton i say mexico is going

pay, they all laugh. these are people, they think it is funny. they are making billions and billions of dollars on deficits that we have. tenets. is they are going to pay for the wall. now they don't laugh because they are starting to agree with me. day, ted cruz says we are going to build a wall at the southern border. and my wife is sitting -- where does that come from? he's a good guy but i think it was on fox, he said we are going to build a wall at the southern border. to catch up trying with me because when i did this stuff, it was out there. , i'm the one everyone wants to aspire to.

so ted is up and he is talking. wife is sitting there and she says darling, did you hear that? first time -- she hasn't heard that from any other candidate. build a wall and mexico is going to pay for it. when i started the journey, it was amazing. ofent down to the lobby trump tower and it looked like the academy awards. when i came down the escalator, i said we are going to do things -- i mentioned illegal immigration. it wasn't even on the radar. now it's one of the big subjects. one of the polls that came out

-- cnn just came out with a poll a week ago, 36 percent for trump. on the economy, they give me 55%. that's with 16 people at the time. ie budget and the economy, when it hands down. but at illegal immigration, i'm almost at 50%. people want to be protected. they need strength and toughness. i know a lot of tough guys and they are not smart. they are the easiest. you have to be smart. you have to be tough because the world is trying to take advantage of us.

that first couple of weeks with illegal immigration and then kate was killed and an unbelievable young man, just shot through the head. guy -- these by a are too. you have the economy and the jobs being lost and all of this stuff. all of the sudden, people are coming over and now they are starting to say the wall. we have to be progressive and are thinking. i mean smart. i don't mean progressive like bernie sanders. of it. this guy wants to raise your taxes to 90%. i love this area. , am i right? area no more golf if bernie sanders -- you won't have any golf

anymore. you won't have any money left. this guy is a total disaster. i would like to run against trump. me, chuck todd, meet the press, his show is dying. he never treated me fairly. he gets the highest rating he's had in years. i won't even give you the numbers. i saved his life and then he goes hillary clinton says she would most like to run against donald trump. me, the last person -- she had a tough night last night. she had a tough night looking at the beauty pageant. hillary clinton said -- here is chuck todd. he's a nice guy.

he goes the clinton campaign says they would most like to run against trump like i'm some kind of sap. they say they want to run against me, that means they don't want to run against me. it is reverse psychology. they say they want to run against me. i'm winning and tied in the polls -- look at what happened to all the guys i hit -- they are gonzo or they are failing badly. hillary clinton, think about it. chuck, reported properly. they don't want to run against trump. the husband wants to come and accuse me of things and the

husband is one of the great abusers of the world? give me a break. the last person she wants to run against his me. , was talking about trade obamacare and the second amendment. the second amendment will be saved, by the way. it will be saved. the second amendment will be with us. they want to get rid of bullets, think of paris, think of los angeles. they had no guns. paris has the toughest gun laws in the world and france, you get caught with a gun, the only one who has guns are bad guys. they call the guy a mastermind, but he's a more on. the french police did a great

job and our los angeles least did a phenomenal job. wouldn't it be wonderful -- this hat, he has a lousy head of hair but he's a strong guy. wouldn't it be nice if they had so -- you know what they were doing? here, 130 people because there are people that are so badly injured. these are people who gave a party in honor of their marriage. .hey gave them a party a fiance permit and she was radicalized and he was

probably radicalized i her. people knew that they were radicalized and people in the area -- who the hell doesn't know? and they did not want to talk about it. you have to report these people. no more nonsense. they did not report them because they don't disagree with them. give me a break. we have to change. tradegoing to talk about and all of this, but after paris and california, and there will be others because they have no has totallyit changed and my poll numbers went up 10 points. they say people view you as a tough cookie.

thisare not going to take craft. .- this crap [applause] now i talk about section. i've got the greatest guys in the world. i always talk about ford. it's not going to happen with me. ford is closing plants all over michigan. how the hell does that help us? are the people who think that is good for us? we have plants all over the place and then they're going to four willand parts -- stay in the to united states. it's very simple.

how about nabisco announced in chicago they are going to leave and go to mexico. we are not eating oreos anymore. it's not going to happen. they are going to make a product and sell it in the united states? it's not going to happen. ofdon't get anything out anything. that iran deal was a disaster. this came to me two weeks ago. worst dealal is the i've ever seen negotiated. rack.e them a that's even better. rack -- we gave iran iraq.

take a look. among the largest oil reserves in the world. by decapitating a iraq, not only did they , we gave themeal iraq. largest have the reserves in the world. that's even better than the original. iran isis representing doing a heck of a job. going to have deals like that with me. we are going to become rich again. we are going to become safe again and we are going to become strong again.

[applause] and you are going to remember this moment. it's going to be an important moment for all of us. go out and vote. it is going to be your turn. it starts in february 1 with iowa. three weeks -- we've got four no matter what is going on in your life, you have to go out and vote. say trump is going to do well. moreore we can win by, the power we have because it is like a mandate. here, been an honor to be will make america great again, i promise.

thank you. [applause] thank you, everybody. ♪ we are not done a take it, gonna take it any more ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ we're not gonna take it,

take itin't gonna anymore ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

e're not gonna take it, anymoret gonna take it ♪ ♪ ♪

host: donald trump working his way through the audience. this will be his final campaign appearance with the primary there on february 20. we're opening up the lines here on c-span so you can talk about what you heard from donald trump. you can also send us a tweet. we had a post on facebook for the last day or so asking what issues are most important to you. we will read some of those comments as well, but let's good to athens, georgia on the democrats line. antoine in athens, georgia, go

ahead. i'm a conservative i'm very different from the mainstream of the party and i really like a lot of what donald trump is saying. although i will never support number one in the polls because he's capitalizing off of angry republicans. you are calling on the democrats line, so what issues appeal to you that you are hearing from donald trump? caller: as a conservative democrat, i like that he is calling out common core and things like that. i'm very different as a democrat. for onenald trump spoke hour and five minutes. wisconsin is next.

hello, paul. watching all trump on your c-span network, i'm a watched, union man, i him close our mill in wisconsin. bernie most part, i like sanders and his talk of soaking the rich, but on the other hand, donald trump, he's a businessman and maybe that's the direction we should go. i'm torn between the two but leaning toward voting again and will probably vote for trump. host: he's talking about the ford motor company in a factory being moved to mexico. he's talking about with his can and experience he that she can convince manufacturers to keep their plants in the u.s. sure.: i'm not you have sony lobbyists that control washington and i think

he's -- you got so many lobbyists that control washington. but it'she word stupid like they sell out the american public. hillary and bill clinton and their foundation, where are they getting that money watch mark it's like those charities -- you give the money to charity and the money goes to the inside people. rather have bernie sanders than hillary, but at the time, i'm still proud of america and maybe give him a term to see if he can turn around or maybe go back to more socialism. bernie sandersd and his town hall in nevada. as is the rally we covered with hillary clinton. here's new britain connecticut, the republican line. i'm 47 as of christmas

day. i've never voted, i'm sorry to say. this time i think i'm going to have to. host: would that be for donald trump? caller: yes. i'm voting for trump. homeless. the fund, that fund for other countries. host: the clinton global initiative. caller: i don't understand why people aren't taking care of the homeless in the united states as much as they are other countries. i think it is ridiculous. host: here's a comment from eric who tweets -- says --ott

gina says -- i'm kind of curious how donald trump is going to handle the senate and congress. i know other presidents have been having trouble and play around with the president and weight to make a decision. i'm wondering -- i liked -- i'm kind of switching over because he is impressing me. countryat's what the needs is a businessman. my dad always said that. i'm curious how he's going to handle the congress and the senate and how he's going to deal with them because they are going to give him a fit with

what he is trying to do. host: the house and senate returned from their holiday next weekend gavel in next tuesday. we have live coverage on c-span. the senate comes back january 11. from the independent line north carolina. say i: i just wanted to was flipping through and it is pouring down rain. we have had two weeks of rain here and i was impressed. empowering. donald trump is empowering and that is what we want. in ant to have that president and we have not had that in years, maybe in 20, 30 or 40 years. your a few more minutes of phone calls.

george for tacky announced yesterday he is suspending his campaign. he made the announcement by video. >> i was honored to lead the people of new york state for over a decade as governor. i brought to that job the values i learned growing up on a small family farm in the valley. the values of hard work, family, faith and community. at mostly what i brought was believe in america, that tomorrow would always be better and as a free people, we can accomplish anything. be americans feel their children's future will not be as bright as their own. are threatened by radical islam attacking us here and frightened by government in washington that grows more and more powerful. if we are truly going to make america great again, we need to do threeresident things -- confront and defeat radical islam, shrink the power of washington and unite us again in our belief in this great

country. on september 11, i saw unspeakable horror. but i also saw americans united as never before and what americans can do when we stand shoulder to shoulder. thatat day and the days followed, we were not black or , democrat orr poor republican. we were just americans. we need to recapture that spirit. when we stand together, there's nothing we cannot accomplish. tonight is the end of my journey to the white house as i suspend my campaign for president. i'm confident we can elect the can bring us who together and understands politicians must be the people's servant and not their master. best of america is still ahead of us. happy new year. may god bless you and may god bless the united states of america.

former new york governor, george pataki making that announcement yesterday, stepping out of the race for president. we just showed you donald trump in hilton head and we're getting your reaction. her next colors on the republican line. next colors on the republican line. caller: donald trump is the only when whose going to bring it to the ridiculous democrats and socialists. trump does not play by the rules and we need a disruptor to the establishment. i think he's going to get what he wants when he does negotiate. for those saying he's starting off with a million-dollar loan, he's worth 4.5 billion dollars. if you got a $1 million loan, could you turn that over 4500 times? i don't think so. he does negotiate, he's

going to get what he wants and from all the other candidates, i keep hearing the same thing over and over. trump is going to it to the bring hillary clinton machine. host: let's hear from virginia next on the democrats line. watching have been donald trump probably most of my life and that man needs a lot of respect. he can go from nothing to a billionaire before you can stay right -- before you can say rumpelstiltskin. as far as a businessman goes, they don't come any better. this country needs a businessman. we spent years and years with andticians trying to run it this country is a business. i'm a democrat, but i agree with everything this man is talking about so far.

we have been too liberal on everything. we have been too stupid on a lot of other things. do a heck of a good job. my only concern is i wish we could have two presidents. the u.s. president and an international president. as blunt and outspoken as donald trump is, i'm a little concerned he might go and alienate the presidents of all these other countries to our detriment. host: who would make the best international president in your scenario? caller: we don't have anybody i would put in running at this moment. to bed love donald trump here at least running the united states. i will still vote for him to run everything but i stay a little i wish he could get a little more political savvy and then i would be totally happy. we are also asking you on

facebook the issues that are important to you. a couple of comments -- this one from michael host: let's get back to calls. william is on our independent line. my concern is i would never vote for hillary. i voted for bill clinton but hillary, no. job clinton did do a good and yes, he messed up with the monica lewinsky thing, but it's time for a change. i'm going to vote for donald

trump. i think he's got the right message. is if he had great ted cruz for vice president. wes country is changing and pay out everybody. the government has their hands in sony people's pockets. we need a lot less government. it is going crazy. host: the issue of hillary clinton came up and donald trump's comments. and we will show that to you later today on c-span. here is what donald trump had to say on the issue of donald trump and women from earlier today. mr. trump: they are going to turn things around -- if we have hillary, i've got to tell you -- i just saw for the last week, she's been hitting me really hard with the women card. and i had to say, that's enough. a strong number. she's not going to win.

and i love the concept, love, love, love having a woman president. can't be her. she's horrible. who -- let'sll you get ivanka. i will tell you who doesn't like hillary -- women. i see it all the time. [applause] and always so theatrical. mr. trump said this and that -- i shouldn't do it. i just have to turn off the television. she just gives me a headache. although i think last night i gave her a big headache. i can imagine those discussions. but you have to hit back hard and you cannot let them push you around. today she gave a speech and never mention my name. in the debate, i was mentioned nine times.

none of the other candidates were mentioned. then she came out with sexism which is sewed nonsense. she's laying that card, so i hit her back and talked about her husband and the abuse of women. it is tremendous abuse. today,d about that and the television is going crazy and she makes a speech and doesn't mention anything about me with sexism or anything else. i wonder why? host: reaction on twitter -- host: lisa is in fairview,

tennessee on our republican line. caller: you were just talking iout the campaign song and have some friends who wrote a campaign song and i sang it. it's called "get off your rump and vote for trump." youtube.t on it's a catchy song and people are loving it. i would love for someone in donald trump's campaign to listen to the song. host: so you can search on youtube and find it? yes.r: it is on youtube now. i want everyone to listen to it. host: let's get one more call from south carolina on our democrats line. mitch in lexington. caller: very simple, i would like to know, i haven't heard anything on what donald trump

plans to do in reference to the gay community? on demonizing us like most republicans do? host: appreciate your call and we will show you once again donald trump cost rally ahead of the 8:00 hour here on c-span. we are also covering eight town hall rally with marco rubio. on our find all of that video library at c-span.org. coming up at 8:00 tonight, we are looking at some of the notable clinical figures and celebrities who died in 2015, including former new york governor mario cuomo, former senator fred thompson, and former civil rights activist, julian bond. that gets underway at 8:00 eastern. 2015 wraps up, c-span

presents congress, year in review. a look at back -- a look back at all the evidence that took center stage on capitol hill this year. join us thursday at 8 p.m. eastern as we revisit mitch mcconnell taking his position as senate majority leader, pope francis'historic address to both houses of congress, the resignation of john boehner and ryan anding in of paul reaction from congress from mass shootings here and abroad. gun control, and the rise of isis. review thursday at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> three days of featured programming this new year's weekend on c-span. friday night at 8:00 eastern, law enforcement officials, activists and journalists examine the prison system and its impact on minority communities. >> the first and primary reason we have prisons is to punish

people for antisocial behavior and remove that threat from society. prisons exist to keep us safe. whether they are going to rehabilitate the prisoner or deter future crimes, those are secondary concerns. the primary purpose of the prison system is for people who are not interested and to keep society safe from the threat those people propose. -- that those people post. >> been a town hall meeting. saying got the job and do their job saying i am protecting the public. we need to look at that and talk about transparency and look at to engagethey have

themselves with our community. >> than a discussion of media coverage of muslims and how muslims can join the national conversation. young people from across the united kingdom gather in the house of commons to discuss issues important to them. more.s issue is so much as a child, i cannot wait to experience a train journey. then we see trains lose their .miley faces >> for our complete schedule, go to c-span.org. >> "duck dynasty" phil robertson

received an award at the conservative political action committee. this is 25 minutes. is 25 minutes. >> all of us ought to be able to speak freely where we did not have to be awarded for it. for you potential candidates -- to keep you out of trouble , leteep the scandals down me give you a word of advice.

[applause] you carry two things with you in case one of you gets to be the president of the united states, make sure you carry your bible with you and your woman. saying, safety, the good news is i'm not running for anything. and as far as i know i'm not running from anything. i'm going to give you three little words that rarely, if ever, i'm trying to think of the last time, the last time i heard

a politician utter these three words was scott walker, but i spoke -- i spoke before him at the same event and i reminded the people of the three words and he got up behind me and he said i'm fixing to move on what that old dude said. the three words that you've never heard from a politician, i love you. you ever heard that? think about it. when is the last time you heard a politician say, i love you. i rack midbrain. if they keep this up and they don't start telling us at least every once in a while that they love us, i'm going to begin to conclude maybe they don't.

i sincerely love you and by the way my love for you is not contingent on how you feel about me. you say, well, what if we hate your guts do, you still love us? sure. you say, you love us and you're not worried about how we feel about you, not one bit? don't forget that. if you're ever -- let me word it this way. if you ever invite me, some christian people you invite me to a prayer breakfast, you know what i'm going to do as soon as i get there? pray. offer a prayer, i'm going to shut up and sit down. it's a safer course of action.

if you're wondering who i am, by the way, these are my church clothes. i never got around to buying a suit, not yet. i'm 68, you say, phil are you going to make it through this thing without a suit? irregardless of me not being able to go on the floor of the house of representatives without a suit on, according to old john boehner, hay, john, i have my best clothes on, boehner, here's a news flash. just make sure you pass good bills coming out of that house that affects my life, and don't worry about the clothes on their backs. just pass good legislation.

i feel better about you. you say who did you come with? who you with? what group are you with? i'll be the father, son, the holy spirit. \[applause] and sapanero. you say sapanero, who's that? in case two things erupt, heart trouble or gunfire, you want sapanero there. that's why he's with me. he's seated in the audience. i'm a god-loving, bible believing, gun-toting capitalist.

always remember when you hear a guy or a gal ad infinitum attack the results of capitalism which is capital, and you have a steady attack on those people who receive the capital, that's what you get from capitalism. you get capital. when you hear someone bad mouthing them add infinitum, you can -- ad infinitum, you can be sure of one thing. he's not a capitalist. i've never heard a capitalist bad mouth the result of capitalism. have you? not one. i got the news that i didn't build duck commander down there,

i'm like -- miss kay and i, my four boys, down on the river bank and some dude is telling me, you didn't build that business, i'm like -- yes, i did. and i will add, i will add, we built that business with no government assistance. i can guarantee you that. now some of you are going to think as much as i love you, you're going to say, phil, our problem with a guy like you is dude, you're just a little too religious. just a little too much.

so for you i'm going to give you a few quotes. the general most earnestly requires and expects those due observances of war which forbid profane cursing, swearing and drunkenness and in like manner requires and expects of all officers and all soldiers not engaged in actual duty a punctual attendance of divine services to implore the blessings of heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense. no cursing in the american army and nobody getting drunk either. george washington said that. he's the father of your nation, for crying out loud.

no cussing and nobody getting drunk in the army, i would say george washington was a pret -- was pretty religious, what do you think? the time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether americans ought to be free men or slaves. whether they ought to have any property, they -- property they can call their own. whether their houses and farms ought to be pillaged and themselves consigned to a state of retchedness -- wretchedness from which no human effort can deliver them. the fate -- he said this in 1776, july 2. the fate of unborn millions, that would be us, down the line, the fate of us will now depend on -- under god on the courage

and conduct of this army. our cruel and mean enemy, the brits, leaves us no choice but a brave admission. we therefore resolve to conquer or die. our own country's honor calls upon us far rigorous and manually exertion and if we now shamefully fail we shall become infamous to the whole world. let us rely on the goodness of the cause and the aid of the supreme being in whose hands victory is. to animate and encourage us to a great and noble action. all was -- oh, was he godly. was he ever godly. almighty god, we make our

earnest prayer that thombings u will keep the united states in thy holy protection and thy will incline the hearts of the citizens. i'm reading you, grand old party what the founding father of your nation said. that the citizens will cultivate a spirit of subordination to government and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the united states at large and particularly for their brethren who have served in the fields, the veterans. finally thou will most greatly be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, to demean ourselves with charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the

characteristics of the divine author, he's talking about jesus, of our blessed religion. and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. you must be godly and you must have jesus. grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through jesus christ our lord, amen. that's the kind of prayer the guy at the prayer breakfast should have said. \[applause] if i could have -- are y'all listening? if i could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the constitution framed by the convention where i had the honor

to preside, it fit the constitution might possibly endanger the religious rights of any of our society, certainly i never would have placed my signature on it. he said, if i'd read that constitution and it infringed on our religion, i would have never signed that thing. i have often expressed my sentiments that any man conducting himself as a good citizen and being accountable to god almighty alone for his religious opinions ought to be protected and worshiping the deity according to the dictates of his own conscience. don't get in the way of religion, according to the founder of your country. there is no room for government to attack it for any reason, according to george washington. president number two, john adams. suppose a nation in some distant

region, your second president is speaking. suppose a nation in some distant region, he wrote this in his diary, should take the bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. every member would be obliged in conscience to temperance, frugality, industry, to justice, kindness and charity toward his fellow men, and to piety, love, and reverence toward almighty god. what a utopia. what a paradise. this region would be. look at us now.

i'm still quoting what your second president said. i'm just giving you a picture of the ones who founded your country, if you think i'm just a little too real scrouse for your blood. statesmen my dear sir my plan and speculate for liberty and i mean there are a lot of them but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles on which freedom can securely stand. the only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. and if this cannot be inspired into our people in a greater measure than they have now, they may change their rulers in the

forms of government but they will not attain a lasting liberty. you lose your religion, according to john adams, and there goes your morality, we're almost there. in fact, i hate to admit, since i'm giving you the state of the union address, i hate to admit, i got my facts from the c.d.c. the day before yesterday. 110 million -- 110 million americans now have a sexually transmitted illness. 110 million? i'm looking at it and i said, i

don't want you, america, to get sick. i don't want you to become ill. i don't want you to come down with a debilitating disease. i don't want you to die early. you're disease-free and she's disease-free, you marry, you keep your sex right there. you won't get sick from a sexually transmitted disease. come on. there is a penalty to be paid from what the beatniks that

morphed into the hippies, you say what do you call the 110 million people who have sexually transmitted diseases? it's the revenge of the hippies. sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll done come back to haunt us. in a bad way. i report you decide. i mean, i'm reading this stuff from the c.d.c. and it says how many sexual encounters does one have to have to catch a sexually transmitted illness. it says one. i'm like, figure out the odds on that one. how many seconds does it take to get genital her piece. 30 seconds. i'm like, wow, that's pretty quick. a godly, biblical,

medically safe option? one man, one woman, married, for life. [applause] and if you hate me because i told you that, i told you my love for you is not contingent on how you feel about me. i love you anyway. i don't want to see you die early or get sick. i'm trying to help you, for crying out loud, america. if i didn't care about you, why would i bring this up? i wouldn't care. two minutes and 55 seconds left. i'm not even through with my

introduction. this is a warmup. with a humble count nance and the love though ruler of the universe we must implore him to protect us. thomas jefferson. father of the declaration of independence, george washington, father of our country, now to james madison, father of the constitution of the united states this constitution was written for a religious and moral people. it is holy -- it is wholly inadequate for any other. you know what's happened, g.o.p.? we got too many any others in

the white house. it wasn't written for them. some people study the constitution to uphold it. but there are some who study it so that they can circumvent it. right? stand on the bible. stand on the constitution. don't budge. hold on to your weapons. that's what brought us here. we had to have all three to run the brits back where they came from. we had to have all three when the nazis reared their head. you say, the nazis. world domination is what hitler had on his mind. territorial conquest. there was no jesus. none. and they were famous for murder. right?

they went up to chinese, they started running over china, man churea, started conquering the islands around them you say what was their game plan? territorial conquest. was there any jesus with any of them? zero. not a man. and they were famous for murder just like the nazis. joseph stalin with the communists. here they come. what were they into? territorial conquest. was there any jesus among the communists? none. why were they famous for? murder. look at the blood we shed with just those three groups, stopping them. and we look up and everybody starts wringing their hands on about this isis thing. and these muslims. you say, what are they into? territorial conquest. they took over half of iraq and half of syria.

they're worldwide over there in africa. you say what in the world are they doing? territorial conquest, sound familiar? any jesus with them? no, sir. what are they famous for? i don't see a dime's worth of difference in any of them. you have to stop them. [applause] mr. roberston: i believe jesus came down from heaven in flesh 2015 years ago. i believe he paid for all my rotten sins, and i have a lot, but i'm not the only one. every one of you seated in this audience has sinned. a lot. right? that's what i thought.

i didn't think i was the lone ranger here. so you have a sin problem. you say what happened, phil. i got old enough to know right from wrong and i chose sin. you sinned and died spiritually. what's next for me? a six-foot hole. it's not it. you've got a six-foot hole coming up. you admit i'm a sinner and i'm going six feet deep. god became flesh 20, 15 years ago. your calendar documents it. when an atheist writes a check out and puts the date down, he's saying jesus was here. you're counting time by jesus of galalea. including you atheists in the crowd. we're all counting time by him. you know what he did? and he's the one for whom the

died on a cross, three days later raised from the dead. the blood takes care of your sin. the resurrection takes care of your fear of dying and you say -- there's a way off planet earth alive. you got a better story? lay it on me. all of these isms. atheism, agnosticism, humanism, post-modernism, naturalism, idealism, what is all that about? trying to get around what i just told you. your founding fathers were godly so i am i. you say phil, you're like george washington. yeah. you're like thomas jefferson, yeah. i'm just saying they were godly. they founded the greatest nation on earth, for crying out loud. and we're sitting around here, dilly-dallying around. phil, what's your overall thing?

love god. stand on the word of god. the bible. hold on with both hands. the constitution of the united states. hold on to your weapons. that's what bought us here, that's what will keep us here. if you mess with that, g.o.p., if you don't have spiritual men like the guys i quoted and all of them, i could have been here three hours quoting, if you don't have spiritual men making political decisions, you're going to lose this country. we are sliding out of -- at a skile like i have never seen in my lifetime you say this thing is in danger. i haven't given up on it. but the times are getting desperate. we're going to have to suffer through the next two years, g.o.p. we're just going to have to suck

it up and suffer through it. you say, but unless -- until and unless we get spiritual men in the white house to help turn this thing around, we're going to lose it. that nightmare is just beginning. if you run out of options you say, phil, would you gut these if they elected you? yeah. would there be any i.r.s.? no. e.p.a.? gone. somebody said what are you gong to do with the e.p.a.? i figure about four or five hands watching to see if somebody is dumping pollution in the river. that is the e.p.a. i'd let the states educate our children and kick the federal government out of our every waking moment in our lives and i would tell them quit blowing our money. [applause]

mr. robertson: god help us. >> actor ben aflac and philanthropist bill gates spoke earlier this year. mr. aflac is the founder of an initiative. this is a 15-minute portion of their testimony. their testimony. leahy, and other members of the committee. thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about the importance of u.s. foreign assistance. talked about what great things can happen if the united states and other countries maintain the generosity that they have had through this account.

over the next 15 years, there are some amazing things that can be achieved. 25 years ago, by 1990, that rate was down to one in ten. with the right investments, over the next 15 years, we'll be able to cut it in half again to 1 in 40, a faster improvement that we have ever seen in the past. are many u.s. programs that are central to this decline in child mortality and other days to health and development worldwide. one specific program is the vaccine alliance. this public-private partnership creates a market for companies to develop vaccines that protect children in poor countries

against the most common causes of death in serious illness. since its inception, it has helped prevent 7 million deaths. i can assure you that the parents of the children would be glad to vouch for fact -- for facts. vaccines are safe, effective, save lives. --ther fight is the can another example is the fight against polio. the number of countries have fallen from 125 in 1988 to just three today. we predict that africa will be self-sufficient in food production within 15 years. much progress made possible by u.s. assistance. the u.s. has a major impact in

improving agricultural productivity in poor countries through support for agricultural research and partnerships with our universities. in my written testimony, i discussed a number of u.s. programs that are delivering higher returns on investment and having a positive impact. whereis another area assistance will make a huge difference, not only for the poorest nations, but for the people of this nation as well. i tend to be optimistic about what the future holds. of there are a small number potentially catastrophic events that could set back the progress the past two decades. the most plausible and frightening is a large epidemic. new note in my recent england journal of medicine and new york times articles, i am talking about something bigger than the ebola outbreak in west africa.

ebola is not a disease that spreads very easily. what concerns me most is the prospect of an even more lethal disease it is also more contagious. we have seen outbreaks like this in the past suggest the flu of 1918-of 1980 -- 1919. could an epidemic of this scale happen again? yes it could. in a far more organized and interconnected world, it would spread far more easily than a century ago. have granted this appeal in our shared moral interest about needless steps and suffering, and also in our economic and security self-interest. of anbola, the prospect even more infectious disease, the case is now even more clear. for you to support a

foreign assistance program not only as a highly effective way to let other countries become more self-sufficient, but also as a necessary means of protecting this country from a future epidemic. the place to begin is with investments in basic health services in those parts of the world that are most susceptible to outbreaks of infectious disease. whether we're talking about preventing the next epidemic or building upon the enormous global health gains of the past decades, the time to act is now. the need for foreign assistance remains strong and recent events demonstrate its urgency. thank you for inviting me to join you today. mr. affleck: thank you so much for having me here. i am humbled by this esteemed panel.

thank you for letting me follow the greatest and -- the greatest philanthropists in the history of the world. to sit nextthat are to mr. gates left of so many incredible things. distinguished members of the committee, i want to thank you deeply for inviting me to testify today. my name is ben affleck, i'm the founder of the eco--- of eastern working for the people of the democratic republic of congo. i want to give special thanks to the chairman for holding today's hearings. senator graham has proven time and time again to be a genuine champion for smart, effective u.s. foreign assistance. 2014, senator graham led a delegation to eastern congo, bringing five senate colleagues along.

this marked the largest ever delegation of u.s. senators to visit this war-torn region. thank you, mr. graham for your confidence in the people of congo and learning more. to senator leahy, i would be remiss if i did not acknowledge my costar in batman. i understand you are quite good. good morning, sir. i am here today to offer a case study of the difference our foreign diplomacy is making, where small, targeted investments are transforming -- are transforming communities in need and creating opportunities both in the countries we assist and here at home. you have undoubtedly heard a little bit about the congo, its challenges, and the past two decades of armed conflict. an estimated 5 million deaths due to violence, disease, and starvation.

appalling levels of sexual violence. these statistics tell you nothing about congo's future or the extraordinary and resilient people working every day to rebuild their nation. despite the many challenges, the congolese people refuse to be defined by their nation's past. i can tell you firsthand that u.s. diplomatic and financial investments in congo are working. u.s. foreign assistance accounts were only -- u.s. foreign assistance accounts for only less than 1% of the entire budget. from a fraction of a fraction, we are seeing important, powerful progress. in the late 1970's, congo was fee's leading exporters. congolese families lost a vital source of income and the rest of us lost some of the worlds greatest coffee. saw anears ago, eci opportunity to revitalize

congo's coffee sector. we met farmers living off a few dollars a day, and we knew that, with the right partners, we can help give them the skills and resources they need to help transform their communities. we were thrilled that asaid agreed. a public-private partnership. together, in only two years, we have trained and supported 4500 coffee farmers to dramatically increase the quality and quantity of their crop. we brought in global trade specialists to build an ethical supply chain that he was funny the pockets of farmers and their families. involvement,s these farmers had no access to financing. imagine trying to start a business without any capital. you can't. to close this gap, we brought in the experts. west rock finance, which worked

alongside the operatives to dramatically scale their businesses in environmentally sustainable ways. the final puzzle piece was getting this coffee into american homes. so, eci brought in another investor, starbucks. in a few weeks, starbucks will travel to the congo to be getting partnership with us. starbucks has already purchased 40 tons. it may not be a lot for starbucks, but it is a lot in eastern congo. involvement by the world's largest coffee company is a clear testament. this is a charity or aid in the traditional sense, it is good business. from a relatively modest investment, farmers incomes have more than tripled and they can now afford to send their

children to school, put food on the table, and access health care. as a result, the world has a new source of high-quality coffee. this partnership has transformed the lives of thousands of families in eastern drc. we think this is just the beginning. next month, dci will launch an economic development fund, to focus on expanding our work, not only coffee, but in cocoa and other expanding props. we will work with at least 10,000 additional farmers over the next 40 years to increase capacity and secure direct access to premium markets. this work is scalable, this work is reckless -- his replicable, and it just four short years, it will have an impact on 100,000 people. none of this would have happened without usaid, without their privatent, and without

sector partners willing to operate in one of the highest risk environments in the world. agriculture will become a driving force for congo's economy, supporting 40 million people whose families rely on agriculture as a primary source of income. we believe a country with enough arable land to feed one third of the world's population should not struggle to feed its own people. the next two years represent a ,ritical turning point for drc scheduled for later this year and national elections in 2016. an opportunity for unprecedented democratic transition. know, your former colleague, senator feingold, served as special envoy until a few weeks ago. his leadership and the troops he made during his 18 month tenure

was the very definition of direct engagement. we thank him for his service. u.s. leadership played a vital role. to ensure this progress does not come undone, we urge you to join eci, and other groups like humanity united, human rights watch, to a point a new special envoy without delay. if we continue to make smart investments, we will help foster the next generation of congolese entrepreneurs and leaders who carry their country forward to stand as a model for the continent. chris very well done. >> nfl hall of famer dion sanders is the founder of the program. this portion of the forum is 15

minutes. forum may is 15 minute. >> i think a all of us are dealing with some kind of come back. that is what ties us together. we have all been through trials and tribulations. some of us are going for a comeback as we speak. this is real. it is where came from. my mother, a single mother. father not in my light. stepfather, biological father, never deemed to be a father. i have never called a man daddy. it is my heartbeat, it is my passion to give them a way up and a way out, not a handout,

but for them to understand that there are different resources. we just had a phenomenal structure organization this past thursday that we call single but not alone. we called all of the single parents in the gala's metro come to this one location when we brought them help, we brought in job employment, we brought them reinforces -- resources for transportation. up and said, i have 14 jobs and you can start today. that is a resource. that is the way you make a comeback. not i had a check here that is going to pay this bill, the next month you are in the same situation. we also really want to help education,lp kids, not doing anything for

the parents that are dropping them off. , if we buildhat that young man and that young woman. stronghold putting a on poverty and helping one person at a time. underdressedt of sitting next and. -- next to hand. -- next to him. >> we understand, you are from wisconsin. >> paul, tell us about your journey. what was your biggest surprise that you did not anticipate? number one, i think

it is important to know that we all share the same values and principles that we express them differently. policymakers, they don't do the human side of policymaking, they do sort of the analytical side. they do the ivory tower sites. think, ininking, i the war on poverty is, taken upstairs to the federal government and you can be more efficient in how to deploy resources and fix problems. is youu end up doing reduce these ties that bind people together, which is people together fighting poverty i july, person-to-person -- poverty eye to eye. it is connecting these people that are helping each other that is really what matters. you can't get that in some program. that is one thing i really learned. so we should be at odds each

other on this war on poverty. government does this and that civil society does that. one should respect the other. that is what i kind of learned from a policy standpoint. from a human standpoint, we need to redeem the idea that redemption is really cool. idea that redeem the redemption is the success story that we want to see more and more of. that, to date, is probably the biggest thing i got out of this, that is, to the redeemed souls in the people who do the redeeming. it is heroic, exciting, infectious, and we need to do everything we can to make that a normal id in society again. >> we just got word that you met r in indianapolis. employees and5

they have contracts with 22 dealerships. the question was raised before about why there is not an .mbrace of this idea i talked about the resistance we're getting from the pentagon. is basically the status quo. the status quo has there's -- .as there adherence how do you break that up? the way i look at it is, focus on outcomes and results. from the policy side, if we can focus on what works, i think we can win the argument. it is about what works and what doesn't work. if you go out in the community and find out what actually works and make that the outcome that

it is not a partisan thing or an ideological thing, it is just a what works thing. that is why patty murray and i are doing this bill to move our measurement system on moving the effectiveness in the war on poverty from spending programs and bureaucracies to outcomes, results. is it working? is, itat ends up doing propels the resources and the power into the hands of local community poverty fighters. darrell has got this great program. bootps you can share what camp does in indianapolis. can share that with kansas city or dallas. we have milwaukee vse.

cross pollinate, share ideas. that is the thing we want to see more of instead of some bureaucrat and somebody with a phd in i don't know anything about fighting poverty. to me, it is about changing the andoach not based on input -- butn, but on granik on organic, grassroots bottom-up. that is how you successfully take on the poverty pentagon, by saying justify the results, and let's focus on results. , is the way this debate should evolve. it should be red versus blue. >> and there is no one way. but three math major plus one equals four. there is no one way to get to

the same solution, but it all works. what may work in dallas may not work in austin. but we are all working towards the same goal. often times, the people making the decisions haven't set foot in the inner-city and lessig is a photo op. what about the people that are really doing it? week, monthweek by by month. we are seeing the single mother, the father. he sees no way up and no way out. he is willing to work with the cannot find employment. it is no one way to do this. people like you that take the was so powerful when i look in your eyes the office and asked why you do this. , because iloquently want to provoke change.

a lot of people trick or treat and it is not even october. the man i am sitting by, i am telling you, he is real. i would not waste my time. i have a wonderful life. i would not have my time to come here had i known that he was trick or treating. we are really trying to provoke change, and we will provoke change, but if we could have more help and assistance, we could do it expeditiously. >> i think, part of the challenge is to give the kind of recognition to this movement that it deserves. opportunity lands has been really an effective partner. i think we have seen over 6 million people went on the website to look at the series.

this is the first time we ever had this kind of recognition, and it is the first time -- >> don't call me a celebrity. gift.a ryan: too many times against green bay. >> i had to do what i had to do. >> i really think that it is critical to get this word out. movementhis come back will move to the kind of scale. glenn asked how can we replicate this and take it to scale? income came from a product that didn't exist.

why can't we invest in promoting this kind of come back movement. the first is there. when you hear a homeless man in who turns over a backpack they$46,000 in it, and post his name and face and try to raise money, and they raise $93,000 in two days. part --s there is a there is a thirst on the part of the american public to support virtue. there are four situations like that. the marathon man in detroit who was walking to work. 230,000 was raised for him. so what i hope this come back movement will do with the help

of you and call is to promote the actions -- you and paul is to promote the actions of our leaders so people can't invest in them. the mindset of what the public thinks is the war on poverty. to mistakenly reinforce this notion that this is government responsibility. i pay my taxes, do my job, they will fix this. what we have done as a result of this is we have isolated the poor. ist the leaders are showing that everybody has a stake and everybody can do something. what we're trying to do is break down that mindset so that everyone, no matter who they are what their income is, they can do something positive and make a difference. that is will we are trying to do, is say that this isn't a government opportunity, this is

a responsibility of our communities so that we can and bolsterpeople the fact that these home-grown, organic, bottom-up efforts are the best, and that it is not better or more efficient to displace that or take it upstairs to some federal program. the federal government can provide resources, but it can't ,isplace the human interactions ,he personal touch that occurs in your reinforce the idea that everyone has an opportunity to do something. that is what we're trying to reinforce here. to get more involved, we can really start moving the needle. >> one thing our country shares as well as heart.

all different instances you told me about, it is hard. no one wants to be first, no one wants to be a leader. so when we place something on a website to raise money and to allocate finds, as long as we are not first, we are willing to do it. not everyone is willing to sit on the front row, but when someone takes the initiative, i will fight poverty if you stand right next to me, that another person is compelled to stand. one wants to make that first initiative. heart.untry has we just have to uncover it. the pain and the nonsense that .e go through

>> singer elton john testified on global health issues when he appeared before a senate sub committee. this portion of his testimony is 25 minutes. mr. john: thank you for the opportunity to let me testify task to sit atg the table with people who do such incredible work. i am humbled for being here. in 2003, at the invitation of senator ted kennedy, i had the offer -- of senator ted kennedy, i had the honor of speaking before the senate health committee in my capacity as the founder of the elton john a.i.d.s. foundation. i created the foundation in 1992 to address the dire need to provide basic services and support to those dying from a.i.d.s.

over the past 23 years, we have raised over $321 million to fund organizations that provide direct treatment and prevention efforts in dozens of countries around the globe. the first time i testified before congress 12 years ago, almost no one had access to antiretroviral medicine in subsaharan africa where the epidemic was most acute. people were being infected and dying by the millions, even though we very literally had the drugs that could save their lives in our hands. at that point, 12 million children in subsaharan africa had been orphaned by a.i.d.s. african leaders had declared a.i.d.s. to be a state of emergency worldwide, more than 30 million people were hiv positive. the disease let nothing but despair, ruin, and fear in its wake.

i saw it with my own eyes as i traveled to the hardest hit regions on behalf of my foundation. without the funds needed to make life-saving drugs available in africa, my foundation invested in dramatically expanding a hospice network. we helped give a dignified death to more than 800,000 men, women, and children. shelter,provided food, and basic education to over 3 million orphans left in their wake. it was compassionate response but it didn't solve the problem. in those years, the epidemic was only escalating, until an urgency. a republican president and a bipartisan majority in the united states congress created pepfar. the president's emergency plan for a.i.d.s. relief. compassionate leaders from both sides of the aisle said to the international community, america

can and america will lead the world in the global fight against aids. today, thanks to the unprecedented actions of hiv positive mother in south africa can give birth to a healthy, hiv free baby that she can live to raise. today thanks to the generosity , of the american people, 9.4 million men, women, and children have access to life-saving anti-retroviral treatments. where there was once despair, ruin, and fear, there is now hope, life, laughter, and love. pepfar has done more than just save lives. it has provided basic infrastructure and trained more than 100,000 health care workers to prevent future outbreaks in

countries like botswana, tanzania, kenya, and uganda. congress' strong support for the global fund for a.i.d.s., tb, and malaria has enabled it to generate investments from governments and corporations worldwide and leverage $2 for every $1 invested by the united states, therefore expanding its reach and impact. i'm grateful this has included up to 1 billion pounds from the united kingdom over the past three years. congress' leadership has been transformational. what we once invested in hospice to care for the dying has been repurposed to treat the living. my foundation has tested over 3 million people for hiv in africa and linked more than 400,000 patients to life-saving treatment on the continent since 2012. combined with efforts funded by the united states, we've contributed to the 48% global reduction in mother-to-child transmission of hiv.

in short, we're no longer bailing out a sinking ship, we are helping steer it into a safe harbor. mr. chairman, because of the actions of this congress, the course of the a.i.d.s. epidemic was altered for all of humanity. because of the american people had the optimism, the ingenuity, and the will to make a difference, the lives of millions of people half way around the world have been saved. but i'm here today with a simple message. the a.i.d.s. epidemic is not over, and america's continued leadership is critical. there united states a window of opportunity before us, a window through which we can clearly see the end of aids within my lifetime. we cannot afford to let the window close. if our efforts flag, drug resistance will surface, transmission rates rise and this disease will once again become a ruthless pandemic with disastrous and far-reaching consequences.

i have stood in too many -- at too many bedsides in america, england, across africa helplessly watching people die in pain. to bear the thought that we might go back to those dark days is unthinkable. on the other hand, if we continue to the historic work of pepfar and the global fund, if we honor the 40 million lives lost over the past three decades we can and will see the day when aids is no longer a horrifying global killer but a contained and controlled chronic illness. mr. chairman, this is most powerful legislative body in the world and this congress, indeed, has the power to end aids. you have the power to maintain america's historic commitment to leading the global campaign against this disease. i'm here today to ask you to use that power to seize this window

of opportunity to change the course of history. and one day soon i hope to extend my thanks to you to this congress, to the united states of america, not only for fighting this disease, but for ending it once and for all. thank you. >> ended right on time, it's amazing. after this, how would you like to vote against this account? what would you say? the terrorists want you to vote no, i guess that's the only thing i can think about. so anyway, mark, name countries that could do more that are not. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it's a long list, i just came from one, china, actually, arriving last night. they once received resources from the global fund but now are giving. they've transited out. senator graham could they do : more?

>> they can, and we are working to invest with them more. >> what about the gulf countries. >> the gulf countries could definitely do considerably more in the fight against the three diseases. parts of southeast asia, thailand transitioning from a support from a recipient of the global fund - >> we're not asking people to give who've got their own problems. we are talking about people who have some economic ability to give that are not. >> these countries do have considerable economic ability and they are stepping up. >> what about europe? how would you rate europe's response? >> europe is doing quite well in a number of places. the uk, sir elton john mentioned, france the second largest contributor. >> germany. >> germany is increasing its commitment. >> currently number five -- six. japan is number five. >> in terms of economic power in europe, how does germany rank? >> certainly number one. >> so they're number five on giving, number one in economic? >> through the global fund that increased significantly their commitment to us and to do even more. >> thank you very much. rick, these churches that are

new distribution network, will you take anybody that comes? >> absolutely. in fact -- absolutely. in fact, after i made that presentation at president bush's malaria conference i said i'm going to prove that i can do it faster than any ngo or government. i went to that area of rwanda and i asked pastors, i said, would you be interested in us training in your people in basic health care? there will never be enough doctors in the world. 18 pastors said yes. i said grab two people from your congregation, we'll start training them in basic health care. the muslims said, will you train us? we said sure. you pick two out of your mosques.

there were two mosques that show people to be trained. that group grew to 60. we trained them to 120 and then we 340 and on and on, we kept multiplying. this last august i went to that area of rwanda and did a rally for over 3,000 trained health care workers who each visit seven families a week. they make hospital calls, house visits, and we did it with little, very little money. these people are saying, we started off with simple stuff, like wash your hands, hang up the sheets to dry, how to do sanitation, dressing wounds, stitching a wound. they can learn things like how to administer ivs and how to do peer -- what's the word i want? peer coaching to make sure that they do their compliant with the drugs. it can be done. and now we have many other countries asking for the same

model. >> madam ambassador, what will sequestration do to our ability to get this thing put away in terms of aids and how would it affect the pepfar program if we fully implement sequestration? >> i think you heard from my testimony that we're doing everything that we can to focus every dollar we have because there's always more need than there are dollars. so we talk a very strong responsibility in ensuring that we focus dollars we have optimally. but any kind of those dollars -- >> you know how much the program would be cut by 2021? >> you have mentioned it would be quite extraordinary. >> i want you to go find a number. >> we will find that number for you. sen. graham: i want you to tell me what the number is. because i want to tell my colleagues. you should know these numbers because they are dramatic.

sir elton john, you have been following this battle for a long time. what is your worst fear? the worst fear is the stigma, to be honest with you. we are seeing, especially in , the lgbtltures community suffering under draconian laws. when people like that, who are suffering from hiv, are , they go underground and the disease is spread even further. stigmatizing people because they have hiv is the worst thing one can do. that is, for me, the biggest problem we face. once we get people on drugs, it is fantastic. feeletting people to unashamed, feel that they are ok with this virus, and not to feel that they are being threatened from their own government, is

incredibly important. crime,y is it a humane it is a medical crime as well. there are two sides to that point. one, you are telling people that they are worthless. two, you are telling them they are not treatable. you are driving them underground, making them feel worthless. my whole thing with my organization, my foundation, nobody should be left behind. we live in a world that is so materialistic so narcissistic, , the world needs compassion. the world needs leaders to show compassion. the current pope is someone who i revere very much because he's beginning to show so much more compassion in a humane way than his two predesesers did. this is vital to the recovery of self-belief, self-worth in this world. people are told they're worthless and unloved, where are we as human beings? if christ was alive today -- and

i believe in christ -- he would be appalled at the way people are being stigmatized. we need people to be included to feel love and compassion. without that ingredient in this mixture of medicine and everything else, then we face an ongoing battle. i really encourage governments throughout the world who are, you know, saying homosexuality is a sin and everything like that, they are making their disease worse and the long consequences for that for that country, their xheer's goeconomy's going to suffer. it's inhumane and inhumane to people suffering from the disease. mr. affleck: -- sen. graham: from a private sector, have you been able to raise adequate amount of funds though the economy's crippled throughout the world or are people still giving? mr. john: they are. we have many other rivals and very -- there's a lot of people suffering from many diseases. but as pepfar's done, it's treated malaria, t.b., and the

more you teach people -- as rick was saying, to train people, train in countries where they haven't got enough medical staff, if you train people to look after people. in africa, for example, when we started, people aren't used to taking a pill, they're not used to that. they're used to having the local traditional healer give them something. it's a matter of education. and i think once you tell people, if i have an event, if i tell people, we're going to build somewhere to educate people or mothers-to-mothers tranmission and you can see this is improving knowledge of the disease and the treatment that you're going to give people, people will dip into their pockets. and i think, when we started it off with this disease, there were so many different foundations. there's not many standing but we work together. i think we're a very strong force. and i think we're a force for good and i think we're very --

we had a meeting last night, the camaraderie and the feeling i get from the american people is so touching. you have to remember, i'm british, i've come over here in 1970 and the country gave everything to me as a professional musician and has given everything to me as a human being. the strength and the willingness to help people in the rest of the world has touched me so much. it was ryan white who pointed it out to me that my life was completely disorder. i was a drug addict, i was a self-obsessed asshole, excuse me, ryan white and his family turned my life around because he was a young boy who had aids, a hemophiliac, treated badly by people who were ignorant and knew better, and he never got angry and forgave. we have to have compassion, we have to have forgiveness, inclusion of everybody whether intravenous drug users, whether it's prisoners, whether it's people who are gay, whether it's

transgender people, we are all human beings. we're all children of god. and if we throw that away, then we're throwing everything down the drain. so, when i explain this to people, and people are good people -- i believe in the goodness of the human spirit. look at this room here, for example. we don't have any problems raising money. it is a long-winded answer to your question. but no, people are generous. if you explain to them where their money's going and show them what it's doing, they will dip into their pockets. sen. graham: thank you, senator leahy? leahy: thank you, mr. chairman. i didn't think it was long-winded at all, it's a subject that should be heard over and over and over again. one thing, ambassador birx, dr. dybul, the question asked on dollars, please give us -- be

very honest and very direct in what some of the sequestration things would count. tim in my office who worked on this, janis, alex, far more knowledgeable in the nitty-gritty than i am. the numbers i'm seeing are devastating, devastating. and they're not anywhere near the numbers that senator graham and icon in a bipartisan way, have supported in the past. don't sugarcoat it. make it very clear. and sir elton, you talked about how much less expensive it is for prevention than care after the fact. i'm aware of that. i know pastor warren and i have talked about this before. you are mentioning about holding the quilt, when you were

speaking last night. i think my dear friend i grew up with from vermont, when he was diagnosed, and he was a public figure in vermont, rest his soul, he -- when he was first diagnosed, i remember being ostracized, my wife and i came to a large gathering and people were trying to avoid him. this is some years back. my wife is a registered nurse, she walked up and gave him a great big hug and a kiss and he said right to the time he died, that changed his life because after that, people that avoided -- people didn't avoid him because they knew my wife. , she's actually more -- more popular in vermont than i am. they saw marcel do that and they went up. so keep on pointing that out. it's not long-winded. it's important.

even today, people need to hear that. we have known about hiv and aids for more than 30 years. but it's still a huge health -- even here in united states, we have pockets in the united states, for instance, where it's growing. you would think that with all of the education, it would be cutting back. things we should be doing differently in combatting this? are we focusing on the right countries? we know we're going to have a finite amount of money. how do we spend it best? sorry to put you on the spot. but we're struggling for that here. >> how do you spend it best? well, you -- you still continue

what you're doing. pepfar is doing, giving anti-retroviral drugs to people that can't have access to them. getting the infrastructure in countries where there is no infrastructure so that people can receive drugs and get them on a daily basis, because a lot of the people live in rural areas and don't know how to do it. and you have to educate. you have to educate people. education is very important. prevention is very important. and you heard earlier that young juvenile women in africa are accounting for -- you know, juvenile women now, it the second cause of death, largest cause of the death in the world is young juvenile women through aids. this is catastrophic. you have to educate them. you have to spend the money very, very wisely. that's all i can say. mark, anything to add on that or not? senator leahy: we all talk about

the thing that's -- dr. dybul, we're seeing increases in parts of this country. i mean, you would think that it would be decreasing everywhere in the world once sir elton talked about the young women in africa. we're seeing it, men and women in this country. where are we missing the point? dr. dybul: in rural south, it's a very big problem. among young, gay men, having sex with men, it's a big problem. i think maybe because they feel that they are not going to die, that this disease has -- you know, we mentioned it, someone mentioned it, you know, this disease can be a manageable disease, you can live with this disease. and i think, in this country, which has all of the sophisticated medicine available, that people are having unsafe sex, thinking if i have unsafe sex, i'm going to be okay because there's a pill i