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>> canadian prime minister justin who writes in washington --justin trudeau arrives in washington for a visit. watch live at 11:40 eastern time on c-span3. tomorrow night, the white house hosts the state dinner for the visiting canadian leader. the first formal state dinner at the white house in 2016. our live coverage begins at 6:15 :00 eastern on c-span. the executive chef talked about preparations for the state dinner. >> hi everyone. welcome to the white house.

i am the white house -- it is my privilege to welcome you to the state dinner happening tomorrow. the dinner will be happening in theeast room, followed by state dining room. this is the 11th visit of the obama administration. i am so glad you're here for a preview of the special evening tomorrow. you will get to hear from some of my amazing colleagues starting with the white house florist. she will tell you about the designs and the core of the visit. it was inspired by the scenic span between the u.s. and canada and also the color of spring. you will hear from chefs chris and susie. they will go over the credible meals they have prepared that will be served on china. yard -- as you can understand, this is not an easy feat to put this together. in addition to the colleagues

you see here, i have to say it blanket thank you to all the apartments that put this special evening together. i will introduce my national security colleague, who will tell you more about the visit and the relationship between the u.s. and canada. have a great time and thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for coming. the president and first lady are looking forward to welcoming thee minister trudeau and entire canadian delegation to the white house march 10. this be the first official visit by a canadian premise or to the west in 19 years. is a testament to the important values that the west and president obama placed on the u.s.-canada relationship. this is an opportunity for the countries to further expand and deepen the already close relationship we share. this be the second meeting between the president and prime minister.

they met last december in the philippines, and since then, i spoke several times on the telephone. the u.s.-canada relationship is one of the strongest in the world. underpinned by our shared history, democratic values, family ties, economy, and geography. we shared the world's largest common border, the most comprehensive trade investment, we stand shoulder to shoulder in a securing our nation against domestic and abroad threats. we allow multilateral institutions to respond to crises and support communities in need. we are joining to protect the environment and combat climate change as well as develop clean energy. of course, when these visits occur, the bilateral meeting is only one aspect of the event. also on the schedule is an arrival ceremony, press conference, and a lunch hosted by the secretary of state. this progression of events sets

a tone for the final event, the state dinner. the president and first lady will host the state dinner in honor of prime minister trudeau and his wife. i will leave the details to my colleagues, but we would like to holly -- highlight a couple issues. in the u.s., the modern state dinner dates back to the 1870's. it symbolizes the relationship, the importance that the white on a relationship with a foreign country. reserved only for the most important for relationships, and this is only the 11th time for president obama. we consider ourselves fortunate to call the canadians are allies, partners, neighbors,, and friends we look forward to tomorrow's event. the white house forest --it gives me great pleasure to

introduce the white house florist. thanky o you. >> hello everyone, i am the chief florist of the white house. we are very excited that the first lady, mrs. obama, chose this florist. jade is one of the favorite colors of the first lady of canada. with spring upcoming, we have incorporated some yellow, which is the first color of spring. it is the color of friendship. we have enhanced the centerpieces, each one of them have one type of flour -- type of flower to show its beauty by itself. the bigger arrangements are hydrangeas, roses and hanging amaranthas, which gives you an idea of walking through the garden when all the flowers are starting to bloom. thank you, and i will introduce

my colleagues the executive chef. >> hi, good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. i am the white house executive chef. for the state dinner, we want to showcase everything from the pacific northwest all the way to the atlantic side. for the first course, this is the first time ever that we will meal part ofthis the obama china service. it is called the big halibut casserole, which is a comfort food of the americas. i will show you later on. you get closer. you can take a closer picture of this. but it is a wonderful baked withbut that is garnished

asparagus and spring onions. we want to commentate is the invitation of spring. for salad, we are roasting apricots, white house honey, and also wonderful cinnamon. withad that is garnished appellation jeez. cheese.achian for the main course, we are serving baby lamb chops from a small farm in colorado. potatoesarnish it with and wonderful vegetables from ourspring accented by special sauce. i will turn you over to our pastry chef. thank you. >> good afternoon everyone. i am the executive pastry chef.

i'm here to describe to you the dessert course for tomorrow's dinner. we had dessert that is a reflection of the memory of winter and the celebration of the arrival of spring. guests will be served this cake with a delicate nuances, toasted caramelized and maple syrup from new england. the splendor of the rocky mountains is here in this handmade sugar display, which the rocky mountains extend from new mexico to canada. a variety of history's with american -- pastries with american and canadian influences. a view from and on top, a handmade sugar sculpture. this illustrates the region's beautiful scenery. the along with it is dramatic landscape surrounded by stunning wilderness, forest basi

ns, and lush valleys with turquoise water. this display also includes a cranberry square, white chocolate snowballs, caravelle's, golden raisin tarts, and chocolate coconut slices. thank you very much and have a wonderful afternoon. --for more on perp relations on preparations about the canadian prime minister's visit, we talk to the investor to the u.s. in washington. -- ambassador to the u.s. in washington. >> ambassador david macnaughton, just interview making his first official visit to the u.s. this week. what is happening at the embassy in preparation for his arrival? david: there has been an awful lot of work done by the staff here. this is kind of a trip.

it is intense, there are a lot of meetings. in addition to the prime minister, we had many ministers, cabinet ministers coming. staff has been working overtime to make this a successful visit. i must say that the state department and the white house and everybody has been terrifically corporative. that is helped the staff here in terms of the preparation. everybody has been terrific. >> as ambassador, what is your role? david: i just take all the credit for the good things that our staff do. i have been here for 10 days. a lot of work for me, getting up to speed with the issues. i've had a lot of meetings with people already at the white house. atpoke to secretary kerry the gridiron dinner, which was delightful. we had a lot to talk about. i have a couple meetings with the white house. i had my family here when i

presented my credentials to the president. a bit of a whirlwind 10 days. but it has been amazing. >> you are new to your post. tell us about the amount of coordination that goes on between the state government and empathy. house and the how do you manage all that in preparation for an official visit? almost 300 people here at the embassy. counterparts not just at the state, but homeland security, and all of the various departments. , everave been working for since the visit was announced to make this a successful trip. there has been a lot of work. i have been briefed on all the issues. i have been brought up-to-date on the schedule. but most of the hard work is

done by the staff on all sides. >> what you think the canadian people expect out of this is it? -- of this visit? david: in some respects, it is a re-engagement and reflection of the relationship. the most important relationship we have in the world. americans are not only our closest neighbors, but her best friends in her largest trading partner. -- our best friends and our largest trading partner. $2 billion a day in trading that goes on. it is critical, not only from an economic point of view, but it's also important that we work together on security issues. a lot about has been discussed. side-by-side we need to work together on security matters, as we have in the past. we have been partners for a longtime and it has worked out very well.

>> what you think the prime minister wants to accomplish when he speaks with the president and is here for all the different events? david: we have quite a number of items that have been discussed on and of. we hope this visit allows us to finalize some agreements, certainly on the environment, climate change, some economic issues. there are also security issues. other items where we are not going to reach agreement with the promised her. hopefully we can nudge them along and get them to a point where we can hopefully get some agreements between now and the home. -- now and the fall. >> where does the prime minister want to do some nudging? david: certain economic issues that are important, both for the u.s. and canada. the dispute over lumber, we had

a 10 year agreement. three is a standstill -- there is a standstill in october. it is in both our interests to region agreement on behalf of this. having those kinds of trade disputes, the only kind of people that are happy-- it is not in our interest to be making lawyers happy. >> describe your relationship with the promised her. how did you get your post. -- with the prime minister. how long are you communicating? in the houset was years ago with the prime minister's father. i worked for him right out of university and i came to washington with his father. i got to know the prime minister probably 8-9 years ago when he got into politics.

his chief of staff and principal secretary are close personal friends. i worked on the campaign that took place last year. he and i are very close. anticipated, when working on the election campaign, that i would be asked to do this job. that wasn't why i was working on the campaign. but when he asked me if i would do this, i was thrilled. this is obviously a very important job in the canadian diplomatic core. i am delighted to be here. i am hoping that i can use my experience in terms of business and politics and public policy to work with americans to our mutual benefit. not as ao see this zero-sum game, but a way to work together for the benefit of both countries. >> what are your marching

orders? david: it is important year. obviously it is a election year. i need to develop relationships. are difficulties, and there always will be, difficulties among friends, among relationships like marriages. the way you get over those difficulties is to be open and honest and not let the little problems get in the way of a terrific relationship. >> ambassador mac naughton, thank you for your time. david: thank you very much. >> join us this thursday for live coverage of the white house state dinner for canadian prime minister justin travail. -- justin trudeau. beginning at 6:15 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> tonight on c-span, the discussion about u.s. foreign aid.

nancy reagan's casket is brought to the reagan present a library in advance of her funeral on friday. later, a preview of thursday night's white house state dinner in honor of canadian prime minister justin trudeau. >> what is so unusual, if i can be sappy for a second, to have a professional and personal relationship is an unusual thing. >> she uses temperament and great vision in terms of editing. that is something i don't have and never really spent any time on. grunt side of the the equation. >> political editor susan glasser and new york time's chief correspondent peter baker, who are married, talk about their careers and upcoming plans to move to israel. peter: it will be a great

adventure. we were both partners in mocow. but we never spent time in jerusalem or israel. we are looking forward to learning a lot. it is going to be a real adventure. it is a part of the world that has so much history and so much of a vital part of today's issues. we spent a lot of time writing about them in washington, but never actually lived there on the ground. >> i will also basically be changing roles and continuing at political in april --at politico in a role where we continue to expand both in the u.s. and internationally. this past year we launched politico europe. i came to politico to start politico magazine about 2.5 years ago. we started that, and it has been an exciting new platform to take us into both ambitious longform reporting and the war of ideas.

>> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a. u.s.aid administrator gill smith talked to the brooking institute. she talked about --u.s. grade. foreignbers of the relations committee. it is an hour and 15.

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>> ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. two items of housekeeping. again, per senate rules, posttesting is prohibited. -- protesting is permitted. we ask you that your cell phones be shut off. i would like to now welcome our guest. [applause] >> thank you everybody for not protesting and clapping instead. , iters of the diplomatic is our brother to recommend you to this brookings event with the agency for development, gayle smith. gayle has a lot of fresh ideas and fresh thinking that i hope will take the last year of this administration into

a strong start for the next administration, whatever that is. and remember, no protesting. [laughter] we got a lot about in washington. let me just take a moment and it reduce senator david perdue, who is going to be helping us open up today. senator perdue is the senator from georgia, and chairman of the senate foreign relations committee and usaid, which oversees the authorization of aid. i am delighted on behalf of brookings and aid to introduce him. thank you. [applause] perdue: i appreciate that. i want to thank you for being here today. than is the most important things that we do in the u.s. congress. this is where we put the face of america before the world. i am a freshman senator.

i have just been here a year. senator shaheen and i share two spots on the senate relations committee that oversees this effort we will talk about today. i have lived outside of the u.s. and i have seen the best of america through our embassies, our state department people, but also through usaid in the way we manifest our care for human beings through our money. i want to put that in context today. the good news is that i stand here, since 2000, in constant dollars, for an eight of the 34 oecd countries is up 40%. the bad news is only a fraction of what is needed. if you talk to professionals, some 60 million people today are displaced. 60 million, think about that. that is bigger than most countries. in one country alone, half the people in syria, over 11 million

people, have lost their homes. i was blessed to be able to visit serbia just a few weeks ago on a trip to see the refugee pipeline from greece to macedonia to serbia to austria to germany, all the way to scandinavia. i met with several heads of state about how the refugees are being weaponize. this is a major concern right now. there are countries like russia in syria who are purposely going through an effort to rid their a rea of certain ethnic people. we have seen that before in the world. the history of the world, in my mind, has had dangerous periods. we are certainly in one that is externally dangerous right now. it is measured in two ones. one, i would call it a global security crisis. on three levels. we have the rise of traditional rivalries -- russia and china being ever more energetic militarily. the second thing is you have the growth of terrorism.

affiliates all the way from malaysia, indonesia, philippines, to algeria. they have proven they can strike anywhere, anytime, as we have just seen here in our own homeland. but the one that really bothers me is the fact that we now have a growing proliferation of nuclear capability among rogue nations like north korea, and indeed, iran. the world is very dangerous. and has the same time, one of the biggest dangers that faces the globe, i believe, is this sweeping global debt crisis. we certainly are a big player. the u.s. has the largest economy. we certainly have a large debt. and it threatens our ability to lead around the world. not just in moments of crisis, but in leading democracies. one of the greatest pressures anywhere in the world, these ex soviet satellites that are fumbling through, trying to find young democracies. at the same time, taking care of

this great humanitarian need on their borders today. we see today that they are slowing down. last week we had a 10 countries in europe slow down their take of refugees. that is going to greater problem in greece. you have seen the refugees pulling up there. i'm going to egypt in a few weeks. i believe there is a problem there and it's going to get much worse for sub-saharan africa. the other part of the global crisis is our own funding in the u.s. federal government. we are the largest philanthropy are, twice as large as the second-largest player, that u.k.. they give more as a percentage of gdp, to give them full credit. for we are substantially the leader in terms of philanthropy. the chinese are getting involved. they don't publish their numbers. they are somewhere around 4-5,000,000,000 dollars. we are at the 350 35 million range. we would like that to be higher.

the state department and usaid about992-2000, averaged $20 billion in our enterprise. between 2000-2008, it averaged about $30 million. but because of iraq and afghanistan, we went from $20 billion to $40 billion. because as militaries amount of in battle areas like afghanistan and iraq, you see the need for usaid and state government personnel go up dramatically. we are now at the $54 billion range. million in this amount of time. we need to come to grips with this. we are the richest country in the history of the world. we are the largest supporter of philanthropy. i am proud of that. i'm proud of the fact that these professionals. gayle smith, i feel like i am

her parrot. gayle came before me and was a nominee. we held hands as we went to the process together. she faced tough questions in front of the committee. she whether to i'm hoping that when you look around the world, i'm very excited -- we have had a lot of challenges, but when you look at .3 fact that we give 25% for -- philanthropy. i look at things in africa for example, in addition to the refugee crisis, they have an entire conference -- comment where a third of the people do not have access to electricity.

there are core things you have to have for economic development and electric is one of them. all of those are in jeopardy in africa. usaid has what i think it's one of the best models out there. they take a dollar of u.s. aid or foreign aid and put it with private dollars and get a leverage effect. it is a force multiplier. the best example is the power africa initiative where with $7 billion, they were able to attract 43 billion. as a politician now, i love this. they are taking the dollar philanthropy and multiplying it with real economic investment that we will have a return. they are facilitating capital investment that would otherwise not be made in that area. consequently, as a -- a third of africa is going to be addressed

in terms of providing power. i think that is so remarkable. how to take my hat off to usaid and thank them for that. what we have to do now is get serious about focusing on the priorities. we do not have enough money to meet every a. we cannot hold the hand of every person. we have to prioritize and make sure every dollar we spend his eragable and -- lev ask against results. we have to evaluate these programs to make sure they continue to be effective. that is what gail talked about and i'm so moved that she has a conference. she is not just throwing money at the world. senior heart. to i know americans. i know what the ugly american looks like but i also know what the philanthropic american looks like. american will turn down a helping hand. that is not in our nature. i think usaid does a phenomenal

role. i am anxious to see gayle's footprint and focus on this as we go forward. i want to thank all of you for your continued support of this vital, vital u.s. strategic effort. [applause] >> i'm with the brookings institution. i had the distinct pleasure to be here with danny and aei. it is my honor to introduce senator kaine. -- senator jahim. the one thing i can note is with your service on the armed services committee and the appropriations subcommittee that mustust serve on a five -- personify the three days. developing, diplomacy, defense.

those of us in the development community appreciate you being a leading champion of importance of development and the efforts you want to to get gayle confirmed. thank you for being here today and being a champion of development. [applause] thank you, george. here i thought you're going to say that you get to decide where the money goes. [laughter] good afternoon and welcome to this great crowd. this will be a stimulating conversation. preparedme brief remarks but before i do that, i want to make a statement about the importance of this kind of dialogue. with myghted to be here colleagues, senator perdue who sits with me on the foreign regions -- foreign relations committee. more important, brookings and

aei are here hosting this conversation because one of the things we are seeing through this election cycle is division throughout this country on almost every issue. to have a conversation where we listen to each other to hear other people's opinions and where we can disagree na safeway and try to build consensus, -- in a safeway and try to build consensus, so i say thank you. thank you for hosting this conversation. [applause] now it is really great to see so many scholars and experts from the washington policy community and, of course, i appreciate senator perdue's remarks that the issues of national security, promoting development and democracy abroad are bipartisan issues that are in our shared,

mutual national interest. -- interests. a very special welcome for those of you who are here from usaid. it is always nice to have you in the crowd. we need all the prayers we can get so i am delighted you are here. without question, the mission at usaid, fostering sustain economic growth and resilient democratic society has never been more important. war,ful dynamics including sectarian strike, poverty, and climate change are destabilizing countries and entire regions. by contrast, the bellman -- development and economic community are great stabilizers. make no mistake, usaid work is national security work. at the president's national security strategy issued in 2015 notes, we have a historic

opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation and put our society on a shared and sustained path to prosperity. in so doing, we will foster export markets for u.s. businesses, improve investment opportunities, and decrease the need for costly military interventions. addressingrd at work the crisis, the refugee crisis arising from syria civil war, and advancing develop an and afghanistan and across the world from southeast asia to africa to central and south america. opportunity to travel to afghanistan after i got elected to the senate and be part of a conversation about what we were going to do to continue to promote afghanistan. i remember very clearly listening to the conversation

about what was working there and people talking about, do we need more military buildup, what has worked. the thing -- there seems to be unanimous opinion about having worked the best in afghanistan was the effort to build health clinics across the country. people said, not only has -- have these clicks provided access to health care for people, but they have given people in villages, particularly women, a voice in decision making in those villages and what a difference that has made in afghanistan. so, there is no doubt as we look at our opportunities around the world that those efforts to invest in economic development and promote opportunities for people make a huge difference as president after downey said -- as the present of the

president of- afghanistan said, educating one afghan girl which is the next five generations of a family. putting all of those children in school and afghanistan makes such a huge difference. this is something the development vessels of usaid understand so well and i commend them all for their devotion to these efforts. mission is usaid more important than ever, it is critically important that we have a leader of the highest however at the top of this agency. that is why i was thrilled that the senate can still -- confirmed gayle smith. i'm glad that it finally got on and miss smith has been an administrator since early december. but more than that, for seven years she has been a leader within this administration shaping a guiding america's international development policy. she has helped to put

development front and center in the mess -- and the u.s. national security agenda. she served as special assistant to the president and senior director for the bellman and democracy at the national security council or she helped manage the u.s. response to more than 16 major crises. administrator smith was previously a senior fellow at the center for american progress and a cofounder of the modernizing foreign assistance network. during the clinton ministration, she served as special assistant to the president. he served as a senior adviser to the administrator and chief of .taff to the usaid clearly she has had the experience to be the leader of usaid but what i do not know until doing research, but that she had a whole life before she came to government service. that is very interesting because private -- prior to her

government service, she worked as a journalist in africa for more than two decades covering military, economic, and political affairs for the bbc proceeded press -- associated press. she won the world journalism award from the world of fair 1991 shen 1991 and in earned an award for her distinguished offer -- piece.uished peace -- we are fortunate to have an administrator of such depth and strength. it is an honor and pleasure to introduce usaid's administrator gayle smith. [applause] >> well, good afternoon

everybody. aei andnt to thank brookings for hosting us here today. i would like to welcome the members of the diplomatic corps and representatives from embassies. we really value your partnership. i want to thank senator perdue. i'm truly honored by your words but also by your partnership. it sends important signals to all of us but what we can do. i also see in this room a lot of faces who have worked for usaid many years. legends who -- many have built foundations of the agency. youuld to say thank you to and i hope i can live up to your hard work and everything you have done. todayk the senators here represent something that is critical to our success, the incredible bipartisan -- in

fact, i think it is a most nonpartisan support that development now enjoys. of people from congress and i will tell you that in no single meeting did i need to make the case that development was important for is -- or that usaid important. that is a big change in a big deal. with bipartisanship, we can get a lot done. when i first started, the millennium challenge corporation and the malaria issue. all ideas realized by president bush. it never crossed president obama's mind to build on the that we've achieved. today, they are supporting life-saving treatment for 9.5 million people and have provided 68 million people with testing and counseling. free generation is a

real possibility for the first time. that is because a republican president had the courage to fight hiv ands to aids and a prayer -- and a democratic president was smart enough to t to continue. next year, a new administration will pick up and future leaders will keep going until he lived in an aids free world. that is the way it should be. it is just one of many great examples. the senator manchin power africa -- senator mentioned power africa. it was passed by congress and signed into the law by president last month, their senators from both parties were united in a simple message. we can change people's lives when we work together. because of their efforts, and

the efforts of partners from african government and ngos from the private sector, it can continue from it ministration to administration until the lights are on in every home, business, and school in sub-saharan africa. the senator -- suggested, that is the way washington should work. we have the opportunity to go for a triple with a global food security act. when passed, the act will solidify the incredible progress and position the u.s. for continued leadership to and global hunger and malnutrition. it will mean that we and our partners can go on the hard worn development ranging from a 33% drop from stunted growth in ghana and help people in big with us. the fact is that when we work together -- bangladesh. the fact is that we work

together, we can accomplish things. i'm enormously proud to lead usaid. let me thank you again for all of you being here. is an as it should be ever evolving institution. for too long, it has been viewed as a was agency for foreign assistance. usaid long since abandoned the notion that bellman should be done alone -- development should be done alone. i'm cramming for my first budget hearing and i will make a very strong case. we have also learned that how may dollars we spend is neither the exclusive measure of our commitment nor the means i which we measure success. part of that is because we have adjusted to a new landscape. when usaid was founded more than 60 years, the government was

response will for nearly three quarters of money for the development world. now we cap are less than 10%. usaid is acting on the fact that it takes multiple streams of capital to finance and sustained development and that we can make much more of our system stronger. we are making smarter investments with our assistance, leveraging private capital and supporting governments and small businesses to mobilize domestic resources. as a result -- thank you senator for your comments. mobilized $43 billion the both of which is private capital. fiveca, we have leveraged dollars for every one dollar investment. we have helped entrepreneurs secure financing for clean energy projects and partnered with major operations like coca-cola to improve access to

safe drinking water and to distribute critical medical supplies. our challenge is going forward are scale and sustainability. we need to help economies become less dependent on aid five driving -- by driving steady flows of capital. these work on systemic private partnerships across supply chains to deliver results for development and change business models for the better. the usaid that are lead is this one the idea that is important. i'm very proud to see that since adopting the new policy, usaid has averaged 200 external evaluations a year and staff and partners are using these to adjust project and inform future designs. we doing more to measure impact, even in areas like democracy rights where impact is harder to measure.

the agencies now creating a feedback loop to ensure that what we learn is built into everything we do. our challenge going forward is to institutionalize this practice, including by strengthening our bureau for policy training and learning -- planning and learning. we will be the only -- fully transparent and accountable. on localalso working ownership and how it matters. society partners and local usinesses, our gains and improving reading skills have derived from the leadership of communities and countries. the success of the future has much to do with the fact that african leaders acted on their increase onfor an

spending on agriculture and that every country should have its own security plan. acting on the fact that we can achieve more when we join forces with others, including any of you in this room. that is why we partner across the federal agencies from the farm of agriculture to the we have revitalized agencies with higher learning. we strengthen relationships with communities of faith and engagement with the private sector is now fully embedded with the way we do business. our challenge is to marshal these partnerships for good and for the scale we need to keep pace with demand. we are acting on the fact that the bellman solutions are -- that development solutions are many. think interest by the flavor of the month phenomenon. i've been through these for a while.

the one really critical piece of development has been real agriculture, good government, infrastructure, democratic systems, gender equity [laughter] the fact of the matter is that it requires all these and more. we have the opportunity to integrate the global the bellman lab so that -- global development lab. finally, and this is a new and extraordinarily positive the bellman. -- development. analysisis to bring and expertise to the mix. when it comes to seizing the opportunities and tackling the challenges that confront our government every day in every corner of the world. that means using our early warning systems to respond to crises.

and garnering decades of experience in individual countries to help form the next step. our challenge now is to build the system to ensure that usaid's a stray foundation of knowledge is brought to the policy table. even as i work for the men and women of usaid, i would to say it is an absolute privilege to do so. to thehave an eye challenges we face as a broader community. i have been in this field for over 35 years now which means that senator purdue can't be my father. [applause] [laughter] honestly can't remember a moment as pivotal as when we face now. industry knowsw this is a moment of extra nara progress. or the last 30 years, extreme

poverty has been cut in half. poison girls are enrolling in primary school at equal rates and there are half as many children out of school and there were years ago. every continent has seen substantial gains with individual incomes growing by more than a third in every region of the developing world. it is also a moment of global consensus. in the last 12 months, the world has agreed to global tim sustainability. and a plan to curb climate change. floating us all this positive emotions is what president obama has called the dangerous current of pulling us back into a darker, more disordered world. you can see these currents i work around the world. in the volatility of commodity prices and ships that knock economies off balance.

and a sharp edge conflict that share -- that terry regents apart and send -- tear regions apart and send refugees from their homes. rise and expansion of predatory terrorist networks and the ravages of the weather or a tiny mosquito bite. that is what we are up against. as a global community, we have to answer volatility with stability and justice with right. even with all the gains we have seen, that is no easy task. when you step back to see the full picture, it is almost as if a good and the bad, the signs of progress in the dangerous trends, are in a dead heat with one bouncing of the other. balanced against the other.

you just heard it from our senate leaders. six years ago, when we send the first-ever presidential policy directive on global development, president obama committed us to miniature the u.s. will be a theal leader -- make sure u.s. will be a global leader. our job is to make sure we live up to the president's pledge. going forward is the latest national security strategy that the united states will continue to lead with all the instruments of mirkin power. -- american power. but even with a commitment to strong u.s. leadership, there are still some downs is -- some child as we cannot tackle alone -- some challenges we cannot tackle alone. first is whether we are bold enough to invest now to manage a

future of rapid and often to mulch was change. this is a time when military need is as great across the globe as i can remember. anytime a disaster hits, the world is there to respond with food, medicine and the tools to rebuild. we are good at it and know is better than the united states. over the last seven years, usaid has deployed to 23 disaster assistance -- disaster situation responses. and responded to an average of 60 emergency is per year. no matterhe crisis -- the crisis, usaid has been there to save lives and meet people's needs on the ground. many of these crises are chronic, complex and severe. they require more time, more money, and more people to respond. this year's el niño is unfolding on a global scale.

into many cases, like an south sudan, government makes a risk bonds even harder -- makes a response even harder. lots of people in south sudan each month. we will continue to respond wherever there is need. the american people expect it. even as we respond, we need to make sure that the urgent does not cut out the important. we need to make long-term, study and investments -- study -- s teady investments. investing now means staying the course. thankfully, propelled in this initial phase by congressional approval of our emergency request last year so that every country of the world has the respond to despond --

to diseases like sica. image scaling dramatically some of the most effective work usaid is doing. building the institutions needed to sustain democracy by taking a page from what the world has done to strengthen global public health and marshaling the resources and political buy-in to generate scale. we must also maintain a steady drumbeat to uphold the basic norms without which we cannot exceed. against the corruption that undermines progress. the rights of all citizens and civil society. and for the obligation of government to prevent termination against women, -- discrimination against women, minorities, the lgbt community or a disabled person.

the second question we have to answer is whether we have the strategic patience to support the transitions before us until they succeed. usaid and our partners work in some of the toughest environments you can imagine. countries reeling from decades of civil war, countries consumed by insecurity and instability, our men and women risk everything and sometimes pay the ultimate sacrifice as they and their partners try to pad the seeds of dignity. that would be incredibly difficult under any circumstance but try with limiting funding, too few donors, security restraints and overgrown extrication. most people would give up that we do not. our commitment to pursue change that last as long as these transitions last.

ingress cannot be measured 4-8 year increments. that is not how developed works. that is not how to transition works either. even their fastest transformers -- the fastest transformers took 20 years and another seven to bring corruption under control. these are countries with a solid head start. begin with conditions that help expedite the process. like a history of working government or a relatively literate population. despite the difficulties, there are some who say the hard work is not worth it but tell that to the president of columbia. today, he said the colombian people see the future with hope. withis because columbia, their robust and steady support, to the hard to tackle the structural conditions that allowed drug cartels to run rampant, timeout of a recession,

and exit a war. we were with them every step of the way and we will be with them for the next stage of the transition. we know that sustained effort pays off. a the woman who worked as usaid national woman who served our country by helping kosovo write a constitution and build institutions where there were none less than a decade ago. today, she said that the judge on our countries has constitutional court. that is considered what it will take when the time comes in syria. change takes time and hard work. it also takes strategic patience and managing expectations of administrations, the congress, and the media. it is worth it. the last question we all have to answer is this, we willing to adapt our systems and systems

and institutions to the world we face. if there is one thing we need, it is agility. even as we persist through long transitions and pursue a patient path, we must move swiftly to meet opportunities where they arrive. whether to support elections in sri lanka or burma, or to set up education centers for nigerian families this place by boko haram. lead to adapt our institutions for a rapidly changing world. this year, we have at least two opportunities to do just that. in may, the united states will participate in the world military and summit. -- humanitarian summit. we have the opportunity to strike a deal that leverages parallel changes so that we are more strategic and effective and noble. we will also have the -- nimble.

we also the opportunity and head-on --to grapple and that the fact that the greatest impediment of chronic conflicts is the willful denial of humanitarian activity. in september, president obama will host a summit on refugees. there is no question that the global refuge crisis is putting our system and host countries to the test. it is also putting people to the test. most refugees face futures without education, jobs, or hope. unfortunately, the debate on the global refugee crisis has sparked -- it has been more about rhetoric than solution. the present summit divides an opportunity to change that by challenging the world to commit to solutions, sustained humanitarian funding, , and enabling

refugees to secure the protection, education, and livelihoods they need for their families. finally, let me come back to usaid, i'm proud of where the agency is today. need an effective, agile, impactful usaid. one that is ready to handle whatever the future brings. i and where i began by leaving with the hope. it is kind of interesting. grand strike our own bargain. we have shown that development bipartisanvor back commitment. we have shown that usaid can deliver. i've told members of congress with whom i have met that i will be transparent and accountable. a pledge made easier by the hard work and rigorous of the men and women of usaid. i've also said that i will not

be shy about coming to congress to ask for what i need. last month, i met with the former usaid administrator's expand or administrations and both clinical parties. whom maintain a same fierce love and commitment to the agency. i'm looking at one of them as i say that they know they would agree when i say that all of us, across party lines, must pledge to keep building a strong usaid. one that delivers accountability and impact and earns possibility in exchange. the chileanth support it needs. an agency the world needs -- agility and support it needs. an agency that the world needs. it we can persist through the tovitable setbacks, here's come, we'll have capable and responsible partners.

if we come together as a global community to say that we can do this better, we will have systems worthy of our contacts and changing world. the men and women of usaid, with whom i'm at it -- i'm presently, are ready -- who i am proud to lead, are ready. thank you very much. [applause] >> can you hear me?

[laughter] >> i will start all. thank you very much for that address. theme to pick up on a that we started talking about before we all cannot hear. both senators talked about. the audience, i was put in! on the issue bipartisanship. you talked about it. this is a stark political. we are in -- start political period we are in. over the past 18 years, there has been a common support and backing for a range of

initiatives. say, ition to what you look at the signature aspects of the millennium corporation. the transparency and ownership. , largelynistration under your leadership, took those themes and concepts and took them from one agency and spread them across all the programs. you mentioned africa. something the republican congress enacted. assistanceeign accountability and transmit the act. transparency act. law the an act into future of the program. in all of your consultations during your hearing, you say that you never had to make the argument on the system. this strong support

for foreign assistance and how can we tie that into what you called for, a grand bargain of greater transparency and accountability in exchange for more possibility and agility? >> i will say that i find it really striking -- it is one of the things about this job that is quite pleasurable, literally in the meeting to have to say that feldman is important -- that development is really important. i think you hit on a few of the things that have made this happen. i think there is room in the pursuit of development for gross of your point of entry. some people are behind it -- regardless of your point of entry. some people are behind it because it makes economic sense, , oronal security imperative

it appears to morals. eres tohere's -- adh morals. it works. you can show the actual results of good investment. i think there's also greater awareness that it matters he goes we are seeing a lot of evidence when the world is not making the investments in development that it needs to make. s for the basi bipartisan support. i think, my sense of the grand bargain is this. any administration serving in washington needs a strong usaid. the u.s. government needs a strong usaid. usaid, it isong the steward of taxpayers money. i'm aware of that every day. are as wel of us figure out what we do and how we do it. in order for us to be as nimble and agile as we need to be, i

think earning the flexibility that will allow us to be nimble and agile something we should all strive for. there is a willingness to do that. there is a willingness on the part of usaid to show results and be transparent. one of the best things about valuation is sometimes, they show you are doing things well and sometimes they show that one of your assumptions was wrong and you need to make a midcourse or action -- midcourse correction and that what happened to and sometimes it shows that it may look like a good idea but it is to stop. is my hope that we have the confidence and the recognition to provide this agency with the flexibility it needs to be agency that i think it needs. thank you. >> that was a great talk. iq all very much for being here -- thank you all very much for being here. in your dress, you mentioned

leveraging private capital. music to my ears. things that is clear to anybody who cares about the transformation of the developing that is the understanding the credit capitalism, it allowsurship, -- them to propel themselves. they're are not taking money, they're changing their lives themselves. that obviously requires systems in place that allow them to permit that. thing about handing out money as a metric or food as a metric, you are so much more than that now. perhaps you could talk about a little bit of this transformation. that canorganization

propel the centrality of the public, private partnership and the emphasis on markets and entrepreneurship's into the next generation and really change the oversee businesses done -- overseas. >> it has proven over many years to adapt well and do a lot of different things. to work on capacity increasing private capital flows, that is part of the mission. whether it is entrepreneurs or larger businesses or domestic investment or foreign investment, it is now pretty much in the dna of the agency. i find with all the mission is somethinge meet that missions do. it is something the leaders of the bureaus do. withve additional capacity

ava have been built over the last two years that provide initial capital to partners and innovators. i think the moment that we are on now, some of it has to do with the capability of the agency and the partnerships themselves. this notion of what is a systemic private partnership, there are destroyed or partnerships across the agency and the world that bring together the private sector actors and local partners. i think the question now is whether in some of these, can we ;ook at the kind of scale looking systemically at water. systemically at some of the areas that would work where we have the potential to take it to the next level. the agency is doing it, the capacity is there. it is a different question to ask to optimize the ability of the agency to do things that we could or should do over the coming years to give it greater

capabilities to do that. absolutely yes. >> to follow, the one thing that is confusing more from the usaid is shifting into this area and opec and all the other organizations no caps not focused on to similar things. this is not usaid abandoning everything else to pursue this mission, there is a lot of work that we do in global health that is helping to provide the health .ervices the capacity it is interesting, i was able to work on this a lot in the past, how you bring together the complementarity that exists among agencies. i think power africa is a great example of that.

is recording of this. we have every agency in the government has capability in ,his area, we all came together what is this agency have to contribute and how we bring them together rather than having multiple agencies bring a little bit on energy and poverty here and trade policy here. i think we found a way to bring that commentary together. -- complementary together. we work with them very often on a bilateral basis. in power africa, we've been able .o bring in cc usaid provide the coronation and a great deal of assistance. opec which is able to look at risk concerns. the department of energy has expertise. commentaryging the -- complementary together.

on the surface it sounds like, that is just a piece of paper and a directive and it sounds very obvious but what it is, i think, through the course of a nine-month study that preceded promulgation of directors and agencies acting on andwas brought together brought agencies in that way that is not competitive but complementary. it is working. nods forng some head the people that are working on it. [laughter] you talked in your address about local ownership which has been a key initiative and focus of the administration of a across the programs. you also referenced domestic resource mobilization and both of them are aimed at building up the local capacity of government

and nongovernmental institutions and organizations and countries. give us a little bit of the rationale or local ownership and the role that domestic resource mobilization can play in that. >> you know, development is not something we do to people. it is something that happens and people do on their own. local ownership is a prerequisite for the entire ownership -- entire enterprise. yet very degrees of local ownership. degrees of varying local ownership. was something in with african leaders to increase agricultural spending. , inl ownership means another sense, working with local partners. it is externally important as we get a 24 out of that. we contribute to the health of the filament of the process.

development of the process. it is my personal view that this is one of the most exciting trends we are seeing. it's earlyy days -- days, we have found that a subject that sounds like it would not be the most exciting for conferences or events, how can we have an effective tax administration is one of the issues that comes up a great deal. it came a lot -- up a lot for the negotiations of financing were a lot of countries are saying that we need to figure out ways to develop streams to improve our budget and health and things that were financed by foreign aid. i think there is a lot we can do. it is not a major amount of assistance on the part of the

eye safety help build that capacity. united states to help build the capacity. we are seeing a lot of governments looking at what they need to do to mobilize their own revenue streams. we're looking at a lot of local financing. local financing opportunities to support local on maneuvers. we have seen assistance becoming a lesser share of the total. i think the domestic resource share is going to grow. we would be very wise to do as much as we can to support that. >> a lot of the emphasis has been on enhancing government .evenues and absolute.

a percentage of that is domestic capital. for investment is important. it is the small businesses that make a huge difference. i would not be doing my job if i did not ask you a hard question. we're going to open things up to folks. clever andur very penetrating questions because we will turn to the audience. you mentioned something which gave me thought. humanitarian world senate. --

they are vying with other countries. they are our nato partner and they are suffering from the inflow of refugees. but we talked about that and we talked about egypt. egypt is the recipient of one of the largest amounts of u.s. assistance. part of that is can david. we tried to use that in a way that is productive for us. politicallot of backsliding as well as not a lot of economic reform that is happening that is really necessary to the current government success. we could go on here. i know this is a tough one and a lot of it rests on policy decision-making. but help us understand how you are able to operate in this environment and how you would address people who say what the hell are we doing giving money to egypt?

>> you are right. in all cases, this is a matter of our foreign policy. a lot of this has come from being able to spend time with the men and women in the agency that work in some of these places. it is different from the other environments. and that's to think about [indiscernible] let me tell you about three buckets. one bucket is the work that usaid does that is straight development. we are in places where the conditions are aligned, where you've got a very good chance of achieving sustained gains across the board. and that's a huge portion of what we do. a second bucket is the crisis prevention response and mitigation. those are the places were things like resilience and other work that we do, we are trying to prevent, obviously, but then manage crises as they occur and

do a great deal of response. the third is those places where we work where, as a matter of , nationallicy security, we have a prose and send a need to develop an agenda in a positive manner. but quite friendly, it is much harder. the conditions are not always aligned. it may not always be the priority in some environments. the security conditions are often extremely tough for people to move around. in those cases, i would be dishonest if i said it wasn't much harder to achieve progress. i think we've got records in some places where we have been able to achieve gains that are is slower in it those environments oftentimes -- to build the progress. in other cases, it has proven much more difficult. one is to identify those areas where we can make the gains, where regardless of the circumstances, i think we would all agree they are quickly --

,re critically important wherein it is countries have stable economies and satisfied people and everything else ago -- go with it. take what weto laugh in those situations and share it with the rest of the government. i think we are able to provide insights that are often quite helpful. but i do think we've got to reckon with the fact that i don't think this is anything that is going to change. it has directly been something aid has been asked to do and will be us to do into the future. it is hard, but i think people do a very good job at identifying those areas where we can have some impact. and doing the kind of evaluation, looking at things that enable us to say, quite frankly in the privacy of internal policy discussions and of the deliberations, this is working and this is an and what does it mean for how we look forward. it's hard. it is very difficult.

>> thanks for being frank about it. >> there is a microphone. go ahead. the first person. >> this young lady had her hand at first. >> introduce yourself and be very brief. >> hello, congressional quarterly. needpoke earlier about the to build resiliency in a world where there are crises happening all the time, sometimes in unexpected places. how do you maintain that goal when these crises are demanding so much political attention and you also have limitations on the budget? for example, i know in the zika debate on capitol hill, there has been a big push from some lawmakers to use the funding left over from ebola and allocate that to the zika crisis during >> i think the trick is that we have to walk and chew gum at the same time. that's why i mentioned the global health care initiative agenda. that is something the president

launched the year before we were dealing with ebola epidemic. the simple premise of that is that we need to do very long, hard but doable work of countries that have the kinds of health outbreaks that we see increasing numbers of every six months, there is a new acronym or a new virus out there. front, itilience thes, even as we respond, ways to respond in an emergency where you can keep a malnourished child alive or you can keep the child alive by building his or her nutritional back stronger even as you are helping them survive the crisis. way, and i think this is something the agency is doing phenomenal work with and i want to give more visibility to,

layering in the coping mechanisms for people, communities and countries. so when they see shocks like the shocks we see around the world, they are more ready to withstand them. some of them are done for -- done through nutrition. some is done through safety net programs where core partners work together to protect their livestock and have systems in place so that come again, if there is a drought or a conflict, they aren't forced into a situation where they have to sell and lose their livestock for the duration during again, it's not easy. everything would be easier with lots more money. i think the agency does a superb job walking and chewing gum at the same time. the part of the challenge i am talking about is we can't just do one or the other. and i think we all will respond to crises whenever they rip -- whenever they occur. expand and ill

think we need to expand quite , the ability to keep building that base not only through our development enterprise, but through these layers a resilience. i know we will see shocks of the nature we are saying -- we are seeing now with regularity over the decades. >> i met the hunger project. -- i'm at the hunger project. see,ted to ask you how you as administrators, leveraging differentise of the sectoral groups, health, education, wash, drg, into more integrated strategies. >> i think it is a smart thing to do. [laughter] but i think it's something we do pretty well. you where the staff meeting was this morning were one of the administrators was

talking about doing one of the regular meetings with many of the groups represented here today on a particular region and to get everybody's insight and thoughts of what's working and what's not. i think that needs to be and is in most cases, something of regular order. and i think it's something -- well, they have it. is that we were looking for? quest the other microphone is coming. to stay moment. >> thank you very much in addressing the development challenges in our part of the world. i would like to congratulate you ownershipning local in development. ensuringbout in country ownership and providing

a better system. at the same time, i would like undying --ur idea of untying aid. >> everybody wants to untie aid during look, part of local country ownership. one of the things we have seen around the world is that, when a country takes ownership but the leadership, whether it is at the uppermost levels or the local level, is willing to put a few things in the mix, political capital, a commitment to transparency and fairness, that we give you gains the last for a very, very long time. of the most's one important ingredients for long-term success. we areiendly systems, always trying to be more user-friendly.

i will say that, over the years, there has been a lot of layering of new systems, new ideas, new procedures. thell not put this on career women of usaid as much as i would put it on a rotating leadership. new teams come in. i'll have new ideas. it's a constant struggle and a constant pursuit of the agency to find a how we can manage our systems in such a way that we are able to satisfy the congress and the american taxpayers, and also avoid burning our partners with undue levels of systems. and that's a constant challenge and something we continue to work on. it is one of the reasons i mention this notice -- this notion of flexibility. there is a lot they can be done to streamline the systems of a totally responsible to taxpayers in congress, but also be much more user-friendly.

oh yeah, and tide aid. it's interesting when you become a public is best public official as opposed to when i was out of a think tank. think contusions -- conditions that are tied to aid have a lot to do with transparency, accountability, and evidence. i think the more we do in the better we do -- the sister afraid, true for -- this is true for aid, true for any donor, for a government or an ngo. the more transparent we are, the more accountable we are, and the more data that we bring to the mix that show up or down what the impact is, i think the greater chance over time that there will be greater

flexibility with assistance. i see an ngo colleague of mine nodding his head and i think that is true not only for bilateral donors, but across the board. i think there needs to be that ties. unlock the >> i was we had more time. >> but we don't request that we don't request but we don't your >> -- but we don't. >> we thank you for being here. those who understand the challenges and wish you well. danny, thank you for joining me today. [applause] >> thank you. >> and i'm going to see one thank you at the end. you clapped prematurely, but you can clap again. i want to thank gail and brookings and it want to thank all of our staff. this important conversation does not come together easily even though it looks easy. for all of your folks at aid and

working and aei as well, thank you very much and to all of our guests. i wanted to make sure that we set a warm thank you. >> i just want to say this is a great job. it is great to come to work every morning to think that your job is to make the world a better place. it is a great job because of the number of people who not only care about development that about this institution and criticalou've got things to say, things we can do better, things you think we are doing well. it makes a huge difference to the work we do every day in a work that i do that there are so many people do care about the mission and care about the agency. so i just want to thank everybody for being here and for that caring. it really does make a big difference. thank you. [applause]

announcer: this year's student cam competition was the best yet. middle and high school students took part alone or in teams of up to three. , eveneived 2900 entries from schools as far away as taiwan and the united arab air merits. -- united arab emirates. this year's theme was road to the white house, specifically to document what issue they wanted the candidates to discuss during the 2016 presidential campaign. students told us that the economy, equality, education and immigration were all top issues. our judges have finalized their decisions for one grand prize first-placeour winners and 150 prizes in all. and there is one fan favorite selected by you. we are happy to announce our top

prize winners. our grand prize winner is elizabeth -- is olivia hurd. " up to our next" addresses the federal debt. this doesn't happen overnight. how did america get up to its neck in debt. the first is discretionary spending, which in 2015 received $1.1 trillion during the second section is mandatory spending, which received $2.45 trillion in the year 2015. last link, there is the interest on the federal debt, which received $229 billion. >> as our grand prize winner, livio won $5,000 for her entry.

and we also traveled to her school so we could present her with a check. second place is mia and ava lazar in blacksburg, virginia. winning documentary is "what should be done about money and politics?" >> you find advertisements on the tv, internet and radio. politicians spend millions of dollars on their campaigns. as soon as one election ends, the fundraising for the next election begins. every day that congress is in session, there are fundraiser the country. the presidential elections cost about $2.6 trillion -- $2.6 billion. where does all this money come from? >> griffin always, michael attend and ben wanee all troy high school in troy, michigan. today, americans are drowning

in overly debated issues, such as immigration, medicare, terrorism, leaked e-mails. although these are important topics, the issue that affects most americans is the issue of the 1%. no, not that 1%. this 1%. the shining blue jewel of the united states, the great lakes. >> truly one of the unique resources in the world, the largest freshwater resource in the world. there is nothing like it. >> cap first prizewinners from our high school west category mock-zubia and sofia taglienti. the documentary is "rethinking reform: prisons in america." >> prisons around the united states have changed radically in the last 20 to 30 years.

let me address arizona. 20 years ago, our prison population was about 20,000 people. now our state prison system is over 40,000. the composition of the prison population has also dramatically changed. >> finally, afghan fan favorite was selected through your online voting. and we are happy to announce that the winners who will receive an additional $500 our first prize winners for the high school category from montgomery blair high school in silver spring, maryland. their documentary is titled "driving forward." >> americans love moving around. we love fast cars, big trucks, road, and 70 mile-per-hour speed --it or a we drive farther

speed limit. we drive farther and more cars than any other country in the world. but we take what we drive on for granted. america's 2 million miles of roads and 6000 bridges are aging , congested, and often dangerous. >> congratulations to all of our winners. the top 21 winning entries will air on c-span starting in april. and all the winning entries are available for viewing online at orga.tcam. -- studentcam.org. >> tonight on c-span, the body of nancy reagan is brought to the reagan presidential library ahead of her funeral on friday. here is the arrival of her casket at the library from earlier today.

[indiscernible] >> ready. right. forward. march.

>> hold. >> down. >> march. >> down. >> ready. >> forward. >> march.

>> prepare. >> forward.

come to me all who labor and i >> dear friends, the lord said, come to me all who labor and i --will give you rest. we pray for sister nancy that she may rest from her labors and enter into eternal rest. wash her in the holy everlasting light and clothe her. may she gaze upon you lord, face to face, and taste the blessings of perfect rest. may angels surround her and

welcome her into peace into your hands, lord. our sister, nancy. [helicopters] announcer: join c-span friday for the funeral service for the funeral service for former first lady nancy reagan in simi valley california. first lady michelle obama, george w. bush and laura bush

are among the dignitaries attending the funeral. mrs. reagan will be buried next to her husband at the library. live coverage on c-span, c-span radio, and www.c-span.org. announcer: washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. on thursday, our first guests texeira and carla bowen. kojak, policy reporter for npr, joins us to talk about the health care plans of a front runners in this year's presidential race. washington journal, thursday beginning live at 7:00 a.m. eastern. join the discussion. ♪

>> i'm a teacher. the most important thing to him may as an issue in this election is education. i am looking at the candidates very closely for their programs and education area i'm not happy in the last -- programs in education. i'm not happy in the last 15 years in a common core and i would like to see that changed around. so i will vote for either bernie sanders or hillary clinton. i am happy with both of those choices and i am interesting to see what their education consultant to be. >> i decided i am voting for ted cruz for the candidacy because he is a constitutional scholar, eloquent, and he is principled, consistently out of all of the candidates so far. announcer: ahead of canadian prime minister just and true 's, a -- justin trudeau

panel discusses the relationship between the u.s. and canada. it is one hour and 40 minutes. luisa: i am the editorial director of political events. i am also canadian. tom particularly thrilled welcome you all here on behalf of politico to this special evening, a new agenda, canada and the u.s. and the world. in washington kickoff the week of the first canadian state visit in 19 years, to our

welcomeere from canada, to washington. welcome to the museum. and we ordered up this perfect weather just for you. and a perfect welcome for those of you joining us today on lifestream at politico.com, on c-span across the united states, and on cpap in canada. excited toicularly be hosting this binational event this evening as we have launched into the first year of our global expansion. this year, we lost politico europe a few months ago and it has already been voted the inber one influential news brussels. so we look forward to more international political events. but tonight, we are convening three important conversations to set the table for this historic state visit. first, we will explore the opportunities and the obstacles for both of these leaders to work together, the newly elected government of prime minister

justin trudeau, and the outgoing administration of barack obama. offn lassiter will kick us with a conversation about politics, the global economy and trade. will reviewna sure the sprott -- review the prospects of clean energy in america. and we will look at the refugee crisis and the implications for border security. before we get started, i would like to start the -- i would like to thank the canadian-american business council for making time possible. i would like to thank scotty greenwood, the executive director of the cadc. scotty first got to know canada staff to the u.s. ambassador ottawa under the clinton administration. since then, she has worked tirelessly to advance the mutual

understanding between the two countries. first long as i've known her, she has been advocating for a state visit. so i feel like the prime minister of the something >> thank you so much louisa. hello everyone. the whole gang. we are delighted to be partnering with you. hello to those of you tuning in. there are lots of seats available. you can set up front. if state dinners are the super bowl of diplomacy, then this is the pregame show.