that is the largest chunk of people, but we must've had 800,000. >> at one point it was just one person. and it always starts with just one person. a massive management effort. it is a lot longer than 77 days. we had a team in place prior to the election. >> additional capacity you have to start sooner. bush some point, george w. says to you, you are it. figure it out. >> yeah, that was a year and a half before the election. some point, barack obama says to you, you are it, figured out. and you, there are fortunately organizations like the partnership like you and martha that are the institutional

memory. the first thing i did was go back and talk to jim johnson who ran john kerry's 2004 transition. he handed me a box of his documents including theore documents. continuum of three democratic transition documents. the challenge we face was we were drawing on two transitions that hadn't been implemented. do all the planning you want, but when you see how your plan works, it is hard to assess until then. we are flying below the line, but having john podesta as the former white house level chief of staff gives you expertise. >> we are out of time. ask your question right now and then we will -- >> hello.

quick question. that the to me confirmation process is broken for both democrats and republicans. in the transition it is so important. is there any effort to reach out to the senate majority leaders and the senate minority leader to agree on what the rules might confirmation process. not who is going to be in the givenment, but how do we the presidents appointees in the government faster than we do now? goingthe white house is to have, instead of normally seven people as the special , theyant to the president want to get 400 people to get in peoplenstead of 225

which is the typical number of people who are confirmed. they have to have more than seven people working on it. it needs to be 15. the senate doesn't expand their capacity and if the fbi doesn't capacityeir vetting and the intelligence department and state department doesn't, it will back up. it will not flow through the process. there have been general discussions about expanding the capacity, but it have to take with thein this year fbi and the senate leadership and i don't know whether that will be representatives from the candidate or if the obama white house will be involved in that. you have to start with what they are -- what their goal is. to the senateay and the fbi, we are going to be

sending twice as many people as we normally do. we have to work together. even in the best of all worlds, the senate doesn't move very fast. it is not designed to do so. runs onbody that unanimous consent so any senator who wants to block something can hold the senate of. at a. riod of timet a pe of your trying to move people through fast, and a senator raises his hand, it can stop things. >> i'm talking about the vetting of it. >> if you reached out to the majority leader and the unordered leader of the senate, at this point in time, not when one or the other wins, but at this point in time when one or the other could when, that there not be some sort of effort to make an agreement between the

two senate leaders of the two parties as to how they are going to limit some of the things that are getting in the way? not --nize that if it is it is not raised by unanimous consent, but it was not always. abraham lincoln appointed the secretary of the treasurer -- treasury and it was confirmed that afternoon. he fired him the next day and sent another one up. it is not impossible, but we have gotten ourselves into a situation where when one side wins they want to punish the other side. it is revenge for past actions. either in the democratic or republican interest for that to happen. >> it is also senate prerogative. we worked on an initiative to streamline the paperwork part of it because you have to fill out

so many different forms and you could ask of the same question in three different ways. even trying to get that through is a challenge. i completely agree with you and it is a place where there is so much room for improvement, but the senate prerogative on their committees and their jurisdiction is something we have to continue to work with. >> getting them to be more favorable towards more of the people who were sent to them is one thing. but, that is relevant if they can't vet them in a reasonable. period of reasonable time. their capacity has to be ofsistent with the volume potential nominations that are coming at them from the white house. that's why there has to be some seeking up of the capacities and there is a not now.

to thent to go back point about what was broken in washington and when you said it ,s not in the senate's interest but it may be in the individual senators interest. member --individual interest of a member of congress versus what is good for the country. that is one of the reasons why things are as broken as they are now. we are out of time. so, thank you very much. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] governor christie, former new

york city mayor rudy giuliani and retired lieutenant general michael flynn will serve as vice chairs of the transition, the sources said. we talked with former clinton white house chief of staff mack mclarty about the transition process. steve: as white house chief of staff to bill clinton, matt mclarty watched the transition from the bush administration to the clinton administration in 1992 -1993. mack mclarty is joining us on the phone. thank you for being with us. mr. mclarty: always a pleasure to be with you. steve: what is happening behind the scenes at this stage? mr. mclarty: a lot is the quick answer. steve, as you well know and your listeners and viewers do as well, a transition of our presidency is a hallmark, a hallmark of a functioning democracy, a peaceful transition of power.

you have got to remember there is only 77 days, or less than 80 days depending on election day, in the inaugural between the transition, a tough, hotly contested come along campaign, and then, all of a sudden, a new president is sworn in and a new government is seated. it is just so much to do, truly -- there is a lot to get a government placed, particularly when there is a change of administrations as was our case with president clinton with republicans being in the white house. with donald trump, this is unprecedented in many ways with his coming into this presidency in a manner he has with the campaign. specifically, i think you are looking at the white house team, the cabinet, and your legislative priorities and you have got to keep a full eye on

foreign affairs and in this day and time, you have the mindful of the security of the american people. that is the most sacred responsibility of any commander and chief. that is a big agenda was a lot of stakeholders. mr. scully: josh bolten, for you know, president bush's chief of -- and president bush himself that 9/11 changed everything when it came to transitions. mr. mclarty: it did. i like and respect josh a great deal. we have done a lot of things together on presidential transitions. he is exactly right. i always make the point early on in any commentary in that form in nature that 9/11 did change transitions fundamentally and for the better. let me add, because prior to that, steve, certainly was the case with governor bill clinton. any presidential candidate, but particularly one like someone like governor clinton who is

coming from the outside and not well known, anyone who starts preparing for transition in that period would it have notably the -- would inevitably be accused of being arrogant for winning the election. after 9/11, i think it was recognized that 80 days was just not enough time realistically to have a full, seamless transition. that there was a vulnerability there from a security standpoint, so now, you have funding granted by congress for the transition. you have a much longer lead time, a much fuller, much more dental -- nimble effort and we saw that with both the obama transition, president bush 43, george w. bush, his team led by josh bolten did a superb job there. but you also saw it governor romney as governor leavitt, mike leavitt of utah who chaired that transition like to say.

we built the best ship that never's sailed. they had governor romney been -- they had done comprehensive work on a transition had governor romney been elected. that is a much better way to do it, the right direction. steve: josh earnest said one of the agenda items between the president and the president elect, how to structure the white house. based on your experience, what advice would you give the incoming trump? mack mclarty: one, you do have a lot of stakeholders. you have to be mindful of those that run you -- brung you, as the old saying goes. his -- his campaign reacher the map. number two, you have to be so engaged and mindful of congress, you cannot get your legislation passed without that. number three, donald trump is going to be new to washington so he has got to cultivate and start establishing relationships here with the press. folks like you, steve, and many others, and in the washington

establishment, i think vice president pence will be very helpful in that regard. foreign leaders, absolutely critical. but he has got to get his priorities. where is he going to focus his time, energy, effort, and his political capital? that first 100 days in office and thereafter? he has got to get his team in place. that is what he has got to be looking at. in addition, i cannot underscore 24/7 effort. a you're going to have some ufos. you are going to have unforeseen occurrences whether it is a hurricane in florida, a coup in another country you have to deal with. -- factoro put that that in his parties your agenda. steve: all of this involving the decision-making process, the decisions president has to make on so many different fronts. what works for you? what experience do you take away

from your white house chief? mr. mclarty: of staff? the buck stops here. no easy decisions when you get to the president desk, nor should they. they should handle that at lower levels. what you have to be mindful of is a really keep in mind what you feel like your sacred responsibility is to the people of this country. not just the people who voted for you, but our entire country. obviously, having a period here a bring in the country together is going to be crucial. i think we have got to get government working again and people have got to deal like it affect their lives, steve. and i think we were able to do that pretty early on in the clinton administration with the economic plan, the family radical leave act. -- family medical leave act. president clinton stepping that -- on the world stage in a pretty good manner. i think as people saw that progress being made, it got more comfortable in getting to know

that new president better, that developed a certain amount of while there were ups and downs and some slips and falls, but led to the first reelection of a democratic president since franklin roosevelt. that's what works for us and president clinton. steve: final question for you, what is the fiscal layout -- physical layout in the west wing? mr. mclarty: the geography is important whether it be in neighbors or allies for countries or in the west wing. theoval office has -- president has a major office set up in the oval office. he has a small office right next door where he usually has his dining room there where he has lunch with the vice president once a week and other key intimate meetings of that type. the cabinet room is to the right, right outside what is called oval office operations.

it is not too different than you see on west wing, our designated survivor on the survival series or making the american president which was such a great movie. if you go out in the entrance to the oval office, the formal entrance is what is called the roosevelt room. that is usually the principal all-conference room or staff meeting room. the chief of staff's office is about 18 to 20 steps down the hall. it is one of the larger offices. in fact, it may be the largest office. and the vice president's office which is right next door. right next door are the two larger offices in the west wing other than oval office. the national security adviser's area of offices is quite tightly configured, but very efficiently configured. the chief of staff's office has an entrance. the deputy chief of staff is right across the hall, so to speak, right across the way there from your entrance. you have an office, it is large,

has a fireplace and a conference table there, so it is like a full office of that you can have meetings in, and then, the vice president's office seats a fairly large number of people, otherwise he would move it to the roosevelt room. you have proximity to the president, i think, chief of staff is obviously a key position. it has not moved tremendous responsibility to it, the demand to it. you have to have a trusting relationship with the president, but you also have to remember that you work for the president and the people of the united states. that is how it is laid out in and it so much of your staff is across the street. it is across the street, in the complex, across the street in the oval executive office building, now called the eisenhower building. that makes communication a little more difficult than some

people might imagine. mack mclarty served as the white house chief of staff during the clinton administration. and you for joining us. republican donald trump is elected the next president of the united states and the nation elects a republican u.s. house and senate. all of the transition of government on c-span. we will you to key events as they happen without interruption. watch on-demand at c-span.org or listen on our free c-span radio app. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] president obama paid tribute to the nation's veterans at his final veterans day ceremony at --ington national ceremony cemetery. he laid a traditional floral wreath at the tomb of the unknowns.

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>> ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the official party. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the commanding general of the united states military district of washington. [applause] mr. patrick j hallinan.

executive director, army national cemetery program. [applause] >> mr. robert swan. polish legion of american veterans. [applause] >> and the honorable robert a mcdonald, secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] ? >> ladies, the president of the united states. [applause] ♪

>> please remain standing for the procession of our nation's and those of our veterans service organizations. as we march on the colors, the navy band will play the national emblem march. please place her hand over your heart or render a hand salute. [playing "national emblem march"]

>> please remain standing for the group role veterans delivered by a chaplain from the national chaplain center. >> let us pray, almighty and eternal god, who gives us the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation. come visit us in this most sacred garden of where many of our veterans have gathered and many of our veterans and nation's heroes rest. still our hearts today with

thankfulness for our veterans who answered the call to defend the honor and just causes of our nation. we thank you for their patriotism, their devotion to liberty and justice, human dignity and rights, compassion and self giving. we thank you for their diversity and unity and mission. let all who would beget war reach out and compassion to -- reach out in compassion to those who must remember, made -- may the nightmare of all wars cease so healing can take place. may each american find a reason to love, not hate, and strength to build than to destroy. renew our sense of unity, hope, faith, give us the joyous spirit of celebration of our veterans and their families. bless us now with your presence.

in the name of our god, who challenges us to care a men. >> i would like to invite mr. robert swan to lead us in our pledge of allegiance. here is the national commander of the polish league of american veterans. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> please be seated. it is my distinct pleasure to theoduce members of the veterans day in

-- veterans day national committee. it was formed by presidential order in 1954 to plan this observance in honor of america's veterans and to support veterans day observances throughout the nation. please hold your applause until i have introduced the guests. if able, please stand when your name is called. robert swan. national commander, polish league of american veterans, usa. tomas stevens. national president of the korean war veterans association. angel. the national commander of the american g.i. forum. the national commander of the catholic were veterans of the usa david, chief executive officer. american express are so poor. john roe when, president, vietnam veterans of america.

out kovac, national president of the paralyzed veterans of america. brian duffy, commander in chief, veterans of foreign wars of the united states. harold chapman, national commander. dale stamper, national president, blinded veterans us is nation. richard gore senior, national commandant. donald larson, national president, fleet reserve association. richard rinaldo, national commander. leader of valor, united states of america. lyman smith, executive director, military chaplains association. donald youngblood, national commander, army and navy union of the usa. ostrovsky, executive

director noncommissioned , officers association. douglas bolt, national vice commander, the american legion. david riley, national commander, disabled american veterans. mike plummer. deputy legislative director, national association of uniformed services. clay junior. chief, military order of the world wars. president, national retired enlisted association. herschel, national commander, military order of the purple heart. dana adkins, national president, military officers association of america. the associated members of the committee are located in the boxes to my left. i like the president and national commanders that

comprise our associate membership to stand and be recognized. ladies and gentlemen please , recognize them with your applause. [applause] it is my pleasure to introduce our veteran organization host for 2016. polish legion veterans of america, usa. the polish legion of american veterans usa is honored to serve as the host organization for the 2016 veterans day national observance at arlington national cemetery. it was founded after the end of world war i, holding its first convention in 1920 one. -- 1921. today, they celebrate over 95 years of providing assistance to

veterans and their families. it was chartered by congress and represents over 3 million veteran americans of polish the -- polish the dissent who have served in all wars and conflicts of the united states since its inception. and trainededgeable service officers as well as representation in washington dc. they continue to provide services to veterans and their families with posts and chapters around the country. volunteers donate endless hours of service and help in the eighth medical centers -- va medical centers. representatives offering financial made -- 82 qualified students. please welcome mr. robert swan.

mr. swan: welcome, mr. president, mr. secretary, mr. vice president: veterans, friends, all of you gathered here today. it is a great honor i am able to speak to you on this special day. it marks the 95th anniversary of the polish legion of american veterans. after years of lobbying right our organization, the polish legion of american veterans, congress unanimously voted to make a polish citizen and honorary u.s. citizen. obama9, president barack signed a public law which proclaimed general polaski as of the seventh in history to receive this honor.

to recognize the contribution of all servicemen and women that was provided while they were on active duty. and their continued volunteering which helps many veterans in va hospitals.-- in theerience gained military offers many a pathway to success. as a veteran or friend, we know what they go through while serving and we know how hard it was when our service members return home. we are interested in helping in many ways. v.a. hospitals and homes are always in need of support. either monetarily or through comfort. although membership in the organizations are declining i am pleased , to see younger veterans are

still joining or creating newer, more specific organizations, where they are able to continue to help our veterans. now, may we salute our military servicemembers and their family that made that ultimate sacrifice. thank you for the honor of speaking to you today. [applause] mr. cornish: please welcome the honorable ronald mcdonald, secretary of veterans affairs. [applause] quick mr. president, villa veterans, honored guests, in the --ghing of stillbirth's steven spielberg bosch "saving

private ryan," he kneels in front of captain miller's grave. he gave his life in combat to save private ryan. ryan says to miller, i have tried to live my life the best i could. i hope, in your eyes, i have earned what all of you have done for me. i am a veteran. when i come to arlington, i imagine myself saying that to every veteran resting here. i hope, in your eyes, i have earned what all of you have done for me. we would do well to kneel at any one of these markers and repeat ryan's words. we would to do well to ask if i am earning this. seven years ago today, right here in arlington, president obama

made a sacred out to veterans. america will not let you down, he said. we will take care of our own. then, he fulfilled that vow. president obama and congress provided the largest single year va budget increase in over three decades, his very first year. [applause] under his leadership, the veterans affairs budget has a double. he opened doors to nearly half a million veterans who had lost their eligibility in 2003. he supported presumptive conditions for veterans exposed to agent orange. today, there are nearly 1.2 inillion less veterans than 2009, there are nearly 1.2 million more veterans receiving some type of v.a. care and

services. [applause] at one point, -- 1.2 million more veterans are enrolled for v.a. health care. 1.3 million more receive disability compensation. half a million more have v.a. home loans. we have seen a 76% increase in veterans receiving benefits. we have cut homeless benefits in half since 2010. veteran unemployment has dropped. [applause] it has dropped by over half in the last five years. unemployment for post-9/11 veterans has dropped by 70%. america will not let you down, the president said. we will take care of our own. he stood by that commitment year after year after year.

and for good reason. american best sergeant first class cory remsburg when president obama introduced him during the 2014 state of the union address. the president met corey 4.5 years earlier in france. corey was one of the elite rangers who parachuted into commemorate the d-day landings. then, he returned to afghanistan for his 10th tour. the president next saw corey in a hospital bed in bethesda naval. he had been wounded by a 50 pound roadside bomb outside of kandahar. corey could not speak. he could barely move. he gave the president a thumbs up.

three years later, when the president and i traveled to phoenix, president obama quietly took a detour. he needed to see corey. corey had made miraculous progress. this time, with help, corey stood, saluted, and said what you would expect. rangers lead the way, sir. they is the opinion me -- rare combination of qualities that characterizes the best among us. a dogged sense of duty, indomitable courage, plain, american grit. president obama admires that in corey. he admires it in all american veterans. it is why he loves them. ladies and gentlemen, honored guest, the commander-in-chief

and the 44th president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] [cheers] pres. obama: thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you very much. thank you so much. thank you. thank you very much. please. thank you. thank you. thank you. secretary mcdonald, distinguished guests, most of all, our extraordinary veterans and your families. the last time i stood on these

hallowed grounds on memorial day, our country came to together to honor those who had fought and died for us. if you did before, our nation observed armed forces day. honoring all who are serving under that flag at this moment. today, on veterans day, we honor those who honored our country with its highest form of service. you, who once wore the uniform of our army, air force, marines, or coast guard. we owe you our thanks. we owe you our respect and we owe you our freedom. we come together to express our

profound gratitude for the sacrifices and contributions you and your family made on the battlefield, at home, and at outposts around the world. america's gratitude towards our veterans is always grounded in something greater than what you did on duty. it is an appreciation of the example that you continue to set after your service has ended. your example as citizens. veterans day often follows a hard-fought political campaign. an exercise in free speech and self-government you fought for. it often lays bare disagreements across our nation. the american instinct has never been to find isolation in opposite corners. it is to find a strength in common creed.

to forge unity from our great diversity. to sustain strength and unity, even when it is hard. and when the election is over, as we search for ways to come together, to reconnect with one another, with the principles that are more enduring and transitory politics some of our best examples are the men and women we salute on veterans day. it is the example of young americans, our 9/11 generation, who, as first responders ran into smoldering towers and then ran to a recruiting center and signed up to serve. the example of a military that meet every mission. one united team all looking out for one another. all getting each other's backs.

it is the example of the single most diverse institution in our country. soldiers, sailors, airmen, who represent every corner of our country, every shade of humanity. immigrant and nativeborn. christian, muslim, jew, nonbeliever alike. all forged in the common service. that is the example of our veterans. patriots, who when they take off their fatigues, put back on the camouflage of everyday life in america and become our business partners and bosses, teachers, coaches, first responders, city councilmember's, community leaders, role models, all still serving this country with the same sense of duty and with valor.

a few years ago, a middle school student entered an essay contest about why veterans are special. this is what he wrote. when i think of a veteran, i think of men or women who will be the first to help an elderly lady across the street. i also think of someone who will defend everyone, regardless of their race, age, gender, hair color, or other discriminations. after eight years in office, i appreciate he included haircolor. that middle school child is right. our veterans are still the first to help, still the first to serve. they are women like the retired military policewoman who

founded an american veterans posted her community and is now building a safe place for homeless female veterans with the children. [applause] they are men like the two veterans from tennessee, one in his 50's, one in his 60's, who wrote me to say they would suit up and ship out if we needed them. we might be a little old, they wrote, but we will be proud to go and do what we were taught to do. whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you seek true humility and selflessness, look to a veteran. lifted someone like first lieutenant irving lerner. irving he was born in chicago to russian immigrants during world war i. he served as a bombardier in the air corps, flying dozens of missions towards the end of world war ii.

when he returned home, he did what a lot of veterans do. he put his medals away and kept humble about his service, started living a quiet life. one fall day, walking on chicago's north side, a stranger stopped him and said thank you for your service, and handed him a ticket to see the cubs play in the world series. [applause] it is a good thing he took that ticket. it would be a while until his next chance. he worked hard managing warehouses for his brother-in-law's tire company. he got married to a sergeant. he raised four children, the oldest of whom is celebrating her 71st birthday today.

on a june morning, many years ago, another one of his daughters, carol, called to check in. from another injured but was in a rush. we can't talk, she said, your father is being honored and we are late. carol asked, honored for what. the answer came, for his heroism in the skies above normandy exactly 50 years earlier. you see, his children never knew that their father flew over the friction beachheads on the day. he never mentioned it. now they call a check in and say thank you for saving the world. irving, sharp as ever always replies, well, i had a little help. whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you doubt the courage and goodness and

selflessness is possible, stop and look to a veteran. -- they't all ways always go around telling stories of their heroism. it is up to us to ask, to listen, to tell those stories for them. and to live the values for which they were prepared to give theirs. it is us -- it is up to us to make sure they get the care they need. when i announced my candidacy for this office almost a decade ago, i recommitted this generation to that work. we have increased funding by more than 85%. we have cut veterans homelessness by almost in half. today more veterans have access to health care and fewer are unemployed. we help disabled veterans, we are delivering more mental health care services because we know not all wounds of war are

visible. together, we began this. together, we must continue to keep that sacred trust with our veterans and honor their good work with our own, knowing that our mission is never done. it is still a tragedy 20 veterans a day take their own lives. we have to get them the help they need. we have to solve problems like long wait times at the v.a. we have to resist privatizing the health care we owe america's veterans. [applause] on veterans day, we acknowledge , humbly that we could never , serve them quite the same way they served us. but we can try. we can practice kindness, pay it

forward, we can volunteer, we can serve. we can respect one another. we can always get each other's backs. that is what veterans day asks us to think about. the person you pass as you walk down the street might not be wearing our nation's uniform today. consider for a moment, a generation ago, he or she might have been one of our fellow citizens who was willing to lay down their life for strangers like us. we can show how much we love our country by loving our neighbors by loving ourselves. god bless all who serve and still do. god bless the united states of america. [cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause] >> please remain standing and join the band in singing "god bless america." >> ♪ while the storm clouds gather far across the sea let us swear allegiance

to a land that's free let us all be grateful for a land so fair as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her

thru the night with a light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home ♪ [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as we retire the colors. retire the colors. [playing "national emblem march"] ♪

♪ ♪

♪ >> this concludes the 2016 national veterans day observance. please be seated for the departure of the president of the united states. thank you for joining us as we celebrate and honor all who served.

[applause] ♪ ♪

[applause] ♪

♪ >> donald trump is elected as the next president of the united states and the nation elects a republican-controlled u.s. house and senate. follow it on c-span. watch live on