>> c-span's washington journal, our live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy from washington and across the country. friday morning we talk about the week's top political stories. and author richard reeves, president of the american institute for boys and men on masculinity and u.s. society and culture and the role in the upcoming election. join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern friday morning on c-span, c-span now the free mobile app, or online at c-span.org. >> on friday, former members of congress will discuss bipartisanship and public service. from the new york university

john brandman center. watch live at noon eastern on c-span, c-span now, the free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. >> alejandro mayorkas spoke during a white house briefing talking about hurricanes helene and milton. then he took questions regarding disaster preparedness, funding issues, and the impacts of extreme weather on the upcoming election. >> thank you, good afternoon. can everyone hear you -- hear me? >> we can hear you fine, thank you. >> i am currently joining you from north carolina where i have been meeting with our extraordinary personnel and federal, state and local partners from the ground about hurricane helene's devastating impact on the progress we are making to help north carolina

communities and aid in their recovery. before i share the update, i will provide an update on hurricane milton which last night made landfall as a her -- category three storm near siesta key, florida following a day of heavy rain and at least 27 tornadoes touched down. difficult for floridians who have lost so much. i was briefed by the fema administrator along with more than 1000 fema personnel. there are significant water and wind damage across central florida. as of this morning over 3 million customers are without power, structures have been severely damaged and collapsed, and tragically we know that lives have been lost. we are praying for them and their loved ones. right now, search-and-rescue is our highest priority and we are

also praying for those who are unaccounted for for their safe return. it is very significant that many follow local guidance and evacuated ahead of landfall. we cannot minimize the impact of that. it is imperative that everyone continues to follow the direction of local officials. milton may have passed, but the danger it poses has not. downed power lines, floodwaters, non-potable drinking water, and debris are creating deadly conditions. keep listening to local officials and shelter-in-place until it is safe to do so. only use generators when and where it is safe to do so. you can find more tips on staying safe after a storm on the fema app or by visiting

ready.gov. in the lead up to milton, our administration made robust preparations for the storm. president biden approved emergency declarations for the state of florida and for the seminole tribe of florida days before the storm made landfall, to provide full federal support for the response. we had pre-positioned supplies including food and water, 20 helicopters, 60 department of defense high water vehicles and letters, routine hundred u.s. coast guard personnel and 1400 urban search-and-rescue teammates up -- team members across florida in anticipation of the storm, and hundreds of ambulances to assist in the transport of hospitalized patients. today, fema is joining the state to begin damage assessments to ensure floridians have what they need. fema and our federal partners

including the department of defense and united states coast guard are already working closely to support the state of florida in a comprehensive and coordinated response to the storm. to reiterate, president biden's message yesterday, every available resource is being deployed as fast as possible to impacted communities and we will not leave until the work is done. the same is true for communities devastated by hurricane helene including here in north carolina. president biden and vice president harris were here last week as was i and we will continue to support impacted communities and first responders on the ground. more than 10,000 federal staff are on the ground supporting helene and milton response efforts across the southeast. since helene first made landfall, urban search and rescue teams have rescued over 4300 people. from a peak of 5.1 million

customers without power, we have helped restore power for more than 5 million of them. and we are restoring more every day. we have helped quickly restore cell phone service across the region, at its peak, three point 4 million customers were without service. we have restored service now to more 3.2 million of them. than 17.2 million meals and more than 13.9 million liters of water. we have helped get over $350 million in assistance out to helene survivors with millions more going out every day. all of this and much more. these first these first responders and their state and local partners are doing heroic work in extremely difficult circumstances. we are all immensely grateful

for their extraordinary, selfless service. the weeks since hurricane helene first made will -- made landfall have been difficult. what i want to be clear, we have the capability and capacity to respond to and recover from multiple simultaneous disasters. no resources needed for hurricane helene response will be diverted to respond to hurricane milton. we have made it clear, we will be there for every impacted community, every step of the way. thank you. >> president biden indicated that fema and the department of defense would have enough money to get through the immediate needs in this recovery phase. wondering, after your assessment of damage from hurricane milton,

now coupled with the damage from hurricane helene, do you still believe that to be the case? sec. mayorkas: yes i do. we have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by hurricane helene, and hurricane milton. and the associated -- it's very important to remember -- the tornadoes associated with the hurricane. that being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore congress when it returns to in fact funded fema as is needed. >> quick follow-up. he said on cnn yesterday that some of the misinformation that had been perpetuated around the storms is beginning to have an impact on individuals either applying or deciding not to apply for government relief. can you elaborate on what exactly you are seeing and what exactly you determined to be the cause of that? sec. mayorkas: so, let me repeat that in fact the false information that is being spread deliberately does have a

real-life impact on survivors and it is also demoralizing for those heroic individuals who are risking their lives in the service of others. let me give you one example. there is false information that federal employees who are there to help people will actually take their land. and what we have seen is people reluctant to access the relief to which they are entitled, and which will help them, because of the fear that that false information has instilled in them. that is just one example. >> another question on misinformation. we have seen reports of some fema officials, including the administrator, are being targeted online in the wake of these hurricanes. are you concerned that individuals involved in the recovery effort are being threatened online? sec. mayorkas: we most certainly

are. we are seeing horrific hate speech of all types propagated on online platforms. that deplorable speech has an impact on people's lives, and it is also a motivating force for people to do harm. and it has got to stop. and it is our work in the department of homeland security to combat hate in all of its forms. we will continue that word. >> do you have any information to suggest that any foreign governments have had -- have tried to amplify this misinformation? sec. mayorkas: i have not. -- i have not been alerted to that phenomenon. we have seen for nations disseminate false information for other purposes. i have not seen it in the context of hurricane helene or hurricane milton, which just transpired. but, of course, we are quite

vigilant in monitoring that. >> nancy cordis from cbs news. hurricane milton knocked out power to more than 3 million customers. how does the scope of the power situation compared to other disasters, and what is the federal government's role in coordinating the restoration of that power? how long will it take? sec. mayorkas: so, a number of questions. unclear how long it is going to take, because quite frankly, the damage assessment is still underway. we are at a very, very early stage. our role generally is to support the state and local officials, the state and local resources, to augment those resources and to work closely alongside them and we are doing so both in

response to hurricane helene, and hurricane milton. you know, the response is actually in a number of phases. the immediate phase is search-and-rescue. life and safety of individuals. then we go from search-and-rescue tell response and then to recovery. we work very closely with state and local officials to rebuild whatever infrastructure has been damaged to get power up. we have the capacity to assist and we also work with the private sector. we have the ability to deliver power immediately, but for the long-term very often infrastructure has to be rebuilt. my visit here in north carolina underscored that fact because one of the long-term challenges is going to be to rebuild the water system and in a number of cities which have been decimated. >> mr. secretary, i want to ask

you about a different story. this afghan national who was working for the cia in afghanistan was arrested for planning an election day terror plot. he was brought to the u.s. after afghanistan collapsed. your agency said as part of the sid program. state department is telling us he was not part of the sid program, which had strenuous vetting. they were saying he was never issued an immigrant visa and dhs corralled him into the u.s.. they further expect court documents to be updated to reflect this on the doj side. how was this man brought into the u.s.? what screening did he undergo? what did he apply for to get here? sec. mayorkas: i'm here in north carolina. communicating with the individuals who are still conduct search-and-rescue operations.

over 200 people have lost their lives in hurricane helene. we have reports that at least 10 individuals have lost their lives as a result. i would be very pleased to answer your question in a different setting, but we are here to talk about emergencies and the support we can deliver to people in desperate need. thank you. >> mr. secretary, but we are getting conflicting answers from your agency and the state department about a man who was arrested for an election day terror plot. how do you not have those answers prepared? sec. mayorkas: that is not what i said. what i said was, i would be pleased to discuss this issue at a different time. i'm here to speak about disasters that have impacted people's lives in real time and that is the subject i'm addressing today. >> can you assure people that appropriate steps have been taken to secure the country against these kind of threats? the outstanding question is whether this man was radicalized

before the u.s. government taught him here or afterwards. and people should be concerned about that. sec. mayorkas: jackie, your persistence can be matched by my persistence in answers. >> we are going to go. go ahead. >> gave gutierrez here within nbc. i want to go back to the funding question. a little more specifically. the federal government has spent nearly half of the money that congress has allocated for disaster relief for the next 12 months. how concerning is that? sec. mayorkas: it is very concerning, but let me be clear. we can meet the immediate needs arising from hurricane helene. hurricane milton, and the tornadoes associated with it. when congress returns we will need them to act swiftly to appropriately fund the disaster

relief funds upon which fema relies to deliver assistance to people after extreme weather events. and so, we can meet the immediate needs. we will need funding very rapidly. >> another disaster next week? sec. mayorkas: we are working on a continuing resolution. that is not stable footing for the work that we do. in disaster response. so, that is why i underscored the need for congress to act swiftly upon its return. >> mr. secretary, just want to ask you specifically about the national flood insurance program. it has been chronically in the red. how do you anticipate milton will affect that program? sec. mayorkas: michael, i will have to follow-up with you on

that. but the department of homeland security, director of u.s. citizenship and immigration services and the deputy secretary, and now as the secretary, i have always known the flood insurance program to be in the red. sec. jean-pierre: go ahead. >> mr. secretary, this is courtney rosen from bloomberg government. i would like to ask about the upcoming election. are you thinking about that in terms of voters being able to access their polling places in states that are having such significant damage? sec. mayorkas: courtney, we have seen state and local officials who are, of course course, on point, ensuring access to voting. we have seen them take measures to ensure that people can in fact reach their polling places. some polling places have been damaged.

for example, as a result of hurricane helene. but they are pivoting to make sure there are other facilities available to them and they will have different places at which they can place their votes. this is something that this is -- that the cybersecurity agency of our department, as it is known by its acronym, works very closely with state and local officials to assist in that regard. >> is an example of one way they are assisting at this time? sec. mayorkas: so, what we do, there are three threat vectors. there is physical violence, there is the concern about physical violence, there is the concern about cyber attacks, and there is the concern about disinformation. an example is that we are protective security advisors in each state that assist state and

local officials in sharing best practices about how to secure the facilities, both from a physical perspective and a cybersecurity perspective. that would be one example. sec. jean-pierre: go ahead. we are going to have to start wrapping it up, but go ahead. >> as you mentioned earlier, you said that fema, you know, we'll need funds, but when congress comes back if there is another disaster prior to session, and as you continue to work with helene and milton, is there -- will fema have to perhaps stop offering services or sending out support for aid? if you're running out of cash before congress comes back? sec. mayorkas: no it will not. we have the funds to address immediate needs. if we have to devote the

resources that we have two the immediate needs we will do so at the expense of perhaps other long-term recovery efforts. we need congress to act swiftly upon its return, but we will meet immediate needs. sec. jean-pierre: jared, you have the last question. >> as you talk about the need for congress to come back and replenish funds, if you look forward to the future of appropriations battles, this congress need to rethink how they are funding fema and disaster relief. in other words is it an underfunded service and program of the federal government? sec. mayorkas: let me take a step back and widen the aperture of that question if i may. a continuing resolution is not a stable way to fund the federal government. needs change from year to year. and we need real budgets upon which we can rely. and upon which we can predicate

responsible financial planning and financial management. so, a continuing resolution only retains a level of instability in the work that we do in terms of the assurance of the funding that we need. the disaster relief funds and the funding of it should be completely nonpartisan and apolitical. this provides funds regardless of party. i have said publicly many a time since hurricane helene first hit in late september, our brave individuals, meaning not just federal, but federal, state and local, we tend to flood waters to save an individual. they are not asking about that individual's party affiliation. they are rescuing a fellow human

being. and we need to be funded accordingly. >> one follow-up, secretary. sec. jean-pierre: hold on. i told -- i told him it was the last question. mr. secretary, we have one more for you. >> you mentioned at least 10 people killed in relation to milton. is that tornado deaths? could you give us more information about where that number came from? sec. mayorkas: so, let me be clear. this is something i want to echo. this is a very fluid situation. we are just beginning damage assessment. we have 10 confirmed fatalities, our understanding is that those were caused by the tornadoes. but i just want to introduce a little bit of tentativeness to that because of the fluidity of the situation and how nascent it is.

it is our job to make sure that number does not climb through valiant search-and-rescue efforts, but we are dealing in the immediate aftermath of a terrible hurricane, and many, many tornadoes ancillary to it. sec. jean-pierre: tha > on friday, democratic vice presidential cdidate tim walz spoke in macomb county -- will speak in macomcounty, michigan. wah starting at :00 eastern on c-span, c-span now, the free mobile video app or online at c-span.org. >> do you solemnly swear that in the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god? >> weeknights, watch our encore visitation of american history

tv's 10 part series congress investigates as we explore major investigations by the u.s. house and senate. authors and historians will tell these stories. we will see historic footage and explore the impact and legacy. friday night, the senate in the 1950's explore whether communists had infiltrated the state department, army, and other federal agencies. the investigation led to the center of senator joseph mccarthy for his actions. watch friday night at 10:00 eastern on c-span. >> american history tv, saturdays on c-span2, exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 530 p.m. eastern, supreme court justice neil gorsuch and his former law clerk talk about america's founding ideas of democracy, liberty and equality. at 6:00, the congressional gold

medal ceremony honoring the african-american women with their contributions to space exploration. at seven :00 p.m. eastern, watch american history tv series historic presidential elections, exploring what may -- made these elections historic and the lasting impact on the nation. this week, the election of 1948 and what was considered a major upset, harry truman defeating new york governor thomas dewey in 1948 to win a full term in the white house. at eight :00 p.m. eastern, university of north carolina at pembroke history of that history professor jamie myers on southeast native american tribes in the 18th century and the impacts of colonialism, the revolution and the emergence of the united states. and at 930 p.m. eastern, author angela beauchamp looks at how eleanor roosevelt used film and

television to promote her political and social causes. exploring the american story, watch american history tv saturdays on c-span2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online anytime at c-span.org/history. >> republican presidential nominee and former president donald trump spoke on his economic plan during remarks and a brief conversation at a ncheon hosted by the detroit economic club. while discussing his economic plans, president trump saiif elected, he would impose a5% made in america corporate tax rate, cutting it from 21%, but only for those who make their product in the united states. he also spoke on levying tariffs against china and supporting the auto industry by eliminating the biden administration on electric

vehicles by favoring gas powered vehicles. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen welcome to the stage, detroit economic president and ceo steve gregorio him. ♪ >> wow, look at you all. you look terrific. i want to welcome you to today's very special meeting.

what an exciting day in detroit. we've got president trump here at the dac. we have our detroit tigers going for the series win tonight. and the red wings home opener. so it is great for the d. and it's a big birthday year for the detroit economic club. 90 years of incredible speakers and that tradition will continue today. i want to welcome our d ec members. if you are not a member yet, give me 10 seconds to convince you. your next job, prospect, client, may be best friend is right here in this room. we would love to see you join today. you can do so at econ club.org. i would remind you so we don't disturb the program, please silence your cell phones. if you have been with us before, we always get started with a

pledge of allegiance so please stand and join me. 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. and you may be seated. you may be seated. we normally do a prayer at this time. i checked with our clergy and they said you are perfect and you don't need any help from above today. a couple of thank you's and welcomes. i want to thank them who you saw in the lunchroom and a big thank you to my team. we are working to the bone with more to come. please give them a round of applause. as is tradition at the detroit

economic club, a couple special welcomes, starting with debbie dingell. secretary of state and board member jocelyn benson with us. michigan's taught minority leader is with us today. the former gec ceo, beth chapel. and of course the board chair, sandy pierce. welcome. you also know that students are near and dear to the detroit economic club. courtesy of our generous corporate sponsors, their morning began with a private reception with president trump. we have students from saint katherine tai school. thanks to an anonymous donor. thank you. thank you to baker