you said the obama economy, as if obama is somehow directly able to direct this economy. the last time president obama i saw him at a signing ceremony, he had black hair and he looked like tiger woods. okay? it's been three years since you guys have been able to work with him or willing to work with him to get anything done. it's not the obama economy, it's the obstruction economy. at what point will you find something you can work with this president on. it seems to me people are just waiting him out. >> there are bipartisan things that republicans and democrats agree and one is the pipeline. the president looked me in the eye and said by january 1st i'll make a decision and you will know what it is. republicans and democrats overwhelmingly support this. he has done nothing. republicans and democrats agree with repealing the health -- the tax on medical devices. republicans and democrats agree on sanctions against iran. these are being blocked from votes in the united states senate. but what we're seeing are additional regulations coming out of this president that are mak

but in the obama economy, in the obama economy saying let's cure income inequality, let's raise taxes, soak the rich, that doesn't work altogether. we're living in the fifth year of the obama economy, you think things are going well? then tell the 54% of americans that disapprove of the job he's doing. >> let me switch gears because there's a big story out of "the new york times magazine" about hilly land and the planet that is the center of the universe that is now hillary clinton. the president is going to lay out benchmarkers in his 2014 state of the union address next week. do you think that he has to consider hillary when he lays out those benchmarkers and think about the fact that she will have to own or disown many of the failures or successes that he lays out over the next year. is that something he is thinking about as he prepares this speech? >> i can't speak for him. i highly doubt that he's viewing a speech in 2014 as a benchmarker as anything more than what he wants to set down as his stake in the ground to continue bringing our economy back from the crisis that we walked

>> well, now we're in the sixth year of the obama economy. more spending, more borrowing, more debt, more regulation. as was pointed out in your first segment, median house hole income down $2,300 a year during this period. family poverty statistics at the highest level since the statistics have been kept. i think it is time to go in a different direction and there are some job creating steps that he can take right now. he can approve the keystone pipeline. can he work with us on trade agreements. my party is much more interested in global trade than the democrats are. if he would convince his own members, we can do some business on trade. he ought to stop things like the war on coal in my state which have cost us 5,000 jobs during his administration. >> what do you think about this idea this congress is just impossible, i'm going to do more through executive action. >> ronald reagan didn't think that and bill clinton didn't think that. frequently times of divided government are quite good times in terms of achieving things for the american p

we can overcome the obama economy, and we will. we can overcome and will the bad policies of this administration. the president should come here tonight, to the capitol, and say that he is willing to help americans return to prosperity. the president announces these three policies tonight. the country and the economy will benefit, and a bipartisan group of republicans and democrats will all be able then, madam president, to stand up and applaud. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. cornyn: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. cornyn: madam president, i would also like to address the matter of the president's state of the union speech tonight. i'm sure that as has been the rule, president obama will make an eloquent speech. he's really good at that. there's just one problem. the president's credibility has been shattered. indeed, on issue after issue we see a massive gap between his rhetoric and the reality. you might say that the two biggest challenges the president faces tonight are those

president obama's been a big class warfare guy, who says he's for the working and poor and middle class. the rich have gotten richer. all you have to do is looking at the parts of the economy had enough money to invest in the stock market during the obama years, you could have bought it at 6, it's up to, what, 15, 16? bill: yeah. but that's the part of the economy -- >> that's ooh -- that's the rich. the rich are making that money. the poor, the working class, the middle class are getting squeezed a lot, and they're getting squeezed by a lot of things, including high tacks. and i don't think you can have an economy which is based on human amounts of regulation and, basically, produce jobs for working class people. i mean, if you regular hate the -- regulate the oil industry, right? energy, as they're doing, if you regular lit bank -- regulate banks, those industries will cut back, and that's what they're doing. bill: you're arguing regulations and taxes are holding us back. particularly regulations. i mean, you're a guy who believes, i believe -- >> yes. bill: -- and you would argue that if you cut back on both of them, this economy goes to a new level. >> yes. bill: and t

five years ago, elected this president on hope and change, are they disappoi disappointed in the obama economy? >> sure. of course they are. if it is not the economy, they are disappointed he did not act quickly on the immigration or nsa surveillance. they thought he was the guy to say this is no good. honestly, i have to tell you, i have never seen a president so defined by other people's hopes. they were able to take this man who, you know, promised just by his very being there of changing america and then when they started to see what that actually meant and how hard that was, it becomes a disappointment. it is not necessarily he failed, but they wanted him to do something quicker and bigger. >> all the real experts say a proper immigration policy would expand and contribute to the u.s. economy. germany has been good about its immigration and as you see, it is a major economic power house. there is links between how you integrate and use your population to help fuel economy. >> america's place in the world as a beacon of light. >> you always hope for everything and you never get everything

some say the obama economy has favored the very top of the income. the growing income gap between the haves and have nots. leaving tax consults aside what has to happen for the wealth to trickle down? >> well, first of you a, i don't think that in the reagan area you had trickle down. the goal was to really cut taxes on small business. the rich take care of themselves. obama's living proof. here's a guy preaching inequality while the inequality keeps growing. when you get to be the size of warren buffett's fortune, so many lawyers and smart accountants you manipulate whatever the government does. the keep is upper middle class and middle class workers, very often husband and wife both working, people who start businesses, historically in america, we start about 500,000 small businesses a year. about 400,000 fail. so we have a net increase every year of 100,000 small businesses. that's been the driving force. the real focus of reagan was, and i was a part of this with jack kemp. the real focus was, less regulation, less red tape. more free time to gro

the bottom line, the obama economy just isn't working for middle class americans. democrats tell us again and again and again that their policies will help people who are struggling, and yet we always seem to end up in the very same situation. debating whether or not to provide more emergency help instead of talking about how to provide a long-term solution and a stable economy that doesn't require permanent -- permanent -- life support from washington. so what's needed here is a fundamental course correction. what's needed is for our colleagues to finally, finally acknowledge what's failed and then actually work with us on the underlying problems. that's what republicans are saying in this debate. what we're saying is how about actually trying to create jobs, for a change. that will be the president's challenge today when he speaks in north carolina. we hear he might lay out some ideas to get the private sector moving again. if that's the case, then maybe he'll be taking a step in the right direction, a step away from big government policies that have failed so ma

economy. here's a couple more owe dies. obamahould lead a bipartisan charge to reform our massive out of control prison system. we're locking up way too many people and wasting too much money. the other thing he should do is fight for a real fair trade bill and not this terrible, awful, desicable, disgusting trans pacific partnership which is going to shaft us worse than nafta. >> so do you like it or no? >> i don't like it at all. there's bold stuff he can do which would energize the economy and base. he has to do both for 2014. that's my view. you should be happy i'm frustrated with john's map. i'm going to get paint and change it. you, i think have probably more problems than you know. one of the big issues that will come up tonight is immigration. john boehner is finally willing to follow the president's leadership, he wants to give undocumented immigrants a legal pathway to stay here. how is that going to play with your party and your base? isn't immigration going to sink you guys? >> no, i don't think so at all because it's

>> the answer to your question, larry, is president obama wants to take credit for this economy, havet it. that would be like taking credit for new coke or the edsel. i don't think the average american feels like it's a real recovery. despite the fact that you're right, the stock market has been on a tear, for the average american with a middle-class income, they're just not really feeling it. so you're finding 50% to 60% of american says, believe it or not, larry, they still thing we're in a recession. hopefully with jared, i think the economy is picking up 125e78, but so far the record of stimulus and all these other programs that you and jared were talking about, i don't think they provided the lift to the middle class. that's why, if i were president obama, i wouldant want to take credit for it. >> it's an odd story, matt miller, because for every new job, all right, jobs have been created, i don't deny that. i know what the president will say in his speech, but for every new job, somebody dropped out of the labor force. that's what the low participate rate tells you. that tells m

that's been the real problem with the obama economy. this bad situation that people are in with incredibly high poverty rates. we've got to turn that around. >> the minimum wage increase is popular with americans and abc news poll showing 66% support it. matt, i ask you, how do republicans explain and convince voters that effectively that raising the minimum wage is not a good idea? >> i think the best thing for my party is to quit always trying to take the side of the wealthy, millionaires. let's talk about this in terms of poverty and people looking for a job. the fact is that if i reference that ball state university study, there were half a million fewer jobs the last time we raised the minimum wage by 40%. higher unemployment does not help the poor, does not help people that are getting their first job. that's the kind of arguments we have to make. there will be a lot of people in my party who will say we're tired of making these arguments. >> what helps the people you're referencing now, matt? >> getting a job. it's the most impor

obama. why? when every american is concerned about jobs and the economy and obama care right now, why are you goingpivot to this issue? ted cruz put out a great statement on this today -- >> right, i think the point is actually passing immigration reform is an economic issue. it's one that will improve our economy. actually, this congressional budget office said it will reduce the deficit, it will help create jobs in the country and i think that people can look at immigration reform through a divisive lens or see it as something that's actually helpful to everyone in this economy. and if you look at the -- talk about the election. >> i think the republican party will have a very hard time in 2016 and into the future if it has a, you know, an attitude that is not welcoming on immigration reform. in some ways, if they follow you, maybe it won't work as well. >> because the adverse may also be true. if the democratic party loses the chance to pass immigration, you get into a whole different environment why are so many latinos unemployed? why is the economy so bad? why is there so little opportunity? >

however, "the new york times" says despite a growing economy, president obama's legacy, quote, may be slipping away. yesterday, the commerce department announced the economy grew by 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2013. >> however, compared to presidents clinton and bush, president obama's economy is still performing at subpar levels and now a new study finds 44%, close to half of will americans, are living paycheck to paycheck with less than 4,000 dollars in savings for a family of four. >> we will show people very unsatisfied with the sat of the economy. it kills me to do this but i want to go to steve rattner right off the bat. >> kills me too. >> we usually -- >> this is to make fun of me, i'm sure. >> no. we usually cram your charts in like the last 20 seconds of the hour. i see these readvised numbers, steve, and just looking at these numbers again from a distance, as i've done for, you know, a very long time, the numbers don't look that bad. there seems to be this disconnect between, you know, like 3% growth. we have all grown up believing 3% growth gdp sustainable, not bad. 4% g

we have got this obstruction economy, not an obama economy, it's not a gop economy, it's an obstruction economy. we're at logger heads. so basic stuff we could be doing. roads and bridges that would put people back to work. investing education. we're not doing it because we are stuck. i would say stop wasting genius. and i would point to all the genius that's being wasted in black america, white america, latino, low-income rural. and talk about a way that we could put this next generation on track to succeed. fundamentally, i think the politics of the united states has become a politics of nostalgia and lament on both sides. everybody talks about their favorite decade, talk about the '60s as liberals. apparently the republicans before the new deal. but we need a politics of a future. dr. king gave us a future 50 years ago. he didn't say i have a complaint, critique, attack on the other side. he said, i have a dream. if president obama would put forward a dream that includes all kids being able to succeed, but don't shy away from the black kids, i think the country could embrace him in a

another distraction from the plant -- pain of obamacare and the obama economy. well, that is not going to help. it will cause families to get back on their feet. all it would do is continuous cycle of economic pain that the president needs to work with republicans to stop. >> the senate is still in recess subject to the call of the chair while democrats have been meeting with the president at the white house on the legislative agenda for the coming year. we do expect the senate to resume today session this evening. when they do, once live coverage here on c-span2. tuesday senator dianne feinstein , the chair of the intelligence committee spoke on the senate floor about preventing a nuclear arms and ron, the iranian nuclear deal, and sanctions calling for the senate to allow negotiations to work before instituting more sanctions. this is 25 minutes. >> thank you, madam president. i come to the floor this evening to discuss an issue of national security. that is how to prevent a nuclear arms and ron. i was thinking about our troubled history and whether more sanct

and the obama economy. >> at nc state, the president played the slow uptake as a sign of careful consideration>> so today, after almost a year of competition, i'm pleased to announce america's newest high-tech manufacturing hub, which is going to be focused on the next generation of power electronics. is going to be based right here in raleigh, in north carolina. that's good news. >> good news the state democratic senator kay hagan did not want to share. she's locked in a tough re-election battle in a swing state the president carried in 2008 and lost in 2012, so she skipped the event, citing senate work in washington. >> your senator kay hagan couldn't be here, but i wanted to thank her publicly for the great work she's doing. >> the president' fellow democrats are cool to the idea of him using the state of the union to push a specific trade agreement that could increase u.s. exports. republicans say the deal could actually create some jobs. >> these are just a few of the many areas where we could work together to get things done for the american people. >> the president insisted today he's r

they can't have that in the obama economy. >> it hasn't been this bad, melissa, since 1978. the work force participation rate wasn't this bad since 1978. >> the stock market you will notice is through the roof. last year, the dow was up 26%. it had the best year in 18 years. that its because of the federal reserve's policies because of washington policies. that has the made the rich so much richer. at the same time, when you are looking at employment numbers this month the number of hours worked fell. that means people who have a job, more of them were part time. wages were stagnant. the number of temporary workers. >> they turn around and blame the rich for getting richer, people are putting their money in the market there is no other place to make money given don't make any interest on your money. here's what i want to point out. statistics are terrible for what the numbers mean for the united states of america. not just your neighbor's problem if your neighbor is unemployed. a couple to tech off. a huge risk factor for divorce to be long time unemployed, withdraw from the

this is the legacy of the obama economy as we stand here at the start of 2014. but it doesn't have to be the legacy president obama leaves behind in january of 2017. and that's why tonight's address is so important. because it will give us the clearest indication yet of whether the president is ready to embrace the future or whether he'll once again take the easy route, the sort of reflective liberal route and just pivot back to the failed policies of the past. the choice the president now confronts is a pretty basic one, does he want to be a hero to the left or a champion for the middle class? can't be both. he's got to choose. he could double down on the failed policies that brought us to this point. it would make his base pretty happy, i'm sure. but we certainly know where that path leads for the middle class. folks can try to package it any way they like, say it's a new focus on income stagnation that's gotten so much worse under this president's watch. but it's essentially the same path we've been on since he took office. the point is this, americans do not

they want opportunity and they can't have that in the obama economy. >> look at this, that has not been that bad, melissa, the work participation rate has not been this bad since 1978. >> no, and what is really interesting is that the president's pet issue, which is this income inequality actually got worse in the monday of december this deep in his administration. the stock market had its best year in 18 years, that is because of the federal reserve's policies, because of washington policies. that has made the rich so much richer. at the same time, when you look at the employment numbers this month, the number of hours worked fell. that means that people who actually have a job, more of them were part time. wages were stagnant, and the number of temporary workers went up. >> but the president wants to blame the rich, people are putting their money in the market, there is no way to make money, given that you don't make interest on your money. here is what i want to point out. the statistics are terrible for the united states of america, it is not just your neighbor's problem if your nei

youth today as opposed to when romney care went into effect, are the principle sufferers from the obama economynot feeling prosperous. second, romney care did not instantly become a buy word for incompetence as this has done. young people who are a suffering economically and b, recoilg from what they sees a people who can't run a web site, are not going to come in and come to the table. >> they certainly -- we can't say for sure that they are going to. in order for the program to succeed, they are going to have to. if they don't, then we are talking about cost restructuring, people who are in the program facing incredibly high cost in their second year of having coverage. >> how will the administration explain this bailout when it comes to that point, when the numbers don't add up and suddenly they have to get through this massive amount of money to insurance companies? >> the same way they have always explained it the insurance companies are shafting you. that was the original rationale for obama care. at the same time they argued that your healthcare is too expensive because insurance compani

american people are starting to say this is no longer former president bush's economy and this is the obama economyming out of the recession and we are recovering we are recovering at such a low pace that most people haven't felt any effects of the recovery. dennis: three years left of the obama presidency. the speculation is what can the president accomplish over his last few years in office? the president is looking into a new or higher minimum wage, extended unemployment benefits, run into plenty of opposition in congress especially since those poll numbers took a hit and the economy continues to grow at a slower rate than many at the white house would like to see. dennis: nice shot in the snow. cheryl: the present sharing his thoughts on the safety of marijuana. here is what he had to say. it has been well-documented by smoked pot as a kid and i view it as a bad habit and a vice but don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol. the national organization for the reform of marijuana laws is taking this that are using the super bowl as a message to stop promoting alcohol and beer commercials as a

now, what we need the president to do is to say the obama economy is not working. labor force participation rate is the worst it has been in 40 years. out of the 7.3% unemployment, 2.6% of that is the long-term unemployed. what he needs to do is be working the phones and say how do we move some of these bills like the skills act, which is languishing in the senate and would help with workforce development and jobs training. how do we look at rules and regulation and taxation policy that is hindering the ability of so many americans to get back to work? i had someone last week tell me, you know, i want to get up, put on a clean shirt, go to a job, work all week, fuss about working so hard, and look forward to having the weekend off. that is what people are wanting to do. they are so frustrated with washington, d.c. and a big difference is, when this president came in -- >> i don't think, congresswoman, that -- >> we have $17 trillion in debt now. we're borrowing 40 cents of every dollar that is spent. we cannot continue this and the american people are sick and tire

well, before i conclude, i just want to mention a few numbers that help put the obama economy in perspective. according to the joint economic committee, the economy grew during the first four years of the reagan administration by 22.3%. 22.3%. during the first four years of the obama administration, it was about 9%, less than half. why is that? why is that that the economy grew during the first four years of the reagan administration by 22%, in the first four years of the obama administration about 9.2%? well, i think as i pointed out there are some good reasons why this recovery has been anemic and so slow and why so many people are still struggling to try to find work. if the obama recovery had been as strong as the reagan recovery, we would have millions more private sector jobs. isn't that what we want? we don't want people -- nor did the recipients of the unemployment compensation want to receive a government check. what they want is the dignity and the self-confidence and the opportunity to provide for their family that comes with a good job, and that's what's missing in this whole equ

it's fair to say that a obama economy is working out for the top 1%, wouldn't you think? it's time to focus on improving the middle class in this country. what are we doing about wages? it has to get better for the workers in this country in our country, america, if we are going to move this economy forward. but have you noticed every time we talk about income inequality, every time we talk about raising wages, every time we talk about helping the middle class, we all of a sudden get the straw man argument from republicans in this country. well, it's those lazy people sitting on the couch that don't want to get a job. well, it's those folks who simply don't want to go better themselves and get back in the economy. well, it's those folks who are just flat out lazy. in fact, we're going to call them takers. we're going to say they're moochers on the system. what the pope is talking about is that there is greed. and your measurement of greed is when wages flatline for the majority of americans and for the top 1% they go through the roof. how many examples does this country n

president obama is in north carolina to talk about the economy and manufacturing. members of the senate foreign relations committee will hear about the political form oil in ukraine -- turmoil in ukraine. >> i think i just a little antennas. when somebody had their own onnie's.nd not rn and then i would tell him. he may not agree with me, but i would tell them. >> watch our program on first lady nancy reagan on our website, c-span.org. or see it on c-span at 7:00 p.m. eastern. our series continues on monday as we look at barbara bush. senators voted twice on tuesday on proposals that would have led to a revival of emergency unemployment benefits. it did not get the 60 votes needed to move ahead. party leaders spoke with reporters before the votes. we hope we can get back into a regular order. this bill that we are going to vote on in the next few days is imperfect but very good. it will move us away from the cycle of governing that has gripped this community for a long time. we will bring that bill to the floor -- we hope to get it from the republicans as early as

bill: chris wallace with cutting questions for a top obama advisor on the state of the american economy you. >> talk about restorying median household income is down. labor force participation is down. food stamps are up. poverty rate is up. if things are so great how come they're so lousy? bill: his answer to that and reaction from republican senator john barrasso next. martha: 11 days to go until the olympics. the security situation is so alarming, mike mccall, the house chair of the homeland security committee saying the idea of america canceling and not going should be on the table in his opinion. the chances that could happen as we hear from the former chairman of the house homeland security committee, new york congressman peter king on that. >> they may feel safe. they may feel secure. wander off or where some indicator of that they're from the u.s. and leave themselves open as a target. this is dangerous situation. hopefully things will work out but it is nowhere near ideal. be a victim of fraud. fraud could mean lower credit scores and higher interest rates when you apply for a

problet we have 4 million americans who have been inautomobile to find worwork on account of the obama economy. my amendment addresses the underlying problem of long-term unimhoiment by reducing labor costs, increasing worker mobility, and strengthening federal worker training programs. first, my amendment would provide much-needed relief from obamacare for any employer who hires an individual who's been unemployed for 27 weeks or longer. as we all know, obamacare is full of additional costs mandates that are stifling economic growth. the obamacare employer mandate arguably has the greatest impact on an already weak labor market. the impact of this mandate is so great that the administration is unilaterally -- has unilaterally delayed it until after the next election. younder this mandate, a business with 50 or more employees must provide insurance or pay a penalty. for a small- or medium-sized business that's a significant deterrent to expanding and hiring more workers. under my amendment, if a business decides to hire someone who's been out of work for 27 weeks or longer, that person would b

how many of these americans have been doing well during the obama economy? record numbers of them are having a perfectly terrible time. one indicator is the growth of the food stamp program. consider this. since the president took office, the number of americans who signed up for food stamp -ps has literally skyrocketed. corroboratinged. it is up -- skyrocketed. it is up almost half. nearly four out of ten americans are literally trapped in long term unemployment. what's worse, the poorest americans are the ones who have had a hard time recovering in this economy. yes, the president took office in the midst of an economic crisis. no one disputes that. but for many americans, a terrible situation seems to have only gotten worse over the course of this administration. so for the president to turn around and try to blame his political opponents for the suffering we've seen out there, that takes a pretty good amount of nerve. it also sends a collective case of national amnesia. it would take a collective case of national amnesia to reach those conclusions. becau

important issue, a matter of great seriousness and concern to the american people, particularly in the obama economy. it strikes me as fundamentally unfair. what he is offering to us is that every one of our amendments would have to get 60 votes. and then the final passage would be 51. and then there would be no budget point of order allowed. so the perception that we have made towards getting back to normal here at the end of the year has been wiped out by the reality of what the offer is. and i would be very surprised if my membership thought that was fair. and a number of you have been around here long enough to remember when we called this bill and we had a serious amendment process and the majority prevailed. i had hoped after the discussion of all this last week that we would be able to move back in that direction. i have a number of members who feel that the unemployment insurance issue is a serious matter that ought to be addressed in a fair and bipartisan way with the majority deciding what kind of bill passes. this is a procedure that obviously cannot get us to that place. loving all also

obama stressed that it was time to fix, a broken immigration system so that more skilled and educated immigrants can leave legally and contribute to the u.s. economy. and experts on u.s. politics explains that obama's shifting focus on domestic issues, because of the upcoming midterm election in november. >> this is a crucial year for obama. in order that he can make sure that his legacy is placed intact. the economy is stable, but it hasn't made impact on the ordinary americans, and the inequalities is widening. he needs to pass some significant laws, for example, the immigration reform. >> reporter: on the security front, one of obama's focuses was america's controversial intelligence gathering techniques. the u.s. national security agency was criticized by other nations for carrying out wiretappings on phone conversations domestically and abroad. >> i will reform our surveillance programs, because the vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence, here and abroad. the privacy of ordinary people is not being violated. >> reporter: obama also defended easing economic sanctions on iran and asked for the time and space the u

economy is getting better. then they turn around and say has president obama screwed up this economy.better. >> and you know, joy, the president was in north carolina today. this is a state that shows how unfair the gop economic policies are. as of this year the state has given millionaires a $10,000 tax cut by raising taxes on the poorest 900,000 families. >> i think that for a lot of the country they look at numbers like the ones you just showed. it seems confounding. for the republicans in the house in particular and increasingly in the senate their political incentives are driven only by concerns about the base. mid term elections are base elections and not so much concerned about independents. i disagree that they have any incentive to try to grow the economy. because with their own base the only things they really do care about and that really unite them is hatred of president obama and the mania of cutting spending. >> i am going to have to leave it there. thank you very much. thanks for your time this evening. >> you're welcome. >> coming up chris christie's idol bruce springs

>> well, i think we're talking about obama's economy here.eve government is the solution. they believe if you create more entitlements for people, that somehow that will lift people up out of poverty. what we know as conservatives and frankly as a republican what i know is that if you give someone an education, if you give someone and teach them how to embrace the free enterprise system, that's what's going to lift them up out of poverty. that gets them off of food stamps and off of medicaid. it's more freedom and more education. >> should there be any social stigma attached to receiving government benefits? >> no, i don't think there should be a social stigma attached. again, there are people in this country who are down and out. there are people in this country that are stuck in what i call generational poverty and there are people that need a hand up but at the same time, we have to have accountability for those folks. we have to give them an education. we have to show them how to live and how to function in a free enterprise system. we ha

how many of these americans have been doing well during the obama economy? record numbers of them are having a perfectly terrible time. one indicator is the growth of the food stamp program. consider this. since the president took office, the number of americans who signed up for food stamp -ps has literally skyrocketed. corroboratinged. it is up -- skyrocketed. it is up almost half. nearly four out of ten americans are literally trapped in long term unemployment. what's worse, the poorest americans are the ones who have had a hard time recovering in this economy. yes, the president took office in the midst of an economic crisis. no one disputes that. but for many americans, a terrible situation seems to have only gotten worse over the course of this administration. so for the president to turn around and try to blame his political opponents for the suffering we've seen out there, that takes a pretty good amount of nerve. it also sends a collective case of national amnesia. it would take a collective case of national amnesia to reach those conclusions. becau

we are now entering our sixth year with president obama at the helm of our economy. this point, we've seen just about everything in the president's tool box. we've had a year's long clinic on the failures of liberalism, the government stimulus, the taxes, the regulation, the centr centralization, government control. it just hasn't worked. >> i'm just going to talk like a human being here. what has congress done that's worked? what plan do republicans have to put out there that would work? the one thing the president has going for him, the congress is less popular than he is. in immigration, it has become in the republicans self-interest to move forward on immigration legislation. if the president can convince people he is the leader on that, he will score om points. i don't think he is helpless coming into this at all. i think it's a tough environment for him. i think what americans are mostly looking for tonight is not some glittering promises. they want straight talk. frankly, i think they would like a short speech. these speeches have sort of become over an hour l

both parties have ideas about how to get the economy growing more quickly. president barack obamaould like to spend more on infrastructure for instance. some republicans say fewer regulations or massive tax reform that would unleash growth. they're squirmishing over how do we help a few victims? >> the big decision is how long do you continue to help people? when do you think the economy might right itself long enough to help the long term unemployed people? when would be the right time? >> america is the land of opportunity. helping people get good jobs should be high on that priority. what we need is confidence is positivity from washington. and certainty. people go out and purchase when they feel certain about their future. we don't have that. that's one big way they can help and it wouldn't cost a dime. >> christine, david, monica, thanks so much for this conversation this morning. so important. >>> still to come in the newsroom, after much criticism, saturday night live adds a new black female cast member. >> a member. she's there. we've been talking about it a while. she is

smart bipartisan policies that can finally get americans back to work after years of the failed obama economy but we can't do it without president obama. he has to leave jobs and energy and the economy and whatever the issue may be. so we will not see if they will call for a new direction for a forward leaning agenda that puts middle-class verse and leads hired ideas behind in the history books. when the prisoners willing to work with as he will know that we are willing to work and we have always been here. many members of his party have been here as well waiting for him. democrats with smart ideas that the president hasn't been able to understand so far. all he needs to do is pick up the phone and if he's willing to work in a serious way, we will send him something to sign as well. a yield the floor. >> the senate is back at 10:00 a.m. eastern and will continue work on a measure that will delay insurance increases. watch the coverage here on c-span2. >> attorney general eric holder testifies about an investigation is whether the u.s. has proper conservative groups. that is next on c-span2 an

obama. he has to lead on trade, jobs, energy, the economy, whatever the issue. so we're not going to give up. we're not going to stop trying to help him see that americans are calling for a new direction, for a forward-leaning agenda that actually puts the middle class first and leaves tired left-wing ideas where they belong in the history books. and when the president is ready to work with us, he should know that we'll be here, waiting for him. we've always been here, actually. and many members of his party with other helpful ideas have been here, too, waiting for him. democrats with smart ideas the president hasn't been willing to consider so far. all he needs to do, all he needs to do is pick up the phone. and if he's willing to actually work in a serious way with members of both parties, we'll send him some things to sign with that pen, too. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour with senators

will help break the cycle of extended unemployment that plagues the obamacare economy. -- the obama economy. madam president, we hope that democrats will abandon their short-term cosmetic fixes and join us in talking about the kind of long-term reforms that will truly grow the economy and offer economic opportunity to every american. we have lived in the obamacare economy long enough. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: madam president, i am here to speak in opposition to the offset amendment ayotte number 2603. the bipartisan amendment that passed in december included a republican provision that changed the annual cost of living adjustments or so -- colas for military retirees. i opposed that provision and i believe there is bipartisan support for repealing it. the main question is how to pay for that repeal. amendment 2603 would pay for fixing the cola problem by denying the refundable child tax credit to millions of eligible u.s. citizen children. this amendment asks in effect whether military retiree

the losers in the obama economy are men. >> i gave you numbers woman are not considered for sick leavee for pregnancy. martha: the way democrats talk about women and republicans talk about women perhaps is at the heart of this is whether or not, you know the victim, the poor woman who we need to make sure she get what is she deserves. a lot of women you're referring to who don't, a lot of woman don't voluntarily come back after they have children. they make that choice. i'm not saying there are not a lot of areas where they can be work done to make things more fair for men and women in the work place. the numbers, do not bear out there is war on women in the work place. it's a question of how liberals an conservatives sort of view what needs to be done for women. i look at cathy mcmorris rodgers who will talk to a while had a baby eight weeks ago and was on the tv with the republican rebuttal. alan. >> i disagree there is not a war on women in the work place when they don't make as much as men for the same job. by the way the president doesn't set the amount of money people make in the

partisan policies that can finally, finally get americans back to work after years of this failed obama economy, but we cannot do it with the president obama. he has to lead on trade, jobs, energy, the economy, whenever the issue. we are not going to give up, not going to stop trying to help him see that americans are calling for a new direction for a forward leaning agenda that puts the middle class first and leaves tired left-wing ideals where they belong in the history books. and when the president is ready to work with us should know that we will be there waiting for him always been here, actually. member -- many members of this party with other helpful ideas have been here waiting for him. democrats with smart ideas the president's ability consider so far. all he needs to do about his to do is pick. he is willing to actually work in this series with members of both parties we will send him some things to side with the pen. mr. president, you for. >> also today on capitol hill, the house of representatives passed the farm belt on a vote of 251-1 under 66. the legislation cuts in direct paym

how many of these americans have been doing well during the obama economy? arerd numbers of them having a perfectly terrible time. one indicator is the growth of the food stamp row graham. consider this -- since the president took office, the number of americans who signed up for food stamps has literally skyrocketed. [applause] >> thank you. good morning. my name is catherine hackett and i'm from connecticut. i'm very grateful that president obama invited me here today in response to a letter i wrote to him about the discontinuation of federal unemployment insurance. i am unemployed and i will be significantly affected by the decision. and i'm is devastating working very hard every day to look for a position. the interim, unemployment benefits have been absolutely essential to cover my bare necessities. i have cut expenses everywhere possible and i'm not just sitting home enjoying the good my cuts include heating my health to 58 degrees, wearing a hat and a coat to stay warm because oil is expensive, i have lost weight is food is expensive. as a single moth

i think this obama economy has lasted long enough, it is time for the mac is to look for a new policy, to look for job creation, and grow american a different way. -- america in a different way. jobs report was disappointing on a number of fronts, and a reinforced in my of focusingortance on policies that will put people back to work. we have our jobs cannot pressure, and we can do better. we can do better than 350,000 people leaving the job market. we can do better than continuing to see college students or high school students, those graduating from technical schools, unable to find jobs. hard-working moms and dads across the country that are trying to abide -- tried for their families and improve their lives. and one thing that stuck out to me was that for the first time in over a decade, the health care sect were lost jobs -- sect toward lost jobs -- sector lost jobs. weathered as hospitals, clinics -- whether it is hospitals, clinics, and it is another impact of the president's health care law on health care in this country. committed toig -- working across the aisle to get jobs