up next, a discussion with earl blumenauer. but first a news update. >> joe biden says we're not claiming victory in iraq. he believes the emerging government is capable of defending itself. he did acknowledge security concerns but said violence is at an all-time low. he said the united states takes immense pride in what american troops have done in a riraq. iraq has requested an extension but this is the same roadblock that prevented an ongoing u.s. military presence in the country. today's world aid today. president obama is setting a new goal of getting aids drugs to 2 million people around the world. he will announce he is directing a $50 million increase in spending on aids treatment in the u.s. c-span is covering the event. those are some of your latest headlines. >> within 90 days of my inauguration, every american soldier and every american prisoner will be out of the jungle and out of their cells and back home in america where they belong. >> george mcgovern's pledge at the 1972 democratic convention came nearly a deca

blumenauer, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. levin. a year ago our republican friends talked about reforming the process so that we wouldn't have legislation that was must-pass category, that was laden with items that were unrelated or unnecessaryly -- unnecessarily complicated it. here we are, less than a year after they adopted their rules, and we have legislation that unemployment insurance has always been, i think, in times of economic stress when benefits are threatened to be expired, that that would be must-pass legislation. if you ask the american public, being able to keep $1,000 or more in the pockets of the average family by keeping the payroll tax reduction, that would be must-pass legislation. and the s.g.r., the sustained growth rate problem, to avoid a draconian cut in physician reimbursement, which immersefully say i did not support when it was proposed by my republican friends a

blumenauer, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. levin. a year ago our republican friends talked about reforming the process so that we wouldn't have legislation that was must-pass category, that was laden with items that were unrelated or unnecessaryly -- unnecessarily complicated it. here we are, less than a year after they adopted their rules, and we have legislation that unemployment insurance has always been, i think, in times of economic stress when benefits are threatened to be expired, that that would be must-pass legislation. if you ask the american public, being able to keep $1,000 or more in the pockets of the average family by keeping the payroll tax reduction, that would be must-pass legislation. and the s.g.r., the sustained growth rate problem, to avoid a draconian cut in physician reimbursement, which immersefully say i did not support when it was proposed by my republican friends a

blumenauer: i thank the gentleman. some say that the house republican leadership pulled the plug on the senate bipartisan bill because they were afraid of their republican tea party freshmen perhaps. but what is clear is that we're not being allowed by the republican leadership to vote on the senate bill because the republicans are afraid of their moderates, their independents, their reasonable, unhardliners. the measure of this congress is that the house doesn't act until they are forced to as a result of self-imposed, crisis-induced deadlines. and then if they can't get their own way on an agenda that could never be passed through regular order in both chambers and signed by the president, then they throw a tantrum. and what we are dealing with today is a legislative tantrum. . i don't like the two-month extension. it has some difficulties and uncertainties, but there will be far more uncertainty and difficulty if there were a two-week gap or a two-month gap. where 700,000 people in early january will lose their unem

blumenauer: i thank the gentleman. some say that the house republican leadership pulled the plug on the senate bipartisan bill because they were afraid of their republican tea party freshmen perhaps. but what is clear is that we're not being allowed by the republican leadership to vote on the senate bill because the republicans are afraid of their moderates, their independents, their reasonable, unhardliners. the measure of this congress is that the house doesn't act until they are forced to as a result of self-imposed, crisis-induced deadlines. and then if they can't get their own way on an agenda that could never be passed through regular order in both chambers and signed by the president, then they throw a tantrum. and what we are dealing with today is a legislative tantrum. . i don't like the two-month extension. it has some difficulties and uncertainties, but there will be far more uncertainty and difficulty if there were a two-week gap or a two-month gap. where 700,000 people in early january will lose their unem

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam speaker. there was a tough article in the sunday, december 4, "new york times" entitled, how the food industry eats your kids' lunch. this has serious consequences for the 32 million children who rely on school lunches and often the breakfast program as well. unfortunately, when 1/3 of our children of school age, 6 to 19, are overweight or obese, this matters. unfortunately, there's no denying that the institutional and political forces combine to favor giving our kids unhealthy food. it doesn't just shortchange the children and their families with huge medical costs in the future from obesity, from diabetes and other problems, it also poses problems for local farmers and the local economy. the good news is that we know how to fix this. without help from the federal government or despite the federal government, there are areas where the local governments are leading. in 2001 there was only six programs that was farm-to-school, providing healthy produce and fruit that found its ways in the scho

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam speaker. james serrecki outdid himself in the current issue of the new york's financial page. as he contrasted the decision of american airlines to take bankruptcy versus the expectation of american business for how homeowners should behave. it wasn't that american airlines couldn't pay its bills with $4 billion in cash, it's just that it would be in a stronger position if it took advantage of the bankruptcy laws where working with the bankruptcy judge it could restructure union contracts, pension plans, and bank loans to its advantage. for example, it's perfectly acceptable and legal for a judge to reset the current value of an asset and to permit loans with high interest rates to be set at current market. unfair as it may seem to people who made the loans, it was part of the principle of bankruptcy to allow to not be mired hopelessly in debt but to start again under existing market conditions. it's part of what keeps our economy vital, keeping people not tethered to mistakes of the past or b

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. as america prepares for the holiday season and the new year, it is important to pause to reflect on our good fortune and on this season of good will what we can do for others. i hope that congress will give the life, the gift of life, hope and economic prosperity to people around the world, a gift most americans take for granted, safe water. almost a billion people around the globe lack access to safe drinking water and over 2.5 billion don't have access to adequate sanitation. this is why the number one health challenge is water-related disease. half the people who are sick today anywhere on this planet are sick unnecessarily from water-borne disease that are particularly brutal on their impact on children. 90% of the deaths caused are children under 5. the 1.8 million lives are lost is more than aids, t.b. and malaria combined. it's also a major cause of the struggle for economic security. for example, in india, the estimate is over $50 billion a year, more than 6% of its economy is

blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. one thing that most of the occupy wall street protestors and the majority of the tea party advocates agree upon is that the united states is not on a sustainable path. the economy is still floundering. we are in too many cases, losing the competition to other countries in terms of building our infrastructure for the future and keeping up with the advances of education. we have the world's most expensive health care system that leaves too many people without coverage and provides the nation overall with mediocre results. americans get sycamore often, take longer to get well and die sooner than most of our european competitors. and half that cost is loaded on the backs of the employers and embedded in the price of their products. but perhaps the most glaring example of unsustainability is not our health care system or our tax system. it is the massive defense and security spending with us clating costs which is sadly not strategically oriented. we cannot continue to spend almost as much

senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> intel of the aspen institute and pbs blumenauer teamed up for a discussion on innovation, jobs and the global economy. next to hear from the head of the small business administration, karen mills. this is just under an hour. >> good morning. i am elliott gerson executive vice president of the aspen institute. thank you all for coming this morning. we are delighted to have you here. we are absolutely thrilled to be presenting this program today with our wonderful partners, the "pbs newshour" and intel corp.. it's been part of an ongoing dialogue that we have been conducting with them that we began in 2009 with the goal of bringing together washington and national thought leaders to take a hard look at some of the most pressing questions facing the united states today. questions about what the coming century will bring for our country and whether innovation will continue to power our economy and bring us prosperity. questions about our role as the world's leading innovator, which is frankly in jeopardy, and questions about the future

congressman earl blumenauer joins us. "washington journal" each morning at 7:00 a.m.eastern. >> when i look at why a country does well or does not, it is a value thing. it is not resources. these are really crucial values. do you believe the future can be different than the present and do you believe you can control it? this is not universal. people have it or they do not. in u.s., we have an exaggerated sense. >> and david burke so take your calls and e-mails on a variety -- david brooks will take your calls and e-mails on a variety of topics. live this sunday at noon eastern. >> president obama was in scranton, pa. today and called on congress to extend tax cut. that is later. earlier, the house passed legislation to block a proposed rule by the relations board that would speed up union elections. the vote was 235-188. here's part of that debate. chairman. mr. chairman, i rise in support of h.r. 3094, the work force democracy and fairness act and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. clines: thank you, mr.

. >> senator blumenauer vall. >> thank you, mr. chairman.nk you, director, for your public service, not only in your present role, but throughout your career as a prosecutor and a member of the military. thank you for being so forthright in your answers today. they are difficult areas of questioning. i want to come back to cyber, but in a different context. i am very concerned about cyber attacks on this country which general take -- general petraeus said would be our next 9/11. you have graphically describe what you view as the threat. the threat to women and children of the internet, i think, is equally troubling. i proposed a bill called the internet abuse act which would be a companion to the reauthorization of the violence against women act, which focuses on stalking, intimidation, harassment which can lead to physical violence when it occurs on the air internet -- lead to physical violence in the real world. i would like to get from you some sense of what you view as the perils and the dangers on the internet to children, women, and wh