isakson: i appreciate the recognition and i ask unanimous consent -- oh, she is on? i will ask unanimous consent to allow senator shaheen to follow me. she is on the floor now and she will. i am pleased to stand and talk about amendment 138 which is cosponsored by senator shaheen from new hampshire and myself. it is a solution to a problem that we have in this country and we have in this body. the problem is we have not been able to appropriate, we have not been able to budget our debts and deficits have grown. we have turned into a situation that does not funding as well as it should over the most important responsibility of government, and that's spending money. so for one second, i want to talk about my side and then i want to defer to a lady who has been there and done it because the state of new hampshire is a biennial budgeting state. as i said, we have a process problem. we budget every year, we spend money every year, we never do oversight, we never look for cost-benefit saving, we never look for analysis. this agreement does many things. it amounts amends th

senator johnny isakson said they asked him to put together a list of gop members who would be interested in sharing a dinner together next month. the guest list will include senators unable to attend the outing a few weeks back when president obama invited a group of republicans to the jefferson hotel. that was followed by a series of visits by the president to capitol hill in an effort the white house hopes will yield new compromise on the budget, immigration reform and gun legislation. >>> when it comes to immigration, senator john mccain says he got a firsthand look at the challenges facing the system. the arizona republican tweeted yesterday that he "witnessed a woman successfully climb an 18-foot" fence. someone teach him how to use the camera on his phone, just a few yards away from him as he toured the border in arizona. he was there with three other senators, including chuck schumer, who are part of a bipartisan group on immigration reform. he followed up the tweet saying border patrol successfully apprehended the woman, but it served as another reminder that threats to border se

i will later ask my colleagues to support amendment 83 sponsored by senator isakson and me. i appreciate the forbearance of senator mccain. thank you, madam president. mr. mccain: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i want to thank the chairperson, chairwoman, senator mikulski, for her allowing me to speak as if in morning business. on march 15, one 2001, thousands of syrian men, women and children in the city of dara gathered in a public square known today as dignity square. they came together so -- to peacefully protest against a syrian regime's decision to arrest and torture a group of 15 teenagers whose crime had been exercising their universally recognized rights to free speech. their crime was speaking truth to those in power in syria. they'd sketched on the wall of their school a statement that remains true in syria today. the words were "the people want the regime to fall." since these peaceful calls for change were first heard in syria, two years ago, more than 70,000 men, women and children have been massac

. >> senator isakson. >> let me introduce our wonderful panel. we are very appreciative here with us today. we will hear first from jacob wood, cofounder of team rubicon. next a fellow vermonter and a team leader for this veterans outreach program and then the director of the tragedy assistance program for survivors, kim ruocco. next come the retired lieutenant colonel and a council at the national alliance on mental health, kenny allred. we'll close the panel with.here barbara van dahlen. it thank you for the work you are doing in the testimony you're about to give us. jacob, let's begin with you. >> please bear with me i reach you a few names. nick cham, jan then, stewart, roscoe berrios, rocha, clay on. to decimate my unit redeployed after a long lady to her in afghanistan could in seven months the last 29, suffered 2000. they need to edwards among those statistics. the names they register mad with in the last four years, two suicide while pursuing peace with the last name, clay hunt plunked my dear friend and cyberpartner. a dear friend and i

for fall campaign much 2014, where president said, look you have mccain, and graham and worker and isaksond dinner with them, i can't work with this republican house, you got to get rid of those guys if you want a deal, it's not my fault, not republican senator asphalt but the foul of the house. neil: well, he would have to convince a lot of people, that triangulating the house, as he as done in past, sort of puts them in a box, they have no where to go but down but it would involve getting house to democratic majority, in two years, how likely is that? i think you need to swing a 17 -- >> i think still unlikely because the republicans really have some well table ored different -- tailored districts where they can win, democrats are crowded into packed districts, i think it is difficult, but it is only strategy i think obama has got, he also neil will go in there i think say, look, we didn't get reform of immigration becausenese republicans will not go along in the house with path to citizenship, they won't go with background checks or people who are mentally ill and criminals, to keep the

and joining us now republican senator johnny isakson of georgia. thanks very much for coming in. get to this big dinner you're having with the president april 10th. did he reach out to you and invite you to put together a group of republicans that would meet with him for dinner? >> yes, wolf. it is good to be with you, too, by the way, and happy easter to you and the viewers today. the president commented earlier last week -- called me earlier last week and said he felt his first meet wg 12 republicans he felt had been productive with sharing ideas and finding differences and he wanted to reach out and meet with 12 more and asked if i would put together 12 republicans to have dinner with him on april 10th. i'm in the process now. >> you are coming up with a list of people who didn't have dinner with him at the jefferson hotel near washington. other republicans. can you tell us who is on your list, who has already accepted? >> until i get everybody on i'd rather release it all at one time when we know everybody that's accepted so i'll wait until the first of next week to do that.

i'll ask one of the sharpest business minds in the senate, republican johnny isakson. that's next. during the break, tweet me. let me know if you think it's time for republicans to move past the ryan budget or with the election aside it's obama and the democrats who need to budge. lobsterfest is the king of all promotions. there's nothing like our grilled lobster and lobster tacos. the bar harbor bake is really worth trying. [ male announcer ] get more during red lobster's lobsterfest. with the year's largest selection of mouth-watering lobster entrees. like our delicious lobster lover's dream, featuring two kinds of lobster tails. or our savory, new grilled maine lobster and lobster tacos. my favorite entree is the lobster lover's dream. what's yours? come celebrate lobsterfest and sea food differently. [ male announcer ] visit redlobster.com now for an exclusive $10 coupon on two lobsterfest entrees. transit fares! as in the 37 billion transit fares we help collect each year. no? oh, right. you're thinking of the 1.6 million daily customer care interactions xerox handles. or the

senator johnny isakson from georgia, and he is part of the senate finance committee.nk you for being with us again. >> thanks, ali. >>> coming up, despite washington's dysfunction, we're experiencing something of an economic renaissance in this country. i've been saying it for months. if you need more convincing, now the economist is on board. it says america's growth prospects are much brighter than they seem. why? i'll tell you next on "your money." matt's brakes didn't sound right... ...so i brought my car to mike at meineke... ...and we inspected his brakes for free. -free is good. -free is very good. [ male announcer ] now get 50% off brake pads and shoes at meineke. >>> if you watched the show before, you've heard me say this before -- america is a runner on the road to an economic renaissance. the housing market is coming back. nationally prices rose more than 7% last year. domestic energy boom under way, extracting record amounts of oil and gas from shale rock from fracking, hydraulic fracturing, and other technology. that's pushing down prices for natural gas

isakson argues finally compensating the hostages is critical to send a message to iran and to u.s.all around the world especially after four were killed at the u.s. consulate in libya. >> they need to also know if they get violated, if they are captured, tortured, we'll have their backs. this is me. you see the dorky glasses? >> very cool in the '70s. >> indeed. >> reporter: even after john lim bert was held captive for 14 months he returned to the foreign service for the rest of his career. he has a comfortable life and says he is not fighting for the money but for justice. >> it's about accounting for it, to hold people responsible for what they did. the message so far, frankly, has been to the islamic public, you got away with it. >> dana, interesting piece. the senator tried to do this last year. it didn't go anywhere. can it pass congress this year? will "argo" really be one of the reasons why if so? >> if so the answer is undoubtedly yes that would be the reason. he has a democratic cosponsor which as you know in the democrat led senate is critically important. senator blumen

the president is continuing his charm offensive and has called senator johnny isakson from georgia and to put together a list, and they're coming to dinner, 11 republicans the day the president releases his budget. we'll speak to the senator and ask him who is on the list and who is coming to dinner with the president, jefferson hotel, where do you think, blt, steak, the palm? got to go to somewhere nice in washington. maybe cafe milano. >> perhaps. >> you like it very much. >> i do like it. winter is coming. if you know what meant you are probably one of the millions of americans counting down the hours to sunday's season premiere of "game of thrones" on hbo. do you want hints on what is going to happen? my interview is coming up next. [ male announcer ] at his current pace, bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rock

, cochran, crapo, cruz, donnelly, enzi, flake, graham, grassley, hatch, heitkamp, hoeven, inhofe, isakson, johanns, johnson, king, lee, manchin, lee, mccain, risch, roberts, rubio, shelby, wicker. and we have three late responses of no from landreau, murkowski and murray. those are the 35 senators so far who have told us that, no, they oppose senator feinstein's proposed bill to ban assault weapons. 28 senators said yes, they agree with her and support it. 34 no responses so far. and 3 said they had no position. we're going to chase the 34 no responses and the 3 who say no position. and we'll come back on friday, give them enough time to think about their response so we can get a very firm idea of why this assault weapons ban has apparently got no chance of getting passed in the senate. you as the american people have a right to know what these senators believe, and i intend to get it out of them. let's turn now to the police chiefs. i can't think of five better people to talk to about what happened ever since just over three months ago now. let me start with you, if i may, chief kehoe, b

a spokesperson for senator johnny isakson says the president ask the republican to put together a listf gop members who would be interested in sharing another dinner together next month. the guest list will include senators who were unable to attend the last outing a few weeks back when president obama invited a group of republicans to the jefferson hotel and followed by a series of visits by the president to capitol hill in an effort the white house hopes will yield new compromise on the budget reform and gun legislation. >> i wonder what restaurant they are going to this time? >> that is the key question. >> steak and bourbon and four seasons. >> do you get anything out of it at the end of the day? >> do you? >> i was skeptical in the beginning because the president doesn't want to dine with them and under pressure from the washington establishment to do it and reacted to and it where it could pay dividends is on immigration reform. one issue out there the incentive is to get a deal done. the president believes in the issue and wants a legacy. republicans can't continue to oppose imm

senator isakson and i worked very hard to secure reauthorization of the third country fabric provision of agoa last year, but it took longer than it should have and was more difficult than it needed to be. and it is my hope that working together with colleagues here and in the house we can get a jump on this in advance of 2015. the third recommendation is to improve coordination between the many u.s. government agencies working on trade policy to develop a comprehensive strategy for investment in sub-saharan africa. as many as 10 different federal agencies are responsible for parts of trade policy and international development, so making sure they are working together efficiently is a good way for us to ensure success. fourth, we need to increase the presence of the u.s. foreign commercial service in critical areas in the regions. this chart shows those countries that have the fastest of the-growing economies and this, the few places where we have representatives from usaid or the department of commerce. there are many, many countries in which there are strongly growing economies where

boxer is abara democrat from california and the vice chairman is senator john isakson, a republican ofeorgia. bill allison has been our guest. thank you for being on the "washington journal." we will talk about the 1986 electronic communication privacy act. we will talk about efforts to update the law to provide more privacy. we will be right back. first ladies'," rigell johnson dies of "firstarent high -- rachel johnson dies of an apparent heart attack during her husband's first term. live monday night at 9:00 eastern on c-span and c-span 3, so on c-span radio and c- span.org. >> we can take pictures of the brain and see the whole thing. there is this enormous gap in between about how these circuits of the brain function in order to be able to move my hand or to look at you and process that information or to lay down a memory. we aim to be able to record from hundreds of thousands of brain cells at the same time to be able to understand how the services work. that is the brain activity mass that is being talked about. nothe early days, we did have a scientific plan about milestones. i

senator isakson?>> i want to thank everybody for their testimony and for the service, but i want to follow-up on what senator johanns said, because my lightbulb went off, too. particularly with the testament of mr. wood talking about that sense of purpose. when the lightbulb went off is it make sense to understand, when you told a story about the guy leaving omaha, nebraska, going to afghanistan coming home and getting out of the service and all of a sudden structure he was in, the men he served with, the purpose he had is all gone but it's hard to find. i think that is a tremendous observation. do you think him you saw it you said yourself that viacom is that correct? [inaudible] spent i did some counsel with the va. i was completely underwhelmed with the care i received and ended up pursuing counseling and the private sector. >> you answered my question before i asked because i was going to ask you if you failed like the counselors there had an awareness of what the real problem was, but obvious a g

isakson, proposes amendment numbered 138. mr. isakson: mr. president, this is the isakson-shaheen budget that creates a deficit-neutral fund for the purposes of converting our appropriation and budget process to a two-year process where we budget and appropriate in odd number -- the presiding officer: the senate is not in order. mrs. murray: mr. president, i would ask all senators to please take their conversations to the cloakroom. it's very difficult to hear the senator, and he has a right to be heard. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. isakson: we would budget and appropriate in odd-numbered years and do oversight for efficiencies, finding abuses and finding those programs that aren't working in even-numbered years. this is a process that has been asked for by every president since ronald reagan but our current president today, it is endorsed by republicans and democrats in this body. the person that knows the knows about it is miss jeanne shaheen, a former governor of new hampshire and a united states senator. mrs. shahe

resolution there will be two minutes equally divided prior to each vote, upon disposition of the isakson number 138 the majority have the next amendment in order and all these votes will be minutes. mr. sessions: mr. president, reserving the right to object, i think this is a good list, look forward to moving forward on it. i will try to work with senator murray and others. maybe we can avoid the gaps we've been having. we have a lot of senators here, a lot of things to do. there is an anxiousness we shouldn't be having so much down time and we'll be working toward that. i thank the chair and would not object. mrs. murray: mr. president? the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. the senator from washington. mrs. murray: i would agree with the senator. we're trying to work through, members have a lot of priorities amendments, we're trying to make sure our lists match up. our staffs are working very hard to go back and forth so everybody has equal time and the amendments that are a priority to their side. i apologize for taking time to do it but we're trying to come to an agree

and on both sides of the aisle, whether it's blunt of missouri, whether it's isakson of georgia, pryor or boozman of arkansas, mikulski and cardin of maryland. chicken is the mainstay of our eastern shore. we all are facing these. in my original underlying bill, i had a 1% transfer authority, subject to the approval of congress, that would have solved all these problems. it was the other chamber and even those on the other side of the aisle that insisted that i remove that from this bill. so for all who wanted flexibility, i wanted to fix it. we couldn't fix it. believe me, i wanted to fix it. each and every one of these individual amendments have merit in and of themselves. but we are now at the point where we have to decide whether you want the senate bill to stand and be voted on, with further amendment, subject to the parliamentarian determining what is germane and, therefore, eligible for consideration, or do you want the house bill? it's as simple as that. and i want to say, we've come so far. i want to thank the vice chairman, senator shelby, and his staff and all of the clerks