mccaskill: thank you. we've got to look at those issues and make sure that on a bipartisan basis we do what's responsible. we've got to make sure these programs, medicare, medicaid, and social security are stable and secure for my children and their chain. -- and their children. if we can't agree even on the modest measures like the three-year discretionary spending cap that senator sessions and i have been pushing for for over a year, i question whether we have the discipline to do the hard work. getting control of spending is very, very hard. but we have to do it and we have to do it now. the first and foremost thing we need to focus on is eliminating the waste an mismanagement. that's what drives americans crazy. it drives people crazy that we're spending money on duplicative programs and not seeing if they work. it drives people crazy that the government runs huge deficits and we're paying out improper payments to health and human services and improper payments to treasury to people who don't even qual

senator mccaskill is going to be here shortly. this is an unfortunate but inevitable situation in which we are going to have those clearly kid in the middle of this morning's hearing. so what we're going to do is we're going to start immediately when the senator comes in shall be on a panel by herself. she will speak and by agreement she will not be able to remain. she doesn't have enough time for all the members to question her. what i would like to do with the ranking member's approval is allow the ranking member to make his opening statement now, even before she arrives so was covered. i'll withhold my name till the main panel. but we're hoping to get as much read into the record and then we will break for the senator as soon as she arrives to ensure we get her before the vote. with that for being present, this hearing has come to order and i recognize the ranking member for his opening statement. >> mr. chairman, 20 thank you very much and think all the witnesses today for being a part of this hearing. particularly at night to

>> senator mccaskill you say you want to be honest. i know it will step on some democrat's toes, is the president's budget a failure in leadership? >> he laid down a starter mark and we have a lot more work to do. >> chris: do you think that is t addresses the problem? >> no matter what budget the president laid down it was going to be attacked. i think he laid down significant cuts and we have a lot more work to do and i'm willing to get at the table and get it done. >> chris: we have to leave it there. thank you both so much for talking with us and both of you please come back. >> all right, chris, see you. >> thank you. >> up next, protests across the middle east and authorities using lethal force to contain the uprising. an update from the region and ask our sunday group to explain what is going on. a tool where people can enter the terms of the refinance offer they got from their mortgage guy, and know instantly if they're getting bamboozled. and i will start after lunch...tomorrow. don't just think about it. introducing lendingtr

senator mccaskill. >> thank you both to the chairman and ranking member. let me start with our excited i get when i see an ita machine. >> or when it sees you? >> right. because i get to go through fairly quickly. i have an official knee. i have to be padded doubt everywhere there's not an ait machine. i'm always disappointed, i've been in several and i realize it's not operable. i've now started asking every time as these machines are sitting idle, and without fail, madam secretary, the people, i ask for the supervisor, always very polite and what a great job they're doing, how trend the supervisor in miami actually said to me, can you help us? we never have personnel to operate it, because it takes too many people, and we just don't have enough people here. one supervisor told me it took seven people to operate it. another said it took five. i'm confused why we would be spending money on deploying these machines, and i look and there seems to be an inconsistency in the numbers. at one point it said, 6.5 to operate one's them's in your budget request it l

she is just isclaire mccaskill.ould be hard pressed to say that the republican party is in someone standing up for labor in ways that the democratic party is not guest: definitely not, but mccaskill has not chopped down these rumors. they had an opportunity to but political professionals agree that if something comes up like that, youquash that right away. they did not print her position has been that her phone calls were not returned. this is why people like brian walsh at the nrcc has been dogged on this already. host: there are many speakers at the c-pac conference this week. the former alaska governor is not scheduled to speak. guest: i guess that means she will make any news, then. this is the third year i believe she has declined to appear in person. it seems like a story that rights itself. the gathering, as a i have understood it and followed it on the outside is an important but non-universal gathering for these activists. there'll be 10,000 people there and the requisite press and attention. it is worth no

senator mccaskill is recognized. >> thank you is always for being here.nt to say secretary gates and the president has a lot of hard decisions to make issue. one of the hardest decisions he has to make is always going to replace you. let me start with a topic that is very difficult at ink for you while to get your arms around and that is the incredibly serious allegations made about assault within the military. i'm not assuming that the allegations contained in a lawsuit are true. if you take them as factual, then we have a real serious problem that a woman and our military was by more than one member of the military and the video shared around the unit that this occurred. a woman raped by a chaplain she needed to go and attend church more. the rape kids are only kept for a year. i can't interbay police department in a country that would only hold onto a sub one for a year. i just think that we have got to look at this problem in a systemic way in terms of do these women have a safe place they can go, are we gathering evidence quickly or do we have expert

i wanted to follow-up on what senator mccaskill said about the gdp in afghanistan. you know the the 2011 national defence act requires the president, through the offices of the pentagon and the state's department to provide an economic strategy for afghanistan. could you speak to where we are with that process and how i important you think such a strategy would be, the overall success? specifically, we have the task force for business and stability operations. what for their role would to see for the particular task force? >> i will take the second part of your question first. this task force is one of those things that creates incredible antibodies in the bureaucracy because it does not sit in place. both in the department of the defense and in the department of state and, i think, i think it is an honest answer to say that, without, in effect, the protection of the secretary of defense, this operation would not or could not be sustained. my belief is that paul brinkley and his team had made a huge contribution, both in iraq and in afghanistan. it was called to the

i hope we'll vote on something like the act that senator mccaskill and i have.uld think most people in this country would consider it would be to be a responsible approach over a ten-year period that would would be a straitjacket on congress to ensure that we actually make those cuts. so those are two steps that need to occur. and it is my hope that the administration, after putting forth what has been put forth that they will join us in this effort. mr. president, i think all of us know that for us to deal with the big issues of this country, it's going to take the executive branch, the house, and the senate. we've got divided government. this is a perfect opportunity for us as a country to deal with this huge issue that really threatens certainly the future of the young people sitting before me, but threatens our country's economic security hand our national security. so, mr. president, and i thank you for the time, i hope that all of us will deal with this in a serious, sober, and responsible manner. i think we've got several months over which we have a treme

program, i have asked the government accountability office along with senator coburn and senator mccaskill to audit the feca program and report on the length of time individuals remain on the program, the number of recipients who exceed the standard federal retirement age and how the federal program compares to state workers compensation's best practices. i expect that these findings will lead to additional reform proposals as the bill proceeds through the senate. i also intend to work with stakeholders to determine if changes in the federal employee retirement system, the fers system, as opposed to the old civil service retirement system, are necessary to make sure that workers comp recipients would be treated fairly when they are converted to fers retirement benefits under this bill. for example, this may require the department of labor to administer the thrift savings plan contributions for recipients or to require social security contributions from workers comp recipients. what is clear, however, is that this program is in need of urgent reform. the program is costing too much. injured

so what i've tried to put in place with claire mccaskill and others -- and there are growing numbersof other people who are part of this process -- is to try to put something in place that causes us to be responsible to the american people. so i hope that, i hope that others will join this. it's my hope that what we'll do is three things. i hope that we will vote and pass on cuts in federal spending today. i hope that will happen over the next short period of time whr-fplt it's -- whether it's some of the things we're looking at on the c.r., maybe it's recommendations that have been put in place by the president's deficit-reduction commission, but i hope that what we will do as a body is go ahead and vote and pass real cuts now. secondarily, what i hope will happen is we'll put in place something like the cap act to make sure that we continue that fiscal discipline long after people move on to other topics, that we keep that straitjacket in place so that we do those things, again, that are responsible not only to generations now but to future generations. then thirdly, i hope we figu

republican senator tom coburn of oklahoma and missouri democratic senator clear mccaskill. at 3:00 p.m., a reader of cnn's "state of the union." she talks with donald rumsfeld about his new book. then it chuck schumer of new york and republican senator dick lugar. at 4:00 p.m., it is face the nation. they talk with the chairman of the house budget committee. paul ryan. and the ranking democrat, chris van hollen of maryland. the five network tv talk shows are brought to the public service by the networks and c- span. they begin at noon eastern time with nbc's "meet the press", 1:00, abc cozied this week, fox news sunday at 2:00 p.m., 3:00, of state of the union and face the nation from cbs at 4:00 p.m. eastern. listen to them on c-span radio, on 90.1 in washington, d.c.. nationwide on excess satellite channel 132 -- x-m satellite channel 132. >> the american dream is under attack because america is under attack. we will get it back. >> today on "road to the white house," herman caine is a potential 2012 republican presidential candidate. a year from now, the state will host

senator mccaskill,chanic getting the votes that would have made statutory caps using the president's budget, it would take a two thirds vote to violate that would've been a far wall. i think we realize those numbers were too high. we will have to wrestle with it. this is about the economy. one question i would like to hear a little further from mr. malpass that he made reference to is a qe-2 and the fed's action. and there was something on high tax strategy from new hampshire. it said we continued to print money. the fed buying treasurys is printing money, is that fair to say? >> it risks that. maybe a rhetorical point or a mild point, technically the fed barrault's bit from banks. and it creates excess reserves at the fed. as long as we have a stoppage in the regulatory process where banks are not lending, then there has not been an actual expansion of the amount of money in the private sector. >> the leverage that the fed uses? >> all that has happened so far is that the fed is taking on the risk of the private sector by owning long-term debt. so they are exposed if interest rates

i remember two people standing up and clapping, senator mccain and senator mccaskill. it was a little bit of a lonely group in that part of the speech. but i know they'll talk about that as obviously you have seen announcements made on the senate side that it appears as if we have seen the end of earmarks. senator bingeaman plays an important role in the development of ideas around clean energy and i think a large part of that conversation will center around the proposals that the president outlined to increase the amount of electricity that we create using clean energy, research and development around clean energy and the manufacturing jobs it can create. >> the president going to make changes in the health care law? >> i think the president -- i think the president outlined in the state of the union some adjustments to the way small businesses are treated, particularly around the 1099's. but we are not not going to go back and fight the battles of the previous two years and we are certainly happy to talk to those who want to see the law improved. but we're not going

i think senator mccaskill no the legislation got 59 votes that would have made statutory caps using the president's budget to violate that he did what has been a fire wall of a wintry fidelity we realize the numbers are too high and we have to wrestle with that. this is about the economy and one question i would like to pursue a little further mr. malpass made reference to it is the fed action the same articling was reading in mr. hickey with the editor of high-tech strategists said we continue to print money and a lie not correct mr. speaker that the fed buying treasury is that fair to say? >> it risks that. maybe a rhetorical point or a model point tactically the fed barrault's from banks so as long as it creates excess reserves that the fed, so as long as we have this stop in their retreat process where the banks are not lending then there hasn't been a natural expansion of the amount of money in the private-sector. >> with the leverage that the fed uses -- clinical that have been so far is the fed is taking on the rest of the private sector by owning long-term debt so they are expos