the obama economy is a disaster. and the people who are hurt the most are the most vulnerable among us, young people, hispanics, african-americans, they are single moms. and all of the smoke and mirrors that the white house has designed to distract from the failures of the obama economy and the people who are hurting and no one is being hurt more than women by the obama economy. >> senator, do you think that the democrats, though, are tempting you and tempting republicans to go ahead and vote against the various measures, that as you pointed out, sir, do test well in the polls. and that they wanted on record that republicans were against the minimum wage, against making things fair for women and all these things that you can question the math, but you know the strategy. what do you say? >> well, it's not even tempting. they are explicit. they have written these bills because they know that they won't pass. and they are doing it just to score political points. but again, great names. stick a wonderful name on a bill,

obama. record low marks on the economy.arvard university economics professor, martin feldstein on jobs, the markets, the obama economy. up. a short word that's a tall order. up your game. up the ante. and if you stumble, you get back up. up isn't easy, and we ought to know. we're in the business of up. everyday delta flies a quarter of million people while investing billions improving everything from booking to baggage claim. we're raising the bar on flying and tomorrow we will up it yet again. lou: new poll from gallup, shows fewer than half of americans have confidence in president obama to do the right thing about the economy. only 42%. that is the lowest rating on record for this president. here to talk about the obama economy and the directions in which we are headed, noted harvard economist, chairman of the council of economic advisors under president reagan, martin feldstein. great to have you with us, marti. >> great to be with you again. lou: these numbers, they are just that, numbers and reflection of what people

obama. record low marks on the economy. harvard university economics professor, martin feldstein on jobs, the markets, the obama economy. [ doctor ] and in a inical trial versus litor, crestor got more high-risk patient bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. way to go, crestor! yh! tting to goal is a big deal, especially if you have high cholesterol plus any of these risk factors. because you could be at increased risk for plaque buildup in your arteries over time. so, when diet a exercise aren't engh to lower cholterol, adding crestor can help. go, crestor! ♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone, like peoplwith liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you'rtang. call your doctor rht away if you have muscle pain or weakness, fl unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin eyes. these could be sig of rare but seris side effects. crestor! yes! [ female announcer ] ask your doctor

the struggle against the reality of this the obama economy. for more than five years now, more than five years since the recession hit, long-term unemployment in this country persists. and when job seekers do find a job, well, they too often find that that it's a part time work and that's their only option. so contrary to the rosy proclamation that is we often hear from the administration, the job market really is struggling to regain its foothold. and that's just not me saying this. this is not partisan rhetoric. it was chair yellen that remarked recently, and i quote, the existence of such a large pool of partly unemployed workers is a sign that labor conditions are worse than indicated by the unemployment rate. end quote. so this reality is symptomatic actually of a more fundamental problem. it is a job destroying trifecta, if you will. it's obamacare, overregulation and it's deficit spending. otherwise known as obama-nomics. it's holding back a solid economic turnaround for all americans. so today what will we do about it? today this commi

and president obama's terrible economy doesn't discriminate. it hurts americans from every demographic. on the president's watch, women have lower incomes today? the median income for women has dropped by $7,300 since president obama took office. and, indeed poverty among women has gone up markedly under president obama. the poverty rate for women has increased from 14.4% when the president took office to 16.3%. in real terms, that means today 3.7 million more american women are in poverty today than when the president took office. now, the president is not responding to any of this. instead, we see the president, we see the senate majority leader shifting to the topic of a mandated federal minimum wage. in an effort to change the subject. but the undeniable reality, the undeniable truth is if the president succeeded in reeving the minimum wage, it would cost jobs from the most vulnerable. the people who have been hurt by this obama economy would be hurt worse. with the minimum wage proposal before this body. in 2013, the president in his state

the struggle against the reality of this the obama economy.for more than five years now, more than five years since the recession hit, long-term unemployment in this country persists. and when job seekers do find a job, well, they too often find that that it's a part time work and that's their only option. so contrary to the rosy proclamation that is we often hear from the administration, the job market really is struggling to regain its foothold. and that's just not me saying this. this is not partisan rhetoric. it was chair yellen that remarked recently, and i quote, the existence of such a large pool of partly unemployed workers is a sign that labor conditions are worse than indicated by the unemployment rate. end quote. so this reality is symptomatic actually of a more fundamental problem. it is a job destroying trifecta, if you will. it's obamacare, overregulation and it's deficit spending. otherwise known as obama-nomics. it's holding back a solid economic turnaround for all americans. so today what will we do about it? today this commit

sandra: okay, bringing in the obama economy. we have the jobs report today. it was at this event.ll below, as we have heard from john lonski earlier in the show. well below what he thought was needed for a robust economic recovery in the united states. how does this look heading to the midterm elections this fall? >> i think that it hurts president obama and the democrats. he clearly does not have a plan for economic growth. talking about raising the minimum wage, for example, that is what cost hundreds of thousands of jobs clearly not a robust recovery. at rawlins can talk about reagan's time but she key growth of 8%. he chose the path of economic recovery and now work. unfortunately, president obama has not been able to do that and i think it will be very reflect to come the election. >> i think whatever the projections were, we are at a point where we are going to have six and a half, 7% unemployment for a least a couple more years and the only stimulus going on is what the federal reserve is doing. sort of moving sideways. citing congress is not going to do anything to stimula

>> it is the now norm in the obama economy. we have never a chiefed the job growth promised to us by the president after he got elected and did the stim tim package. these are weak numbers. there is good news. more jobs have been created and some of the problems with job creation in february and january were weather related and this is what we have here. this is the slowest recovery ever. yes, we are getting some recovery. and job creation, but it is slow and clearly not enough to keep this country working like it needs to. looking at the under. unemployment rate. there is private sector jobs but they are temporary. those temporary jobs rose by 28,000. 7.4 million americans working part- time and that is a great concern. but the silver lining is the job participation rate. people in jobs or looking for jobs rising to 62.5 percent. the recovery is recovering. we are no longer in a recession. we are supposed to have job creation. the question is why is the recovery so slow? we have had expansion and monetary. and the federal rese

with us in a serious effort to help americans who struggle so much in the obamacare -- in the obama economy. the good news is they'll have their chance this week. republicans are filing amendments on a whole range of job centered policies, that deserve not a vote but bipartisan support. an amendment would eliminate the 30 hour workweek rule which is hurting americans' take home pay. one of our members from utah is putting forward an appeal to destroy the device tax. a good number of democratic senators have joined us in the path to get rid of this job killer and they deserve the opportunity to help us eliminate it once and for all. the senior senator from north dakota has an amendment that would speed approval of the keystone pipeline. this is a project that would create thousands, thousands of jobs right away, and it's just a no-brainer. senate democrats need to join democrats across the country who have already endorse this had commonsense initiative and help us to pass it. i personally plan to file an amendment that would give congress the ability to stop e.p.a.'s backdoor national energ

that tells us a lot about the winners and losers in the obama economy.00 homes were sold, up a whopping 30% over the year before. economist believe it is a result of the 30% gain for the stock market. they say it is the wealth effect. making money in stocks, spend it on a beach house. much of the game last year went to the upper half of income earners. conclusion? the money is out there, the top half is making it. now look at the other half, it is astonishing to report after five years of obama policies, it is the poor half losing ground. buying power is down, more than half the new jobs pay $40 per hour. fewer working today than back in 2000. this half doing well buying beach houses, this half being ground out. conclusion, the presidents spread the wealth policies are not working. another conclusion, it will be even worse in the future as long as the policies stay in place. that's my opinion. it comes back to socialism or collectivism does not work. if you don't believe me, look at europe. he wants to make us like them. cradle to grave welfare system is

mcconnell: the obama economy has had a devastating impact on the people we represent. it's hurt millions in the middle class and people from every region of the country and almost every walk of life. and when you consider this week's debate in the senate, a few statistics jump out in particular. under this president's watch, more than 3.7 million american women have fallen into poverty. the average american woman now makes about $730 less than when the president took office. and if she's a college graduate, she's actually seen her income shrink by about double that amount. in other words, when it comes to american women overall, what we've seen over the past five and a half years is less income and more poverty. that's the story senate democrats don't want to talk about. perhaps that's why for weeks now they blocked the efforts republicans have made to improve the picture. senate democrats want to control this debate from start to finish, and basically do nothing to help with our efforts to expand opportunity and jobs for women and for men. it would appear, as some hav

since you want to blame everything on obama, maybe it is the obama economy. you can put that in there that you don't have the financials to take care of it, then you can look at what they are doing with energy. they want to charge you more for everything. they want now have a smaller family. >> it is all right. i wanted it to end where we blame it on obama. next topic, do opposites attract or is that a load of crack? a new research claims single people really just want to date themselves. the website looked at one million matches made by e harmony and found people are likely to message other singles who more closely resemble themselves and not those who complement them. notice the study's author, there was not one for which women were more likely to contact men with opposite straits. traits. this feeds into our last issue. do you buy this? do people want to date themselves? >> i couldn't date myself if you paid me. i give my man all of the credit in the world. i tell him all the time, i don't know how you do it. there is no way i can see spending that much ti

. >> the people who have been hurt the most by the obama economy are the most vulnerable among us.le, it's hispani hispanics, african-americans, single moms, people who are struggling to climb the economic ladder and to reach the american dream. >> if there's one thing to bring this country back to its senses it's power out of the government, moving it back to the states, the counties and the cities where it was intended to be. >> let's not forget paul ryan with the house just approving his budget, if you want to call it that. he turned his attention to iowa headlining the lincoln dinner last night. >> i have to go back and say here's our plan to balance the budget, here's the plan to pay off the debt. here's how you successfully fight poverty not by simply managing poverty, but going after the root causes in the first place. we don't believe in inputs and throwing money at the problem, we believe in outcomes. we have to be not just the good opt sigs party. we have to be a great all t alternative party. >> i want to start with you. you're obviously up there and get a sense of how e

listen, there is obviously an issue in this country where upper 1% is making a lot of money in the obama economy. melissa: right. >> rich people can invest in the stock market and following the financial crisis there are less well-paying jobs being produced. melissa: that's a fact. >> disparity is definitely a fact. but what she is doing, she wants to make a bad situation even worse. i mean, there is, there is not a general consensus among economists that if you raise the minimum wage nothing is going to happen. the general consensus is, you will lose jobs. that is general consensus. that is mainstream economists. we should point out something else. maybe the most powerful, 10th most powerful lobbying group, restaurant association, but number unis mr. obama's friend, seiu and government workers. don't maund, t the most powerf international. emprst one of the things she is talking about, that we are talking about in this segment, there are many more people who are trying to survive on very low low-wage jobs. this is national unemployment law report. we lost 3.6 million positions in the recession

growth, good jobs, better opportunities understand and that's not what they're finding from the obama economy. instead, the president continues to push an agenda that makes it harder for americans to find good jobs and to bring home bigger paychecks. so today he'd like to talk about how -- i'd like tiewk about like to talk about how the health care law is making american paychecks smaller. i met earlier today with business leaders from wyoming. they're here from casper, sheaandcheyenne. i heard how it's impacting our economy not just in wyoming but nationwide. so it's interesting mr. president, to watch the white house and the president specifically spike the ball claiming that 8 million people signed up for health insurance through the government exchanges. at the same time, president has declared that the national debate about his health care law is -- quote -- "over." the administration's victory lap is premature. in fact, the obamacare debate is far from over. so i come to the floor today mr. president, to talk about additional side effects of the obama health care law. and i'm going to c

we have all been victims of the obama economy.but rand paul took a much more sort of nuanced economic view. can't you understand why people need to be helped? can't you have some compassion? that really fell relatively flat in that audience. that was a republican audience. they didn't want to hear that. they wanted to hear we are all victims now. can't we all fight against this. rand paul didn't take that tact. give him a lot of credit for that. i don't think that is a good way to run for president. but maybe, maybe americans and maybe american voters are tired of the old way we run for president. and they want to, have a new way to run for president. and that is a very dicey experiment. rand paul is attempting if he wants to get elected. >> i hear you on that. wrote down one word you said "academic" from stevenson to rand paul you have to be careful if people start thinking you are an academic presidential aspirant. thank you for joining us. >> what happens when the nypd tries to use social media to connect. later the boy scouts

-- an anemic growth, an obama can economy. i was recently at a high school speaking of the challenge that america had and a student asked me a question about it. i asked him, did he play a sport me? happened to be on the swim team. so i said, let me give you an analogy of america competing worldwide by a swim meet. picture america in a swim competition with every other country. many times at the early years, after the 1980's, we'd jump into the pool, we'd swim and we'd win. we'd hang those championship banners out. but in this new obama economy, things changed. stimulus spending. that meant we had to add a weight belt. about 20 pounds. then the tax increases came, we had to add more weight. onslaught of regulation, pretty soon you're up to 100 pounds. we jump into that pool, we don't always win. and nobody says, take the weight belt off, they just say, you just don't swim like you used to. you just don't swim like you used to. think about it. since the recession, part time employment has increased at the expense to full time.

right now too many of them are struggling paycheck to paycheck under this obama economy. gas prices are still high and still volatile, and my constituents are paying higher health care premiums because of obamacare. families need a break, mr. speaker, and this budget gives them a chance to get ahead while holding washington accountable for its stewardship of your money. and i'm looking forward to now, since we have a budget agreement, to seeing the senate budget and when they'll vote on a budget and i would encourage our friends on the other side keep harry to reid's feet to the fire and vote on a budget. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from maryland. mr. van hollen: i thank you, mr. chairman. i yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from rhode island, the distinguished member of the judiciary committee, mr. cicilline. the chair: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for 2 1/2 minutes. mr. cicilline: i thank the ranking member for his extraordinary leadership and for developing a budget proposal that actually reflects our nat

they're always be able to work and work in factories you know it doesn't matter now because in our obama's economy no young person can even get it on please right oh yeah i know i got into all delegate about what the damage they've done to this economy oh yes obama no rama became president and the second knowing losing their houses they're losing their salaries they're losing their savings bragging this is his economy your bag this is. not the night that i was inaugurated and there was a group of republican this is a matter i watched in two thousand. just as he. was there he was on this program instead of yes we were there we decided and in fact pete sessions went out and said we're going to become like the taliban this is going to be an insurgency and they said that we're going to destroy his presidency we're going to obstruct everything whether it's good for that kind of thing and so are you saying is is that you going to when you brag you've got how do you homicide is being that the first time anyone ever had a problem on an issue was with obama and these problems have continued continuously du

economy. that's why you're not seeing the jobs under obama. what about it? we loaned tesla $500 million but they ended up with a car that cost $80,000 to build and the new jobs will be in china. >> how many of the companies do you invest in are in china? start with walmart. one of the biggest rescipients y the united states government? all of the things came to you by research and development. the internet, plastics, computers. go down the list. what about the money we give to big oil every year. $4 billion for what? they're hugely profitable. does jonathan complain about big oil. >> hang in there. yes, there is $4 billion of allowing oil companies to keep some of their hard earned money. president obama -- >> the main point here. >> wait. michelle he spent over $150 billion so far? what do we have to show for it? an $80,000 car that no one can afford to buy. >> exactly. this is why government bureaucrats shouldn't be playing venture capitalists and using our money. if you have a good product, customers will buy it but if you have a product at a price custom

obama ken economy sluggish. some sign that it is effective. a major new gallup survey suggestions obamacare enrollment numbers are not as high as obama administration now claims, survey shows 15.6% of adults are uninsured, down from 17.1% at end of last year. which translates to 3.5 million people who have now taken on healthcare coverage. far from 7.1 million white house said signed up for private pla plans. jeb bush setting himself apart from other republicans on the issue of immigration, former governor claims many who illegally come to u.s. do so, out of an act of love. >> yes, they broke the law, but, it is not a felony. it is a act of love. and an act of commitment to your family, i think that is a different kind of crime, that should be -- there should be a price paid, but it should not real people up they are coming to this country to provide for their families. >> joining us now. first let's reacting if you will, to governor bush, an act of love, in crosses our bodyers illegal well -- our borders illegaly well -- >> i have to agree wit

nothing bad happened after 1928 -- after 1928 will stop the people who have been hurt by the obama economyare the most vulnerable once, the young people, hispanics, african-americans, single moms, people who are struggling to climb the economic ladder and reach the american dream. i tried to think of all the issues and challenges we face from the perspective of my data. fled cuba.o, my dad he had been imprisoned, he'd been tortured and beaten almost to death in a cuban jail. he came to america at age 18, fleeing the batista regime. he couldn't speaking less, he had a hundred dollars sewn into his underwear. i don't advise carrying money in your underwear. but he got a job washing dishes making $.50 an hour. and he worked seven days a week and paid his way through school and went on to start a small business and work toward the american dream. the policies we are seeing today at how they would have impacted my dad when he was washing dishes. my father was still washing dishes today, the odds are very high he would have lost his job. the 1.7 trillion dollars in new taxes from this administra

the current obama economy is doing everything it can to hurt the american dream. the economy is stagnant, 10 million americans who are inemployed, and incomes are falling and right now, there's 3.7 more million women living in poverty than when they took office. irepeat that. there's 3 #.7 more million women living in poverty today than when the president took office. the median income dropped by 773 dollars since president obama took office. that's why this body should be focused on policies that lift the government imposed burdens that impede job opportunities and quick growth. i offered the amendment, asked content to have the debate and voted on when we get on this bill, that actually is focused on end acting policies that lift the government burdens that impede job economics and growth. it's the good jobs, good wages, act, returning america to a place where there's good job opportunities. this creates jobs by raping in burdensome requirements, shielding workers from the damaging effects of the obamacare, improving the xl pipeline to provide releaver to employe

that is a flaw of the education system and it's a flaw of obama's 2% growth economy.igher minimum wage would not solve bad education and slow growth economy. >> a job is more important than a minimum wage? >> i agree raising the minimum wage will not solve our growth problems and all the things rich just said. there's too many people out there who can't make ends meet. one thing interesting about this, this whole argument over a federal minimum wage increase, the states have already taken it over, folks. you've got eight states that passed laws themselves to raise minimum wage. you've got 32 states going through the legislative process right now doing it themselves and eight more where people are organizing to put it on the ballot. this is going to be done before the federal government gets to it. >> why should the federal government be doing it? one sides as we learned with obamacare does not fit all. the cost of living varies tremendously from one state to the other, one city to the other. detroit versus new york. detroit costs about half as much. maybe the states s

, i hear from ohioans frustrated that washington isn't working, especially in year six of this obama economy. with disappointing job growth. and as we continue to face unacceptable unemployment levels, the senate refuses to take commonsense steps to get americans back to work. over a year ago i was proud to support the skills act, legislation that would have helped job seekers, help employers, reform government and cut bureaucratic costs so more money can go directly to help people getting back to work. this legislation offers long-term solutions to help those looking for work, combined with smart government reforms. what do we hear from senate leadership? nothing. it's bipartisan frustration i think on some parts because these aren't just republican bills that are being blocked. nearly three dozen democrat-sponsored bills have passed the house of representatives with overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle. no action in the senate. these are noncontroversial bills. but some in the senate are more concerned with demonizing individual americans than helping every american. the legis

i join my colleagues in being concerned about what this obama economy is doing to our country. and theof the debt annual deficit, our children and grandchildren are being robbed of the economic freedom that is rooted in the american dream. it is the ultimate cap and trade. last year, cbo predicted the u.s. economy would grow on average by 2.9% each year over the next decade. now, they are predicting that is only going to be 2.5%. the economy is shrinking before our very eyes. it is being wrapped in regular terry -- and regulatory red tape. budgetok at the analysis, only 63% of the american people have a job or looking for one. that is the lowest level since 1978. they are losing faith and trust in this economy. we can do better. this committee is showing the american people there is another way. a better way to move back to preserving the american dream. we don't have to accept the status quo that has brought us crushing debt,t, it comes choices when to health care. i like the fact that this would balance in 10 years, and strengthens programs like medicare by giving seniors, an

but the current obama economy is doing everything it can to hurt the american dream. the economy is stagnant. there are 10 million americans who are unemployed, nearly 4 million for six months or longer. household income has fallen. right now there are 3.7 million more women living in poverty than there were when the president took office. i want to repeat that, mr. president. there are 3.7 million more women living in poverty today than there were when the president took office. the median income for women has dropped by $733 since president obama took office. that's why this body should be focused on enacting policies that lift the government-imposed burdens that impede job opportunities and economic growth. i've offered an amendment, just asked consent to be able to have it debated and voted on when we get on this bill that actually is focused on enacting policies that lift the government-imposed burdens that impede job triewnts and economic growth. it's called the good jobs, good wages and good hours act. it would help return america to a place where there are good

the kind of people who have had it worst in the obama economy. the very people washington democrats should be doing literally everything to help. what i'm saying to my colleagues today is this:st not too late. you can still work with republicans for more opportunity and help us rebuild the middle class. but to do so, you need to abandon the left and start focusing on the middle class for a change. and if you're ready to get serious -- >> and the leaders from this morning, we'll take you live back to the senate floor where the debate will get under way shortly on that minimum wage bill. live coverage now here on c-span2. sponsor of this bill, i intend to be back on the floor later today to -- to respond to some of the allegations made by senators on the other side of the aisle regarding this bill and the minimum wage as a concept. but i just want to take a few minutes to sort of set the stage for this legislation. and what it's going to mean for our economy and for working americans. i guess, madam president, what i'd say at the outset is the mini

opportunities for americans and help make up the ground that the american people have lost in the obama economy. and democrats can still change their minds and join us. and, madam president, i hope that they will because the situation hasn't gotten any better. we still have higher chronic unemployment, lower take-home pay, lower household income. people who've been unemployed for more than six months is almost 4 million in our work force today. the labor participation rate, the number of people who are actually in the labor force, is at the lowest level that we've seen literally in 35 years, meaning that there are millions of americans who have left the work force. those statistics are crying out for solutions that will do something about the need for jobs in our economy, that will do something about growing and expanding our economy so that those people who are unemployed in this country can find the work that they need to improve their standard of living and that for their families as well. and so i hope that all these things that i've mentioned, these are all amendments that have been filed

jay carney says they have already imposed costs on the russian economy. obama critics say the sanctions haven't heard the russian economy enough. >> they have a very fragile economy. it's the 13th largest. it's a gas station masquerading as a country. there's many actions we can take. so far, we've had a lot of talk and no action. >> they blamed the violence on ukraine and kiev. aides refused to endorse the graduated sanctions against russia. that russian veto is frustrating u.s. ambassador samantha power says what the russians are doing in ukraine, the world has seen before. >> it has all the tell-tale signs what we see in crimea. there's nothing grassroots about it. >> president putin has received numerous requests asking for him to interfere. >> it's kind of an heavy handed approach. russian is familiar with it. including in the soviet past. it's not fooling anybody. >> u.s. officials are cheering the ukrainians for not responding to the russian's provocation. a russian fighter buzzed the u.s. war ship a number of times this weekend. the u.s. proceed tested,

economy. >> barack obama is in sold as friday. -- in sold this friday. friday.oul this dominating the agenda. satellite images shows north korea is looking to carry out its fourth nuclear test. speaking at a press conference, obama said washington and seoul stand united against north korea's nuclear program. korea, regard to north the united states and south korea stand shoulder to shoulder, both in the face of pyongyang's provocations and in our refusal to accept a nuclear north korea. threats will get them nothing other than greater isolation. we are united on the steps pyongyang needs to take to illuminate its weapons program and live up to their international obligations. >> that was barack obama speaking in seoul earlier. israel says it is holding peace talks with the palestinians after a unity deal between rival factions were reached. israel says it cannot negotiate with the government backed by hamas that does not recognize israel's right to exist. the move comes just a's after a u.s. deadline to reach a framework for peace in the decade-long conf

for consumers already hurting in the obama economy, more bad news is on the waism the e.p.a. is currently working on regulations for ozone standard, greenhouse e gas emissions for power plants and a dramatic expansion of the clean water. mr. president, i'd like to just briefly touch on the impacts that the e.p.a. mandate, including grog standard, regional haze requirements, boil ermc, utility mack are having on energy prices back in my home state. in 2008 then-senator obama promised to make energy prices skyrocket and today in my home state he's fulfilling that promise. just monday blackhills power, a utility company in western south dakota, announced a prepared rate increase to cover the cost of new e.p.a. mandates. average customer rates will increase by approximately $^130 a year. for a family living in western south dakota, $130 can go a long way. south dakota is a rural state with an energy-inten sift sector. families have to travel long distance where a cold-weather climate. we see dramatic swings in seasonal temperatures that create uncertainty when opening monthly uti

about ideas that can help middle-class americans who have been struggling just to make it in the obama economy. but our democratic colleagues don't seem to care all that much. they seem too preoccupied with an election that's still seven months away instead of working with us on ideas for job creation, they have been talking about pretty much anything else. time and again yesterday republicans asked our democratic colleagues for consideration of our amendments by the senate, and time and time again those efforts were rebuffed. now, republicans have a lot of good ideas. all we're asking for is that those ideas get fair consideration. let's get our amendments pending, have a debate, and actually take a vote. but some senate democrats seem to see things entirely differently. they don't even want the elected representatives of the people to have a say, a say on what americans say is the most important issue facing our country. this is especially galling because our friends across the aisle always seem to find time for poll-tested show votes aimed at firing up the left. they may not be overly conce

employers are already struggling to make their budgets work and -- in the stagnant obama economy. we know how these employers will be forced to respond, by cutting hours or hiring fewer workers. there's concrete evidence this is already happening, not just in the private sector. in my own hometown, johnson city, tennessee, where i was mayor before i came here, the city school system has been forced to keep approximately 00 part-time employees -- 200 part-time employees, including substitute teachers,. it would harm the schoolchildren that would benefit from this. there's no other way to help individuals who cannot afford health insurance or have been affected by catastrophic illness or disease. mr. speaker, i've spent my entire adult life as a physician, taking care of people from all walks of life. i want every american to have access to an affordable health care plan, and i've worked since i arrived in congress to develop patient-centered solutions to help people afford ealth care like h.r. 25 -- 3121. there are ways to reach this goal without creating massive knew bureaucracies

obama philippines as he considers -- continues his to her. -- tour. the secretive pact would establish a free trade zone among pacific rim countries. it encompasses nearly 40% of the global economyobama spoke at a town hall event in a group of demonstrators stood up and held placards in silent protest. in a egyptian judge has sentenced hundreds of people to death as part of a continued crackdown of the muslim brotherhood. the 680 three defendants were accused of violent acts. they have been deemed a terrorist group. the defendants in crude -- inclu de many. the judge sentenced others to death and a trial last month. in today's hearings, 37 death sentences were upheld while the rest were changed to 25 years in prison. a government panel in afghanistan says it has uncovered to previously under -- undiscovered prisons. they are said to be on the nato coalition basis of kandahar and camp bastion. they have not declined the cla im. the u.s. has announced new sanctions on russia and the continued standoff over the crisis in ukraine. speaking today in manila, president obama said he would expand the list targeting russian individuals and firms with financial and diplomatic penalties. >

obama's week long tour of asia. now malaysia's relationship with the u.s. is stronger than ever. >> we agree to the relations to the partnership. this marks a new phase in our relationship, economy, and more. >> president obama said that russia should stop encouraging unrest in the ukraine. there will be more sanctions in order to punish moscow. >> the notion that you for us to go forward without the european nations would be the most deterrent, but that is wrong. the most deterrence will be when president putin sees we're solidified. >> now the putin military observers have been detained since friday. the leader of the prosopous moscow group said he would consider a trade from kiev. >>> that's the situation, let's go live to donestk. several lines of development concerning the team on its way to try to negotiate the release of these monitor who is are being held in slovensk, we. >> reporter: yes, they are still on their way. they do all it can to have these men released. at the moment you seem to have several groups that are runner around the city, and who are sort of vying for power inside the city. the self proclaimed mayor who is the face of slovensk have called these prison