our path is clear. we are moving forward. after more than a decade of war, the nation that we need to rebuild is our own. as we do, we need to take care of our troops and veterans who fought in our name. we have to grow our economy entering our deficit. we need to great new jobs and boost family incomes. we have to protect our planet from the destructive effects of climate change. we need to protect our children from the horrors of gun violence. these will be difficult goals for america, but they must be met. if we could have the fraction of the termination of the men and women in, i know that we can meet them. i tend to work hard to make sure that we can. thank you. >> hello. i'm proud to represent the state of nebraska in the u.s. senate. i have traveled thousands of miles all across nebraska meeting with leaders and citizens to learn about their views and share my position on issues. during that time, i heard a single message over and over again -- washington must cut out of control spending. i agree. the american people are right to expect more accountability from

ours together. we are one nation and one people. our fate as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen but upon all citizens. that is the majesty and the meaning of this moment. for every generation there is a destiny. for some, history decides. for this generation the choice must be our own. even now, a rocket moves toward mars. it reminds us that the world will not be the same for our children, or even for ourselves in a short span of years. the next man to stand here will look out on a scene that is different from our own. ours is a time of change -- rapid and fantastic change -- bearing the secrets of nature, multiplying the nations, placing in uncertain hands new weapons for mastery and destruction, shaking old values and uprooting old ways. our destiny in the midst of change will rest on the unchanged character of our people and on their faith. they came here -- the exile and the stranger, brave but frightened -- to find a place where a man could be his own man. they made a covenant with this land. conceived

our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. our healthcare is too costly costly and our schools fail too many. each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. these are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. less measurable, but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land. a nagging fear that america owes the decline is inevitable, but the next generation must lower its sights. today i say to you that the challenges we face are real. they are serious and they are many. they will not be met easily or in a short span of time, that know this, america -- they will be met. [cheers and applause] on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of her pace over conflict and discord. on this day we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false

>> it is hard to overstate how important our national guards are in each of our states, especially in helping us in times of emergency. we want to make it clear how cost-effective national guard is as part of our overall national defense package. it is remarkable. i had the opportunity to travel with governor malloy to afghanistan. we were flown from kuwait to afghanistan by members of the california national guard. we call them our hometown heroes. they are extraordinarily well trained. they are filling in for active duty forces and they are doing so to make that happen for us. it is incredibly cost-effective. i believe we have the irresponsibility. making decisions about the national defence -- national but when you have something like the national guard that is trained and is cost effective, that is to be part of the equation. we are going to keep hammering that particular point home. >> we want to be a partner in helping to looking at the solutions to challenges facing our nation. the national guard is important to our nation's defense. it is important they have the right equipmen

my pop and the president of the nited statses will do all they can to strengthen our nation. ers and applause] today, we can all and hand and do the same. and in doing so, we are working to make our great country worthy of our veterans service and their sacrifice. thank you and god bless our troops. [applause] >> hi. what's yournam name? ?ill you shake my nhand what are you doing? >> we are making cards. >> for the national day of service, the president and mrs. obama were at an elementary school in washington, ec bank they participated in a community project -- in washington, d.c. they participated in a community project. >> that was a good one. [laughter] [inaudible chatter] [applause] >> hello, everyone. hello, hello, hello. [cheers and applause] well. [cheers and applause] this is a good-looking crew here. first of all, we want to acknowledge burrville elementary school. [cheers and applause] and the principal, who is doing outstanding work. if you see to it, you might think she is a student, but no, she is the principal. as they look around the room, we see friends from a

it is vital for our nation that we do so. the world is well aware that we face a number of immediate dangerous challenges. particularly in the middle east and south central asia. given our extraordinary interest in nonproliferation, we must resolve the questions surrounding iran's nuclear program. the president has made it definitive. we will do what we must do to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and i repeat here today, our policy is not containment. it is prevention. and the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance. this administration working with congress and in unprecedented international coalition has put into place crippling sanctions on iran. mr. chairman, you have been a leader in that effort. and i know will continue to be. president obama has stated again and again, and i want to emphasize this, he and i prefer a diplomatic resolution to this challenge. and i will work to give diplomacy every effort to succeed. but no one should mistake our resolve to reduce the nuclear threat. n

our nation should have a budget as well. every year the president is required by law to submit a budget proposal to congress by february 4. the obama administration has already informed congress that for the fourth time in five years, it will be late submitting a budget to your representatives. the president has already missed more budget deadlines than any of his predecessors. the house and senate are also required by law to submit a budget each year. by april 15, tax day. the democratic one senate has not approved such a resolution in almost four years. this is not the result of washington gridlock. harry reid said it would be foolish for his party and then does the senate to produce a budget. we disagree. with more than $16 trillion in debt, we believe is foolish not to have a budget. in the house, and it will again meet our legal obligations to pass the budget on time. our budget will moderate spending, pay our bills, and keep the government running. it will be planned to slowly but surely, what our nation out of debt, d

they may know on which path they should move on our nation. with courage that they may go against their own when necessary for the common good of our beloved america. removal unrelenting towards the common good. we pray a blessing on our house of representatives, and our son that and our judicial and executive branches. you still on every member spiritual protection and good health. we'll hold president barack obama and his family in the same manner. we're thankful for the religious freedom of this nation. for our family and friends. for this meal that we will share. remembering that they are still those who suffer hunger in our nation. we have all joined in this prayer. i am the name of jesus christ my lord and savior. amen. >>please be seated and enjoy lunch. >> having steamed lobster with new england clam chowder. he is a historic president. you say well beyond being the first african-american president. >> by being reelected and guarantees that he will be able to implement the affordable care act. something the democrats have been trying to

our nation can be strong abroad only if it is strong at home. we know that the best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation. to be true to ourselves, we must be true to others. we will not behave in foreign places so as to violate our rules and standards here at home, for we know that the trust which our nation earns is essential to our strength. the world itself is now dominated by a new spirit. peoples more numerous and more politically aware are craving, and now demanding, their place in the sun--not just for the benefit of their own physical condition, but for basic human rights. the passion for freedom is on the rise. tapping this new spirit, there can be no nobler nor more ambitious task for america to undertake on this day of a new beginning than to help shape a just and peaceful world that is truly humane. we are a strong nation, and we will maintain strength so sufficient that it need not be proven in combat--a quiet strength based not merely on the size of an arsenal

as i said, the work of defending our nation is never done. my number one criteria in making these decisions was simple. who is going to do the best job in securing america? these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i am confident they will do an outstanding job. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the american people safe. so, chuck, john, congratulations, and with that you want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words starting with mr. leon panetta. first of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and the prif of serving in your administration these last for you years as director of the cia and now as secretary of defense. i have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team, mr. president, and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. looking ahead to the second term, i want to commend president obama on his decision to nominate chuck hagel as the next secretary o

our nation is emerging from over a decade of war. have brought our men and women in uniform home from iraq and have started to bring them home from afghanistan. that does not mean that the threats we face and will continue to face are any less dangerous or complicated. in fact, it is quite the opposite. recent events in mali and algeria remind us clearly of this reality. 21st century complexities, technologies, economies, threats are bringing 7 billion global citizens closer together than ever before. and as our planet adds another 2 billion people over the next 25 years, the dangers, complications and human demands will not be lessened but rather heightened. despite these challenges, i believe we also have historic opportunities to help build a safer, more prosperous, more secure, more hopeful and just world than maybe at any time in the history of man for all people. yes, hate tread and intolerance exists and we must be clear eyed about this danger. and we will be. we will not hesitate to use the full force of the united states mil

this is an $16 trillion is greater than our nation's economy exceeding our g.d.p. and we have on the floor floor toda legislation that calls upon our children and grandchildren even greater burdens of debt. it's time to end the credit card economics. we simply cannot afford to spend money that we are borrowing from countries like china on-line items we don't need and constitution isn't authorized to spend. my amendment strips one line item out of this bill. this is really low-hanging fruit. the sandy relief effort was increased by $1 million to boost the legal services corporation, massacre aiding as disaster relief and i thought we had a ban on earmarks in this congress. why is a bailout for new york lawyers emergency hurricane relief, even if you believe this is a legitimate government program which i don't, by the way, how can you argue that spending on lawyers is a legitimate emergency spending? let me say again, for $-- we are $16 trillion in debt, we are $16 trillion in debt, america. we simply cannot afford to continue like this. we cannot keep spending on m

as much as we do in our states, our economies are tightly linked to the national economy, and as a result, our state's prosperity, the prosperity of our citizen depends in no small measure on the ability of all public servants in washington to come together on a path forward. uncertainty here in federal support hurts both our economies and the federal budget, and the implications are incredibly important. governors have been working with the president, the vice president, and congressional leadership to find solutions to help put our country back on firm financial footing. one of the largest elements of the uncertainty concerned elements of the fiscal cliff that were either postponed or taken out of the reason -- recent relief act of 2012 as the only postponed reducing grants to states. intimate reform was not addressed, and no action was taken regarding the federal debt limit. if the debt limit does not increase soon, there will be disruptions to capital spending and markets that could greatly impact state operations. until there are resolved, states can not make financial plans that wil

the work of defending our nation is never done. my number one criteria in making these decisions was simple. he was going to do the best job number securing american? they have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i am confident they will do an outstanding job. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the american people safe. congratulations. with that i want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words starting with mr. leon panetta. >> first of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and the privilege of serving in your administration. the last four years as director of the cia and now secretary of defense i have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. looking ahead to the second term i want to commend president obama on his decision to nominate chuck hagel as the next secretary of defense. let me also add as former director of

as i said, the work of defending our nation is never done. umber one criteria in making these decisions was simple. who is going to do the best job in securing america? these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i am confident they will do an outstanding job. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the american people safe. i want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words, starting with mr. leon panett panetta. >> first of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and the privilege of serving in your administration these last four years as director of the cia and now secretary of defense. i have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team, mr. president and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. looking ahead to the second term, i want to commend president obama on his decision to nominate chuck hagel as the next secretary of defense. and let me add, as former director

the argument in our nation has really become pro birth when it when you say pro-life the fact is that our church has taught for decades for over a century that pro-life is this broad a ray of everything that supports the sanctity of life and certainly when you look at sandy hook elementary school in the twenty young children that were gunned down that was an anti-life action that we need to and the fact that since sandy hook over nine hundred people have died because of gun violence this is wrong our nation is better than this and a pro-life stance would embrace a response of approach to gun ownership and sister campbell is one of sixty four catholic leaders have signed an open letter to all americans who call themselves pro-life to endorse gun control and she writes the defense of human dignity extends beyond protecting life in the womb sister simone campbell gets what most of the republican party and some of the democratic party don't yet you can't call yourself pro-life if you at the same time indoors death by way of guns hunger pollution or health care and security can do it only

as i said, the work of defending our nation is never done. my number one criteria in making these decisions was simple, who is going to do the best job in securing america. these two leaders have dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i'm confident they will do an outstanding job. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the american people safe. so, chuck, john, congratulations. with that i want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words, starting with mr. leon panetta. >> first of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and the privilege of serving in your administration. these last four years as director of the cia and now as secretary of defense, i have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team, mr. president, and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. looking ahead to the second term, i want to commend president obama on his decision to nominate chuck hagel as the next secretary o

our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. r economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. our healthcare is too costly costly and our schools fail too many. each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. these are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. less measurable, but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land. a nagging fear that america owes the decline is inevitable, but the next generation must lower its sights. today i say to you that the challenges we face are real. they are serious and they are many. they will not be met easily or in a short span of time, that know this, america -- they will be met. [cheers and applause] on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of her pace over conflict and discord.

national finance chair. now, i understand that our slate of officers has been dually nominated. nna brazille, vice chair, congresswoman for vice chair, maria for vice chair, and andrew tibius for treasurer, stephanie rollings-blake for secretary, and henry for national finance chair. the chair understands this is the only slate of officers dually nominated accordingly, and i'd like to move to nominating and seconding the wonderful and group of talented officer candidates and proceed to a single vote. the chair entertains a motion to elect the vice chair and national finance chair on a single vote. the motion made. is there a second? all in favor -- >> question, madam chair -- >> i'm getting there. >> thank you, ma'am. >> is there any discussion? >> yes, madam chair. >> yes? >> larry of california, i want to move to suspend the rules to separate out the election of office of secretary until the next meeting of the dnc. >> second. >> okay. according to our rule, we do not accept nominations from the floor. in order to be nominated, you actually have to have submitted a petition and

rather, their violin reenforcing elements of our broader national security interest. it is essential to keeping americans secure. one of the key objectives of our strategy is to deprive -- the private terrace of their enabling means, particularly their finances. our strategy sets out to expand and enhance efforts to block the flow of financial resources to and among terrorist groups and to disrupt terrorist facilitation and support activities, imposing sanctions or pursuing prosecution to enforce a violation and dissuade others. our efforts include a wide range of activities to provide -- collectively, are activities seek to use all elements of national power to sever terrorist funding. disrupt the terrorists abilities to raise and move funds and material support. prevent terrorist support of financial systems and the charitable sector. improved cooperation between multilateral institutions and improve our insight into terrorist finances and activities. in pursuit of these objectives, we've made important progress in combating terrorism finances. progress has spanned t

our national budget was being driven to and then off of a fiscal cliff. while we were to manage our state's finances, national inaction hangs like a dark cloud over our state budget. for the many connecticut families with someone working in our defense industry, washington's and ability to address problems on a reasonable deadline is causing sleepless nights and it is unnecessary. earlier this month, while many families and small businesses were still working to recover from hurricane sandy, the gears once again came to a halt, slowing it paid to those who needed it the most, and that is unacceptable. i say this not to demean any of our colleagues in washington but in the hope that we will better appreciate what we have accomplished here in connecticut. two years ago, you first welcomed me into this chamber. i spoke then about the challenges we face and of the opportunities we knew were within our grasp. i spoke about who we are as a community, about the ingenuity, the result, and resilience that has defined connecticut for centuries. about eli whitney and

consistent, low-level cyber threats that steadily undermined our national security. this-off some of our most valuable resources -- they siphon off some of our most valuable resources. and we're alreadyeven if the serioue damage done presently -- the rate at which the cyber threat is increasing would be cause for alarm. i realize i am preaching to the choir. cyber security is a priority for the aba. the aba has assembled a cyber security legal task force. nobody knows better than many of you how when portent a role lawyers play in safeguarding -- important role lawyers play in safeguarding client information. cyber security, your defense is our only as strong as the weakest link. this is the kind of attention i think the cyber challenge demands. regardless of the size or shape of the cyber threats and the way they the damage ultimately and the direction they take, we need to be prepared before they materialize. there is much we do not know about how cyber threats will affect us going forward, this much is clear. but can dedicate efforts now to harden our defenses and

the expiration of the payroll tax cut these austerity measures total two point one percent of our national g.d.p. which as this chart shows is more austerity the most nations in europe. far including the u.k. france and spain this month we learned that the u.k. is now in a double dip recession because of austerity and spain which has been choking on austerity for a year now has the highest unemployment rate in europe at twenty six point two percent austerity sucks money out of the hands of working people so the rich people don't have to pay their fair share for deficit reduction and economic growth and since working people are the real job creators not the rich people austerity kills economies all austerity has done to the eurozone as push it closer and closer to collapse it will do the same thing to the united states and considering that a new so-called fiscal cliff looms two months from now and republicans as well as president obama are pushing for more spending cuts and more austerity our nation could be facing a tumultuous twenty thirteen and years thereafter. that is the first day of

bless our families, all across this nation. or this opportunity of prayer, to strengthen us, for the journey through the days that lie ahead. we invoke the prayers of our grandmothers to taught us to pray, god, make me a blessing. let their spirit guide us as we claim the spirit of old. there's something within me that holds the reins. there's something within me that banishes pain. there's something within me i can not explain but all i know, america, there is something within. there is something within. in jesus name, in the name of all who are holy and right, we pray. amen. [applause] shepard: myrl independent e evers williams, the widow of the late medgar evers. brooklyn tabernacle choir from carnegie hall to the inauguration of a president. >> the award winning tabernacle choir, the brooklyn tabernacle choir, to sing, battle hymn of the republic. shepard: 280 mostly untrained voices from church and they are impressive. ♪ ♪ . ♪. he is tram plink out the vintage where "the grapes of wrath" are stored ♪. ♪ he hath loosed the f

bless our families all across this nation. mething within me that banishes pain. there's something within me i cannot explain, but all i know, america, there is something within. there is something within. in jesus' name and the name of all who are holly and right, we pray. amen. [amen] [cheering and applause] i am pleased to introduce the award-winning tacker name l choir, the brooklyn choir to sing "battle hymn of the republic." ♪ ♪ [choir singing] ♪ ♪ i have ♪ terrible"terrible swift sword," his truth marching on ♪ ♪ ♪ glory, glory hall hall you ya ♪ ♪ his truth it pa marching on. ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ the beauty of the lily was born across the sea. ♪ ♪ with the glory in his boss -- ♪ ♪ ♪ glory, glory hall hall lou ya ♪ ♪ ♪ glory, glory hallelujah ♪ our god is marching on. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ our god is marching on ♪ [cheering and applause] [laughter] [cheering and applause] please join me in welcoming my colleague and my friend, the senator from tennessee, the honorable lamar alexander. [cheering and applause] mr. president, mr.

our nation is emerging from over a decade of war. we have brought our men and women in uniform home from iraq and have started to bring them home from afghanistan. that does not mean that the threats we face and will continue to face are any less dangerous or complicated. in fact, it is quite the opposite. recent events in mali and algeria remind us clearly of this reality. 21st century complexities, technologies, economies, threats are bringing the seven billion global citizens closer together than ever before. and as our planet adds another two billion people over the next 25 years, the dangers, complications and human demands will not be lessened but rather heightened. despite these challenges, i believe we also have historic opportunities to help build a safer, more prosperous, more secure, more hopeful and just world that maybe at any time -- than maybe at any time in the history of people. yes, the intolerance continues around the world and we must continue to be clear eyed about this danger and we will be. we will not hesitate

so let's go from our nation's monuments to a huge day in our nation's history. crowds flocked to the national mall for president barack obama's second inauguration. he wowed spectators with his 18-minute speech. his and his family were wowed afterwards by the parade that followed. jim vance has the highlights from the big day. >> reporter: the celebration of democracy on our nation's front lawn. hundreds of thousands converging on the mall to witness history. the president taking the ceremonial oath on bibles used by president lincoln and dr. martin luther king junior. >> so help me god. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> reporter: in his address he echoed themes sounded by both lincoln and king. >> while freedom is a gift from god, it must be secured by his people here on earth. >> reporter: the president talked policy, urging action on the deficit, global warming, and the protection of children. >> we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its futur

our national guard is recognized as among the best in the nation. they served us all very well. hat same heroic service id replicated every day here at home by our men and women in law enforcement. in march of 2001, sheriff's deputies responded to a suspected robbery, only to find a sniper lying in deadly wait. the shootout that followed, two of them are killed. the deputy had rushed to the scene from his front yard, where he was putting together a new swing set for his grandchildren. it was a project that would remain unfinished. two other deputies were shot and severely injured in that ambush. tonight, deputy resnik and us.ty chargcharles are here wih gentlemen, we thank you and all of virginia is brave law enforcement officers for your courage and your commitment to the safety and the freedom of the people of virginia. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, over the past three years, we have worked together for the common good, with passion, stability, and a focus on getting results. we have worked hard together to create good jobs and to build a common wealth of opportunity. in jan

our nation is emerging from over a decade of war. home from iraq and starting to bring them home from afghanistan. that does not mean that the threats we face and continue to face are any less dangerous or complicated. in fact, it's quite the opposite. recent events in mali and algeria remind us clearly of this. 21st century technologies, economies, threats are bringing the 7 billion citizens closer together than ever before. and as our planet adds another 2 billion people over the next 25 years, the dangers, complications and human demands will not be lessened but rather heightened. despite these challenges, i believe we also have historic opportunities to help build a safer, more prosperous, more secure and more hopeful and just world, than maybe at anytime in the history of man. for all people. yes, the curse of intolerance, hatred exists around the world and we must be clear-eyed about this danger. and we will be. we will not hesitate to use the full force of the military. but we must be smart, and more importantly wise. wise in

none of us can imagine this happening to us but all of us should our national war on terror has run now for more than a decade with it we've seen two full fledged wars fought in afghanistan and iraq killing hundreds of thousands of people and destroying the lives of millions at a cost to us of trillions of dollars we've seen multiple covert drone wars launched in places like pakistan yemen and somalia we've seen an enormous security state apparatus constructed at home collects our personal e-mails text messages phone conversations and god only knows what else we've seen the legalisation of indefinite detentions of american citizens without charges or trial or even the ability to confront their their accusers who are says if you are suspected of affiliating with terrorist organizations and in the case of heads she should shut up we've seen the ruthless counter-terror operations that we believed were only done in far off places in the middle east or secret cia detention facilities instead brought home and used against us against american citizens on american airplanes at american airports

spiritof our ancestors. it is a nation of on bormann hopes and a history of this enfranchised folks to the union. -- to the expression of a more perfect union. we ask that where our past was riddled by pangs of despair and depression, we ask for your guidance toward the light of delivery and that the vision of -- of deliverance and that the vision of those who came before us and in dreamed of this day, that we recognize their vision still inspire us. they are unseen by the naked eye. all around us, thankful that they are living was not in vain. for every mountain, you gave us the strength to climb. your grace continues that climb for america and the world. we now stand beneath the shadow of the nation's capital whose golden dome reflects the unity and democracy of one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. approximately 4 miles from where we are assembled the hallowed remains of men and women rest in arlington cemetery. they who believed fought and died for this country. may their spirits and use our being to

i applaud you and thank you for your willingness to continue to serve our nation. i look forward to you serving as secretary of state. it's going to be great for our country. i must admit i had prepared two sets of questions. one much more difficult than the other. depending on the outcome of this weekend. it worked out well. >> i'm taking it for the red sox, i'm taking it for the patriots. if the standard here is which team you root for, i'm screwed. >> as long as the outcome is ok, we'll forgive you. you'll have to do some of your diplomacy here. secretary clinton really advanced the integration of our national security baskets with working with the secretary of defense on the use of our traditional military and the use of diplomacy and international development assistance, recognizing that all three are interrelated into our national security needs. that if we are going to have a country that is reliable, we need to have a sustainable economy in that country, the country needs to respect the human rights of its citizens. that has been certainly i think the hallma

clarke for their service to our nation. each of them will be departing the house of representatives at the completion of the 112th congress, and i want to wish them well. they have been thoughtful, hard working members of our committee caucus, and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. >> gentlelady yields back. and if there are other members who wish to submit additional statements, your statements will be added to the record at this point. we have some of our departing members here, and i think it's time to say a few words about it before i start my opening statement and before we introduce the witnesses properly. i'd like to say a few words about several members of our committee and thank them for their dedication to congress and to the science, space and technology committee. on the republican side, roscoe bartlett -- i don't know if roscoe's here or not. but roscoe, i've always enjoyed telling him he's too old to be here. [laughter] but he, he always -- his questions give me more information than the answers he

our nation should have a budget as well.very year the president is required to submit a budget proposal by february 4. the obama administration has already informed congress that for the fourth time in five years it will be late for a budget to your representatives. unfortunately, the president has missed more budget deadlines than any of his predecessors. the house and senate are required to submit a law each year april 15. the democratic run senate has not approved such a resolution it almost four years -- 1361 days to be exact. this is not the result of washington gridlock. majority leader harry reid said it would be foolish for his party in the senate to produce a budget. we disagree. what more than $16 -- more than 16 trillion dollars in debt, we believe it is foolish not to have a budget. we will meet our obligation to pass a budget on time, moderate spending, pay bills and keep the government running. most importantly, there will be a plan to slowly, but surely walk our nation out of debt, deficit and declined. on you

we have a culture of violence in our nation so that a violent act shouldn't be the first response of settling a difference or compensating for a wrong. what can we do about that? we need to strengthen and more adequately fund our mental health system so we can identify troubleed people earlier. we are aware the affordable care act puts much more emphasis on mental health, and we need to make sure that we link the work that we need to do in preventing gun violence with access to appropriate mental health. the president, clearly heeded our call or else agrees with us. the plan, which he unveiled on tuesday and which you have a copy in front of you here at the table in which the vice president discussed with us yesterday, includes nearly everything we call for and much more. i welcome now the attorney general to of the united states, and i'm assuming that he will address that and many other issues along these lines. attorney general holder served as deputy attorney general during the clinton administration and as the u.s. attorney for the district of columbia. we appreciate the leadershi

our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. our healthcare is too costly costly and our schools fail too many. each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. these are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. less measurable, but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land. a nagging fear that america owes the decline is inevitable, but the next generation must lower its sights. today i say to you that the challenges we face are real. they are serious and they are many. they will not be met easily or in a short span of time, that know this, america -- they will be met. [cheers and applause] on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of her pace over conflict and discord. on

as much as we do in our states, our economies are tightly linked to the national economy, and as a result, our state's prosperity, the prosperity of our citizen depends in no small measure on the ability of all public servants in washington to come together on a path forward. uncertainty here in federal support hurts both our economies and the federal budget, and the implications are incredibly important. governors have been working with the president, the vice president, and congressional leadership to find solutions to help put our country back on firm financial footing. one of the largest elements of the uncertainty concerned elements of the fiscal cliff that were either postponed or taken out of the reason -- recent relief act of 2012 as the only postponed reducing grants to states. intimate reform was not addressed, and no action was taken regarding the federal debt limit. if the debt limit does not increase soon, there will be disruptions to capital spending and markets that could greatly impact state operations. until there are resolved, states can not make financial plans that wil

with the very values of our nation and i do think as the american people take a closer look at what's going on you'll see a continuation of the efforts to make sure that the will of the people actually the power of that individual vote and the collective votes are what carry the day so very well as we're looking at this happening in the at handful of states gradually moving to try to circumvent the very forces a will of their own populace could very well be able to move ahead of that and see that they will not stand for that we will always call for as we've done from the very beginning of the nation that the voice of every individual person is able to collectively decide who will be our leaders but it will be our president but this is been a long battle i mean the american legislative exchange council has put forward these voter suppression id laws and in the champion of this nobody is really sure whether they're involved in the these redistricting plans but there's a reasonable suspicion the american legislative exchange council was started in part by a man named paul weyrich who als

surely we can be touched by the better angels of our nation. nature. surely we can be touched by the better angels of our nature. so beautifully expressed by president lincoln. this is the people's house, this is the people's gavel. it represents a sacred chuft. may we all fulfill that trust and make real the ideals of democratic government. with respect for our constitution, with faith in the american people, with hope for the future of our country, i present the people's gavel to the speaker of the house, john boehner. may god bless you. . >> may god bless this congress and may god always bless the united states of america. my colleagues, the speaker of the house, john boehner. the speaker: leader pelosi, thank you for your kind words. members of the house and the senate, my wife debey who's with us today, thankfully, the girls are working and all of you and our fellow countrymen, you know, we meet again at democracy's great port of call. every two years at this hour, the constitution brings a new order to this house, and it's an interlude for reflect

as i said, the work of defending our nation is never done. ber one criteria in making these decisions was simple. who will do the best job in securing america? these two leaders dedicated their lives to protecting our country. i'm confident they will do an outstanding job. i urge the senate to confirm them as soon as possible so we can keep our nation secure and the american people safe. so chuck, john, congratulations and with that, i want to invite each of these leaders on stage to say a few words, starting with mr. leon panetta. >> first of all, let me express my deepest gratitude to the president for giving me the honor and privilege of serving in your administration. these last for years as director of the cia, and now a secretary of defense, i have been extremely proud to be part of your national security team, mr. president, and to be proud of what it has accomplished in your first term. looking ahead to the second term, i want to commend president obama on his decision to nominate chuck hagel as next secretary of defense and let me als

our national security can be threatened, and the balance of power can tip toward our adversaries. terrorism, espionage, and cyber attacks are now the fbi's top priorities. terrorists, spies, and hackers are always thinking of new ways to harm us. today, i want to discuss how these threats are evolving and what to share with you what the fbi is doing to stay one step ahead to keep our nation safe, prosperous, and free. let's begin with the terrorist threat. during the past decade, we have weakened al qaeda, due to the coordinated efforts of our military, the intelligence community, law enforcement, and our international partners. we have captured or killed many al qaeda leaders and operatives, including osama bin laden. we have shut down terrorist training camps, frozen their finances, disrupted their communications and, most importantly, we have uncovered dozens of cells and prevented terrorist attacks. yet, core al qaeda, operating out of pakistan, remains committed to high-profile attacks against the west. we confirmed this with records seized from osama bin laden's compaq after

speaker, our nation, we must do better. our children deserve better. my hope is that with hard work, persuasion and prayer, we will once again become a nation that recognized the dignity of every human being and recognized again our god-given inalienable right to life. i yield backle the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in honor of the 40th anniversary of roe v. wade and the freedom of reproductive choice this historic decision provides for all women in america. this is a very personal and private choice. when i gave birth to my son ben, it was the most precious moment in my life. his life has brought me great joys and great responsibilities. the decision to bring ben into this world was made by my -- by his father and myself. it was our choice. we didn't call the governor. we didn't call the congress.

facing our nation. this is a positive first step, but the true test for congressional leadership will be to pass a comprehensive bill. as senator from nevada who witnessed firsthand the difficulties our broken immigration system presents for immigrants and their families it is important to me personally that we resolve this issue. i will do everything in my power to get a bill across the finish line. nothing short of bipartisan success is acceptable to me. president obama has already taken commendable executive action to stem deportation of upstanding young men and women brought to this country by their parents. i commend him for making immigration reform a top priority. president obama will place to the nation his own ideas during a visit to las vegas tomorrow. with bipartisan support billing in both houses of congress and a president who is eager to solve this issue, there is no reason we should not pass comprehensive immigration reform immediately. it will be good for our economy and good for families

live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week" with gwen ifill. corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by -- >> this rock has never stood still. since 1875 we've been there for our clients through good times and bad. when their needs changed, we were there to meet them. through the years, from insurance to investment management. from real estate to retirement so s,evtiedve dopel new op ideas for the financial challenges ahead. this rock has never stood still that's one thing that will