this afternoon i'd like to do so by speaking of those aspects of his service and commitment to our nationalhave been so striking and it will be so memorable. each one a constant throughout his tenure as our president. his focused strategic leadership, his steps to strengthen our force both in its people and in its capabilities and decision-making. through it all president obama has led our military with an appreciation that america's defense is so vital that we, to whom it is entrusted, must ensure its continuity and excellence across the years and across the domains of armed conflict, not just air, land and a, but also space and cyber space, across parties, across government agencies, from strategic era to strategic era and from presidential administration to presidential administration, and he's done so not only for the last eight years but even today as we prepare for a new administration we're following the president's leadership and ensuring smooth and orderly transition. our military's a global force, one that president obama has steadfastly and strategically led in every region of th

this is the belief that gave birth to our nation. and in the long run advancing this belief is the only way practical way to protect our citizens. when people live in freedom, they do not willingly choose leaders who pursue campaigns of terror. when people have hope in the future, they will not cede their lives to violence and extremism. so around the world america's promoting human liberty, human rights, and human dignity. we are standing with dissidents and young democracies, providing aids medicine to bring dying patients back to life and sparing mothers and babies were malar malaria. and this great republic, born alone in liberty, is leading the world toward a new age when freedom belongs to all nations. for eight years we've also strived to expand opportunity and hope here at home. across our country, students are rising to meet higher standards in public schools. a new medicare prescription drug benefit is bringing peace of mind to seniors and the disabled. every taxpayer pays lower income taxes. the addicted and suffering are f

until you have grieved with our goldstar families, who given a piece of their heart to our nation, a triot. every single one of these american families deserve the everlasting gratitude and support of our entire nation. today, after two major ground wars, our armed forces have drawn down and that is natural and it is necessary. after reckless budget cuts and they sequester we need to keep improving the readiness training and modernizing our forces so let me take this opportunity while i still have it to appeal to our members of congress who are here. we cannot go back to sequestration. there is a responsible way forward, trusting in america's strengths, national security and economic security. trusting in the reform and equipment and support that our troops need, including the pay and benefits and quality of life and education and jobs that are troops and veterans, all of their families deserve. but make no mistake, even with the challenges of recent years and there have been challenges, our allies and adversaries alike understand that america's military remains by far the most capabl

in the quiet of american conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise. and whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. abandonment and abuse are not acts of god -- they are failures of love. [applause] president bush: and the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls. where there is suffering, there is duty. americans in need are not strangers. they are citizens, not problems but priorities. and all of us are diminished when any are hopeless. [applause] president bush: government has great responsibilities for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government. and some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer. church and charity, synagogue and mosque lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws. [applause] president bush: many in our country do not know the pain of p

we must provide for our nation the way a family provides for its children. our founders saw themselves in the light of posterity. we can do no less. anyone who has ever watched a child's eyes wander into sleep knows what posterity is. posterity is the world to come -- the world for whom we hold our ideals, from whom we have borrowed our planet, and to whom we bear sacred responsibility. we must do what america does best, offer more opportunity to all and demand more responsibility from all. [applause] pres. clinton: it is time to break the bad habit of expecting something for nothing, from our government or from each other. let us all take more responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and our country. to renew america, we must revitalize our democracy. this beautiful capital, like every capital since the dawn of civilization, is often a place of intrigue and calculation. powerful people maneuver for position and worry endlessly about who is in and who is out, who is up and who is down, forgetting those people whose toil

part of the solution to spurring the economy, improving the environment and strengthening evening our nationalecurity. with that i am pleased to introduced american petroleum ceo to present this year's state of american energy. [applause] >> thank you marty for the introduction. welcome again to our distinguished guests and welcome all to have joined us today for our afternoon event, as we share our 2017 state of american energy approach. it is our hope and expectation to lay out the views of the oil and natural gas industry as we look to 2017, as we move forward. they also mention that we have placed the 2017 state of american energy report at your seat. the title of this year's report really captures or says it all. energy is everything. energy is fundamental to our society. from the electricity that lights our homes and powers our appliances, to the fuel that keeps our vehicles running, to the chemicals that make modern possible, it recounts countless ways that they contribute to society with while and natural gas serving as its foundation. it is so woven into our daily lives that few will

our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. our 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 health care is too costly, our schools failed to many and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. these are the indicators of crisis. subjects of data and statistics. less measurable but no less profound is a sapping across our land. a nagging fear that america's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sites -- its sights. the challenges we face are real. a are serious and they are many. they will not be met easily or in a short span of time but know this, america, they will be met. >> [applause] president obama: on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear. unity and purpose over conflict and discord. on this day, we come to proclaim

i believe it is in our national interest to do so. because the world is increasingly marked by instability and threats that risk undermining our way of life and the very things that we hold dear. the end of the cold war did not give rise to a new world order, it did not herald the end of history, it did not lead to a new age of peace, prosperity and predictability in world affairs. for some, the citizens of central and eastern europe in particular, it brought new freedom. but across the world, ancient, ethnic, national, and religious rivalries, rivalries that had been frozen through the decades of the cold war, returned. new enemies of the west and our values, in particular in the form of radical islamists, have emerged. and countries with little tradition of democracy, liberty, and human rights, notably china and russia, have grown more assertive in world affairs. the rise of the asian economy, china, yes, but democratic allies like india too, is hugely welcome. billions are being lifted out of poverty, and new markets or industries a

this principle has distinguished our nation from many other countries around the world and has helped ensure that our democracy remains in the hands of the people. the national security act of 1947 which established the department of defense, included a provision prohibiting any individual within ten years of active duty as a commissioned officer and a regular component of the ampled services as being appointed as secretary of defense. in 1950, harry truman nominated former secretary of state and former chief of staff of the united states army, general george marshall, to serve as secretary of defense, necessitating congress to pass an extension to the statute. while congress ultimately waived the restriction for general marshall, the law included a nonbinding section that stated, and i quote, it is hereby expressed that the intent of the congress that the authority granted by this act is not to be construed as approved by the congress of continuing appointments of military men to the office of secretary of defense in the future. it is hereby expressed as the sense of the congress tha

our nation freedoms and civil liberties. we must more effectively deter our adversaries from taking advantage of us without serious consequences. our adversaries will continue to exploit our digital networks and harm our american way of life. we also cannot hesitate to advance u.s. interests abroad, nor should we apologize for it. in action will cause the world to be more dangerous for the united states. finally we must champion our ideals and american freedoms as the president-elect has said, american values are the bedrock of western civilization, and we are safer in a world where those values are shared. we also need to sound the alarm about the danger at our digital frontiers. nation-states, criminals, activists and terrorists are infiltrating our networks. some want to embarrass us. others are seeking to copy our innovation. steal our nation secrets and even undermine the very foundations of our republic. every person in this room is a target, in the phones, in your pockets or in the battle space. the enemy is winning. h

so, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. t us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. and let us renew our faith and our hope. we have every right to dream heroic dreams. those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. you can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. you meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter. there are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. they're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. their patriotism is quiet, but deep. their values sustain our national life. now, i have used the words they and their in speaking of these heroes. i could say you and your, because i'm addressing the heroes of whom i speak, you, the citizens of this ble

our nation's schools are filled with atalented devoted professionals who successfully meet the needs , many children. but even our best schools don't work for all. this isn't the fault of teachers but a reality that all students are unique, learn differently, and excel at their own pace. our high school graduates are having increasing difficulty accessing affordable, higher education. escalating tuition is pricing aspiring and talented students out of college. others are burdened with debts that will take years or decades to pay off. we do need to take action. it would be a mistake to shift that burden to struggling taxpayers without first addressing why tuition has gotten to siso high. we need to embrace new pathways of learning. for too long a college degree has been pushed as the only avenue for a better life. the old and expensive brick mortar and ivy model is not the only

those who would seek to harm our fellow americans and our nation utilize this same internet, the sameommunications devices, and the same social media platforms that we, our families and our friends here and around the world, use. we must keep pace with such changes in order to provide policymakers and our operational commanders the intelligence and cyber capabilities they need to keep us safe. that means understanding our adversaries to the best of our ability and understanding what they mean to do and why. we're watching sophisticated adversaries involved in criminal behavior, terrorism planning, malicious cyber activities, and even outright cyber attacks. while this is a global problem, we have also recently witnessed the use of these tactics here at home. the statement for the record that we have provided jointly to this committee covers the threat picture worldwide. but i know this hearing today will inevitably focus on reports of interference in our recent elections. i echo director clapper in saying that we will await the findings of the just-completed intelligence review ordere

there is a responsible way forward, investing in america's strengths, our national security, and our economic investing in the reform and the equipment and support our troops need, including the pay and benefits and quality of life and the education and the jobs that our troops and our veterans, and all of your families, deserve. mistake, even with the challenges of recent years, and there have been challenges, our allies and adversaries alike understand, america's military remains by far the most capable fighting force in the face of the earth. , tested by years of combat, is the best trained and best equipped fighting force on the planet. our navy is the largest and most lethal in the world, on track to surpass 300 ships. our air force, with its precision and reach, is unmatched. our marine corps is the worlds only truly expeditionary force. our coast guard is the finest in the world. best becausehe this military has come to welcome the talents of more of our fellow americans. service members can now serve the country they love without hiding who they are. joe biden and i know that

mission because we must never again allow afghan to be used for a safe haven and attacks against our nationit's because of you, particularly our remarkable special forces, that the core al-quaida leadership that attacked us on 9-11 has been decimated. countless terrorist leaders including osama bin laden are gone. from south asia to africa, we have gone after terrorists that threaten us. because of you, we're leading the global coalition against isil. these terrorists have lost half of their territory, leading their leaders, towns and cities are being liberated and i have no doubt that this terrorist group will be destroyed because of you. you've shown that when it comes to fighting terrorism, yes can be strong and we can be smart. not by letting our forces get dragged into sectarian conflicts and civil wars, but with smart sustainable principled partnerships. that's how we brought most of our troops home from 180,000 in afghanistan and iraq down to 15,000 today. even as we suffer terrible attacks at home from boston, orlando, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned an at

there is a responsible way way forward, investing in america's strengths, our national securit, and ourincluding the pay and the benefits, and the quality of life, and the the troops and our veterans and alll of your families deserve. but make no mistake, even with the challenges of recent years, and there have been challenges, our allies and adversaries aliks understand america's military f capable fighting force on the face of the earth. our army, tested by years of combat, is the best-trained andb best-equipped land force on the planet. our navy is the largest and mosn lethal in the world, on track to surpass 300 ships. our air force, with its precision and reach, is unmatched. our marine corps is the world's only truly expeditionary force. our coast guard is the finest in the world. and we're also the best because this military has come to welcome the talents of more of our fellow americans. service members can now servervs the country they love without t hiding who they are or who they love. all combat positions in ourn military are now open to women. and joe biden and i know that

their triumphs have not been your triumphs and while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there wastle to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. [ applause ] that all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. it belongs to you. [ applause ] it belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across america. this is your day. this is your celebration, and this, the united states of america, is your country. [ applause ] what truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. [ applause ] january 20th, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. [ applause ] the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. [ applause ] everyone is listening to you now. you came by the tens of millions to become part of an historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before. [ applause ] at the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens. ameri

our own opportunities. we should remember that the world looks to america as the indispensable nation, not just because of the size of our military or the strength of our economy. it looks to us because america stands for universal values and aspirations. and if we stay true to those values, like the best of the men and women whose leadership and service will be commemorated here, then our country will weather every storm on the horizon. thank you all very much. [ applause ] >> thank you very much, madam secretary. it's now my pleasure to introduce the 68th and current secretary of state, the honorable john f. kerry. >> thank you all -- thank you very, very much for joining us for this wonderful occasion. and i am particularly grateful for you being here to hold my hand on the cusp of my becoming one of the most visible unemployed people in america. i join everybody in being delighted to open this new or to recognize the finishing of the diplomacy center pavilion, and it's really a pleasure, a special pleasure to welcome madeleine and colin and hillary back here, and i know each and every one of your have alr

those who would seek to harm our fellow americans and our nation utilize the same internet, the same nications devices and the same social media platforms that we, our families and our friends here and around the world use. we must keep pace with such changes in order to provide policyakers and our operational commanders the intelligence and cyber capabilities they need to keep us safe that means understoodianding ou adversaries to the best of our abilitand what they do and why, we're watching criminal behavior, terrorism planning, malicious cyber activity and outright cyber attacks. we have witnessed the use of these tactics here at home. i know this hearing today will inevitably focus on reports of interference in our recent elections. i echo director clapper in saying we will await the findings of the just-completed intelligence review ordered by the president and defer comment until after that is shared with congressional leaders and oversees. nsa and cyber command have worked to detect and monitor russian cyber activity. the hacking of systems belonging to our election process is

what follow the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. and let us renew our fate and our hope -- faith and our hope. yet every right to dream heroic dreams. those who say we are in a time where there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look. ,ou can see heroes everyday going in and out of factory gates. others, a handful in number produce enough food to feed all of us, and the world beyond. you meet heroes across the counter and on both sides of that counter. there are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves, and faith in an idea to create an opportunity. there are individuals and families who pay taxes, support the government, and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art and education. their patriotism is quiet, but deep. their value sustain our national life. i have used the words they and their in speaking of these heroes. youruld say you and because i am addressing the heroes of who i seek. your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the d

we should be proud of the role our two nations working in partnership played in bringing them into being and in bringing peace and prosperity to millions of people as a result. [applause] it is through our actions, over many years working together to defeat evil or to open up to the world that we have been able to fulfill the promise of those who first spoke of the special nature of the relationship between us. the promise of freedom, liberty and the rights of man. we must never cease, churchill said, to proclaim the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the english speaking world, and which through magna carta the bill of rights, the habeas corpus, trial by jury and the english common law finds their most famous expression in the declaration of independence. it is my honor and privilege to stand before you today in this great city of philadelphia to be claimed again and to join hands as we pick up that mane as we pf leadership once more, to renew our special relationship and to recommit ourselves to the responsibility of leadership in the m

minister may: a new trade deal between britain and america must work for both sides and serve both of our national interests. it must help to grow our respective economies and to provide the high skilled, high paid jobs of the future for working people across america and across the u.k. and it must work for those who have too often felt left behind by the forces of globalization, modestoften those on incomes, live nothing relatively rich countries, like our own, who feel the global system of free market and free trade is simply not working for them in its current form. such a deal, allied to the reforms we are making to our own economy to ensure wealth and opportunity is spread across our land, can demonstrate to those who feel locked out and left behind, that free markets, free economies and free trade can deliver the brighter future they need and it can maintain, indeed it can build, support for the rules-based international system on which the stability of our world continues to rely. the u.k.'s already america's fifth largest export destination. while your markets account for a fifth of global

in giving a voice to all americans, to include our grade indian nations on how we manage, sustain our public lands and the treasures they contain. madam chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and this committee. i look forward to your questions. >> thank you, congressman zinke. and i couldn't see her when you were seated in front here but i'd also like to recognize the representative from american samoa, who is with us here today, congresswoman rhadigan, also a great deal of interest in that aspect of the jurisdiction coming out of the interior department. congressman, i would like to talk about land management. you and i have had a good deal of conversation about the necessity to manage our lands and manage them well. if confirmed you're going to be responsible for managing over 245 million surface acres and 700 million acres of subsurface misdemean mineral estate, i think we both recognize that's a pretty weighty responsibility. over one-fifth of it is in my state. that means your land management efforts have an overwhelming impact on the state of alaska. w

now she is able to get to work representing our nation as our nation's top diplomat. in just a few minutes, the president will be departing the white house to visit the department of homeland security. as i mentioned come he will attend the swearing in of secretary kelly . he will be briefed by fema on the storm relief efforts in the southeast and conduct business to keep our nation safe. secretary kelly enlisted in the marine corps in 1970. he has a sincere commitment to fighting the threat of terrorism inside of our country and ending the dangerous flow of illegal immigrants to our borders. the president is looking forward to working with secretary kelly to implement his plans to restore our borders and protect our country. for everyone keeping score at home, this brings us up to four total confirmations of our cabinet level appointees. as a reminder, the obama administration had 12 done at the end of their first week. needless to say, we think senate democrats should continue to spend some quality time getting our nominations moved out of the senate. this afternoon

that is the longest stretch of b creation since 1939 in our nation's history. and that's in stark contrast to the way things were at the last time the presidential transition took place. when president obama took the oath of office, our assassination was shedding jobs. in 2008, the economy lost 695,000 jobs. the next month, another 598,000 jobs gone. we were losing roughly 700,000 jobs a month. the banks were teatering and the auto industry was exploding. our nation was in economic turmoil. the combination of combursing asset bubble and panic brought this country to the edge of collapse and worst financial crisis in global history, according to the head of the federal reserve, in global history. and today we have a very different story. thank you, president obama. our downemployment rate which 4.7%. p to 10% is now at that's a great achievement. in 2016 alone, our country added 2.2 million jobs bringing the total to over 15 million new jobs created over the last seven years. instead of shedding jobs and losing jobs in the prior administration, we were imagining.

we ask you on our president the wisdom necessary to lead this great nation. greatest to unify us and the strength to stand what is honorable and right in your sid side. proverbs 21: one, our leaders heart is in the hand. gracious god, -- you are well. the confidence to lead us in justice and righteousness. the compassion to yield to our better angels. while we know there are many challenges before us, and every generation you have provided the strength and power to become that blessed nation. guide us in discernment, lord, and give us that strength to persevere and thrive. find and heal our wounds and divisions and join our nation to your purpose. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, the psalm is declared. let these united states of america be that beacon of hope to all people and nations under your dominion. a true hope for humankind. glory to the father, the sun, and the holy spirit. we pray this in the name of jesus christ, amen. >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, the missouri state university chorale. ♪ ♪ ♪ now we belong and believe in this land ♪ ♪ keep

some are seeking to copy our innovation or steal our nations the grits. some are seeking to undermine the foundations of our republic. every person in this room is a target. the phones in your pockets or the battle space. the enemy is winning. hackers have been making off with your financial data, health care information, and recently we saw them shut down major websites like paypal and twitter. we also cannot forget the millionstealing 20 security clearances from the united states federal government, including my own. that is only a fraction of what is possible. america's critical infrastructure from water treatment facilities to power grids have been infected by codes they could be used to grind our economy to a halt. what is worse, our democracy itself has been targeted. russia's recent hacks should be a wake-up call and a call to action. we cannot allow foreign governments to interfere in our democracy. when they do, we must respond forcefully, publicly, and decisively. the united states should respond to cyber attacks in a way that will make our adver

meanwhile, our national debt has increased nearly $4 trillion over the life of the budget control act. the president-elect has said he wants to, quote, fully eliminate the defense sequester and, quote, rebuild our military. if so, he will find many allies on this committee. the budget control act is harming news ways our enemies could only dream. we must repeal this legislation and increase the defense top line. this will not be cheap but it pales in comparison to the cost of failing to deter a war or worse losing one. for all these reasons and more i believe the nation needs general mattis. we need to stop deterring ourselves and return to strategy, aligning our ends, ways and means to address global threats. we need to resize and more importantly reshape our military, giving our war fighters the most advanced capabilities so they never find themselves in a fair fight. we must continue to reform the department of defense so more of its limited dollars are spent on increasing the lethality of our military. it takes too long and too much to deliver too little. i'd like to conclude by s

our distinguished witnesses today have thought about these as much as anyone in our nation. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i want to commend you for our leadership in promptly scheduling this meeting on foreign cyber threats. i'd like to welcome our witnesses director clapper and admiral rodgers thank you gentlemen for your service and dedication. while i understand that our witnesses will be discussing the cyber threats that many countries including china and india post to our nation i would like to focus on the widely reported instances of russian hacking. in addition to stealing information from the democratic national committee and the clinton campaign and cherry picking what information it leaked to the media the russian government also created and spread fake news and conspiracies across the vast social media landscape. at the very least the effect of russia's actions was to erode the faith of the american people. these and other cyber tools remain highly active and engage in misinforming our political dialog even today. there is still much we do not know but russia's inv

borders, bill bennett will join us to weigh in on that and much more as "hannity" continues from our nation's capital, straight ahead. "hannity" continues from our "hannity" continues from our nations capital, straight it's. it's your daily retreat. go ahead, spoil yourself. the es and es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. watry...duo fusiong heartburn relief? duo fusion goes to work in seconds and lasts up to 12 hours. tums only lasts up to 3. for longer lasting relief...in one chewable tablet try duo fusion from the makers of zantac the uncertainties of hep c. i don't want to live with or wonder whether i should seek treatment. i am ready. because today there's harvoni. a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. harvoni is proven to cure up to 99% of patients... ...who've had no prior treatment. it transformed treatment as the first cure that's... ...one pill, once a day for 12 weeks. certain patients... ...can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. harvoni is a simple treatment regimen that's been prescribed to more than a quarter of a million patien

50 states, and our nation, forward. this is our moment to come , andher, protect our union the general welfare of the citizens of these united states. ladies and gentlemen, it truly is a privilege to serve as the vice chair of the national governors association. i appreciate your attendance today. i know you come to many different places, in regard to the media and administration, and your respective interests. we truly do mean it when we talk about collaboration and flexibility and working together. i do believe the national governors association will be the go to entity, and all of us as the governors of this amazing country look forward to doing that. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] it that is my cue to take over. thank you, governor, for the remarks. what we are going to do now, we have about 20 minutes to have a discussion and then we will open it up to some reporters. i was not going to start off on this note, but i think governor sandoval, your remarks, i think a lot of people are wondering andt the un

our military. we have defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own. [cheers and applause] president trump: and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while america's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. we've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon. one by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores with not even a thought about the millions and millions of american workers that were left behind. the wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world. but that is the pass and now we are looking only to the future. [applause] president trump: we assemble here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. from this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. from this day forward, it's going to be only america first, america first. [cheers and applause] president trump: every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign

i come before you at a piv ol time in the history of our nation and our world. everywhere we look, people and nations are deeply unsettled. old ideas and international norms which were well understood and governed behaviors in the past may no longer be effective in our time. we face considerable threats in this evolving new environment. china has emerged as an economic power in global trade, and our interactions have been both friendly and adversarial. while russia seeks respect and relevance on the global stange, its recent activities have disregarded america's interest. radical islam is not a new ideology, but it is hateful, deadly and an illegitimate expression of the islamic faith. adversaries like iran and north korea pose grave threats to the world because of their refusal to conform to international norms. as we confront these realities, how should america respond? my answer is simple. to achieve the stability tha is foundational to peace and securi in the 21st century, american leadership must not only be renewed, it must be asserted. we have many advanta

meanwhile, our national debt has increased nearly $4 trillion over the life of the budget control act the president-elect says he wants to, quote, fully eliminate the defense sequester and, quote, rebuild our military. if so, he will find many allies on this committee. the budget control acting is harming us in ways that our enemies can only dream. we must repeal this legislation and increase the defense top line. this will not be cheap. but it pales in comparison to losing a war. for all these reasons and more, i believe the nation needs general mattis. we need to stop deterring ourselves and aligning our ends, ways, and means to address global threats. we need to resize and more importantly, reshape our military, giving our war fighters the most advanced capabilities so they never find themselves in a fair fight. we must continue to reform the department of defense so more of its limited dollars are spent on increasing the lethality of our military, not adding to its bureaucracy. that especially means improving defense acquisition which still takes too long and costs too much to del

so, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. t us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. and let us renew our faith and our hope. we have every right to dream heroic dreams. those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. you can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. you meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter. there are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. they're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. their patriotism is quiet, but deep. their values sustain our national life. now, i have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. i could say "you" and "your," because i'm addressing the heroes of whom i speak the , citizens of this