at home, our top priority is to recover and rebuild from a recession that has touched the lives of nearly every american. abroad, our brave men and women in uniform are taking the fight to al qaeda wherever it exists. it to buy, i have returned from a trip from the gulf coast to talk to about a battle that is assaulting our shores and our citizens. on april 20, an explosion ripped through the deep water horizon -- about 3,000 milee off the coast of louisiana. 17 others were injured. a mile beneath the surface of the ocean, oil began spewing in the water. because there has never been a leak this size at this depth, stopping it has tested the limits of human technology. that is why just after the rig sank, i assembled a team of our best scientists and engineers to tackle this challenge, a team led by nobel prize-winning physicist and ourrnation's secretary of energy. experts from academia and from oil companies have provided ideas and advice. as a result of these efforts, we have directed bp to mobilize additional equippent and technology. in the coming weeks and days, these efforts should

our top priority is the training, mentoring, and partnering in the field with afghan troops and placing them in the lead in operations according to isaa, the growth of the afghhn security forces is on track. the nato training mission- afghanistan under lieutenant general bill caldwell reports that recruitment for the afghan army and police now actually exceedd monthly recruitment goals. these forces lord above -- these forces are above where they need to be to meet the end strength goals for october 2010. what is disturbing and hard to comprehend is that the training mission still does not have enough trainers to process all the afghan recruits signing up. figures show that of the more than 5200 trainers that we need, onny 2600 are on the ground. secretary gates as deployed 850 u.s. soldiers and marines to afghanistan to serve as a%- according to a may 29 report -- excuse me -- from lieutenant general caldwell, the training miision has yet to receive 750 trainers pledged by nato members. further, last week the nato's security general announced that an additional 450 trainers needed to m

our top priority at this time is our support of the families who are very worried. we are concerned about the seizure of british nationals and it -- in international waters. this aspect of the israeli operation is forming a key part of the investigation. the prime minister has spoken to the israeli prime minister, i have spoken to the foreign minister, and the undersecretary of state has been in close contact with the is really our ambassador in lebanon. i am grateful to the hon. members who have been in contact with the foreign office in relation to their constituents and families and have provided information. we recognize the concern for those involved and the need to keep members updated. israel has told us they want to vote as quickly as possible to deport those people from the flotilla currently hold in israel. they could be deported very quickly. those who remain on willingly, will be a 72 hours in detention. our understanding is that after that, they will be deported. is our understanding that the israelis have begun to transfer to jordan detainee's from cou

our top priorities include addressing indigenous innovation and other discriminatory industrial policies, often intended to benefit chinese enterprises and let our exports as well as improving enforcement of intellectual property rights and ending on science based regulaons that block u.s. agricultural exports. these issues will top the agenda at our revitalized jaycee ct this s fall. our 2009 achieved important progress includi important market access for american productsad emoval of troubling rules affecting the sales of intimation security products. we are also working through the round of negotiations toward better market access for u.s. firms and the multilateral context. frankly a greater contribution from china. i also know many members of this committee are concerned about china's currency practices. he recently hed prsident obama in response to china's recent actions state tat it was a constructive step that can help safeguard the recovery and contribute to a more balanced global economy. he will discuss these and other issues with china directly at the upcoming g-20 summit in

that will be one of our top priorities, because we know, no matter how successful we are over the next few weeks in some of the containment efforts, the damages are still going to be there. the second thing we talked about quite a bit is the issue of the health of workers who are out there dealing with this bill. -- this spill. so far we have seen that on shore, we are not seeing a huge elevations in toxins in the air but that water com butter, may not be the case out where people are doing the work. we have to make sure we are providing all the protections necessary. we have put processes in place to make sure the workers of their are getting the equipment and the training they need to protect themselves and their health, but this is something we will have to continue to monitor because there are a lot of workers out there. increasingly, we are starting to get individuals who may not be experienced in oil cleanup, because we are trying to get an all hands on deck process. we have to make sure they are protected. we are also monitoring the impact of people that are not working out ther

our top priority is training, mentoring, and partner in the field with afghan troops and placing them into the lead in operations against insurgents backed by u.s. and coalition suppprt. currently, the growth of the afghan security forces is on track. nato training commission afghanistan, under the lieutenant general, reports that requirement for an afghan police and army now actually exceed monthly recruitment goals. these forces are above r they need to be to meet the and strength goals for october 2010 of 134,000 army and 109,000 police personnel. what is disturbing and hard to comprehend, however, is that the training mission still the not have enough trainers the process all the afghan recruits who are signing up to join in the security forces. most recent available figures show that of the more than 5200 trainers that we need, only about 2600 are on the ground. secretary gates has deployed 850 u.s. soldiers and marines to afghanistan to serve as a stopgap. according to an may 29 report, the training mission has yet to receive 750 trainers pledged by nato members. further, last w

their welfare is our top priority at this time, as well as those of their families who are deeply worried. on the access to international waters, this part of the investigation should form a key part. i've spoken to the israeli foreign minister and the undersecretary of state has been in close contact with the israeli ambassador in london. the embassy in tel aviv has been in constant contact with the israeli authorities. i'm grateful to the right hon. members who have been in contact with the office in relation to the constituents and their families and have provided information. we recognize the intense concern for those involved, and we need to keep members updated. israel has told us they want to move as quickly as possible to deport those people from the flotilla currently held in israel. if they agree, there will be deported very quickly. those unwilling to leave will stay 72 hours in detention, which is the time limit to allow against deportation. our understanding is that after that, they will be deported. it is our understanding that the israelis will transfer to jordan detainees

i wrote would allow states to strengthen their existing programs and allow our states to create them. washington's top priority must be to help create an environment that allows our small businesses to succeed and to create jobs. this legislation helps one of those primary obstacles facing our small businesses and passing this bill is critical. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. neugebauer: could i inquire as to how much time is remaining? the chair: the gentleman from texas has six minutes. the gentlelady from illinois has three minutes. the gentlelady from new york has seven minutes. the gentleman from missouri has 10 minutes. mr. neugebauer: i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from illinois. ms. bean: i yield one minute to the majority leader. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: thank you very much. i appreciate the gentlelady from illinois, ms. bean, for yielding. i want to first thank the chair of the small business committee, congresswoman velazquez, for the work that she has done

that's one of our top priorities because we know that no matter how successful we are over the next few weeks in -- in -- some of the containment efforts, the daniels are still going to be there. and the second thing that we talked about quite a bit is the issue of -- the issue of the health of work wars are out there, dealing with this spill. and so far we have seen that on shore, we're not seeing huge elevations in -- in toxins in the air or in the water. and -- but that may not be the case out where people are actually doing the work. we have got to make sure that -- that we're providing all of the protection that is are necessary. we put processes in place to make sure that workers out there are getting the equipment and the training they need to protect themselves and their health. but this is something that we're going to have to continue to monitor because there's workers out that increasingly we're starting to get individuals who may not be experienced in oil clean-up because we're trying to get a all hands on deck process and we got to make sure they're protected. obviously, we

from our own perspectives, we have put bank lending and bank credit at the top of our priority list and we have increased our information gathering. we have increased our training of examiners. we would basically like to know that if your x -- constituents are telling you that they had been turned down for credit, we would like to hear that. we have a hot-line and a web site. we do want to know about it. we will respond to it. i certainly agree with your sentiments and what you said. >> i would like to follow up on the issue of startup. it seems very hard for them to get a bank to lend to a new opera nor are a new company to is just starting up. i would be happy to follow up with you and i thank you for your positive comments. >> thank you, mr. chairman. good morning, a german bernanke. -- chairman bernanke. you testified at our first meeting. at our second meeting, we received testimony from dr. carmen reinhardt at the university of maryland. she has come across with the conclusion to her study that when nations have eight to of somegedp ratio percentage, that will not work. in the uni

i set the tone from the top by saying very clearly safe, reliable operations were our number one priority. we invested billions of dollars in the integrity of that plan. we've recruited many thousands of engineers and technologists into our company including many from other industries such as the nuclear industry and other parts of the chemical and oil and gas industry and we have changed fundamentally a whole approach to the management of our operations through the implementation of significant changes to our processes. >> doesn't seem like that. if you look at the reports on what happened on the deep horizon doesn't look like many safety procedures have changed much at all. mr. hayward, do you feel that your safety record compared to other major oil companies is comparable? >> as i said, it's clear that we had some serious issues to deal with in the 2005-2006 time frame. and we have worked hard to improve that safety performance since that time period. that doesn't seem to be changing, mr. hayward, your safety performance doesn't. here's some highlights of your safety procedures. bp had

our wells and 24/7 remote monitoring by skilled professionals who provide immediate support on critical issues such as well pressure changes. safety and environmental protection are and always will be shell's top priorities. we have welcomed the rmingses outlined in secretary salazar's may 27 report to the president and the june 8 notice to leaseholders. and many of these elements that were included align with our global practices and will work to incorporate all of them. in the context of this tragedy we acknowledge the reason for the president's decision to pause deep water drilling but it is not without consequences. thousands of jobs lost and billions in lost wages and spending. an no and not only in the gulf coast but places like alaska. it brings me to the topic you asked us to he speak about today, america's energy future. at shell we believe the population and economic growth will drive global energy command to potentially double today's use by 2050. even more strong efficiency gains. energy supply from all sources, nuclear and others will struggle to keep up with this demand. environmental stresses will grow making the transition to lower carbon economies even more urgent. with this as a backdro

our future. >> elaine marshall, question to you? the top priority or the first legislation you would like to be involved in? >> it is a great to be here. thank you to the league of women voters and the folks out there listening. i believe my first bill will be something related to jobs. we are hurting. we need jobs. i think people can wait -- think we can recruit small business, but we have to grow small business. my first bill would be something in the nature of spurring financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and something that will help jobs stay in north carolina towards a sustainable economy and a strong small business. >> we move on. before the gulf oil spill, president obama wanted to allow drilling off the coast. he said -- he has since put a moratorium on new drilling, but before that, we talked about -- you talked about your opposition. >> example numberone is the gulf coast. i was clear that i was opposed to offshore drilling for north carolina. what this bill is brought to the forefront is the critical need for of for thinking energy polic

as far as i'm concerned -ppersonally the top priority i our mission in afghanistan and our ability to proceed forward competently. it will be up tt the president of the united states as commander in chief to make the decision as to whether or not he and his national security staff feel that they can do that. but my impression is that all of us would be best served by just backing off and staying cool and calm and, you know, not sort of succumbing to the normal washington twitter about this for the next 24 hours. we have troops on the front lines. we have a major mission that we are in the middle of, and i think the priorities of that mission are best served by letting the ppesident and his top general have their conversation and make a determination as to how we proceed forward. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satelliteecorp. 2010] >> and defense secretary robert gates had an article written about general stanley mcchrystal's article in the upcoming "rolling stone" maaazine. he said i think he made a exercised poor judgment in

our job here. we haven't set our priorities here and on top of that we did not develop the technology necessary to deal with the spill of this magnitude. kevin costner came to our office and testified at a hearing -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. mr. rohrabacher: we need to deal wiih this crisis. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from west virginia is recognized. mr. rahall: madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington. mr. hastings: madam speaker, can i inquire of my friend how many speakers he has? i presume he's prepared to close. mr. rahall: prepared to close. mr. hastings: i yield myself the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: madam speaker, this legislation is necessary so the commission has subpoena power. i think everybody understands that and supports that. but we need to do the three things that i have mention

our mission in iraq. too much american blood and treasure has been expended to allow it to be undermined because earmarked and pork barrel spending seems to be the top priority. i thank both of the witnesses. i look forward to confiiming them. i thank them both for their service to our country. the thank you, senator mccain. senator lieberman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i was thinking as i looked around the room that there is not a big crowd here today. it is not the size of the crowds that we usually get. that is good news. crowds tend not to turn out for good news and a lack of controversy. that is the result of our really extraordinary effort by the american military and the military and people of iraq as well. you have both played a critical leadership role in that. i think this is -- has been one of the great chapters in the proud history of the american military. the results, as both of you testified to them today, are, i would use the word, miraculously. the iraqi military is really in charge, has been since last summer, of the major population centers. the iraqi people turned out in a democratic election in great numbers. while they're struggling wi

this is a critical moment in afghanistan, and as far as i am concerned personally, the top priority is ourission in afghanistan and our ability to proceed forward confidently. it will be up to the president of the united states as commander-in-chief to make the decision as to whether or not he and his national security staff will be able to do that. my impression is that all of us would be best served by backing off and staying cool and call, and not sort of succumbing to the normal washington twitter about this for the next 24 hhurs. we have troops on the front lines. we have a major mission that we're in the middle of, and the prioritiee are best serveddby letting the president and his top general have their conversation and make a decision how we proceed forward. >> p.j. crowley says general stanley mcchrystal has apologized to call eikenberry for his negative comments. this is five minutes. >> richard holbrooke is and kabul today. he had meetings with u.s. and afghan officials as part is his regular travels in the region

. >> our first priority is to provide air tops in the field the resources they need, sucas counteriedilities. during time of war and fiscal austerity, allther expenditures have to be closely scrutinized. it has been clear for some time now that neda has access infrastructure and outdated command rictures that bear little resemblance to oureal- world needs. in many ces, the current arrangement arranges th political news. you can no longer afford to use nato and job creation. instead, all decisions on reforming the military command structure must be based on military requirement to create a lean a flexible organization. the measures we mistake and n about cutting people and cost precipitous a day are about focusing on real reforms to achieve and create an effective and efficient alliance. the defense has been grappling with the same challenge of balancing between cutting costs and maintaining key programs we realize the mess to everything to eliminate inefficiencies. the worst thing any of us cld do would be tried to save money. was vy encraged by the supporting of the'generals detailed

from narrow perspective, we have at the very top of our priority list. we have increased their information ggttering, training of examiners, and we would like to know if your constituents are telling you if they have been turned down unfairly. we have a hot line and website. we want to know about it and we want to respond to it. >> still, i want to follow up on the issue of start-ups. lending to new businesses n their first year. we would bb happy to follow-up with you and we thank you for your comments. >> good morning, chairman bernanke. . as youell know,airm spranking numberine in come mf see the presidens fiscal yostified at the first meeting. atthe send meeting,w rece esiny when nations have a debt-to-gdp ratio of 90%, and they will likely lose economic growth. her study says that he average wws 1%. if you're economic growth is averaging 3%, it it would fall to two 0.5%. we have received negative+ economic growth at those points were debt-to-gdp have reached 90%. debt held by the public is closer to 60%. are you familiar with the professorr' study?

our environment. stopping this leak, of course, is the top priority, because defensive measures, trying to stop what'sout will never be able as i have learned, to completely stop the flow into our estuariries and beaches and even small amounts can cause serious damage. the coast guard, bp, mms, noaa, continue to evaluate subsurface efforts to stop the flow by closely monitoring its effect on the environment. i'm somewhat encouraged by yesterday's announcement where admiral thad allen confirmed that the capturing by bp of around 462,000 gallons of oil a day, which is a substantial increase from what was occurring friday, that is a positive step. if this procedure continues to work, i'm hopeful that the containment cap wl begin to successfully collect as much oil as the surface tankers can handle. that being said, this is only the first step in what could be a long process, and it's without question that the potential environmental and economic impact of the accident is unprecedented. bp is a multi billion dollar international company. as i said shortly after this event occurred, they are the responsibl

his team as we have with leaders of congress and our recommendations were met with enthusiasm and he made it very clear that this is a... the top priority in his administration. that is transitioning america to a clean energy economy, generating jobs and to stop sending a billion dollars a day overseas to buy oil from countries that sometimes have v got a bull's-eye painted on america's back. so this is very much on his mind and he doesn't want an energy system as frail and unreliable as we aoebgs experiencing today with the deepwater horizon disaster. >> woodruff: chad holliday, the president the president commit to the $16 billion you're asking for? this is a time when there are a lot of competing claims. >> i'm not the best one to answer that question but it was a very productive discussion . he was going to read our report and we came away very pleased. he seemed genuinely interested . as he described his direction for us and we gave our recommendations, he recognized it was a very good line. >> woodruff: and yet, again, this is... and one hear this is from other sectors, we are in a time of recession. the country has lost, what is

our parks. access was not one of the top four priorities on the top four priorities list. how would you characterize the park service's commitment to ensure that every american has access to the parks? >> i think, well, one of the keys to access to our national park system is our partnership with the federal highways administration and recently we also achieved 170 million dollars in the recovery act to provide for road improvements, to provide safe and quality experiences in terms of road access to the national parks. we also recently entered into an agreement with the international mountain biking association to provide opportunities for mountain biking in our national parks as well. so and then also built in with our recovery act as well as our line item constructiin program and repair rehab program, significant investment in our trail system thrussout the parks as well as significant investment in improvements in overall accessibility, meeting not only the letter but the intent of the americans disabilities act to ensure that we have access for all americans. >> thank

our future. >> elaine marshall, question to you? the top priority or the first legislation you would like to be involved in? >> it is a great to be here. thank you to the league of women voters and the folks out there listening. i believe my first bill will be something related to jobs appear. we are hurting. we need jobs. i think people can wait -- think we can recruit small business, but we have to grow small business. my first bill would be something in the nature of spurring financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and something that will help jobs stay in north carolina towards a sustainable economy and a strong small business. >> we move on. before the gulf oil spill, president obama wanted to allow drilling off the coast. he said -- he has since put a moratorium on new drilling, but before that, we talked about -- about youraboyou talked opposition. >> example numberone is the gulf coast. i was clear that i was opposed to offshore drilling for north carolina. what this bill is brought to the forefront is the critical need for of for thinking ene

disaster of its kind in our nation's history is threatening the gulf coast and the people who live there. right now, stopping this oil spill and contain the damage is the top priority not just in my administration but of the entire country. we are waging this battle every minute of every day. at the same time, we are continuing our efforts to rebuild from an economic disaster. it has touched the lives of nearly every american. that is what i want to talk about today. the state of our economy. the future we must -- we must seize in the past we chose to get there. it has now been a little over 16 months since i took office on may 1 of the worst economic storms in our history. to naaigate that storm, might administration was forced to take some dramatic and unpopular steps. these steps have succeeded in breaking the free fall. direction. the economy that was shrinking at an alarming reigned has now been growing for three consecutive quarters. after losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month during the winter of last year, we have now added jobs for five of the last six months. we expect to see strong job growth in friday's report. the taxpayer money to shore up the aut

top foreign-policy priority. let me address the question. why are we in afghanistan? our forces are in afghanistan to prevent afghan territory from being used by al qaeda as a base for attack. they are not yet strong enough to look after their own security, and that is why we are there. al qaeda is now under pressure on both sides. 18 months ago, the then prime minister told this house that three-quarters of the most serious plots had links to the border areas. i am advised that the threat from al qaeda and from pakistan has reduced, but i am also advise if it were not for their current president of u.k. and coalition forces, al qaeda would return to afghanistan, and the threat would rise. the next question is, how much what -- must we say? they do not want foreign troops on their soil longer than necessary, and the british people are impatient for progress. our people will not remain a day longer than necessary. the key to success is training and equipping the afghan security forces at every level to take on that task of securing the country so afghans can chart their ow

our environment. stopping this leak, of course, is the top priority because defensive measures, trying to stop what's flowed out, will never be able to -- will never be able, as i have learned to completely stop the flow into our estuaries and beaches and even small amounts can cause serious damage. the coast guard, b.p., m.m.s., noaa, the e.p.a. continue toe valuate and implement subsea and subsurface areas to stop the flow while closely monitoring its effect on the slirmente. i am encouraged by yesterday's announcement where admiral allen confirmed the capturing by b.p. of around 462,000 gallons of oil a day, which is a substantial increase from what was occurring friday. that is a positive step. if this procedure continues to work, i'm hopeful that the containment cap will begin to successfully collect as much oil as the surface tankers can handle. that being said, this is only the first step in what could be a long process and it's without question that the potential environmental and economic impact of the accident is unprecedented. b.p. is a multibillion dollar international country. as i said i

fighting for our seniors in south florida is one of my top priorities and today's checks will make a readifference for seniors who worked hard and paid to the system. i look forward to continuing t work together to strengthen and protect medicare. i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: t gentleman yields back the balancof h time. pursuant to ause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on t motion to suspend the rules onhich a recorded votor the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. any recorded vote on postponed question will be taken later. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. oberstar:r. speaker, i rise to take from the speaker's desk s. 3473, and ask for its immediate consideration in the house under suspension of the rules. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlemamove to suspend the rules? mr. oberstar: under suspension of the rules, yes. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 3473, an act to a

of our nation's most important conversations, the crucial ongoing dialogue between law enforcement and members of the arab-american community. advancing and strengthening this dialogue is a top priority for my department of justice, and it is a top priority for the obama administration as well. i would have been happy to speak to you any day of the year, but i am especially pleased to be scheduled today, june 4. exactly one year ago, in cairo, egypt, president obama addressed the arab and muslim world in a landmark speech that in elegant and heartfelt terms captured the importance of our discussion today. i would like to quote just a bit of that speech. "america hoods in her the truth that regardless of race or religion or station in life, all of us share common aspirations education and work with dignity, to love oor family, our communities, and our god. but so long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace and promote conflict rather than cooperation that can help all of our people a chief justice and prosperity. this cycle of suspicion in this court must end." president obama may have been addressing one region of the

our nation's history is threatening the gulf coast and the people who live there. right now, stopping this oil spill and containing its damage is necessarily the top priority not just of my administration, but i think of the entire country. and we are waging this battle every minute of every day. but at the same time, we are continuing our efforts to recover and rebuild from an economic disaster that has touched the lives of nearly every american. that is what i want to talk about today -- the state of our economy, the future we must seize, and the path we chose to get there. it has now been all over 16 months since i took office amid one of the worst economic storms in our history. and to navigate that storm, my administration was forced to take some dramatic and unpopular steps. the steps have succeeded in breaking the freefall. we are again moving in the right direction. an economy that was shrinking at an alarming rate when i became president has now been growing for three consecutive quarters. after losing an average of 750,000 jobs a month during the winter of last year, we and now added jobs for five of the last six months, and we expect to see strong job gr

i set the tone from the top by saying very clearly safe, reliable operations were our number one priority. we invested billions of dollars in the integrity of that plan. we've recruited many thousands of engineers and technologists into our company including many from other industries such as the nuclear industry and other parts of the chemical and oil and gas industry and we have changed fundamentally a whole approach to the management of our operations through the implementation of significant changes to our processes. >> doesn't seem like that. if you look at the reports on what happened on the deep horizon doesn't look like many safety procedures have changed much at all. mr. hayward, do you feel that your safety record compared to other major oil companies is comparable? >> as i said, it's clear that we had some serious issues to deal with in the 2005-2006 time frame. and we have worked hard to improve that safety performance since that time period. that doesn't seem to be changing, mr. hayward, your safety performance doesn't. here's some highlights of your safety procedures. bp had

our weapons systems. today, it is not only possible, all of that has actually happened, plus a lot more we don't even know about. it's why president obama has made cyber war defense a top national priorityd why, as we first reported in november, some people are already saying that the next big war is less likely to begin with a bang than a blackout. >> mike mcconnell: can you imagine your life without electric power? >> kroft: until february of 2009, retired admiral mike mcconnell was the nation's top spy. as chief of national intelligence, he oversaw the central intelligence agency, the defense intelligence agency and the national security agency. few people know as much about cyber warfare, and our dependency on the power grid and the computer networks that deliver our oil and gas, pump and purify our water, keep track of our money, and operate our transportation systems. >> mcconnell: if i were an attacker and i wanted to do strategic damage to the united states, i would either take the cold of winter or the heat of summer. i probably would sack electric power on the u.s. east cost-- maybe the west coast-- and attempt to cause a cascading effect. all of those things are in the art of

our defend -- dependence on oil. >> ms. marshall, the question to you -- the top priority or the first piece of legislation you would like to be involved in. >> it is great to be here. thank you to nbc 17, the league of women voters, and everyone listing. my very first bill would be something related to jobs. stimulating on entrepreneurship in particular. north carolinans are hurting and we need jobs. i think we can recruit small business but we have to grow small business. my first bill will be something in the nature of spurring financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and something that will help jobs stay here in north carolina for the sustainable economy and strong small business. >> great. we move on with ms. marshall. before the cold spell, president obama wanted to expand drilling off the north carolina coast. he has put a moratorium on drilling, but even before that, if you talk about your offshore drilling opposition. why? >> example #one is the gulf coast. was very clear in the beginning that i was opposed offshore drilling for north carolina. what this bill has brought to the forefront -- what the spill has brought

continue one of our nation pose a most important conversations, mostcrucial, -- nation's important conversations, the crucial dialogue with arab- american communities. this is a top priorityor my department of justice and for the obama administration as well. i would be happy to spe to you any day of the year, but i am especially pleas to be scheduled today, june 4th. exactly one year ago in cairo egypt, president barack obama addressed the arab and muslim world in a landmark speech that in heartfelt terms captured the importance of our discussion today. he said scott -- he said, "america holds within her the truth that regardless of re, religion, or station in life, all of us share a common aspiration to ve in peace and security, to get an education and work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our god. so long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who s hatred rather than peace, and in gender conflict rather than cooperation. this is a cycle of suspicion and discord must end." president barack obama may have been addressing another region of the world, but his words are as much as a guide for american 's dirse commu

the i've set the tone from the top by making it very clear to everyone in bp that safe, reliable operations are our number one priority. of course it's much more than about words. safety is about three things. it's about plans, it's about people and it's about process. in the last three years we've invested more than $14 billion in plant integrity. . what happened here? the june 14th letter we put out the other day, we went through five major areas. the head of the ceos of the oil companies that were before this committee on tuesday all said you did it wrong. they never would have done a well this way. you made decisions whether to a casing or the tie back, which everyone said the tie back would have been safer. the lock down sleeve. centralizers instead of doing 21 as recommended you only do six. that defies this safety emphasis, does it not? >> we've launched an investigation, which which have shared with yourself, mr. chairman and all of your members, which is identified seven areas. it's identified areas around cement, casing, integrity pressure measurement, well controlled procedures, and three areas around the b

top priority of not just my administration, but i think the entire country. we're waging this battle every minute of every day. at the same time, we're continuing our efforts to recover and rebuild from an economic disaster that has touched the lives of nearly every american. that is what i want to talk about today. the state of our economy, the future we must seize, and the path we chose to get their. it has now been a little over 16 months since i took office, amid one of the worst economic storms and our history. to navigate the storm might administration was forced to take some dramatic and unpopular steps. these steps have succeeded in breaking the freefall. we are again moving in the right direction an economy that was shrinking at an alarming rate when i become predict when i became president is now growing for three consecutive quarters. after losing an average of 750,000 jobs per month, we have added jobs of out of five of the last expense. the taxpayer money that it costs to shore up the financial sector and auto industry is being repaid. both gm and chrysler are adding ships and operating at a profit. -- adding shifts and operating at a

continue one of our nation pose a most important conversations, mostcrucial, -- nation's important conversations, the crucial dialogue with arab- american communities. this is a top priorityor my department of justice and for the obama administration as well. i would be happy to speak to you any day of the year, but i am especially pleased to be scheduled today, june 4th. exactly one year ago in cairo egypt, president barack obama addressed the arab and muslim world in a landmark speech that in heartfelt terms captured the importance of our discussion today. he said scott -- he said, "america holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share a common aspiration to live in peace and security, to get an education and work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our god. so long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and in gender conflict rather than cooperation. this is a cycle of suspicion and discord must end." president barack obama may have been addressing another region of the world, but his words are as much as a guide for american 's d

the top priority of the office of the inspector general, department of defense, is to provide effective and meaningful oversight in southwest asia. we will continue to coordinate and integrate our efforts within the oversight community and i look forward to answering any questions you may have. thank you. >> thank you very much. mr. bowen? >> good morning, chairman tierney, ranking member flank. thank you for inviting me here to address the challenges of contracting in combat zones, specifically to address the issue of who are our subcontractors. permit me to provide three premises that frame my remarks. first, the iraq experience underscores the truism that contracting in a war zone is uniquely challenging and vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse. second, that fraud, waste and abuse will get worse unless a regime is implemented that balances the principle of effective financial stewardship with the goal of mission accomplishment. third, a weakly resourced contract corps, such as we've seen in iraq and afghanistan, will harm oversight and, as you pointed out, potentially undermine mission accomplishment. we' we've been studying the problems arising from iraq contracting for the

continue one of our nation pose a mo important conveations, mostcrucial, -- nati's important conversations, the crucial dialogue with arab- american communities. this is a top priority for my partment of justice and for the obama administration as well. i would be happy to speak to you any day of the year, but i am especially pleased to be scheduled today, june 4th. exactly one year ago in cairo egypt, president barack obama addressed the arab and muslim world in a landmark speech that in heartfelt terms captured the importancefur discussion today. he said scott -- he said, "america holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share a common aspition to live in peace and security, to get an education and work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our god. so long as our relationship is defined b our differences, we will empower those who sow hatr rather than peace, and in gender conflict rather than cooperation. this is a cycle of suspicion and discord must end." prident barack obama may have been addressing another region of the world, but his words are as much as a guide for american 's diverse comm