in good times, we say everything is a priority, and when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. we have got to that 0-based budgeting. >> we have an email question. representative haley, this is for you. some say that if you are elected, we will have another toxic relationship with more gridlock. if elected governor, please differentiate your approach when working with our legislative body versus that of sanford. >> this is what i can tell you. first of all, i have been in the legislature long enough to know the problems are, but i have not been in the legislature enough to be part of the fraternity party. having a plan to tell them where we need to go as a state and educate people on how we are going to get there. the second thing is being predictable, getting the consequences before they happen. the goal i want to have is the first year in office to give south carolina a win. i want the legislature to feel what it is like to really went for the people in the state, and i want the people to know what it feels like when they have the power again. they can go around and show an

americans do not have a clear sense of our national security priorities. our military over the last two decades has obscured th need for any. the obscure what should be done with what must be done and what is more, we have lost our ability to differentiate between the threats thatust be addressed by the u.s. and those th can and should be addressed by others. washgton has allowed them military posture and to termine our security requirements as opposed to the other way around this must change in the portion of the report that we wrote, we call upon unique event it is. this calls upon open an active political culture. we should encourage pple to play a larger role in their defee. such a strategy would keep us safe. not all members of the task force increase our strategic vision but all agreed thate must revisit the purpose oour power. the mismatch between our means and our and this -- and our end s is growing every day. if we do't change the strategy, i fear a pleasant thing to haen. may settle a smaller and smaller military with more and moreissions, simil

the key priority must be stopping the environmental damage. in a telephone conversation, president obama reassured the prime minister that he has no interest in undermining bp's value and the frustrations in america have nothing to do with national identity. hon. members will remember that, in 1998, the also rig in the north sea exploded with 167 fatalities. following that disaster, our own regulatory regime was significantly tightened and we split the functions of licensing and health and safety in the u.k. the u.s. has announced that, in the future, these functions will be held by a separate organization. we hope that we have some experience in operating such a system. my department and the health and safety executive have been discussing this with the u.s. counterparts. it is my responsibility to make sure that the oil industry remains with the highest possible standards. i have thursday his review undertaking. the industry's record in the northern sea is a dish -- is strong. but with the beginning oo exploration in deeper waters, we must b

in fact it was not the priority. so today, will you assert before this subcommittee that all decisions by bp employees related to the deep water horizon reflected your priority, your priority of safety first. mr. chairman, the disaster in the gulf of mexico shows a series of unchecked bad decisions, we in congress and the federal government must also be mindful of the consequences of bad decision making. the subcommittee heard some of the administration's decisions are threatening the livelihoods of workers and families who depend upon the energy industry. we have killed half of their fishing with the deep water horizon spill and it looks like we're going to kill the other half of their commtee with our moratorium. our hearing today looks at the consequences of bad decisions and the lessons learned, may we have the wisdom and humility to take some of those lessons and apply them to ourselves? and i yooeltd yield back the balance of my time. >> i would like to turn to chairman of the energy and environment subcommitte

in fact it was not the priority. so today, will you assert before this subcommittee that all decisions by bp employees related to the deep water horizon reflected your priority, your priority of safety first. mr. chairman, the disaster in the gulf of mexico shows a series of unchecked bad decisions, we in congress and the federal government must also be mindful of the consequences of bad decision making. the subcommittee heard some of the administration's decisions are threatening the livelihoods of workers and families who depend upon the energy industry. we have killed half of their fishing with the deep water horizon spill and it looks like we're going to kill the other half of their committee with our moratorium. our hearing today looks at the consequences of bad decisions and the lessons learned, may we have the wisdom and humility to take some of those lessons and apply them to ourselves? and i yooeltd yield back the balance of my time. >> i would like to turn to chairman of the energy and environment subcommit

no priority. it was a nicc wish list, a dream list and some were achievable. some are not actical. when you draft a plan of that sort, you have to base it on reality and capabilities you have and the achievements and capacities you have built. otherwise, we all want to build 15 highways in five years and we have -- what factories and our agriculture production. is it practical? it was not a practical wis. we have to revisit the needs. -- it was not a practical list. and the realistic capabilities andrecalculate those things and create a new calculation based on new calculations. i will give you an example. 85% of people's livelihood depends on agriculture in that country. yet in that seven years from 2002 to 2009, only $247 million was allocated to agriculture, which was an obvious disastrous performance. we should have paid more attention to agriculture from the beginning. that would have given us the impetus and also the necessary decision making to pay attention to irrigation, to roads, to othe

highest priority stopping the leak. let me ask is your presence here today in any way interfering with that number one task of stopping the leak? >> it is not. >> thank you. leapt me ask you or just make a statement for clarification. i am not going to apologize to you. it was, afttr all, bp executives who were on that rig. bp executives who ultimately could have made the call to stop operations when things became unsafe and youly you are the person at the top and you are responsible. we lost 11 men on that rig, transocean and other companies lost 11 men on that rig. i don't feel apologies are in order. i have serious questions about this fund we heard about yesterday. i hope this committee will stay engaged in the oversight of that activity as well. it's still a disturbing to me that we've not had anyone from the federal regulatory side. we brought a ton of other people in here to question them. we need mr. salazar. we need the minerals and management people here who approved that exploration plan that bp submitted tha

priority to prosecute and bring to justice perpetrators of terrorism. however, it is important that in its effort to combat terrorism, the department's equally vigilant in upholding justice and observing the constitutional rights of americans that it's responsible for enforcing. this means a commitment to do process and transparency even in the most difficult situations and means congress must be steadfast in its commit to -- commitment to consistent and thorough oversight. the department has taken on an ins colleague -- increasingly active role in public safety. notably the department's efforts to support community-based programs have seen dramatic success. for example, the office of violence against women is charged with providing national leadership and reducing domestic violence through the implementation of the violence against women's act. through 19 violence against women act programs, the department is helping to reduce violence, sexual assault and stocking by strengthening services to victims and holing offenders accountable. most important wor

. >> i have no prior -- no higher senate -- no higher priority than the safety and security of the american people. in an world -- in the world, we must protect ourselves from threats like terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, transnational threats such as fiber-criminals -- cyber- criminials. to keep america safe, we're integrating every element of our national power -- military and economic, diplomacy and development, homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence. this final element, timely and accurate intelligence, is uniquely important, because it is critical to each of the

our number-one priority must be stopping the flow of oil. it is the job of this congress to do whatever we can to aid and unified command to reach his goal. this is engineering inaction. is not time to put together knee-jerk energy policy that could jeopardize our security in the future. it is imperative that this committee remember that the united states is one of the global eeergy economies, and therefore it must take into consideration that we are only 4% of the world population. if we enact policies that draw drilling and out of u.s. waaers, these companies will not cease to drill. we will cease to be able to ensure that oil and gas productionnis done in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. as we await he outcome of many investigations taking place, it is bottled we learn lessons from this incident so that we can keep our workers and firemen say it while continuing to produce our valuable oil and gas resources. the moratorium put in place by this administration does not reflect the president's previous duke and this knee-jerk reac

revealing his true priorities. now is not the time to push controversiil, job killing, partisan agendas through congress. in addition to devastating our economy, this proposal will do nothing to fix the disastrous bleak for clean up our beaches, marshes, and waters. another idea that texas in the wrong direction is the democratic plan to increase oil cleanup fees and raise those funds to pay for unrelated programs. these funds are needed to clean up the spill, not to satisfy speaker blows his desire to raise federal spending. in addition, the administration's moratorium on deepwater drilling has the potential to become the third wave of this disaster. if left in place, the moratorium will permanently eliminate thousands of jobs and drive up the cost of energy for all americans. you don't have to take my word for it. earlier this week, democratic strategist james carville said the moratorium was "wrecking the economy of the gulf coast." one of the greatest threats to the economy of the gulf coast is the loss of tour

highest priority stopping the leak. let me ask is your presence here today in any way interfering with that number one task of stopping the leak? >> it is not. >> thank you. leapt me ask you or just make a statement for clarification. i am not going to apologize to you. it was, after all, bp executives who were on that rig. bp executives who ultimately could have made the call to stop operations when things became unsafe and youly you are the person at the top and you are responsible. we lost 11 men on that rig, transocean and other companies lost 11 men on that rig. i don't feel apologies are in order. i have serious questions about this fund we heard about yesterday. i hope this committee will stay engaged in the oversight of that activity as well. it's still a disturbing to me that we've not had anyone from the federal regulatory side. we brought a ton of other people in here to question them. we need mr. salazar. we need the minerals and management people here who approved that exploration plan that bp submitted tha

this has to be a priority -- we will lose somewhere between 5000 and 7000 educators between last yearand this year. >> you say low-cost power is critical. you mentioned alternative energy and conservation as part of your plan. he did not mention nuclear energy. given that half of the south carolina energy comes from nuclear power plants, i think we have four, are you in favor of expanding our use of nuclear energy? >> i am. i voted against the budget for south carolina this year that was passed today. that is one reason i stayed. it was important for us to vote against that and i apologize i was late. i support increasing opportunities for nuclear power. we have a good track record. it is important that we pressure the federal government to find out where the waste will go. >> nuclear power is a mediumm term after prolonged term, we need to work on their renewal bills that will be part of this. the south carolina post- secondary education has to be a big part of this. our colleges and universities and technical colleges will have to give us the kind of knowledge workers that we need i

makes that one of the key priorities. port are also a critical are that needs to be worked a part of the interagency, obviously coast guard has a large responsibility there but helping inform and then work with the other agencies to address vulnerabilities at al qaeda and other terrorist groupsave dicated an interest in tryin to do bad things to. so those two parts obviously hazmat carriers, those, the over-the-road truckers and freights, heavy rail, light subway, l areas that fall within that umbrella of transportation security and so confirmed i look forward to working with you a the committee to assess those vulnerabilities and to figure out the best way to manage ris by allocating resource. >> thank u, mr.chairman. >> thank you, senat hutchison. senar demint. >> thank you, mr. chaian. mr. piole, the reason that some of us are makinguch a issuef collective bargaining it's kind of a signa to us. there is no doubt i my mind you have the qualifications to mak the transportatn security agency a better agency, continuing to

you stated repeatedly that say for liable operations are a number one priority, correct? >> you have been c.e.o. for the past three years. >> correct. >> explain why between june of 2007 and february of 2010 the occupational health and safety administration checked 55 oil refineries operating in the u.s.. two of those are owned by bp. bp refineries racked up 760 citations for egregiously willful safety violations, accounting for 97% of the worst and most serious violations that osha monitors in the workplace. that does not sound like a culture of safety. >> we address the issues in 2005 and 2006. >> i am not talking about 2005 and 2006. i am citing an osha study between june of 2007 and february of 2010 where osha said bp has a systemic safety problem. of those 760 that were classified as an egregious and willful, it is important to note that is the worst violation that osha can identify. their definition is a violation committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health. 97% of all of those egregious violations at u.s. refineries

access was not one of the top four priorities on the top four priorities list.o 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

in good times, everything is a priority. when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. we have to set the priorities and look at how we spend. we have to have a total up and down look at our agencies to make sure we are not duplicating our services and that that money goes to exactly where we wanted to go. >> representative at haley, many have said if you are elected, we'll have another four years of mark sanford and a toxic relationship with state gridlock. if elected governor, please differentiate your approach when working with our legislative approach compared with that of gov. stamford. it -- governor stanford. >> we are different people. at first of all, have been in the legislature long enough to know the problems are, but not long enough to be part of the fraternity. the key to leading the legislature and being governor is to put forward a plan that tells where we want to go as a state and educate the people and legislature on how we get there. second is being predictable, what we are going to do before we do it, consequences before they happen. typical of to ha

as governor, jobs will be my highest priority. we need to get government out of the way to create jobs. we need to streamline permitting and regulations. the private sector does a much better job in creating jobs. i want to shrink government so that our property taxes are lower. i will also step up to the public employee unions and tell them that enough is enough. we need to sit down and save the state and reformat the pensions and benefits so they are fair to the employees and affordable to the residence. ts. many of you are out there angry enter legislators, you feel, are not listening to you. i will be your governor and fight for you, ttank you. >> patrick lynch is running as a democrat. he is currently serving as the rhode island attorney general and was sworn into that position in 2003. >> good evening and thank you channel 12 and those that are assembled. i am running for governor because i believe that our government has to fundamentally change the way it is doing business. i was probably about public service is a good thin

so setting those priorities and making sure that everybody out to the front lines understands those priorities is another important part of the mix. i believe that the measures that we have taken and are taking now to augment our efforts will even further secure the land border between the united states and mexico; but if you look at our charter as the department of homeland security, in addition to counter- terrorism, which is always our number one priority, our next priority is securing our land borders, but also our air and our sea borders. aad so we are already seeing and dealing with drug traffickers going out to the pacific, increasing their routes there, increasing atlantic traffic, and the ultralights trying to come across the border. and we're already working on the strategy and the technology necessary to shut that down to and we will not be satisfied, and i won't be satisfied, until those other routes are shut down as well as the land routes. gil? >> well, you mentioned the other side of the coin. a little over four weeks ago, president obama released his national drug control strat

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 world, but his words were as much as a guide for diapers committees today as they were for d

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

we have two competing priorities.e want the government to protect us and americans want to be protected from the government. these are two things that have been with us 250 years. we have worked that out. we had a working formula that resolved that, but the consensus broke down badly in the last decade. so we have general alexander walking into probably the most crucial job at a tiie when we don't have, we the policy leaders, don't have consensus on how to manage this. this will be the great challenge. fortunately, we have a man of his talent and his experience that is going to help us. heat not only has to build a new organization but has to help build confidence and consensus in the united states that we need this role. it is a crucial role for the country. i am very grateful, general alexander, that you would join us. this has been long in coming. you see the depth of interest in this topic. rather than me delaying it, we look forward to your words, i hope that you will give us the benefit of taking questions and f

americans do not have a clear sense of our national security priority. our an enormous military of the last two decades have secured the need for any. -- obscured the need for any. we have lost our ability to differentiate between those threats that must be addressed by the united states and those that can and should be addressed by others. washington has allowed our military posture to determine our security requirements. as opposed to the other way around. this must change. in the report back then and i wrote, we called for a more restrained strategy that capitalizes on the unique advantages. this includes our strong dynamic economy and open political culture and an abundance of potential partners are around the world. we should encourage other countries to play a larger role in their own defense. such a strategy which he does say at far less and cost. -- would keep us safe at far less a cost. we all agree that we must revisit the purpose of our power. the mismatch between our means and ends is growing wider by the day. we must begin to close the gap.

priority. we have to live in how we spend. we have to have a total of the endowment of our agencies to make sure we are not duplicating -- told a look at our agencies to make sure we are not duplicating our services. >> rep paley, this is for you. it says, many have said if you are elected, we will have another four years of an executive relationship with more gridlock. please differentiate your approach versus the approach of governors sandford. >> we are different people. people are different in terms of their personality. i have been in the legislature long enough to know what the problems are, but i have not been in the legislature enough to be part of the fraternity. the key is to put forward a plan that can tell them where we want to go as a state and educate the people and legislature on how we want to get there. the second is being predictable, giving them consequences before they happen. the goal i want to have is the first year to give south carolina to win. i want the legislature to

he says his top priority is to cut the deficit.cit down, if you need to seek economic growth of an unemployment down. today's budget is bad for growth and that will make it harder to cut the deficit. the new office of budget responsibility has said in its report today that because of this budget, growth next year will be lower than it would of been under our policies and support for the economy. mr. deputy speaker, they have on growth for next year down, because of on that his budget does. and mr. beckett -- mr. deputy speaker, he said he was going to tell it straight, but the chancellor has not told straight today today's budget is bad for jobs and that will make it harder to cut the deficit. the obey are -- obr said that the price of his plan is tens of thousands of people out of work. i say to the honorable member, look at the obr report last week and compared on unemployment, compare it with the forecast and the result of this budget. there will be thousands of people out of work. unemployment higher. next year and every year o

the k priority muste stopping the environmeal damage. in a telephone conversation, president obama reassured the prime minister that he has no interest i undermining bp's value and the frustrations america have nothing to do with national identity. hon. members willemember that, in 1998, the also rig in the north sea exploded with 167 fatalities. following that disaster, our own regulatory regime was significantly tightened and we split the fctions of licensing and health and safety in the u.k. the u.s. has announced that, in the fute, tseunctions will be held by a separate organization. we hope that we have some experience in operating such a system. my department and the health and safety executive he been discussing thisith the u.s. counterparts its my responsibility to make sure that the oil industry remains with the highest possible standards. i have thursday his review undertaking. the industry's record in the northern sea is a dish -- is strong. but with the beginning oo exploration in deeper waters, we must be vigilant. initial s

we in congress and we as a nation must make it one of our highest priorities. h.res. 879 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from illinois, representative walter minnick, on october 29, 2009. the measure was referred to the committee on oversight and government reform which ordered it reported by unanimous consent on may 6, 2010. the measure has the support of over 70 members of the house. i thank the gentleman from idaho for introducing this measure, and i'd also like to thank chairman towns and ranking member issa for their support for the bill. and i urge my colleagues to support this measure and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah, mr. chaffetz, is recognized. mr. chaffetz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. chaffetz: thank you. i rise in support of h.res. 879, supporting the goals and ideals of american education week. teachers want to teach students . and we can't forge

what are the priorities and how active the president will the administration be? >> it is important to understand the role of the u.s. day -- of the usda relative to the farm bill -- is to provide technical assistance and information. it is premature to talk about what the priorities are other than to say i think there needs to be a robust commitment, not just to the safety net but world element. the to have to go hand in hand. the remark we put together and discussed earlier in the show is one that can help create an appropriate frame for conversation and we will certainly add to that, the discussion of how we can impact the regional economic development as opposed to a community by community economic development which has been the focus of the past. if you look at the successful rural revitalization that taken place in this country, you will find they are pursuant to a regional strategy where communities come together, 11 inch resources and power and have a plan that takes advantage of all their assets. that is the kind of thing we want to encourage, to use this

certainly small business lending is a priority for banks and businesses. however this bill doesn't address the underlying causes of contraction in lending. but invests much more in a failed regulatory agentcy. unfortunately the mixed messages being sent by failed bank regulators will not be fixed. instead of making the fdic and other regulators send a clear and consistent message to our nation's banks, this congress feels throwing more money at the problem will fix it. in february, bank regulators both state and federal, issued a joint statement providing guidance to banks and to credit unions, encouraging them to make loans to creditworthy small business borrowers. the regulators described the guidance as intended to quote, emphasize the financial institutions engaging in prude intersmall business lending after performance -- prudent small business lending after performing a review of the borrower's financial condition -- however reports from the field show a much different picture. i hear from bankers in my district and across our state that there is cap

our ambition is to ensure that the priority is the people on the front line -- the nurses, the doctorsople involved in clinical care -- instead of the endless increase in management that we have seen in recent years. >> many of my constituents are employed by nissan and in supply chain jobs. can the prime minister confirm that the £20 million grant awarded to nissan under the previous government in march will be honored, in order to develop the next generation of electric cars? >> let me welcome the honorable lady to her place and say that i, too, have visited the nissan plant near sunderland. it is an absolute wonder to see the incredible investment that has gone in there and the many jobs that have been created, not just at that plant but in the supply chain. i want to see electric cars being developed, and when i was at nissan we discussed that specifically. as for the grant, i do not have a specific answer for her -- >> ah! >> it's a funny, old thing. i'm going to give accurate answers, rather than make them up on the spot. >> hear hear. >> i shall be delighted to let the honorable

we have two contending priorities. we want the government to protect us and americans want to be protected from their government. you know, these are two thing that's have been with us for 250 years. and we've worked that out. we had a working formula that resolved all of that, but that consensus broke down badly in the last decade. and so we have general alexander walking in to probably the most crucial job that we need to have done at a time when we don't have -- we the policy leaders, don't have consensus on how to manage this. this is going to be the great challenge. so fortunately, we have a man of his talent and his experience that's going to help us. he not only has to build a new organization but he also has to help build the confidence and the consensus in the united states that we need this role, and it's a crucial role for the country. so i'm very grateful general alexander that you would join us. this has been long in coming. you see the depth of interest in this topic and we rather than my delaying it, we

it basically says this -- and has a priority, which is very similar to the priority in bankruptcy. says that you have to pay them off similar to how they are paid off in bankruptcy. you first have to be the corporation first expenses. it goes down there, but then there is something very disturbing on page 220 and then on page 228. after, it says that basically, people will pay -- will be paid off according to priority, senior debt, and junior debt. wages before that. then, all of a sudden, it says all claimants covered financial companies similarly situated shall be treated in a similar manner. but then it says this -- it says accept that the corporation may take any action, including making payments to the creditors, to the counterparty that a corporation determines that such action is necessary, so it does not have to treat them that way if the government determines that it is necessary to treat someone differently. to maximize the value of the assets of the covered financial cos. they do not have to go by those preferences. to initiate or continue operations essential to the imp

what type of a priority to you think this is? >> the area of financial fraud is something that has impacted every single american. the loss of money and savings and retirement accounts, faith in our capital markets has been devastating. it is something that we need to make sure that people are held accountable to. this is so important. only by making sure that people know there are consequences to having perpetrated this type of fraud will we have the hope of deterring anybody from doing it. i hearken back to some of the discussion we had in other sessions. one of the main ways to do this is to go after the individual executives who are responsible to make sure the they are not just going to walk away because the corporation takes a hit. they will go to jail and suffer the consequences. they make millions and millions of dollars will be forced to give it back. that to me is one of the keys that could come in a successful program to deal with this. from what i see, there has been an increase in resources. it is hitting the ground.

the private sector has different priorities than we do in providing security.ir, in a sense, bottom line is about profits. and we need to change that. we need to change their motivation so that, when we see a vulnerability like this, we can require them to fix it. >> kroft: langevin and others have introduced legislation that would do just that. >> langevin: i look at this as like a pre-9/11 moment, where we identify a problem, we identify a threat, we know it exists, we know it's real, and we don't move quickly enough to fix the problem. >> mcconnell: and what i'm worried about is, because of so many competing priorities and so many issues that we have to deal with, we won't get... we will not get focused on this problem until we have some catastrophic event. if the power grid was taken offline in the middle of winter, and it caused people to suffer and die, that would galvanize the nation. i hope we don't get there, but it's possible that we will. >> good evening. president obama is demanding that b-p set up an escrow account to pay damage claims from the oil

that has to be i will priority.at is why we are bringing high-speed internet to tens of thousands of homes, hospitals, businesses, schools. it is a wrwhile we are investinn electronic medical records. years ago, american businesses had only 2% of the production of electric car batteries that cover the vehicles of the future. those batteries were made some place else. we made investments in the recovery act and by 2015, u.s. companies will have 40% of the global market. we have created an advanced battery making facility right here in the u.s. that will allow us to maintain that cutting edge. from the first railroad to the interstate highway system, our nation has always been built to compete. the history of ohio is a testament to that. nearly two centuries ago, our nation's first federally funded highway, the national road, was extended across ohio, bringing together a generation of sellers west to this frontier and paving the way for the automobile industry which would transform our landscape. for our economy in th

were all about and those priorities are our family and our loyalty to the neighbors and the people ofarkansas. that has carried me through and mama, i cannot thank you enough. you are amazing. [applause] let me tell you, there are a ton up of poor families. i see my aunt and uncle. my sister is here and my brother is here. i know that there are so many others. i have not done this by myself. i have done it with each and everyone of you by my side. as i go into the cavities and talk to folks, you are there. you are excited and passionate. and passionate you know what we have to do. i got the most tremendous congressional staff that anybody could dream of. they are wonderful. [applause] many of them are here tonight and i am grateful to them, each and every one. they know and love this state and work very, very hard to make sure this country is working for us. i also have the most phenomenal campaign staff -- [applause] so many supporters, so many wonderful friends. folks, we have a lot worth fighting for. we have a whole lot worth fighting for. we will make sure as we recruit tomorrow

as my right honorable friend pive priority to leaving -- does my right honorable friend give priority to leaving as soon as possible or staying as long as necessary? >> i congratulate my right honorable friend on his successful election as chairman of the defense select committee. i look forwarddto reading his reports over the course of this parriament. i do not thiik there is a conviction. -- contradiction. people want and other foreign troops will not be on their soil for extended time. artificial deadline about when troops will leave, but to do all the work that we can build up the afghan security forces, to give us the chance to leave, and to put pressure -- yes, it is pressure -- on the everett -- on the afghan government to combat direction and put in place good governance. it is important that we always work. we need not set artificial timetables that we ccnnot meet. >> several honorable and right honorable members are seeking t3 single, short, supplementary questions. economical replies are the order of the day. >> the prime minister referred very briefly about his son and he

we need to get our priorities straight that in the end are root-positive and that is to put security bars prevent this to be very clear. in terms of the development aid, the 200 million pounds is additional to the existing work we are doing in afghanistan by a preat wit -- in afghanistan. in recent years, we have put enormous pressure on these families offmilitary personnel and we need to do more to help them. i know the pressures we put on people. we want to do more to help with all the issues around military families. finally, the question about the strategic defense review and if that would cover the army -- it would cover all the issues in defense. irvñi would join her in paying tribute to the fallen soldiers. they were strong and dedicated public servants and everyone owes the may thanks and gratitude. the government needs new time to put in a proper replacement for defense purposes they have done a superb job on the defense staff for it i am working with him extremely well. he can with me on the trip to afghanistan and deserves the gratitude of the house of commons. >> are we a

>> it plays out the way mike has outlined in terms of different regions fighting for their priorities. the two chairmen of the agriculture committees in the house and senate are concerned about what is going to happen to the baseline for the farm bill. they generally, when things get tight in the budget, the cuts come out of agriculture. come out of agriculture. the house agriculture chairman , that's one of the reasons he started hearings so early, to find out what the priorities are and get a sense of what is people can live without. it is going to be tight and it's going to be tough. it is going to have a broad it is going to have a broad range effect on people. >> the secretary repeatedly referred to there listening to and working with a chairman. while the chairman of the agriculture committees are typically captured by the industry and serving the interest of the administration but of the farm groups, mr. peterson from minnesota is an effective chairman. his interests are more aligned with farmers then white house policy. the chairman of the senate agriculture committee is runni

it is a top priority for congressional leaders. at various times, democrats wanted to extend it further. it is something that the senate and the house is working on. it is part of a larger bill this week part of some controversial things. it could get done this week. how long? it remains to be seen. host: does the american public call them responsible for not moving this forward? guest: democrats are making the point as well as speaker closing -- nancy pelosi same republicans are the ones blocking this. it is also noteworthy that senator joe lieberman and ben nelson from nebraska voted against the measure that had this. the entire package should be paid for. you have this benefit versus fiscal concern that is clashing. a lot of finger-pointing. host: democrat, dallas, texas. caller: i am calling in regards to some against president obama. from day one up to the presence t [unintelligible] the republicans stood up and said we are not going to let anything pass. i have never seen any democrat and as many caucasian people on the right

talk about a recipe for disaster: democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints -- yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked. with this budget failure - a first in the modern era - democrats are missing a critical opportunity to provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create private-sector jobs and boost our economy. this unprecedented budget collapse also sends a clear signal to american families struggling to meet their own budgets that washington still doesn't recognize the severity of its spending problem. democrats say their decision is about what's best for the future of our country. it's not. with the political season upon us, democratic leaders believe it's better to take a pass than to pass a budget. while americans ask "where are the jobs?," they seem content to simply run out the clock and let their borrowing binge continue to drain resources from our economy. the debt is on track to exceed the size of our entire economy in the next 18 months. we have run out of road to kick the can down. if this is really abou

she and dad major to teach us what priorities are all about. those priorities are faith and your family and the good people of arkansas. it is amazing [applause] there is a ton of other family. i see my and then my uncle. they have been on the road with me on the campaigns. i know that there are so many others. i have not done this by myself. i have done it with each and one of you by my side. as i come back to the counties and talk to the folks, you are there. you're excited and passionate. your concern and you know what we have to do. i have the most tremendous congressional staff that anybody could dream up. [cheers and applause] they are wonderful. [applause] many of them are here tonight and i am grateful to them, each and everyone. they are arkansans in their own right and are making sure that this country is working for us. i also have the most phenomenal campaign staff. [cheers and applause] so many supporters, so many wonderful friends -- folks, we have a lot that is worth fighting for. we are going to make sure, as we regroup to mark,

. >> our first priority is to provide air troops in the field the >> our first priority is to provide our soldiers with what they need in the field. expenditures have to be closely scrutinized. it has been clear for some time now that neda has access infrastructure and outdated command strictures that bear little resemblance to our real- world needs. in many cases, the current arrangement arranges the political news. you cano longer afford to nato and job creion. inead, all decisions on reforming the military command structure must be based on military requirement to create a lean and flexible organizatn. the measures we mistake and not about cutting people and cost precipitous a day arebout focusing on real reforms to achieve and create a 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 inefficncies. the worst thing any of us could do would be tried to save money. i was very encouraged by the supporting of the'generals detailed ageeda.

if we are to reach our goals, we must give priority to improving government management and operations. we must be ready to execute. the center for american progress recently launched a new project called "doing what works," that aims to advance of this very objective. this project is identifying misguided spending programs and tax expenditures that should be reformed or actually eliminated. we are also exploring ways to improve policy decisions through better performance assessment and greater public engagement. we want government to be more effective, but we also undertake this work in recognition of our fiscal problems. now more than ever, it is important that the federal government spends money wisely. the government needs to operate more intelligently and more efficiently, whether that be in health care, energy, education, defense, or other priority areas. our fiscal challenge demands that we direct resources where they are needed the most to efforts that generate the greatest return. peter orszag and the obama administration are working to build such of government. the administra

. >> afghanistan is my top priority. that is why we set up a national security council, and why it met on the first full day of the new government. in terms of the military strategy, we are six months into the troop surge ordered by president obama. that is to provide a counterinsurgency campaign, protecting the people while tackling the insurgency. we back that strategy and we must give a time to work. there are signs of progress, such as markets opening up again and a better district government. we have got to support the military strategy with a political surge, of which the piece being launched in kabul poday is part. i spoke to president karzai today about a political solution where everybody feels that the government of afghanistan is a government for them. >> is my right hon. friend aware of the concept of the sovereign bridgehead. that could meet our needs in afghanistan for a fraction of the cost in life, limb, and expenditure, and would he consider taking a briefing on this subject in the present and, if possib

when everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. we have to set those priorities and look at how we spend. we have to have an accounting of our agencies to make sure that we are not duplicating our services and that those dollars go where we want them to go. >> we have a question for you. many said that if you are elected, we will have another four years of mark sanford and another toxic legislative executive relationship. if elected governor, please differentiate between your approach when working with our legislative body. >> we are very different people. just like you have two children that are different. this is what i can tell you. i have been in the legislature long enough to know what the problems are. but i have not been part of tte legislature long enough to be part of the fraternity party. i can tell them where we want to go as a state. we need to be predictable. we need to tell them what we are going to do before we do it. the goal that i want to have is to give south carolina and the wind. i want the legislature to feel

it is one where priorities are being made.many small in the bigger picture but at least the priority is being made. right now we're talking about the -- that we have a need in this country to help enhance the compensation for some very critical public servants, not just us personally but for the country at large. the fact is this bill will create a $15 million savings by looking atsur plus property that the taxpayers are not only own but have to maintain at this time. sadly, mr. chairman, as that $15 million is a drop in the bucket of what we could be doing. as the office of management and budget estimated, the federal government has $18 billion worth of real property. that it does not need. and rather than selling this property or marketing, we usually give it away one way or the other. to local government, states or nonprofits rather than getting the fair market value. and i know historically we have always taken this attitude is if the federal government can't use it let's give it to somebody else. but i think we all agree

the priority for everyone involved in these operations is safety. that does not come before anything, not anything. it is not something i believe -- is something i believe it personally very passionately. >> the women talked about in their testimony. i am sorry. i have gone over your time. >> finished your question. >> they talked about in that their testimony that their husbands, the drilling rig company for transocean, that they pushed safety, but in discussions in weeks prior to the explosion, there has been ving, saying,bp waivin keep going. keep doing. growing up in south louisiana, i heard about the drilling foreman and company guys getting into fistfights. were there anyyinstances to your knowledge or have you discovered that there was a direct order given by bp that says, keep going. i do not care what is going on. >> i have not seen any evidence of that whatsoever. and i believe that the operation on the rig in the days leading day was carried out because everyone agreed on the rig to move forward. >> thank you. >> questions, please. >> tha

no priority.it was a nice wish list, a dream list and some were achievable. some are not practical. when you draft a plan of that sort, you have to base it on reality and capabilities you have and the achievements and capacities you have built. otherwise, we all want to build 15 highways in five years and we have -- what factories and our agriculture production. is it practical? it was not a practical wis. we have to revisit the needs. -- it was not a practical list. and the realistic capabilities and recalculate those things and create a new calculation based on new calculations. i will give you an example. 85% of people's livelihood depends on agriculture in that country. yet in that seven years from 2002 to 2009, only $247 million was allocated to agriculture, which was an obvious disastrous performance. we should have paid more attention to agriculture from the beginning. that would have given us the impetus and also the necessary decision making to pay attention to irrigation, to roads, to ot