. -- by introducing tom donohue. [applause] >> thank you very much. i am pleased to be here. i am not sure how i feel. i got back from europe yesterday. i am committed to the subject that we are going to discuss today this evening and tomorrow and the next day and that we are going to advance in every way we can to meet the challenges that we all face. paul, thank you for your introduction but more particularly, thank you for your support of the chamber and more specifically, thank you for your support of what is going on in the infrastructure world. i would like to also join janet , thelcoming our cohost more people you get in the room project, thee better we are going to be and appreciate working together with these folks. we have created a great program for today. it could not be more timely. as august, the highway trust fund is going to run short of money. i predict it will be sooner than that. states will not begin in to get reimbursed on time for money willhave already spent and probably slow down their own com

what about the issue that tom donohue seems most worried about and that is immigrant labor.nt some settlement to know here is what we have to do with immigrant labor. >> if you ask me what is the corben fit of the united states, it has long been immigrants. in silicon valley a third of those high-tech businesses were formed by people not from america. what is going to make america competitive is keeping our borders open for trade, and this flow of talent from all over the world, that flow of talent, we have got to get immigration reform done. >> but there are also people who are against immigration reform who would say, look, the cost of security issues would also be severe; that if you are allowing people who have broeng the law, that if you have a porous border, we're going to pay one way or another because of potential security breaches. do you buy it? >> there are smarter ways to keep on the lookout for bad guys than stopping everybody and queueing them up. it is crazy what we're doing. in the name of homeland security, we're eroding our economic security. use technology

i have the honor today of introducing the first keynote speaker, tom donohue.go the chamber was courting hntb to join. we had a number of visits and were deciding what we were going to do. finally, i don't even remember who it was, said why don't you go visit tom. so after 45 minutes with tom donohue, i saw exactly why it was great for hntb to be part of the claim per of commerce. chamber of commerce. i saw everything they were doing, everything that they, that fit what hntb needed in its business and in influence in washington. but more than that, i saw a man with a vision for what america could be, the passion to get it done and backed by an organization that was working to implement his ideas. since becoming president and ceo of the chamber in 1997, tom built the chamber into a lobbying and political powerhouse with influence across the globe. during tom's tenure the chamber, lobbyists, political experts, legal advocates, communications and technical experts have won business victories on capitol hill. i think we're all familiar with all the victories they'v

tom donohue from the chamber of commerce saying the republicans might as well not run a candidate if they can't get immigration reform done by 2016. they think they're waiting for this to be easy and it never will be the. >> valerie jarrett was quoted in the las vegas review journal saying i think we have a window between now and august to get something done. we have a commitment from boehner. this morning she pulled back and said he has said she wants to do this. is there some secret conversations between the president and the speaker? >> that got a lot of attention. boehner made clear that isn't what he said. they now say they have a commitment from boehner to at least try. that may be forward leaning from what boehner has actually told them. again, as long as they think there is some possibility that john boehner will wake up one morning and saying i'm going to the floor with immigration, the white house is going to hold off and activists will be frustrated with them. >> this won't happen. we'll have an election first. maybe there's a lame duck session after the election. stay put

you heard last week tom donohue of tame khrer sa chamber say, iy don't get's hind immigration don't -- >> this is the business community, but mainstream republicans, still have real questions about immigration. certainly something rushed through at-this-point in time. lou: okay edthank you. and juan thank you. >> you're welcome. lou: senate minority leader miscmitch mcconnell wins kentucy primary, race for republican primary in georgia still too close to call. a run off is considered to be likely there. growing calls for president obama to end his public silence on the sra*on the -- va scandal, allegations about workers has now expanded to 19 states, according to obama white house, deputy chief of stab rob neighbors will travel through a phoenix va tomorrow. >> the president himself has said little. today the va announces it is investigating why one of their medical centers in gainsville, florida, kept the list of patients needing follow-up appointment on paper instead of the computer system. critics only getting louder, talk radio host rush limbaugh equateing the va to a quote death

at an event discussing the infrastructure, tom donohue threatened republicans who don't act on a bipartisan bill that has cleared the senate. >> we are crazy if we don't take advantage of having passed an immigration bill out of the senate, because going back and doing it again may be harder. and do something rational in the house, and put it together and get the three or four things we need there. and we have got a lot of heat on that. we are going to put a lot more. the republicans don't do it, they shouldn't bother to run a candidate. >> in 2012 latino voters comprised 20% of the electora : electorate:. >> house speaker john boehner said that republicans are working out a plan for immigration reform, but will not vote on a proposal any time sewn. according to john boehner, it's president obama's fault: >>> when it comes to the president say, john boehner has hi trust in former florida governor, jed bush. he spoke is a business group saying: >> jed bush said he'll make a decision by the end of the year. >> a key story line involves the democratic sonates. republicans need a net gain of si

here is chamber of commerce president tom donohue speaking yesterday. >> if the republicans don't doldn't bother to run a candidate in 2016. i mean, think about that. >> yeah, yeah. >> think about who the voters are. >> in fact, the speaker himself was in texas yesterday, thinking about who the 2016 voters are and running straight into the hard, concrete wall of demographic reality. while in a state where the growing hispanic population threatened to one day turn texas blue. unsurprisingly, in his remarks to the hispanic chamber of commerce in san antonio, he has an optimistic outlook of where things stand on reform. i do believe the vast majority of our members do want to deal with it openly, honestly and fairly. they do? a vast majority of his members want to deal with this? this is news to most people, but especially anyone who heard the speaker's assessment of his own members a few weeks ago. >> the appetite amongst my colleagues for doing this is not real good. this guy is back here with a camera. here is the attitude, oh, don't make me do this. oh, this is too hard. you should

my name is tom donohue. i and the president and ceo of this fine institution.i want to thank you for being here. i would like to extend a special welcome to those of you visiting our headquarters for the first time. the chamber is a 102-year-old organization. this building serves as the central rallying point for the u.s. business community. we host several hundred meetings here in this room alone every year. the room we are gathered in today, the international hall of flags is rich in symbolism and history. the room takes its name after the overhead banners of 12 great explorers who blazed the first halves of trade. they planted the first seed of commercial and industrial growth in the new world. they planted the first seeds of commercial and industrial growth in the new world. these flags remind us that the transatlantic relationship has been around for a long time. today, we are reminded just how essential this relationship is. alliance is.-eu critical to global stability, peace, and freedom. this has been proven time and time again throughout recent history

period is tom donohue am the president and ceo of the spine institution. i would like to extend a special welcome to those of you visiting our headquarters for the first time. the chamber is a 102-year-old organization. this building serves as a central rallying point for the ..s. business community we host several hundred meetings here in this room alone every year. room we are gathered in today, the international hall of flags, is rich in symbolism and history. afterom takes its name the overhead banners of 12 great explorers who blazed the first paths of trade. they planted the first seeds of commercial and industrial growth in the new world. these flags remind us that the transatlantic relationship has been around for a long time. today, we are reminded just how essential this relationship is. alliance is.-eu critical to global stability, peace, and freedom. this has been proven time and time again throughout recent history. the world is always changing and the transatlantic partners are being test it in new and difficult ways. competitorsrtive who are

but just this week tom donohue president of the u.s.hamber of commerce said if republicans don't do what they should not even bother to run a candidate in 2016 adding'' matt failure to act is not an option and we are absolutely crazy if we don't take advantage of having passed an emigration bill lot of the senate. i don't always agree with the president of the u.s. chamber of commerce. it is also reflecting needless damage to our economy. the gdp could be growing by over 3%. 3% by passing this bill. more than any republican and tax cut proposal but steve king says no and speaker boehner abandon ship. another republican working to pass reforms said they needed deadline to get moving on immigration reform and if no action overtaken the republican brand would be damaged for years to come. as speaker boehner said fine. there is nothing done and immigration reform. with that is microscopic measure that would let the legal status for joining the military the house has refused to consider this so far. they try to place the of played on the pre

just this week tom donohue, president of the u.s.chamber of commerce, said if republicans don't do it, they should not even bother to run a candidate in 2016. he added that failure to act is not an option and that we are absolutely crazy if we don't take advantage of having passed an immigration bill and the senate. now, madam president, as you know, i don't always agree with the president of the u.s. chamber of commerce, but he is right here. not only is this inaction damaging the republican party politically, it is also inflecting needless damage to our economy. our gdp could be growing by over 3%, 3% by passing this bill. more than any republican tax cut or democratic spending proposal. the steve king says no, and the speaker abandoned ship. mario di s. blog, another republican working to pass immigration reform said republicans need a deadline in order to get moving on immigration reform and that if no action were taken by august recess the republican brand would be damaged with latino voters for years to come. has the speaker sa