. >> mister chairman and i think ranking member womack for joining us today and it's a great time to speak with you today. i met the committee and to fix our current funding process and i hope today that you know that this hearing is proof that it was not for not and it will work with you we continue they work from last year. this committee will and i'm glad you're here and i know that you all want to solve this and we can gather some ideas on how to tackle this complex issue. when it comes to the current funding process in congress i think we all know we can do better. the american people are constituents expects us to do better and or charged with the support but the taxpayer dollars and we move forward mister chairman and each chamber in this administration is the brick wall of this process and each time over the last couple of years and are witnesses today it's illustrated we. it's been more than 20 years that the bills were passed by one the process work and for house members of 60% so we have a lot of appropriators and with myself as well and i know this problem his pushed onto

womack who tag teamed for that committee. with that i'll invite our vice chair tom graves for opening remarks. >> mr. chairman and ranking member for joining us today and the witnesses that are going to be with us and taking time to speak with us today. as co-chairs of the joint select committee i know you worked really, really hard to fix our current funding process and i hope today you know that this hearing is proof that your work lives on. it was not for naught. we are going to work with you and continue building on your work from last year. this select committee has that opportunity and to build on your foundation and so i'm glad you're here to take a part-- be a part of this today and i know that we all want to solve this and hopefully today we can gather ideas and kind of taxol this complex issue. when it comes to the current funding process in congress, i think we all know we can do better. the american people our constituents, they expect us to do better and that we're charged with this important responsibility of us

>>somebody's got a >>they'll fall womack hasn't been inside a bowling alley and more than 40 years since she was stationed with her husband in puerto rico, it was the only the only sport there. >>and i really got involved in it and and i really liked it. i don't know why it was just the thrill of throwing the ball down there and i was able to bowl for 300 games. >>in fact it's been a while since she's done a lot of the things she's to do. >>had cancer in 2008 and then again in 2011 she has had cancer 3 times battled so you lied us and lost her vision about 4 years ago i was told that i would never walk again. and that was the wrong thing to tell me because i was bound and determined, you know what i'm going to walk. >>and it just so happened her first steps were walking up to this bowling lane. >>i'm just so excited. it was so much fun is to release that mall. >>first so walking for the first time in over a year and throwing a bowling ball for the first time in decades and all of a sudden it's like you're back what i used to do. >>played alongside a group of blind bowlers something she's

would be one thing again if we could just point fingers at beto o'rourke julian cast her and say womack there really out there. they wanted decriminalize border trespassing and they are talking about this. they really do want to abolish i.c.e. and not replace it with anything else. but lurking behind them of course are these larger corporate interest that allow the crazies and the radicals to give voice to the ultimate working agenda of their own organization. they will be very happy if every last willing worker in the world is able to cross the border for $5 hour wages. >> host: when we are talking about business community and free trade is really important texas and nafta and having it's an services across the border from mexico. my observation is you have a and middle last and getting free trade and our goal is society ought to encourage economic growth throughout the western hemisphere mexico the northern triangle. we want that to occur. we want to a increase as part of that is the economic situation making sure we stand up for free trade. the presence of goal of getting usmca done.

womack the answer is freedom and the voluntary system like matt was referring to. >> we used the word socialism but in the book we defined it in a cut away. there is no black and white. not a zero-sum road. their socialist united hates and we have pulled schools as the government central planning the education system for most of the country. that's the economic freedom index. to continue them from one end of the spectrum. social is is the venezuela is of the world than the cube then the other end of the spectrum is more capitalism. not a bright line between when you stop being caplis and start being socialist. there is a lot of ruin in every nation but there's a lot of socialism in every nation. reason index and its the shape than index can give us but it helps move the conversation. having said that socialism is the buzzword of the day and it's important to make that point for the book. >> by the way this is why listening is so important because these buzzwords like capitalism and socialism. i generally don't like to use the words because they have so much baggage that you may be tal

into the record this report by the united nay college fund which is led by my close friend michael womack's who was the enc when i was sworn into college recently. it's titled hbcus make america strong, the positive impact of historic black colleges and universities. 2017 report found total economic impact to the u.s. $14.8 billion annually ranking among the top 200 corporations for the fortune 500 list. maryland we have for hbcus that generated billion dollars of economic output and 10,000 jobs. maryland graduates can expect to make a million dollars a year due to that credential. dr. verret if we strengthen federal investments in hbcus what do you see, what's it look like in a long-term roi by making this investment? what's the return on the investment? >> the return investment right now it's critical that we develop our talent. the talent that we have to build new industries whether it's the digital industries where the high-tech industries is from these young people. other countries are doing a good job and are not willing to share it. >> the link diversity with better and different way

various forms is flourishing thereov are more models and accessories to choose from than ever before womack"of how to evade the law if we address how to address the problem of assault weapons we must examine the loophole of the 1994 law. although that lethal impact is evident from the mass shootings the assault weapons present a far greater problem the daily threat to our communities with those particular instances causing mass casualties to cause bone - - make national news. the criminals even without causing loss of life on a wide scale have terrorism the response to the daily toll of gun violence in the streets and schools and places of work but that has changed earlier this year this committee reported in the house passed legislation to expand and improve our background checkck system the committee recently approvedys bills to establish systems for extremist protection orders and high-capacity magazines preventing individuals from hate crime misdemeanors from possessing meyer one - - firearms we'll see if the senate leadership will consider the gun manufacturers are not with this legislati

. >>> we womack to our desk david cal pinto, of the national whistleblower council. explain first complaint with the national whistleblower center is, what you do. >> sure. the national whistleblower center is a non-profit organization in washington, d.c. committed to assisting whistleblowers in exposing misconduct and corruption in the government and private sector. it accomplishes it that three ways through legal advocacy, public advocacy to try to improve laws to reward and protect whistleblowers, and finally through public education such as what we do right now. >> this whistleblower complaint that became public at least the existence of the complaint not the complaint itself are you involved in that at all? >> no. >> what this whistleblower complaint has shed light on is that there is a difference between whistleblowers in the intelligence committee community and the laws and rules they operate under and whistleblowers in the rest of the federal government. can you just explain why that is and what rules they have to apied by? >> sure, the most basic difference