Will say is they better straighten the law out before they ever introduced into the country, we would not have all of this trauma or the political moves to do waivers. On and on a ghost. It is politically motivated and it is ridiculous. There is no health care and available, it is just Health Insurance. Guest the law had an infamously strange route to passage where only democrats supported in congress and they had to do a little maneuver at the end to dodge the republican senator scott brown, who joined the senate in january before the law ever became final. The criticism is fair that it was a work in progress when it became law and they have had to do a lot of creative regulation, lets say, to get the law off the ground. Host lets go to west virginia. Democrats. Caller good morning. I would like to go off the subject a little bit. This has to do with, are you aware the Medicare Supplement Insurance Program has preexisting conditions in it, and it has been there for years . It has been underwriting since the Affordable Care act did away with preexisting conditions, and it is still in medicare and nobody is bringing that up or doing anything to fix that problem . Are you aware of that . Guest the caller is talking about medigap plans, which cover benefits under the traditional Medicare Program, which doesnt pay for i am not super familiar with the program, but i do not think it is medically underwritten. I have gotten this call on cspan before from folks concerned about that. It is worth noting the president is looking to make real changes to require people to pay more for it if they get coverage, or medigap covers all of your costs outside the traditional program. For some want to ask you more about the announcement from last week. What does it mean for states, are we likely to see them opening more exchanges or dropping them . Guest another change they made in the lawn last week was they will have till the end of june to decide whether they want to create their insurance change. Hours better. Previously, the deadline was the end of january. June 30th of this year, they want to take over the Health Insurance exchange in november. They would have to be doing work now to make that happen. I do not know of any states planning to join the Exchange System or takeover the exchange themselves at this point. Host on our republicans line, dixon, illinois. Caller i had a question. It seems to me if you cannot afford affordable Health Insurance, then most likely you will go back to medicare because of the subsidies and it might end up being more expensive than if you took to the Affordable Act. There are a lot of people who cannot afford the Affordable Act insurance policy. In general, it will just go back to medicare anyway. I have a question about that. Thank you for taking my call. Guest you might be talking about medicaid. That is being expanded in about 26 states now to cover folks earning higher incomes just above the poverty line. It is a there is a clear demarcation in the law between ellsbury for medicaid and for the Affordable Care act insurance exchanges. If you are not eligible for medicaid, you are eligible for insurance exchanges. If you are eligible for the insurance exchanges, youre not eligible for medicaid. It is not easy to fall back on medicaid if you do not fall back on if or book cap. Host next up in houston, texas, on the democrats line. Caller i was going to ask our guest, do you think the word will be reintroduced again . The only thing that has come true about the whole debate is that word has been eliminated. I am sure to the delight of big business republicans. I do not know why democrats have allowed this to happen. Guest the caller is talking about reimportation for Prescription Drugs from countries like canada. It was never put on paper, but there has always been speculation that as part of the Affordable Care act, the Obama Administration may have promised the drug industry that reimportation would have not be brought up in a serious way by the administration and we have not seen it in his budget for the last four years as far as i know. It does not appear reimportation is anything anyone in congress is seriously considering right now. Host there is a march 31 signup deadline. How are things faring now . Guest they said in february they have for me 4 Million People signed up by late february. We will find out this week how many people have actually signed up by the end of february. They are still hoping to get 6 million by the end of march. It will probably get a couple more million through the course of the year as people change coverage, they lose their jobs and get divorced and have events in their life that require them to change coverage. They are hoping to have 6 million enrolled just in private plans by the end of march. Host how does the president s budget deal with the Affordable Care act . Guest there was not much in there posing to change the form will care act. Much of his budget probably sees word were toward policies. He wants to cut spending in those programs to scale back growing costs. Host diana is in kentucky and on the line for republicans. Caller thank you. I just wanted to share my experience here. My husbands employer sent a letter in october that explained to us because were turning 65 this year, our Prescription Drug plan with the Insurance Company is not creditable coverage. I had no idea what that meant. As a retired librarian, i have been do my homework. I checked social securitys website, the medicare website, medicaid and medicare website, i have called the Insurance Company, and the Human Resources person, and his employer, and i think i am getting there with answers, but i tell you i spent hours on this question and i what i think what i know right now is that you just cannot buy d on medicare. You just have to take the whole package. Now that we know his Prescription Drug coverage is noncreditable, we have to dump our beautiful plan with the employer and go on to medicare. We could stay on until he retired at 66, but we are not going to be able to do it. So, anyway, that one little thing will affect a lot of baby boomers who are employed, paying for their own Health Insurance, and this small requirement will have all of these baby boomers dumped into medicare whether they want to or not, and that is what i wanted to share with you. Thank you. Guest my parents were facing a similar situation a couple of years ago. I should point out that does not have anything to do with the Affordable Care act. Seniors have faced this issue for a long time. When i turn 65, whether to join medicare immediately or try to stay on their employer plan. It has never been smooth. The Affordable Care act does not make the Healthcare System any easier to understand, unfortunately. Host Kathleen Sibelius talked recently about how it would be fun the next year. Take a look at what she had to say and then lets get your take. If Congress Funds the president s budget, written to the targets agreed upon by senator murray and representative ryan, this would fully fund the ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care act. We start with that proposal and hope they will indeed fund it. A lot of the 1. 8 billion we have suggested is the appropriate target for implementation, is covered by user fees. 1. 2 of the 1. 8 billion is our projected user fee income for 2015. If Congress Fails to pass a budget, fails to implement the president s budget, then we will look at varying other sources of funding for the full implementation. Guest so the administration has never had much luck getting mom money from republicans ever since they took over the house to met the Affordable Care act. They have been asking for 1 billion or more every year since 2010 to help implement the law and congress has always refused to give it to them. The administration has blamed that by the way for some of the problems they had with the rollout in the fall. In this case, the ministration is asking for 1. 8 million next year starting in october, to enact year two of the insurance exchanges. They will not get that that they will have 1. 2 billion they will collect directly from insurers for fees for using insurance exchanges. Host alan s call froms from comes from cleveland, mississippi, on our independent line. Are you there . You on with alex wayne. Caller [indiscernible] cut out medicaid or medical health, come down here in the south mississippi. You know, the economy down your job wise, it is screwed up. Some folks need this kind of help down here in the south. So many folks come down here and see how the economy down here, they do not understand folks down here need that kind of help. I do not think it is too much of a problem. Guest mississippi is one of 24 states where the state or the governor has said they will not expand medicaid to cover more americans. You can blame that pretty squarely on your local state official there, although they say the Medicaid Expansion would simply cost the taxpayers too much money. That is where the blame for that lies. Without that expansion, the caller is right, it is very difficult to qualify for medicaid, especially if you are a childless adult, and in most states, they are ineligible without the expansion. Even with children, 12 to 14 of the poverty line. Host lets go to chicago, marianne on the democrats line. Caller i wanted him to explain to a lot of people lie insurance that canceled people were canceled. It is easy to say because of the Affordable Care act. Is it because they were going to cancel them anyway . I mean, you know, that guy calling and talking about 500, he probably dont even know 500 people. I go to the doctor and i asked my doctor, a real doctor want people to get help. They want them not to be sick. They love the people come in that are not sick. What about the people who do not have insurance and do not have health care . Who wants a sick country . What is wrong with these people . Thank you. Guest before the Affordable Care act began on january 1, the caller is right the individual Insurance Market, which is what were talking about these canceled plans, a pretty tricky market. In order to get coverage in the first place if you are buying insurance on your own, you generally had to be pretty healthy. If you had any sort of Health Condition like high blood pressure, an Insurance Company could either deny you coverage or charging more than your neighbor who is healthy. It was a pretty messy market to begin with and there was always a lot of turnover insurance. Some of the policies canceled wouldve been canceled anyway, just as part of the routine workings of the individual Insurance Market before the Affordable Care act. Some of them were canceled because they did not comply with some of the new expanded benefits required under the Affordable Care act or some of the requirements under the Affordable Care act that limit costsharing in the Insurance Plans. Host the next caller is in kentucky. John is on the line for democrats. Caller i would like you to comment, if you can, about the negative campaigning Health Insurance companies have had against the act. From my perspective, i am a firefighter and emergency medical technician in a large city. The way i see it, there is no more sick people them there were before. No more injured people. The difference is now, more of them have insurance or more of them are at least covered through medicaid now, whereas, in the past, they just called 911 every day and it was a greater expense for taxpayers and hospitals to pass on in terms of higher insurance premiums. Guest yes. If you are seeing more insurance people on your job, that is exactly the outcome the president hoped for when he passed the Affordable Care act. Right now, up from our seat in washington, we cannot really tell if the insurance expansions that are happening are all that broad. Hopefully, that is what is happening. I do not know about Insurance Companies advertising against the law. A lot of Insurance Companies have grudgingly embraced the law. Blue shield will cross especially our invested and doing a lot of advertising in favor of the law to try to get people to sign up. Host talking about the changes announced last week, how are they reacting to those . Guest theyre not real happy with them. Theyre told stu think they were not expected to do. The plans present something of a policy problem. Before exchanges opened, the insurance had proposed rates for their plans and they are not allowed to change those rates. Their rates had assumed all of these presumably young and generally Healthy People who are on these legacy Insurance Plans would have been forced to sign up for a new Affordable Care act plan instead. The plans would have liked to price their rates a little higher if they know the old plans would be extended. Host the next caller is in michigan. Michaels on our republicans line. Caller since you are an expert on the obamacare, number one, obama is taking money out of Medicare Advantage and number two, maybe you could tell our viewers how a law that has become law of the land, how obama can just change everything he wants without taking it to congress. Thank you. Guest the caller raises two good points. The law does depend on the financing for pretty big cuts to the Medicare Advantage program, a program in which private insurers provide benefits to elderly folks and medicare instead of those people staying on traditional Medicare Program. Before the law was passed there are Government Agencies here in washington who said the Medicare Advantage plans were overpaid compared to what the traditional Medicare Program costs. They were created by republicans in 2003 and democrats and the administration have for a long time said they wanted to scale back what the plans were paid to help address the budget deficit. So, you are right. The law did take money out of those plans. It is a difficult question to answer if what the president is doing is legal. There are lawyers that are not republicans or partisan who question whether the changes the president has made are within the bounds of what the president can do. It would be settled if someone were to sue the administration over what they have done and it would be difficult to get into court. Host deborah in ohio on our line for independents. Caller i have a comment. I have two adult grandchildren who are in their mid 20s. One is in college. The other one is still in college and the other is in the real world and both of them refuse to buy anything that has anything to do with the aca. I understand that is a big problem with the Affordable Care act. Young people being unwilling to buy insurance through the exchanges. And another the question i wanted to ask is, since this first kicked in in november or over the last several months, president obama has just changed whatever he wanted to change whenever he wants to change it, which the previous caller made a comment on that. I would like to know, and i am an independent does the president think that since the midterms are coming up that the American People are just blinded and dont realize that all of these recent changes are to strengthen the democrats who are running for reelection . Does president obama not understand we see through the smoke screen . I just wanted to hear your comment on that. Guest i cannot tell you what the president thinks. After getting bolder about how the politics is portrayed, the press release that announced these changes last week mentioned by name 12 or 13 democratic lawmakers and said these people have help the administration in devising these policies. This was a message aimed toward the 2014 elections. I think they are aware that people believe there is a political motive behind some of these changes. I think that motive is becoming more transparent. Host what are you hearing from some lawmakers as these changes come out . Guest landrieu was named. They are supportive. They want any sort of change they can get. That will buffer any criticism they get in the fall for voting for the Affordable Care act and being held responsible for the changes because of it. Host deborah is on the line for independents. Caller hello. I was calling to see his opinion on this going through. It is dependent on Healthy People and all. Do you think if they do not get the amount of people they need that this will be directed toward the singlepayer system . Guest hmm. That is an interesting question. The state of vermont is the only place that is contemplating a singlepayer system. The administration has not said anything they plan to support going to a singlepayer system. I do not think that is the motive. Until 2017, it probably doesnt matter a whole lot how many young and Healthy People sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care act because of some provisions of the law that are designed to prevent insurers from losing a lot of money in the exchanges. If they get an older population, they are going to raise premiums that they wont have to raise him very much until 2017 when a couple of these programs begin to expire. Host quick question from twitter. Guest well, health care in the United States has always been rationed. It is not a new phenomenon. If you had insurance, you had health care. If you didnt have health care, you are restricted. You could go to the emergency room when you felt sick and got presented with a large hospital bill. I do not think rationing has changing under the Affordable Care act resources are directed in different ways under the Affordable Care act. The president would say it is a more Equitable Division of Health Care Resources now. Host judy is on the line for independents. You are on with alex wayne of bloomberg news. Caller we did have a high risk pool in North Carolina. Because of the Affordable Care act, that went away january 1. We did actually in North Carolina have going for people that were at risk to get insurance. I went on the website in october when it went up. I was 64 and a half at that time and i was informed that because of my age, i would not be able to subscribe to the Affordable Care act. Within six months i would be 65 and automatically go one to medicare, which i did. I have a question. I have a son who is 24 years old. The Affordable Care act says that children up to 26 stay on their parents plan. That is not going to apply to make as i am going on to medicare. The penalty, the tax that people will be paying, is that 24yearold responsible for paying that tax because he does not have insurance, or are the parents going to be held accountable for that additional tax . There again is the burden on the middle class and that is my question. Guest in your case your son will be responsible for paying that tax which ranges from 95 up to 1 of his income. For younger children, the parents are liable for the tax if they do not include the child on their plan. Host louise is on the line from indiana. Caller hello . Host you are on with alex wayne of bloomberg news. Caller i want to Say Something about the insurance. This is way before president obama became president. At the time i had two blue cross, blue shields. Plus i had medicare. During that time, i had the two blue cross, blue shields, i had to let one go and keep the other. At that time i could not understand what was going on. This is before all the other insurance, all the other hell raising about insurance. I can tell you some of the young kids here, some of the young adults that did not have insurance and had problems and could not go to the doctor or hospital. They are glad to get this insurance. They are glad to have it. Guest thanks for the call. I do not know exactly what happened with your Insurance Plan and your interaction with medicare. Young people get sick and get hurt. They have skiing or biking accidents. Theyre not as invulnerable as they think they are. That is one message of the administration is trying to take to young people to get them to sign up. They will be doing messaging around basketball games. Announcements on radios featuring pop stars trying to encourage young people specifically to sign up for insurance they may think they do not need. Host lisa is on the line for democrats. Are you there . Lets try one more time. We are going to move on to mary from omaha, nebraska. Caller what these delays mean republicans control the house. They have never wanted care for the poor or uninsured and do not now. Thank you. Guest republicans in the house have proposed some alternative plans to try to cover more low income, uninsured people. They are not as expansive or as copper hands of as the theomprehensive as Affordable Care act. Republicans would say that is because the country cannot afford it. Host we will go back to lisa in fort washington, maryland. Are you able to hear us now . Lisa, are you with us . We will move on to our next call. Kathy in florida on the line for independents. Caller hi. Host you are on with alex wayne of bloomberg news. Caller i think youre guest is doing a wonderful job of speaking objectively, and i do appreciate that. I was wondering about the cost i was wondering about the cost of medicaid. Theres some criticism about them not choosing to expand medicaid. I would call it the care act. I would not call it affordable. Perhaps the states are weary from expensive taxing. Something somee people dont understand. Guest medicaid is not free. It is the second or Third Largest item before obamacare. They would normally pay for 100 of the cause of expansion. They would not be on the hook for the Medicaid Expansion. It would never cost more than 10 of the total. 24 have said the 10 cost are in 2017 and that is too much for our budget. The last caller is nancy. Caller i have a common i guess. Every time i hear death panels i go back and look this up. It was for research. It is the unelected people on that. Guest sarah palin came up with it. Goingeve she was right with a program that wouldve allowed them to advise their this and that would not have required the patience to do anything. What they are talking about is patient centered outcomes and research institute. It is what they call comparative effectiveness. The Health Care Law was very suspicious but. There was not a specific drug or. Evice host thank you for being with us. Tomorrow on the washington journal chris discusses his appearance at the interactive festival in austin texas, which featured comments from nsa leaker snowden. And they look to the federal budget. , facebook phone calls comments and tweets. Washington journal live here on cspan. Tonight here on cspan remarks from bob casey on the u. S. Role in afghanistan. He currently serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations committee on central affairs. He spoke earlier today at an event hosted by the center for American Progress. If more than one entity manages the key identifiers of nature thet, then by internet will not be in that. At the heart of it is the domain system. And there is the services system. Appreciate that there is an actual root system. Resolved to make sure that when you type cspan. Org or any other website name you go to the exact site that cspan1 to to go to every time for the last few decades. That is on the communicators tonight on cspan three. Speaking of the special senate conversation is happening out. Dangerous path. They see that we, our country and our congress, must change. So this is where we start, a moment of great peril for massachusetts, for america, for the world, but also a secretary carney discuss the Climate Change issues. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being your. I have an announcement at the top i do not have an announcement. The president is trying to assess the situation crimea. If theres an opportunity to stop the referendum Going Forward or if the focus is on getting the community to delegitimize the result of that . The conversations the president has been having with the leaders of the world about the situation in ukraine and crimea have focused not just on , which we did not whichs legitimate and hardly anyone views as legitimate. It is a stronger effort to be united in calling for deescalation to the crisis. Have been working with our make it clear that there is an avenue available to them. That is about the international to ensure that the rights of all ukrainians are protected. Reasoning that military intervention was necessary to protect the rights of ethnic russians becomes defunct, even if it were ever valid, which it wasnt. Russia ought to engage with the Ukrainian Government with dialogue. They should agree to a process ukrainethey can go to to monitor the situation and protect the rights of every ukrainian. In terms of the referendum itself . Do you think there is any back . Ct of pulling a i cannot predict the future. What i can tell you is that it will not be viewed by the United States as legitimate because it is inconsistent with the ukrainian constitution, which must clear the name change be decided by all of ukraine. Other countries are made clear that they would view it as illegitimate, as well. Russia needs to avail itself of the opportunity here to work toh International Partners resolve this issue diplomatically and peacefully. China frequently sides with russia regarding initiatives by the west. The president in conversations with china . Does he have expectations that china will oppose russias actions . Among the calls the president has made, he did speak with the president. The leaders agreed on the principles of territorial integrity. There is no argument or should be no argument that the ukrainian integrity was violated by russia. Every leader the president has spoken to about this matter agrees that we need to take steps together working with the russians and ukrainians. In a way that protects principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Are there specific expectations of china, given the relationship with russia . China plays a very Important Role on the Security Council and has an Important Role with russia. Are innciples here viable and clear. There is no murky aspect to this. I think its fair to say that everyone the president spoke to including leaders of the united kingdom, france, and germany were in agreement that these principles are key. And we need to resolve this in a way that is diplomatic grade diplomatic. What will be the reaction . Will there be new sanctions . Signedder the president creates authority which is very flexible and will allow for action to be taken that holds for theccountable transgressions in the executive order. The violations of territorial integrity leading up to now and into the future. I do not have any as we talked about last week and the executive order, i dont have updates on that. We have actively engaged in examining the ways the authorities can be used. Available to us that executive order and the flexibility it provides to take further action, as events on the ground demand. He outlinedtime this, are you getting anywhere with them this week . Is he thinking about it, considering it, or it is an outright rejection . That we and many programming disagree with statements from russian leaders about the facts on the ground, the assertions of lawlessness in ukraine. The violence or other acts being perpetrated. It is not been borne out by the facts or any credible reporting. The only transgressions documented have been once by the Russian Military. When it comes to the ,onversations the president had we are making clear to moscow that we understand russia has legitimate interest in ukraine. But there are also concerns about ethnic russians. We recognize those concerns. We commend the Ukrainian Government for their responsible handling of the crisis and the want to preserve the rights of all ukrainian citizens. We are happy to work with the make surevernment to that their monitors on the ground in crimea in other parts of ukraine to make sure the russians have their rights protected, and any violation of those rights would be dealt with internationally. That are the concerns motivated the russian government to take action. Crash, arean plane you in a position to rule out terrorism . Enougho not have information to comment on the causes of the incident. In Us Government is communication with agencies, across agencies rather an International Partners to provide assistance in the investigation. En route to the region. Prayersghts and are with the family. There are american citizens on board and many others. Sentsaid the seven fleet assets to assist in search efforts. And there was a missile destroyer now in the vicinity that has two helicopters for and an additional orionyan aircraft aircraft. But we do not have enough information at this time to comment on the cause. Over thenounced weekend that the Prime Minister is coming to the white house on wednesday. What is the ministrations message . Are you trying to send a message to president clinton . Putin . Where making it clear that we that we support the way the ukrainian officials, parliament, and government have handled this crisis. That is the message were sending. The diocese believes Ukrainian Government has responsibly filled the vacuum left by the sudden departure by the president after signing this agreement with the opposition. Congress tong with provide assistance to the Ukrainian Government. Aggressively on the diplomatic front to resolve the crisis. We are working directly with ukrainian officials. And there are leaders across europe engaged in this, as well as elsewhere. He says he wont budge a single set a meter from ukrainian land. That is in reference to attempts to annex the land. The Administration Believe that thinks a get out of control after this referendum . The actions taken by russia precipitated a crisis. It is up to the ukrainian people through their representatives in government to make decisions about any territory within the isereign state of ukraine whensince past the time borders of a nation can be you redraw in. We made our views on this clear. Apart on our views on this. Our focus is on the diplomatic dialogue encourage with International Partners the russian and Ukrainian Governments. The moving back to basis of all and havingces, international monitors evaluate the circumstances in parts of ukraine, including crimea. Is the president concerned that europeans might not back him up . The state department issued travel restrictions. If the europeans to not follow teethdont you like some lack some teeth . We have been pleased with the cooperative effort we have seen. The president has been leading that effort. He has been spending a great deal of time on the phone with leaders across the region and the world. As i said with regards to the wecutive order last week, are evaluating the actions that authorities allow when it comes to sanctions. That will continue to pentagon the situation in the ground. It sounds like the president has lined up a fair number of , at least,upport him from a diplomatic standpoint. How can we be assured that your ball be there when it comes to sanctions . I cannot speak for european governments or leaders. What i can tell you is that there is a broad consensus when it comes to our shared use about what is happening in ukraine and crimea, the illegality of the actions taken by russia, the fact that any referendum, as scheduled in crimea that might take place would not be legal under the ukrainian constitution and therefore would not be recognized by the United States. Aggressively with our partners on a diplomatic solution, as well is on actions told people accountable for what. As transpired if we are satisfied with that effort. And we are going to continue aggressively with our allies and partners. Following that on economic sanctions. That russias economic tentacles of stretched further than many anticipated. Doings the administration to expedite the ability of Eastern Europe to weed them self away from russian resources . Theyre taking immediate energyn the areas of security and reform. Theres been no interruption of exports. European gas inventories are well above normal levels. Loss they could take a loss of russian exports for a while if necessary. It is been a much discussed topic. Disruption is a lose lose situation for everyone, most particularly for russia. Russia is dependent on europe and ukraine. They are earning some 50 billion per year. When it comes to the other part of your question and what the , any actions the United States can take with our own experts, and how that would andct a complicated process longterm proposition, we take the Energy Security of our friends in europe seriously. We will monitor the situation closely. Actions that would be in both u. S. And european interest. On the question of exports, the doe has Regulatory Authority over that and approves permits. I would refer you to that for more detail about the process, which is more of a longterm proposition. Europeounds like eastern can do without what comes to the pipeline. There are additional reserves because of the longer than usual winter in europe. There is an enormous cost to any potential cut off or reduction in supply to ukraine. Russia has a financial interest in maintaining that. Lets look more broadly at the negative affect that the transgressions had on the and on thenomy willingness of investors to make investments in russia. Those kind of investments depend on stability, reliability, and rule of law. The actions being taken when it comes to crimea are hardly reassuring on those fronts. For is waiving some sense russia to avail itself of the opportunity to Work Together we the International Community to ethnic concerns about russians and their interest in crimea. Does the administration think this is a moment in which the situation could reach a turning point . If there is a referendum that more challenges, is that the minis to be averted . Can you calm the crisis down . You think people recognize it will have a practical effect on the ground . I cannot make those kind of predictions. I would not pretend to know the future. The i can say is that actions taken that are legitimate by legislative authority and in the scheduling of the referendum certainly do not add to that. The administration is china working away to head this off. It is to resolve the entire situation and resolve the crisis atmosphere. I take your point. It is reflected in some of your other questions. But our goal is not just to reverse a referendum, it is to resolve this for the long term. How significant do you regard the call to president of china . Do you think it is moving the chinese away from a position of equivocation . Does that become a prelude for action for the Security Council in some formal way to try to take some action to condemn this . I am not going to games that out. The president has been trying to reach all of our partners and allies around the world to discuss the situation in ukraine, to discuss our views when it comes to the sanctity and inviolability of ukrainian sovereignty. To discuss the steps that we, the International Community, can take to help resolve this crisis diplomatically, working with russia and ukraine, to allow for international monitors to assess the situation on the ground when it comes to the rights of all ukrainians. Those are the kind of conversations we are having. I think that nations across the world and leaders across the world recognize the need to put in place a process by which this can be resolved, that allows for russia to have its real interests taken seriously by the International Community and the Ukrainian Government, but that averts a situation like you have now, where a nation, a sovereign statess territorial integrity has been compromised. How interested is the president having and having an alternative g7 summit . We, like our partners, have agreed to halt preparation for a g. G8. I am not going to get ahead of a process that is focused on i do not dispute that. What i can tell you is that no one is preparing for a g8 right now because of the actions that russia has taken and it just so happens that russia is meant to host this year. We will see how this transpires, but it is hard to imagine it happening. Climate change. Senate democrats are having in all my an allnighter to talk about this. Does the white house think this is a good idea . Is there some expectation by the president that by the end of the talk there will be some sort of a vote, some sort of inaction on Climate Change this year . We absolutely support the actions taken to focus attention on the challenges posed by Climate Change and the impacts that Climate Change is having on our environment and on our emergency ability to respond to emergencies. It is a very important subject, as you know. He has a Climate Action plan dedicated to addressing. He has taken steps in his first term in second term to both reduce our Carbon Emissions and to make sure that we are more prepared for the effects and impacts of severe weather, for example, a byproduct of the Climate Change we have seen. You announced. Health care. You announced a new plan not taking issue with new moms. People voted for the president and large numbers, women. Why are you still struggling to get women involved who seem to support the president to sign up for this law . We are not. We are calling on moms to reach out to their dull children adult children, get them off the couch and on the computer to enroll and make sure they have quality, affordable Health Insurance. A lot of young folks, because they are young and healthy today, think they are invincible and are not fully aware of the need to have quality, affordable Health Insurance because they are an accident away or an illness away from needing it very much. The effort revolves around the unique authority that mothers have with their family members to help carry the message. A union out in nevada which represents over 200,000 Service Workers put together a memo about the president s Health Care Law and they are worried that one of the Biggest Challenges in making income equality worse is the president s Health Care Law. When republicans make that allegation, you push back. Are you going to listen when a union says this is going to make income inequality worse . We have addressed this issue and the fact is that the treasury Issue Department does not see, but the administration encouraged multiemployer plans to offer through the marketplace to bring affordable options to all americans. That is what the effort is all about. We are making that clear. Unions are saying that premiums for the workers are going up and wages are going down. I am happy to give you more information on this, i have addressed it many times. Why do they keep saying it . These are the unions, not the republicans . A view from the ground in crimea and knowing that resident putin knows the white house as it does do you agree with your former head of the Department Bob gates when he says that there is no visible way that putin would return . It is up to the people of ukraine to decide their future. For any kind of decision to be made about the status of a region of the ukraine, only the people of ukraine and their representatives can have that discussion and make that decision. What i can tell you is that the actions taken thus far are in violation of international law. This referendum, if it were to be carried out, its results would not be recognized by the United States or most nations across the country. As the executive order signed by the president makes clear, we have put in place authorities to take action via sanctions against those who are viewed as responsible for the violation of Ukrainian Territorial integrity and sovereignty. There are costs that the president made clear very early to those responsible. More broadly, as i was talking about earlier, to russia economically for pursuing this path. I do not have a crystal ball, i am not going to read into the future, especially when it comes to into the actions that president putin or russia might take. There is a broad consensus internationally about the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, about the need to resolve this diplomatically and peacefully and by the rule of law. There there is a path here that is available for russia that would allow for their interests, legitimate interests to be recognized and taken seriously, for the concerns they have to be assessed and addressed. We very much encourage russia to avail itself of that opportunity. The previously unmarked line between crimea and ukraine, according to western independent journalists there appears to be a fence or even the landmines on the ground there going to separate crimea from ukraine. Does the white house have any comment on that . We monitor all of the events quite closely as you expect. This is 2014. We are long past the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of elected governments, over the heads of the people and their elected officials. We will not and do not recognize as legal, the actions that have been taken or might be taken with this referendum. That is why we are where we are, that is why we are engaged in the aggressive diplomatic efforts we are engaged in, working with our European Partners and other partners. Again, russia has a way here. They have an off ramp here. It respects the facts that they have legitimate interests in ukraine, it acknowledges that there are ethnic russians about whom russia has concerns. There is an opportunity here to ensure that nonpartial International Observers are on the ground monitoring the situation so that the rights of all ukrainians are respected and protected. Obviously the desire in terms of the negotiations taking place behind the international monitors is to look out for the safety as the russians suggest of ethnic russians. There is new report that ethnic russians have been attacking the proukrainian supporters. What can be done to support those people . As i was noting, the international monitors would be in place. They would be in place to protect all ukrainians, not just ethnic russians. That is the reason that russia has taken the action it has taken in violation of international law, that is why we are emphasizing the point about ethnic russians. We are also, as we talked about earlier, working directly with the government in ukraine to help support the government of ukraine. Through bilateral assistance and through our efforts to complement a package of assistance to the imf. In terms of strengthening the ukrainian state and its ability to handle its own affairs, we are actively engaged in that effort as well. Russian troops are there because they say they need to protect the ethnic russians. He was there to support the people who support ukraine . Ukraine has its own local national and Security Forces. Well you are talking about in crimea. I do not disagree. I do not know about all of the individual reports. Any violation of the rights of ukrainian citizens, especially by, encouraged by Russian Military forces is obviously a concern. What has the president done for alex sink . The president supports Democratic Candidates across the country. The president has been engaged in an effort to support the Democratic National committee, the senatorial committee, and the congressional committee. Im not sure i understand the question. The election is tomorrow, so what has the president done to help his campaign . I would say that the president is focused on agenda is to expand opportunities and rewards hard work. Candidates across the country who support that agenda are taking their message to their constituents or would be constituents and arguing that that is a better way forward than the alternative. The president has laid out an agenda that democrats have supported and the broadly speaking addresses the concerns of most americans say they put at the top of the list. The lead to continue this economic recovery, to expand opportunity. and that their kids are being prepared. A followup question. Think that the special election is a referendum on obamacare . I have not spoken to him about an individual congressional election. Theres a pretty clear demarcation that republicans have highlighted by saying that they want to go back to world where Insurance Companies decide that you pay twice for the same insurance. Where anybodyd with a preexisting condition can be booted off of their plan. That theirnd out condition, the situation that requires them to need health care is not covered on the plan that they have. Supportingout there affordable quality Health Insurance, including those who have not had in the past, they have a legal case to make, which is basically an argument in favor of empowering the Insurance Companies. Exploiting theof deficit. An argument for returning to higher rates of Health Care Cost growth. With the lowest levels of Health Care Costs in half a century. That is their pitch. We think a pitch that focuses on the benefits to the american a pitch that makes fixes that are necessary to smooth the that is a far better argument to the American People than one that says, lets go back to a time when the Insurance Companies decided. Hether you got coverage or not let me get to some of my regulars here. Roger . What about the 1 billion Loan Guarantee . Theyre working on a draft that contains the Loan Guarantee. Does the white house have a preferred path on legislation . Do you prefer a thin bill versus a complicated bill . We strongly support passing imf reform. We are not talking about additional funding. We are not talking about additional funding. Thes the First Responder in kind of crisis. Leadershiped its position. It is for leading. But we need to pass the reform on issues like this one. Capacity. Bolster its the United States will not increase the financial commitment by proving the 2010 is important to note that for every dollar the United States contributes, other countries arrived four dollars more. The passagesupport of the reform. Deadlinere a tentative . I do not have a specific deadline. The sooner the better. April. I do not have information now for you. I would note that senator reed took action that would allow for bringing up the nomination again. A personal matter related to that, i do not have anything new for you. [indiscernible] many are saying it is going to die. It is not going to happen. I do not want to speak for him. Is that senator reid voted no so he could recommit. I hope they get the terminology right. More important right now, for us, is what we said very strongly about our profound disappointment with the actions taken. It says that lawyers have to be held accountable for the clients they represent, which would create a new standard when it comes to nominations. When it comes to steps forward on this, i do not have any more information. Thank you. They discuss the muslim book motherhood as brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The United States did not call them a foreign terrorist organization. On that particular question, our policy is not changed. Do you see this as politically motivated . Dz National Security agreement . We have strong relations with all of these countries. We encourage them to resolve their differences as soon as ofsible for the benefit security. I have a question. If they act to take responsibility, and the United States is thing we would not recognize that, or would the rest of the world, would the International Aid still benefit people of crimea . Ukrained we provide to i do not know the intricacies of the legislature. It is a provision of assistance to ukraine. Week, it is a part of the sovereign state of ukraine. How that aid would be utilize, i. Annot predict arethoughts and prayers with his family. I do not have an official reaction. Earlier were talking about the ukrainian referendum, is there an official vehicle for the United States to express that . Is there a United Nations resolution . Is there any way that can be expressed . Or is this something that is going to be just said from the state department. Express our views on something. And we do of here from top officials. We are not alone in having that you. It is a violation of the constitution. We would not be alone. This goes to waters talking. Bout earlier we are focused on resolving is in a way that is diplomatic and peaceful. With a nonbinding is resolution . I am not saying one way or the other what action might be taken. I think the world would have spoken pretty clearly and loudly violation. Es to this think noe of this, i one will doubt what our view is. Their circulating a letter on an orderill asking for to protect lgbt workers from discrimination. Our view is, congress ought to pass the employment nondiscrimination act. I do not have any updates for you on possible executive orders. Legislativeing on a read me that would be more comprehensive. Do not have a view to express the ship carrying arms to gaza, has that . I was asked this i think last week. About oury clear and the fact that we condemn the efforts to supply terrorist organizations operating in the region with weapons. The shipment of advanced weapons was weve to be bound for gaza. It it is a direct threat to the security of israel. The vessel contained nearly 400,000 ak47 shells. Thisrongly condemn violation of the United Council resolution. We will continue in coordination with our partners and allies to as we pursue an important goal, which is a resolution of the challenge posed by the Nuclear Program we andnow holding back at all the steps we take about their continued support for terrorist organizations. Regarding cuba. Contact withany alan gross . Alan gross has been unjustly prison for more than four years. We continue to work to secure his release. He is a 64 world husband, father, dedicated professional the long history of providing communities. Erved we iterate our call for the cuban government to release alan gross. You. One more question. What a view that . Got . Ve you the republicans wanting to repeal the bill. It reflect that. I am not mistaken. It is the reason i wanted to ask you about. Last time i asked you, but this time im hoping i will have her luck. [laughter] have you got the camera on him . Good. Law was reversed pass, the Affordable Care act, the poll showed to people were not in favor of it, but it was pushed through, so in terms of president will the continued to pitch to get it , using statements like you can keep your plan. I know thats not true because my wife lost her insurance because of the Affordable Care we do not get here very often from out in the middle country. Anyway, the pitch was, you keep your plan. Your cost will go down. I know thats not true. Will the president go to the greater majority of americans who want repeal. Seen the data. The majority of americans do not want a repeal. Most americans want to fix and improve it. I would ask you to check your data. Second, republicans fought it to the nail. It went to the Supreme Court could the Supreme Court upheld a. It was a principal argument in the president ial election. Again, republicans are free to make their pill argument. My point was that when you go to individuals and asked them, do you want to buy affordable Health Insurance, or do you want the Insurance Company to tell you that you cannot get coverage for that condition you have because the fine print is you cant, and in fact, your sister we are going to charge her double because she is a woman. My wife is i do not know the circumstances with your wife grade wife. The Affordable Care act writes quality Health Insurance to millions of people. More people lost their insurance because of that, right now, then didnt have insurance and got it. That is a fact. You are entitled to your fax. You and others who want to campaign on repealing it are welcome to. That repealing is for most americans is not a good option. And for all the reasons that i mentioned. A question from bethesda. Moments the senator on u. S. Afghan he relations. Then senator marco rubio outlines plans for economic growth. Meeting of the first a president ial panel created to i think what happens to hoover as the depression deepens and many people did not know it was the Great Depression from day one. They thought it was a typical cyclical pattern. Felt greater and greater pressure for intervention and he started to hold the line against fiscald became very much conservative, save the Gold Standard republican in the last year or two in his life and that perceived rigidity on his part is one of the reasons he got attacked it supposedly not doing anything. He was quite an activist for his time. On the other hand, he was valiantly struggling against a total statist turn, such as aesop coming in the new deal such as aesop coming in the new deal. Sunday at 9 p. M. Eastern on afterwords. West will take your calls on the mideast and the wars in afghanistan. Tv. Pth on cspans book online book club, stokely. And a discussion on afghanistan. Casey spoke at the center for nearly an hour. Hello, everyone. We are really excited to have senator casey with us here today to discuss afghanistan and the afghan elections that are upcoming and what is going to happen beyond those elections. We are honored to have senator casey here. He has been a great friend of the center. He has spoken on the start treaty, the need for diplomatic issues intervention in iraq, and he has also spoken on issues like universal prek, and on the domestic front, he is a real leader on universal prek and the needs of children and families in our country and we are indebted to him for that area for that. On the topic of afghanistan, in less than one month, afghans will go to the polls to elect a new president. This will be the first transfer of power in afghanistan since 2001, when president karzai came into office. The importance of this political transition cannot be overstated. A successful change in leadership has the potential to usher in a more legitimate Afghan Government that can get to work growing its capacity, its economy, and addressing security threats. On the other hand, a strange a failed electoral process has the possibility to threaten security, reversing many of the gains made since 2001. After more than 12 years of war the Afghan People have make an , progress that deserves to be sustained. Afghanistan has broadened access to health care and education, creating government institutions, and increased opportunities for women and girls. 10 years ago, fewer than one million afghanistan children attended school according to unicef. Today more than 8. 2 million children are going to school, many of them girls. Afghanistans longterm stability remains in the interest of the United Nations and the United States. A breakdown of the afghanistan state would put pressure on Nuclear Armed pakistan and enable terrorist groups to expand. Create terrible humanitarian consequences for afghans, reversing the gains made over the past decade. Between now and the provincial and president ial elections and beyond, the International Communitys goal will be to support the afghans as they move away from dependence on the International Community to a more sustained equilibrium. Senator casey has been a leader advocating for smart policies in afghanistan, recognizing the importance of transparent, credible, and Inclusive Elections and calling on afghanistan to maintain the days we have made so far. The gains we have made so far. For example, in 2008, senator casey included in importance amendment that would promote the rights of afghanistans women and girls as the United States transitions out of afghanistan. At the same time, senator casey has recognized the United States must decrease its military presence in afghanistan and rea its posture to tackle additional global challenges. We are very excited to have senator casey here given his longstanding leadership on this issue. Thank you very much. [applause] neera, thank you very much for that very kind introduction. Im really honored to be back at the center for American Progress, and im excited to talk about this topic which has nominated our discussions here in washington for more than a decade. I am also grateful to have the opportunity to come back here. Here in washington when you get invited somewhere to speak, and you are invited back, that is a good thing. That does not happen all the time. I want to thank the centers for American Progress for the work that you do. Often in the congress we have exposure to a lot of data, a lot of information, a lot of hearings and briefings. But sometimes you do not have the policy work in front of you that you would hope sometimes. Centers for American Progress has been a great value to me and i know two other senators. To other senators other senators. I want to thank you for agreeing to moderate our conversation today, caroline. I know we will get to that later and we will certainly take questions from the audience. I am grateful, in addition to the folks in the audience who actually work at cap, to say hello to those of us who work in the areas of public policy. Especially afghanistan policy. I know some ngos are represented here and well be following the discussion here. I have been to afghanistan several times since i have been in the United States senate. Back in 2011, i remember a particular meeting i had the great privilege to attend. It was a meeting of women parliamentarians in the american embassy. One of the women in that group told us about her journey into politics. As a politician here in the United States this was not a , familiar story to me. I did not have anywhere near the same experience that she did. Mine was a different path. Mine was not the path she had taken, because in her case, her father had been killed during the soviet occupation of afghanistan and she lost her brother to an attack by the taliban. But this woman decided to fight back, not to accept that as the danger that would prevent her from getting involved in politics. This particular reaction she had on the path she had charted for herself would not have been possible under the talibans rule. Her story of courage and activism is inspiring, and it is also a story that we hope more and more can emulate. But it is not a story that is unique in afghanistan. During the last 12 years in that country, brave leadership by women has been the driver of change in so many areas of life in afghanistan. Since 2001 as well, we know that our fighting men and women in uniform have achieved results frankly that we do not talk about enough. I am just going to outline a few of those results. First, violent, oppressive taliban rule has given way to a nascent democracy in which women reportedly make up one third of registered voters. Due to improved health services, the average Life Expectancy has risen from 45 years to 62 years. And perhaps most strikingly, or there was once very few educational opportunities, especially for girls, as neera mentioned in her remarks, now more than 8. 3 million children are in school. By one estimate, 41 of that number are girls. 40 of that number are girls. As we know a little more than a decade ago, that number was just about zero. But these results came at a great cost. A great cost to the American People and a great cost to the Afghan People. We know that more than 2300 americans were killed as a result of the conflict in afghanistan. I know that in pennsylvania, when i look at my schedule every day, we have these numbers right on the front of the schedule for my work every day. At last count, pennsylvania had 91 killed in action, and 737 who were wounded in Operation Enduring freedom. We know nationally, in addition to the more than 2300 killed, almost 20,000 have been wounded in action. Many more very the invisible scars of war as well. Many americans believe that going to war in afghanistan was a mistake. Frankly, this does not surprise me. Im sure it does not surprise many in this audience. In recent months, arguing about troop numbers and the bilateral Security Agreement has dominated our national conversation. There are many dimensions of our afghanistan policy we could mention here today, including those same issues of the security issues, on troop levels and others. But i would like to focus on two vital aspects of our policy Going Forward the Upcoming Elections and the support for women and girls. Just some general comments before i get to the question of the elections. As this chapter of our afghanistan policy unfolds, it is critical for the administration and members of congress i will say that again. And members of congress to take necessary steps to maintain the gains of the last decade. To allow these gains to to use an old expression to wither on the vine would dishonor the sacrifice of more than 2 million men and women in uniform who observed our country who have served our country in afghanistan. To let these gains wither on the vine would also diminish the work of civilian personnel, who have been in the front lines of our diplomatic and Assistance Missions working in remote and , often insecure regions. It would also be an affront to american taxpayers, who despite the understandable anxiety, frustration, and the sadness that the conflicts in both afghanistan and iraq have caused, these taxpayers still expect a reasonable return on the significant investment. And that level of investment is an understatement. I believe there is another way to acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices of our servicemen and women and their loved ones, all of the sacrifices they have made this past 12 years. There is another way to build on our investment. Instead we should solidify the gains that we have already achieved across all sectors of Afghan Society and determine our priorities for any engagement Going Forward. Of the United States has a clear National Security interest in the outcome in afghanistan, in its future stability, as well as its asperity. As well as its prosperity. No one wants to see afghanistan return to the safe haven for al qaeda and other terrorist groups that it was before 2001. The reality of that, whatever the outcome of the bilateral Security Agreement negotiations, most of our servicemen and women are coming home. And thats a good thing. I have supported an expeditious and responsible drawdown of our military presence. We know that Budget Constraints will require a diplomatic our diplomatic and Development Efforts to contract as well. I have consistently urged the department of state and the department of defense to plan well in advance for that eventuality. Well i recognize planning has begun, i am concerned that absence a strategy for future a strategy for future u. S. Engagement in afghanistan, we could lose our primary goals and National Security interest there. Just by way of example, things that members of congress can do , in november, senator kelly ayotte and i wrote a letter to chuck hagel. We said that the safety of u. S. Citizens, military and civilian personnel, should be paramount. Even the recent state of ied attacks just over the last several weeks, i can appreciate how hard a task this is. Even as we draw down the military presence, we must take greater precautions. The letter that senator ayotte and i sent called for a plan for a continued civilian mission and oversight of u. S. Assistance programs that makes clear that america will stand with the afghan look to prevent afghanistan from reverting to the type of oppressive, violent taliban rule that served as a fertile breeding ground for al qaeda. This engagement, our letter continues, should continue training for the afghan National Security forces and maintain investments in Vital Centers such as education and health. Im not reading the whole letter, but giving a sense of some of the priorities we outlined. That is kind of the Broad Perspective i have on the way forward, even as we have a troop number that will be very small in the years ahead. Let me first moved to the elections on april 5. The most immediate of those priorities i have outlined is the political transition. Now that the election day is less than a month away. When i met with president karzai this was in the early part of 2012 he came over to meet with a number of senators. It was actually in senator mcconnells office. Majority leader reid could not be there. He was traveling. We met in senator mcconnell senator mcconnells office with resident karzai. Now, i had been very critical of him the last few years. It im sure i joined a chorus in congress. I said to him at the time im i urged himasing very strongly to support the transition, to make sure it is peaceful. And his reaction was positive at this time. He told me he was proud to have served as the first democraticallyelected president of afghanistan and would hand off to the second, democraticallyelected president. President karzai has at times been duplicitous, transactional, and insulting, but i do believe he understands the future of afghanistan depends on the transition i just mentioned. We often focus too much on what is going to happen after him, so his legacy aside, the transition itself is a critical milestone for the people of afghanistan. Recalling that, reminding myself of that, last year, i authored a Senate Resolution that outlined steps that both the afghan and u. S. Governments can take to support transparent and credible elections. The resolution passed this summer. Since then, the Afghan People and the International Community have put a significant amount of effort into preparations for the election. I believe we now have reasons to be cautiously cautiously optimistic about the elections. In the past, security concerns ededvoter intimidation imp the ability of the people of the guinness stand to cast votes safely. Widespread fraud reduced confidence in the system, but in their elected leaders as well. Afghan women in particular have been prevented from meaningful participation in the electoral process due to the environment, the scarcity of female poll workers, and the lack of awareness of womens Political Rights and opportunities. This time around, at the International Communitys urging, and with its support as well, the Afghan Government has taken steps to address the issues that have plagued past elections. For example, excuse me, over 12,000 afghans will serve as election observers in the independent electoral commission, the socalled iec. They have invited International Observers as well. Excuse me. For example, over 12,000 afghans will serve as im sorry, the domestic election observers as i mentioned, and the iec has also have an International Dimension to it as well. The iec has also released a list of Polling Centers six weeks before election day. In 2009, the list was not available until days before the election. The afghan Security Forces have made a security assessment and made that assessment available to the public. In 2013, i authored the resolution i mentioned, and that called upon afghanistan to put measures into place to promote womens participation in the electoral process. Female candidates are again running in the provisional council elections, and others have been selected as Vice President ial candidates. The Afghan Governments is reportedly training approximately 13,000 women to serve as security guards for female voters and polling staff. This is, to say the least, a step in the right direction. Of course, there is still work to do, because according to the Congressional Research service, about 40 of 407 districts in afghanistan do not have female elections staff because of security issues. While the Afghan Government has made several important Electoral Reforms, security remains a grave concern for the elections. Just today the taliban and declared its intention to use all force possible to disrupt the elections. While the National Security leadership has said they will be able to secure 94 of planned voting centers, this assessment strikes me as overly optimistic. In the 200910 elections, when afghans forces were bolstered with international forces, they were able to open a little more than 5000 Polling Centers. This year with the Afghan Security squarely in the lead, they have indicated they will be able to open 6775 centers. Insufficient security prevented voters from coming to the polls, leaving ghost Polling Centers and opportunities for fraud. During remarks at the u. S. Institutes for peas at the end for peace at the end of february, ambassador dobbins said enthusiasm for elections is on the rise. Despite what the ambassador said, however, success is dependent on president karzai, is administration, and the candidates respecting the elect the electoral process and the independence of the iec. We should hold them to the commitments made in the tokyo mutual accountability framework in 2012 when the Afghan Government agreed to conduct credible, inclusive, and Transparent Elections in which all afghans could participate. Afghanistans checkered electoral history tells us this is all easier said than done. We need to be, i believe, clearer about the limits of what is possible with this years elections. Afghanistans democracy is not the jeffersonian model we would like it to be. It is young and imperfect. Our own history, our own electoral history in the United States provides plenty of examples of how difficult and long the road to Electoral Reform can be. We must continue to be forceful in our calls for a transparent and credible process. The probability is good that both violence and fraud or a combination of the two could derail the Good Progress that has been made. But i believe that this election, if it yields a peaceful transition of power to a credible leader, could be assigned democracy has begun to assigned that democracy has begun to take root in afghanistan. Let me move next to the question of the role of women. Obviously and the election, but in a much broader way as well. Womens participation in Upcoming Elections will be a substantial factor in the success of the elections. However, women play a much broader role today in afghanistan and i would like to outline some of those roles and some of our concerns. Study after study has shown women often emerged as the peacemakers in conflict situations. Thats true in afghanistan. It is true the world over. Even true here in the United States. Just witness what happened in the 1 the twoyear budget, the oneyear appropriations that were entered into and the house. In the senate and the house. A lot of people thought neither was possible. Andad Barbara Mikulski patty murray. Maybe thats why they both got done. I think it is true here as well as in afghanistan. Today in afghanistan, where women were once marginalized and oppressed under taliban rule, now they are in leadership positions all over the country. Over the past 12 years, afghan women have made tremendous gains in education, government, business, and National Security, National Security. Solidifying and sustaining those gains is not only consistent with American Values but will promote our National Security interest in a stable afghanistan. It would be unconscionable to allow this progress to be reversed beyond 2014. However, we have already begun to see an effort to chip away at afghan womens rights and security. In recent months, female Police Officers have been targeted and assassinated. The Afghan Parliament reduced the quote up for womens the provincial seats after attempts by the lower house to remove the quota entirely. The lower house has proposed provisions that would significantly weaken afghanistans landmark violence against women law. Parliament has attempted to effectively deny Women Protection from Domestic Violence and forced or child marriage, which was thankfully rejected by president karzai. Most of you will recall the story in 2009 in the New York Times about a young girl, just 17 of the time, from kandahar who was walking to school with her sister in 2008. In a traditional taliban stronghold, she dared to seek an education. Dexter philbins was the reporter for the times who wrote about her story. Here is what he wrote. They were walking the highway when they spotted the men on the motorbikes. She was old enough to be married. She was wearing a black scarf that covered most of her face. She had seen the taliban gunmen before and she figured the men on the motorcycle would pass. One of the bikes pulled alongside her and the man on the back jumped off. Through the mask, he asked what seemed like a strange question. Are you going to school . The masked man pulled the scarf away from her face and with his other hand pulled the trigger on a spray gun, which of course was full of battery acid. She felt as if her face and her eyes were on fire. As she screamed, the masked man reached for her sister, who was already running. He pulled at her and tore her scarf away and pumped the spray into her back. The man sped off to another group of girls. Shamsiya lay in the street, holding her burning face. I just cant even imagine the horror of that moment, and of course you have seen and read about examples like it in afghanistan before and since this particular event. We know in the Media Campaign that followed the reporting on that attack, one of the attackers alleged that the pakistani isi offered a sliding pay scale for such attacks. 3400 per burning of school. For spraying acid on young schoolgirls. The story stayed with me. Obviously the horror of it is something we never forget. But it also stayed with me because of the response to the story, that it had in the weeks and months ahead, the outpouring of donations to help the girl and girls like her. The money bought her school bus the girls at her school a bus and the driver so they would be less vulnerable to attack. Months after surviving a disfiguring and devastating attack, she was back at school, and the reporter found her in the front row in geography class. It is hard to comprehend how someone could do that at any age, especially with continuing threats to her security. Here is what he wrote and said it so well. He said, build a school for girls, and they will come. They will face down death to come. Their illiterate parents will support them. Her headmaster said i told