The conversation that has been had, and i will speak to those of you in the media, but us just as the folk. The discussion that there is disagreement with people as to what to do with health care that touches the 320 million americans, however many there are now. Of course there is disagreement about what we should do with it. This is america. Americans have opinions. You cant be married to somebody for two days and be in complete agreement on everything at every time. There is a catastrophe that has been foisted upon the American People known as the Affordable Care act. It hasnt been anything but. If this Affordable Care act, it has been truly devastating. We have been in a meeting with Small Business owners talking about how it is actually impacted them. These are folks who employ thousands upon thousands of folks. It has devastated their businesses. It creates confusion, difficulty, costs. It ultimately gets passed through to somebody. The system is collapsing. Fewer and fewer insurers are willing to actually be on exchanges. And so this idea that it is somehow working in kentucky. For those of you from the national media, it does not work in kentucky. You will see our former governor tried to maintain some semblance of a legacy to say it is working. It is not working. Half our counties only have a single provider. It is not working in kentucky. Humana will be leaving our exchange and every other exchange in the country. Others will do the same thing. The costs have become prohibitive. People cannot even afford to do have, ifductibles they they can afford the premium itself. What is free to somebody is expensive to somebody else. That is the reality. That is what we need to think about. So the message we want to share is that change is coming. Obamacare is a disaster and needs to be repealed, replaced, something that is effective. The important thing to understand above all else is this, it is not about coverage. It is not about providing coverage without being mindful of creating Better Health outcomes. That is the point. The point is to create a healthier populace, to create Better Health outcomes so people have healthier lives. Healthier people will ultimately cost the system less. So while saving money isnt the goal, if we focus on the health care and Health Outcomes and we will ultimately have a more affordable system. You will hear from the Vice President speaking about things that he and the president and congress are working towards in terms of creating competition. I will say this. Stay tuned. Expect there to be healthy dialogue. This is a multistep process. The reconciliation process, very few understand how it works. It is imperative to understand that what makes it through the house right now thank you for being here. You shifted on me. The bottom line is these guys know what works in the house. They are working hard to come up with a solution they can agree on. It may or may not in its form that may move through the congress. These differences will be reconciled. Within their ranks, as with in the senate ranks and administration ranks, there are different ideas, but the one thing everybody is agreed upon is this, change has to come. The system is broken. The system is broken. [applause] gov. Bevin and i am confident, i am very confident that this president and our Vice President you are about to hear from understand exactly what needs to happen. They understand exactly how important it is that obamacare be repealed, and it will get on. They are moving with a sense of purpose the likes of which we have not seen in some time at the federal level. I want to introduce the person you really came to hear from come a guy who has been a dear friend, a mentor politically, somebody truly as good of a sounding board as anyone i have known in the political ranks, and he is somebody i am grateful to be able to introduce to you now, a guy who you have gotten to know as a neighbor and governor, a guy whose faith guides them, whose Decision Making is informed by his years in congress, as a manager, ceo, governor of a state, and a state that has done well in the one i have an apologetically trying to copy the best elements of come a state well ahead of us in some respects. We are playing catchup as quickly as we can. I have kicked footballs with this guy. I have had private conversations with this guy. I have prayed with this guy. I have been able to meet and talk with our families. He is a guy i have as much respect for anyone i know. Please welcome the Vice President of the United States, mike pence. [applause] vicepres. Pence thank you very much. Hello kentucky. [applause] vicepres. Pence hello kentucky. Thank you governor for that great introduction, and how about that governor matt bevin. He is something. Kentucky i truly do believe i like to say that i was for matt bevin before it was cool. Kentucky is blessed to have a leader restoring fiscal responsibility and rolling back red tape. Kentucky is now a right to work state. Kentucky is open for business. [applause] vicepres. Pence governor, the president and i are proud to partner with you to make kentucky great again as we make America Great again. [applause] vicepres. Pence i get along great with people from kentucky. Except in march. [laughter] vicepres. Pence a gets a little testy, but the same goes with all my strong feeling about your governor. The state senator just joined us for a great conversation, and to great congressman i served with in washington, which you stand up and let these people show you how much they appreciate your conservative stance in washington dc. Thank you both. [applause] vicepres. Pence it is great to be and the home state of the Senate Majority leader mitch mcconnell. He is a true friend to me, to our president , and to america. Great to have the privilege back in the grass state. Last fall, thanks to all of you here in kentucky come your hard work, support, and prayers, kentucky voted to make donald trump the 45th president of the United States of america in a decisive vote. [applause] vicepres. Pence now, and it was quite a campaign, wasnt it . It has been quite administration too. It is the greatest honor of my life to serve as Vice President to President Donald Trump. And i want to thank you all for the privilege. [applause] vicepres. Pence the president is a man of boundless energy, optimism. I like to say he has broad shoulders and a big heart. Speaking of which, the president asked me late yesterday when we were leaving the white house in the evening, say thanks to everyone gathered here today. Hardworking americans like all of you are some of our biggest supporters, and on behalf of President Trump, thank you. Thank you for your support, and thank you for being here today. We are truly grateful. [applause] vicepres. Pence and to all the Business Owners who are with us today, i enjoyed our discussion earlier. The governor and i had a brisk discussion about the challenges that the changes in health care in this country since 2010 have presented i appreciate your candid feedback on what our administration can do to help your businesses succeed and grow. I have to tell you one other person i want to mention before i thank our host, it is always good to have papa john in the house. The midwest is proud you call kentucky and america home. [applause] vicepres. Pence john, thank you. There he is. But last but not least on behalf of the president , let me thank for their hospitality. Not only do i appreciate the warm welcome, we just so admire frank building his business. Frank and history are the story of the american dream, and would you enjoy me and thanking him for allowing this great business to be our backdrop. [applause] vicepres. Pence and all of those who run businesses come on businesses, or work in Small Businesses, let me make you a promise. The president wants you to know that our administration will be the best friend that americas Small Businesses will ever have. [applause] vicepres. Pence the president and i know that Small Businesses are the engines of the american economy. As President Trump said in his joint address to Congress Last week, we will restart the engine to great jobs, prosperity, growth in america like never before. I grew up in a Small Business family in columbus, indiana. I went to work at my fathers gas station when i was 14 years of age. I was actually what they call a gas station attendant. If you are under the age of 30, i will explain to after the program exactly what that was. The president also grew up in a Family Business too. We both know the sacrifices required to make a business work, and more importantly, we know that when Small Business is strong, america is strong, and this president will fight every day to make that a reality. [applause] vicepres. Pence President Trump wants to help you, once to help you become stronger than ever before. He made a promise to you and the American People, and this white house is in the promise keeping business. Just look at what we have done over the past month and a half. On day one, President Trump went to work, instructing every agency of the federal government to find two regulations to get rid of before issuing any new regulations on job creators in america. [applause] vicepres. Pence the president is taking Decisive Action to protect american jobs and American Workers by taking measures to secure our border, to build the wall, and two end illegal immigration once and for all. [applause] vicepres. Pence the president authorized the keystone and dakota pipelines at last, creating thousands of american jobs and building on Americas Energy infrastructure. [applause] vicepres. Pence businesses, and if you havent noticed already, businesses have already been reacting to President Trumps vision with optimism and investment around the country, coast to coast, literally since election day. Companies have in announcing they are keeping jobs here, creating new ones. Last month alone, the economy added 235,000 jobs in the month of february. This economy is coming back, and coming back strong. [applause] vicepres. Pence and most importantly of all, the top 30 the president gave us come work with members of congress to make sure that the obamacare nightmare is about to end. [applause] vicepres. Pence i will tell you, it is amazing to think about. Virtually every promise of obamacare has been broken. We all remember the promises they made in 2010 when this was signed into law. They told us the cost of Health Insurance would go down, not true. They told us if you like your doctors, you can keep them. Not true. They told us if you like your health plan, you can keep it. Not true. Here are the heartbreaking facts. Today, americans are paying 3000 more a year on average for Health Insurance than the day obamacare was signed into law. Last year alone, premium spiked by 25 and millions of americans have lost their Health Insurance plans and lost her doctors. In one third of the nations counties, americans only have one Insurance Company to choose from, which essentially means they have no choice at all. The truth is the American People are struggling under obamacare every day, and so are Small Businesses like those so well represented here. You all know exactly what im talking about. The truth is kentucky is a textbook example of obamacares failures. Here in the bluegrass state, premiums skyrocketed by an average of 24 last year, with some plan spiking by 47 . Nearly half of the state has only one Health Insurer to choose from, and next year, humana headquartered right here in louisville is pulling out of kentuckys obamacare exchange. Today, one third of the state is on medicaid. As your governor has said over and over again, it is unsustainable, and medicaid here in kentucky is threatening to bankrupt the state. Folks, this just cant continue, and i promise you it wont. [applause] vicepres. Pence since the day that kentucky helped to send President Trump to the white house, his top priority has been to repeal and replace obamacare with something that works. We have already made incredible progress. The bill already passed with unanimous support from two committees within congress. Congressman, i want to thank you for your strong support to repeal and replace obamacare. [applause] vicepres. Pence now i know that not every politician in kentucky supports our plan to repeal and replace obamacare. I know your former governor has been defending obamacare all over america, and he might even have something to say about my visit here today, and i welcomed the debate, i really do. He is actually a friend of mine. We worked together while i was governor of indiana to promote jobs and growth across indiana. I am proud of those ohio river bridges, arent you . [applause] the great story about collaboration, the Abraham Lincoln bridge, the lewis and clark bridge, they will support growth across the region for generations, but your former governor is wrong about obamacare. [applause] vicepres. Pence obamacare has failed the people of kentucky. It has failed the people of america, and obamacare must go. [applause] vicepres. Pence now the plan the president outlined in his joint address to congress is the plan we are working on. We will repeal and replace obamacare once and for all and replace it with Health Care Reform that will improve the lives of every american and strengthen our economy. The truth is ordering every american to buy Health Insurance whether they want it or not was never the right solution for health care in this country. So we will repeal the mandates and taxes and penalties of obamacare. [applause] vicepres. Pence we will end of obamacares individual an employer mandates. We will actually get rid of more than 500 billion in Obamacare Tax increases. [applause] vicepres. Pence and, we are going to give americans more choices. We will expand Health Savings accounts, give americans a tax credit to help people buy plans they need at a price they can afford. We will make sure americans with preexisting conditions still have access to the coverage and care they need. And to all the parents, we will make sure you can keep your kids on your plan and tell they are 26 years of age. And most significantly in my view, we will give states like kentucky the freedom and flexibility with medicaid to meet the needs of your most vulnerable and the way that works here in kentucky. [applause] vicepres. Pence the bill moving through the Congress Today will give the governor and states all across the country a chance to reform medicaid so it will better serve the underprivileged in your state with better coverage, Better Health, and Better Outcomes just like the governor said. Uniquely designed for the people of kentucky, a little bit like we did in the Hoosier State not too long ago. I will never forget for being here for the inaugural address. Anybody else remember that, a sunny day . [applause] vicepres. Pence as i was listening, i remember hearing the governor say he announced his intention to reform medicaid using the same conservative runcible we used in indiana. Conservative principles we used in indiana. He said then he was inspired by indianas reforms come a but sure kentucky could do better than indiana. And i would like to see him try. [laughter] vicepres. Pence in fact, President Trump truly does believe that giving states like kentucky, like indiana, like every state in the union, the resources and flexibility to improve their Health Care Programs and medicaid. It is the american way to meet the needs of our most vulnerable, and we will make it happen. [applause] vicepres. Pence this competition between the states of giving the American PeopleBetter Health care choices. Under President Trumps leadership, we will also finally allow americans to purchase Health Insurance a cross state lines, the way do you buy at life insurance, the way you buy car insurance. [applause] vicepres. Pence President Trump and i both know the way to lower the cost of Health Insurance is to create a National Marketplace and give americans more choices to buy the insurance they want, not the insurance the government mandates for them to have. Let me be clear, this will be a battle in washington dc, and for us to seize this opportunity to repeal and replace obamacare once and for all, we need every republican in congress, and we are counting on kentucky. President trump and i know that at the end of the day after a good and vigorous debate that kentucky will be there and we will repeal and replace obamacare once and for all. [applause] vicepres. Pence and let me say one more thing, despite some of the fear mongering by those on the liberal left, i want to ensure the people of kentucky who might be looking on this morning that we will work with the congress and work with our agency at health and Human Services and we are going to have an orderly transition to a Better Health care system that makes affordable, highquality Health Insurance available for every american. [applause] vicepres. Pence in a word, we are going to make the best Health Care System in the world even better. While i came here to talk about obama care, it is just the start of what our administration is doing to make America Great again. That me give you a quick preview of that before i head back on that airplane. First off, after we get this done, we will cut taxes across the board for working families, Small Businesses, and family farms. [applause] vicepres. Pence we will keep slashing through red tape and rein in unelected bureaucrats of they cant cripple the economy from the comfort of their taxpayerfunded desks in washington dc. [applause] vicepres. Pence we will do a little bit more like we did with those bridges, we will rebuild america so we have the best roads, bridges, highways, and airports that america has ever had. [applause] vicepres. Pence making America Great again does not stop there. This president has no higher priority i promise than the safety and security of the American People, and he is working every single day to work to protect our nation and way of life. This is a president i can tell you who appreciates the men and women of our Law Enforcement community, and he is standing every day with those who protect and serve our country in Law Enforcement. [applause] vicepres. Pence President Trump as i mentioned has also taken steps to strengthen our borders, enforce our laws, and does the president said, we are working through ice and close concert with Law Enforcement in every community, and we are taking in his words the gang members, the drug dealers, and the criminals who threaten our communities and prey on our citizens off the streets of kentucky and off the streets of our country. [applause] vicepres. Pence and while we talk about those that serve in uniform, as the proud father of the United States marine, let me take how grateful i am that in President Donald Trump we have a commander in chief who will rebuild our military, restore the arsenal of democracy, and give our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guard the resources and training they need to come their mission and protect our nation. [applause] vicepres. Pence and by nominating judge neil gorsuch to the Supreme Court of United States, President Trump kept his word to appoint a justice to the Supreme Court who will keep faith with the constitution, and he will be a justice who will uphold the godgiven liberties that are enshrined in our bill of rights. [applause] vicepres. Pence my friends, let me tell you, President Trump is a man of his word and a man of action. I believe he will make America Great again. I think we have come to a Pivotal Moment in our nations history, i truly do. In this moment, we need every freedom loving american to join with us in this effort to make America Great again. We need all of you to stand up, to speak out, to let your voice be heard. There is no time like the present. We need you to tell the world that we can do better, we can do better on health care, better with a growing economy, stand tall and strong in the world again. We can restore this country, put it back to a path to a brighter future, and i know we will do this. I truly do. One of my favorite verses in the old book is from the book of jeremiah. It has hung over the mantle of our home before i was elected to office, now more than 16 years ago. Now it hangs over the mantle in the Vice President s office in washington, d. C. It reads for i know the plans i have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. In november, the people of kentucky voted to give america a president with the strength and the courage and the vision to make america safe again. You voted to give us a new leader who i believe will make america prosperous again and give us a fresh start on health care and economic growth. So i truly do believe with all my heart that with your continued faith and support, and with gods help, together, we will make America Great again. Thank you very much for being here on a saturday. God bless you, and god bless the United States of america. [applause] here on cspan, washington journal is next. At 10 00, newsmakers with democratic representative asked the wall there is waters of california. Next, deputy an associate attorney general nominations. The consider amendments to the Republican Health care law replacement will. Replacement bill. Club for growth president David Mcintosh talks about his organizations opposition to the health care bill. And kerry levine, discusses her analysis of the nonprofit formed to handle President Trumps transition including the 6. 5 Million Dollars it raised in private contributions. And later, a look at rising tensions with north korea. James person joins us from the wilson center. Host good morning, a busy week ahead in our nations capital. The congressional budget is expected to come up with the score for the Republican Health care plan. The number could be released as early as tomorrow. The Budget Committee will then markup the bill early next week. The president will release his budget on wednesday. The same day our debt limit equires it is sunday morning, march the 12th and it is 7 00 a. M. Daylight savings time as we move ahead one hour