That is a vote we are not accustomed to, mark. I have to say that. Congratulations. I am honored to be here for the swearingin of our new secretary of defense, mark t. Esper. I especially wanted think Justice Samuel alito. Highly respected and a great man for joining us to administer the oath of office. Thank you very much. Thank you. We are also delighted to welcome several of secretary espers family members and friends to the white house, including his mother, polly. Hi, polly . You proud of him . You Better Believe it. [laughter] his wife, and his three children luke, john and capturing. Catherine. Thank you and congratulations. That is an incredible thing. There is no one more qualified to lead the department of defense than mark esper. A west point graduate. Great student. Secretary esper served our military for 21 years, including in the gulf war. They also advanced u. S. National security and government and asvate sector, most recently secretary of the army, where he played a Critical Role in training and equipping our armed forces. That is where i got to know mark. There was nobody that did a better job than mark. There is nobody that loves this more than mark. Thank you very much. He is a recipient of the bronze star and combat infantry badge. He holds a doctorate in Public Policy from George Washington university, and a master of Public Administration degree from the john f. Kennedy school of government at harvard university. I am confident that he will be an outstanding secretary of defense. I have absolutely no doubt about it. He is outstanding in every way. We are honored to have you aboard. I would ask Justice Alito to please administer the oath of office. Please hold your right hand high. Mr. Esper i, mark esper do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That i will bear true faith. And allegiance to the same, that i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And that i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office from which i am about to enter. So help me god. Justice alito congratulations. [cameras shuttering] [applause] pres. Trump would you like to Say Something . Yes, sir. If i may. Thank you, mr. President for your kind words, confidence in me and this incredible opportunity. Thank you Justice Alito for administering the oath of office. I really appreciate you being here this afternoon. I want to think the Senate Armed Services committee for its quick action on my nomination and a further strong, bipartisan support that i received today from the entire United States senate. It is an honor of a lifetime to be appointed secretary of defense and to lead the greatest military in history. And i will do so with that same energy and commitment to duty, honor and country that i had for nearly four decades since my early days at west point. Mr. President , it is a privilege for me and for my family to be here with you today. Thank you for your leadership and for your commitment to a strong, National Defense and to all of our service members. Our military has made tremendous gains thanks to your leadership, and we stand ready today to take on any challenge. While our soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines stand guard, each and every day, we will ensure their families are taking care of. On a personal note, i would like leah, whoy wife b, has been by my side for 35 years as a Military Spouse herself, my children, luke, john and kate. My mother, my inlaws and my sisters who have joined me today. And everyone else who has been a steadfast supporter over the years. Again, thank you, mr. President for allowing me to serve our great country as secretary of defense. [applause] President Trump come on over here. You are going to be a great one, thank you very much. Mr. Esper yes, sir. [cameras shuttering] [indistinct conversations] ok, thank you. In december a new cspan poll shows the of americans have a favorable view of the trump administrations efforts to create a space for scalia nearly as Many Americans have an unfavorable view, but the Largest Group has no opinion about the space for subtle. The are significant differences when you look at the party breakdown. Almost half of republicans see the space force favorably. Regardless, National Security came in second behind monitoring earths environment when those surveys were asked to select priorities for space authorities you can. Look at all the findings including americas attitudes towards nasa and its founding on cspan. Org. Here is a look at wednesdays live programming. Cspan, a. M. Eastern on former special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the aboutjudiciary committee the special causes investigation into whether President Trump obstructed the probe into russian interference in the 2016 campaign. We will show you as much of that hearing as possible until the house gavels in at 10 00 a. M. At noon, the house will consider several bills on the suspension of rules, including one authorizing state park programs for fiscal year 2020, and another making text changes for married samesex couples. The Senate Returns to take up several executive and judicial nominations including the head of the federal aviation administration. You can watch about on his bantu. On cspan3, live coverage of special Counsel Robert Muellers testimony before the house to do year he committee in its entirety. Then at noon, the former special counsel will testify before the house intelligence committee. I was on an airstrip in the havingjungles of guyana just concluded a congressional delegation to war with then congressman leo ryan and we were ambushed on that airstrip. And we were shot. Congressman ryan was shot 45 times and died on the airstrip. There were members of the press who died. One effector died. And i was shot five times on the body. Side of my announcer sunday night on q a, California Democratic congresswoman jackys beer talks about her memoir surviving jonestown. When people say it was a mass suicide, it was not. Thiswere forced to drink. Oxic brew by jones he had many of his guards surrounding the pavilion, i am sure, to make sure that people did as they were told. Announcer sunday night at eight 00 at 8 00 eastern on q a. Next, a look at whistleblower protections at the Veterans Affairs department. The committee of the oversight investigation held a hearing about the retaliation against department whistleblowers. Learning from v. A. Whistleblowers. On june 25, the subcommittee began this hearing to discuss the importance of va whistle blowers. We heard testimony from people inside the va raising Major Concerns questions and kwerns critical problems affecting the health and well being of veterans. These witnesses were willing to below the whistle even when at risk their livelihood and careers