Transcripts For CSPAN2 Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20240622

Numbers it is still something that is at a young age and something i would like to point out if it is great for the fight to have their resources create faculty and faithbased undocumented youth but its also important to note a lot of Higher Education comes from high school and it starts from there. That is very important to point out. Send the mouse ever mentioning about faithbased. I actually had the opportunity to talk to my counselor when she actually encouraged me. Unfortunately that is not the case for undocumented ear through their First Encounter as a guidance counselor, teacher considered being encouraged are actually being discouraged to even think about possibilities because that is due to the lack of knowledge. Something else we wanted to point out that we fundamentally believe the greater impact for undocumented people when undocumented people are part of the process. After all who better to understand the need for undocumented people than the undocumented people themselves. Has been undocumented students going to school, working striving for social change and dealing with incredible fear and anxiety we dont have an easy task at hand which is why expertise should be validated. A great example comes from the very own is to shed in which the panel was being hosted in. The nyu drinking was close. We actually have a close relationship over the past two years and the undocumented youth riot. The intentions have done undocumented youth input. From the close relationship as an example, and why you has gotten the institutions to open up Financial Aid for undocumented students. I think that its important to share and also creating spaces we are able to have other faces and something we are working on in california but then brought to new york as the need to provide resources and information for undocumented. Things like that should be taken into consideration when we are trying to provide because the place is at the forefront. Each punch so that is pretty much what i wanted to talk about. I would like to point out who would like to Work Together as a lamenting change on the undocumented you, especially organized nation to support undocumented used when it comes to the actual work. We should just keep fighting for changes we should be seeing not only institutional spaces but also out by wireless dimension beyond documented you are also part of the workforce and its important to not only leave those people out because their lives are just as valuable as people who did go to college. We should not be making that ancient. [applause] good morning. I will be brief because i know we are headed up to 11 00 for q a from the audience. I want to thank the panel for inviting me to comment on this study. Its an extraordinary historic study. I was privileged to read an early draft and its wonderful to see it having a name that and not just academia but policy circles with their briefing at the center for american progress. So what is not in their face many challenges you can act in this research of our minds nospace which i heard. And so i think there is a tremendous amount of work that went into this very careful attention to representation. I am just going to highlight a brief comment. The first is reframing the undocumented peer reframing them as a resource for the nation as critical and im glad both steve and janet comment really hit the theme for this one point id really give you who are unauthorized themselves. First of all the sheer diversity of the countrys origin coming from all over the world representativeness at a. I look forward to hearing more about their Actual Experience is. I love there is qualitative information. I want to highlight two things that reveal how much of a race or is the students could be said over 20 acres and i stand majors and we have a crisis in the stanfield in this country around students from immigrant origin background and diverse population. 80 had gpas over 3. 0. It is quite extraordinary. When we consider the strength, the lack of a pause he respond the scattered policy response is a state of Higher Education institutions becomes that much more shameful. Turning to daca 26 states have implementation of the obama executive action at this point in time and what is worrisome beyond that and will then also on steves point for the new York Immigration Coalition is those who receive daca have higher numbers of education in the more select universities and national at those least likely are those who have not completed High School Education may be parents themselves in the population i study of young kids. Those not enrolled rather that the creation of a 2 million worth of education and the coalition identified and mayor bloomberg. New york is still the only city in the country that has passed specific Adult Education for the population that are daca eligible but have been applied for access to it. Many barriers that are less likely to know they are eligible. Turning to the College Experience there were some shocking data in the report i would like to highlight. That is the experience of discrimination on campus. I was shocked roughly one or at the sample reported on ferret negative treatment from counselors and university administrators. That shows that climate above and beyond Higher Education policies around it and to wish him. Theres a tremendous amount of work at the Higher Education level amount crack is. This reaches down into high school and what the student might be sharing and we have to think of them anymore thousands who dont make it into colleges and universities because they hear these common creating isolation and discrimination in what should be a protected environment of learning. We know how harsh the conditions are and we cannot add to the stresses and discrimination and the various settings for learning and education and social mobility that represents schools and university. R. Brown Research Directions we need many more surveys. When theyve been specific to campus like and why you come universities in new york city and new york state. One from steinhardt one from psychology have been collect these kinds of surveys in the city across multiple campuses. Are you both here . And much more broadly we need to add issues of legal status for next various to Ongoing National surveys like the Current Populations surveyed one of the recommendations on the incorporation of immigrants into american society. We need to ask questions on among new template portion during h. And how to spread that Civic Engagement that really disempower the group. Pairing sewers turning to enter the picture. We need to understand wages and work conditions that those who receive daca. The low wages in new york were as high as 40 . Wages below the minimum wage. Arthur rank somewhere. They should be with official permits to work and Social Security number. Overall this is an historic study that drives a lot of this and policy change particularly Higher Education across the nation and i think we are at 15 12 minutes. And that of my closing questions i think it is best if we open it up for q a from the larger group. Im sure you have a bunch of questions. You can moderate it. Thank you. [applause] thank you very much to our panels. We have some time for questions. Not a whole lot of time. If you have a question, we have a microphone that is going to circulate. Say who you are, where you are from inner question you can address to the panel as well. Are there any questions . Yes, right here on the first table. Can he stand up also . Thank you. Hi. I am bonnie. Im a graduate student here studying Higher Education at nyu. I really appreciate this saturday. I can understand that its private, for years, et cetera. Those of you who are at ucla beating the study is coming out at the institution. What do you see as the immediate implication at the university being what you found for this study, ucla specializing because california has a high undocumented population in the Los Angeles Area in particular and ucla like other systems having a different tuition to send her there nearly three times in state and you can focus on the social aspect of the tuition aspects. So earlier i was talking about how the state context matters. They matter in terms of access to instate tuition, more equitable policies and also in terms of access to state forms of aid. California is one of the more progressive states. A battered dog than most other states. They had a policy called dede 540 and the counter should. The university of california generally has greeted the to specifically garner support at the campus level for undocumented to ucla has over 600 undocumented students. The fact they know that if some rain that speaks to their desired to want to know and understand and support the statement. We have staff in an office that support undocumented students on campus. They were close to a Student Organization and also as a conduit to other offices on campus. Ucla is a good example. They also feel like they could do more select always been on the link dialogue about how to improve services. I also want to add a little bit in response to what youre asking. After this report we drill down into comparing the four year public fouryear private to the community colleges. We looked a little bit at different sense of how it matters. We have found the fouryear private student that are in terms of giving more Financial Aid. But the fouryear public is much better at a general climate. There is a lot more discrimination going down like student on student and faculty on student in the fouryear private. A lot of our respondents are coming out of california. They came from all over but we just happen to have more coming from california in the you see system. The you see system, especially ucla was on the forefront of the jury movement. It is a specials based in a lot of ways. So the only thing i would add is i think the great tip oneill who once said in and is the only person in the room who remembers who tipped the nail was all politics is local. This is true of the two domains we are trying to marry here. This is true in Higher Education policy and immigration policy. In our country we basically are coming to a new normal for each state has the policy mechanisms for immigration is so varied. If you find yourself in california, if you find yourself in georgia, if you find yourself in illinois, you might as well be in three Different Countries because they are so disparate. The sintra for the typical nature of the increasingly disparate policy mechanisms such as that trajectories are going to be very very different in what state you find yourself and what it situations you find yourself in. You know, i wanted to add so much if you teach in Higher Education programs or study that we have to remember how internally complex every university and colleges. It is often very confusing because the college may aggressively improve certain student and then not treat them very well. It is hard to disseminate it a policy change or cultural change and it is to shame. Faculty are just one small piece of it. It is not unusual for a college to officially welcomes event and then have the student t. At sea and not feeling very comfortable once they arrive. We hope it is none of our institutions but we know these things do occur. Anyway, more questions. All the way in the back. Please introduce yourselves. Hi, i am mary m. Carrots im the director got oral programs and bilingual education at nine heart. This is obviously a safe place for all of us. You know this is a receptive audience as well as a wonderful and dedicated piano. What is the mythology on the other side that would result in someone like andrew cuomo dropping from the budget and what are the myths that we can counter . Do you want to start on not . Sure. I can speak to that. A couple weeks ago we put up an office specifically tiled that. Thats about the new york state dream act trying to repel those. The number one message we hear and we heard this across the state particularly around the elections last year was why are you giving taxpayer money to illegals . Are nativeborn children are already having a hard enough time to be able to afford college anyway. Why are we taking taxpayer money and giving it to illegals. And i think we really pushed back and we send look coming here is that the new york state dream act was all about. Its about providing equal footing to everybody saying we have a pool for the Tuition Assistance program that is boosted by 27 million it should be bigger anyway. It should be very large but we will boosted by 27 million we will change the regulations that will then get rid of the presidency and status requirement and basically allow undocumented immigrants and other students who are refugees or pick times can also be able to access that. So that is what it does. It allows undocumented immigrants it has to be in the same Playing Field as everybody else. If you are not taken a chunk of money and directed specifically to undocumented immigrants to. Not that we would necessarily be against that but in order to combat that specific talking point that was really the structure. The problem is politics of demagoguery and messaging get in the way of facts. We still hear this all the time. The scallops came out scallops came up recently and said why do we give money to people who cant work after they graduate. Its simply not true. The politics of this and the Republican State Senate was not the majority in the new york state senate. Youve got to get something by them if you want something to happen. They thought that they won last years election because they demagogue doesnt put out flyers that people climbing fences come out clearly to indicate criminal vehicles coming over to get benefits. They thought they won the elections because of that. It is a hard push to figure out the leverage they have on them to be a lettuce they now you will accept this. It is a political question. The only name i would add this is the numero brunel law of immigration and our country over the last 100 150 years. We love immigrants looking backwards. The here and now there is always a society, always push back. You know, we are in lower. 100 years ago there was a near panic about huge numbers of Eastern Europeans. The irish, the mediterranean the fundamental structure of the antiimmigrant impulse had a kind of anticinematic, anticatholic, antiradical holy trinity. Today, we love immigrants looking backwards. We hate them in the here and now. If the ucla team, is a former nyu professor 150 years ago would have in this university would have told you relax. In 150 years from now 100 , every Single Member of the United States Supreme Court american law, every Single Member with the jewish or catholic, people would have said dean, you are crazy. Today the issue is mobilized around this final barrier. The question of who has authorization, who doesnt have authorization. The symbolic apparatus that animates the eat this, the items of the current anxiety over immigration is fundamentally channeling, at going what has been a story in our country for over 100 feet years. Today it is not the irish. Its not the Eastern European jewish. Today it is the unauthorized. Middle of the metal table. Okay, hi. My name is gabby. Im a thirdyear philosophy student and im on the nyu dream team. Gabby, can you hold your microphone closer. Yeah. I know and why you this past fall decided they would begin to offer additional aid to undocumented students. But all that is for a document of students is opening up on the same footing being able to apply to and why you as a u. S. Resident rather than an international student. Even so it doesnt mean dont receive full Financial Aid. Just that they are open to receiving it. My question is how institutions can aid in pushing legislation to provide in state aid because even the institutional aid provided wont be enough to cover a 70,000 institution when 80 of undocumented students come from families who make less than 50,000 a year. Weve spoken to nyu administrators and a push towards having the program be a permanent program. Even so nyu hasnt publicly pushed for the dream act because they are afraid of the backlash they see from that. It is not some think they are publicly advocating for. It is simply something they are putting forward. So how nyu and other institutions can push for legislation. I can answer a little bit. First of all the institutional aid is limited for everybody. Those of you from and why you know that. We can talk later. There is lobbying in albany and as the Vice President who deals with governmental relations. The logic of that isnt entirely clear because opening up the state funds is certainly something and why you should favor and increase the fines. I will try to help you find out. Robert was eve do you want to answer that in terms of institutions . Sure. I think it speaks to some of the point we are trying to drive home with this work and that is the issue around undocumented status undocumented immigrant students this is not just an issue for immigration policy. We have to have different decor there is involved in this discussion. It is something where we need greater political will around the issue when it comes to institutional leaders. United we dream is trying to work with a number of his petitions to get them to sign on in support of undocumented students. I mentioned membership organizations. We have a number of highrisk organizations like ash and ara you know, they should also work with the membership to both educate them but also to garner their support around some of these issues. I absolutely think so. Now, its hard i think its important for them to weigh in, and the question is thinking to a kind of leverage do we have on the folks that need be leveraged, whether they are the government, whether it is a decently. I think in this case all of the above. I do think it is important for me to institutions like nyu to weigh in. One more question. Over at this table. Thank you so much for your presentation. Im on the staff of state senator kruger who was kind of this initiative because she has been working in trying to get these things best. I really appreciate the report. I cant wait to share with the rest of our staff and he is in the legislature. Im curious how much it is reflective of the situation in new york in particular, number of respondents you may have from new york and the way that new york looks to our public and private institutions as it is reflected in your report. We are consulting the number. [laughter] it was the fifth largest number of responses from new york. I can tell you right off the top. But i think the question is, or are the finding that you presented typical of new york as well as the other states. Yes, i would say so. I would say that the findings mimic the realities that they are unfolding. Immigration into our country is everywhere now yet five states really lead the way. And, of course california, illinois florida new york, texas and new jersey i think it comes in sixth are the states that have by far the greatest concentration of both immigrants and also very large concentrations of a relatively large concentration of the unauthorized. If you look at the universe of folks that went through the daca process and the universe the folk i responded to our survey we are pretty comfortable that the sample really represents the story of young people that have undergone, at the student level, that have undergone the process. And state level policies make a difference. And campus level practices make a difference right . Okay, i think we should adjourn because otherwise people are going to start to float out. Anyway, i would like to get to the audience to thank our panel. [applause] if you have questions do we didnt get to you could russia. We will be her for a few minutes. If you like to be on the institute permit me to list, please give me your card or fill out one of the papers as you leave. Thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations] defense secretary Ashton Carter and joint chiefs chairman general Martin Dempsey will be on capitol hill to talk about u. S. Strategy against isis. They are testifying before the Senate Armed Services committee at 9 30 a. M. Eastern. The Obama Administration also taking steps to better protect tens of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the border each year. Reportedly hhs is increasing the number of doctors to treat these unaccompanied minors. The Senate Homeland Security Committee Holding Hearings on the immigration children, live coverage on cspan2 at 10 a. M. Eastern. Like many others, first families take vacation time. And like president s and first ladies, a good read can be the perfect companion for your summer journeys. What better book than one that appears inside the personal life of every first lady in American History . First ladies, president ial historians on the lives of 45 iconic american women come Inspiring Stories of fasting women who survive the scrutiny of the white house. A great summertime read available from Public Affairs as a hardcover or an ebook to your favorite bookstore or online bookseller. Congress returns today from its fourth of july break. This week the house plans to continue and finish up work on a bill to fund the injury department. The epa and other related agencies. Also announced agenda to making changes to the no child left behind federal education program. The house gavels in to eastern live on cspan. The senate takes up a separate proposal dealing with no child left behind that would give states more authority to determine how much would to give to standardize test scores. They have a confirmation vote scheduled for later in the day. Watch live Senate Coverage here on cspan2. And one of the lawmakers we could see on the house floor when the chamber comes in later as democrat brad ashford of nebraska the second history. He narrowly defeated incumbent republican lee kair in the 2014 election. We spoke with him for about a half hours part of cspans congressional freshman profile series. Host congressman brad ashford, freshman democrat from nebraskas second Congressional District. You did something quite and usual in 2014. You defeated a republican member of the house. How did you do that . Guest thats an interesting question. I hasi have spent many years in the nebraskan Unicameral Legislature representing primarily a republican district. I was a republican for 40 years so i had a natural constituency in the center, and we were able to parlay that really into the congressional race to reach out to moderate republicans and democrats and that helped having represented those areas and the legislatures. Host why did you switch parties often transferred it was only so often. I was republican i started out, yes. You know i started out and was republican for most of my life. I suppose it generally i got to the end of my, we have term limits in nebraska and i spent 16 years in the legislature. I was really term limited a few years ago. Iran permit of omaha as an independent because it was a nonpartisan race and i wanted to send a message that omahas problems, omaha is a big city really in a relative sense and that their problems are not partisan problems. I chose to become a democrat primary because some of the social issues that ive been engaged in for many years, he writes issues that i had worked on immigration issues, worked on many years in the legislature. Issues that the Democratic Party had a more positive policy response to you. And so i didnt change parties with any idea of running again or anything. I just felt more comfortable and in what other would be ending my career in that regard. Host your first year in congress, finish this sense. Estate of Congress Today in the house of representatives specifically is what . Guest sad. Im very sad about it. I can go as i say from a nonpartisan sort of place by constitution. Its surprising to see all the dysfunction thats built around partisan politics. Maybe i expected that but sort of the inability to deal with the great issues of our time. In nebraska we have dealt with immigration. As best we could. Weve dealt with some of the social issues that even, Health Issues and other things, they can be accomplished here. Im just sad about it. I worked here as a young person in the late 60s early 70s. It was a much more idealistic time. People worked together. I was younger i was idealistic so maybe i was seeing it through rosecolored glasses, i dont think so. The resistance of moderation, solution based government. Its just sad, sad to see whats happened in some of these tough like immigration, trade, some of these things just seem to linger in nebraska we need an immigration solution. We have needed it for 12 years longer than that. So what so if i can hear we could grapple with some of those and maybe we will. Some other sort of gotcha politics, but building up a book of votes in order to either Gain Campaign contributions or gain favor with the party or disfavor with the other party is just sad. It makes me ill to think about. Again, i come from a different place from the 1930s onward, nebraska have taken the governance system, has had. I see so many young people here, reminding me in those years doing all sorts of great things here. Are very idealistic, they are caring people, and then you are a dolt, employers are acting silly. I think thats kind of sad. Host let me stay on that point because when you registered he wanted to bring a part of the legislature of nebraska to congress. Have you been able to do any of that . And if not how can you do that . Guest well i think i hope so. I certainly dont, i could care less what any party anybody is. Ive tried to reach out and great relationships with anybody, but i could find no matter what party they are. Whats ironic is the people i work with are fabulous, the individual members. They come from varied backgrounds. Many of them are very exceptional people. Its the system that sort of direct them into these weird places. So i try to reach out to them. Reach out to dinner i signed onto a number of bills with democrats and republicans about equally. We are a probusiness state. Ive been attracted to some of the more probusiness initiatives that help ag. Trading one of the biggest ones probably. And just trying to find relationships like i would in the unicameral. You said you want to make friends with guest ive exceeded that i think. Ive been here half a year now. Ive made some good friends. I have met anybody i didnt like. I try not not to not like people. And i certainly dont think about someones, you know, speaking from ottawa, for example, on the immigration issue theres probably no one for the from it on the immigration issue but we struck up a relationship of doctor interest between both of us. To legislate you have to pick your battles, find your appliances find the people you work with. It doesnt really matter what they think i dont think about some other issue. Because you take each, and then once you pass something hopefully and move onto the next thing you put that to bed and then you move onto the next issue. Thats something that is critical to legislate. I dont see that as much you. Individuals may move on but the parties, neither of them let go of those things. And so it becomes its almost the dysfunction is almost a third. Dysfunction, conflict, use that to raise money use that to make ads on races. Its not going to get us into a place where we are going to be really great i dont think. Its going to take some Exceptional Leadership Going Forward over the next several years to get us out of this mess. Host im curious what your schedule. Youre back in addition, researching votes, writing or cosponsoring legislation. How do you find time to make friends and how do you do it . Guest ive always legislate it through relationships, not parties. I focus really on that. I focus on, im a member of the new Dems Coalition which is a group of probusiness protrude for the most part democrats who are very similar to my colleagues in lincoln and jimmy kimmel. Im one of the few left blue dogs. I like building, spent a lot of my time thinking about policy by talking to people. Maybe if i was to Say Something maybe over the years and ive always done it because it gets me in the most trouble i tend to think out loud. In order to do that i need to find people to talk to. Host so on fiscal issues how would you define your ideology . Guest im pretty conservative. Nebraskans are pretty conservative. We need to find a way to balance the budget in a responsible way. If we do that effectively, were going to be able to start planning for the future. I support, i know we have one year budgets. I support a twoyear budget cycle so you can plan. We dont have the kind of planning in the budget process that we should have. I know those are structural things. Im conservative on these issues. I like to keep taxes at a responsible level and not overspend and try to be more efficient in how government operates. Clearly thats my history. Thats something i gravitate to you. I dont think thats bad. I dont think thats bad or not progressive to try to think about ways where you can its actually quite challenging and fun to work with others to think about, we have 85 social programs. We dont need 85 social programs. We need fewer than that work better. I think that whole budgeting process and getting to zero getting to a balanced budget is really a great challenge and something we should keep working on. Host to talk about gay rights. We would you purchase of ideologically country i support gay marriage, always have. I support gay rights. I support roe v. Wade. I support a womans right to choose. I support Immigration Reform, a pathway to citizenship. I think quite frankly thats good business. But they can be labeled as progressive i guess or socially progressive, though the chamber of commerce agrees with me than what as the bells go off again, votes on the house floor. Walk us through your schedule. Whats it like when youre in washington and when you go back to district . Guest a given pivot around when i jog. When i was in the unicameral i would always avoid my good friends in the lobby by talking at lunch and no one would ever come to lobbyists would ever jog with me. I try to keep it going. It sounds simple but thats an important part of my day. Then i kind of do things around that. I try to get my jogging in. We have a nebraska breakfast here thats been going on for 73 years, literally every week. We have 100 150 people every day every wednesday for a breakfast. I certainly could do that. Want of the of the things i cannot get it is fun to raise when im working. That means, that they think it of course is calling people on the phone for money all the time. Its a terrible distraction. And not only does it get your mind off what you are doing into something thats not why you are here, so i try to come in fact is a iron clad rule. I will not miss hearing or anything to go raise money. I tried to do that. I try to keep up with the demands of fund raising by doing it outside the normal course. Thats what i absolutely believe in. Doesnt make me better than anybody else. Just makes me comfortable. I mayor to go to those committee hearings. Im on Armed Services and ag both committees to have a great nexus with my district are i need to be there as much as i can. Host lets talk about your roots in nebraska, a long history. Where were you born and raised country i was born in omaha. My family, my fathers family is irish, came in 1856 to nebraska. My mothers family is swedish came in the 1870s. Our fabulous and this is in nebraska for many, many generations in the clothing business, retail clothing business. I had been a loaded most of my career, practiced law a lot of it. Iphone businesses. Ive owned a clothing store. Done quite a few other civic things but ive had a very fulfilling career really doing very do things. But 16 years and the unicameral is probably the most baffling of my life. To be able to work in such an incredibly come in my view unique institution of government has really been something. Host were your parents political types . Guest not really. My grandfather actually was very active. He started the National Conference of christians and might organization in omaha in the 30s to combat discrimination against jews in omaha. He action to raise money to get jews out of europe into sweden right before world war ii. We spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business totally, but it being very active in social issues. My father flew a bomber, a b26 bomber on dday, a plane that was built in my Congressional District a b26 Martin Obamacare Keith long today for six emissions. He was a business guy. My mother was just a wonderful woman, theyve been gone for some while. But they are, they were a lot of fun. They were very active in the community, and still a lot of values of Community Involvement to me. So, and i had a brother who is a judge, another brother who has bookstore and has had for 30 40 years. Host why did you first decide to run for the state legislature traffic thats a great question. And i enjoyed policy, and joined politics very much. I got involved in bob kerreys Company Still a great friend of mine, bob kerrey 1982 Gubernatorial Campaign in nebraska. My mother always told i was too nice to be a politics site never really thought i would run for office. I think it was really 1986, i think it was really my parents and grandparents involvement in the community. And i saw an opportunity to give back or to really contribute, not so much can the but he talks about giving back and most everybody in omaha does this but i thought maybe governance involved in the unicameral was what i could do to get back in a similar fashion to what my family had done as long as we have been in nebraska. Thats what scared me on. I dont think i would have run again for anything last time. There was no running there was no when running on the democratic side i thought about it. Fear is the wrong word but the abrogation of not being able to serve anymore. And im really a legislator and i think the main thing really come it was fun and interesting race but quite frankly i think im a legislator, not an administrator. I think it all worked out. Host what is different about the state legislature in nebraska versus washington, d. C. . Guest there are no caucuses. When i went to my first caucus here, first couple days i was you id never been to a party caucus before. Listening to the sort of come its sort of like a pregame pep talk, lets go out and get the other side that kind of stuff is totally foreign to me. That was very different. Also even though there are many more republicans than democrats in our legislature, it is nonpartisan. The committee chairs, just by tradition, tend to be equally divided. The governor is elected by party, at the unicameral isnt it. The nebraska repeal the Death Penalty issue. A nebraska raised against attacks. Nebraska, you know, did some things that are fairly progressive. One would call progressive. Its sort of like a bunch of 49 others getting together working things out coming up with the solution, putting partisan politics literally down the line of imports. And theres a pride in that, so when the governor vetoed something as he did this time, the Legislature Just overrode the governor on each one of these tough issues. Weve done a significant amount of Prison Reform. I was chair of the Judiciary Committee for longtime involvement juvenile justice issues. We made some progress. We can take on an issue and solve it fairly adeptly and quickly put on some things i wish we couldve done, havent done, but we are pretty much we Work Together and come up with solutions. Nebraskans are pretty common sense people. Conservative on fiscal issues but theres still that William James bryant populist tradition that exists in nebraska and as the Campaign Begins to unfold decent republicans are moving to the right and your party moved to the left . Guest i dont know if the republicans are moving to the right particularly. Think the democrats need to be careful. Theyve already lost a great swath of the middle of the country by not really appealing to people in nebraska, for example. When bob kerrey rental United States senate years ago for governor, the number of democrats over republicans was just a handful. Now its over 200,000. My sense is that john boehner is not a far right conservative republican. Hes a pragmatist and thats my sense. I think some the candidates, jeb bush, for example, who to me anyway, i really admired his father is a very appealing candidate. I think if the democrats need to be, bring themselves back into the center of the voting population, like bill clinton did. I think bill clinton was a master at it. He did some produces things that are meaningful to the country. Yeah, i do think the democrats are in you know theres some fear, we are not going to get Immigration Reform done by pitting the far right against the far left. Immigration reform which is critical to our country is going to be resolved in the center. George bush 43, had a shot at it. I think the republicans that are far right republican candidates and our far left democrat candidates. But i sense that secretary clinton seems to be charting some other left of center course. The country is kind of a right of Center Country right now. In order to have good jobs good paying jobs in this country, the private sector needs to be robust. The way to make the private sector robust in my view government needs to get out of the way in many ways but where can make a difference is on trade. The more we can expand our market, the more we can have a robust business sector, the more good jobs are going to be treated. Thats what we believe in nebraska. I think thats what john kennedy talked about when he ran in 1960, and bill clinton as well. I think we are a center to right of Center Country right now, very similar to england. So i think thats where democrats have to be cautious. Host that youre a democrat and a republican state been of the last on nebraska has voted for a democrat in the white house . Guest yes. Yes, actually it is a good story. We actually have an Electoral College vote per district. And maine was the other. I think it was 1991. Senator ben nelson was then governor and we had what we call of reverse order vote in our legislature. I was the last it went from b. To a basically. So i was at the 25th about to vote for the Electoral College as the republican could vote for the Electoral College system we have now, and in that electoral vote come in my district went for obama. Before the statewide it was Lyndon Johnson turned one you have three children what do they think of the debt in congress . Guest 35 28 17. I think its a great question. I think they are proud that im in congress. I think theyre proud of me which is quite something you know. He always would love to have your children be proud of you. They know that we worked hard and do what kind of toilet in the vineyards as one says in the nebraska legislature. We make 12,000 a year in the unicameral and its really so i had a huge pay increase. But thats not why they are proud. I think the fact that we picked up a campaign from scratch with about nine months ago and were able to win. I dont think about that. People say lee terry have been there 16 years, my upload. People wanted a change in all this stuff. My opponent. I think hopefully they thought we offered something. My opponent was some ive known my entire adult life, a good guy. Maybe were just more optimistic the maybe were just telling a story that we can come by working together we can get things done. I think they are proud of that and i think my children are proud of how i have been committed to tough issues like gay rights, which to me is extremely afford. I grew up in the clothing business and take a kennedy was, to me it was a very important part of certainly the womens business, and my mother was in the womens business. I grew up seeing that discrimination against gays in employment is even a young child in new york. And my grandfathers commitment to the issues at the National Conference of pistons and jews, christians weve stuck with those. Hopefully they are proud of it. Host where did you go to college try to locate. Host and you studied . Guest history. It has to have a historical context. Its interesting, for example of the trade issue, people ask so at about about trade. A lot of reasons but one of them if you look back at the tariffs of 1880s and 1890s that caused the Great Depression and really hurt us in nebraska. It devastated nebraskas agricultural sector. And then in the 1930s again as a result of high tariffs in this country. You know, i think history is important to know where youve been and what lessons can be learned from history. I try to think about where we are today in the congress, and i dont know if there is such a parallel as there is today. How you line up your voting record in order to withstand television. There was a vote on trade and it had to do with medicare and it was part of a trade adjustment act. Even though the trade adjustment act was fixed so that you wouldnt be voting against it the argument against voting for the trade adjustment act which would help the trade to go forward, was that someone was going to run an ad against using that you wanted to take medicare away from seniors. You hear that over and over again. When iran for Congress Just a few months ago the ad was about how i was it was a Willie Horton ad. I was chair of the Judiciary Committee. We did Prison Reform and while we did Prison Reform summit got out of prison and kill four people, so that was the ad. We won. So i mean, if youre going to worry about that stuff, then you shouldnt be here. But thats the focus of a lot of this. I admire bernie sanders. He reminds me a lot of mcgovern to remind the actually more of mcgovern reminds me a lot of gene mccarthy. This sort of sense of being able to just say it as you will. Everybodys different, everybody looks at policy differently. But i admire people on either side of the aisle that are willing to be very forthright in their views try one final question to you just arrived in washington. How long they want to stay . Guest seems like longer than that. But it was just a few months ago. I will stay as long as come as far as i can to go i will stay as long as the voters want to send me back year. I just, i want to be myself. I do want to be a partisan person. I want to be myself. I want to vote in that way in a way that ive been brought up in the unicameral tradition of our state. Im not going to vote a party later i have included a partyline so far. I will vote for democrat measures and republican measures as i see fit and hopefully hopefully the voters see that. If they do but hopefully we can come back and continue to govern brad ashford for nebraskas second Congressional District which includes omaha. Thank you for your time. Guest thank you very much. Is delightful. The Obama Administration says its taking steps to better protect the tens of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the border each year. Reportedly hhs is increasing the number of doctors available to treat these unaccompanied minors practice of elements adjudicative is holding a hearing coming up shortly. Live coverage here on cspan2 at 10 a. M. Eastern. Cspan2 brings you the best access to Congress Live debate and vote from the senate floor hearings and current Public Policy defense. Into the weekend its booktv with nonfiction books and authors. Live coverage of book festivals from around the country and the behind the scenes look at the publishing industry. Cspan2, the best access to congress and nonfiction books. Congress returns today from its fourth of july break. This week the house plans to continue and finish up work on a bill to fund the interior department, vb and other related agencies. On the house agenda to making changes to the no child left behind federal education program. Cows cows and two eastern live on cspan. The senate takes up a separate proposal to you with no child left behind that would give states more authority to determine how much weight to give to standardize test scores put a have a confirmation vote scheduled later in the day for a federal Circuit Court judge, the first one of you. Watch live Senate Coverage here on cspan2. Up the next our series of freshman profiles continues, congressman John Ratcliffe of texas defeated incumbent ralph hall in the republican primary and he went on to run uncontested in the general election. At the time congressman hall was the oldest serving member of congress. This is over 20 minutes. Host congressman John Ratcliffe from the fourth Congressional District of texas. You challenged a sitting incumbent republican, the longestserving member of congress and also a world war ii veteran. Why did you decide to run for congress and in a republican primary . Guest i have been involved in Public Service before. I served as a small town mayor. I served as a u. S. Attorney under president bush. I found i enjoy Public Service and it was a calling that came to me. I tried to help like a lot of folks i was frustrated with president obamas first time and i tried to help get mitterrand elected as president. I served on the Transition Team for what wouldve been a romney administration. Obviously, that didnt happen and i was extraordinary frustrated. Made the decision i did you check out of politics altogether, ive got to find a way to fight harder and that led to the decision to run for congress. Congressman hall was someone who was an iconic figure, someone who is a friend of mine but i knew very well and i think he had done a terrific job and serve with extraordinary distinction for the people of the fourth Congressional District. I also felt if presented with a credible alternative, a majority of the folks in the district were looking for an opportunity. Most folks like me thought things in washington were getting worse not better. Congressman poe answered a lot of. He was in his 90s and it really felt like people we give me a chance if i present myself as a credible alternative with the credentials that i had an experience that i had and the plant and solutions are presented and ultimately that proved to be the case trend want you to his office and your office. Did he give you any advice . Guest he gave me a lot of advice. We were friends before this election and we are friends now. I saw him a few weeks ago on his 92nd birthday. He wished me well told me he was proud of the job i was doing. Really gave me a lot of advice. I came up during the summer and met with him on a number of occasions to get advice about all the things that he did know about being a member of congress can like staffing and office and fundraising and get into certain committees. It wasnt one particular thing. He was a wealth of information over a period of time, was incredibly gracious to me during the transition. As i said ultimately proved to be a big help to me than one what makes a successful member of congress . Guest more than anything else just have passion for what you do it as i said i found later in life that i enjoyed Public Service. I really believe that if you enjoy what youre doing you never worked a day in your life. I think thats number one. Number two related to that is youve got to work incredibly hard. We are expected to command an extraordinary amount of information on a breadth and depth of issues that come at us very quickly. That takes commitment that to youve got to be surrounded by good staff. I tried to benefit from the downs with 57 different members of the republican conference to give me advice. Felt prepared when i got here and ive i surrounded myself with very good people. I think one of the things that i learned from other positions as manager of people come as a trainee at the turn and as a mayor of a small town is if you surround yourself with people who are smarter and better than you are, you can publish anything. Host do you have time to think and to put this on the topic youre passionate about . Guest he gave a check to think quickly. You to think on your feet. Didnt have enough time you would ordinarily expect like to have. Its a command, a constant commitment to educate yourself to take in an extraordinary amount of information. But again if youre passionate about the issues, and ive had the good fortune of getting on committees that cover the things that are important to me come, if things that ive had experience before, in dealing with. Actually helped me as well. I very much feel like im doing what im supposed to be doing and undoing what i told the people of the fourth Congressional District that it would be doing and what it is heated, texas . Guest just east of dallas about 25 miles and its the start of the fourth Congressional District. From the there the district of north and east all the way to the oklahoma border, the arkansas board and the louisiana border i could 18 counties. Its a terrific district, a very diverse and spread out a lot of great folks throughout the district. I fully enjoyed getting to know someone the 700,000 people of privilege to represent. Host i asked about that because you served as mayor at what was that like . Was it fulltime parttime . Guest mayor is a volunteer position. It is an unpaid nonpartisan topic it was a terrific expect because its where the rubber meets the road. Its true Public Service. Wasnt paid a nickel for the time i spent. Often drove myself home from meetings after midnight on all the issues but being mayor of a small town has its rewards. I had the opportunity to vote on matters on on a tuesday and tried to wake up on saturday and see them starting on the park we just started or a new neighborhood. Its a chance to be close to the people and the learned a lot about responding to constituent needs and concerns and something that has benefited me as i moved up to a bigger stage in congress. Host were you raised in texas . Guest born in illinois, got to texas as fast as they could kane county when i was 24 law school and fell in love with texas and ive been here for most of my life trying with you into notre dame. Wide . Guest i grew up catholic in the chicago area and was just a fan of this going to a lot of great people who went to school there. It was a tremendous institution and someplace i always end up going to met a lot of weight lifetime friends and continue to have been. Host the hygiene is a photograph of you and your wife. How did you meet . Guest at law school. My wife is also a lawyer. We met at Southern Methodist university in dallas at the law school there. We have been married for 25 years. We have two daughters, 16 and 13. We are all happy to reside in texas than one what to like having two daughters one learning to drive any others a teenager also . Guest is a terrific. They are the reason i am here. One of the primary motivation for being a member of commerce to make sure that the same opportunities as the marketing i have. Thats something that concern me. One of the reasons i didnt check out of politics because it may not have got me in my life my life company would catch up to them. They are the primary reason im here but theres doing well adjusting to the transition having a dad who spent half of his on the washington, d. C. Leeds on sunday nights or monday morning and doesnt come until thursday or friday. Thats an adjustment for our family. We talked about the shared sacrifice that being a member of congress takes. We are all the adjusting well. Host how to do that quick when youre backing a district you can and can you get raise money can go to events. That happens on weekends but you also have family. Guest you have today commitments, carveout tiger i tried reserve sundays for my family. I try not to do political events on sunday so we go to church can spend time together as a family. Whenever possible and bring my wife and my kids to political events throughout the district. Its an opportunity for us to spend time together but it is tough. Im done more than i would like to be. But again they understand the Larger Mission and have been incredibly supportive. Im grateful for that. Host today like politics country they like it because its something that is important to me but i dont know if something that i would expect either of my daughters to go into come into politics but they need to find their own calling in life. I dont know what that will be the its politics or law thats great but if its medicine thats great. Are raising a family thats great they will have to find their own way but they are very supportive of learning a lot. They were just up here. School is out for the summer so theyre able to come up for a couple of days. We toured a lot of the monuments and spent some time in the capital and did some things as a family in washington, d. C. They are learning more about the importance of our federal government and the role it plays in our lives. Host your own family growing up in illinois where . Guest i grew up in different places around illinois. My parents were both teachers. My dad taught at the university. My mom was a great school teacher. I lived in different towns. I went to high school in a place called carbondale which sent Southern Illinois almost in kentucky. Great people, but as i said texas is home to. Host brothers, sisters how many . Guest i am the youngest of six. Host whats it like in a family reunion, thanksgiving a lot of different political point of view . Guest yeah, you know mostly conservative but there are some definite opinions. We live in different parts of the country but we are very close to come at the weve all been supportive of one another. All my brothers and sisters have been supportive of my desire to get involved in politics and were supportive of me during the campaign. So i continue to stay close to talk to get as much as i can. Again, ive a limited amount of free time these days but we times as close as we possibly can. Host would your friends in high school be surprise you in Congress Today . Guest i think some of them would be. It was a summit at it. I was never a class officer. I never ran for class office. It wasnt until later when i was in college i got involved with students for reaganbush. Reagan was a figure that inspired me. Obviously, he was president during the time i was in high school and in college and we sort of shaped my political beliefs. I dont think my High School Friends really saw saw me as a number of congress. I didnt see myself as a member of congress postman you have a schedule to keep in congress. Your demands back over what is a daily routine like for you . Guest what do the things that surprised me the most about being a member of god is how we point to seed into the my calendar. In the first few months we averaged about 300 requests per day to get on my schedule. I often have 30 or 40 different meetings during the course of a day with a different groups. That includes also time for both the reviews you have a number of votes your spirit today. But ive got different constituents that come up from the district and are different outside groups that want to come see me, talk about different matters of legislation that i will be ultimately voting on. Its incredibly busy. There sometime in there for fundraising. Thats always an issue for members of congress as well. Its different every day. I see a variety of people but at the end of the day it all ties back into bible of trying to legislate, to put this country back into better path. Host which butchers of ideologically on a political spectrum . Guest i put myself as very conservative and most people would put me at very conservative on paper ever present one of the most conservative district in the country. If you look at how i voted over the first almost six months that ive been a member of congress, i now have well over 300 recorded votes. I think by any measure in instead i would be considered one of the most conservative members of congress. In voting that way i am representing my district will. Host but then you have those conservative principles and also bridge the divide with democrats on key issues are we losing the bipartisanship weve seen in this done in the past traffic out of anything to compare to input happened in the past to my reality is a sixmonth ive been you. Weve got some important things done. I helped move forward a major piece of legislation from a cyberpunk appointed a subcommittee that i chair. I worked very hard to garner bipartisan support and told me that bill passed the floor 35563. I think hardworking overcome a lot. I do think you have to work hard to find Common Ground. Thats one of the things ill legislators need to keep in mind is that if your intent on just getting your way nothing is going to happen. Frankly, one of the criticism i have of this president is that when he doesnt get his way essentially takes his ball and goes home. We often dont get things done because the president isnt willing or able to bridge the gap, as you talked about, and bring parties together to. Host how do we get there . What will it take . Guest one of the things that happens a just and better people to washington. I think theres been a change in the members of congress that reflects the will of the people. Weve added to our numbers in terms of the conservative that come to washington. I think thats something the process. We are getting more done. 3114 congress has been more productive by any measure in any standard than the 113th congress. I think that you can be a conservative for you can be a liberal but if you are thoughtful, you can find Common Ground on issues. Thats one of the things that ive worked to do. I do think there is the fact that now more than half of the members of congress have served in the body for six years or less really underscores the fact that everyone sees we need to do business also get differently and a little bit better than we have done in recent times. To get more done. Host you have to support from the Tea Party Organizations when he ran for congress. As you will know a lot of the conversations are not too happy with Republican Leadership in the house. Where does that put you . Guest what i campaigned on was getting support from all kinds of republicans. The district i represent includes some Tea Party Support some tea party constituents but also involves Traditional Chamber of commerce republicans libertarians, constitutional conservatives. I really dont get hung up on labels. I think thats a washington insiders game. I think that again my goal is to represent the constituency will and to do the things i told people that i was going to do. So far in the first sixmonth ive been able to vote my conscience, both the district and have really garnered a lot of great support from the people back home. And ive done things i told him i was going to do. Host d. Phil. That Speaker Boehner has an open door policy for you and others . Guest he does. Opportunity to speak with him on issues. Hes tried to persuade me to his point of view on certain issues. Sometimes i supported that sometimes i havent. Ive really tried to make the decisions that are best and most effective for the 700000 texans that im privileged to represent. If the decision and that vote happens to coincide with what the speaker wants, thats great. But if its not think he needs to understand ive got to go a different way. So far ive communicated that andany seems to be accepting of that fact of the you talk about money and politics. Some say free speech and privacy way too much money in politics. What is your view . Guest ive tried to focus on the things that have the ability to change. Im going to let others deal with how much money is being spent with respect to campaigned. It seems unhealthy to me but the reality the realities are what they are at the present. I had worked hard to get either i to generate a lot of income from outside groups and support to have the opportunity. As you know its very rare to beat an incumbent in your own party. I was able to do that, and i did that i think in part because i had the right message. I think you get the right message you can overcome the amount of money weve seen recent examples of that with other folks. I think its really tapping into the constituency come and sometimes money doesnt really guarantee that someone will be successful. But like everyone i think i would like to see some standard applied to campaigns, and the amount of money it takes for people to hold office. Host some people have said texas its going to become much more of a swing state in the next 1820 years. Using a demographic change. Whats happening down there . Guest the demographics are changing. We have a growing hispanic population in texas. I hope its not a swing state. Its been a conservative state that conservatives can count on. And i think that can continue to deliver the right message, notwithstanding the changing demographics. I think we have an opportunity to the hispanic population to grow them as republicans. I see it every day, and certainly those that are constituents in my district, you know ive been effective in persuading them that its Republican Values and ideas of opportunity that really work well with their work ethic and interest more so than what i see as failed strategies of dependency entitled that the Democratic Party and this administration in particular have been promoting for the last six years post you mentioned your disappointment when mitt romney lost in 2012. On the larger issue of getting 270 electrical that the electoral votes for the public is, as you know your party is lost five of six National Elections we came to the popular vote so how do you turn that tide . Guest i think the recent elections elections reflect the fact that majority of this country is to conservative. We picked up seats in the Midterm Election in the house and senate. We took the senate back. I think thats reflective of the fact that people do see notwithstanding the recent president ial elections, i think that reflects the fact that this is a conservative country that Still Believes in the basic principles of opportunity that my party better represents. I think the problem with president ial elections has been our candidates and the messages they have. I was disappointed, not that mitt romney didnt win but republicans didnt win. Im optimistic that were going to get a good republican candidate that would get people off the sidelines in president ial elections. Im confident well have a republican in the white house to go with the Republican House and the Republican Senate in 2016 and then we will really get some things done. Host had he given any further thought on what you want to do next . Guest i really havent. Im grateful for the opportunity to have but i do note that there is a next for me in politics. I hold onto this opportunity very loosely. Im grateful every day that people in the Fourth District had given me the opportunity to be the one voice on the floor of the United States house of representatives on grateful to be here right now. God has a plan for all of us. As i said i didnt expect to be a member of congress. But once i made the decision to run because i felt a calling, i always believed i would be here. If a different opportunity presents itself down the road i feel like i can better serve the public i will look into that. But im happy to be the congressman for the Fourth District of texas. Host how important is your fave . Guest my faith is really the guiding principle that everything that i do. As i go through those 300 something votes out of date and ever through a series of questions, and one of those questions is how did the vote im about to catch coincide with my faith . Just as i asked how does a coincidecoincide with the guts to show how does it coincide with what the people in the Fourth District in places like sherman and texarkana and sulfur springs. But my faith is for import to me. Department talk about the fact that you think god has a plan for all of us. I feel like im doing what its supposed to be doing right now. At this point in time. It has been and will continue to be at the forefront of all the decisions that can make in my life, not just here in congress uzbek finally John Ratcliffe has nothing on the schedule, a free day. What do you like to give . Guest spend it with my wife and daughters. What we do is really is an important just spending quality time with family. Family is very important to me. I think ive talked about the fact that i want my daughters to the same opportunity that weve had, and i also realize that time is precious. We dont know what the future holds for any of us. My daughters are going up very quick with her i want to take advantage of the time that i have within them while theyre still under under the road and have to take some direction from my wife and i and thats what we do on our time together. Host do they listen to you . Guest funny i support my background is that i was a terrorism prosecutor are george w. Bush and one of things ive learned the difference between terrorists and teenage daughter is that on occasion you can successfully negotiate with terrorists. So i wish my daughters listen to a little bit more. Host congressman John Ratcliffe home excomm the fourth Congressional District we appreciate your time. Thank you. Guest my pleasure. The last summer there was a surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the u. S. Mexico border from central america. Witnesses testifying that include officials from the justice department, health and human services, immigration and Customs Enforcement and u. S. Citizenship and immigration services. Ron johnson of wisconsin is the chair of the hearing. [inaudible conversations]