with what is not in the plans as opposed to what is in the plan. not all of them, but some of them -- in fact, most of them. some have said the plan should go further. i am, on the -- on the spending side, it does not go far enough to get us where we need to get. we need to have a more robust effort to address the spending issues. the plan takes the very strong steps on the spending side. as you know, i have continuously harped about the fact that process is important. you cannot achieve the outcome if there are not processes in place. i would like to see the process protections strengthened so we can have an even stronger guarantee that the task this plant sets out are followed. i appreciate that one request i made has been added. if we see a dynamic impact on our economy as a result of tax reform, spending reform, and the other efforts of this panel, then those increases in revenue as they are plugged into the fiscal picture of our congress and our country, or to be used towards deficit reduction or rate relief in our tax policy as opposed to more spending. i appreciate that reform being put into this package. that is one of those things -- that is an example of one of those things i thought was not in there when it was first put out. i agree with the concerns about the planet did nature of reform in the health care arena, which is one of the areas on the spending side we need to be performing. i have concerns that we have not achieved what we need to achieve there. what does all this brings me? there are others. i want to mention one other before we go on. i, from day one, believe that we should have an enforceable spending cap. right now be a cap is a 99% or 100%. this is at least moving get dramatically in the right direction. if you put in their the protections that if the dynamic economy does do what we are trying to do here that the money is put into deficit reduction -- we need a spending cap. i am not sure where i come down. there is a lot of heartburn here. there are a lot of positive steps that the country needs to be engaging in quickly. but as i look at it, i do not see anything that stops congress from engaging in more health care reform. i do not see anything in the plan that says that we cannot add some stronger process protection. i do not see anything in the plant that says that we cannot engage in further reform and further reduction of spending excesses' in congress. so the question i have is are we putting into place a system that will at least get us the heavily down the road in the right direction and allow the process in congress to fill it out and strengthen it as we move forward, or are we putting into place a system that really does not get their and sees the tax increases occur, but the spending reductions are not occur, where the problems that have been referenced with earlier reforms? those are the serious questions i have. if we can get rate reduction, we may be able dramatically change the ratio. i think we will dramatically change the ratio of how much of solution is coming from where it should be, which is spending versus revenue increases. i know i have gone across the waterfront here on some of the issues, but i believe these kinds of issues and these kinds of processes are what we should go through when we think of whether we should send is planned thru to congress. this plan is a concept plan. it has some good details. congress will have to put a lot of structure to this as the proposals are turned from the stage into legislative language. my hope is that my heart burned can be addressed in that process -- my heartburn can be addressed in that process. i struggle over whether we can give life to a process that can put us on a right path, moving in a right direction, or whether it is a process that will put in place the mechanisms for the kind of failures that some other efforts have faced in the past. that will be might decision. that will be the basis on which i make my decision. again, i want to thank you for the effort. it has been an outstanding work product at this point. >> thank you so much, senator. we are down here shaking our heads. we were nodding in agreement. we hope this is a start. it is not a balanced by any stretch of the imagination. we have some heavy lifting ahead of us, especially those of you who are elected representatives. i have only been down the snake river. i do not know a lot about idaho. i know a leader when i see one, and you are one. >> i want to make sure that you know that we are going to try to get together friday. if that is not possible, if we look for you all to let us know by 11:00 on friday where you stand. >> i have a long-standing commitment. i apologize. >> you cannot miss your wife's 60th birthday. >> her 39th birthday. >> we would not be here without you and senator conrad. i also want to thank our team. last night i got an e-mail at 3:30. the night before that, at 2:30. bruce reed has been a great leader. anything smart i said came out of his brain. roses are being thrown around and it is nice. but you two, thank you to both of you. it was tough for you to face the senate. you rose above that and came down here. -- yoush your teet gnashed your teeth and got it done. let me say, i can't assure you that this is a big -- i can assure you that this should not concern you about being watered down. it will not go away. it is indigestible. absolutely indigestible. you should feel confident that it was crafted that way. i have as much pain as tom. i come from a state filled with oil, gas, and coal. i may have to divert my flight. i may have to -- i may have to divert through montana. umass with the depletion allowance. -- you messed with the depletion allowance. what are you doing? we will just stuff it back in. [laughter] >> on that, we will adjourn. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> co-chairmen alan simpson and erskine bowles have a news conference to take questions about the report. the commission is expected to vote on friday. >> thank you very much. this has been an important day. this effort started a number of years ago. senator gregg and i laid al a proposal for our colleagues. we took it to a vote in the senate. we got a firm majority, 53 votes, but we did not get 60. the plant was then put in the lap of the president. he went forward with an executive order commission, largely along the lines of what we proposed. ours is a statutory commission. it would have been stronger. we regret that did not get put in place, but we are pleased that we had this executive order commission and that a plan has been put before the american people to get our debt stabilized and reduced overtime in a very important way. i believe the defining -- i believe it is 8 defining moment for the country. we are on a course that is unsustainable and puts the country at great risk. i do not think there is any question about that. even those who said they will not support the results have made it very clear that they agree with the premise that america must get it's debt under control, otherwise we risk the united states becoming a second- rate economic power. that is what is at stake -- the economic future of this country. i remain very hopeful that in the next 48 hours my colleagues will reflect and decide to support this effort. we have a number of commissioners whoave indicated their support. i hope more will join us in the hours ahead. i want to call on my colleague, the ranking leader of the committee who has been so dedicated to getting the country back on track, senator gregg. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for your leadership. your energy has been the driving force on this absolutely critical problem. as the chairman said, thi nation is facing the issue of whether or not we will maintain our greatness. for the first time in our history, we are on the verge of passing on to the next generation a nation that is less prosperous and less secure than what we lived through in our lifetime. that is unfair to our children. it is outside the tradition of the american culture. our culture demands that we pass on to our children a greater chance that prosperity and a more secure nation. because of our fiscal problems, our government, which has spent four more -- we are running up debt that will essentially bankrupt our children's future. the product that we have put together -- moment of truth is the title they put on it -- erskine bowles and senator simpson is not the total commission. it has many items that i have great concerns about. but it is a very strong, substantive and serious step down the road to getting our fiscal house in order. if this type of package were passed by the congress and signed by the president, the american people, i think, would take great solace in that we are trying to beat fiscally responsible. -- trying to be fiscally responsible. the world would say, once again, that america is great. that is what this is about. it is about us as a nation maintaining our culture and our commitment to always pass on to the next generation a stronger and more prosperous nation. i want to thank chairman konrad in -- for his extraordinary leadership. i am going to vote for it. i know it is moving in the right direction. nobody is going to agree with all the different parts. but it is time to act. it is time to govern. it is time to move forward. thank you. >> the republicans are pushing to extend tax cuts. democrats are pushing to extend unemployment benefits. both of those things are extremely expensive. how do you reconcile those policies with what you have just that this effort doing? >> the short-term issue of what we do in this economy to keep the recovery, which is slow and difficult for a lot of americans, is not at the essence of our problem. the essence of our problem is five years, 10 years, or 15 years from now when our debt has accumulated to a level that is like degrees or irish situation. how do we get that debt down? think of it as a two-step dance. there is the short term we need to keep the economy going and growing. you do not raise taxes in the middle of the slow economy. he slowed the economy further. there is the long-term issue of getting our fiscal house in order. >> there did not seem to be a problem with everybody having to sacrifice, but there was the feeling that poor people seem to be sacrificing more than the wealthy and the rich people in this plan. that is why she seems to be voting against it. can you comment on that? >> i do not want to comment on their views. she is not here to defend her position. my own conclusion about this plan is that it is a balanced and, in fact, many of us have been an assistant that those at the lower levels of income in our society be the best protected. if you look at the social security plan, for example, there are a series of things that have been done to help those who are the most vulnerable. a new benefit structure -- they will get an increase in social security. when people get to be 82, they would get an additional increase in social security that was not previously available. for those who have been in tough fiscal -- tough physical labor, there is a provision that allows 20% of those eligible for social security to get special, hardship exemptions and additional benefits. this actually improves the social net in social security. >> what about the notion that it does not really matter -- what about the notion that the 14 votes do not really matter? >> 14 votes matters because under the order of this commission, if we get 14 votes there is a commitment to a vote in the progress in the house of representatives. i think this commission has already been a success because it has put front and center in front of the american people how big this problem really is. let's be very direct with people what is at stake here. social security does cash- permanently in five years. it goes broke in 200037. everybody who thinks they will get a certain level of benefits will get that reduced by 22%. >> cash-means to pay social security benefits we will have to borrow money from china. this notion that we have trillions of dollars in bonds, those bonds can only be redeemed with current income. there is a threat of insufficient and come to redeem those bonds. we have to be very square with the american people where this is headed. we are borrowing 40 cents on every dollar we spend. that cannot go on very long. as senator gregg outlined, it is absolutely correct. we have to put in place a longer-term structure that adds up. this is an important step in that direction. it does not solve the problem. more steps will have to be taken. but it is critically important. the tax reform piece of this is a huge opportunity for this country to dramatically reduce the tax expenditures, which is just spending by another name, and a lower tax rates. that will help make america more competitive. it will give us a more fair tax system. those on the high end and you have currently more favorable treatment -- everybody will get treated in an equivalent weight. i think that is so important. thank you very much. >> thank you. in all of the years of politics and life and so on, i have learned one thing -- you never want to get too high about something because then you never get too low about something. i remember sometimes i would have a legislative joule at work and watch it go down. they do not want to see how you are if you think you won one, they want to see how you are if you lost one. it was a pleasant experience. we are rolling along. we have no idea how many votes we will get. we hope it will be productive, but this thing will not go away. the engine is ignited. >> let me just say one thing and demo will take any questions you have -- and then we will take any questions you have. i want to thank the members of the commission. it was an open, honest, and non- partisan way that they have dealt with this cents a day one. this was not a results conversation today. it was dissimilar from a lot of things that i happened to tune into c-span. every member of this commission -- this debt is like a cancer. it is going to destroy us from within. said it dr. coburn best. we have to face up to it. most members of this commission think that what we have done is taken eight really important first step along a long, difficult path. america faces a financial crisis. we have to bring this debt down. that means tough choices. it means difficult decisions. i think the members of this commission are prepared to make those difficult decisions. i am proud of that. >> i am very proud, too. it was a sincere and honest appraisal of things by each of them. you cannot beat that kind of discussion, debate, and comedy. if the american people watched any of that assault that, that is what they have been waiting for. when are you people going to sit down and talk in an adult way and do something? this was an example of that. >> are you continuing to lobby your members? >> i would not use the word lobby. we have not pleaded with anybody for any votes. it sounded to me that you counted better than i did, but it sounded like seven people today said they were for it. interestingly to me, it was three republicans, three democrats, and an independent who said they were for it. you had the current chair of the budget committee, people who ought to know the most about how bad the situation is. both said they were for it. that was one republican and one democrat. we have gotten this far by listening, not by preaching and not by a lobbying, but sitting down and try to find a common ground. nobody who is going to vote for this is going to like it all. they may only like half of its period i think, like senator crapo said, they feel like this is an important first step. >> as far as it moving along, take a look at three bright young republicans on this commission -- hensarling, ryan, and camp were not present today, but these people are the chairman of the ways and means committee, chairman of the budget committee, third in the leadership of the house -- the cards just played out in an interesting way. they will take 85% of this package and roll it through the budget. that was their statement today. i think chairman spratt and the durbin, t leader, and durb all saidan-sha becerra positive things about it. i do not have any inside information about where people will vote in the final analysis, but all of them will continue to insist that we do something about this cancer that will destroy our country from within. >> some said they will keep voting until they get to a plan. you will not be open to any changes from what you released today. this is the final plan. >> this is the plan. what we would strongly suggest is that any part of the plan they are uncomfortable with -- i hope they will vote for the plant, but do what i would do and be candid about the things you would do differently. if you would look at the plan that in the stern will release this afternoon, it is not that different from what we have. it really isn't, especially when you think of it in terms of the $4 trillion budget, when you think of it in terms of a $15 trillion economy, when you think that all those numbers or scored numbers and you know any time you look over a 10-year term, you'll have some real problems. it is a very small amount of difference from the plan the commission is putting forward and what andy has presented. these are some things that i would do differently. >> when i learned about scoring, the scoring is a visible science. if you torture statistics long enough, eventually they will confess. just leave it at that and wander away. >> on the discretionary side, if you look at the numbers through 2015, they are pretty much the same. we felt it was really important to do some significant spending , if not before, at least at the same time as any revenue comes in. we had very little spending of covering in 2011 and 2012. we did not want to do anything to disrupt the fragile economy. we felt very comfortable and taking it down to the level but we did, which was more severe in 2013, and then letting it grow from that level. previously we had it going down 1% a year, but we ended up in the same place. then we had a growing after that. i think we have about $200 billion more over 10 years and i am comfortable that we could support that if we had the pay for to do it. you ask about the mandatory. i think there's a stronger group of savings. no small potatoes in the first 10 years. we still have the global cap if growth is greater than gdp and we do present the options if the growth is greater than gdp + 1 that we can do things like that plan which some people support. or we could do a robust public option or do other things that are more drastic. but we -- everyone is right, we have to bring it down -- bring down the growth of health care. >> to the changes correspond to particular members of the commission? >> every change we made was for a stronger, better plan. i cannot honestly remember whose ideas they were. we listen to everyone all along. if alan and i had not thought they were good ideas -- >> we would have rejected them. >> we were making sure that it was something that we were proud of. >> the federal work force pay freeze got a lot of attention and you won a three-year pay freeze. a lot of attention around the work force issue, the number of people in the federal work force. >> we have a couple of recommendations for the federal work force. you can see that there is a vast difference of people with the same education doing pretty much the same job. as a state employee, look get any of the states and you will not find many people who is going to pay raise in the last three years. i don't think you'll see many businesses or families who've been able to give themselves a raise. we've had 2.0% raise for the federal government here. we recommend a cut in the federal work force of about 200,000 for every three people they retire, only to people to replace them. back in the clinton administration, we were able to reduce down to 1.8 million. it is grown back up to 2 million. i think it was something that we could do. i do not have any qualms about it whatsoever. >> they enjoy it -- the governors are so far ahead of washington. in wyoming, of very able and popular guide, he said a year- and-a-half ago that everyone should get busy and take 10%. tell the agencies who is working for you and who is not. i am not going to do the cutting of. . in your agencies and departments, cut 10%. who knows better than the people who work with them every day. that has never happened around here. i have been around a long time and i will never forget one guy, he was making about $80,000, and what was he doing? >> you and talk to any business. in many of your people's your colleagues to you have fewer than you had two years ago? i've lost 1900 jobs at the university of north carolina last year. i have a cut coming up this year for sure. it is hard times, every business, every family, your business, every state government, every municipality has had to face up to this to balance the budget. and they can not print money. >> the savings that you will get is that medicated on $1.1 trillion of year marks? >> we did get rid of those tax earmarks. some of that money goes to reduce rates. some of it goes for deficit reduction and that amount is between $80 billion in 2015 and $180 million -- 100 -- $180 billion. some of it comes from going to the change. [inaudible] it does, it does. >> you seem to endorse the revel in the tax holiday. >> we have not endorsed anything. it was there for something to consider. it was the dickens of a lot smaller than anything in the rivlin plan. >> [inaudible] >> i think that is an easy answer. people of okinawa. you guys get it -- people have woken up. the american people get it now. torywhere i go, we're just clowns from north carolina and wyoming. people want this to happen. they know that this debt problem is really serious. all we have to do is put what is happening in other countries. we're not unique. if we do not address this, we face the most predictable economic crisis in history. we can smell the coffee or wait until it happens. when it happens, it will be severe and quick. >> interesting that just a did predicted just supposition -- that juxtaposition of what happened or that chairman are looking at their cards, not just ireland, italy is next, one investor said that italy is next. this is all happening and it does not happen as a slippery slope for and six months. it is dramatic. if you listen to date he predicted david -- if you listen to david cody, listen to what he said. >> this is the moment of truth for this country. thank you. >> are those key to selling this project? >> we believe so. >> there is saying look at the bond market right now. >> you know we've you're getting to the right point, when the cameraman is listening. you're asked all these questions. >> today the chairman of the federal communications commission outlined plans for regulating broadband internet providers. that's next on c-span. after that, the head of the national counterterrorism center talks about the effect of the release of government documents by wikileaks having on counter- terrorism efforts. house armed services committee chairman ikes skelton lost his bid for reelection this november. he talks about his time in congress. on tomorrow's "washington journal," we would get an update on the national deficit commission recommendations. kevin brady on the expiring bush tax cuts and the debt commission report. later, robert atkinson discusses a new technology and the economy. "washington journal" each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. later in the day, the u.s. house will decide whether to censure new york congressman charles rangel for financial and fund- raising misconduct. it could issue the punishment of a reprimand. watch gavel-to-gavel coverage of the house on c-span. salman rushdie is on "in-depth" it this sunday. he will talk about his nonfiction work. join our 3 our conversation sunday at noon eastern on c- span2. watch previews at the book tv website where you can find the schedule. federal communications chairman julius genachowski outlined a plan for high-speed data networks known as broadband. the fcc is scheduled to vote on the proposal. it is aimed to address concerns about large -- about how large internet service providers manage their networks. this is about 10 minutes. i am pleased to announce that we reached an important milestone in our effort to protect internet freedom and openness. yesterday, i circulated to my colleagues draft rule of the road to preserve the freedom and openness of the internet. this framework if adopted later this month what did fans a set of core goals. it would ensure that the internet remains a powerful platform for innovation and job creation. it would empower consumers and entrepreneurs. it would protect free expression. it would increase certainty in the marketplace and spur investment does that the edge and at the core of our broadband networks. i'm gratified by the support this proposal has already received this morning, including from leading technology companies, consumer and public interest groups, unions, and broadband providers. the proposed rules of the road are first articulated by republican chairman michael powell and kevin martin, and endorsed in a unanimous policy statement of 2005. they have been supported in congress on a bipartisan basis and the proposed framework is consistent with president obama is commitment to "keep the internet as it should pay -- open and free." the adoption would culminate recent efforts to find common ground. at the fcc, and congress, and outside government, including approach is advanced by both democrats and republicans and by stakeholders of differing perspectives. in particular, it would build on the strong and balanced framework developed by chairman henry waxman which guarded support from telecommutes in company's small and great as well as others. the animating force behind all these efforts is the shared appreciation for the internet's wondrous contribution to our economy and our way of life. millions of us depend on the internet every day, at home, at work, in school, everywhere. the high-speed networks we call broadbent our friend -- are transforming healthcare, education, and energy usage for the better. it is hard to imagine our life without the internet. the internet has been an unprecedented platform for speech and democratic engagement and a place where the american spirit of innovation has flourished. we've seen new media tools like twitter and youtube use by democratic movements around the world. not only is the internet becoming a central part of the daily lives of americans, the internet has been a strong engine for job creation and economic growth. internet companies have started as most start-ups, some of them famously in ballrooms and garages with little more than a computer and access to the open inteet. many become business is becoming rich -- with high- paying jobs across our country. it is the american dream at work. small businesses and startups have accounted for more than 22 million new american jobs over the last 15 years. broadband has played a central part, enabling small businesses to start, to lower their costs, and reach new markets and customers around the country and the globe. why has the internet prove to be such a powerful engine for innovation, creativity, and economic growth? a big part of the answer traces back to one key decision by the internet's our original architects. to make the internet an open platform. it is this openness and freedom, the ability to speak, and innovate, and engaged in commerce that has enabled the internet's unparalleled success. this openness is a quality, a gentle drip -- but generative power that must be protected and preserved. in the proceedings that we have run over the past year shows that there are real threats to the internet's continued freedom and openness. broadband providers and others have leveraged -- leverage their position as gatekeepers. we have seen clear deviations from this openness, instances where broadband providers have brought -- prevented consumers from using applications of their choice without disclosing what they were doing. the interests of innovators whose entrepreneurs create internet content, applications, and services, those at age innovators are online. innovation at the edge catalyzes consumer demand for broadband, consumer demand spurs private investment and faster broadband networks, and faster networks spark innovation at the edge. a central part of the proposed internet framework is to foster the cycle of massive investment in both the age and core of broadband networks to the benefit of consumers and our economy. predicting internet freedom will drive the internet job creation engine. the proposal would establish rules for the first time and history for. first, consumers and innovators have a right to know basic information about broadband service like how networks are being managed. it starts with a meaningful transparency obligations soap that they get the information they need to make smart choices about using a broadband network or how to develop the next killer app. sunshine consol problems early. second, consumers and innovators have a right and sand -- to send and receive lawful internet traffic. they can use the devices of their choice. the proposed framework would prohibit the blocking all lawful content application services and the connection of non-harmful devices and networks. consumers and innovators have a right to a level playing field. no central authority, public or private, should have the power to pick which ideas or companies win or lose on the internet. that is the role of the market and the marketplace alone. the proposed framework includes a bar and unreasonable discrimination in transmitting lawful internet traffic. the proposed framework also recognizes that broadband providers must have the ability and invested incentive to build out and run their net worth. universal high-speed internet access is a vital role that requires very substantial private sector investment in our 21st century digital infrastructure. for our global competitiveness and to harness the opportunities of broadband for all americans, we want world leading broadband networks in the united states that are both the freest and the fastest in the world. to this end, broadband providers need meaningful flexibility to manage their networks. for example, to deal with traffic that is harmful for the network to address the effect of congestion. risible network management is an important part of the proposal. recognizing that what is reasonable is accountable of the network technology and architecture involved. it it demonstrates the importance of business innovation to promote network investment and efficient use, including measures to match price to cost, such as usage- based pricing. the record of the proceeding reflects the open this principle to mobile broadband and the appropriateness of recognizing differences between fixed and mobile broadband. this is one i have made consistently since the beginning. mobile broadband is in an earlier stage of development and fixed broadband and is evolving rapidly. accordingly, the proposal takes important but measured steps in this area, including transparency, and the basic no- blocking rule. under the framework, it would help the development of the mobile broadband market as we prepared to step in to further address other anti-competitive work as inappropriate. the work of the staff on this proceeding has been exceptional. no more so than a connection with the complex legal issues. informed by the staffs and additional legal analysis of the past year, the proposal is grounded in a variety of provisions of communication laws, but would not be classified in broadband as the title ii communication service. i am so satisfied that we of some legal basis for this approach. moving this item is a vote to the commission is not intended to preclude action by congress. as always, i welcome the opportunity for the commission to serve as a resource to congress. the commission itself has a duty and an obligation to fill, a duty to address important open proceedings based on the record, and an obligation to be a cop on the beat to protect broadband consumers and foster innovation, investment, and competition. i believe the proposed framework answers this mission and its adoption wl provide increased certainty and real benefit to the american public. i look forward to ongoing work with my commission colleagues on this and other issues. we have very important work to do for the american people in the months ahead as we strive to harness the opportunities of broadband and communications for the benefit of our economy, and for all this. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ >> what is julius genachowski proposing? these new net neutrality rules of the road. they have been the work for a year. this is something i think everyone agrees with, the carriers as well as most of the consumer folks out there, is that companies who control the internet should not be -- broadband providers should not be allowed to degrade traffic or blocked traffic. for example, people should be able to get their net flicks video and a service provider cannot degrade that because they do not want them watching that. that is something that everyone agrees on. if you see areas which are unsettled still and both sides arprobably not quite happy with, on the broadband side is basically saying, these folks should have a chance to be able to manage their networks. but he is giving them the opportunity -- allowing in the rules broadband providers can also have companies pay for premium access to consumers by their broadband pipe. if a medical monitoring company wanted to have a special service that dedicated bandwidth so that it had very high quality access to do that, that is something a lot of the consumer groups are very unhappy with. it is something that the broadband providers really wanted to make sure was in the rules. another thing that upset a lot of the consumer groups is that it will exclude the wireless, lot of these provisions, and it will be treated differently whenever regulatory regime it comes out. host: mr. genachowski decided not to use the telephone regulatory powers to govern broadband internet as he had proposed before. why was there the change? guest: it probably realize that that would open up another can of worms that he did not want to open. now his position is that he believes he has the authority to be able to do what he wanted to do to enforce whatever net neutrality rules they put in place. host: he has scheduled a a fcc vote. what will happen between now and then? guest: a lot of lobbying. you will see everyone dialing things up another notch. the consumer groups are not very happy with what has been proposed. i think they will go hard at the chairman and turn the heat up on him, raleigh all their wagons to gather and their supporters to get some more protections in there that they think are necessary. i think the broadband providers, at&t, of horizon, and comcast, they will be there defended their positions. there were the ones who did not want the telecommunications rules apply to internet. seeking to not have wireless included in the rules, and they wanted to make sure that protected their network management provisions for the ability to differentiate services. host: she writes of log. thank you. >> the pentagon has released its report on the impact of repealing don't ask don't tell. but that the history of don't ask don't tell online at the c- span video library. search and what programs outlining the debate and the arguments for and against. it is washington your way. >> salman rushdie is on both tv this sunday. best known for his novel "this is stannic curses -- "the satanic verses," he will talk about his nonfiction. watch previous programs at our website where you can find the weekend schedule. tomorrow, a senate panel will examine the pentagon's don't ask don't tell report on the potential effect of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. if defense secretary robert gates, the joint chiefs chairman mike mullen, and others will testify. live coverage from the senate armed services committee begins at 9:00 eastern on c-span3. now, an event with national counterterrorism director who talks about the changing global terrorist threat. the center for strategic and international studies hosts this one-hour event. >> welcome, everybody. thank you for attending. i am your advisor here. it is an honor and pleasure to meet with you today, especially to welcome the director of the national character terrorism center. all of you know that this is an important and very good moment to have the director with us. threats to europe from al qaeda residing in the borderlands of afghanistan and pakistan. places like yemen and the growing concern over whole room terrorism and the role of the internet -- [no audio] >> welcome everybody to csis. elcome you. thank you for attending on such as saudi day in washington. -- a soggy day in washington. it is an honor to welcome the director of the national terrorism center michael leiter. this is a good moment to have director michael leiter iwhwith us. in the wake of the portland or rest, threats to europe from al qaeda residing in the borderlands in pakistan and afghanistan and in yemen and south africa. [no audio] threats to europe -- >> the tragic -- [no audio] [audio and vidoeo stalled for 2 more minutes] [no audio] the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentleman from missouri, mr. skelton is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. skelton: thank you, mr. speaker. evening to express my gratitude for the honor of serving in the house of and share a few thoughts as i prepare to leave this distinguished body. about this time 34 years ago, my wife and three boys and i were surrounded by scores of well-wishers organized by my friend bob welling as we boarded to travel n missouri to washington, d.c. shortly thereafter, i was sworn into congress. i arrived eager to tackle the problems of the day and the people of the 4th congressional district. it was a highlight for me. gratitude is the greatest of all virt use and i'm grateful to so many people. i'm grateful and appreciatetive to the residents of missouri's 4th congressional district, whose votes allowed me to serve in this representative house for 34 years. representing the 4th district has been a tremendous privilege. i also want to thank my family who made it possible for me to serve in washington, my late wife, my three wonderful sons and my lovely and understanding wife patty.ve i thank my friends and meantors in congress. i can't name them all, legislateors, congressman dick dick and congressman gephardt and congressman bill emerson who were my car pool partners and great friends. i have enormous respect to help people at home and steer our country's path while performing their constitutional duty. a special thanks to our speaker pelosi for her kindness and throughout the years. my colleague from missouri had been fantastic. i want to thank my dedicated the past and present, talented people who worked in my missouri office, my washington, d.c. office and small business committee staff and staff on the house armed services committee are the unsung heroes who get government done, i can't thank them enough for being part of my staff and the american people so very well. i have led a charmed life in many ways but as a youngster, i learned that a person's life can change forever in an instant. after contracting polio, i was treatment receive at the warm springs foundation in georgia. polio affects a person's differently but at warm springs, patients learned valuable life.s in never let illness define you or be limited by the expectations of others, never give up and never stop working. nothing is impossible if you work hard. thousands of warm springs alumni, including myself, have led happy and productive lives. and it is three patients between 1947 and 1950 at warm springs became members of this body. one from new york, georgia and myself. by myg up, i was inspired father's run for statewide office and for congress and also by his service at lafayette county prosecuting attorney and was practicing louisiana when president truman called me to ask me to consider running for congress in 1962. 1976, i decided to run from missouri's 4th congressional district seat and i have been on the ride of my life ever since. it's a great honor to serve in the u.s. house. this house is filled with public servants who work hard who give voice to the voters back home. members of the congress bring their theory of representative democracy to life every time they participate in house time they every listen to the hard wrought concerns of their neighbors. as a member of the house armed services committee, i aspired to become chairman, serving as chairman is deservedly the high point of my political career. to have family members and staff are very special. members of congress lucky enough to serve on this committee worked in a far less partisan atmosphere than on other committees. article one, section 8, grants congress the obligation to support and raise army. all members approached this work very seriously with protecting our national security and doing what is right for our men and women in uniform and their families. have n politics frequently been tough and tumble. at times, some might even say but national security transcends politics in the realm of national security, we must make the effort to work together in a way to stand before our allies and the world as a united front to strengthen our nation's defenses under the of consensus. as chairman, i have always sought to maintain this atmosphere in the hope that culture has instilled who served before will carry on under the able leadership of the chair and incoming congress, congressman bud mckeon. i'm confident that it will. throughout our country's history, the nation has experienced many challenges and we have had economic crisis, agricultural hardship, military this ments and members of body responded to each one as they came along. i will always cherish the service here. and men and women with strong principles have met and difficult issues which at the time could render us asundayer, but through meeting in the solving of the problems, our country benefited and was able to progress. as a result of the last election, this center has been hallowed out and more members will make meaningful compromises difficult if not possible i am. our citizenry will be tested and the outcome will be in president lincoln's words, any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. when new members arrive at the capitol, they will contront enormous challenges as they work to chart the course of our country in the days ahead. these challenges include the economy and jobs, health care, education, to name a few. our citizens and leaders not to forget that we are a nation at war unless our government protects our national security none of these important issues can receive the attention they deserve. national security must be our priority. i believe all americans' good troops ns support the and their families and those intentions must be reflected in bears the congress constitutional responsibility to fulfill this duty. migratest concern is that a chasm will develop between those who protect our freedoms and being protected. that is a civil-military gap, a lack of understanding between civilians and the military that has grown in an era of an all-volunteer force. those in uniform and connected to the military, it's easy not to relate to our service members as they deal with the trials of war and combat, multiple deployments, family separations, missed birthdays and other sacrifices too numerous to mention. to narrow that gap and united we stand and fall.d we the men and women in uniform who form the backbone of our security cannot devote all to protect us if we fail to provide what they need to perform their missions, stay safe in the field and take good care of themselves and their families at home. keeping america safe is a national commitment to maintain military readiness. the united states has been involved in 12 conflicts, some some small. if the future is anything like the past, conflicts, natural disasters and other crises will frequently pop up without warning. preparedness is essential. today's forces are the latest in a long line of sen tinals of freedoms, our soldiers, sailors, air force and marines know the high service we play on them. will help the next generation to understand that these patriotic volunteers critical to the survival of our nation. we must inspire the next generation to join the nobel service of these ranks. i always consider these young men and women in uniform as a son or daughter. they are national treasures, and their sacrifices will not be taken for granted. they are not chess pieces to be moved about on the board. each and every one is irreplaceable. issues of national security, war and peace are too important to lose sight of the real men and women who answer our nation's call and do the bidding of our commander in chief. you can't do the job as a member of congress for so many years unless you love it and i do. it's a labor of love. to paraphrase my fellow missourian, harry truman, i've done my damnest every single day and forever be grateful for the trust missourians have placed in me through the years and for the opportunity to serve missouri's fourth congressional district. the u.s. house of representatives and the united states of america. as i leave this house, these lines from alperiod lord tennyson's "ue lit us "express my feelings. much of what i've seen and known, climates, counsels, governments, and my peers, some work of noble note may yet be done. come, my friends, it's not too late to seek a newer world. mr. speaker, thank you for this time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the speaker: mr. chairman, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for a few minutes using the time of mr. garamendi who has this time which he yielded to mr. skelton. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. the speaker: thank you very much, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to sing the praises of a great man, ike skelton, chairman skelton. we all heard his beautiful address to us, and in it he started where his heart is, his family, expressing his love for his family, his appreciation to his staff, his respect for his colleagues, his admiration for our great country. i'm so pleased we've been joined by senator claire mccaskill, coming over from the senate side to make the respect for mr. skelton bicam rell, that we're joined by congresswoman joan emerson, making that support bipartisan as well as so many members of the missouri delegation and that you, mr. carnahan, are in the chair for mr. skelton's presentation. i know we'll be hearing from our distinguished majority leader, mr. hoyer, but i want to note that emanuel cleaver of missouri, lacy clay of missouri is here, and other members are here, chairman miller, chairs, colleagues, new members, senior members, that's how mr. skelton is regarded and respected in the congress of the united states. he made his speech the way he served in congress, surrounded by friends, admired by all on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of thcapitol. he began by talking about his family and he ended by talking about our men and women in uniform which are like sons and daughters to him. he has always taught us that as president kennedy will said, will pay any price, bare any burden. mr. skelton said to us over and over again that protecting american people is our first responsibility. our young men and women in uniform make us the home of the brave and the land of the free and we can never forget that. they have no greater champion in the congress than the committee. i know i speak for every person in this chamber when i say, mr. skelton, thank you for your leadership, for our country. it is an honor to call you colleague. thank you, mr. speaker. >> mr. speaker, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland rise? mr. hoyer: i yield to the gentlelady from missouri. mrs. emerson: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. majority leader, for allowing me to steal some of your time. but i would be remiss if i didn't try to tell a little bit more of the story that our beloved friend and colleague, ike skelton, started, kind of started all back in 1980 with my family with ike when my late husband bill and he drove into work every single day, and the stories that i learned both from bill and ike because i used to take ike in after bill and that every thursday now that we come in with prayer breakft has been for me a remarkable experience because of what i have learned from our colleague, ike skelton, both from history and also an understanding of the great love that he has for our wonderful state of missouri. his commitment and his dedication have been extraordinary, and he has been for me not only a real hero but also someone whom i have tried very hard to learn from. you have set an example, ike, that is impossible for anybody else to meet, but certainly you have been a role model for me and so many others before me. and i just want you to know how important you are not only to me, to how important you were to bill, to tori and kathryn and to sam and the rest of the kids. but more importantly than that, you have been special for our country. you are what every member of congress should want to be and that is a man of great courage, a man of great fairness. you have had -- you have shown me and others how important it is for us to be civil to one another, how we should talk to one another and i hope that the example that you have set will continue on in this great body. but you will be sorely missed, and we really love you. i yield back. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. hoyer: i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman. i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, ike skelton is my brother. he and i are both sigma kas. there is misinterpretation about fraternities. it was founded by seven individuals. one of whom was a gentleman named jordan. the jordan standard requires those who pledge that fraternity to live by certain standards. those standards are what we would expect of all of us and hope for all of us. i have been a member of that fraternity for over half a century. no sigma chi has been more faithful for standard and conduct and fidelity to purpose than my brother, ike skelton. he is the father of a sigma chi and a son of a sigma chi, is that correct, do i have that in order? ike skelton has been a colleague in this congress. ike skelton, as mrs. emerson said and speaker pelosi said and others will say is the quintessential example of what the american public would hope all of us would be. he's thoughtful, great intellect, faithful, patriotic and he teared, of course, as he mentioned the troops, the men and women who serve this country in uniform. the men and women who have had no greater advocate than ike skelton of missouri. the men and women of our armed forces who have had no greater advocate in terms of not only the quality of their lives, the housing, their health care, their benefits, but also the assurance that they had the best technology that was available to make them not only as effective but as importantly as secure and safe as they could possibly be. ike skelton is a good and decent man who has served his country extraordinarily well. he quoted the tennyson poem ulysses. he didn't quote the end of it which is essentially that ulysses, then old, the king left his son the duties of being king and brought his band of brothers together to go forth to scribe, to seek, to find and not to yield. there is no doubt in my mind, mr. speaker, that ike skelton will continue to be an extraordinary faithful citizen of this country. an unswerving supporter of those in uniform, of our armed forces and of our national security and one who will uphold the highest standards that this institution would hope all of its members maintain. and he will continue to strive to seek, to find and we know he will not yield. but on that on principle, he will remain to be courteous and respectful of others as he's been every day on this floor, in his committee and in the hallways of our offices. his late wife was named susan. my oldest daughter is named susan. susan skelton in the spring of 16981 came to bowy -- bowie, maryland, and knocked on doors and the doors opened and she said, i would like you to vote for steny hoyer for congress. i loved susan. we lost susan a few years ago. she was, like her husband, a beautiful, beautiful person. it is a sad day that ike skelton leaves this chamber. it will not be today but in a few weeks, but it is a wonderful day for all of us to count ourselves blessed by being part of a life of this extraordinary, good and decent man, ike skelton of missouri, ike skelton patriot, ike skelton, a wonderful, great american. thank you, ike skelton. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> mr. chairman, i rise and ask for unanimous consent to address the body for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cleaver: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, in 2003 i was teaching at the block school of business at the university of missouri in kansas city serving as a talk radio show host on n.p.r. and pastoring a congregation. . congregation. i received a phone call from congressman ike skelton, who began the request for me to give up my peaceful and loving life to run for congress as my predecessor, karen mccarthy, had decided not to seek re-election. part to pursue this office at the request of congressman ike settleon. mr. chairman, i have three sisters whom i love dearly. from the age of about three to about seven, i made requests repeatedly to my parents for a brother. i'm not even sure i knew how that brother could come into the ence, but i made request nonetheless. and that never happened. can say here in this chamber, mr. speaker, that if i had a brother, i would like for to have been ike. if i had a brother, i would like for him to have had the patience, the intellect and the spirit of ike skelton. very little secret around our home who is the favorite congressman for my seven-year-old grandson, issac cleaver. and one of the great delights of his life has already been and he gets, the lder more significant it will be of having introduced congressman ike skelton at an event at royal stadium. in that introduction he said that ike skelton was named after him. and in our household from my wife diane all the way to little ike, we all have great admiration and love for ike skelton and his family. it will be difficult to roam these halls and not see ike skelton or come into this hallowed room and not look at the seat where he usually sat and where the missouri delegation would from time to time gather around him. i have said to him and to others in his presence that this man has the ability to walk with kings and presidents and not lose the common touch. as chairman of the armed services committee, ike settleon of the most influential human beings in this country and in the world, the most revered member of congress by the united states military of america. and yet any member of congress and frankly from either side of could stop ike skelton and hold a conversation. lost the common touch. it will be difficult for me not to see him in this place. i speak of the man ike skelton from lexington, missouri, and i speak of a man whose career in this body will be recorded by historians as a majestic moment for the military of the united states of america. i yield back the balance of my time, mr. speaker, because i think ike skelton deserves far than i can ce present and hopefully a combination of everything we say will match in some small way the served inith which he congress. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise snr to honor a fellow colleague, a person -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes by unanimous consent. speak out of k to order for five minutes to honor our distinguished colleague from the show me state. coming into this congress and the first committee i was appointed to serve on was the armed services committee. and to be there under the guidance of ike skelton. i was the last person appointed to the committee that year. and in fact, my mother would to me, how come i never see you on c-span? and that was because i was sitting behind the camera so they couldn't actually see me on c-span. but ike settleon, as he does with everyone, treated the memo the committee, which was me with the same kind of respect and solid visas he does every member of this chamber. ike skeleton as has been -- ike skelton as has been said, cares so deeply for his home state, for his community, for his great family and legacy. imagine in this chamber sitting and serving with a direct descend ent of daniel boone and knowing how proud he was of that legacy, how proud growing up in his great state he was much his dad when he learned about in so many conversations with him and about harry truman and the great history of missouri. but until you go there to lafayette and travel and stay at his home as steny mentioned with his wonderful wife susie, who was such a kind and generous and kindred soul mate of ike's and to walk around that district and see the respect and the reference -- receive advance that the people had for ike skelton. know a great deal about ethanol, but by gentleladyy, by i was through, you would have thought i was an expert at it. and to travel with this man abroad to see the respect at our war colleges amongst our military leaders, amongst heads of state, but most important to him, the men and women who wear of this country. he carriers his legacy, his great family name, his state, and his country. he wears that well on his face. he shoulders it well, but he carries in his heart a love and men and women who serve this great country of ours. and everything he has done on this great floor has been on their behalf. all men and women who serve in our armed forces owe such a great debt of gratitude to this humble, passionate servant of our country and the proud bearer of his great state of missouri in the way that he has held for on behalf he's sworn to serve and the men and women that have represented this great country of ours and given the their devotion. like so many here, i love ike skelton. he is a man of the house, a man for the ages, because he led with that big heart of his and cared so deeply. god bless you, ike skelton. we are all better for having served with you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. clay: i'm here to thank ike skelton for his friendship, for his service to this country and especially for his friendship to me. with ike skelton goes back more than 30 years. a teenager when i first met him because he served with my father, both representinghe missouri and i can remember the day he arrived here . and happened to wind up serving in the state legislature for 17 his district in jefferson city. and so our paths would cross on occasion. but, ladies and gentlemen, this country will never witness an individual like ike skelton. they'll never be another one like him to cast a shadow on this floor. you have served this country and your state well and you have also given me a greater appreciation for our armed services, the men and women who some make the ultimate sacrifice of this country. as reverend cleaver and others have said, i have also visited lafayette and i have also been to the military bases with ike to air force bases where they house the b-1 and he has been my compass in this house on military issues. and he's also been, as reverend cleaver has said, a brother to me. i had two sisters, too, ike. i never had a brother, but if i could ever identify as a brother, it would be you. and i know i will miss you. i will miss your guidance. i will miss your mentoring. and we have truly witnessed a legislative giant in our midst. job. ve done your you have done it quite well. won't be the last time that we see each other , and i know that you will frequently visit us. but for the missouri delegation, you were there for all of us. he was the senior member of the missouri delegation. and never hesitated to call us together. and we have so much cohesion as a state because of his leadership. and i appreciate that, ike. i appreciate what you have -- how you have taken me under your wing and given me guidance here. and i love you for it for the rest of my life. and as the saying goes, old soldiers never die, they just won't be but you fading too far. i love you, ike skelton. and god bless you and god bless the united states. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it is a privilege and an honor to be here this evening to honor a great american. i have had the privilege of traveling throughout the world with chairman ike skelton. one of my first trips was with ike skelton. mr. reyes: we went to the far east, we had thanksgiving with our troops at the d.m.z. in south korea. subsequent to that we also took a trip to bosnia several times, spent one easter with the troops . so many memories of trips to visit the troops and their families, to look at the facilities, to make sure they had all the equipment that they needed to have, all of the support that we could possibly have enabled to give them on the committee. i've hadhe privilege and honor of visiting ike's district in missouri and i invited chairman skelton to come to el paso. i grew up in a little town right outside of el paso. the main street of this little town was donovan drive. never did i dream that i had grown up in this environment with a direct connection to missouri. because when ike skelton came to my district, he immediately recognized the connection. he said, this street was named after colonel alexander donovan who is a missourian, who was a missourian, came to texas to save texas. immediately a connection there. chairman ike skelton is in my eyes a professor of history, a professor of particularly military history. we all famously have a list of recommended readings from chairman ike skelton. i have to confess i haven't read all those books yet, but i am working on it. it makes you -- it gives you a better understanding, but for me it gives me a unique perspective on w the man ike skelton is and i couldn't agree more with my colleagues here this evening in paying tribute to a great american. a giant that has served this institution with dignity, with honor, with great passion and with great love and care for our military men and women and for their families. ike, it's been a tremendous honor to serve with you. i've learned so much from you that i think by any measure if there is any -- a new member coming here, my recommendation would be, emulate the great chairman ike skelton. thank you. and thanks to the people of missouri for sharing you for over three decades of great public service to this great country. for me, an honor, for this country, an american legend. thank you, ike, god bless you and god bless this country. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. chairman, i just want to add my voice to these remarks this evening about our friend and colleague, ike skelton. of missouri. he first came to this congress in 1976, with my predecessor, congressman gephardt. that was the first year i voted, in 1976. i was a senior in high school that year and to watch him grow in leadership, to become what i believe is really a national treasure. mr. carnahan: his voice advocating for american troops and their families, his leadership on national readiness for current conflicts and future conflicts that we may face is really -- has really been unparalleled. we respect his leadership and what he has done for the strength of this country. in missouri he has been a leader, he has been the dean of our delegation, i had the honor to work with him, also had the honor to travel with him, to visit our troops in kosovo and wrells. and we've seen what he's done to transform -- elsewhere. and we've seen what he's done to transform two vital military facilities in missouri, whiteman air force base and fort leonardwood, to become what they are today. he's not only a student of history, but he has been a great teacher and a great mentor. he's been a family friend. it has been an honor and a privilege to serve with him, to call him colleague, but also to see his example for public service. he has been a model for what public service is all about. i know that he has several chanters left to write -- chapters left to write for what he does to give back to this country and our great state and we look forward to seeing those for years to come. best wishes to you, my friend. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> order of out. thank you -- out of order. thank you. i rise today to say thank you. thank you to ike for being such a great mentor. for taking me under your wing, for telling me how -- a little bit about what it was like for you when you chaired the personnel committee. a number of years ago. and i think you told me that early on when i came onto the armed services committee, but it was a few years later when i actually had the great honor of chairing that subcommittee. mrs. davis: and then i felt such an incredible burden because i thought, you know, ike has done this before and how could i live up to who he had been and the way he had cared for the troops and their families? kind of got through some of the really tough times because when you deal with those issues you know that you're going to be, you know, looking -- wanting to do everything in the world when you can't, when there are limits to what you can do. and i just -- i really remember you telling me about that and just, you know, letting me know, get in there. but you better do a good job. i want you to do a good job. i don't want you to screw it up. so i certainly had that burden, but more than anything else, ike, you are such a splendid gentleman and, you know, we use the word kind of loosely here. sometimes i think we often say to the gentleman from whatever state that might be, you are the gentleman. i mean, you are the epitome of what we all believe to be someone who serves in this very, very body and who cares so deeply and has such strong principles and who teaches us all and i think we all want to live up to that standard that you set. it's not easy and you made it really hard for everybody to do that. but i think we all strive for that as best we can. i know that -- i didn't have an opportunity to be in your district, but you came to my district. and you and your late wife were there and we had just the most marvelous evening and i remember that i was then at an event that you spoke at and i remember looking around the room and everybody was just, you know, transfixed really on your words. you were telling one of those stories and it went on forever, but that didn't seem to bother anybody. they were just delighted to be in your company. and to hear you speak and to hear the way you interacted with all the people in the room, but telling those stories, president truman of course came into that story and your father and i have just enjoyed serving with you. i can't tell you how much i'm going to miss you. it's going to be a lot. and i know you're going to miss everybody here as well. but we are all so much better for having served with you. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california -- from pennsylvania rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. what does a irish pennsylvania boy have to do with ike skelton? standing up here and talking? actually, i have roots in missouri, in farmington my ancestors started the first sunday school west of the mississippi. in missouri. that was a little story i told ike, i don't know if you remember that. but it comes from times that ike and i traveled together on congressional delegation trips. he had asked me to travel with him to afghanistan and iraq at thanksgiving. we did that twice. giving up time with our families, but traveling out there to be with the soldiers. i think they metropolitan a lot to the soldiers -- meant a lot to the soldiers who were sacrificing so much to our country. i thought it was pretty amazing that here was this gentleman, in the truest sense of the word, being willing to give up his holidays with the family to be over there. i was pleased and honored to go with him. we had some interesting times. we knew general petraeus and general mcchrystal, the ins and outs of what's wheags going on in a war zone, talking to the soldiers about the stresses they face. and i know for me i learned a great deal from them but also learned a great deal from my friend, congressman skelton, about the ins and outs of what takes place in military, through his chairmanship and ranking membership, of what he's learned from the house armed services committee. but it's also things you learn about a person under times of stress. ike and i have the dubious distinction of being the only two members of congress ever injured in iraq. and it happened on a dark night, we were traveling after having met, i believe, with general casey, on a road back to the baghdad airport, when this mini bus we were traveling in, referred to affectionately as an ice cream truck, hit something, we heard a boom, up in the air, bounce, rolled over. both of us slid inside the interior. i was injured a bit, that doesn't matter. ike had his own symptoms. and a lot of chaos occurred at that moment and we learned what happens on a military site when there's an injury that occurs, that soldiers swarming around, securing the perimeter, ambulances arriving, trying to take care of both ike and i at that moment. incredible, incredible debtcation and skill of these soldiers. we intended to visit a hospital but not in a horizontal position. what occurred afterwards, taking us in an ambulance, and we're both in some pain, not to -- nothing compared to what our soldiers face, but an interesting thing happened with one of the staffers at that point, aaron. reached in and patted my toe and said, you know, i'll pray for you. the ambulance door closed and ike, always a man of good humor, said, what am i, chopped liver? what's wrong here? no one's going to pray for me? he had issues, too. we went to a hospital then in baghdad, some difficult moments, hearing the cries of a young boy whose room was near ours who we understand his parents had just been killed and he was hurt, too. then traveling over to balad where our soldiers who were wounded pretty severely were all being prepped to take to germany. and to see what takes place with people -- as people were some pretty severe injuries were prepared, sometimes on basically a traveling intensive care unit, with doctors and nurses around them, and ike and i and our helicopter trip over there, and having our moments where you're lying on this litter, on the same helicopter that carries so message of our wounded soldiers, it gives you something to think about. and then traveling over to germany on this big c.17 for several hours. but now and then i would hear this voice coming from either above mother owe below me, wherever -- above me or below me, the voice of ike saying, well, what do you think about this? we certainly are learning something here. always just that little bit of humor. and putting that little bit of perspective on it, in otherwise a pretty stressful situation. not only what was happening to us but being around all these wounded and doctors and nurses doing so much. i'm sure ike has lots of variations on the story he tells but what is important here is that after we came back, he had of course made sure that that one staffer who tapped my toe and said, i'll pray for you, understood that he wanted prayers too and it was some time after that, i believe that what you received was probably a note that a mass was being said for you by the pope. you certainly outranked me on what was happening there. but it was his humor, it's his knowledge, it's his incredible class. a lot of times americans may hear criticisms of members of congress, and you may hear the bipartisan or attacks on each other which is hard by bipartisan. that makes the evening news. when people call each other names, when they insult each other. mr. murphy: when they play political games, that's going to make the front pages. what you don't hear about is the genuine friendships and respect we have for each other. let me tell you, ike, i can't think of anybody in this house that i have more friendship and respect for than what you've taught me. with more friendship. the people of missouri have to be proud and i'm proud to have to serve with you, a man i can always call my friend. god bless you. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for the purpose does gentlewoman from new hampshire rise? no objection. ms. shea-porter: there is a button from an old presidential case that says i like ike. in this case, i love ike. i arrived in the house four years ago and i met ike skelton and recognized immediately that friend of the generals and a friend of the powerful, he was a friend to had the great pleasure of traveling to him and i saw the way he treated some very, very young soldiers and having been married to a young my life, i ime in recognized how overwhelming it was when anybody above the rank of sergeant spoke and here was the chairman of the armed services committee bending over to get words of advice from the young men and women of this country who serve us. and it's true that you are an incredible scholar, historian. if ike says it is so, it is so and he often told us what was so and he gave us lists to read and things we should know and he was always right. traveled with him abroad, the respect that we all received because we were with ike skelton. it was impressive and overwhelming. and so to say good-bye is extremely painful, but what we need to do is celebrate the great gift you gave this you, your he gift of time, your knowledge, your experience, your wisdom and the of the world views you is the way we view you, with respect, admiration and love. thank you very much for your service. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? no objection. you, mr. z: thank garamendi. to our chairman, ike skelton, thank you. thank you very much. sitting for earned 14 years, my full-time here on this committee has been invaluable and you were the first one to ask me to go on a congressional delegation and before some of the world leaders and first to tell me about what it was to be in the military and all the information you gave me, learn the ranks, learn what the stars mean, just all the very beginning when i ion 14 years ago got to the committee, i cannot say enough, ike. i really can't. aside from being somebody who has loved the troops and you have and i have seen that just as my colleagues ms. davis have seen that from you, aside from really being the champion for the troops and that's how i'llals remember you, you a a congress person's congress person. we model ourselves after. and ike, from the bottom of my we will miss you. thank you. thank you for all the memories, for all the learning and in particular, for taking some of the women on the committee under your arm and showing us what it to serve proudly on the house armed services committee. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi rise? mr. taylor: i ask unanimous forent to address the house five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: no objection. mr. aiken i thank for allowing us to go into your time a little bit, a fellow congressman from missouri. mr. speaker, i have a vietnamese a rican friend who has limited use of the english also very devout and saw him at his boat yard. and having a limited use of the english language and being devout, he did not use the kind of words i would use in that situation, he just shouted over and over, no joy. is a no joy moment. but for those of us who have had the privilege of working with ike, if you are the mother or father of a marine, sailor, you skelton.ow ike in our line of work, if you do something stupid, you are a headline. if you do the right thing, people don't know your name. if your child has been saved because of a mine resistance should know ike skelton's name. if you are a military retirey who is enjoying the benefits of tricare for life, you should know ike skelton's name. if you are a guardsmen or reserveist who is now eligible tricare, you should ike skelton's name. what he won't ever tell you, out of concern for his kids, he has two sons who are officers in the united states military, but what every mom and dad should know is that there was one more parent out there looking out for their kid and that was ike skelton. for all of those things and for your great humility, i got to tell the story. ike visited the coast guard buoy tender and paid his respects to the captain, engineering officer, but then he sought out the lowest-ranked person on that boat and went back to him and said, i'm ike skelton, i'm a congressman from missouri. have you ever had a congressman on your fleet tender before? he said no, and i hope i never do again. i have been working my butt off. only ike skelton would tell that story. the rest of america knows and i hope that apprentice made chief. ike, you have been an incredible role model, someone who put $600 billion bill that involves the lives of airmen, marines, sailors, to some troops in the field and passed out of your committee unanimously. that is an incredible feat. and all of us are grateful for your service. god bless you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. garamendi: request permission to address the remaining hour here. it was 13 months ago that i was privilege of t becoming a member of the congress. and seven months ago that i was given the other privilege of a member of the armed services committee. for the last hour and 10 minutes, queff heard from chairman skelton and from his colleagues that have expressed their appreciation based upon that knowledge and their working with an extraordinary man. i feel cheated. i don't have all of those years that my other colleagues have had to learn and to share time chairman skelton, my seven months have been too short. in those seven months, i have found the opportunity for friendship, brootshood and the opportunity to work and to be mentored by an incredible individual. hat you have seen here tonight is the outpouring of emotion and respect for a gentleman that has served this nation and the armed services for 34 years in the capacity of a member of congress. that's an incredible record. months of that i have had a personal experience and i value those moments intensely. i have had my hours on the floor talking about policy. i have not had such an important hour as this hour listening to the members of this congress speak of one of their colleagues. it's been a very good hour. chairman skelton, you are loved, loved for very good reason. you are a unique individual. i yield back my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for the gentleman es from missouri rise? mr. akin: i would request permission to address for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: no objection. mr. akin: thank you, mr. speaker. i also wanted to add my note to the already numerous congratulations and praises for chairman skelton. i have served my 10 years in congress on the armed services committee. i told him last night at a re night before last at a reception that i thought ike was like my big brother down here. and you know, sometimes as we go on codels in the field and we can talk to different level officers, sometimes it's a sergeant, sometimes a general, sometimes in between, we get sometimes nswers and a well placed question to the right person is very helpful. i'm a republican and sometimes a well placed question to a democrat is the great thing to do. i will ask, what do you think? he said it would be a good thing if you can get it done. he is a big brother to everybody down here and he runs the committee the way i understand it used to be done, where the objective is to deal with the country and that is the business of the committee. and so i thank you very much for work down here. we're going to miss you a lot, mr. chairman, mr. marine >> then, kevin brady on expiring tax cuts. rdak consent of the information technology and innovation foundation discusses new technology and the economy. each morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern. the u.s. house will decide whether to censure new york congressman charles rangel for financial and fund raising misconduct. the chamber could choose a lighter punishment of a reprimand. watch live gavel-to-gavel house coverage on c-span. >> we saw again this week the organization wikileaks release of hundreds of thousands of classified documents which threaten to undercut american foreign policy as well as national security. and the person who has been accused for releasing this information is an american p.f.c. who is now facing charges up to 50 years in prison. these charges are too lenient because this p.f.c. has committed treason. i think that wikileaks and its founder should be facing criminal charges and his website, which he uses to aid and abet our terrorist enemies should be shut down. attorney general eric holder held a press conference proudly saying that they stoppe websites that are selling knockoff purses. i say, shut down wikileaks. it's time that the obama administration needs to treat this website what it is, a terrorist organization. shut it down, shut it down. it's time to shut down this terrorist organizat the gentleman is recognized. mr. klein: madam speaker, i rise today to thank all my colleagues here in the house and especially my constituents back home in south florida. the opportunity to serve in this body has been the privilege and honor of a lifetime. i truly have been honored and feel honored to have been entrusted with the responsibility of fighting for families, businesses, seniors and veterans in our community every single day. and fight we did. when i came in four years ago we were challenged with a war. we were challenged with a lot of other things. as those years have passed there have been new challenges, the economy and others. together we fought to take on skyrocketing homeowners insurance costs in florida and other places. we wrote a commonsense solution that makes insurance look and work like its supposed to. it wasn't easy but we brought together every single member o florida's delegation, republican and democrat alike, as well as allies from around the country and passed the homeowners defense act in a bipartisan way. and i'm very proud of that. we also fought to deliver on a campaign promise when i first -- in my first race to close the medicare part d doughnut hole, something that's so significant to so many seniors in our community. our seniors never should make the choice between food and medicine. and because we shall and bring down the cost of prescription drugs, many in our community will no longer have to. we stand up for our nation's veterans, something that is a prize responsibility that every american shares in. because i believe it is our responsibility to fight for those who have fought for us. we passed the biggest increase in the v.a. history to make sure that our service members have access to everything they need, and we turned local ideas from our palm beach and broward county advisory boards into the law of the land. but it didn't stop there. we took on energy and the recognition that there is a national security threat of an energy policy that continues to support middle east rogue countries. in particular, iran. i helped work with others in writing and passing the toughest sanctions in history because we cannot allow iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. not on our watch and certainly not on our dime. we tackled health care and equal pay for women. we expended pell grants so every child and every student has a write to go to college and help create a work force that will compete worldwide. we passed an innovative and forward-looking energy plan to end our dependence on foreign oil. but most of all, many of us worked together to do what is best for our community. some might disagree with any one policy, but i think at the end each of us in this chamber knows we have a responsibility to our country, we believe in our country and we try to do the right things. madam speaker, my colleagues and south floridians watching today, i want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for this privilege. choosings public service isn't always easy. there are bad headlines and tough attacks and long weeks away from your family. our families truly make the greatest sacrifice. but it is worth every one of those sacrifices for the opportunity to make our country better for our children and our grandchildren than it was for us. this is the american dream, and that is what i fought for and many of us fight for every single day at home and here. when i first came to this historic u.s. capitol building, a very wise colleague said to me, and it stuck with me until this very moment, look up at the capitol dome at nighttime. look at it when we're working late you see the light at the top in a beautiful dome. i look up and see that every time we are here in the evening and i see that magnificent dome against the dark sky and i think of the great figures that have passed in time here. most we may never know. whether they were here for two years or 10 years or 20 years and everyone had the same goal, to make this country is a little better place. and my colleague said to me if you look up at that dome and you aren't inspired, it's time to go home. i continue to be inspired. and he was right. the opportunity to serve our community in that's hallowed halls does inspire me. i hope it continues to inspire every single person and the next generation of leaders who come into this chamber. so i want to thank all of you. thank you for allowing us to be here. thank you for the privilege of serving. and i look forward to being part of our community and after the hearing, the fcc outlines a plan for regulating high-speed broadband data networks. later, a senate banking caring and -- on mortgage foreclosure practices. salman rushdie is on "in depth". he will discuss his lesser-known fiction works. join our 3 our conversation sunday at noon eastern on c- span2 and watched previous programs online where you can find the weekend schedule. now, a look at the production report. the plan is to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion. in order for the proposal to be submitted to congress, 14 of the 18 members need to agree with the plan. the commission's final vote on the proposal was pushed back to friday. this is 2 1/2 hours. >> i will not transgress too much on your time or patience. first, a word about this very good and great man beside me. even though we are the other faith, he is a personal trust implicitly. a man of his word and a patriot. when my pal joe biden called in january and said i got a real deal for you, i said, forget it. he called back because when a citizen is asked to lend their services, you step up in the overused term of the day, especially in athletics. when i asked who would be my co- chair, they said erskine bowles and i signed on. but macy it has been a great treat. let me say this to my 12 legislative colleagues. a cautionary tale. i have been where you are. i feel your pain, in the words of a former president. [laughter] the heat is on you. this one is on you. poised outside of this chamber are the denizens of darkness. the workers of the dark, in the words of harry potter. those are the groups waiting to shred this may be to bits. they are ready. there have been waiting for a long time to to this one to pieces. to tell you to do this or do not do this, or there may be less cash in your christmas stocking at your next election, or a lump of coal. there are geared to destroy this work. that is how the city works. it works on negatives and not positive. that i share with you. and i know about this, because i have been there. i know the feeling. in the role of leadership that i held my hand to hold my nose and vote a damn bad one or two a time or two. my friend richard durbin holds the role i had. slipping to assistant minority leader, which he is hoping thus not occur. nevertheless, these groups consist often of zealots. if zoelllick is one, who having his purpose, redoubled his efforts. there are many of them here. these groups have called their artillery. they're firing some heavy shells at this old infantryman and my colleague. there will pull out all the stops -- they will pull out the stops with massive expenditures of media and advertising. these will be dramatic, powerful, and heart wrenching, but tried to pay them no heed. these purveyors of doom have been lurking here for many years. they're like the man behind the curtain in the wizard of oz. they get paid big money to lobby and get you worked out. and so, they will have a list and you can pick one. just run through a tube. shredding the safety net, disarming america, hurting the poor, helping the poor, punishing seniors, cobbling seniors, helping the rich, hurting the rich, stunting growth, the cheating veterans, killing jobs, no cutting or not for too much, raising taxes or not cutting enough. the list goes on and on. these are tough times. requiring tough decisions. indeed, a tough votes. it took us weeks to establish trust in this commission. among ourselves. i trust you all, each and every one of you. i do not agree with you for sure, but trust is the shimmering point -- koren of the realm and it has been tarnished in recent years in this place. we will not and have not pleaded with you to support this plan. we sincerely hope you will. that is your choice. i have been and i have seen on some many of these commissions in the past who come up with decisions and directives and solutions that are toothless exercises, that are mush or watery gruel. not this time. this baby ain't going away. sure, it may be buried in an unmarked grave soon. when the votes for the budget and the debate on that comes up in the spring, this cadaver will rise from the crypt. your or some of your colleagues will say in the face of the new faces who will be saying i'm not voting to increase the debt limit, unless i get some spending cuts and a lot more. the leadership of both parties will say, but we have to do this. or the full faith and credit of the u.s. will be in peril. we may have to close down the government. some sincere new member will say, that is why i came here. that is what is out there. the spending cuts will be presented by them. there will be ones that have been selected at random, that have no basis in debate or discussion, we have discussed here in these past months. the members will be voted to support those, not ones that have been worked through the process here at awfully debated, whether you agree with them or not. i think that will be a chaotic time. even a bloodbath. i think americans deserve better. this plan is a better way. it is an amalgam of partial consensus in some ways. at least a plan. at least it is a star. you may have noted and we have not always concurred. she is the canary in the coal mine for my activities. i admire her. she has the courage to lay out an alternate plan of how to get there. so did andy. i do not agree with it all, but she laid it out and so did he. if we can come to the fact, did not reject, reflect would be a good thing in this town. we will have a place for in the appendix of this report. just relax, three more handwritten pages. the final note. things in this world have dramatically shifted. shifted on this planet that will survive on. things are very different than they were two or three years ago. we know the figures and we know the mouth. the facts really is, this is it. no more fun and games. smoke and mirrors. out to make a much trickery, cunning, cya, demagoguery, and making promises we cannot possibly keep. debt denial has gone the way of the dodo bird. these are not normal times for normal non-solutions. that is what they do here. non-solutions. i remember when i was anguishing over the top senate vote, i had to cast in the would not let me vote, maybe. i would pick out a peace or to and say with an accompanying cya press release, if only t section had been left out, i would have voted. because it was because it was a very good bill. i just could not do that to my constituents on paragraph whatever. i do not think my constituents or yours will let me or you get away with that anymore. they have wised up. they're mad. they're tired of the bluster and the blather and the ego and the bs that has worked so often for all this, including me, the master of it. the times of change. we will never be the same. the tectonic plates of the old politics of shifted. they know what debt and deficit is and interest. they have done in their own homes as they ponder their plight around their own kitchen table, often with had in their hands, and they say, everyone has to get ahead. wait a minute. all this took a hit but one. the federal government. and all of its massive minions have been scared in this recession. we have seen the figures, and we do not know a lot about ireland and greece and portugal and italy, but we do know something. if you stay this way, something bad will happen. these deeply concerned straight thinking and straight talking folks, they know their country is on the same trajectory. and so do we. they know also that it will not be bowles or simpson who will the amount of this pit. it will be your colleagues, your legislative colleagues. only you, no one else, not the president, or joe biden or anyone else. -- no one else can right this ship. you 12 and your successors and 523 colleagues will have to do this herculean task. no one else. do we need to do. do what you must do. guided by your conscience and principles and a shred of patriotism. whichever way you go, share with us in the report in the appendix. tell us where you do not like it and voted no. tell us where you do not like it and voted yes. that is a wonderful alternative. those are the only ways out. those are honest ways. i admire and debt -- respected. you need not explain or comment on your vote, which ever way. we have listened, visited, negotiated, debated, and discussed all these issues for us. i think we have done, all of us have done our level best and then some. i want to render thanks for your energy, your time, and your talent. those same attributes of your fine stuff gonna bless you and i yield to the numbers guy. fog them up, william -- will ya? [laughter] >> i love being a numbers guy. thank you, al. my daddy used to say that true friends are hard to find. they are even harder to make. if i have got nothing else out of this last eight months, i have gotten a real friend in how simpson -- hal simpson. that is a rarity, and i am grateful. the couple of weeks ago, it seems like years ago now, we got a little at more attention than i thought we might. it probably deserved it. you know, in the chairman's report, we take $4 billion out of a deficit over the next nine years. we cut the deficit in half by 2015, and by three-quarters in 2020. we take the deficit to gdp down to about 2.2% of gdp in 2015. the president asked us to get 3%, and we get it down to 1.2% in 2020. i think we can all be proud of that. i can tell you that if al travels through airports he gets more thumbs up than he does other digits. from my viewpoint, i usually go to the liquor store when i leave here. but when i go to the grocery store, here is what people in north carolina tell me. 100%, i do not care who they are, they say stay strong. do not without on this. get that deficit down. that is what we will do regardless of the vote. you all have been great. i have never been involved in a more non-partisan -- this is not bipartisan. this is non-partisan. i have spent more time in tom coburn's congress room than i have my own house, i think, in the last eight months. he has become my friend and my doctor in this time. . -- in this timeperiod. [laughter] all of you have been as polite about this document as you can. there are some things you like. there are something to dislike. senator durbin said there are some things in this original draft that the devil would hate more than a holy water. that is as much as somebody can dislike something. but everybody has said, including the folks at the white house, this is serious. it was a good starting point. i want to thank you all for treating it as such. no matter what happens, i think this little commission of 18 people that have now been meeting for the last eight months to nine months has succeeded. we have fundamentally changed the debate in america. all you have to do is look around this room and you can see that. we put the debt issue on the map. i think we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to senators greg andconrad = -- gregg conrad. they have been phenomenal. the wanted there to be a legislative process. they got as this commission. that has called this issue to the attention of america. i think you to. -- i thank you two. [applause] i do not know if we can agree on a plan. i am an optimist. i always have been. i know we will get two votes. maybe we will get five. maybe we will get 14. nothing would surprise me in this. but i know the world is moving in our direction. for better or for worse, because of what you see going around the world today, if you see what you read in today's newspapers. i do know there is no turning back now. the era of that denial -- debt denial and denial of its consequences is over. each of you can take enormous pride in that. together, we have started an adult conversation that will dominate the debate until the elected leadership here in washington does something real. i can tell you as a state employee, the states have been doing something real. we had to balance our budgets. that has meant very, very painful cuts for us that the university. municipalities all over the country have. businesses are. every family does its sitting around their kitchen table. i think washington is going to get on board. i think it is impossible reve gotten some nice views. i could go on and on. we did not get in this for nice editorialists. we did this to make a difference for this country and that will make as competitive. i think the american people want us to do something real. they want this to make the tough decisions. none of these decisions are easy. their problems are real. there is no easy way out. elected officials have been wary they would be punished if they made the tough decisions. i think we will be penalized if they play politics, which none of the have, if we'd duck the tough calls or take a walk. impand i are not going to wum out. for us, it is go big or go home. we are going home anyway, right? we want a serious proposal. we are not interested in 14 votes. this is too plain big and important for our country. this plan is one that we are proud of. we believe it will keep our nation from falling into the abyss created by promises that are bigger than our nation can keep and created by way too much leverage. i have lived in a world where there is reversed leverage. i have lived in the world to compound interest rates. you cannot beat it. it is tough. it'll bring you down fast. i want to go through the plant. -- plans. you want to hear what each of you think. none of you got the plan until late yesterday morning. i have helped write the final plan that i have not read through the final plan. we will not ask you to vote today on something tonight a you have not thoroughly previewed. they may want to express their opinions. we want to have your response by friday in here where each of you stand on the plan. i do not expect any of you to like every aspect. i do not like every aspect predicted to vote, each of us will have to tolerate provisions of the oppose in order to reach a principled compromise. we will have to put our differences aside. our nation will be lost if we do not have one we do not pretend we do have one. we do not pretend to have all the answers. we have a proposal as serious as the problems we face in this nation. the plan is built around basic principles. this has not been a county exercise for us. it this is about america being competitive. it is about pulling together. we do not want to do anything to disrupt the fragile economic recovery. we want to protect the disadvantaged. we do not want to hollow out this country well be fakes our balance sheet. we will continue to make smart investment. there are one of what went garbles trillion -- one poi $1 trillion with a pair marks in this tax cut. -- 1.1 trillion of earmarks in this tax cuts. if we eliminate them, we can bring rates weighed down to areas like 8%, 14%. we can reduce the corporate rate. we can simplify the code. we think there should be a ceiling of revenues of 21%. we want to keep social security solvent. our plan reduces it. it takes the deficit to gdp ratio down to 2.3% we put forward over $200 billion in cuts of we the devised it and gi. we want to make sure the spending cuts are on both sides profe. we budget $11 million. we will have disasters. we came up with it because it is the average of the last 10 years. we tightened the provisions. we tightened the provisions for what can be called for an emergency. we did the same thing for a oco. we tightened the provision significantly for what goes into that budget. we required a 60 vote. of order. it still be -- 60 votes point of order. it will be there. we are record and a zero plan which i think we have gotten good response from democrats and republicans. we are not the ways and means committee. the principles are to broaden the base, a lower the rates, simplify the code, and me to use the deficit. in no case to want to see the rates go above 29%. congress can choose to add back key provisions as it relates to the earned income tax credit. they are not for free. there is a the exchange subsidiaries, all health-care spending. we say, if you have up there does not work, america must take more drastic steps because we have to control the rate of increase in the cost of health care and get it down to gdp plus one. we would recommend if that happens, congress look at a premium support plan that we consider block granting medicaid. we have a robust public option were we have more cost sharing. and sharing [unintelligible] we give cms the authority to be more active purchasers of health care. you are going to have to do something really tough if we say works does not work. other mandatory changes we have put forth in our plan that reduce the deficit, we ardo such things as reducing ag subsidies cannot eliminate in school subsidies in the federal student loan program. we give the pension benefit board authority to increase premiums so we can get that out of deficit. we eliminate payments for abandoned mines. we extend the fcc's spectrum authority. we index mandatory user fees to inflation. we reinstate -- restructure the power marketing administrations to charge marketing rates. we improve transmission surcharges. we give the post office greater management authority so we do not have these deficits of $8.5 billion. that would include considering doing such things as eliminating saturday delivery and closing post offices in this time of electronic mail. on social security, i will be -- done and we will open it up to you. we are meeting the requirement to bring the things -- social security into a 75-year solvency. we raised the minimum payment that someone can get to 125% of poverty. we want to take care of our principle of taking care of the truly disadvantaged. we are told by every expert that you have to take care of the older of people between 82 and 86. between 82 and 86, everybody gets a 1% bump up per year. that adds costs. to meet that cost, we put in progressivity payments that hit the upper 50% and at the current breakpoints, there are 90% of wages, 32% of 15. we changed the points and protect the bottom 50%. we have longevity in our report. currently, the social security age goes to 67 in 2027. we take it to 6848 years now. and 26965 years from now. i hope that gives people time to get prepared. to be prepared. we also take up the early retirement age. because they do that, some people are in physically demanding. we have a hardship exemption. this reflects inflation. we bring in new state them were callelocal workers. our plan takes into 168,000. that is our plan. thank you for indulging my going threat. i will open it up for comments. you have put before us a plan that i think it's critically important for the nation. i also want to thank my partner, senator judd gregg who is the ranking republican on the budget committee. he and i came up with the notion that we absolutely needed a commission to come forward with the plan. he will be missed in the united states senate. he will be missed by me. i thank him for his leadership. i think every member of this commission. whether you decide to support this effort or oppose it. i think every member has demonstrated a commitment to the work of this commission, and has broader perspective that was important. i deeply appreciate that as well. certainly to the staff, who has worked so extraordinarily hard, led by bursts -- bruce reed. you have worked weekends and nights and long hours. i think you have demonstrated rote commitment -- real commitment. you should be recognized and applauded. [applause] [applause] toomey this is a defining moment. we're headed for a fiscal cliff. america is in danger. we can either look the other way, hopes