[applause] >> good evening. welcome to the 75th commemoration of the battle of the -- coral sea. am -- it is my great leverage to welcome the 45th president of the united states of america -- privileged welcome the 45th president of the united takes of america, donald trump. the 29th prime minister of australia. [applause] >> our honored australian and american veterans of the battle of the coral see -- sea. [applause] >> our many distinguished guests. , northern australia after the war, the bombing of 240in with its loss of lives and the possibility of a subsequent inpatient. my parents listened to the five days of battle in the coral see -- sea with deep anxiety. thanks to the heroes gathered here tonight, i was given a peaceful childhood, breathing the air of australia and freedom. since those fateful days, grateful australia has not only fought and died alongside americans, but together we have proven what freedom, democracy, -- can produce. space exploration, medical advances, educational exchanges, and trade and investment in excess of a chilean dollars. tonight we honor the courage and valor of our soldiers. dollars.lion tonight we honor the courage and valor of our soldiers. following ande celebrate a victory and the values they fought and died for. mr. president and mr. prime minister, this is a great crowd tonight. the national anthems shall be sung. standinges and remain for the national anthems. rise and remain standing for the national anthems. we have golden soil and wells for toil. .ur land abounding of beauty rich and rare. [applause] >> left, right. halt. left, right. left, right, left. much. right, left.left halt. present. oh say can you see by the dawn's early light. what so proudly we hailed at the twilight last gleaming. whose broad stripes and bright fightthrough the perilous , over the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. , thehe rockets red glare proofbursting in air gave through the night that our flag was still there. can -- o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave and the land of the free the home of the brave. ♪ [applause] >> left, right, left, right. [applause] >> please welcome to the stage jennifer mason. >> good evening everybody. i am jennifer mason, chairman of the board of the australian association. we are just thrilled to have each of you here with us tonight to honor and commemorate this important and historic anniversary and watch the first 100 years. i would like to begin by introducing our special honored guest, american and australian veterans of the coral sea. please hold your applause until the end. john hancock, roger spooner from the uss yorktown. we are also honored to have a distinguished veteran of the war pache civic -- specific -- ific. [applause] to the honor these brave heroes and commemorate the sacrifice of their comrades, we are honored to be joined by the president and first lady of the united states of america. and the prime minister of australia and lucy turnbull. i am also pleased to recognize the following distinguished guest. i would kindly ask that you will your applause until the end. secretary of straight -- state rex tillerson. members of the president's family. secretary of the department of defense. air chief marshal, chief of the defense forces. australia's ambassador to the united dates. , investorme minister -- ambassador jillian. deputy consul general and permanent representative to the .nited nations former u.s. ambassador's to .ustralia former australian ambassadors to the united states. ms. carly brand, ke conklin.n -- mi distinguishedr test a round of applause. [applause] -- distinguished guests a round of applause. [applause] thanky, i would like to our donors. again, hold your applause until the end. , chairmanding partner and president of northrup roman -- northrup. major contributions from contributors include chairman -- he donated $700,000. tonightfox, represented by the fox foundation. she is the second largest donor of the evening. chairman of the board at quantum. andident and ceo of defense base -- and space. robert thompson, chief and vice -- chief executive. we are very grateful to the many other companies, all of our generous donors, and each of you for your time spent with us tonight. thank you for being here. [applause] finally, i would like to ask all of the members of the board of directors, my partners, to stand and be recognized tonight. it is now my great prelature -- pleasure to welcome to the state our most generous donor of the evening and a huge supporter of the association, mr. anthony pratt. >> thank you. mr. president, mrs. trump, mr. prime minister, mr. turnbull -- mrs. turnbull from we pay tribute to the courageous who gave their lives for our freedom in the battle of the coral sea. the relationship is special and we are grateful to have been allowed to grow here. pratt industries is the largest australian employer in america, invested money to provide manufacturing jobs for americans over the last 30 years. [applause] based on what you have done and in support of your outstanding leadership in making america the greatest place in the world to manufacture, tonight i would like to pledge an additional $2 billion over the next 10 years, doubling our rate of investment to create an additional 5000 high-paying manufacturing jobs in america, mainly in the midwest. it is now my privilege to --roduce one in your americanited states of and australia, bond that can be traced back to world war i. americannies of the expeditionary force fought under the command of -- the first time australians in americans fought side-by-side. , heonor the american troops set the date of the battle for the fourth of july, 1918. and i'll show you want to go with distinction. american and australians trained together before the attack, developing such a bond that americans were heard to say that if necessary, they would sooner change conforms to fight with the australian been lethargy -- let their new buddies down. they hoped to turn the tide of the war. that battle on the western front was the opening chapter in a story. this partnership, based on mutual respect, cooperation, and shared values has joined the united's eighth and australia -- united states and australia as allies. we fought together again in the second world war, were almost one million americans past through america, campaigning on sea. air, and see -- fighting side-by-side for shared believed, the bond was strengthened in korea, iraq, and afghanistan. they made lifelong mates. the military alliance endures today. american and australian armed forces worked together in iraq and syria to combat the threat of terrorism. rotationmarine corps and a large number of australians currently working across 31 state. both nations signed the treaty which remains the cornerstone of australia's national security and foreign policy. the treaty pledges each country to come to the support of the other when under attack. minister invoked the treaty for the first time. mr. president, the asteroid government and people share the horrornse of poor -- experienced by your nation. a special meet ship may have has formed in war, but grown stronger during peace. a determination to improve, succeed, and innovate. these qualities have seen our countries grow together. >> from leaders to students, americans and russians have crossed the ocean to each other's shores. we work together to reach the moonand out to the -- the and out to the stars. we are artists and creators. we are investors and important trading partners. the u.s. australia free trade agreement came into force years ago and has doubled u.s. exports to australia and in -- america investment down under has helped us become one of the greatest exporters. helped build a strong human bridge that makes friendship real. from the western front to the first steps on the moon, this reflects our shared optimism and common vision of a bright future. this friendship forged on the battlefield years ago has made it a unbreakable foundation. ofwill build a bond friendship for the next 100 years. we are mates. [applause] >> please welcome to the stage mr. greg norman. --mr. president, you might this is trump, mr. prime minister, mrs. turnbull. to honor the amazing coral of the quarrel -- sea. nothing can compare to their courage under fire, their victory, their sweat, or their blood. nor can we captured the dignity and patriotism they both have embodied. , norm hopes to pass a message to you. thanks to all the americans for what they did frost or are the battle of coral see -- sea. it was the start of the alliance of our countries. because ofy this, , littleboth countries brother australia has gone above and beyond what big brother america ever expected. the alliance, bond forged by freedom and democracy for not just our people for the world. video assembled by the national -- national maritime museum of mr. elliott -- museum of australia. [applause] >> it was such a site to see. three american destroyers. we had two very sharp era tax. -- air attacks. [applause] >> the remitting the other jet planes coming to us. they were going to bomb them. we did lose a ship, a lot of boys lost their lives. there we were on the submarine crew. warde nine more patrols -- patrols. they treated us boys good. they would not let us have too much beer. when you check that out, that was it. up, thatou drink that was it. this was an extraordinary experience. i joined the navy. stationed -- i did not know where the coral sea was. in the end, it was absolutely important area of the fact that the jets would have failed. they could have bond at will. they could have established any kind of a beast there. -- base there. >> they were really very significant. , theylia, for example were lucky. the jets eventually expanded their bombs and struck the ships. stern.ew from stern to there were 12 of their aircraft involved in the attack. when they finished, only two of returnedcraft are just -- aircraft returned. they were tenacious fighters. the temptation for them to invade would have been in my opinion. if we did not have american support, that would have been very precarious. [applause] >> i joined the navy in october of 1941. at age 17, right out of high school. when we went to the coral see -- -- the japanese launched everything they had. just aund out it was tanker and a destroyer. they destroyed both. fighters because there were bogeys on our radar, which turned out to be japanese. it was dark. they mistook it for their own and they tried to land. we opened fire. they had to stop. after the battle we circled around the lexington. we gathered up all of our survivors and one of our destroyers. those fellows from the australian ships came aboard. they were just like us. a were fighters. if we did not have the australian ships out there, they probably would have sent us as well. us as well. [applause] >> controlling and the coral sea. news of whathe , heened at pearl harbor -- this was the biggest flight from american dutch fleet of american ships i saw. t of american ships i saw. battle, it was the first night of battle that we ever fought without the enemy ships setting one another. blokes.e fine [applause] please welcome to the stage the ceo of the chemical company and the president and ceo of defense, space and security. honored to be joined with leanne. please hold your applause until we have them all up here for you to recognize. first, mr. gordon johnson. he is a veteran who joined the navy at 16 and served in the raphist.s a teleg later in life, he became ceo of aircraft guided weapons. history.ed in naval he is an honored member of the association and has worked on coral sea events are many years. norm joined the navy at 16, served as a severing lookout during the battle. the battle.uring he is also a veteran of the korean war, having served board the aircraft carrier. >> derek joined the navy as a 16-year-old. he served as a gun leader throughout the hostilities. he remained with the navy after electrical mechanic during the korean war. lives in --, where he is a radio operator. [applause] let us welcome to the stage mr. bill white. he joined the navy when he was 17 and served as a telegraph operator. after eight years in the navy, he moved to western australia where he worked in carpentry and construction. he resettled in queensland where he managed an infrastructure company before retiring to the sunshine coast. >> mr. roger spooner is a veteran of yorktown and enlisted at 18. he served aboard the yorktown and later at midway, where it was sunk by japanese tornado -- torpedoes. he was in japan when the war ended. hometown ofto his iron city, georgia, where he lives today. let's welcome mr. john hancock. he joined the navy at 17 and served as a gunner. he was once again aboard the yorktown in 1942, when it was sunk at the battle of midway. he is a retired navy captain and now lives in athens, georgia. wendell enlisted at 17, was a crew member aboard your town at sea and yorktown. he returned to pearl harbor to help repair the uss virginia. he eventually moved back home to lawrence county, alabama, where he ran a small business and worked at the local paper mill until 1992. welcome mr. andrew robertson. he was awarded the king's medal in 1942. he is a veteran of the korean and vietnam wars. after a distinguished career with an 80 at home and see -- sea he served as the federal vice president of the navy league of australia ever since. please join us in recognizing these heroes of the greatest generation. [applause] >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you. ladies and gentlemen, you will note that the table in front is set, and yet it is empty. it is in remembrance of our fallen comrades and friends who are no longer with us. i ask you to stay standing and odeen to the reading of the by the end. >> they shall not grow old as we that are left are old. age shall not weary them were the years condemn. at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. we will remember them. everyone please join me in a moment of silence for our fallen comrades. thank you. please take your seats. >> please welcome chairman, president, and ceo of northrop grumman corporation. >> good evening. delighted to be with you to commemorate an event i was absolutely pivotal in securing the freedom of both our nations. this evening recalls and renews the friendship and mutual interest of america and australia. that friendship is evidenced by the president and the leaders of our two nations here with us this evening. pleasure and an honor for you to be here with us for this very special occasion. [applause] this event enables us to honor the courageous world war ii veterans who defended our freedom and values during that critical battle summit years ago. we owe them a debt of gratitude we can never repay. ofave experienced the death the partnership between our nations on a personal level. my wife and i lived in australia the first year we were married. i was a young engineer and she was just out of nursing school. the friendship and our partnership between the nations was evident to us then just as it is evident tonight. the american australian veteran sponsorship fund that we launched tonight is a fitting way to honor a legacy and a matee builds -- built on ship. it is my honor to introduce prime minister trimble. -- turnbull. he is the 29th prime minister of australia, a graduate of sydney university and ox or university, earning law degrees from both. he has a distinguished career in journalism, merchants baking, and venture capital being -- venture capital. ministerial before coming prime minister of australia in 2015. please join me in welcoming prime minister turnbull. [applause] prime minister turnbull: thank you very much. president and mrs. trump for your very warm, family welcome to new york. lucy and i are honored to be here. it is wonderful to be back in the city and to meet your family. it has been a great evening. thank you so much. well done. congratulations. it is always good to win a vote in the congress, or the parliament, as we call it. i have to say it is always reasonably satisfying to win a vote when people predict you will not win it. keep at it. it is great. well done, mr. president. there are so many distinguished guests here tonight. i want to thank you all so much for joining us for such a great cause. there are none so distinguished as veterans of the battle for the coral sea. [applause] navythe royal australian and from the u.s. navy. gentlemen, we salute you and we thank you. [applause] i have to say that you are all in great shape. earlier this week, we thanked -- 93 years young. summary five years ago, the japanese seemed unstoppable. their infamous surprise attack on pearl harbor sunk and disable fleet. the u.s. the impregnable fortress at singapore had fallen. battleships had been sunk by japanese bombers off the coast. uss houston have been sunk, as had the carrier uss langley. darwin had been bombed. japan next advance was to see his port morrison in new guinea. that would have taken us out of the war to be invaded if, and when it suited the new masters c and the private united states of the base to provide a counter attack. these were dark days. signaledwas intelligence that cut through the darkness. american and australian codebreakers revealed the japanese plans to the commander. he sent to task forces led by the uss lexington and uss sea,own into the coral joined by another task force rep -- led by the cruisers. the first time, australian ships were under the overall command of the united states commander, we are admiral fletcher -- rear admiral fletcher. unity of purpose, unity of command, shared and collaborative signals of intelligence, the battle took to the water and the sky. won the battle 90 years ago. ea wasctory in the coral s the first step back for the japanese. by thinking one and damaging to japanese carriers, it laid the foundation for the decisive victory at midway. churchill called this time the hinge of fate. he was so right. the hinge of fate turned to victory for america, australia, and our allies. it had a high price. the aircraft carrier uss lexington was lost, as was destroyer and tinker. over 600 american and australian sailors and airmen died to secure that victory. securedons freedom was by the bravery of the men on those ships and the pilots who flew through everything, the enemy and the weather, could throw their way. we discussed the bond our great nearly 100 years fightingr forces side-by-side in the middle east at this moment. as we reflect on the battle of , we are reminded of the stability of our region over so many decades has been secured and is secured today by the united states commitment to the stability and rule of law in our region renewed by president trump, for which we thank you. [applause] each of our great nations defined its national identity not by race or religion or a commitmentt by to share political values come as timeless. freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. a shared destiny, fiercely competitive, we always want to win but we always know we are more assured of winning when we are fighting together. we are confident and we trust each other. ist is why the united states the largest foreign investor in australia, and the united states is our largest overseas investment destination, that's been -- about to become even larger. this is built on the work of millions of australian and americans, many of whom are here with us tonight, creating thousands of jobs in the usa and australia. today, together, we condemn and we resist north korea's reckless provocation. we fight together in iraq and afghanistan to defeat and destroy the terrorists who threaten our way of light -- life. australian and americans stand shoulder to shoulder, defending our freedoms. [applause] recently, i traveled to baghdad to visit our troops and commemorate -- i brought the gratitude of our knowledge the certain that we best honor the service and sacrifice of generations past by supporting the service men and women, the veteran and their families of today. i commend the board of the australian american association for their initiative in launching a new veterans fellowship fund tonight. i thank you all for being so generous. the proceeds from this evening will enable a new generation of australian and american veterans to be recognized for their service and rewarded with the experience of earning a degree in either australia or the united states. we thank all those australians and americans who served. we remember them -- the more coral00 who died in the sea. to all those who served, we honor you, we thank you, you and .our families with your courage and your service, you keep as free. -- you keep us free. thank you. [applause] >> please welcome to the stage , mr.xecutive chairman rupert murdoch. mr. murdoch: welcome home. mr. turnbull, mrs. turnbull welcome back. it is an honor to be with you and presence of the brave veterans. i am one of the few old enough to have been alive when you men fought with such courage. here this day because you were there that day. thanks t we still have freedom of speech, press, worship, and all the rights of we cherish. young americans and australians together, with their potential so that future generations have potential. it is fitting that the american australian association had my establishing a scholarship for veterans in gratitude for those who served. your presence is document, not only for the healing power but -- power of democracy. [applause] mr. murdoch: these are dangerous , as thisd we must be great carrier is called, intrepid. to be fearless and bold. nation'se of our chores. -- nation's shores. we must be bold and unafraid in dealing with the challenges we face. the man i'm about to introduce believes as i do in challenging conventional wisdom, because conventional wisdom is not often wise at all. significantularly -- the president announced today that he would be presenting saudi arabia and israel, two of our most important allies in the region. and he will have a host with pope francis. whether it is cherishing our views or allies or standing up to enemies, we should be inspired of the fortitude of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, for people and for principal. we all have a debt to those who died so that we might inherit freedom, and importantly all australians have a debt to the united states. i pay respect to our armed veterans and my forces. it is my distinct honor to introduce the commander-in-chief, the president of the united states, naldriend john trump -- do j. trump. >> [applause] pres. trump: thank you. thank you so much. that is a great honor. thank you to my very good friend rupert murdoch. there is only one rubric that we know. that we know. he has been working on this for a long time. he loves australia. thanks also to the legendary talented golfer. i used to think i was a talented player and then i played with greg one-time. i said, i am not going to do that for a living. he saved me a lot of time. thank you to everyone here tonight for helping us to honor and remember those very brave souls who concerned the call of freedom. who justnthony pratt, pledged to billion dollars. that is peanuts for him if you know him. hony.an do better ant >> [laughter] [applause] pres. trump: thank you, that is beautiful. it is a privilege to be back on the intrepid and address both american and australian heroes. thrilled to bere joined by a special prime minister and his wonderful wife, lucy, who i have just gotten to know. they said we had a rough phone call. we didn't really have a roof phone call, -- rough phone call, did we? you didn't really hang up. we had a really nice call, right? now the record is straight. thank goodness. >> [applause] pres. trump: it got a little bit testy, but that is ok. we have had a very good relationship and i am proud of the relationship. thank you very much malcolm. the prime minister and i have finished a productive discussion about the interest of our two countries. we discussed crucial issues ranging from national security to trade to immigration and enhanced economic cooperation. we reaffirm the tremendous friendship between the united states and australia and the vital importance of our security and our alliance. the armed forces of our two nations are operating side-by-side almost every day fighting to defeat isis and the scourge of terrorism. and we will eradicate terrorism. >> [applause] pres. trump: to every man and woman who has served america and australia in uniform, two proud nations salute you, believe me. there is no better place to remember the importance of military readiness than this ship. it was laid down just one week before the tragic, and the tragedy of pearl harbor, and helped secure freedom in its power of need. -- its hour of need. this week my administration reached a historic deal with congress to end the devastating cuts to the united states military. >> [applause] >> i don't know what they are thinking when they are cutting. is coming back fast. lots of planes, lots of ships. we will add more than $25 billion for national defense in and we period of time will ensure that our service members have the tools, equipment, training, and resources that they so richly deserve. >> [applause] but security also requires friends that you can truly count on. that is why i was pleased to meet with prime minister turnbull, and why i am so glad to be with you tonight. we had a great meeting just a little while ago. i 12 think the american australian association for this event, which i have been through into for years rupert. window i have to do with that, rupert? i kept sending him money and money. i realized that was money well spent. >> [applause] pres. trump: for years, i have been doing my thing for rupert. and for his decades of work to strengthen the ties between our two countries. america and australia are old friends and really natural partners. with your help we will remain so for a very very long time to come. >> [applause] pres. trump: our two nations were born as the rebellious children of the same parent. >> [laughter] pres. trump: it is a very interesting statement. toove heard that before about people. and for nearly a century, americans and australians have fought together, bled together, and died together as brothers and sisters. since the first world war, when australians led americans in battle, our brave warriors fought shoulder to shoulder in every major conflict together. they are righteous cause has been the same, the safety of our citizens and survival of our freedom. , am the beaches of normandy theous vicious fight, to jungles of vietnam, and the desert landscapes of the middle progressh lots of believe it or not, is being made. americans have had no better friends than the australians. i mean that. >> [applause] proudly and we are profoundly grateful for australia's contributions in afghanistan,and and their help in the fight against terrorism following the terrible attacks of september 11. on behalf of the united states, i think the australian people tonight -- i thank the australian people tonight. we love australia, all of us. thank you very much. >> [applause] pres. trump: i know there are many active duty service personnel from both nations with us in the audience. i want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you. joinedprivileged to be by many amazing veterans from really countries, and from so many different conflicts. there are so many conflicts that we fought on and worked on together. and by the way, in all cases, succeeded on. it is nice to win. and we have won a lot, haven't we mr. prime minister? we're going to keep it going, by the way. you have given your love and loyalty to our nations. a room of grateful patriots says thank you. we are especially honored by the presence tonight of seven world war ii veterans. we have been talking about them all night, but i should mention their name once again. perhaps for the final time tonight, or we can keep mentioning them, because they are worth it. their names again -- great am a great people. -- great, great, people. >> [applause] pres. trump: these men stood at the breach at the battle to save civilization, and their sacrifice kept us free. 75 years ago this week, these men saw that historic battle with their own eyes. that veryso covered vicious violent battle. this is a little bit of a different description. the end result was the same. we won. we won. day saw enemy planes flying toward them by the dozen. they saw the flames you wrote into the air. -- flames erupt into the air. they saw the true cost on the faces of those that never returned. on this special night we remember the courage of these men and every man, australian and american, who fought in the battle of the coral sea. >> [applause] pres. trump: the count of the dead goes on and on, and the number of wounded do not even toughnessescribe the of the fight, and their incredible sacrifice. but perhaps in the story of one man, we can hope to get a small glimpse of its measure. it is the story of lieutenant jack powers, a navy flyer. he grew up miles from here in a modest apartment in washington heights right up the road. on to the united states naval academy. roommate told him, never to respect convention realities. he wasn't a conventional person. rebel and hisous own man. you will like him. he is just a different kind of a guy. in other words, he was a new yorker. >> [laughter] [applause] by the attack on pearl harbor, jack had already served six years in the navy. in the six months that followed, the allies suffered many defeats and many casualties. footholds all across the pacific. closing fast on australia. they moved on the base just a few hundred miles from australian shores. thats there off the coast american and australian ships met the enemy in the coral sea. on the morning of may 7, jack powers launched his dauntless dive bomber from the deck of the yorktown. he was some flyer, i can tell you that. dived straight at an enemy carrier and dropped his bomb solo. he was almost caught in the blast. he was badly hurt. he escaped, and the carrier sank. that night on the yorktown, jack urged the other pilots to take the same risk. that is the way to do it, that is the way you win. that is the way you sink them. whatever the cost, even if it cost you your lives. that is how you think the ship. key pressed his point -- remember the full back home -- he pressed his point. remember the folks back home are counting on us. in their carriage -- in their courage, they turned the tide of the pacific war. they had tremendous success. they were knocking out ship afte r ship. playing jack flew his straight into -- his plane straight into gunfire to land a it was fitting below onto the deck. seconds later the colossal blast, the one jack was taking him in flame,d and jack was gone. he was dead. he was brave. but what a job he did. sometime before jack died, he sent a wire home to his dad in new york. "1000 miles away doesn't make any difference. your bad son is thinking of you, hoping he is worthy of being called a chip off the old block." now it is we who are thinking of jack and all of those brave souls who fought alongside of him, with the incredible form of attack, and especially those that have found their resting place the needs of the waters where they waged that greatest of battles. they lost their lives in the fires of war, but gained immortality through their sacrifice. and now 75 years later we hope that we are worthy of their beautiful beautiful coral sea. we to be worthy of the sacrifices made by every service member who has fought in our name, past and present. fought the first saw second world war terrible things, definitely things. spectacularo saw courage and bravery. they rebuilt their nations and launched civilization to new heights. they knew that together free people can achieve extraordinary things. and that one hero can make all the difference in the world. in those pacific waters, we forged iron bonds between our two countries. few peoples in the world share ties of history, affection, and culture like the americans and the australians. few, believe me. >> [applause] were trump: those ties sealed with the blood of our fathers and grandfathers, and those same ties are now the priceless heritage we celebrate so beautifully tonight. so with love for our two nations, with pride in our shared history, and with faith in almighty god, we renew our old friendship and pledge our lasting partnership in the search for prosperity and everlasting peace. mr. prime minister, thank you very much. i am honored that you are here. i am honored that mrs. turnbull is here. i am honored that everyone in this room is with us to realize what a great great relationship our two nations have together. god bless you. and god bless our fallen heroes. god bless the australian people. states bless the united of america. thank you all. >> [applause] >> please welcome the place chairman of the board -- vice chairman of the board for schermerhorn. -- for chevron. >> you can want to the event in its entirety on our website at c-span.org. just enter "intrepid" on the search for. supporters and clicks of president trump discusses foreign policy in the first 100 days. former u.s. ambassador to germany from the obama administration, and a former defense department analyst from the reagan administration. friday at 8:00 p.m. on c-span. ♪ >> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. friday morning, kaiser health news discusses actions of representatives on health care thursday and what consumers can expect going forward. future to watch "washington a.m.al" live at 7:00 sunday morning. join the discussion. >> today the house passed a republican plan to replace the affordable care act by a vote of 217-213. four members cast their vote, nancy pelosi and paul ryan took to the floor to talk about the bill. entlelady from california, ms. pelosi. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. pelosi: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i thank him, congressman scott, i thank frank pallone, john yarmuth, richie neal, our ranking members who have done such excellent work on this debate on the values of our country. mr. speaker, our colleague, mr. clyburn, began mr. speaker, i want to join him. i think those words bear repeating. over 50 years ago dr. king said, of all of the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and the most inhumane, because it often results in physical death. we come to the floor with the luther king's dr. words in our hearts. the affordable care act is a civil right, a fundamental right for every person in our country. not just the privileged few. so in the spirit of mr. clyburn and dr. king, let us be prayerful about how we go forward on this very personal issue, about the well-being of every person in our country. speaker ryan once called this bill an act of mercy. an act of mercy. there is no mercy here. indeed, inequality and inhumanity is exactly -- that is exactly what trumpcare has in store for the american people. but when he said it's an act of mercy, ears what others said. from the beginning trumpcare was a moral monstrosity that will devastate seniors, children and hardworking americans. that was from me. but don't take it from me. sister simone campbell said, this is not the faithful way forward and must be rejected. the catholic health association wrote, we strongly encourage the full house to reject this replacement bill. and the united methodist church said, opposing trumpcare, this is what they said, people will die because of efforts like this to roll back health care. lutheran services of america said, trumpcare will jeopardize the health care and long-term service and support of million of americans. the emiss can pal church said trumpcare falls woefully short of our spiritual calling to care for the least of these, as well as the noble values upon which our great nation was founded. end of quote. and all that was said before the republicans decided to destroy the protections of americans with pre-existing conditions. i grant our republican friends their position. i respect them and their constituents who sent them here. but i reject the wrong priorities in trumpcare. tax cuts for the rich at the expense of the health insurance for tens of millions of working families across america. trumpcare very clearly spotlights the differences in priorities between democrats and republicans in congress. it has stepped forward in the long standing republican beliefs that medicare should wither on the vine, that medicaid should be shrunken, and that social security should be privatized. if you believe in the health and well-being of the american people, you must reject this bill before us now. it is what trumpcare, here's what it means for the american people. much has been said about policy here today and over time. much has been said about politics. but what are the politics of this? but what's really important is what this means to the american people. and they know, they are listening. they know what it means to them. it means, trumpcare does, it forces families to pay higher premiums and deductibles, increasing out-of-pocket costs. higher costs. less coverage. trumpcare will take away health care from more than 24 million hardworking americans. a crushing age tax. trumpcare forces americans age 50 to 64 to pay premiums five times higher than what others pay for health coverage. no matter how healthy they are. stealses from medicare. steals from medicare. trumpcare shortens the life of medicare trust fund and ran sacks funds that seniors depend on to get long-term care they need. that's why it's consistent with their wither on the vine for medicare philosophy. and then, if that were not bad enough, and they couldn't pass their bill because it was that bad, they moved further away from the american people. by gutting key protections. trumpcare eviscerates essential health benefits such asthma ternlt care -- such as maternity care, prescription drugs, and guts protections for americans with pre-consisting medical conditions. as bad as trumpcare was the first time around, it was dead, it died. it died right here on the floor. now it's come back to life. like a zombie. even more scary than before. and it is even worse. if republicans had their way, americans with pre-existing conditions would be pushed off their insurance and segregated into high-risk pools will where they will face soaring costs, worse coverage and restricted care. trumpcare means huge premium increases. it's frightening future for families who need affordable, dependable care the most now. on the floor, the republicans have recklessly and some would say fraudulently claimed that trumpcare covers americans with pre-existing conditions. it does not. it does not. as the conservative center said about the upton amendment, the $8 billion amount is a pittance spread over five years, it is 1/5 of a pittance. as the keizer family mount dation said, the upton means would cover the costs for only 1% of the individual market. others have given it up to 5%. 1% to 5%. does that mean covering? no. forcing a vote without a c.b.o. score shows that the republicans are afraid of the facts. they're afraid of learning the full consequences of their plan to push americans with pre-existing conditions into the cold, oz ar my colleague from new york said -- or as my colleague from new york said, off the sidewalk. if republicans thought they really were protecting people, they wouldn't be afraid of the facts. but they're also afraid of the truth. and the truth that would come forth if we knew the facts. and they're afraid that the american people will find out that this is not a health care bill. this is a tax bill disguised as a health bill. this is a bill that is the one of the biggest transfers of wealth in the -- from the middle class to the richest people and corporations in america. a tax bill, not a health care bill. that's why they have to do it now. so they can get on with their tax bill. but the suffering trumpcare will inflict on people is all too clear. that's why this disastrous bill has been condemned by the american medical association, the american cancer society, american diabetes society, american diabetes association, american heart association, american lung association, american society of clinical oncology, the cystic fibrosis foundation, age united, the childrens hospital association, aarp, the march of dimes, the list goes on and on. instead of reading all of these pages, i will submit them, without objection, for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. pelosi: thank you, mr. speaker. under trumpcare, families, seniors, vulnerable children, americans with disabilities, people struggling to overcome addiction, and the sick will lose their health care. rural hospitals will be closed, nearly two million jobs will be destroyed across america. seven million veterans will lose access to tax credits for health care. and all of this to give a massive tax cut to the richest in america. trumpcare is a billionaire's tax cut disguised as a health care bill. it's robin hood in reverse. one of the largest transfers wealth from working families to the rich in our country. today we have -- within wwe honor of visions of our -- we honor the visions of our founders, we can, who risked everything. they risked everything. their lives, their liberty, their sake receipt red honor, to advance -- sacred honor, to freedom to pursue your happiness. the freedom from being job locked or policy locked because of what the republicans want to do today. today we fight to preserve affordable health care as the right of every american, again, not the privileged few. today we fight for children like zoe madison lynn. zoe was born with a con genital heart defect in may of 2010. she faced her first of three heart surgeries at 15 hours. by 6 months old, she was halfway to her life-time limit her insure heir placed on her. she faced a grim future, not only using up her lifetime limit by preschool, by preschool, but by carrying a pre-existing condition will that -- that will require attention and care for rest of her life. under the affordable care act, she's protected. but trumpcare puts her future in danger. i wish that our members who vote for this bill have better -- i hope you make time to sit down with the parents of a newborn or with a heart condition or a young woman who just learned she had breast cancer, the family of loved ones struggling with the disease or a chronic condition. any of the tens of millions of americans who are rightfully terrified of what trumpcare will mean in their lives. mr. speaker, we have with this bill a wonderful opportunity. this is one of the best civics lessons we can engage in. because of what happened following the election, the american people are engaged. they are paying attention. i'm not saying in a political way. i'm saying in a personal way. a former speaker said, all politics is local. in the case of health care, all politics is plit -- is personal. all politics is personal when it comes to health care. so, this civics lesson will teach the american people a number of things. as special as we think we are when we come to the floor here, most americans don't know who their member of congress is. but they will now. when they find out that you voted to take away their health are. they will know when you put an age tax on them or undermine medicare, medicaid and the rest. oh, yeah. they're paying attention. because it's really personal with them. and their families. so, i think we have to get ready for that. our colleagues who have the mantle of being a moderate, you vote for this bill, you have walked the plank from moderate to radical. and you're walking the plank for what? a bill that will not be accepted by the united states senate. why are you doing this? do you believe in what is in this bill? some of you have said, well, they'll fix it in the senate. but you have every provision of this bill tattooed on your forehead. you will glow in the dark on this one. will you glow in the dark. will you glow in the dark. so don't walk the plank. especially unnecessarily. our responsibility to the sick and the hurt is biblical. it's fundamental to who we are. as pope francis said, health is not a consumer good. but a universal right. so access to health services cannot be a privilege. today let us declare once again the affordable care act must be the right of the -- affordable health care must be the right of every american, not the privileged few. so does trumpcare lower health costs? does trumpcare provide better health care? does trumpcare protect seniors and families? does trumpcare -- is trumpcare good for our veterans? is there any caring in trumpcare at all? for the sake of our values, to honor our responsibilities to our founders, like liberty, pursuit of happiness, to our veteran who protect us, and to our children whose aspirations are our guide, i urge my colleagues to vote no on this disastrous trumpcare bill. and yield back the balance of my ime. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to address their emarks to the chair. the gentlewoman from tennessee. mrs. black: thank you, mr. speaker. it really is my privilege now to yield one minute to the distinguished man from wisconsin, the speaker of the house, paul ryan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. he speaker: thank you. i haven't said anything yet. first off, there are a few people i'd like to thank. i'd like to thank the committee chairs, i'd like to thank chairman walden, chairman brady, chairwoman black, chairman sessions. i want to thank the members of those committees, energy and commerce, ways and means, budget and rules. i want to thank all the members who made constructive contributions throughout this entire deliberative bottom-up organic process. i want to thank the president of the united states for his teadfast leadership. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order the speaker: he called on congress to act and today we take the next step to repeal and replace obamacare. i want to thank vice president pence, secretary price, director mulvaney and all their teams. my colleagues, there is a fundamental and urgent choice at the heart of this debate. we can continue with the status quo under obamacare and we know what that looks like. it means even higher premiums. even fewer choices. even more insurance companies pulling out. even more uncertainty and even more chaos. look at what has happened in iowa this week. as is the case in so many areas in this country, iowa is down to one insurer. that, of course, is not a choice. but now that one insurer is saying that it will have to pull out of 94 of 99 counties in iowa. this is happening right now. so tens of thousands of iowans will go from having one option to no options. that is not a choice. this is a crisis. and it is happening right now. what protection is obamacare if there's no health care plan to purchase in your state. this is the direction obamacare is rapidly heading. so we can continue with the status quo or we can put this collapsing law behind us, end this failed experiment. let's make it easier for people to afford their health insurance. let's give people more choices and more control over their care. let's make insurance companies come in and compete for your business. let's return power from washington to the states. let's help get people peace of mind. let's put the patients, not the bureaucrats, at the center of the system. this bill does all those things. this bill delivers on the promises that we have made to the american people. you know, a lot of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote. many of us are here because we pledged to cast this very vote. to repeal and replace obamacare. to rescue people from this collapsing law. are we going to meet this test? are we going to be men and women of our word? are we going to keep the promises we made? or are we going to falter. o. after all of this, after all of this, after seeing what is happening in iowa and around the country, after seeing this law collapsing while we witness it across the country, knowing all this turmoil that's coming, we will not falter, we will replace, and today is the day that we're going to do this. today this house has the opportunity to do more than just fulfill a promise. we have the opportunity to raise our gaze and set a bold course for our country. we have the opportunity to show that we've got the resolve to tack they will big challenges in this country before they tackle us. arrogant e drift of big government policies in our lives and to begin a new era of reform based on liberty and self-determination. giving people choices, letting them control their own destinies. that is the day that is before us right here. so let us pass this bill to take the next step to put obamacare behind us. let us pass this bill to build a better health care system for american families. let us pass this bill to leave this country better than we found it. because that is why we are here. that is what is at stake today. and that is why i am going to be so proud to cast my vote for this legislation and i urge all of my colleagues to do the same. >> the house went on to pass legislation 217-213. first a look at the washington post's and o'keefe as he breaks down the vote. >> republicans were able to get the vote today. tell us how they were able to do that. but went down -- what went down? >> it required some arm-twisting and dealmaking. there were various proposals put together by more conservative members like the house freedom caucus, and more mainstream members like tom macarthur. involved, also got wput inressmean wh a plan for pre-existing cushions, to have money for their health care. did it. you need at least 216 members for him for this bill. they got 217. 213 members voted against it. 20 republicans joined with the democrats, from suburban philadelphia, some others from out west that will face difficult reelections next year. a representative from miami said the legislation would be devastating for her constituents. and more ardent conservatives that said it does not go far enough to repeal the affordable care act. with the white house ceremony this afternoon, house republicans making it seem as this this bill has been passed for good. this is just step one of a three-step process. it heads to the senate where debate does not formally begin until at least june. >> before we get to the steps, let's talk about this white house rose garden celebration. how did that come about? we saw the president changes scheduled to invite these republicans over. why have this ceremony today? >> in part because they needed to celebrate. there has not been much for house republicans to celebrate in terms of policy wins. they have tried to pass this a few months ago. led fantastically and dramatically. when they pulled the legislation, there was a belief they were going to do this. they didn't do it. as early as yesterday they sa id this was not going to happen, but found the votes. the president has been in close contact with about 15 to 20 lawmakers, trying to win them over. it seems to have worked in getting others to get on board with this legislation and vote for it. the president was eager to make sure there was a good mixture of republicans. he brought them over to the white house. we will give you an opportunity to say a few words. he literally sat there in the rose got, like dean martin hosting one of his roasts, having the republicans say a few words about the great legislation. >> lets take a look at that moment in the rose garden now. >> here he comes . >> ladies and gentlemen, the president and vice president of the united states. >> [applause] >> speaker ryan, majority leader mccarthy, majority with scully's whip, chairman brady, congressman macarthur, congressman meadows, and all of the principal members of congress who are standing with us here today, on behalf of president donald trump and the first family, welcome to the white house. >> [applause] v.p. pence: thanks to the leadership of donald trump, welcome to the beginning of the end of obamacare. >> [applause] it was v.p. pence: march 2010 seven years ago. democrats passed the government takeover of health care. at that time republicans in congress promised the american people that law would not stand. today thanks to the perseverance, determination, and leadership of president donald trump and all of the support of those gathered here, we have taken a historic first step to repeal and replace obamacare and finally give the american people the kind of health care they deserve. >> [applause] v.p. pence: so today with heartfelt gratitude for all he has done to keep his word to the american people, and for all he will do to continue to make , it is myeat again honor and distinct privilege to introduce president of the united states of america, donald trump. >> [applause] pres. trump: thank you. thank you mike. >> [applause] pres. trump: thank you. thank you very much. this really is the group. what a great group of people. they are not even doing it for the party. they are doing it for this country. we suffered with obama care. i went through two years of campaigning. no matter where i went, people were suffering so badly with the ravages of obamacare. as far as i am concerned, your premiums are going to start to come down. we will get this passed through the senate. when it comes to deductibles, they were so ridiculous that nobody got to use their current plan, this nonexistent plan that i heard so many wonderful things about. i don't think you are going to hear so much right now. the insurance companies are fleeing. this is a great plan. i think it will get even better. make no mistake, this is a repeal and replace of obamacare. make no mistake about it. make no mistake. most importantly, yes, premiums will be coming down. yes, deductibles will be coming down. it is a great plan. ultimately that is what it is about. we knew it wasn't going to work. i predicted it a long time ago. i said it is failing. it is essentially dead. if we don't see lots of ransom money to the insurance companies it would die immediately. what we have is something very incredibly well-crafted. tell you what, there is a law of talent standing behind me. an unbelievable amount of talent, that i can tell you. >> [applause] pres. trump: coming from a different world and only being a politician for a short period of time -- how my doing? i am president. can you believe it? i thought you needed more time. we didn't. we have an amazing group of people standing behind me. they worked so hard and work so long. when i said, let's do this, short shots for each one of us. we don't have to talk about this unbelievable victory. we don't have to say it again. it is going to be an unbelievable victory when we get it through the senate. there is so much spirit there. we have a little list of some of the people. if they don't talk too long, we will let some of the other folks come up and say whatever you want. we want to brag about the plan. this plan, really-- >> [laughter] pres. trump: we may. we are just going to talk about how good the plan is. i want to thank paul ryan. he has worked so hard. >> [applause] pres. trump: i was joking, i said you know paul, i have been hearing this week, it is not working with paul ryan, he's going to get rid of paul ryan. today i hear paul ryan is a genius. he has come a long way. >> [laughter] pres. trump: the groups have come together. we have so many groups. we have the freedom caucus. . they are all great people. they all came together in the last 3 or 4 days. soee mark and i see kevin, many people. we have developed a bond. this has brought the republican party together. this has brought the republican party together. we are going to get this finished, and you know we put our tax plan in -- the biggest tax cut in the history of our country. i used to say the biggest since ronald reagan, now it is bigger than that. also your tax reform. reform.pure tax people said, why do you push health care knowing how tough it is? obamacare took 70 months. hillary clinton tried very hard to get health care through, didn't happen. we have been trying this for eight weeks if you think about it. this is a great plan. we have had no support from the other party. i just want to introduce somebody to say a few words who i think has been treated unfairly, but it no longer matters, because we won. we're going to finish it off and go off to other things. we're going to have a tremendous and maybe more importantly, we are going to have a german does eight years. -- have a tremendous eight years. paul ryan, come up and say a few words on a job well done. >> [applause] speaker ryan: thank you. first, thank you mr. president. thank you for your leadership. >> [applause] there are too many people tuning in getting us to this part. i would like to thank the members of their committees for all of the hard work they have put in to this point. >> [applause] speaker ryan: i want to thank all of the of their members who made this the best deal possible. it was a collaborative consensus driven effort. i want to thank the team at the white house. i want to thank tom price, mick mulvaney, and reince priebus. we could not have done this without you gentlemen. you guys are the best. >> [applause] speaker ryan: of course this would not have been possible if it weren't for these two gentlemen behind the. this is the fourth presidency i have served with. i have never seen engagement like this. i want to thank mike pence and donald trump for their personal involvement in working to get us to where we are. thank you gentlemen. >> [applause] today was a big day, but just one step in this process. an important step. we still have a lot of work to do to get this signed into law. i know our friends in the senate are eager to get to work. >> [laughter] speaker ryan: they are. we are going to see that works through. the issues are two important. too important. high.akes are too the results are too dire and too urgent. iowa, the last remaining health care plan is pulling out of 94 of their 99 counties, leaving most of their citizens with no plans on the obama market at all. what kind of protection is obamacare if there are no plans to choose from? this is a trend we are seeing all across the country. the truth is this law has failed, and it is collapsing. premiums are skyrocketing and choices are disappearing. it is only getting worse, spiraling out of control. that is why we have to repeal this law and put in place a real vibrant marketplace with competition and lower premiums for families. that is what the american health care act is all about. it makes health care more affordable. it shifts power from washington back to the states, and most important, back to you the patient. like i said, we have a lot of work to do. one thing is clear, republicans are committed to keeping our promise to lifted the burden of obamacare from the american people and put in place a better more patient centered system. it is my pleasure to welcome someone to the stage who made this possible, our counted majority leader kevin mccarthy. >> [applause] i remember the very first time i came here we talked about health care. you know what the president said? he said, let's not make this partisan. don't do what you think is right for the republican party. do what's right for the american country. and today that's exactly what we did. you see, if you simply read the papers from this week, you take politics out of it and you put people before politics, how do you look in the faces of 94 counties in iowa out of 99? not that they will have very many choices, they will have no choice. how do you care for pre-existing conditions when there's no care at all? or you read the paper ye