Transcripts For CSPAN Washington This Week 20161231

Thank you sarah. Now let us welcome from northern ireland, manchester francesca drumm. Francesca the world around us is changing fast. That just our Political Landscape but also on a social, geographical and cultural level. We all agree that the past months have been amongst the most chaotic and confusing that we as young people have witnessed. And yet we strive to raise our voices, the argument and the discourse. As bystanders and observers. Disregarded by the debates. Generation cryur for recognition. We seek to be had. Heard. We seek integrity. Values that we believe to be a cornerstone to any political argument. And we have been overlooked among state beer mongering and recent times. Today, as we consider the prospect of a kinder, there were democracy, we have the crucial task of young people to communicate the values that are integral to our generation. Hope, possibility and vision for a new world where boundaries between them and us must be breached. A society that looks in on itself grows smaller and weaker by each passing day. We, engage, it is enthusiastic and optimistic young people who are leading that call for change. Right here, right now and in every corner of the world. Is particularly true for me as a young person from northern island. I remember the good friday generation. I am not cynical or disenfranchised or pessimistic about the future of democracy, quite the opposite, i am excited for the young people across our committee in northern island. Seek a better, kinder democracy. They played a part in shaking heritage divisions. Excusing them with optimism and hope. Coupled with an open mind and a vision for our future that motivates us to lead this call for change. And it earned us the right to debate in this Great Chamber this afternoon. Generation that will exchange beer with health, replaced suspicion with trust. [applause] thank you francesca for that. Scotland, welcome kieran. Rk bray now kieran i would like to thank my mom and dad who dressed me today. My sisters who got me here on time. When talking about the kind of democracy, my first thought was the weightings arent are not the way they have to be. What i have heard. Thinking about the current situation, i know we are pointing fingers. This is useless. We should be looking at the future. We are providing a negative outlook on the future. With a increase in the pension age which means young people having less jobs. The future looks bleak. Way things are not the way they have to be. We need to be optimistic. We need to have better systems. Better public services. We must support a greener incher. Future. That is just the type of the iceberg the tip of the iceberg. The weightings are not the way it has to be. We dont know where we are going but we know where we are coming from. It is quite exciting. Cheers. [applause] thank you. Now, come from the southeast, we fromhear enthusiastically, walter. Walter thank you mr. Speaker. 15 million young people live in the u. K. One quarter of the entire. Opulation we have barely any influence over the decisions that affect our futures. Young people are faced with so many problems. Discrimination, and a list just goes on. We are not actually beginning bs being given the chance to. I am not if it apathetic. We care deeply about social causes and when given the opportunity, and people can do great things. Only 19 years old, look at what this man achieved. We all have the potential for greatness. But currently, it has been counterbalanced by disillusionment. That is not ok. We need to engage young people. Out toians need to reach us and give us a chance to be part of the decisionmaking. As well as this, little education political education should be important. That will help improve our democracy. It is the power of the people, i did people. It is inclusive, not divisive. Old, male,ses young, female, able, disabled. All the glorious diversity in between. It is only by ensuring that we all have our first day that we can move forward into a better and kinder democracy. Thank you. [applause] john thank you. Now we will hear from the southwest, from jack payne. Thank you mr. Speaker. My name is jack. Im be elected southwest presented it. I want to talk about a personally trying i want to talk about personally trying to make a better, democracy. We are try to make politics more inclusive for young people who are disabled. There are very few mps who have a disability. This inequality in our democracy makes me want to campaign for democraciesntative for disabled people. No matter what your race or ability, you should be able to make your mark. A motion was passed in my name and to others to raise awareness and tobility rights encourage disabled people in politics. On the 24th of june, the referendum showed our country to be highly divided. I want the youth to you uptodate to show we can Work Together to make our society a more inclusive one. And on the whole, a better one, a better kind of democracy. Iq. [applause] john thank you jack for your speech and the work you are and just described to us. We shall now here from wales. [applause] thank you mr. Speaker. This year in politics, we have seemed to loss of focus. We got there are more people. We are hateful and ignorant. Democracy should be used as a tool to give people power over their lives. Help them to make a difference in their communities. So why have so few of the political debates focused on that . Instead, emphasis has been placed on inciting here and hatred. These arguments cause division in our communities. They cause people to be suspicious of their neighbors and hate the person sitting next to them on the bus. They are being encouraged to divide ourselves based on race and ethnic origins and religion. At the time when we most need to stand united. Isexample close to my heart responding to the refugee crisis. The beds are offering help. People are encouraged to hate and fear the most friendly people on the planet. We are using human beings as ways to scare monger. But fear cannot be used as a way of garnering votes. Dividing our communities is not the way to get support. Division,is not about hatred and fear. It is about people. Doing it together to build a better future. Thank you. [applause] john ellen, thank you. Now from the west midlands, i call cheyenne. Thank you mr. Speaker my coworkers to made this possible. Something i believe strongly in is racial equality and cultural diversity. It took a campaign to show me that anybody could take a stand and combating racism or any of the subjects they felt strongly about. Stereotypes are labels. It is time that we ripped those labels off. Let us go into the schools. All, the 11 to 18yearolds, they are the ones that elected us to do this job. They need us. It will make a massive difference. We need to report these things and stop them from happening. This is the 21st century. This is 2016. How can these things be carrying on . Celebrate our differences. Martin luther king once said i have a dream when my four children will not be judged by the color of the skin but the content of their character. What we should do, we should not see someone as the color or religion or tradition or a country or a race for that matter. We should see them as we see ourselves, so we can leave a legacy behind for the youth of the future and love all. Thank you. [applause] thank you cheyenne. Next, from yorkshire. Speaker, i call you up next. Thank you mr. Speaker. I am humbled to be speaking in the chamber today. It was in this house where william from yorkshire are good time at the time for the abolition of slavery and to change the course of history forever. So we must never underestimate the words being spoken in this house. Changing a challenging world. There has never been a more urgent aid for a better, kinder democracy. Democracy of change doesnt always happen. It happens from our communities across the country. A democracy where people are not disengaged or misinformed but instead are taking an active part in a national conversation. Represented by a gender balanced parliament. People from all backgrounds and walks of life. Truly reflecting the british society. Holding a people power democracy. Surely, is not the vision for the future. This is the vision for today and it is the right way forward. Put that vision into reality. Lets be the voice of hope. Lets silence the fear. Thank you. [applause] yet another sustained but very powerful speech. Piddly this the last speaker representing service, forare whom i hope you will give a rapturous welcome. It is lame west liam west. Democracy. This is the greatest Prime Minister ever served, winston churchill. Democracy in a u. K. Is great. The age everybody over of 18 can vote. All votes counted equally. But as a young person i feel that decisions are being made for which i have no influence. Furthermore, the problem with democracy is you need to register in order to vote. Might see itople as a bit of time. We need to automatically register when you turn 18 or 16 or 17. Finally, exit. As paul indicated, young people decided they didnt need to turn out. Thank you. [applause] thank you. We have had over 90 speakers today. We have had a very large number of contributions. Doinglly considered into much effort has gone. It has been delivered with great eloquence. There have been some remarkable personal testimonies in the course of the proceedings. Beope you have been proud to part of this great enterprise. Proud of those who spoken. Proud if you heard a great speech or had a new thought as a result of what you have heard. It has been a very special experience. Members of the youth parliament, they will not vote on which of the five subject debated today to select as its National Campaign issues. Lobby, my friends, you will be given to ballot papers. One of the two reserve. Devolved forree todays purposes, and when only. You should vote on each ballot paper and handy complete ballot paper to the doorkeepers in the lobbies. Please return to your place in the chamber. Those of you on my right, you should leave the chamber by the door behind me. Lobbyrn left into the eye behind you. Should be oneft the doors at the bar and and turn left into the lobby behind you. Members of the house of commons staff will be on hand to assist assist you. The Division Lobbies are now open, thank you. The new Congress Starts tuesday. Much of the opening day events on cspan. We are live from the u. S. Capitol starting at 7 a. M. Eastern. The house gavels in at. Opening day business includes the election of the House Speaker is addressed to the whole house and later a debate on the rules for the new congress. One role in particular is getting protect attention. A proposal to the nine members from the house floor. It is in response to last years democratic sit in at was streamed by democratic officials. A live cover of the Senate Starts at 12 00 eastern. Opening day continues on cspan three. With the coverage ceremonial members of congress. Joe biden will preside over the swearingin of individual senators. And paul ryan will swear in members of the house. He will have a full replay of opening day at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. It will be on cspan and cspan2. Backw Bbc Parliament looks at the major events that took place in the British Parliament from september 2016. This is one hour long. We are back in two big events over the last four months. Coming up in the next hour, it is present all the way as they try to work out what happens now that the u. K. Has voted to leave the eu. Is a the time the government stops running away from the looming threats of jobs and businesses in this country and the Living Standards of noise of people. I am optimistic about the prospect here. Newly talking about two experts about what we know now and what the present future holds. Leave it or not, there have been other subjects debated at westminster. Who is to blame for humanitarian disasters in syria. I think we are deceiving ourselves in this parliament. If we believe that we have no responsibility to what has happened in syria. And on a more personal note, and had he moves colors to tears when she tells them that she was raped. It was quite and i remain that fear,prised that horror as i realized that i couldnt escape. They have taken over debates at westminster, the exit from the eu. It was as dramatic as it was unexpected, ushering a new era in politics. In the immediate aftermath, a it caused David Cameron to resign and after a truncated leadership conference, theresa may took charge in days of turmoil. Has our palm it was on its summer recess, the new pm crisscrossed europe, shaking hands with leaders and pressing the uks case. So when september came, the leader of the s p group asked her what would happen now. Millions of people from across the United Kingdom depend on freedom of Movement Across the eu for business and pleasure. They face the prospect of having to apply and possibly pay for visas. Is the Prime Minister in favor of protecting visa free travel, yes or no . There was a very clear message from the british people at the time of the referendum vote on june the 23rd. That they wanted to cnns to Free Movement as it operated, they wanted to see control of the movement from the European Union to the u. K. And that is what we will deliver. The labor leader wanted to know what ministers were going to do now. This is a government that drew up no plans for brexit, that now has no strategy for negotiating brexit, and offers no clarity, no transparency and no chance of scrutiny of the process of developing a strategy. The jobs and incomes of millions of our people are at stake, the pound is plummeting, business is worrying and the government has no answers. The Prime Minister says she will not give a running commentary, but isnt it time government stopped running away from the looming threat to jobs and businesses in this country and the Living Standards of millions of people . Yes unlike the right honorable gentlemen, i am optimistic. Im optimistic about the trade deals that other countries are actively coming to us saying they want to do with the United Kingdom, and i am optimistic about how we will be able to ensure our economy grows outside of the European Union. But i have to say, labor did not want a referendum on this issue, we gave them the conservatives gave them a referendum. We are listing to the british people and deliberating on that result. The foreign secretary is shouting from a sedentary position. The secretary wants a second vote. I have to say to her, i would have thought that labor mps what have learned this lesson. You can ask the same question again and still get the answer you dont want. Recent reelection as leader. Democrats campaigned to stay in the eu and their leader predicted trouble ahead. When will she put the democrats campaigned to stay in the eu and their leader interests of hardworking british people above extremists . Extremist protectionism which nobody voted for . And as the weeks passed, other mps wanted to know what the plan was and how it might impact different parts of the u. K. The Prime Ministers plan for brexit seems to be to cut a special deal for the city of london so that the bankers avoid the dire consequences of leaving the European Union. The software exit for people in the city, the heart brexit for everyone else. When will she cut a similar deal for wales . I will be cutting the best deal for the United Kingdom, full stop. Away from westminster, the High Court Ruled that parliaments approval was needed to leave the European Union. Gina miller led the claim. The government had insisted it was possible for ministers to trigger what is known as article 50. The government appealed against the ruling, taking the case to the Supreme Court. A verdict is expected before the end of january. Meanwhile, back in parliament, labor mp wondered how a bank in india was impacting the u. K. And trying to work out how you can be doing your job if you arent getting clear indication there is a big difference in terms of how you do your job, a series of bilaterals, [indiscernible] a trade organization. It makes a big difference. You need to get just saying that we will have nothing to do with the world trade organization. Who is going to give you that indication . The negotiations have indeed begun. Havent even begun. But we are several months in. I understand, but we have a central forecast, which given what we know, and we dont know anything particularly special, but certainly the parliamentarians dont know. Given the likely outcome, it is a sensible forecast. But as this proceeds and if we get greater clarity, we will adjust that and it could be adjusted up or down. Elsewhere on the committee quarter, a leading campaigner asked if it was possible to have what he termed a Quickie Divorce from europe. He was told there was no quick fix solution. The chancellor handed to the Treasury Committee that he felt favored a more track drawnout transition than a quick break. There is an emerging view among businesses and regulators and politicians, as well as i think a universal view among Civil Servants on both sides of the english channel, that having a longer period to manage the adjustment between where we are now as full members of the European Union and where we get to in the future as a result of the negotiations we will be conducting would be generally helpful, would tend towards a smoother transition and would run less risks of disruption, including risks to financial stability. Philip hammond. Just how long might it take for the u. K. To leave the eu and set up new trade deals . Britains ambassador to the eus or ivan rogers sir ivan rogers was reported to have privately told the government that a post brexit u. K. Eu trade deal might take 10 years to finalize and still fail. It could be rejected by other eu members international parliaments. The whole issue was raised that by the trade secretary at commons questions. Should we ask for the reality check about the decadelong period of time it will take to extricate ourselves from this particular process . Shouldnt we be not rushing so headlong into this process . Yes, there are number of bureaucratic processes we face but the british people have given us clear instructions to leave the European Union union. This includes huge opportunities to ease the cost of living on low income families. He is right to highlight the potential to reduce the cost of living in this country. Free trade ensures that more people can access more goods a better value, making their money go further. Protectionism tens to hurt the poorest the most. Mr. Speaker, it has been two years since the environment secretary announced plans to sell to china. A question this week revealed we are still no closer to signing the pigs trotters protocol. If it takes this long to reach an agreement to sell this, what is that say about our other trade deals in the wake of brexit . Mr. Speaker, i am very intent that our agricultural exports continue. I will continue to push pigs trotters as fast as they will go. In the house of lords, there are plenty of strongly held opinions about the options for relationships with the rest of the eu. In my view, the socalled opportunities of brexit are largely delusional vistas. Similarly, we must stop talking nonsense about becoming an offshore singapore or a haven of social dumping, as many on the continent believe the government plans. It is perfectly reasonable, responsible and indeed democratic to consider how sometime in the future, the final decision should be made. Another referendum could be needed and justified. A former senior diplomat made his maiden speech. The mood i find in europe is not one to punish the u. K. , but of great sadness. That a country that has done so much for peace and prosperity on the continent should be turning its back on this project. The former Home Office Minister dismissed those who argued that britain was not a good place to negotiate a good exit deal. I will now try make the case that the market is absolutely essential to our future and that people did not vote to leave the Single Market, just the European Union. Not so, my lord. People voted to take back patrol doctor control of our money, our borders and our laws and staying in the Single Market completely this is not just a trade issue. There are huge numbers of issues in relation to eu laws, justice, agriculture, fisheries, the environment. Two years negotiation will not be enough. Six months after the referendum, what if anything do we actually know . Im joined by two eu experts. Simon fraser is a former diplomat and top Civil Servant and dr. Hannah white is at the institute for government. Hannah white, lets begin with you. What have the ministers been saying to you . What do we actually know that we didnt know in june . Hannah we know there has been a lot going on in whitehall, a lot to prepare for the government to make decisions about what the u. K. s negotiating position to should be, but we dont really know very much about the conclusions or if any conclusions have been drawn on the basis of all that work. Simon, what is your impression . Youve still got friends and connections, what is going on . Simon my impression is that this has been a period all about committee but not much has actually happened. I would describe it as a period of learning and understanding about what brexit is really about. So, you see the government and whitehall reaching out to gather information about what is what business thinks, what different parts of society thing, what do trust groups think so they can begin to put together a negotiating position for brexit, but that position has not yet been put ogether. One of the things were begun to understand is that it is a very complex set of issues and getting a coherent negotiating position together is not an easy task. Hannah white, with obviously heard a lot from Opposition Mps saying, tell us something, get on with it. Do you think ministers feel any pressure . Because members of the public who voted for brexit think, get on with it . Hannah there is definitely an imperative in the politics to show the public something is happening and the public voted to leave. It is not necessarily obvious to the public why there is not been more overt process. On the other hand, ministers ave been very clear they dont want to to rush into article 50 until they feared feel they are in the right position to do so. As i said, they are laying the groundwork to make the right decisions all in good time, i think. How long can we go on laying the groundwork before things actually have to happen . Simon we need to get on with it. If we are going to trigger article 50 in march, and personally i think that is the right thing to do now because i think we need to get on with it and trigger. The only way to move forward is to get on with it and trigger. But we have to know what the objectives are, what the agenda is and what the process is going to be for negotiations and we have to sort of preorganize some of that. With the eu negotiators. E need to know our own osition and then we need to prepare the ground to actually embark on a negotiation. Hannah the first thing will be to establish what is on the table for the various negotiations. The divorce, if you like, what is it that we can negotiate in the process and what will we need to wait for a subsequent negotiation about our future relationship, or could we do the two together . Which there would be certain advantages to doing. Host presumably behind the scenes, various different departments are scrambling to make sure their particular pet issues on the top of the agenda. Simon yes, it has to be different departments have been asked to bring forward pro proceeds proposals and those need to be arbitrated and put together. Presumably at the center of the government. There is one other point i would like to make, apart from understanding what is going on internally, we have also been looking at what has been happening externally in the world and learning more about the context of brexit. Most notable being the election of donald trump as president. We need to think about how that will affect the external context as we going to negotiation. Im sure that is at the top of peoples mind. Host we will talk about donald trump a little later. But do you agree with simon rogers, they uks ambassador to the eu, that these negotiations could take a decade . Simon i think i do agree that if you look at the complexity of the negotiations, you have to negotiate the article 50 exit plus the future relationship, it is unlikely you could do at least the second of those within a twoyear timeframe. Hence, all of the focus is on the interim arrangements that may be necessary in order to secure a smooth transition from the end of the exit negotiation to the establishing of a longterm relationship. That is quite a tricky thing. And that is by the way it is another thing we learned more about in the last few months. Host and hannah white, do you think there is a danger here for the government that this takes up everybodys day . And they could take their eye off the ball with all sorts of other issues . Hannah it is true the government was elected in 2015 with whole manifesto that it wanted to deliver and since then, we have a new Prime Minister that is brought ideas to the table she wants to deliver in many things are not brexit related but will ltimately be affected. They have to think about not just the negotiations but the post brexit period. How do we identify opportunities from having left the eu and making the most of those opportunities . The work needs to be starting now on those sorts of things. Whitehall, which was already undergoing cuts in staffing and budgets before brexit, and is now having to do business as in usual, the manifesto, and rexit. Its a challenging time, i think. Host thank you very much for joining us. We will come back to later in the program. For the time being, lets move on and take a look at some of the other news in brief. It has not just been a momentous year for the u. K. The election of a donald j. Trump as the next president of the United States came as a surprise to some and a challenge to many. He fought off democratic rival Hillary Clinton after a long and ferocious campaign. One thing he pledged was to ban muslims from entering the United States. Can i ask her what action she would take if the new president elect carries through on his Campaign Promise to discriminate against our citizens on the basis of religion . We want to ensure the dignity of our citizens. It is up to the United States what rules they put in place in terms of entri across their borders. But we will be working to ensure that that special relationship continues in both the interests of the u. K. And the u. S. The government has given its blessing to an expansion of Londons Heathrow airport. A third runway will cost around 70 billion pounds. It delivers the greatest Economic Institute benefits to economic and Strategic Benefits to our economy. It strengthens connectivity to passengers right across the United Kingdom. It offers a major boost to freight operators. It can be delivered within carbon and air quality limits and crucially it comes with world leading measures to limit the impacts of those living nearby. The government has chosen a course that is not only wrong, but it is doomed. Its wrng because of the millions of people that will direct limb suffer on the back of the environmental harm that this project produces. I believe this will be a millstone around this governments next four years to ome. Government ps neck for many, many years to come. He resigned and lost his seat. The travel secretary as set of plans to overhaul the way he Railroad System is run. He wants to start bringing back together the operation of tracks and trains. From 2018, each rail franchise will be run by a joint team. It is time for our railways it to be run under Public Ownership and public interest. It should have affordable fares for all rail riders. We can and make sure our network plays its part in making this country a country that works for everyone. Meanwhile, one peer had a novel solution on the longrunning dispute between and the union. One only get everyone to stand on the cold platform in the morning and managed to get into london. This edition of the jungle camp and calais. And the first unaccompanied children began arriving in the u. K. Many are coming under what is known as the amendment named after the former child refugee. It commits the government to relocating vulnerable child refugees. But then mps accuse the government of backtracking. Can explain why they exclude children of 16 and 17 years old from the eligibility [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2014] in calais given the recognition that they are still children and still vulnerable. We are determined to address the most Vulnerable Children as the dubs amendment suggests. Those are children 15 and below his nationality puts them in Refugee Status and who are at high risk of sexual exploitation. Children are at risk of all kinds of exploitation. It could be trafficking, forced labor and slavery. But this government does not are. [shouting out] the reason that we do not consider children after the 20th of march is quite simple. We do not want to introduce a factor to encourage parents to make this journey across the zahara and the mediterranean. Youre watching westminster interview with me. Still to come, can mps were together to handle the health care crisis. As the year drew to a close, here were increasingly vocal calls for the government to do i cant believe how depressing i find it sitting in the Commons Chamber and hearing this tind kind of politics over this issue. As the year drew to a close, there were increasingly vocal calls for the government to do more to help civilians trapped in the northern syrian video of aleppo. The city has been a key battleground between president Bashar Alassad and rebels who want to overthrow him. The u. N. Warns that up to 100,000 people were trapped there and that rebels were stopping many of them from leaving. Hundreds of civilians have died, but the Syrian Government and the russians have denied. The reports of the United Nations and its agencies and of the International Red cross are likely to be xtremely accurate. They have reported that their is clear evidence of civilians being executed and shot on the spot. There are dead bodies in the streets that cannot be reached because of gunfire and there are over 100 children that are unaccompanied or separated from their families who are trapped in a building and under heavy fire. The former chancellor reminded mps that they voted against military action in 2013. I i think we are deceiving ourselves in this parliament if we believe we have no responsibility for what has happened in syria, the tragedy in aleppo did not come out of a vacuum. It was created by a vacuum, a vacuum of western leadership. Of american and british leadership. I take responsibility as someone who set on the National Security council throughout those years. Parliament should take its responsibility for what it prevented being done. If russia and Bashar Alassad continue to block aid convoys into the area, then surely the government must finally accept that we have reached the point of last resort when the previous foreign secretary promised that airdrops would be used. If we fear that man fights would be too dangerous, as i know the gentleman sitting next to the foreign secretary does, the government should consider using unmanned drones or gps guided parachutes. Im sure many throughout the country watching Television Screens whose main feeling is one of frustration at the apparent impotence of our government to be able to get involved and do anything. Host he condemned russia for blocking aid to civilians. But he also criticized the referendum in 2013. In 2013, this house voted not to use force against assad even after he had poisoned hundreds of his people with nerve gas. We in the house of commons, we in the country, we vacated that space into which russia stepped. Every sense of that vote, our ability to influence intervention in syria or two help civilians or compel the delivery of aid has been severely limited. Next, the labor secretary sked another question. As the u. S. Ambassador to the u. N. Said yesterday, is there in way that this regime and its supporters can be shamed into facilitating this vitally needed humanitarian aid . Apparatus influence at the present time our greatest influence at the present time is providing humanitarian need to people on the ground. This is what we can do in the face of this meltdown of humanity as of the high commissioner refer to it as. The british people are the second largest donor into that area. The existence of a vacuum exploited by russia can never justify the indiscriminate bombing by russian aircraft flown by russian pilots. By russian aircraft flown by syrian pilots. Of children, of hospitals and refugees. What we need is evidence from this government that they are going to take Seek International cooperation especially from the u. N. For protection, evacuation aid and there is clear evidence of war crimes being committed. Theres the question that on the basis of the evidence there is a case of this being a breach of International Humanitarian law. A breach of the Geneva Convention and the people in who are responsible will in time be brought to justice. Host now, official figures tell us that the number of People Living in the u. K. Aged ver 100 has increased by 65 over the last decade and many ore are living well into their 80s and 90s. Increasing longevity has put more and more pressure on the health and social care system. E investigated what the hells Health Care System will look like in the year 2030. The manning charge of the nhs in england said local areas should integrate services. There are things that we hope to do to integrate health and social care locally, but i believe those solutions are best designed by consenting adults locally rather than nationally. Host and he said he was inclined to look at provisions for all people more older people more generally. In 2020, there are three different ways in which Peoples Pensions go up. That would be a triple guarantee for old people in this country. There would be a guarantee around income, around housing, and around care. And i dont think you could think about any one of those in isolation from the other two. I cant tell you how depressing i find it sitting in the Common Chamber and hearing the politics over this issue. I think we need to do what was ventually done over pensions and accept that the stain of this is so great and it will be a challenge for whoever is in power. It is in the interest of all Political Parties to get together and have a mature discussion about how we fund this. I feel this is the right time in the electoral cycle for that to happen. The closer you get to election, the more difficult that becomes. It is unnecessarily worrying to the public to talk about is the nhs and sustainable. Because they worry about those core principles. The bigger question is, how are all help systems across the worlds going to be sustainable in the face of the huge pressures of an aging population and the advances in medication and technology that are making us all live longer. Theres a bigger question about how we are going to get more resources into Health Care Systems. Host the next day at the Prime Ministers questions, one mps said the system is in crisis. This system makes loved ones give up work and makes people stay in hospitals longer and condemns people to an isolated life. When they should be cared for by all of us through a properly funded social care system. Get a grip and fund it properly, please they said in 1997, they had sorted their manifesto. They had a Royal Commission in 999. The green paper in 2005. The report in 2006. In 2007, they said they bought it. 2 other 09, they 2009, they had another green paper. 13 years and no action whatsoever. Host theresa may, now, back in october, the Home Affairs Committee tried to get to the bottom of why the chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse quit. She stepped down in august, calling it a lonely task. According to newspaper reports, other members of the Inquiry Panel had concerns about her eadership. The Committee Heard from a professor who was an adviser to the inquiry before being promoted by the gap left by the justice. We really would have preferred to sit in the room without the assistance of a panel. We were kept at a distance from the activities of the inquiry. So was she a nightmare to work with at some papers would have suggested . I would not use that language. What language would you use . I would just say that there were challenges. Host later, allegations of abuse came forward and different clubs since they were children. Mps wanted a rigorous investigation. Last week, i watched hundreds of thousands of children playing football. This is our national game. I appreciate what the faa is doing. In term of their investigation. This is no attempt to undermine or criticize them. But, given that this is a national game, will she ensure that there is independence and we dont disallow the sport to investigate itself. We dont want a witchhunt, but we need to make sure everyone in sport involved with children understand the nature f these wicked people. They have to understand why it is so important to put in place rigorous measures to safeguard our children and keep them safe. Host mps said there were problems with existing vetting checks. There is a loophole for sports that dont have government bodies and there is a loophole for people who are selfemployed, not employed by nother person. With the secretary of state take this back and look at it . It would also affect music tuition. Host and mp brought olleagues to tears after talking about being raped when she was 14. She shared her story at the commons debate. It was mercifully quick. And i remember first of all feeling fear and horror that i could not escape. Afterwards i walked home alone. I was crying, cold and shirvering. And i now realize of course that was the shock response. I didnt tell my mother, my father, my friends and i didnt tell the police. I bottled it all up inside me. I realize now, im not scared, and he was. Im not scared. Im not a victim, i am a urvivor. I think the honorable lady thank the honorable lady for what she said and the way in which she said it which left and indelible impression on us all. Host it was not the first time , an m. P. Had told a personal story to highlight a cause. A few weeks earlyier one told of the experience prve losing her daughter in childbirth. I went to the emergency room and tried to deliver. The umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck for the whole 20 minutes. She lived for five days. But we had to agree to the machine being turned off. I got to hold her for the first time. She stayed alive for hours. I did not want to let her go. Babys anniversary is every year 21 of february. My five days of her being alive. She was never able to cry or smile, but i desperately wanted her. I still love her. She is always in my thoughts. All these years afterwards, even if i dont talk about her all the time. I dont not talk about her because im embarrassed. Im not the its because the it hurts so much to do so. Host time now to take another look at some of the stories that made the news in brief. In mid novemember, several thousand prison officers to the day of action in protest against violence in jails. There were a series of disturbances, culminating in a right in birmingham in which inmates took over four wings of he prison. When order had been restored, the justice secretary updated mps. Levels of violence are too high in our prisons. Thats why we are reforming our prisons to be safe places and taking swift action to deal with the drugs. It is important to remember that these problems developed over a number of years and it will take time and concerted effort to turn the situation round. Of all prisons in 2015, birmingham had the highest number of assaults on staff. There were 164 assaults on staff in 2016 alone. The prison officers, the present Government Association and others have warned of the crisis since 2010. It is time fundamental questions were asked about the way our prison system is orking or not working. Host there was unanimous support in the commons for a motion recommending that the former owner of bhs be stripped. The firm collapsed with 11,000 jobs lost and more than 570 Million Pounds were lost in pension deficit as well as thousands of jobs. A damaging report concluded that philip green had extracted large sums and left the business floundering. A modest part would make such a difference to those ensioners still waiting. He took the rings from bhss fingers, he put it on life support and then took credit or keeping it alive. Host Emergency Action has been called to save the african elephant. Currently tens of thousands of elephants are killed by poachers every single year to 0 steal their tusks. While there is an International Ban on buying and selling ivory in other countries, it is still legal to buy and sell certain types of ivory within countries. The u. K. Government announced it will spend 30 Million Pounds on finding ways to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. It is estimated that 30 or 144,000 have disappeared in the last year, especially because past seven years substantial ly as a result of poaching. Perhaps there is as few as 400 to 450,000. This is an emergency and it requires Emergency Action. Host now, there are more than 800 members of the house of lords and some think that maybe just a few too many. There have been numerous reports, debates and minor tinkerings to reduce the size. One conservative thinks its time for a serious overhaul. This is the largest Second Chamber in the world and is the largest legislative chamber of any sort in the world after the peoples republic of china. And my lords, the constant reiteration of those facts, they cumulatively drowned the recognition of the act scrutiny we apply to build the quality of our debate. Host scotlands finance secretary has confirmed that income tax rate will be frozen in scotland. Sending out his draft budget for 201718, he said he will protect Household Incomes and upport jobs. The scottish conservatives said the plans make scottland the highesttaxed part of the u. K. Some parties and trade unions criticize him for not going far enough. There is concern that the basic rate of income tax will be frozen and the higher rate will be paid by those in just earning over 43,000, compared to the 45,000 limit in the rest f the u. K. We cannot accept the same at this time of austerity top earners benefiting from an inflationbusting tax cut. It will limit the increase in the higher Rate Threshold to inflation. The high Rate Threshold will be set at 43,430 ounds. The commons has said goodbye to familiar faces and brought in some new mps. The the murder of the labor labor secretary shocked everyone. The conservative liberal democrat the conservatives, liberal democrats, and others decided to not bring in a new candidate. Despite pledging to stay on as a conservative member, David Cameron later decided to uit the commons. There was an upset for the tories. This man, gold smith, quit over the governments decision to press ahead with the expansion of heathrow airport. Sarah olney took her seat at the start of december, flanked by her partys leader, bringing the total number of mps to nine. And finally a replacement that was new to for another conservative who quit the government over the handling of brexit. Caroline johnson held on to her seat for the tories. Her election means the number of women elected to the house of commons is the same as the men currently elected. 455. Now lets go back to brexit and the commons where labor put forward a debate calling for a plan to signal the formal start for the u. K. Separation from he eu. Theresa may agreed to that demand but put forward an amendment asking them to follow her timetable for talks. We will probably the told the plan is to have a red, hite, and blue brexit. We are the leaders in free trade, whereas we are giving up all the conditions that govern free trade in a Single Market. Can i say that the honorable member is no longer in his place but to say that it might consist of hints, i want to remind that when moses came down from the mountain bearing the tablets, it can did not contain the 10 hints. [laughter] we are seeing oversight used as a break against bringing our democracy home. Once again the labor sides with he national elite. They try to frustrate and overturn the way people voted in june. It is 167 days, almost six months, since the referendum and we have 113 days to go until the 31 of the of march, the deadline the government set itself. We are almost two thirds of the way there. Talk about glacial progress may be an overstatement in this case. We have the opportunity to shape and Economic Policy and an immigration policy that could make us once again a world leader. But if we dont take that opportunity and instead concentrate on seeking to dilute the results of the referendum, and i am afraid we will fail the people of this country and this historic moment. Host a few days after, the secretary of state for exiting the eu made his debut in front of the committee in charge of scrutinizing his department. And its chair. Wanted to know what happened next. Following last weeks debate in the house of commons, the government is going to publish its plans for the negotiations before article 50 is triggered. When can we expect to see this . Well, as soon as we can, chairman, once all the policy is complete. The reason for setting the final possible date in march was a numerous, but the reason was to carry out the policy first. Consult properly and then bring someone aboard. So next month, january, february, there is still many decisions to be ade. We are carrying out 57 analysis, each of which has analysis of different parts of the economy. Some of those are still to be concluded. Theres still a number of things to do. It will be as soon as we are ready. Host just before christmas, parliament heard once more from a theresa may following a summit in december. She was excluded from parts of the meeting as other leaders discussed their approach to brexit. As you will appreciate, there are many people who want us to move quickly in relation to all these matters. I appreciate there is a timing issue, but, do you not want to get on with this as soon as possible because the certainty that comes from that, which the Business Community and other people in society want to reflect on the referendum as soon as possible . It is right that people want to reflect the outcome of the eferendum. But its also right that the government needs to take the time to prepare for these negotiations. Before i became Prime Minister, i said we should not draw out article 50 until the end of this year. We looked at the timetable and the trick of it was giving up a balance between giving us sufficient time to making this preparation and then to pair for their side of the negotiations. And also recognizing that the British Public wanted us to get on with it. Host the big question is, where do we get from here and what can we expect in the next few months . Well, im delighted to say that still here with me are hannah white is here from the institute of government and simon fraser. Late of the foreign office. The negotiation is not just about us. There are 27 other people around the table. What are they making of what is going on . Simon when we trickled the article 50 negotiation and it trigger the begins, we have to understand what the priorities are of the e. U. 27. We need to bear mind that they have said clearly that there top priority is maintaining the nity of the eu 27. And there should be a price attached to leaving the eu. In other words, they think that if you are a member of a club and enjoy the benefits of the club, you have to abide by the rules of the club and contribute to the club and they see that as a whole package, if you see what i mean. Host politically, that is going to be difficult because if the government finds that it has to continue to pay money to the eu, politically, theyll be difficult to sell to the public. Hannah there is a possibility that we will contribute to the eu budget. And i think it will come down to a series of policy decisions. But the people who voted for brexit will say, hey, i did not vote for that. People voted for brexit for different reasons. Obviously money was one of them. Money was one of the issues on the side as the brexit battle bus. I thinkpart of the task of government will be to sell whatever they negotiate to the british people. There will be decisions about whether there is a specific benefit that the u. K. Sees from being still part of some mechanism within the eu. Then we might be prepared to pay some money for that. But theyll will have to sell that back to the public. Host how far will the government be able to go to keep its trade links going with the you and manage the still put its hand on its heart and say to the public, we have actually left . Simon the government doesnt have to set out does it have to agree to the terms and conditions set out by the other arty in the negotiation. Government will have to make a series of choices. There is a strong requirement on the government to get more control over immigration in this country. That may mean that we cannot accept all the conditions for full access to the european Single Market and therefore tradeoff has to be made. We need to get an outcome that people in this country think is the best outcome for this country. And is indeed brexit but does the least possible damage to our trading relationship with the European Union. Host does that make Something Like donald trump seem very attractive. He come along with the idea of some different relationship. For a government who wants to keep trade as much as possible, that could look very attractive indeed. Simon it is important to recognize that brexit is not just a risk, it is an opportunity. And we should seek opportunities. The really important point, i think, from what you have mentioned is we have to take account of the fact that donald trump has been elected and we need to shift politics and geopolitics and how that will affect us. Next year is going to be just as turbulent a year as 016. They are going to have an important election in the netherlands, france, and germany. So it wont be a stat ix situation. Static situation and for the u. K. , i think we need to work out our relationship with europe and the new administration in the u. S. Above all, i hope that the democracies in the western world stand together through the tough times. Host and this will be tricky for the u. K. s internal relations. As we know, scotland not at all happy about the brexit part. Hannah weve seen Nicola Sturgeon talking about what she would like to see for scotland after the deal. The government has made clear there will be a forum for the nationes to talk about what they want. But it remains to be seen the extent to which the devolved nations can get what they want out of these talks. Host is the concept of the u. K. Under real pressure . Certainly the fact that scotland, when we already had one independence referendum, puts pressure on that relationship. The nationalists in scotland have been saying there could well be, it could will push for another independence referendum if they dont like the deal the u. K. Government goes for in terms of brexit. Of course, they have to have an agreement from the u. K. Government to have another referendum. Whether the government would be able to resist that in this circumstance is a political question. Host lets go back to our negotiations with our friends in europe. What do you think the worstcase scenario is . How likely is it that the article 50 talks will break down . And that well drop out of negotiations altogether . Simon that is my worstcase scenario that we will not take the article 50 negotiation forward successfully and that is sort of fizzled out in ack rimony, or that we end the negotiations and we dont have a clear way ahead of that. And then we resort to the wto option that is a bad option for our economic relationship. I hope that we can avoid that and pursue a course that allows us to have continuity over the next few years. From the business perspective, that is hugely important. So when we talk about interim arrangements, for businesses, not only do they know do they need to know there will be an arrangement, but they need to know early on what it will be. Otherwise theyre going to have to make their decisions. So the timeline is quite tight, i think. Host can you tell, what do you think is the mood around ministers and government . Is that gloomy Going Forward into 2017 . Hannah i dont think so. There are a lot of opportunities that brexit presents. Obviously there are some process things that have to be got through before the u. K. Is in the position to make the most of those opportunities. The first thing well see in the new year is the Supreme Court judgment on the article 50 case. It says if parliament will have a say if article 50 will be triggered. I think that is a technicality. Parliament will agree to it even if it has to formally do so. There are a series of obstacles, the triggering of article 50, the negotiations will be gone through and in the meantime whitehall will be planning too make the most of the opportunities that ministers fore see and to git mitigate the risk as weve been saying. Host thank you both very much indeed for coming into the program. And that if it from us for now. You join us for our regular roundups of the day at westminster when parliament returns on monday, the 9th of january. Til then, for me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. Announcer this Holiday Weekend on cspan, here are some of our rograms. Mr. Smithson in his bequest wrote that he wanted the organization oriented toward the increase and different fugse ofnology knowledge. Then the inaugural summit for young women. At 9 40, federal pales court judges from the d. C. Circuit and senior federal judge andre davis of the Fourth Circuit discuss the history and impact of the bill of rights. 225 years after ratification. Applying those words to the varying factual circumstances and disputes that confront the country over the course of more than 200 years is challenging. At 6 30 p. M. , laup professor epstein and the Kato Institute debate u. S. Involvement in foreign wars. Judgment becomes an essential portion of the way in which we have to start to deal with these things. If you start with the frame and make it very and beginning at 9 00 p. M. , he Muslim Public Affairs ouncil convention. What we were trying to do is to highlight the values of the constitution of the United States, the values of freedom of speech, freedom of practice of religion, equal dignity, equal protection of law and due process of law, and those values are challenged today. Watch on cspan or cspan. Org or listen on the free cspan radio app. Retiring congressmen Jim Mcdermott spoke with cspan. He served on the ways and means in the. This is about 25 minutes. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] congressman Jim Mcdermott, democrat of Washington State represented the seventh Congressional District for 28 years. Why did you decide to retire . Well, i have seen a lot of my friends die, and i ive seen a lot of my friends in the Congress Lose and i just decided that there was a time in your life if there was anything else you wanted to do, you ought to go do it. And in three weeks ill be 80 and i said to myself, my mother lived to 97 and my mother to 93, but i dont think im going to have that long so there are all these things i want to do. Im not retiring. Im just going to do other things. What are you going to do . Well, i hope to teach. I have a beginning engagement at the university of washington at the Jackson School of international affairs. I paint. I am in the process of writing a book. Im an editor and ive my editor and i have been working away on exactly which direction im going to go on a book. And then there are places i havent basketball. Ive been in 101 countries in my life but havent been to portugal and only to barcelona in spain and paris in france. There are a whole lot of things i want to do. Various parts of france and portugal, maybe some french cooking. I mean this is the first time in my life i can do what i absolutely want to do you seem excite excited about that. Oh, yeah. I mean i been working since i was 12 years old and halls always somebody 2el8 telling me i had to go here and do this. For the last 28 years ive had 700,000someodd people telling me what they think i ought to do. Now im going to tell myself what i think i ought to do. What did you do when you were 12 . I was a paperboy. Thats wir far is the started. Then i worked in a Grocery Store to bing shelves. I worked through college. Theres ools been demands on my life to perform at this level or that level, do this or do that. The concept of having the freedom to say no, im not going to do that George Miller told me before he leff. He said, jim, say no to everybody because otherwise you will get right up to you will be as busy as you were in when you were in congress. So just say no and then you can gradually let things in as it goes along. Ill find things to do. I got a long list of stuff. But i get to choose. I dont have to do any of them. Who made you start in politics . It was actually accidental really. I was on my way to being an academic in medicine and was really excite bud the vietnam war came along and i got involved in that and dealt with casualties from 1968 to 1970 and i felt i ought to try to do something about my country, to stop the war. So i got involved in the state legislature and then i discovered all the things you could do in government. I can see patients once one atd a time, you say thank you, thank you, doctor, thank you. But i can affect 300 Million People if i think carefully about what im doing, whether its the environment or its health care or education or the aids epidemic. I have nrms reach here so i got, i got taken in by the power of it. And i came back to congress, i mean i had left politics in 19 87 ayanbadejo and i went to the state department. I had a wonderful job in africa and i came back when my brother came and said look, were going to do National Health insurance, thats your passion, lets do it. So i really came back to do that. Psychologist hild psychiatrist. Psychiatrist, story, by training. Did you accomplish what you set out for . I use the goat from gandalf in the lord of the kings rings had the children ask him, what should we do . He said its not ours to know what the tides of the world are. Our job is to clean the rocks and the fields so that we leave for those that follow us things cleaner. I did everything i could in the time i was here to make a National Health plain thought would work for the American People. Is it perfect . No. No. And there is work to be done and theyll be doing it and all this repeal and replace this there are going to be all kinds of things happening in health care after me but i could stay here until i was 95 shall and it wouldnt be done because social policy is never perfect. You are always adjusting it. Things are happening and you have to move things around. And so i think you have to work for when you are there as hard as you can on what you care about and add at that point you say i will leave it to someone else to fix it. You were on the ways and Means Committee for many years. Chairman and topranking of the Health Subcommittee. What would you say the highlights of your legislative career were . Well, before i was on the Health Subcommittee i was on the income security and Family Support committee, which dealt with the foster kids of this country, so i was the godfather for 500,000 foster kids in this country and i rewrote the language of foster care legislation. Its called the fostering connections act. And i rearranged fostering, foster care for the modern day. I mean the stuff was written 30 years ago and it hadnt been changed, so i came in and changed it. I did the same thing with unemployment insurance. I changed that because in the old days only men worked and women stayed at home. Now you got two people working and you got all kinds of changes. So the law needed to be revised, so i did that. I worked on the Health Care Bill, not perfect bill, not exactly what i would have written but we got something done and its in place and its functioning and i lot more people have insurance than they did the first bill did i in congress. That was 12987 1987. I got sever hundred Million Dollars for housing for People Living with aids. For a freshman to get that kind of money fire program thats still going today, we spend billions on housing for People Living with aids. So theres a whole lot of things ive done that im proud of. None of them were perfect. Weve had to change some of them. But i think you have to think of government and the legislation as being like evolution. It changes. Every day its going some different place and you have to react to it. It never stays the same. Thats why conservatives in the end always lose because the tide moves on and changes things host you have worked with several president s during your tenure here. What stories do you have a story of working with the president that stands out to you . Rep. Mcdermott well, one thing i would say about george bush i thought getting into iraq was a terrible mess, but he did start the program for aids availability. We are moving today toward an aidsfree generation, if we keep pursuing it. I have always respected him for that. Bill clinton and i had a good relationship, and mrs. Clinton i was here when they first got here in 1993, when they were first trying to put the Health Care Bill through. I got to know them very well. They are wonderful people. Mrs. Clinton is smart and tough and quick and funny and listens to you, and shes a good lawyer. She tries to jerk you around where she wants you. My experience with both of those president s was good. Host any regrets with decisions you made during your time here . Rep. Mcdermott no, no. Politics is the equivalent of war without guns. Its a tough business. You get beat up and you make mistakes and you get wounded and you got to get up the next day, put on your hat and coat and go out and do it again. Not every day has been perfect, but i like the opportunity to be involved in trying to make Society Better for most people. I dont worry much about rich people, but i worry a lot about ordinary folks, because i came from ordinary folks. I understand. My father was unemployed. I know enough about what its like to be at the bottom. I had to work my way through medical school and everything else. I dont have any illusions that i got there without somebody else helping me. People helped me all along the way, and i really wanted to be in politics to be able to help people reach their maximum potential. Host you mentioned the amount of trips you took as a member of congress. Anyone of them stand out to you, or a couple of them . Rep. Mcdermott well, ive had a number of trips that have been when i first got to congress, the banking committee, the law the berlin wall had just fallen, and we went to see what the Eastern European Banking System was going to be like. We went to budapest, warsaw, prague, east berlin. That trip had a lot of impact on me. Host in what way . Rep. Mcdermott in terms of seeing what these people had lived with and how quick they were ready to come back into the system. A year later, someone from czechoslovakia sent the youngest member in the parliament to contact me and said, teaches how to run a congress. That guy came over, tom sent over to my office. He was in my office and i had an opportunity to help shape the beginning of the parliament in the czech republic. There were so many things that happened that were related to trips that i took. I took trips to africa. I went to india in 1991, and i went there 30 times afterward because i fell in love with india. It is the most complex country on the face of the earth, with six major religions, 18 official languages, north and south and muslim its a society you never totally understand, and i helped deal with their aids epidemic. The last trip i made to india they gave me a lifetime , Achievement Award from the aids foundation of india, and i am very proud of that. Im prouder of that than the rising sun and star from the japanese government. I have been to japan about 40 times. I know the japanese. I have known them at every level of government. So those kinds of connections im very proud of and pleased to have had the opportunity to have that kind of connection. Host what will you miss about congress . Rep. Mcdermott every day when i get up, i open the newspaper and somebody has done something somewhere, and that means the day here will be different. When i sit at home now after this, i will open the newspaper, somebody will have done something somewhere, and i am not going to have any part in changing it. Thats a real i mean, i look at that and i think, how do you make yourself feel relevant . How do you find i gave it up deliberately, but there is a bitter sweetness to it. On the one hand, i loved that i did. I loved being in congress. I have nothing bad to say about it. It was tough. I had hard days, real tough days. But in the end, i loved it. But there comes a time when you have to say, time for somebody else to do it. Host what were the low points of your career . Rep. Mcdermott probably the lawsuit and the whole business with john boehner. When i got into that, i didnt quite understand everything that i was going to learn. In 11 years of a lawsuit you learn a lot. Im still here, and both gingrich and boehner are gone. You have to ask yourself who won. I was defending the First Amendment right of the press to publish things, and they were saying that i invaded their privacy. Well, the courts came down, but the New York Times can still put on the front page anything that comes in. Host john boehner did sue you for a tape that was illegally obtained. You released it. The courts decided against you. What impacted did that have on you . Rep. Mcdermott i am still here. Host zero impact . Rep. Mcdermott with my constituency, they thought it was good that i took on boehner and gingrich. The fact that the tape i didnt do anything illegal to get that tape, i didnt do anything at all. This couple came out to me and handed it to me, and said listen to this. And i handed it to the New York Times. The courts its a long story about why it came down the way it did. But john boehner tried to drive me out of congress, and he didnt do it. I went to him and try to negotiate, and he wanted me to go out on the floor and admit i broke the law. I said, i didnt break the law. He said, then we wont settle. I said ok. Host did you ever talk, the two of you . Rep. Mcdermott not about it again. We talked about i tried to negotiate. In as many ways as i could figure to give him what he wanted, but he wanted to go out and admit i broke the law, and i never did break the law. Host what will you not miss about congress . Rep. Mcdermott i wont miss the flights. Host [laughter] a long way back to Washington State. Rep. Mcdermott 3. 85 million miles becomes 35 times the year back and forth. I believe that going home to your district is the key to keeping yourself in congress. I was at home, weddings and funerals, and they always knew i was there trying to find out what was going on. But traveling back and forth i never complained about flights, because as i say, i knew were the capital was when i asked for the job, and they didnt move the capitol, and i could quit any data wanted, so just shut up about it. But i wont miss going through tsa. Host will you travel with all those frequentflier miles . Rep. Mcdermott i will pick and choose. I will still travel. I love to travel. I have been in 101 countries. I have been traveling since i went to ghana in 1961, way before i ever got to congress. I was traveling. Host what was it like to pack up your office and go through all those 28 years here in washington . Rep. Mcdermott very exhausting. Walking down memory lane, taking down 28 years of paper that you collected, and trying to decide what you put in boxes to send to the archives at the university of washington is very difficult. In part, my staff didnt know what those issues were about. Some of them, they werent even born when i was working on these things in congress. They would bring me an issue and say, should we save this . Is this important . And my mind would start into all the aspects of what that issue was all about. So it was a real exhausting walk down 28 years of experience. And of course, it changed. At one point we stopped having paper, and its all on hard drives. We had all the issues of what do you want to save for future historians to go and look at . If you want to look at the aids epidemic and what Jim Mcdermott did, you have to organize the people can find it. Host you mentioned the archives , what will it be used for . Rep. Mcdermott the historical archives. They have a Public Officials archive, i guess tom foley isnt there. Brock adams is there. There are a number of Washington State politicians that you can get at the university of washington. Host who would you say you might miss from congress . And there relationships that you had over the years that were special . Rep. Mcdermott actually, three of us are going out at the same time who are good friends. Lois capps from california, sam farr from california, and me. We were good friends. We had a very warm relationship. The other person im leaving behind who is also a good friend is mazie hirono. When she came to congress, we became good friends. George miller. There are probably two handfuls of people i would spend some time with. Host what advice would you give to younger members of congress, the key to having a successful congressional career, and if they want to stay around for many terms like you did . Rep. Mcdermott well, i think the advice i would give to anybody, given the situation we have today is you have to get back to listening to one another. Even if i disagree with you intensely, i have got to listen to what you think. You might have an idea that i should incorporate in what i am doing, and i think the lack of people getting together and knowing each other is really the biggest problem we have. Partly we used to travel together, we used to go places together, they brought their families to washington, d. C. Nobody brings their families here anymore. Members just come in, here for three days, sleep in their office, they are gone, and they dont get to know anybody. And if i know you, and i know about your kids and your husband and your grandmother and your father, i then have to think i have to listen more carefully to what you say to me. If i dont know you as a human being, i can say shes a crazy this or that and put you in a slot somewhere. And i think thats the best advice i can give to people. Listen to the members. Get to know who they are. Walk around, talk to them. Talk about something besides politics. I learned a lot of stuff in the gym. I got a guy from alabama down there, and washington and alabama have been paired in the peach bowl. The national championship. He and i had a big discussion today. Turned out he played on the team. He was a walkon, a guy from alabama was a walkon, and i never knew that before. Now i think of him differently. His politics are way to the right, in minor somewhat to the left. Or the middle. But i now know more about gary then i did, and that makes it possible for us to talk about issues. Host if you could change something about how you have to run for congress, what would it be . Rep. Mcdermott my god. I have always been for public financing. If you are running against me, i ought to have a certain amount of money, and you want to have a certain amount of money, and we are to have some free tv time so we can get up there and people can look at us and decide do i , like him or do i like her . Listen to us answer questions from probing people. But when i was in congress, i won by 80 again and again. If you tried to run against me, you couldnt raise any money. I had all the money to put my face on tv and you had nothing. What you need is to balance the field so that people can see real choices. Host what impact would that have on this institution . Rep. Mcdermott well, i think a lot of people wouldnt come back, because if they were up there and had to face an opponent who had an equal chance, then it would be a totally different thing. I could just ignore people who ran against me because i didnt have to. They couldnt raise any money, and i was going to have the television had so why worry about it . Thats not good for the system. Its good for me, great for Jim Mcdermott getting reelected, but its not good for the system. The system would be much better with a public financing, such as they have in england and other places where their campaigns are a monthlong and people stand up and say with the are going to do or trying to do in the people then make a choice. That, to me, would make the system better. Host congressman mcdermott, thank you for your time. Rep. Mcdermott my pleasure. The new Congress Starts tuesday. Watch the opening day event and activities on cspan. We are live from the u. S. Capitol starting at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. Youll meet new representatives and hear from returning members. The house gavles in at noon. Opening day business includes the election of the House Speaker, his address to the whole house and debate and a vote on rules for the new congress. One rule in particular is getting attention, a proposal to fine members who live stream video from the house floor, in response to last summers democratic sitin that was streamed by several democrats. On cspan2, our live coverage of the Senate Starts at noon eastern and includes the swearing in of senators. Opening day continues on cspan3 with live coverage of the swearing in at 1 00 p. M. Eastern, Vice President joe biden presides over the swearing in of individual senators. At 3 00, Speaker Paul Ryan swears at members of the house. We will have a full replay at 8 00 eastern on cspan and cspan 2. Sunday, indepth features of the discussion of the presidency of barack obama. We are taking your phone calls, emails, and facebook russians during the program. The Panel Includes a paul ryan, White House Correspondent for urban Radio Network and author of the presidency in black and white play up close view of three president s and race in america. Eddie clout, author of democracy in black. And Pulitzer Prize journalist and associate editor of the washington post, david marinus. Author of barack obama, the story. Watch new from 3 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan 2. In his last weekly address of 2016, president obama highlights with United States has accomplished this year. Senator cory gardner of colorado has a republican address. He talks about some of the legislation passed by congress during 2016 and outlines goals the gop has set for 2017. Happy new year. As we look ahead to the future, i wanted to take a minute to thank you for everything you have done to make america stronger these past eight years. Just eight years ago as i prepared to take office, our economy teetered on the brink of depression. Unit 800,000 americans were losing their jobs each month. In some communities nearly one in five folks were out of work. Almost 180,000 troops were serving in iraq and afghanistan. And Osama Bin Laden was still at large. On challenges from health care to Climate Change we have been kicking the can down the road for way too long. Eight years later you have told a different story. We turned recession and recovery, our businesses have created 15. 6 million new jobs since early 2010, and we have hit put more people back to work in all other major advanced economies combines. The resurgence in the Auto Industry has added nearly 700,000 jobs and is producing more cars than ever. Poverty is falling. Incomes are rising. Last year, folks typical Household Income rose by 2000, the single biggest increase on record. Folks at the bottom and middle some bigger gains than those at the top. 20 million more americans got the Financial Security of Health Insurance. Our Kids High School Graduation Rate and as an alltime high. We brought 165,000 troops from iraq and i can understand, and took out Osama Bin Laden. Through diplomacy we shut down here ons Nuclear Weapons irans Nuclear Weapons program, open your indications with cuba, and brought nearly 200 nations together on a climate agreement that could save this planet for our kids. Almost every country under sees america as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago. And Marriage Equality is finally a reality from coasttocoast. We have made extraordinary progress as a country these past eight years, and here is the thing. None of it was inevitable. It was the result of tough choices we made and the result of your hard work and resilience. And to keep america moving forward is a task that falls to all of us. Sustaining and building on all we have achieved, from helping more young people afford a higher education, to ending discrimination based on preexisting conditions, to tightening rules on wall street, to protecting this planet for our kids. That is going to take all of us working together. That is always been our story, the story of ordinary people in the heart,r slow, sometimes frustrating but always vital work of selfgovernment. It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your president , and other prepared to take on the even more Important Role of i will be there with you every step of the way to ensure this country forever strives to live up to the incredible promise of our founding. That all of us are treated equal and all of us deserve every chance to live out our dreams. From the obama family to yours, have a happy and blessed 2017. I am proudr represent the Rocky Mountains state of colorado in the United States senate. It has been a busy and exciting year marked by numerous bipartisan achievements. On the passage of the first longterm highway bill in nearly two decades, to securing funding sufficed zika virus, the republican majority has proven they can put politics aside and deal with a real compliment for the American People. That is providing our armed forces with some of the resources it needs at a time when we are facing evolving security threats at home and around the globe. We also approved a welldeserved pay raise for our troops and worked to ensure the da is accountable to the veterans it was a v. A. Is accountable to the veterans it was established to serve. One bipartisan bicameral accompaniment im proud of is the 21st century cures act soninlaw earlier this month. If fast tracks the development of treatments for cancer in diseases like alzheimers. It also tackles opioid addiction and addresses the Mental Health crisis. Its an acknowledgment that federal policy must be updated to keep pace with science and innovation. Encouraging medicines brightest minds to pursue discoveries and getting government out of the way. Republicans led the way on Mental Health reforms, opioid addiction, and we fought to deliver an economy that benefited everyone, not just the welltodo. This past year the president also signed in the law a bill i authored to tighten sanctions on north korea, a recognition that years of failed policy towards pyongyang contributed to the television of the regimes Nuclear Weapons program. It is the First Time Congress approved standalone sanctions on north korea, and the first bill to impose sanctions to counter north koreas increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. These are just a few of the legislative successes from 2016 that will have a real impact on the lives of americans throughout the country. The new gop majority governed the past two years putting Real Solutions in place, and we will spend the next two years fighting for every american who has felt that behind. Now we turn our focus to what lies ahead for congress in 2017. In november, the American People spoke and signaled they are ready for a new direction. Colorado and americans everywhere are illegal for more opportunities and really from Big Government policies that have made it harder to run a business and supportive family and get ahead. On january 3, the Senate Returns to washington and will get right to work. We work to repair the damage of obamacare, a law sold on broken promises to the American People. A law that is linda soaring premiums, failing Insurance Markets and dwindling choices. In colorado weather and 750,000 people have their Health Insurance plans canceled over the past three years. Health insurance premiums for the individual market in colorado increased by an average of 20. 4 , and that number is higher for some people. One study found of the 150,000 coloradans saw premiums increased by 77 from previous years. It has been reported that one woman living on the western slope of colorado saw her premium cost rise from 300 per 1800 and 20 a month. 1821 a month. Empowering patients with the tools they need to best manage their health care. Removing barriers to choice and access see can select a Health Care Plan best for you and your family. We will work to address regulatory overreach, something that westerners are all too familiar with. Whether it is the waters of the United States that burdens the farmers and ranchers, endangers the water rights or the anti coal rules. Regulationsderal have inhibited growth and job creation of the past eight years. Negative effects are evident in rural america. Denver the cranes in are stark contrast to the small towns of colorado. Growing up on the planes, i know the challenges fault small communities face when it comes to attracting new businesses and also retaining their services. Thats why i will work to pass the decision that incentivizes Economic Development and make is easier for Small Businesses to not only start to succeed, but to thrive. It is my hope that congress will act to simplify and reform the tax code to keep america competitive, encouraging investment in stimulating job growth. We are facing increasingly complex challenges around the world and our next congress will fight to address that through strength and leveraging our relationships with our allies. Whether its Holding Iran Accountable for supporting terrorism, Ballistic Missile programs, and human rights abuses, and putting pressure on those that do business with regimes like north korea, we will lead with strength and action. And republican majority in congress presents to miss opportunity to make real progress. We assume that responsibility with the promise that we will work hard to do everything we can to deliver more opportunities to americans tomorrow then they had today. We have a lot of work to do, and as we approached 2017 with the new sense of optimism and a commitment to find solutions to revitalize america from coasttocoast. Now more than ever we recognize there are better days ahead of us and we know with confidence that the hard work of the American People the world will once again look to the United States as the land of freedom and opportunity. Thank you for taking the time to listen. I wish you all a safe, blessed, and happy new year. Library isan video an easy way to search and view cspan programs and to help through its use dr. Robert browning, executive director of the cspan archives. Go to cspan. Org, the main site and look on the front page. On the left side are all the hearings and president ial events of that day, and the Political Campaign events. Right underneath that on the left side is a link that says recent events. They appear in the order they were on the network. You can search for a persons name. Every person has pages that contain all their video. On that page is a link, a search box. You put in the word. Put ins say you want to a word. They talked about Climate Change. Members of the Congressional Black Congress Conference Tomorrow will receive signatures and public statements of those demanding this body fully support president obamas clean power plant. Ted poe will speak on the floor and talk about black. Smallill get you to pieces, almost like paragraphs, where they made the remarks. The soldiers remembered of the third battalion, 16th field armored regiment of the first cavalry division. These american soldiers were volunteers that swore to protect the United States. Across the top we have a link that says all our video clips. You can find all the clips people made available for other people to look for. Who leads first, obama . I certainly hope it is assad. I do, but i dont think so. There is another cap that says mentions. They are quotes that are valuable. What a bizarre decision by president of mexico to invite donald trump down there. Side therear left are breakdowns much like you would find on any other shopping website. You can say i want to see a particular persons name, a particular senate committee, or a tag for policies. The left side is very valuable for narrowing down. Search, click, play on the cspan Video Library at cspan. Org. Cspan, where his u