Corner on the transformation process. There is no doubt that historically, there was a Development Approach that was not working. We recently launched a program that is going very well and it builds the number of functionalities that we can apply to other forms. I referred to the green card program. The use of Electronic Filing as the means of receiving and then educating applications does not change what programs will have interviews associated with them. That is not set to change as part of the transformation process. Senator sessions look, its not going to be an in person entity. They cannot do the proper background check. You need to be defending the peoples public safety. If you need more money to do this, you need to ask for it. If you want to rubber stamp the process, keep doing the way youre doing it. Ms. Saldana, section 1373 of title 8 of the u. S. Code provides among other things quote, a federal, state, or local Government Entity or official may not prohibit or in any way restrict any Government Entity or official from sending to or receiving from i. C. E. Information regarding a citizenship or immigration status lawful or unlawful of any individual. Close quote. Dont you think that resolutions by City Councils or state governments or sheriffs in certain jurisdictions, directing their officers not to honor detainers or otherwise notify i. C. E. That they have arrested someone thats unlawfully in the country could violate or would violate section 1373 . Secretary saldana well, all of that is part of litigation senator. Quite frankly i think we have taken that position in litigation, that is the case. Senator sessions they do have to supply information. In other words, you have taken the position which i understand you correctly, youre correct to say cities, you have to comply with this law. Secretary saldana yes. Again, is it more practical to work through all this morass of litigation or can we work with these jurisdictions to try to get them to cooperate . I think its the latter. Senator sessions i understand youre saying that. Forgive me if im not persuaded. This has been going on for many years. It came up in 2007 when we had a debate about all of this. And it was wrong then and its wrong now. Its gotten to be, i think, its 300 or so jurisdiction that is are sanctuary jurisdictions out of what, 17,000 . But some are very big cities. Very large immigrant populations. So its a huge matter, but most cities are cooperating. If you want to know what i hear, the complaints about the federal government enforcement from our Law Enforcement officers, is that you wont allow them to help you. If they arrest somebody and call your office, nobody comes. Nobody cares. Nobody responds. And so thats the big problem weve got in the country, maybe bigger than the other. At any rate, i hope that you will understand, ms. Saldana that youre talking with is not going to change the situation. Do you have any cities that have indicated to you they are going to make a change in their policy . Secretary saldana i mentioned the numbers earlier, sir. Just as a matter of focus we have looked at these 49 particular and 33 are working, have come and said they will work with us in some way or another. Again, tailored to their needs. We only had five of those 49 say no. Well continue to work with them. Senator session im sure after all the events of the last few months are certainly should be willing to listen about this. But i have serious doubts that we are going to see any change unless Congress Takes some action or unless this Administration Takes some action. Ms. Saldana, i know one problem you have im sure is frustrating to you is countries not taking back criminals that you have arrested and ordered deported. Can you tell us the status of that situation . Secretary saldana yes. As you know the department of state obviously has a vast interest in this and i have work with the department of state and met with the individual who is overwho oversees these relationship, we are working hard to open doors. I went to china a couple months ago, beijing in particular, and china has been a challenge for us. We have signed together it kind of a standing agreement that they will actually have two people here to help process chinese going back to the country repatriating from this country. Thats some progress. We continue to work with them. I have worked with south american countries. Guatemala and el salvador and we continue to work with my counterparts there to try to ensure that we have and assign a memorandum of understanding with them. Senator sessions working with them and working with them is one thing. But this has been going on for years also. Many years. How long have you been in office . Secretary saldana seven months. Senator sessions i cant blame you for all thats gone on. I want you to know i understand that you have professional training and you understand the world. Are there powers and actions the United States government can take without legislation that would put pressure on these countries to accept back individuals who we have ordered deported . Secretary saldana obviously this is in the province of the department of state largely because there are relationships with international countries. But, yes, i understand that they have some authorities to do that. As you know, senator, its a very complex picture when it comes to International Relationships and one Agency Issues and may not hold sway over the Bigger Picture in the relationship with that country. Senator sessions i remember the former chairman of this committee a number years ago was outraged by all of this. And actually offered legislation that would mandate reducing mandate a reduction of visas from countries that dont comply. Doesnt it cost you a lot of money and create huge time involvements in dealing with situations where a country wont take back one of their own . Secretary saldana its a great challenge, sir. Thats where we face issues where we cant get papers cooperation from those countries, and we have to release them under that Supreme Court opinion after a certain period of time. Senator sessions under Supreme Court opinion if a country wont take them back in a year goes by . Secretary saldana i think its actually more like 180 days. We can extend the period of time. But theres a point at which we have to release them. Senator sessions that takes a loft your officers agents time and effort. Secretary saldana it does. Senator session you have to pay to house people in very high quality prisons instead of deporting them promptly. Secretary saldana thats correct. Senator sessions i have a recollection, was the customs chief in years gone by when he shut the border down with mexico over some disagreement over their responsibilities caused quite a stir. He closed the border. I would say to you, i think it is time for the state department and your department to stand up and say, we are not going to accept this anymore. If you do not accept back promptly people we deport, you are going to suffer serious consequences and and the relationship that deals with visas is a reciprocal relationship, isnt it . So that if we accept people, and they agree to take them back likewise if they accept individuals from the United States and they deport them, we accept them back. Is that a law that requires that or is that Just State Department agreements with these countries . Secretary saldana sir, im sorry. You are above my knowledge when it comes to the state department. Senator sessions you are going to have to stand up to the state department. Looks like we all are. This cant continue. We dont have the money to continue to bicker with these countries for years and years yearns and not get this matter settled. Well try to work on that. I think legislation would be appropriate, too. Although its not necessary. If the president and the state department stood up and were clear on it, it could be fixed promptly, in my opinion. I may submit some additional questions for the record. We are having some problem getting answers to our records. Mr. Rodriguez, when do you plan to send us your responses to our questions for the record following the march hearing of oversight of your agency . Director rodriguez as soon as possible. I thought we had satisfied all of those requests. Well make sure to get those to you. As soon as possible. Senator sessions i dont believe we have. Director rodriguez if there are outstanding requests, that is obviously not happen about that and well happy about that and well act quickly to respond to that. Senator sessions the record will remain open for one week. If there is nothing further, but i will say one more thing. Both of you are good law officers. You know how the system works. And i hope you know that things arent going as well as they should. A lot of that is because of administration policy. At some point youll have to decide whether youre going to execute that policy or not. Some of the policies, i think, cannot be defended. But i respect your integrity and i appreciate your commitment to your country and your service to your country. The hearing is adjourned. Secretary saldana thank you. Director rodriguez thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the Veterans Affairs department may have to shut down hospitals next month it congress does not address the budget shortfall. Bob mcdonnell testifies before that live in the morning at 10 00 a. M. , eastern on cspan three. Later in the day, broadband Infrastructure Investment on cspan3. Ohio Governor John Kasich enters the debate. He is the 16th republican to enter the race. He made the announcement at the Ohio State University campus. Mr. Kasich wow. Wow. Standing here with me, of course, is people who ive dedicated my life to. My tweet daughters, emma and reese kasich. You know, i remember when they were born, do you remember that, sweetie . [laughter] i kept saying to the doctor, hows it going, you know, and he is trying to deliver two babies. Finally he looks me square in the eye and he said, can you shut up, im a little busy right now. [laughter] and they came out and i could hold them in the palm of my hand. It was so sweet. And so i, along with karen, have dedicated our lives to giving them a better life than we were able to ever get from our parents. And you know what . Theyre doing fantastic. Emma and reese. [applause] and my wife, pray for her, shes married to me. Ok . [laughter] from the very tips of my toes to the top of my head, i just love my wife so much. Such a great partner. [cheers and applause] such a great lady. So, i want to tell you that its this whole business of the American Dream, isnt it, that we can all work to make sure that next generation is going to be in a position of greater strength than what we received. I get my inspiration from the people who came before me. I want to tell but a few of the ones that inspire me. Id like to start with my uncle steve. Uncle steve was a tough guy. You know, the son of a coal miner. Rough and gruff and tell it like it is and he found himself at iwo jima. And he looked around during that battle and he saw a lot of people dying. Uncle steve was not a churchgoing man. But in the middle of all the violence and the blood and the death he said to god, if you will take me off this island, i will go to Church Every Day for the rest of my life. [laughter] and he did. And he did. [applause] when uncle steve came home from the war, the brothers all slept in the same room. Didnt have a lot. And uncle george told me that he would have nightmares and he would speak in japanese. And he told his brothers, never wake me. Never wake me from that nightmare, because i dont know what will happen. Let me sleep and wake up on my own. And uncle george, hes here today, hes right over here, hes 89 years old. [applause] i so love my uncle george. Hes the patriarch of our family. Well, uncle george was in the infantry and he was scheduled to take a boat from england to belgium. But the division he was in couldnt all fit in the boat. So they asked uncle george to wait until the next day. Well, that boat left england on its way to belgium and a submarine launched a torpedo and sunk that boat and everyone on it perished. The next day uncle george took another boat and he landed in france. And he fought with great honor and he returned home and became a guidance counselor and guided young people for the next 38 years of his life. What a man. [applause] you know, my fatherinlaw, we call him popsie, grandfather joined the marines at the age of 17. Wanted to serve his country. But i guess most important, my mom and dad. You know, mom was she was a visionary. Didnt get the education. You know, her mother could barely speak english. But, boy, was she smart. And if you think i have opinions, you never met my mom. [laughter] and my father. He was the mailman. They called him john the mailman. When we laid my mother and father to rest, there were countless numbers of people who came and said, john the mailman, he watched out for all of us. And they gave up so much, didnt take i wish theyd have spent more on themselves, but just no matter what you told them, they werent going to do it. Because it was all about the next generation. And theyre the ones that have inspired me, and all of you that are here today, youre the same way, arent you . You got those people who did so much for you, who are your heroes. They dont have to be famous. Theyre just people you love and that you admire. That American Dream is pivotal for the future of our country. But i have to tell you, there are a lot of people in America Today who are not sure that that American Dream is possible, that that American Dream is alive. And i can understand their concerns. You know, when i was a kid, you went out and you got a job and you worked at that job your entire lifetime. You got your health care, you got your retirement and everything was good. Today, you could be a 51yearold man and one day after serving and doing everything the right way somebody walks into your office and says, im sorry, but we dont need you anymore. Can you imagine that conversation . Could you imagine that dad when hes driving home or that mom when shes driving home . They lose confidence. They wonder what their future is. Can they get another job, can they support their family . Will anybody be there to help them . Or how about moms and dads today . They send their kids to college, many of these young people ringing up massive amounts of debt, trying to get an education. And theyre living in attic and mom and dad are wondering, will they get a job, will they pay their bills, what kind of a future are they going to have . Or, at the same time, we can also think about what all of us fear greatly, and that is the problems of bad health. Can i afford those expensive drugs that i need to survive . What is it going to cost me to get treatment, just not for myself, but for one of the loved ones in my family, will i be bankrupted and lose everything i have . Everything ive worked for . Its a real fear. Or the fear of the tsunami of drugs. Its everywhere, isnt it . The kids that are here, and there are many of them, dont do drugs. Dont put that big thousandpound pack on your back and keep you from your godgiven purpose. But all moms and dads worry that those drugs are going to wash away our own neighborhoods and maybe wash away our children. And how about those that struggle to make ends meet. There are some people who just say, well, just work harder or pull yourself up by your boot straps. I believe in all that. Some people just dont have the fortune that many of us have and they struggle. They struggle for a whole lifetime and they worry that can they rise, can they pull the rest of their family members up the ladder . The promise of america, and they worry about it. Or how about if youre a member of the minority community. An africanamerican. You wonder, the system, i think, sometimes doesnt just work for me, but sometimes i feel like that system works against me. You think about the troubles that many of our africanamericans still face today in the world where we have worked to provide equal rights and opportunities, sometimes theyre not so sure and i dont blame them. Or how about all of us . We pick up the paper, its chattanooga. Its fort hood. Its isis. Are we safe . Are we going to be safe to go to the mall, or leave our homes . These are the worries that Many Americans have. But i have to tell you, as serious as these are, and they are very serious, weve had a lot worse. Much worse in this country. Think about it. The civil war. You remember reading about it . I mean, its not just neighbors fighting against neighbors, but it was even family members, kin, fighting against one another. And killing one another on a battlefield right in america. How about the racial violence that we experienced in this country . The early days of television when they put the dogs and the gas and the batons on people of another color. Or the world wars. Where many in our families never came home leaving widows and children without a dad. Or the depression. The depression. Ask your grandfather, ask your mom and dad about that depression. My father used to say that hed go down to the store and get some food for the family and the guy would say, well put it on your bill. There was no bill. Thats what it took for america to get through the depression. And you all remember that Crystal Clear morning and the horror we felt on 9 11. But guess what . Weve always got through it. Because the testing is what makes you stronger. Its the challenges that make you better. I have lived through them and i have become stronger for them and america has become stronger for them. And heres how weve done it. By staying together. Not by dividing each other. But by staying together with our eyes on the horizon, with our eyes on the horizon, about the future. [applause] we have a little town in ohio called wilmington. They followed that formula. Let me tell but these folks. They play by the rules. Worked every day, highly productive, teamwork. And one day an employer said were leaving. Were out of here. And thousands of people, thousands of hardworking godfearing people like your neighbors went from getting a paycheck on a friday afternoon to visiting a food pantry so they could feed their kids. I was down there in 2010 after this earthquake, economic earthquake hit wilmington. We had a campaign bus. My wife was with me. We walked through that food pantry, we looked at the people and preachers and Civil Servants and leaders and care givers, they were at the food pantry but they hadnt lost any hope because they had their eyes on the horizon. We got back on that bus, i will never forget it as long as i live, we got back on that bus and i said, folks, do you understand, some of them had been with me for a long time, so they got it, but some of the others were rookies, i said, do you understand what we are doing here . This isnt a political campaign. And by the way, either will this be. This isnt a political campaign. Did you see those people . Did you see the tears in their eyes . Did you see them hugging their children . Did you see them not hopeless . Were going to join in and were going to help them. Because it is our job and our mission as human beings, as children of god, to work with them, to lift them and guess what . And guess what . [applause] in wilmington today, the suns coming up. I told them that the sun would come up again. It hasnt reached its zenith. But the sun is rising. And the sun is going to rise to the zenith in america again. I promise you, it will happen. [cheers and applause] listen, do you know who does this . See, its you and me. See, its teachers and preachers and moms and dads and doctors, construction workers. Like that sweet man in brown county that saw his family washed away over the weekend. Keep him in your prayers. Police and firemen and people like my dad, the mailman, john the mailman, because were the clue. We are the glue that holds our country together. How about, as for me, for me look, im just trying to do my best, ok . I came here to ohio state. Floor. You could hit it with a stone from here. I had 15 roommates. The place was 23 floors high. The tower next door the same size. Ohio state can be a pretty intimidating place. Its big. It is a big place. I left my dorm room, went down to the first floor, and i walked down the path to ohio stadium. It was a time when you could actually walk into that stadium. They didnt keep it closed in. I walked into that stadium, i swear this happened, and i walked right to the 50 yard line. There was no one in the stadium that night. I looked around all of those seats, those big structures that were there. I thought to myself, either this place is going to take me down or im going to take it down. One way or the other. Either it was going to be me [applause] either it was going to beat me, or it would be a place. You will face of sunday face it someday to move forward. Do you know what is amazing . Im back here today. You could throw a stone and hit that stadium or you could hitch that dormitory so many years later. And guess what . I am here to ask you for your parayers, for your support, for your efforts. I have decided to run for president of the United States. [cheers] [applause] [audience chanting] mr. Kasich they ask you all the time, like its a trick question, why do you want to do this . Like they are going to catch you. If you cant answer that question you want to be back on the 50 yard line at ohio stadium. [laughter] i do this, first of all because we are not born to serve others. Think about this. We are not born to serve others. What were we born to do . I do this for my family, of course for my sweet family. For my neighbors. For my friends of many many years. Many of whom are working with me today 3040 years later. I really do it for everyone. I have to humbly tell you, and i mean humbly tell you, that i do have the skills and experience. [applause] i have the experience and the testing. The testing which shapes you and prepares you for the most important job in the world. I believe i know how to work and help restore this great United States. I have to tell you, it is a daunting challenge. I was at wendys on saturday on hudson avenue. Two wonderful africanamerican fellows were there. One said to the other one i dont know what i am seeing, but i think that as governor kasich saying the hot standing behind us. He said, you better run. Do you know what that meant to me . These two africanamerican guys, one with a brace on his knee and another one with a cane. And i said, people have a lot more money than i do. But they said, you have statistics. [laughter] so some are going to ask, as they always have why do you think you can do this . All of my life people have told me, you cant do something. And i will tell you why. Its because i believe in the power of very big ideas. Big, bold ideas. In 1976, i went out to the convention in kansas city and no t only worked for ronald reagan, but i worked with ronald reagan. [applause] and i got to travel with ronald reagan. Yeah, i actually knew the guy okay . Not the guy from the history book. I had been managing five states from him at the convention. You talk about lightning striking me. I was 24 years old, they said we are one in short, can you manage for the governor . I had no idea what they were saying, i said of course i could. But he lost. As you know. I was there when he met with his closest advisers. And he said weve lost the battle, we havent lost any war. Because we will all be back. And im going to fix america with all of your help. And of course he did. And it further cemented my notion that big ideas, big ideas change the world. [applause] big ideas change the world. [applause] mr. Kasich so i came back here to ohio. I was all charged up. I remember meeting with one of my buddies and i said, i think i just got a run for the state senate and beat that guy weve been watching. I would never he was thinking something and it fell on the floor when i told him. Drinking something. I was 24 and a half years old. I had no relatives that live in the state and i didnt know anybody. But i had a big idea. And you know what we did . We got moms and dads. A lot of moms who went doortodoor and rang doorbells. And a weekend before the election, one of the local newspapers says, he is a fine young man, but has no chance to win. Well, i won that election with the help of the army of volunteers. I went on to chair the Health Committee where i learned to work across the aisle because the house was run by democrats. That was where i learned that policy is far more important than politics, ideology, or any of the other concepts we see. [applause] they said it couldnt be done. We proved them wrong. At the ripe old age of 30, i decided i would run for congress. My mother and father were like, johnny what are you doing now . They said i couldnt win, i was too young. By the way i was going to run against an incumbent in 1982. It was like the worst year. We lost 26 republican seats that year. I will ran against a guy who got one of his degrees from [ accent] harvard. But i knew i had an edge coming from ohio state. [applause] in 1982, i was the only republican in america to defeat an incumbent democrat all across this country. [applause] and guess what . Here is the irony. I got to go to washington and work with president ronald reagan. [applause] they said it couldnt be done. And we proved them wrong again. I got down to washington and got on the Armed Services committee where i served for 18 years on National Security. I was there in the blink of an eye. I discovered that these hammers and screwdrivers cost thousands of dollars. It was taking the resources from the people that needed it, who were serving in the military. We were wasting money. And i said, we need to clean this up. And they are like, come on, its the pentagon. Forget about it. It cant happen. Well, we passed some legislation. And we made things right. We saved money, we improved the system. And we helped the military. They said it could be done, and we proved them wrong again. Couldnt be done, and we proved them wrong again. [applause] let me be clear. Our military must be improved. We need to [applause] we need to cut the bureaucracy. We need to strengthen our services. Now im a person that doesnt like to spend a lot of money. But in this case, National Security climbs to the very top of the heap because we must be strong and we must assume our role as leaders of the world. [applause] six years after i went to congress i got on the budget committee. Ira never be in this first few meetings. It was terrible and i was complaining. I was here at a gas station in westerville. People didnt want to do anything, i said. One guy walked around the pump, he said, things are so bad, what are you going to do about them . I flew to washington and met with my staff. I said we should write a budget for the u. S. They said there are like 100 people at the white house working on a budget, probably 50 of your, and we only have six. 50 up here. And i said, stay out of our way and we can get things done. And we wrote the budget. But why . Its not about numbers. Its about vision values. We do not have the right as grownups to ring up debts to suit ourselves and pass them on to the next generation. We dont have that right. [applause] 10 years of my life i worked at this. My first budget was 40530. My staff was impressed, i thought we were doing pretty well. We just kept at it and cap at it. And kept at it. Johnson is remarkable. We did it together. The politicians didnt care about anything about being reelected. They cared about fixing america. They cared about getting the budget balanced and getting the economy going. They said it couldnt be done. They said it was too big, too large, to much politics. And we proved them wrong again and we balanced that federal budget. [applause] you want job creation . You balance the books. Am i right . You balance the books. If i am president , or maybe i should say when i am president [applause] i will promise you that my top priority is to get this country on a path to fiscal strength. And we will rebuild the economy of this country. Creating jobs is our highest moral purpose. We will move to get that done. By the way, how about a little balanced Budget Amendment to the constitution so congress will start doing its job . [applause] so i left. I left washington. I had a great time. I worked at Lehman Brothers and learned about businesses. I went to fox news, were as you know, i was a giants television star. [laughter] i had a great time. But i had a calling. Here is how it went. I didnt hear anything, but it was clear to me. Hes got an amazing life, hes got amazing skills going back. And i sensed it when i was on a trip. I called my friends together and i said, i guess we have to do this. A lot of people were doubters. You have been in politics for 10 years, and in a decade you will never run statewide and havent defeated an incumbent in 36 years in ohio. Incumbent dont lose. We put together a vision, we put together a team. They said it couldnt be done and we proved them wrong again. [applause] [no audio] then we took over the reigns. We didnt go unprepared. We knew what we wanted to do. If i am president , i know what we need to do. There is no confusion about that. I have been there at all levels, okay . 8 billion in the hole, loss of 350,000 jobs. One guy said that he gave him a dollar just to double the rainy day fund. [laughter] a lot of hopelessness here. Particularly among the poor and minorities. People said, may be ohios best days rb. I thought that was a bunch of money. Best days behind them. I thought that was a bunch of baloney. We went to work. We didnt have to really slash things. We just had to use a 21st century formula. Improve things, innovative them. Make a better product for a lower price. Let mom and dad stay home rather than a nursing home where they can be healthier and happier. We dont have to knock down if we have to knock down special interests, then so be it. And that is what we did. [applause] four and a half years later, he billion dollars in the hole, 8 billion surplus. For loss of 350,000 jobs, gaining 350,000 jobs. Tax cuts of 5 billion, the largest in the country. [applause] and as i hope you all know, Economic Growth is not indebted to itself. If youre drug addicted, we are going to try and rehab you and get you on your feet. If you are mentally ill, prison is no place for you. Some treatment and some help is where you need to be. If you are the working poor, we are going to give you an opportunity to take a pay raise and not then you over the head because you are trying to get ahead. We are changing that system. If you have an autistic son or daughter for most of them, they can get insurance, and we will work to make sure all of them have it. For the developmentally disabled, they are made in gods image. They have a right to rise. [applause] they have a right to be successful. And with all this, they said it couldnt be done. Guess what . We proved them wrong again. I am going to take what we learned here in the heartland that band of brothers and sisters that i work with every day, and we are going to take the lessons of the heartland and straighten out washington, d. C. And fix our country. [applause] you know they are going to say well, nice guy, or good guy, or not a good guy, whatever they are going to say. [laughter] i dont know if he can win. But with you and you sweetheart, can you paint signs . And with all of you together, we will prove them wrong again, wont we . [applause] [audience chanting] mr. Kasich thank you. Our team will tame the bureaucracy. We will restore some common sense. Get rid of all those stupid rules. We need to do that in washington. How about putting people that understand job rick job creators and respect them, rather than putting them down . How about some common sense to make american stronger militarily . Heres the thing i want to say to you. I said this at my inaugural. Some people think they just dont matter in this. Do you know how wrong that is . We have this Holocaust Memorial where there is a line etched that says, if you save one life, youve changed the world. Do you believe that . [applause] you save one life, you changed the world. And the lord will record what you have done for another in the book of life. We have some values that we need to think about that can bring us together. We can fix it. I will tell you what i think some of thenmm are. Personal responsibility. The dog ate my homework went out in the fifth grade, okay . Heres the thing we own our lives. If you are hurting, we will help you. My mother used to say that it is a sin not to help some but who needs help, but equally us in equally a sin to help someone that needs to help them selves. Personal responsibility needs to be restored in our country. [applause] lets teach our children. Resilience. Everybody doesnt get a trophy just for showing up, folks. Do you know what resilience is . Its getting knocked down. And i have been knocked down so many times. Getting knocked down is not the problem. Is refusing to get up. We need to teach our kids, teach our children about resilience and remind ourselves that you are 51 years old and you lost your job . You are going to come back stronger and better. And we will help you. Empathy. This one is so important. I would ask you to think for yourself in the shoes of another person. Were so quick to make judgments today in our country. Dont walk so fast. Yesterday i was coming downtown, and there was a lady who was older. She had a cane and was barely walking. She was putting one foot in front of another. I wanted to stop and just hug her, encourage her. People who have not been dealt the best han in life. He wants to hold them accountable, but the lord wants our hearts to reach out to those that dont have what we have. That should be hard for america. That is who we are. When people have studied our country, they have talked about our compassion. We need to bring it back. Empathy. Dont be too quick to judge. Me too. And teamwork. Tom is up here. He used to run veterans. A man sits in the hanoi hilton, beaten all the time, sitting in a little cell. This is the beautiful ark of what is right. Tom had a little code. [knocks] i dont know where he is right now. He tapped out a code that kept them altogether. It was the team that carried them through the most difficult times. George, it was the team that helped you to be successful, wasnt it . The iraqi veterans and the afghanistan veterans, we did our best. We hugged together. They are not the enemy. They are part of our team. We can disagree a are our team. Look at these families. The Building Block of america. The Building Block of our culture. Let us recognize it. And faith. Faith is simple for me. It is about the dos and not the donts. God didnt put us on this earth to take care of ourselves. He put us on this earth to make things you little bit better because we live here. There are some that will try to divide us. Forget it, i dont pay any attention to that kind of nonsense. At the end of the day, its about being together. Because it says, we the people. If you think that i or anybody that becomes president or a big shot we dont move america. We do our part if we have courage, intelligence, but its all of us in the neighborhoods. The families across the country. You are the strength and the glue. Please dont lose sight of it. For me, im just a flawed man. Trying to honor gods blessings in my life. I dont even understand it all. He has been very good to me. I want you to know that i will do my very best to serve you because you are in my minds eye. Who argue . Who are you . You get up every day, work hard. Come home, spend time with your family. And at night you go to bed and sacred prayers for your family. Say your prayers for your family neighborss, and for our nation. And this has been said many times. The light of the city on the hill cannot be hidden. The light of the city on the hill cannot be hidden. America is that city, and you are that light. God bless you and god bless america. Thank you all very much. [applause] Beautiful Day i believe the world is burning to the ground lets see how far weve come i believe it is all coming to an end we talked about the decision to switch from the gop to the democratic party. Coming up in less than two weeks cspan partnering with the New Hampshire and union leader for the forum. All 17 current or likely candidates have been invited to participate. More road to the white house coverage. Mike huckabee visited the ranch. He answered questions on immigration, health care, and recent comments made by donald trump. This is about an hour. Mike huckabee great to see you. Thanks for coming. You didnt have too far to drive . Im glad you came today. I hope you enjoy this time. Nice to meet you. We have the same last name, we probably know each other. How are you . I am tired. I wonder why . Mike huckabee i woke up early. Review at the event . We met briefly. How are you today . How are you, sir . Mike huckabee, nice to see you. MyMike Huckabee i guess we dont have a choice. I cannot imagine. Just our luck that the one guy on the show was a conservative clown. [laughter] [indiscernible] Mike Huckabee that just proves im speaking to an intelligent group. That is good to hear. We just got back from ames, doing the family leaders of event. It went well. A big crowd. You were there . Thank you. That is a great place. Well, it is my opportunity to welcome you here today. He asked me to introduce him. I would invite the pastor from the Monroe Methodist Church for the prayer. I am usually not the one i have to write my heart down on this piece of paper to say what is on my heart and on the hearts of all i think who live in this great nation. Let us pray. Oh myighty god, we thank you for your presence, wisdom, and love. We thank you for those who have served in our military to a sure our freedom that allows us to meet this day for the good of our country. Our hearts are heavy for the unnecessary deaths of the marines in our borders. We reach out to the families of these brave man who selflessly served our country. And we ask that you hold them with your love. Sometimes, we forget how fortunate we are to live in a country where we have the freedom to openly congregate and share our thoughts and opinions. Lord, many of us feel our nation may be headed down a path of danger and immorality where our constitution is not being adhered to in a way that is always guided this nation. The threats of terrorism, violence, tyranny, unrest in our borders, we need to even more. God, help us to follow your laws before humanity. And give us the assurance that you are always in control. We gather here today with governor huckabee as he makes a bid to become our next president of the United States of america. By this be a time where we express and share our thoughts. We pray that his wisdom, leadership skills, passion for others, and his love for you will guide this great nation in the direction of peace asperity unity, and patriotism. Help us continue to be the great nation founded by you, god. And bless this time we share together with governor huckabee. In jesus name we pray, amen. Stand and join in the pledge with me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. It is my pleasure to introduce our guest here today the governor he was the 44th governor of arkansas. The governor for 11 years the longestserving governor in history of that state. I tell you, the first time i met the governor was when he was coming through here about eight years ago. And we were at the straw poll in ames. And he was on stage playing his guitar. I missed seeing you on the saturday evenings, too. I enjoyed that. Governor huckabee i miss that. The governor has been an avid musician since he was 11. [laughter] governor huckabee i will need help getting up. They tell me here he is 69. [applause] Mike Huckabee i certainly feel that way. 89. Yes sir. I was a school speaking several years ago, i did a lot of speaking at schools. I went to a campus and talk to kids. First of all, they are so honest. They just let you have it. And i was at an elementary school, and so, the kids were out there kind of restless. I got up and said, ok, by the way, how old are you guys . You are about nine years old . That is about how old most were. I said, how old do you think i am . And one kid said 76 . I said kid you are never going to get out the third grade. [laughter] some things the governor cannot do, that is something i can make happen. Expel that child, dont let them have a seat. [laughter] thank you very much for coming out and 4 30 on a saturday. It is a tough time, we just got back from ames, and 3000 of your fellow iowans were there at the family leader conference. It certainly does not give us the confidence to have a kind of intimacy where we can visit. And i will do something that hillary will not do. I will answer all of your questions today. I am not going to put the press inside of a rope. I think that is a press. Lus. Im grateful for you being here today. Eight years ago, when i ran for president , i came to places like this in iowa. The truth is, when we first started out, i had fewer people than on this first row right here. And it was just inch by inch little by little we kept building a group of people that were willing to support me. And when we won the Iowa Caucuses in 2008, we ended up having the largest number of caucus voters for me that have ever voted for a president ial candidate on the republican ticket in the history of the iowa caucus. The good news is, that is a wonderful milestone. But it does not mean that i think for one minute that i can just show up a few times in iowa and say, well you voted for me before . I expect you to do it again. I am grateful for those who voted for me. But i have no expectation that there is any obligation people would do it again. I have to earn it, this like last time. I hope i can do that. I really believe that i have the right skills to lead this country. And if i did not think that, believe me, i would not have left the wonderfully pleasant job and ive had for the past six and a half years. Over the past quarter of a century, i have been a candidate for office. And i can say to you that is hard work. We get music. [laughter] that is excellent coming from another room. That is not in here. And that is what you are trying to do . It is in the speakers next door. So let me pick up back here. Running for office is really hard work. Then i got elected him Lieutenant Governor then governor. That is even harder work. It is a challenge. Especially when you govern in a state like arkansas where it was the most partisan state in the country. And i know that may be a surprise to you, but arkansas is more partisan we had more lopsided political structure the massachusetts did vermont maine, oregon, california. Any state the most in the country. And serving as Lieutenant Governor after three years governor for 10 half years, i can tell you that was hard. The last six and a half years, i hosted a talk show on television. I have done radio talk, both commentary and a talk show. I drive around making speeches. I will be honest with you. Talking about the candidates and officeholders, that is the easiest job ive ever had my life. [laughter] and it paid better money than anything i have ever done. I got amused when some reporters wrote that huckabee is not serious. He is just trying to build his profile so we can get a tv show, sell some books, makes and speeches. I am thinking, what idiot wrote that . I had a television show, i have written 12 books, i have more speeches than i can accept. That is what i walked away from to run for president. The only reason i would do that is because i truly believe our country is in real trouble. Something i had that i did not have a years ago, five grandkids. By the way, all five of them are four and under. [laughter] one of them is less than four weeks old, the little boy george. And the oldest one just turned four on the second of this month. Imagine how loud things are when theyll get together . [laughter] one of the reasons i am running for president is because my grandkids. It or running because i want to say the nation for them or i am running because that way i do not have to hear how loud they can be when they are altogether. [laughter] i think all of you know that the reason anybody would do this has to be something other than ego. I have been in politics too long to let you go be the reason i ran a campaign. The glory of being a political candadidate disappears after 15 minutes. Nothing is better than being on tv. People love you. You run for office, before hate you. And that is your own family. [laughter] let me say very honestly, i am blessed. My wife was a little upset with me for not running four years ago. Nobody is a stronger supporter and a more committed participant in this process than she is. And frankly, i would not be doing it if i did not have her wholehearted support. This is hard to do. When your family is with you, i find it impossible to do. If your family is not with you. Frankly, a divided family is something none of us in afford to have. But we have a divided country. A severely divided country. And we are seeing the effects of it, the effects of it economically. I am in a town where once many many people would go to work at the maytag plant in newton iowa. It was known all over the country. People knew it was here. I did not live here, i lived in arkansas, i do you had a maytag plant. I remember when whirlpool bought maytag, there was a big plant in my state of arkansas. I remove or when this plant closed, i remove or when the whirlpool plant closed. I remove or when the arkansas plant close. We lost all the jobs to mexico. A lot of people you know, perhaps some of you for all i know may have once worked there and lost jobs. Im tired of seeing america lose jobs. Im tired of seeing americans work year after year really hard at something only to find one day they walk in and theyre told the job is gone. The president has been telling everybody the economy is in recovery. I dont talk to a lot of people and places like this were people say yes, the economy is just doing swimmingly well. People tell me quite the opposite. The economy is not recovering for many working americans. If anything, it struggles because so many people had a good job a few years ago that paid benefits and even a pension. Today, they are working two and three parttime jobs no pension or benefits. A couple of weeks ago i was in aiken, south carolina, we were spending a day there at the fairfield inn. A nice little hotel, and lets you have Free Internet and free breakfast. We are cheap, we have to be. [laughter] i got down there when they open for breakfast at 6 00, i was only one down there except the guy working. He was taking care of the tables for people coming down to have breakfast. Because i was the only one down there, we struck up a conversation. His name is mark, he is in his 50s they be a few years under the me. And these old ladies. [laughter] just seeing if you were listening. We got to talking, until three years ago, he was one of 300 people that work at a manufacturing plant there in aiken. They close the plant, all 300 lost their jobs. He was a College Educated accountant for the company. But the manufacturing facility closed down, his job went away. This man had a good degree, good job, working for 20 something years, now found that he had no job. He was working three parttime jobs. One of which was to get up at 5 00 in the morning and go down to the fairfield inn and serve breakfast to people like me who were in the hotel. He would go to two more jobs after that. And he did that because his house is almost paid off. He cannot afford to lose it. He can afford to move anywhere. He cannot find another job anywhere. And that is the america that i see happening all around us. That is the america we need to fix. And we also need to fix an america where people are in danger not just they go to the middle east, theyre in danger standing outside an army reserve recruiting station or Marine Reserve recruiting station or a marine and Naval Reserve unit. That happened in my home state of arkansas. A young man, private first class standing out front of the recruiting station was assigned there. Yet gone through training. He was sitting outside as a recruiter. A young, radicalized islamic jihadist from memphis who grew up a baptist in a nice neighborhood by the name of what was Carlos Bledsoe went to yemen and came back. His father call the fbi and said i think my son is into something bad. The fbi did not take it serious enough. He had several attempts to do some horrible things. It was pretty bad at being a terrorist. His attempts failed, one of the things he wanted to do was blow up time square. That did not work. He never got caught. But one day he drove over from memphis, about two and half hour drive to little rock, to the rifle and held outside of his car and fired shots that killed in the long and very severely wounded another army soldier. Standing in front of the Army Recruiting station in a strips Shopping Center in little rock arkansas. When this happened the other day, when the shooter went on his rampage and shot up the front of a recruiting station in a strip Shopping Center, my first reaction was i have seen this movie before. It does not end well. And one of the things that was most distressing was these are the most trained, capable people we have to handle weapons. But when they have duties like that, you make them put their weapons aside. They are sitting ducks for the terrorists. Day one, when im president , the secretary of defense will be notified that military members will be free to carry the weapons for which they are trained. We are not going to disarm our soldiers sailors arranged, coast guard and have them walking as vulnerable sitting ducks so that savages will murder them in cold blood on the streets of america. That must stop now. People ask me what do i think is the most important thing we have to fix in america . The economy . Or is it National Security . I tell people that is like asking me which wing on the airplane is the most important left or right . When i fly, folks, i want both wings attached. The plane life better. The plane needs a steering mechanism. And needs to have flaps and a rutter, or economic steered. Wings without a steering mechanism still ends in a crash. America has to have a strong economy, and a Strong National defense. But theres Something Else that america has to have. It has to have a strong moral foundation to steer this country without morality, without a clear unapologetic commitment to the moral absolutes of things being right or wrong, we do not have a steering mechanism. And this country still crashes. I am running for president because i believe with all my heart that it is not just about saying we must get the economy back in shape. Yes, we do. And that is why i support the fair tax which would end all the taxes on work, savings, investments. We would pay taxes at the point of consumption. We with the jobs come back to the country, capital come back people able to manufacture and make things again. But it is also about protecting americans overseas and here on our own soil. So people working in Oklahoma City do not have their heads cut off by a terrorist at work. All of that is dependent upon it president who understands how to lead with moral clarity. And understands that we cannot be a great nation, it is just not possible, if we try to separate ourselves from being a good country. A country that is on its knees before an almighty, providential god. Without whose help we would not be great. I believe with all my heart this country has no way of existing without the estimation that gods providence was involved in how we got here. I do not think this country is dumb. If i did, i would gather my grandchildren and we would huddle up and go to disney and live the best life we could into it all fell apart. But i think it is worth the fight. America has been really, really good to me. Probably like it has to many of you. I grew up dirt poor in south arkansas, the son of a man who never finished high school. Whose dad never finished high school before him. Im the first male to graduate high school, much less go to college. My family has a long history of just poverty. My dad is a tell me, dont look very far of the family tree. There is stuff you dont need to see. That made me curious, i realized the old man was right. [laughter] but i am blessed because i was born in the United States of america, i did not have to stop where i started. The opportunities afforded to me because i live in this country meant that one day i could become the 44th governor of my stay, even though my dad would never believe it. He told the when i was an eightyearold kid, the governor is going to come down here and dedicate a lake. He is going to make a tall, i will take you down there to hear the talk. You may live your whole life and never meet a governor. My dad cannot conceive that i would ever meet the governor again, much less become one. Why would he think that . We live in america. Where that is possible. I want that kind of opportunity for my grandkids but i want for your grandkids, too. And for your kids. And if we continue on the path we are on, that will not be the case. And that is why i am convinced we have to get our shoulder to the wheel, we have to get this country back on track. And we need to make it so our kids and grandkids will have the kind of america we grew up taking for granted. And that is why im running for president. I need your support in the caucuses. I want to remind you something you have been through them before here in iowa. Im asking you to do something that is not easy, get out of your comfortable homes on a cold february evening snow all over the ground. Chances are it will be snowing that night, maybe sleet area i will ask you to get out of your car and sit there for two or three hours in front of your neighbors and coworkers and folks you go to church with and say, Mike Huckabee for president. And persuade your neighbors to vote for me when you are there. And if you are willing to help do that, we need you. We need you to multiply with your friends, relatives, the people you work with, and neighbors. If for some reason, and i cannot imagine why, you think you might vote for somebody else in the caucuses, then i tell you, it is going to be cold that night. [laughter] you need to stay home where it is warm. Put your feet up pop some popcorn, watch it on tv. Say, boy, i should have gone down there. But for heaven sakes, if youre going to vote for someone else do not show up that night. [laughter] i want to take your questions. Who has one . Yes, sir. What is your stance on immigration in february cities . Mike huckabee we should have them. That is one government aiding and abetting the breaking of the law in another area of government. We have seen the disastrous impact of that in san francisco. We have seen it elsewhere, but that was so vivid to see that young, precious girl cold down in my own daughter, she is 32 years old. I tell you, that got close to home. We cant fix the immigration problem without having control of our borders. I pledge, we will control our borders and will secure it in the first year of my presidency. Found sounds a little audacious, we built a 70 a 1700 mile road 73 years ago became British Columbia and alaska. Keep in mind debtors pretty tough that is pretty tough conditions stop. We did in less than a year. He was a there is just no way to secure the border, yes there is if you have a president who decide it is a priority. If we can build 1700 miles of road in British Columbia and alaska, we can secure the border. And we will. But we cannot fix anything wrong with immigration until then. That is first and foremost. Yes . What is your take on that, and what are you willing to do to protect israel from the inevitable iran wants to blow them off the map. Mike huckabee i read all 159 pages of the iranian deal, i was really disgusted when i heard there was a deal. I thought maybe if i read this i will find some comfort. I didnt i thought more outrage. This was a colossal disaster of epic proportions. You mentioned israel, i first went in 1973. I have been there dozens of times. Once this year, i am going back next month. I know the people of israel very well, and i watched this nation heres what ive seen, ive seen the prophecy come true. The dry bones have come to life. I have seen the desert bloom with my own eyes. I watch this country become one of the powerhouses of the world. Like america, the only way you can describe what israel is about is gods intervention. I shudder to think what the of done with this iranian deal. We empowered, and emboldened terrorists these are the people who, 36 years ago took over the country and held americans hostage. These of the peoples were never kept a single be a live made. They connect americans, murdered americans, consistently. These are the people that sponsored hamas. They pay for the very rockets fired from gaza. I was there last august when those rockets were being fired. I was at the southernmost airbase. When the israelis went and flew into gaza and saw this attack in her care that they took to try to keep from having civilian deaths. I also saw the video is where hamas would move civilians in front of what they do with the targets. Thats who we aere are dealing with. They cannot be trusted. Their president was screaming death to america while we were in discussions with them. I want to remind americans this is not just about israel. Iran has repeatedly said israel is the little satan america is the great satan. They do not chant death to israel, it was not the primary target, it was the warmup act. We are the target. Why would be help load a gun that is pointed to our own head. Only an idiot would do that. What we did was nothing short of idiotic. We ought to reverse it, bankrupt iran, ought to utilize our own forms of energy to bankrupt what theyre capacity is their capacity is. We have energy right under our own feet. We could put millions of americans to work and give them good jobs. We could lower the energy costs for americans which means that single mom driving to work every day should be paying one dollar for gas not four dollars. Make it so that the 84 year old widow could turn her airconditioning on rather than have to leave it off because he cant afford electric bill. We can become the number one exploiter, and exporter, of energy. We would take the markets away from russia, saudi arabia, and iran. When we do that, we not only transform our economy, we also reset the whole balance of world power, and we take the power of putin away, we take the power of the iranians away, and we take the power of the saudis away to train terrorists to fly buildings into planes into buildings on 9 11. Somebody else . I think a lot of people think obamacare should be eliminated. But, i think a lot of people will also agree that the Health Care System is broken. A lot of people arent able to afford it. Mike huckabee the real problem was that obamacare did not address the real problem. The problem and americas not a health care crisis. We have the best health care in the world. Do you know anyone that you had a diagnosis from the doctor did anyone say quick, gimme to havana cuba. Ever heard of that . Never. Ever heard anyone say my goodness i need to get to shanghai as quick as i can . No. I w you hear i want to get to new orleans. It is in america. The best health care is here. What we have is not a health care crisis, it is a health crisis. 80 of the money we are spending in america is treating chronic diseases. We very sick population. That is expensive. Instead of just saying lets put more money to treat people who let illnesses, lets put the money to prevent the illnesses from ever happening and to cure the ones that are curable. What would happen if a president named huckabee said in the next decade we will find a cure to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and alzheimers. Heres what we decided, just like we eradicated polio, i was there. I might not be 89, but i can remember this. I were member lining up the Courthouse Lawn and getting my polio vaccine. I never got polio because of that. Kids two years older than me had to wear braces on their legs. I never did. We do not spend money last year on polio, because we beat it. What if we did the same thing to our disease, diabetes, cancer, and alzheimers . Do you realize that hundreds of billions of dollars we could save . Right now Cancer Treatment is over 100 billion dollars a year. Alzheimers will he 1. 1 trillion by the year 2050. We transfer not just the economy, but they can about the impact on your life. We will find cures to these diseases. Most of us have gone through one or more of those diseases in our immediate family. We know how devastating it is. All four of those have touched my family. My mother, father, wife, motherinlaw, it has touched mtyy family, and yours. If we put our focus on your rather than ask your rather than intervention. They can be covered, and should be. Obamacare has done exact the opposite. It said if you like your doctor, you can keep him, and it will cost you less every year. I am waiting for someone to say i kept my doctor, my health insurance, and it is cheaper. Ever the opposite. Ive lost my doctor, lost health insurance, and as an they cant afford. The bottom line is it is costing thousands more. Business owners are now making decisions not to grow their business but to shrink their business. This is the first time in history that a Business Owner is trying to figure out how to keep his employees under 50 because he cannot afford to grow his business. Yes to shrink his business. He has to shrink his business. We say serve more customers, not cut back because you cant afford the government mandates. As president , that is exactly what i would absolutely get done. The quickest way to do that job wise to the fair tax. The groups way health care wise is to put the focus on prevention rather than intervention. It makes a huge difference. Thank you, chris. I think the need that. I hope that is just water. I will be talking funny soon. Thats just water, you have to trust me on this. [laughter] let me take a couple more questions. I wont wear you out you may have things to do. I heard the donald trump made some comments today about john mccain and he did not people who had been captured. Do you have anything to say about that . Mike huckabee unfortunately, he did Say Something to the effect that he likes he was being disparaging towards mccain and said he wasnt a hero because he got captured, and the people that got captured with the losers. I find that offensive. I will be honest with you, john mccain was my political opponent eight years ago im happy to say and beat him in the state. But ultimately he beat me. I was never personally bitter about that that is how politics works. I went all over this country and campaign for him because he was our nominee. One thing i will tell you about the john mccain, and i have many disagreements with him, but i will never question that man sacrifice and service to this great nation. For six years he was a prisoner of war and was tortured mercilessly by the north vietnamese, brutally tortured. I read the account of mccains incarceration and torture. It is just stunning. I dont think most of us are made of the stuff he is made of, to take that kind of torture for six solid years. He did something that very few people can claim, through all of that, he returned with honor. I dont care if he were the most liberal democrats in the world i would say he earned my respect. I can disagree politically but i will never disrespect the Sacrificial Service not only that he put forth, but that every veteran put forth. Folks, i want to be very clear i get to walk on free land, and breathe free air, because of the men and women who put a uniform on and sacrifice to keep me free. Whether they saw combat, or were pows, they served, i live free. Not only am i grateful, but if there is one thing in this country we should make sure we do, it is ensure that every single promise that we make to those veterans we keep tenfold. They kept their promises to us. That is not a money issue not a political issue, it is a moral issue. Keep your word. Make a promise, keep it. If you cant keep it, dont make it. I feel the same thing about Social Security. We will change all the rules and taking hold on many have been paying this since we were 14 years old. Nobody asked me if they could take that out of my check. They took it out whether i liked it or not, with the caveat that if they took it out when i got to be 65 Social Security and medicare would be there. I will not hopefully have to depend social solely on that. But people in this country who have Social Security, and some of them it is their primary source. Are we honestly, seriously, taking it makes sense to take that away from the people who have done their duty . They have accepted having that confiscated from their checks . I dont think so. God help us if we are that dishonest. One final question. Howe m how much is it cost to be treated there . Mike huckabee it depends on what youre being treated for. Say colon cancer. Mike huckabee i cant give you a figure at the mayo clinic. My wife had spinal cancer, it scared the daylights out of us. We were fortunate enough to have health insurance. It cost more than we made over several years. People should not be penalized because they get sick. I have never suggested that it is ok to say you just set the tough it out. That is not the kind of country america is. I dont want to see a street this monstrous Government Program that is all about what the government tells you you have to do, and have to pay for. It is about insuring that people have access to healthcare, but making sure what they have access to is affordable, and portable and that he goes with you just like your car or form insurance home insurance. It also means that you have some responsibility. If i set fire to my house, i dont get to call the Insurance Company. If i run my car into a tree can call the Insurance Company and say i was pretending i was richard petty. I have to show some responsibility. If i want to live his reckless as possible, it will cost more to insure my car in my home. It will probably cost more to insure my body if im reckless with my own health. That is the insurance has to work. It cant work where we let somebody else pay for our irresponsibility. At this point, the average person cannot afford to go to those fancy clinics. Mike huckabee and you may not need to. Ive never been to the mayo clinic myself. I go to the local facility where i live. I did not mean the mayo clinic was the only place, it is just one of those places. Tehre sh there should be a means to access the Health Care System. That is something we did not work on with obamacare. What we worked him as making sure that we force people by government edict to buy a level of insurance that they may not have needed, and it not want. Because of obama care mandates the coverages im a 59yearold male, i have maternity coverage. [laughter] it is mandated. Im not sure you laugh because youre thinking how ridiculous. I am pretty sure i am bn not going to get pregnant. And if i do, i will get a reality show in may so much money able need insurance. This will be huge. But i have to have maternity benefits. I also need benefits for drug counseling, i cannot a drug addict am not a drug addict. I have never tasted beer i havent. I dont drink. As a teenager, and a smelled it, and it smelled awful. My friend said well you have to develop a taste for it. I may be crazy on some things behind every rational and said to let me see if i get this right i have to develop a taste . What that means is that if i go and continue to take something into my mouth that i find repulsive that i will be able to accept it then like it. I said that doesnt make any sense to me. Why would i beat my body into submission to accept something . I am not at risk for getting addicted to alcohol, but i have to pay for coverage because it someone else wants it, i am subsidizing that. Should i have to pay for that . I dont know, i dont think so. Folks, you have been wonderful. I want to thank you very much. I hope i answered the questions that were undermined, and heart. Member february, where will you be . In caucus . Who will you vote for . [laughter] if you are not going to vote for huckabee, what will you do . Stay home. Weve got it folks. Thank you. [applause] thanks for hosting the event. Thank you guys. Thanks for coming out. [indiscernible] [laughter] my mother is a pastor. When i first came here she looked me right in the eyes. My mom said that. I said yes, maam. Mike huckabee how are you guys . How are you doing . Good to see you. You have your hands full, i realized that. Hi there. How are you doing . What i am thinking is, you can never go wrong with pepperoni. [indiscernible] Mike Huckabee that looks pretty good. [indiscernible] Mike Huckabee i saw one the other day. Thank you. It is lovely to see you, it is great to be back. Good to see you. Hi, there, we will put you right here. Get on the other side, over here. There we go. Thank you. Are you from their . Is that right . Mansfield. [indiscernible] no, he is an illinois. Mike huckabee that is quite a drive, isnt it . Did you get out there . No. [indiscernible] Mike Huckabee i am glad you all came out here. I voted for you the last time around. You are on my bucket list to meet. Mike huckabee get the camera there, they will take it for us. Thank you. It is nice to meet you. Mike huckabee here we go. Thank you for your prayer this afternoon. You are welcome. Mike huckabee that is immanuel is no confidence in his photography. When someone asks me to smile , i say i cant. Thank you, god bless. You did all that without a teleprompter . Mike huckabee those are expensive. Could i get your autograph . Mike huckabee sure. My father raise me to believe if you tell the truth you dont not remember what you said. I believe that is true. 2017. I dont know what you are thinking about vp, but Mike Huckabee i have to get the first slot first. I am plugging for both of you. Mike huckabee that is not a bad idea. Thank you. You must like to hunt. I am a storm chaser for the National Weather service. I just happened to be driving by. Mike huckabee do you live here in iowa . I was in des moines. Mike huckabee how long if you been chasing storms . Since i was 16. Mike huckabee we had some bad tornadoes. I was in two personally. Terrible stuff. I am glad youre running. You are the only candidate that knows how to do that. Mike huckabee be careful when youre out there. On the next washington journal, represented that the overwrought of texas. A hearing on the v8 budget shortfall. Then he talks about the shooting in tennessee. Republican representative tom rice of south salina south carolina. The current funding bill expires next week. The groups recommendation for making congress work. Washington journal is live every morning at 7 00 eastern on cspan. Contribute your thoughts by phone and on facebook and twitter. A california father calls on congress to approve legislation to get undocumented balance off u. S. Streets. His daughter was shot and killed on a san francisco. Earlier this summer. The gunman had previously runins with the law. He and his family testified before the Senate Judiciary committee. Later in the hearing, officials from immigration and Customs Enforcement and the u. S. Citizenship testify. Departed. Ms. Oliver has established a foundation in her husbands name to help kids in school. Our second witness, ms. Grace huang, she is Public PolicyProgram Coordinator for Washington State coalition