Transcripts For CSPAN Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20140717

If evidence emerges that russia was involved, that would obviously be extremely concerning. Are their preliminary idea that it was in fact a surface to air missile . You said are there preliminary ideas . Findings, evidence . Not at this time. This is just beginning. Its hard to tell. There you confident that u. S. Will be able to figure out what happened . I Hope International regimes can get in there to get the black box and really be able to look at what might have happened. It appears, just to somebody who was ant this and that it in air explosion. The debris field is so widely spread. Do you believe there were 23 americans on board . I have heard what you have heard. It is my understanding the manifest is not yet available. There were some americans on board . Do i believe everyone everything i hear from the press . What do you believe the cause of the explosion is . I do not believe at this stage. Im a wait to find out. What would be the appropriate u. S. Response . Lets not speculate on hypothetical. Lets wait until we have the actual information. You expressed concern that u. S. Did not have the proper intelligence assets in that region. Do you think the u. S. Does now . We had a much better briefing today than we did a couple of months ago. That is a positive indication of progress. Denis mcdonough stepped by recently. He was here to talk to the vice chair about something else. Ok . Thank you. The debris is spread over such a Long Distance that it indicates to me, from my experience, that the aircraft came apart before it hit the ground which means that it was either an explosion, a missile, or some object that struck the aircraft. None of that was i briefed on. Senator, would you think the implications and ramifications would be if in fact it was shut down by russian separatists as it relates to the ukrainerussian conflict . And they could have only gotten the capability from russia and therefore, the culpable party here is Vladimir Putin. What gives credence to that theory is in the last couple of weeks the separatists have shut down shot down aircraft including a transport aircraft. They have a record in recent days of shooting down ukrainian aircraft. Will you put pressure on putin to end the war, and the conflict . I dont know, but for us not to act, we must react in a stringent fashion because Vladimir Putin has been working on the situation even recently sending in additional troops and equipment. For the separatists. The president said that the u. S. Will provide assistance in determining the cause of the incident. Im sure we have capabilities that can track the aircraft and hopefully give a better understanding. For example, i think we have the capability to know whether another aircraft was close by, i. E. Fighter aircraft, those types of capabilities. Were you briefed on that . Was it in fact shot down from 3500 feet . I dont know. As i say, the photographs, the footage of the wreckage, not in this briefing, the footage of the wreckage shows, to me, that the aircraft came across apart before it hit the ground which leads one to speculation that it was either hit or excluded at 33,000 feet. Again, i am not and we should not jump to any conclusions before we have more hard information. There are no conclusions regardless . You will have to ask them. The information i am given is the information ive gotten from other sources. Was Denis Mcdonough scheduled to be there . I did have a conversation with him about this. We need to know. Does he . I dont think he has any more or less information than what we are seeing in the media. I did not ask him specifically. When you say stringent action, what do you mean . We need to arm the Ukrainian Military which shamefully we have not done. Vladimir putin and russia should be named as a pariah nation. If they are responsible for this, they deserve. Thank you, senator. Thank you. [laughter] New Hampshire senator kelly ayotte also spoke about the plane crash in ukraine today. Here are her remarks from the u. S. Senate for. Am president , i would like to shift to a different topic. I would like, first of all, we all learned today very shockingly that there was an airlines that was shot down, Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over Eastern Ukraine, and that reportedly 295 people lost their lives in that incident. And its been reported that there were americans, some americans reportedly 23 americans who were listed on the manifest, and i just want to offer my thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims of that plane that went down over Eastern Ukraine. And know that youre in our thoughts and in our prayers. And i want to raise the issue as following theres an investigation going on. We dont know yet whos responsible or if anyones responsible. The facts will come forward as to why this plane went down. But it has been widely reported that the plane was, in fact, shot down. Some of the reports have said that it was done by a medium training surfacetoair missile system. We know that most recently there has been tremendous violence in Eastern Ukraine, and if the investigation of this plane going down reveals that either russia or russian agents are responsible or indirector responsible for shooting down this civilian airliner, there should be serious, serious consequences. Because what we know is that Vladimir Putin and the russians have been responsible in fomenting the situation that has occurred the Eastern Ukraine where there has been violence, there has been recruiting, training, and funding of russians and russian agents, sending them to Eastern Ukraine to fight the ukranian government, interfering with the sovereignty of ukraine, and this was following the illegal invasion and annexation of crimea, the territory of ukraine, by the russian government, and the russians have taken over that portion of ukraine. So we will wait to see what the investigation is for the downing of this plane. Our prayers will be with the families who have lost those whom they love. But i believe there should be serious consequences if we find out that it was either russian agents, russian equipment, or russia directly that was responsible for this airliner. And yesterday the administration announced that it would impose and was imposing greater sanctions on russia for their activities, fomenting violence in Eastern Ukraine, and i want to thank the administration for finally coming forward and putting forth more serious sanctions against Vladimir Putin, against the russian government for what they have done to interfere with the sovereignty of ukraine. Its an important step forward, and i hope that Vladimir Putin understands that there are even greater sanctions that can be imposed, if the sanctions that were announced yesterday by the administration that involves some sectoral sanctions against Major Industries in russia and individuals, if they do not heed the warning that is coming from those sanctions, i hope that Vladimir Putin and the russian government understands there are much tougher sanctions that can also be imposed, if they dont heed the sanctions that were put in place yesterday and stop fueling the violence in Eastern Ukraine. Madam president , what weve seen happen in Eastern Ukraine is that we need to understand the context of it. The separatists, the socalled separatists in Eastern Ukraine are funded, equipped, and supported by the kremlin. Vladimir putin could end the violence in Eastern Ukraine tomorrow, if he chooses to. He essentially has operational control of what these violent separatists are doing to interfere with the sovereignty in ukraine. Hes responsible for the violence, and i would call on him to end that violenceto vip funding these separatists, to stop providing them with equipment that is being used against ukrainian people and the ukrainUkrainian Military and tow the people of ukraine to determine their future. That is what they want. I had the privilege of going to ukraine for their president ial election, and i was inspired by the people who went to the polls, and ill never forget being there at the first polling station that day in the president ial elections, and an older gentleman came to the polls, and he cast his ballot. And what he said for democracy, the people of ukraine want to determine their own future, just like we determine our future in this country. And Vladimir Putin and russia should allow the people of ukraine to decide their future. They should stop interfering with t executives from General Motors testified about gms recall of more than 20 million cars because of ignition switch problems. Here was one exchange from the hearing between missouri senator Claire Mccaskill and gm general counsel. I want everyone to understand what unitive damages are. Punitive damages in our system are designed to punish corporations or people for conduct that is outrageous and egregious. It is a method by which justice can be done by punishing bad behavior. Andttern was emerging General Motors for almost a decade about these cars. There was some confusion because of deceit on part of at least one engineer. But in october 2010, your lawyers this was not a plaintiff lawyer out there making a frivolous lawsuit saidlawyers that you hired you are possibly subject to punitive damages over the way you have handled this problem and this automobile. That was in october 20 10 and i believe you were general counsel then. Correct . That is correct. Again, in july 2011, your lawyers told you that there is the potential for punitive damages because of this actual scenario. You were also general counsel then, correct . That is correct. , she was general counsel for north america, correct . I believe she began that position in march 2011. I could be2012 but wrong. My document says march 2011. I take your word for it. In april 2012, another of your outside lawyers warned your department that you were subject to punitive damages which could theillions of dollars with corporation the size of General Motors. At that point in time, you were general counsel . Correct. And lucy Clark Doherty for north america. Again in 2013, almost the same time you have the bombshell dropped on you in the deposition confronted with a basic Engineering Task that had been done showing the switches had been switched out, the part had been changed, once again, you were warned about punitive damages. That is correct. You have a legal obligation as general counsel to report material events and liabilities to the securities and exchange commission. Did you ever do that about this issue . On the issue of punitive damages . Defect and theem issues around. Have you ever reported to the sec . Let your Legal Department from the time i a new forward, before that, we had not. At the time of the recall, you told the sec. Subsequently may have made a filing about the recall, correct. What about the legal obligation to inform the board of directors. Were they aware your lawyers were telling you that it would cause punitive damages . They were not. What about financial reserves . Were you entering the financial reserves necessary, your obligation as general counsel . We were not entering reserves to cover punitive damages. No, we were not. Ok, so i dont get how you and lucy Clark Doherty still have your jobs. Can you explain that to me . I think youve done a lot of good work since youve taken over, ms. Barra. Annot for the life of me this is either gross negligence or gross incompetence on the part of the lawyers. The notion he can say he did not know . Mccaskill, i respectfully disagree. I have made the promise to fix what happened in the company to make sure that we are dedicated to safety, dedicated to excellence. We are well on our way and we have made significant changes. To do that, i need the right team. He is a man of incredibly High Integrity with tremendous Global Experience as it relates to the legal profession. On this person i need team and he had a system in place. In this instance, it was not wrong to his attention frankly by people who brought another issue forward. There was not a system in place where your lawyer tells you you are subject to punitive damages not getting to your desk . How is that not incompetence . How can you not have a system in place where at least lucy Clark Doherty says the lawyers have told us four times within a few years on something you had not even talk about recalling punitive damages . How do you have a system in place it does not account for that . Senior lawyers have the information and did not bring it forward and they are no longer with the company. She still had the knowledge. As we went through the details of the report very carefully, and i would say, when in doubt, we reached further to take action, there are many lawyers no longer with the company. I think there has been a blind spot here, a really do. The failure of the Legal Department is stunning. You look around government, when Something Like this happens you know what . Secretary shinseki did not know about the problems in scheduling. Nobody told him. Hes gone. We are here at Salisbury House in des moines, iowa. It was a home that was built by carl and edith weeks in the 1920s. He was a man of many and varied interests. One of the most notable legacies of his interests are his amazing collections in terms of art works, sculpture, the Library Collection is an amazing collection of rare limited First Edition works, medieval manuscript. Its incredible. He,ollected the books that did not only because they are important historical works but also because he believed that books themselves were works of a worth beyond the words on the page so he collected almost every addiction edition of leaves of grass. Over time and walt whitman added poems but for him its the art of collecting. Ofalso collected a variety First Editions of Ernest Hemingways work. This is green hills of Africa Published in 1935 and this is a great piece because it illustrates the personal relationship that existed between carl weekes and ernest hemingway. This inscription explore the history and literary life of des moines, iowa, saturday at noon eastern on cspan 2s book tv and on American History tv on cspan 3. 40 years ago, the watergate scandal led to the only resignation of an american president. Throughout this month and early august, American History tv revisits 1974 and the final weeks the nixon administration. This weekend, Opening Statements from the House Judiciary Committee as members consider articles of impeachment against president nixon. Election of the president occupies a very unique system. It is the one act in which the entire country participates. The outcome is accepted and the occupant stands as a symbol of our National Unity and commitment. If the judgment of the people is to be reversed, the majority will to be undone, the symbol to be replaced by the action of the elected representative and it must before substantial and not trivial offenses. Watergate 40 years later, sunday night at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv on cspan3. On tomorrows washington journal, a look at the Congressional Budget Office forecast of the fiscal outlook for the next 75 years. Our guest is Miami Guinness Maya macguineas. Theing the anniversary of apollo moon landing talking with Charles Bolden and then a space analyst. Washington journal live on cspan with your phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets everyday at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. From this mornings washington journal, a discussion on immigration and the highway trust fund, and other issues facing congress. Guest now is Eddie Bernice johnson. She is a democrat from texas. Science space and Technology Ranking member. Thank you for joining us. Discuss the to current debate on immigration policy. Our representative from iowa seated here, talking about the new proposal from your colleagues. Support for the proposal might be. He supports parts of it, but not all of the. Where do you stand . The same way. At some portions i could support, other parts i could not support. I have not seen anything beyond thatmmigration reform bill i can wholeheartedly support. Perhaps by the time it comes to a vote or by the time it comes to a committee hearing, there might be some areas in which i can support. Some of the things the bill would do is make it easier for government officials to send back children who are crossing the border illegally. Of there portions spending request that deal with the issue of Migrant Children, are there portions that you feel are more likely to make it through congress than others . Would like to see everyone make it. Those departments cannot function without the dollars to do the job. I am not sure. We have had difficulty with everything the president has asked for at the house. It is difficult for me to predict at this time. I am hoping people will dealingnd what were with the crisis of these Young Children and understand that these Young Children, in 20 years, they will be adults. We are dealing with international affairs. How we deal with other countries, how we are able to assist other countries develop some type of system for justice and equality. It will make a great difference. Host steve king issued mentioned earlier, it is an issue of Border Security. You are claiming it is an issue of justice and equality. To look at the Young Children. In terms of security, we have to look at the world. These countries are not whereing by Civil Society you have Law Enforcement more strictly enforced. Where most of the economy has come from your legal activities. A lot of gang activities. These children seem to be escaping, trying to find a better life, with the assistance of adults. These took one cannot do this without adults. It is clear that this is a movement that has been well planned. From children have to come more than one country all the way through mexico into the border. It has been land for them. They cannot plan for themselves. I think how we treat the children well make history for them. Or good. D this country is made up of immigrants. Some by looking for a better life and some by imitation. This is no different from the past. It is just that, all of a sudden, we cannot get our act together in Immigration Reform. That the United States is the place where you can reach the American Dream and everyone is a magnet. It draws people from all over the world. It is easier for border states to migrate than for other. Ountries host you can call at republicans, 202 5853881. Democrats, 202 5853880. Independents, 202 5853882. We have opened a special line for border state residence at 202 5853883. I want to get your reaction to this poll. Do you approve or disapprove of the way president obama is handling them coming into the you United States over the border with mexico. There was a recent poll in usa fory that shows support undocumented immigrants to stay in the u. S. Legally. Where is the plan failing to resonate with voters. Guest there is a great deal of fear and excited. And anxiety. People are having a harder time. This is a threat. If we had Immigration Reform, people would be much more comfortable. We have had an influx. These people have been coming for quite a few years. Quite a few people all the time. This is how they have been handled all the time. Ofhas been going on a number years. Since we do not have Immigration Reform we have parents who are the children, from what i understand, someone pays for their transportation. Host to our callers. Barbara, summer, washington. Caller thank you for cspan. I started listening in the middle of steve kings program. I took a study group on it and i have added the commuter right now at the computer right now. Y must have been president present in the United States at least five consecutive years prior to the bill. Must have graduated from a u. S. High school or gotten a ged or been accepted into college. Must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of application and must have good moral character. When he is saying that these people coming now could qualify and be covered and stay under the dream act, that is false. You. Like to hear how you. i agree with it is not with the dream act is about. An attemptct is not to address the children coming now. This issue has not been effectively addressed. It has been a problem. 2000s been a problem since. Has not been addressed because the numbers of children coming have never exceeded a certain number. Is what in the number is causing the excitement right now. Many of the Faith Community have been receiving and working with these young people. Some of them have attempted to build dormitories in their own country for when they go back so they do not have to go back into and into ainty crimeridden community. Host lillian, go ahead. Caller i have a problem with the immigrants at our border, coming here. Giving we are a giving country. I understand that. Everyone is willing to pump all immigrants,y to the we have people in texas, what about the people unemployed here. They have been begging for this congress to pass a bill to let it go through. You can put money into immigrants, people will come here with their children. God love the children. State thatple in our need help. Agree with you totally. We have people in our state that needs help. Congress is in this attempting to address many of the problems that people deal with. Unemployment compensation, for example. There are many people unemployed that are desperately in need of it. One problem does not take away or solve another. Each problem has to be dealt with. The children are not getting this money. Provided,es that are the Service People receiving the money, first of all, we have to give so much money to the Justice Department to establish additional courts and to give and to get the children to follow our own law. They have to have a day in court. That, we have to establish more court, hire more attorneys. The Justice Department gets so much money. That is not free. Many of these facilities are. Losed in san antonio, there is a closed military base. It seems to be working well. We have to have other facilities. In my area, there are closed schools. Very few facilities for showers or bathing. It takes money to do that. Mentioned the issue of housing and sheltering some of some of the controversy is where the children will end up. I would like to read you an article that says there is a plan to house Migrant Children in a necessary move to care for them in a growing crisis. It would see the county house and care for as many as 2000 children who crossed the border alone. When dallasope is county steps up, the state and others will step up. Do you support having these children in your district . How should they be cared for . Guest if nobody wants them in their district, every facility is going to be in someones district. If america cannot reach out to children in need, i dont know what else we can do. Clearly it takes us out of our comfort zone. They have to have somewhere to go. Are children up to the age of 18. In less than 20 years, they will be adults. Baseduntry will be judged upon how we treat them now. A magnet. This is the country that we have had democracy for 300 years. That is different from where these children are coming from. Wants to come here because they here you can make it if you work hard and follow rules. These children did not choose this country. This country has been chosen by the person who brought them here or by their parents who are already here. Parents whom i want to come here. Is a very different situation if these were all adults. You met with rick perry and president obama during a visit to your stay. What did you tell them needed to be done what needed to be done . Not tell them. They told me. My responsibility at that point was attempting to get the allocation so that we could do and follow the plans that we have for temporary housing for taking them through the process and following our own law as it relates to the Young Children that have come unaccompanied. It is not an easy situation. It is not a comfort zone for all america. Nothing that we do brings about complete comfort. Anything that we do to treat andr countries in a fair dignified manner, to help them develop Civil Societies will rock our boat because it costs us money. It is a responsibility we have taken on. A lot of the dollars that we send to assist them in building Civil Societies are huge dollars and we could say that we do not want to do that anymore. Care of our to take own business and ignore the rest of the world. We would find ourselves in a very different situation. InterNational Security has a great deal to do with that. How people feel about this with theas a lot to do security we experience. We have not have the kind of uprisings in this country as other countries have. We have been somewhat targets and i think sometimes, because there is a lack of understanding of how we are being viewed in the rest of the world, we depend on other countries in many different ways, for goods, for selling our goods. We are not free of the need for the rest of the world. The rest of the world consists of people. The children grow up with renate to its. Attitudes,d those how we can understand these children did not come on their own and they are not responsible for where they are and when they are here we have to be larger with them. I cannot believe we have a country who does not have enough cannotf humanity, that be kind to children, innocent victims of their own system. Host to recap the legislation , the humaneeration act of 2014, it says that all unaccompanied Migrant Children should be treated equally, regardless of country of origin. We will turn back to the phone lines and hear from pete, ashburn, virginia. Caller i thank you for your service to the country. I am of that. You talk about humanitys in my son didy, multiple tors in afghanistan. Our sons and daughters are stationed everywhere in the world. 80 of these are boys. Deferred act as all government bureaucracy. Enforce the laws. If you have to build refugee camps, do it. Do not scatter them from maryland to virginia to california. I am from ohio. I have seen what immigration does to this country. Americagrant people of the ignorant people of america have to realize this is an invasion. Went democrats say Immigration Reform, does that mean amnesty . Guest it does not. As it has passed the senate, it provides for a pathway to citizenship. This particular bill, it takes 12 or 13 years to achieve that status. Most of the people that come to this country are looking for employment. They get it. If we do not want or desire to have people coming, we should not hire them. Some of our wealthiest people look for workers who work below minimum wage to take care of their children and homes and yards. In some instances, even to do hightech type work. To have themwant come, then, why are we hire them. To why are we allowing it to be a haven . Reach whatld not they are coming for, they would not be coming. Just their fault. Theyre coming because opportunities are here. Texas,tate, the state of there is controversy as to they because they make up a large portion of the employment of the employee benefits, with low income, and it overloads the. Chools, Emergency Rooms that is not their fault. That is the fault of our system. Our next caller is ken from beaumont texas. Caller i have been fortunate to have spent lots of time in Central America and honduras, guatemala, el salvador. One of the interesting things that i have seen as there is a problem with our foreign policy. I have a daughter who spent quite a few months teaching kids in school and one of the things they found is to watch the kids learn things that they can do that they never knew, then over that nobody put in front of them. South of theey minds, these kids are that arey cool very impressionable. If we take a little bit of the money that we are south of the border, running around the world, trying to solve issues elsewhere, these are on our back torsos. We need to spend time and effort and look at these kids. Send weill we spend billions on war and eight. That is still less than 1 of our total budget. Solve problems as they occur. We spend ofwhen this foreign aid, we are attempting to avoid the problems that are occurring. We do get more immigrants coming from contiguous states and countries because it is easier for them to get here. Countries, other than south and Central America, will have to take boats and planes to get here. That is not true of south and Central America. They just have to come. They get to mexico, they travel the entire country. Countriesan travel without the assistance of where they are. Our borders are loaded right now. It is not new. It is just so many at one time. I think we do have to approach it in a humanitarian way. Host would you support sending the National Guard out to increase Border Security . Guest i have a question about the National Guard for this reason. We cannot afford the cost that that would be on the border. When we handled the situation as it is playing out, there will not be a need for that. To numbers will start diminish when we can provide help back in their countries it would help a great deal. That the faiths organizations had is to build dormitories and their country so they will not have to be pushed back in the same situation for which they are escaping. That is already happening. In needs to happen more. It is no cost to the government. Private dollars help with that. Some of them might remain. Some of them are joining their parents. Know, they did not get here alone and somebody paid for them to come. Host you have mentioned the cost of dealing of dealing with the problem. At alicans are balking 3. 7 billion spending request. Is that enough to address this issue or do you think more would he needed . Guest i do not know. Let me say that whatever the president wants, the president the republicans balked. It does not make a difference about that part. There should be legitimate questions on the amount of dollars on how they are to be spent. Theres nothing wrong with questioning that. There are four different agencies involved. It is a foreign issue. The state department has to deal with the. The Justice Department, providing for the following of our own law for courts and examining what direction to send the children. Health and Human Services is responsible for finding housing while they are here. That is why the many facilities identified around the country, who put him of the children, because we have run out of space at the military base and in san antonio and a few other places. Got to deal with our immigration policy. That is going to be one of the major problems. Host we will turn back to the phone lines. Taylor, michigan, good morning. Caller thank you, cspan. Give [indiscernible] clinton. From foras a job mexicans to bring up their raises. They went to china. We go to canada. Guest i am not sure what the question ist it sounds like he bringing up the employment that you are experiencing in your home state of texas. Guest is a reality that there is a lot of question, especially from workers who feel they have been pushed out of jobs. That is why the immigration policy is important. That theat the need country will have and you get immigrants coming in to fulfill those needs. It is not just an open border where everyone flows and looking for jobs. We have numbers and caps on immigration. E have the visas there is a cap for the numbers. If we do not bring some people in, we lose our own businesses. They go where the people are. Consider that it has to be a balance. With the no immigration policy, it creates more of a problem of immigrants who are not highly skilled because it does cause the workers weto have in the country. Theres is a story that ran in the Washington Post thats headlined a stopgap bill Fund Transportation through may. Will offer a crisis and the senate is likely to tinker with it before it reaches president obamas. Did you vote in favor of this . Guest i did. It was not anything desired. It was necessary in order not to use not to lose massive numbers of jobs. We are kicking the can down the road. Times in the last 10 years we have tried to solve this problem by a shortterm reauthorization. This until may 31 of next year. It is unfortunate that we cannot rise to the occasion and take care of the situation we need to take care of. Costly jobs, it is more to have shortterm authorizations, especially srojects that take long period of time. It costs more money to not go ahead and do multiple your authorizations. Maintenance means a lot. In cannot build a bridge three or four months. It takes several years. If you cannot depend on the funding, then you do not start the project. That is when you have bridges collapsing. It costs more for constituents ,nd their own transportation the long lines get longer. It also interferes with the environment. There is a lot of negative in not taking on the responsibility that we know we have to do. The what are some of longterm solution jew would be in favor of . Guest we have not raised the gas tax in many years. Alterations. Ome we have had fewer people drive cars. We have cars that use less fuel. Using natural fuels and gas or electric. Be enough dollars. We probably are going to have to look at multiple ways of to keep in the dollars the cars moving and to keep the economy going. Host debbie, phoenix city, alabama. Caller i am hispanic. I came to the country legally. You send these kids to military bases with diseases where they spread. Use the money that is allocated for the military. You cut our budgets. You kill our vets. They are dying, 22, every day. When are you going to help us . When is the where is the humanity in that . Lot ofthere are a problems on the table, including the problems of our veterans. That must be on the table with equal attention. That is what we are attempting to do. Prior to going into Public Office was a registered nurse with the Veterans Hospital in dallas, texas. I understand the needs of veterans. I am one of the people who have pushed and pushed to get the investigation on what is going on. You are right. We need to get that attention. This is not a nation that can settle for focusing on one problem at a time. We have multiple problems. We have a large population. Everyone within our population can put our problems on the table that we need to address. Host danny, good morning. Caller i am puerto rican. The problem i have, we are not enforcing the laws. That is why people are coming here. There are no repercussions for anyone. The employers should be responsible and liable for hiring people illegally. It is all about the cost. Everyone elses wages go down and that is a problem for everyone. That is where the hate kicks in. This country is full of immigrants. The flow that we have coming in now is out of control and we need to do something about that. That is the bottom line. Guest i agree. We need Immigration Reform. It is our fault that we do not have Immigration Reform. That we havelt created many situations that cause these problems. We are a great country. It is a country that is like a magnet. Everybody wants to come. We have to have some professional ways of dealing with it. Ways that we can deal with it in a humane way. Especially with children. I do not have all of the answers. Together, we can come up with solutions if we will work together. Unfortunately, we are not getting the cooperation. I do not see many efforts being put forth that we should be putting forth. What the president wants, the republicans are against. Here is an update from the New York Times. Mailingysian airlines 777 was shot down. At airplane was traveling about 30,000 feet according to tracking information from a military spy sunlight. The satellite was unable to detect exec who where the missile was fired. Intelligence allen lists are analystsintelligence are using computers to determine more. The article goes on ukrainian officials called the crash an act of terrorism. On capitol hill this afternoon, lawmakers were cautious about speculating about the crash. Next up, we will hear from Diane Feinstein who spoke to rep two reporters after a closeddoor intelligence meeting. I am just going to read a brief statement. We received a very good briefing from the Intelligence Community about the situation in ukraine. Even before todays events, it was clear that russia was escalating its support or the separatists, which is obviously very concerning. Russianbased separatists have shot down more than a dozen in ukraineicopters over the past few months. It is too soon to make any conclusion about the Malaysian Airlines crash right now. We hope to have more information within the next day or so. That russiaemerges was involved, that would extremely concerning. Are there pulmonary ideas that it was a surfaceair missile . No. There are pulmonary ideas. Is there any evidence . This is just beginning so it is hard to tell. Are you confident that the u. S. Will be able to figure out exactly what happened . I am confident that i Hope International regimes can get in there to get the black box and really be able to look at what might have happened, whether it appears just to just somebody who looks at this, that it was an inair explosion. The debris field is so widely spread. It is my understanding that the manifest is not yet available but maybe soon. But there were some americans on board . I believe everything from the past the press. That is where i got this information. Thanks everybody. What would be the appropriate u. S. Response . Lets not speculate on the hypothetical. Expressed a few months ago that the u. S. Did not have the proper intelligence assets in the region. Do you think the u. S. Is now . We had acan say is better briefing today than we did a couple of months ago. Indication oftive progress. Denis mcdonough stepped by recently. He was here to talk to the vice chair about something else. Ok . Thank you. The debris is spread over such a Long Distance that it indicates to me, from my experience, that the aircraft came apart before it hit the ground which means that it was either an explosion, a missile, or some object that struck the aircraft. None of that was i briefed on. Senator, would you think the implications and ramifications would be if in fact it was shut down by russian separatists as it relates to the ukrainerussian conflict . And they could have only gotten the capability from russia and therefore, the culpable party here is Vladimir Putin. What gives credence to that theory is in the last couple of weeks the separatists have shot down aircraft including a transport aircraft. They have a record in recent days of shooting down ukrainian aircraft. Will you put pressure on putin to end the war, and the conflict . I dont know, but for us not to act, we must react in a stringent fashion because Vladimir Putin has been working on the situation even recently sending in additional troops and equipment. For the separatists. The president said that the u. S. Will provide assistance in determining the cause of the incident. Im sure we have capabilities that can track the aircraft and hopefully give a better understanding. For example, i think we have the capability to know whether another aircraft was close by, i. E. Fighter aircraft, those types of capabilities. Were you briefed on that . Was it in fact shot down from 3500 feet . I dont know. As i say, the photographs, the footage of the wreckage, not in this briefing, the footage of the wreckage shows, to me, that the aircraft came across apart before it hit the ground which leads one to speculation that it was either hit or excluded at 33,000 feet. Again, i am not and we should not jump to any conclusions before we have more hard information. There are no conclusions regardless . You will have to ask them. The information i am given is the information ive gotten from other sources. Was Denis Mcdonough scheduled to be there . I did have a conversation with him about this. We need to know. Does he . I dont think he has any more or less information than what we are seeing in the media. I did not ask him specifically. When you say stringent action, what do you mean . We need to arm the Ukrainian Military which shamefully we have not done. Vladimir putin and russia should be named as a pariah nation. If they are responsible for this, they deserve. Thank you, senator. Thank you. [laughter] john boehner also weighed in on the crash issuing the city and this statement. The United Nations will hold a Security Council meeting tomorrow on the downing of that Malaysia Airlines boeing 777. We will have live coverage at 10 a. M. Eastern time here on cspan. President obama spoke earlier about the Malaysian Airlines crash. He was at an event in delaware about u. S. Infrastructure spending. Then the Senate Foreign Relations Committee looks at the inflicts of unaccompanied imMigrant Children entering the u. S. From Central America. Theohn quincy adams was second adams to be elected to the white house. Northerner toond be elected to the white house. Of twoonly one antislavery president s to be elected to the white house. Was deeply feared by the south that worried that his vision of a unified country in which the federal government and in atates were partners relationship that enabled the federal government to play a leading role in binding the country together through infrastructure projects, through supporting manufacturer and so on. He was deeply suspected by the seven states that he wanted too much power for the federal government. Fred kaplan on the life of our six resident, john quincy adams, sunday night at 8 00 eastern and pacific. Obama was inabout delaware today to talk about the need for more transportation spending. He spoke knew the site of the close interstate 495 ridge in wilmington which is undergoing repairs. The president also briefly mentioned in the will asia Airlines Crash the Malaysia Airlines crash. Hello, everybody. [applause] everybody, please have a seat. It is wonderful to be back in delaware. Obviously the, world is watching reports of the downed passenger jet near the russiaukraine border. And it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy. Right now, we are working to determine whether there were american citizens on board. That is our first priority. I have directed our Security Team to remain in direct contract with ukrainian government. The u. S. Will offer any assistance we can. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the passengers wherever they call home. I want to thank jeremy for that introduction. Give jeremy a big round of applause. [applause] it is great to be in the state that gave us joe biden. [cheers and applause] we got some better look and bidens with us here today. [laughter] give them a big round of applause. We love them. [applause] we got governor jeff markel. Senator cliff kunz. Congressman john carney. Congressman tom gordon. And the mayor of wilmington dennis williams. [applause] weve also got to terrific members of our cabinet, anthony foxx is here, transportation secretary, and surgery secretary jack lew is here. [applause] k lose signature is asked jack lews signature is actually on your money. Wehough it is illegible very told them he had to fix it in little bit because it looked like a caterpillar running along the bottom. Their bridge behind me used to carry 90,000 cars everyday. Month, it has been closed for repairs. Once workers are done repairing it, this bridge will be safer, more reliable, for commuters and for commerce. Thanks to a Competitive Grant Program that was part of the recovery act that we initiated when i first came into office and joe biden helped to manage, this port is building a wharf that will help compete with other wards for the biggest cargo ships. [applause] so far, tiger grants have given a boost to 270 projects. That is what i am here to talk about today, creating more good america, andting rebuilding the american middle class. After the worst economic crisis since the great depression, in part because of the actions we took and the strength and determination of the american nearly 10 have added million jobs in the last 52 months. Construction and housing are rebounding. The Auto Industry is booming. Manufacturing is having jobs for the First Time Since the 1990s. The Unemployment Rate is at its lowest when since september 2008, which is when it dropped the decisions we made to rescue our economy that also to rebuild it on a firmer foundation, those decisions are starting to pay off. We are energy independent. For the first time in many years, we produce more oil here in the United States than we buy from across. [applause] at the same time, we are reducing our carbon pollution, creating new jobs in clean and renewable energies, three times as much wind power, 10 times as much solar power. Our High School Graduation rate is at a record high. More young people are earning College Degrees than ever before. 401 ks are growing. If they needed and the deficit is cutting is coming down, it cut more than half. [applause] by almost every economic fetter, we are doing a whole lot better than when i came into office. And it is all because of the resolve of the american people. We have recovered faster and come farther than any other advanced country on earth. Business leaders for the first time in a decade around the world are saying that china is not the best place to invest. The United States is the most promising place to invest. So we have this huge opportunity to keep this momentum going, to create to keep growing the economy, and to make sure that it is widely shared. We need to make sure that we are creating not just more jobs but raising middleclass wages and making it easier for folks who are working hard and doing the right thing to raise a family. We have to make sure that we are not just graduating more kids. We also have to train more workers and make college more affordable. With that to make sure our economy works for every american. Thats why i ran for president. That is what i am focused on everyday. This is more than just some fleeting political story or made up scandal. This is the challenge of our times, making sure that you work hard and responsible, anybody can get ahead in this country. This is what america is about. We can achieve that if we just see a few changes in washingtons priority. I am here to talk about just one example, creating good jobs rebuilding america. We know that in the 21st century economy, businesses are going to set up shop wherever they find the best roads, the best bridges, the best internet connection, the best rail lines come out of the best power grids, firstclass infrastructure attracts investments and creates firstclass jobs. Unfortunately right now, our investment in transportation lights behind a lot of other countries. China is doing more. Germany is doing more. They are putting money back into building in the infrastructure that we need to grow in the longterm. And if washington were working the way it is supposed to, congress would be creating jobs right now. Jobs like jeremy talked about. The like these guys in hardhats are doing right now, rebuilding bridges and roads and building air its all across the country. It helps us now and it helps us tomorrow. That is what we should be doing. Instead of creating jobs and rebuilding our infrastructure in thestainable way, discussion in washington has been on something called the highway trust fund. It would support states on transportation projects. Congress has to keep it funded. Otherwise, states applico projects on hold, put construction state torastructure states have put their projects on hold, put construction workers like these. Congressat is all does, we will have the same kind of Funding Crisis nine months from now. That is not how normally you funded researcher. You have to plan it and you have to think about how are we helping folks and how are we and newness of alleys create plans for the future and make sure the funding streams are level. We dont need unnecessary deadlines a crunch a few days from now a few months from now. We should not have been this close to the deadline in the first place. As your governor has pointed out, even smaller transportation projects have to take years to plan out. Jack said to call this a bandit is an insult to a bandit. Thats a good line. [laughter] i will have to try that out. So congress should not be too proud or pat itself on the back for kicking the can down the road for a few months. We should be planning and investing in our future. That is how the economy grows for everybody. Make people work hard every civil they. Your efforts should not be threatened every few months i a manufactured crisis in washington. What i have done, earlier this year, put forward a plan to rebuild our transportation infrastructure in a longterm, responsible way, a plan that would give cities and states and private investors the certainty they need to hire more workers faster. It would help Small Businesses ship their goods faster. It would help parents get home from their commute faster so they can see their kids. And it wouldnt add to what is somethingrapidly deficit. That is what we need, a broadbased plan. We have 2 trillion word worth of deferred maintenance in this country and roads and bridges and sewer systems and water mains. People tout a lot of work right now getting that done very we are going to have to do it eventually anyway. But so far congress has refused to act on the idea. Which is strange because infrastructure should not be a partisan issue. It was white eisenhower that built the entire way system. Theoln built transcontinental railroad. Both parties have historically understood that investment in this entry for the long run pays off. When we invest in infrastructure, we are making sure that the economys growth the economy grows not just for the next five years but for the next century. That is what folks in congress right now dont seem to be focused on. But until they do get focused on it, i am going to do whatever i can to create jobs, building america on my own. [applause] so today we are launching the build america investment initiative. There are lots of investors who want to back infrastructure rockets because, when it is done right, they get a steady return. And lots of states and local governments would welcome their private investment. But they need a partner in the federal government to help do some matchmaking and work through some of the complexities of private financing and in structure. So my administration is going to help states and cities apply for. Ederal loans this builds on other actions we have taken to attract new ,anufacturing jobs to america help women fight for fair pay, ease long loan burdens for millions of students. We are taking steps on our own hoping congress at some point well do something will do something. I keep hearing from folks all across the country who told me that, if members of congress had the same sense of perjury of urgency you have in your own life, we would have these things done already. Instead of claim politics, we should be investing in what makes our economy strong, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, research and development , and education, all of these things lead to new industries. We should be preparing our kids to face global competition. We should be making sure that hard work is off for the higher with a higher minimum wage. We should be seizing these opportunities. There is a simple principle behind it. When the middle class does good, and when people have letters in the middle class, everybody does better. You have more customers for business. Folks at the very top to better. America grows best from the middle out, not from the top down here in that is when we succeed. So i will keep looking for areas where republicans and immigrants agreed to move this country forward. To standbyt going when politics and inaction are holding us back. Wherever and whenever i have a chance to help families like yours, i am going to do it. [applause] when i have a chance to help communities like wilmington, i am going to do it. Why my Administration Takes these executive actions. Because republicans oneact. The only reaction from republicans is a lawsuit. They are suing me for doing my job instead of going ahead and doing their job. Thats disappointing. [applause] its a political stunt. And by the way, they are using taxpayer money to do it. It is your money they are serious lower no thinks it makes sense. Its just a political stunt. We could be using the time and effort and money to help your familys. Thishe folks who think helps them politically, i guarantee you this is not helping you. We can do so much more. If we rally around a sense of patriotism that says we can disagree on issues once in a while, lets focus on our country. Lets focus on our people. A sense of common purpose. Understanding with the rise and fall as one nation and one people. That is how we built this country together. That is what washington has to remember. One thing i know for certain, if we work together, if we believe in one another, then we will keep on rebuilding our middle class. We will restore the American Dream for the next generation. We will continue to make sure america is the place that, no matter what you look like or where you came from or how you started, you can make it if you try. You have shown a here in delaware. We have shunted across the country. We just need a little more we have shown it a crosscountry. We just need a little more help from congress. Lets build some bridges. Lets build some roads. God bless america. Now i am going to sign my memorandum. There you go. Thank you, everybody. The federal Aviation Administration said today after 17,crash of Malaysia Flight flights have voluntarily agree to avoid airspace youre ukraine and russia. The threat of military action against a civilian airliner has been in the air for months. The faa prohibited u. S. Airlines in april from flying over crimea. But because of concerns about air Traffic Control rather than military action. Usa today reported that story. The United Nations will hold a Security Council meeting tomorrow on the downing of the Malaysian Airlines boeing 777. We will have live coverage at 10 00 a. M. Eastern here on cspan. Next a senate panel investigates the influx of unaccompanied imMigrant Children entering the u. S. From Central America. From the state department and Justice Department officials along with immigration advocates. Bob menendez chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Good morning. This hearing will come to order. We are here today because we have a humanitarian crisis on our southern border, now a refugee crisis which i would argue rick virus an Emergency Response argue requires an Emergency Response. Just as important that we address this refugee crisis in my view, it is equally important that we dont rush to change our stripn a way that would the children of their rights to due process. In dealing with this crisis, it is imperative that we understand its root causes and why it is not about america ring out a welcome mat. Effortbout a desperate by desperate parents to do it any parent would do to protect their child from violence and the threat of death. We have with us to panels of experts who will help us fully understand the factors that have driven nearly 60,000 unaccompanied children in the last nine months alone to flee their countries and seek refuge in the United States. A piece ineekend, in the New York Times by Pulitzer Prize winning author sonia faria who was on our second Panel Christian wrote about omar reyes. Three people he knows were murdered this year, four others were gunned down on a corner near his house in the first two weeks of the year, a girl his age was beaten, had a hole cut in her throat, her body left in a ravine across from his house. Christian said it is time to leave. No, a 14yearold who worked picking scrap metal making a dollar or two a day, when he was nine years old, he early escaped to europe traffickers were trying to rape him. When he was 10, the drug traffickers pressured him to try drugs and join a gang. He has known a people who were murdered, three killed in front of him. In one case, he watched as two hitmen brazenly shot to Young Brothers execution style. These stories are the traffic the tragic stories of too many children facing in Central America everyday. Tens of thousands of children like christian and carlos whose stories are unknown but no less tragic. For me, someone who has closely followed latin america for decades, the Current Crisis in Central America no less shocking than for anyone else. But it doesnt come as a complete surprise. At the end of the civil wars that race in Central America the 1980s and 1990s, we did not pay enough attention after the wars to the region. We did not remain sufficiently engaged with our Central American neighbors. We did not work with them closely enough to address structural problems or the societal violence that is plaguing them today. They years of cuts to the region would, at our own peril, i argued. Besides the deep poverty, we have enormous challenges in Central America where we have the confluence of major drug via to the as a United States where we have gangs who have dramatically increased from el salvador from 600 to 40,000 and human cap trekkers human traffickers who take advantage. That we fail to take and am now with a crisis on our southern border. We review year, when ourets, i have said that constant cuts to latin america and Central America come at a price. Unfortunately, in part, we are seeing that price today. We are going to spend 3. 4 billion to deal with the consequences of the causes in Central America. We will deal locally because we have only spent 110 million in five Central American proposal ofth this 300 million to deal with the issues of combating drug traffickers, combating cartels, combating the gangs. 3. 4 billion. Atwould seem to me that, some point, we will focus on the core problem so that we dont have the consequences in our country of the challenges of the deep issues that are facing Central America as it relates to Citizen Security. One other point, although this hearing is about root causes and how we might deal with it let me just take the moment and personal privilege of saying i oppose the changing of the existing law. There is a reason why that law was passed. Thats past to say noncontiguous nations, if you are fleeing 2000 miles to try to come to the United States, there may be a greater probability that you have a real case to be made for asylum because you have a credible fear of the loss of your life. I hearnder our law, as those who advocate for the rule of law, i agree, under our law, it is very clear. If you flee 2000 miles and you were told by the gangs join or and youyou were raped flee 2000 miles not to ever experience that tragic and traumatic set of circumstances, you dont come with anything but the clothing on your back. And when you get here to the United States, you are going to need a reasonable period a time to be able to produce the facts to make that case. It doesnt come with you. So i understand the desire to accelerate the process. But accelerating without due process is not acceptable. I believe the law presently has a series of provisions that would give the administration the wherewithal to accelerate but with due process. So i support the efforts for the resources that are necessary to meet the challenge. But by the same token as those who just have a different view about what this law was intended to do, which passed with broad bipartisan support in both houses of the congress and signed by a republican president , is not something that i personally can except. Handle, i hope this motion of a look the strawman the short or longterm strategies. How we can lay a Strong Foundation so that we can have Citizen Security in Central America so we will not face the consequences and they will face a more prosperous future. Toh that, i would like acknowledge the Ranking Member. I want to thank you for having this hearing. I know this is an issue you feel very passionate about. And thead to join you senate to pass an immigration bill. Bill. Not a perfect immigration bill we passed out of the bill could be improved. Thei really do believe that type of thing we are dealing with on the border now cries out for us as a congress to deal with Immigration Reform. I do hope at some point we will do that. You stressed some things in your Opening Statement and i am going to stress some Different Things in my Opening Statement. My guess is that there are multiple veins of reasons as to why we are having the rubble on the border. And its my this problem on the border. And its my hope that we will take into account all of those factors and put something in place that does solve this problem. I want to thank you for calling the hearing. I want to thank the witnesses for being here and sharing your wisdom with us. Able to reach be a common understanding of the recent and past economic and security situations in Central America that are driving this. I hope we will identify what mexico and Central American countries are being asked to do to address the flow of unaccompanied minors across their borders. Finally, i hope we can identify the administrations strategic parties for engaging Central American leaders and taking responsibility for addressing the regions alms in order to problems in order to secure economic growth. The problem is at our borders and it is our governments immediate responsibility to ensure the integrity of our borders. Is ongoing migration crisis pushing our personnel beyond the capacity. The flow started to spike in 2012. Unlike in the past, when migrants sought to evade when sought toen migrants evade u. S. Authorities, these migrants are turning themselves in because they know they will not be immediately returned. This is a real change in the behavior at the border. It is something that we should focus on in addition to the comments the chairman made. Lawlessness and the rate of Gang Violence that targets them make them want to leave Central America. The hope of joining family are getting an education or a header way of life are also powerful incentives to live to leave. But lawlessness across Central America are nothing new. Nothing much has changed in that regard yet we have this huge influx that is occurring. Something else is clearly at play. Wordofmouth and local news reports have read about have spread about children being cared for by u. S. Authorities, being connected with family already here and being allowed to stay. A significant pull factor has developed the unintended consequences of current u. S. Law as well as the actual and perceived enforcement policies of the administration. Is highly possible that human traffickers are using this to get people into the u. S. Focused one been counter narcotics operations are not this phenomenon. Has been1, the u. S. Understandably focused elsewhere in the world. We cannot afford to ignore the state of affairs in Central America. This migration crisis may well pass. But it will recur in one form or another. It calls attention to the need to the United States to implement appropriate immigration policies to account for the clear unintended butequences of current law also a proactive strategy to engage Central America and leaders in taking responsibility for addressing the regions problems in order to secure sustained economic growth, stabilizing the region is in the u. S. National interest moreover as mexico itself increasingly becomes a destination country for migrants. With that, thank you again. I look forward to the testimony and hopefully at least on this issue a solution sometime soon in the United States senate and congress. Thank you. Is just one comment on what you had to say. I do agree with you that the broad bipartisan Immigration Reform the past in the senate has not even been taken up by the house of representatives. I wouldnt say that we wouldnt have this problem because the root cause is still the best still exists. The amendment you offered ultimately deals with border enforcement, trafficking, and a series of other Critical Issues that would have been helpful to us today. So i appreciate your comments. Let me introduce our first panel. Thomas shannon, a counselor at the state department. He has a long history in the hemisphere and is very well some of these issues. And bruce shorts, attorney general. We appreciate you being here. Let me advise you both that your full statement will be included in the record. Without objection, i asked you to summarize them with about five mins or so so we can get to to q and a. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. If i might, i would also like to thank you mr. Chairman and you senator worker and for the tremendous work you and your committee have done in moving ahead with ambassadorial nominations. Thank you very much for the tremendous effort you both have made in your committee has made gerry i am grateful for the opportunity to address the ineign policy implications the surge of unaccompanied children in our southern border. I outline the challenges we face. As we consider the challenges posed by this migration of unaccompanied children, i would like to note the following. First, migration by unaccompanied children is not necessarily a new phenomenon in a longer frontier. What makes it unprecedented is its size and composition as both the chairman and the Ranking Member have noted. What was historically a largely mexican phenomenon is now a Central American phenomenon. Infact, it is concentrated three source countries, guatemala, honduras, and el salvador. The source countries of these unaccompanied children means that something dramatic is happening in these three countries and something is driving this migration. While the motives behind the migration are mixed, many being driven by traditional factors such as family reunification and economic opportunity, underlying much of the migration is the fear of violence caused by criminal gangs. In other words, there is a significant risk factor for the migration coming from Central America, from these three countries. But at the same time, this is factor is being exploited by traffickers whose understanding of u. S. Law and u. S. Practice has allowed them to market a certain approach to bringing unaccompanied children to the border, especially the idea of taking them only to the border and then turning them over to u. S. Authorities, something which is new. The third point i would like to make is that the migration is regional. While much of it is directed toward the United States, the impact is really being felt throughout the region. The u. S. High commissioner on refugees has registered a 400 increase in asylum requests in neighboring countries which from our point of view means that, while most of the children are heading to the United States arrested because they have family already in the United States or networks of migration that they can plug into, those for whatever reason for not going to the entity states are fleeing, they are fleeing to other countries in the region. As we devise a response, we know that our approach has to be regional. It has to involve the transit countries but also address those affected by this migration. In other words, we cannot solve this problem alone and we need to build partnerships. Again, i just came from the mexican frontier with guatemala during what is striking about this migration is that mexico is now not only a source and a transit country of migration but also a destination country because many migrants are saying a macro in mexico. Exfo is facing mexico is facing a lot of the same challenges. Guatemala has become a transit country as hondurans and salvadorans cross automall a hearing cross water law guatemala. Through our diplomatic engagement in the region in a believe we i fashioned an understanding of the problem among the United States, mexico, guatemala, honduras, and the seven or. We have engaged in and el salvador. We have established new mechanisms of cooperation in Border Security which includes mexicos recent announcement of a Southern Border Initiative and a repatriation of families with children including repatriation. The central with americans on the causes and drivers of this migration, we have an opportunity to build an integrated regional strategy and a supplemental request of 300 million is really a down payment on that larger strategy. With that, i conclude my remarks and look forward to your questions. General schwartz. Thank you for this opportunity to discuss today the department of justices Law Enforcement response to the problem of unaccompanied children crossing illegally into the United States. The department of justice is bringing the full rage full range of its authority. At the same time, we are focusing our criminal justice authorities. That response takes two forms. First, our own investigations and prosecutions within the United States. Second, our Work Overseas to help build the Law Enforcement capacity of our partners in the source countries from which these children are coming. We turn first to our own Law Enforcement investigations and prosecutions. Our strategy in this regard has three prongs. It attacks the smugglers, the criminal gangs in the home countries of these individuals that prey upon them, and the cartels that exploit and profit on the smuggling of these children in the territories that they control. With regard to the smuggling were, we build on success with smuggling organizations. We have dealt with thousands of these cases, including International Smuggling groups. But this presents a new type of smuggling and a new more difficult issue. From a Law Enforcement perspective. Since the smugglers do not have to cross the border, since the children are being encouraged simply to present themselves, and since our intelligence suggests that many of these smugglers are not operating in largescale organizations but rather in small groups. Nonetheless, we are committed to developing strategies to attack these smugglers through investigation and prosecution. To that end, deputy general kohl met with deputies in the southern border. The second prong is our attack upon the criminal gangs that prey on these children in their home and helped spur their migration to the United States. Our organizedt, crime and gang section within the department of justice aggressively targets the the 18thp of ms13, street gang, and of the transnational gangs that attack not only these children and their family members in those countries, but also pose a threat to the United States. We have continued and will continue to bring such cases. The third prong is our attack on the cartels. Profit by taxing these individuals, these children as they come through their territories, and by sometimes exploiting them as couriers or otherwise. Employ a strategy that targets cartels but also the full range of the enterprise. It has been noted however that we cannot do this alone. The second part of our criminal justice response is working to build the capacity of the countries from which these children are coming. We have both a shortterm and a longterm goal. The shortterm goal is to build the kind of trusted partners, vetted units within these countries that we can work with as our own Law Enforcement partners and that can also address the most serious Violent Crimes within those countries. The fbi with state Department Funding has created transnational antigang units, investigated units, home and security units. These units create important partnerships and help protect u. S. Citizens. To longerrange strategy is build the capacity of these countries across the criminal justice system, from investigations or prosecutions to prisons. In that context, we have to organizations within the department of justice dedicated to that task. Overseas press controller our overseas prosecutorial process. Date Department Support the place senior Law Enforcement experts in those countries to work with their counterparts and to think through a systemic change to their justice systems. Here too we have had success in these countries. We have seen this work. We have seen a working colombia, in the balkans, around the world. Thus, the department of justice says strongly supports the supplemental funding which includes seven Million Dollars to allow the Justice Department to increase its placement of prosecutors and senior Law Enforcement experts to work with their counterparts in these countries and help reduce the violence that serves as one of the drivers for the crisis that we face today. Thank you. I look forward to your questions. Thank you both for your testimony. Let me ask you, ambassador the president s supplemental request, less than 10 of the funding is destined to address the root causes of the current refugee crisis. In addition, at the same time that the supplemental comes, the Administration Proposed a 20 15 to its Central American Regional Security initiative. Understand how we will spend billions to deal with but we areences cut in theith a 20 Central American Regional Security initiative. Can you explain to me how that makes the right policy sense for us . Thank you very much for the question and its a good one. I think it goes to the heart of the challenge we face. The 20 cut was the product of a larger budget request in a constrained budget environment in which we had to balance a variety of competing demands. Obviously, in light of what is happening right now, we need that 20 back and we need much more but. The supplemental budget request is a twopark west. As you know, twopart request. As you know, it goes to services in relationship to this crisis. It is a considerable amount of money but it is in the response to the immediacy of the crisis on our border and the presence of a significant number of people on that border and the need to process them and determine whether or not they have protections look, i am with you. Ok. On the supplemental, although i might structure it a little different. I get it. We have a crisis and we have to deal with it. But we will have a continuing crisis if we dont begin to deal with the root causes, the opportunity to vet units that are both Police Enforcement as well as prosecutorial opportunities if we dont use our intelligence integrated on the drug traffickers within the region, if we dont help them fight against the gangs that are heavily armed. And that is not just about being a Good Neighbor to Central America. That is in our own National Security interest. Where do they think the drugs are headed . Where is the demand . Here. Where do we think the traffickers want to take it . Here. Where do the gangs ultimately in part derived the synergy, their resources . Here. It is in our own National Security interest. This is what i have been trying to say for years and i hope that we will see a change of worse both by the administration and by the congress who shares blame because no one has been paying attention to what is happening in the hemisphere in a way that understands in our own front yard, in our own national interest. Becomes athis defining and galvanizing moment for us to be thinking of policy in a different way. Much has been said about the pull factor of such actions as deferred action. Isnt it true that deferred action would not give anyone who comes out or who has come in the to anyar any access adjustment of status in this country . That is my stand that is my understanding, correct. Isnt it also true that even the Immigration Law passed by the United States senate that 2011, you of december had to physically be in the country, that would not give anybody who comes subsequently any status or any eligibility or any cause of rights other than maybe through asylum to come to the United States and receive the opportunity to stay . Is that true . That is my understanding. For that be true, mr. Swartz . That is my understanding as well. The continuing our meant that we just have pull factors here and evil seem to be blind to the violence factors. But it seems to me that violence is a large part. Im sure there is a universe of children that may have a parent here or other relative and want to be reunited. They will not have a legitimate claim and they will ultimately be deported. But it seems to me there is a fair number of children who are ultimately fleeing violence. Because if that is not one of the driving factors of this crisis, why arent we seeing the same poll factors of children coming from other Central American countries outside of these three and others in the region . As we interview the children as they come across the border, as they turned themselves into border patrol, and as others interview the children in other it isies in the region, evident that like all migrations, there are mixed mime motives. An underlying theme is the violence. If we overlay on maps where the children are coming from and where gang and drug cartel presence is greatest, they lie on top of each other. Some of us have called for cutting off assistance to the government of guatemala and honduras if they do not do more. I believe the governments have responsibilities. I shared that with the ambassadors and heads of straight state