senate career. from 1953 to 1960. the book is called jfk and the senate. germans recorded at the marshall fund in 2013, it runs one hour and 15 minutes. [applause] >> it's great to be around this table once again today because we have got some wonderful breakfast, and the people from all over the world, in due course we will have a chance to visit with all of them. the conversations go beyond breakfast. they continue on until everything going on in the world world. diplomacy might better contract with our congress, our administrations, others in washington, the leaders. i am excited about this idea. of course, it really follows through with work that course and my friend, john shaw has done an inspired me to have a new chapter in my life after the senate and continuing to think about the rest of the world, think about ways in which those who withdraw for service might be more effective and more humane. let me just say at the outset that this is an exciting day to talk about a new book above john f. kennedy, the pathway to the presidency. it is an exciting

senator crapo: senator tillis. senator tillis: well, good news is you will be able to finish your answers but a i will drill down on this. i have some other questions if time allows that i'll get to. isn't it kind of fair to say the 2008 financial crisis demonstrates that a nondiversified company like lehman, a.i.g., washington mutual had the most significant economic failings? mr. mnuchin: i'm sorry. what was your question? senator tillis: the nondiversified institutions seem to be most susceptible in the 2008 crisis? mr. mnuchin: well, in the case of a.i.g., they were diversified. they just took a massive amount of risk they never should have taken. same with lehman and others. so i think i agree with you. senator tillis: just go back. you were saying that breaking up of the banks would have an enormous impact. can you give me an idea what that would look like? mr. mnuchin: again, when we're talking about breaking up the banks, one, there are people who just think banks are too big and that they should be broken

senator murray. senator murray: thank you, senator schumer. you know, i've had to they far too often recently, but people are really scared right now. i've heard from so many of them in my home state of washington and across the country about how trumpcare threatens their health, their family's health, and their ability to make ends meet. and today's cbo score tells us what we already knew about trumpcare. and it confirms the worst fears of families across the country. under trumpcare, if you're one of the hundreds of millions of people in the united states who has a preexisting condition, or if you're a woman, your health care costs could go up dramatically. if you are on medicaid, you could lose that coverage along with tens of millions of other people. if you are a planned parenthood patient, you're very likely going to lose your provider, the one you trust, because of politicians in washington, d.c. but if you're a big health care corporation, odds are good you're going to look at a massive tax break. and, of course, if you are president t

senator grassley: senator feinstein. senator feinstein: one of the things i'm bothered by is the statistics don't really give the right situation, it seems to me. hate crimes -- for example, the f.b.i. typically reports 7,000 to 10,000 hate crimes. bureau of justice statistics estimates the true number may approach 300,000 which is 30 times the f.b.i. estimation. the percentage of religiously motivated hate crimes nearly tripled between 2004 and 2012. how do you account for these discrepancies? mr. treene: senator, the -- they're based on two different midwestologies, and i agree the f.b.i. -- midwestologies and i agree the f.b.i. jount counts. the f.b.i. is counting actual instances so each of those instances is, one, where a police officer in the field has received a reported case, maybe prosecuting it, maybe not. is coding that in the data system as a hate crime. so it's an actual crime that the police have been involved in. we know that some states are better than others in reporting. we are getting better at that. w

senator mccain said he was disappointed and senator burr, republican chair of the senate intelligence committee, said i am troubled by the timing and reasoning of director comey's termination. i have found director comey to be a public servant of the highest order, and his dismissal further confusefuses an already-difficult investigation by the committee. senator flake says, i've spent the last several hours trying to find an acceptable rationale for the timing of comey's firing. i just can't do it. the reasoning that the white house is using for directors -- director comey's firing is bizarre, that is why i believe senator burr said his decimusal further confuses an already-difficult investigation. these are quotes from letters that i letter back during the presidential campaign and that is what is used in the letter as a justification. if the administration found director comey's conduct during the election to be so problematic, why now, right smack in the middle of the advancements of this russian investigation? the answer, i believe, is because the justification provided in the me

senator grassley: my time is up. senator graham: senator feinstein. senator feinstein: i'm not going ask you anything that involves a secure information but after your meeting with mcmcgahn and you said there were four topics to discuss. ms. yates: the first topic is why does it matter to d.o.j. if one white house official lies to another. the second is criminal statutes and the likelihood that the department of justice would pursue a criminal case. the third topic was their concern their action might interfere with an investigation of mr. flynn and the fourth topic was to see the underlying evidence. senator feinstein: were all those topics satisfied with respect to your impression after the second meeting? ms. yates: only thing that was left open was the logistics for us to make arrangements. senator feinstein: you did make hose arrangements? >> i don't know if they looked at that evidence. senator feinstein: lieutenant general flynn remained national security advisor for 18 days after you raise the the concern. in your view, did the risk that flynn

the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. a senator: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes, we are. mr. cassidy: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: mr. president, the topic before us is obviously the repeal and replacement of the affordable care act. that's what i rise to speak of today. in part i will speak as a senator, in part i will speak as a doctor, as i am a physician. i worked in a hospital. my wife's is a physician. i worked in a hospital for the uninsured for many years. first let's just say the state of play. it is so interesting regarding president obama's health care law, the affordable care act, obamacare. i had two different communications yesterday. one from a sister-in-law in san francisco, and i think her husband voted for bernie there. but she says this is incredible. i am paying -- speaking of herself, i am paying $20,000 a year in premiums and each of my family members have a $6,000 deductible. now, they have to pay san francisco prices for everything. they make good

>> senator lee: sure. anytime you have something else come along when you're debating legislation and trying to out something, it can take some of the momentum away. in this instance i don't think it's going to make a difference because there's so much momentum on the effort, we will get it done one way or another. >> chris: senator, thank you for your time. it's always good to talk with you, sir. >> senator lee: thank you. >> chris: up next, we will bring in our sunday group to discuss the comey controversy and what happens next. plus, what would you like to ask the panel about president trump's decision to fire comey? just go to facebook or twitter, @foxnewssunday, and we may use your question on the air. yesterday. ♪ ♪ ♪ they're undergoing a transformation. a data fueled, security driven shift in applications and customer experience. which is why comcast business delivers consistent network performance and speed across all your locations. hello, mr. deets. every branch running like headquarters. t

senator burr: we are very comfortable. senator warner: we feel very good. i think we will have an appropriate process in place. >> can you eliminate that as a possibility? senator burr: we cannot comment on that. that conversation took place supposedly between director comey and president. our job is to make sure we follow the intelligence where it leads and hopefully at some point we will be able to make a determination as to whether that statement is accurate. senator warner: i would add that i would refer you to mr. mccabe's comments about what traditional procedure would be. that would not be something in a traditional case would be discussed. said that this meeting was to set up the rules of the road. how would you describe with those are, and a director comey come up at all? senator burr: he did not come up. he was not the subject of it. though there are details to work out, there was acknowledgment and understanding of the need for us to be able to pick up the phone, share with them what we were likely to do, and could get immediate clearance on whet

he is a member from one-time chairman a senate judiciary committee and the dean of the senate which means he is the longest-serving in this summit in the fifth longest-serving senator in u.s. history, thank you for being with us. senator leahy: thank you very much. >> let me introduce our reporters, the chief congressional correspondent and the congressional reporter for the "los angeles times" and "chicago tribune." thanks her being here. as we start this thursday afternoon, we have just heard the trump travel ban has had another downturn in the federal court. i'm wondering what your reaction is to this and is this headed for the supreme court? senator leahy: the ninth circuit already knocked it down. this next one is a more liberal circuit and knocked it down. there is not a split in the circuits so you don't have an automatic, it will not automatically go to the supreme court. the question the administration has asked itself -- do they eally want this to go to the supreme court? will they rule the same way? think the trump administration has a right to screen people coming into this co

obviously senators now, a whole slew of republican senators theying they'they i saying they're going to start over. on different ends of procedure, approach and political priorities. so the bill that passed the house is unlikely to reabsemble anything that comes out of the senate if anything comes out of the senate. >> let's go to kelly o'donnell with the president. walk us through the white house strategy on this. you've got a public display of success. he had been itching for a legislative win. the hugging, the handshaking and the praising of each other and yet they know the fighting is just beginning. >> reporter: they do. but they also know it would be a long time before they tl can be confetti and balloons at the white house over health care. and so much criticism over the 100 day mark and no legislative victories, this was the sense that this was a hard won victory in the house only with republican votes. we've seen it was quite difficult with divisions within the house. so the white house in i don't know what the count is for uncharacteristic tradition breaking things they've

>> i didn't see senator graham. but i want to join him in wishing all the moms of america, yours, chuck, and particularly mi mine, god willing, who will turn 89 in three weeks. >> all right. let me go to the issue of a special prosecutor. why do you believe it needs to be done? as you know, senator ben sass indicated if you do that it is sending a message you don't trust the intel committee to do their work, a vote of no confidence there. shouldn't you let them do their job to see if they can do it without a special prosecutor? >> well, there are two separate lines of activity here. one is the oversight function of the intelligence committee, they're doing their job. mark warner has done a very good job. i had some differences it would senator burr and in the last week, some people tell me he was very upset with comey's firing, and i hope it continues. they can't prosecute. the special counsel of the justice department has the ability to prosecute people for violations of wall. they go on in tandem. one shouldn't st

that is what needs to be looked at in the senate. >> what do you say to the senate who takes up the bill? what do you see as change? >> i would like to see a closer examination of the cost shift to the states and how that could be remedied. this is a partnership with us anthd them. what we want is more flexibility in the insurance market. we believe that competition will drive those costs down and increaseavailability. that is what we need to look at the cost shifts to make sure it is sufficient when we move off medicaid expansion and move off medicaid that they have somewhere to go. let's focus in the senate. partner with them to save the federal government money and states. if we have flexibility in the programs and make sure they are sufficient for the subsidycurre exchange. we are concerned that is limited from the house. >> governor hutchinson, thank you. again, many wishes for safety and quick resolution. >> thank you, chris. >>> coming up, senator tim kain ir e. what is he going to say about what the senate will do with health care? alisyn. >>> how will the gop health care bill im

senator boodsman: thank you. senator cochran. senator cochran: thank you, we welcome the secretary and wish you the best. we want to know what priorities are for funding. we don't have enough money to do everything for everybody who have requests to make of funding levels in this committee. thank you for being here. we're anxious to hear your comments about appropriate levels of funding and the priorities we need to consider in the writing of this appropriations bill. senator boozman: thank you. vice chairman leahy? senator leahy: thank you for the opportunity. secretary kelly, thank you for being here today. there are many issues to discuss, not the least of which is the topic of today's hearing, the budget -- the president's budget proposal. which is just delivered to us on tuesday, including his plans for the department of homeland ecurity. secretary kelly, i've known you a long time, been an admirer of yours. i knew you when you were in the marine corps. so i have -- marines are expected to speak frankly. i think this budget

it's going to go to the senate. the senate meanwhile is saying we're going to start from scratch. what is your job and democrats in the senate's job now. >> let me back it up here, chris, and tell you that the mistake of that last discussion is that you were talking about it as some kind of health care bill. it's not a health care bill. this is a massive tax break to the top 2%, $300 billion and hundreds of billions of dollars more in tax breaks for drug companies and insurance companies. that's what it was. it is not a health care bill when you throw 24 million people off of health insurance, thousands of whom will die, when you defund planned parenthood. these guys talk about choice all of the time, but they're telling 2.5 million women they don't have the choice to continue going to planned parenthood. they talked about defending the working class of this country. that's what trump talked about during his campaign. they're going to raise premiums very significantly for older workers. they're going to cut medicaid by some $800 billion. and then you talk about the process. health

senate. the first alvin barkley led the democrats in 1937-1949. first elected to the senate in 1984, mcconnell is kentucky's longest-serving senator and made history as the only republican challenger to defeat the incumbent democrat and is the first republican to win a statewide kentucky race since 1968. in 2014, he was elected to a record six term by receiving broad support across kentucky, winning 110 of 120 counties. mcconnell currently serves as senior member of appropriations, agricultural, and rules committees. he is the proud father of three daughters and married to secretary of labor, the 18th secretary of the department of transportation. servedee secretary chao as george w. bush's u.s. secretary of labor. when you mention power in washington today, three names come to mind. president trump, how speaker ryan, and leader mcconnell. it is an honor to have the leader with us today. ladies and gentlemen, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you

put this question to senator rounds, a republican on the senate banking committee. listen to what he had to say. >> the fact that they are trying for those the issue who have pre-existing conditions, to bring that into the process a we protect those individuals that literally recognize they have to be long-term and they have to maintain their insurance coverage is long-term. >> republicans are going to be up for reelection in many of these flyover states. this is thatbehind reince previous has been deployed by president trump in order to be the goto person in addressing this issue and getting this across the finish line. the sources that i speak with in the house of representatives, corning to one senior white house official, told me there is a preference to deal with vice president mike pence and he himself was up here last night whipping votes himself and that is a dynamic i would continue to watch given the vice president's previous career as a lawmaker himself in congress. david: let's talk about leadership. there is nancy pelosi and many know who she is. people

the political opportunist senator joseph mccarthy took advantage of what senator smith called the hart trophy, fear, -- rsemen.ith -- 4 ho he literally destroyed lives and careers with rumor and innuendo. although many agreed with his broad sweeping accusations, very few had the courage to take on senator mccarthy. on the first of june, 1950, center it margaret chase smith took to the senate floor and delivered a speech she declared .s a declaration conscience for many reasons, it was a bold step for her to take. she was a very junior senator and at the time, mccarthy was very popular here in new england. as the only woman in the senate, she was under extreme scrutiny at a time when women -- many believe the women had no place in politics. she was well aware she was risking her reputation in a political career. she looked at the evidence behind mccarthy's accusations and concluded whation. to give you some sense of what she was experiencing, there is a train that runs under the capitol building. that morning before she took to the senate floor, she found herself on the small little tra

seven terms in the senate. where would you put the political divide in this town between the two parties based on your tenure in congress? sen. grassley: i get this question asked at my town meetings. it goes like this -- why can't you guys in washington, d.c. get along with each other? i say it is worse than it has ever been but it is not as bad -- i know you are a journalist so you know this, but it is not as bad as my constituency. you folks in journalism like controversy and controversy gets attention. if grassley is fighting with the senator it gets in the news but if grassley was getting along with leahy and we voted unanimously and 18 bills got to the white house, you don't read about that because we are not fighting. i think it is worse and i help people in journalism will make sure that people know it is not quite as bad because all you read in the newspaper is controversy. steve scully: why do you say it is worse? sen. grassley: well, i guess i gave you the judges as an example. since 2001. and the sh

as senator cassidy alluded to, whatever bill comes out of the senate has to pass the jimmy kimmel test and jimmy camel went out wednesday night and have an emotional impact and we have to combat that and have a bill where we can have a talkshow host making americans angry thinking republicans are trying to kill them before you can put that in the celebrity box with has to go back to the house which will be more conservative on many issues because they have now worked their way forward and brought those moderates in, and the freedom caucus members have done the hard work that faces the senate. you can evoke the name of jimmy kimmel but you have to do the same kind of work and make it palatable to go back to the house. i hear you, trying to help evan out with how you bring it all together, but when i see diane feinstein and some of the democrats say if you take repeal off the table we'll talk, is that really true? are they really going to jump ship and vote with republicans. >> i don't think so. you may get a couple, joe mansion may come out or heidi heitkamp, someone up for reelection i

win over senators in the health care debate.. win over senators in the health care debate.. after a bill to replace ,,,,,,,, it's day one of we're playing zombie tag! i'm tired, but i'm teaching them hopscotch. i'm starting a garden with my neighbors so our kids can eat better. and we feel happier! i have more energy at work. i feel stronger! small changes you make today can make a big difference in how you feel.... and may help prevent obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. start now to turn today into a better day. it's been a month, and we feel better! >>> president trump trying to win over senators in the health care debate. after a bill to replace obamacare passed narrowly in the house. >> we expect there to be some changes. but we expect the principles and the main pillars of the health care bill as it exists now to remain the same. >> republican senators say the house bill needs modifications. some don't like cuts in medicaid. the reduction in tax credits for low income people. or abandoning requirements for basic care. majority leader mcconnell has appoin

senate? we know that several years ago, when the senate was run by limiteds, the democrats the filibuster when it comes to the appointment of lower-level justices. that is an important concept. the student -- senate is not just about appointing supreme court justices, they are also appointing and approving those presidential appointment to the u.s. district court's of the lowest level and the circuit court of appeals. the u.s. senate limited the use of the filibuster for those lower-level courts. we have just seen the proposal can controlled senate limit the use of the filibuster or u.s. supreme court justices. you should be aware that rules can change. this is not in the constitution. this is a senate rule. the senate can change it. they have changed their rules. recently they have changed the more frequently than we have seen before. this is one of the things the senate debates. betterave a new and c-span in the classroom website we want to tell you about. c-span.org/classroom. updated reso

and it was a singular moment this senate history -- in senate history, actually. because in the entire history of the united states prior to 2003 there was one judicial appointment ever blocked on a filibuster. and that was a bipartisan filibuster against abe forties to be chief justice of the supreme court in 968 for a variety of reasons near the end of the johnson administration. but the filibuster did not, in fact, set a precedent for anything for 35 years after fortis. there were no filibusters. there were nominees who were defeated in those years afterwards. for example, haynesworth, carswell, bork all went up -- down on up or down votes, but nobody lost on a filibuster until 2003. we held seven cloture votes on miguel estrada and couldn't ever get above 55 votes. and then in the course of that congress ten bush appointees were not confirmed by reason of filibuster, never could get an up or down vote. now, when the democrats did that, they did not change a single comma in the senate rules. the senate rules are exactly as they were before this happened. what t

>> certainly, senator. the secretary has made clear that we will use all of the legal and policy authorities that we have to, as he put it, turn the dial on the pressure on china to make sure that we are leaning in, i think was the secretary's expression, on china, leaning on china more than we ever have to make clear how important this is to the united states. >> and i hope that in your interactions with chinese officials that you will make north korea the highest priority possible because this concern that china will continue to slide back into its own doctrine of patience with north korea. >> yes, senator. >> thank you. and if you could report back to the committee, that would be truly critical. and, again, what i don't want to see it is any kind of a soft evening of our approach toward our allies or other nations around the globe to try to make china happy because we think they're going to take actions against north korea. until they show that, that sustained commitment to pressuring north korea, we sho

reporter: senator blumenthal. senator blumenthal. senator blumenthal: let me say briefly i won't go into the substance of his answers except to say those answers really need to be given to the american people in public under oath. he should come before the judiciary committee and tell the american people what he has told us in this setting and i urged him to do so because it is important to the confidence and trust of the american people in our criminal justice process. and i was disappointed in some of his anticipates. they were less forthcoming and specific than i think they should have been. i will await judgment until i hear more and i will be asking additional questions. reporter: what were the biggest unanswered questions coming out of the meeting? senator blumenthal: regarding to the background of his memo, the reasons for the firing of director comey. i'm satisfied that bob mueller can follow the evidence wherever it leads, including not only the trump campaign possible collusion with the russians interfering in our election

the second important piece of the budget process really has to do with the senate and senate rules. the senate has a long tradition of unlimited debate and requires a super majority to end the debate. 60 votes at present. there are 52 republican votes in the senate. if you are going to do tax reform or health care reform or anything else, you can either do it in a bipartisan fashion, find eight democrats who are going to be participate, and some people believe we can get that this time around. or you can use special procedures known as reconciliation to bypass the rules of the senate and have a finite amount of debate, an up or down vote with a simple majority, so you only need 51 votes to pass it. with the special procedures come special constraints. you're not allowed to do anything that increases long run deficits. so you must have a revenue neutral tax reform in order for it to be permanent. otherwise you'll be forced to sunset it at the end of the ten-year window, which you and i experienced with the bush tax cuts. >> do you have flexibility in the budget rules to lose money up

tell that senator? >> well, number one is that you do need to get a cbo score. you cannot pass any bill without a cbo score. but number two is this is irresponsible. it really affects our patients. these are patients' lives that are at stake. these patients have chronic conditions. they can get cancer and not be properly covered. they can go bankrupt. what we need to do is to improve the affordable care act so that there are things that can be better handled. the market can be better handled. coverage can be improved. but not through the ahca. >> we have to take a break here. dr. nitin damle, john heilemann, charlie sykes, thank you all for joining us on this important night. i really appreciate it. >> thanks, lawrence. >>> coming up, democrats now hope that they can kill this bill in the senate. democratic senator chris van holland will join me and tell me what's going to happen in the senate. >>> and president trump's inability to think or speak clearly was the subject of george will's extraordinary c

the senate. i feel so confident. your deductibles, they were so ridiculous that nobody got to use their current plan. this nonexistent plan that i heard so many wonderful things about that. the insurance companies are fleeing. it has been a catastrophe and this is a great plan. >> now a reality check on what is in the bill and the political obstacles ahead. joining me now is christian welker. and nbc medical correspondent dr. john torres. welcome. first of all, the first time i have ever seen a white house signing ceremony, if you will, that had all of the look and feel of a victory celebration for a final passage of a bill that really only got through the house. >> that's right it is really only the first quarter. there is a lot more of the game that the white house and republicans have to fight and it goes to the senate now and it is facing a uphill battle? the senate. they are saying effectively they want to overall what passed in the house and they don't feel like they need to get it done by

senator mccain, can you please take some questions? senator mccain. senator mccain, can you come to the microphone, please? >> shepard: watching how the sausage is made is not always the most pleasant but the sausage is usually delicious. go ahead, catherine. do your work. >> okay. so we were not able to hear what senator mccain's read out on this was with the deputy attorney general. but we just heard from one of his senate colleagues, senator dick durbin. what he said, he's given us a date. he said based on the briefing that the deputy attorney general knew on may 8 that james comey would be fired. i have to grab my calendar to understand how that syncs up with the other data points here and the timing of the writing of the memo. the senator has just told us that it was may 8, that was the date that the deputy attorney general knew already what the outcome would be with the former fbi director, james comey. he was a little less definite. it's one of these situations that everybody hears something different. he was a little less definite about this i

a senator: mr. president. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that all quorum calls until 5:30 today be equally divided. the presiding officer: without objection. the presiding officer: the senator from arkansas. mr. boozman: i rise to recognize national drug court month and show my support for the positive impact drug courts have on cutting crime, saving money, and restoring lives. i've seen firsthand the impact of drug courts in arkansas. its proven approach has helped many arkansans suffering from drug and alcohol abuse who have received the treatment and services they need to turn their lives around. for more than two decades, these courts have offered arkansas' drug-addicted nonviolent offenders an alternative to jail while rehabilitating them through a strenuous treatment program. we have nearly 90 specialty courts in arkansas that are providing lifesaving treatment to more than 3,000 individuals with substance use disorders, and the results are impressive. our state saves $45 million each year by diverti

senator hatch: senator warner. senator warner: mr. secretary, good see you again -- good to see you again. director mulvaney, i was just up at budget, has said the administration's policy is to make tax reform revenue neutral. that's the administration's proposal? mr. mnuchin: i said it would be paid for with economic combrothe and base broadening -- growth and base broadening. senator warner: well, i am going to come back to that in a moment because that could mean cooking the books. in your budget on page 13, one the proposals that you bake into your assumptions is repeal of the estate tax which would benefit folks like you and me. i am not sure about anyone else on the panel. page 27 of the budget, again, you don't have it here so i don't expect you to respond. you say state tax revenues are coming in. that looks to me as double counting. maybe you can get that cleared up. as you know when we talked in your confirmation hearings, i applaud you trying to make our tax code more rational and repatriation. i spent a couple years in thi

you, senator. >> to begin i want to thank you. >> thank you. >> for all of the efforts to make this morning possible. colleagues, i've looked forward to today for many years. that's because the finance committee is now beginning to tackle the premier challenge of american health policy. specifically, by updating the guarantee of medicare to better serve seniors with chronic illness. when i was codirector, medicare had just two parts, arks "a" and "b." if you broke your ankle and had you surgery in the hospital, with you were covered by part "a." if you got a really bad case of the flu, and you went to the doctor, you were treated by the doctor in their office and that was part "b." that is not medicare today. today, medicare is cancer, it's diabetes, it's heart disease, it's strokes, and it's other chronic conditions. seniors who have two or more of these chronic conditions now account for more than 90% of all medicare spending. and today older people get their care in a variety of different ways.

senator. >> thank you, senator murray, and senator schumer. the house of representatives tried to put lipstick on a pig and they created a really big mess. and i just want to tick off a couple of areas that we have been touching on in the finance committee. what is still intact is more than $800 billion in medicaid cuts. and these medicaid cuts are going to hit american communities like a recking ball. and the pain is going to be felt throughout the ages. youngsters with special needs are going to be affected because medicaid play ascii role in their care. that's why i saw some of their advocates in tears when they were talking to me at home about the medicaid cuts. if you're a high school student, and you say have a brush with cancer, because they blowholes in the current protections for americans against discrimination with preexisting conditions, those high school students, hopefully they have a remission, but they'd be carrying around under this bill a scarlet letter through the rest of their lives. so the fact of the matter is the pain is

in the senate. committeesed, other infrastructure proposals will increase funding and provide streamlining requirements for the construction of pipelines, rail, housing and large urban projects of various kinds that maybe privately financed through public-private partnerships to name a few of the issues. however, our highways, roads and bridges should be a central component of any final infrastructure bill. committeeo our working with the administration in avest real dollars fiscally responsible way. in a recent hearing, human department of transportation thector stated that using current predominantly formula-based fast act approach to distribution would ensure both rural and urban states participate in the initiative. it would also help push the benefits of any new infrastructure in a fugitive -- initiative out to the public promptly. using the formula-based approach, we will expedite infrastructure spending which will ensure highway project for the public will be built faster as opposed to adopti

it goes to the senate. the ones to watch, moderate republicans whose constituents are more likely to support obamacare. senate saying they may need to rework the entire bill and a vote could be months away. >> thank you so much for that. by the way, 20 republicans voted no. >>> health care now transitions to senate where reactions were muted compared to the rose garden celebration. "the washington post" reports president trump's first phone call went to mitch mcconnell saying, bluntly, the ball is in your court. pressure that house speaker paul ryan also acknowledged. >> we still have a lot of work to do to get this signed into law. i know our friends in the senate are eager to get to work. they are. >> now, republican senator seemed disconnect cal with the speed. lindsey graham tweeted, a bill finalized yesterday has not been scored, amendments have not been allow allowed. those in the caucus say they will begin writing a bill of their own. >> generally the senate has waited to see what the house thought w

senate. president trump says he's confident of another win, but some republican senators are already expressing scepticism and the bill will face the same ideological fault lines between gop moderates and conservatives in the senate as it did in the house. we're covering all of that. much more this hour with our guests including democratic elijah cummings and republican chris collins are also standing by. let's begin on capitol hill. our congressional correspondent has the latest for us. the bill is out of the house and on its way to the senate. >> reporter: that's right. it's now on to the senate and while certainly members of the house can claim significant legislative victory with this win in getting it through on their side, it's a short-term win for republicans here just the first step in a long process. tonight after seven years of campaigning and promising. >> the bill has passed. >> republicans are taking the first step to deliver on their pledge to repeal and replace obamacare. >> to

>> thank you senator. one of the things that we are focused's aggressive enforcement of the religious land use and institutionalized act. it is widely sponsored with senator kennedy in the senate and has done a great deal to expand religious liberty of all people. one of the things we have seen in recent years since 2010, is a rise in the number of anti-muslim cases. some cases where someone opposes a muslim school are embossed. does make up about 37 percent of our investigations.muslims make up 1 to 2 percent of the population. we have right now, one case that we resolved in march and three that are ongoing involving mosques. we have these involving many different communities of faith. and their ability to construct places of worship and we continue to aggressively pursue these cases. >> many are concerned that -- in the country are not accurate. many jurisdictions do not fully participate in reporting the activities. in those crimes. so i am very concerned about that too. is this an accurate assessment a

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. flake: mr. president, in light of national police week, i rise today in support of our men and women serving in law enforcement. police week is a good time for reflection and remembrance. it's a time to honor those who serve and protect us. while we honor our dedicated law enforcement officers this week, i want to specifically recognize those fallen officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice. their own lives for our safety. in arizona, we lost three officers this year: officer leeander frank of the navajo station police department. officer van glacier of the phoenix police department and officer darrin read of the sholow police department. today we honor those fallen heroes and pledge to never forget their sacrifice. while the work we do in congress fails in comparison to the service of these brave men and women, it's my privilege to sponsor several pieces of legislation to support our law enforcement officers. i've joined senator hatch to introduce the rapid d.n.a. bill, a bill to give stat

what about the senate? can he pull off the same kind of magic act that he pulled off here with some members of the house? >> here's the challenge. it's plausible that the senate will pass some sort of obamacare repeal and replacement legislation. the challenge isn't so much getting the senate to pass something as the third step, which is getting the house and senate to compromise and agree on one final package. the washington exammer just reported that the senate has said it's not necessarily going to vote on this bill that passed the house and instead republicans there are considering writing their own legislation. so it's certainly possible the president will work with senate republicans to get them to support something. the challenge is getting moderate senate republicans, particularly members like rob portman of ohio, corey gardner of colorado to get on board with legislation that is definitely much more conservative than their constituents might want. that itself is an incredibly difficult negotiation.

senator rounds: thank you. >> thank you, senator. senator van hollen. senator van hollen: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, mr. secretary, for your service. recently i sent you a letter together with many of my colleagues on this committee objecting to your decision to put keith noriega in charge at the occ by using a maneuver that evaded senate confirmation. as you well know, the occ serves as the chief banking regulator overseeing over 2,000 banks. he has spent most of his career working very closely to protect the interests of those banks. i appreciate the letter. i got back yesterday. it raised some additional questions. and i'm going to be sending you another letter to ask you to respond to the following questions. why were you willing to install him as head of the occ before his ethics pre-vetting has actually been certified? so the american public can know whether or not conflicts exist now that he's in charge at least for now of regulating 2,000 banks. and second, your letter indicated that his special temporary 130-day status allows him to av

senator corker is spot-on. the american people deserve an open and transparent discussion on how we can best improve health care in our nation. many americans struggling just to keep their heads above water, paying their bills, caring for their kids, caring for their parents. parents have been or are currently being ripped apart by opioid addiction. they need our help. they don't need a bill or a budget, for that matter, that is hastily put together for ideological reasons. they don't need policies that undercut their care and their livelihood. mr. president, 91 people die every day in the united states from an opioid overdose. only one in five people who currently need treatment for opioid use disorders is actually getting it. american lives hang in the balance. people are counting on us to do the right thing. so let's do it. thank you, mr. president. i would yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: thank you, mr. president. i'm very pleas

the senate. i feel so confident. so the journey continues. we will get it done. we will have great, great health care for everyone in our nation. >> so jim, the president obviously really needed this. it has been said that that's how he got that win. members felt like he needed at least a win. so no doubt he got a deal done in the house. is he celebrating a little prematurely? >> don, i think they might want to call it schoolhouse rock on youtube. holding a victory party in the rose garden of the white house after something passes in the house, that might be a bit premature. i think the president was acknowledging that here in new york city earlier this evening. he was sitting down with the australian prime minister before their bilateral discussion, and reporters were peppering him with questions. and he said, listen, this thing is going to change somewhat in the senate, it is going to change. senator john corn insaid they're not going to vote on what was passed out of the house. they'll pass th

i think initially going back five years ago before senator manchin was in the senate, senator rockefeller was raising this issue. this really has been around that long, for at least five years. we're hearing this morning from cecil roberts, the president of the mine workers of america, who talked about this five-year fight. so i want to commend and salute senator manchin. i also want to thank the committee dynamic here, the finance committee, several members here on the committee. senator wyden helping us getting -- get this bill through the senate finance committee, the miners protection act, and the leadership of senator schumer as well focusing our caucus on getting this done. i just want to make to additional points. one is a note -- a negative note but i think it's important to point this out. there's a story yesterday in the publication "think progress." here's what the headline was. quote, trump administration admits it used miners' health care as a bargaining chip. that was the headline. and then the subheadline was coal miners were just pawns in a larger game, unquote. that's wha

senator durbin. senator durbin: november 8, 2016, is a day that will live in cyber infamy. the russians did everything in their power to invade the government of the united states of america and to corrupt a presidential election. those words are not mine alone. they are words that are backed up by every major intelligence agency of the united states of america. what have we done? we've initiated an investigation to find out what they did, how they did it, who was involved in it and stop it from ever happening again. it's been one of the most curious counterintelligence investigations in this nation's history, and we have seen a litany of things occur since which are incredible. a national security advisor who was forced to resign because of contacts with the russians that were not properly disclosed. a recusal by the attorney general of the united states for misleading the senate judiciary committee on his communications with the russians. and just last week, the decision by the president of the united states to remove from office the man in charge of that investigation, t

the senate is a question mark. if it's a different version in the senate, it's got to go back to the house. if would then have to go to the senate again. if this does not actually make it into law, is this great political weapon your party believes it was handed today, is it not an effective weapon if this dies somewhere along that process? >> well, first of all, you have all the members in the house who are now on record for their vote. they own their vote. they own and have to face their constituents and tell them that they will lose their health surance, that their premiums and out of pocket costsill go up. they will have to face those town halls, constituents -- >> what i'm asking, if it doesn't actually happen, if we go to the senate now, you know what, the votes aren't there in the senate and washington moves on, you know how fast these stories can change in politics these days. if it doesn't actually happen, does this vote have the same impact in 2018? >> they own the vote, yes, it will. they own the vote an

senator. this is 15 minutes. [cheers and applause] senator warren: thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. go umass, boy, it is good to be here. so, good afternoon and thank you to the chancellor and the board of trustees for inviting me to be here with you today. thislly do love visiting campus in seeing the great work that is done by both students and faculty. lot of u.s.a amherst grads on my staff. i get to see them firsthand, exactly how terrific a umass amherst graduation is. i know i hired them. it is terrific. it is also great to see state senate president stan rosenberg your state legislative delegation here. what a great team you have working for you in both western and central massachusetts. for manyaw professor years. this is not my first commencement speech. if i go longer than 20 minutes i know it will be my last. [laughter] senator warren: i understand that every extra minute i speak is that much longer before you can hit the bars. [laughter] [cheering] not that some of you need to hit the bars, of course. [laughter] imagine myren: surprise last week whe

>> yes, senator. information warfare does fall under the purview of asd solic. >> but you don't have responsibility of cyber operations and as we know, cyber operations warfare on the other side our adversaries seem to be one merged together with each day. >> correct. senator, it is a seam, there are seams as you well know within our organizational structure and it's difficult if you eliminate one seam you'll create another. so it's kind of a difficult balance to strike. one of the things that we have done, though, is solic recently put out a strategy for operating in the information environment. this strategy impacts the entire department to include the cyber warriors in the department and so we have an integrated interdepartmental approach to implementing that strategy. right now we're going through a capabilities based assessment of that strategy to determine where we have additional needs and where we have seams that we need to fix in order to operate effectively. >> thank you. just a final very q