English subtitles for clip: File:Josh Earnest (and President Obama) Briefs College Reporters.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

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It's nice to see you all.

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Welcome to the White House.

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And welcome to the White
House Briefing Room.

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This is obviously the room
where, every day, or almost

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every day, I come and do
a briefing with

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the White House Press Corps.

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So these are journalists who
have devoted a significant

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portion of their lives to
covering the White House

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very closely.

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And we often talk about
how this is the venue where

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independent, professional
journalists ask tough questions.

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And this is where the
President of the United States

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sends a senior member
of his staff to come out and

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answer those questions.

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People can ask whatever they
want, and the whole thing

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takes place on the record,
for everybody to see, on camera.

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And it is an important part
of our democracy, and I'm

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glad that we'll be able to
do it in a way that all of

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you can participate in
at least this unique way.

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So with that, I'm mostly
interested in answering the

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questions that you're
interested in talking about.

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So let's move around.

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So yes, this young lady in
the back, I'll let you go first.

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The Press: I was wondering
if you think there's a

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problem with the way that
the media actually reports

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negatively on the
gun control issues.

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And maybe there's not enough
positive influence -- or

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positive press of how it
has helped -- the Second

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Amendment right has helped
in certain situations.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, this
question about public

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perception of gun safety
policy is an important one.

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Public polls indicate that a
strong majority of Americans

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across the country support
common-sense

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gun safety legislation.

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And that's not just
Democrats who strongly

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support it.

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We know that many of those
polls indicate that a strong

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majority of Republicans
support common-sense gun

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safety legislation.

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There are a number of
other polls that indicate a

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majority of gun owners
support common-sense gun

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safety legislation.

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So it does raise some
questions about

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what's going on here.

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And the President has made
the point that there's no

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shortage of attention that's
devoted to gun violence.

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Now, there are frequently,
tragically, high-profile

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shootings that happen
all too frequently.

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There are also shootings
that happen particularly in

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urban communities that
happen every day that don't

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get any attention.

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And I think it is hard to
assess exactly what impact

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all of that has
on public opinion.

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But what the President has
observed is, in some ways

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this isn't a question about
public opinion, it's a

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question about
broken politics.

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Because all of the evidence
indicates that a majority of

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the American public supports
common-sense gun safety

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legislation that would make
it harder for people who

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shouldn't have guns from
getting them -- criminals,

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people with mental problems.

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And there are laws that we
can pass that don't infringe

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on the constitutional rights
of law-abiding Americans,

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but could take some steps
that would make it harder

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for people who shouldn't
get a gun from getting one.

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And that's not going to
prevent every incident of

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gun violence; there are
people who are still going

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to be killed
because of guns.

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But if we can do something
to make the country just a

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little bit safer, to prevent
even one incident of gun

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violence, then why wouldn't
we take that action,

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particularly if we know
it wouldn't undermine the

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constitutional rights of
law-abiding Americans?

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And the way that the
President has answered this

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question is, we're only
going to be able to pass

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those policies through
Congress once enough people

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come forward and say, you
know what, I'm going to be a

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single-issue voter --
Democrat or Republican; I'm

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only going to support
somebody who supports and

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vows to make a priority out
of common-sense

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gun safety legislation.

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And the President has taken
that approach himself.

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And he has said that
he won't raise money or

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articulate his support for
someone who doesn't support

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that kind of
common-sense approach.

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And he hopes a lot of other
Americans will take

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the same approach.

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This gentleman right here.

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The Press: I was just
wondering where the

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President's daughter
will be going to college.

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(laughter)

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Mr. Earnest: That is a
pertinent question these days.

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Obviously, the decision
deadline is coming soon.

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We have worked to
assiduously protect the

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privacy of the
President's two daughters.

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And they're private citizens
who obviously occupy a

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fairly prominent
role in public life.

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And fortunately, much of the
mainstream media has been

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very respectful of
understanding that these are

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two girls -- they didn't run
for office, they didn't ask

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for all this attention.

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But the attention that
is directed

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their way is understandable.

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And I would anticipate that
we'll have an announcement

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about her choice
at some point soon.

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We're going to do it in
a way so

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that nobody gets scooped.

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We're not going to
leak it to somebody.

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So all of the reporters that
are eager to get that scoop

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can just relax and know
that we'll be making an

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announcement at an
appropriate time.

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Thanks for the
good question.

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Yes, ma'am.

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The Press: We talked a lot
about student loan debt

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today, and one of the
questions that I didn't hear

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much talk about is admission
cost for public college, and

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I think that's one of
the main issues

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for me personally.

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I do have student loans and
things like that, but the

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initial cost is the
problem that I see.

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What is the federal
government doing to lower

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public college costs so that
people can afford and not

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have to go into debt and
take out student loans in

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order to go to college and
pursue a higher education?

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Mr. Earnest: This is
an excellent question.

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You have pressure on
both sides, right?

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We want to exert upward
pressure on the ability of

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students to afford to pay
for college, but we also

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want to apply some downward
pressure on the cost of

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college to make it a little
easier for everybody to afford.

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That's going to save
taxpayers money, but it also

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is going to save
students money as well.

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And we spend a lot of time
talking about what the

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President has done to make
a college education more

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affordable and more
available to middle-class

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families and
middle-class students.

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So you've heard us talk
about the Pell grant program

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and how we've significantly
expanded the Pell grant program.

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The President fought hard
for something called the

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American Opportunity tax
credit that offers a tax

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credit to middle-class
families

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who are paying college tuition.

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The President recently
succeeded in making that tax

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credit permanent; we are
obviously

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quite pleased about that.

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But on the other side of the
ledger, we have been looking

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for creative ways to try to
apply some downward pressure

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to college costs.

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And there have been a range
of policies that have been

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considered as it relates to
tying federal funding for

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colleges and universities
to their ability to keep

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college costs low.

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Now, this is a little bit of
a controversial notion, and

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let me explain to you why.

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Too many state governments,
in their zeal to cut

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government spending, are
reducing their support for

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public colleges
and universities.

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That's a bad thing.

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That is a really
poor choice.

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It's a short-sighted
decision to make -- to cut

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an investment in something
that's going to be critical

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to the long-term
success of your state.

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And what many college
administrators legitimately

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say is, look, I'm getting
less support from the state

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government, and if I want
to continue to provide a

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high-quality education to
the student body, I've got

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to get that money
from somewhere.

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So part of the
responsibility certainly

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does lie at the state level,
and making sure that states

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continue to understand that
they have a responsibility

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to invest in the quality of
an education that's being

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offered at state-run
institutions.

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This gentleman in the back.

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Yes, you.

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(laughter)

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The Press: At Truman
State University, it takes

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approximately two to three
weeks for a student to get

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their first meeting with a
mental health counselor, and

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that's not even before the
heavy, like, midterms and

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finals times.

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So what is the
administration doing to

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support mental health on
American college campuses?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Dan, the
President has actually done

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more than any other
President to expand access

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to mental health care
all across the country.

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This was, of course,
included in Obamacare.

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The President made mental
health care a priority by

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ensuring parity between
medical care that people had

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access to but also mental
health care as well.

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There also was extensive
funding that was included in

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the Affordable Care Act for
community health centers

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that often are a facility
that can provide mental

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health care services.

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Of course, the Affordable
Care Act also expanded

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Medicaid coverage, which
meant more people had access

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to the kind of health care,
including mental health

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care, that they need.

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So this administration
has certainly been at the

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forefront of trying to
expand access to quality

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mental health care for
people

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all across the country.

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I think the question that
you're asking is also not

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totally unrelated to the
question that was just asked

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-- that as state-run
institutions are facing

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tighter budgets, and as they
see state governments reduce

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the level of support
they're providing state

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institutions, it means
that some state schools are

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having to make cutbacks.

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And unfortunately, that
means making cutbacks in

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areas that are critical to
the health and wellbeing of

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the student body.

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And I think you
identified one area.

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So this administration is
certainly going to continue

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to look for ways to expand
mental health care coverage.

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We're going to look for
ways to provide additional

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support to colleges and
universities that's using

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that money in the right way,
and we're going to continue

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to encourage states
to do the right thing.

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Yes, this young
lady in the front.

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The Press: Today we talked a
lot about sexual assault on

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college campuses, which has
become an epidemic

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in recent years.

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There's some controversy
around the fact that

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universities often regulate
their own sexual assault cases.

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So with that in mind, do
you think that the federal

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government should provide
more oversight in the

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regulation of sexual assault
cases on college campuses?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President certainly does

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believe that ending sexual
assault on college campuses

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should be a top priority --
not just of state and local

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governments but also of
higher education officials.

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Colleges and universities,
and the administrators who

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are responsible for
running them, have to take

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responsibility for
addressing this problem.

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And this is a problem that
is pervasive

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on college campuses.

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And we have seen,
particularly in recent

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years, students become more
aware of a need to make

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solving this
problem a priority.

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And I think it is fair to
say that on too many college

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campuses, administrators
have been

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a little late to the game.

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And there is some more work
that I think can be done, as

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a policy matter, to try to
ensure that these situations

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are resolved fairly and
consistent with the law, to

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make sure that the rights
of everybody involved are

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00:11:44,804 --> 00:11:46,804
properly protected
and accounted for.

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But I think this also is
the kind of situation that

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00:11:52,545 --> 00:11:56,785
shouldn't just rely on
government to solve; that,

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00:11:56,782 --> 00:12:00,922
ultimately, students need to
take some responsibility for

252
00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,990
the kind of campus climate
that exists in their community.

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00:12:04,990 --> 00:12:07,760
This is why the President
has been a leading advocate

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00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,200
of something called the
It's On Us campaign.

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00:12:10,196 --> 00:12:13,596
The It's On Us campaign
essentially is where men and

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00:12:13,599 --> 00:12:16,839
women take responsibility
for intervening in

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00:12:16,836 --> 00:12:20,136
situations that could
potentially lead to sexual

258
00:12:20,139 --> 00:12:22,179
abuse or sexual assault.

259
00:12:22,174 --> 00:12:25,774
And it requires some social
courage to step up and

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00:12:25,778 --> 00:12:29,118
intervene in a situation
where you might be concerned

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00:12:29,115 --> 00:12:31,085
about the safety of
somebody involved.

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00:12:31,083 --> 00:12:33,083
And there's a natural
human tendency to think to

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00:12:33,085 --> 00:12:35,355
yourself, well, that looks
like a messy situation, I

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00:12:35,354 --> 00:12:38,624
don't want to get involved,
particularly when it might

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00:12:38,624 --> 00:12:42,264
be a situation where alcohol
or drugs could be involved.

266
00:12:42,261 --> 00:12:44,261
But the truth is we all
need to hold ourselves

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00:12:44,263 --> 00:12:47,663
accountable, not just for
making sure that we are

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00:12:47,666 --> 00:12:51,706
treating each other with
respect, but also making

269
00:12:51,704 --> 00:12:53,704
sure that we're going to
take responsibility for the

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00:12:53,706 --> 00:12:56,246
climate and the culture on
our campus, and that if we

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00:12:56,242 --> 00:12:58,242
see something wrong we're
not going to hesitate to

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00:12:58,244 --> 00:13:00,384
stand up and speak out and
make sure that everybody

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00:13:00,379 --> 00:13:03,619
that's in our
community is safe.

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00:13:03,616 --> 00:13:06,386
So we've encouraged people
to go to ItsOnUs.org and to

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00:13:06,385 --> 00:13:08,025
take the pledge.

276
00:13:08,020 --> 00:13:11,590
I've done that, and the
President and the Vice

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00:13:11,590 --> 00:13:12,960
President have done that.

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00:13:12,958 --> 00:13:18,468
And we are hopeful that that
kind of engagement, people

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00:13:18,464 --> 00:13:22,434
taking that pledge, will
lead to the kind of change

280
00:13:22,434 --> 00:13:25,204
on college campuses across
the country that we'd like

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00:13:25,204 --> 00:13:28,044
to see and that will
ultimately

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00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,640
make more college students safe.

283
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,414
This gentleman right here.

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00:13:39,785 --> 00:13:42,425
The Press: Could your
administration discuss a bit

285
00:13:42,421 --> 00:13:44,821
on recent calls in the
election cycle, especially

286
00:13:44,823 --> 00:13:48,993
from the Democratic side,
over making college more

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00:13:48,994 --> 00:13:50,694
affordable, as in free, just

288
00:13:50,696 --> 00:13:55,606
like most Western European nations?

289
00:13:55,601 --> 00:13:57,341
We just were speaking with
the Secretary of Education

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00:13:57,336 --> 00:14:01,076
John King, and I kind of
found it ironic that the

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00:14:01,073 --> 00:14:03,413
Secretary of Education for
the richest country in the

292
00:14:03,409 --> 00:14:04,949
history of the world is
still paying

293
00:14:04,944 --> 00:14:06,644
his graduate student debt.

294
00:14:06,645 --> 00:14:09,545
So could you comment on
maybe making -- on the

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00:14:09,548 --> 00:14:12,588
comments that, you know, the
presidential candidates

296
00:14:12,585 --> 00:14:15,155
are saying?

297
00:14:15,154 --> 00:14:16,154
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
just talk to you about what

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00:14:16,155 --> 00:14:18,425
the administration has done.

299
00:14:18,424 --> 00:14:20,324
So obviously, as I mentioned
earlier, we've been very

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00:14:20,326 --> 00:14:22,566
focused on looking for
ways that we can expand the

301
00:14:22,561 --> 00:14:25,301
assistance that we provide
to middle-class students and

302
00:14:25,297 --> 00:14:27,797
students that are trying to
get into the middle class.

303
00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:29,800
We've also been looking
for ways that we can expand

304
00:14:29,802 --> 00:14:32,602
assistance to families who
are paying for their child

305
00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:34,075
to get a college education.

306
00:14:34,073 --> 00:14:36,273
And we've been looking for
creative policy ways that we

307
00:14:36,275 --> 00:14:40,875
can put downward pressure
on college costs, and making

308
00:14:40,879 --> 00:14:42,879
clear to college
administrators that they

309
00:14:42,881 --> 00:14:44,881
have a responsibility to
try to keep a limit on the

310
00:14:44,883 --> 00:14:46,353
growth in education costs.

311
00:14:46,352 --> 00:14:48,352
We've also been encouraging
of state governments, that

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00:14:48,354 --> 00:14:51,694
they need to look for ways
to at least protect the

313
00:14:51,690 --> 00:14:55,330
amount of support that
they provide to state-run

314
00:14:55,327 --> 00:15:00,067
colleges and universities,
if not expand that support.

315
00:15:00,065 --> 00:15:02,135
The other thing that the
President called for in his

316
00:15:02,134 --> 00:15:05,334
State of the Union address
last year in early 2015 --

317
00:15:05,337 --> 00:15:08,207
the President put forward a
specific idea that actually

318
00:15:08,207 --> 00:15:10,247
is already being implemented
in a handful of states,

319
00:15:10,242 --> 00:15:12,742
including the state of
Tennessee, and that is to

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00:15:12,745 --> 00:15:16,115
offer a free community
college education to every

321
00:15:16,115 --> 00:15:18,115
student that's willing
to work for it.

322
00:15:18,117 --> 00:15:20,917
And the idea here is that
if you can offer up a free

323
00:15:20,919 --> 00:15:23,359
community college education
to hardworking students that

324
00:15:23,355 --> 00:15:27,325
are getting good grades and
doing their homework and

325
00:15:27,326 --> 00:15:32,996
continuing to maintain
a workload, that you can

326
00:15:32,998 --> 00:15:35,298
essentially cut the cost
of a four-year education

327
00:15:35,301 --> 00:15:36,301
in half.

328
00:15:36,302 --> 00:15:38,302
The first two years at a
community college they could

329
00:15:38,304 --> 00:15:39,304
get for free.

330
00:15:39,305 --> 00:15:42,945
And that would make a
tangible impact on the

331
00:15:42,941 --> 00:15:44,941
ability of students who are
trying to prepare themselves

332
00:15:44,943 --> 00:15:47,213
for a 21st century
global economy.

333
00:15:47,212 --> 00:15:51,152
It also would have an impact
on I think what are often

334
00:15:51,150 --> 00:15:53,290
called nontraditional
college students -- that you

335
00:15:53,285 --> 00:15:56,255
have people who have started
out their career in one

336
00:15:56,255 --> 00:15:59,255
field and either they lose
their job or they recognize

337
00:15:59,258 --> 00:16:01,258
they want to change to a
different field, but they

338
00:16:01,260 --> 00:16:03,860
can't move to that new
job until they get some

339
00:16:03,862 --> 00:16:04,962
additional training.

340
00:16:04,963 --> 00:16:08,833
So giving more workers
the opportunity to go to

341
00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:10,904
community college for a
couple of years, have that

342
00:16:10,903 --> 00:16:14,503
paid for by the federal
government, and then come

343
00:16:14,506 --> 00:16:16,676
out with enhanced skills
that would allow them to

344
00:16:16,675 --> 00:16:19,015
make an even better
contribution to the local

345
00:16:19,011 --> 00:16:21,051
economy -- that's a win-win.

346
00:16:21,046 --> 00:16:23,046
And this is what they've
done in the state of

347
00:16:23,048 --> 00:16:26,388
Tennessee, and it's been
very beneficial to the state.

348
00:16:26,385 --> 00:16:31,795
They've seen an economic
benefit associated with a

349
00:16:31,790 --> 00:16:34,590
better-educated workforce.

350
00:16:34,593 --> 00:16:36,463
So the President has
proposed, look, if there's a

351
00:16:36,462 --> 00:16:38,802
Republican governor in the
state of Tennessee who can

352
00:16:38,797 --> 00:16:41,767
make this program work in
his state, why shouldn't

353
00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:44,837
Democrats and Republicans
work together in Washington

354
00:16:44,837 --> 00:16:48,577
to give that opportunity
to every American?

355
00:16:48,574 --> 00:16:51,914
And unfortunately,
Republicans have been

356
00:16:51,910 --> 00:16:55,750
resistant to this idea, even
-- these are Republicans in

357
00:16:55,748 --> 00:16:57,748
Congress that have been
resistant to this idea even

358
00:16:57,750 --> 00:16:59,990
though Republicans in
Tennessee have seen

359
00:16:59,985 --> 00:17:02,385
firsthand that
it works great.

360
00:17:02,388 --> 00:17:05,458
So the President is going
to continue to advocate for

361
00:17:05,457 --> 00:17:10,527
this kind of reform, and is
hopeful that we can build

362
00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:14,929
some momentum, such that
maybe the next Congress will

363
00:17:14,933 --> 00:17:17,233
be more willing to take it
up than this one has been.

364
00:17:17,236 --> 00:17:21,706
Yes, this young
lady right there.

365
00:17:21,707 --> 00:17:28,077
The Press: The role of the
press secretary is to be an

366
00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:31,220
honest broker between the
administration and the press.

367
00:17:31,216 --> 00:17:34,056
How do you balance making
the President look good with

368
00:17:34,052 --> 00:17:36,692
honestly communicating all
sides of the policies that

369
00:17:36,688 --> 00:17:38,528
the administration is doing?

370
00:17:38,524 --> 00:17:40,524
And also, how do you think
journalists can improve

371
00:17:40,526 --> 00:17:43,296
their coverage of
government affairs?

372
00:17:43,295 --> 00:17:44,295
Mr. Earnest: That
is a good question.

373
00:17:44,296 --> 00:17:47,566
(laughter)

374
00:17:47,566 --> 00:17:48,596
How long do you have?

375
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,900
(laughter)

376
00:17:50,903 --> 00:17:54,843
I have worked to
conspicuously avoid playing

377
00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,040
media critic in this role.

378
00:17:58,043 --> 00:18:01,113
It might affect my ability
to be an honest broker if I

379
00:18:01,113 --> 00:18:03,053
spent a lot of time
critiquing the performance

380
00:18:03,048 --> 00:18:04,518
of the independent
press corps.

381
00:18:04,516 --> 00:18:07,956
So I think I'm going to
dodge your second question,

382
00:18:07,953 --> 00:18:10,253
but let me see if I can give
you a thoughtful answer to

383
00:18:10,255 --> 00:18:14,095
your first one.

384
00:18:14,092 --> 00:18:16,532
The basic function of the
press secretary is to help

385
00:18:16,528 --> 00:18:19,368
the American people
understand what the

386
00:18:19,364 --> 00:18:22,134
President is doing
and why he's doing it.

387
00:18:22,134 --> 00:18:24,634
In some ways, that is the
basic function of the job.

388
00:18:27,005 --> 00:18:31,045
Reporters have a similar
mandate -- that they want to

389
00:18:31,043 --> 00:18:33,543
give their readers or their
viewers or their listeners

390
00:18:33,545 --> 00:18:35,685
greater insight into what it
is the President is doing,

391
00:18:35,681 --> 00:18:38,551
and try to help their
readers or listeners

392
00:18:38,550 --> 00:18:41,850
understand why
he's doing it.

393
00:18:41,854 --> 00:18:46,424
So the approach that I have
taken is to try to learn

394
00:18:46,425 --> 00:18:49,225
those facts for myself -- to
not just understand sort of

395
00:18:49,228 --> 00:18:51,268
the basic talking points,
but to actually try to delve

396
00:18:51,263 --> 00:18:53,733
into the policy and
understand why particular

397
00:18:53,732 --> 00:18:55,932
decisions have been made,
either by the President or

398
00:18:55,934 --> 00:18:58,334
by other senior
decision-makers in his

399
00:18:58,337 --> 00:19:04,947
administration -- and then
to also try to put those

400
00:19:04,943 --> 00:19:07,943
decisions into context, to
help people understand the

401
00:19:07,946 --> 00:19:10,586
President's approach to
problem-solving or the

402
00:19:10,582 --> 00:19:13,082
President's approach to a
whole set of issues so that

403
00:19:13,085 --> 00:19:17,995
they can understand why
a particular decision was made.

404
00:19:17,990 --> 00:19:20,190
As people sort of assess
the relationship between the

405
00:19:20,192 --> 00:19:22,232
White House Press Corps
and the White House Press

406
00:19:22,227 --> 00:19:25,797
Office, the thing that I
often remind journalists who

407
00:19:25,797 --> 00:19:28,737
occasionally will decide to
write about this issue is

408
00:19:28,734 --> 00:19:31,534
that there's supposed to
be some tension between the

409
00:19:31,537 --> 00:19:34,577
White House Press Office and
the White House Press Corps.

410
00:19:34,573 --> 00:19:36,713
If there wasn't, it would
be a pretty good indication

411
00:19:36,708 --> 00:19:38,708
that somebody wasn't
doing their job.

412
00:19:38,710 --> 00:19:41,750
If there's ever a day that
one of the professionals in

413
00:19:41,747 --> 00:19:43,747
the White House Press Corps
walks into my office and

414
00:19:43,749 --> 00:19:45,749
says, you know, you
guys have been totally

415
00:19:45,751 --> 00:19:47,791
transparent today,
you've answered all of my

416
00:19:47,786 --> 00:19:49,756
questions, you've given
me access to all the

417
00:19:49,755 --> 00:19:51,825
information that I need,
thanks a lot, I have no

418
00:19:51,823 --> 00:19:54,693
complaints -- they're
not doing their job.

419
00:19:54,693 --> 00:19:56,793
Even if we have been
extraordinarily transparent

420
00:19:56,795 --> 00:19:57,725
-- which we have been --

421
00:19:57,729 --> 00:19:59,399
(laughter)

422
00:19:59,398 --> 00:20:02,238
-- it's incumbent upon those
journalists to say, you

423
00:20:02,234 --> 00:20:04,104
should give us more.

424
00:20:04,102 --> 00:20:05,642
That's their job.

425
00:20:05,637 --> 00:20:09,237
And it's my job to try to be
as accommodating as I can,

426
00:20:09,241 --> 00:20:11,781
while at the same time
protecting the President's

427
00:20:11,777 --> 00:20:14,947
ability to make a decision,
but also making sure that

428
00:20:14,947 --> 00:20:17,847
the context of that
decision is not lost.

429
00:20:17,849 --> 00:20:23,289
So that's why reporters who
are interested in having a

430
00:20:23,288 --> 00:20:25,288
positive working
relationship with the White

431
00:20:25,290 --> 00:20:27,290
House -- my expectation for
them is not that they're

432
00:20:27,292 --> 00:20:29,862
going to write stories that
are good for the White House

433
00:20:29,861 --> 00:20:31,861
every day, that make the
President look good or make

434
00:20:31,863 --> 00:20:35,703
the White House look good or
make the administration

435
00:20:35,701 --> 00:20:36,801
look good.

436
00:20:36,802 --> 00:20:39,802
Sometimes there
are tough stories.

437
00:20:39,805 --> 00:20:44,945
And when you consider some
of the more complicated

438
00:20:44,943 --> 00:20:46,943
questions that this
administration has had to

439
00:20:46,945 --> 00:20:51,245
deal with, it's plausible
that people are going to

440
00:20:51,249 --> 00:20:53,249
read stories that don't
make the President or the

441
00:20:53,251 --> 00:20:56,221
administration or the
White House look good.

442
00:20:56,221 --> 00:20:59,191
The situation in Syria
right now is tragic.

443
00:20:59,191 --> 00:21:01,191
There are millions of
innocent people who have

444
00:21:01,193 --> 00:21:03,193
been displaced
from their homes.

445
00:21:03,195 --> 00:21:07,635
And the administration
and the President has put

446
00:21:07,633 --> 00:21:09,903
forward a bold strategy
that exceeded the original

447
00:21:09,901 --> 00:21:12,101
expectations that people had
for what we'd be able to do

448
00:21:12,104 --> 00:21:15,174
to influence this situation,
but so far, it continues to

449
00:21:15,173 --> 00:21:18,773
be the case that there are
innocent people dying in Syria.

450
00:21:18,777 --> 00:21:22,017
And so many stories that are
written about Syria don't

451
00:21:22,014 --> 00:21:24,084
make the President
look good.

452
00:21:24,082 --> 00:21:27,722
But what I challenge
reporters to do is, even if

453
00:21:27,719 --> 00:21:30,559
we accept the situation in
Syria is bad, and it's a

454
00:21:30,555 --> 00:21:32,555
situation that the White
House and the President has

455
00:21:32,557 --> 00:21:36,027
not solved, despite how hard
he's worked to try, what I

456
00:21:36,028 --> 00:21:38,268
do want people to understand
is why is this situation so

457
00:21:38,263 --> 00:21:40,763
complicated, what is it that
the President has tried to

458
00:21:40,766 --> 00:21:43,636
do, and why is it that he's
tried that approach and not

459
00:21:43,635 --> 00:21:44,635
something else.

460
00:21:44,636 --> 00:21:49,076
And if reporters succeed
in using their skills as a

461
00:21:49,074 --> 00:21:51,074
journalist and as a writer
and a storyteller and a

462
00:21:51,076 --> 00:21:54,576
broadcaster to explain
our approach, then I can't

463
00:21:54,579 --> 00:21:56,249
really complain.

464
00:21:56,248 --> 00:21:57,578
They've done their job.

465
00:21:57,582 --> 00:22:01,722
And if I have confidence in
our approach, then I'm going

466
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:03,990
to have confidence in the
idea that if somebody makes

467
00:22:03,989 --> 00:22:06,589
an honest effort to explain
that approach to the

468
00:22:06,591 --> 00:22:09,591
American people, well, then
we're going to persuade some

469
00:22:09,594 --> 00:22:12,164
people that what we're doing
is the right thing to do,

470
00:22:12,164 --> 00:22:14,304
even if it's not showing the
immediate results

471
00:22:14,299 --> 00:22:18,599
that we would like.

472
00:22:18,603 --> 00:22:20,203
This gentleman right here.

473
00:22:23,775 --> 00:22:25,345
The Press: Bouncing off the
previous couple questions

474
00:22:25,343 --> 00:22:26,943
about access, I was
wondering if you could

475
00:22:26,945 --> 00:22:30,445
comment on the access or, in
some cases, reduced or lack

476
00:22:30,449 --> 00:22:33,889
of access of young people
and college students across

477
00:22:33,885 --> 00:22:35,925
the country to fully
participate in public

478
00:22:35,921 --> 00:22:39,191
service and the
life of our country.

479
00:22:39,191 --> 00:22:42,131
There's been reports in
the past couple years about

480
00:22:42,127 --> 00:22:44,367
certain sorts of hostile
echo chambers that pop up

481
00:22:44,362 --> 00:22:47,262
in D.C. because of the lack
of ability for funding for

482
00:22:47,265 --> 00:22:49,565
internships for places like
the White House, where we

483
00:22:49,568 --> 00:22:53,038
sit today, Congress, other
federal agencies, et cetera.

484
00:22:53,038 --> 00:22:55,008
There's a tension there,
obviously, because the idea

485
00:22:55,006 --> 00:22:57,706
of public service to
necessitate something.

486
00:22:57,709 --> 00:23:00,509
But on the other hand, if
some people are boxed out of

487
00:23:00,512 --> 00:23:02,612
being able to participate
while they're in college,

488
00:23:02,614 --> 00:23:04,854
something that we're very
lucky to do today, there's

489
00:23:04,850 --> 00:23:06,690
tens of thousands more of us
who would love to be able to

490
00:23:06,685 --> 00:23:08,125
be sitting in this
seat right now.

491
00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:09,420
So I was wondering if
you could comment on any

492
00:23:09,421 --> 00:23:12,721
possible changes in the ways
the White House or across

493
00:23:12,724 --> 00:23:15,664
the federal government --
access for college students

494
00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:18,260
going forward to more fully
participate and represent

495
00:23:18,263 --> 00:23:20,603
the mosaic of
America in D.C.

496
00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:21,729
Mr. Earnest: Look, the
President often says that

497
00:23:21,733 --> 00:23:25,333
the most important role in
our democracy is not the

498
00:23:25,337 --> 00:23:28,207
role of President, but
actually the role of citizen.

499
00:23:28,206 --> 00:23:31,546
And looking for ways to
engage people in the process

500
00:23:31,543 --> 00:23:34,543
of governing this country is
something that the President

501
00:23:34,546 --> 00:23:35,816
has made a priority.

502
00:23:35,814 --> 00:23:39,754
And this is one of the
reasons that we're hosting

503
00:23:39,751 --> 00:23:42,251
this event here today, is
the President is interested

504
00:23:42,254 --> 00:23:45,324
in cultivating your interest
in government and certainly

505
00:23:45,323 --> 00:23:48,923
your interest in playing
an important role in our

506
00:23:48,927 --> 00:23:50,927
democracy by considering
a career

507
00:23:50,929 --> 00:23:56,069
as a professional journalist.

508
00:23:56,067 --> 00:23:57,967
So I think that's the first
way that

509
00:23:57,969 --> 00:23:58,969
I would answer your question.

510
00:23:58,970 --> 00:24:01,610
The second way is that
people don't have to work in

511
00:24:01,606 --> 00:24:05,606
politics or even cover
politics full time in order

512
00:24:05,610 --> 00:24:08,810
to be engaged in
our democracy.

513
00:24:08,814 --> 00:24:10,814
What people do have to do is
they have to make an effort

514
00:24:10,816 --> 00:24:13,016
to go and inform themselves
and educate themselves about

515
00:24:13,018 --> 00:24:17,888
what's happening in your
community or in our country.

516
00:24:17,889 --> 00:24:21,029
And that is a big challenge.

517
00:24:21,026 --> 00:24:23,026
And that's not something
that the government can do

518
00:24:23,028 --> 00:24:25,028
for you, and that's not
something that necessarily

519
00:24:25,030 --> 00:24:26,330
includes a paycheck.

520
00:24:26,331 --> 00:24:28,601
But that is a responsibility
that we all have as citizens

521
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,240
of this country -- to
educate ourselves about the

522
00:24:31,236 --> 00:24:33,236
questions that are being
raised about our government,

523
00:24:33,238 --> 00:24:39,478
to establish some priorities
in our own right for the

524
00:24:39,477 --> 00:24:40,777
direction of the country.

525
00:24:40,779 --> 00:24:44,579
And one of the observations
that the President often

526
00:24:44,583 --> 00:24:48,453
makes about the media is
that there are places you

527
00:24:48,453 --> 00:24:52,123
can go on the Internet to
just go and read articles or

528
00:24:52,123 --> 00:24:54,663
opinions written by a whole
bunch of people just like

529
00:24:54,659 --> 00:24:56,759
you who have the same views.

530
00:24:56,761 --> 00:24:59,101
And it requires a certain
amount of self-discipline to

531
00:24:59,097 --> 00:25:02,937
actually seek out
different points of view.

532
00:25:02,934 --> 00:25:10,474
So listening or inviting
input from people who may

533
00:25:10,475 --> 00:25:12,945
not share your worldview
is a valuable thing.

534
00:25:12,944 --> 00:25:15,244
And it's something that is
critical if we're going to

535
00:25:15,247 --> 00:25:18,387
be good citizens of
our country and active

536
00:25:18,383 --> 00:25:19,483
participants in
our democracy.

537
00:25:19,484 --> 00:25:23,224
And the President gave --
as you think about this, the

538
00:25:23,221 --> 00:25:25,921
President gave a
commencement address at the

539
00:25:25,924 --> 00:25:28,494
University of Michigan where
he talked a lot about sort

540
00:25:28,493 --> 00:25:33,133
of the role of citizenship
in a modern democracy like ours.

541
00:25:33,131 --> 00:25:34,501
So you can hear more
directly

542
00:25:34,499 --> 00:25:37,339
from the President on that.

543
00:25:37,335 --> 00:25:38,335
This young lady right there.

544
00:25:38,336 --> 00:25:40,406
The Press: Earlier today we
talked with Senior Advisor

545
00:25:40,405 --> 00:25:42,845
Valerie Jarrett on
restorative justice work,

546
00:25:42,841 --> 00:25:45,741
like within school
districts, for students who

547
00:25:45,744 --> 00:25:47,744
are getting suspended
or expelled.

548
00:25:47,746 --> 00:25:51,846
And my question is, what is
the administration doing to

549
00:25:51,850 --> 00:25:53,080
work with school districts
who want to go

550
00:25:53,084 --> 00:25:56,154
after those initial acts?

551
00:26:00,325 --> 00:26:03,365
Mr. Earnest: It's
nice to meet you.

552
00:26:03,361 --> 00:26:04,731
You may have heard a
little bit about this

553
00:26:04,729 --> 00:26:07,699
from Secretary John King.

554
00:26:07,699 --> 00:26:10,139
The Department of Education
has worked closely with

555
00:26:10,135 --> 00:26:12,675
states and school districts
across the country, and I

556
00:26:12,671 --> 00:26:15,611
know that Secretary King's
predecessor, Arne Duncan,

557
00:26:15,607 --> 00:26:19,047
was very interested
in this issue as well.

558
00:26:19,044 --> 00:26:21,044
What you often find in
the federal government,

559
00:26:21,046 --> 00:26:24,546
particularly when it comes
to education, is that we

560
00:26:24,549 --> 00:26:26,549
have a tradition in this
country

561
00:26:26,551 --> 00:26:27,551
of local control of schools.

562
00:26:27,552 --> 00:26:28,552
Now, that's a good thing.

563
00:26:28,553 --> 00:26:31,693
We want communities to be
engaged and to play the

564
00:26:31,690 --> 00:26:36,290
predominant role in setting
policies and guidelines for

565
00:26:36,294 --> 00:26:38,294
how the schools in those
communities

566
00:26:38,296 --> 00:26:39,296
are going to operate.

567
00:26:39,297 --> 00:26:41,297
But what the federal
government can do is to

568
00:26:41,299 --> 00:26:44,069
offer some expertise and to
share best practices, and

569
00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:46,669
bring schools and
administrators together to

570
00:26:46,671 --> 00:26:50,271
help them understand how
these problems are being

571
00:26:50,275 --> 00:26:52,015
handled in other
communities.

572
00:26:52,010 --> 00:26:54,010
And so what this
administration has done is

573
00:26:54,012 --> 00:26:56,352
made an effort to try to
lift up best practices, to

574
00:26:56,348 --> 00:26:58,988
seek out the most effective
educators, particularly when

575
00:26:58,984 --> 00:27:01,854
it comes to disciplinary
policies, and make sure that

576
00:27:01,853 --> 00:27:04,353
we're sharing those
ideas with other schools.

577
00:27:04,356 --> 00:27:08,056
And there's plenty of
academic data and research

578
00:27:08,059 --> 00:27:11,629
to indicate that there is
some bias inherent in the

579
00:27:11,629 --> 00:27:14,899
way that some schools
administer discipline, and

580
00:27:14,899 --> 00:27:16,899
that does put some students
-- particularly minority

581
00:27:16,901 --> 00:27:19,571
students -- at
a disadvantage.

582
00:27:19,571 --> 00:27:24,381
And helping well-intentioned
administrators recognize the

583
00:27:24,376 --> 00:27:28,276
potential for bias and give
them some tips for how to

584
00:27:28,279 --> 00:27:33,019
work around and overcome it
is a really valuable thing.

585
00:27:33,018 --> 00:27:35,018
And I know that this
is something that the

586
00:27:35,020 --> 00:27:38,520
Department of Education
has made a real priority.

587
00:27:38,523 --> 00:27:44,593
Yes, that gentleman
right there.

588
00:27:44,596 --> 00:27:45,926
The Press: What is the
future of historically black

589
00:27:45,930 --> 00:27:50,500
colleges and universities
after the Obama administration?

590
00:27:50,502 --> 00:27:51,732
Mr. Earnest: Well,
under President Obama's

591
00:27:51,736 --> 00:27:54,776
leadership, funding for
historically black colleges

592
00:27:54,773 --> 00:27:56,713
and universities
has increased.

593
00:27:56,708 --> 00:28:00,408
President Obama has had an
opportunity to deliver a

594
00:28:00,412 --> 00:28:03,282
couple of commencement
addresses at HBCUs.

595
00:28:03,281 --> 00:28:05,281
In both of those speeches,
the President has talked

596
00:28:05,283 --> 00:28:10,093
about how important a role
those institutions play not

597
00:28:10,088 --> 00:28:12,588
just in a modern African
American community in the

598
00:28:12,590 --> 00:28:14,660
United States, but actually
a role they have

599
00:28:14,659 --> 00:28:17,999
to play in our country.

600
00:28:17,996 --> 00:28:19,566
The President is actually
going to speak at Howard

601
00:28:19,564 --> 00:28:23,134
University later this summer
at their commencement.

602
00:28:23,134 --> 00:28:25,404
The President is looking
forward to that opportunity

603
00:28:25,403 --> 00:28:27,973
and it will be an
opportunity for him to both

604
00:28:27,972 --> 00:28:34,482
reflect on the tradition
that's built into HBCUs of

605
00:28:34,479 --> 00:28:38,019
providing a good,
high-quality education to

606
00:28:38,016 --> 00:28:40,816
African Americans, but
he'll also talk about the

607
00:28:40,819 --> 00:28:43,189
responsibility that those
who graduate from those

608
00:28:43,188 --> 00:28:45,588
kinds of institutions have
to contribute not just to

609
00:28:45,590 --> 00:28:47,590
the African American
community but to our country

610
00:28:47,592 --> 00:28:48,722
as a whole.

611
00:28:48,726 --> 00:28:50,726
And this is something the
President feels strongly

612
00:28:50,728 --> 00:28:53,468
about, and something he'll
talk about again later this

613
00:28:53,465 --> 00:28:56,665
summer when he
speaks at Howard.

614
00:28:56,668 --> 00:28:59,138
Yes, ma'am.

615
00:29:02,340 --> 00:29:04,980
The Press: We just released
our sexual assault climate

616
00:29:04,976 --> 00:29:07,776
survey, or the results
of the survey, rather.

617
00:29:07,779 --> 00:29:10,679
And it turned out Fordham
is reporting sexual assault

618
00:29:10,682 --> 00:29:12,922
just a little bit above the
national average, which is

619
00:29:12,917 --> 00:29:15,687
around 5 percent right now
-- we're reporting at 8 percent.

620
00:29:15,687 --> 00:29:17,187
So I was wondering if the
administration is doing

621
00:29:17,188 --> 00:29:22,428
anything to incentivize
colleges to increase that

622
00:29:22,427 --> 00:29:26,127
percentage to make it easier
and more accessible for

623
00:29:26,131 --> 00:29:28,001
victims to report their
sexual assault so we can get

624
00:29:27,999 --> 00:29:31,699
more accurate numbers on
how sexual assault exists

625
00:29:31,703 --> 00:29:34,143
on college campuses.

626
00:29:34,139 --> 00:29:38,079
Mr. Earnest: Well -- that
seems like a bad thing.

627
00:29:38,076 --> 00:29:41,946
(loud noise)

628
00:29:44,082 --> 00:29:47,222
It's that remote
there, guys.

629
00:29:58,196 --> 00:30:01,096
There we go.

630
00:30:01,099 --> 00:30:01,999
That's never
happened before.

631
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,170
(laughter)

632
00:30:05,170 --> 00:30:09,910
So, I'm sorry that
had to happen to you.

633
00:30:09,908 --> 00:30:11,608
You've asked a very
serious question.

634
00:30:11,609 --> 00:30:16,719
What the administration has
done is tried to work with

635
00:30:16,714 --> 00:30:20,414
colleges and universities to
help them establish a clear

636
00:30:20,418 --> 00:30:23,558
process for reporting these
kinds of crimes when they

637
00:30:23,555 --> 00:30:26,925
occur, and making sure that
there's a process internally

638
00:30:26,925 --> 00:30:29,495
for handling them
appropriately, consistent

639
00:30:29,494 --> 00:30:33,034
with fairness but also
consistent with the law.

640
00:30:33,031 --> 00:30:35,631
So that is certainly
an important step.

641
00:30:35,633 --> 00:30:37,633
The other thing that we
believe is important

642
00:30:37,635 --> 00:30:39,605
is transparency.

643
00:30:39,604 --> 00:30:42,874
As students are considering
which college or institution

644
00:30:42,874 --> 00:30:47,344
to attend, they should
understand exactly what the

645
00:30:47,345 --> 00:30:49,345
climate is like on that
campus -- how safe are they

646
00:30:49,347 --> 00:30:51,347
going to be if they go to
school there; how much of a

647
00:30:51,349 --> 00:30:54,119
priority have school
administrators made the

648
00:30:54,118 --> 00:30:56,458
safety of their students.

649
00:30:56,454 --> 00:31:02,164
So that kind of transparency
is important as well.

650
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,600
But look, as I was saying
earlier, this can't just be

651
00:31:05,597 --> 00:31:06,997
about government.

652
00:31:06,998 --> 00:31:09,468
This also has to be
about students taking

653
00:31:09,467 --> 00:31:12,237
responsibility for what
happens on their campus and

654
00:31:12,237 --> 00:31:14,907
what kind of community they
want to be a part of, and

655
00:31:14,906 --> 00:31:19,006
how willing are they to
engage in that community to

656
00:31:19,010 --> 00:31:24,750
assert the kinds or norms
and mutual respect that we'd

657
00:31:24,749 --> 00:31:26,749
all like to have,
particularly when we're

658
00:31:26,751 --> 00:31:30,491
living in a community like
a college campus where we're

659
00:31:30,488 --> 00:31:33,728
sort of encouraged to try
new things and to explore

660
00:31:36,394 --> 00:31:40,764
new experiences; that having
a safe environment in which

661
00:31:40,765 --> 00:31:42,765
to do that is
particularly important.

662
00:31:44,836 --> 00:31:46,836
Yes, that gentleman
right there.

663
00:31:46,838 --> 00:31:52,948
The Press: We've heard a lot
today, especially from the

664
00:31:52,944 --> 00:31:57,614
Education Secretary, of Pay
As You Earn loan repayment

665
00:31:57,615 --> 00:31:59,885
plans for student loans.

666
00:31:59,884 --> 00:32:02,054
However, the reason we're
talking about it is because

667
00:32:02,053 --> 00:32:05,253
70 percent, according to
the GAO -- 70 percent of

668
00:32:05,256 --> 00:32:08,226
delinquent borrowers are
eligible for Pay As You

669
00:32:08,226 --> 00:32:09,966
Earn, but aren't
on the plan.

670
00:32:09,961 --> 00:32:11,131
How did the number
get so high?

671
00:32:11,129 --> 00:32:13,369
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
there are a couple of reasons.

672
00:32:13,364 --> 00:32:16,304
One is that the Pay As You
Earn program is something

673
00:32:16,301 --> 00:32:20,941
that's relatively new, and
we are setting a goal today

674
00:32:20,938 --> 00:32:23,938
to try to expand the number
of people who take advantage

675
00:32:23,941 --> 00:32:24,941
of this program.

676
00:32:24,942 --> 00:32:27,942
The Pay As You Earn program
essentially caps your

677
00:32:27,945 --> 00:32:29,945
student loan repayment
rates at 10 percent

678
00:32:29,947 --> 00:32:33,987
of your income.

679
00:32:33,985 --> 00:32:35,985
The President has also
fought hard

680
00:32:35,987 --> 00:32:37,527
to establish the CFPB.

681
00:32:37,522 --> 00:32:42,492
The President: I hea
there's some hotshot

682
00:32:44,862 --> 00:32:46,732
journalists here.

683
00:32:46,731 --> 00:32:49,631
Josh was speaking for me,
and I wanted to make sure he

684
00:32:49,634 --> 00:32:51,474
was getting it right.

685
00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:54,639
How's it going, everybody?

686
00:32:54,639 --> 00:32:57,679
Are you guys having an
interesting time here?

687
00:32:57,675 --> 00:32:59,415
Audience: Yes!

688
00:32:59,410 --> 00:33:02,380
The President: Was Josh
thorough in his briefing?

689
00:33:02,380 --> 00:33:05,650
Well, I heard you guys were
around today, so I wanted to

690
00:33:05,650 --> 00:33:08,650
stop by and say hello.

691
00:33:08,653 --> 00:33:11,753
I also have a bit of
breaking news for you, and

692
00:33:11,756 --> 00:33:13,926
then I might take
some questions.

693
00:33:13,925 --> 00:33:18,765
I overheard Josh talking
about student loans, and I

694
00:33:18,763 --> 00:33:21,433
know that's a big priority
for a lot of your listeners

695
00:33:21,432 --> 00:33:22,432
and readers.

696
00:33:22,433 --> 00:33:24,833
And that's one of
the reasons why my

697
00:33:24,836 --> 00:33:28,406
administration has spent
a lot of time focused

698
00:33:28,406 --> 00:33:29,706
on college affordability.

699
00:33:29,707 --> 00:33:34,577
So we expanded Pell grants
to make sure that more young

700
00:33:34,579 --> 00:33:36,779
people could access it.

701
00:33:36,781 --> 00:33:41,591
We created the Pay As You
Earn program that ensures

702
00:33:41,586 --> 00:33:45,086
that people can cap the
amount that they're repaying

703
00:33:45,089 --> 00:33:49,059
on their loans each month,
so that young people who

704
00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:54,400
want to go into jobs that
aren't as lucrative are

705
00:33:54,399 --> 00:33:56,639
still able to pursue their
passions and their dreams

706
00:33:56,634 --> 00:33:59,304
while managing
their debt load.

707
00:33:59,303 --> 00:34:01,443
Today I want to announce
that we're aiming to enroll

708
00:34:01,439 --> 00:34:05,079
2 million more people in Pay
As Your Earn by this time

709
00:34:05,076 --> 00:34:07,546
next year, and you
can find out how

710
00:34:07,545 --> 00:34:11,885
at StudentLoans.gov/repay.

711
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:15,723
That's
StudentLoans.gov/repay.

712
00:34:15,720 --> 00:34:17,820
And we're also going to
be making some additional

713
00:34:17,822 --> 00:34:19,462
announcements about how
we're going to get our

714
00:34:19,457 --> 00:34:22,697
agencies coordinating so
that, as young people are

715
00:34:22,693 --> 00:34:25,693
managing their student
loan debt, there's one-stop

716
00:34:25,696 --> 00:34:29,066
shopping, they can figure
out how to do it, and they

717
00:34:29,067 --> 00:34:32,607
can make sure that there
are consumer protections in

718
00:34:32,603 --> 00:34:34,573
terms of how they're being
treated

719
00:34:34,572 --> 00:34:37,872
in the repayment process.

720
00:34:37,875 --> 00:34:39,875
While I have you here, I
might as well mention a

721
00:34:39,877 --> 00:34:41,577
couple of other things.

722
00:34:41,579 --> 00:34:42,609
You may have heard that
there

723
00:34:42,613 --> 00:34:45,983
is a Supreme Court vacancy.

724
00:34:45,983 --> 00:34:49,723
For those of you who have
been studying our system of

725
00:34:49,720 --> 00:34:52,620
government, we have three
branches, and one of the

726
00:34:52,623 --> 00:34:55,163
most important
is the judiciary.

727
00:34:55,159 --> 00:34:59,829
And right now, our Supreme
Court is absent one sitting

728
00:34:59,831 --> 00:35:02,171
member, with the passing
of Justice Scalia.

729
00:35:02,166 --> 00:35:05,466
I've nominated an individual
named Merrick Garland, who's

730
00:35:05,470 --> 00:35:08,870
currently the Chief Judge
on the D.C. Circuit Court of

731
00:35:08,873 --> 00:35:12,043
Appeals, which is the second
most important court

732
00:35:12,043 --> 00:35:13,273
in the land.

733
00:35:13,277 --> 00:35:16,177
By all accounts, he's
extremely well-qualified.

734
00:35:16,180 --> 00:35:20,120
And traditionally, what's
happened is, is that the

735
00:35:20,117 --> 00:35:24,927
Senate then, exercising its
constitutional duties of

736
00:35:24,922 --> 00:35:29,432
advice and consent, will
meet with the judge and then

737
00:35:29,427 --> 00:35:33,297
have a hearing for him,
and then have a vote.

738
00:35:33,297 --> 00:35:35,967
In part because politics
have gotten so polarized

739
00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:38,407
lately, and the importance
of this seat, so far at

740
00:35:38,402 --> 00:35:41,202
least the Republican Leader
on the Senate side, Mitch

741
00:35:41,205 --> 00:35:46,575
McConnell, has refused to
have the Republican caucus

742
00:35:46,577 --> 00:35:50,417
meet with him and
schedule an actual vote.

743
00:35:50,414 --> 00:35:52,414
Although, to their credit,
there have been a number of

744
00:35:52,416 --> 00:35:55,416
Republicans who have broken
ranks and gone ahead and met

745
00:35:55,419 --> 00:35:57,959
with Judge Garland.

746
00:35:57,955 --> 00:36:01,325
I mention this because I
think it's important for all

747
00:36:01,325 --> 00:36:05,065
of you, while you're in
town, and many of you who

748
00:36:05,062 --> 00:36:07,062
are going to end up being
journalists covering

749
00:36:07,064 --> 00:36:12,104
important national policy,
to recognize that our system

750
00:36:12,103 --> 00:36:15,143
only works when, even when
we have big disagreements,

751
00:36:15,139 --> 00:36:18,579
even when there are big
policy disputes, there's

752
00:36:18,576 --> 00:36:21,716
still a willingness to
follow the rules and treat

753
00:36:21,712 --> 00:36:25,352
people fairly -- especially
those who are on the other

754
00:36:25,349 --> 00:36:26,889
side of the debate.

755
00:36:26,884 --> 00:36:29,124
That's something that's been
lost a little bit in this

756
00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:30,560
town of late.

757
00:36:30,555 --> 00:36:34,955
And I said at my State of
the Union address, my hope

758
00:36:34,959 --> 00:36:39,969
is, is that despite some of
the unusual rhetoric that

759
00:36:39,964 --> 00:36:42,564
we've been hearing during
this presidential campaign,

760
00:36:42,567 --> 00:36:45,107
that it's young people like
you who are going to restore

761
00:36:45,102 --> 00:36:47,902
that sense of us being able
to work together and make

762
00:36:47,905 --> 00:36:50,845
this democracy
function effectively.

763
00:36:50,841 --> 00:36:54,841
And journalists play a
critical role in that.

764
00:36:54,845 --> 00:37:01,285
Sometimes both Josh
and I probably have our

765
00:37:01,285 --> 00:37:05,455
disagreements with the press
corps, and feel picked on or

766
00:37:05,456 --> 00:37:10,296
misunderstood, but the truth
of the matter is -- and I've

767
00:37:10,294 --> 00:37:13,934
said this before -- what
separates us out in part

768
00:37:13,931 --> 00:37:15,931
from a lot of other
countries in the world is

769
00:37:15,933 --> 00:37:22,273
we've got this incredible
free press that pokes and

770
00:37:22,273 --> 00:37:25,873
prods and calls into
account our leaders.

771
00:37:25,876 --> 00:37:32,316
And that is how we can
make sure that leaders are

772
00:37:32,316 --> 00:37:34,316
accountable to the
people who elect them.

773
00:37:34,318 --> 00:37:37,158
And that's how we make sure
that you don't see major

774
00:37:37,154 --> 00:37:38,154
abuses of power.

775
00:37:38,155 --> 00:37:41,395
And when you do, that, in
fact, the American people

776
00:37:41,392 --> 00:37:44,092
know about it and are
able to make changes.

777
00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:46,695
And so you guys are going to
have a critical role, those

778
00:37:46,697 --> 00:37:49,537
of you who end up
following journalism.

779
00:37:49,533 --> 00:37:51,073
I hope many of you do.

780
00:37:51,068 --> 00:37:54,008
I want to thank the White
House Press Corps, because I

781
00:37:54,005 --> 00:37:58,045
understand they gave
you a lot of time today.

782
00:37:58,042 --> 00:38:01,512
And some of the best
journalists in the country

783
00:38:01,512 --> 00:38:02,512
operate here.

784
00:38:02,513 --> 00:38:03,713
I normally don't say nice
things about them

785
00:38:03,714 --> 00:38:04,444
in front of them --

786
00:38:04,448 --> 00:38:06,248
(laughter)

787
00:38:06,250 --> 00:38:09,550
-- but I figured since they
took the time to work with

788
00:38:09,553 --> 00:38:12,153
you, I wanted to make sure
to acknowledge the great

789
00:38:12,156 --> 00:38:13,956
work that they are doing.

790
00:38:13,958 --> 00:38:14,788
All right?

791
00:38:14,792 --> 00:38:18,432
So with that, I'm going to
take a couple of questions.

792
00:38:18,429 --> 00:38:20,799
Let's see.

793
00:38:20,798 --> 00:38:22,138
We'll start with that young
man right there, in the

794
00:38:22,133 --> 00:38:26,633
black suit -- or
blue, I guess.

795
00:38:26,637 --> 00:38:28,577
Right here, in the red tie.

796
00:38:28,572 --> 00:38:32,112
But I may get to you, too.

797
00:38:32,109 --> 00:38:33,749
The Press: Mr. President,
it's a pleasure to meet you.

798
00:38:33,744 --> 00:38:35,914
My name is Dan Corey, and
I'm the Editor-in-Chief of

799
00:38:35,913 --> 00:38:37,953
the Daily Targum, the
second-oldest college

800
00:38:37,948 --> 00:38:40,248
newspaper in the
United States.

801
00:38:40,251 --> 00:38:41,721
And it serves the

802
00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:44,089
Rutgers University-New Brunswick community.

803
00:38:44,088 --> 00:38:44,788
The President: Outstanding.

804
00:38:44,789 --> 00:38:48,329
The Press: We recently ran
a student referendum to keep

805
00:38:48,325 --> 00:38:51,395
our presence on campus.

806
00:38:51,395 --> 00:38:55,395
We've asked and we're
allowed to continue publishing.

807
00:38:55,399 --> 00:38:58,339
And we're actually going to
reach a historic 150 years

808
00:38:58,335 --> 00:38:59,305
of publication.

809
00:38:59,303 --> 00:39:00,103
The President:
Congratulations.

810
00:39:00,104 --> 00:39:01,874
The Press: Thank
you very much.

811
00:39:01,872 --> 00:39:02,842
I'm also very
nervous right now.

812
00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:04,940
(laughter)

813
00:39:04,942 --> 00:39:06,882
The President: You're
doing great so far.

814
00:39:06,877 --> 00:39:09,417
Just never admit
that you're nervous.

815
00:39:09,413 --> 00:39:10,713
Just pretend like
this is routine.

816
00:39:10,715 --> 00:39:12,245
(laughter)

817
00:39:12,249 --> 00:39:15,549
The Press: Well, in light of
the news of you speaking at

818
00:39:15,553 --> 00:39:19,123
our commencement, I was
wondering, would you be

819
00:39:19,123 --> 00:39:23,193
interested in being
interviewed by our newspaper?

820
00:39:23,194 --> 00:39:24,324
The President: That's a
good use

821
00:39:24,328 --> 00:39:25,058
of your time right there.

822
00:39:25,062 --> 00:39:28,702
(laughter)

823
00:39:28,699 --> 00:39:31,569
I have to say that normally
I coordinate carefully with

824
00:39:31,569 --> 00:39:36,909
my press team before we
grant interviews, but I am

825
00:39:36,907 --> 00:39:41,177
favorably disposed towards
giving you a little bit of time.

826
00:39:41,178 --> 00:39:46,088
It may not be a really long
interview, but I figure we

827
00:39:46,083 --> 00:39:48,553
can give the college
newspaper a little bit of play.

828
00:39:48,552 --> 00:39:50,952
Mr. Earnest:
That's a good idea.

829
00:39:50,955 --> 00:39:52,225
The President: All right.

830
00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:53,393
Young lady, right here.

831
00:39:53,390 --> 00:39:56,830
The Press: Mr. President,
it's an absolute pleasure.

832
00:40:00,865 --> 00:40:02,535
My question is, you
announced the other day that

833
00:40:02,533 --> 00:40:04,473
you'll be visiting Flint,
Michigan, based on a letter

834
00:40:04,468 --> 00:40:06,368
received from a young girl.

835
00:40:06,370 --> 00:40:08,410
What are you planning to
do during your visit there?

836
00:40:08,405 --> 00:40:10,545
And have you heard from the
girl in response

837
00:40:10,541 --> 00:40:11,371
to your visit?

838
00:40:11,375 --> 00:40:13,475
And if possible, after, may
I take a photo with you?

839
00:40:13,477 --> 00:40:15,077
(laughter)

840
00:40:15,079 --> 00:40:17,479
The President: The photo
can't do, because if I do,

841
00:40:17,481 --> 00:40:20,251
then I've got a long line.

842
00:40:20,251 --> 00:40:23,591
But I will be
visiting Flint.

843
00:40:23,587 --> 00:40:29,957
And obviously, since the
news of the terrible things

844
00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:33,130
that have been taking place
there -- the lead in the

845
00:40:33,130 --> 00:40:36,630
drinking water and the
potential health hazards, as

846
00:40:36,634 --> 00:40:42,104
well as the people who were
responsible for the health

847
00:40:42,106 --> 00:40:45,576
and safety of those
residents not carrying out

848
00:40:45,576 --> 00:40:48,516
their duties the way they
need to -- I think it's

849
00:40:48,512 --> 00:40:53,582
important not only for us to
have responded as we have,

850
00:40:53,584 --> 00:40:57,454
with FEMA -- that's the
Federal Emergency Management

851
00:40:57,454 --> 00:41:02,064
Agency that responds to a
lot of problems like this --

852
00:41:02,059 --> 00:41:08,869
it's important not only that
we are helping the city plan

853
00:41:08,866 --> 00:41:11,806
over the long term, but I
think it's also important

854
00:41:11,802 --> 00:41:16,242
for me to shine a spotlight
on the fact that Flint,

855
00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:20,340
although extreme, is
not unique; that we have

856
00:41:20,344 --> 00:41:25,214
underinvested in some of our
basic infrastructure that we

857
00:41:25,216 --> 00:41:27,956
rely on for our
public health.

858
00:41:27,952 --> 00:41:33,262
And hopefully it will give
me a chance to speak to the

859
00:41:33,257 --> 00:41:37,867
nation as a whole about how
we need to ensure that our

860
00:41:37,862 --> 00:41:39,862
air is clear, our water is
clean,

861
00:41:39,864 --> 00:41:41,664
and that our kids are safe.

862
00:41:41,665 --> 00:41:43,665
And I hope I get a chance
to meet that young lady,

863
00:41:43,667 --> 00:41:46,167
as well.

864
00:41:46,170 --> 00:41:47,100
All right, young
man right here.

865
00:41:47,104 --> 00:41:48,974
The Press: Hello,
it's a pleasure.

866
00:41:48,973 --> 00:41:51,343
I'm Jesse Yamba (ph) from the University of North Texas,

867
00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:53,182
and I just had some questions for you.

868
00:41:53,177 --> 00:41:57,147
First of all, what is your
proudest achievement you've

869
00:41:57,147 --> 00:41:59,187
achieved here in
these eight years?

870
00:41:59,183 --> 00:42:02,483
And after January 20th,
what are your goals or plans

871
00:42:02,486 --> 00:42:04,926
after you leave
the White House?

872
00:42:04,922 --> 00:42:08,762
The President: Well, I'm
proud of a lot of stuff:

873
00:42:08,759 --> 00:42:11,099
Providing health insurance
to 20 million people who

874
00:42:11,095 --> 00:42:14,835
didn't have it, and setting
us on a path where hopefully

875
00:42:14,832 --> 00:42:17,772
everybody has health
insurance that's affordable

876
00:42:17,768 --> 00:42:19,438
and high quality.

877
00:42:19,436 --> 00:42:23,606
I'm proud about the work
we did to save the economy.

878
00:42:23,607 --> 00:42:27,177
Because right after I came
in, we were in freefall and

879
00:42:27,177 --> 00:42:29,717
could have experienced
a worldwide depression.

880
00:42:29,713 --> 00:42:32,253
I'm proud of the reforms
we've done on Wall Street to

881
00:42:32,249 --> 00:42:36,619
make sure that the
recklessness that led to the

882
00:42:36,620 --> 00:42:39,460
crisis hopefully
doesn't happen again.

883
00:42:39,456 --> 00:42:42,656
I'm proud of the work we've
done in education to make

884
00:42:42,660 --> 00:42:46,030
sure that millions of kids
who previously couldn't

885
00:42:46,030 --> 00:42:51,200
afford to go to college can,
and that in addition to the

886
00:42:51,201 --> 00:42:57,941
work we've done on student
debt and reducing that,

887
00:42:57,942 --> 00:43:01,282
we've also been doing things
to make the process of

888
00:43:01,278 --> 00:43:06,088
encouraging young people
to go to college easier.

889
00:43:06,083 --> 00:43:10,753
And this is a good time for
me to give a shout-out to

890
00:43:10,754 --> 00:43:15,464
the First Lady, who, as many
of you know, just this week

891
00:43:15,459 --> 00:43:21,299
had her annual signup,
getting young people to

892
00:43:21,298 --> 00:43:25,938
apply for the FAFSA form
that is the gateway for you

893
00:43:25,936 --> 00:43:29,206
to be able to get
financial aid.

894
00:43:29,206 --> 00:43:32,346
She was up in New York,
but it was I think 1,000

895
00:43:32,343 --> 00:43:38,113
participants nationwide who
are helping to let young

896
00:43:38,115 --> 00:43:43,725
people know, if are willing
to work hard and have a

897
00:43:43,721 --> 00:43:47,621
vision for your future, then
nothing is preventing you

898
00:43:47,624 --> 00:43:51,694
from getting the kind of
higher education that you need.

899
00:43:51,695 --> 00:43:52,865
So I'm proud of
all that stuff.

900
00:43:52,863 --> 00:43:57,873
Probably the thing I'm most
proud of is, mainly as the

901
00:44:04,842 --> 00:44:06,382
assistant to
Michelle Obama --

902
00:44:06,377 --> 00:44:08,577
(laughter)

903
00:44:08,579 --> 00:44:13,079
-- I've raised two daughters
who are amazing and I'm

904
00:44:13,083 --> 00:44:16,923
really, really proud of.

905
00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:21,090
And being able to do that
while still focused on my

906
00:44:21,091 --> 00:44:24,391
job I think is something
I'll look back on

907
00:44:24,395 --> 00:44:27,595
and appreciate.

908
00:44:27,598 --> 00:44:31,038
I'm really busy right now,
so I'm not thinking too much

909
00:44:31,035 --> 00:44:34,505
about after the presidency.

910
00:44:34,505 --> 00:44:38,045
Typically, Presidents build
libraries, but I'm more

911
00:44:38,042 --> 00:44:39,612
interested in the
programming,

912
00:44:39,610 --> 00:44:40,610
not just the building.

913
00:44:40,611 --> 00:44:44,381
And I'm very confident that
a lot of the programming

914
00:44:44,381 --> 00:44:46,551
that I do will relate to
young people and how I can

915
00:44:46,550 --> 00:44:48,550
encourage them to get
involved in civic life.

916
00:44:50,988 --> 00:44:52,888
Let's see.

917
00:44:52,890 --> 00:44:55,630
I'm trying to alternate
boy-girl-boy-girl here, just

918
00:44:55,626 --> 00:44:58,796
to be fair.

919
00:44:58,796 --> 00:45:00,766
The young lady right
there, in the red.

920
00:45:00,764 --> 00:45:01,594
Yes, you.

921
00:45:01,598 --> 00:45:02,128
The Press: Hey --

922
00:45:02,132 --> 00:45:03,172
The President: Hey!

923
00:45:03,167 --> 00:45:07,337
(laughter)

924
00:45:08,739 --> 00:45:10,139
The Press: My name
is Daniela Orteza (ph)

925
00:45:10,140 --> 00:45:12,610
and I'm reporting for Ole
Miss

926
00:45:12,609 --> 00:45:14,309
at the University of Mississippi.

927
00:45:14,311 --> 00:45:17,981
And pending the Supreme
Court's decision, will this

928
00:45:17,981 --> 00:45:21,621
administration take further
action on immigration?

929
00:45:21,618 --> 00:45:25,858
The President: As you know,
we took some initial steps

930
00:45:25,856 --> 00:45:29,826
to try to make a more
rational, smarter

931
00:45:29,827 --> 00:45:30,897
immigration process.

932
00:45:30,894 --> 00:45:35,534
Our immigration system has
been broken for quite some time.

933
00:45:35,532 --> 00:45:42,272
On the one hand, you've had
some serious work by our

934
00:45:42,272 --> 00:45:45,412
administration and previous
administrations to slow the

935
00:45:45,409 --> 00:45:50,619
flow of undocumented workers
across the border, to

936
00:45:50,614 --> 00:45:55,624
strengthen border security,
to improve how we manage the

937
00:45:58,021 --> 00:46:04,831
influx of folks who come
in by air, and to make sure

938
00:46:04,828 --> 00:46:07,468
that they're not overstaying
their visas and so forth.

939
00:46:07,464 --> 00:46:09,734
On the other hand, we also
want to remind everybody

940
00:46:09,733 --> 00:46:13,503
this is a nation of
immigrants, and immigration

941
00:46:13,504 --> 00:46:16,504
has been a source of
strength for our country,

942
00:46:16,507 --> 00:46:22,477
and that we have people here
who may not have initially

943
00:46:22,479 --> 00:46:26,379
come here legally, but have
since that time put down

944
00:46:26,383 --> 00:46:28,653
roots, raised families.

945
00:46:28,652 --> 00:46:30,652
They're our neighbors,
they're our friends.

946
00:46:30,654 --> 00:46:36,494
They may be, in some cases,
seeing their sons and

947
00:46:36,493 --> 00:46:39,663
daughters go off to war in
our country's uniform, and

948
00:46:39,663 --> 00:46:44,873
that it doesn't make sense
for us to simply pretend

949
00:46:44,868 --> 00:46:47,708
like we're going to send all
those folks out, and instead

950
00:46:47,704 --> 00:46:50,104
we should bring them out of
the shadows and give them a

951
00:46:50,107 --> 00:46:54,807
chance to earn legal
residence

952
00:46:54,811 --> 00:46:55,951
and ultimately citizenship.

953
00:46:55,946 --> 00:46:58,446
So we put forward a plan.

954
00:46:58,448 --> 00:47:02,218
Part of it we were able to
implement -- the DREAM Act

955
00:47:02,219 --> 00:47:07,889
kids who we were able to
make sure were treated like

956
00:47:07,891 --> 00:47:11,431
the young Americans
that they are.

957
00:47:11,428 --> 00:47:14,428
We then had an additional
program through

958
00:47:14,431 --> 00:47:17,971
administrative action that
the Supreme Court put a stay

959
00:47:17,968 --> 00:47:20,168
on -- or the lower courts
put a stay on, and is about

960
00:47:20,170 --> 00:47:22,670
to go to the Supreme Court.

961
00:47:22,673 --> 00:47:28,713
In part, the process takes
a long time generally.

962
00:47:28,712 --> 00:47:33,782
With the Supreme Court one
justice short, it will be

963
00:47:33,784 --> 00:47:36,984
interesting to see whether
or not they can come to a

964
00:47:36,987 --> 00:47:41,597
ruling or whether they
arrive at a tie -- a 4-4 tie.

965
00:47:41,592 --> 00:47:42,762
We don't know yet.

966
00:47:42,759 --> 00:47:44,599
That's pending.

967
00:47:44,595 --> 00:47:46,665
In the meantime, we're still
implementing a number of

968
00:47:46,663 --> 00:47:50,603
reforms and changes to make
the legal immigration system

969
00:47:50,601 --> 00:47:55,571
smoother, not as expensive,
fairer to people, to treat

970
00:47:55,572 --> 00:47:57,442
families with more respect.

971
00:47:57,441 --> 00:48:00,081
We have changed our
priorities in terms of

972
00:48:00,077 --> 00:48:03,617
enforcement so that we're
not deporting and separating

973
00:48:03,614 --> 00:48:08,684
families as much, and more
focused on going after

974
00:48:08,685 --> 00:48:12,085
criminals and people who
pose a security threat to

975
00:48:12,089 --> 00:48:13,419
the community.

976
00:48:13,423 --> 00:48:15,693
But our hands are a little
bit tied on some of the

977
00:48:15,692 --> 00:48:19,032
bigger things until the
Supreme Court rules.

978
00:48:19,029 --> 00:48:22,869
Now, even if we do all that,
it's critically important

979
00:48:22,866 --> 00:48:27,166
that we still push Congress
to pass legislation --

980
00:48:27,170 --> 00:48:30,270
because my executive orders
can be overturned by the

981
00:48:30,274 --> 00:48:31,604
next President.

982
00:48:31,608 --> 00:48:36,678
And the only way to have a
permanent solution to this

983
00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:40,950
problem is for the kind of
legislation to pass that we

984
00:48:40,951 --> 00:48:45,761
saw the Senate actually pass
on a bipartisan basis that

985
00:48:45,756 --> 00:48:49,056
would continue to strengthen
border security, but also

986
00:48:49,059 --> 00:48:51,899
give a pathway to
citizenship for those who

987
00:48:51,895 --> 00:48:55,265
had been here for
quite some time.

988
00:48:55,265 --> 00:48:57,265
That way we can be a nation
of laws and a nation of

989
00:48:57,267 --> 00:48:59,737
immigrants, and it is
the right thing to do.

990
00:48:59,736 --> 00:49:02,736
I am not optimistic about us
getting the legislation done

991
00:49:02,739 --> 00:49:06,979
before I leave, given the
makeup of this Congress, but

992
00:49:06,977 --> 00:49:08,347
I think this is going to
be a major issue in the

993
00:49:08,345 --> 00:49:10,985
election and people need
to pay attention to it.

994
00:49:10,981 --> 00:49:12,981
All right, I'm going
to take two more.

995
00:49:12,983 --> 00:49:15,153
Two more questions.

996
00:49:15,152 --> 00:49:18,152
Let's see.

997
00:49:18,155 --> 00:49:21,055
You're all very good-looking
people, I've got to say.

998
00:49:21,058 --> 00:49:22,588
(laughter)

999
00:49:22,592 --> 00:49:23,662
This gentleman over here.

1000
00:49:23,660 --> 00:49:25,660
I haven't forgotten
about you over there.

1001
00:49:25,662 --> 00:49:26,662
Go ahead.

1002
00:49:26,663 --> 00:49:28,233
The Press: I work for the
Indiana News Student at

1003
00:49:28,231 --> 00:49:29,571
Indiana University.

1004
00:49:29,566 --> 00:49:31,266
My question is about
the Syrian refugees.

1005
00:49:31,268 --> 00:49:32,068
The President: I thought
you were going

1006
00:49:32,069 --> 00:49:33,569
to ask about basketball wins.

1007
00:49:33,570 --> 00:49:35,310
(laughter)

1008
00:49:35,305 --> 00:49:36,035
The Press: We can
do that if you want.

1009
00:49:36,039 --> 00:49:37,979
(laughter)

1010
00:49:37,974 --> 00:49:39,844
The President: No, go ahead.

1011
00:49:39,843 --> 00:49:41,313
The Press: As the deadline
for your pledge to let in

1012
00:49:41,311 --> 00:49:44,211
10,000 Syrian refugees gets
kind of closer, starting to

1013
00:49:44,214 --> 00:49:46,884
creep up on us, it looks
kind of iffy whether that's

1014
00:49:46,883 --> 00:49:47,723
going to be made.

1015
00:49:47,718 --> 00:49:50,118
Do you have any plans
to speed up that flow or

1016
00:49:50,120 --> 00:49:51,720
encourage more Syrian
refugees coming

1017
00:49:51,722 --> 00:49:52,792
into the country?

1018
00:49:52,789 --> 00:49:54,529
The President: Well, we're
going to keep on pushing.

1019
00:49:54,524 --> 00:50:01,964
And part of what has made
this challenging is that we

1020
00:50:01,965 --> 00:50:06,805
want to make sure that we
can, as much as possible,

1021
00:50:06,803 --> 00:50:10,403
provide the American people
an assurance that everybody

1022
00:50:10,407 --> 00:50:14,007
here has been vetted at
a very high standard.

1023
00:50:14,010 --> 00:50:19,820
As you will recall, there
was a lot of emotions around

1024
00:50:19,816 --> 00:50:23,056
our initial announcement
that we should be admitting

1025
00:50:23,053 --> 00:50:27,193
some Syrian refugees, and
people making claims that

1026
00:50:27,190 --> 00:50:30,930
somehow this would be
letting potential terrorists

1027
00:50:30,927 --> 00:50:33,767
onto our shores.

1028
00:50:35,899 --> 00:50:38,669
The truth of the matter is,
is that the refugee process

1029
00:50:38,668 --> 00:50:42,908
generally is much more
rigorous in its screening

1030
00:50:42,906 --> 00:50:46,646
and its vetting than the
average tourist

1031
00:50:46,643 --> 00:50:48,943
who comes in here.

1032
00:50:48,945 --> 00:50:52,285
These are people who
themselves have been victims

1033
00:50:52,282 --> 00:50:55,882
of terrorism, and victims
of incredible violence and

1034
00:50:55,886 --> 00:51:01,056
suffering at the hands of
the Assad regime in Syria.

1035
00:51:01,057 --> 00:51:03,427
It is the right thing to do.

1036
00:51:03,427 --> 00:51:06,467
Our closest friends and
allies, like Canada, like

1037
00:51:06,463 --> 00:51:14,073
Germany and other European
countries, as well as

1038
00:51:14,070 --> 00:51:17,370
countries bordering Syria
like Turkey and Jordan, have

1039
00:51:17,374 --> 00:51:18,974
taken on an enormous burden.

1040
00:51:18,975 --> 00:51:24,585
And as the most powerful
nation on Earth, it's

1041
00:51:24,581 --> 00:51:29,521
important for us to do
our duty as well here, our

1042
00:51:29,519 --> 00:51:30,919
humanitarian obligation.

1043
00:51:30,921 --> 00:51:34,791
And it's important for us
to send a signal around the

1044
00:51:34,791 --> 00:51:38,461
world that we care
about these folks.

1045
00:51:38,462 --> 00:51:44,132
So administratively, I think
now we have the process to

1046
00:51:44,134 --> 00:51:46,734
speed it up.

1047
00:51:46,736 --> 00:51:50,436
There may be efforts on the
part of Congress to try to

1048
00:51:50,440 --> 00:51:55,550
block us, but our goal is to
continue to try to make the

1049
00:51:55,545 --> 00:51:57,745
case to Congress and to the
American people this is the

1050
00:51:57,747 --> 00:51:58,747
right thing to do.

1051
00:51:58,748 --> 00:52:02,548
And we believe that we can
hit those marks before the

1052
00:52:02,552 --> 00:52:04,052
end of the year.

1053
00:52:04,054 --> 00:52:06,054
More broadly, one of the
things we're going to be

1054
00:52:06,056 --> 00:52:08,026
doing is, at the United
Nations we're going to

1055
00:52:08,024 --> 00:52:10,494
convene at the margins of
the United Nations General

1056
00:52:10,494 --> 00:52:12,594
Assembly, which takes place
in September every year.

1057
00:52:12,596 --> 00:52:16,866
We're going to try to
make sure that we have an

1058
00:52:16,867 --> 00:52:21,607
international conference
around how we can deal with

1059
00:52:21,605 --> 00:52:24,405
much larger refugee
flows generally.

1060
00:52:24,407 --> 00:52:27,547
Some of them, as a
consequence of conflict, in

1061
00:52:27,544 --> 00:52:30,084
some cases because of
drought or other natural

1062
00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:33,450
disasters -- there are about
60 million displaced people

1063
00:52:33,450 --> 00:52:34,450
around the world.

1064
00:52:34,451 --> 00:52:39,491
And I've met with some of
them, not just those who are

1065
00:52:39,489 --> 00:52:44,359
fleeing areas like Syria,
but also in Southeast Asia

1066
00:52:44,361 --> 00:52:46,931
and parts of Africa.

1067
00:52:49,032 --> 00:52:53,702
A lot of these folks are
your age or younger, have

1068
00:52:53,703 --> 00:52:58,213
the same hopes, dreams,
aspirations, and have just

1069
00:52:58,208 --> 00:53:00,478
been dealt a very bad hand.

1070
00:53:00,477 --> 00:53:04,177
We can't solve every problem
in the world, but we have to

1071
00:53:04,180 --> 00:53:07,180
make sure that we take
leadership in trying to help

1072
00:53:07,183 --> 00:53:08,283
stabilize their lives.

1073
00:53:08,285 --> 00:53:11,885
All right, I'll take two
more, because I promised

1074
00:53:11,888 --> 00:53:13,888
that I was going to get that
young man who thought

1075
00:53:13,890 --> 00:53:15,330
I had called on him.

1076
00:53:15,325 --> 00:53:16,595
Yes, go ahead.

1077
00:53:16,593 --> 00:53:17,663
The Press: Thank you, Mr.
President, for joining

1078
00:53:17,661 --> 00:53:21,061
us here today.

1079
00:53:24,034 --> 00:53:26,634
In light of your Pell grant
announcement today, it seems

1080
00:53:26,636 --> 00:53:30,376
like a central tenet of your
administration's strategy in

1081
00:53:30,373 --> 00:53:32,243
addressing college
affordability is increasing

1082
00:53:32,242 --> 00:53:34,312
access to grants and loans.

1083
00:53:34,311 --> 00:53:36,281
How sustainable would you
say the strategy is in

1084
00:53:36,279 --> 00:53:38,649
addressing the long-term
rising trends

1085
00:53:38,648 --> 00:53:40,318
of the cost of college?

1086
00:53:40,317 --> 00:53:43,787
The President: That's
a great question.

1087
00:53:43,787 --> 00:53:49,757
It is not sustainable if
the overall cost of college

1088
00:53:49,759 --> 00:53:52,929
keeps on going up as
fast as it's going up.

1089
00:53:52,929 --> 00:53:55,829
So one of the things that we
have to do, even as we make

1090
00:53:55,832 --> 00:53:58,832
sure that we're providing
more access to grants,

1091
00:53:58,835 --> 00:54:04,445
keeping loans manageable,
interest rates at a

1092
00:54:04,441 --> 00:54:09,911
reasonable level, we still
have to work with colleges

1093
00:54:09,913 --> 00:54:13,213
and universities to figure
out new ways to reduce costs.

1094
00:54:15,385 --> 00:54:18,785
And we've actually seen
universities around the

1095
00:54:18,788 --> 00:54:24,798
country begin experiments
that are having some impact.

1096
00:54:24,794 --> 00:54:26,794
I'll just give you a
couple of examples.

1097
00:54:29,633 --> 00:54:34,003
I made an announcement
a while back about our

1098
00:54:34,004 --> 00:54:37,944
initiative for making the
first two years

1099
00:54:37,941 --> 00:54:40,781
of community college free.

1100
00:54:40,777 --> 00:54:44,677
That's something that is
affordable for most states

1101
00:54:44,681 --> 00:54:50,151
to do, and we are prepared
to help with federal support.

1102
00:54:50,153 --> 00:54:52,723
If we are able to do that
-- and we could just close a

1103
00:54:52,722 --> 00:54:55,962
few loopholes that
corporations currently use

1104
00:54:55,959 --> 00:55:00,559
to avoid paying taxes to pay
for it -- then for a large

1105
00:55:00,563 --> 00:55:04,363
proportion of young people
who either get their primary

1106
00:55:04,367 --> 00:55:06,607
or secondary school
education from a community

1107
00:55:06,603 --> 00:55:09,803
college, or started at
community college and then

1108
00:55:09,806 --> 00:55:14,446
transferred to a four-year
university for graduation,

1109
00:55:14,444 --> 00:55:19,354
their costs are being cut
anywhere from half to 100

1110
00:55:19,349 --> 00:55:22,589
percent, down to zero.

1111
00:55:22,585 --> 00:55:24,625
And this is
something achievable.

1112
00:55:24,621 --> 00:55:26,621
Now, Congress has not
moved on our proposal.

1113
00:55:26,623 --> 00:55:29,663
But what we've also seen
is that there have been 27

1114
00:55:29,659 --> 00:55:33,059
jurisdictions around the
country that have taken us

1115
00:55:33,063 --> 00:55:37,163
up on this challenge and
are doing it themselves, are

1116
00:55:37,167 --> 00:55:39,937
figuring out ways
to make this happen.

1117
00:55:39,936 --> 00:55:43,036
So that's one example.

1118
00:55:43,039 --> 00:55:45,139
A second example.

1119
00:55:45,141 --> 00:55:47,841
Some of you, because I can
tell that you guys were

1120
00:55:47,844 --> 00:55:49,714
high-achieving,
type A folks --

1121
00:55:49,713 --> 00:55:51,043
(laughter)

1122
00:55:51,047 --> 00:55:54,617
-- unlike the kind of
slacker kid that I was --

1123
00:55:54,617 --> 00:55:55,857
(laughter)

1124
00:55:55,852 --> 00:55:58,122
-- some of you, I suspect,
were taking college-credit

1125
00:55:58,121 --> 00:56:00,891
courses while you
were in high school.

1126
00:56:00,890 --> 00:56:05,260
And what we've seen is
a number of high school

1127
00:56:05,261 --> 00:56:09,771
systems, or public school
systems partner with

1128
00:56:09,766 --> 00:56:12,306
community colleges and
universities so that they

1129
00:56:12,302 --> 00:56:13,942
make arrangements.

1130
00:56:13,937 --> 00:56:16,607
You start taking your
college credits while in

1131
00:56:16,606 --> 00:56:22,346
high school, and you extend
your -- what seems like high

1132
00:56:22,345 --> 00:56:24,545
school for an extra year,
and when you graduate you

1133
00:56:24,547 --> 00:56:26,817
now have an associate's
degree, so you have the

1134
00:56:26,816 --> 00:56:29,086
equivalent of a
community college degree.

1135
00:56:29,085 --> 00:56:32,085
When you then go to a
four-year institution, you

1136
00:56:32,088 --> 00:56:35,328
have enough credits that you
can graduate in three years

1137
00:56:35,325 --> 00:56:37,595
instead of four.

1138
00:56:37,594 --> 00:56:40,864
That, again, by eliminating
one year, means that you've

1139
00:56:40,864 --> 00:56:44,464
just reduced your
costs significantly.

1140
00:56:44,467 --> 00:56:48,107
There's been discussion of
how can we use technology to

1141
00:56:48,104 --> 00:56:52,204
cut costs -- are there ways
in which we can take the

1142
00:56:52,208 --> 00:56:57,348
best practices of online
learning and make that more

1143
00:56:57,347 --> 00:57:01,287
accessible for young people
who may not have the luxury

1144
00:57:01,284 --> 00:57:04,624
of being on a campus for
four years with room and

1145
00:57:04,621 --> 00:57:08,291
board; might have to work
part time because they need

1146
00:57:08,291 --> 00:57:11,031
to help their families or
support themselves, are

1147
00:57:11,027 --> 00:57:13,197
there ways that we
can make that work.

1148
00:57:13,196 --> 00:57:16,166
And we have to be careful
about that because there

1149
00:57:16,166 --> 00:57:19,366
have been some for-profit
institutions that, frankly,

1150
00:57:19,369 --> 00:57:21,109
haven't done a
very good job.

1151
00:57:21,104 --> 00:57:27,144
They take the money, but the
young person who is taking

1152
00:57:27,143 --> 00:57:29,913
classes with them doesn't
end up getting a degree

1153
00:57:29,913 --> 00:57:31,913
that's useful for them
getting a job, and then they

1154
00:57:31,915 --> 00:57:33,885
have problems
repaying their loans.

1155
00:57:33,883 --> 00:57:38,123
But there's no doubt
that, if done well, that

1156
00:57:38,121 --> 00:57:40,461
technology potentially
can reduce costs.

1157
00:57:40,456 --> 00:57:42,996
And then we're talking to
colleges and universities

1158
00:57:42,992 --> 00:57:44,292
about what are the
contributors

1159
00:57:44,294 --> 00:57:48,694
to these higher costs.

1160
00:57:48,698 --> 00:57:51,598
And this may be sensitive
to some folks, but I've said

1161
00:57:51,601 --> 00:57:57,111
this before -- if you have
the option of cutting your

1162
00:57:57,106 --> 00:57:59,776
college costs in half but
your dorm rooms aren't quite

1163
00:57:59,776 --> 00:58:04,176
as nice, or the sports
facilities or the student

1164
00:58:04,180 --> 00:58:07,080
center of the cafeteria
aren't as good, is that a

1165
00:58:07,083 --> 00:58:08,383
deal you're willing to take?

1166
00:58:08,384 --> 00:58:13,354
And can we figure out how
to empower more parents and

1167
00:58:16,125 --> 00:58:21,765
more students to demand a
lower-cost option that still

1168
00:58:21,764 --> 00:58:24,204
gives you a great education
but maybe doesn't have all

1169
00:58:24,200 --> 00:58:26,500
the bells and
whistles to it.

1170
00:58:26,502 --> 00:58:28,502
And that's part of the
reason why we've put forward

1171
00:58:28,504 --> 00:58:29,904
this college report card.

1172
00:58:29,906 --> 00:58:34,046
The idea is just -- it
provides you online data so

1173
00:58:34,043 --> 00:58:38,043
that as you're selecting a
college or university that

1174
00:58:38,047 --> 00:58:40,047
you're able to see, all
right, what are the costs,

1175
00:58:40,049 --> 00:58:44,819
what are the graduation
rates -- all the indicators

1176
00:58:44,821 --> 00:58:47,891
and benchmarks of getting
good value

1177
00:58:47,891 --> 00:58:50,491
for what you're spending.

1178
00:58:50,493 --> 00:58:54,233
And this has been a
long-term trend of

1179
00:58:54,230 --> 00:58:56,770
ever-rising college costs.

1180
00:58:56,766 --> 00:58:59,936
The good news is, is that
through the work that we've

1181
00:58:59,936 --> 00:59:02,706
done over the last several
years, we've started to see

1182
00:59:02,705 --> 00:59:04,245
some good trends.

1183
00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:09,510
Delinquencies, hardship
deferrals, defaults on

1184
00:59:09,512 --> 00:59:14,382
student loans have started
to go in a better direction.

1185
00:59:14,384 --> 00:59:15,684
They were skyrocketing.

1186
00:59:15,685 --> 00:59:17,685
Some of that is the
improvement of the economy

1187
00:59:17,687 --> 00:59:19,687
generally; some of it is
some of the policies that

1188
00:59:19,689 --> 00:59:20,989
we've engaged in.

1189
00:59:20,990 --> 00:59:22,990
But we're going to have
to keep on working with

1190
00:59:22,992 --> 00:59:25,992
universities to make sure
that we're doing a smarter,

1191
00:59:25,995 --> 00:59:31,405
better job in order for the
people who are coming behind

1192
00:59:31,401 --> 00:59:35,201
you to be able to
afford college.

1193
00:59:35,204 --> 00:59:36,444
Last question.

1194
00:59:36,439 --> 00:59:38,279
The gentleman right there.

1195
00:59:38,274 --> 00:59:40,644
The Press: Hi,
Mr. President.

1196
00:59:40,643 --> 00:59:41,943
Earlier today,
we spoke about --

1197
00:59:41,945 --> 00:59:42,745
The President:
What's your name?

1198
00:59:42,745 --> 00:59:43,575
The Press: Patrick Forrest (ph)

1199
00:59:43,579 --> 00:59:45,219
from the Fresno City
College Rampage.

1200
00:59:45,214 --> 00:59:46,284
The President:
From the what?

1201
00:59:46,282 --> 00:59:47,282
The Press: Fresno City
College, the Rampage.

1202
00:59:47,283 --> 00:59:47,953
The President:
Fresno City College.

1203
00:59:47,951 --> 00:59:48,851
Fantastic.

1204
00:59:48,851 --> 00:59:50,421
The Press: Earlier today,
one thing we talked about

1205
00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:53,890
was civic engagement, and a
line was used in the State

1206
00:59:53,890 --> 00:59:55,530
of the Union address
of "don't give into the

1207
00:59:55,525 --> 00:59:58,825
cynicism of the day."

1208
00:59:58,828 --> 01:00:01,368
A poll released by Reuters
yesterday shows that nearly

1209
01:00:01,364 --> 01:00:03,904
half of Americans feel that
the elections

1210
01:00:03,900 --> 01:00:07,070
are rigged in some way.

1211
01:00:07,070 --> 01:00:09,910
Is there any goal or plan of
the administration to help

1212
01:00:09,906 --> 01:00:12,846
revitalize the faith in
democracy

1213
01:00:12,842 --> 01:00:15,442
that seems to be lacking?

1214
01:00:15,445 --> 01:00:17,015
The President: Well, you
know what, this is something

1215
01:00:17,013 --> 01:00:20,413
that I've tried to do ever
since I got into public office.

1216
01:00:20,416 --> 01:00:23,586
As you know, I came into
this work as a community

1217
01:00:23,586 --> 01:00:27,226
organizer and strongly
believed that our democracy

1218
01:00:27,223 --> 01:00:29,723
only works when
people participate.

1219
01:00:29,726 --> 01:00:34,736
There are a lot of forces
that feed cynicism.

1220
01:00:37,300 --> 01:00:40,800
And there's no dispute that
our democracy is not working

1221
01:00:40,803 --> 01:00:42,803
as well as it should.

1222
01:00:42,805 --> 01:00:46,405
I can tell you some of
the reasons for that.

1223
01:00:46,409 --> 01:00:51,419
One of it is that we have
set up a system for electing

1224
01:00:56,819 --> 01:00:59,819
state legislatures and
members of Congress that

1225
01:00:59,822 --> 01:01:02,622
involve the drawing of
district lines

1226
01:01:02,625 --> 01:01:04,525
that are gerrymandered.

1227
01:01:04,527 --> 01:01:07,597
For those of you who are
unfamiliar with the phrase,

1228
01:01:07,597 --> 01:01:10,537
it basically means that
those who are already in

1229
01:01:10,533 --> 01:01:14,803
power draw the maps in such
a way where they can be

1230
01:01:14,804 --> 01:01:16,804
assured that these
are either going to be

1231
01:01:16,806 --> 01:01:19,206
Democratic seats or
Republican seats.

1232
01:01:19,208 --> 01:01:21,208
And what that's done is
it's made

1233
01:01:21,210 --> 01:01:25,050
very few seats competitive.

1234
01:01:25,048 --> 01:01:29,188
So, for example, in the last
election, in 2012, Democrats

1235
01:01:29,185 --> 01:01:35,755
actually cast substantially
more votes in congressional

1236
01:01:35,758 --> 01:01:39,498
elections, but ended up with
substantially fewer seats.

1237
01:01:39,495 --> 01:01:43,595
And the reason for that is,
in 2010, when the census was

1238
01:01:43,599 --> 01:01:47,639
done and re-districting
of congressional and House

1239
01:01:47,637 --> 01:01:52,707
legislative seats were
drawn, Republican governors

1240
01:01:52,708 --> 01:01:57,978
and Republican majorities
were responsible for drawing

1241
01:01:57,980 --> 01:01:58,980
most of the seats.

1242
01:01:58,981 --> 01:02:03,191
Now, I want to be clear,
Democrats aren't blameless

1243
01:02:03,186 --> 01:02:04,186
on this, either.

1244
01:02:04,187 --> 01:02:08,657
But California, for example,
has gone to a process of

1245
01:02:08,658 --> 01:02:10,858
nonpartisan districting.

1246
01:02:10,860 --> 01:02:13,160
The advantage there is not
only do you make more seats

1247
01:02:13,162 --> 01:02:16,362
competitive, but it also
means that politicians have

1248
01:02:16,365 --> 01:02:21,905
to compete for everybody's
votes because they're not in

1249
01:02:21,904 --> 01:02:25,304
safe seats, they're not in
a safely Republican district

1250
01:02:25,308 --> 01:02:27,108
or a Democratic district.

1251
01:02:27,110 --> 01:02:30,310
And what that does is it
means they've got to not

1252
01:02:30,313 --> 01:02:33,113
just appeal to the
extremes of their party.

1253
01:02:33,116 --> 01:02:34,916
Part of the reason we've
seen polarization and

1254
01:02:34,917 --> 01:02:40,887
gridlock here in Washington
is because there's been this

1255
01:02:40,890 --> 01:02:44,930
great sorting, and Democrats
have moved much further --

1256
01:02:44,927 --> 01:02:45,997
have moved left.

1257
01:02:45,995 --> 01:02:49,565
Republicans have just
gone way to the right.

1258
01:02:49,565 --> 01:02:54,375
And it's harder, then, to
compromise, because members

1259
01:02:54,370 --> 01:02:57,070
of Congress -- and the
same thing is true in state

1260
01:02:57,073 --> 01:02:59,073
legislatures -- are always
looking over their shoulder

1261
01:02:59,075 --> 01:03:02,415
seeing if somebody in their
own party might challenge them.

1262
01:03:02,411 --> 01:03:04,411
And then the system
doesn't work.

1263
01:03:04,413 --> 01:03:07,913
So that's a big chunk of
why people are cynical --

1264
01:03:07,917 --> 01:03:10,087
because they feel like
their votes don't count.

1265
01:03:10,086 --> 01:03:13,286
And if you draw districts
that are ironclad one party

1266
01:03:13,289 --> 01:03:15,359
or another, then they're
not entirely wrong.

1267
01:03:17,860 --> 01:03:19,860
Another reason that people
are cynical

1268
01:03:19,862 --> 01:03:20,862
is money in politics.

1269
01:03:20,863 --> 01:03:24,263
The Supreme Court issued a
ruling -- Citizens United --

1270
01:03:24,267 --> 01:03:29,107
that allowed super PACs and
very wealthy individuals to

1271
01:03:29,105 --> 01:03:31,105
just finance all these ads
that you guys see

1272
01:03:31,107 --> 01:03:32,607
on TV all the time.

1273
01:03:32,608 --> 01:03:35,208
Half the time nobody
knows who's funding them.

1274
01:03:35,211 --> 01:03:38,851
And that makes you cynical
partly because most of this

1275
01:03:38,848 --> 01:03:40,748
money is spent
on negative ads.

1276
01:03:40,750 --> 01:03:43,120
So you're just hearing
constantly how horrible

1277
01:03:43,119 --> 01:03:44,349
everybody is.

1278
01:03:44,353 --> 01:03:46,353
That will make you feel
pretty bad about the

1279
01:03:46,355 --> 01:03:47,625
political process.

1280
01:03:47,623 --> 01:03:52,593
And I'm a strong believer in
finding ways in which we can

1281
01:03:57,266 --> 01:04:01,406
make the financing of
campaigns more democratic.

1282
01:04:01,404 --> 01:04:03,944
Now, we've seen some
interesting work being done.

1283
01:04:03,940 --> 01:04:05,940
You've got to give Bernie
Sanders, for example,

1284
01:04:05,942 --> 01:04:08,912
credit, building off some
of the work that I did.

1285
01:04:08,911 --> 01:04:12,281
I, in turn, built off the
work that Howard Dean did

1286
01:04:12,281 --> 01:04:16,791
for smaller donations,
grassroots donors to be

1287
01:04:16,786 --> 01:04:20,056
able, in small
contributions, to allow

1288
01:04:20,056 --> 01:04:22,026
candidates to
be competitive.

1289
01:04:22,024 --> 01:04:25,664
But I think that -- we
don't want

1290
01:04:25,661 --> 01:04:27,531
to leave that to chance.

1291
01:04:27,530 --> 01:04:30,630
And that's much harder to do
for members of Congress who

1292
01:04:30,633 --> 01:04:35,103
are lower profile so they
don't get the sort of viral

1293
01:04:35,104 --> 01:04:37,104
presence that allows them to
raise

1294
01:04:37,106 --> 01:04:38,206
that kind of money to compete.

1295
01:04:38,207 --> 01:04:42,817
So we're going to have to
solve money in politics.

1296
01:04:42,812 --> 01:04:45,852
You as journalists are going
to have a role to play in

1297
01:04:45,848 --> 01:04:47,448
reducing cynicism.

1298
01:04:47,450 --> 01:04:49,790
It is very hard to get
good stories placed.

1299
01:04:53,022 --> 01:04:57,092
People will assign you
stories

1300
01:04:57,093 --> 01:04:59,963
about what's not working.

1301
01:04:59,962 --> 01:05:02,562
It's very hard for you to
write a story about, wow,

1302
01:05:02,565 --> 01:05:03,595
this thing really
works good.

1303
01:05:03,599 --> 01:05:09,209
And just to take the federal
government as an example,

1304
01:05:09,205 --> 01:05:13,775
every day I've got 2 million
people who work for the

1305
01:05:13,776 --> 01:05:16,616
federal government --
whether in our military, our

1306
01:05:16,612 --> 01:05:21,652
law enforcement, our
environmental protection, et

1307
01:05:21,651 --> 01:05:24,151
cetera -- and they're
doing great work.

1308
01:05:24,153 --> 01:05:26,293
And you rely on it in all
kinds of ways, including

1309
01:05:26,289 --> 01:05:29,329
when you check the weather,
because you can thank the

1310
01:05:29,325 --> 01:05:32,195
National Weather Service
for putting satellites up so

1311
01:05:32,194 --> 01:05:34,294
your smartphones tell you
whether to bring

1312
01:05:34,297 --> 01:05:36,037
an umbrella or not.

1313
01:05:36,032 --> 01:05:38,432
But we just take
that for granted.

1314
01:05:38,434 --> 01:05:41,434
And if, out of those 2
million employees, one

1315
01:05:41,437 --> 01:05:44,637
person screws up somewhere
-- which every day you can

1316
01:05:44,640 --> 01:05:48,310
count on somebody out of
2 million people probably

1317
01:05:48,311 --> 01:05:51,681
doing something they
shouldn't be doing -- that's

1318
01:05:51,681 --> 01:05:53,881
what's going to
get reported on.

1319
01:05:53,883 --> 01:05:57,423
Now, that helps keeps
government on its toes

1320
01:05:57,420 --> 01:05:58,920
and accountable.

1321
01:05:58,921 --> 01:06:00,921
But one of the things we
have to think about is how

1322
01:06:00,923 --> 01:06:03,623
do we tell a story about the
things we do together that

1323
01:06:03,626 --> 01:06:07,566
actually work so that
people don't feel

1324
01:06:07,563 --> 01:06:09,563
so cynical overall.

1325
01:06:11,133 --> 01:06:16,143
But look, here's the bottom
line, is that -- let's take

1326
01:06:18,341 --> 01:06:20,011
the political process.

1327
01:06:20,009 --> 01:06:23,109
As cynical as everybody
is, and everybody is always

1328
01:06:23,112 --> 01:06:25,852
trying to come up with these
radical new plans to try to

1329
01:06:25,848 --> 01:06:28,648
fix our democracy, and we
need to do this and we need

1330
01:06:28,651 --> 01:06:34,261
to do that -- the truth is,
is that part of the reason

1331
01:06:34,256 --> 01:06:38,056
why our government doesn't
work as well is because in a

1332
01:06:38,060 --> 01:06:41,000
good presidential year,
slightly more than half the

1333
01:06:40,996 --> 01:06:43,466
people vote who are
eligible,

1334
01:06:43,466 --> 01:06:45,436
and the other half don't.

1335
01:06:45,434 --> 01:06:47,834
And during an off-year
election, when the President

1336
01:06:47,837 --> 01:06:51,077
is not at the top of the
ticket, and people aren't

1337
01:06:51,073 --> 01:06:57,513
getting as much attention,
40 percent of the people vote.

1338
01:06:57,513 --> 01:07:02,523
Now, this system doesn't
work if people opt out.

1339
01:07:05,454 --> 01:07:11,094
And the easiest cure, the
simplest cure for what ails

1340
01:07:11,093 --> 01:07:13,333
our democracy is
everybody voting.

1341
01:07:15,531 --> 01:07:17,531
Now, it's true that there
are some states that

1342
01:07:17,533 --> 01:07:19,533
purposely make it hard
for people to vote.

1343
01:07:19,535 --> 01:07:23,105
We're the only major
democracy in the world that

1344
01:07:23,105 --> 01:07:25,705
actively makes it hard
for people to vote.

1345
01:07:27,810 --> 01:07:31,050
And so you should be,
particularly in your student

1346
01:07:31,046 --> 01:07:34,046
newspapers, as you go back
to your home states, you

1347
01:07:34,049 --> 01:07:36,449
should be asking why is it
that we have laws that are

1348
01:07:36,452 --> 01:07:38,822
purposely making it
harder for people to vote,

1349
01:07:38,821 --> 01:07:40,821
purposely making it harder
for young people to vote.

1350
01:07:43,292 --> 01:07:45,292
And there's a
political agenda there.

1351
01:07:45,294 --> 01:07:48,794
The people in power don't
want things to change.

1352
01:07:48,798 --> 01:07:52,438
They want cynicism, because
obviously the existing

1353
01:07:52,435 --> 01:07:54,835
system, as frustrating as it
is for everybody else,

1354
01:07:54,837 --> 01:07:56,407
works for them.

1355
01:07:56,405 --> 01:07:59,375
Well, if you want to upend
that, we've got to vote.

1356
01:07:59,375 --> 01:08:01,415
But even in those states
that purposely make it

1357
01:08:01,410 --> 01:08:03,410
harder to vote, the truth
of the matter is, on your

1358
01:08:03,412 --> 01:08:07,212
college campuses, half the
folks, maybe two-thirds of

1359
01:08:07,216 --> 01:08:11,216
the folks who don't vote
don't vote because they're

1360
01:08:11,220 --> 01:08:14,120
just not paying attention.

1361
01:08:14,123 --> 01:08:17,693
They don't consider
it important.

1362
01:08:17,693 --> 01:08:20,263
And they're not willing to
take the 15 minutes or half

1363
01:08:20,262 --> 01:08:22,832
hour that it takes to make
sure that you're registered

1364
01:08:22,832 --> 01:08:24,832
and make sure you
actually vote.

1365
01:08:24,834 --> 01:08:26,834
Well, if you care about
climate change, you care

1366
01:08:26,836 --> 01:08:32,076
about college costs,
you care about career

1367
01:08:32,074 --> 01:08:35,044
opportunities, you care
about war and peace and

1368
01:08:35,044 --> 01:08:40,354
refugees, you can't
just complain.

1369
01:08:40,349 --> 01:08:44,049
You've got to vote.

1370
01:08:44,053 --> 01:08:52,663
And what's interesting is,
is young people as a voting

1371
01:08:52,661 --> 01:09:00,471
bloc are the least likely to
vote, but when you do vote,

1372
01:09:00,469 --> 01:09:06,509
have the biggest
impact on elections.

1373
01:09:06,509 --> 01:09:09,579
During a presidential year,
young people account for

1374
01:09:09,578 --> 01:09:14,818
like 19 percent
of the total vote.

1375
01:09:14,817 --> 01:09:18,417
During an off-year election,
when folks aren't paying as

1376
01:09:18,420 --> 01:09:20,990
much attention, they
account for 12 percent.

1377
01:09:23,292 --> 01:09:28,162
And that means that the
kinds of candidates that get

1378
01:09:28,163 --> 01:09:32,933
elected and the priorities
that they reflect are

1379
01:09:32,935 --> 01:09:35,805
entirely different, just
based on whether or not you

1380
01:09:35,804 --> 01:09:37,944
guys are going to the polls.

1381
01:09:37,940 --> 01:09:40,780
So don't let people tell
you

1382
01:09:40,776 --> 01:09:43,946
that what you do doesn't matter.

1383
01:09:43,946 --> 01:09:45,716
It does.

1384
01:09:45,714 --> 01:09:47,214
Don't give away your power.

1385
01:09:47,216 --> 01:09:50,486
That should be the main
message that you deliver

1386
01:09:50,486 --> 01:09:51,486
all the time.

1387
01:09:51,487 --> 01:09:55,257
And it doesn't matter
whether you're a Republican,

1388
01:09:55,257 --> 01:09:57,597
Democratic, independent;
whether you're conservative

1389
01:09:57,593 --> 01:09:59,893
on some issues,
liberal on others.

1390
01:09:59,895 --> 01:10:03,065
If you participate and you
take the time to be informed

1391
01:10:03,065 --> 01:10:05,465
about the issues, and you
actually turn out and your

1392
01:10:05,467 --> 01:10:09,007
peers turn out, you
change the country.

1393
01:10:09,004 --> 01:10:10,004
You do.

1394
01:10:10,005 --> 01:10:14,005
It may not always happen
as fast as you'd like, but

1395
01:10:14,009 --> 01:10:16,609
you'll change it.

1396
01:10:16,612 --> 01:10:18,982
So I'll keep on talking
about this even

1397
01:10:18,981 --> 01:10:22,051
after I leave the presidency.

1398
01:10:22,051 --> 01:10:22,681
You got me started.

1399
01:10:22,685 --> 01:10:23,685
I went on a rant, didn't I?

1400
01:10:23,686 --> 01:10:26,056
(laughter)

1401
01:10:26,055 --> 01:10:27,025
All right.

1402
01:10:27,022 --> 01:10:28,862
So I'm counting on you guys.

1403
01:10:28,857 --> 01:10:30,827
Don't let me
down, all right?

1404
01:10:30,826 --> 01:10:32,126
Don't let the country down.

1405
01:10:32,127 --> 01:10:34,497
You guys are going to be
delivering the message to

1406
01:10:34,496 --> 01:10:38,606
your peer group that this
is the greatest country on

1407
01:10:38,601 --> 01:10:41,801
Earth, but only because we
have great citizens who are

1408
01:10:41,804 --> 01:10:44,504
willing to invest their time
and energy and effort to

1409
01:10:44,506 --> 01:10:47,276
become informed on the
issues, to argue about it in

1410
01:10:47,276 --> 01:10:52,246
a respectful way, and to try
to collectively solve the

1411
01:10:55,184 --> 01:10:56,454
many challenges
that we face.

1412
01:10:56,452 --> 01:11:00,392
The good news is, is that
there are no challenges, as

1413
01:11:00,389 --> 01:11:04,189
JFK said, that "man creates
that man can't solve."

1414
01:11:04,193 --> 01:11:06,093
I would add women to that.

1415
01:11:06,095 --> 01:11:07,935
(laughter)

1416
01:11:07,930 --> 01:11:08,700
All right?

1417
01:11:08,697 --> 01:11:09,527
Good luck, guys.

1418
01:11:09,531 --> 01:11:10,131
Bye-bye.

1419
01:11:10,132 --> 01:11:13,372
(applause)