in 1979, a small network with an unusual name rolled out a big idea, let viewers make up their own minds. c-span to open the doors of to washington policymaking. advise change in four years. -- a lotat big idea has changed in four years -- 40 years. today, that big idea remains the same. c-span is brought to you as a. public service by a cable or senator vitter >> vice president pence addressed -- satellite provider. >> vice president pence addressed -- he responded to a video by -cortez werecasio from two migrant detention centers at the u.s.-mexico camps.as concentration ♪

[applause] [ cheers] -- [applause] [cheers] ♪ vice pres. pence: hello christians united for israel. thank you for that warm welcome. welcome back to our nation's capital for this washington summit. it's a great honor to be with you all, and millions around the country that are looking on. pastor john hagan, my thanks for your leadership and your ministry. it has made a difference for america and for israel.

to my friend gary bauer, who runs the washington office for cufi, to the thousands of pro-israel americans who are gathered here and all those looking on, you know, since the founding of this nation, the founding that we just celebrated a few short days ago, the people of israel have been at the very heart of the american people. and all of you gathered here and the six million that you represent across this country continue this great tradition with christians united for israel, the largest pro-israel grassroots organization in the world. [applause] vice pres. pence: thank you for your stance. thank you for continuing great american tradition.

it's great to be with so many friends of israel from all across this nation. and speaking of friends of israel, allow me to begin today by bringing greetings from a friend of mine. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and a man that history has already proven to be the greatest friend of the jewish people and the state of israel ever to sit in the oval office, i bring greetings from the 45th president of the united states of america, president donald trump. [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: you know, as president trump has said, this administration will always stand in solidarity with our jewish brothers and sisters and we will always stand strong for the state of israel. [applause] vice pres. pence: you know, i've gotten to know this president over the last three years that we have served together since he asked me to join this state and that his team and i have to -- -- to join his team and i have to tell you he's , a man of action. and he's a man of his word. he says what he means, and he means what he says, and from the very first day of this administration, president donald trump has been keeping the promises that he made to the american people. at home and abroad. [applause] vice pres. pence: it is true, think about it. president trump said we will revive the american economy with the strong support of republicans in congress. we cut taxes, rolled back regulation, unleashed american energy, and since election day,

businesses large and small have created more than six million new jobs, including more than a quarter of one million jobs in the last month alone. [applause] vice pres. pence: wages are up. the stock market is soaring and the unemployment rate across this country is near a 50 year low, and this president said he would rebuild our military, and president donald trump has already signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of ronald reagan. [applause] vice pres. pence: we've made the strongest military in the history of the world stronger than ever before. jobs are back. confidence is back. in a word, america is back, and we're just getting started. [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: and i'm proud to report with that renewed american strength, the united states is once again embracing our role as leader of the free world. president trump doesn't apologize for america. he stands up for america every day on the world stage. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and under this president's leadership, we are standing with our allies and we are standing up to our enemies. our nato allies are contributing more than ever before to our common defense, and we've taken the fight to radical islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil. you know, five years ago, isis controlled nearly 35,000 square miles in syria and iraq and nearly five million people lived under their brutal regime. today, thanks to our armed forces, our partners in the region and the leadership of

this commander-in-chief, earlier this year, the last inch of ground controlled by isis in syria was captured. the isis caliphate is no more. [applause] [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and finally, under president donald trump, if the world knows nothing else, the world knows this -- america stands with israel. [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: thanks to president trump's leadership, our alliance has literally never been stronger. [cheers and applause] [inaudible cheers] [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: welcome back to washington, d.c. [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: you know, thanks to this president's leadership, it's true. our alliance with israel has never been stronger. in the words of the prophet isaiah, for the sake of zion, i will not be silent. it was written, and my friends, this president, for the sake of zion, has not been silent. [applause] vice pres. pence: i mean, think about it. president trump promised israel would have the resources and tools to defend itself by itself. and under his leadership, american support for the security of the state of israel has never been stronger, and the military of the state of israel is stronger than ever before.

resident trump promised to shut down the plo office in washington if the palestinian authority refused to take steps to stop funding terrorists who murdered innocent israeli civilians with american tax dollars, and when the plo refused, president trump shut down their office. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: now, the act is the law of the land. [applause] vice pres. pence: the president also promised to confront anti-semitism on the world stage. and see to it that america would no longer allow the united nations to be a forum for invective against israel, and last summer, this president withdrew the united states from the so-called human rights council at the un, and two months later, president trump ended all u.s. contributions to unrah. [applause]

vice pres. pence: and of course, last year, president trump did what no american president before him had the courage to do. when he moved the american embassy to jerusalem. the capital of the state of israel. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: you know, it's amazing to think i was there when that decision was being made and being processed, and to say that everyone in the world opposed the president's decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel and to move our embassy there, to say everyone in the world was against it would be an understatement, but president trump is a man of his word, and he kept his word to the american people.

-- american people when he recognized jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of israel and moved our embassy there. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and beyond that, for 20 years after israel's rebirth, syria held a strategic ground known as the golan heights with its massive artillery, it held israel hostage. this crucial region changed hands only after israel won a war that was forced upon her. ever since then, the golan heights have been critical to the strategic security of the state of israel. but in one administration after another, america hesitated to recognize that because of its

importance and because of our commitment to israel, earlier this year, for the first time in 52 years, with prime minister netanyahu at his side, i had the privilege to stand with president trump as the united states of america formally recognized israel's sovereignty over the golan heights. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: our president made all these decisions, keeping his word to the american people. he made them in the best interest of our nation, but i want to assure all of you here that this president also believes they were in the best interest of peace. because a lasting peace can only be built on a foundation of truth. so we pray for the peace of jerusalem.

that those who love her will be secure. [applause] vice pres. pence: and even as we pray, we will work for peace. president trump is committed to finding a path that can lead to a true, just, and lasting peace for israel, palestinians, and all the peoples of the region. for peace to be lasting and to be real, it must be negotiated. but peace can only be negotiated with partners who are committed to peace. hamas is a terrorist organization that seeks the destruction of israel, and the united states will never negotiate with terrorist hamas. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: but last week, in pursuit of peace, there was a historic conference in bahrain.

after more than two years of painstaking efforts, the president's extraordinary middle east peace team led by jared kushner unveiled a new vision of how the palestinian people could be empowered to build a prosperous, vibrant, and peaceful society if they choose peace over war. now, i know the cynics out there say the president's dreams for peace are too big. that is hopes are -- his hopes are too high, but it was none other than israel's first prime minister who said and i quote, "anyone who doesn't believe in miracles around these parts isn't a realist." so we will keep dreaming and keep working for peace. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and let me assure you, while any peace will undoubtedly require compromise, you can be confident of this. the united states of america will never compromise the safety and security of the jewish state

of israel. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: in the wake of all those actions, finally, the president also made one other promise. he promised to stand up to the world's leading state sponsor of terror. and he did just that when he withdrew the united states of america from the disastrous iran nuclear deal. there will be no more cash for the mullahs in iran. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and pastor hagan mentioned, i served in the

congress of the united states, i was on the foreign affairs committee. back when i was in congress, there was actually a bipartisan group of members of congress who brought together sanctions on iran years ago. those sanctions were isolating a regime and was bringing tremendous pressure on it. but in 2015, we all remember, when the iran nuclear deal was signed, all of that pressure went away. the previous administration's so-called deal didn't prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, it delayed it. for roughly a decade. in exchange, the deal gave away billions of dollars in cash and sanctions really iran has used to fund more terrorist attacks on innocents across the region. president trump withdrew from the iran nuclear deal and we have reimposed every last sanction that was lifted. [applause]

vice pres. pence: and under this president, we implemented a maximum pressure campaign to change misaligned behaviors and hold the regime accountable for its destructive actions. it's remarkable to think as we speak, our actions are already having an effect. they're cutting off the regime's ability to support their terrorist minions across the middle east. the iranian economy is reeling under unprecedented u.s. sanctions. now, iran must choose between caring for its people and continuing to fund its proxies who spread violence and terrorism throughout the region and breathe out murderous hatred against israel. over the last several months, despite promises and hopes to the contrary in 2015, iran has been even increasing more of their malign activity and violence in the region and we've all witnessed it. last month, iran attacked tankers passing near the strait of hormuz and they downed an unmanned american drone.

last week, iran exceeded the amount of low enriched uranium it can have today that it can have -- it can have. today, it actually proclaimed it was going to start enriching uranium beyond the levels permitted by the agreement. but let me be clear. iran should not confuse american restraint with a lack of american resolve. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: we hope for the best, but the united states of america and our military are prepared to protect our interests and protect our personnel and our citizens in the region. we will continue to oppose iran's malign influence. we will continue to bring pressure on their economy, and under president donald trump, america will never allow iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: history

teaches that when authoritarian regimes breathe out vile, anti-semitic hatred and threats of violence, that we should take them at their word. earlier this year, my wife, karen, and i stood and prayed and grieved at the auschwitz birkenau nazi death camp in poland. it was an indescribable experience to walk those immense rounds. cash grounds -- grounds.

killing on an industrial scale. as we gazed down at the remains of the gas chambers, as we walked past the personal affects, the piles of little shoes that were gathered there, it merely reinforced our resolve. that our answer to that unspeakable tragedy through this and every generation must be -- never again. never again. never again. [applause] [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: israel was reborn of that resolve, so we must as americans maintain it. we can never allow the memory of those lost in the holocaust to be forgotten by freedom loving people around the world. we must teach our children and our children's children the truth of what happened. we must preserve the memory of those lost for future generations. and in that same spirit, we must never allow the memory of those lost in the holocaust to be cheapened as a cliche to advance some left-wing political narrative. [applause]

vice pres. pence: but sadly, sadly in recent weeks, that's exactly what some democrats have done in the national debate. last month, a leading democrat in congress actually compared our u.s. customs and border protection facilities to concentration camps. her allies in congress, the left and the media, shamefully came to her defense. as recently as yesterday morning, one of her allies in congress was asked if they agreed with comparing the noble and compassionate work done by u.s. customs and border personnel at detention

facilities to the concentration camps of nazi germany, and she answered, "absolutely." to compare the humane work of the dedicated men and women of customs and border protection with the horrors of the holocaust is an outrage. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: the nazis took lives. american law enforcement save lives every day. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: make no mistake about it. this slander of law enforcement was an insult to the six million killed in the holocaust. and it should be condemned by every american of every

political party everywhere. [applause] vice pres. pence: i promise you, i promise you president donald trump and i will always honor the memory of the victims of the holocaust, and we will always honor the service of the brave men and women of law enforcement all across this country. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: the truth is, as i stand before you today, we have a crisis at our southern border. we are actually on track this year to see nearly one million people come across our southern border. -- border to take advantage of well advertised loopholes in america's asylum laws.

and for the first time in history, i've seen it firsthand. the majority of those coming across our southern border are families with vulnerable children, who are being enticed by human traffickers and drug cartels to pay cash to make the long and dangerous journey north. and it's a dangerous journey. fraught often with unspeakable violence and abuse. 70% of illegal immigrants once they present at the border report being victims of violence along the way. according to doctors without borders, nearly one third of young women traveling to our southern border from central america are sexually assaulted on the journey. our customs and border protection and health and human services personnel do

compassionate work to care for those who have made the dangerous journey and suffered for it, and they provide that compassionate support every day. unaccompanied children who cross our border are provided with food, education, health care, and transportation to their destination city, all at taxpayer expense. health and human services works to place these children with family members in the united states or alternative arrangements like foster care. family units who are kept in i.c.e. custody are sent to family residential centers where they can receive shelter and care. make no mistake about it, the facilities on our border are overcrowded. because they're overwhelmed. so the last six months, democrats denied there was even a crisis at our border. they called it a manufactured crisis, remember that?

in so doing, they denied additional funding to care for the vulnerable families going across our southern border and as i stand here today, they continue to refuse to close the loopholes used by human traffickers to exploit those vulnerable families. but in the face of this democratic obstruction of congress, president trump has stood strong. he demanded that mexico step up, and now, mexico is doing more than ever before to secure their southern border and ours. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: and just last week, president trump signed into law a bipartisan measure providing $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid to support the work of hhs and customs and border protection. [applause] vice pres. pence: but you all deserve to know the same members

of congress who had the gall to compare our detention facilities to concentration camps voted against providing additional humanitarian aid to the same facilities they denounced. in the face of that type of democrat obstruction, i'll make you a promise. under this president's leadership, we will secure our borders. we will provide compassionate relief to vulnerable families swept up in the crisis, and we will fix this broken immigration system once and for all. [applause] vice pres. pence: so men and women of christians united for israel, we've reached a decisive moment in history.

support for israel and the jewish people, i believe, is more important than ever before. all over the world, anti-semitism is on the rise. you see it on college campuses, in the marketplace, and sadly, even in the halls of congress. you know, there was a time that support for israel was not a partisan issue here in washington. i'll never forget the day in 2007 that i, a conservative christian republican, was asked to cofound the congressional anti-semitism task force with the only holocaust survivor ever to serve in congress, the late and great congressman tom landhouse. [applause] we formed that task force because of the broad consensus that existed in the congress that support for israel is support for the jewish people, but how things have changed.

it's astonishing to think that the party of harry truman, which did so much to help create the state of israel, has been co-opted by people who promote anti-semitic rhetoric, and work to undermine the broad american consensus of support for israel. recently, a freshman democrat in congress trafficked and repeated anti-semitic tropes. we all remember them. she alleged that congressional support for israel reflected an allegiance to a foreign country. she said that israel had, and i quote, "hypnotized the world." let me say this from the heart. anti-semitism has no place in the congress of the united states of america or anywhere in this nation.

vice pres. pence: and anyone who slanders the historic alliance between the united states and israel should not be sitting on the foreign affairs committee. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: maybe most astonishing of all, as we talk about how times have changed, the party that has been home to so many american jews for so long, recently couldn't even muster the votes to unequivocally condemn anti-semitism in our resolution. that's why the work of christians united for israel is more important than ever before. unfortunately, cufi is also

-- fortunately, cufi is also bigger and more effective than ever before. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: you know, i remember when christians united for israel was a group of a few hundred bible believing christians. last time i spoke to you, this organization had grown to more than three million believers. and on my way over, i was just told christians united for israel now has more than six million members all across america. [applause] karen and i have -- she said seven million. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: it's a movement that spans this nation and it is a movement for such a

time as this. [applause] vice pres. pence: karen and i have always treasured our relationships with christians united for israel. we worked hand-in-hand with this organization when i was governor of the state of indiana. with your strong support, i was proud to sign the toughest anti-bds legislation of any state in america, and i thank you. [applause] vice pres. pence: but you deserve to know, remarkably today all but one democrat running for president voted against the combating bds acts in the united states senate. so let me make this one more point. anyone who aspires to the highest office in the land should not be afraid to stand with israel. [cheers and applause]

america and israel are more than friends. we are more than allies. the united states and israel are family. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: descended from a common tradition of faith, we're a family that upholds common values, and together, we share a common destiny. you know, the president's state of the union speech this year, that bond came into high relief. in the faces of two extraordinary men that the president introduced to the nation. one was a jewish american hero,

sergeant hermann, a veteran of d-day and the battle of the bulge. truly a great american of the greatest generation. last month marked the 75th anniversary of d-day, and we will never fail to honor that heroism of those who served in the greatest generation. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: but if you remember, sitting beside the sergeant was joshua kaufman. a survivor of dachau. a real concentration camp. the sergeant helped liberate it nearly a year after d-day. these two men, more than seven decades later, were reunited that night.

united not just in their stories, but in our history, in our cause. for freedom and justice. 75 years later, without a dry eye in the house, they stood together in the congress of the united states. in that relationship, soldier and a survivor, was a poignant reminder of the unbreakable bond between america and israel. the bond that brings you all here today. it was ultimately a bond of faith. i'm told before they left the capital, that the sergeant's

family and kaufman family met for the first time. and herman and his bible with him. a bible that he had when he was in service in the army. they opened it together, and they sang praise to a faithful god. [cheers and applause] vice pres. pence: that bond endured the horrors of war, endured through the decades, and it always will. so, why israel? we stand with israel today for the same reason americans have always stood with israel. we stand with israel because her values are our values. her fight is our fight.

we stand with israel because we believe in right over wrong. and good over evil. in liberty over tyranny. and we stand with israel because we cherish that ancient promise. that americans have always cherished throughout our history. that those who bless her will be blessed. [applause] vice pres. pence: today and every day, the jewish state of israel bear witness to god's faithfulness. as well as their own. the american people have always marveled through nearly 1,900 years of exile, the longest exile of any people in history,

the jewish people drew strength from the promises of god through pilgrims, persecution, and expulsions, in the ghettos, and finally even in the death camps, the jewish people clung to god's eternal promise. they remembered, even if you've been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there, he would gather them and bring them back to the land which their fathers possessed. and so he did. [applause] vice pres. pence: and america was there. america was standing with the people of israel every step of the way. amazing to think even in those

darkest of times, he heard from heaven, his holy dwelling place, and they had faith. so it's on the basis i close today, and i know you have a full program ahead of you. you'll be hearing from other friends of israel throughout this administration and throughout the country. and let me just say before i close on behalf of my wife karen and our whole family, thank you for the honor of serving as your vice president. it is the greatest honor -- [applause] [cheers and applause]

vice pres. pence: it is deeply humbling to be with you today, and i leave here greatly encouraged. i can't wait to get to lunch to tell them that i saw you. and i want to close -- i want to close with faith. faith in the good people of israel and america, and in the immutable bonds of friendship that bind us today and always will. faith in the ideals and the principles that both america and israel hold dear. a commitment to liberty and freedom, and the notion that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. and finally, faith that has ever

bound the people of this country together from our nation's founding, people of different backgrounds and religious belief, the faith that binds the people of israel together. that he who watches over us will never leave us nor forsake us, he will guide us, and he will surely bless us. god bless you all. may god bless israel. and may god continue to bless the united states of america. [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪

>> the number of other trump administration officials were at the conference including john bolton and mike pompeo. along with the israeli ambassador. they speak after a conversation with a former congressman. >> it is truly my honor and privilege to be here with this -- jason greenblatt who deserves a round of applause. >> thank you. you. president trump has been trusted -- entrusted the future of middle east peace alongside jared kushner. welcome garrett,