{"id":65218,"date":"2018-08-10T11:17:51","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T18:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=65218"},"modified":"2018-08-10T11:17:51","modified_gmt":"2018-08-10T18:17:51","slug":"president-trump-at-prison-reform-roundtable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=65218","title":{"rendered":"President Trump at Prison Reform Roundtable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bedminster, New Jersey&#8230;Well, thank you very much, everybody, for being here in Bedminster.  We\u2019ve had a lot of work.  We\u2019ve done a lot of work.  They\u2019re renovating the White House.  It\u2019s a long-term project, and they approved it years ago.  And I said, well, I guess this would be a good place to be in the meantime.  So they\u2019re doing a lot of work at the White House.  I miss it.  I would like to be there.  But this is a good way of doing it.<br \/>\nWe have some very outstanding people with us.  And I\u2019ll make a few remarks.  This is largely about prison reform \u2014 and other subjects \u2014 but largely about prison reform.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EwUrifkn674\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>So I want to thank the governors \u2014 Matt Bevin, Phil Bryant, Doug Burgum, Nathan Deal, and John Bel Edwards \u2014 for being here today.  Been friends of mine.  We\u2019ve been, I could say, in wars, but we\u2019ve been on the same side of the wars.  That\u2019s always good.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank you also to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Ken Paxton.  And Ken just filed a very interesting lawsuit, which I think is going to be very successful.  I hope it\u2019s going to be successful.  I also want to recognize Secretary Rick Perry and Secretary Alex Acosta.  Thank you both.  Rick, thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>We are doing some great things with healthcare, Alex.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  We are.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  And you\u2019re doing some wonderful things with energy.  I hope that project comes along that we\u2019re talking about.  It\u2019s going to help a lot of people.  A lot of jobs are going to be created.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Indeed.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  So I know you\u2019re working on it.<\/p>\n<p>I look forward to hearing from each of you about your experiences with prison reform and the lessons that we\u2019ve learned.  I know how Matt, in particular, you have been working so hard.  Phil, you\u2019ve been working long and hard on it \u2014 harder than anyone would know.  But I can tell you, my administration feels very, very strongly about it.<\/p>\n<p>One of the single most important things we\u2019re doing is to help former inmates in creating jobs.  We\u2019re creating so many jobs that former inmates, for the first time, are really getting a shot at it, because they\u2019re weren\u2019t sought and now they are being sought because our unemployment rate is so low \u2014 historically low \u2014 50 years.<\/p>\n<p>Now, our economy is booming.  Businesses are hiring and recruiting workers that were previously overlooked.  They\u2019re being hired.  It\u2019s a great feeling.  It\u2019s a great thing that we\u2019ve all accomplished.  We\u2019ve created a lot of jobs in the states.  And I guess I\u2019ve helped you a lot on a national basis.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve created 3.9 million more jobs since Election Day \u2014 so almost 4 million jobs \u2014 which is unthinkable.  If I would have said that during the campaign, only a few of the people around this table would have believed me.  But they would have.  3.9 million jobs since Election Day.  That\u2019s pretty incredible.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve added more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since the election.  Manufacturing employment is now growing faster than at any time than it has in three decades, over 30 years.  Through the Pledge of America\u2019s Workers, launched just last month, almost 5 million Americans will receive enhanced career training and opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to thank Ivanka Trump for having done an incredible job on that.  She\u2019s really worked on it.  It\u2019s something very important to her.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve really \u2014 and I\u2019ve said it to a lot of people: Jared \u2014 I want to thank Jared for what\u2019s happening on prison reform, because you\u2019ve really been leading it.  It\u2019s something very close to your heart.<\/p>\n<p>And as I\u2019ve said before, we hire Americans.  We want to hire and treat our Americans fairly.  You know, for many years, jobs have been taken out of our country.  We\u2019ve lost our businesses.  We\u2019ve lost the hiring abilities that we had.  Not anymore.  Now those companies are coming back; they\u2019re coming roaring back \u2014 to your state, to your state.  They\u2019re coming back faster than anyone thought even possible.<\/p>\n<p>Our first duty is to our citizens, including those who have taken the wrong path but are seeking redemption and a new beginning.  That\u2019s people that have been in prison, and they come out and they\u2019re having a hard time.  They\u2019re not having such a hard time anymore.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve passed the First Step Act through the House, and we\u2019re working very hard in the Senate to refine it and pass it into law.  We think we\u2019ll be successful in that regard.  The bill expands vocational educational programs to eligible federal inmates so that more of them can learn a trade.  And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.  We\u2019re teaching them trades.  We\u2019re teaching them different things that they can put into good use, and put into use to get jobs.<\/p>\n<p>I recently met with Chairman Grassley and other members of Congress to discuss the bill.  We also agreed that we must be tough on crime, especially on criminals and trafficking of drugs, and lots of other trafficking.  We have a trafficking problem, including human trafficking.  We\u2019re very, very tough on that.  And that\u2019s going to remain tough, or even tougher.<\/p>\n<p>We must strengthen community bonds with law enforcement, including cities like Chicago that have been an absolute and total disaster.  We\u2019ll be talking about Chicago today because that is something that, in terms of our nation, nobody would believe it could be happening.  They had 63 incidents last weekend and 12 deaths.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s bad stuff happening, and probably, I guess, you have to take from the leadership.  That\u2019s called bad leadership.  There\u2019s no reason, in a million years, that something like that should be happening in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>We want every child to grow up in a safe neighborhood surrounded by families that are loving and helpful, and with a path to great education and a lifelong career.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank everybody for being here.  And I think what we\u2019ll do, while the media is here, maybe we\u2019ll just go around the room real quickly and we\u2019ll introduce yourselves.  And these are people that have really worked hard on prison reform \u2014 and lots of other things, but on prison reform.  And that\u2019s largely what this meeting is about.<\/p>\n<p>Governor?  Please.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR DEAL:  Well, thank you, Mr. President.  I appreciate the opportunity to be here.  We are very pleased with what\u2019s happening in Georgia.  We have seen, since I became Governor, a 10-percent decrease in violent crime in our state, a 20-percent overall decrease in crime.  We have seen our African American percentage in our prison system drop significantly. Black American \u2014 black males has dropped almost 30 percent.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s great.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR DEAL:  Black females dropped about 38.2 percent.  Our African American commitments to our prison is at the lowest level it has been since 1987.  And in states like ours, we have a disproportionate number of minorities in our prison versus our population as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>We have found that reentry is a vital part of this.  We find that \u2014 I did have a question I asked; I said, \u201cWhat\u2019s the most common characteristic of those in our prisons?\u201d  The answer was, 70 percent of them never graduated from high school.<\/p>\n<p>So we immediately concentrated on that.  We have significantly beefed up our GEDs.  We\u2019ve also brought a private charter school into our system to teach them, give them a real high school diploma.  We found that if you give them a blue-collar skill, you reduce your recidivism rate by 24 percent.  If you give them just the education of getting a high school diploma, it\u2019s reduced by 19 percent.<\/p>\n<p>So we have been very successful.  We\u2019re pleased about it.  And we\u2019re pleased to share whatever information we have that might be helpful.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Thank you, again.  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>Pam?<\/p>\n<p>BONDI:  President, Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida.  Thank you for doing this.  As a career prosecutor, you see people who go to prison and get out of prison, and can\u2019t find a job.  And how do we expect people to succeed without being able to get a job?  And you were just in Tampa \u2014 thank you for that \u2014 Tampa Bay Tech, supporting jobs for young people.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s what\u2019s so important, is reentry and being able to get a job, and training people on how to be successful.  And something we did in Florida shortly after I got elected was we decoupled \u2014 if you were a convicted felon, you couldn\u2019t get an occupational license.  So how do we expect you to succeed?<\/p>\n<p>So thank you for everything you\u2019re doing, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Thank you, Pam.  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR EDWARDS:  Mr. President, John Bel Edwards.  And I will tell you, in Louisiana, we are proud of the work we\u2019ve done.  It\u2019s been sentencing reform, prison reform, and a real focus on reentry.  And for the first time in 20 years, I can tell you, Louisiana does not have the highest incarceration rate in the nation today.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Good.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR EDWARDS:  And it\u2019s paying dividends for us, and we\u2019re reinvesting the savings \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Who does?<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR EDWARDS:  Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Really?<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR EDWARDS:  Yes, sir.  But we are reinvesting the savings into our reentry program and also into victim services.  So we\u2019re excited about what we\u2019re doing, and we\u2019re looking forward to sharing that with you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Great.  Great.  Thank you very much.  Thank you, John Bel.<\/p>\n<p>Please, go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BURGUM:  Mr. President, Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota.  Thank you for coming to North Dakota last month.  Great to have you there.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Things are looking good, aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BURGUM:  Things are looking great thanks to a lot of policies from this administration and the great Cabinet that you have.<\/p>\n<p>As you know, you can\u2019t really separate, today, prison reform and our prison situation from addiction.  In North Dakota, 100 percent of the women that are incarcerated in our prison system have a disease of addiction.  Eighty-five percent of the men in our prison have disease of addiction.  And we can\u2019t solve a healthcare \u2014 a chronic healthcare problem with punishment.  We\u2019ve got to solve it \u2014 treat it like a disease and solve it that way.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BURGUM:  And so I want to also thank you for the work that your administration is doing on the addiction front, because it ties directly back into this.  And I think we\u2019ve done a number of innovations we\u2019ll be happy to share at this roundtable today.  Thanks for inviting us.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Good.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BURGUM:  But, you know, in the end, we\u2019re trying to create better neighbors, not better prisoners.  Ninety-eight-and-a-half percent of the people that go to prison in North Dakota end up coming back out.  And so we have to \u2014 when they\u2019re there, like the other governors have talked about it, it\u2019s education, it\u2019s career skills, it\u2019s treatment.  Those are the things we have to focus on.  If we can do that, we can turn people\u2019s lives around and add people to the workforce.  We know we need that because we got so many jobs open in this country.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Governor.<\/p>\n<p>PAXTON:  Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General.  Thank you, Mr. President.  This is obviously an important issue to Texas.  I think it\u2019s an important issue to the nation.  And, Jared, I appreciate your passion for this issue.<\/p>\n<p>In 2007, under the leadership of, I think, the greatest governor in my lifetime, who\u2019s now the Secretary of Energy \u2014 is that the right department? \u2014 (laughter) \u2014 and the president of our top public policy foundation, Brooke Rollins, we passed legislation similar to what Congress is now looking at that has had a dramatic impact on our own ability to take people from prison and live productive lives.<\/p>\n<p>And, you know, I could cite many statistics, but we were facing \u2014 spending $2 billion, and we didn\u2019t spend the money.  We put $241 million into treatment and to helping people find jobs.  We\u2019ve expanded that since, but it\u2019s made a tremendous difference.  We have not built any more new prisons since then.  We\u2019ve actually closed eight prisons.  So it\u2019s really made a difference, and I think it can make a difference for the nation.  So I look forward to continuing the discussion.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  How are you doing with your recently filed case?  How\u2019s that looking?<\/p>\n<p>PAXTON:  Well, we had a hearing yesterday, and I think it went quite well.  Let\u2019s see what the judge says.  But we know we\u2019re right on the law and we\u2019re right on the Constitution.  And so we\u2019re confident things are going to go in the right way.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  It\u2019s true.  Okay.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BRYANT:  Thank you, Mr. President.  I\u2019m Phil Bryant of Mississippi.  In 2014, we began our \u201cRight on Crime\u201d program.  We used all the things that Georgia has been successful with, and Texas.  I called both of these governors and said, \u201cTell me how you did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a former law enforcement officer, and I worked undercover narcotics cases.  I\u2019ve been out there with the worst of the worst.  I put a lot of people in jail, and some of it was difficult, particularly when I was state auditor and over 100 state-wide elected officials and government employees went to jail for white-collar crimes.<\/p>\n<p>So we began a really strong program working with the PEW Institute of putting that workforce training program into effect, making sure we looked at addiction, mental health.  Mental health challenges within the correctional facilities are obviously rampant.  Also trying to make prisons a drug-free zone and a crime-free zone within that prison, so you can\u2019t \u2014 your life can\u2019t be threatened every day; you can\u2019t be attacked in prison; you can\u2019t have access to drugs and be rehabilitated.<\/p>\n<p>And then finally, the faith-based organization.  It takes a change of heart.  I\u2019ve been around a lot of people who are in jail, and if their hearts aren\u2019t changed, their lives will not be changed.  So prison ministries \u2014 all of those things that government doesn\u2019t like to admit to that works \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BRYANT:  \u2014 works.  And so, when we bring faith back into the prison system, prisoners have hope again.  And that worked better for us than anything we could have done \u2014 another reentry program, getting them jobs, getting their driver\u2019s license, keeping them connected with their families so that they have something to work towards when they\u2019re getting out of prison.<\/p>\n<p>And I can tell you, I had to call a lot of my Republicans into the governor\u2019s office and convince them to vote for this bill.  And they were worried it was soft on crime.  They were hesitant about what they were going to tell their people back home.  And I said, \u201cYou tell them to call me.\u201d  Because crime is down 6 percent.  We have 3,000 less inmates.  We saved $40 million since 2014.  And you can do the same thing.  And, Jared, thank you for your leadership.<\/p>\n<p>KUSHNER:  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Phil.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BRYANT:  Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Secretary?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  Mr. President, I\u2019d like to make two key points.  First, as you mentioned, the economy is doing incredibly well for the first time since we\u2019ve been keeping records.  We have more open jobs than we have people to fill these jobs.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Right.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  And so, these reentry programs are needed for the economy.  We have jobs ready and waiting for individuals when they leave prison.<\/p>\n<p>Second, I\u2019d like to follow up on what some of you governors have said: These programs work.  As you know, and others at the table know, I was U.S. attorney in Miami.  And when you talk with the law enforcement communities, what they will tell you is that these programs foster public safety.  When someone leaves prison, the best that could happen for them is for them to find a job.  The best that can happen for society is for them to find a job and start contributing to society, rather than go back to the old ways of crime.<\/p>\n<p>So this is very much a win-win for the individual, for the safety of the community, and for the economy of the nation.  We have individuals that are going from a prison system, where the taxpayer is funding the system, to contributing members of society that are helping this economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>And so we\u2019re working with various governors.  We put out a request for a proposal, and we got so many applications from various governors of programs that are very much outside the box, that \u2014 this fall, we intend to put out another request for proposals to fund another round of reentry efforts themselves.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank the governors, and I want to thank all that are working on this issue.  It\u2019s very important.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you\u2019ve been great, and your healthcare plan is going along beautifully.  That is really doing something.  It\u2019s \u2014 are you surprised by the numbers you\u2019re hearing?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY ACOSTA:  It is.  Just this morning, I read an article mentioning a number of associations around the country \u2014 I believe one in Wisconsin, certainly one in Nevada \u2014 that are already forming these.<\/p>\n<p>And just today, I was talking to some of the governors here about the various activity in their states.  And so it\u2019s moving very nicely.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  It\u2019s been great.  Thank you, Alex, very much.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Rick.  Go ahead, Rick.<\/p>\n<p>ROLLINS:  Well \u2014<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Why don\u2019t you go, Brooke?<\/p>\n<p>ROLLINS:  I would be \u2014 thank you so much, Mr. President.  We\u2019re so happy to be here.  I tell you, I am overwhelmed and so encouraged.  These governors are real innovators, and they\u2019re entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p>And what they have done is this idea of the laboratories of democracy that, in the states, we have moved so many issues forward that now, at the federal level \u2014 which I\u2019m so honored to become part of your team \u2014 but at the federal level, we can now see what happened in the states, what\u2019s working, what is basically lifting people to a better life \u2014 the forgotten men and women of this country.<\/p>\n<p>And having lived it, in Texas, beside these two great men for more than a decade, we\u2019ve seen firsthand how this changes lives, how it gives people second chances, how it puts communities back together, and keeps families together.  So thank you for the opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Good job you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>ROLLINS:  I\u2019m glad to be here.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Mr. President, thank you for bringing her onboard.  I think you\u2019re seeing, on a daily basis, what a talent she is dealing with these issues that are really important.<\/p>\n<p>Two things that I want to share with the table and with you, and with the general public.  And one is that it\u2019s because of those tax policies, because of regulatory policies that you pushed through, we got more people working in America than ever before.  (Applause.)<\/p>\n<p>And you have to have that, because if these programs are to work when folks get out of prison, or if they don\u2019t go to prison to begin with, then that\u2019s our real goal.<\/p>\n<p>And I want to share with these governors around here, every one of them are courageous.  Because I heard it when we were doing this back in Texas, in the early and mid-2000s, that, you know, \u201cWell, Perry, we thought you were tough on crime.\u201d  Nobody ever got me confused with being soft on crime.  You know, I signed more execution orders than probably any governor in the history of this country.  And that\u2019s a sad thing, but it\u2019s a fact.<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m not soft on crime.  But I like to say we were smart on crime in Texas because we put these programs into place.  And young people, whose lives would be destroyed if we sent them on to prison \u2014 and that\u2019s where they really become professional criminals.  And we never allowed that to happen; we gave them a second chance.<\/p>\n<p>And so, Texans now really understand if we shut down eight prisons, saving some three-plus billion dollars a year in prison costs, and conservatives look at that now and go, \u201cThat was smart on crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And, Pam, that\u2019s what \u2014 that\u2019s what people will say about you, Mr. President, is, number one, you\u2019ve created this climate where people can have a job and have hope for the future.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ll finish with this, is that you passed that piece of legislation that does \u2014 clearly reforms the prison system.  And I will suggest to you, from my perspective, that sentencing reform is part of that as well.<\/p>\n<p>And then you have the ability to show this country, and then these laboratories of innovation \u2014 you know, when Doug goes back up to North Dakota, and he\u2019s puts in, for his state, the right programs, and it\u2019s not top down, but you\u2019ve sent the right message that, fellas, here\u2019s the way to reform your prison system.  We\u2019re not going to be in the way.  We\u2019re not going to \u2014 we\u2019re not going to be a hurdle for you, and you all figure out how to do it the rest of the way.<\/p>\n<p>And this country can be incredibly proud of what they\u2019re doing for the next generation of people to come along.  And these governors are going to be a real key part of that.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Rick.  Very good.  Thank you very much.  How\u2019s it going, energy-wise, would you say?<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  I will tell you, I don\u2019t know how it could be much better.  (Laughter.)  The people around the world, we\u2019re selling LNG now into 30 countries on five continents.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR EDWARDS:  A lot of it (inaudible).<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  John, a lot out of Louisiana.  Gas is headed to a lot of places.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  That\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Doug, number-two oil producer in the world \u2014 or, I should say, in the United States, only behind the state of Texas.  (Laughter.)<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BURGUM:  We\u2019re catching you.<\/p>\n<p>SECRETARY PERRY:  Yes, sir.  (Laughter.)  And we want you to.  Come on.  Give us your best shot.<\/p>\n<p>But things are going good, sir.  I mean, it is a \u2014 massive jobs being created.  We got an opportunity to \u2014 you know, I don\u2019t want to get us off track here, but oil and gas infrastructure, if there\u2019s one thing that we, collectively \u2014 and these governors will tell you that as well \u2014 that we\u2019ll produce it; getting it out of this country is the challenge right now.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we\u2019ve become, as you know, number one in the world over just the last short period of time.  So we\u2019ve made it a lot easier, and yet environmentally perfect.  Environmentally, really good.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019ve become number one in the world, and we\u2019re now a net exporter, which nobody thought they\u2019d ever hear.  And we\u2019re doing a lot of good things for a lot of other countries too.<\/p>\n<p>So thank you very much.  You\u2019ve done a great job.  Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Matt.<\/p>\n<p>GOVERNOR BEVIN:  Mr. President, I just want to thank you again for convening this \u2014 not just once, not just twice, but on multiple occasions.  I had a chance to meet a number of folks around this table.  A comment was made early on, I think by you in your introductory comments, about the fact that this is a war where people can be lined up on the same side.<\/p>\n<p>And the most powerful thing about this, and something I hope those of you in the media appreciate: I look at guys like John Bel Edwards in Louisiana.  Represents a different party than I do in Kentucky, in terms of our political affiliation, but this is something that we\u2019re very much of like mind on.  And I think this transcends anything political.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s \u2014 and again, I tip my hat to you for not only on this issue, but on others, bringing things to the political forefront that aren\u2019t political, that have historically been ignored because they weren\u2019t political and nobody got any points politically by doing them, but that they were the right thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>And as some who have gone around this table have touched on, it isn\u2019t just the fact that it\u2019s smart on crime or that it\u2019s financially prudent \u2014 because it is all those things \u2014 but it\u2019s the right thing to do.  Just the human dignity of giving people \u2014 this is a land of second chances and of opportunity to rebuild your life.<\/p>\n<p>And you are giving us, through this conversation and the kind of things you\u2019re pushing from the federal level, the encouragement from the bottom up to give millions and millions of Americans a chance at redemption.  And it\u2019s, I think, the greatest gift we can offer people.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s something that, again, for all the economic reasons we\u2019ve just mentioned, we desperately need.  These are able-bodied men and women \u2014 95 to 97 percent of the 2 million currently in prison are going to get out.  And what are they going to do?  Are we going to give them a path to stay out?  Or are they going to go right back in?<\/p>\n<p>And some of the things we\u2019ve done in Kentucky is literally start training programs inside of the prison system.  Because one of the things we do \u2014 I have two twins that are going off to college in the next couple of weeks \u2014 and every one of them, from the beginning they get to college, they have a guidance counselor that\u2019s helping them chart their path.<\/p>\n<p>I truly think it\u2019s something we need to do within our prison system, because we\u2019re spending just as much for every person in a prison system as we are for a kid in a college classroom.  And why not give them a path for them personally to make sure they don\u2019t come back to this place, but that they go out and become productive, tax-paying citizens who contribute and become good mothers and fathers and community members?  These are the kind of things that this will afford us the chance to do.<\/p>\n<p>And I \u2014 again, I truly appreciate this.  It\u2019s something, personally, that I have a passion for.  And for you and your administration \u2014 and Jared, really, kudos to you, because you have done such a stellar job of bringing this to the forefront and gathering us together.  And I\u2019m grateful to the two of you for making this possible.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you, Matt.  And I have to say, we have tremendous political support.  It a little bit surprises me.  I thought that \u2014 when we started this journey about a year ago, I thought we would not have a lot of political support; we would have to convince people.  We have great political support.  You see what\u2019s happening.  People that I would least suspect are behind it 100 percent.  So that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you all for being here.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.<\/p>\n<p>E<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bedminster, New Jersey&#8230;Well, thank you very much, everybody, for being here in Bedminster. We\u2019ve had a lot of work. We\u2019ve done a lot of work. They\u2019re renovating the White House. It\u2019s a long-term project, and they approved it years ago. And I said, well, I guess this would be a good place to be in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/whitehouselogo200.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}