Transcripts For CSPAN House Session 20240622

Speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of january 6 2015, the chair will now recognize members from lists commit smithed by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes. But in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Gutierrez, for five minutes. Mr. Gutierrez mr. Speaker a few weeks ago i was on the h. B. O. Show real time with mill maher on friday night and had a chance to talk with ann cowl ter. As you might have guest guessed i dont have my speed dial. It was several days after donald trump was running for president. When it was my turn i told mrs. Colter what they were saying about mexican immigrants would serve as a vote rergestration machine to turn grow charge the imgrapt community because of their particularly mean and frankly, lets be honest, racist attacks on mexican immigrants. It was particularly important that i was in california for the show because i was watching the Republican Party make exactly the same mistake it made in the 1990s when it lost control of the politics in california. By supporting extreme antiimmigrant policies, it kicked kids out of school and cut off families from being part of our society. California went from a purple state that had given the Republican Party important leaders like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and just a few years was transformed into a deep shade of pacific blue. Why . Because millions of immigrants became citizens, millions of immigrant citizens registered to vote, and millions of registered voters voted to punish the Republican Party for being mean, shortsighted and offering them not Real Solutions. Which brings me back to mr. Trump who was trying to be the standardbearer of the antiimmigrant wing of the Republican Party and trying to define the party as one that will fight against immigrants it sees as murderers drug dealers, criminals, and rapists. January brewer has endorsed trump. Democrats could not paint a clearer picture if we try. Just you should understand when donald trump said mexican immigrants are criminals, what do i and other Puerto Ricans hear . I am saying all Puerto Ricans are criminals. As far as republicans are concerned, we all are. Millions of others here, hon curians, dominicans, it is clear to all of us what he is really saying is that all latinos are suspect whether we were born here or not. Look, trumps stereotype is nothing new. Every single wave of immigrants has met the same resist tense. They say they are lazy, they are not like us coming to kill our sons and rape our daughters. Whether you came to chicago from next core a decade ago from mississippi in the 1950s to escape jim crow, they are the same thing. If you came to new york or ireland or sicily a century ago, it has been the same thing. Latinos should do what the irish, polish, and italians did become citizens and vote. To my constituents and anyone today that is offended by what donald trump stands for, i have a simple message becoming become a citizen. There are more than 8. 8 Million Immigrants who hold green cards and meet the residency requirements and are eligible to apply for citizenship today. That includes about five million latinos who can apply to become citizens today. And, mr. Speaker let me fill you in on a little secret with d waivers, up to 20 of all of those 8. 8 million will pay absolutely nothing for their citizenship application. Becoming a citizen for free so you can make it clear that you are offended by donald trump is poetic and patriotic. Rather than renew your green card for 450, become a citizen for about 230 more. Or zero if youre part of the 20 . Look, mr. Speaker, almost all of the immigrants in this country are going to remain in this country until the day they die. Lets be honest. For the millions who meet the requirements of citizenship i say take the step. Learn the language, learn our history, and how our Government Works and take the test. Every time you see trumps face on your tv, vote to learn a little more english or few more history facts so you can take the citizenship test. Lets turn the ignorance and hatred of a tv personality running for president and turn it into something that strengthens democracy for all americans. And you know what . If millions of people naturalized become citizens and we add to that the million latino citizens who this year will turn 18, plus all our allies in the africanamerican community, the lgbt voters and younger voters, environmental voters women votes asian voters union voters that are being pushed away by the Republican Party, all the people they dont want in their coalition constitute a majority of americans. Together we are the new American Coalition that will dominate politics for decades to come and together we will create a stronger, more inclusive and more equal nation. Lets turn trumps negative words into something positive. Thats what you do with bullies and big got. Big gots. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from nevada, mr. Hardy, for five minutes. Mr. Hardy thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last friday the president signed away more than 700,000 acres of liningon and nye counties as a monument in my district longing up these lands for Economic Development and the region depends on. This is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, i stand here today to give a voice to what nevadas argument is and what nevadas argument is not. Some on the other side of the aisle wish to paint those who oppose the designation as enemies of our public lands. When nothing could be further from the truth. Southeastern rural nevada is in my blood. As a fifth generation son of farmer and ranchers from mesquite nevada, im directly decentant from the same mountain men and the settlers whose bravery and resolved blazed the founding of our great state and who are mentioned in the president s proclamation. I grew up to explore the rugged landscapes of lincoln and nye counties hundreding hunting hiking, camping. I love nevada as much as the next. We refuse to be lectured by those who feel we are first among equals in matters that concern our future. Our argument is not about whether or not to preserve our National Treasures contained on our public lands. I wholeheartedly agree that we have a responsibility. We must protect what needs to be protected. It comes down to this. The Antiquities Act is antiquated. The law is rooted in the last century and has been manipulated over the years to exceed its original intent. It has become a tool of political patronage, burnishing the legacy of those privileged enough to hold the nations highest elected offices. It also furthers the insidious notion that washington knows best. The primary orchestrator of this monument maneuver, even went over to say to the concerned people of lincoln and nye counties, dont worry. This is going to be great for you. But despite the orwellian refrain the people in nevada demanded the right to think for themselves and they strongly disagree. According to the letter i received from nye county, the entire county board of commissioners opposes the basin monument designation stating the dire concerns about the absence of any consultation with the federal government. And the harmful economic constraints. With 90 of nye county already under federal control, it can ill afford to lose additional Economic Opportunities. As for Lincoln County commissioners have expressed grave concerns about having such a large swath of county administered or singular specific preferred use rather than for multiple use management resource plan. Despite what the white house asserts, this outcome would particularly be harmful to the county that already holds 97 of federally controlled. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, there is no doubt in my mind the Antiquities Act is a hold over of a bygone era. We continue to see president s Pay Lip Service to the requirement that the boundaries of National Monuments should be confined to the smallest area compatible. 700,000 acres, really . I would like to encourage my colleagues and those in the administration to remember that nevadas culture and resolve is that the people are not things that can be locked away for an outdoor museum. They live on in todays generation who continue to carry the traditions of those who came before them and respect the land they call home. With the proper consultation across all levels of government and the local buyin, im confident that democrats and republicans can Work Together to protect americas Natural Heritage while also preserving its peoples way of life. This photograph is a great example of the possibilities. The twoly springs National Monument is a case study of a successful effort to preserve nevadas National Heritage and was given due consideration and had a Widespread Community backing. That is why Congress Passed legislation to create the tulie springs fossil bed National Monument in nevada last year. If i can pose for a picture smiling wide holding a sign with the words National Monument on it, there must be a right way to go about protecting our public lands. Mr. Speaker, we need local input, we need votes in congress, we need to fix the antiquated Antiquities Act. With that i yield back. Senator santorum the gentleman yields back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, for five minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. For 35 years the United States relationship with iran has been frozen in amber locked in a series of proxy wars and covert struggles. Circumstances have occasionally thrust us together. Like our shared actions against the taliban after 9 11. Or more recently working together against some of the most barberous forces in the middle east. No one is under any illusions that the military leadership and hardline clerics are bad actors opposed to the United States. But thats only part of the story of a complex narrative. The new and potentially more significant chapter of that relationship is an effort to contain Irans Nuclear ambition not through force but a combination of tough multinational sanctions and diplomacy. This all started in the Bush Administration a decade ago and has continued. Congress is now beginning the analysis of this historic agreement. For the first time Irans Nuclear activities have been reined in. They have followed what they said they would do for the last two years. For the first time in history we have an agreement that would last for a decade or more reached not just by the United States alone. We could not have done this alone. But with all five members of the security Counsel Council and jearm and the cooperation of potential consumers of iranian oil like india and japan. We must be prepared to hear people starting with Prime Minister netanyahu attack it. We will hear that its not good enough. That it contains potential downsides. Iran might well try to cheat. Netanyahu will make his arguments with the same certitude as when he appears in washington before the iraq war and talked about those benefits. He would have more credibility with me if he werent so wrong then and if he had any credible alternative. He has complaints, but no solution. Indeed, he doesnt even have a peace plan for dealing with israels own ongoing festering problems with the palestinians in the Israeli Occupied territories. A man with no plan and no alternative attacking the best option that we have seen. With this agreement in place we will have more tools than we have ever had to inspect, to monitor, and enforce. And more allies to make it work. If the United States walks away from this agreement its certain that the countries that helped us reach this point will walk away too. Along with starting with russia and china. Without this perfect alignment of interest for punishing sanctions they will fall apart and we will lose this moment. Despite the huffing and puffing, military action is not viable. Talk to your constituents about what their appetite is for another military engagement in the middle east. Particularly with the horrific costs and consequences that would follow. Military action would only strenen the most reactionary evil forces in iran to unleash the next escalation of global terror, which is frightening to comprehend and an attack will strengthen irans resolve to secure their own Nuclear Weapons just as north korea has done and you cannot bomb away the knowledge that iran has. 10 15 years is a lifetime in international affairs. Who could have imagined what has taken place in the last 15 years of our history . The world was a much different place in the year 2000. We ought to work to keep this coalition in support of the agreement alive and well and work to implement it and to enforce it, because we can snap back these sanctions if iran crosses the line. The evidence is that the American Public and especially the majority of Jewish Americans want to give diplomacy a chance. Congress should reject the alternative for people who have no alternative. Recognize this as a major achievement and Work Together to make diplomacy work. Lets seize this onceinageneration opportunity. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Poe, for five minutes. Mr. Poe mr. Speaker there is a cultural and religious cleansing sweeping across the middle east. Isis has made it clear that there is no compromise on religion. It is intolerant of any religious belief different than its own. If a persons not a muslim they are forced to pay a tax, convert or be executed. In the face of this ugly terrorist group that preaches hate, christians are persecuted but isis is just one example of groups that are intolerant of christians. Egypt is a hotbed of persecution of helicopteric christians. Some people thought after the fall of mubarak things would get better, but that hasnt been true for Coptic Christians. A School Teacher told a teenager to hide his cross that was on his necklace. He wouldnt do so. So the teacher encouraged the class to punish the boy to protect the name of allah. His classmates beat him to death. He died because he was a christian. A mere rumor that a muslim girl was dating a christian boy led to Church Burnings and a curfew for christians. Since 2011, the u. S. Commission on International Religious freedom has deemed egypt a country of particular concern. In 2013, the Muslim Brotherhood blamed Coptic Christians for the downfall of president morsi even though egyptians were tired of his oppressive rule, so they tore down the cross and torched the church. They set the church on fire with molotov caulk tailts and gas liens and cocktails and gasoline. And they spray painted egypt is muslim. Black xs are painted on christians stores so attackers know which shops to target. Dozens of shops hotels and vehicles belonging to christians have been burned and looted. The military said it would help rebuild churches that were destroyed, but the law requires nonmuslim places of worship to receive president ial approval before rebuilding a church and, of course, president ial approval is very difficult to obtain. So this is the governments way of stopping construction of Christian Churches across egypt. The government is still not protecting Orthodox Christians and their churches. Coptic christians are often treated as secondclass citizens by the government. A bishop was charged with blasphemy in 2009 because he wanted to change his religion on his National Identity card from muslim to christian. After receiving multiple threats, his wife and his children were forced to flee the country. The prosecutors have ignored Court Deadlines for his trial, and he remains in prison today. The president has staked his legacy on fight against terrorism, isis and the Muslim Brotherhood. Ensuring human rights for christians must be given priority. A tax against christians have not stopped. In february 21 egypt Coptic Christians were beheaded by isis. The brutal mass murder was filmed in a fiveminute video and disseminated by isis propaganda arm. When they got permission to build a church in memory of the martyrs they were attacked by rockthrowing radical mobs. Christians just want to be left alone and exercise their religion. They want to be able to gather on sunday without fearing the church they are in will be bombed or burned. They want to live in peace without having to hide from radical intolerant mobs ready to attack them. These are not unreasonable requests. They are basic freedoms. Our ally, egypt, must do a better job of protecting all religious groups. Religious freedom is a human right we guarantee in our First Amendment, and, mr. Speaker it is the first right of the five rights mentioned in the First Amendment. That placement is not accidental. The right to practice ones religion is a basic human right. Egypt should protect all religious groups, including Coptic Christians from religious cleansing, and thats just the way it is. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. Clark, for five minutes. Ms. Clark thank you, mr. Speaker. Id like to share the story of a determined woman who took a traumatic personal experience from her past and is using it to help people. Erin is a survivor of childhood Sexual Assault that began when she was just 7 years old. In her book erin shares quote, the only message i got as a child came from my abusers, and that was to stay silent or else. I went to bed night after night crying and keeping my secrets locked away in my childhood diary. Tragically erins is not an uncommon story. Childhood Sexual Assault is a silent epidemic that exists in every one of our communities and i am asking us to come together to do something about it. I am asking as a mom of three boys, first, and as a lawmaker, second, because every six minutes a child is sexually assaulted in the United States. One in four girls and one in 20 boys are sexually assaulted before they turn age 18. And yet only a 10th of children who are sexually abused will tell someone. Survivors of child Sexual Assault carry the corrosive burden of this heinous act with them the rest of their lives. Survivors often experience guilt, isolation, problems with selfesteem and building relationships. Erin shared her story to educate and protect thousands if not millions of children and today thanks to her work, policies that require schools to provide ageappropriate sexual abuse prevention education for teachers and students are called erins law. And as members of congress, as parents, as neighbors, we owe it to our kids to follow erins example and be their strongest advocate. Children, teachers and parents are on the front line of this problem, but they often dont have the tools necessary to identify it or get kids to help the help they need. And while erins law is a first step to implement it every child in america should benefit from the policies that prevent sexual abuse. Children learn tornado drills, fire drills, bus safety drills in school, but too often they learn nothing about how to protect themselves from predators and how to report abuse. Congress can and should do more to help and thats why today im introducing the child sexual abuse awareness and prevention act. This legislation will help schools implement and expand child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs by authorizing funding through existing grant programs. It is common sense that we teach our children to stay safe and how to reach out to an adult when they are in trouble. By passing this bill, we can help schools across the United States, protect some of the most Vulnerable Children in our country. I am grateful that representative joe heck for partnering with me in the house and to senators gillibrand, hiller and feinstein for introducing the bill in the senate. Im grateful for the rape abuse and Incest National network for their leadership on this issue in ending abuse and violence. Most importantly, im thankful for erin, for her bravery leadership and determination. No child should ever feel like they have nowhere to turn when they are being abused and with the child sexual abuse awareness and prevention act we can take a critical step toward making sure they dont. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from florida mr. Desantis for five minutes. Mr. Desantis thank you mr. Speaker. I rise to discuss one aspect of this iran deal which i think is a fatal flaw, and in addition to other fatal flaws but this one in particular and that is the issue of inspections. Now, the crucial part of any type of deal dealing with Nuclear Disarmament involves inspections. You got to inspect to make sure they are not, in this case iran, building a Nuclear Weapon. The best is to sanctions remain in place until iran affirmatively dismantles their program and then you have inspectors go in to verify that the program has been dismantled and as long as the program is in fact dismantled and they dont have a nuclear infrastructure, then the sanctions are relieved. The minute they are caught trying to rebuild, then the sanctions go back on. But thats not what this deal is at all. What this deal is is a huge, huge influx of cash, hundreds of billions of dollars upfront to the Iranian Regime which will be used, no doubt much of that money to Fund Terrorism and to expand irans influence throughout the middle east and we are affirmatively recognizing Irans Nuclear program. They are not required to dismantle their infrastructure. So they get to keep that. So a huge influx of cash and they keep the Nuclear Program. The only way youre not going to sell me once you go down that road because i dont think they have any right to any Nuclear Material, but other people will say, well as long as we can inspect then maybe its going to be ok. And here in this deal, we dont even have legitimate inspections. Now, the administration has drawn a lot of red lines with this iran deal. One of them was, of course were going to have anywhere anytime inspections, and they said that repeatedly. Just a couple months ago in april, ben rhodes, Deputy National security advisors, said the deal would include anytime anywhere inspections. Energy secretary moniz said, of course, you have to have anytime anywhere inspections. And guess what, the deal comes out. Rhodes is asked on tv, what about anytime, anywhere i thought that was part of the deal . He say the, we never sought anytime, anywhere inspections. So the administration is recognizing the reality that this deal does not include anywhere anytime inspections. What it does have is a convoluted bureaucratic process that if we or the iaea or the u. N. Suspect that iran is developing a Nuclear Weapon and say one of their in, say, one of their military sites, you actually have to petition to be able to inspect it. Iran gets to weigh in of whether they want to. Theres a convoluted bureaucratic appeals process. Basically iran can drag it out for 24 days, and thats even assuming you get a positive resolution which, by the way, is going to require the ascent of russia and china and they may not even get approval. If you get that thats threeplus weeks where iran will have the ability to conceal any of the offending conduct that they were suspected of. So the bottom line is a 24day delay, makes the inspections regime utterly useless. So this is a country thats sponsored terrorism consistently for decades, theyve lied to the United Nations for decades and then were in a situation where somehow they should be able to block access to their potential weapon sites . The bottom line is iran should not be able to interfere with any inspections for any reason at anytime, and unless you have that, this is not going to be something that has any chance of success. And guess what, not only are the inspections not valid, but youre lifting the arms embargo over a couple years and youre releaving sanctions on the kuds force. Niece are designated terrorists. Our country has viewed them as a designate terrorist organization. So the bottom line is on its own terms, this deal will not succeed. Its a dangerous mistake. Congress has the ability over these next 60 days to scrutinize it, to debate it and ultimately, god willing, to stop it. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, mrs. Beatty, for five minutes. Mrs. Beatty thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in honor of the 31 gives foundation that is a philanthropic arm of the 31 gifting which is the 17th largest direct selling company in the world. I am so proud to have both based in my ohio third Congressional District. The 31 gives foundation is an organization dedicated to celebrating girls, women, and families by providing them with the support and selfesteem to lead to successful lives. Since its first meeting, just in 2012 31 gives has donated over 80 million in product and cash to nonprofit organizations committed to their same mission. They have proudly partnered with many wellknown National Organizations such as the Ronald Mcdonald house, girl talk salvation army, the american heart association, the girl scouts, and the ywca of central ohio to advance this philanthropic mission. Clearly and cleverly built around their name, 31 gives with over 16 consultants they volunteer on the 31st day of every month with 31 days. Mr. Speaker, i salute their volunteers for providing services such as preparing and serving homemade meals to families staying at the central ohio Ronald Mcdonald house. Helping give stability and strength and these families homes away from home. Volunteering also to serve meals at the Ywca Family Center of central ohio which provide Emergency Shelter and Critical Services to stabilize homeless families. As a long time advocate against Human Trafficking and one of the sponsors of legislation included in the justice for victims of trafficking act, senate bill 178, which was recreptly signed into law by president obama, i salute 31 gives for assisting over 15,000 women in transition from Human Trafficking, domestic violence, and homelessness. Mr. Speaker, during my recent district job tour, hi the opportunity to visit 31 gives, meet founder c. E. O. And president cindy monroe. Today i salute this incredible civic leader selfstarter, and entrepreneur and her team for making a difference in the lives of others and presenting a unique solution to the emotional and Economic Empowerment of women, locally, nationally, and worldwide. I look forward to welcoming and joining this Inspirational Organization on sunday, july 26, when some 16,000 16,500 leaders from 31 gives travel to my Congressional District for their annual National Sales conference being held right in columbus ohio. As the members of 31 gives know, when we all Work Together and give a little peace of our piece of our heart, we can make a huge difference. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Meehan, for five minutes. Mr. Meehan thank you, mr. Speaker. Good morning. I want to express my deep appreciation to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and i was proud to be part of this body last week when together in a bipartisan fashion we in strong numbers passed the 21st century cures bill. Let me yell telly that bill matters. Tell you why that bill matters. It matters because of people like this. This is a picture of rhoda a woman that i had the opportunity to spend some time with this monday when we sat together for a period of time talking about a number of issues but most specifically her life. Rhoda is an attorney of some distinction. She worked with a major pharmaceutical firm dealing in complex legal issues, traveling throughout the world. About 2007 she began to feel a little droop in her foot. It continued to move further up. Ultimately she after numerous consultations with physicians, was diagnosed with a. L. S. Better known to many as lou gehrigs disease. And thus began the slow but continuing challenge to the ability for her to move about. But rhoda and much to the inspiration, didnt allow this to hold her back. Quite the opposite. She embraced the challenge of the moment and reached out to become a voice a voice of those some 30,000 people in our country every year who are victimized by the disease lou gehrigs disease, a. L. S. She came to be a voice for those people. Its one of the reasons why what we can accomplish with 21st century cures is so important. Let me talk for a second about the fact she was a voice. Today this body is very likely to deal with the issue of something called the steve closeon act. It is an act which will enable the voice recorder that allows rhoda to speak to be able to be approved in such a manner that they will not have to have these important communication tools tapped by a rental policy that has been part of c. M. S. s attempts to try to deal with the costs associated with these devices. One of the things that we are working on is to allow people to have continued access to these technologies, to see the courage of rhoda, not only becoming a person, vibrant woman in her mind, who isnt capable of feeding herself or dressing herself is able to speak with me inside this mind there are tremendous things going on. And as she moved to that voice box and communicated with me, it inspired me to say weve got to continue to fight for people like loada rhoda who has been given a voice and we must stand here an give her a voice as well to fight for passage of the Steve Gleason act today and to reach out to our colleagues on the other side of this building to make sure we fight for the passage of 21st century cures. A. L. S. Is just one of houses of conditions thousands of conditions which we have no real cure. We have made tremendous advances in medicine in the last two decades. There is still much we do not know about conditions like multiple sclerosis and alzheimers. I have some good news to share with rhoda. Just last week the house approved the 21st century cures act that will direct money towards research into cures for conditions like a. L. S. It expands lifesaving research into conditions that affect millions of americans increasing the budget of the National Institute of health by 10 billion over the next five years. It cuts the red tape and bureaucracy just as importantly, it stands between us and groundbreaking new treatments. And help us train the next generation of doctors, scientists, and researchers. Millions of americans with conditions like cancer, alzheimers, a. L. S. , Cystic Fibrosis and others stand to benefit from this research. Mr. Speaker i urge my colleagues on the other side of the senate to get behind us and pass the 21st century cures and i urge my colleagues in this house to stand up today and express an important vote in support of this act. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas mr. Weber, for five minutes. Mr. Weber thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak on the p5 plus one Nuclear Agreement with iran. No longer do we have to guess at rumors or wonder what the deal is. We now know. We know that enrichment despite earlier promises will continue. We know that the arms embargo will be removed. We know that the entire sanctions regime covering problems with human rights abuses, terrorism, and Ballistic Missiles programs will cease to exist. We know that iran has the capability of usurping any time, anywhere Inspections Program thanks to required advance permission for each individual inspection. Up to 24 days sometimes. After decades of animosity on the part of iran toward the American People, we also know that our americans are still sitting in iranian prisons. I wonder how many 24day periods they have been there . We know that iran still views the United States and israel as their enemy. As stated earlier this month by multiple members of the Iranian Regime. We know that irans sponsorship of terrorism will continue unabated. Only now they will have more money and increased Market Access to ensure that weapons and funds continue to flow into the very hands of those who wish our deaths. President obama announced quote, that america negotiated from a position of strength and principle, end quote. Really . That was our beginning position . When did they cease to push that position . All i see is capitulation to a regime which has repeatedly violated the terms of the negotiations. All the while sitting at the very negotiation table. Americas failure to truly lead is what has caused both president obama and secretary kerry to state that this deal had the support of the International Community. Obviously they forget that our greatest ally, israel, is part of the International Community. As well as other gulf coast countries. Arent they all members of that same International Community . Now it is incumbent upon congress to seek answers to a number of questions prior to finalizing our votes on an expected resolution. Number one, do we really believe it will prevent a Nuclear Armed iran . Answer, no. Do you really believe it will prevent a Nuclear Arms Race in the middle east . Answer no. Do you really believe that the removal of a comprehensive sanctions program that brought a terroristic Iranian Regime to the negotiating table in the first place can truly be snapped back . Answer, no. Have we lost decades of work . Unfortunately, answer, yes. Do you believe this deal makes the world a safer place . As for me, the answer is no. The answer to all of these questions is no. As such, i cannot nor will i support approval of irans deal of a lifetime. All i can say, mr. Speaker, is its a good thing president obama wasnt on the decades of the u. S. S. Missouri to end world war ii because had he been, we would all be speaking japanese. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. Blackburn, for five minutes. Mrs. Blackburn thank you, mr. Chairman. I appreciate the recognition. You know sitting here listening to my colleagues i find it just so incredibly interesting that nearly everyone that is coming to the floor today is talking about an issue that centers on our nations security. It whether it is our National Security it it writ large in the world. What is happening in the middle east, or what is happening here at home. And as i talk to female constituents, it is amazing to me what comes up over and over. How are we going to be certain that we are safe in our homes, in our communities . How do i know that my children are going to be safe at school . Or how do i know that we are going to be safe when we are out at events in the community or driving in the car or going to church . These are questions of concern to so many moms who like me, worry about their children and their grandchildren. And this is one of the issues that brings me to the floor today. I have legislation that i first filed in 2007. It is called the clear act. Clear. It is h. R. 2964. The clear act dresses the issues with the criminal illegal aliens that are in our country. And the policies that have arisen around sanctuary cities. You know, these sanctuary city policies in the executive amnesty really have turned every state into a border state and every town into a border town in this country. And heres why. There are lax, permissive, liberal policies that have created an open Border Society here in our country. You know what . It makes americans less safe. Every single day. The clear act isnt a big bill. Its 20 pages. Let me tell you what it does specifically. It withholds funding from section 241i of the immigration and nationality act to sanctuary states and cities. Thats important to do. Those liberal and permissive policies have now allowed over the last seven or eight years to create a total of nearly 300 sanctuary cities in this country. This should disturb us because were becoming a sanctuary country. So i would ask my colleagues, will you support that provision of the clear act . The second thing the clear act does, when a state or local Law Enforcement Agency Arrests and alien and requests that d. H. S. , Homeland Security take custody of that alien, the clear act requires d. H. S. To do two things. Take the alien into federal custody and incarcerate he or she within 48 hours or request that the state or municipality temporarily incarcerate the alien or transport them to federal custody. The clear act requires d. H. S. To train state and local police and enforcing immigration laws and to repay them for the money that they have spent. Now sanctuary cities first start ready to happen in the United States in 1979. Los angeles was the first sanctuary city. That means these cities choose choose to stand in violation of federal law and to not comply with federal immigration law. I think its instructive that the department of justice has never taken one of these cities to court, but you let a state like arizona try to strengthen their immigration laws and the d. O. J. Takes them to court. There is something wrong with that. Another thing that has happened is that the illegal alien crime rate which has continued to grow around, you know what the illegal alien crime rate should be . Zero. Zero. There should not be tolerance for this. We see it all across our country. Certainly we saw it on a San Francisco pier. In tennessee, a tennessee Highway Patrol officer made a traffic stop on i40 that led to the arrest of a man with an order of deportation and the recovery of a 19yearold who may have been the victim of human sex trafficking. Its time to address this issue. I encourage support for the clear act. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Cohen, for five minutes. Mr. Cohen mr. Speaker, the city of memphis lost one of its most outstanding citizens on sunday evening. The army bailey who served as a judge in Circuit Court for nearly window two decades was a recognized figure, recognized in the New York Times with a very large and meaningful obituary. The army bailey was singularly responsible for the creation of the National Civil Rights Museum in memphis, tennessee. There was a time when the lorraine motel, which is the site of the Civil Rights Museum and site of Martin Luther kings assassination. Bailey, then an attorney, saw that as wrong and knew that the Civil Rights Museum should be built at the site of the assassination of dr. King. That site should be preserved for generations for them to learn, people to learn about civil rights and learn about dr. King. So he got together and raised money from individuals and the city of memphis and was able to save the lorraine from foreclosure demolition, and he then put together the idea of the city and the county and the state governments funding the beginnings of a National Civil Rights Museum. There was private funding as well, but it was the initial work of the army bailey coming to nashville where i was a state senator and working to get the governor and state legislature onboard and the city of memphis and county of shelby and now there is a phoenix thats risen from the ashes. A great Civil Rights Museum in memphis, tennessee, and there is one man who had the idea, refused to see the site destroyed and sought out the funding when people said it couldnt happen and made sure it happened. That was judge bailey. He was recognized because he spoke truth to power and he spoke truth to power in baton rouge during the Civil Rights Movement, in berkley when berkley was an evolving center of thought and questioning of values and where he was the city councilman and on biel street where he brought students to memphis to march with dr. King. Bailey was a respected figure in the city of memphis crossed all boundaries in the city, economic racial and all because of his gigantic intellect. Many members in the house asked me about his housing. He had an effect on this country and an effect on this city. His was a life well lived and he will be missed. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Duncan, for five minutes. Mr. Duncan thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday i participated in a hearing on criminal Justice Reform before the oversight and government reform committee. A second hearing is being held today on this issue in the same committee. Both hearings conservatives and liberals are joining together to urge that we stop or at least try to slow the growth of our federal police state. Conservative columnist george will wrote a few months ago said that quote, overcriminalization has become a national plague. Paul larkin, Senior Research wrote in the washington times, quote, perhaps there are 4500 federal offenses and more than 300,000 relevant regulations on the books. No one knows exactly how many. The Justice Department and the American Bar Association each tried to identify every crime and failed. Mr. Larkin continued no reasonable person, not even a judge or lawyer could possibly know all of these legal prohibitions, although criminal penalties are attached to each. John baker a retired Louisiana State University Law professor said quote there is no one in the United States over the age of 18 who cannot be indicted for some federal crime. He added, that is not an exaggeration. I have special interests in this because for 7 1 2 years before coming to congress i was a criminal court judge in tennessee trying the felony criminal cases. I believe in being tough on crime, and i have been a very strong supporter of local Law Enforcement, the people on the front lines who are fighting the real crime, the Violent Crime that everyone is so concerned about. But i remember in 1993 reading an article in forbes magazine, one of the nations most conservative magazines. This article said that we had quadrupled the Justice Department just between 1980 and 1993 and that federal prosecutors were falling all over themselves trying to find cases to prosecute. We have kept on expanding the Justice Department since then and had explosive growth in the number of federal crimes. We have had far too many cases where overzealous prosecutors had prosecuted highprofiled defendants just so that prosecutor could make a name for himself. I remember the totally unjustified case against president reagans secretary of labor ray donovan, of which he was acquitted, made the famous statement where do i go to get my reputation back . Our federal government has become far too big. It is far too powerful. We all have heard how particular the i. R. S. Is running roughshod over individual citizens. Newsweek had on its cover the i. R. S. Lawless, abusive, out of control. Unfortunately, while there are many good federal prosecutors, there are far too many of them and unfortunately some who, like the i. R. S. , are lawless, abusive and out of control. There are now so many laws, rules and regulations on the books today that people are being prosecuted for violating laws they didnt even know were in existence. Paul larkin, who i quoted earlier, said we needed a mistake of law defense. An innocent mistake is not supposed to be criminal, but a zealous prosecutor can make even an innocent mistake look criminal and there is no saying that a prosecutor there is an old saying that a prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich if he wants to. Almost every person in any type of business has unknowingly violated some law rule or regulation for which they could be prosecuted. That is why yesterday we had at our hearing a conservative republican like senator john cornyn, a former justice of the texas Supreme Court, and senator berker a liberal democrat and a conservative, like jim sensenbrenner, and a liberal like representative bobby scott, all joining together to urge reform. Lastly, let me mention one other aspect of our nations crime problem. In my years as a judge, i handled over 10,000 cases because probably 97 or 98 of the defendants enter some type of guilty plea and applied for probation. Every day for 7 1 2 years i would read several eight or 10page reports into the defendants background and it said defendants father left home at 2 and never returned or left home to get a pack of cigarettes and never came back. Over 70 of the defendants came from fatherabsent households. Drugs and or alcohol are involved in most cases but they are secondary to the absent father problem. Years ago i read a report that said 57 of marriages break up in arguments, disputes or disagreements about money. As government has grown so much at all levels, federal, state and local, over the past 40 or 50 years, it has become a major factor in the breakup of the American Family by taking so much money and making it so much more difficult for families to stay together. This, mr. Speaker, has had a major impact on our nations crime problem. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. Hice, for five minutes. Mr. Hice mr. Speaker, i rise today in order to stand in strong support of a foundational american law and principle that i feel has been woefully neglected recently. I rise in defense of the First Amendment which in part states that Congress Shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. But due to the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage, i feel that the First Amendment is at risk of being horribly violated in the name of judicial activism. I am deeply concerned for the First Amendment rights of all american citizens and feel strongly that the court did not act within its limited constitutional constraints. And due to this decision, there now exists a direct conflict between the law of man and the law of god. And we have tens of millions of americans who are now facing a dilemma to choose between their faith and their religious convictions and the government. And as christians we must obey the law of god. This decision by the Supreme Court is devastating, and it directly ignored the will of the people, the will of most states. It was a direct rejection of previously held decisions. It rejected dozens of state laws and constitutions, and, yes, it rejected gods law. In effect, this decision took the peoples prerogative and the states prerogative and threw it out the window in favor of incorrectly defining and interpreting that which is detrimental to our First Amendment, the First Amendment which guarantees not only the freedom of speech but also the freedom of religious expression without fear of harassment or penalty from our government. And now, mr. Speaker, we must find different avenues where citizens and lawmakers can get involved to address this egregious offense to our First Amendment. In my home state of georgia, local legislators are considering the pastor protection act which would endeavor to ensure no pastor or minute store or house of faith would be force minister or house of faith would be forced to have a wedding that would violate their beliefs. We must do more. Its a good first step but frankly its my hope that other states would raise the mantle of our constitution and protect it and protect not just pastors and ministers but all citizens including business men and women. In addition to state action, Congress Also must be heavily involved at this time, and as an initial step, im personally proud to have cosponsored h. R. 2802, the First Amendment defense act offered by my good friend and colleague representative Raul Labrador from idaho. This bill includes many provisions that would both reaffirm and safeguard our First Amendment rights. It would ensure that the federal government could not penalize institutions churches and individuals for simply exercising their First Amendment right. Further, it prohibits the federal government from blocking access due to deeply held religious convictions from those who are seeking grants or licenses or contracts accreditation or taxexempt status, and i believe this bill would help greatly to deal with the uncertainty that currently is held by millions. In closing, mr. Speaker its my sincere hope and desire that we can all come together to defend our First Amendment. I think Daniel Webster said it best when he said, if we abide by the principles taught in the bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper but if we in our prosperity neglect its instructions and authorities, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound on security. I for one will continue fighting for our First Amendment. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yield back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ribble, for five minutes. Mr. Ribble thank you, mr. Speaker. This afternoon this body is going to come together in a bipartisan fashion. I think that normally a good thing, bipartisan fashion applaud themselves for fixing the Highway Trust Fund. And like the proverbial magician that takes the shiny object in one hand and distracts you, they will with sleight of hand with the other hand borrow 8. 1 billion when the American People arent watching. I want to refer you to the chart on my left and you will see three lines. I want to talk about the bottom two first. The very bottom line is the revenue line. Thats the amount of money we receive from excise taxes and gasoline taxes to pay for roads and bridges and infrastructure. The red line above it is the expenditures. Thats the money we are spending and the difference between the two is the deficit. Thats the borrowed money. I will show you what it is. For decades, for decades we have been adding red ink to the American Peoples debt. We have been borrowing billions of dollars annually each year to spend on our infrastructure rather than telling the American People the truth. That if we believe, as members of congress and this body, that roads and bridges and airports are important enough to buy, they are important enough to pay for. But we dont want to do that. We dont want to tell the American People we are going to raise taxes, but i want you to know that this afternoon we borrow 8. 1 billion to build roads and bridges, we are going to raise taxes. Heres what i mean. We are going to raise taxes on kids, on our children, on my 11yearold grandson. You want to know why . Because we dont want to tell them, we dont want to tell adults today that they have to pay for the roads and bridges that they buy today. What wed rather do is say you can have these things for free, we are going to wave the shiny magic object here, we are going to borrow money while telling the American People its paid for, and ask our children when they grow up to buy our roads and bridges when the bill comes due. So we are perfectly fine raising taxes on kids. Raising taxes on children. You want to know why . They cant vote. Lets tell them they have to pay for this stuff. Rather than us paying for this stufment remember, all stuff. Remember all deaf spending is nothing more than future taxation. What is the top line here . The hash line . Back in 1992, the last time we raised the national gas tax, congress before i came here, many of my colleagues came here, decided not to index the gas tax to inflation. So our purchasing power is disappearing because we have left it where it is. Im going to use a green pen here. J. F. K. , ohare, international airports, they are the International Gateway to the United States economy and they are also an International Embarrassment on a global scale. We continue to let these places degrade and fall apart and yet none of us in our own spending would do that in our homes. If the roof leaks we fix it. If the house needs painting we paint it. We take care of these things and maintain them because they are our assets. They are what we are passing on to the next generation. And we have lost all this opportunity. What i would much rather see is either we are honest with the American People, mr. Speaker, and say, if its worth buying and worth doing we should pay for it. And then raise the taxes necessary to do that like Ronald Reagan did, like george bush did, like Dwight Eisenhower did, all republican president s, its worth paying for. Lets not burden our children. Lets not tax them. If its worth doing that, do it. If its not worth doing that, we should bring our expenditures down to the revenue level and not spend the money in the first place. So that we are sending a clear message back to each of the states that are getting federal largess on highways and roads and we are not going to do that and you need to raise your taxes to cover the gap. Both of those ideas would be better than what we are doing right now which is nothing but a magic trick on children and we ought to stop it. With that mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Mcclintock, for five minutes. Mr. Mcclintock mr. Speaker, i dont know how adequately to express my alarm and outrage over the president s agreement with iran. It is a breathtakingly dangerous act. Some have compared it to neville chamberlains munich accord with nazi germany. That doesnt fully illustrate the danger n this case we are talking about a rogue state with all of nazi germanys again sidal intentions. This one will be armed genocidal intentions. But this one will be armed with nuclear intentions. The agleement asserts that iran will comply with the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty it signed long ago. Wait a second. If it obeyed this treaty we wouldnt be having this discussion to begin with now would we . The fact is iran has a well established and consistent record of routinely violating International Law. Its intention to acquire Nuclear Weapons is obvious. The immediate effect of the president s action is to release hundreds of billions of dollars of direct and indirect resources to iran with which its government can pursue its military and terrorist activities activities that arent even addressed in this agreement. Its sobering to consider that irans extensive terrorist operations, which reportedly now reach into south america, are about to get a huge infusion of cash. But lifting the sanctions does far more damage than merely releasing resources to this outlaw regime with which to kill israelis and americans as its leader vowed to do just last week. The sanctions were having a major impact on destabilizing the regime, according to all of the iranian expatriate i talked with. Relieving these sanctions undermines what had been a rapidly building uprise against the regime from within. Over the last several years the Iranian Opposition had grown dramatically for two reasons. There was a strong and growing perception among the iranian people that the iranian dictatorship was a pariah in the International Community, and that the resulting International Economic sanctions had created conditions that make the regimes overthrow imperative. That is until barack obama blundered on to the scene. This agreement cannot be verified. We are now learning that the 24 7 access to inspections promised by the president does not exist. Under this agreement the regime can stall any inspection for many weeks or even months. The president s promise that violations will result in a snapback of sanctions is also completely empty. Restoring sanctions would require the assent of china and russia something much less likely given our rapidly deteriorating relations with them. And even if iran scrupulously abided by every detail of the agreement they can continue to run center fugse for centrifuges for low level enrichment, continue their heavy water research, and within eight years acquire intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. That means even under this agreement p within a decade iran will have a Nuclear Breakout capability and the launch vehicles necessary to deliver those weapons anywhere in the world with this solemn vow of its government to wipe israel and United States off the map. Indeed, just last week the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff warned, quote, under no circumstances should we relieve pressure on iran relative to Ballistic Missile capabilities and arms tracking, yet a week later, thats exactly what this agreement does. The president says there is no alternative. This is utter nonsense. The sanctions were working. The domestic resistance to the islamic fascist dictatorship mustered over 100,000 iranian expatriate at its annual meeting in paris last month, this movement desperately needs the moral and Material Support of our nation to bring down the regime from within. That is precisely what this administration has denied them. Last month i fear congress became complicit in this agreement by adopting a completely extra constitutional process for ratification. And i believe its a sham. Instead of the 2 3 vote of the senate to approve treaties, it requires an almost impossible 2 3 vote of both houses to reject it as an agreement, at this moment in time nothing is more important in the world than for 2 3 of this congress to repudiate this dangerous folly. Despite all of the indignities retreats, and selfinflicted wounds our countrys endured these past 6 1 2 years, the freedom loving people of the world still look to us for leadership and support. We are still what lincoln called the last best hope of mankind. It is imperative that congress now rise to the occasion. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Mr. Thompson thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday president obama announced that the final framework for a nuclear deal with iran have been reached. I am supportive of a strong deal that would prevent the nuclear armorment of iran and thereby easing tensions with our ally, israel, no deal is bert than a bad deal. Better than a bad deal. Of concern has been the relief of congressional sanctions implemented years ago. By authorizing sanction relief the iranian government will have billions of dollars at their disposal to use for the same secretive activities we have grown accustomed to seeing them support. As such hundreds of members on both sides of the aisle have expressed their opposition to a deal that does not appropriately address the shortfall of transparency or cooperation that iran has demonstrated repeatedly. Merely threatening them with a snapback sanctions does not go far enough to institute a level of accountability, nor does it prove to be a viable option once the sanction relief has been in motion. Mr. Speaker, as i have stated i joined with a significant majority of both democrats and republicans communicating exsmectations expectations to the president on behalf of the American People for any negotiated deal with iran. Im very concerned these expectations have not been met in this announced proposed deal. The deal should never provide iran a pathway to a bomb. This deal does not prevent that, but rather prolongs the time until iran develops Nuclear Weapons. To achieve security and peace, this agreement must be long lasting. Any deal that allows iran to access conventional weapons in five years and Ballistic Missiles in eight years is anything but long term. Anything but peaceful. Anything but appropriate. Relieve of sanctions should be earned by full compliance, access, and transparency regarding the Iranian Nuclear program. Sanction leaf loaded up front is unacceptable. This sanctions relief loaded up front is unacceptable. It will only provide the financial stimulus to fund the number one exporter of terrorism iran. During this 60day congressional review period i encourage all of my colleagues and the American People to take a very detailed look at this agreement. And determine whether it is a good deal for america. Thank you mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until n cspan3 will be live as the Senate Commerce subcommittee looks into allegations of corruption and bribery at the International Soccer governing agency. The Justice Department has indicted more than a dozen officials. Witnesses include the head of the u. S. Soccer federation. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director richard chord ray providing the semifinal annual report. Now the agency received more than 650,000 complaints through the hot line. Could you give us a since director chord ray just a ballpark figure, how many of those complaints were to the Consumer Satisfaction and how much consumers recovered financially through this process. Mr. Cordray ill say that the arc of Consumer Complaints continues to decrease in terms of volume and i believe thats a function of a lot of lack of visibility. People not necessarily know what the cfpb and theyll know more over time, i hope, and we aim to provide value. We have 700some credit card complaints in our first month and were about to 25,000 complaints per month across the entire range of Financial Services. What happens then is we give the consumer a chance toll us whether they were satisfied with the resolution of their complaint or if not what they continue to be concerned about and we then prioritize issues for further investigation or perhaps enforcement action or supervisory activity and the institutions know that and i think that pushes them to be more thoughtful how they try to resolve those complaints in the first instance. And its i dont know the exact numbers on this but i think its 20 of consumers continue to feel they have a dispute once we worked through our process and then we have, as i say, further steps that we can take. In terms of how much resolution has been for consumers its been many millions of dollars. Its hard to know exactly for sure. They dont always tell us how the matter was resolved. Though many come back to, tell your storyline and often with real gratitude that they did get a resolution and they couldnt get a resolution for months and months but after speaking to us and us working they got one promptly. And that really thrills us when we hear that. But the other thing is theres a lot of nonmonetary relief people get from those complaints. Getting something fixed on their Credit Report can loom very large for them and its hard to quantify. Although i take it certainly has financial ramifications. Mr. Cordray maybe they can get a mortgage that is worth thousands of dollars to them. Its hard to quantify. Debt collections is a constant source of irritation for consumers. The wrong debt or not the right person or whatever and they cant get people to stop calling their phone, i dont know how to put a price on that but to get 12 calls a day and calls in the workplace and its not the right person or whatever it is, us being able to stop that is large for people. And its sometimes easier its easier to quantify relief we give back to people what happened to them before today and we cant easily quantify the benefit to them of things that will not happen to them tomorrow because of changes made today. You know, those go on into the future and can accumulate extensively over time. We dont have a price tack on that. Great. You created this website. Were getting reveille 25,000 people a month. Mr. Cordray and rising. Or phone. And get some resolution. It looks like roughly 80 gets some kind of resolution there. The agency also just recently went live with this Consumer Complaint database. Senator warren and here you have a collection of thousands of narratives from real consumers about problems theyre having with Financial Products or with companies. And its all sortable now online. So its possible to go online and see it by product, by date, by where the consumer lives. For example, just this morning i went to the database and looked for all the complaints from massachusetts about mortgages. So its a powerful way to see what kinds of issues are propping up in the communities that all of us represent. Now, i know its only been online for just a few weeks, but i wondered if you could describe how you think this will help improve the market for Financial Products . Mr. Cordray so the database has actually been online longer although it was broken into very generic categories which i think it was less inciteful for people than hearing in the own consumers own words how they saw it. We described the narrative as really the heart and soul of the complaint. For me to make a complaint and then have it be categorized as somehow debt collection, wrong amount, one of a number of complaints and thats all you know about it, its not nearly as inciteful as to be able to hear insightful as to be able to hear. Its just tangible. Its real. Its the difference between statistics and actually stories and to me thats very significant. The database i think is really causing institutions to have to compete on Customer Service which is a good thing and the good ones are competing very well on Customer Service and others are having to improve and thats a kind of pressure that i think is a positive pressure. Ill also mention there are many members of congress, many members of this committee who are referring complaints over to us when they come to their office and we encourage you to do that. Were supposedly the experts and were happy to work those complaints and then you can see and keep track how they go. We want every american who has a problem to potentially know to come to us and see if we can get it resolved for them. We cant always but we will always try. Senator warren i see this as a prime example of how government can take small steps that will have a very positive impact on the market. Theres a bit more accountability for companies that mistreat or just plain cheat their customers. On the other hand, theres some public acknowledgment for the companies that treat their customers well and resolve their complaints quickly. Mr. Chairman, if i can, i just want to slip in one little followup to the point that senator brown made earlier and thats about forced arbitration clawses. As senator brown highlighted clauses. As senator brown highlighted the report contained some damning findings how arbitration clauses fundamentally tipped the process against consumers and keep them from effectively fighting back even when theyve been cheated. Now, its clear that the biggest banks and some of their republican friends in the house of representatives see the writing on the wall here and that is the rule is coming so theyre pushing legislation that would force the cfpb to redo the report before you issue any new rules. I think this is a stall tactic, plain and simple. The report took three years and 728 pages to complete. It carefully documents a wide range of problems. It is thorough and extensive. I just want to ask you very briefly, because the chairman is indulging and im over time here, but can we get on record the steps the agency took to ensure that this study was complete and accurate, including soliciting and considering comments from the Financial Services industry . Mr. Cordray sure. First of all, we did a request for information at the very outset to ask people how we should go about doing the study. So we really broadly solicited to peoples thoughts and heard a lot from both industry and different kinds of markets and also from consumer groups and others. And we erred toward the side of being comprehensive what they told us to do in the study and doing it as much as we possibly could. This was breaking brand new ground. There wasnt data easily accumulated on that. We did go to the american arbitration association. We were able to get significant data about the arbitration process, which really shed light on that that people had not had before. We looked at a number of different ways of trying to get judicial resolutions of similar matters. We were helped in part because there were some class actions involving certain institutions who at one point had stopped doing their arbitration agreements, so you could actually see what the before and after was. Did it actually save consumers money for them to have this enforced arbitration process . And we were able to map that and discern that. We looked at Enforcement Actions as another means of affecting the marketplace, and people talked more about our Consumer Complaint process as a new element here. It was a very comprehensive report. I honestly dont think we could think of a single thing we could have done that we didnt do. Were always happy to hear more and we had tremendous input all along and now sense weve given round tables and other opportunities to digest the report, talk to us about it and thats an ongoing process. As we now embark on a rulemaking process, there will be Small Business review panels. We found that useful. And there will be notice and comment process on that. Everybody will have their say. We will listen to it all, digest it as best we can and do what were supposed to do as Congress Told us to do, act in the best interest to determine what to do about this. Senator warren thank you and thank you, mr. Chairman, for your indulgence on this. I really appreciate it. Its an important issue. Thank you. Director cordray, earlier and several members of the panel requested information concerning the collection of data. Probably the reason why its really an item of real interest is because of o. P. M. And the loss of the data there. A lot of our employees have come in and concerned about the loss of their personal data. Senator rounds i think when you talk about the collection process you use and the data you wanted to do the Market Analysis with, i think the comes into really, are the organizations that are required to submit data to you, are they submitting from them through perhaps a third party that scrubs it or are they providing data to you thats been scrubbed by the organization itself . Do you have are you aware of how that works in terms of how you actually scrub the data or how it gets scrubbed to begin with . Mr. Cordray im generally aware of it and we have people who are very carefully focused on that. And it depends on the data clks. Some of it is negotiating with industry because thats who were getting the data. They know everything youre doing. They know everything im doing. They use it to market it to us. I dont have myself objection to that. Some privacy folks do. It can be positive. It can be negative. The repositories of data that are much more troublesome than anything we have. Where we can get the data on a sampling basis and ask specifically for certain fields and not for other fields and it comes to us in that form, the credit card database i believe is vetted through expeerian which is a Credit Reporting one of the leading Credit Reporting companies that scrubs the data before it comes to us and removes certain fields. Were trying very hard to make sure our employees do not have access to personally identifiable information. That only causes me trouble in our work and let me just say. The o. P. M. Breaches, they affect my employees as well as your employees and were very sensitive to that and its something that were now dealing with to make sure employees know what their rights are, whats available to them and im sure you are too. The objection we would contribute to that ourselves is not something we ever want to happen. Senator rounds what it did know is it brought to light that we need to protect that data. What i was curious about is whether you actually received the data and then scrubbed it or it was delivered to you by a third party who would then have that responsibility. It sounds like what youre what youve indicated is in the case of some of the larger bulk data amounts its being scrubbed by a third party before it gets to you. Mr. Cordray a Credit Card Company that typicallies that this information anyway. I would have someone to present to you i want you to be comfortable about it. I read and see the stories about the n. S. A. Im an american citizen. I have the same concerns i think you do about that. But i think that thats very distinct from what were talking about here but im happy to have our folks come and spend time. If you remain concerned to know youre senator rounds thats a good way to leave it. Let me move on. Rural appraisals. Im from south dakota. We had challenges. Im not sure how deep into this youve gotten. But rural appraisals have been really tough to get. Im not sure how they are in the more urban areas. In rural south dakota trying to get an appraisal has been very difficult. Two things. Number one, i know you tried to set it up so we could identify rural locations. Im asking, is there another way in which we can get a third or fourth look at it . We have some communities in western south dakota that are clearly rural in nature, but theyre not identified that way. Is there a process in place today where we can get the challenge set up to get them placed in the fropet category . Mr. Cordray when we first opened our doors, we had a number of mortgage rules we were required to do by law. And one of them had to do with appraisals. Another one was an interagency rule with the Federal Reserve on appraisals. And ive always been somewhat concerned as to whether we get that right. One of the big issues youre describing, and im familiar with it, in rural areas tr fewer comparables. Appraisers might have to come from greater distance. Its difficult to make rural transactions. I think were working to alleviate that. I would encourage you to press upon that. You are pressing upon me so ill take it back. If theres more relief we can get on that because its a peculiar circumstance of few and far between areas and we want people to get mortgage there is like the dense areas. Senator rounds the appraisals themselves and comps with regard to rural areas which many cases dont exist and along with that i think youre seeing legislation proposed right now that would actually create the ability for some of the banks who are lirlely holding literally holding those mortgages because they cant qualify in the secondary markets, they are holding them inside and we want to make sure thats an appropriate asset for those banks that end up doing that. If i could, mr. Chairman i have one more question and i know when you worked through the qualified the consolidated statements and the goal was to perhaps simplify some of it. Last year, as i was moving around south dakota, one of my Community Bank remembers said i just got a copy of the recent the most recent release or the qualification statement. And he says, the new disclosure statement as proposed is 164 pages. That was the p. D. F. The only reason why i bring this up, if thats actually the case and hes accurate in his definition and his mr. Cordray hes not. Senator rounds we have to have disclosures that people read. Mr. Cordray thats not correct. What hes talking about is the regulation, the rule that actually implemented these forms is lengthy. I wish it werent but it is. The forms themselves is not 164 pages. That would be ridiculous. They were shorter than before. They are not as short as my friend over here, senator warren, really wanted it to be, one page, application. One page at the closing stage. Its five pages and three pages. Senator rounds remight find something we can agree on. Mr. Cordray congress legislates. We are at five and three pages. It is the key information. To me its the executive summary of the whole transaction. Were looking to try to do electronic closings and push the industry in that direction so a lot of the paper gets taken off and you can focus on the key form here. Weve tested those forms with consumers and they found them to be much easier and accessible and understandable. Whether its two pages or three pages, you know, might matter in some sense in the abstract. These are not lengthy forms. Theyre meant to be key summarized forms and thats what were doing. Again, on the rural and underserved id be glad to hear more from you. I heard a lot from senator johnson when he was share of this committee from south dakota and heard from senator tester and others about western states that are the population is more spread out. We have been working to give more latitude toward Community Banks and Credit Unions to portfolio mortgages in their own portfolio and have them be given all the protections of the rule. I think were getting to a good place on that but well hear more from them as we go. And what i would say there is senator rounds my time has been up. Mr. Cordray Community Banks are increasing their market share in the Mortgage Market and its a good thing. Senator warrener. Senator warrener senator warner i have two areas i want to touch on. Ill try to be brief. One is when we started to see all the hacking, obviously, concerns about o. P. M. As well and im hopeful that acting director colbert will when we started seeing thon the private sector side in terms of credit card and debit card hacking was an area i was not familiar with of the differential Consumer Protections between credit cards and debit cards. Mr. Cordray yes. Senator warner and i think particularly so many young people using debit cards rather than credit cards, i know they have different Business Models but how do we kind of lean in this a little bit to make senator corker and i have legislation that would harmonize it. How can we better inform, particularly our as parent of daughters that use debit cards rather than credit cards all the time how we can equalize these protections . Mr. Cordray its interesting because some of the regulation grows to historical circumstances that dont necessarily make logical sense. Credit card protections were developed at a different time and for different purposes than debit card protections. By the way prepaid cards. Thats another card people have in their wallet. There is no protections. Were working to get that rule finalize so we can cover that gap. What youre saying is credit cards and debit cards, they started out as being distinct. Credit cards were about credit and a way to get away from just store cards and give you credit generally. But debit cards were seen as having to do with a. T. M. s and other things. Theyve become they kind of merged more together as just payment mechanisms. I think people often now may pull out one card or the other and not think that carefully about them. Although some people are quite careful. There are differential protections. I think Fraud Protection on credit card is 50 limit exposure and debit cards is 500. It would make more sense when it was about the a. T. M. And taking out a fair amount of cash. I dont know if it makes sense today. Its something i would invite congress to think about and you may have guidance for us on that. Whether we could fix it ourselves or would have to have a statutory fix, im not clear on that. Senator warner this is an area where i found within the industry i think theres some interest in harmonization. At least folks ought to know there is very different protections. Let me move to another subject. One of the areas i spent some time on last eight or nine months is looking at this dramatic growth in the sharing economy or ondemand economy. Particularly amongst any lynnials. One of the millennials. One of the good sides and bad sides to that. Some folks its quite lucrative to cobble together these different Revenue Sources. There are a whole host of questions there is a lack of a social safety net in workers comp. Not from your purview but something we have to work through. Not with a topdown solution but a opt in and opt out model. One of the areas which has fallen in your areas, weve been starting here as more and more theres some estimates as much of a third of the work force falls at least somewhere along this contingent workers, but as we think about qualifying for mortgages within q. M. , weve got some concern weve heard some concerns that this emerging new kind of 1099 or contingent work force that traditional Banking System doesnt record their income in an appropriate way so their ability to qualify for q. M. s are somewhat undermined. Abend icks q is the section within q. M. That includes guidance for varyfying or documenting income. Is this an area weve taken a look at . Far and away is the Fastest Growing sector of our economy and we ought to get ahead of it. Mr. Cordray anytime anybody asks that question and says appendix q they are in the weeds. Senator warner i didnt know about appendix q until my staffer. Mr. Cordray the point is you made is a good one and one i have become increasingly aware of and concerned about. So theres different aspects of this. I would say several aspects. We are moving to an economy in which we have fewer fulltime salary employees in the old model. Just as we moved overtime away from defined benefit pension systems to defined pension systems. This is happening. Interestingly, i read that the Health Care Laws actually proliberty as a piece of legislation in the sense it doesnt cause people to have to be stuck in a job to get their health care. They can actually consider being an independent contractor, other things and still now get health care. I would say several things. It does create more complications for people qualifying for a mortgage because its harder to document their income. Their income may be more fluctuating. But you start adding up and you start adding up whos intermittent employees temporary employees, seasonal employees. Its a huge portion of the american population. So i think we need to look again at our mortgage rules in light of that. Its not an easy thing to figure out how to handle but its something we need to go back and think more about. I would also say that from a standpoint of wealth and retirement accumulation for americans, this is going to be an increasingly big problem because Pension Plans and even 401k contributions tend to be limited even in companies that have multiple types of work forces to the fulltime fullsalary people and other people dont have access to the ability to put away savings for retirement or get a match by an employer. We have to think hard about what we do about that. Treasury is developing a my r. A. Account that may be an example in this area. I think illinois just did something legislatively. Its something we need to think about because otherwise people will be falling behind in income income disparity but also very much falling behind in wealth and retirement disparity. Senator warner thank you. Senator corker. Senator corker mr. Cordray, thanks for being here. In our office we talked about q. M. I know we were all working on this issue way back when in the bad old days when so much was happening. We were all concerned about a 5 risk sharing if you remember. Thats where everybodys focus was and trying to figure out how to get that right. One of the things we looked at in legislation is dealing with qualified mortgages and there seems to be this focus to only deal with it at Community Banks. Only smaller institutions. And i guess if you look at qualified mortgage thats held on portfolio, that means the institutions keeping 100 of the risk, and i guess ive wondered why weve tried to differentiate, if you will, between smaller Institutions Holding qualified mortgages but larger institutions being unable to do so. And i know we talked a little bit about it. I just wondered if you might address that, and i have one other question. Mr. Cordray we dont have as much time to talk about it today and im happy to talk about it more with you. We generally are trying to find ways to continue to encourage Community Banks and Credit Unions to do mortgage lending because if you look at the data going through the crisis, they had lower defaults than anyone else. They are the most responsible lenders we have. And the more lending they do in accordance with their traditional underwriting models the better it is for consumers the better it is for our economy. Thats why we focused portfolio provisions to benefit them. Im concerned about it as upper levels because i dont the logic of it, you know, may or may not obtain at larger levels but we had an im aware we had a number of institutions that had a lot of portfolio lending that blew up didnt get it right. Washington mutual, countrywide ameriquest. Some of the Companies Really threatened the economy because they made a mess of things. At the did portfolio they did portfolio lending. Although it feels to me that Credit Unions have been highly responsible about it and were looking to encourage them. Im pleased to see that the Community Banks share of mortgage lending seems to be on the increase. Thats good for america, i think. Senator corker so it just seems to me that i agree with much of what you just said. But it seems to me if we on the portfolio lending component theres Something Different than just stopping at billion or whatever and then people just going 2 billion or whatever and then people to certain levels, that ought to be something than just that stark line and i think we ought to explore that together. On manufactured housing. Look, i live in a state where, you know, we have a lot of people that have difficulty affording housing. Senator rounds lives in a state where there are a lot of people that have difficulty affording housing. I know senator cotton does. No offense. But the fact is that, you know, for some of the lower income citizens we represent, manufactured housing is an outlet. I know senator brown and i sponsored legislation back in 2012 that actually was more expansive than what was in the shelby bill this time, and yet we have these rules that are in place that really make it difficult. I mean you and i talked about a fact that on a smaller loan, a 25,000 loan, a 30,000 40,000 loan the costs associated with it end up bumping against some of the regulations we have. And i just wondered if you might address that and at least address the fact that you understand thats a problem and im wondering if we might collectively generate a solution for that. Mr. Cordray yeah. So to me the problem im concerned about and its not limited to manufactured housing, its you go to the lower end of the spectrum in terms of the size of loans the smaller the loan theres still a certain amount of cost that has to be incurred in order to make that loan. And so at a loan thats 200,000 300,000, 400,000, in california, maybe 800,000, the costs are spread over a big base. At 25,000, 50,000, a lot of houses in my state are that kind and manufactured homes are very much that kind, the costs start to get larger. The law as it now currently exists and that we implemented does provide for that. It says under 14u7bd,000 the 3 100,000, the 3 can rise to 4 and 5 . Lower levels to be a hard dollar amount. Whether those numbers are set exactly at the right spot is worthy point worthy of intention. Again, its not specific to manufactured housing but manufactured housing falls very much at that end of the spectrum. And i want to know that people at the lower end of the cost spectrum can get access to mortgages and arent blocked from that by something in the administration or just cost of this. Just as automobile lending actually is going farther down the spectrum people need their cars and to me thats a good thing. So im happy to talk further about that. Weve been trying to look at the data on manufactured housing to understand people have been raising this problem. Is it really a problem or not really a problem . What we do see is that every month of last year from the Census Bureau survey data, manufactured housing lending was up from the month the year before. And some of the leading manufactured housing manufacturers are quite profitable so i dont know what to make of some of the concerns people are raising to me. But i will say that this issue of cost on a smaller loan is a universal issue and problem and one that maybe we should be thinking further about whether the thresholds are exactly right. Senator corker mr. Chairman, thank you for the time. I would just close by saying i appreciate you looking at that data and i understand that in a growing economy youre likely to see more people doing these types of things. Weve seen some data that shows that numbers of these people are unable to be served, and theyre ending up paying more for rental housing than they could be paying for actually purchasing again, a lower cost home of either type, whether its conventional or manufactured. I hope well mr. Cordray its not optimal from anybodys standpoint. Senator corker thank you. At the risk of going down this rabbit hole one more time, i just want to kind of begin with where we are with Data Collection because ive listened and i think in some ways i feel like were ships passing through the night here and not really hearing. You do not require the transfer of personally identified information other than to do consumer services. Based on a complaint. Senator heitkamp am i correct . Mr. Cordray where were giving money back to consumers, we ultimately will need to have information to get the money back to consumers. Senator heitkamp this would not be individual complaints. It would be a broad sweeping kind of investigation where you then would require individual information . Mr. Cordray so, for example, i could name names of institutions, but theyre public, where we had credit card data matters, ultimately we have to get money back to consumers. Either we can work with the institution to do that. Senator heitkamp in terms of your Data Collection the only way you would have personally identified data would be if it were necessary to serve the consumer either in a broad complaint or an individual complaint . Mr. Cordray i believe thats exactly correct and theres no purpose having it otherwise. I just get in gets in my way and my teams way. Senator heitkamp do they send you bulk information having that information in it requiring you to scrub it or domation thats been scrubbed and where Social Security numbers and personally identified information has been removed . Mr. Cordray so on that i would like to have my staff come brief your staff. Senator heitkamp i think theres enough interest here that a report would be fine. Mr. Cordray i believe its through all circumstances but im all hesitant to say all unless my staff tells me thats correct. Senator heitkamp and i want to make one point which is interesting to me. Where we are deeply concerned what you have, we should be equally concerned about the cybersecurity of the information where it resides which is with the companies that you access every day. And so they are going to have any breach of their data is much more damaging than access to your to your data that is being used for Market Analysis . Mr. Cordray target, home depot. Accounting information, Social Security numbers, very problematic. Senator heitkamp i think another thing that will be helpful and we found great response from your agency whats rural and what isnt, we think you probably have made the right decisions in north dakota. But im curious as to the percentage of land mass in this country you determined is in fact rural. If you could get back to me that would be great. Also would reiterate senator testers concern about consultation and would be interested in followup on consultation with tribes as well. Thats part of the scheme in a governmenttogovernment relationship. We need all mr. Cordray and i know you got me come visit you. Senator heitkamp and i wanted to mention that. I do have to say where we can disagree i think your personal integrity is unimpeachable and i think youre doing a very difficult job director. I want to thank you for your service. Someone with your credentials having i believe clerked with the Supreme Court at one point, with your great academic background is someone who is extraordinarily valuable. And im i want to reiterate some of the points youve been hearing about where were at with the people were trying to protect. And i think what were all trying to get at is how do you balance protecting the consumer against access to necessary credit whether it is in small dollar lending, whether its in manufactured House Resolution, whether it is access to Rural Communities or native American Communities to the market. I think theres a balance there, and i know i told you frequently my story i was the first person to get beat up trying to shut down payday lending. Sometimes people need diverse sometimes people need gas and they have a flat tire and they cant fix it and those people are living on the margin. I understand the need to protect people but i also understand the need to have some form of small dollar, shortterm lending. What do you think those products and ill this will be my last question. What do you think those products should look like and how do we achieve that balance and how do you as the director, you know i think address the concerns that we have which is lets give people access to credit, it helps build their credit, it helps build america but lets also protect them. And thats a tough balance with this population. Mr. Cordray it really is. By the way, we first saw this issue with our mortgage rules where we in the doddfrank act they passed certain things that we were required to do on mortgages at a time when the Mortgage Market was all overheated and quite irresponsible. And the underwriting had deteriorating deteriorated. The Mortgage Market was now frigid. Credit was very tight. It was a hugely different situation. So as we wrote those rules we really became very keenly aware face to face with this problem of, how do you balance protections, which we want, with access to credit, which we do not want to choke off . And thats something we tried to balance in the mortgage. I think we did pretty well with it but its something were constantly monitoring and trying to think about. Same thing in these small dollar rules. We know people have a demand for small dollar credit. They had it for over 100 years and they get that demand served in several ways and some products are more responsible and some are less responsible but people have a demand. And we cant choke off a supply to them. At the same time we are concerned about this issue of the debt trap, people ending up thinking theyre getting in and getting out but many of them end up rolling over and getting stuck at very high cost over a long period of time and thats the issue were trying to address. Now, whether the Industry Business model relies on that to subsidize the single demand loans, im not entirely clear on that. They say they dont but maybe they do. Its something were trying to figure out as were working on these rules. I have the same objective in mind that you described. People need to have access to money and not everybody has an uncle or a sister or motherinlaw that they can go to for 300 or 500. If theyve done it once or twice they may not be able to do it a third time. We get that. At the same time we dont want people to end up in products that harm them further. Im not sure im the right person to say what all the right products are. What we are trying to identify there are certain wrong products we want to rein in a bit while still leaving access to credit. How to get there though, as complex as you say, its a difficult issue and im hopeful and were working hard to try to understand it enough to try to get it right. Senator heitkamp thank you, mr. Chairman. I think senator heitkamp raised an important issue and we talked about this before, mr. Cordray. Is we dont want to drive the small marginal consumer underground where there is no regulation, because thats what we had before. I believe that goes right to the thrust of our question. Senator shelby how do we do this without overregulating this and how do we have access to some type of credit . Because there will be credit. The question is will it be legal or illegal . Now we can have our senator cotton coming up. We can have that ivy League Debate that you referred to. Senator cotton. Senator cotton thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, director, for appearing before us. I want to return to a topic that senator corker touched upon affordable housing. Since this and h. U. D. Data indicates there may not be a single county in this country that currently has affordable housing, this is particularly acute in the kind of rural state that i represent or rural county where i live. There are not a lot of new Single Family homes being built. Theres not a large stock of multifamily rental units which is why many families find manufactured housing to be the most affordable option they have, as senator corker described. They end up paying less on a mortgage for a manufactured home than they would pay for a very limited supply of rental stock. As you described, theres a basic math problem. It takes a certain amount of time and resources to process any loan, whether the loan is 40,000 or 400,000 or 4 million. And over a bigger loan, that cost is spread out across a bigger base and therefore the percentage costs dont appear to be as high. Over a smaller loan like you have for manufactured housing, its a much smaller base right out so it appears higher even though thats the preference of the consumer. You have regulatory flexibility under the doddfrank act, under section 1431 to address this, to raise those percentage rates. Yet you havent used that yet. Could you explain why you havent used that yet, and maybe if youre looking ahead to using it to grant some relief to families and lenders . Mr. Cordray we did consider this and pretty carefully with a lot of input at the time we adopted our mortgage rules, our big set of mortgage rules in 2013. And this issue was raised and the 3 was not seen as appropriate for loans under 100,000. And it went to 4 . At certain levels 5 at lower levels and dollar figures at the lowest level. Now that was an effort to try to address the issue that youre raising that i see as a very legitimate issue. Whether we got those numbers right, whether we should reconsider them and think further about them just as we reconsidered and thought further about the rural and underserved issue is a fair point and its one i will take back from this hearing. I do remain concerned that credit at the smaller at the lower end, dollar end of the spectrum is tight. It is tight. Its tight for people who often have lower Credit Scores and more difficult to access credit. I dont want to try to pretend underdo underwriting thats being done by these institutions on that. But whether those numbers are set at the right level, whether 100,000 is the right level are things i am not entirely clear on. I think we should look at some more. You should look at it some more. We should have a fruitful discourse on whether there should be changes there. Senator cotton thank you for that. You referenced in your answers to senator corker you have seen some encouraging data. I have seen as well. Its limited to the sale of new manufactured housing. I believe that mr. Cordray i see. Senator cotton and a robust market for refinancing and for secondary sales. Manufactured housing obviously doesnt have the same lifetime that Single Family housing does, but oftentimes families need manufactured housing at a time in their life when theyre going through a lot of change and theyre newly married, have children. Theyre also going through economic change, hopefully getting higher wages, moving up the economic ladder and ready to move into a different kind of home when theres another family who is willing to buy their manufactured home. Director id like to turn to another question now. Last year, you brought an enforcement action against a mortgage lender, p. S. H. You went in front of an Administrative Law judge and that judge ruled for them and issued a judgment of 6 dch 4 million. 6. 4 million. You imposed a fine of a judgment of 109 million. Could you explain your thinking both why you pursued an Administrative Law judge as opposed to a an article 3 court and what evidence went into your thinking to overturn your own l. J. And impose a fine 17 times his initial judgment . Continue to watch this hearing at cspan. Org. We leave it now as the house is about to return for legislative business. Members will debate today fivemonth extension of the Highway Trust Fund. The Program Provides federal funds for highway and transit projects across the country. Its running out of money. Temporary extension infuses some 8 million into the fund to keep it going until longterm funding is agreed to. Live house coverage here on cspan. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain reverend dr. William langford great Bridge Baptist Church, chesapeake, virginia. The chaplain our heavenly father as we stand here today we cannot help but first be thankful for your providential hand that has guided and blessed our country. Im also very thankful for the members of this peoples house, for their willingness to serve and to represent the citizens who have called upon them. And as they take on the issues of this day, i ask, dear lore, you first give them a spirit of humility, to recognize our limitations but to also recognize our need for you. I pray, lord you would give them a heart to seek you are infinite wisdom rather than relying on our finite understanding. I pray, lord, you give them clarity as they discern your direction and that i pray you would give them the courage to follow you and to lead us and protect us in these challenging and increasingly dangerous days. Father i pray that you would give us the assurance that whatever whenever we stand resolved to seek your wisdom and resolve to act on your leadership, that you will, indeed, bless our tomorrows. And i pray all these things in the name of jesus who is eternally faithful and forever trustworthy. Amen. The speaker pro tempore the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker pursuant to clause 1 rule 1, i demant a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. The speaker pro tempore the question is on agreeing to the speakers approval. Journal. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The journal stands approved. The gentleman from california. Mr. Lamalfa mr. Speaker i object to the vote on the grounds a quorum is not present and make a board. The speaker pro tempore point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore proceedings on this question will be postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by this morning by the gentleman from washington, mr. Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from virginia, mr. Forbes, is recognized for one minute. Mr. Forbes mr. Speaker, i rise to honor todays guest chaplain, pastor will lankford. Hes the led pastor of great Bridge Baptist Church in chesapeake, virginia, where im proud to say i have been a member for over 50 years. Hes served for almost 30 years as churches in ohio kentucky, and virginia. He received his doctor of ministry and master of divinity at Southern Baptist theological sem nary. Hes the author, speaker and host. Hes dedicated his life to serving his congregation and the community in chesapeake. Im personally grateful not just for the wisdom he shares from the pulpit but for his day to day example of the impact one can have on his or her community state, and nation, when they personify the teaching of jesus christ. Hes joined today by his wife of nearly 30 years, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, brittany and bethany. Plose join me in welcoming pastor lankford. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields bafpblgt for what purpose does the gentleman from yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent the text of h. R. 2722 as proposed to be passed under suspend the rules be modified by the amendment i have placed at the desk. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will designate the amendment. The clerk amendment to the managers amendment offered by mr. Luket mire of missouri, strike line 15 all that follows through page 8 line 12, page 12, strike lines 22 and all that follows through page 13 line 6 and insert the following b distribution. Subject to section 5134f of title 31 United States code all surcharges received by the secretary from the sale of coins issued under this act shall be promptly paid by the secretary to the Breast Cancer research foundation, new york, new york, for the purpose of furthering Breast Cancer Research Funded by the foundation. The speaker pro tempore is there objection . Without objection, so ordered. The chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. Sir pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2h of rule 2 of the rules of the u. S. House of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on july 15 2015, at 9 05 a. M. That the senate passed, senate 1300. Senate 1756. Senate 1482. Signed, sincerely, karen l. Haas. The speaker pro tempore the chair will now len jenttain up to 15 further requests for one minute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Johnson mr. Speaker, the nuclear deal president obama has reached with iran is dangerous and delusional. He says it will stop iran from getting the bomb. Well, id like him to tell us how it would do so when it puts us at the mercy of iran. This deal does not provide for any time anywhere inspections. We would have to ask iran permission which they could deny. The idea that iran will not go nuclear with this deal defies history, worse yet, it will undoubtedly start a Nuclear Arms Race in the middle east. I say that as a veteran of two wars this deal reflects obamas disastrously naive Foreign Policy of appeasing our adversaries and stiffing our friends. We have a duty to protect american citizens from harm. Thats what i will be voting against this deal why ill be voting against this deal. Yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . It i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. Mr. Quigley thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are 16 days away from the latest expiration of the Highway Trust Fund. This is nothing new. Over the last six Years Congress has passed 33 stopgap funding bills to extend transportation funding. Today well vote on the 34th. Congress has repeatedly failed to provide the longterm investments in transportation that we so badly need. Without serious longterm investments, we simply will not be able to compete in todays global economy. Europe now invests twice as much as we do in transportation. China invests four times as much. Our crumbling infrastructure rated a d minus by the American Society of engineers is slowing our Economic Growth. State and local governments are being forced to cut back on their Construction Projects. Private Sector Companies are being forced to stop hiring workers and investing in capital. It is time to provide American Businesses and American Workers with transportation funding certainty. It is past time to pass a longterm transportation bill that will grow our economy and create jobs. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, the American People have an expectation that the hard earned money that they pay in taxes will not be wasted or used fraudulently. However we have seen far too many examples of the federal government squandering taxpayer dollars. Mr. Paulsen take the i. R. S. For example. We have learned the earned income tax credit as an error rate of over 27 . That means taxpayer money is wasted to the tune of 15 billion. Compare that to the private sector where visa has a maintaining error rate of 0. 06 . Another shocking revelation is even discovered a single mailbox received 24,000 fraud leapt tax returns totaling 46 million. One mailbox. In addition to fixing a broken tax code by making it simpler and fairer, washington needs to be good stewards of the taxpayer money making sure that taxpayer dollars are not wasted, are not misused, and there is appropriate oversight over the i. R. S. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Washington. Without objection. The gentleman is recognized. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Older americans want to spend their golden years living in dignity and for many that means being able to stay in their own homes. Mr. Kilmer in concert with the white house conference on aging, this week i met with a group of home care workers that turn that wish into a reality. They work tirelessly to cook meals and help with therapies and make sure medication is taken properly, help people live under their own roof. The work of caregivers is so valuable so i want to call on this congress to actually value them. What does it say when the people who care about our most vulnerable, our parents and grandparents are so poorly compensated . When one of the caregivers i met with expressed her concern that her pay was so low she wasnt building up enough in Social Security to retire herself. We need to work for better wages for the notion that when someone works overtime they get overtime. We need to expand training and apprenticeship opportunities so those working hard in these notwithstanding positions can move up. Mr. Speaker, i have a grandmother who is now 105 years old. I want the caregivers taking care of her and her generation and future generations to know that we respect what they do. Not just with words but with policies and pay that supports them. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields bafpblgt for what purpose does the gentleman from back. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to discuss a simple solution to a straightforward problem. A constituent of mine came to me with this issue, it created College Funds to each of his grandchildren in a 529 college saves plan. Some of his grandchildren decided not to go to college, while others went to college and graduated but with student debt. Mr. Nugent i want to use left over College Savings to pay off those loans which makes sense because the loans were the same expenses as the 529 plan money is intended but they are not able to spend that money without being hit with both a Capital Gains taxes and additional 10 penalty. The same as if he was using the money for some other purchase. Today im introducing a bill to strike the additional penalty to a 529 College Savings plan. Money is used to pay for Student Loans that were taken out for qualified educational expenses. In this age of Rising College costs, there is no reason to penalize families for paying down student debt. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Thank you mr. Speaker. Ms. Kelly as students enjoy summer break we need to make sure our kids remain intellectually engage. Today we hear so much of our youth being glued to screens, tablets, and apps. Its caused concerns among parents who worry that their kids remain idle in the summer. I know our kids can be just as enthusiastic about reading as they are about mind craft. Last year i started robins readers. I was blown away by the response. More than 3,000 kids participated and read over 20000 books in a 10week period. This past april i hosted an awards event for these kids and saw firsthand their passion for reading. Chicagos mayor has also started rahms readers which will ensure the love for reading continues to burn strong over the summer months. I urge my colleagues especially my illinois colleagues to work with me to promote literacy. I call on you to start your own reading program. Together we can instill a lifelong love of reading in our children. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, mr. Speaker. Yesterday my colleague from alabama, congresswoman martha roby, spoke eloquently on the floor following an extremely disturbing and unsettling video that surfaced showing planned parenthoods top doctor caught on camera explaining how abortion industry professionals illegal sell the body parts of aborted babies. I rise today to thank you for her conviction and join her in araising awareness of the development. Planned parenthood still is the largest Abortion Provider in the nation and still somehow receives federal dollars. The video literally states a graphic horrendous detail the procedure and how she can crush the babys body without damaging the organ issue brokers are seeking at the rate of 30 to 100 for fetal body parts. Allowing this organization to profit off taking a life of an unborn child. These revelations not only inhumane and barbaric they raise many questions of legality and integrity. Federal law prohibits the harvesting sale and use of tissue and body parts of aborted children for payment. I urge my colleagues not only to watch this video but take a serious look at the practice of this organization and i will join efforts to demand a conditioningal investigation congressional investigation into the practices of planned parenthood and organizations like that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition 8 . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Higgins the servicemans readjustment act of 1944 is one of the most significant laws in our history. It provided education to millions of americans and created Economic Opportunity for a generation. Subsequent g. I. Bills were signed into law to cover the soldiers of subsequent conflicts, but these benefits came with a catch. They had to be used within 10 or 15 years. Mr. Speaker, the sacrifice of our soldiers is immeasurable and timeless, and our gratitude should not come with an expiration date. Many returning veterans postpone education to support their families or rehabilitate from war injuries. A recent v. A. Report found that 21 of veterans had not used their educational benefits because their period of eligibility had expired. Moreover, placing limits on educational benefits is out of step with the increasingly competitive global economy. Today, many workers will need specific skill training throughout their entire career. I have introduced the veterans education flexibility act to remove these outdated deadlines and retroactively restore the benefits to the americans who earn them. I encourage my colleagues to join on this bill and correct this terrible injustice. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlelady from North Carolina seek recognition . Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Ms. Foxx mr. Speaker, yesterday a disturbing video surfaced of dr. Deborah planned parenthood discussing the sale of fetal organs as they casually eats launch. The way she describes how planned parenthood clinics kill innocent children and then harvest their precious hearts, lungs and livers to sell is sickening. In 2014 alone planned parenthood was directly responsible for killing over 350,000 unborn babies in their clinics. It is unconscionable and inexcusable that we are giving the hardearned money of american taxpayers to an organization that callously kills an innocent unborn child every 90 seconds. At its core, planned parenthood supports the systematic recollection termination of the most vulnerable among us. Its past time that we end federal funding of this organization which views the life of the unborn as a revenue generator. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Kennedy thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in memory of a dear friend and mentor who passed away over the weekend. Professor David Grossman was a talented lawyer, a dedicated teacher and a passionate advocate. He committed his life to the fair implementation of the law, believing that it applies to all of us and protects each of us. Throughout his career, he showed how words like justice and fairness were not just ideals for discussion but principles that had to be fought for, protected and defended. He made the law come alive. He gave it a face and a family. Serving at the helm of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau for nearly a decade, he trained, supervised and worked with over 180 law students and served roughly 2,700 lowincome individuals and their families. Through his service, he protected thousands of people in need and inspired hundreds of young lawyers. Our community has lost a champion. His values and vision live on through all those he touched. My thoughts and prayers are with stacy during this difficult time. May his memory be a blessing for us all. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from New Hampshire seek recognition . Mr. Guinta i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Guinta mr. Speaker, i rise today to congratulate a Granite State teacher who is a leader in our nation with their innovative and engaging approach to teaching. Stephanie burke a middle School Science teacher at West Running Brook middle school in dairy has excelled not just in the classroom but also in her community. Her work and dedication to educating Granite State youth have earned her the distinct honor of the 2015 president ial award for excellence in mathematics and science teaching. Only 108 teachers nationwide receive this honor. The Granite Stater through and through, stephanie graduated from the university of New Hampshire and obtained her masters degree from new england college. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to engage and mold the young minds in her classrooms. Oftentimes the teachers dont get the thanks or the credit they deserve. Stephanie burke represents the best in teaching and i applaud this incredible and welldeserved accomplishment. Stephanie, its because of you that our nation remains the world leader in innovation, ideas and excellence, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition . Mr. Cicilline mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Cicilline mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the men and women of the Central Fire Company in rhode island who is celebrating their 100th anniversary this weekend. A nonprofit organization, Central Fire Company number one was registered first on july 30, 1915, to provide volunteer Firefighting Services for the people of time of warren. The defenders of the north end and protectors of the world, as they are known, not only serve as critical First Responders for the people of warren, theyve also helped raise thousands of dollars for those less fortunate in their community. In february 2003, the Central Fire Department provided critical assistance during one of the most destructive fires in our nations history, the station nightclub fire. First responders put their own lives in the lives of danger so they may protect their fellow citizens. I salute the Central Fire Company on 100 years of service to the people of warren, rhode island, and with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, request permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you mr. Speaker. Mr. Farenthold yesterday at a Judiciary Committee committee hearing, Homeland Security secretary jeh johnson didnt know who kate steinle was. I hope he still remembers his own Border Patrol agent javier vega jr. , a father husband and south texan. Both of these fine americans were gunned by by illegal aliens who had been deported multiple times but were brack in our country. Mr. Johnson couldnt tell me what percentage of the border was secure. You know, last month i visited the border, talked to some hardworking Border Patrol agents who are very frustrated. They keep apprehending the same people over and over again. Theyre frustrated by the catch and release program. Coyotes, less than four or five people are simply let go. We got to secure our border to avoid tragedies like kate steinle and javier vega jr. For that matter, we need to secure the borders to keep us safe. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise to urge the Republican Leadership to bring up the longterm funding transportation bill. Republicans want to pass a shortterm extension to the Highway Trust Fund that fails to make the proper investments that our economy needs. Mr. Gallego our nations infrastructure is in a bad shape. It is critical we make the necessary longterm predictable investments in our countrys roads, Transit System and highways that will create jobs grow our economy and offer certainty for states to invest in larger, muchneeded projects. Mr. Speaker, 42 state chambers of commerce agree that our deteriorating National Infrastructure is an issue that directly affects our ability to compete in the global marketplace and provide Financial Security for millions of middle class American Families. Its time for the Republican Leadership to stop kicking the can down the road with shortterm fixes that are costing us more money in the long run and hurting our economy and costing jobs. I call on the Republican Leadership to bring up a longterm bill and stop playing games with americas crumbling infrastructure. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. Foip without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to address a glaring issue of the persecution of christians around the globe. Mr. Davis our nation was founded on the principles of religious liberty and tolerance and the United States continues to promote these ideals. We must remained steadfast in our effort for individuals who are prers cuted simply due to their faith. Mr. Dold everyone around the globe, mr. Speaker, should be free to live a life of faith, to worship as they choose without fear of persecution from a ruthless regime. The basic freedom, which is enshrined by our Founding Fathers, must not only be promoted here but also around the world. As the shining city upon the hill with the worlds eyes upon us its our nations duty to be a leader to fight against the persecution of christians. As isis continue to afact christians in the middle east, we must continue to show that our nation will stand up and defend those that cannot defend themselves. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, request perm mission to address the house permission to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Less than two months ago, House Republicans refused to take the opportunity to extend the Highway Trust Fund and instead decided to be reckless and kick the can down the road. Mr. Aguilar to no ones surprised, were faced with the same predicament. How long will Republican Leadership continuously refuse to govern . They played the same political games with the funding of the department of Homeland Security, which keeps our nation safe from National Security threats and allowed the Exportimport Bank to expire, punishing American Business owners across the nation. And now they want to gamble with the safety of millions of americans who rely on our transportation and infrastructure which is crumbling beneath us. Enough is enough. We need a comprehensive and longterm surface transportation plan, not a shortterm fix. The Highway Trust Fund supports critical projects which include improving the i10 freeway in the inland empire as well as countless other projects within the country. Its time we start governing and bring a longterm extension measured in years, not months. We dont need another shortterm patch. Its time for Real Solutions. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker i have deep concerns about the direction the Obama Administration has taken in reaching this agreement with iran. While i support all diplomatic efforts to promote peace and cooperation, there is little reason to believe that this deal will halt Irans Nuclear program or that the Iranian Regime is truly committed to rejoining the International Community. Mr. Fitzpatrick iranian leaders have spewed hateful language toward the United States israel and the jewish people and have unapologetically continued their state sponsorship of terrorism. Next week the Bipartisan Task force to investigate Terrorism Financing that im proud to chair will take a closer look at irans role in financing terrorist groups around the world. Information that i feel is vital to the administration, to congress and the American People when reviewing any Nuclear Agreement with iran that includes sanctions relief. In the end, this announced deal is under Congressional Authority to review and i will only support it if it meets the simple benchmark of forever preventing a nuclear iran. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition . Mrs. Capps i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Capps i rise in support of h. R. 2713, the title 8 nursing work force reauthorization act, a bipartisan bill that i authored with my nursing caucus cochair, david joyce. When president johnson first signed these programs into law, he observed that the nurse training act of 1964 was the most important nursing legislation in our nations history and indeed it has been. Over the past 50 years, title 8 programs have bolstered Nursing Education at all levels, from entry Level Preparation through graduate study. Not only supplying our nation with needed Health Care Providers but also strengthening the Nursing Education pipeline to train the nurses of tomorrow. These programs are targeted to address specific needs within the nursing population nursing work force and americas patient population. Simply put title 8 nursing work force programs are a direct investment in our nations health. The nursing work force reauthorization act of 2015 is a bipartisan effort to simply ensure that these critical programs are available for years to come. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to cosponsor h. R. 2713, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to speak about a matter that is drit cal critical to the future security of not only the United States but to our allies and interNational Security. Yesterday the president announced a Nuclear Agreement had been reached between iran and six other nations led by the United States. Throughout these negotiations i have been skeptical of the concessions made by this administration to iran despite its history of dangerous and defiant behavior. Iran is the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism. And has consistently shown a pattern of noncompliance. I have serious concerns this deal will fail to prevent a nuclear iran while rewarding the iranian government and their past actions with billions of dollars of sanctions relief. As Congress Continues to evaluate the deal, i believe we must reject any agreement that further bolsters the Iranian Regime, endangers our allies, especially israel, and fuels instability in the region. Far too much is at stake to accept a bad deal that puts the security of our nation and our fight to combat violent extremism at greater risk. Mr. Speaker, how can you have a deal with someone you cant trust . I yield back the balance of my the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, today we are going to be asked to vote on another shortterm funding patch for the Highway Trust Fund. Mr. Bera we have done this over 30 times. But what we need is a bipartisan plan and a longterm transportation bill thats fiscally responsible. Its what we have always done throughout our history. Think about it president lincoln built the transcontinental railroad. Put thousands of people to work. And helped lead an economic boom. President eisenhower invested in the interstate highway bill. Built our interstate commerce system and transport system and put thousands of people to work and led to an economic boom. Lets think big. Thats what we do as americans. Lets invest in ourselves. Lets come up with a longterm Highway Trust Fund bill that invests in our infrastructure, puts thousands of americans to work, and lets us lead an economic recovery not just in the United States but in the world. Thats what we do as americans. We think big, mr. Speaker. Lets get this done. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentlelady from missouri seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute thank you. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in response to the Obama Administrations announcement of reaching an agreement with Islamic Republic of iran, a state sponsor of terrorism, regarding its Nuclear Program. This agreement jeopardizing our National Security and that of our allies by giving iran the ability to continue its march towards nuclear capability. Where are the restrictions that the American People and her allies were promised . Where are the any time anywhere inspections . Mrs. Hartzler where is the dismantling of Irans Nuclear infrastructure . I do not see these restrictions mr. Speaker. Additionally, this deal will hand iran billions in sanctions leaf for it to continue funding terrorism and promoting instability in the region. This agreement jeopardizing our closest ally israel, and relies on the hope that iran which has proven to shirk agreements in the past complies with the terms. In short, this agreement does not stop iran from being on the doorstep of nuclear capability. We cannot allow that to happen. Any deal that ends in a nuclear iran is a bad deal and should be rejected. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition . Ms. Wilson i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Ms. Wilson mr. Speaker, today we wear red to bring back our girls. This week boko haram said it will free the girls in exchange for the extremist groups leaders. We who have raised our voices to shout bring back our girls, we knew that this would come. Mr. Speaker, boko haram could not risk killing the girls, but to hold 219 girls hostage for more than a year and then parade them out only as bargaining chips shows how little boko haram values these precious girls. If i can speak to the girls i would tell them, we value you. Your friends and family who pray for you daily, they val you you. Your new president who has taken steps to defeat boko haram, he values you. Your friends in congress who wear red on wednesdays to bring attention to your values and to your cause, we value you. And we will continue to tweet, tweet tweet hash tag bring back our girls. Tweet, tweet tweet, , join rep wilsonlogical we bring back our girls. I yield back the balance of our time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition . Ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. If you work, you should be better off than if you dont work. Thats why earlier this week i introduced the drug testing for welfare recipients act. This bill is designed to improve welfare programs by requiring recipients who have a known history of drug use to pass a drug test for eligibility. I am a Firm Believer we have a moral obligation to help those in need who cannot help themselves. Yet it is critically important to get the incentives right so that these programs are not abused. Most employers require workers to pass a drug test as a condition for employment. The government should expect the same of people who receive welfare benefits. If recipients cant meet the basic standards of employment, in essence they are trapped in a cycle of welfare dependency. Mr. Speaker, i believe this bill is one step in the right direction to improve our wfl programs and i encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense bill. I yield back my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Newhouse mr. Speaker, roughly one year ago today the carlton complex wildfire broke out in okinawgin in my district. Burning over 250,000 acres, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, and devastating the environment. Communities in the valley continue to deal with the fires longterm consequences. And are still working to rebuild and recover. One year later we recognize the heroic efforts of thousands of First Responders, firefighters, and volunteers who worked around the clock at great personal risk to fight the blaze. I saw first hand how the community pulled together to help one another volunteers provided shelter to survivors, cooked meals, and unloaded trucks of relief supplies. The outpouring of support from volunteers from all over the state is a testament to the spirit and determination of washingtonians. We must remember the losses caused by this catastrophic wildfire and Congress Must continue to push to improve forest health, to ensure that this does not happen again. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition . Thank you mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from kansas is recognized for one minute. I rise today saddened and horrified at recent media reports that planned parenthood as an Abortion Provider is harvesting or attempting to harvest and sell baby organs preserved in partialbirth abortion. It shocks and sickens the conscious of our nation and each of us as human beings that these providers would use these innocent children ripped from their mothers womb and their skulls crushed to sell their organs for profit organs that they never had a chance to use. Its a sad day. Mr. Yoder mr. Speaker, we are becoming a compassionate prolife nation each and every day and all of us must speak out against these practices. We must ensure these providers are prosecuted under the law and we should pass whatever legislation necessary to ensure that we appropriately punish these acts. We shall also ensure that not one penny of american tax dollars goes to planned parenthood or any organization that performs or profits. No organization that enriches itself from unborn human life is worthy of hard earned taxpayer dollars. Let us come together as representatives of the American People and declare with one voice we will not tolerate or condone something so despicable. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Speaker. In light of the third greek bailout announced this week, i rise with great concern over our own nations finances. Mr. Speaker, last month the Congressional Budget Office released their 2015 longterm budget outlook. This report paints a troubling picture with Interest Rates expected to rise and aging population increasing Health Care Costs per person, and more and more recipients of government payments and subsidies, our nations debt held by the public is expected to rise to 100 of our economy in just 25 years. Only one other time in our history, the end of world war ii has it ever been higher. Mr. Speaker, doing nothing about this coming crisis is not an option. We can avoid the very predictable fiscal mistakes that has caused so much turmoil in europe. We need policies that spur Economic Growth. Just yesterday the white house revised down their g. D. P. Growth estimates for this year from 3 down to 2 . Mr. Speaker lets rein in our governments outofcontrol spending, balance our budget, which will get our economy moving again. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of h. R. 2722. Again thats h. R. 2722rk the Breast Cancer awareness commemorative coin act. The speaker pro tempore without objection. For what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition . Mr. Newhouse mr. Speaker by direction of the committee on rules i call up House Resolution number 362 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 48 House Resolution 362. Resolved, that at any time after the adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h. R. 2898, to provide drought relief in the state of california, and for other purposes. The First Reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Natural Resources. After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the fiveminute rule. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on Natural Resources now printed in the bill it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the fiveminute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules Committee Print 11423. That amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. No amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. Each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally quided and drold by the divided and controlled by a prone opponent and opponent. Shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to demand for division of the house or in the committee of the whole. All points of order against such amendments are waived. At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the Committee Shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. Any member may demand a separate vote in the house or any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the ail bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with wore without or without instructions. Section 2, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h. R. 3038, to provide an extension of federal aide highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded occupied of the Highway Trust Fund and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one, one hour of debate equally he divided among and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure. And the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. And two, one motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington is recognized for one hour. Mr. Newhouse thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. I now yield the customary 30 minutes to the good gentleman from florida my friend, mr. Hastings, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. Also mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Newhouse on tuesday, the rules committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 362 providing for consideration of two very important pieces of which is the Western Water and American Food act of 2015 and h. R. 3038, the highway and transportation funding act of 2015, part 2. The rule provides for consideration of h. R. 2898 with a structured rule with eight amendments made in order that are evenly split between democratic and republican members of this body. The rule also provides for consideration of h. R. 3038 under a closed rule. Mr. Speaker, this rule will allow us to consider the Western Water and American Food act, which is an important bill that will help us respond to the severe water shortages facing california, which im sure many of you have heard, and much of the western United States. Many people are confronting the worst drought that theyve seen in many, many years, and a growing number of communities across the west have been acutely impacted by these arid conditions. While certainly these conditions have been caused by the drought our environmental laws as well as misguided and outdated regulatory restrictions have exacerbated the situation. This bill addresses these policy failures and seeks to alleviate the impacts of drought in the short and in the long term. My own district in Central Washington is dealing with serious water supply shortages. Actually the whole state is declared a drought area. These are impacting the Agriculture Energy and manufacturing sectors as well as families and Small Businesses that rely on adequate and stable supply of water. These conditions are also increasing the threat of dangerous wildfires and increasing the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire which could destroy homes businesses and large amounts of land as well as crippling many communities throughout the west. Over the past two weeks in my state of washington, weve already seen wildfire outbreaks across the state. In cities like quincy and counties such as benton, grant adams and douglas. Sadly with an extremely low snow pact and continuing snowpack and continuing Drought Conditions, were likely to see even more fires. Mr. Speaker, as a Third Generation farmer, i know firsthand the challenges facing many in our western agriculture communities and the critically Important Role that water plays in agriculture success. In recognition of this fact earlier this year, i introduced h. R. 2097, the bureau of reclamation surface water storage streamlining act. This measure will speed up reclamations feasibility process on surface water storage, spurring the development of new projects across the west and i was very proud to have it included in this essential legislation that we are considering today. Water is not just a resource. Its the lifeblood of farming and ranching communities all across the west, and we must act swiftly and decisively to mitigate the impacts of the crisis were facing. The importance of water to agriculture production cannot be overstated, and we must take steps to support this vital industry thats responsible for feeding billions of people around the globe. In fact, today im proud to say the average American Farmer is responsible for feeding upwards of 144 people. A drastic increase of just 50 years ago when that number was around 25. The reason for this change is simple and complex. Our modern farmers are growing more disease and pestresistant crops that require less water, less pesticides and better conserve our Natural Resources. Although modern agriculture allows us to use less water, for agriculture to flourish we still must have a reliable supply of water. Mr. Speaker the Western Water and American Food act represents a comprehensive and bipartisan approach aimed at alleviating the droughts impacts through shortterm and longterm measures. This bill will address the root causes of the crisis complex and inconsistent laws faulty Court Decisions and onerous regulations at the state and federal level that have exacerbated an already devastating drought. In california and across the west, millions are facing water shortages and rationing. Yet, many of the droughts damaging affects are preventable, and h. R. 2898 aims to fix our broken regulatory system and bring our Water Infrastructure into the 21st century. This brings rief to millns who are facing madatory water rationing and investing in new water Storage Facilities to prepare for future droughts. Additionally, it will provide farmers with the certainty they need to produce the majority of our nations fruits and vegetables, which feed our nation as well as people around the world. This rule also provides for consideration of h. R. 3038, the highway and transportation funding act of 2015, part 2, a bill that will extend federal surface Transportation Programs as well as the Hazardous Materials Transportation Program and the dinglejohnson Sport Fish Restoration act until december 28, 2015 and fund these programs at the fiscal year 2014 authorized level. This extension will provide the committee of jurisdiction with additional time to continue their important work towards a longterm highway and surface transportation bill. Mr. Speaker, this extension will provide the house and senate with time to work out a longterm surface transportation reauthorization bill in a bicameral bipartisan manner. Every state Transportation Department in the country currently has numerous multiyear transportation projects that would benefit greatly from the increased certainty a sixyear transportation bill would provide. My hope, and i think the hope of everyone in this chamber, is that this shortterm extension gives us time to reach an agreement that can provide certainty for all of our constituents. Additionally this legislation will also allow us to work on a resolution for the Highway Trust Fund, which is facing a 90 billion shortfall. Failing to address the trust fund would have disastrous impacts across our country. If the trust fund were to go insolvent, many state transportation and Infrastructure Projects grind to a halt, leading to furloughed workers and loss capital from investments on existing projects. The cost of shutting down and then restarting all of these projects would be astronomical and would end up costing our taxpayers much more in the long run. Mr. Speaker, another shortterm extension is not what any of us would have wanted. Our states need certainty, and that will only come from a longterm transportation authorization. While the bill before us may not be what we all would have preferred it is a good steppingstone to something greater. I believe passing h. R. 3038 is the right thing to do and will allow us to consider a longterm sixyear authorization in the very near future. Mr. Speaker, this is a good, straightforward rule, allowing for consideration of two critically important pieces of legislation, h. R. 2898 will help droughtstricken communities in the west by providing critically needed reforms to the broken regulatory system as well as Bipartisan Solutions to help provide relief to families, farms, the environment and the American Economy. H. R. 3038 will ensure that many important Transportation Programs do not lapse and will extend the Highway Trust Fund Expenditure Authority, guaranteeing that this vital fund will remain solvent and available for Infrastructure Projects across the country while working towards a lasting solution. With that, mr. Speaker, i support the rules adoption, i urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying bills and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Mr. Hastings thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I seek recognition for purposes of Going Forward on the rule. And i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hastings first, mr. Speaker, id like to thank the gentleman, my friend, mr. Newhouse, for yielding the customary 30 minutes for debate. Mr. Speaker, we already know what the 2898 and 3038 are called, but theyre followup legislation to the shortterm temporary transportation funding bill that was signed into law last may. Im concerned about the underlying bills that we are considering today. First, as i have stated on numerous occasions, i take serious issue with the manner in which the majority has chosen to consider legislation in this chamber. Grouping or combining multiple unrelated pieces of legislation into one rule has become the new normal, precluding the members of this body from making informed judgment about the proper floor procedure for each measure and creating often confusing debates about an assortment of unconnected issues. The majoritys insistence on the continued use of grab bag rules prevents the thoughtful deliberation that important legislation requires and does both the members of this chamber and the American People an immeasurable disservice. Next, there are only nine legislative days remaining before Congress Recesses in august, and much important work remains. For example, millions of americans continue to suffer dire economic ramifications from the g. O. P. s failure to reauthorize the Exportimport Bank, the charter for which expired june 30. The exim bank supported 164,000 private sector american jobs in fiscal year 2014 alone, and over 1. 3 million jobs since 19 2009. Whats more the exim bank has received support from the last 13 president s, Ronald Reagan george bush, george h. W. Bush, bill clinton. Its highly time republicans allow a vote on its reauthorization. In the face of realities such as these, republicans in congress continue to put forward legislation for consideration that has very little bipartisan support and stands even less chance of becoming law. Indeed, president obama has issued a statement of Administration Policy advising that if he is presented with h. R. 2898, the water bill we are considering today he will veto it. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to include that statement into the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Hastings even more offensive in a display of colossal incompetence, last week the Republican Leadership was forced to pull their entire interior appropriations bill to protect their conference from having to defend the display of the confederate battle flag on federal land. Imagery long recognized as a symbol of hatred and entolerance. As a result funding for intolerance. As a result, funding for the Environmental Protection agency whose programs protect wildlife, the environment and public health, continues to hang in the balance. This rule provides first for consideration of the Western Water and American Food security act of 2015, which republicans claim will alleviate the drought crisis currently unfolding in california and other western states. But this bill is just another example of the countless partisan attempts made by the majority to roll back important Environmental Protections while also preempting state laws. Let me put a footnote right there. Preempting state laws. These are the people that argue states rights and now would preempt them in western portions of our great country particularly california, and reducing Water Management flexibility. Mr. Speaker, this bill undercuts the endangered species act by changing the welldefined standard used to determine when an action negatively effects an indengered species and has an untested, undefined standard. As evidenced by this piece of legislation republicans solution to the drought crisis is to provide handouts to big agricultural interests at the expense of the environment and everyone else. I want to make it very clear. I represent agricultural interests as do my colleagues that are republicans, we represent all of the specialty crops and sugar gain grown and we understand these dynamics very well. Not only will this bill scale back desperately needed Environmental Protections, it will affect thousands of fishing jobs in california and oregon that local residents depend on. Given the changing standard of the endangered species act this bill will dramatically weaken protections for salmon and other fish and wildlife in californias bay delta estuary. This bill claims to help california, but even california doesnt want it. Californias own secretary of Natural Resources has said that this bill, let me quote him, will reignite wars move water policy back into the courts and try to pit one part of the state against another. This bill will alleviate, elevate the water rights for certain agricultural contractors over the existing water rights that benefit refuges and wildlife areas. In short, this bill circumvents californias groundbreaking equitable Water Conservation programs and puts the desires of big agriculture over everyone else. This rule also provides this combined rule for consideration of h. R. 3038, termed the highway and transportation funding act of 2015 part 2. Because it is yet another shortterm temporary pact to ensure that the Highway Trust Fund does not become solvent. The ninth time we are patching. If you had a tire and you are riding down a highway and every time you look up you have to have another patch, pretty soon you recognize that you need new tires. And what we need in this country is a sixyear highway bill. Back in may when Congress Passed and the president signed a bill, we can now appropriately call the highway and transportation funding act of 2015 part 1 at that time we were assured by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle that a multiyear bill that would provide the longterm funding certainty and stability needed to keep transportation and Construction Projects operating was on the horizon. That was in may. We were promised mr. Speaker, that if we voted to provide funding through july 31 the comprehensive multiyear highway bill america so desperately needs would become a reality in time to avoid any insolvency. Unfortunately, today we find ourselves in the same situation as we did in may and i just heard my good friend from washington make the argument that in the next six months well be able to Work Together to do the things necessary for a sixyear highway bill, and im paraphrasing what he said. As we did in may, the rapidly approaching or selfimposed deadline and frantically seeking an interim fix like its predecessor, this highway bill does nothing to address the longterm solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. One thing i have learned here about kicking the can down the road, if kicking the can down the road was an olympic sport, what we would win here in the United States congress, we would win gold, we would win bronze, we would win silver, and we would win aluminum for kicking the can down the road. Instead, we are again being asked to vote for legislation that would keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through december 18, and note that date. December 18. Just before christmas so we can play the game if you dont vote for this next patch, if we dont do six years, then well keep you here till christmas. Without the necessary assurances that a longterm bill will become a reality. This is no way to govern. Our insistence on kicking the can down the road does nothing to protect american jobs or invest in Critical Infrastructure that every man and woman in this house of representatives recognizes is desperately needed in this nation of falling bridges and pox marked roads. Finally investing in our nations infrastructure and indeed in our nations future will require us to make tough choices. Instead of considering raising the federal gas tax, i said the ugly word, federal gas tax, the primary source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund, which has not been increased since 1993 people, this bill seeks to cut taxes on liquefies natural gas and liquefies Petroleum Gas at a cost of 90 million over the next decade. Any comprehensive highway bill must consider in part addressing the federal gas tax. Why dont we just face up to that. Go to our constituents, explain it to them so they will understand that this is a desperate need for this entire nation. Our failure to come together to pass a multiyear transportation bill year after year has resulted in 65 of our nations roads being rated deficient. All you have to do is drive around washington to recognize that. 25 of our nations bridges in disrepair and left 45 of americans without access to transit. This failure has farreaching p Bipartisan Legislation that will provide the certainty and consistency required to fuel jobs and keep the highways and other transportation infrastructure safe. Mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman virginia tech. A mr. Newhouse thank you, mr. Speaker. I share the gentleman from floridas enthusiasm for the important work that the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Newhouse thank you mr. Speaker. I share the gentleman from floridas enthusiasm for the important work that is before us. I am excited as a freshman congressman to be able to be part of this institution, certainly, but to be able to do this hard work that we have in front of us. We have a lot to do and doing it in this way allows us to get to these important things quickly. This time i would like to yield four minutes to a young man from california who shares a very interesting perspective because hes living the Drought Conditions that we just read about in the state of california. The author of this important bill we have before us, a resident of hanford california mr. David valadao. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Valadao thank you the gentleman from washington for his help with this important legislation. A little bit on the history of the valley and area i represent. That areas an area filled with immigrants. When you look at my district and look at the people i represent, 80 are minority. One of the reasons i feel that i have the opportunity to be elected and honor being able to represent that district is because of my own background. My dad came to this country in 1969 as a new immigrant, didnt speak english as well as he should and still o to to this day speaks with a strong accent. But my dad started working in plants and trying to save money so he could start his own farm someday and give us the opportunity to have the American Dream. He learned to speak spanish working alongside a lot of hispanic folks and working really hard and saving his money. He had the opportunity to save enough money to actually buy some cattle and work his way up to the point where he actually owned land. When we look at an opportunity for the American Dream and listen to the people talk about the opportunity to be successful and protect the Small Business guy, i am that guy. Im the guy that had that opportunity because of my parents, because of their hard work i have been in that struggle, i dont just represent them in congress, i am that face. I am that person, had that opportunity because of that hard work. And when we see the struggle and someone claims to tell me or tell us on our side what those struggles are really like and how this piece of legislation has an impact only for the largest and large, when you raise the cost of water because you restrict the amount of water we have delivered to the valley, it hurts the smallest guy the most. Those people that i represent that 80 minority district those folks seeing unemployment numbers as high as 50 because those farmers are not getting that water those food lines that are starting to grill that i stood in helped serve food, food grown in other countries because we couldnt grow it in the valley is all people that my friends are trying to represent but they dont because they dont have that background. They didnt have that opportunity to be there to work with them and grow number that light where they had the work before and after school like i did, drive a tractor, do that stuff because thats what the American Dream is all about. Working saving your money, and having that opportunity. But also having government at their back. Right now government is making it more and more difficult for that little guy because water has gotten so expensive because you have the large cities coming in spending a bunch of money, water is going right through the valley to the southern portion. All we are asking for in this piece of legislation is for common sense. Common sense that says lets look at what science we are using. If we are going to protect a species, show me the evidence that means and actually delivers protection of species. We have lived through two decades of this and now we are seeing that the endangered species they claim to want to protect is on the virge of annihilation, almost extinct almost delivering no water. When we have gotten allocation the past two queers years of zero . We are not asking to teach us how to conserve water woofment done that. We are at zero. We have zero water and we have high unemployment numbers. We have people standing in lines asking for food and begging for help when all they want to do is work and provide an honest living for their families and for their neighbors. We have seen too much suffering. Its getting old. We need to pass legislation. We need people who are sincere in this conversation to show up, show some courage a. Vote for this legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from washington reserves. The gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Hastings thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. When the gentleman speaks growing up in that area, my father grew up in griffin, georgia, on a farm. My first job was on a farm. I picked beans. I stripped celery. I cut chickry. I dont need lectures about not understanding farming. I picked beans in florida that im proud to represent now as their congressperson. Mr. Speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman, my good friend from vermont, mr. Welsh. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from vermont is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Welsh i thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, America Needs a longterm sustainably funded surface transportation bill. You know it. I know it. The governors in all of our states know it. We need it to re repair our roads and bridges and fix our crumbling infrastructure. Every single one of the 435 members in this body has needs in our district. Speaker boehner has a 135 deficient bridges in his district. Leader pelosi, 29. In my state of vermont, we have 252 structurally deficient bridges, a photo of one of them is right here. Its disgraceful and unnecessary. Yet instead of facing up to this problem that we all share in doing something that a proud and confident country would do invest in its future, instead with reckless irresponsibility we are acting once again to dodge our duty with yet another shortterm extension of our highway bill. This time the plan is a bold extension for five months through december 18. Can our transportation agencies really plan a bridge replacement for major repair in the next five months . By the way, how is it paid for . Not by asking users to pay, which has been traditionally the way we funded our roads and bridges. But by, in this case, among other dubious devices where we are asking Airline Passengers 10 years from now to pay a few billion dollars to fix our highways tomorrow. Think about it. Airline passengers in 10 years, 2025 will pay for road repairs we make tomorrow. By the way, this resort to gimmicks, its not new. Its become a habit. This is the 35th shortterm extension in the past six years. The last one in july of 2014. That one was paid for by the gimmick of all gimmicks. Pension smoothing. We created a pothole in somebodys pension in the future to fix a pothole in their highway today. Mr. Speaker we need a longterm plan. We need it first to restore some semblance of duty and responsibility to this house of representatives that has failed to do its job. We need it to have those 600,000 good paying jobs start digging dirt and fixing those roads and bridges and we need it to make america more competitive. Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. I urge you to join me in voting no to this joke of a shortterm plan. No more bandaid, no more patches, no more smoke and mirrors, no more gimmicks. American contractors and workers are ready to do their job its time for congress to do its job and pass a longterm highway transportation bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from florida reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. I was just handed a statement from the office of the president , a statement of his spoil position on h. R. 3038 it says the administration supports passage of h. R. 3038 to give the house and senate time to work on a longterm bill this year that increases investment to meet the needs of the nations infrastructure. Mr. Newhouse at this time im please today yield two minutes to a fellow freshman gentleman from the great state of nevada, the scenic Virgin Valley of nevada, mr. Crescent hardy. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hardy thank you, mr. Chairman. Id like to thank the gentleman for yielding me time to speak on this important rule on h. R. 330 3038, the act. At no time in recent memory has the significance and proactivity of managing our Water Resources across the west been more important. I can sympathize with my colleagues from across the neighboring state of california who are also facing for the fourth Consecutive Year of dwroifplgt obviously cannot afford to keep this status quo. As the only member of nevadas house delegation on the Natural Resources committee, i take a great deal of pride in speaking up for my constituents and the people of my state on important issues facing our communities. And those communities are affected by the droughts currently affecting californias Central Valley, the source of so much of our nations food. For those in my district and around the country who are still battling to get this economic recovery they can ill afford to pay for for their hardearned income at the supermarket to feed their families. As a son of farmers and ranchers from southeastern nevada, i feel for the hardworking farmers whose suffering is being made worse by burdensome environmental laws and the failure of our elected leaders to provide adequate water Infra Infrastructure to meet the evergrowing demands of the 21st century. Though long overdue we have a real opportunity to provide some commonsense solution to very dire situation. Again, i would like to thank the gentleman from washington for yielding me some time and i strongly urge a yes vote on the rule and a yes on the underlying bill. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from washington reserves. The gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Hastings would you be kind enough to advise how much time remains on both sides. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington has 13 minutes. The gentleman from florida has 15 minutes. Mr. Hastings thank you, mr. Speaker. Im pleased that the time to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman, my good friend from california, ms. Hahn. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized. For two minutes. Ms. Hahn thank you. I i thank my colleague from florida for allowing me these few minutes. I rise today to explain why im voting against this rule today. As has been said, california is now in the fourth year of a record drought. In response, our state and local governments have implemented mandatory conservation measures. But we also need to think about how we will increase our water supply. The bill that the house will consider today does not do that. It just moves watter from one water from one place to another. Thats why i attempted to offer an amendment to address current water needs. However my amendment was not made in order by the rule committees. My father, who was Los Angeles County supervisor kenny hahn had an idea in the 1970s to build a Water Pipeline from alaska to california. The idea was never completely investigated but continues to have merit. Therefore, i believe that the department of interior should study the feasibility of a Water Pipeline network linking our nations federal reservoirs to transport water from wet regions to the dry regions in this country. And thats what i thought my amendment would accomplish. My proposal, i thought, was a first step in building pipelines from regions that have more than enough water to regions that do not. If we can transport oil by pipeline, we should be able to do the same thing with water. Im disappointed that the rules committee did not find this amendment in order. It was a study to determine if this idea is feasible. I believe a Water Pipeline and other Creative Ideas to increase our water supply should be studied. I think my fellow californian would support an idea like this we could consider. To ensure that california and other states have enough water for our residents and other needs, even during periods of drought, now and in the future. I think congress should encourage and support efforts leading to these kinds of creative solutions. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from florida reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Newhouse adding to the california voice, im pleased to yield two minutes to the junge man from the san joaquin valley, mr. Nunes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Nunes i thank the gentleman from the rules committee and chairman sessions for again bringing a water bill to the floor of the house. Five years ago, we passed a water bill very similar to this. It was in a year where we had abundant rainfall. Unfortunately, that rain was not captured. The water flows right flowed right out to the ocean and was wasted. We continue to dump water out to the ocean over the last four years, even today, were continuing to dump water out to the ocean. So when i hear my colleagues talk about drought yes, were in the third year of a drought. A very bad drought. But in fact the Founding Fathers of our state built the Water Systems to withstand five years of drought. Back from 1987 to 1992, a drought that i still remember, many of my constituents remember we really didnt have harsh problems until that fifth year of the drought. Since that time, places down in los angeles have built big water storage projects. In our area, no nut water storage projects, only taking water away. You go to 1992 they pass the central valerie project improvement act that took a million acrefeet away and dumped it out to the ocean. In 2009, the San Joaquin River act took another 250,000 acrefeet and wasted it. In addition to that, youve had lawsuits brought forth by the endangered species act by radical environmental groups that have taken the rest of the water away. The reason we dont have any water is not because of drought. Its because we didnt hold the watt enwe we had a chance to hold the water and keep the water and use it and spread it throughout the state of california. In fact, its unfortunately to unfortunate to say, because i dont wish ill on the people in San Francisco or the valley, but they get their water from our area that they pipe over instead of contributing to the environment. I dont have the i dont want the people of San Francisco to lose their water but at the same time the people of San Francisco shouldnt be willing to forfeit and give up our water that we rightfully own while theyre taking some of ours and not contributing to the fish populations that no matter how much water we put down the river and out to the ocean, the fish continue to die. So at some point, you would think that people would step back and say, well rks if flushing water out to the ocean doesnt work and hasnt helped the fish populations, then we should stop doing it. With that mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from washington reserves. The gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Hastings thank you mr. Speaker. To add further perfect frive california i yield three minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentlewoman from california, ms. Matsui. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Matsui thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong opposition to h. R. 2898. California is the fourth year of a devastating drought and what is on the hougs floor today does nothing to on the house floor today does nothing to akess the crisis but rather sets california back by fanning the flames of centuries old water wars. The story of california and the west drought is known across the country because it is unprecedented. Not only has our annual rainfall plummeted but for the first time in our history, california has no snow pack. None. The snow in the in the sierras wasnt sustained us through the dry summers and replenished our streams with cold water, but not this year. Folsom reservoir, just upstream from the city of sacramento is expected to be at the lowest its been by the end of september, less than 15 of capacity. This is not due to government mismanagement. Or environmental restrictions. It is due to the lack of rain. We need Real Solutions to this crisis. Short and longterm solutions. There are no Silver Bullet solutions. It is an all of the above approach and it should certainly not lead to fear mongering legislation like h. R. 289. For the short term, our state has used the flexibility it already has to move the water and make timely deliries to make the best of this very deliveries, to make the best of this very, very bad situation. We also need to continue our conservation efforts and fix our infrastructure where there are leaks and waste. In the longterm we need to be investing in wastewater recycling above and below ground water storage, and new technologies to help us monitor our water use on demand. Ive introduced a sensible bill that will allow wastewater recycling projects to move forward much more quickly with federal support. We should be debating Solutions Like that, and not wasting time yet again on a bill that does not solve the real problems. As a daughter of a Central Valley farmer and granddaughter of another, i grew up on the farm. And i deeply understand the value of and the controversy over water. In Northern California, we have done our best to balance our watershed, provide water for our farms, our cities, and the environment. To say that this bill will help the drought is grossly misleading and frankly irresponsible. Mr. Speaker, even if we pump as much water south as possible, it still wouldnt be enough. The problem is a lack of rain. There is simp will simply no more water to pump from the delta. This bill only further divides our state. My district the city of sacramento, the sacramento region, and Northern California as a whole strongly opposes this bill. Some of the concerns that have been raised include the laws of state the loss of the states right to manage its own water, the loss of Environmental Protection for she san joaquin delta. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Matsui i yield back, please vote against this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Newhouse at this time im pleased to yield three minutes to a fellow member of the rules committee, the gentleman from lawrenceville georgia, mr. Bad awl. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman mr. Woodall . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia, mr. Woodall. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Woodall you serve on the Transportation Committee as i do. You know how important it is we get to these infrastructure questions. I see colleague after colleague after colleague saying we need longterm solutions to infrastructure. But i dont see any colleague saying those longterm solutions are available to us as we stand here today. I dont have to get everything i want in this institution but i do have to move the ball forward. Three yards and a cloud of dust is what i tell constituents back home is the way were going to get what we all want for this country. And if the answer is, sit on your hands and do nothing for this thing that has been so vexing so this institution, were looking at 34 35 extensions. We have an opportunity to put a stop to it. The senate in its wildest imagination says maybe we can get a fouryear deal. Most likely it will be an 18month deal, but when i turn to the chairman of the ways and Means Committee here in the house, when i turn to the chame of the Transportation Committee here in the house they say, colleagues, give me five months and we can do it right. Colleagues, give me five months and we will do what no other congress has been able to do for nearly a decade. Give us five months. And we will deliver on not just is the promises but the expectations that every single american has. My colleagues, we have gotten in the business of telling the American People that they can have their roads for free and thats not true. If you want better roads to drive on youve got to provide the money to make that happen. For years our solution has been to transfer general Fund Revenues into the user fee funded transportation accounts. User fees means that people who benefit from it, pay for it. Ive never bumped into an american who didnt believe they ought to pay for what they use. Ive never bumped into an american who didnt believe that paying their fair share was at the fabric of who we are as a nation. This rule gives us the best chance we have and the best chance weve had in a decade to make transportation certainty a reality for this country. It means better roads it means more savings of taxpayer dollars, it means better efficiency, it means more accountability and im grateful to my friend on the rule committees for bringing this rule forward, giving me an opportunity to cast my yes vote on this rule and a yes vote on the underlying bill, five months to a better solution for america. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. Mr. Hastings ill keep my good friend from georgias statement for him, december 18, and remind him what he said. Mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman, my good friend from oregon, mr. Blumenauer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Blumenauer i listen to my friend from georgia talking about five months and well be able to finally fix this. I actually have in my hand my speech from one year ago today. It speaking on the rule where we dodged the bullet again. I said at that time, you know, i could pull out some of my other speeches because all this does is let people off the hook. Im going to enter my speech in the record because i could have given it verbatim. Why didnt we fix it last fall . Or this spring . My good friend from washington used to serve in the state legislature. His state Legislature Just passed a 15 cent gas tax increase. Joining a list of six states all republican states that have raised the gas tax this year. My friend from georgia says hes never met anybody that doesnt really want to pay for their infrastructure. Well he ought to take a hard look at his leadership. They have denied an opportunity to move forward with something championed by Ronald Reagan in 1982 when the gas tax at his direction under his leadership was raised 125 . Theres no excuse to keep torturing people at the state and local government level, to stop enabling people to avoid their responsibility here. My good friend, mr. Defazio, is on the floor, he and bill shuster, the chair of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee in two months could give us a sixyear bill, but congress has to give them a number. Does anybody in their right mind think that we are going to go into 2016 with half the people in the other body running for president holidays treaties think again. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Blumenauer it is a fools errand. We ought to step up. Follow Ronald Reagans lead. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Newhouse mr. Speaker, i reserve my time. Inquire how much time we have left. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington has 8 1 2 minutes remaining. The gentleman from florida has eight minutes remaining. The gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings thank you speaker gingrich. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, i will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up h. R. 3064, a comprehensive sixyear surface transportation bill that is partially paid for by restricting u. S. Companies from using socalled inversion to shirk their tax obligations. To discuss our proposal i will now yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from oregon, my good friend, the Ranking Member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure, mr. Defazio. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon investigate for three is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Defazio i thank the gentleman for yielding. As we have heard a year ago today the house passed a temporary extension, one year. Chairman ryan, ways and means, who is supposed to figure out how to pay for this said we will use this year to put the transportation Highway Trust Fund on a sustainable path so we can avoid stopgap legislation in the future. Well, it didnt happen. But they were occupied with much more important things. For instance, they said that a states estates worth more than 10 million shouldnt pay a penny taxes. None. That cost 289 billion. If we dedicated that to surface transportation, we could have basically doubled spending over 10 years. So today the democrats are here to offer a real sixyear longterm increase in investment in americas failing infrastructure. 140,000 bridges need repair or replacement on the national highway system. 40 of the pavement is at the point where you have to dig up the underlimit, rebuild the whole road. We have an 84 billion backlog just bringing our existing Transit Systems up to a state of repair. Its so bad that people are dying on metro here in washington, d. C. , because of the decrepe pit condition of thecies tefment decrepit condition of the system. Under our funding proposal and our bill, we would create an additional 300,000 jobs a year. And we need those jobs here in america. And they are goodpaying jobs. They are not just construction jobs. They are engineering, they are technical, they are Small Business, they are minority business enterprises. They are a whole host of things that would lift the whole economy make us more energy efficient, make us americans save money getting out of congestion not driving their cars through giant potholes and incuring costs. The republicans cant figure out how to get there. Well, we are offering an alternative. A good solid sixyear bill and, yeah, we havent figured out the sixyear funding yet because you guys are totally opposed to uter fees despite Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and history of the Republican Party on user fees and former chairman of the committee bud shuster who joined the democrats in 1993 the last time we raised the gas tax. We would fund two years of this bill by prohibiting corporate inversions, i. E. Benedict armed corporations that continue to have all of their operations in america but go overseas and buy some minor entity and claim thats their international headquarters. Like a corner drugstore in london somewhere for a pharmaceutical company. An outrageous practice while they enjoy all the benefits of america, all the protections of our law and military and all those costs, they dont want to pay. They dont want to pay for transportation either. So we are offering an alternative today if we defeat the previous question. We would go into an open rule something that never happens much around here where both sides of the aisle any member of congress could offer an amendment to increase spending, decrease spending, target one or another part of the infrastructure that they feel need more investment. I urge my colleagues to defeat this rule, move to an open rule, something we were promised when republicans took over. Fund the sixyear bill. Well give you two years of funding and we can figure out the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Newhouse i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves his time of the the gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings im pleased at this time to yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from maryland, my good friend mr. Van hollen, who is the Ranking Member of the committee on the budget. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Van hollen thank you, mr. Speaker. Let me thank my friend from florida mr. Hastings and congratulate mr. Defazio and mr. Blumenauer on all their work on trying to modernize our National Infrastructure. They know what every american out there knows which is that we have an embarrassing state of affairs when it comes to our roads, our bridges, and our transit ways. Its not just them. We also know from the American Society of Civil Engineers who are the nonpartisan pros that they have concluded we have failing infrastructure. They gave our infrastructure system a grade of d plus. A grade we should all be embarrassed by. But whats even worse is this congress should get a grade of f for its refusal to actually do something about it. So we are about to see an expiration of the authorization in a few weeks. Funding will dry out in a few weeks. And so what is the proposal from our republican colleagues . Lets do five more months through december at a level they know is inadequate. To help modernize our infrastructure. Thats their proposal. As my colleagues have said, we have been here before. And we are tired of bandaid. Who can plan to modernize their infrastructure with just a fivemonth time period . These are Major Investments or states are making. Major investments we are making on behalf of our country. And to not have any kind of certainty that the funds are going to be there after the end of december . Is something that is embarrassing for a country like the United States of america. So we are proposing today to do the sixyear plan. Mr. Defazio has put that forward. The president has put forward the sixyear plan, the grow america plan. The modernize our infrastructure and grow more jobs in the process. And we fund the first twoyear installment. How do we fund it . We fund it through a mechanism that i will bet you virtually every american will support. Which was to close these pernicious tax loopholes that are allowing American Companies simply to move their Mailing Address overseas in order to dodge their obligations to the American People. These companies are not moving their employees, they are not moving their management, they are not moving their factories or anything else. They are just changing their Mailing Address by acquiring a small overseas Company Called inversions. And by doing that they are escaping their responsibilities to their own country. Thats why my colleague called them the Benedict Arnold corporation. They are still benefiting from everything this country has to offer. Educating their employees, the infrastructure that we do have. All the other support structures they get. But they dont want to pay for t and when they dont pay for pay for it. And when they dont pay for it guess who pays for it . The American People. Their taxes go up or we have to borrow more on our credit card to pay for it. What we are saying is, lets stop these inversions lets use that 41 billion 41 billion to fund the first twoyear installment of a robust infrastructure plan. And we can do it now. We have introduced the bill h. R. 3064, introduced by mr. Defazio and myself and mr. Israel, mr. Levin, miss holmes norton. The next vote we have, the next vote we cast will allow this body to take up that legislation. So we dont have to kick the can down the road for just five months with all that uncertainty. We can vote to do a robust sixyear plan at a modernized infrastructure and pay for it by shutting down these loopholes that corporations are abusing. So lets take that money thats right now going to the pockets of people who are dodging our tax laws, lets invest in infrastructure. Lets get the job done today not five months from now or a year from now. Lets get it done today. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Defeat the previous question so we can take it up. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington has eight minutes remaining. The gentleman from florida has 30 seconds remaining. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Newhouse at this time id like to yield two minutes to the good gentleman from california, mr. Denham. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Denham thank you. It is an important and critical time for the state of california. We are facing an unprecedented drought that is affecting farms Families Communities that are just being completely shut off from water. Communities that are not only being rationing but now having to have water trucked in. Now, this has been an ongoing battle. This battle has been going on for years, some would say this is all due to climate change. But shouldnt we as a country, shouldnt we as a state be focused on infrastructure that will actually capture water so we can save the water for years like this rather than seeing huge unemployment levels, rather than seeing people waiting in line to receive free food because they cant get a job shouldnt we be making the simple fixes to actually store and company capture our water. The amendments talk about desalinization. Sure, im fine with that. I think we ought to use every opportunity we have. But rather than putting all of our clean water pushing it out to the ocean, only to desalinate the saltwater bring it back into clean water, shouldnt we first start by saving the precious resources that we have . Sure, desalinization is a good idea but taught autoto be mixed in with Everything Else we do. We ought to be actually protecting the fish that we talk about protecting. Lets actually address the predator fish that eat 95 to 98 of the fish that we are trying to save and spending millions of dollars not only trying to save them but pushing out thousands of acrefeet of water fresh water, that would go to our communities, that would create thousands of jobs rather than seeing this Huge Population that begins to see unemployment levels at record levels. We ought to do the restoration to the environment. We have a number of different tributaries that we entered into an agreement on, bipartisan agreements to actually address the restoration of that area, but rather than actually restore the river beds will the gentleman yield one more minute. But rather than restore the river beds, we truck the fish around the river. It doesnt help the environment, couldnt help the fish and certainly does not help the communities of the california. What the rest of the country needs to worry about is the shortage of food, the scarcity of food well see across the country not only from california but the high prices that go with it. Youre affecting the American Family, youre affecting the jobs in california, and it is time to fix this water situation on the west coast of the United States and in california and to do it now. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings would the speaker be kind enough to advise my colleague that i have no further speakers and im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserve the balance of his time . Mr. Hastings yes. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington. Mr. Newhouse i have one more good gentleman from california id like to hear from i yield two minutes to the young man from richmond, california, mr. Lamalfa. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Lamalfa this bill, 2898 is a product of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations and will protect water rights, store more water in winner storm, address invasive fish that are decimating endangered species and advance new water structure and prepare for droughts. One project alone would reduce the states need for rationing by 60 with that project. My Northern California district is a source of a vast amount of the states usable water supply its large reservoirs. Yet even my constituents are facing water rationing. Fields across my district are fallow because federal agencies havent adapted to Drought Conditions. While some would prefer to hand out boar road money, doing so only ensure this is crisis will be repeated again and again. Our can bes in our lakes are already desperate. Folsom lake will soon be a dead pool and thats an important water source for sacramento, due to the atempts to try to keep water under salmon down there. This bill increases access to water with all californians without benefiting one reat the expense of another. California and the nation cant wait any longer. We need h. R. 2898 to move forward in the way we have before. This is action to move on californias drought and add to californias water supply. I urge support for h. R. 28898. Lets get california back moving again. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings i yield myself the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hastings i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material along with the immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Hastings theres too little time left on the legislative calendar for us to be considering partisan legislation that weve been assured will not become law. Furthermore, the future our nations highways and Transportation Systems are far too important to continue to fund using shortterm bandaid patches. Our constituents, this great country, deserves better. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from washington. Mr. Newhouse mr. Speaker, in closing, the issues we consider here today are critical to the stability of our transportation infrastructure and the health of our rural western communities wells the economic well being of our country this rule provides for consideration of h. R. 3038, the highway and transportation funding act, as well as h. R. 2898, the Western Water and American Food act. A comprehensive and bipartisan bill that aims at alleviating drought impacts in the short and long term. Water is not just a resource in the west tavepls life its the life blood of farming and ranching across the region. We must act swiftly and decisively to mitigate the impacts of the crisis. California and many areas in the west are facing devastating Drought Conditions this bill fixing the bureaucratic and regulatory mess that has prevented people from getting water they so desperately need. Failing to pass this bill would deal a devastating wrowblow to farm families and the American Economy. Many families, businesses, and ag producers are dealing with some of the most dire Drought Conditions theyve seen in decade. A growing number of communities have been impacted by water shortages and rationing. However, most of the damaging effects of the drought are preventable. And this bill comes to the aid of the west by fixing the broken regulatory system and updating our Water Infrastructure for this coming century. While the root cause of this crisis is the drought, complex and inconsistent laws, misguided Court Decisions and burdensome regulations have exacerbated an already devastating situation. Mr. Speaker, this bill addresses these policy failures and seeks to alleviate the droughts short and longterm impacts. It will give immediate relief to millions of americans who are facing mandatory water rationing and will invest in new water Storage Facilities to prepare for future droughts. While the Obama Administration has issued a veto threat for this bill, people suffering in the west have little time for political theater which is why im urging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this critical legislation. This rule also provides for consideration of h. R. 3038, the highway and transportation funding act. A bill that will extend the federal surface Transportation Programs. This extension will provide the house and senate with time to work autoa longterm surface transportation reauthorization in a bicameral, bipartisan manner. This bill will also allow us to work toward a resolution of the Highway Trust Fund, which is currently facing a 90 billion shortfall, as weve heard. If we fail to address the trust fund its insolvency would have disastrous impacts on states across our country. Many projects would grind to a halt, workers would be furloughed, and existing Infrastructure Investments would be lost. While another shortterm extension is not what any of us wanted, our states need certainty and that certainty can only come from a longterm reauthorization of these Transportation Programs as well as a lasting solution for the trust fund. Mr. Speaker, this is a good, straightforward rule, allowing for consideration of two important pieces of legislation that will help protect our rural western communities while providing much relief from devastating water shortages and Drought Conditions. It will also ensure that many important Transportation Programs do not lapse and will extend the Highway Trust Fund Expenditure Authority so that this vital fund remains sol gent and available for projects across the country. While we work toward a lasting solution, i appreciate the discussion weve had over the last hour, its been great. Very enlightening. Although we may have some differences of opinion. I believe this rule and underlying bills are strong measures that are important to our countrys future. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 362 and the underlying bills. Mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. And move the previous question on the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings i ask for a recorded volt. The speaker pro tempore does the gentleman ask for a yeas and nays . The yeas and nays are requested. Those in support of the request for the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having risen the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote, the yeas are 245, the nays are 182. The previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings i ask for a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida requests a recorded vote. Those favoring a recorded vote will rise. A sufficient number having risen a recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 245. The nays are 183. The resolution is adopted. Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The speaker pro tempore the house will come to order. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on h. R. 3038. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Shuster mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution rule 362, i call up the bill h. R. 3038, to provide an extension of federal aid highway highway safety, motor carrier safety transit and for other purposes funded in the Highway Trust Fund and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 338, a bill to provide an extension of federal aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety transit and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 362, the bill is considered as read. The bill will be debatable for one hour controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure and the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means. The gentleman from pennsylvania mr. Shuster, the gentleman from oregon, mr. Defazio, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ryan, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. Levin, each will control 15 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Shuster. Mr. Shuster thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Shuster mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of h. R. 3038 the highway and transportation funding act of 2015, part 2. This bill extends the federal surface Transportation Programs through december 18 of 2015. H. R. 3038 is a clean extension and funds the programs that authorizes levels for fiscal year 2014. The bill also ensures the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. We have an immediate critical need to address the solvency of the trust fund and extend the current surface transportation law. If Congress Fails to act, the states will not be able to be reimbursed for past expenses, projects and jobs across the country will be at risk, over 4,000 u. S. Department of transportation employees will be furloughed. I appreciate chairman ryans attention to this pressing issue as well as his commitment to addressing the solvency of the trust fund. A longterm surface transportation reauthorization bill remains a top priority for this committee and it should be for this congress. I am committed to continuing to work with chairman ryan, Ranking Member defazio and others on achieving a longterm reauthorization bill. I believe this extension gives us our best shot, so i strongly urge all members to support 3038, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Defazio i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Defazio i ronically it was exactly one year ago today ironically it was exactly one year ago today that the chairman of the ways and Means Committee said they needed time to come together for funding a sixyear surface transportation bill investing in our Transportation System. One year ago today. There was an extension till may. There was the extension until the end of the year. There was an extension to may. I think 34 temporary extensions weve seen now. And now were talking about another temporary extension with the hope that maybe they can find some money under the couch cushions or pass tax reform and cut taxes on rich people and use dynamic scoring and put it in the trust fund. I dont know what their solution is. Weve had a userfee funded Transportation System in this country since Dwight David Eisenhower was president. Followed by Ronald Reagan who doubled the tax and Ronald Reagan also put transit into the Highway Trust Fund, saying we should not ignore our Population Centers and are actually centers of Economic Growth. And then in 1993, granted it, democratic president , democratic congress, but we didnt quite have the votes to increase the gas tax and bud shuster, our republican chair of the Transportation Committee back then, actual relation to the current chairman, he brought us quite a number of republicans to vote with the democrats to go with 18. 3 cents a gallon and there it stood since 1993. Were hearing now you cant increase the gas tax, so ive offered alternatives. Lets eliminate the gas tax and put a tax on a barrel of oil a fraction that goes into taxable transportation uses, which economists say wall street might eat part of that because theyre speculating so much. Exxonmobil might eat part of that. Opec, hey, we might get saudi arabia to pay for a little bit of our infrastructure. Im told, no, they cant do that. Proposed just indexing the existing gas tax and bonding. Pay it back over time with that increment. Now, if we double index the gas tax it might go up 1. 7 cents next year, and theres apparently a fear in this place that if gas went up 1. 7 cents a gallon unlike exxonmobil jacking it up 20 cents in may because memorial day is coming, but filling the potholes fixing the bridges, raising 1. 7 cents, oh, my god, people will lose their elections. Weve seen six republican states raise their gas tax and those same states said to us in testimony, its not enough were raising the gas tax. We need more federal investment. The systems falling apart. 140,000 bridges, 140,000 need replacement. 70 of the national highway system needs to be dug up and rebuilt. And our Transit Systems, 84 billion backlog to bring them up to a state of good repair. Its so bad in washington d. C. , theyre killing people. Theyre killing people on the Transit System because it is so outmoded. Now if we made those investments and we made them in a more robust level than were doing now, we could put hundreds of thousands of americans to work not just construction workers, youre talking manufacturing, youre talking Small Business, youre talking minority business enterprises, youre talking engineering, youre talking technical. The buy america requirements are the strongest in the whole government. It would have an incredible stimulus effect on the economy in addition of putting people back to work and we could climb back toward we were. Dwight David Eisenhower gave us a system that was the envy of the world. We were number one in infrastructure. Were now 16th. Were dropping like a rock. Pretty soon well be down there with, you know, thirdworld countries in terms of state of our infrastructure in this country. Its embarrassing. Its pathetic. Its not necessary, and today we should be considering a longterm bill. Weve introduced a viable longterm bill. We proposed a way to pay for the first two years saying Benedict Arnold cant buy a pharmacy overseas but were enjoying all the protections of our citizens, military but we dont want to pay for it and our infrastructure. But there are ways forward. There seems to be an incredible reluctance on our side saying, here we are again saying lets do a patch until december 18. Meanwhile, the senate over there is spinning in who knows what kind of circles. Theyre proposing to get most of the money by reducing retirement for federal employees. Now, that is a tremendous relationship to infrastructure and user fees. Lets not get too far away from the idea of user pays. With that i retain the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Shuster thank you, mr. Speaker. I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. Graves. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Graves thank you mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i want to make note that the Highway Program funding mechanism expires at the end of this month. It expires. It means it runs out of funding. Voting against this bill causes the program to shut down, causes a decline, a dropoff in investment in our nations infrastructure. Right now were seeing growth, were seeing increasing demand. As the gentleman from oregon just noted were seeing underinvestment in our infrastructure system. Weve got to increase the investment. Weve got to work hard to address the outdated funding mechanism that funds our current highway system. As was noted, we have lost value in the current funding mechanism. Having a user fee is absolutely critical, but a user fee that ensures the level of investment that we truly need. This extension gives us time to recreate that. We have been using the same user fee for decades. A user fee with static figures since 1993 as was just mentioned, and a user fee that has conflicting federal policies that reduces the value of the income of this trust fund as a result of the corporate average fuel economy, cafe standards, that require greater fuel standards out of vehicles. So weve got to take a fresh look at this. Weve got to take this time and use it wisely to ensure that we can ensure the level of funding that we need to invest in our nations infrastructure. We need a fundamentally different approach and we need to do it without raising taxes. Mr. Speaker, back in our home state of louisiana we have some of the worst traffic in the nation for a reason of its size. We have an area that the interstate system, the only place in the nation where it literally drops down to one lane. The interstate. An incredible bottle neck in the same area where were having a manufacturing renaissance, where were seeing tens of billions of dollars in new Economic Development opportunities. Yet, the infrastructure is struggling. The infrastructure is strangling that growth and strangling that investment. I urge all members to support this. I urge all members to Work Together to ensure we develop a new funding stream that meets the demand of our crumbling infrastructure in this nation. I want to thank chairman shuster. I want to thank chairman ryan and Ranking Member defazio to ensure that this legislation moves forward. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Defazio with that i yield three minutes to the gentleman from washington, the Ranking Member of the surface transportation subcommittee the gentlewoman from washington, Ranking Member of the surface transportation subcommittee, ms. Norton. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Norton i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the majority has turned virtually its only congressional policy, tax savings on its head with useless shortterm transportation bills and extensions. Their shortterm policy on the nations highways, bridges and transit has simply transferred the transportation tax burden to the state taxes of their constituents. 21 states and the District Of Columbia have raised their gas user fees six cents july 1. Iowa New Hampshire, pennsylvania rhode island, virginia, vermont, the District Of Columbia, south dakota, idaho, georgia, nebraska vermont. States going in that direction, michigan, North Carolina, utah and Washington State. States also considering user fee increases are kentucky missouri new jersey, South Carolina. That makes almost half the states that congress has driven to state taxpayers alone. States that have nothing in common except the desire to keep their transportation infrastructure, the key to a growing economy from completely disintegrating. Meanwhile, their representatives in washington have continually failed to pay their part. On the average about 50 of the cost of state infrastructure with federal dollars. Yet, the federal dollars are only a path through that goes right back to the states. For 22 years, we have allowed the federal user fee to remain fixed at 1993 levels, all though fuel efficiency long ago made that obsolete. Although american taxpayers have stepped up, they cant do their projects without a federal longterm bill. In the nations capital, for example the iconic memorial bridge, gateway to Arlington Cemetery and the south and on the north, the national mall, is partially closed, leaving thousands of workers unable to take metro bustos get to work. Even brings like the h street bridge here which needs only repair is standing in the way of billions of dollars of nontransportation development here and nationwide system of whatever the congress does in the next authorization bill, two things must be done. We must put in pilots that instruct us, guide us, for new ways to Fund Transportation infrastructure in light of fuel efficiencies such as cars like my hybrid ford cmax. And most of all to be useful at all, we must have a sixyear transportation bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. I yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. Mica. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mica thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you, mr. Speaker. Here we are, last minute to avoid an infrastructure disaster across the country. How did we get here . Well when we knew that we needed a substantial amount of money, the other side of the aisle found out that there was a little bit of money left and we had asked the asked several months ago to consider going to the end of the year, when were doing tax reform, and we could find sufficient money to fund a four to sixyear bill. They said no. They had to spend the last dime in the cookie jar, take it out of the cookie jar and thats what put us in this situation. What that has done is, at least seven states have almost closed down their Infrastructure Projects. States that my state isnt affected by some of the northern states are affected because they have a very short work period. Theyre missing that work period. And states dont operate like the federal government. They have to pay their bills. They cant be spending and producing and printing paper money without backing. So weve let them down. So here we are asking to go where we wanted to go before to december. So i urge my the members to go and pass this legislation. And its kind of interesting sometimes i think that theres a lot of amnesia around here. Maybe we mr. Speaker, i dont know if we can go down to the Health Clinic and get a supply of gingko, but it would be good to give the members on the other side of the aisle gingko to help their memory. Three years ago, they controlled the house, the senate and the white house. They could have passed this legislation. We would have a bill in place now. The president came in, i was there, ray lahood came out, cut the knees out of mr. Oberstar when he was chairman and said, they werent going to move forward take werent going to raise taxes. Now they call for raising taxes. 21 states have raised it. Theyve done the responsible thing. They have to do it. Its better for home to do it because the overhead and carrying charge is so great in washington. So they have to do it. Going to the well instead of raising gas taxes . Didnt we recommend that to the other side and they ignored it . I think we need a double dose of gingko. I think now we step up to the plate, we help mr. Shuster and mr. Ryan, theyll get us to december. The leadership of the house is committed to a longterm bill and well get that done. Everybody working together and maybe a few people having another little dose of gingko might help around here. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oregon is recognized. Mr. Defazio i must say, its one of the most bizarre and fanciful things ive ever heard. There was never a viable plan to go to year end. The republicans never proposed revenue they just recently found revenues under couch cushions to get us through december 18. And they have not meaningfully addressed longterm funding for despite having control for 4 1 2 years and they blame us. The chairman started a meet sayinging, no user fees. You have now ruled out the traditional way of paying for infrastructure so they have to come up with Something Else but that was totally bizarre. With that i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. Edwards. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Edwards thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I thank the Ranking Member. For months, mr. Speaker, republicans have actually squandered an opportunity to develop and pass a longterm authorization for highway spending. And its pretty regrettable. Since may 19, republicans simply brought up and passed another two month extension. Weve already heard, sometimes we lose count, is it 33 or 34 extensions . Unfortunately, here we are two months later and were careening gentleman again to another crisis, another republicanmade crisis more gridlock for the Highway Trust Fund right in the middle of the critical construction season. Hundreds of thousands of jobs, as has been said and vie sal Construction Projects across the country are hanging in the balance. Here we just have a few days left. What do we know . We know the republicans done have a plan and they dont have any ideas. We have some ideas. And those ideas are contained in the grow america act. Im one of the original cosponsors. Its a sixyear 478 billion bill that would be a framework for our discussions. We could put that on the floor here today vote on it, and make sure that we get under way. But oh no, were stuck yet again with another extension and frankly im not really sure whether, when we get to december that we wont be stuck with yet another extension. This goes on and on and on. The American People have had enough. We know that if we invest in our infrastructure, we create jobs and we know that our infrastructure is falling apart. This seems like a no brainer to most americans and to working people and i dont understand what the complication here is, mr. Speaker. But enough is enough. Its time for republicans to be the adults at the table, to bring up a plan and a program to the floor for longterm authorization and put america back to work, not six months at a time, not two months at a time but for a long time. With that i yield. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from oregon reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania. I would like to remind my colleagues, the house mr. Shuster i would like to remind my colleagues, the house was controlled by their party, the senate was controlled by their party until january, and the white house is controlled by their party. They were going to squander 800 billion. If theyd listened to the Ranking Member at the time theyd have put a lot more money into the investment of infrastructure instead of that 800 billion bill about 68 billion went to Transportation System of everybody can point fingers at everybody but the reality is, here we are. We need to extend this to give the ways and Means Committee and the finance committee in the senate to figure out the dollars in a responsible way, not to continue to raise the debt and the deficit but find a responsible funding level to get us to a sixyear bill, which im committed to. I know chairman ryan has said many, many times hes committed to. Our leadership in the house is committed to a longterm bill. So again, instead of pointing fingers at each other, lets figure out a way to move Forward Together and i believe we will. With that, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Defazio i yield are you ready . I yield to the gentleman from minnesota one minute. Could i inquire as to the time left . Before we proceed. The speaker pro tempore you have four minutes. Mr. Defazio i yield the gentleman a minute and a half. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, members of the house, the simple truth is, as has been articulated so well here today by my colleagues, that this nation desperately needs a longterm transportation funding bill to repair our nations crumbling infrastructure, not another kick the can down the road shortterm, temporary, convoluted fix. Last week, congress appropriately honored the late chairman of the Transportation Committee jim oberstar, with the naming of his Hometown Post Office in chisholm, minnesota. Mr. Nolan what a wonderful tribute it was to chairman oberstar. But here we are once again, kicking the can down the road on the issue that jim oberstar cared most about. As chairman, jim worked hard to ensure the committee drafted good strong, Bipartisan Legislation. Thats what we need here today. The Transportation Committee if the Transportation Committee were allowed to do that, i have every confidence that we would indeed write a longterm transportation funding bill. Mr. Speaker, the fact is, the trains are running off the tracks, the bridges are falling down, the Wastewater Treatment facilities are overflowing, so lets do right by our good friend, the former congressman, jim oberstar. Lets create a longterm fix to our National Transportation and infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, i would also like to ask unanimous consent to insert an article recently into the record at this point. Thank you mr. Chairman. The speaker pro tempore without objection. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise . Mr. Shuster may i inquire how much time each side has . The speaker pro tempore seven minutes. Mr. Shuster theavend other side . The speaker pro tempore 3 1 2 minutes. Mr. Shuster i recognize the gentleman, mr. Graves. Three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Graves thank you, mr. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I appreciate that very much. I want to associate myself with the words of my colleagues who just spoke on the need to do this and the need far longterm transportation bill. I remember chairman oberstar working diligently to try to do that and the six or seven extensions we had but never did come up with a transportation bill. Thats why were working so hard to make sure we have a good, bipartisan bill. I do rise in support of h. R. 3038. Its going to extend the current transportation law until december 18, until we can get that longterm bill in place. As chairman of the committee on highways and transit, i believe its critical for critical for congress to come together on this bipartisan longterm, sur vas surface reauthorization. In my home state of missouri we have 10,000 bridges begging for our attention. Last month i held a hearing on the Transportation Needs of rural america. Our roads an bridges demonstrate why we need a strong federal program. Its critical to moving people and goods and to the Overall Health of this economy. Im committed to working with chairman shuster and chairman ryan and others to get a reauthorization bill done. Federal surface Transportation Programs are set to expire at the end of the month. Chong has to act to ensure the programs continue the sol generalcy and the Highway Trust Fund is addressed. State and local governments need to plan for projects with confidence. They need certainty, not just for the next five or six months but for the next five or six years this bill enables us to continue our bipartisan efforts on a reauthorization bill which we hope to accomplish by the end of the year. We have a tremendous opportunity to secure that bill thats going to improve rebuild modernize our nations Transportation System. Its time we come together to do that. I want to thank both the chairmen on their work on h. R. 3038. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Defazio i yield the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, one minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Blumenauer i appreciate the gentlemans courtesy and could not agree with the chairman more. I personally think its time to stop pointing fingers, theres enough bipartisan blame to go around. We didnt quite do the job when the economy was in free fall. I know a number of us would have written the recovery act differently. But the point is, we are here now with the challenge to fund it. And six republican states have increased the gas tax already this year. Ive got a proposal thats ready to go, that could be passed in two weeks and the committee could have the resources to actually fund the bill. But it could be other options. I know the Ranking Member has a barrel tax, a proposal to index the gas tax and bond against it. I dont care what it is that we do i do care that we dont continue to stall. It was exactly a year ago today we were standing here on this moment saying, dont wait until the end of the year, we have to get on with it because well be right back here a year from now and we are. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Blumenauer its time to act. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Shuster continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oregon. Mr. Defazio does the gentleman have additional speakers or no, ok. Id yield one minute to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Boyle. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Boyle thank you and i want to thank my colleague. This is just embarrassing. It is embarrassing that were here talking about the umpeenth patch for the umpteenth time. Other countries are wondering if were still interested in leading. Lets forget the shortterm patches, lets finally deal with the problem. The previous speaker, mr. Blumenauer, is exactly right. Before coming here as a state legislator in pennsylvania, we, democrats and republicans, banned together and cast a very politically tough vote. It was the right thing to do, both democrats and republicans did it, and now were finally building bridges and repairing roads that we neglected for 20 years in our state. Its time for the u. S. Federal government to do exactly the same right thing. Bite the bullet and lets show that an america that in america we can solve big problems and we can lead again. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Shuster continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman continues to reserve. The gentleman from oregon. Mr. Defazio i believe i have 30 seconds left. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is correct. Mr. Defazio i would yield myself the balance of the time. You know, investing in infrastructure in america has always been extraordinarily bipartisan. Over the entire time ive been here. Recently weve kind of gone off the tracks. But it means we both have to cooperate on policy and on funding. And for the life of me, why the Republican Party has drawn a line in the sand in saying, we cannot have user feebased investment in transportation, which benefits people who drive cars, pickup trucks, buses, everybody who moves goods in america, we cant do that anymore, weve got to come up with some fanciful tax reform which may or may not happen, its very sad. I proposed doing away with the retail gas tax, imposing a barrel tax. Where some of the costs would be paid by exxonmobil, wall street speculators, opec, saudi arabia, and yeah, theyd probably pass a lot of it through at the pump, but that would be a fair way to move forward to make the massive investment we need to put hundreds of thousands of people back to work and get america moving again. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Mr. Shuster thank you mr. Speaker. My colleague from oregon makes a good point. We are not spending the kind of dollars, at least were not spending wisely the kind of dollars i would say, also add to that to fix our infrastructure problem. But we do face more difficult times today than we did when we set up the fund in the 1950s or even in the 1980s, as the economy grew, and then in the 1990s the economy grew. Today we have an 18 trillion debt. Republicans want to make sure this is fiscally responsible. We want to make sure were just not layering Something Else on top of the American People. But more importantly, i hope my colleagues join with me to continue to reduce the Regulatory Burden that we put out there to people that build the roads, who operate on the roads, the states that have to come up with the plan to building them, so again, theres a lot of work to be done. I feel confident that chairman ryan and his committee will be able to come up with the funding level, so that we can continue to work to get a sixyear bill which i think is essential, to this nation, to give the certainty we need to help boost the economy but a vote against this bill is a vote in favor of shutting down these vital programs, putting transportation projects and jobs across the country at risk. And furloughing federal employees. Mr. Speaker, i urge all members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. At this time ways and means will debate 30 minutes. The gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ryan, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. Levin will each control 15 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ryan. Mr. Ryan thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself as much time as i may consume. I rise to speak in favor of this. Heres basically what were trying to do. We want to get to a longterm highway solution. We believe that for the sake of jobs, the economy, certainty planning big projects in our states, we want to do a multiyear highway bill. Typically a multiyear highway bill means a sixyear bill and thats our aspiration and our goal. We know were not going to write that bill in the next two weeks. We know we need at least two or three months to write that bill. Unfortunately the Highway Trust Fund has a fiscal shortfall in two weeks. So were here to extend the Highway Trust Fund through december 18, to give us the time we need to put together a multiyear solution. That costs 8 billion just to do that. What we use are revenueclines measures, to make it easier for revenuecompliance measures, to make it easier for people to file their taxes more easily. Not a single fee increase, not a single tax increase is in this bill to finance the extension of the Highway Trust Fund solvency to december 18. For example, tas fees, tas fees t. S. A. Fees, t. S. A. Fees are not being increased. Theyre staying exactly the same as they are, so nobody getting on an airplane will see anything different. The difference is, we keep those fees going to mandatory spending. We keep those fees going to where they are, instead of going into Discretionary Spending where they can be spent in addition to other spending, to buy walling off that money so congress cant go spend it somewhere else, we save money by doing that. Things like this are what we do, savings for the taxpayer, tax compliance, easier to comply with your taxes making sure that fees dont get spent in other areas, are some important fiscal savings that we have to make sure that we can extend the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Now, the other point i would simply make is, we believe that we have a chance of writing a big multiyear bill. Thats why were seeking this extension. If we didnt think that we had the chance and the opportunity on a bicameral, bipartisan basis, to do a sixyear highway funding bill, then we would just two do a twoyear bill like the other body is attempting to do. We think we can do a multiyear bill multiyear bill. We think there are ways of doing it, things that are important for the economy things that are important for our businesses we think thats an opportunity and thats something that were exploring on a bipartisan basis. So for that reason and many others i urge adoption of this. I think it makes sense. The last thing we want to do, and where i come from in wisconsin, the way we say it is we have two seasons. Road construction season and winter. The last thing we want to do is see Road Construction stop at the beginning of august. We need to give our construction, our highways, our people who are filling these Construction Projects, a little certainty, at least getting to the winter, so they can finish the building season while we work out a longterm highway solution. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield myself such time as i shall consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Levin well here we go again. A bill from the majority, theyve been in power over four years, and the result is another patch. We need to do better. We know the state of highways and the infrastructure in this country our National Infrastructure receives a dplus grade, getting worse every day. So its said we need multiyear and thats so true. It is also being said that there needs to be a bipartisan bicameral bill. And i want to just talk to the chairman to talk to this entire house, to talk to the congress, having also met with the administration. There is no way to have a multiyear bill, five, six years, unless it is truly bipartisan involving democrats and republicans. Democrats as well as republicans in both houses. Weve come up with some ideas, were suggesting today, for example, passage of the stop corporate inversion act, that many others and i introduced some time ago. So, we need to consider everything. And i want to close this way. We will not have a multiyear bill if lines are drawn not in sand but in concrete. If the majority takes the position that some ideas cannot be considered its likely to lead infrastructure to another dead end. We need to do much better, multiyear, bipartisan both houses with the administration. If we dont do that, the rest is talk. This delay has caused millions of jobs. Everybody, including the majority, now talks about middle income stagnation. Part of it is because weve been stagnant in terms of an infrastructure bill on a longterm basis. That has to stop. We need to put a big red sign that says, stop in front of the majority of this house and the entire house in the congress and get busy on a bipartisan basis on a highway longterm bill. All infrastructure. I now reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan mr. Speaker, i think the gentleman from michigan has more speakers than we do. So if its all right by him, why dont a few of the speakers on your side of the aisle go. Mr. Levin well be glad to do that. Were so full of vigor on this, we have lots of speakers. The next speaker i yield a minute and a half to, mr. Becerra, a member of our committee, who is also chair of our caucus. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Becerra i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, in the greatest, most capacitated nation on earth, there is no excuse for so many crumbling roads and bridges, and for the evergrowing traffic gridlock and congestion that we see every day that we try to get to work. Theres no reason why hundreds of thousands of men and women in the Construction Industry today should remain unemployed because this Congress Wont do its job of replenishing the Highway Trust Fund. Its crazy. We know that when we repair a road or a bridge we put an american to work and we make it easier for all of us to get to work so we can be more efficient. Here we are for the 34th time doing a patch to the Highway Trust Fund. Which doesnt help any city or county in america, because you dont build a road or build a bridge or retrofit a bridge with two months of funding or five months of funding. You need six years to know how much money you can rely on. Because that contractor doesnt buy cement or lumber for two months or six months. They buy for four or five years. Because for them time is money. My god. We are costing the american tax people a ton of money by doing these people a ton of money by doing these constant patches. Instead of just spectate, we should be coming up with the funds to have ose roa built and repaired, those bridges built and repairedto replace those aging buses a trains that stop us from being efficnt. Mr. Speaker, its time tdo it the right way the long way, a longterm fix, not this shortterm fix. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan at this time id like to yield to the chairman of the select revenue committee, mr. Reichert, three minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Reichert i thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in support of todays legislation that will ensure that our countrys infrastructure needs are met. Look, the bottom line is, were all here we have agreement on a lot of the discussion that we having today. We all want a multiyear highway bill. We all recognize that thats what our communities need. But thats why exactly why we need to pass this bill today. So that we can have that opportunity to discuss these issues over the next few months, to come u with a multiyear bill. It continues funding for projects through the end of the year while giving us time to come up with solutions that fund a multiyear transportation bill. This is not just about the economy. It is about the economy, but not jus about the economy. It is about jobs and jobs connected with construction and jobs connected with moving our good across the country and in our communities. T its also about the quality of life that our constituents are asking to deal with back home, stuck in traffic for an hour or two hours trying to get home, not having time with their families. Thers a lot involved here with r discussion today and the benefits of a multiyear plan. Of course when i go back home just like any other member, e drive on the highways. So we see the need, we experience the congestion, i want to go back and tell my constituents that we have listened to them. That we realize and recogze that there is a proble but most of all, i want to go back and say we have a plan. And as democrats and repubcans that were going to Work Together on a plan, on a multiyear plan that we can agree on to move this country forward. A plan thatncludes a multiyear highway bill that offers communities greater certainty, plans for the future and improves our roads and bridges, reduces congestion and eases the movement of goods. To get there, we must find a way, of course this is where the rub comes in, must find a way to pay for it. By the end of the year, i want to be able to say to my constituents that weve met this challenge, that we have found a solution and we can start by evaluating whether we can accomplish our goals through a solution that mornedizes our International Tax system, supporting the competitiveness of our American Companies and secures funding for a multiyear transportation bill and finally, finally, finding a permanent solution a permanent funding solution for our infrastructure needs. Mr. Speaker i want to this last sentence, i want to ask pardon for a pun im about to use, the bill today can help drive us there and give us time to have these discussions. So today, lets pass this bill. Send it to the senate, and lets get to Work Together mr. Speaker, people want us to Work Together on a multiyear solution to our transportation infrastructure needs. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from wisconsin reserves. I yield two mr. Levin i yield two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Neal. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Neal i note the irony of his advocacy on behalf of a plan. I guess after 35 shortterm extensions we havent been able to find the time to develop a plan. You need, years out, to develop a plan system of just weeks ago in this very chamber, our friends on the other side of the aisle made a full throttled argument about america remaining competitive in the world. Thats why we needed the transpacific partnership. So let me think about this for a moment. We want america to be competitive in the world and we simultaneously allow americas infrastructure to crumble as we speak. You know whats going to get congress to move, sadly enough . That catastrophe that awaits us somewhere across this country. So European Union has a highway system that in many instances is the enjoy of the world. The chinese are developing high speed rail that is the envy of the world. And were doing the 35th shortterm extension on a highway bill . So let me relate to our friends on the other side, as you travel across the federal highway system, theres this great sign, everywhere, and it says, the dwight d. Eisenhower federal highway system. Because a republican president had the foresight and vision in the aftermath of world war ii to develop a first class federal highway system. But you know what else he had . He had two great allies in the congress. Lyndon johnson, the majority leader in the senate and sam rayburn, the speaker of this house, who helped sponsor legislation that gave us a system that was the envy of the world and 35 times, we are extending the highway bill because we dont have time to develop a plan. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield two minutes to another valued member of our committee, mr. Blumenauer of oregon. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you. Mr. Speaker i would ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the presentations i made one year ago today on this floor, on this same subject. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Blumenauer i can actually read those speeches again, because were exactly at the same spot. America is still falling apart and falling behind. And were looking now to slide again past the deadline toward the end of the year. The problem is, were still pretending we can pay for 2015 infrastructure with 1993 dollars. And it isnt that hard. It doesnt take six months to come up with a funding scheme. I have legislation that is in the committee that can be acted on. We can follow the example of 20 states that have raised their user fee for transportation. We could get courage from the six republican states that have raised their gas tax already this year, just a few weeks ago few days ago, in the state of washington the republicancontrolled state Senate Approved a 15 cent gas tax increase. We could follow the example of Ronald Reagan in 1982, when he urged this congress to bite the bullet raise the gas tax, he proposed and congress followed through on a 125 increase in the gas tax. Somehow, my republican friends are afraid to use the mechanism that is fast that is accepted that the people in the states, republicans in the states, have the courage to undertake. Why is it this year, its going to be any different than last year . Why will my speech be any different . Is it going to get cheaper . Is it going to become less complex . Are we going to have a little more back bone . For us to step up. I would hope that our ways and Means Committee could take the next two weeks, follow regular order and provide funding so that we could give the Transportation Committee the two months they need to fund it and the job would be done. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield a minute and a half to another valued member of our committee mr. Pascrell of new jersey. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Pascrell mr. Speaker, what are we writing here a new magna carta . Theyve had four years, for crying out loud and we still dont have legislation in front of us. Its been two months since we were last here, and a lot of talk two months ago about how bad extensions are for Transportation Planning and policy. How the last extension was going to be the last extension. Nothing has changed. And you keep on talking about the anxiety over tax reform and tax change. What about the anxiety that the American People have and the contractors and workers have of getting our roads and highways and airports up to snuff . The bill before us today has the congress pay for our highways and Transit Systems with more gimmicks. Tax compliance . These are the same provisions the house rejected last year. Transportation security administrative fees . The airlines trade association rightfully criticized that this plan proposes the use to use tomorrows dollars to pay for todays problems. The International Tax can be part of a solution to bridge the gap but Corporate America is turning on those revenues to lower their rates, not pay for highway spending. Using an International Tax scheme now will make it that much more difficult to get back to a user fee system. The people who use the system should pay for the system. Thats what we should be agreeing on. The ways and Means Committee did hold two hearings on the trust fund and we come to this . So this is the new magna carta. Im waiting to see the final results, six months from now. Its been two years its been 10 years since this Congress Passed a transportation bill. Neither party as the courage to deal with it. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Ryan regular order. Id like to yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from kansas, a member of the ways and Means Committee, ms. Jenkins. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jenkins thank you. I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him for his leadership on this very important issue. I rise today in support of h. R. 3038 with the prospect of the Highway Trust Fund dollars and authority expiring in just over two weeks this is a critical step to give our states the certainty they need to continue work on important Infrastructure Projects back home this bill gives the house and senate time to Work Together toward a longterm highway package by the end of the year. Its also important to note that this bill includes provisions i pushed for to help many Small Businesses by establishing a chronological set of due dates for them to pay their packses. The current law fails to do this which causes Small Business and their owners unnecessary grief, time and money. I worked during the past two congresses on legislation to fix this problem and im pleased that the house is acting today to take another burden off the shoulders of Small Business people. I urge support of h. R. 3038. Thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from wisconsin reserves. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield a minute and a half to another valued member of our committee, mr. Davis of illinois. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Davis thank you mr. Speaker. We all know that july 31 the Highway Trust Fund will expire. But we didnt just learn this. Not that we just found out last week. Or last month. Weve always known it. Now we come where were backed up against the wall. We know we need a longterm fix but im going to vote for a shortterm fix. Im going to vote for it because i want the contractors in my state to keep working. I want the construction workers to keep laying concrete. I want the Bridge Builders to keep repairing bridges. We cant afford to have a short season. In illinois if you dont do construction now, you may not get a chance to do much. On the basis of the logic of keeping the Construction Industry moving i vote yes for the highway bill that were considering today. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i yield myself 30 seconds to respond to the gentleman from craig. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Ryan as a person who represents a state line who drives to ohare and back and forth i want to add to my comment, theyre in thed my of Road Construction right now on i90. If we dont pass this bill, Construction Projects like that will stop. So we need, by the way, we need more construction in chicagoland area, just like we do around the rest of america thats why we have to pass this. Let me yield myself another 30 seconds to say, i think the gentleman from illinois hit it right, which is yes we knew this was coming, but it takes a while to figure out how to do things like rewrite International Tax laws, something we havent done for decades. It takes a while to figure out how to come up with longterm financing Something Like a Highway Trust Fund. And we know that we cannot come up with that answer within the next two weeks and we dont want to see these Construction Projects like the really important one on i90 and i94 going to ohare and every else in america to stop in two weeks. That is why this is necessary. We dont like patches anymore than anybody else does but this patch is necessary to make sure those projects dont stop. With that, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from georgia a truly valued member of our committee in this congress, mr. Lewis. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Lewis mr. Speaker, i thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise to express my strong concern with yet another stopgap measure. Nearly 60 years ago, a republican president , Dwight Eisenhower, led the charge to create the interstate highway system. He realized that good roads was not just about commerce and Economic Development, they are National Security priority to keep america safe. Ive said it before and ill remind you again, fleece such thing as a republican road theres no such thing as a republican road or a democratic bring. Today american bridge. Today american roads and bridges are crumbling. This is a national embarrassment. We have already rolled the ball down the road more than 30 times and here we are doing it again. The time for talk has passed. In the words of dr. King, we have been bogged down in the paralysis of analysis for too long. Delay for another day is not an option. American jobs are on the line. In a few short weeks transportation projects across our country will grind to a stop. We must act and we must act now. Thank you mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i yield myself the balance of our time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Levin you know, as i think back, weve been doing this so often, and our chairman said it takes a while, its been a decade. And i just want to emphasize, if were no longer going to take a while to do it right, its going to have to be done on a truly bipartisan basis. Theres a tendency, i think, to go off on a wild goose chase and that wont build highways. And it wont build if one party doesnt work with another, if the senate doesnt work with the house, and now we have the senate seeming to go a different way on a shortterm, thinking they can do a longterm. Chaos doesnt build highways. So i really hope, however we vote on this bill, that there will be a new dedication to doing what is so long overdue. All the talk about middle class incomes essentially goes up in smoke when we fail to do what is so clearly in the interest of middle class jobs, and that is to build highways to repair bridges to take care of airports, to take care of our infrastructure. Coming from michigan, im ashamed of the state of highways in michigan compared to when i was a kid and later on. Disrepair has essentially been the hallmark of highway and infrastructure in this country, because theres been a failure to step up to the plate and i just want to finish by saying dont put anything aside dont say anything cant be considered because thats a ticket, really another bridge to nowhere. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i will spare the cliches and just simply say, i think this is important that we get this done. Both parties have patched this trust fund for, as the gentleman said, for 10 years. Part of the problem we have right now mr. Speaker, is the Revenue Source for highways is a Revenue Source thats no longer relevant, that doesnt work anymore. Gas taxes dont work well. Why . Its a good reason why. We get much better gas mileage. Our Engine Technology is better. Some cars dont even use gas, theyre electric. And therefore as a result we dont pay as much for the highways we use. And thats the problem. So were trying to figure out what is a way we can bridge finance the Highway Trust Fund so we can come up with a new Revenue Source for the longterm. That means we have to have a medium term, a sixyear highway bill, to make sure that the construction that we need to get done gets done and thats going to take us some time to figure out thats why we need to have this patch, to give us that time. If we fail to pass this extension right now i can sure tell you what will come over from the other body will be a medium, you know about an 18month extension and that will come through here and we will not get the bridge we need, we will not get the ability to give multiyear projects the ability to plan and get off the ground, and we will not have done our jobs. And so in order to give us the chance to do our jobs to get the longterm solution in place, to work on these big issues we need to get ourselves a few more months time and thats why i think on a bipartisan basis members understand and appreciate this situation and therefore will help hopefully support this. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. All time for debate having expired, pursuant to house res. Resolution 362, the previous question is ordered on the bill. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to provide an extension of federal aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety transit and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition . I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The speaker pro tempore is the gentleman opposed to the bill . Mr. Van hollen i am opposed, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman qualifies. The clerk will report the motion. Clip mr. Van hollen of maryland moves to recommit the bill, h. R. 3038, to the committee on ways and means, with instructions to report the same back to the house for thewith with the following amendment. At the of the end bill, add the following, title 4 stop corporate ex patriation and invest in americas infrastructure act. Section 4001, short title this title may be cited as the stop corporate expatriation and invest in americas infrastructure act of 2015. Section 4002 modifications to rules relating to inverted corporations, a, in general, subsection b of section 7874 of the internal rev you revenue code of 1986 is amended to read as follows, b, inverted corporations treated as Domestic Corporations. 1, in general, notwithstanding section 7701a4 a Foreign Corporation shall be treated for purposes of this title as a Domestic Corporation if, a such corporation would be a surrogate for corporation if subsection asks a2 were applied by subs site toing 80 or 60 or, b, such corporation is inverted Domestic Corporation. 2, inverted Domestic Corporation, for purposes of the subs. E. C. A Foreign Corporation shall be treated as an inverted Domestic Corporation the speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentleman reserves a point of order. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from maryland is recognized for five minutes in support of his motion. Mr. Van hollen thank you, mr. Speaker. We have a very sad state of affairs here. We know we have an urgent problem with respect to infrastructure around america. Our roads, our bridges our transit ways are in disrepair, at a time when we should actually be investing more to modernize our american infrastructure so we can compete and put people back to work. And yet what do we have from our republican colleagues . More of the same. Five more months of inadequate funding no certainty for people who need to plan for projects, people are going to face layoffs again mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker mr. Speaker, i ask for some order, please. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The gentleman deserves to be recognized. The gentleman will resume. Mr. Van hollen thank you mr. Speaker. So we have an urgent problem and the response we get from our republican colleagues is five months of inadequate funding. We have put forward a sixyear plan. The first two years fully funded, of a more robust plan. How do we fund it . We fund it by saying no more to the companies, the American Companies, that are cheating the american taxpayers by inversions. What are they doing . Theyre simply changing their addresses to an overseas address so they dont have to pay any more into helping our infrastructure and helping our country. Let me give you an example of what these companies are doing. Theyre not moving their employees, theyre not moving their management, theyre not moving their factories or anything else. Theyre just changing their Mailing Address by acquiring a small foreign company. And in doing so, saying, were not going to pay any more of our taxes. So to the chairman of the ways and Means Committee, i think most americans would disagree with you, that we need more time. We dont need five more months to figure out that these corporations are cheating as taxpayers by using these special provisions. We can close this tax loophole right now. In fact, about 30 of these companies have inverted in the last five years. So we want to wait another five months and allow five, 10 more to use this tax device to escape their responsibilities to the american taxpayer . Why should we do that . Lets do the right thing and lets do it right now. We have that within our power thats what the legislation that we put forward is all about. Lets invest in our National Infrastructure and lets use it by getting the savings from these companies that are engaging in these inversion tax practices. Im pleased to yield the remainder of the time to mr. Israel of new york. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Israel i thank my colleague. Mr. Speaker, republicans and democrats until this congress, have always agreed that the way you build an economy is by building highways bridges tunnels, transit. With this congress, mr. Speaker, under this republican congress, were not building, we are patching. And as a result the American People are sitting in more traffic, longer rush hours, higher repair bills. This is a choice, mr. Speaker. Under the republican plan, we can kick the can down the crumbling highway, we can patch through december, telling construction workers we dont know if theyre going to work after that, we can fund the status quo, or under this plan we can be big, bold and fair. We have six years of work, sixyear extension of the Highway Trust Fund 40 billion in jobs in construction, it is funded not by asking americans to dig deeper into their pockets or take something from their paychecks, it is funded by telling americas corporations they cannot establish an address for themselves in the caribbean in order to avoid paying their fair share of taxes right here at home. Mr. Speaker the American People they are fed up, they are sitting in traffic. They can feel their tires hitting the pot holes, theyre told, we cant afford to fix those pot holes because we dont have the money. They sit in longer rush hour while meanwhile corporations rush to the caribbean to avoid paying their fair share of taxes to fix the pot hole. This is the choice. Will we protect tax gimmicks for americas biggest corporations or will we protect the american taxpayer and americas workers . Our proposal, mr. Speaker, it grows jobs, creates Sustainable Growth in paychecks, it fixes pot holes, it fixes our holidays and transits, it gets americans to their jobs on time, it rebuilds our economy by rebuilding jobs and it is a choice we are making today. The choice is this, mr. Speaker. Will we protect tax gimmicks for tax dodgers or will we protect jobs for the American People . With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan mr. Speaker, i withdraw the reservation on the point of order and i claim time in opposition. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Ryan a few points. Number one, im looking through the bill, the motion to recommit here, theres no sixyear plan in here. Theres no sixyear highway project plan in here. They may have proposed one but its not being offered here today. All this bill does is the stop corporation expatriation and invest in americas infrastructure but theres no invest in american infrastructure here. Just the tax increase. Lets speak to that. Weve heard speaker after speaker after speaker here from the other side of the aisle say, youre getting away from gas taxes to fund highways, to fund infrastructure. What does this do . This isnt a gas tax increase. So youre moving away from the user fee principle yourself in your own rhetoric. Lets speak to the substance of this particular proposal. This proposal will do a couple of things. Number one, it will encourage Foreign Companies to buy u. S. Companies. You might as well say this is the buy American Company act of 2015. Number two, it will encourage u. S. Corporate headquarters to move overseas. Dont take my word for it. Thats the characterization of this bill by the Senate Democratic policy chair the senior senator from new york, who has said, this policy will encourage u. S. Headquarters to be moved overseas. Inversions are bad. We want to stop inversions. But to quote the treasury secretary of the other sides party, the way to stop inversions is tax reform. Why are we here doing this patch . Had . So that we can give ourselves the time to do tax reform, to do International Tax reform, so that we can prevent inversions. Thats the whole purpose of this episode that were having here. So not only is this really bad policy, it doesnt work, it wont affect what theyre trying to do. If you want to stop inversions, youve got to do tax reforms. Adding more obstacles to u. S. Companies doesnt stop u. S. Companies from moving, it simply says that theyre more ripe for takeovers from Foreign Companies. Theres a very dangerous trend, mr. Speaker, of Foreign Companies buying u. S. Companies. It is happening at an alarming pace. If this were to pass, it would accelerate that pace and the way that this is written, it would say, if you had your headquarters in america as an American Company, you better move them overseas. Why would we want to do that . To do that. Lets have American Companies buy Fortune Companies instead of the oway around. Thats what we should be doing. Lets just have some truth in advertising here this doesnt stop inversions. This accelerates American Companies being bought by Foreign Companies. It accelerates american headquarters going overseas. And it doesnt Fund Anything for the next six years. With that and many other reasons, i urge a no vote on this motion to recommit and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Without objection the priest question is ordered on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. The motion is not agreed to. Mr. Speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 8 of rule 20, this 15minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a fiveminute vote on passage if ordered the motion to suspend the rules on h. R. 2722, and approval of the journal if ordered. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on tht vote, the yeas are 185, the nays are 244. The motion is not agreed to the question is on passage of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Blumenauer i request a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore a recorded vote is requested. Those favoring a recorded will rise a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 314. The nays are the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 312. The nays are 119. The bill is passed. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The Unfinished Business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from missouri, mr. Luetkemeyer, to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 2722, as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. The clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 2722, a bill to require the secretary of the treasury to mint coins in recognition of the fight against Breast Cancer. The speaker pro tempore the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This will be a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 420. The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 421. The nays are none and one voting present. 2 3 having responded in the affirmative the rules are suspended the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the Unfinished Business is the question on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal which the chair will put de novo. The question is on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The journal stands approved. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise . I can ask unanimous consent that the house meet at 9 00 a. M. Tomorrow. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Pursuant to clause 8, rule 0 the chair will postponefurther proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. Recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken later. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. Members will take their conversations out of the house. The house will come to order. For what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition . Mr. Ryan i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 896 the Steve Gleason act. The clerk an act to amend title 1 of the Social Security act to provide beneficiary access to accessories for speechgenerating devices and remove the rental cap under the Medicare Program with respect to speech generating devices. The speaker pro tempore the house will come to order. Please take your conversations off the floor. Pursuant to the rule the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ryan the gentleman from washington, mr. Mcdermott each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes jask wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i ask unanimous consent members to include extraneous material on s. 894 currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Ryan i yield myself such time as i may consume and the house is not in order. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is correct. The house will come to order. Please take your conversations off the floor. The speaker pro tempore please take your conversations off the floor. The house will come to order. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan i rise to speak in favor of the Steve Gleason act. This is s. G. D. s, otherwise known as speech generation devices. People with severe diseases like a. L. S. Or parkinsons, they need these devices to communicate and add it as an accessory to their wheelchair. Medicare has covered wheelchairs and these devices and people have been able to buy them so they can cost tomize their device. There is one device called an eye gaze and allows someone to use their eyes and navigate a computer and hit the mouse click to do things like turn on the tv go on the phone, speech communication. Its just incredible, but there is a problem. Two years ago c. M. S. Changed the policy. This is something that before you could buy this and add an upgrade to it. When c. M. S. Changed the policy, seniors have to represent it 13 months before they can buy it. Medicare will stop making these rental payments if a Senior Citizen makes an upgrade that are not directly related to speech. Not just seniors go on medicare, people with certain disabilities are allowed to go on medicare. This affects people from all ages. This changes so sweeping that medicare is refusing to pay for things like an eye gaze, the very thing that patients need in order to use their s. G. D. This bill would remove the 13month rental equipment that allows them to buy immediately and make sure medicare continues to cover s. G. D. s if they are entering a nursing home. The people who need these are the most vulnerable among us. The whole point of medicare is to protect these very patients and give them the care they need. And this bill goes to the heart of medicares mission and heart of fixing a flaw that i think everybody recognizes needs to be fixed. With that, i yield two minutes to our distinguished conference chair, the gentlelady from washington, ms. Mcmorris rogers. Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers last summer, more than 17 Million People participated in the ice bucket challenge to raise awareness of the crippling disease a. L. S. And the toll it takes on millions of men and women and their families. Around the same time, gail gleason who is the mother of former nfl star Steve Gleason, came to me with concerns about medicare denying access to cuttingedge speechgenerated technology with Patients Living with diseases. Gail and steve feared people would lose their ability to communicate to share their stories, order coffee, tell jokes, ask for help. Say i love you. Before i Eye Tracking Technology became available, once they lost their ability to type, they could no longer communicate. All that has changed. Today, patients can continue communicating by typing with their eyes. But topdown government knows best rules and regulations threaten to take it all away for those who need it most. I pledge to do everything within my power to fix this and im proud to have helped steer this bill through congress with the help of majority leader and whip , Steve Scalise, representative mccarthy, so many joined us in this effort. We had a letter with republicans and democrats to push c. M. S. To investigate this arbitrary decision and im proud to help to send the Steve Gleason act to the president s desk. Mr. Speaker lifechanging innovation cannot help people when its collecting dust on a desk or getting caught up in red tape. Because of gail and Steve Gleason, thousands of americans living with degenerative diseases can have peace of mind today and their voices will continue to be heard and still be able to say i love you. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from wisconsin reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott i rise in support of this 984 Steve Gleason act. This legislation is named after steve demreeson a former professional Football Player for the new Orleans Saints and native of Washington State. It will increase access to help Patients Living with neurological diseases. A. L. S. Is known as lou engineer igs disease. They are generated as capped rental items by medicare requiring beneficiaries to rent their devices for 13 months before they are able to own this. This cap has made it difficult for many. C. M. S. Has begun providing payment for speechgenerating devices. This is a good step but does not necessarily ensure continued payment for the devices if a beneficiary moves from a post acute facility such as a nursing home. This legislation makes ar simple fix that will eliminate the rental cap and clarify that beneficiaries may purchase speechgenerating devices immediately and ensure payment for these devices even if a beneficiary is admitted into a facility where payment is bundled into a postacute facility payment. It will improve the Medicare Program and make a meaningful difference in the lives of beneficiaries living with a. L. S. Im pleased to see the chairman out here pushing this and im glad to join with him. I hope someday we can join with him while we provide hearing aides for Senior Citizens who are having trouble paying for them today. Do you have any other speakers . Mr. Ryan yes. Mr. Mcdermott i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan i yield two minutes to mr. Statistic lease from louisiana. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Scalise thank you, mr. Speaker and i thank the gentleman from wisconsin for bringing this Steve Gleason act to the floor. Steve gleason is somebody who served as an inspiration for people in louisiana going back to the 2006 game when the superdome was reopened after hurricane katrina, that night was one of the galvanizing moments that helped bring the city of new orleans and inspire the people of new orleans to come back and he blocked the punt at the end of the game to win the game. I was in the dome that night and my wife and i were was euphoric as everybody in that building. The reason steve inspires people today is not because of what he did on the football field but because what he has done to serve as an inspiration for people with all disabilities since he was diagnosed with a. L. S. And mr. Speaker what hes done is go out and show that he is able to exhibit his voice because of the speech generating device that he has. This isnt something he wants for himself but for all people who have something to say who have that same voice to inspire other people. And when c. M. S. Made the change in policy that started to take away that voice, he spoke up as so many others did and said we need to reverse this. I commend senator vitter for bringing this legislation forward. But this is a bill that truly will give voice to thousands of people over 5,000 people every year are diagnosed with a. L. S. They all have something to say. They all have that voice and Steve Gleason act will give them that voice so they can go out and continue to achieve their lifes potential. I urge passage of this legislation and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan you have one more speaker . Would you like to go right now . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott i yield two minutes to the the gentleman from louisiana, two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Richmond ask my colleagues to vote for the Steve Gleason act. And steves name is on it. Its a lot bigger than steve and if you know him and what he stand for and this bill and this fight on behalf of him and his family the fight they fought, benefits thousands of people in our society. Thats why i was happy to join last year in a letter with ms. Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers to c. M. S. Asking them to change this policy. Its important to put patients first and fixing this extremely misguided and harmful medicare regulation that has had a devastating impact on the lives of a. L. S. Patients and stroke victims and other folks experiencing significant paralysis, prohibits them from talking to and communicating with their family. I will say this and i think steve did a great job of expressing what steve means to new orleans. Gleasons act on the football field and his actions since being diagnosed with a. L. S. Exemplifies the resilience that the people of new orleans have had after being knocked down from hurricanes and other things. But as steve stood up and people stoot up, government has a responsibility to make the libes of People Better and help them help themselves. And i will give you steves words. He said if we have a purpose in life beyond being a cog in the human machine, mine is to help inspire people, and thats pretty cool. What i would like to say that steve inspired congress to help make the lives of thousands and thousands of People Better and what steve was able to do was bring out the best of whats in this body and that is both sides working together to make sure we do tangible things to improve the lives of the people who we represent. And im proud to stand here with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and enjoy the benefit of their hard work and a team effort to do this. I would encourage my colleagues to vote for the Steve Gleason act, and with that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan id like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. Paulsen. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Paulsen as already mentioned, many participated in the ice bucket challenge, raising more than 100 million to combat a. L. S. Or lou gehrigs disease. At the exact same time this movement was sweeping the nation the c. M. S. Was implementing misguided policies to deny access to speechgenerating devices for those patients with a. L. S. And other degenerative conditions. For many people who have a. L. S. , speechgenerating devices and the eye tracking devices are the only way to communicate with your loved ones, with family, with friends and others. In response to the agencys new policies representative Cathy Mcmorris rodgers and i led that bipartisan letter with more than 200 republicans and democrats asking for changes to the proposals. While the agency has taken some actions to roll back some of the rules, we got to guarantee that these patients will have access to speechgenerating devices and thats why senator vitter representative mcmorris rorgers, majority whip scalise and i first introduced the Steve Gleason act. This gets its name from former new Orleans Saints Steve Gleason. He first blocked a punt for the new Orleans Saints in their dramatic return to the superdome after hurricane katrina. He battles a. L. S. This bill is for steve and for the millions of people who have a. L. S. The ice bucket challenge was a good start but theres more we can do to help people with that deadly disease. Instead of limiting access to lifeimproving devices we should be embracing 21st century cures and technologies that empower millions of americans living with degenerative disabilities to have a better life and communicate with their family, friends, physicians and loved ones. Im glad we could come together in a bipartisan matter to embrace innovation and help so many people mr. Speaker. I encourage passage of this legislation and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan id yield two minutes to a distinguished member of the ways and Means Committee, dr. Boustany from louisiana. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Boustany the thousands of americans living with a. L. S. And end stage parkinsons disease, the Steve Gleason act means the difference between being able to speak and silence. Silence. I have the great i had the great privilege two weeks ago to spend an hour with steve and his mother in new orleans just a couple weeks ago. Steve, you heard about his exploits on the football field and how he inspired so many in that first return back to the superdome after katrina. But steve lost his ability to speak and is wheelchair bound due to a. L. S. This happened earlier this year. His 2011 diagnosis could have been a tragedy, but he turned it into something amazing and good. When i visited with steve, it was amazing to see the fire and the spirit in his eyes, because despite all thats happened to him, hes determined to help a lot of people and he was determined. He told me, im not going to give up until you guys pass this legislation so we can help so many others who dont have access to this technology that ive been blessed to have. So he steve started the team gleason, an advocacy organization, main priorities to raise awareness about a. L. S. And hes communicating using this amazing technology. But he knows not all individuals with a. L. S. Or end stage parkinsons have the resources to afford these expensive devices. This bill is named for steve because of his tireless advocacy, and this final legislation will provide the resources to give voice to thousands of individuals living across this country with a. L. S. , end stage parkinsons and other neurological types of disorders. Im glad to play a little role on the ways and Means Committee with the chairman to help move this bill through. I think this is a very proud day for america. Were happy for steve and his advocacy and happy for so many individuals who are caught with this very difficult disease. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan at this time id like to yield two minutes to another senior members of the ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from washington, mr. Reichert. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washington is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Reichert i thank the chairman, again, for yielding to me today and thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to support the Steve Gleason act of 2015. I have never had the honor of meeting steve. However, he is a native washingtonian, but i have had the honor of knowing a good friend and partner who passed away from a. L. S. While i was with the Sheriffs Office back in Washington State and king county in the city of seattle. His name was jim and ive heard people talk about steve and his inspiration and his fight and the fire in his eyes this afternoon, and jim had that same inspiration to those around him, that same fire in his eyes. He came to work every day, and people noticed there was something quite a little bit different. Not quite right about jim, but jim just said, my leg, i had an operation on my knee and he limped into work and he committed himself to doing the job and getting it done. He was working on one of the biggest serial murder cases that this country has ever known, the green river case. He interviewed the person we finally arrested, which took us 19 years. He stayed alive long enough to interview im not even going to honor that persons name, mention it mix his name on the floor of the house, but jim was a good friend. And for for c. M. S. To make a ruling like this, to withhold commonsense medical devices for people who need it, to help americans across this country is almost unbelievable and illogical. C. M. S. Has made other rules too to denying medical devices for people with limp deema for example. Lymphodema for example. I am so pleased to be here today to help people with a. L. S. Communicate. And like Cathy Mcmorris said the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Reichert one last word. To be able to say i love you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan the speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan has the gentleman yielded back his time . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Mr. Ryan ill yield myself as i may consume for the purposes of closing, mr. Speaker. As i saw Steve Scalise talk about that play, im a big nfl plan, big n. F. C. Nfl fan, big n. F. C. Fan. My friend, aaron stecker, who is from wisconsin, played on that team at that time and i just got to say mr. Speaker. In america we have all of these heroes, and the best among us are the heroes that have been so high and have been brought so low but that have come back up and have shown a great example of courage to the rest of us. Were very pleased to be bringing this bill to the floor. I basically want to thank the members of the louisiana delegation for bringing this issue to our attention, for making us know about this, and this is one of those things where the bureaucracy just got it wrong. The bureaucracy basically i dont know why, but they came up with a rule that effectively denied these devices to people which means they cant live a full life. These s. G. D. s are invaluable. They are absolutely essential for people suffering from a. L. S. To be able to communicate to be able to function. I had a constituent at a town hall meeting walk me through how his Eye Gaze Technology worked as part of his s. G. D. And its just truly remarkable. This is one of those issues that speaks to absolute common sense. The bureaucracy got it wrong and this is congress in action, our democracy in action. Our constituents brought us an issue. We understood something needed to be resolved. Here we are passing legislation fixing this problem so that we could make sure this program, medicare, fulfills its mission by making sure that it is there for the people who need it. Thats democracy. I want to thank the people from louisiana for bringing this to our attention and i yield back the balance of my time and i urge passage of this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 984. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition . Mr. Ryan mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass s. 981 971, the medicare independence at home medical practice demonstration improvement act of 2015. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk senate 971, an act to amend title 18 of the Social Security act to provide for an increase in the limit on the length of an agreement under the medicare independence at home medical Practice Demonstration Program. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Ryan, and the gentleman from washington, mr. Mcdermott, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. Mr. Ryan mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on s. 971, currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Ryan mr. Speaker at this time id like to yield for whatever time he needs to consume the author of this bill a member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Roskam for purposes of describing this bill, i yield whatever time he may consume to mr. Roskam. The speaker pro tempore mr. Roskam is recognized for whatever time he needs. Mr. Roskam thank you, mr. Speaker. Im glad were taking up this twoyear extension of the demonstration project which expired on may 1. I got interested in this because of a constituent, dr. Thomas cornwell from wheaton illinois. He was a visionary. He was way ahead of his time on this effort to reach out to patients at home. Hes the president of the American Academy of home care physicians and chairman and chief medical officer of the home center care institute. And hes been really passionate about this idea of trying to reach people where they are. And since his founding of his home care practice in 1997 mr. Speaker, he has personally, personally made over 30,000 house calls. So he knows intimately the difference that a home care option makes in the lives of individuals with multiple chronic conditions, and the savings that it can bring to the Health Care System to treat these people at home rather than at the hospital. So what hes been able to do is say look, this is better for the patient and its better for the system, so lets pursue this and lets move it further along. And thats exactly what the independence at home demonstration brings to medicare. It focuses on reducing costs where the needs of the highest and improving care where the needs are the greatest. It provides home care base to medicare enrollees with two or more chronic conditions, 5 to 25 of beneficiaries that account for nearly 80 of all medicare spending. Of the 34 medicare home demonstrations over the past 20 years, the i. A. H. Has decidedly different, requiring that doctors meet fiscally heres what they get to do. They got to return a minimum savings of at least 5 to medicare. They got to produce good outcomes and they got to pass patient and Caregiver Satisfaction ratings. It even provides an additional incentive by allowing successful patients participants to generate savings above that 5 mark on an 80 20 basis. So think about that. Everybody comes out ahead on this, and its working. In june, c. M. S. Reported that i. A. H. Saved over 25 million in its first performance year. And thats an average of over 3,000 for each of the 8,400 beneficiaries that participated in the demonstration. In other words have you heard, have you talked about, have you contemplated anything thats like this . In other words, youve got happy patients happier patients and theyre saving money at 3,000 a person. Whats not to love about this . We have several lessons from this that have been artfully crafted into the demonstration. Itself it requires participants to save taxpayer money by avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations, e. R. Visits and nursing home admissions. It protects the viability of the Medicare Program. It provides Quality Health care for those most in need, and the benefits and it benefits providers by giving them the flexibility they need to care for their patients and share for the savings they produce. For those reasons i strongly support passage of this. I thank chairman ryan for his support, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of s. 971, the medicare independence at home extension medical practice demonstration, improvement act of 2015. This bill provides for a twoyear extension of an Interesting Program intended to help beneficiaries living with multiple chronic diseases. The Affordable Care act, which has been reviled out here extensively, established this medical independence at home demonstration. The purpose of this project is to test the new Service Delivery and payment incentive mod that will utilizes primary Care Team Model that utilizes primary care teams to provide care to patients in their home. Practices that successfully reduce costs and meet quality measures will be rewarded with incentive payments. If this is successful this model would provide Medicare Beneficiaries with access to homebased primary care and avoid costly an conscious and unnecessary trips to the hospital. In 2012, 15 practices launched i. A. H. Practices. But the authority to continue these practices will expire in 2015. S. 911 extends this authority by two years. This will provide c. M. S. With additional time to evaluate the results of the demonstration and determine whether this is a sustainable model to pursue moving forward. This will give policymakers the Additional Information we need to inform our Decision Making as we look for innovative ways to coordinate care and reduce costs in the Health Care System. Its noteworthy to note that this was instituted by the a. C. A. There are good things in that bill and as weve tried again and again out here to repeal it we never thought about things like the independent health practices. I think that its important for us as a congress to look individually at the programs before we make sweeping generalizations. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan at this time id like to yield five minutes to the author of this legislation, a member of the commerce committee, the gentleman from texas, a physician, dr. Burgess. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Burgess i thank the gentleman for yielding and certainly thank him for having this bill on the floor this afternoon. I am pleased that the house is considering this bipartisan bicameral legislation, s. 971 identical to h. R. 2196, the medicare independence at home medical practice demonstration improvement act, which i introduced with mr. Roskam of illinois, mr. Thompson of california. The bill extends the medicare independence at home medical Practice Demonstration Program for an additional two years. S. 971 passed the other chamber with unanimous consent in april. Let me reiterate that this bill has cleared the senate and we have an opportunity to actually advance this bill today and have it become law shortly. Now more than ever it is essential that we consider innovative ways to deliver care that is led by providers. Individual rs aging into medicare at individuals are aging into medicare and most of the elderly being disabled or homelimited it. Just so happens that one of the best ways to both lower costs, improve care is to return to the simple house call of the past. The independence at home program puts patients and their Families First by allowing them to stay at home as long as is possible and incentivizing their providers to coordinate the care they provide to their patients. This Program Targets Medicare Beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions who have the highest Health Care Costs require more services from providers, and have a greater need for coordinated care. Independence at home allows providers to take a more active role in patient care and is proving to decrease unnecessary hospitalizations, unnecessary e. R. Visits and unnecessary nursing home visits. Independence at home offers incentives to doctors, specialists and Nurse Practitioners to better coordinate care for patients while also cutting costs. This is accomplished by requiring, requiring that these groups attain a savings of at least 5 of which each qualified patient would otherwise have cost the medicare system. Lets say it again. The program has and must deliver savings by law. If these providers fail to achieve the mandatory 5 savings, they face removal from the program. However, if they are able to accomplish the 5 savings threshold, these groups may keep up to 80 of the savings. This program is proving to reduce costs and increase quality by reducing duplicative and unnecessary services, delaying or eliminating the need for nursing home placement and by having a coordinating team of providers. In addition to saving medicare money, the patient and their family are able to spend quality time at home instead of a Doctors Office or the hospital. In fact, these programs must improve patient and care giver satisfaction for the program to continue. This Demonstration Program is generating substantial savings and positive outcomes. The Congressional Budget Office estimated a zero score on june 12. A week later the center for medicare and Medicaid Services released prabblingities results from year one of the program showing a savings of 25 million the first performance year. Since c. M. S. Has been able to release the data, we are confident that if the Congressional Budget Office were to look at this bill again they would estimate savings for they would estimate savings for the program and we expect higher savings in coming years. Without this extension there would be a disruption in care for Medicare Beneficiaries and loss save thags are being generated for the med savings that would be generated for the Medicare Program. A vote in favor of this is a vote in favor of ensuring improved care for beneficiaries and smarter spending in the Medicare Program. This bill has gone through regular order passed the ways and Means Committee. I would like to thank chairman ryan and Ranking Member levin for that. I would also like to thank ways and Means Committee staff on both sides of the dice, as well as the energy and commerce staff for advancing the bill. I want to thank representative roskam and thompson and their staffs. I certainly want to thank j. P. And lauren from my office who have worked to get this bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker the program has been a success. Mr. Speaker, the program has no cost. Mr. Speaker, the program is generating savings. If it does not generate savings in the future, it goes away. This program is generating higher satisfaction for Medicare Beneficiaries. If it does not generate Beneficiary Satisfaction in the future, it goes away. The senate has already passed this bill by unanimous consent. Mr. Speaker, there is no reason for us not to do so as well. I urge everyone to vote in the affirmative and yield back the balance of my time to the gentleman from wisconsin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott mr. Speaker, i yield four minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Thompson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Thompson i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise in strong support of s. 971. The medicare independence at home extension medical practice demonstration improvement act. As was pointed out, the twoyear extension to a very important and critical component of obamacare. And i thank mr. Roskam from illinois and mr. Burgess from tennessee, the two folks who coauthored the house bill with me. And i appreciate them and their staff and the great work that they did. According to the centers of medicare and medicaid, more than 2 3 of Medicare Beneficiaries suffer from multiple chronic conditions. The care and the treatment for which account for more than a majority of the medicare spending. These costs are expected to increase substantially with the growing population of seniors, particularly those living with multiple chronic conditions. Consequently, theres a need for programs aimed at reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and e. R. Visits. Strengthening chronic care coordination for the sickest seniors and slowing the growth in medicare spending. This program, the independence at home Demonstration Program was created in obamacare to do just that. This Program Provides chronically ill Medicare Beneficiaries with primary Care Services in the comfort of their home. Where they will be able to retain their independence, their dignity and their quality of life. Its essential. In essence it is doctors making house calls. A back to the future way of providing care. The demonstration is targeted, its immediate, its proven, its fiscally responsible and its in high demand by Medicare Beneficiaries and their family in my home state of california and every state in the nation. During the first year the demonstration saved over 25 million. An average of over 3,000 per benefactor. These are very real savings and theres more to come if we act today to extend this important and successful demonstration for two more years. Without this extension, there would be a disruption in care for our more fragile seniors and lost savings for the Medicare Program. The independence at home demonstration enjoys strong bipartisan support in both the house and the senate. It passed the senate by unanimous consent and in the ways and Means Committee on a voice vote. I hope that we do the same here and i urge everyone to vote for this important piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from washington reserves. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan we have no more speakers and im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from wisconsin reserves. The gentleman from washington is recognized. Mr. Mcdermott mr. Speaker, i have no more speakers and i urge people to vote for the bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. Mr. Ryan i echo the sentiment of the gentleman from washington. I yield back the balance of my time and urge people to vote for the bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 971. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The chair will entertain oneminute requests. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson request to address the house for one minute revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, i rise to recognize the juvenile Diabetes Research foundation. The leading Global Organization funding type one Diabetes Research. This week the jdrf childrens Congress Took place here in our nations capitol. Delegates from across the country visited my colleagues and i to help us understand what life is like with type one diabetes, what its like and why research to fund lifechanging therapies until a cure can be found is so critical. As part of this important event, i had the honor of meeting madison houston, an eighth grader in a middle school located in my district. Madison was diagnosed with type one diabetes two years ago and has since become a tremendous advocate for jdrf. I admire her courageous spirit and her willingness to fight for a cure. I was encouraged by the recent passage of the 21st century cures act and look forward to working with my colleagues and advocates like madison to advance similar initiatives that will improve the lives and the health of americans. Thank you, mr. Speaker i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. For what purpose does for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . I ask permission and request to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. The gentleman from pennsylvania. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Jonathan Rosado was a model citizen who generously shared his strong character and kind spirit through the active teaching tennis act of teaching tennis to disadvantaged children. He fostered the legacy Youth Tennis Program in the hunting park community. A groundbreaking addition to youth programming for this philadelphia neighborhood. Jonathans steadfast commitment to Community Service has served as a tremendous benefit to the many lives he touched. Jonathans sense of responsibility and dedication was instilled in him by his own childhood participation in the legacy Youth Tennis Program and he chose to contribute those attributes right back into the program as he ascended into adulthood. Jonathan was tragically murdered last year. Although hes sorely missed by all, his bright spirit will continue to be felt in the Huntington Park neighborhood and in philadelphia long into the future. I recognize jonathan here on the floor of the house of representatives, the peoples house, so that his shining example can be more widely witnessed across the nation. Mr. Boyle and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Poe mr. Speaker, the federal government is hording american land. The bureaucrats own about 640 million acres of it. Thats 27 of america, larger than all of western europe. The government cannot afford this massive estate. Notice this map. All the red areas what the federal government owns, over half the west is owned by the federal government. Day by day, unused and unmaintained land sits idle. Instead of uncle sam hording this land the government should consider selling the land to americans. To be clear, im not talking about selling off National Parks monuments, forests or protected areas. Just unused land and unmaintained land the government doesnt take care of. It could go to reducing the debt or improving transportation. Plus, the sale of land could help state and local governments because they could be paying taxes on the land. Time for the federal government to let americans own more of america. Does uncle sam really need all of this land . And thats just the way it is. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. Are there any further requests for oneminute speeches . If not under the speaker essay nounsed policy of under the speakers announced policy of january 5 2015, the gentlewoman from new jersey, ms. Watson coleman, is recognized for 60 minutes as designee of the minority leader. Mrs. Watson coleman thank you mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mrs. Watson coleman thank you mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the United States and our allies reached a landmark agreement with iran to prevent them from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. To get to this point, mr. Speaker, we used diplomacy to find the potential solution that seeks to stabilize the entire middle east region. Diplomacy affords us a clearer picture of what the iranian government is doing and what theyre capable of. We used peaceful means to promote peace in one of the most volatile regions in the world, and i am proud of the commitment of president obama this administration and our allies in keeping these negotiations alive. Mr. Speaker, im not saying that our job is done. Congress must and should take a very close look at this agreement in its final form. In fact, i firmly believe that congress has a Critical Role to play in the next steps of this agreement. Lets look at what this agreement does. Within the text, iran affirms that it will not seek develop or acquire a Nuclear Weapon, but we must ensure that the language will fully deter them from going back on their word and punish them if they take that path. Within the text of the agreement, we accept that the United States will lift the sanctions that we place ready on iran, but we must have mechanisms that will allow for oversight on the ground in iran that holds them accountable. This is a difficult and sensitive balance. But if this but if this agreement has managed to strike that balance, we would miss a onceinageneration opportunity to transform the middle east if we reject this deal. Thats not something we can afford to dismiss. What this teaches us mr. Speaker, is that aggression is not the only answer we have to handle difficult relations across the globe. In fact, aggression would not have brought us to this point. Were without any loss of life to us or our allies, we have managed to find compromise. Sanctions cannot and should not be the only way we bring nations to the table. They serve a critical purpose and certainly they helped in bringing us to this point, but they also come at a significant cost. Rather than starving their government in the way we thought they would, they pushed the government to starve its people, resulting in vast unemployment and limited opportunity for a generation of iranians and probably Fertile Ground for the radicalization of individuals. They pushed iran to ally itself with International Actors that further hampered our efforts to stabilize this region. They pushed iran towards total isolation, a situation in which we have no impact whatsoever. At some point, sanctions that have at points been effective became obsolete and counterproductive. I would not ask any of my colleagues to support a deal that does not achieve our chief purpose, preventing a Nuclear Armed iran with the ability to wreak havoc on the United States, our allies and the world. But i will also ask my colleagues to consider the alternative if we fail to ratify a deal that would meet these goals appropriately. Pushing iran further into the shadows giving us no chance at monitoring how where and when iran is enriching uranium and sending iran further into the arms of bad actors or offering iran even greater motivation to undermine basic International Law. I have one pretty solid idea of the outcome, a dangerous, complicated war that would drag what is likely the most volatile region into the in the world into complete chaos. This agreement may be the best chance to put iran at the table and keep them accountable. To engage the International Community in monitoring their activities, to operate in the known and not the unknown of what they are capable of, and to give them a reason to seek the same kind of International Peace that every country desperately relies upon. Further regression, further sanctions, further isolation can no longer be our answer, especially when weve been given a real opportunity to open the door to peace. I urge my colleagues to give this agreement real consideration. I urge my colleagues to read this agreement. I urge my colleagues to approach this agreement without partisan or political bias. It is time to give peace a chance. With that mr. Speaker id like to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from california, representative desauliner. The speaker pro tempore under the speakers announced policy of january 5, 2015, the gentleman from california, mr. Desauliner, is designated for the remainder of the hour. Mr. Desauliner thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Desauliner thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today, along with my colleagues from the congressional black caucus, to talk today to the American People about the tragedy of port chicago, california and the injustice that marked the lives of 50 africanamerican sailors in 1944 and continues to mark every american today. On my right is overview of where the facility is. It is still an existing naval facility or department of defense facility, an important deep water port that allows for munitions to go to strategic assets in the pacific. This is the map of the bay area. You can see its in the Sacramento Delta as the delta comes into the San Francisco bay. The fofle is an aerial photograph the photograph is an aerial photograph of how the facility looked in 1944. You can see where the trains came in. Put the box cars into sidings that had concrete on either side to protect people from explosions. Then you can see where the ships were stocked. In this photograph there is one shipped docked on the night that we will talk about. There were two ships loaded and in continuously operated ships those ships were loaded, as witnessed would say, in a manner that sacrificed safety in order for expeed yens. The fateful moonless night on monday july 17 1944, was clear and cool, slight breeze was blowing from the southwest two cargo ships were tied up at the port chicago pier under flood lights. Workers were working at full speed. Shortly after 10 18 p. M. Disaster struck. This is how the day of the explosion is described by dr. Robert allen in his book titled the port chicago mutiny. The deadliest home front disaster of world war ii occurred at port chicago naval magazine, a major ammunition facility in my district in Northern California. The ship yard site was two miles from a Little Community of port chicago, population 1,500, and in those areas it was a population of wheat fields. Currently it has a population of over 600,000. Indicative of the discrimnear practices at the time, all of the inlisted enlisted men were africanamerican, whereas all of their officers were caucasians. The explosion killed or wounded 710 people, 435 of whom were africanamerican. They had no formal training in safe methods of ammunition or explosives handling given to any of the enlisted men. The navy failed to adequately provide these enlisted men with the tools necessary to be able to operate under safe working conditions, even after the tragedy struck. When the surviving 258 africanamerican sailors who understandably refused to return to work in these deplorable conditions following the explosion, 50 were charged with mutiny and convicted. During this time, we seek to bring attention to the systemic Racial Discrimination suffered by these sailors while on duty in order to bring perspective to the ongoing discrimination against people of color as we enter into the weekend, which will note the 71st anniversary of this tragedy. Prior to the explosion, many officers at port chicago had no previous training either or experience in ship loading, handling ammunition or commanding enlisted men. Many of them were reservists. They were called to active duty from civilian life and given little or no training. They had to, as they said, learned by doing. Black enlisted men were also untrained while they were very aware of the inherent danger of their jobs. These africanamerican men hoped by discounting their risk and much by humor. Weeks before the explosion, the longshoremans union of San Francisco warned the navy that there would be disaster at port chicago if the navy continued to use untrained seamen to load load it. They were doing similar work on other ports in the west coast and knew how to load these dangerous materials safely and did not sacrifice safety for speed. The union offered to send experienced longshoremen to train navy recruits in the safe handling of ammunition but this offered was ignored by the navy. As this existing policy required the coast guard to provide a detail to ensure that safe handling procedures were followed. Navy commanders believed that this was an unnecessary that this was unnecessary and would create confusion and disrupt loading. When the coast guard tried to oversee operations, it rejected the navys common practice, including the practice of moving bombs by rolling and dropping them into place in the ships hold. Alternative methods offered by the coast guard were considered, quote, ridiculous by the navy and ignored. In addition, sailors were encouraged to compete against each other, to load as much ammunition as possible into the ship and officers placed nightly bets among themselves as to which division would load more and then pursued their individual enlisted men to make sure that they would win bets as small as 5. During the environment of this whole period, eightday work periods were what were allowed by the navy. Youd have six days to loading ammunition with a sleep break and with meals in short rest periods. After the sixth day you would have what was called a duty day, which youd do duty around the facility and you had one day of liberty. This at that time was a very remote facility and was a long way from oakland the nearest major city but many of the enlisted men made that trip anyways and went back to work very exhausted. Aside from the petty officers, all the officers at port chicago were white. Commanding officers believed black enlisted men were a major problem rather than an asset. Captain nelson ghost, the Commanding Officer of mir island said the black recruits, and i quote, arrived with a chip on their shoulder if not indeed one on each shoulder. In actuality, these recruits joined the military to defend their country and to fight, if necessary, and put themselves in harms way overseas. The captain complained they were in turn, black men resented, obviously, that only they were assigned to essential labor battalions charged with doing dangerous work. They were distressed that they could not receive the rating and promotions that they thought they deserved. For men working under these precarious conditions, the situation amounted to a new form of slavery. A worker describedport chicago, quote as a described port chicago, as a slave outfit, end quotes. We were considered a cheap labor force from the beginning, end quotes. They believed their life was worth less, they were treated as if their lives were worth less, just as their work and abilities were valued less. A group of men drafted a letter in 1943 setting their grievances and point out that the morale among the enlisted men had dropped to, and i quote again, an alarming depth. On the evening of the 17th, two ships, as i said, the e. A. Brian and the quinnhole victory the quinnhole victory was a brand new ship were both in port being loaded. The e. A. Brian was almost fully loaded as they entered into the grave yard shift. In the enlisted mens barracks a short distance away, it was quiet. Many men were in their bunks when suddenly an unbelievable explosion occurred shortly after 10 18 p. M. Survivors in oakland and San Francisco still remember the explosion from 20 and 35 miles away. People in the nearby Rural Communities continued to remember this explosion the way survivors of the earthquake in San Francisco did many years after. Thest. A. Brian was loaded that night with 4,600 tons of ammunition and high explosives. Bombs weighing 650 pounds each with their activated mechanisms or fuses being full installed were being loaded one at a time. The dock and the ship had disappeared after the explosion. A. Brian was eviscerated. The very few pieces were found of this large shape ship. The quinn hull victory was queen hull victory was lifted out of the water, turned over and broke noon pieces with very little of it remaining. The 1,00footlong wooden pier simply disappeared. This is the day after the explosion and this is what was left of the pier. During the evening, the accounts talk about people in the barracks being completely in plaque because all the electricity went out. Not knowing what had happened, not knowing what had happened to their colleagues down at the pier. Many of them thought they were under attack by the japanese. I have one account from a guard on duty that night. Quote, the barracks had a lot of windows, lower and upper deck. This is a distance away from this site. Whole sides of windows, they were blown to pieces. Some guys lost their sight others were badly cut. Finally they got the emergency lights together, then some guys came by in a truck and we went down to the dock all on our own, but when we got there, we didnt see no dock, no ship, no nothing. Just darkins. Everyone on board the two ships and the fire barge were killed instantly 320 men, 202 whom were africanamericans. Another 390 military personnel and civilians were injured, including 233 black enlisted men. This single stunning disaster accounted for more than 15 of all the black naval casualties during world war ii. Property damage, military and civilian, was estimated at that time at more than 12 million. Again, mr. Criten recounted, you could see a shoe with a foot in it and then would you remember how you joked often with your colleagues about who was going to be the first out of that hole if somethingent wrong. Youd see a head floating across the water just a head, or an arm, bodies. Just awful. For fo port chicago seamen and one black enlisted man were awarded medals in fighting the ammunition box car fire and subsequent fires that broke out that evening ter the explosion. A proposal a proposal was presented to congress to grant families up 000 in compensation for the loss of their loved ones. However, when mississippi representative john rankin objected to the plan because mostf the beneficiaries were black, congress reduced the maximum allowable grant to 3,000. Four days after the explosion. The naval court of inquiry convened on Treasure Island, or i should say or mayor island to inquire into the circumstances of the explosion. Captain nelson ghost admitted that a port director had previously warned him again, quote, conditions are bad out there. Youve got to do something about it. If you arent careful, somethgs going to happen and youll be held responsible. The judge advocate of the inquiry concluded by addressing the questio of the role of black enlisted personnel in his official inquiry. And i quote, the consensus of opinion of the witnesses and practically admitted by the interested parties is that the colored enlisted personnel are neither temper mentally or intellectually capable of handling high explosives. In short, they blamethe ctims because they were africanamerican. During the weeks after and the days after the men only obviously were in a state of shock, troubled by the memory of a horrible explosion in which so many of their friends had died and so many of them had believed would come to bear and then unfortunately saw the tragedy worse than they could imagine. Everybody was scared, one survivor recalled. If someone dropped a box or slammed a door, people began jumping around like crazy. Many of the black survivors expected to be granted survivors leave as was custom the that athat time in the navy, to visit their families before bei reassigned to regular duty. They waited and waited to get these 30 days off. To go visit friends and to start to process what they had seen. Before they would come back to regular duty, which they were happy to do. Such leaves were not granted, even men who had been hospitalized were not granted leaves. All men were to be sent back to work loading ammunition under the same officers before. However, white officers were allowed to go home for 30day leaves, all of of them. You can see why under these circumstances and given the tragedy many of the enlisted africanamerican survivors of port chicago were upset in the three weeks after the explosion. They continued to be treated as they were treated before the explosion, in spite of their warnings the warnings of the professionals of the union, and the United States coast guard. So some weeks later, the men were sent back to mayor island a short distance away from where port chicago is across the strait where munition ships were again being loaded for the war effort. An important job. As the men marched to go back to work three weeks after the incident, they still did not know where they were going as they marched. They did not know but they do know at a certain juncture in the road they could be ordered to turn right, which would take them to the Parade Ground or they could be ordered to turn left which would take them to the ferry that crossed the river to the ammunition loading dock where they would inevitably resume doing the same work they had done before. There was a young enlisted officer or man who had natural Leadership Qualities from new jersey, who youll hear about shortly. Enlistedman small. He directed the cadence as they walked back. He describe what had happened next as he delivered the cadence and he marched his division back to the pier. I was marching on lefthand side of the ranks when the lieutenant gave the command to column left. Everybody stopped dead, boom, just like that. He said, the captain said, forward march, column left. Nobody moved. An officer asked small, small, are you going to go back to work . He answered, no, sir. The officer asked why and he said, im afraid. Seen as a leader among the men, others refused to work when he refused to go back. Someone over in the ranks said, if small dont go, were not going either. 328 followed or enlisted member small and refused to return to work at that movement 258 were imprisoned as a result and shortly thereafter 50 were charged with conspiring to make mutiny. The trial commenced on Treasure Island shortly thereafter. If these 50 were convicted of the charge, the men faced prison terms of 15 years or death. Mutiny was defined by the defense as an unlawful opposition or resistance to or defines of superior military authority with a deliberate purpose to usurp subvert or override the same. Mutiny was defined by the prosecution as collective insbord nation. Collective disobedience of lawful orders of a superior a conspiracy to disobey lawful orders of a superior is mutiny. As opposed to what we described. One sailor stated that we didnt know you could define disobeying orders as being a mutiny, we thought mutiny could only happen on a ship. A refusal to work is a passive act of resistance. Without intent to seize power. A mutiny is an active revolt with intent of taking charge. At this point i would like to recognize a colleague from the black caucus for what time he needs to express himself. Thank you. May i inquire from the chair how much time we have remaining. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 35 minutes remaining. Thank you. First, id like to thank congressman for bringing this important issue up and highlighting, one, the contribution made by the sailors, two, the challenges they faced during this ordeal, and three the remarkable sense of patriotism that each one of them exhibited and their desire to serve our country. And not often do we bring up things that happen 71 years ago, especially things that have not gained a lot of media attention. Ms. Richardson by but the sacrifice mr. Richmond but the sacrifice of every man and woman in this country deserves recognition. I am honored to be a part of this hour tonight and i feel really privileged that i get a chance to talk about a few of my constituents families that really exesmified whats best in america and whats best about the American People. So the first sailor i will start with is Ernest Joseph gains. He was a native of new orleans. He enlisted in the navy in 1942 when he was only 20 years old. Before enlisting, he worked as a helper with the sheet metal doing Sheet Metal Work in a machine shop. At port chicago, he was a wench operator and worked loading the e. A. Brian, one of the ships that was destroyed in the explosion at the base. At the mutiny trial, gaines testified that he had a lot of trouble controlling the wench he was operating. After the explosion, he said he became afraid of loading ammunition because he knew he could not control the wench. And just as a side note here there was a report of trouble with the brake on the number one wench on the e. A. Brian before the explosion, but whether it was fixed is not known to us. The next person id like to talk about is martin from new orleans. And just think about his eagerness to be and show his patriotism. He initially volunteered for the navy in 1942 when he was 16 years old. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his four older brothers, all of whom had enlisted in the navy. When they discovered he was underage they immediately discharged him. But he immediately reenlisted in 1944 when he was of proper age. In the meantime, he workeded a a painter helping his father who had a job painting houses. The ultimate thing with him although his patriotism is remarkable, he was one of the africanamerican soldiers that was injured in the explosion and hospitalized. The last two, one of which is miller matthews, he was born and raised in new orleans had five years of Elementary Education before becoming a shoe shine boy, then a bus boy, and then a delivery boy before finally becoming a longshoreman and unloading and loading Mississippi River boats for six years. He enlisted in the navy in 1943 at the age of 27. And then we have Lloyd Mckinney who was born and raised in donaldsonville, louisiana, which is another part of my district, where he completed one year of high school and then went on to work as a porter in a hotel and later as a helper and an in an auto repair shop. He enlisted at the age of 18 in 1942. Mckinney in the explosion suffered lass rations from flying glass and explosion but imagine this, he declined to be taken to the hospital because he did not want to take up space that other officers would need because there were more seriously injured. So again i would like to so again, i want to thank my colleague for bringing up this story which i am not ashamed to say is a story that was new to me and i think every day we learn and more learn more and more about this country and talking about past instances of discrimination and unfair treatment that africanamericans went through, especially while serving their country, only makes this country better. It helps us share perspective and gives us the reallife experiences what others went through which makes this country stronger, which makes this country better and it breeds understanding and the love that makes us exceptional. And with that mr. Chairman, i would yield back to my colleague and thank him again, for letting me participate in this special order. Mr. Desauliner thank you, mr. Richmond. Id like to yield mr. Speaker, if its appropriate at this time to my friend from new jersey, representative coleman. Mrs. Watson coleman i thank the gentleman for yielding to me. And i rise today to join his call for justice for the sailors and families who suffered in the discriminatory and calous response to port chicago naval magazines tragedy. This is of particular importance to me because i had the honor of representing the district that the alleged leader of that protest Joseph Randolph small, had called home. But its also important because of where we are in the arc of history. The events of the past several months have forced our nation to do quite a bit of soul searching on the topic of race and the enduring injustices felt by men and women of color. From the seemingly inexplicable use against people of color, to the disturbing hate crime committed at emmanuelle, we know the discrimination that occurred at port chicago is not isolated to the past. But if there is any positive outcome to these tragedies, it is in the opportunity to heal long buried but never bannedaged wounds. Recognizing one such wound, South Carolina recently voted to remove the confederate battleground from the grounds of its state house. Exonerating the sailors who were punished simply seeking for safer working conditions would heal yet another. As my colleague already described, in 1944, a segregated u. S. Navy used black enlisted men with no training to do the heavy dangerous work of loading ammunition onto vessels that would transport them. That lack of training and neglect for the safety of those sailors led to the greatest home front disaster of world war ii and claimed several hundred lives, most of them black. Small, who hailed from the beautiful somerset, new jersey, led the protest because the survivors understood that to return to the same routine would mean risking another explosion. That simple protest for basic rights and consideration led to convictions of mutiny, prison sentences and dishonorably discharges for the sailors who stood with small. Before the explosion, small had complained to the new commander that he was promoting inherently dangerous behavior by rewarding the sailors who could load the most ammunition in the shortest period of time. Small was ignored and after joining his peers in protest, he was kept in solitary confinement during his trial and sentenced to 15 years simply for seeking justice. Exonerating these men would make right a longstanding injustice and im proud to stand with my colleague in this call for action. I thank the gentleman for his work and i yield back. Mr. Desauliner i thank the gentlelady. And id like to yield to the representative from ohio. I thank the gentleman for yielding, mr. Speaker. I want to thank congressman desauliner and congresswoman lee for their leadership and drawing attention to this issue and for helping to bring attention to this really a story of injustice. Mr. Chabot the story of the port chicago 50 isnt in most textbooks or histories of world war ii, but perhaps it should be. While it may not be this nations proudest moment, it is a part of our history, and its a tragic event which we can learn and we can actually grow, i think, as a nation. The enlisted men stationed at the port chicago naval magazine, including the port chicago 50, served our nation proudly and they served her honorably. For that they deserve our gratitude. For those unfamiliar with the story, and i know its already been talked about, but id like to talk about it very briefly again, following a catastrophic cargo vessel explosion on july 17 1944, which killed or wounded 710 people several enlisted men voiced concerns about continuing to handle munitions at the port. Among those voicing concerns were two gentlemen from cincinnati, ohio from the area i am proud to serve. Mentor byrnes and edward lee longmire. Both men enlisted in 1943. They were not lifelong soldiers with extensive training. They were ordinary, patriotic americans doing their part to help in the war effort. Mr. Byrnes was a wood turner in a furniture factory before enlisting. Mr. Longmire worked as a salesclerk selling poultry. Nothing in their background prepared them for handling munitions and unfortunately the navy at that time did not provide adequate training for the men serving at port chicago. So its understandable that the men who survived the explosion were reluctant to continue loading munitions without efforts to make the process safer. For that they were charged with mutiny. Reluctance and even refusal to return to unsafe conditions and procedures is not mutiny. Its common sense. Mr. Speaker, america is the greatest country on the face of the globe, but that doesnt mean we dont at times make mistakes and thats what happened here. Injustices like the mutiny convictions for the port chicago 50, they certainly fall within that category. However, one of the things that makes America Great is the freedom of the American People and the peoples elected representatives to speak out against injustices correct past wrongs and strive for a Better Future for all of us. We cant go back in time and prevent the convictions of the port chicago 50, but we can correct the record and we can exonerate those wrongfully convicted and give their families and their loved ones the peace of knowing that they served our nation honorably and faithfully, that they did nothing wrong. Mr. Speaker, its far past time that the port chicago 50 receive justice. We owe it to mr. Byrnes, mr. Longmire and the rest of those wrongfully convicted and discharged, we need to set the record straight and i want to thank my colleagues for making it possible for us this evening to participate in this effort. I yield back. Mr. Desauliner i want to thank the gentleman for his eloquence and to the point of what we asked for today and with that id like to yield to my neighbor and my colleague and my partner in this effort, ms. Lee. Ms. Lee thank you very much for yielding. First, let me just start by thanking my colleague and my neighbor in the east bay, congressman desaulnier, for organizing this very important and long overdue special order. Since being elected to the house congressman desauliner, you have been doing a denominal job working on behalf of your constituents working on the government oversight and reform committee. I know your constituents are thanking you but i want to thank you for coming and hitting the ground running on so many issues, including our efforts to eliminate poverty. Also tonight, its so important this special honor calling for the exoneration of these brave and courageous men. This is an issue, i must say, that i have worked on for many, many years. First as a staffer to my mentor and predecessor, and then alongside your predecessor, congressman george miller, who was a true leader on so many issues. Some, and you may have mentioned this earlier, may know in 1999 we pulled together a National Petition and persuaded president clinton to pardon one of the few surviving convicted sailors affected by this tragedy. We also worked tirelessly to preserve the Port Chicago National memorial through legislation, the port chicago naval magazine memorial enhancement act which president obama signed into law in 2009. So im very pleased to see that were here tonight once again calling for justice for the africanamerican sailors at port chicago. This story needs to be told over and over and over again as we are doing tonight and once again thank you for taking the fight for injustice, mr. Desauliner. As we stand before the 71st anniversary of a National Tragedy that is far too often forgotten, we remember the 320 american soldiers, africanamerican soldiers were, i think 200 of the 320 who lost their lives in the deadliest home front disaster of world war ii. But we also remember how deeply this tragedy was marked by, yes, institutional racism and the sole emduty we have to undo the legacy of that racism today which congresswoman Bonnie Watson coleman talked about very eloquently. The port chicago naval magazine, as some may know, is located near concord, california next to my Congressional District. On the evening of july 17 hrks 1944, a july 17, 1944, an explosion blew out windows as far away as San Francisco. As said earlier, all in all 320 sailors lost their lives. 200 of them were africanamericans. Because of this tragedy was inadequate training and insufficient safety precautions around handling active munitions, all of the enlisted men who were unloading the active munitions onto a cargo vessel at the time of the explosion were africanamerican. Our nations then segregated military barred africanamerican enlisted servicemen from active naval duty and therefore from receiving the proper training to handle artillery. Nevertheless, white officers at port chicago ordered africanamerican sailors to improperly load active munitions into ships resulting in the tragic explosion. These men died serving their country on the home front, and died because their lives and personal safety were not valid by their Commanding Officers. The story does not end there. Three weeks after the tragedy, the more than 300 africanamerican sailors who survived the tragedy were once again ordered to continue loading ships in the same perilous fashion. Nearly all of them stood their ground and refused to return to work without proper safety conditions in ammunition training in place. All of those who refused to go back to work in unsafe conditions were arrested. 208 of them were sentenced to bad conduct discharges and forfeiture of three months pay for disobeying orders. This is mindboggling as i recount the history of this tonight. In is so sad. 50 of those men who stood up for their rights and spoke truth to power about the value of their lives were charged with mutiny. Mutiny, mind you. Convicted and sentenced to hard labor and dishonorably discharged from the navy. They are now known as the port chicago 50. So were here tonight demanding justice for their courage and recognition for their service. Instead of being cited for mutiny and dishonor, these men should be recognized for standing up to the specter of discrimination and spector of discrimination in the armed forces. As a daughter as a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the army, i remember these days very, very vividly as a child. These naval sailors, these men showed that their courageous act of defiance really is part of the long history of people of color demanding just basic respect for their rights and that their lives, which continues to this day. Thats why its so important for us to stand here tonight and remember their brave actions and how they push towards progress in our nation and the armed forces. But to date only one of the port chicago 50 has been pardoned. Only one. For the remaining 49 their families have been patiently waiting for their names to be cleared of this unjust conviction. So i urge my colleagues to join us in calling for the exoneration of these 49 sailors. These brave sailors should be remembered for their courage. They were heroes. They are heroes. They stood up in the face of discrimination and the devaling of black lives. So we devaluing of black lives. So we need to tell this story which is left out on our civil rights, military history and, yes, california history and the history of our nation. As dr. King said and congressman desauliner, im reminded of this tonight because you are certainly showing us that dr. King quote, the arc of history is long but it bends towards justice. This is one night that youre helping to bend that arc towards justice, and so thank you, again, congressman desauliner for your leadership and ensuring that not only we remember those who were lost in this tragedy but that we move forward and exonerate each and every one of them. Thank you, again. Mr. Desaulnier thank you for your support and i thank and recognize my predecessor congressman miller and his chief of staff who put so much effort into this and still has been helpful. I want to conclude, mr. Speaker with a few brief comments and quote from Thurgood Marshall and brief quote from mr. Small. Justice marshall came west to observe the case. He declared that this is not an individual case. This is not 50 men on trial for mutiny. This is not the this is the navy on trial for its whole vicious policy towards blacks. Black americans are not afraid of anything any more than anyone else is. Blacks in the navy dont mind loading ammunition. They just want to know why they are the only ones doing the loading. They wanted to know why they are segregated and why they dont get promoted. The future justice of the u. S. Supreme court continued, he said, i want to know why the navy disregarded official warnings by the San Francisco waterfront unions before the port chicago disaster that an explosion was inevitable. I want to know, why the navy disregarded an offer by the same unions to send experienced men to train Navy Personnel in the safe handling of explosives. I want to know said mr. Marshall why commissioned officers at port chicago were allowed to race their mens and bets arranging from 5 up were made between Division Officers as to whose crew would load more ammunition. Still, these men were convicted whereupon mr. Marshall responded after the trial by saying, these men were tried and convicted of mutiny, solely because of their race and color. He continued, the accused were made scape goats in a situation brought about by a combination of circumstances. He concluded by saying justice can only be done in this case by a complete reversal of the finding. And that is why we are here today. Bl speaker, the events at port chicago in the aftermath played the role of the desegregation of the armed forces in 1948. That was a good thing. The rebelion by the port chicago 50 like the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and ongoing conversation today against people of color are a continued struggle against social gin injustice, mr. Small said, my only way of changing what was an impossible situation was not to work. It wasnt a planned thing. It was brought on by circumstances. It was on by working conditions. It was inevitable. Just the same way the explosion was inevitable. Something would have happened to set off that explosion because of the way they were handling the ammunition. It had to happen. What else can i say. Its been more than 40 years ago, he said, but it is more vivid in my memory today than the day it happened or the actual court martial. Conditions under which we were working because they were so appalling. Many instances that we see today in our society. Mr. Speaker, as our nation speaks to heal the deep racial wound to permeate violent acts of our citizens of color, we must rectify injustices in order to forge a Better Future. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. America would do well to remember port chicago. Indeed america must remember port chicago. For marshalsl words are more poignant when he said during the trial, whats at stake is more than the rights of my clients. Its the moral commitment stated in our nations creed. With that, i yield the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california yields back. Under the speakers announced policy of january 6 2015 the gentleman from washington, mr. Newhouse is recognized. Mr. Newhouse i ask unanimous consent that all members may have legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Newhouse i rise today with friends and colleagues from every corner of our great country to support an American Institution that in its 81 years has created countless jobs here at home and support of export goods. The Export Import Bank while first created under president roosevelt in response to the Great Depression is an institution that has supported american manufacturers and producers through both good times and bad. It has experienced strong support over the years from both republicans and democrats. President reagan praising the Export Import Bank declared exports create and sustain jobs for millions of American Workers and contribute to the growth and strength of the United States economy. The Export Import Bank contributes in a significant way to our nations export sales. Mr. Speaker, the charter for the Exportimport Bank expired on june 30, of this year, did he priving our nation of a financial tool of growing our economy in an age where we must stay as competitive as possible in the global economy. Today, my colleagues and i will explain the role of the bank, clear up any misconceptions surrounding it and explain like while any institution, it should be reformed to make it leaner and make it competitive. This is a worth while institution that we should support and reauthorize as soon as possible. I urge house leadership to allow a vote to reauthorize the Exportimport Bank and weigh the merits of the bank for themselves. I would like to extend a special thanks to my colleagues, congressman collins from new york who helped organize todays special order. With that i would like to yield to mr. Fincher. Mr. Fincher thank the gentleman from washington for yielding on this important subject and the rest of my colleagues for coming tonight to shed light on why the Exportimport Bank is so important. I have a few stats i want to read and my comments will be brief. The Bank Supports 200,000 jobs each year at no cost to the u. S. Taxpayer including 8,315 jobs in my home state of tennessee. Thats around 1. 4 million american jobs in the past five years. In fiscal year 2014, exim bank supported 21. 5 billion in exports and 164,000 u. S. Jobs. The bank returned 675 million to the u. S. Treasury in fiscal year 2014, reducing the deficit in fiscal year 2013, the bank sent back more than 1 billion. Small businesses accounted for nearly 90 of the banks transactions in 2014. Last year, the bank had historically low active default rate of less than one quarter of 1 . Its default rate was 1. 67 . We have a very, very serious obligation to our constituents that we represent back in our districts. I serve the 8th Congressional District of tennessee, a wonderful state and a wonderful district. And my constituents send me to washington to make the government more accountable, to make it better, to make it smaller, to make it more transparent and to make it work for them back in their districts. They dont send me to washington i dont go home every week to my district and my constituents and say stephen, we wish you would shut down the government. We wish you would end the only Good Government programs that work. We want you to abolish them. They send us things to make these things work. The exim bank is in serious reforms and we started working on a reform package. Our bill to reauthorize with 31 reforms to fix the bank and make it more transparent and more accountable. Some of my colleagues in the house have taken a different approach and taken a political approach that this is going to be the heel that they are going to die on and the facts dont matter, all that matters are the political outside groups calling for whatever is in their best interests, not the best interests of our districts and constituents back at home. Think about this. We go home, i go home to my district and my constituents come up to me and say congressman, have you been able to get rid of freddie mmac and fannie mae. I said we are working on it. Have you been able to reform medicare and Social Security and make sure taste solvent. I say we are working on it. Congressman, have you been able to do tax reform . I say, well we are getting there. They say congressman let me make sure i understand that the only thing that congress did do was get rid of the only thing that worked that helped create my job and now im on the unemployment line because i dont have a job. Surely, surely were better than this and that we can work for our constituents all over this great country. You know i look back at history and i looked back a few years ago, in 2006, this was voice voted and my chairman, who is on opposite sides with me on this issue was here in 2006. Now if this was such a big deal, why in 2006 was this issue not raised . Were doing more in the way of reforms than probably Ronald Reagan did many, many years ago. Plain and simple. This is about jobs. This is about making sure that were working for our districts. This is a serious reform bill that moves this Exportimport Bank in the right direction by making it work. I urge my colleagues to hopefully we get a chance to vote on this in the next week to 10 days, but that we pass this, we do whats right for our constituents and with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. Mr. Newhouse thank you, mr. Fincher and thank you for bringing forward the legislation to reauthorize the bank and for your compelling arguments. Those are great strong statistics on the benefits that exim has given our country. The manufacturers and employees all over the United States. Next id like to yield some time to the good representative from the state of new york, mr. Collins. Mr. Collins i want to thank my friend from washington for his work organizing this special order and certainly thank the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Fincher, for his steadfast work to ensure the reauthorization of the Exportimport Bank and his speech sums it up. I rise today in support of the Exportimport Bank which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and returns a profit to the u. S. Treasury and ensures that u. S. Exporters can compete on a level Playing Field in the global market. My chart here says it all. The exim bank equals jobs. Not too long i was befuddled why the majority of my conference aimed focus on ending the charter and i have to give them the credit, they did that. But were here to say and reauthorize this bank and get back to supporting Small Business and growing jobs, because thats what this is all about. The misinformation, and i would call it the misguided outside influences that have come to play that mr. Fincher pointed out, this has always been voice voted and all of a sudden this became the cause someone wanted to die on the hill for but why do we want to kill jobs in the United States jobs that contribute to a surplus of exports . We have a trade imbalance. These jobs are creating exports overseas to reduce that trade imbalance. In my district, the Bank Supports over 700 jobs and 100 million in exports. By authorizing the bank is vital to manufacturers to grow and prosper in a competitive world economy. U. S. Exporters look to the export bank when they face direct competition from foreign agencies when regulatory constraints limit commercial lending, when they are selling into markets with political risk, or when a foreign customer requires official export credit as part of the bidding process. Unlike most, i know from experience, before coming to congress, i started and ran a number of Small Businesses. One of those Small Businesses that i founded in 2004 is audubon machinery corporation, located in new york. Today its a diversified Manufacturing Company that amongst other things exports oxygen Generating Systems around the world. These are medical grade oxygen systems used in hospitals, in nigeria, vietnam Mainland China places where the hospitals dont have the liquid oxygen tanks outside like they do in the u. S. And europe. So we simply take the nitrogen out of the air we breathe, the air we breathe is 22 oxygen 78 nitrogen. We take that nitrogen out of the air, producing 93 medical grade oxygen used in these hospitals throughout the developing countries in africa, south america, asia and like i said, major exports into Mainland China. The Exportimport Bank plays a Critical Role in what we do. We pay a fee, we pay a fee to the Exportimport Bank to provide a guarantee to our commercial bank that guarantees a portion of the line of credit we use to buy the inventory we need to make the product. Ill say again new york a Small Business cash is king. We have to buy materials we have to pay our vendors, but we probably are not going to ship that product for five or six months, so theres a gap there. We collect our money after we ship but we have four or five months where weve had to borrow money to buy the inventory to make the product. Thats how business works. Commercial banks in the United States are more than willing to loan that money for Business Done in the United States, perhaps in europe, but in the rest of the world africa asia, much of south america, the banks will not take that risk. So the Exportimport Bank, we pay a fee they loan us the money, that is a surplus for the export bank because we are ultimately certainly never going to default on that loan. Thats how those jobs are created. Without the Exportimport Bank, commercial banks are saying im not going to lend you for the inventory you need to ship Hospital Systems to Mainland China. Let me give you an example, a gentleman came in and talked to me, he manufactures trackors he said he was shipping his tractor to france. The local bank said theres no way in the world they would accept the collateral. Its a specific example. I assume thats exactly the type of thing were seing in Small Businesses across the country. Mr. Collins it just comes down to the banks today are very risk averse. I know what theyre thinking, and heres their thought. Weve taken an order from vietnam to produce a Hospital System that costs a quarter Million Dollars. We have to buy the inventory. We get the inventory and i think what the bank is worried about is somehow that order is canceled and when that order is canceled, their fear would be, we arent going to have any recourse to collect cancellation charges and well have this useless inventory in our factory. First of all, in our case, thats not true. We send the same systems around the world. In our case, wed be able to use that inventory on a future order. But you can see where thebacks would have a credit policy, were not going to lend for foreign inventories without some kind of backup. Now the backup is the Exportimport Bank at about an 80 guarantee and i have said to my fellow colleagues, when i said im somewhat befuddled by what were doing here, ive asked them directly do, they support the Small Business administration, the s. B. A. Which makes the very same loan guarantees to the very same banks . And the Small Businesses pay a fee for those Small Business Administration Loan guarantees for startup companies. How can you support the s. B. A. On the one hand helping Small Business and not support the exim bank on the other hand which is supporting Small Businesses. Ill make another point. The default rate on many loans is double that of the exim loans. Why . Startup Companies Fail at a pretty fast pace. Thats why the s. B. A. Makeance 0 guarantee for those loans so the bank will lepped the money. Their risk is very small. But you have a lot of failures. Companies that companies that are export, producing products and exporting around the world have been in business five or 10 years. You dont open your doors and immediately start making products and shipping them into main london china, vietnam and indonesia. No youre going to wait until youre mature enough. So these businesses have been around five or 10 years. So they need the credit to support the inventory for the four or five months are in production. Thats why the default rate is slow. So low. When i ask members, how do you support the s. B. A. And not the exim bank. Typically theyll call it the bank of boeing. The bank of general electric. Because in competing against airbus which has access to european credits, i said, sure, thats another piece of it besides Small Business but g. E. And boeing buy from a lot of Small Businesses as well. But youre absolutely inconsistent to say you support the s. B. A. But cant support the exim bank. I know that the moneys paid mitigating circumstance companies have paid for this insurance, you will has created that surplus that the exim bank returns year in and year out. So ill yield back. Id like to stay around to continue the discussion but i think it comes back to exim equals jobs. Exim is creating jobs that manufacture and ship products overseas, redeucing our trade deficit and creating a surplus for the u. S. Treasury to reduce our financial deficit. This should be voice voted like it has forever. It hasnt been. So now weve got to lead this charge and thats what were doing here. Thank you very much and i yield back. Mr. Newhouse thank you, mr. Collins. Your stories of Small Business miss your state and your district i think can be told in virtually every district in the country. Very powerful stories. At this time mr. Speaker, id like to yield to mr. Dold of illinois, a great member of our caucus technically a member of our freshman team. Very happy to have him here this evening. Thank you, mr. Dold. Mr. Dold i thank my good friend from washington for organizing this special order. I want to thank my good friend, mr. Fincher, for his work on the legislation. For those talking about trying to create jobs, and what were talking about here in terms of the exim bank, the Exportimport Bank is a bipartisan piece of legislation that were looking to reauthorize. Were looking to make sure that again, were creating jobs. The authorization of the bank for those who might have forgotten and those who may be tuned in mr. Speaker in 2012, the reauthorization passed on a suspension vote of 33093. It passed the senate 77 7820. This wasnt three decades ago. This was three years ago. So the reason to support reauthorization of the exim bank, and i appreciate my good friend mr. Collins talking about exim equals jobs, i do believe thats the case. Youve all heard the statistics. 3 of the loans nationwide from the exim bank are going to Small Businesses. Small businesses create 2 3 of the net new jobs in our nation. And i have to tell you new york talking to my colleagues around this very body, the number one very we encounter is the fact that its jobs and the economy. We want to create and make sure theres a robust amount of good, highpaying careers. Exim bank ebb ables Small Businesses to keep their doors open, to ship to 96 of the worlds consumers which happens to be outside of the United States. Its interesting to me, and when we talk about this theres a lot of businesses able to put a plaint in malaysia or germany or other places. Its the Small Businesses that oftentimes dont have that ability. You heard me having a conversation with mr. Collins earlier about someone that came into my office talking about the fact that they manufacture tractors. Tractors arent big tractor, theyre fairly small but they cost about 1 million apiece. If they arent able to manufacture those tractors here in the United States, getting that Exportimport Bank financing theyll go somewhere else. They have a facility in frns theyll be able to use. Those are jobs that are going to leave the United States. So i do believe when we talk about the Economic Growth and manufacturing, my district and i know many of the other districts of my colleagues here are heavy in manufacturing. Were the fourth largest Manufacturing District and the in the 10th district of illinois. We have literally hundreds 54,000 jobs in the district rely upon exports. Boeing which i recognize that theres a lot of people that want to talk about boeing, boeing actually has three dozen suppliers in the 10th district of illinois. These are three dozen businesses and hundreds of employees that support making things that go into a boeing plane. Youve heard the adage when a boeing plane lands, 21,000 Small Businesses land with it. This is important. This is talking about good, highpaying jobs, things the Exportimport Bank absolutely helped support. The thing thats interesting to me is if we choose to not reauthorize the Exportimport Bank, who loses . Our competitors overseas have export financing. Our Small Businesses will be the ones that lose. Were going to in essence tie one hand behind our back and make us less competitive. I cant think of a crazier thing, to make us less competitive. We want to be more competitive. We want to give our Small Businesses every advantage possible to be able to go out and compete and win. This is what we have an only fwation to do. This is what we have an opportunity to do. So i am delighted to be able to stand up here with my friends, to talk about in a bipartisan way, actually, why it is important that we reauthorize the Exportimport Bank. Because there are jobs, there are businesses, in wheel lincoln shir, North Brook Glen view, elmhurst, mount prospect, these are all towns in the 10th district that have companies that utilize the Exportimport Bank. This is not some random deal. This is something that Small Businesses utilize in order to make sure that they can sell their goods to places all over the globe. Places you know france, germany, india china, its super important that we give them the opportunity to not only make it here in america but be able to send it all over the globe. Mr. Speaker, if were looking for an opportunity to end a Government Program, listen, im all for government accountability. Trying to make sure the government is smaller and more responsive. Lets not focus on a Government Program that brings in billions of dollars into the federal treasury and creates jobs. Weve leader about trowny capitalism and we need to be focusing on how do we help Small Businesses. Again if we shut down the Exportimport Bank who loses . Our Small Businesses. Not the Small Businesses that they compete against maybe overseas, because they have an export arm. As my friend was talking about if the private sector and private sector banks would do it i would understand. But theres a lot of private sector banks when they see the collateral go overseas, they cant touch, cant get back, their answer when they walk in for a Million Dollars of financing to send that tractor overseas the answer is no. Guess what . They cant hire that next individual to create and make that tractor. We need export financing. We need to make sure the Exportimport Bank has some restructuring. This bill does that, to try to have some changes in the Exportimport Bank to make sure were having that appropriate oversight, to make sure were holding them accountable. But it is absolutely vital, mr. Speaker, for good highpaying careers that the Exportimport Bank is reauthorized and reauthorized with an overwhelming support. If it comes to the floor mr. Speaker, im confident that this passes. So i want to thank my good friend from washington for bringing this up. I want to thank my colleagues for standing up and supporting what we all know is going to be absolutely good for Small Business, and with that, i yield back to my good friend from washington. Mr. Newhouse coming from a state of washington 40 of the jobs in my state are related to exports so we understand the importance of having the tools at our disposal to make these Small Businesses successful. I would like to turn to the young man of ohio, mr. Steve stivers for his comments. Mr. Stivers thanks for doing this special order. This message needs to get out. I thank the gentleman from tennessee mr. Fincher for sponsoring the reform bill. I think its important to note we need to reauthorize and reform the exim bank. Obviously, the exim bank is about jobs. You heard that message all evening. The charter did expire on june 30 and today, the exportimport can Service Existing loans but cant make new loan guarantees so we need to reauthorize the exim bank. We are facing competition against 59 countries that have similar export Credit Finance agencies and its important we reauthorize our exim bank. The worst thing to do is unilaterally disarm in a trade war against these 57 other countries and put our Small Businesses and job creators and exporters at a competitive disadvantage. One of the companies in my district called davenport aviation. Its a small exporter that sends air parts to Subsaharan Africa. Davenport aviation needs it because in places like angola theres a political risk, theres a credit risk and only the Exportimport Bank can come in and take that risk and make that happen because as the gentleman from new york said earlier, its probably pretty hard to get a bank loan to sell spare parts into angola and other places in Subsaharan Africa. But davenport aviation has thrived because the exim bank is there. There are 12 jobs in davenport aviation. It started with one person three years ago. And there are Companies Like that all throughout my district. J. D. Equipment exports a lot of things by using the Exportimport Bank. This bill that mr. Fincher has created will make sure those job creators can continue to make and create products that they export to other countries and create american jobs in the process. As you heard, the fincher bill has 1 reforms that are meaningful. Im working on four amendments. One would be a reinsurance pilot that would determine the private sector price of this Credit Insurance so we can have that conversation. The second is restructuring of the appointment process to make sure that minority and majority views are heard on the board of the exim bank. The third would be a report on any adverse impacts going on to American Companies by loans that the Exportimport Bank guarantees. And timely, i have an amendment that would end the discrimination of coal and make sure we can fund an all of the above Energy Policy through our exports because export markets are an important place for energy and americanmade energy and we need to make sure we create jobs to export the energy where possible. As you have heard, this debate is about jobs. The Exportimport Bank is about jobs. In fact, if we do nothing, america will lose 164,000 jobs. In ohio, we will lose 15,000 300 jobs and in my district we will lose almost 1,00 jobs. We have got to act. And need to act and reauthorize the exim bank. Im working hard to make sure we do that. I appreciate the gentleman from washington and the gentleman from tennessee and everybody participating tonight. Its important to remember this debate is about jobs and the exim bank guaranteed 2. 4 billion worth of exports in ohio since 2007 and made sure that 15,300 citizens of ohio have jobs. Thanks for this special order and i urge my colleagues to support reforming and reauthorizing the Exportimport Bank. I yield back. Mr. Newhouse powerful, powerful arguments. I appreciate your contribution here this evening. Next i would like to turn to one of the stars of our freshman class, a colleague of mine from new york. Ms stefanik first, i want to take a moment to thank congressman newhouse and congressman collins for spearheading and organizing this special order and thanks to congressman fincher for his work and leadership. Mr. Speaker, i stand today to express my support for the reauthorization of the Exportimport Bank and h. R. 597 of which im a proud original cosponsor. It would reform and reauthorizize this critical institution. The exim bank has facilitate exports on behalf of thousands of businesses and created jobs in all 50 states. Failing to reauthorize the exim bank would create a stark disadvantage for our countrys businesses and cause significant job loss. In fact, over 40 other nations have an export credit agency. And if americas is not reauthorized, our nation would be the only country in the top 20 economies in terms of g. D. P. , not to have one. As i travel throughout my district, i hear from manufacturers who are directly impacted by the exim bank. For example the platco corporation has been in separation since 1897 and specializes in valve engineering for a wide variety of industrial applications. Through innovation and expertise this industry has been the Industry Standard and their products are sold in 50 countries around the world. And over half of these are financed. In addition to financing the overseas sales, it provides Due Diligence by determining which customers are credit worthy enough to receive a loan. The employees do not have the infrastructure or resources to do this on their own. Another example is new York Air Brake which has been serving the Rail Industry since 1890. New York Air Brake develops train brakes and controls which are among the most reliable in the world today. New York Air Brakes largest customers utilize exim bank. These customers use it to finance their rail car sales and other manufactured products around the world. And failing to reauthorize exim bank would lead to purchases from overseas instead of u. S. Manufacturers here. And if this were to occur, the loss isnt just felt by the Company Making the sale, but also felt by new York Air Brake and their 575 employees who supply rail car assem blers with exceptional products. New York Air Brake is vital to our economy and as leaders in congress we must continue to support these type of companies that provide highpaying manufacturing jobs. On behalf of platco corporation, new York Air Brake and thousands of other Small Businesses that create jobs in new yorks North Country and across the u. S. Join me in supporting the reauthorization of the Exportimport Bank. Mr. Newhouse thank you. Small businesses employ a huge number of people around this country. Thats very important to point out. Next, i would like to turn to another freshman colleague of mine good gentleman from the state of georgia, mr. Carter. Mr. Carter thank you. Mr. Speaker the greatest threat to our National Security is our National Debt. Its the number one issue facing our country right now and one of the primary reasons i sought to serve in this body. I have often said that the only way that we are only going to balance our budget and only way we are going to retire our National Debt is by three things. First of all, we have got to cut spending. Secondly, we have to have entitlement reform. And thirdly and perhaps most importantly weve got to grow our way out of this. The exim bank helps us to do that. You know, as a Small Businessman having owned three independent retail pharmacies, i understand the value in business of cutting costs and increasing receive news. Its important. You have to either cut costs you have to do, you have to cut costs and increase receive news and you have to grow your business. The exim bank helps us to increase receive news. It helps us to retire our National Debt. First of all, the exim bank has returned money to the treasury in the form of receive news it generates from loan interests and fees. Last year alone the bank generated a surplus of 675 million. Secondly, and most importantly, the exim bank encourages Economic Growth by supporting the purchase of americanmade goods around the world. These purchases sustain thousands of American Companies who rely on exports and put food on the table of hardworking men and women employed by them. In my district alone, there are 19 companies that in recent years have utilized the exim bank to export goods overseas. These companies range from gulfstream, a leading manufacturer of aircraft to strength in nature and started a company that now exports many of their goods to the caribbean and to africa. The exim bank helps businesses big and small across america to compete with the competitors abroad by leveling the Playing Field. With over 60 different credit agencies operating around the world including every modern industrialized economy, this is tantamount in dismantling ourselves for big contracts around the globe. If the company can buy a gulf stream, theyll go to canada which promotes bombadier or brazil. If they cant get a catter pillar ex castor, they will go to japan and cant get access to a tractor head quartered in duluth, georgia, they will go to india. Mr. Speaker, as a Small Business owner myself, i know that American Companies can compete when the Playing Field is level. In a perfect world, we wouldnt need an exim bank but we dont live in a perfect world. Those who would shudder the bank are stacking the deck against them. Mr. Speaker, unilaterally closing the bank would expose our economy to a devastating blow and further erode our Global Competitiveness and americas influence around the globe. While we stand debating the future of the exim bank our competitors are increasing their market shares abroad. Every minute we waste, Foreign Countries and companies are expanding. If we dont feel the fill the market need, countries will the influence of their regimes is on the rise. They relish in every day that we wait. Like any federal agency the exim bank can and should be reformed to make it more accountable, more efficient, more transparent. I support reforms that would bring Interest Rates more in line with those that are found in an open, private market. I support reforms to ensure the bank is a true lender of last resort for all companies by implementing measures to ensure the banks customers improve all their options before seeking assistance. One way would be to require three letters as part of the application. The bank should produce a report explaining why certain businesses receive assistance by the bank in order to provide taxpayers with more information on exactly what the bank is doing and why. Full transparency of the banks actions is the only way to hold it accountable while demonstrating the valuable role while maintaining our competitiveness in global markets. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to implement these and necessary reforms to the exim bank, but allowing it to expire is a disservice to the constituents that we serve. The exim bank not only supports americas manufacturers and the working American Families they employ, it helps to promote Americas National interests abroad. And more importantly and most importantly, it helps address our National Debt, both through economic expansion and by returning its surplus to the treasury each year. I want to thank my colleagues for helping to host this forum and all those working with us to restore the exim bank to its important function. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. Mr. Newhouse buddy, i appreciate your powerful words on the importance of the exim bank to your district, your state and our country. Thank you for sharing tha with us. Next id like to allow some time to the gentleman from illinois another member of the Agriculture Committee on which i serve and i appreciate mr. Rodney davis coming here to help usake the points on this authorization. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis thank you for leading this special order. Thank you to allf those who are interested in what i think is doing the right thing reauthorizing and reforming the exim bank. I rise today in support of Small Businesses, mr. Speaker. American manufacturing and good jobs right here at home. The simpl reality is that more than 95 othe globes consumers live outside of our borders. Therefore our ability to export American Products around the world has a direct iact on many small medium, and Large Companies and their ability to create and sustain jobs. Unfortunately many potential Global Customers are not able to secure the necessary financing to complete a purchase from an American Company because of the instability of their region or another circumstance. In order to connect these american exporters with their buyers around the globe, the exim bank can provide vital loans to complete transactions with American Companies that otherwise may not have occurred. The Economic Impacts here at home are significant. Last year, the exim bank provided financing for 27. 5 billion in u. S. Exports. That supports more than 160,000 american jobs and importantly, most importantly, 90 of all of th publicprivate partnerships transactions were with americas Small Businesses. Some have called for ending the exim bank on th grounds that it competes with the private market. Thats simply not the case. While we do need to reform this agency we still need to make surethat the exim is allowed to level the Playing Field and fill the gaps that exist in the private credit market. Additionally, the exim bank brings in a surplus of dollars to the u. S. Treasury. Last year alone, it was upbards of upwards of 700 million. D over the past two decades, the sur plass has been 7 billion. So i ask many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, what are we going to do to fill that hole . Exim supports goodpaying jobs in illinois not only at great Companies Like caterpillar and john deere, but also at small and immediate wrumsized businesses such as the g. S. I. Group in assumption illinois. My home countys largest employer. And also the sports group in champaign. Congress has already let the exim bank expire but we cannot afford to put more jobs at risk. We must reform and reauthorize the exim bank now and i urge a speedy process to do so and thank my colleague once again for his time, his energy, and his focus on this important issue. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Newhouse mr. Davis im very grateful for you sharing with us today. Mr. Tom cole from the state of oklahoma is here with us, id like to yield a few moments to him. Mr. Cole thank you very much. I want to begin by thanking my friend from washington and my friend from tennessee for organizing this exceptionally porn discussion tonight. I think the case from a National Standpoint in terms of maintaining the exim or the Exportimport Bank is really almost uncontestable. Not a new institution, its been around well over 80 years. Its not a unique unique institution. As has been mentioned here on the floor several time, literally dozens of other countries have a similar tool in their toolbox to facilitate exports. It does not cost the american taxpayer a dime in the course of its existence. Its actually made billions of dollars back. Indeed, since 2007, 2. 8 billion last year alone. What it has done is create thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs for our fellow americans competing in the international marketplace. I can talk about some Big Companies that have a presence in my state that have been enor enormously well served by the exim bank. We have almost 3,000 boeing jobs in oklahoma, thats important to us and were proud of them. Halliburton, historic lib founded in oklahoma, headquartered now in texas, but their largest ma heenry Production Facility is in my district in oklahoma. What impresses me most is the opportunities with the Exportimport Bank created for Small Companies to get into the international marketplace. The Exportimport Bank in oklahoma in recent years has helped 129 exporting firms. 8 of those, over 2 3, are Small Businesses. And thats made a different in small communities. Small business is the bedrock of the American Economy and exim helps them open markets that they would never have had an opportunity to participate in absent that particular mechanism. Dont take my word for it. Heres a story from a Third Generation Oklahoma Company about how the Exportimport Bank has been able to help them. The mills machine company, operating in shawnee, oklahoma, just outside my district, has been in business since 1908. Over 100 years. It makes drill bit augurs and other tools for water construction and geothermal water, construction and geothermal industries. According to the Company President , who is the Third Generation of the family to run the company. His grandfather started it his father maintained it. Hes knot now maintaining it. He was the first to think about operating overseas. How does a Small Company in the middle of oklahoma identify and finance overseas sales . He figured out the Exportimport Bank would be the way to ope the door for him to create jobs for his employees in shawnee, oklahoma. Today the Exportimport Bank provides insurance when his company is selling his products abroad which is often necessary because some of those individual items cost up to 30,000 apiece. Thats a lot of risk for a Small Company. Access for to the exim bank allowed the company to increase exports by 20 . When youre a company of 20 or 30 employee, 20 is five or six jobs that literally would not have been there absent the services of this bank. The Exportimport Bank actually allows our companies to compete in the global marketplace where countries often directly subsidize or own the means of production. We dont have a free market today in every way. Our competitors have this tool, they use this tool aggressively, and we need to have the ability to counterthem when necessary with the Exportimport Bank. I want to encourage my colleagues to support this bill. I understand how eensrble it is to some, not just the biggest but some of the smallest exporters in the American Economy and how many thousands of jobs it creates. Remember, its never it never costs the taxpayers of the United States of america a single dime. Its always put billions of dollars over time into our treasury. But most importantly there are thousands of americans working today thanks to what the Exportimport Bank has done. To facilitate the export of American Products into the international marketplace. So with that, i want to urge my colleagues to support the reauthorization of this Important Institution and i yield back the balance of my time to my good friend from washington. Mr. Newhouse thank you, mr. Cole. Thank you very much for participating tonight and pointing out the importance of the bank to your state and your district. Id like to turn now to a gentleman from the state of florida. John mica is with us. I yield to him the time he needs to give his thoughts on the Exportimport Bank. Mr. Mica thank you so much. I appreciate the gentleman from washington organizing this special order. I tell you, one of the worst mistakes congress could make is not acting to reauthorize exim. Unfortunately, few people in congress have been involved in International Trade and for some seven queers i was very active in International Trade got into it by accident in other businesses but i led delegations and represented corporations, some very big corporations, some of the biggest in florida and the United States and some of the Smallest Companies trying to compete. Ive been in every country in south america except the guianas. Ive been throughout the caribbean trying to sell u. S. Products. I was in egypt, the middle east i took the first trade delegations into the eastern bloc country, lithuania, went into poland, slovakia. Ive seen International Trade up close. Im telling you, folks it is not a level Playing Field. It is very rough in the global market. Some of our competitors, the chinese, the europeans, were doing trade across borders when people around the United States when the United States, the americas, were still in loin cloths. These are experienced people. Theyd throw their morge in to close the deal. Its a very tough market out there. To cut the legs out from our folks has consequences when it comes to financing. In business and International Trade if you can finance the deal, you can do the deal. Why would we do this . You just heard the other gentleman say, this is one of the least risk of guaranteeing or providing a loan. Less than 1 . Banks are 10 times that. Theres no cost to the taxpayer. We actually make money from this. But what we have out there is competition thats unfair unlevel. It is possible that we can make some reforms. In fact we should make reforms to get us into some areas where we dont have exportimport. As the only member of the house at least from the t i committee that go to the biggest show, i havent been for about 12 years in europe, recently, and they were applauding our our competitors are applauding that america was going to let exim go down the tubes because they, again, are experts at being able to finance things. In aviation, aviation is one of our biggest areas of export. Huge opportunities and these people are now being asked to fight and struggle. We should be exparting, for example, i heard from some of our military folks that the at the show that other countries have exim for military foreign sales and that were losing part of that market while others are getting into it. So if you want to send jobs overseas, if you want to kill american manufacturing, if you want to tie the hands of American Companies overseas, if you want to close down some jobs in my district and i have a large Power Generation headquarters which also manufactures in North Carolina, heres a statement from their company. Theyll lose a 300 Million Contract loss of jobs, in my district and new york and North Carolina to japanese competitors. Heres caterpillar not in my district, theyll lose a 650 million opportunity. How many jobs would that be in illinois . Not my district but in competition to an asian competitor for a project in australia. Were not financing foreign operations, were financing American Products and supporting american jobs. We must, absolutely must reauthorize this important program. I yield back. Mr. Newhouse one of the great things about this body is having so many people with different experiences. Mr. Mica, you know because of your experience being in other country, selling American Products abroad how important this tool is mr. Mica thank you. Thats where the markets are, thats a small area we should be supporting. Were minor players right now, we should be ding more. Thank you for bringing this to the attention of congress and the American People. Youll hear about agriculture and opportunities for jobs and everything for americans. I yield back. Mr. Newhouse thank you a great segue to the next person id like to share some time with, the chairman of the house Agriculture Committee, mr. Frank lucas. I yield. Mr. Lucas im appreciative to you for organizing this special order to discuss an issue that perhaps not many of our neighbors back home have had time to focus on and to have speakers from a variety of perspectives discuss what it really means in job creeeags, Economic Growth opportunities in their home districts and communities. The Exportimport Bank. I would be remiss if i didnt note you and i are both farmers. One of the Common Threads in agriculture throughout this great country is, since colonial times, we have always produced more than we could consume in this country. Weve always had to sell our surplus into the world market. Thats only way to maintain a healthy production of agriculture, to have reasonable job opportunities, reasonable standard of living in our agricultural communities. Exportimport touches on many of those issues. Created in the 1930s as a tool to help all parts of the American Economy have the credit and the ability to sell into world markets. As a matter of fact, the concept is so practical, its been so well defined, as you and i both know 50plus other countries have the same type of a system to help their manufacturers their producers, their economic interests do business into the outside world. Now, that said, weve been engaged for some time on the Financial Services committee and in this body in a very, at times heated debate about whether not just should Exportimport Bank be reformed to make it more efficient, more accountable, more responsible to the taxpayers but whether it should even exist at all. Now, some of our colleagues believe that with the lack of action, the official expiration of the authorization, that its gone. Weve heard our friend says here today that until all of the loans that are outstanding, all of the guarantees, all of the obligations that have been committed to are completed, the institutional institution will continue to exist it. Cant provide new economic exist. It cant provide new Economic Opportunities. That brings us to this point. I think its the point that i want to stress. Can Exportimport Bank in its present form be reformed . Can it be made better . Can it be made more accountable . Of course. Theres not an institution in government anywhere that cant be made better. More efficient, more effective, more accountable to the taxpayers. But the real tragedy of whats going on here is weve been presented, many of us, with the stark debate of end it all or through circumstances beyond our control have it reauthorized most likely in its present form. Without any of those reforms. Thats why many of us are on the fincher bill. Because we believe exportimport serves a purpose in helping create better jobs, more Economic Opportunities for many of our citizens, but that it needs to be done in a more responsible, accountable fashion. I have been highly disappointed that weve not had a debate a markup in committee on this very issue. That would have ultimately led, i believe, to a debate and consideration on the floor of this United States house. So that we could potentially have sent a better product than we have now to the other body. Weve not been allowed to do that. So now were faced with the stark contrast. How do we continue this very effective effort at moving our products into the world markets, creating those jobs here at home for our fellow citizens . Either we have to wait for a bill to come from the other body most likely not containing the level of reforms that we would have placed in such a reauthorization bill in the house, or at some point well have a markup either in committee or on the floor of another piece of legislation where there will be an effort to attach it. That kind of an effort probably wont contain the level of fincher reforms that we all want. Thats the tragedy congressman. Were going to reauthorize exportimport. Its just in what form will it be reauthorized . We cannot allow 50plus of our competitors around the world to have a tool, a resource, an ability for their businesses to push their products into the American Economy that we dont match. Punch for punch economically. We cannot allow that to happen. I hope were going to work on behalf of our fellow workers, our fellow citizens, our fellow Business People in this country. But its a tragedy congressman, that were not going to have the kind of discussion the debate where we can create a dramatically improved, refined, more reformed Exportimport Bank. But, we each represent our constituents. I care about mine just as you care about every one of yours. Making sure that we have the ability, the ability for all those citizens to have good jobs good paying jobs, good new Economic Opportunities its just too important for us to back away. Too important for us to back away. If we dont get the reforms that our fellow citizens deserve, it wont be because you and i didnt try. Weve tried for months. It will be because the choices thrust upon us by others are either all or nothing at all. Present or nothing. I want to keep selling those products that our hardworking fellow citizens make into the world market. I want to keep competing economically, blow for blow, with the rest of the world. Some have said, lets just do away with exportimport, well establish the principle and the rest of the world will follow us principal and the rest of the world will follow us. Does anybody really believe that . That when we give up our ability to sell our products into other markets theyll suddenly say, oh, oh, what a great principle, well stop selling into your markets. Not the way it works. Not the way it works. I appreciate the gentlemans time, his effort on this critically important issue. It will happen, its just how soon and in what form. With that i yield back the balance of my to imto the gentleman from Washington State, my fellow farmer. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from washingtons time has expired. Mr. Newhouse thank you mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore under the speakers announced policy of january 6, 2015, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Gohmert, for 30 minutes. Mr. Gohmert thank you mr. Speaker. A great deal of tragedy going on in the world. I know that at times there are people around this congress that have felt very much alone. I know there have been times when president s have felt very much alone. Like Abraham Lincoln a year or so after his son had died, his wife was fussing at him, he was going to commemorate a battlefield. There have been people who have been very alone in this town. But, mr. Speaker, i would suggest that no one in the world feels more betrayed and dejected than the leader of our former friend israel. Now, israel is still the friend of many of ours. We still hold it in the highest regard because of its similarity in beliefs in human rights that we have here. Even there in the midst of the middle east. The president s announced that hes going to the United Nations to get their approval before he would even ask for a vote in congress. That struck a chord, that rang a bell. March of 2011 letter from the white house in which the president advises that, he says, at my direction u. S. Military forces commenced operations to assist an International Effort authorized by the United Nations Security Council and undertaken with support of european allies and arab partners. To prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and address the threat posed to International Peace and security by the crisis in libya. The trouble is, mr. Speaker, that our president created the catastrophe created the crisis, the real crisis in libya as it exists today, far worse than anything that anybody conceived would or could exist in 2011 before the president went to the u. N. To seek authority instead of coming to congress. Since 2003, gaddafi had given up all efforts at supporting terrorism. Hed given up efforts, all efforts, at pursuing weapons that the United States did not give him authority to keep. As some of our muslim arab leaders in the middle east have told some of us privately, since 2003 gaddafi was doing more to help you tamp out terrorism than stamp out terrorism than most anybody in the world. And yet this president decided that a small problem in libya was enough to justify him taking out gaddafi, oh i know we were going to create a nofly zone, but lets be serious. The president s bombing runs that he authorized ended up, even in the face of gaddafi asking to be allowed to just leave and leave the country peaceably, he asked for a response within three days and this president authorized bombing apparently as an answer. So make no mistake, the incredibly bad judgment in this white house created a debacle in Northern Africa that has spilled into other nations around little bit, that has created all kinds of human atrocities, that has created a Massive Movement of people heading for boats from libya, heading north to anywhere they can go. This president did that without authorization of Congress Caused that without authorization of congress. But he did have the consent of the United Nations. As he now says hes going to seek before he gets approval for his iranian deal in congress. March 21 of 2011 an article by Charlie Savage in the New York Times points out that some democratic lawmakers including representatives Jerrold Nadler of new york barbara lee of california, Michael Capuano of massachusetts, complained in the House Democratic caw caucus Conference Call as the bombing began that mr. Obama had exceeded his Constitutional Authority by authorizing the attack without congressional permission. Id have to say that my friend, mr. Nadler, ms. Lee mr. Capuano of massachusetts they were right. I havent said that a whole lot about my friend, mr. Nadler, but he was right. The article goes on to goes on, on monday president obama sent congress a twopage letter saying that as commander in chief he had Constitutional Authority to authorize the strikes which were undertaken with french british and other allies. The article points out that as a president ial candidate who promoted his background as an instructor of constitutional law, mr. Obama appeared to adopt a more limited view of executive power when he answered a question about whether a president could order the bombing of Iranian Nuclear sites without a use of force authorization from congress. In quotes then it quotes mr. Obama it. Says, the president does not obama. It says, the president does not have authority under the constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. Mr. Obama told the boston globe in december, 2007. It mentions further down that in the globe survey, Vice President biden, then a senator, argued that a president would have no authority under the constitution to bomb Iranian Nuclear sites without congressional authorization because even limited strikes can unintentionally prompt allout war. Well, they well they violated what mr. Obama and mr. Biden said before they were in the white house, and the Vice President s supporters, they created a disaster in Northern Africa because they believed that their opinion was adequate and that the massive number of countries in the United Nations that hate israel was better con fi cant confidants than congress. Regardless of whether thats true or not, its not constitutional. In 2011, march there was a National Review article by bill burke that points out president obamas war in libya is unconstitutional without congressional authorization. That is so only because the president has not yet given a reason to fight that is constitutionally sound. He goes on. So the president helped create this mass i disaster in Northern Africa that has human tragedy occurring day after day people fleeing in boats some dying trying to get away from the libya he created. Because he decided it was time for gaddafi to go. Some of our muslim leader friends inorth africa and the northeast continue to ask, does your president not understand that he keeps helping the people that are at war with the United States . Does your president not understand that he is harming the people that are helping stop terrorism in the world . This deal that has now been cut with iran the largest supporter of terrorism in the world, is going to do for the middle east and the world what president obamas bombing did for libya. It has to be stopped. This deal has to be stopped. It does not meet any of the requirements that the president and all his minions said was going to come out of a deal with iran. And oh, yes, there were celebrations here in washington because they were able to convince iran into taking back over 100 billion and also we were able to convince them to allow us to take them off the arms embargo so they cod go aheaand start buying weapons from russia fm china, wherever they wish, lets help the russian economy lets help the chinese economy lets give hundreds of billions of dollars to the largest supporter of terrorism in the world and allow them to pursue arms with that money. Isnt there enough terrorism in the world today without this administration being acmplices to death and destruction the world over through the assistance, through this socalled deal it has cut with iran . Article from certainly not a great press friend of t United States, but a. F. P. , the Agency France press has an article from tehran tt says hardlirs in tehran brought up on chance of ochants of death to america have pe repeatedly voiced opposition to the request for a deal with the great satan ever since t Islamic Revolution of 1979. E article goes on further, it says rather than representing submission to the west, the agreement is likely to consolidate khomeini rule according to a veteran political analyst as tehran university. Make no mistake, this is tehran thats in iran. From a veteran political analyst that serves at the pleasure, or keeps his life at the pleasure of khoini. Article says, and whatever the evident contradictions of a pact with the great satan, the core of Irans Nuclear program has been preserved, thank you president brauk hussein obama. President Barack Hussein obama. Yes, i know there were people celebrating in washington, yeah, we got a great deal. We got them to take 100 billion off our hands, we got them to ree to start being able, for them they themselves to buy arms. Weve got them off the terrorist watch list so they can move more freely as they want to create terrorism. Its a great day. Ohts time tcelebrate. This article, in what may be one of the most understated mmts about the deal says, quote, it prably amounts to a marginal win over israel, saudi arabia anven turkey. As for mr. Bavand descbing the nuclear deal as a step forward for the warracked middle east. Article from max boot commentary magazine commentarymagazine. Com. Points out for a more succinct account go for the Statement Issued by tehrans official islamic news agenc this comes from that. World powers have recognized irans peaceful Nuclear Program and are to respect the nuclear ights of iranian nation witn international conventions. Second, says this. This isrom iran. The isamic pluck o iran is to be recognized as a nuclr Technology Power authized to have peaceful Nuclear Programs such as complete nuclear fue cycle and enrichment to be identified by the United Nations. All fair sanctions imposed by the u. N. Security council including economicnd financial sanctions on iran, are tbe lifted as perhe agreement and through the issuance of a new resolution by the United Nations Security Council. Most all of which hate israel all Nuclear Installations and sites are to continue tir work contray to the early demands of the other party, that woulbe the United States, none of them will be dismantled. That is irans interpretation of the deal being celebrated down the street here, down pennsylvania avenue. Theyre celebrating because they say none of their Nuclear Facilities have to be dismantled. Goes on, the policy of preventing enrichment of uranium is nowailed and iran will go ahead with its enrichment program. Further from iran, they declare that Irans Nuclear infrastcture will remain intact. No centrifuges wilbe dismantled. And search and development on key and advanced centrifuges will continue and thats rather amazing, now we heard the presidnt say that they were going to ave to dismantle like 2 3 of their centruges, but it appears from what we can find out about the deal so far, that actually, they may dismantle some of the centrifuges, but only because we are going to help them install and work with theost advanced centrifuges in the world. Moredvanced than athingran wohave now. So far as we know this is a huge boon to their nuclear efforts. This article says, e agreement specifies that it would take no fewerhan 24 days tcompel an inspecon. Talking aut the ses, nuclear sites. Thatslenty of time for the iranns to sanitize any suspect sites so as to removany evidence of Nuclear Activity and is far removed from the kind of 247 access that president obama said jst today that inspectors would have. The iranians insisted that the agreent stick only to the nucle issue, thats why for example, the iranians did not agree as part othis deal to relee the american hostages. That they are holding. Or to end their suport fo terrorism or their commitment o israels destruction. But it turns out the agreement isnt just limited nuclear es. It includes aommitment to lift the conventional arms embargon irann no me than fiveears and the embargo on missile sales to iran in no more than ght ars anprobably sooner. Iran is said be i compliance with the nuclear court. D gee wont that be interesting . They may be able to have people that hte israel give them the goahead much earlier than eight years this article points out, what this means is that iran will on have mo than 100 billion extra to spend not only on exporting the iranian revolution d dominatin nighboring states, but thatitll also before long be free to purchase as many weapons, even Ballistic Missiles, it likes on the world mket. No wonder Vladimir Putin appears to be happy. Thi dl is likely to become a windfall for the russian arms makers although you can be sure that iran will also spread its largess to manufacturers in france, and if possibl the u. K. So as to give those countries an extra stake in not reimposing sanctions. And thats good newsfor ukraine good news for georgia, because thi means that thi deal, if itoes throuh, and the president ialready ying were going to lift these sanctions, were go to get them the 100 billion plus, some y its going to be 150 billion. Can you iginehat russia c do witmoney that iran pays it . They cod prably te over all the ewe all of ukraine with that kind of money. And then the russianas they ta over more and more of ukraine, they can be putting big posters on their tanks saying, thk youresident obama. Withou your al wit iran, we uld never have had the money to take over ukraine. And whatbout egypt . This is devastating news that this deal is ming to fruion fo egypt. Wh over 30 million egyptians come to t street, it would be liotr 100 million americans go io the street, and demanding the ouster of the muslim btherhood predent that was seizingllower and demaing he be gotten rid of theilry dids the people of egypt ordered. What an incredible, peaceful uprising. That impeachment as peaceably as it could be done since the americanamerican assisting egypt did not even help them put in an impeachment provision in their constitution itad news obviously f saudi aabia. Its bad news for jord. Is bad news for all countries in the middle east. Its bad news for syria its bad news for tury. Oh, there will be sme in turkey, some in syria, that will be shoutin with joy, particularly president a he may need to send president oma a thank you note r the ney thatomes flowing in to help himn syria, perps. Theres going tomoney spreaall around to weapons makers to people who peddle war and destructn becausof what this president has done and agreed to without any promise, not en a promise of givi up terrorism. No even a promise, not evea verbalrose, f heavens sake that iran will notry to destroy isel. We had this article fro a. F. P. Also back, rch 2 of 201 this year, the artile says, quot, obama tolds that i quoteif ira willing togree to doublegit yes of keeping theirrogram where its, you know unquote, the wod be a deal. Netian hue said deal with iran wld qten, threaten the survival of israel unote. Obama said that sentiment is wrongaded. Noting netanyahus previous opposition to an interim iran deal as evidce israelhould ba the talks. Quote, netian hue made all sortof claims. This was going to be a terrible deal. This was going to result i an getting billion worth of relief. Iran would not abide by the agreement. None of that has come true. Well, it turns out the president was the one who was wrong and Prime Minister netanyahu is the one that it was was exactly right, it was a bad deal, that this was a terrible deal. He was right. Now, i have to admit mr. Speaker, that Prime Minister netanyahu was extremely wrong about one aspect of the iranian deal between it and president obama. I have to admit i think the world of president netanyahu. Hes a great man, has the potential to be one of israels truly great leaders. But he was wrong when he said that this deal was going to result in iran getting 50 billion worth of relief. He was way wrong because theyre going to get maybe 150 billion of relief. But certainly over 100 billion of relief. So we have to chalk this chalk it up, that was the one area where president obama was right about netanyahu being wrong. He understood netanyahu understated the amount of cash this administration was willing to fork over to the terrorist state of iran. It wasnt 50 billion. It was over 100 billion, possibly 150 billion. So there it is on the record. Netanyahu was wrong. He said 50 billion. S what iran would get. And it was over billion is what iran would get and it was over 100 billion. So lets look at this deal. And what was said in the past about it. Undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman, youll remember that she was one of those who was key in the negotiations with north korea, where we gave them Nuclear Power plans and material and all we got in return was a promise that if we just gave them everything they needed, all the technology to make nuclear bombs, theyd use it for Nuclear Power plant and of course we know they broke their word. When youre dealing with a scorpion and it stings you, you shouldnt ask later why did you do that, you know why. The answer, the old fable, is because im a scorpion its what i do. Thats what the leader of north korea is and its what he did. And if you look at the leaders of iran, similar fable about the snake. Warms the snake up and it ends up biting him. Why did you do that . Because im a snake. So perhaps in the near future president obama, secretary kerry will be heard to ask, why did you break all these terms . Because were snakes. Thats what we do. Should be the answer. But Wendy Sherman said, in, lets see, february 4 of 2014, nearly a year and a half ago, she said about the iranian deal we raised possible military dimensions and in fact in the joint plan of action we have required that iran come clean on its past actions as part of any exrehebsive agreement comprehensive agreement. Well, that didnt happen. Wendy sherman was as wrong about that as she was about north korea not using the Nuclear Capacity we gave them to make Nuclear Weapons. Of course december 7 2013, president obama himself said, its my strong belief that we can envision an end state that gives us an assurance that even if they have some modest enrichment capability, its so constrained and the inspections so intrusive that they as a practical matter do not have breakout capacity. Now, thats a great statement there because hes not saying that well get iran to that point. If you look carefully. He says that well have an end state that gives us an assurance. Well, iran is willing to give us assurance. But theyre not even willing to give us an assurance of what president obama hoped for for goodness sake. Secretary kerry said, november 24 2013, quote there is no right to enrich, we do not recognize a right to enrich. It is clear in the n. P. T. , in the nonproliferation treaty, its verier, very clear theres no right to enrich. Well now we know that secretary kerry was very, very wrong about it being very, very clear there was no right to enrich. Not only is there a right to enrich, were going to help iran enrich, thank you president obama. Sanctions relief. Heres a quote from john kerry from march 3. Secretary of state kerry said, quote, iran is not open for business until iran is closed for nuclear bombs. Well we know thats not going to be the case. Theyre open for business and theyre still enriching. Again, undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman said, quote, this includes a lot of dismantling of their infrastructure. Well it turns out thats not the case either. Undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman, february 4 of 2014, said, its true that in the First Six Months weve not shut down all their production of any Ballistic Missile. Well it turns out theyre not going to at all. How about that . March 5 2015 secretary kerry quote, it will reduce the pressure for a Regional Nuclear race and it will increase the strength of the International Nonproliferation regime. It will also vastly improve the prospects for peace, both here and elsewhere, secretary kerry was wrong, wrong, wrong. And now they want the u. N. To pass the deal. Well gosh, im sure theyll get plenty of votes from people that want the money that the u. S. Is going to make sure iran has to buy Nuclear Weapons. So the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Gohmert the iran deal is a grave mistake and hes as right now as he was before. This deal has to be stopped for the sake of man kind. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Does the gentleman have a motion . Mr. Gohmert at this time i move we do now hereby adjourn. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the motion to adjourn. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The motion is adopted. Accordingly, the house stands adjourned until 9 00 a. M. Tomorrow. Outfoxed voters forum to be the first for the g. O. P. Joining us from man chester is the publisher of the New Hampshire union leader, joe mcquaid. Thank you very much for being with us. Guest thanks for having me. Thanks for cspan playing a part in this. Host we are pleased to be a partner. Lets talk about this forum. How and why did it come about . Guest it came about because we were seven months or 6 1 2 months from the first voters getting a chance to win over the field. Fox got the First Official debate from the r. N. C. And fox announced that only 10 candidates based on a exillation of National Polling done in august were going to determine the 10 seats for the debate. And as you know, there were a lot more credible serious candidates than that. And we thought it unfair that only 10 got to be on the fox stage. So we said, about a month ago, that we were going to do our own event. This was also prompted in part by a letter that more than 50 New Hampshire republicans, including a couple of former governors, wrote to fox protesting this format. And asking that they instead break the top polling candidates into two groups and have two backtoback debates. But fox didnt want to do that. Host your cosponsors, including the post courier and the cree car rapids iowa ga set. What is the format and whats the objective . Guest a couple of things. Im really tickled about those two numes. Because we know them because were all in a group called the independent newspaper group. Which by its name is independently owned newspapers in the country. There arent a lot of those anymore. It happens theres one in South Carolina and one or two in iowa. The format is Pretty Simple and straightforward. All the candidates will be introduced in short bio lines read by an announcer, one at a time the candidates will be calmed up on stage to sit with called up on stage to sit with the moderator, who is a man who runs a radio show in New Hampshire and is quite well respected among candidates. He doesnt ask gotcha questions. He asks tough questions. The questions are going to come in part from a survey were going to put on unionleader. Com asking readers to pick five out of 25 or 26 topics that they would like to see discussed and he will be formulating the questions based on that and well put them will put them one at a time to the candidates. We havent gotten as far as to mixing up how many questions there will be and who gets what question but i know that were not going to announce the order of the candidates until that night because i dont want the first one skipping out after and the last one not coming in until its his or her turn and we expect were going to have upwards of 15 candidates, which would be great and which is what iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina are all about. Looking at all the candidates before making a decision. And looking comparing what they say at the same time in the same place. Which is what fox is apparently unable to accomplish. Host the forum will be leave here on cspan radio and cspan television on monday, august 3, beginning at 7 00 p. M. Eastern time. You have already been in touch with a number of the candidates and their campaign staffs. What are they telling you about this approach, that you and others are putting forward . Guest they like it. Especially the ones who are not the best known candidates. Donald trump isnt going to have any trouble getting on the fox stage based on his polling numbers. But a lot of the other candidates have trouble with the fact that donald trump gets on and they may not. As senator Lindsey Graham has said in the past couple of weeks, brad pitt could get on that stage based on National Polling and candidates like graham, like governor john kasich, who is not officially in the race, but is going to be in the race, are outside looking in. And that troubles them. Senator graham is actually having a press conference in New Hampshire later today to continue to protest the way this is going down with fox. But weve now had eight candidates accept our invitation without reservation. They really havent asked. We sent them an invite that outlines the format and theyre happy to do it. I think, especially because they appreciate the early primary and caucus states. Host finally, as the publisher of the union leader in New Hampshire, youve seen a lot of campaigns and kate dates. 15 candidates. 15 official republicans in this rarkse soon to be 17. Have you ever seen such a crowded field . Guest no. There have been a lot of names on our ballot because it used to not cost much to get on. But credible candidates i think the democrats at eight once there was a woman and seven guys and i think we called them snow white and the seven dwarfs and republicans back in 1980 with Ronald Reagan had quite a few, but not this number. Host full details Available Online at unionleader. Com. Joe mcquaid, who is the publisher of the New Hampshire union leader joining from us New Hampshire. Thank you very much. We look forward to covering the forum on august 3. Guest youre welcome. Thank you to cspan once again. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] in his final question time session before the summer recess, british Prime Minister David Cameron answered questions about the budget, economic expansion and the greek debt crisis. Its 35 minutes. Will invite others to discuss the bill further. Question to the Prime Minister. Question number one mr. Speaker. Thank you mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. The plan was published this week shows prospects for young people have deteriorated since the conservatives came into conflict. In the Prime Minister explain why the reducing opportunity young people further by removing thereby reducing the opportunities . First of all where increasing opportunities for young people by making sure all young people have a job and get a candidate we see another decrease in youth unemployment down 13000 on the quarter, and 92000 on the year. In terms of students weve now got record numbers of young people going to university and because of the action were taking were able to take the cap off the university numbers and see increase in many more people going. In terms of replacing loans and grants with a low scum this is the right approach. Interestingly, interestingly there was a the approach taken in 1997 when the right honorable lady sat in the cabinet. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, its bad enough of the latest figures i have got 363 murders 106 murders in open presence in the last 10 years. These figures are shown for 179 offenders and open presence who were obscure from an open president will Prime Minister give a commitment to ensure nobody was ever absconded from an open prison is ever allowed back into an open presence . I state will examine his proposal. I can tell him we have already overhauled the process for allowing prisoners out of temporary license athletes with 39 drop in the number of those who breached their license conditions. Weve also seen the rate for prisoners who escaped from prison have reached a record low. As i understand it prisoners with a history of escape or absconded are prevented from transfer to open conditions other than in the most exceptional cases. What i will do is look at these exceptional cases and see whether there is a surrogate for the blanket ban patty talked about our right to him over the summer. Harriet harman. [shouting] cannot ask the Prime Minister a question about greece . Its important that a deal on greece mr. Speaker its important for the deal on greece has now been reached. The economic format is unprecedented in europe, this since the end of the federal corporate the agreement should implement in a way that is fair to the people of greece as will be acceptable to the creditors get it seems report this morning that the imf are concerned about whether the deal for greece is, in fact, sustainable. Can the Prime Minister tell us whether the chancellor had discussions with Christine Lagarde about how these concerns can be addressed . I think the right honorable lady is right to raise this entity we all feel for the greek people who have had a very difficult time and with no early signs of relief on the way. Talk to the imf on a very regular basis. The point they are making that there needs to be debt relief for greece might thats the right. The heart of the eurozone is an argument about whether this is a single currency where you have to look after each other said that and you have a physical union and the Banking Union antisocial union. Thats one view or whether you have to do the single currency as strict rules and cant deal with these things. In our interest for the eurozone to resolve these issues we are not involved in the debate directly because we are not in the euro but we do need them and were not going to join the euro. But they need to resolve these issues and the need to resolve them quite fast. Its important that deal is sustainable. Its interesting to the Prime Minister is the about a measure of debt relief has been necessary. Does he agree to with president putin waiting in the wings this is about more than just economics. Its got wider geopolitical significance. What is his view about that . I think the right honorable lady is right. Greece is a member of the European Union as well as a member of the euro. It is a friend and ally of britain, nato member, trading partners. It is not for britain to bailout eurozone countries and we wouldnt do that but as a member of the European Union if greece were to leave the euro and wanted humanitarian assistance im sure that this house and the British Public would take a more generous of you. Sorting out the problems of the eurozone which weve always warned about the dangers of the eurozone is a matter for eurozone countries, but shes right about the dangers of russian involvement. What happens in the eurozone aspect of this country and therefore, its important that we are fully engaged. Turning to the budget, we are all concerned to see todays rise in overall unemployment. But for those in work the chancellor said that he is a changes on pay and tax credit will make working families better off, but they wont. The institute for fiscal studies have now made it absolutely clear that the idea that a higher minimum wage will compensate for the loss of tax credit is a rhythmic adequate impossible. Will they now admit that as a direct result of his county tax credits, millions of working families are low income will be worse off . First albany comment on the unemployment figures. Shes right theres mixed messages. Its disappointing that the claimant count has gone up having fallen for so many months in a row. Is told at the lowest level since 1975 a longterm unemployment is down, youth unemployment is down. The rate of employment for women is set a new record high, and interestingly when you look across the last year you can actually see all of the rise in implement in the last year has been people working fulltime. Interestingly in light of the debates we had in the last parliament, wages are up by 3. 2 in these figures compared with the inflation figures yesterday that 40. In terms of the budget i remember her ask me from the dispatch box making the point that reform and welfare would not work unless the increased minimum wages by a quarter. I can tell if we are not going to. We are increasing them by a third for the National Living wage. [shouting] he is refusing to accept the fact which is being clearly established by the institute for fiscal studies that the minimum wage increase will not compensate for his cut in tax credits and that takes me to another claim the Prime Minister made about the budget. He said that he would protect the most vulnerable. Well, you are obviously vulnerable to get the conditions like parkinsons or youre being treated for cancer. But changes in the budget mean that the support people like that will get will be cut from 100 pounds, the 70 pounds. We agree that the deficit needs to come down. What kind of government is it that thinks the way to do that is to get people who through no fault of their own are suffering from life the debilitating illnesses. Thats what is budget is doing. Let me give her that they could get a family with two children where both parents work full time on the minimum wage, they will be better off by 2020 by a full 5500 pounds. I dont think the Party Opposite has fully grasped the importance of this nation living wage. They bought an election on a path by the next election but its going to be over nine pounds by the next election because of the action of this government. She wants to ask questions about welfare, and i welcome what she said. She said this week we wont oppose the welfare bill we wont oppose the housing benefit cap. She said we wont oppose restricted benefits and tax credits for people with three or more children. I welcome that. What a pity the rest of her party doesnt agree with there. She asked specifically about employment and support allowance and i think this is important we get this right to the are two groups unemployment and support allowed, the support group will continue to get extra money, more than on jobseekers allowance and will continue to get that for as long as they need. In terms of future claimants into work related activity group, existing claimants keep exact existing amount of money but for new payments i think its right they should get the same amount as job seekers out loud and then get all the help that we do the job seekers to help them into work. People asked why. I will tell you. We want to get people into work. We want to give people a chance. We want to give people a life. Thats what this budget was all about. [shouting] he talks about new claimants but it dont think he understands the reality of the situation because a lot of these people, a lot of these people are in and out of work because they want to work but they can only work intermittently. Every time to go back into work when they come out of work they will be treated as a new claim it. Quite frankly mr. Speaker, i dont need to be sorry mr. Speaker, quite frankly i dont need to be about not understanding the minimum wage. We introduced it. And the fact of the matter [shouting] and the fact of the matter is 3 million families will be at least 1000 pounds a week worse off. A year, a year. The minister was on the radio this morning talking about [shouting] the minister was on the radio talking about Party Funding sing government curb on trade unions donations were not an attack on working people and the labour party. But it doesnt look that way. Theres an issue about the money and politics but its got to be done fairly. So will the Prime Minister commit that he will not go ahead with these changes unless its on a cross party basis . Will he include the issue of individual donation cap . Its not acceptable for him to be curbing funds to hardworking people to the labour party while turning a blind eye to donations from hedge funds to the tories. Finally mr. Speaker, we see were all these questions were going. The labour party can go round and round and round but it always comes back to the trade unions. [shouting] let me answer all the questions that she asked. First of all on the National Living wage if the labour party is so keen on a why did he vote against it in the budget last night . Second of all, on employment and support allowance the number of people coming off a jobseekers allowance is more than seven times the number of people have come up in capacity since 20. We want help to get these people back to work. She asked about the issue of trade Union Funding for the labour party. I think thats a very simple principle. If you want to give money to a party, should be an act of free will. Not something that is taken out of your pay packet without you being told about it properly. If this wasnt happening in the trade unions the labour party would be saying this was appalling ms. Seliger to do is time for consumer protection. What is there such a blind spot even with the honorable lady when it comes to the trade union paymasters . There is no simple principle. There is a simple principle which is it must be fair. What hes doing is its one rule for the labour party for something completely different for the tories. To be democratic about this the Prime Minister must not just acting interest of the tory party. Instead of helping working he spent his time breaking the rules of the game. Now he wants to go even further attack the rights of working people to have a say about fair pay and conditions. Thats on top of already having changed the rule to gag charities and trade unions from speaking out. The Prime Minister says he wants to govern for one nation but instead he is just governing in the interest of the tory party. The law for Company Donation was changed years ago. Trait genes have been left untouched but the principle should be the same. Whoever youre giving money to it should be an act of free will. It should be a decision that you have to take. That money shouldnt be sequestered away from you without being asked. Mr. Speaker today weve seen it all. I thought she was the modern one and the leadership contenders are the ones who were heading off to the left. What we heard from them, because everything went of our antistrike laws, oppose everything went over welfare changes, some of them described terrorist groups like hamas as their friends. Mr. Speaker, in a week when were finding out the Atlantic Council looks at how the International Community will enforce the restrictions on Irans Nuclear program. On our facebook page, we have been asking about the iran Nuclear Agreement and what your message to congress would be on the deal. One commentor writing why were the four american hostages not even mentioned in this epic deal . Another post support. We have a coalition on our side. Those who oppose this have no plan. An article in the wall street journal looks at the financial aspects of the agreement. Iran is getting 100 billion dollars in assets frozen under International Sanctions. The article quotes security analyst who believe that this could have positive implications for the fight against terrorism. The iranian government has provided support to groups fighting against isis. The article quotes irans foreign minister as saying i hope my counterparts will also turn their focus and devote their resources to this existential battle. The details about an agreement with iran over its Nuclear Agreement program have been released. President obama talked about a deal and a press conference today, arguing that it makes the world safer by preventing iran from developing Nuclear Weapons. From the white house east room earlier today, this is just over one hour. Please have a seat. Good afternoon, everybody. Yesterday was a historic day. The deal we achieved with our allies and partners to prevent iran from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon represents a powerful display of American Leadership and diplomacy. It shows what we can accomplish when we lead from a position of strength, opposition of principle. When we unite the International Community around a shared vision and result to solve problems peacefully. I have reached out to leaders on both sides of the aisle. I expect the debate to be robust, and that is how it should be. This is an important issue. Our National Security policies are stronger and more effective when their subject to scrutiny and transparency that democracy demands. The details of this deal matter very much. Thats why our team worked so hard for so long to get the details right. At the same time, as this debate unfolds, i hope we dont lose sight of the larger picture. The opportunity that this agreement represents. As we go forward, its important for everybody to remember the alternative, the fundamental choice that this moment represents. With this deal, we cut off every single one of irans pathways to any cure program. A Nuclear Weapons program. Irans Nuclear Weapons program will be under severe limits for many years. Without a deal, those pathways remain open. There would be no limits to irans future program and iran could move closer to a nuclear bomb. With this deal, we gain unprecedented around the clock monitoring of key Nuclear Facilities and the most comprehensive and intrusive inspection regime ever negotiated. Without a deal, those inspections go away. We lose the ability to closely monitor irans program and detect covert Nuclear Weapons program. With this deal, if iran violates its commitments, there will be real consequences. Nuclear related sanctions have helped to cripple the iranian economy will snap back into place. Without a deal, the International Sanctions regime will unravel. With no ability to reimpose them. With this deal, we have the possibility of peacefully resolving a major threat to regional and interNational Security. Without a deal, we risk even more war in the middle east, and other countries in the region would feel compelled to pursue their own Nuclear Programs, threatening a Nuclear Arms Race in the most volatile region in the world. As i said yesterday, even with this deal, we will continue to have profound differences with iran. It support of terrorism, use of proxies, attempts to destabilize the middle east. Therefore the multilateral embargo will remain in place for an additional five years with restrictions on Ballistic Missile technology for eight years. In addition, the United States will maintain our own sanctions related to irans support for terrorism Ballistic Missile program, and human rights violation, and will continue our unprecedented Security Cooperation with israel and deepen partnerships with gulf states. The bottom line is this, this nuclear deal meets the National Security interests of the United States and our allies. It prevents the most serious and threat iran obtaining a Nuclear Weapon, which would only make the other problems that iran may cause even worse. Thats why this deal makes our country and the world safer and more secure. Its why the alternative no limits on Irans Nuclear program, no inspection, the risk of regional Nuclear Arms Race, and the greater risk for all that would endanger our security. That is the choice we face. If we dont choose wisely future generations will judge us harshly. No one suggests that this deal resolves all threats that iran of to its neighbors in the world. Or realizing the promise of this deal will require many years of implementation and hard work. It will require vigilance and execution. This deal is the best means of ensuring that iran does not get a Nuclear Weapon. That has been my number one priority, our number one priority. We have a historic chance to pursue a safer and more secure world, an opportunity that may not come again in our lifetimes. As president and commander in chief, i and determined to seize that opportunity. With i would take questions. Let me see who i am starting off with. What steps will you take to an able and more moderate iran. Does this deal allowed you to more forcefully counter irans destabilization in the region . If you dont mind theres going to be a common set of questions touched on. I will get to your question. I want to start off with stepping back and reminding folks of what is at stake here. I just want to reiterate it. I have already heard objections to the deal. The starting premise of our strategy with respect to iran has been that it would be a grave threat to the United States and allies if they obtained a Nuclear Weapon. Everything that we have done has been designed to make sure that we address that number one priority. That is what the sanctions regime was about. Thats how we were able to mobilize the International Community, including folks we were not particular close to 20 byebye the sanctions thats how they came about we were able to gain local consistence that iran had a Nuclear Weapon and that would be a problem for everybody. That is the reason their accounts got frozen and they were not able to get money for oil sales. Thats the reason they have problems operating with respect to International Commerce we built that International Consensus around this issue the possibility of iran getting a Nuclear Weapon. That was not simply my party. If you look back at all of the debates that have taken place this is been a democratic, republican, press and mr. Net yahoo Prime Minister netanyahus priority. The deal we have negotiated achieves that goal. It make sure that iran does not get a Nuclear Weapon we have always recognized that even if iran does not get a Nuclear Weapon it still poses challenges to our interest and our values in the region and around the world. When this deal gets implemented, we know that we will have dismantled the immediate concerns around Irans Nuclear program. We will have brought the stockpile down to 98 . We will have reduce the number of centrifuges they operate. We will have installed an onion unprecedented inspections regime. That will remain in place not just for 10 years but for the stockpile 15 years. Iran will have pledged to the International Community that it will not develop a Nuclear Weapon that will be subject to additional protocols. We will have disabled a facility like iraq the iraq facility from allowing iran to develop plutonium they could be used for a bomb. We will have greatly reduced the stockpile of uranium that is enriched, and we will have put into place inspections along the entire supply chain so that if uranium was diverted into a Covert Program, we would catch it. So i can say with confidence, but more important a Nuclear Experts can say with confidence, that iran will not be in a position to develop a nuclear bomb we will have met our number one nuclear priority. We will still have problems with irans sponsorship of terrorism. Its funding of proxies like hezbollah that threat israel and the region. My hope is that we can continue to have conversations with iran that incentivize them to behave differently in the region. , to be less aggressive, less hostile, more cooperative. To operate the way we expect nations to behave. We are not counting on it. This deal is not contingent on iran changing its behavior. It solves one problem, making sure they dont have a bomb. It will be a lot easier for us to check irans nefarious activities, push back against the other areas where they operate contrary to our interest. Will they change their behavior. Will we seek to gain more environment involvement with them . We will continue to engage with them. We are not normalizing diplomatic relations here. The context will be limited we will work with israel to bring additional pressure on iran. The argument that i have been hearing before the deal was announced that because this deal does not solve all those other problems that is an argument for rejecting this deal. It makes no sense it loses sight of what was our original number one priority, which is making sure that they dont have a bomb. Does it give pause to see this deal praised by the syrian dictator as a victory for iran or praised by those in toronto who shout death to america, and yet our closes ally in the middle east calls it a historic mistake. In washington, it seems a large majority will vote to reject the deal. You have any concerns about seeing the majority of the peoples representatives in congress and this is a bad deal . If i can just ask you a quick question let me answer the question you ask. It does not give me pause that mr. Assad or others in tehran may be trying to spin the deal in a way that they think is favorable to what their constituencies want to hear. Thats what politicians do, and thats been the case throughout. I mean, you will recall that during the course of these negotiations over the last couple of months, every time the Supreme Leader or somebody tweeted something out, for some reason, we all bought into the notion, well, the Obama Administration must be giving this or capitulating that. Well, now we have a document. So so you can see what the deal is. We dont have to speculate. We we dont have to engage in spin. You can just read what it says and what is required. And nobody has disputed that as a consequence of this agreement, iran has to drastically reduce its stockpiles of uranium, is cut off from plutonium, the fordow facility that is underground is converted, that we have an unprecedented inspections regime, that we have snap back provisions if they cheat. You know, the facts are the facts, and im not concerned about what others say about it. Now, with respect to congress, my hope i wont prejudge this my hope is is that everyone in Congress Also evaluates this agreement based on the facts, not on politics, not on posturing, not on the fact this is a deal i bring to congress as opposed a republican president , not based on lobbying but based on whats in the National Interest of the United States of america. And i think that if congress does that, then in fact, based on the facts, the majority of congress should approve of this deal. And as i said in an interview but we live in washington, and politics do intrude. And as i said in an interview yesterday, i am not betting on the Republican Party rallying behind this agreement. I do expect the debate to be based on facts and not speculation or misinformation, and and and that, i welcome, in part because, look there are there are legitimate, real concerns here. Weve already talked about it. We have huge differences with iran. Israel has legitimate concerns about its security relative to iran. I mean, you have a large country with a significant military that has proclaimed that israel shouldnt exist, that has denied the holocaust, that has financed hezbollah, and as a consequence, there are missiles that are pointed towards tel aviv. And so i think there are very good reasons why israelis are nervous about irans position in the world generally. And ive said this to Prime Minister ive said it directly to the israeli people. But what ive also said is that all those threats are compounded if iran gets a Nuclear Weapon. And for all the objections of Prime Minister netanyahu or, for that matter, some of the Republican Leadership thats already spoken, none of them have presented to me or the American People a better alternative. Im hearing a lot of talking points being repeated about this is a bad deal. This is a historically bad deal. This will threaten israel and threaten the world and threaten the United States. I mean, theres been a lot of that. What i havent heard is what is your preferred alternative . If 99 of the worlds community and the majority of Nuclear Experts look at this thing and they say this will prevent iran from getting a nuclear bomb, and you are arguing either that it does not or that even if it does, its temporary, or that because theyre going to get a windfall of their accounts being unfrozen that theyll cause more problems, then you should have some alternative to present. And i havent heard that. And the reason is because there really are only two alternatives here. Either the issue of iran obtaining a Nuclear Weapon is resolved diplomatically through a negotiation or its resolved through force, through war. Those are those are the options. Now, youll hear some critics say, well, we could have negotiated a better deal. Ok. What does that mean . I think the suggestion among a lot of the critics has been that a a better deal, an acceptable deal would be one in which iran has no Nuclear Capacity at all, peaceful or otherwise. The problem with that position is that there is nobody who thinks that iran would or could ever accept that, and the International Community does not take the view that iran cant have a peaceful Nuclear Program. They agree with us that iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. And so we dont have diplomatic leverage to eliminate every vestige of a peaceful Nuclear Program in iran. What we do have the leverage to do is to make sure that they dont have a weapon. Thats exactly what weve done. So to go back to congress, i challenge those who are objecting to this agreement, number one to read the agreement before they comment on it, number two to explain specifically where it is that they think this agreement does not prevent iran from getting a Nuclear Weapon, and why theyre right and people like ernie moniz, who is an mit Nuclear Physicist and an expert in these issues is wrong, why the rest of the world is wrong, and then present an alternative. And if the alternative is that we should bring iran to heel through military force, then those critics should say so. And that will be an honest debate. All right. Mr. President , if i can. Obama no. No. Prime minister netanyahu said that you know, you have a situation where iran can delay 24 days before giving access to military facilities. Obama im happy to im happy to thats a good example. So, lets take the issue of 24 days. This has been, i think, swirling today, the notion that this is insufficient in terms of inspections. Now, keep in mind first of all that well have 24 7 inspections of declared Nuclear Facilities fordow, natanz, arak, their Uranium Mines, facilities that are known to produce centrifuges, parts. That entire infrastructure that we know about, we will have sophisticated 24 7 monitoring of those facilities. Ok. So then the issue is what if they try to develop a Covert Program . Now, one of the advantages of having inspections across the entire production chain is that it makes it very difficult to set up a Covert Program. You know, there are only so many Uranium Mines in iran. And if in fact were counting the amount of uranium thats being mined, and suddenly some is missing on the back end, they got some splainin to do. So were able to track whats happening along the existing facilities to make sure that there is not diversion into a Covert Program. But lets say that iran is so determined that it now wants to operate covertly, the iaea, the International Organization charged with implementing the nonproliferation treaty and monitoring Nuclear Activities in countries around the world, the iaea will have the ability to say that undeclared site, were concerned about. We see something suspicious. And they will be able to say to iran, we want to go inspect that. Now, if iran objects, we can override it. In the agreement, weve set it up so we can override irans objection, and we dont need russia or china in order for us to get that override. And if they continue to object were in a position to snap back sanctions and declare that irans in violation and is cheating. As for the fact that it may take 24 days to finally get access to the site, the nature of Nuclear Programs and facilities is such this is not something you hide in a closet. This is not something you put on a dolly and kind of wheel off somewhere. And by the way, if we identify an undeclared site that were suspicious about, were going to be keeping eyes on it. So were going to be monitoring what the activity is, and thats going to be something that will be evidence if we think that some funny business was going on there, that we can then present to the International Community. So well be monitoring it that entire time. And by the way, if there is Nuclear Material on that site, you know, your High School Physics will remind us that that leaves a trace. And so well know that, in fact, there was a violation of the agreement. So the point is, jonathan, that this is the most vigorous inspection and verification regime, by far, that has ever been negotiated. Is it possible that iran decides to try to cheat despite having this entire inspection and Verification Mechanism . Thats possible. But if it does, first of all, we built in a oneyear breakout time, which gives us a year to respond forcefully, and weve built in a snapback provision so we dont have to go through lengthy negotiations at the u. N. To put the sanctions right back in place. And so really, the only argument you can make against the verification and inspection mechanism that weve put forward is that iran is so intent on obtaining a Nuclear Weapon that no inspection regime and no Verification Mechanism would be sufficient because theyd find some way to get around it because they are untrustworthy. And if thats your view, then we go back to the choice that you have to make earlier. That means, presumably, that you cant negotiate, and what youre really saying is that youve got to apply military force to guarantee that they dont have a Nuclear Program. And if somebody wants to make that debate, whether its the Republican Leadership or Prime Minister netanyahu or the israeli ambassador or others theyre free to make it, but its not persuasive. Carol lee . Thank you, mr. President. I want to ask you about the arms and Ballistic Missile embargo. Why did you decide agree to lift those, even with the fiveand eightyear durations . Are you concerned that arms will go to has the law or hamas ands or anything that you or a future president can do to stop that. I wanted to ask if you could step back with that this and look at the deal its obviously emerging as a Sticking Point on the hill. And are you concerned that arms to iran will go to hezbollah or hamas . And is there anything that you or a future president can do to stop that . And if you dont mind, i mean, i wanted to see if you could step back a little bit and when you look at this iran deal and all the other issues and unrest thats happening in the middle east, what kind of middle east do you want to leave when you leave the white house in a yearandahalf . Obama so the issue of the arms embargo and Ballistic Missiles is a real concern to us, has been of real concern to us, and it is in the National Security interest of the United States to prevent iran from sending weapons to hezbollah, for example, or sending weapons to the houthis in yemen that accelerate a civil war there. We have a number of mechanisms under International Law that gives us authority to interdict arms shipments by iran. One of those mechanisms is the u. N. Security resolution related to Irans Nuclear program. Essentially, iran was sanctioned because of what had happened at fordow, its unwillingness to comply with previous u. N. Security resolutions about their Nuclear Program, and as part of the package of sanctions that was slapped on them, the issue of arms and Ballistic Missiles were included. Now, under the terms of the original u. N. Resolution, the fact is that once a an agreement once an agreement was arrived at that gave the International Community assurance iran didnt have a Nuclear Weapon, you could argue just looking at the text that those arms and Ballistic Missiles prohibition should immediately go away. But what i said to our negotiators was, given that iran has breached trust and the uncertainty of our allies in the region about irans activities lets press for a longer extension of the arms embargo and the Ballistic Missile prohibitions. And we got that. We got five years in which under this new agreement, arms coming in and out of iran are prohibited, and we got eight years for the respective Ballistic Missiles. But part of the reason why we were willing to extend it only for five, lets say, as opposed a longer period of time, is because we have other u. N. Resolutions that prohibit arms sales by iran to organizations like hezbollah. We have other u. N. Resolutions and multilateral agreements that give us authority to interdict arms shipments from iran throughout the region. And so weve had belts and suspenders and buttons, a whole bunch of different legal authorities. These legal authorities under the Nuclear Program may lapse after five or eight years, but well still be in possession of other legal authorities that allow us to interdict those arms. And and and truthfully these prohibitions are not self self enforcing. Its not like the u. N. Has the capacity to police what what iran is doing. What is does is it gives us authority under International Law to prevent arms arms shipments from happening in concert with our allies and our partners. And the real problem, if you look at how, for example hezbollah got a lot of missiles that are a grave threat to israel and many of our friends in the region, its not because they were legal, its not because somehow that was authorized under International Law; it was because there was insufficient intelligence or capacity to stop those so the bottom line is, carol, i insufficient intelligence or capacity to stop those shipments. So the bottom line is, carol, i share the concerns of israel saudis, Gulf Partners about iran shipping arms and causing conflict and chaos in the region, and thats why ive said to them, lets double down and partner much more effectively to improve our Intelligence Capacity and our interdiction capacity so that fewer of those arms shipments are getting through the net. But the legal authorities will we will still possess, and obviously weve got our own unilateral prohibitions and sanctions in place around nonnuclear issues like support for hezbollah, and those remain in place. Now, in terms of the larger issues that the middle east, obviously thats a thats a longer discussion. I think my key goal when i turn over the keys to the president the next president , is that we are on track to defeat isil that they are much more contained and were moving in the right direction there, that we have jumpstarted a process to resolve the civil war in syria which is like an open sore in the region, and is giving refuge to terrorist organizations who are taking advantage of that chaos, to make sure that in iraq, not only have we pushed back isil, but weve also created an environment in which sunni, shia, and kurd are starting to operate and function more effectively together, and to be in a conversation with all our partners in the region about how we have strengthened our security partnerships so that they feel they can address any potential threats that may come, including threats from iran. And that includes providing additional security assurances and cooperation to israel, building on the unprecedented cooperation that we have already put in place, and the support that weve already put in place. It includes the work that weve done with the gcc up at camp david, making sure that we execute that. If we have done those things then the problems in the middle east will not be solved. And ultimately, its not the job of the president of the United States to solve every problem in the middle east. The people in the middle east are going to have to solve some of these problems themselves. But i think we can provide that next president at least a foundation for continued progress in these various areas. The last thing i would say, and this is a longerterm issue, is we have to address the youth in the region with jobs and opportunity and a better vision for the future so that they are not tempted by the nihilistic, violent, deadend that organizations like isil offer. Again, we cant do that entirely by ourselves, but we can partner with wellintentioned organizations, states, ngos, religious leaders in the region. We have to do a better job of that than weve been doing so far. All right. Michael crowley. Thank you. You alluded earlier to irans role in syria. Just to focus on just to focus on that for a moment, many analysts and some former members of your Administration Believe that the kind of negotiated political settlement that you say is necessary in syria will require working directly with iran in giving iran an Important Role. Do you agree, and is that a dialogue you will be actively seeking . And what about the fight against isis . What would it take for there to be explicit cooperation between the u. S. And iran . Obama i do agree that were not going to solve the problems of syria unless theres buyin from the russians, the iranians, the turks, our Gulf Partners. It is too chaotic. There are too many factions. Theres too much money and too many arms flooding into the zone. Its gotten caught up in both sectarian conflict and geopolitical jockeying, and in order for us to resolve it theres going to have to be agreement among the major powers that are interested in syria that this is not going to be won on the battlefield. So iran is one of those players, and i think that its important for them to be part of that conversation. I want to repeat what i said earlier. We have not, and i dont anticipate anytime in the near future, restored normal diplomatic relations with iran and so i do not foresee a formal set of agreements with iran in terms of how were conducting our counterisil campaign. But clearly, iran has influence in iraq. Iraq has a majority shia population. They have relationships to iran. Some are natural. We expect somebody like Prime Minister abadi to meet with and negotiate and work with iran as its neighbor. Some are less legitimate, where were you see iran financing shia militias that in the past have killed american soldiers and in the future may carry out atrocities when they move into sunni areas. And so were working with our diplomats on the ground as well as our military teams on the ground to assess where can we appropriately at least deconflict and where can we work with Prime Minister abadi around a overall strategy for iraq to regain its sovereignty. And where do we tell abadi, you know what . What irans doing there is a problem. And we can cooperate in that area, for example, unless you get those folks out of there because were not going to have our troops even in an advisory or training role looking over their shoulders because theyre not sure what might happen to them. And those conversations have been ongoing. I think they will continue. The one thing you can count on is that any work that the u. S. Government does or the u. S. Military does in iraq with other partners on the ground is premised on the idea that they are reporting to under the chain of command of the Iraqi Government and Iraqi Security forces. If we dont have confidence that ultimately abadi is directing those soldiers, then its tough for us to have any kind of direct relationship. Ok . Major garrett . Thank you, mr. President. As you well know, there are four americans in iran, three held on trumpedup charges that, according to your administration, one whereabouts unknown. Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content, with all the fanfare around this deal, to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation, unaccounted for in relation to these four americans . And last week, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said under no circumstances should there be any relief for iran in terms of Ballistic Missiles or conventional weapons. It is perceived that was a lastminute capitulation in these negotiations. Many in the pentagon feel youve left the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff high out to dry. Could you comment . Obama ive got to give you credit, major, for how you craft those questions. The notion that i am content as i celebrate with american citizens languishing in iranian jails . Major, thats nonsense, and you should know better. Ive met with the families of some of those folks. Nobodys content. And our diplomats and our teams are working diligently to try to get them out. Now, if the question is why we did not tie the negotiations to their release, think about the logic that that creates. Suddenly, iran realizes you know what . Maybe we can get additional concessions out of the americans by holding these individuals. Makes it much more difficult for us to walk away if iran somehow thinks that a nuclear deal is dependent in some fashion on the nuclear deal. And by the way, if we had walked away from the nuclear deal, wed still be pushing them just as hard to get these folks out. Thats why those issues are not connected. But we are working every single day to try to get them out, and wont stop until theyre out and rejoined with their families. With respect to the chairmans testimony, to some degree, i already answered this with carol. We are not taking the pressure off iran with respect to arms and with respect to Ballistic Missiles. As i just explained, not only do we keep in place for five years the arms embargo under this particular new u. N. Resolution not only do we maintain the eight years on the Ballistic Missiles under this particular u. N. Resolution, but we have a host of other multilateral and unilateral authorities that allow us to take action where we see iran engaged in those activities, whether its six years from now or 10 years from now. So we have not lost those legal authorities, and in fact, part of my pitch to the gcc countries, as well as to Prime Minister netanyahu, is we should do a better job making sure that irans not engaged in sending arms to organizations like hezbollah. And as i just indicated, that means improving our Intelligence Capacity and our interdiction capacity with our partners. Ok. April ryan. Thank you, mr. President. I want to change the subject a bit. Earlier this year, on the flight to selma, you said on matters of race, as president , your job is to close remaining gaps that are left in state and federal government. Now, how does criminalJustice Reform fit into that equation, and what gaps remain for you in the towards the end of your presidency . And also, what does it mean to travel to kenya, your fathers homeland in the next couple , weeks as president of the United States . And lastly, would you revoke the medal of freedom for bill cosby . Obama you stuffed a lot in there, april. [laughter] you know what i learned from my colleagues. Obama whod you learn from . Jonathan karl . Is that what you said . The on criminalJustice Reform, obviously, i gave a lengthy speech yesterday, but this is something that ive been thinking about a lot, been working first with eric holder and now Loretta Lynch about weve been working along with other prosecutors of the the u. S. Attorneys office. Its an outgrowth of the task force that we put together postferguson and the garner case in new york. And i dont think that the criminalJustice System is obviously, the sole source of racial tension in this country or the Key Institution to resolving the opportunity gap. But i think it is a part of the broader set of challenges that we face in creating a more perfect union. And the good news is is that this is one of those rare issues where weve got some republican and democratic interests as well as federal, state and local interest in solving the problem. I think people recognize that there are violent criminals out there, and theyve got to be locked up. We have got to have tough prosecutors. We have to support our Law Enforcement officials. Police are in a tough job, and and they are helping to keep us safe, and we are grateful and thankful to them. But what we also know is this huge spike in incarcerations is also driven by nonviolent drug offenses where the sentencing is completely out of proportion with the crime. And that costs taxpayers enormous amounts of money, it is debilitating communities, who are seeing huge proportions of the young men in their communities finding themselves with a criminal record rendering them often times unemployable. So it compounds problems that these communities already have. And so i am very appreciative of of folks like dick durbin and cory booker alongside mike lee and rand paul and other folks in the house, who are working together to see if we can both reduce some of these mandatory minimums around nonviolent drug offenses, because again, i tend not to have a lot of sympathy when it comes to Violent Crime. But when it comes to nonviolent drug offenses, is there work that we can do to reduce mandatory minimums, create more diversion programs like drug courts, then can we do a better job on the rehabilitation side inside of prisons so that we are preparing these folks who are eventually going to be released to reenter the workforce. On the back end, are we doing more to link them up with reentry programs that are effective . And you know, this may be an area where we could have some really significant Bipartisan Legislation that doesnt eliminate all the other challenges we have got. Because the most important goal is keeping folks from getting in the criminal Justice System in the first place, which means Early Childhood education, and good jobs, and making sure that were not segregating folks in in impoverished communities that have no contact with opportunity. But this can make a difference. You know, i met these four exoffenders, as i said yesterday. And what was remarkable was how they had turned their lives around. And these were some folks who had been some pretty tough criminals. I mean, one of them had served 10 years. Another was a repeat offender that had served a lot of time. And and in each instance, somebody intervened at some point in their lives, once they had already been in the criminal Justice System, once they had already gotten in trouble, and said you know what, i think you can live a different way, and im willing to help you. And and that one person, an art teacher or a ged teacher, or somebody whos willing to offer a guy a job, i want to give a shot out to five guys, because one of the guys there was an exfelon, and five guys gave him a job. And he ended up becoming a manager at the store and was able to completely turn his life around. But the point was, somebody reached out that person and gave them a chance. And so part of our question should be how about somebody reaching out to these guys when theyre 10 or 11 or 12 or eight as opposed to waiting until theyve already gone through a criminal Justice Program . Thats part of why were doing my brothers keeper. But but this is an area where i feel modestly optimistic. I think in the meantime, weve got to stay on top of keeping the crime rate down, because part of the reason i think theres a conversation taking place is, Violent Crime has significantly dropped. Last year, we saw both incarcerations and the crime rate drop. And you know, this can always turn if we start seeing renewed problems in terms of Violent Crime. And theres parts of the country where Violent Crime is still a real problem, including my hometown of chicago, and in baltimore, and you know part of what ive asked attorney general lynch to do is to figure out how can we refocus attention if were going to do a package of criminal Justice Reforms . Part of it would be actually having a Greater Police presence and more Law Enforcement in the communities that are really getting hit hard, and havent seen some of the drops in Violent Crime that weve seen in places like manhattan, for example. With respect to the visit to kenya, its obviously something i am looking forward to. I will be honest with you, visiting kenya as a private citizen is probably more meaningful to me than visiting as president , because i can actually get outside of the hotel room or a conference center. And just the logistics of visiting a place are always tough as president. But its obviously symbolically important, and my hope is, is that we can deliver a message that the u. S. Is a strong partner, not just for kenya, but for Subsaharan Africa generally, build on the progress thats been made around issues of health and education, focus on counterterrorism issues that are important in east africa because of alshabaab and some of the tragedies that have happened inside of kenya, and continue to encourage democracy and the reduction of corruption inside that country that sometimes has held back this incredibly this incredibly gifted and blessed country. And with respect to the medal of freedom, there is no precedent for revoking a metal medal. We dont have that mechanism. And as you know, i tend to make it a policy not to comment on the specifics of of cases where there might still be, if not criminal, then civil issues involved. I will say this. If you give a woman, or a man, for that matter, without his or her knowledge, a drug and then have sex with that person without consent, thats rape. And i think this country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape. All right. Have we exhausted iran questions here . I i think theres a helicopter thats coming, but but i really am enjoying this iran debate. Topics that may not have been touched upon, criticisms that youve heard that i did not answer, the i just go ahead. Go ahead. I know josh is getting a little stressed here, but i just i just want to make sure that were not leaving any stones unturned here. Go ahead. Thanks. Mr. President ill be brief. The argument has been made that iran now has a cash windfall, billions to spend. Your people seem confident theyre going to spend it at home. Why are you confident theyre not going to spend it on arming hezbollah, arming bashr alassad, et cetera . Obama i i think thats a great question, and im im glad you brought it up. I think it is a mistake to to characterize our belief that they will just spend it on Daycare Centers and and and roads and and paying down debt. We think that they have to do some of that, because rouhani was elected specifically on the premise of improving the Economic Situation inside of iran. That economy has tanked since we imposed sanctions. So the notion that theyre just immediately going to turn over 100 billion to the irgc or the quds force, i think runs contrary to all the intelligence that weve seen and the commitments that the iranian government has made. Activities in the region that are a threat to us and our allies. I think that is a likelihood. Do i think its a gamechanger for them . No. They are currently supporting hezbollah, and there is a ceiling a pace at which they could support hezbollah even more, particularly in the chaos thats taking place in syria. So can they potentially try to get more assistance there . Yes. Should we put more resources into blocking them from getting