Continue beyond 11 50 a. M. Each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the majority whip shall be limited to five minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. Blumenauer, for five minutes. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. One of the phrases one often hears is, i hate to say i told you so, and its delivered with a feign sincerity but usually people actually like to say i told you so. I must confess that i have some of those feelings myself as repeatedly during the few hours the ways and Means Committee met rushing through the massive tax cut, the largest transfer of wealth in our nations history that will be paid for on the backs of our children and grandchildren with increased debt and benefiting people who dont need it. I said at the time that each week after this bill passed, if it did, we would have a series of embarrassing stories about mistakes and oversight and special interest provisions that were stuck into it. Actually the fact is that that was somewhat understated, because we are seeing literally every day people understand what was tucked in the bill, mistakes, oversight, and special interest provisions. For example, there is a reduction in the bill that we were told designed to help small craft brewers. Thats important to me and the people i represent, and theres broad support for minor provisions that would be able to help them by reducing their tax liability. But the provision that ended up in the final bill has massive opportunities to benefit large producers. A little bit more small craft brewers. But for Large International distillers an opportunity to recon figure how they do business reconfigure how they do business, to take multiple opportunities for that tax break. There was an article yesterday talking about how the tax rate for American Companies that manufacture overseas, the tax on that activity will be half as much as if they were manufacturing in the United States, providing an incentive to offshore jobs at a time when most of us would like to make sure that is here at home, at least a level Playing Field, not disadvantage people at home. Of course, theres another story in todays wall street journal. Fuel farm fect outcry. There was a provision inserted in the bill that would give farmers a more lucrative reduction that they would sell agriculture directly to farm could he operatives. Cooperatives. It will sting large agribusinesses like Archer Daniel midland. The new provision could reshape parts of the agriculture economy and sharply reduce many farmers taxes as well as scrambling these individual businesses. John power, a north dakota accountant who was the accountant for the small grain operator who is going to be hammered said, quote, its kind of hard to imagine they intended to make farming taxfree, he said. Fixing it becomes difficult because they dont think its something that can be fixed with regulation. There are a variety of these provisions that are the result of not following what we call regular order, without having hearings on the provision, of allowing lobbyists and staff to be able to draft the bill on the fly without having members of the committee, not just democrats, but republicans to fully know what was in it. That is legislative malpractice. Its one of the reasons why espite giving over 3 trillion of tax cuts, the bill remains unpopular. Americans are nervous about increasing our National Debt over 2 trillion, and they know that the benefits for average citizens are going to go away in a few years and some are actually going to see increases. But the benefits for the top 1 and the largest corporations are permanent. People know that its not fair, that its unnecessary, and its going to have more and more problems here, not just in states like mine where citizens are no longer going to be able to fully deduct their state and local taxes, property taxes, resulting in significant inequity and scrambling property values, not just in oregon but its across the country where people will be facing these problems. Mr. Speaker, were watching now people starting to try and backtrack the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Blumenauer then i will stop. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Thompson, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, its been nearly 10 years since the Great Recession officially began, when our economy slumped and unemployment climbed to levels not witnessed since the early 1980s. Last month, congress paved a way to a tax system thats fairer, simpler and one that establishes an environment where the country can unleash our full potential. Too Many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and have been poor for too long. Stagnant wages, growing debt, and the inability to save have plagued so many. Thats why our tax overhaul is so important. This truly is a onceinageneration opportunity that we could not afford to pass up. The tax cuts and jobs act will touch every household in the nation and every corner of our economy. As soon as february, americans will see more money in their paychecks. When it comes time to file the 2018 taxes, our tax simple will be so simple that nine out of 10 americans will be able to file on a postcard. The standard deduction will be doubled for individuals and joint filers. Middleclass families will also have a significant increase to the Child Tax Credit to help parents with the cost of raising children. Mr. Speaker, for those pursuing opportunity through education, americas students, the graduate tuition voucher exemption and student Loan Interest deduction remain in our tax reform package. I and many of my colleagues urged the Conference Committee to keep these important provisions intact. Our tax code should provide incentives for greater opportunity. For many this is realized through Higher Education. The student Loan Interest deduction helps make Higher Education more affordable and based on the most recent yearly data available, 12 million taxpayers benefited from that deduction. I advocated keeping this provision as well as the graduate tuition voucher exemption and other Higher Education tax credits as part of the tax cuts and jobs act because they truly do make a difference in the lives of so Many Americans. It makes financing in education possible for many low and middleincome individuals. In addition to education, another great cornerstone of the American Dream is homeownership. Proudly the tax cuts and jobs act will continue to provide tax relief to current and aspiring homeowners alike. Mr. Speaker, there are many accomplished things in this tax overhaul, according lowering the Corporate Tax rate which will put our job creators on a level Playing Field with their global competitors. This has already led to increased bonuses and pay raises for millions of workers. Quite simply, this bill provides the kind of tax relief that americans deserve. We challenge the status quo and the special interests who said it couldnt be done and we did it. The American People won. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentlewoman from washington state, ms. Jayapal, is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in honor of the upcoming holiday remembering dr. Martin luther king jr. As a lifelong activist fighting for immigrants, civil and human rights and now as a member of congress, dr. King has been a deep and central inspiration throughout my life. His work has helped me to make possible the path that ive taken, from being a 16yearold immigrant girl who came to this country by herself for college to serving now as the first woman Indian American woman elected to the United States house of representatives. And it is the courage and the fight of dr. King that made my journey possible. I knew of dr. King first because of his connection to gandhi, a great leader from my own birth country of india. Like gandhi, dr. King was a once in a generation leader. Like gandhi, the problems that dr. King tackled were once seen as insurmountable problems, institutional barriers of race and class that seemed as if if taken on would topple society as we knew it. Tall walls of tradition and practice that kept our society segregated and divided. But that did not stop him from speaking out, organizing and leading a growing movement that reminded the leaders of our country of the very dream that made america possible, that all men and women were created equal and that we should be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin. Dr. Kings gift was in his unique ability to bring truth, compassion, and justice together for a Better Future and to remind us of how much we share, even across our differences. He followed gandhis principles of nonviolent resistance, also known as the satia graha. Adherence to truth. It meant insistence on truth and that is what dr. King preached and acted upon. Truth about ending segregation and discrimination. Truth about ending the war in vietnam. Truth about ending up sanitation workers and ending poverty. Truth ultimately that it is love and not hate that builds our character and our collective society. If dr. King was here with us today, he would call on us to have faith in our fight for justice and to substitute courage for caution. He would call on us to work passionately and unrelentingly for the very vision of our country that inspires so many around the world. For that more Perfect Union that we know is still ahead of us, for that society that remembers that we are all better off when were all better off. Dr. King would remind us that justice is what love looks like in public. He would call on us to move into that plane of Higher Education, that plane of moral consciousness where we cannot simply stand by as injustice occurs around you us. He would want us to raise the minimum wage, enacting real tax reform whose benefits accrue to the masses and not to the top 1 and wealthiest corporations. Dr. King would call on us to pass the dream act and support the futures of 1. 5 million young people across the country. He would call on us to expand and support the Affordable Care act and health care for everyone so that no one is one Health Care Crisis away from bankruptcy. Our work is still to fight for justice and build that beloved community where each of us has a place to stand regardless of the color of our skin or where we live or how much money we have in our pocket. And in this beloved community we would tackle the legacies of racism and implicit bias that we all carry with us with courage and with fortitude. We Work Together to build that community that inspires us and to leave a world to our children that makes us proud and most importantly, we operate always from a place of generosity and not abundance rather than fear and scarcity. From that jail cell in alabama, dr. King wrote that we are caught in an Inescapable Network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Or as the great civil rights leader said to me during the mmigrant workers freedom march, we are all in the same boat how, to make a difference, to truly serve the people. It only takes courage and coming together as a collective. Across the aisle, across rural and urban, black, white and brown, dr. King showed us what that really looks like and he died because he was compelled to stand for making a reality from a dream of what was possible only in a country as great as the United States of america. So today as we remember and honor dr. Martin luther king jr. , we remember, too, that if we are courageous, if we put people over politics, our actions have the power to change lives, to push that moral arc of the universe more quickly towards justice. As dr. King said, we must make the pledge that we shall always march forward. We cannot turn back. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. The chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio, mr. Tiberi, is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Tiberi its truly been the most remarkable honor to o serve the people of the 12th Congressional District in central ohio. It started in 1999 on my parents front porch, the house i grew up, middle class neighborhood in columbus called forest park. There as the sun of italian immigrants i learned how blessed i truly was to be an american. First in my family to graduate from high school. To go to high school. Work my way through college at the ohio state university. My mom and dad believed that america was an Incredible Opportunity with hard work and a good education, you could do anything. Their sacrifices and their hard work im here before you today. For their sacrifices, i am forever grateful. Leaving grateful grateful. Believe this congress was not an easy decision. The speech i made in 1999 on their front porch still holds true today. The reason i ran. To help those constituents. Not only help them here in washington, but help them cut through the red tape, to help that veteran, to help that video on o social security. On social security. Leaving was important for my family. It was important to support them. To be with them more. My colleagues understand that. The sacrifices that we make, they make more. We put our names on the ballot, our spouses dont. Our children dont. To my colleagues, thank you for your friendship, your mentorship, and certainly your wisdom over the years. I will miss you. To my supporters who spent countless hours knocking on doors, putting up signs, going on bus tours, couldnt have done it without you. Thank you. To my team, both back in ohio and here in d. C. , both past and present, thank you for helping me serve and succeed the people of ohios 12th district. The late great woody hayes said you win with people. You are my people. Nd we won together so many battles. I could not have done this without you. Forever team tiberi, youall will be. Most importantly for my wife, our battles. I could not have done this without you. Four daughters thar all your support over the years. I will look forward to seeing you much more. And finally, to the constituents of the 12th Congressional District. What an honor. A humbling honor to serve you for the also 17 years. For a kid who grew up in columbus, ohio, in a middle class family, it has truly been an amazing journey. This speech is not goodbye. This speech is see you soon, around the corner. And to that i wish youall the best here in the United States congress, god bless you. And god bless america. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Roslehtinen, for five minutes. Ms. Roslehtinen thank you so much, mr. Speaker. We will all certainly miss the gentleman from ohio. Hes a wonderful member and we have and joyed his service to our country. Mr. Speaker we have enjoyed his service to our country. A judge ordered the administration to continue accepting renewal applications for daca recipients, although this is welcome news, this should not undercut the urgency for us here in congress to pass a permanent legislative solution to shield our dreamers from deportation. This week i again have the great honor of meeting another great group of bright and hardworking young immigrants from my district whose daca permits will expire in the coming weeks and month. Despite their circumstances, living in fear and uncertainty about what their holds, each one of these individuals has demonstrated great resolve and perseverance to continue the fight. They visit members of congress, they share their unique stories, the facts about their contributions and our communities, and they implore us to take to give them the opportunity to stay in what they consider to be their home. The United States. Our dreamers have suffered long enough, mr. Speaker, and it is time that we act and take this issue to the the facts finish l human lives are at stake. Our dreamers cant live from Court Decision to Court Decision as congress has returned this week to begin our second session, im here once again to urge us all to bring to the floor a legislative solution to give our dreamers the opportunity to work here, to study here in this great country that they know as home. Im confident that we have the votes, republicans and democrats, for the house and the senate, to pass this permanent fix. Lative we can and fix. We can and we must make this happen now. Let us not wait any longer. To congratulate st. Thomas university as it breaks ground on january 24 on the new home for the school of business. This new facility will empower st. Thomas university to peaker, i rise today continue its decadeslong commitment to providing an excellent yet affordable Business Education to students in south florida. The new Business School complex will include a stateoftheart trading room, cybersecurity center, and entrepreneurship and innovation hub, and many other more exciting spaces. It will also empower the Business School to offer 48 undergraduate and graduate degrees. Most importantly with this expanded class rams and Robust Technology infrastructure, this new facility will keep st. Thomas at the forefront of Business Education and will enable the university to continue preparing new generations of south Florida Business leaders. I thank mr. Muchado for his gift and every member. St. Thomas family who has worked so hard to make this dream a reality. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in recognition of parker thompson, a renowned attorney and civic leader from miami who recently passed at the age of 85. Mr. Thompson was known for his work defending the First Amendment during his time with his law firm, paul and thompson. Parker was a leader in advocating for our south florida environment, involved in cases to protect the everglades and our pristine beaches. As the founding chair of the miamidade Performance Art center trust, mr. Thompson helped lead the charge for the creation of the stateoftheart art center for the performing arts. Parkers commitment to his community was also visible through his advocacy for the underlining project to renovate public spaces in miami which is led by his daughter, another pillar of our community, new generation, meg daley. Mr. Tomorrowson represented the thomson represented the spirit of hard work and served as a mentor to coworker and friends. He has left a legacy of service to his community, one that future generations should seek to emulate. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from illinois, mr. Bost, is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Bost thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this week we celebrate National Law Enforcement appreciation day. Law enforcement officers answer the call to Public Service. They enter into provision that puts their lives situation that is put their lives on the line. When the natural human response it dange certificate to run away, these brave men and women run to danger is to run away, these brave men and women run to t our Law Enforcement officers occupy that thin blue line between good and evil. They stand between us and those who wish to do us harm and harm to our families. To the 780,000 Police Officers across this country who put on the badge every day, thank you and god bless. Mr. Speaker, i also rise today to congratulate Helen Hawkins of edwardsville, illinois for being inducted into the seniors illinoisans hall of fame. The recognition commemorates the achievements and contributions of citizens age 65 and older. Inductees are selected through a statewide nomination and judging process. The program distinguishes individuals in the areas of community service, education, the work force, and the arts. Helen is a true Public Servant who has devoted many years to serving the residents of Madison County and the township. Her no nonsense style may have ruffled a few feathers, but shes never been afraid to fight for her constituents. Kwlenl, thank you for your helen, thank you for your Public Service. I also rise today to honor a very the longest serving mayor of the state of illinois. Bob butler, who is a very good friend of marian. Hes a very good friend, but whenever he first took office he didnt know me well because i was only 2 1 2 years old. He was first elected in april of 1963, bob is retiring this month after 55 years of service. Bob has always been a straight shooter, a public and good Public Servant. His progrowth agenda has helped turn marian into a regional powerhouse along i57 in the state of illinois. In fact, the Industrial Park in marian is named after him. And bob fondly refers to the city of marian as the hub of the universe. He represents he represents the dedication to Public Service that should serve as an inspiration to all of us. Mayor bob butler, we honor you wish you happy and well deserved retirement. Mr. Speaker, i also rise today recognize wish you happy sams of marian, illinois. This remarkable couple were married first married on september 27, 1936. If you think about that, that was 80 years ago. Sam worked for Central IllinoisPower Service until he retired in 1978. Eve worked at herin and later as a cook for washington school. Pillars of the community. They were long time members of First Baptist church in marian, and the Williamson County farm bureau. In 1993, their farm was honored as a family farm of the year by the farm bureau. Sadly, eve passed last month at the age of 101. My prayers are with sam and the entire jones family. Thank you for making Southern Illinois a wonderful place to live. God bless you. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from puerto rico, miss gonzalezcolon for five minutes. Miss Gonzalez Colon thank you, mr. Speaker. Today after almost 120 years under the american flag, puerto rico remains as a colony of the United States under the territorial clause. To use the constitutional term. Our residents are subject to the second class citizenship. For all these years the federal government has denied equal rights to all Puerto Ricans who have in war and peace made countless contributions to our nation. Who have bravely fought in every conflict since the great war. Defending our democracy values. They are being denied the right to vote for their commander in chief and have full peppings in this congress. Representation in this congress. A large number of them have made the ultimate sacrifice. When they do, their casket is flown back, covered in an merican flag, with 50 stars. Without the one representing them. Puerto rico has experienced stanlongng inealties under federal laws. Which now the whole world has been able to witness firsthand following the devastation following hurricane maria. Before that hundreds of thousands of puerto rico have already rejected this discrimination. Choosing instead to buy their oneway Airline Ticket to florida. Or simply changing their state zip code. Without the equal rights and responsibilities that are only available through statehood, puerto rico will never truly recover and prosper from the hurricane effectses. Thats the reason we demand and deserve statehood for puerto rico now. The islands overwhelmingly vote for statehood in 2012 by a margin of 61 , and in june of ast year 97 of the island voted again for statehood. Thats the request that brought me here. Thats what brings the Puerto Rico Senate president , the House Speaker and other elected officials from the island that ave come today here to witness today historic introduction of the puerto rico delegation of this congress. That delegation will demand that the United States recognize the will of the people of puerto rico to become a state. This longawaited action is in accords what the president set forth by the tennessee plan adopted by the territories of tennessee, michigan, oregon, california, iowa, kansas, and alaska. Which follows a similar path to the admission as a state. It is my honor to introduce this delegation by seven members, three republicans, three democrats, one independent, divided in two senators, five members to the house, as we become a state. Former governor of puerto rico serves as chair touchdown to obtain equality within the nation and unleash our full potential. Statehood will make puerto rico stronger but we together will make the United States a more Perfect Union. With that i thank you, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from minnesota, mr. Walz, for five minutes. Mr. Walz thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize Sergeant MajorRobert Hawkins of the United States army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our nation. Sergeant major hawkins will soon transition from his current assignment as an Army Congressional legislative Liaison Officer in the house of representatives to serve in the office was assistant secretary of the army with acquisitions, technology. A native of alexandria, virginia, Sergeant Major hawkins began his military career as an airborne infantryman in 1990. He worked in hawaii, louisiana, fort bliss, texas, fort campbell, kentucky, and three times at fort bragg, north carolina. He served in multiple leadership positions. He has one tour in iraq in support of Operation Iraqi freedom and three tours of combat in afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring freedom. Major hawkins was selected as a fellow in the army fellowship program. He served 12 months as defensive legislative fellow in my congressional office, representing the first Congressional District of minnesota. While working on our team, i came to know Sergeant Major hawkins as a shining example of the army values set forth in the noncommissioned officers creed. Confidence is indeed Sergeant Major hawkins watch word. And his commitment to doing what good n. C. O. s do, accomplishing every mission while taking care of his teammates was second to none. For the next two years, he served as congressional legislative Liaison Officer in the office United States army liaison division. As the primary link between house members, their staff and the committees along with the army, he has provided insight and understanding of army policies, actions, operations and requirements. His firsthand knowledge to the military, culture and tradition has been of tremendous value to congressional offices. Sergeant major hawkins was effective in his service to members and staff as he escorted them on fact finding and oversight delegations within and outside the United States. Members and staff found him to be thoughtful, intelligent, dedicated soldier in the very best traditions of Americas Armed forces. Mr. Speaker, its been a pleasure to know and serve with Sergeant Major hawkins as fellow and legislative Liaison Officer in the house of representatives. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is my honor to recognize the Selfless Service and sacrifice of Sergeant MajorRobert Bobby Hawkins and his family. I wish Sergeant Major hawkins the very best. I yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. Yoder, for five minutes. Mr. Yoder thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to honor and remember the life of a longtime Public Servant in this body, one of my predecessor, former Third District congressman, larry wynn. Larry passed away on new years eve at the remarkable age of 98 and will be dearly missed by his family and the people of the Third District. Larry will long be remembered in our community and in the halls of congress as a devoted Public Servant. Representative wynn served in this body for 18 years from 1967 to 1985. His time in the house spanned across nine congresses and five president ial administrations. From lyndon b. Johnson to ronald reagan. He served alongside some of the great statesmen of his time. Larrys freshman class in the house included later president george h. W. Bush. Larry and his wife joan became became close ry friends and greatly respected president gerald ford who visited the Third District and drew a huge crowd. Larry represented our state along with our most prominent kansans ever, senator bob dole. Larry was known as a congenial member who developed strong relationships with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. While he spent his entire time in congress in the minority party, he was a proud he made a priority of seeking out opportunities and friends on both sides of the aisle. Representative wynn served on the House Committee of Foreign Affairs for many years ultimately becoming a Ranking Member on the committee. During his time working on Foreign Affairs, the United States grappled with major world events such as the cold war, vietnam war and conflict in the middle east. In addition to his role on the Foreign Affairs committee, he represented the u. S. As a congressional representative to the united nations. Appointed by president reagan. In all of these roles, he was an excellent representative of our country to the rest of the world. Larry took tremendous pride in serving the people of the Third District. Constituent service was always one of his Top Priorities and he believed that solving problems for his constituents was one of his most important responsibilities. If someone had an issue with a federal agency, larry and his staff would make sure it got resolved. Principle of valuing and serving each individual constituent in the district is one i try to follow to this day, trying to fill his shoes. He lived a great life outside of congress as well. Larry was an alumnus of the university of Kansas School of journalism and proud jayhawk. I heard he taught lifelong wild cat current senator pat roberts how to wave the wheat. He was unable to join the military due to the loss of one of his legs during an accident. He built airplanes in kansas city. Our accomplishments of his including serving as director of the National Association of Home Builders and the founding of the kansas city, kansas, congressional forum, which i have the pleasure of regularly addressing and still going on today starting its 50th year. Larry was a mentor to me and so many aspiring elected officials in kansas, dispensing valuable advice and old war stories to help guide us along. He had a gift with humor and ease with people that served him well with all of his endeavors and most of all he was a great man. While we will mourn the loss of larry, i take comfort knowing he is now being reunited with joan, his beloved wife of 73 years who passed away in 2015. Larry leaves behind a large and loving family his legacy will live on through his four children, larry, douglas, janet, and cynthia, plus eight grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Larrys legacy will live on in other Public Servants who he mentored and inspired. He left an indelible mark on this body and because of his leadership here kansas and the United States is better off for it. Layery on behalf of the United States larry, on behalf of the United States congress, we are thankful for your service. You are in gods hands now. May you rest in eternal peace. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Green, for five minutes. Mr. Green thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in the well of the congress of the United States of america as a democrat. Ated a liberated democrat by my definition is one that cannot only speak truth to power but can also speak about power. So i rise today, mr. Speaker, to honor and celebrate the life and legacy of dr. Martin luther king. And in so doing, i want to encourage persons to not only read the masterpiece that dr. King wrote when he was in the birmingham jail, but also read the letter that he was responding to. This letter was written by eight persons, in my opinion none of whom were bigots, none of whom taught or preached hate. Eight persons who were of the religious community. Ight persons who were beyond reproach, high moral standards, impeccable character. You need to read the letter that dr. King was responding to, the letter that was written by eight members of the clergy. When you read this letter, as you go through it, youll get to the last paragraph. I shall read the last paragraph and excerpt from it, if you will, not in its entirety but i should read an excerpt from the last paragraph and then i want to contemp rise the excerpt from the last paragraph, read it in its entirety, read it in its entirety, read the letter from the birmingham jail. If you do not read this letter, you cannot totally appreciate the message that dr. King was conveying. Here is what i shall read as an excerpt. T reads when rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiations among local leaders and not in the street. I just want to contemporize that sentence. In the courts. Let someone else take care of this problem. There are other people who are prepared for this. They know best how to handle this. Let someone else do what we could take upon ourselves to do. Let someone else be responsible for liberty and justice for all. Let someone else be responsible for government of the people, by the people, for the people. Et someone else do it. Contemporizing this language, let the prosecutor do it. The special prosecutor will give us a decision that we can appreciate, that we can take forth, that we can then claim has given us a foundation to do something significant. Mr. Speaker, these were persons of honorable standing, great statue, meant well, but they wanted to let someone else do what they themselves could have had a hand in doing. A man aker, dr. King was who believed that bigotry and hatred must be confronted and he understood this one basic premise. Those who will tolerate bigotry and hatred, they will do very little to change it. They will find reasons why they cant change bigotry and hatred when given the opportunity. Theres always an excuse. It wont be the Good Samaritan response. If i dont help people who are being discriminated against, who are being kicked off of jobs because theyre lgbtq, who ant get loans because their hnicity, invidious religiosity, being barred, banned, they dont look to see whats happening to them. What theyll do is ask, what will happen to me if i step out there and try to help them . I dont think they are persons of ill will. I think that they are persons who mean well, but i ask people to understand the context of this time by understanding and reviewing the context of the time that dr. King lived in and review that letter from the birmingham jail, the masterpiece, but also read the letter that he was responding to. Those who will tolerate bigotry will do little to change it. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Duncan, for five minutes. Mr. Duncan in todays Washington Post there is a major story on the front page of a style section about a young sarah, named sara, pull, she has a baby and job but fears shes be paying off loans until she ties. She had loans of 60,000 and now owes 69,000. Shes quoted as saying i keep paying its like pouring into a buck wet no bottom. For several years i have been speaking out about how harmful of the federal Student Loan Program has become for many, many hundreds of thousands of students and families around this country. In may of 2015, i wrote an article for the Washington Examiner newspaper with ideas how to bring down the cost of college. In that article i quoted a Hedge Fund Manager who wrote that were graduating a generation of endentured students. Ohio University Economist wrote a book several years ago by led going broke degree. In the february issue of chronicles magazine, i have another article and in there i say Student Loan Debt in the United States is now . 48 rillion. That incredible sum is a heavy drag on the economy and a burden on young people and federal intervention in education is the cause. It wasnt always this that incredible sum is a heavy drag on the way. In june of 1965, i began working as a salesman at the sears store in knoxville, receiving a 10 cents an hour raise over my job as a bag boy at the a and p. Sears my wage was 1. 25 an hour. I was required to wear a suit and tie and i was very proud of that job. I worked fulltime that summer and usually around 20 sears my week after i began my freshman year at the university of tennessee in late september. After i worked at sears for six months, i didnt realize i had been there six months, i was called to the office for the first time. I was very concerned, to put it lightly. I met david weaver, my same age, 18, at the escalator. I told him i bet hi been hit by one of those hallmark shoppers, one of the mystery shoppers sears had at the time. He told me he had just been called by a very angry woman to whom he had sold the wrong color of paint. David said he was scared. And that he had diabetes. When he got too nervous, he passed out. I can remember that conversation as if it happened yesterday. Much to our relief we have been called to the office so management could give us good news because we had been working at sears for six months they were giving us a nickel an hour raise. It shocks students at the university of tennessee today when i tell them tuition my freshman year was 90 per quarter, 270 for the academic year. By my senior year it was 405. I remember hearing our minority leader, mr. Hoyer, say that when he started at the university of maryland it was 87 a semester. Almost no one left college in those days with debt unless they had bought a car or made some other major purchase. Students certainly did not go into debt for tuition because they could all work parttime asdy and pay all their school expenses. Now over 44 million americans carry Student Loan Debt. Some reaching into the six figures. Readers digest recently published an article in the december janish shoe entitled the student debt racket. The authors quote one student who owes 90,000 as saying, quote, my loans are a black cloud hanging over me. Im a student debt slave. College and universities were again heavily promoting Student Loans in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Tamp down to to opposition telling students dont worry, well get you a loan. Because loans were veilable, many schools began raising tuition at two and three times the rate of inflation each year and have continued to do so. I remember reading an article about three years ago in the post which said that student tuition had goon up 4. 5 times the rate of inflation since 1985. Now the cost of Higher Education has soared to such great heights universities are bragging if they hold the annual increase to 2 or 3 . They never consider reductions. Not even minuscule ones. We have another example of how Big Government liberalism helps the few at the top harming the many down below. The federal Student Loan Program has made the owners of some Loan Servicing companies very wealthy. And been a boon to most College Administrators and tenured professors. All at great extense to students and their families. When the knoxvillele news sent the list of the highest paid people in east tennessee each year, they are almost all at t. V. A. Or u. T. The pattern continues to repeat. Liberals find a very small group of people having trouble paying for something, then insist that the only solution is to let the federal government, quote, help. But whenever the federal government subsidizes something, the cost simply explodes because most of the incentives are pressures to hold costs down are banded. I would say this is why mark cuban, said, if you want to make college really expensive, make it free. Thank we take you to a voirs subcommittee hearing. This morning looking at oversight on home loan practices afekting military veterans. Ive coverage here on cspan. Thets also the assets of