Legislative day. We will bring you there now to the house floor. Gaveltogavel coverage here on cspan. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. It the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers rooms, washington, d. C. September 18, 2019. I hereby appoint the honorable Josh Gottheimer to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2019, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties. All time shall be equally allocated between the parties and in in event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. Each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip shall be limited to five minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from south dakota, mr. Johnson, for five minutes. Well, mr. Speaker, its time. Its time for congress to pass the u. S. Mexicocanada agreement, usmca. This is not, as many of you know, a new issue. The administration finished its work months ago. 292 days ago to be exact. Thats 292 days that congress has had to ask questions. Thats 292 days that we have had to assess the benefits of the agreement. Thats 292 days we have had to analyze the text of that agreement. Turing the august recess during the august recess i had conversations with hundreds, maybe thousands of folks and their message was clear. Usmca is a clearly better agreement, and Congress Needs to do its job for the good of this country. There are a number of ways in which the president has negotiated a usmca that is stronger, that is better than nafta. First, usmca ensures that the Digital Economy will be more open and it will be more secure. Second, the Strong Language on currency manipulation, on intellectual property provides a model on our way forward with other agreements, especially one with china. And third, mr. Speaker, the benefits to the ag community are compelling. My colleagues have heard me speak before about the fact that our ag producers have not had the easiest time of it lately. They need usmca. This agreement opens up new access to canadian markets for wheat and wine, eggs, poultry, and dairy. It increases agricultural exports by 2 billion a year, and that is why 1,000 ag groups from across the country have endorsed usmca. They know, they know that with fair access to markets, american producers can compete and they can win. Usmca is not perfect, but collectively these improvements would create 176,000 new american jobs and would increase our g. D. P. By 68 billion. That is real value, and its value across the agriculture oorl, manufacturing, and certificate agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors. The administration has done their job. They have negotiated an agreement that powers economic opportunity, that grows american jobs. So its time. Its time for this body to act. Its time for the speaker to bring this bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, it is time for us to pass usmca. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. Green, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and still i rise. Because i love my country. Nd i rise today because we are witnessing clear and convincing evidence of a president ial coverup. We are witnessing this evidence live and in living color on national tv. Just on yesterday before the Judiciary Committee two witnesses did not appear pursuant to the coverup. And the one that did appear brought with him the clear and convincing evidence. He brought with him a letter from the president of the United States by and through his agents that indicates that he should not give certain testimony. Clear and convincing evidence of a coverup. The president of the United States is engaged in a continuation of obstruction that is creating the coverup. He obstructed. This is why we are hing the Judiciary Committee hearings in part, and he continues his obstruction which means he is covering up. We cannot allow this to continue. But the president is making a bet. The president s bet is this, the president is betting that we will put politics above principle. That we will not use article 2, section 4 of the constitution as a radical republicans did in 1868 to impeach president johnson for merely speaking ill of congress. Hes betting we wont use that. Hes betting we wont put the principle above the politics. He believes that we will put winning the next election above the constitution of the United States of america. He believes that we are going to put the politics above the moral imperative to do that which we know should be done when a president has committed impeachable acts. But i believe that we will not be driven by the polls. We will not. Those who crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge werent driven by the polls. They were driven by a moral authority that they had to do that which was right. And we must do the right thing, too. We cannot be driven by polls. We must drive the polls. We must stand on principle. We will not allow the next election to determine what we will do now. It is a risky thing to make this kind of decision. You dont know what the next election will bring. You have to use this power that the voters have given us, the constituents have given us, the people of this country have given us to do that which is right. We must impeach this president. We dont impeach him, article 2, section 4 of the constitution will become meaningless. There will be no guardrails. There are none now as he sees it because hes made a bet. Im betting that this congress will do the right thing. Im metting we are going to put principle above politics and the people of this country above our political parties. Im betting that we are not going to try to save a few people at an election at the expense of all of the people who are suffering because of the coverup and because of the invidious discrimination this president is perpetrating upon this country and its policies. Im betting on the American People. Im betting that the American People will stand with us, but im also betting that principle above all is what we must stand with. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore thank you. Would remind members are to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. Pence, for five minutes. Mr. Speaker, i rise with the sweetest news from the sixth Congressional District of indiana. On september 25, the familyous wicks pies will celebrate their 75th anniversary in business. Hoosier families have come to know wicks for their delicious pies and baked goods that have been a staple in Randolph County since 1944. Dwayne wicker sham started the business by delivering pies from his 1934 becausic see dan and within four years he was roducing buick see dan sedan and within four years he was producing the pies. To this day wicks pies remains family owned and can produce 10,000 pies in a single eight hour shift. Wicks distributes more than 40 states though you cant beat a fresh slice from mr. Wicks restaurant on Cherry Street in winchester, which have enjoyed. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i congratulate wicks pies. Mr. Speaker, earlier in the year hi the privilege of sitting in the Ranking Member graves chair for a portion of the transportation and infrastructure committees member day hearing. Regardless of the diverse backgrounds or districts we represent, my republic and democratic colleagues echoed familiar stories of how the lack of high Speed Internet access is impacting their constituents. To address this issue, i worked with my colleague and fellow hoosier, congressman vissclow i ask, to introduce the broadband interagency coordination act, legislation to close the Digital Divide in rural america. Our bill directs the fcc, usda, and ntia to enter into an agreement to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for broadband deployment. We are working to make it easier for Rural Communities to access highSpeed Internet. We must close the Digital Divide and ensure hoosiers and rural americans are not left behind. Mr. Speaker, i yield the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore thank you. The chainow recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. Rush, for five minutes. I want to thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to address the scourge of Mass Shootings currently plarging my community plaguing my community and other communities around the nation. The gun violence archive, mr. Speaker, which is a not for Profit Corporation that dissem nates information on Mass Shootings definesass this where four or ere four more people are injured or killed as a result of gunfire. Using this metric, mr. Speaker, there have been 33 Mass Shootings in my district. In the past five years and eight so far this year. 33 Mass Shootings in my istrict in the past five years and eight so far this very year. Mr. Speaker, our national shocked ess h been by tragedies in ohio and texas as it should very well be. But we seem similarly and increasingly numb to the everyday violence taking place in cities like chicago, baltimore, and other places throughout the nation, especially when that violence impacts people of color. Mr. Speaker, clearly the events that took place in dayton, el paso, and odessa deser our most serious and intense attention. Meanwhile, mr. Speaker, more ts carried out by despicable characters. I only wish, mr. Speaker, that every single mass shooting in our nation receive the same intensand undivided attention. There are men and women and children being murdered and maimed on an almost daily basis acrossur nation. Their names, mr. Speaker, are easily not remembered, and their stories not read allowed aloud on the national news, and their families pain will continue to be ignored. Ow, many slow moving massacres it like ce in this mind do not receive the same widespread attention because the violence is occurring in poor minority communities where it is seen as commonplace or a par for the course. Thy deserve to be victims, ass eserve be murdered. They deserve to be killed by gunfire. They have earned that. Thats how they live. They are subhuman. Mr. Speaker, asou a i know his is unacceptable at its core. Throughout my tenure in this congress i have introduced and reintroduced legislation that would help reduce the mass shootgs taking place today and yesterday and my district and beyond. Speaker in 2007 i blair hope he firearms sales act. I have reintroduced this bill in every congress sie, and in 201 it is more than ever as it would forbid unlicensed firearm transfep,rohibiting of firearms without a valid require a would universal bkground. Additionally,r. Speaker, this passed two important background checks bills thats out of this house. I was a proud cosponsor of each tese bills, and they now, say, are sitting, collecting dust over on the senate side. Speaker, with tt, i yield time. He balance of my the speaker pro tempore thak you. Recognes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. Courtney, for five minutes. Mr. Courtney thank you, mr. Speaker. On friday, this week september 20, our country welcoming the top fficial of the country of australia, Prime Minister scott morrison, will be arriving in a hington, d. C. , and its mportant event, i think, for both countries becse this two nce between our countries is soeep and e bond is so strong and the times in are so living ritical in terms of, again, to refirming all of the work that our two countries do together in waysny whether its in terms of our military alliance, intelligence, our cultures, in terms of everything from movies to music. E to again, it is a deep and rich countries. N our tw during the august break, a umber of us, we had a birtisan group that actually we to the country of australia joint members of parliament,emers of congress onference that tooplace in perth, australia. There was about a don bicameral a bipartisan and i you th the prognosis is very good in terms of the onnection between our two countries. The integration of our two deepe ies could not be and more concted. Again, its a relatonship that world war i when he first groups in the exditionary force fought under commander, nash ii, as wl. World war that m, there were a few fought with us. The australian troops have been atns, between the two countries, against the fht and oers. Is when we were in australia, is n, the sittion i think most urgent, and somhing i really think all of us need to the ttention to is that environment inhe indopacific changing dmatically. We now have a leader inhe country of china, ping, who is openly and brazenly signaled hes prepared to disregard all international order, which has really been the foundation of that region nce the end of its war ii, whether maritime law where, again, they are building islan, totally in ofaritime law, whether its a claim of the ne is aerritorial claim far out into the South China Sea and east china sea. Happening there is egregious. Ts harmful in terms of safe passage and open lanes of maritime traffic in theegion obviously are eaged in an unprecedented military developing Missiles Technology that puts surface ships of both countries and at great t region risk. So we have a l of work to do. Rare Earth Minerals which, again, china dominates. They have virtual monopy. Rything from r cell phones and aerospace requires the use of that. Wesrn australia in particular deposits of rare Earth Minerals and its timeor our work tether to create dferent supply chain thado not rely total on the country china to make hapn. What walso hrd was that the st way thatur country can i e forward is to really, think, point to what makes us most attractive in t world our embrace of democracy, free speech, those are policies which heard loud and clear from our the australian parlament, that they are oking toamerica, which has een theeader at the end of world war ii to promote that type of international rulesbed order. Of s really the questio the day for this administration alone in a go atit trade war with china, which, again, they have the sytom it which is chinas behavior egregious and malign in terms of the trade practicehey engage i buthe quen , w do you back, how do you execute a olicy that shoulbe muilateral collaborative with our allies to make sure that the world traderganization teetin puts re term of enforcg egregious iolatio that china habeen engag in in terms of intelctualroperty and vernment inlvement in terms capturdifferent markets like solar panels and many, manythers. Sy toain, i jt want to our friends in australia, you are wcome in this country. To, again, a d ery ricand Strong Alliance moving forward. The coequal bramf our branch of our government in is part of thatessage and part of that policy and, again, we lookorward to, yrs of productive based thergain, commonalues as ll as common embrace nd obviously of democra for th region and for the rest the world. With that i yldback. U, mr. Spear. The spker pro tempore thank you. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the use until noon today