recognition between the parties. all time shall be equally allocated between the parties and in no event shall debate 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 gentlewoman from missouri, mrs. artzler, for five minutes. mrs. hartzler: here we are again having to vote on a continuing resolution instead of a full-year appropriations deal because of political reasons. mr. speaker, i am appalled that much-needed defense dollars are once again being held hostage for political reasons. we have heard time and again from military leaders about the devastating readiness crisis plaguing every corner of the miliy. we have planes that cannot fly, troops that cannot deploy, and we are literally running out of bombs. it is irresponsible and morally wrong to send our troops into harm's way without adequate resources and training. last year alone, there were 80 deaths related to readiness and training accidents. it is clear that insufficient and unreliable funding is wearing our military to the bone and costing precious lives. as members of congress, we have the power of the purse. we can relieve the military from this deadly cycle. i call on my colleagues to end the political games. support the men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day to defend this country. support a budget agreement that provides our service members with the funding they so desperately need. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the lady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern, for five minutes. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i rise to condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing, unrelenting attacks against civilians in syria committed by the barbaric lawless regime of asawed with russian backing. we -- assad with russian backing. as many as half a million killed since march, 2011. tens of thousands of them civilians. tens of thousands of them detained, disappeared and likely dead directly at the hands of the regime. more than 11 million people displaced once again inside and outside of syria's borders, the largest single refugee crisis in the world has seen since 1945. more than half of those displaced are children and youth. last summer, much was made of the cease-fire agreement that the trump administration reached with the russian government to establish de-escalation zones to establish syria while keeping the assad regime in power. we were told it would save lives. all of a sudden you are going to have no bullets being fired in syria, trump said. well, that has turned out not to be true. the de-escalation zones are not de-escalating. as of late december, more than 400,000 people remained trapped by regime forces in the eastern zone, only half an hour's drive from damascus. as jan, u.n. special advisor on syria said last december, there is no de-escalation zone, there is only escalation in this de-escalation zone. idlib sfere a dramatic increase in air attacks last september against armed groups not covered by the cease-fire agreement. late december, air strikes and shelling against a hospital, a medical warehouse and a vegetable market killed, injured and displaced scores of people. the u.s. government heralded the military defeat of isis in syria in november, but the defeat of isis has and will not end the syrian conflict. and russia has not succeeded in pressuring assad to end the conflict. nor restraining attacks on syrians as he goes after rebel forces. meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in syria deteriorates each and every day. world vision estimates that 5.6 million people are in need of acute humanitarian assistance. the u.n. says a total of 13.1 million need some form of assistance. that's three million more than at the end of 2016. the situation is worse today after months of de-escalation than it was a year ago. of those 13 million, three million are trapped and besieged in hard to reach areas. that's 4 1/2 times the population of boston or washington, d.c. humanitarian access to those areas is not guaranteed by the regime nor by its backers. international law obligations be damned. some of the most heartbreaking news out of syria has to due with the crisis in heare.alth c the weaponization of health care in syria is not new, but e depreviousity of it all still shocks me. according to a recent report by researchers at the american university in beirut, syria has become the most dangerous place on earth for health care providers. according to the international rescue committee, in 2011, there was one doctor per 600 people in syria. but now there is only one doctor per 3,600 people. medical supplies are not allowed into besieged areas and terribly ill patients are not allowed out. what political purpose is served by denying health care for people suffering from heart disease, cancer and blood diseases? mr. speaker, current policy is not working to end the crisis in syria. it's time to change course, not by sending more special forces troops there without any authorization, nor promising to keep them there indefinitely to fight the next generation of isis. what we need to do is reassert diplomatic leadership and end the war. we need a plan to transition assad out of power. we need to pass house resolution 632, cob demming the senseless attacks -- condemning the senseless attacks on hospital personnel in syria. we need to shame russia. we need to increase or contributions to humanitarian assistance in syria and make cross-border assistance. we need to open our hearts to the syrian refugees and welcome more of them to our country. and we need to do everything in our power to lay the groundwork to ensure accountability for assad's victims. that includes -- that includes funding the international impartial and independent mechanism to assist in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. the syrian conflict has gone on far too long. the horror of it all can be mind numbing, but we nust not lose our out-- must not lose our outrage. now is the time to re-energize our efforts and end the suffering. yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this friday more than 100,000 americans will travel from across the country to take part in the world's largest pro-life event right here in the nation's capital. the theme for the 45th annual march for life is love saves lives. this embodies the true spirit and mission of the pro-life movement by enlisting the power love to choose life. since the supreme court issued the decision in roe v. wade, tens of thousan of tion procedures have been ormed throughout the united states. although consistent attempts to overturn has fallen short, support for federal pro-life policies has remained strong. we will witness this strength friday when americans from all corners of the country will march on washington to highlight the progress the pro-life movement and encourage strong support moving forward. president trump will address the marchers from the rose garden and show his commitment to protecting the onborn. he's the first sitting president to address the event via satellite in the event's 45-year history. president trump has remained steadfast to advance pro-life policy. one of his first actions in 2017 was an executive order reinstating the mexico city policy which bars nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortions from receiving funding from the u.s. government. helps ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions overseas. members of this house also passed h.r. 7, the no taxpayer funding for abortion and boors insurance full disclosure act of 2017 just one day after president trump reinstated the mexico city policy. this bill made permanent some long-standing policies that prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion such as the hyde amendment. h.r. 7 also helps to ensure the -- that health insurance companies remain accountable to consumers by requiring them to fully disclose whether or not their health care plans cover abortion services. another pro-life victory that passed the house in october was a h.r. 36, the pain capable unborn child protection act. this bill outlaws abortions performed after the 20-week postfertilization period. i have consistently voted to prohibit late-term abortions and protect the unborn and i will continue to do so as long as i am serving in the house. we must always demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting the lives of the defenseless and the house will continue the fight this week on friday. we will vote on the born-alive abortion survivors protection act. this means that in the case of a child born alive during an attempted abortion, that child must be immediately transported and admitted to a hospital. if a baby born alive is left to die, the penalty can be up to five years in jail. i will certainly vote in support of this important legislation. mr. speaker, abortion is a tragedy, not just because an innocent child dies but the lasting impact it has on the mothers of those children. we continue to see efforts by the pro-lifmovement making an impact. data shows that the annual number of abortions performed in this country is in decline. including my state of pennsylvania. there are legislative efforts across the country to protect unborn children and provide assistance and hope to their mothers. these efforts are one of the keys to ending abortion in the u.s. pro-life education is having an impact in our culetures and the lives of -- culture and the lives of women. that's why i look to participate in the 45th march for life where we will redouble our effort to protect the sanctity of life. attendees will hear stories of love, courage, and victory through god's mercy and grace. mr. speaker, human life is sacred and through education love can protect the most vulnerable. the pro-life movement is a voice for the voiceless. i am incredibly proud and honored to be part of it. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. gutierrez, for five minutes. mr. gutierrez: mr. speaker, interesting meeting yesterday with general kelly. 25 members of congress, most all of whom are defendants of immigrants who came here with nothing, whose parents came here with nothing, sat down with the chief of staff with the president of the united states and he sat down basically we were the wrong kind of people in america. and that people like our parents, that came here to this country, really are bringing the country down. because when he says he's for a merit-based systemhe's saying he's not for my mom and dad being able to come to this country. but interestingly enough, all of us who came to this country because of family-based immigration system wound up as being members of the u.s. house of representatives. but he was saying, you know, meeting with a group of congressmen and you really shouldn't be here because your parents really are tearing the country apart and bringing it down. that means -- that's what he means when he says, i want to replace the system with a merit-based system, and that was very telling in the meeting yesterday. ut, you know, we want a system that's family-based. that's the system that democrats want because we believe that this country is created by immigrants and it's essential for them to be united with their family so they can achieve american success and we can all achieve the american dream together. and that's exactly what they want to stop with the merit-based system. unless, of course, they come from norway. then they continue to come. we hear from the party of family values and the party of donald trump who employs his family at the wte house, he is an organization where the dad created the business, anded it down the son. the son will hand it down to their children but they don't want immigrants to be able to do exactly the same thing and follow the same course that apparently has been so successful for the president of the united states. and here's something else we learned from the chief of staff. that when people from one party work with people from another party, that's not bipartisanship, he said. bipartisanship defined by general kelly and this white house is when people with completely different opposite views of the world, they work together. so only a senate deal between people who believe in immigration and those who don't believe in immigration and who wants to end our immigration system as it is unless you come from norway, that's the only way it's bipartisanship. that's like saying that if a republican and a democrat are working together on an environmental issue, it's not bipartisanship because it's a republican and democrat unless the democrat and the republican are a person that believes in climate change working together with a republican who believes climate is a coax created by the chinese. you know what kind of legislation you get? you get nothing. you get a stalemate. you do not move the agenda forward, but that's their bipartisanship and that's what we learned at the meeting yesterday. look, democrats and republicans are working together. senator graham, republican, senator durbin, democrat, they put a proposal on the table and the president rejected it. that includes, just so that we're very clear, democrats giving up things that are unprecedented in that senate deal that was put on the president's desk, and members of the hispanic caucus meeting with general kelly can't fathom supporting the senate deal, but guess what, that's bipartisanship. that's what it comes down to. . that brings us to the votes this week. republicans might not need our help, because you are the majority party, we're the minority party. just in case you do need our help in getting a budget approved, i want you to know, we're ready to stand to help you to keep the government opened and to approve a budget. what i learned from the meeting with senator kelly and everybody should understand is that democrats are more united than ever before. if you want to help, our help, on the budget, you've got to release the 800,000 dreamers you are holding hostage. you've got to do it. democrats aren't going tonk b we're going to stand by our values. there comes a time if you say you stand for justice, if you have to actually take a stand and hold it. and not back down. and that's what democrats are going to do this week. we're not going to back down. need our help? release the 800,000 dreamers you hold hostage. and guess what? we're ready to pay handsome ransom for their release. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: members reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. the chair recognizes gentleman from alabama, mr. byrne, for five minutes. mr. byrne: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my great frustration with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their reckless behavior that is threatening the safety and security of the american people. let me explain. some members of the house and senate are holding funding for the federal government including funding for our nation's military hostage in an effort to advance their immigration agenda. i understand that immigration is a very important issue. i have many priorities in the immigration debate myself like increased border security, but i understand that there will come a time and place to debate immigration issues. that time is not now. and that a place is not on a deal dealing with funding our military and other essential functions of government. mr. speaker, this is what the american people hate about congress. instead of simply doing one of our most basic jobs, funding the government, we're having an unrelated debate about an immigration issue. let's be clear about what is going on here. congressional democrats are using our military men and women as pawns in a political game. they think they can use funding for the military as leverage to get their way on a very complex immigration issue. i think that is not only wrong, i think it is irresponsible and it has very grave consequences. and i want to strongly reject the notion that this is a republican problem. in house passed a bill back months ago,ver four to fund the military and the entire federal government. that bill has been stuck in the senate where 60 votes are necessary to pass the bill. there are only months ago, to fund the military and the entire 51 republican senators, so that means it will be necessary to have bipartisan support to get any bill across the finish line. so i vehemently reject this is an issue facing republicans. that's a lifmente why am i so passionate about this issue? our nation's military is facing a seriousness readiness crisis, and we as a congress are making thingsrse. we have the smallest army since before world war ii. the smallest navy since before world war i. anti-smallest and oldest air force we have ever had -- and the smallest and oldest air force we have ever had. the chairman of the army said the budgetary problems left the army outranged, outgunned, and jow dated. the government risks falling behind russia and china. there are similarly alarming quotes from the other services as well. our military needs and demands funding certainty to make purchases and perform long overdue maintenance. every time we pass a continuing resolution, and kick the can down the road, that hurts our military. it hurts the very men and women that we send into battle each day. it makes their job harder and frankly it puts lives at risk. we have seen fatal accidents aboard the u.s.s. fitzgerald and u.s.s. mccain caused by insufficient time to train sailors and maintain ships. we have also seen fatal aviation accidents in the marine corps and their equipment ages and their training is limited. the average age of air force aircraft is 27 years. only five of 58 army combat brigades are ready to fight tonight. continuing resolutions also hurt our taxpayers. in fact, the secretary of the navy recently said that the lack of funding certainty has cost the navy between $4 billion and $5 billion. it makes it costlyier to buy military equipment and that added cost is ultimately passed on to thepaye and th reatwe fe today are so gat. from china to russia to iran to north korea to terrorist groups around the globe, we haven't seen this serious of a threatening environment since world war ii. what makes this issue even more frustrating is both house and the senate in an overwhelming bipartisan manner have passed a defense authorization bill showing our clear support for funding our military at $700 billion. the bill passed with 356 votes in the house. and on a unanimous voice vote in the senate. but yet we find ourselves at a deadlock and our government on the verge of a shutdown because congressional democrats want to advance their immigration agenda. mr. speaker, enough is enough. i know my colleagues may not like our president. i know my colleagues may not agree with me on immigration. i know my colleagues have different priorities than i do. but for goodness sakes can we not at least agree we should adequately fund or troops for our nation's military. can we not agree we shouldn't be playing political games with our military men and women? we can save the political theater for another day. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. panetta, for five minutes. mr. panetta: mr. speaker, thank you. i rise today to call on -- upon my colleagues to set up and extend funding for community health clinics. community health centers are a vital resource to millions of americans providing more coverage at a lower cost. these health care providers serve our underserved communities. in rural districts like mine on the central coast they are sometimes the only health carerovider close enough for patients to receive immediate or long-term care. they provide prenatal care, annual checkups, and lifesaving screenings. in my district, there are nine federally funded health centers. serving approximately 190,000 patients from santa cruz to sea side and from the valley to the county. they have dedicated staff that serve the unique and multilingual and multicultural needs of the patients in my district. without proper funding, these vital community health centers may be forced to reduce their hours of operations, layoff staff, or close their doors. we must support our community health centers. not just on the central coast of california, but across this nation. these clinics, their patients, the people we serve, deserve our support. so i ask congress to support our community health clinics. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. bost, for five minutes. mr. bost: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, as a father and grandfather, i know firsthand how important it is that our nation's children have a safe environment to grow and learn. that's why this week i introduced a bipartisan the s.o.s. act, my bill makes panic buttons more available to local school systems. response time to vital important -- vitally important emergency situations makes it quicker and the s.o.s. act provides a lifesaving technology to contact first responders immediately when an incident takes place in our schools. i'm looking forward to building support for this commonsense bill to protect our children in the days and weeks ahead. mr. speaker, i also rise today to recognize a brave young lady from my district. she lives in johnson city, illinois. her name is victoria mueller. she's class president. she's an a student. she plays in three sports, including football. members of countless school clubs and activities. this lasteek, two weeks ago, i called vicria to let her know that she received our nomination and as well as dick durbin, that his nomination for the u.s. naval academy. unfortunately, her answer was, i'm sorry i can't accept that at this time. you see, in october i had an accident in a car and my arm was damaged severely and severed. and she's gone through a number of surgeries. here's what she promised. she will recover from the accident. she will continue to work hard. and she will be receiving a letter and get that nomination next year. her strength, her courage, is something that i wanted to make sure that i brought up before this house and before this nation as truly an inspiration and should be an inspiration to all of us. i'm truly inspired by victoria's strength, her grit, and wish her the best in her recovery. we'll be praying for her. victoria, southern illinois is proud of you and this nation is proud of you. mr. speaker, i also want to talk on the fact that this week starting tomorrow is our march for life. as a member of this body, and as a member of the body in the state of illinois, i have always stood proud to stand up for the rights of the unborn. we're working on and will vote to eliminate taxpayer funded abortion through the hyde amendment and everything as well as that goes, but also co-sponsoring the born alive act, which is being voted on this week. this is an issue that quite often brings controversy, mr. speaker. i tell you, each one of us on this floor, no matter what our position is, i'm sure there is reasons why we hold to those beliefs. mine are my faith. they are also experiences i have had in life. especially when we start talking about the baby born alive act. 15 years ago, mr. speaker, i was present when my two granddaughters, twins, were born. they were 25 1/2 weeks. we were hoping they would make it to 26. we lost one in the womb. and when losing her caused the pregnancy to -- the labor to start, and we then hally was born. we held her while she passed. now, according to some laws that are in that nation, you should be able to abort a child at that age. i can tell you that you have never held one at that age. you know, and we can sit and say, oh, well, i don't agree with abortion, but let me tell you something else that's taken place. i think we have a responsibility to take care of those young women who have children that might not be at the best time in their lives and issues that come up. let me also say this. i want to talk about a group that was formed called tender mercies. that ministers to women who have lost a child, have aborted a child, had miscarriages, all of these issues. and why do i want to talk about that? because my daughter, that runs that agency, not agency, but a not-for-profit to take care of the mental and physical needs that occur after something like that occur. so it is important that we as members of this united states understand that when we stand for life, not only do we stand for life, but we also stand for those people who are in those situations to help them through those times. we're a nation that cares. we're. as many times as we argue back and forth on this floor. mr. speaker, i pray that everyone on this floor on both sides of the aisle remembers that. and i thank the people who are walking tomorrow to stand for the right to life. with that, mr. speaker, i yield ack. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. eshoo, for five minutes. ms. eshoo: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of the 800,000 dreamers, including the 200,000 from my home state of california. these young people are terrified about what will become of them if congress doesn't live up to its promise to protect them. there is a way to resolve this. there is a way. congress can pass the dream act, which these young people restor the dreamers. the act provides for undocumented american students who graduate from american high schools, they need to be of good moral character, arrived in the united states as children, and have been in the country continuously for four years, and the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency for eight years. that seems absolutely fair. to me. and i think to so many others. during that time the student must pursue higher education, serve in the military, or work lawfully for at least three years. students who meet these conditions are granted permanent residency and the ability to one day become u.s. citizens. this is not a handout, this is not a grab by unworthy people, these are very high standards, standards that u.s. citizens should meet day in and day out. . this is bipartisan legislation. it's supported by the faith community across our country, by businesses, by law enforcement, and by 80% of the american people. i think that that passes a very high standard, a very high test. and i'm confident that if the speaker of the house would allow a vote on this legislation, then it would pass today if it was brought to the floor of the house for a vote. these 800,000 young men and women are not just court cases or statistics. each of them has a spark of divinity in them. they are young men and young women who have obtained driver's licenses, they have work permits, they pursued higher education, they are contributing their talents, their heart and soul to this country. many say, tell them to go home. they are home. this is the only country they know. this is the country that they love. they are serving in our military. in my congressional district, silicon valley, where all members of congress want to go and visit and see what innovation is happening, what innovation is bringing about, the majority of those geniuses that are producing this innovation are immigrants to our country. i stand here as a first generation american, and if the tenor osome in congress -- not all -- but some in congress, certainly the white house were in charge when my parents were children, that boat would have had to have made a u-turn. they would not have been welcomed in america because they weren't from norway. they were from the middle east, and yet today their daughter stands here on the floor of the house to address the house and the people of our nation. our nation from its beginnings was built by immigrants. , i nd here today to say love immigrants. they are the backbone of each generation and really the blood that flows through the veins of america. you put a clamp on that vein, you stop the heart of america from beating. shortly after president trump terminated the daca program, pope francis said, quote, to all the people of the united states, i ask, take care of the my grant. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. eshoo: listen to him and we will be a better nation because of it. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, rebecca grew up in a small town in southern oregon. she was on the honor roll and she played varsity sports. she graduated high school early and immediately enrolled in oregon state university. however, when her daughter was born, she had to withdrawal to find a job. like many single moms, rebecca struggled to make end's meet. but when she met a man she described as prince charming, she thought her -- thought things were finally turning around for her. he was kind and caring and offered to take care of her and her baby daughter with expensive gifts and trips. he treated her to a lifestyle she never dreamed up. when he asked her and her daughter to move in with him rebecca thought she hit the jackpot but her dream quickly became another nightmare. when she arrived in las vegas at his home, she found several other women and children already living there. this man then told her that now she would be forced to have sex with men for money. when she refused, he beat her up, hitting her over and over again. fearing for her life and the life of the child, rebecca complied. so for the next six years rebecca was forced to have sex with countless strangers, many times a day. anytime she stepped out of line he beat her up. she had her face broken in five different places. her trafficker even went so far so tattoo his name on her back. yes, branded her like cattle. she was nothing but a piece of property to him. after her fourth attempt to escape, her trafficker told her that he would start selling her young daughter for sex if she didn't comply and submit. feeling utterly hopeless, rebecca tried to commit suicide two times. she thought that ending her life was preferable to living in the hell that she had to endure every day. finally, federal agents raided her home, captured the trafficker. but, mr. speaker, he eventually took a plea deal and only served one year in prison for slavery. meanwhile, rebeccwas ft to al with the lifetime of pain and trauma. as a former judge, mr. speaker, i believe the sentence was too light for a slave trader. no human being should ever have to endure what rebecca and other trafficking victims like her have gone through. despite the system failing to provide justice against her trafficker, rebecca found a way to turn her darkness into light. since becoming a survivor, she started the rebecca initiative. this program provides training for those that have the opportunity to be intercepted and intervene with victims that are often being trafficked. in this human traffic awareness month, i want to commend rebecca and her resilience and focus on providing support and compassion to the victims of trafficking. as co-chair of the congressional victims rights caucus, along with my friend, jim costa from california, we are dedicated to ensure victims and survivors know that we as a nation will stand with them. traffickers, buyers and sellers must be prosecuted and sent to the jail house. with the help of local and state and federal law enforcement, we're going to stop the sale of our children and our adult women on the marketplace of sex slavery. mr. speaker, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the united states, but it's still taking place and it's time we defeat this scourge on our community. justice demands this and justice is what we do and that's just the way it is. i'll yield back. the speaker pro tempore: all right. the chairman recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. costa, for five minutes. mr. costa: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costa: mr. speaker, i rise today to speak about our need to invest in america, to invest in our future. sound infrastructure is literally and figuretively the foundation of our nation's economy. but for quite some time we in washington have not provided the critical funding for our infrastructure projects that our communities around the country need. we must stop living off the investments that our parents and grandparents made generations ago and instead start intelligently investing in our infrastructure again. the american society of civil engineers estimates that to update our infrastructure system we need to make an investment of over $1 trillion. of course, t president talked about a bipartisan package. one key to intelligent investment is the federal government matching infrastructure funds for state and local governments. this is needed, and it has been historic to in fact make these projects a reality. as we see from our history, infrastructure projects in this country move forward most effectively when we have a combination of local, state, and federal dollars to invest. across the country, state and local governments are raising funds to repair and improve infrastructure. often making tough political choices for raising taxes or making difficult decisions when required to do so. this is happening both in red and blue states alike. all three of the counties in my district, merced, madera and fresno counties, they have voted to increase their local sales tax by half cent in order to pay for essential transportation projects including road repairs, construction of new road systems and highways. last year, the california legislature and the governor enacted a bill to increase the state gas tax and vehicle funds to pay for bridges, roads, and other transportation improvement projects over the next 10 years. currently these are tough decisions, tough political decisions, but the policy implications, notwithstanding the political risks, are worth it and our state and local leaders in california have ken these risks. let me tell you, 's the right thing to do. you see, it takes dollars to fill potholes. that's the bottom line, to build bridges and improve road systems, it takes dollars. it's not magic. and now the federal government needs to step up and face the challenge head on, and we need to be responsible in our nation's capital. i've been working hard for years to improve the infrastructure in california's san joaquin valley, both in the state house and now here in congress, and we have made some progress. but what we're lacking is the federal component. it's essential we build a transportation and water infrastructure system to meet the 21st century system needs, not only of california, but of our entire nation and the valley i have the honor and privilege to represent. we need a more reliable water system to supply our farms and cities that are growing, and with climate change, we know we have to take that into account and we also need a better 21st century system of transportation. what is missing? i'll tell you what's missing. federal funding, federal participation. to make this happen, we in congress should incentivize states and local governments like in california and the counties i represent that have already raised funds for these projects with a federal funding stream that will complement these state and local efforts. california and the san joaquin valley are already doing their part, and we need here in washington to do our part to invest in our country's future. ts will require democrats and republicans to work together to ge in a serious bipartisan deliberation and negotiations this year to make this national infrastructure project a reality. last week, we in the problem solvers caucus released a report to a state of our nation's infrastructure and made bipartisan recommendations on how we get there. these recommendations can serve as a foundation for consensus on which bipartisan collaboration can build the policy that repairs, advances and invests in america's infrastructure. although we've not seen a lot of bipartisan deliberate tiff policymaking here -- delib are a tiff policymaking here lately, i ask we come together to invest in america's infrastructure. if we expect to have the capacity for the economic and innovation -- the economic development and innovation for the future of america in the 21st century. i have made this a priority throughout my years of service in the san joaquin valley, both in sacramento and now in washington, d.c. i invite my colleagues to join me in investing in america's infrastructure, work with the president, work on a bipartisan basis. after all, that's what we're supposed to do. in investing in america's infrastructure and therefore our future. this has been our tradition in the past in how we've gotten great projects completed, and this is the kind of investment we need to make today for america's infrastructure. let us work together. it's the right thing to do. i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, as we in congress are faced with another continuing resolution, i cannot help but think about the wasted lives and money in afghanistan. on sunday night's "60 minutes" i watched with great interest a segment about the 16-year war in afghanistan and the title was "kabul under siege as america's longest war rages on." during the interview, correspondent laura logan detailed the growing danger in afghanistan and interviewed general john nicholson, commander of american forces in afghanistan as well as afghan's president gandhi. while i do not hav time to go into details, this segment made it very clear and i think anyone watching would agree that afghanistan continues to be a failed policy. at one time, laura logan stated to nicholson, and i quote, a lot of people at home just don't buy that terrorists are coming from afghanistan to attack them at home. i further quote, they're worrying about the guy going to rent a home from home depot and driving into a crowd of civilians, and -- rent a car from home depot and driving into a crowd of civilians. he said, we need to defeat the ideology. i was amazed and astonished by his response. it has been said that you cannot kill ideology -- i can't say that word today -- with a bullet or a bomb, so why are we still trying? . this this is why i'm you calling on speaker ryan once again to permit the house of representatives to have a policy debate on afghanistan. mr. speaker, i have beside me a poster of a young woman whose husband was killed in afghanistan. it's so prophetic because the woman and mother of the little girl sitting in her lap, she is crying. yet the little girl is looking at the army officer with a look like, why am i here? why is there a flag draped coffin? why is my mother crying? the little girl is too young to really understand what is happening. i call on speaker ryan to let us have a debate on the policy issue of afghanistan and its future. i will close with the words of the 31st commandant of the marine corps who said, no one afghanistan ered and many have tried. we'll join the list of nations that have tried and failed. mr. ryan, the speaker of the house, it is your time to call for this house to debate the future of afghanistan. please make that call to the house of representatives that we will have that debate. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my ime. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from maine, ms. pingree, for five minutes. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to voice my strong opposition to the trump administration's proposal toift decades old ban on offshre o and gas drilling on our country's atlantic and pacific coasts. this proposal has to be one of the most irresponsible actions of the trump administration. currently 94% of the outer continental shelf is off limits to drilling. and rightly so. given the importance of protecting the economic and cultural value of the country's coastlines. the trump administration has offered a staggering reversal. proposing to open up over 90% of the outer continental shelf to oil and gas drilling. well, governors and lawmakers from both parties have risen to voice their opposition to this plan. the administration is moving forward at a breakneck speed and given a mere 60 days for the public to comment. in my home state of maine, which has much to lose from this plan, we don't even get a full public hearing. this proposal's lack of transparency and fairness couldn't have been more apparent than when governor rick scott of florida somehow earned an exemption for his state. everyone can see that this was less about protecting florida's pristine beaches and coastline, as governor scott said, than a political favor from president trump. i absolutely have nothing against the florida coast. but your state shouldn't have to march mar-a-lago to earn an exemption. all coastlines need one. if you look ott our coastline and islands, it would measure 3,500 miles. those miles include some of the most beautiful places in the world and critical habitat for hundreds of species of fish and wildlife. the coast is also dolted -- of small h dozens towns filled with hardworking people who depend on a beautiful healthy ocean to make their living. two of the state's largest industries are tourism and fishing. tourism in maine is a $5.6 billion industry. 71% of which comes directly from the maine coast. millions of people visit our state to experience our wuteful -- beautiful coast guardline, snug harbors and stunning landmarks like this lighthouse right here. our fishing industry and the business that is support it have even more to lose from this proposal. 30,000 mainers make their living in marine industries. they include boat builders, ground fishermen, clammers, sea weed harvesters, oyster and musclele farmers, and lob ter men. ur world -- lobster men. our lobster industry brings in $500 million annually. i have had so many discussions with the fishermen who tell me about the difficulties their industry already faces. they want to pass their businesses on to their sons and daughters but worry about the future. the gulf of maine is already warming at a rate 99.9% faster than the world's ocean waters. will it remain a prime habitat for lobsters? will ocean acidfication harm the lobster population and shellfish in ways we don't already know about yet? do we really need to add the potential of an oil spill to the list of things that already keep them up at night? in maine we know the risk because we have seen the consequences. in 199 , a tanker -- 1996, a 200 r, spilled about thousand gallons of heating oil in the bay. it cost over $40 million to clean up and caused lobster prices to plummet. but 200 thousand gallons of 200,000 galn the bucket when talk about the spilled oil from the deep water horizon. which spilled 200 million gallons into the gulf of mexico. the result on the marine environment was devastating. shrimp, crab, oyster, and other fisheries in those states may never fully recover. the risks of this proposal to my state and others are simply too great. and for what? our nation is already the top producer of oil and gas in the world. and with fuel prices currently low, this proposal would not boost the economy. if this add m. is really worried -- administration is really word about remaining internationally competitive in the international market, it should throw support in developing alternative energy sources instead of abandoning them. this proposal is unacceptable and irresponsible. i will continue to fight back against the environmental and economic harm it threatens for maine and the nation. i'm proud to co-sponsor legislation with my colleagues in new england to prohibit drilling off of our states and another bill to keep the drilling ban in place entirely, along the atlantic and pacific coasts. i encourage my colleagues to do the same and stop this terrible plan before it's too late. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, mr. brooks, for five minutes. mr. speaker, roughly four years ago steve mayfield was a respected high school football coach at central high school in lauderdale county, alabama, who on october, 2014, was diagnosed with a.l.s. steve mayfield bravely fought his terminal disease and kept a smile on his face throughout his lengthy three-year battle and ordeal. in a land of freedom and liberty, steve mayfield would have had two choices, on the one hand, he could abide by the food and drug administration regulations and recommendations and die, on the other hand, steve mayfield could try experimental treatments that gave some hope of beating a.l.s. and extending steve mayfield's life. unfortunately, when it comes to terminal illnesses in america, here is no freedom or liberty. steve mayfield not only had to fight a.l.s., he he also had to fight the food and drug administration before he could try steve experimental but potentiay lifesaving treatments. sadly, steve mayfield lost both fights. steve mayfield was barred by the federal government from trying possibly lifesaving treatments and not long ago, passed away. steve mayfield's son, brooks mayfield of florence, alabama, was with his father when he passed away. it is an-n that vain, mr. speaker, that i call on -- it is in that vain, mr. speaker, that i call on the house to have a vote on senate bill s. 204, the right to try act, which passed the senate last year, that restores the right of terminally ill patients to try experimental treatments that may save their lives. brooks mayfield's father might be alive today if the right to try act had been the law of the land. mr. speaker, we must remember who we're as americans. our ancestors fought the revolutionary war over liberty and freedom. yet today in america patients who are 100% certain to die are denied the freedom, the liberty, the right to decide for themselves whether to try experimental treatments that may save their lives. every day in america, terminally ill patients and their families are told there are no options but death. by way of background, fewer than 3% of terminally illish -- ill patients in america have access to investigational treatments through clinical trials. while the food and drug administration grants compassionate use waivers, meant to allow terminal patients access to experimental drugs, only about 1,500 waivers were granted in 2016. what other -- excuse me, what are other terminally ill americans to do? nothing? just waste away and die without a fight? patients shouldn't have to give up their liberty, their freedom, their fight against terminal illness merely because the f.d.a. says so. and terminally ill patients shouldn't have to beg the f.d.a. for a waiver forcing patients to bureaucracy eral when they are already fighting for their lives. the right to try act gives terminally ill patients access to treatments that has successfully bureaucracy when they are already fighting for their lives. the completed the f.d.a.'s phase one approval requirement but not yet completed the f.d.a.'s lengthy and complex full approval process that can take decades. sadly, sometimes when treatments and drugs reach final approval, it is too late for too many patients and their families because the terminally ill patient has already died. mr. speaker, given the stark contrast between life and death, between freedom and federal dictates, between hope and hopelessness the house should take up and pass the right to try act thereby giving a chance for life to terminally ill patients and their families. the united states senate overwhelmingly passed right to try legislation last year. it is time for the house to do the same thereby restoring freedom, liberty, and hope and giving terminally ill patients across america a better chance to live. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski, for five minutes. mr. speaker, daca must be fixed. for the good of these young immigrants and for the good of our nation. in september, leaders pelosi and schumer and president trump agreed to protect the daca recipients and improve border security. worked t time, i have in the 48-member bipartisan house problem solvers caucus to come up with a plan that would do just that. i want to thank senators durbin, graham, bennett, gardner, menendez, and flake who have put together a compromise bill in the senate which is gaining momentum. after working on this for five months, i know just how hard it is to come up with a compromise. i just want to thank these senators for what they have done. the problem solvers caucus continues to work on a plan and i'm hopeful that we will have one imminently. because time is running short. i was very happy to hear congressman gutierrez right here from this podium a few minutes ago endorse the idea of a compromise, even though it's not -- not what he wants, but we need to protect these daca recipients. we have to break the status quo in washington. the bickering and the gridlock which gets in the way of good solutions for our country. this solution on daca can and should get done. if only we could get away from the rhetoric and use some common sense. unfortunately, common sense is not common in washington. to get my colleagues past the bickering and the rhetoric. do what's right for the american people, fix daca and let's move on and do great things together for our nation. mr. speaker, i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. fitzpatrick, for five minutes. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize my constituent dr. timothy m. block, president of the hepatitis b foundation, the pennsylvania biotechnology center in my district in doylestown, pennsylvania. he was recently named as a fellow of the u.s. national cademy of inventorist. he has shown a lifelong commitment to innovation, specifically by facilitating or creating inventions that make immeasurable impact on quality of life, economic development or the welfare of society. dr. block is being recognized for his contributions to therapeutic drug and biomarker disease screening and discovery. dr. block also holds numerous patents and has been involved in more than 30 years in viral hepatitis research. mr. speaker, we thank dr. block for the work he's done in this field which has undoubtedly impacted the lives of people in my district, throughout our ountry and around the world. mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the players, staff and coaches of the archbishop wood football team and congratulate them on winning the piaa class 5-a state championship. with their discipline and hard work, the young men of this football team have continued the tradition of excellence for the vikings. the dominance they displayed in their championship win in december is an excellent example of what teamwork and tenacity can achieve. they have made our community very proud. to the coaching staff, we say congratulations and thank you for leading and teaching these young men. it is my hope that the lessons of determine nation and perseverance tt these student athletes have learned will help guide them off the fie as well. to the fans, friends and family that have supported archbishop wood, we say congratulations. to all those who work with and organize youth sports in our district, we say thank you. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pascrell, for five minutes. mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in support f the 2018 23rd olympic games pyong chang in south korea next month. the olympic games serves as a forum for the international community to come together to build a peaceful world. in order to be a competitor in the olympic games, nations across the globe have to embody the values and ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play. it is no different in the diplomatic arena. thout these core values, the fair competition is eroded. the common bond that brings nations from all over th world to compete and build friendships serves as a forum to promote tolerance and understanding. promoting these ideals is critical to these increasingly troubled times, and i believe the results could make our world a more peaceful place. the upcoming olympic winter games presents a significant opportunity for the united states of america to lead the fight against international conflicts and to promote peace. this is our legacy. our nation can use this opportunity to work with the international community in a way that shows that we can come together in the spirit of healthy competition regardless of our differences. with the long shadow being cast by the provocations of pyongyang and rhetoric from our own administration, the olympic winter games came at the right time. they are an opportunity for the united states to speak out in support of resolving the current conflicts on the korean peninsula. while there are many issues facing the international community, all can agree the growing threat of nuclear conflict presents the most immediate danger. in order to de-escalate the growing threat and in the spirit of the olympic games themselves, i hope that our athletes' presence in south korea will serve as a symbolic representation that our differences can be worked out in a neutral field. it is reassuring that north korea will participate in the upcoming winter olympics. if the reports are true, it will be encouraging to watch the two countries' athletes march together at the opening ceremony under a unification flag. that surpasses the consequences of empty rhetorical threats. we can do better than that. it took the winter olympics to thank you the ice between the two -- thaw the ice between the two nations. this is a welcomed sign of easing tensions after months of alarm over north korea's nuclear program. as a result, this year's olympic games are already off to a great start. the games will continue to be a reminder that regardless of where someone is from, we can still set aside our differences to promote a better world. just like the first athletes who came together to start this olympic tradition. it is my expectation that the republic of korea will host a 23rd winter 8 olympic games and that the hard work and dedication of the korean people to this endeavor will be recognized by the international community. finally, mr. speaker, i look forward to watching the men and women representing the united states of america bring home the gold. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. marshall, for five minutes. mr. marshall: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to recognize the nonprofit youth entrepreneurs for their commitment to preparing our students to meet the demands of today's work force. this program provides a taste of the work force in a variety of career paths for our emerging leaders. youth entrepreneurs was started in 1991 in wichita, kansas, with the goal to give young adults a foundation of knowledge, skills, and values for today's workplace. high school students that participate in youth entrepreneurship program receive a preparation course that covers the ends and outs of a variety of career fields and business etiquette. after students complete the class they are sent to work at a business that matches their interest. the students are able to apply their learning from the classroom at the company they are paired with. for 26 years, this nonprofit has dedicated to education and the success of our youth. today, i want to make sure they know their hard work has not gone unnoticed. personally, i have seen and heard the success stories from these young adults, including my own god son, patrick, who's participated in this organization. the program has extended to -- expanded to 10 other states. more 80% of participants say they want to attend college and 60% of the students who completed the requirements have either started their own business or desire to one day. i am a -- i am proud of programs like youth entrepreneurs that are working to give our young adults a pathway for success. even with unemployment at an all-time record low in kansas, there are still 50,000, mr. speaker, 50,000 open jobs in our state. it is important that our students have access to organizations like youth entrepreneurs so we can prepare kansans to meet these high mployment demands. mr. speaker, i rise today to discuss an industry that presents endless opportunities for america's work force. as our nation continues to advance technologically, it is imperative that our youth have the skills necessary to remain competitive in the work force. kans is experiencing record employment across the state. however, one industry faces an increasingly high demand for skilled workers. today kansas has more than 2,500 open computer science jobs, 2,500 open computer science jobs which is twice higher than the average state's demand. this year alone, the united states department of labor predicts employers will be unable to fulfill nearly 2.5 million job openings in stem, science, technology, engineering and mathematics -related professions. last week i met with students at north central kansas technology college. ncktc is ranked third in the nation in job placement in tech related fields. i am proud they are working hard to meet the challenge that our labor force is facing today by offering more stem-based education. they offer programs and certification courses in computer science and coding while hutchins community college business program, also in my district, incorporates computer and science technology into their training programs. one recognizes our future by offering stem concentration classes for kindergarten through sixth grade teachers. this program for teachers ensures our youth will get a greater understanding of these technical skills at a younger age and will be better equipped for future jobs in the stem industry. it's important we recognize their efforts and the initiatives that will prepare students for the growing success in stem fields. i always strive to create good opportunities for constituents back home but we need -- but it's important we place more of a focus on stem education. as computer science becomes utilized in most every industry, we must ensure our students, our children are well prepared to meet these demands. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. murphy, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. today i'm filing legislation to honor an american hero. my bill would name the u.s. east ffice at 56 -- 567 franklin street in honor of one of its native sons, sergeant first class alwin cash. scripture teaches us there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. on october 17, 2005, in an iraqi province north of baghdad, he made the ultimate expression of love. disregarding his personal safety and enduring unimaginable pain in order to save multiple soldiers under his command from their burning vehicle after it hit an improvised explosive device. his actions that fateful day were so remarkable that they almost dy description. words like courage and bravery do not seem adequate to fully capture the deeds this soldier performed. he actions that sergeant first class cash took in his death as he must have known it did. after his passing, he received the silver star, the third highest combat award that the army confers. over the past years there has been a passionate, painstaking and passionate effort to have his silver star upgraded to the medal of honor. notably this effort has been led by the battalion commander o nominated him the silver star. he said he deserves the highest valor. i strongly agree. right now i want to talk not about medals but the man himself because that's what matters the most. alwin was born in 1970 in florida and was raised in ovito. he was the youngest of nine children, five girls and four boys. the family didn't have much money but they had plenty of pride. when alwin was just 6 his father passed away. his mother, ruby mae, worked on an assembly line and later at a custodian at florida tech. one of his sisters describes her brother as the baby of the family, rambunctious, little spoiled by the siblings and of course deeply loved. she remembers buying m a 10-speed bike he wouldn't be different from the other kids in the neighborhd and how happy he was. alwin enlisted in the army after high school. she said it had a transformational effect, turning the civilian into a soldier. not just any soldier, but a soldier's soldier, a tough as nails infantryman and old school leader in the best sense of the term. . she put it, alwil bled army he had more brothers and sisters. the events they experienced and endured together from boot camp to combat. on october 17, 2005, alwin, now sergeant first class cash, was on his second deployment to iraq. the bradley fighting vehicle carrying him, six other american soldiers and the squad's interpreter, struck an i.e.d. the blast instantly killed the interpreter and ruptured the vehicle's fuel cell. flames engulfed the vehicle. initially onlyly lightly injured and covered in fuel he extracted the driver who was on fire and extinguished the flames. at this point multiple soldiers remained in the vehicle, one of whom managed to open the rear hatch. sergeant first class cash rushed to the back of the vehicle, reached into the hot flames and started pulling out soldiers. his fuel-soaked uniform caught fire and the flames spread quickly all over his body. despite what must have been terrible paie returned to the vehicle twice more to extract the soldiers all while hwasl on fire and exposed to enemy gunfire. by the time all the soldiers were saved from the vehicle, his injuries were the most severe. second and third-degree burns covered 72% of his body. nevertheless, he refused to be evacuated until all his soldiers were medevaced out before him. . when he arrived at the u.s. military hospital, he was still fully conscious. what remained of his uniform melted to his skin. yet he tried to fight off the nurses insisting they treat everyone else first. despite determined efforts to save his life at various hospitals abroad and in the states, he eventually succumbed to his wounds on november 8, 2005, surrounded by members of his bilogical family and army family. his actions reflect the highest standards of servant leadership, devotion to duty, and shear bravery. we cannot bring him back or erase the pain felt by those who loved him and served alongside him. but we can pay tribute to his life and his legacy. we can engrave his name on a plaque and designate a federal building in his memory so the public never forgets this american soldier. who laid down his life for his friends in service to our country. i respectfully ask my colleagues to support this legislation. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. taylor, for five minutes. -- aylor: request perfect permission to address the house for five minutes. mr. taylor: the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. taylor: january is national mentoring month. never underestimate the big impact you can make with a little contribution of your time, wisdom, and attention. mr. speaker, i'd like to speak on the big brothers and big sisters organization. the big brothers and big sisters movement began in 1904. big brothers and big sisters currently operate throughout the u.s. and in 12 countries around the world. children joining big brothers and big sisters are carefully placed in one-on-one older nships with an volunteer and a key stage in thr delopmt. these children are less likely to engage in such behiors, such as drug use, other illegal activities, or social dysfunction. one such big brother, andrew jones, signed up for the program. years ago we met a young 12-year-old and this boy was a low-income, single parent household. his mother worked a lot of overtime at a local hospital. misguided, the boy was already on probation at 12 years old. hanging around the wrong crowd and headed in the wrong direction. mr. speaker, andrew would take the boy to the english grill restaurant for a weekly 222 breakfast, two eggs, two pancakes, two sausages. he would teach the boy everything from having a napkin on his lap at the dinner table to stock options. for years to come andrew would attend hundreds of sports events for the boy. show him the value of reading, reinforce manners, and build his self-confidence. andrew would be the only person the boy would talk to if he lost a wrestling match. he would be the first person the boy would call for advice. and, mr. speaker, he would be the first person the boy would call from a tent hospital after being injured as a soldier in the deserts of iraq. mr. speaker, that little boy is me. we can all seek out mentors in our own lives and we can all be mentors for others. we're all in this together. never underestimate the big impact that you can make with a little contribution of your time, wisdom, and attention. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. green, for five minutes. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, once again i have the pleasure of speaking from the well of the congress of the united states of america. mr. speaker, i rise today as a liberated democrat. i rise today to speak truth to power. i rise today, mr. speaker, to remind us that although we're the leaders of the free world, we will not be received as the leaders of the free world if we're perceived as the leader of worldwide bigotry. i rise, mr. speaker, to remind us that we won't be received as the leaders of the free world if we're perceived as being anti-immigration when it comes to muslims and as a homophobic. we won't be received as leaders of the free world if we're perceived as homophobic because we're anti-transgerned. weent be received as leaders of the free world if we're perceived as anti-africa because it's a continent of s-hole countries. and we'll be perceived, quite frankly, and received as racist if we do so. mr. speaker, if we're to maintain our preeminence in the world, we must not be perceived as the bigets of the world -- bigots of the world. mr. speaker, the solution can be an election in 20 20 or it can -- 2020 or it can be impeachment tomorrow. mr. speaker, i will bring impeachment before the congress of the united states of -- 2020 again tomorrow. sometime after 9:00 a.m. and before we leave for our break. mr. speaker, history is watching. we will be judged by our actions. time will tell. i will be on the right side of history. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. collins, for five minutes. mr. collins: permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. collins: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize scots in downtown gainesville. it celebrated its 10th anniversary to mark this achievement the staff chose a special occasion. they chose to honor law enforcement with a luncheon. when scott dixon first opened scott's downtown in 2007. he took the first step in pursuing his dream. he began busing tables at age 13 and worked his way up the ladder. over his career he developed a passion for brightening people's days with food and a friendly heart. known for providing restaurants with exceptional food rather than highlight this success, however, scott's downtown points to the courage and service of our law enforcement officials who put their lives on the line each day to protect our community. i want to congratulate scott's downtown on their first 10 years of service and join them in thanking the brave men and women blue who make gainesville a safe and beautiful place to live. mr. speaker, i rise today to join the staff of z brown distrillionry in celebrating their 500th barrel of northeast safe and beautiful place to live. georgia bourbon. the partnership and the grammy award winning zach brown is county.ws for the they are turning local crops intgh quality small bat spirits. in the span of a few weeks business vs. taken off with the construction of two new buildings for expansion. my friends and neighbors in northeast georgia can agree, it's the little things in life that mean the most and this distillery captures the warm and inviting nature. it welcomes visitors from near and far and leaves them with greater appreciation for the taste of appalachia. i congratulate the distillery on their success and wish it sees the best an their young business branches out in northeast georgia. mr. speaker, i rise today and honor the 45th annual march for life which takes place friday. across our country americans will defend the innocent lives by giving them a clear voice in washington. we're a nation of people who strive to fight for individual freedoms yet we deprive the unborn of the most fundamental liberty, the right to a birthday. a father of three, pastor, and air force chaplain, i believe we have a sacred responsibility to protect the lives of the unborn. every life has value. every child deserves a birthday. this week the house will vote to increase protections for unborn americans through the born alive survivor protection act. this legislation would ensure a child born after a failed abortion attempts receives the same life giving medical care to any newborn. the bill would also prohibit medical providers from continuing the procedures post birth. no one should be able to end another person's life no matter how small for convenience. northeast georgians value life and i'm thankful to join them in this fight against abortion to promote bright fures for every american. the born and unborn among us. as a father it is mentioned many times that you care for your children. and on these days in this week, i harken back almost 26 years ago to when my daughter was born. you see, jordan was born with spina bifida. and when many said to my wife and i, you have choices to end, i am happy to say that most every day i wake up to a text from my daughter that says good morning, daddy. i'm headed to work. all life is precious. deserves a chance. and every day i am blessed with the knowledge that the choice we made and the choice deserves a would have always made was for our precious daughter and all of those who are speaking a birthday. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, for five minutes. thank you, mr.n: speaker. rise today to congratulate gramine america for opening a new facility in miami and recognizes president and c.e.o.. it's a nonprofit microfinance organization that for over 10 years has been dedicated to helping women in poverty create and expand small businesses in their communities. last month they opened its first branch in miami where it hopes to serve 7,000 women over the next five years and disperse more than $20.5 million in loans. what a difference that will make. mr. speaker, today, sadly, more than 20% of women in my county, miami-dade, are living in poverty. these loans will empower them to become active players in south florida's economy. this organization is spearheaded by andrea young who from a young age understood the important value of south florida's women become financially independent. as a chinese immigrant in toronto, her grandmother received a loan that changed her family's history. as the loan helped young's grandmother to open her own hair salon. two generations later, after attending princeton, andrea served over a decade as c.e.o. and chairman of avon products, a giant in the field of beauty products. andrea has been ranked among the top leaders on lists such as "fortune" magazine's most powerful women in business, and most powerful women in the world. and the financial times top women in world business. mr. speaker, i am so proud of gramine f andrea and america and what they are doing is giving women in need the ability to improve their lives and also to improve gramine their entirehat families. the opening of this new branch is an exciting opportunity. i look forward to working with andrea and to help women in our south florida economy. mr. speaker, i'd like to florida my south their entire community to take part in the eighth annual dan marino foundation walk about awe tims. this event will take place on saturday, january 27, at the hard rock stadium in miami gardens. according to the c.d.c., over three million individuals in the united states are impacted by an autism spectrum disorder. there have been numerous dramatic scientific advances in our understanding of awe tim, but we must continue making progress -- autism, but we must continue making progress and eventually, yes, a cure. the walk about autism will bring together families, parents, caregivers, and friends to raise awareness and resources for the south florida autism community. more importantly, every donation made will stay in our local community and will be used to provide classroom equipment, employment services, new adaptive technology, and more to those impacted by this disorder. this walk also helps fund essential educational opportunities like special needs programming at local schools and the marino campus whose post secondary education program helps young adults with autism to bridge the gap between high school and employment. mr. speaker, i want to thank the dan marino foundation for all its hard work to make this walk so successful. this year will be no different. i urge everyone to participate in this walk for a great cause at the hard rock stadium on saturday, january 27, at 8:00 a.m. mr. speaker, i would like to highlight the 2018 miami creators ball that will take place at lemon city on friday, nuary 26, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of city year miami. city year volunteers and their distinctive red jackets have become a fixture at most of our miami schools. this wonderful organization connects mentors with students in underserved schools who are at risk of droing out. the members have served more an 225,000 students and have given more than two million hours of service to our local schools the results speak for themselves. city year not only help the at-risk students graduate on time, but played a key role in ensuring that more than 0% of miami-dade students earn their high school diplomas. simply amazing. furthermore, 90% of miami teachers say that city year members help their students improve their overall academic performance. as a former florida certified teacher, it fills me with great pride to encourage everyone in our community to come to lemon city in miami-dade county on friday, january 26, to celebrate city year miami's 10th anniversary. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. yoder for five minutes. . mr. yoder: mr. speaker, i rise today during the week of martin luther king jr. day to recognize three of my constituents who are living in dr. king's footsteps. dr. king once said darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. and hate cannot drive out hate. only love can do that. in the third district of kansas as well as across the country we continue to see darkness and hate. just last wait, two residents from india were shot. one of them was killed. in 2014 in my district in missouri, white supremacists drove to the jewish community center and killed three people. -- e people who were killed in both of these cases we saw the very racism and bigotry and evil that dr. king led our nation so fiercely against. we see the beauty of humanity's power, kindness, endurance, forgiveness and love. one's husband that was killed has turned this into -- this tragedy into an opportunity to spread a message of love and acceptance. the heartbreaking loss of her husband, along with visa problems due to our broken immigration system, has made this a very difficult last year for her. she questioned understandably whether she and other indian immigrants were welcomed here. our community rallied around here with an answer that, yes, you are love, you are part of our community and you are welcome here. now she's become a leading voice against hatred. she's leading others in this effort to embrace diversity, race, culture and religion and planning a peace walk later this year and is launching an initiative that promotes understanding and welcoming of immigrants. she's a living example of love standing up in the face of hatred. another story is mindy who lost both her daughter and son in that jewish -- attack at the jewish community center in 2014. she did not let the loss of her family members turn to her hatred. instead she set out to bring light into darkness left from this event. she launched seven days, make a ripple change the world, a week-long event commemorating the tragedy which seeks to turn one ripple of kindness into an unstoppable wave of faith and love. seven days challenges all of us to embrace diversity, to foster hope and to promote love. her tireless efforts fall right in the footsteps of dr. king. and just recently i was moved by the story of sonya, who is being featured in a documentary called big sonya. as one of the last holocaust survivors in my district, she's telling the story of the unspeakable tragedy she endured as a teenager at a concentration example, being split from her father and brother and watched her mother be marched to her death in the gas chambers. yet, here she is preaching tolerance, kindness and most of all love for one another. mindy and others are members of our community who are living out dr. martin luther king jr.'s legacy in their everyday lives. in each of their stories, extreme racism, bigotry was spread through its known weapons -- fear and violence -- and in each case these women responded with courage, love and kindness, just as dr. king preached. these three women in my district are leading the way in the daily ongoing fight for justice, tolerance and love. they are an example for all of us to follow as we work to make our community a better place. mr. speaker, let us continue to teach love. let us continue to be the light that drives out the darkness. let us move forward as a nation and as a people together united and we will one day achieve dr. king's dream. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. last month we concluded an intense debate over tax reform and i want to thank chairman brady for heeding the concerns of those of us from overtaxed states like california. by allowing greater flexibility and deducting state and local taxes and by lowering all tax rates, the final measure assures that virtually every family will be paying lower taxes, even though losing much of their state and local tax deductions. in my district the average household will see a tax cut of $1,900 as a result. yet, i still receive many calls from constituents who fear their taxes will go up and their standard of living will go down. they believe this because this is what they've been told by the democrats and by the media. but now that the bill is in effect, i think people are about to see their paychecks grow, their job prospects brighten and their family finances improve. indeed, the day that president trump signed the bill, companies across america began announcing bonuses, pay raises and major new investment plans in the american economy. and those announcements just keep coming. a varietof t calculators are already available on the internet so that every family can see for themselves how they personally benefit from the tax cuts. d recommend a website called taxplancalculator.com. there people can input their own tax figures and see how much their family will save. in february, withholding tables will inreflect the newer lower rates and the take-home pay for the vast majority of americans will jump. even before accounting for the surge in wages that always accompanies an economic expansion. by spring, most economists expect a significant burst of economic growth. as tax barriers come down, capital stranded off-shore is already coming home. this morning apple announced it's bringing back most of its quarter trillion dollars of capital now stuck off-shore. immediate expensing reforms will accelerate equipment purchases and internationally competitive corporate tax rate will mean new investments in making products once again in america. if "the new york tiles" poll from yesterday has any truth, that poll tracked an 18-point swing from disapproval to approval of the reform in just one month. the scare mongering by congressional democrats went further than claims that the tax reforms would produce only middle class misery and economic malaise. they claimed millions of americans will lose health insurance because of it. how so? because this bill removes the stiff tax penalties that are levied against 6 1/2 million american families who choose not to purchase overpriced obamacare policies. it's a minimum of $2,100 a penalty for a family of four. these families will now have that money available to meet their own needs, including purchasing inexpensive policies available on the private market. and this begs two questions. if obamacare's so wonderful, why do we have to force families to buy it? and if 6 1/2 million families already prefer paying the stiff penalty to buying the insurance, what does that say about the signature achievement of the obama democrats? the democrats have seized on projections the reform will add $1.5 trillion of new debt over the next 10 years based on their assumption it will produce no economic growth. yet, when ronald reagan cut the top marginal tax rate by half, income tax revenues doubled. several economists are predicting an additional $2 trillion of new fax revenues to government solely due to economic expansion from this law. the final line of attack is the personal income tax cuts will expire in eight years, leaving many americans bores off. well, that's perhaps the most dangerous argument for democrats to make because every american understands the answer to that question depends on who controls congress. democrats have made it clear if they are returned to office the tax cuts are over. and republicans have made it just as clear that our unfinished business is to make those cuts permanent. let the people decide. ronald reagan asked a simple question both in 1980 when he ran against the economic malaise of the carter policies and again in 1984 after he had implemented the same pro-growth policies we now see under president trump -- are you better off today than you were four years ago? no politician or pundit can spin the answer. every individual american knows that answer precisely in their own lives. and i'm looking forward to asking that question again as the tax reform takes effect. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in reces until noon. is >> let's take you live to the capi

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