the stewards of our government gathered here today, those who are willing to serve under grueling public scrutiny. i pray that you would grant them wisdom and grace an fortitude to execute their responsibilities. lord, you know as a nation, we are facing some of the biggest challenges in our young history. and we ask for your guiding hand, we seek your guiding hand to do what we cannot do. we acknowledge your ability to move us past our failures, our sins, and our humanity. i pray that this session would be a time of humility and healing and laying down differences to unite us even as your son, jesus christ, lay down his life for us, a greater purpose, help our government, help our government officials, to lay down their own agendas for the greater good, for providing for the underserved, for caring for the disenfranchised, and for fighting for those who cannot ight for themselves. bless and protect these men and women and their families for those who would be unreasonable and those who would try to harm them. we pray, lord, that you would bless the united states of america. in your name we pray, amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approve. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? -- ask -- mr. wilson: i object to the -- i ask for a vote on the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina. mr. wilson: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be led by mr. mullin. mr. mullin: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, is recognized for one minute. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor pastor gary grogan. pastor grogan has served as the pastor of stone creek church for 25 years and today he is our pastor. he and his lovely wife bonnie have two children and five grandchildren. both his children also serve in the ministry. stone creek has grown into a thriving, multiethnic congregation leading many outreach programs focused on justice and compassion. he's led efforts for fundraising to build facilities, assisting those trapped in sex trafficking, and providing medical supplies and other necessities to victims of natural disasters. the bible says in proverbs says those who refresh others will themselveses be refreshed. pastor grogan has spent a lifetime helping those around him. i want to offer my heartfelt thanks to pastor grogan and his congress depation in urbana, illinois, for allowing him to be here today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the distinguished speaker of the house seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker of the house, the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute. mr. boehner: -- the speaker: unemployment remains high, wages remain stagnant, prices are rising faster than paychecks. the middle class is getting squeezed and the policies from this administration have not worked. five years after the president took office, many americans are still asking the question, where are the jobs? unfortunately, instead of helping to create job the president's focusing on -- focused on making it easier to live without one. the house is focused on making it easier to find a job, to break the status quo, not to sustain it. we've passed dozens of bills sitting over in the snavement our focus is on ending this new normal, improving employment, not unemployment. president says he wants to make this year a year of action. sounds good to me. he can start by calling on the leaders in the senate to pass our jobs bills he can start by approving the keystone pipeline and the tens of thousands of jobs it will create. he can start by leading on trade promotion authority that will help employers and provide more employment in our country. he can start by working with us on education and skills training to give people more opportunities. let's make this a year of bipartisan action. i'm sure the american people would welcome that. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise to recognize january as national slavery and human trafficking prevention month. as unbelievable as it may sound, it's it's estimated that 20.9 million people were victims of some form of labor, forced labor, including trafficking in 2012. most of these victims, sadly, were women and children. and while we may believe or hope to believe that this is happening across oceans, it's actually occurring rampantly across the east bay. mr. swal well: i saw this first -- mr. swalwell: i saw this firsthand when i worked in the alameda district attorney's office, mostly with victims who are too often teenage girls. we cannot sit by as millions of people are exploited in this way, denigrating, demeaned and disparaged. it's in this month we commit ourselves to ending human trafficking once and for all. in my district, nancy o'malley and her organization is doing their part. district attorney omall lee announced a massive public relations campaign to draw attention to this issue and help victims. i have one of the posters, i pe people will call 510 -- 510-645-9388 if they suspect trafficking is happening. with hard work we can bring this to an end. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, i rise today in support of the american dream. our country is a land of entrepreneurs and we get up every morning and put our boots on and go to work. americans should have the opportunity to have a good job and a good life, rather than develop a life of dependency on unemployment. mr. mullin: i don't want my company to simply maintain status quo. in the business community if you don't grow, you die. so why would we want to keep our country status quo? if we only focus on maintaining our current unemployment structure, and we don't focus on job creation, we simply are admitting we don't want to grow. the goal should be to provide a way forward for people, not keep them on government assistance even longer. we need a focus on ways to combat joblessness. let's rein in overreaching regulations that's killing jobs. let's grow the private sector. let's grow the energy sector. and let's approve the keystone pipeline. the result will be the creation of private sector jobs and living above status quo. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, madam chair, madam speaker. today i rise in honor of 5-year-old morgan stewart who despite suffering from spinal muscular atrophy that affects his muscle movement and leaves him in a wheelchair, has been an inspiration to us all. some may question whether bipartisanship is real and i say it's alive and getting better. take, for instance, the recent joint venture by myself and my neighbor, dr. paul broun, to bring cheer to a young man and his community this young 5-year-old dreamed of being a policeman and i'm proud to say that the covington police department which is split between doctor broun's district and my district, made this appen. young morgan always wanted to be a police officer in conjunction with honoring him, alive tv and us held an officer morgan day and he was sworn in as the newest member of the covington police department and just hours after he was sworn in, he was able to solve -- he was able to solve a bank robbery, an art heist and he secured the freedom of a a kidnapped mascot. it was a great day in covington and his unwavering bravery grabbed all of our hearts and raised our spirits, i thank dr. broun for his involvement and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. broun: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to acknowledge the accomplishments ofmore began stewart. a 5-year-old boy from covington, georgia. morgan was born with a genetic condition that affects his muscle movement and confines him to a wheelchair. however, morgan's physical limitations have in no way hindered his goals of becoming a police officer. when the covington, georgia, police department heard of morgan's dream they sprang into action, swearing him in as a police officer. then on december 17, 2013, the town of covington celebrated officermore began day andmore began stewart was cheered on as he fought crime and captured the bad guys during covington's annual christmas parade. morgan even teamed up with the basketball star shaquille o'neal to rescue a cat from a tree. on behalf of the united states congress, i commend officer morgan for his service as a police officer and thank him for the strong example that he sets for all those who face medical and physical hardships. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to urge our republican leadership to immediately renew the emergency unemployment insurance that expired december 28. it affects 1.3 million families. failing to extend the emergency unemployment insurance will ost the economy some 240,000 jobs this month. you see, i believe you can extend the emergency unemployment insurance and grow the economy at the same time. mrs. beatty: these fam his depend on it to put a roof over their head. to feed and take care of their families. in my district, in ohio, there are 26,000 individuals unemployed. i say, let's work together as democrats and republicans and make a difference for the families who count on us. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: in a recent "washington times" op-ed david keane writes, quote, lengthy unemployment benefits that encourage people to drop out of the work force and minimum wage laws that make the young and poor to reach the first ladder on the -- first rung on the lad over success are a tax on the american dream, end of quote. the most recent jobs reports provides no certainty that our economy is on its way to a full, healthy recoughry. the unemployment rate continues because people are discouraged and have given up the search for for a job. the american people are resilient, hardworking and need limited government. washington democrats continually support big government which discourage jobs and undermine small businesses' ability to grow. house republicans have a clear path forward to put the american people back to work. i urge the president and senate democrats to change course and support plans to create jobs. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: i rise in support of my -- of tens of thousands of my fellow texans, the unemployed and poor, who our economic recovery is leaving behind. many of our nation's leading companies and universityings and can-do attitude, texas has been a lead for the job creation and growth for the past decade. unfortunately this hasn't reached all texans. last year the labor department announced over 450,000 texas yaps earn at or below the minimum wage more than any other state in the country. nationwide 3 ppt 6 million americans earn at or below minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. -- is just over $15 an hor -- this is more than $15,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. these aren't just kids in high school earning minimum wage. less than a quarter of minimum wage earners are teenagers and more than 40% are over the age of 30. nobody can survive, let alone raise a familyly on $15,000. it's time for the recovery to benefit all americans not just the fortunate. too many of our friends and neighbors are being left behind and call on this chamber to bring up legislation that will increase the minimum wage. and extend unemployment benefits. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? . . >> thank you, madam speaker. i serve on the house intelligence committee where i spend time trying to figure out how to keep america safe and free. but today i want to talk about how american law and our constitution treats the least amongst us, the unborn. ultimately our nation will be judged not by how we treat the most powerful but by the most powerless. the 44th anniversary of row v. wade -- roe v. wade will be marked next week. there will be a big march in washington, d.c. since 1973 when it calm town over 400,000 kansans have been killed. mr. pompeo: this national tragedy is why next week thousands of people will come from kansas, hundreds from south central kansas alone for the march for life. they'll come from all kinds of walks and speak about this violence that's being done upon our nation. hundreds of people will get on buses. i hope to greet them there. and after the walk i hope they'll come to the cannon house office building where we can talk about the importance of this issue to our community and kansas and to our nation. you look forward to seeing them and i encourage everyone to come to washington, d.c., and act on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from oregon seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. bonamici: thank you, madam speaker. it's been more than three weeks since congress left for a december recess leaving far too many americans, including thousands of oregonians, without access to emergency unemployment benefits. that's a long time for our constituents who are trying to pay their rent, purchase groceries, care for their families, and fill their cars with gas so they can get to job interviews. now we are planning to leave town again tomorrow for 10 days without addressing this urgent need. my constituents are contacting me, pleading with congress to understand the challenges they face in this recovering economy. i heard from a college graduate. she previously owned her own business but lost her job in may and since then she's been retraining to get the skills they'll need. she's ready and willing to work in a new industry. unemployment benefits, which she is now without, were helping. she is one of too many. madam speaker, we must extend emergency unemployment benefits and we need to do it now, our constituents can't wait any longerment thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, next week marks 41 years since the supreme court's roe v. wade decision. nearly 57 million children have lost their lives since then. mr. fleming: this genocide of unborn americans must stop. congress should respect and defend innocent human life. an increasing majority of americans do not believe abortion should be legal for any reason at any time during pregnancy. and yet the u.s. stands with governments of north korea and china in refusing to restrict abortion, even up to the moment of birth. this house on a bipartisan vote last year voted to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence that an unborn child being aborted after 20 weeks in the womb experiences pain. it's past time for our colleagues in the senate to join us in standing up for the innocent by passing the pain capable unborn child protection act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, it has been over 40 years since the supreme court decided roe v. wade, affirming a woman's constitutional right to make her own health care decisions. ms. lofgren: in 2012, campaigns across the country, including mine, and that of the presidency, were fought and won on this issue. and yet here we are again. h.r. 7, a bill being considered by the republicans on the judiciary committee is a shameful attempt to deny a woman a right given to her under our constitution in pursuit of an ideology that has been repeatedly rejected by the american people. ms. brownley: madam speaker, that this house would even consider a bill that would require a woman to prove to the i.r.s. that she was raped or the victim of incest in order to have access to affordable health care is beneath the dignity of this body. it is beyond my comprehension. it is reprehensible. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, here we are entering this sixth year of the obama administration and we have reached a new milestone. it is a shameful and discouraging milestone that directly affects the lives of every working american family. after seven straight years of decline, this great nation has fallen out of the top 10 most economically free nations. mr. stewart: the united states of america, the nation that invented and created the world's greatest middle class, the nation that taught the world the meaning of free enterprise, the nation that figured out more than 200 years ago that greater economic freedom leads to greater individual growth, economic growth, social stability, personal opportunity, has now fallen behind such economic power houses has denmark and chile and estonia in economic freedom. and we all pay the price every american family, why are we doing this to our children? i hope and i pray that we can reclaim the american dream before it's too late. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? he gentlelady is recognized. >> extending federal unemployment insurance will create between 200,000 and 250,000 jobs this year alone. mrs. maloney: and boost g.d.p. by .2 percentage points according to a new report just issued by the joint economic committee democrats. for every dollar we invest in unemployment insurance, we get back almost $2 in economic activity. that's a great return everyone from main street to wall street should be able to agree on. the j.a.c. democrats report also found that unemployment insurance is one of the most effective tools that we have to keep families out of poverty. last year alone the program kept nearly 2.5 million people, including 600,000 children, out of poverty. allowing federal unemployment insurance to expire is not only wrong on a moral level because it pulls the rug out from under some of our neediest people, it is also an absolutely terrible investment decision for our country's economy. i urge my fellow democrats and republicans to extend unemployment insurance. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: madam speaker, the administration reported this week that they have fallen far short of their goal for signing young, healthy americans up for new obamacare plans. ever since the failure of healthcare.gov to launch properly, the administration has down played the importance of enrolling their goal of seven million americans in exchange plans. all the recent talk has been about how much more important it is to have a mix of older, sicker americans and younger, healthier americans. now we come to find out that this younger cohort only makes up 24% ever enrollees, that's 15 percentage points below their goal. the definition of success keeps changing. that is exactly why we need representative terry's bill to require h.h.s. to give congress and the american people solid data. we cannot trust officials who keep moving the goal post and keep assuring us that everything is fine when in reality it keeps failing. it's time we remove the rose colored glasses and get to the facts. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. >> one of the most common stories i hear from my constituents is the struggle to survive from paycheck to paycheck and to short their families. ms. kuster: maria shriver's report detailing the economic challenges for women in america is in the news this week and its findings are shocking. we face the alarming reality that one in three women either live in poverty or are right on the brink. 2/3 of the primary breadwinners in american families are women. yet women earnous 77 cents for every dollar earned by men performing the same job. ensuring that men and women receive equal pay for equal work isn't just a matter of fairness it's a matter of economic necessity. especially in these tough economic times. smaller paychecks and lack of paid family leave for women make it harder for mothers to support their families, purchase health care, send their kids to college, and save for retirement. congress must take the next step and institute new policies that support women and their families. as a nation we can and must do better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, modern day slavery of children will not end without public awareness. mr. poe: so in conjunction with the polari sufment project, clear channel is donating billboard space around phoenix to inform the people of arizona about the despicable crime of human trafficking. human trafficking increases around sporting events such as the super bowl. new jersey's getting ready for this year's super bowl by doing all they can to fight human trafficking, but arizona's working to bring awareness a year before their super bowl. human slavery happens right here in america. until we acknowledge the fact that young girls are being sold on the street, this despicable crime will continue. i commend clear channel and activist organizations like cindy mclean and the polaris project against the fight for human trafficking. we need to rescue the victims and put the slave traders behind bars. that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: the recent developments in our diplomatic efforts to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons have been among the most promising in history. in the interim, iran has agreed to stop enriching iranian among the necessary level for energy production, dilute its existing stockpile and allow unprecedented access to its nuclear facilities. during the next six months the administration and international community will continue working toward a more comprehensive, verifiable agreement that enforces prevention and advances peace in the region. already there are devastating consequences for iran if it does not comply with the agreement. but the progress achieved thus far demonstrates that diplomacy is working. congressional action now could jeopardize that progress, undermine the diplomatic process, and weaken our nation's position in future negotiations. as an american first but also as a jewish american, i strongly support israel's security and our nation's commitment to preventing iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. i also fully support advancing peace and stability in the middle east through diplomacy whenever possible. madam speaker, we are in the midst of an historic opportunity to prevent nuclear proliferation in iran, but it is fragile. congressional interference at such a sensitive time is a high risk, no reward proposition. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> madam speaker, unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. next week our nation will mark 41 years since the supreme court legalized abortion with the roe v. wade decision. during that time, more than 50 million children have been denied their god-given right to life. think about that. how different would our world have been if those children had lived. one might have cured cancer or been a teacher for your son or daughter. they matter. they all matter to their creator. they would have mattered to their friends and family. as a nation, we must recommit ourselves to defending the god-given right to life so we're not still wondering what might have been 40 years from now. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. >> as we debate how to extend unemployment benefits, and i hope we'll have that debate, we must remember what this vital lifeline means for real people. recently i held a round table discussion with people in my district to find work. mrs. davis: i was struck by what a difference the benefits make. eugene was unemployed in the health care industry until june of 2012. when his lifeline was cut off shortly after christmas, eugene noted how, and i quote him, confidence falls, financial pressures mount, anxiety increases and we begin to take desperate measures just to survive he added that these federal extensions do make a difference, particularly in the case of having stable housing. it is unfair to let this happen. after all, these benefits were earned by people who have worked and paid into the system. they should be able to put their full energy into getting a job. but if you can't afford housing, if you can't afford transportation to work, then that's nearly impossible to do. we should do the right thing for eugene and over a million fellow americans by extending this lifeline now. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north dakota seek recognition? mr. cramer: north dakota is known for its strong economy and lowest unemployment rate in the nation. we're also known as the home of north dakota state university or bison nation as we like to call it. while millions of football fans spent the first weekend of the new year hoping for global warming and contemplating what hearty bison is, fans watched as their thundering herd won a third consecutive national championship, capping a perfect 15-0 win-loss record with an exclamation mark. the route to three s.c.s. championships includes a record setting 24 consecutive victories and a three-year win loss record of 33-2. yes, my little state in the middle of the north american continent produces food for a energy for a growing economy, but today i salute the best f.c.s. football program in the united states with a hearty congratulations and a go bison! the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. veasey: as we continue to talk about raising the standards of living, i want to talk about raising the standard of living in america. the jobs report was filled with women but please understand that women's recent gains have been concentrated in low-wage sectors like retail and hospitality. women still tend to be driven away from the manufacturing sect yo which on average pays 17% higher than nonmanufacturing jobs. as a result the pay gap between women and men in our country continues to be an issue. before republicans deny extension of unemployment benefits to women everywhere, we need to take a multifaceted approach to solving pay and job discrepancies, including accessing to stem education to get them interested in manufacturing careers. we have a manufacturing gap in this country that needs to be filled an women can help do it. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to recognize donna shillelagh, former secretary of health and human services and the president of my alma mater, university of miami. president shalala is recipient of the sand in my shoes award given to community leaders who are shown through exceptional contributions that south florida really is the best place in which to live and work. under donna's leadership, the university of miami has grown in quality and prominence, is ranked not only as the best university in florida, but is consistently in the top 50 nationwide and its undergraduates, sports, law, and medical programs are recognized as some of the best in the country. president shalala's achievements at the u have strengthened a diverse community. donna shalala is a true champion of south florida. congrats, donna, and go canes. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? ms. titus: i ask unanimous consent to address though house or one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. . titus: i rise to recognize professor green as recipient of the 2013 eugene asher distinguished teaching award. the a.h.a., the leading professional organization in the country, dedicated to the study and testing of history, awards this prize only once a year to recognize outstanding teaching and javo kacy for history. -- and advocacy for history. this is the first time ever this prestigious award has gone to a community college professor. dr. green's vitae is too ims preive to be described in one minute. i'll include additional information in my extended remarks for the record. meantime, let me say i can imagine no one more deserving of this award. i commend dr. dreen for -- green for this division. i am proud to have him as a friend, colleague, and constituent. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from maryland seek recognition? the gentlelady is recognized. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. i rise as a co-sponsor of h. reform 3824, emergency unemployment compensation extension act. it's unencumbered, it's unconditional and we could put that on the floor today to extend unemployment benefits for all those americans, 1.3 million of them, who have lost their unemployment benefits as of december 28. now in the couple of weeks ince then, another 218,700 americans have also lost their unemployment benefits. we're talking about a modest benefit here, madam speaker. $313 a week on average to pay for food, housing, gas, to look for a job. over the holidays, i spent some time with unemployed workers at our local electrical union and for every time a job appeared, 200 workers show up to try to get that job. these people are hardworking, they've earned the benefit and it's time to put h.r. 3824 on the floor today. americans must be sayinging come on, congress, get your act together and pass an extended unemployment bill. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. improving the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks is one of the most important things we can do to fight climate change. thanks to an executive order signed by president obama, the federal vehicle fleet is become manager efficient and by 2020, it will reduce petroleum use, saving money and cleaning the air. but the united states postal service which owns around orpes the world's largest civilian feet is exempt from this effort and is heading in the wrong direction on fossil fuel consumption. 141,000 of their vehicles are aging gru mmbing man l.l.v.'s, the old mail truck we see in our neighborhood every day. most get less than 10 miles per hour and -- 10 miles per gallon and are reaching the end of their life spann. the post service desperately needs a modern, efficient fleet. that's why i'm introducing the fleet act, federal efficient energy transportation. a quarter of our nation's greenhouse gases are emitted in sector. le mr. huffman: it's time to take our worst fleet and make it our best fleet. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rise? the gentlelady is recognized. >> i rise to speak out against the proposal to lower the amount of biofuels in our gasoline. everiee the e.p.a. is required to provide guidelines to oil refineries on the amount of biofuels to blend into the fuel we pump into our vehicles. while the e.p.a. has the authority to reduce the amount of biofuels, it never has before. ms. bustos: it defies common sense. this isn't just a proposal that will hurt illinois rural farmers but the economy at large in my home state. it also builds a brick wall in the middle of our nation's path toward energy independence, threatens to drive up prices at the gasoline pumps and risks jobs in an industry that offers real promise. the administration's proposal doesn't even man maintain the status quo, it moves us backward. i see that as unacceptable. i'm proud to lead a bipartisan effort with congresswoman noem in urging the e.p.a. to revise its proposal. if energy infence is a national priority, so, too, should be biofuels. thank you, madam speaker, and i ield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? >> madam speaker, by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 458 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 80, house resolution 458, resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to take from the speaker's table the bill h.r. 3547 to extend the application of certain space launch liability provisions through 2014 with the senate amendments thereto and to consider in the house without intervention of any point of order a single motion offered by the chair of the committee on appropriations or his designee that the house, one, concur in the senate amendment to the title and two, concur in the senate amendment to the title with an amendment inserting the text of rules committee print 113-32 in lieu of the matter proposed to be insertedy the senate. the senate amendment and the motion shall be considered as read. the motion shall be debatable for one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriation. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the motion to adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question. section two. upon adoption of this motion, specified in the first section of this resolution, house concurrent resolution 74 shall be considered as adopted. section three. the chair of the committee on appropriations may insert in the congressional record not later than january 16, 2014, such material as may be deemed explanatory of the senate amendments and the motion specified in the first section of this resolution. section 4. on any legislative day in the period from january 17, 2014, through january 24, 2014, a, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved and b, the chair may at any time declare the house adjourned to meet at a date and time within the limits of clause 4, section 5, article 1 of the constitution to be announced by the chair in declaring the adjournment. section 5. the speaker may appoint members to perform the duties of the chair for dedureation of the period addressed by section 4 of this resolution as though under clause 8a of rule 1. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for one -- for one our. >> i yield -- mr. cole: i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from worcester. all time is yielded for purposes of debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cole: yesterday the rules committee met and offered a rule, it authorizes the chairman of the committee on appropriations to offer a motion that the house concur in senate amendment with the house amendment consist og of the text of the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations bill. it provides for one hour of debate equally provided -- divided between the chair and ranging member of the committee on appropriations and it conforms the tite to the content of the bill by providing for the passage of an enrollment correction after adoption of chairman rogers' motion. lastly, madam speaker, the rule provides floor management tools to be used during next week's recess. madam speaker, i want to commend my good friends, chairman rogers and ranking memberlow wie for bringing to this house a bipartisan bill that brings to a close the fiscal year 2014 appropriations process while maintaining the republican commitment to fiscal responsibility. since republicans took control of the house we cut discretionary spending four years in a row, the first time since the korean war that's occurred. at the same time, this bill provides no new funding for the affordable care act and also includes a pension fix for medically retired personnel and survivor benefit annuitants. while there's still work to be done to be sure we honor the service of our veterans and military retirees, this is a good bipartisan first step. madam speaker, i know many of my friends here voted against the ryan-murray compromise budget and voted against the fiscal cliff deal of 2011. however, look at where these pieces of legislation have brought us. we have cut discretionary spending four years in a row to a level $164 billion below the fiscal year 2008 level. the last year of the bush presidency. that's a fete to be commended. we have -- feat to be commended. we dealt with tax expenditures as a portion of the fiscal cliff deal. despite this progress, we still have not been able to close over $600 billion of our annual budget deficit. madam speaker, discretionary spending has paid more than its fair share in dealing with our budget deficit. entitlements such as medicare and medicaid spending and other mandatory programs must be reformed in order to put us on a path to a balanced budget. with the passage of this omnibus, which releases us from the threat of a government shutdown, we are showing the american people we actually are capable of working in a bipartisan manner. i hope in the future we can work to capitalize on our bipartisan success and bring america's bloated debt and deficit under control. madam speaker, passing this rule and this omnibus spending bill is the responsible thing to do. it's the thoughtful thing to do. as opposed to lurching from crisis to crisis, this omnibus is carefully crafted over the period of many months and it sets priorities, controls spending, and reasserts congressional authority over the appropriations process, far more effectively than yet another continuing resolution ever could. many of our colleagues have not seen regular order in the appropriations process. sadly, until the senate is able to pass bills for us to conference together, i think we'll be forced into relying on omnibus' in the future. but this is not a continuing resolution. and the ryan-murray agreement gives us a reasonable foundation for our work in fiscal year 2015. with that i urge support of the rule and the underlying bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from oklahoma, my friend, mr. cole, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. and i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, what we have before us can be described very carrottably as a mixed bag. this is a 1,500-page bill that nobody has actually read. this is by the way two sided. it came before the rules committee less than 24 hours after it was filed. and because of this rule and the process used to create the bill, no member, no republican or no democrat, will have the opportunity to amend it or change it in any way. and to top it all off, this legislative vehicle that the republican leadership -- the legislative vehicle that the republican leadership is using to rocket this bill over to the senate is h.r. 3547, the space launch liability indemnification extension act. no wonder the american people think congress is living on another planet. when people talk about regular order, this ain't it. but we are where we are. and i do want to thank chairman rogers and ranking member lowey and the house and senate appropriators for their hard work in putting the underlying omnibus appropriations bill together. i will support this bill very reluctantly because the alternative is far worse. yet another republican shutdown of the government. yet another unnecessary economically devastating and politically motivated mess. yet another attempt by congressional republicans to damage an economy still struggling to recover from the worst recession in our lifetimes. so, yes, i will vote for the bill, but we need to curb our enthusiasm. the numbers in this bill are awful. they may be slightly less awful than the republican sequester numbers, but they're still awful. fewer kids will be cut from head start, but we are nowhere near meeting our educational needs. more funds will be provided for critical medical research, but not enough. there will be more funding for liheap, for our cities and towns, for anti-hunger programs. while it begins to unto the sequester, it does so for only two years. and we need to get rid of it forever. permanently. so with this bill we are waist deep instead of neck deep in manure. hooray, i guess. even so, i'm sure that many tea party members of this house will vote against this bill today because they still think it spends too much. all of the right-wing outside groups who really call the shots around here are work -- whipping hard against it. more important, madam speaker, what is miss interesting this bill or the republican leadership's agenda is any acknowledge of the -- acknongment of the immediate problem of millions of people who are losing their long-term unemployment benefits. on december 28, 1.3 million unemployed americans saw their long-term unemployment insurance expire. including more than 58,000 in massachusetts. since then unemployment insurance has expired for an additional 72,000 more americans each week. yet the republicans continue to do something. let me remind my colleagues how we got here. after a difficult economic period in the early 1990's, and prolonged budget fights, president clinton left us with a budget surplus. a surplus that was then paid for d through un wars, president bush, and the republican congress. the clinton surplus turned into a record deficit that was exacerbated by the global recession that started at the end of the bush administration. six years after president bush left office, we still have an unacceptable level of unemployment and an economy that is getting better for some while at the same time leaving many behind. and that's where unemployment insurance comes in. this program is a lifeline for millions of people who lost their jobs, most because of the recession and not because of any issues regarding job performance. unemployment insurance helps millions of families pay their bills and put food on their tables. things they could do if they had jobs but they can't because they are unemployed. yet republicans in the senate continue to filibuster a bill to extend unemployment insurance, and the house republican leadership refuses even to consider any bill. we can't even get a bill on this floor so that members of both sides of the aisle can have a chance to, press their views. it is shameful, it is unconscionable, and hurts our economic growth. madam speaker, this isn't about some abstract piece of federal polcy. this is about the lives of our own citizens. it's about our neighbors who are simply trying to get by. it's about people who want to work and who are willing to work but who need help until they find a new job. they deserve a hell of a lot better than they are getting from this congress. madam speaker, i want to urge that we defeat the previous question. and i will offer an amendment to this rule if we defeat the previous question that will allow the house to hold a vote on a clean three-month unemployment insurance extension. this is -- this has been introduce bide my colleague from massachusetts, congressman turny. if congress -- congressman tear any -- tierney. if the congress doesn't react, there will be no relief. i ask to insert the text of the amendment along with material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i will again before this debate is over remind my colleagues to vote no and defeat the previous question. let me just close again by saying we need to move this process forward and i expect that that's what this omnibus will do. but we are about to leave for a break starting tomorrow. one of the many breaks that the republican leadership constantly gives us, so we are going to leave town and meanwhile all these millions of americans who are depending on us to help them get through this difficult time, are just going to be left alone. we are going to turn our backs on them. that is, to me, unconscionable. and i would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with us and defeat the previous question so we can deal with this issue on unemployment insurance. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oklahoma. mr. cole: madam speaker, i yield myself 30 seconds to respond to my friend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cole: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank my friend for his support of what's a bipartisan bill. a bill that the president of the united states also issued a statement of support. we appreciate that. i would suggest that we are actually doing what my friend quite often suggest we'd would do, work in a bipartisan manner, arrive at a common solution. i would add one thing to my friend's description of the 1990's, you ought to give credit to the republican majority who voted for those agreements when most democrats did not to balance the budget and particularly speaker gingrich, because with all due respect to president clinton he never once had the balanced budget w that i yield three minutes to my good friend and colleague from the rules committee, classmate, distinguished member from utah, mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized for three minutes. mr. bishop: thank you, madam speaker. i rise to engage in a colloquy with the agricultural committee chairman lucas of oklahoma and interior appropriations, mr. calvert of california. in relation to pilt. pilt is a program for counties across america that are heavily owned by the federal government. counties in every state except rhode island benefit from this program's first established in 1979. pilt helps to offset the loss of property tax revenue caused by the presence of federal land. the firl government is the largest landowner in the united states and fills the obligations and communities where the ownership presence is the greatest. one out of every three acres in our country is federally owned. as can you see from the map, most of this land is concentrated in the west. counties with federal land in their jurisdiction are tea need property tax revenues typical of communities with privately owned land, and that diminishes a tax base which hinders rural communities from fulfilling some of the most basic functions. pilt's previous funding has expired and now we are in a situation where we have to find a new source. we are pleased yesterday when the speaker and majority leader expressed their support that qualified counties would receive 2014 founding. subcommittee chairman calvert, as we continue to work on 2014 funding matters, it seems apparent funding for pilt will be included in other important legislative vehicles in the future. is that your understanding? mr. calvert: the gentleman is a correct. pilt has been a mandatory program under the jurisdiction of the authorizing committee since fiscal year 2008. fiscal year 2007 was the last year that filth was funded with discretionary funds. -- pilt was funded with investigation funds. funding for pilt last year was provided in theman 21 legislation. milt provided an interior -- pilt provided an interior provision. it would not have been able to address other issues. pilt is important to my own state of california which is the largest recipient of pilt payments with over $41 million received in fiscal year 2013. like my good friend, i'm absolutely committed to securing pilt funding for our counties in fiscal year 2014. it's my understanding that chairman lucas has agreed to carry pilt funding in the farm bill in the conference report. chairman lucas, do you concur? mr. cole: i yield an additional two minutes. mr. lucas: yes, mr. calvert, i do. i have had a preliminary conversation with chairman stabenow who is a strong supporter, as well as chairman hastings, whose committee oversees the program. i also have the backing of house republican leadership and i can assure you both that it is my intention to provide funding for pilt in the final conference committee agreement on the farm bill. i am very much aware of the importance of this program for rural communities across america in providing funding for necessary functions like police, education, and infrastructure. thank you for this opportunity to discuss this important issue, and i look forward to working with you in this on the very near future. mr. bishop: we yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin -- two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, the ranking member of the committee on ways and means. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. mr. levin: thank you to the gentleman for yielding. more than 1.5 million long-term unemployed have now been cut off unemployment insurance with the expiration of the federal program. thrown out of work through no fault of their own, and desperately, desperately looking for a job. they are powerless. and to many in washington they are nameless, only a number. extending this unemployment benefit may talk about compassion, but they are throwing people to the wolves, whether hunger, helplessness or even homelessness. promise to try to change that. when wal-mart advertised 600 jobs in d.,