Transcripts For CSPAN Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20131010

The speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 226. The nays are 196. The motion is not adopted. Is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The question is on passage of the joint resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The gentleman from north carolina. Mr. Price i ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 249. The nays are 175. The joint resolution is passed. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The speaker pro tempore the ouse will be in order. Members will take their seats and cease conversations. He house will come to order. For what purpose does the gentlelady from minnesota seek recognition . Mrs. Bachmann i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for ne minute. Mrs. Bachmann mr. Speaker, i come to the podium today in recognition of the passing of my predecessor and one of the members of this body. Joining me at the podium are two members of the minnesota elegation, representative eric paulsen of minnesotas third Congressional District, a longtime friend, a former United States house of representatives rod graham, also joining me at the podium is United States representative rick nolan of minnesotas seventh Congressional District which was part of the territory also represented by the former representative, rod gramms. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to a former member of this house and the United States senate from the state of minnesota, representative and senator rod grams. Rod peacefully passed away late tuesday evening after lengthy after a lengthy battle with cancer. Rod was only 65 years old. Rod grams was a very humble man and a man who held onto principle. He grew up on a family farm in eastern minnesota, the town was named crown, minnesota. The evening that he received his eternal crown and its the same farm that his father grew up on. Its a farm where rod acquired his diligent, hard minnesotagrown work ethic. Rod grams worked in broadcasting for nearly 25 years in minnesota. He erched a reputation as a poss he earned a reputation educator who spoke with his fellow minnesotans. Rod built his own business and he realized the happiness and the challenges of creating jobs nd making a go of his american dream. Rod lived life to the maximum and to the full and he showed others how to do the same. Rod successfully navigated the real world which shaped his views before serving as minnesotas sixth Congressional District representative and then in the entire state of minnesota in the United States senate. Rod grams was dedicated to maintaining personal liberty. Rod was dedicated to doing everything within his power to protect americans against the constantly growing size and scope of the federal governments intrusion into the lives of the real americans that he represented at this great capitol. With rods keen eye and longterm vision, minnesotans had a dedicated advocate here in the halls of the United States congress. It was an honor for myself and for my house, marcus, to know rod grams for decades. He was a leader. He was an example, but most importantly, he was my friend. My heart goes out to his wife, christine, to his four beautiful children and to the ones who were the light of his life to his grandchildren. And while rod grams will be greatly missed here in this body, we take comfort in the fact that he contributed so much by way of service to the great state of minnesota and to our country. You see, we all benefit from od grams monumental legacy. Mr. Speaker, i would ask now that the house of representatives observe a moment of silence to honor the incredible life of former United States senator rod grams. The speaker pro tempore members will please rise. Paulsen mr. Speaker the speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Paulsen mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. Mr. Paulsen mr. Speaker, i want to thank my colleague from minnesota for organizing the rest of the delegation and congressman kleine has joined us and ack congressman kline has joined us and acknowledged the wonderful servant, congressman and senator rod grams, who lost his battle with cancer with his wife. He lost peacefully with his wife by his side, christine, by his side. First, our families went to church together. I was a young student. I remember rod grams not only as a successful Small Business man but someone who is with a a amous anchorman on channel 9 kmsp. He led the news and ran for congress back in 1992 and then in the United States senate in 1994. The one thing i will always remember about rod grams is that he always he always maintained his smalltown minnesota rural values. He embodied those values. He shared those values. He always lived them to the fullest, and we remember his service to our state and i thank my colleagues for joining me today. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Kline i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. I thank my colleagues for being down here to remember somebody who was in many ways really bigger than life. Big, tall rod grams. He wanted to do something for his state and his country and he did. Came to the house of representatives to serve one term. And while he was here in his freshman term, he ran for the United States senate and won. He had a lot of things that he worked on, but one of them was the child tax credit. Long, tough slog that he brought all the way across the finish line and thats who rod was. He didnt quit. He knew what he was about. It was an independent thinker. He was unafraid to take a stand and speak up for his state and his country and well miss him. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Nolan i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute. Mr. Nolan mr. Speaker, members of the house, im proud to say rod was a constituent of mine, last years of his life, running a small town Radio Station where he did a wonderfully good job. He was always so thoughtful and so dedicated to Public Service and so highly regarded by all who knew him, he was a wonderful public servant. He he contributed much to the wellbeing of minnesota and to this nation and to the civility and of this chamber in itself. And his contributions are enormous, and his presence will be forever apparent here and we will miss him greatly. We, tend our deepest Heartfelt Sympathies to the families and all those who had the good fortune to know and work with rod grams. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition . Mr. Ellison i ask unanimous consent for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Ellison mr. Speaker, i join my colleagues here to simply pay great tribute and honor to a dedicated public servants, a person who loved his country, who put it all on the line to the betterment of his neighbors and fellow americans. Rob grams is a proud son of minnesota and hell be deeply missed. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Mrs. Bachmann yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair will now entertain requests for oneminute speeches. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition . I request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Frankel mr. Speaker, as we enter day 10 of this reckless, irresponsible government to own, i once again turn dr. Seuss, the wellknown author best known for being able to ommunicate well to children. Some wisdom from yurtle the turtle. Im yurtle the turtle. Oh marvelous me, for i am the ruler for all that can see. Your majesty please, i dont like to complain, but down here below we are feeling great pain. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Ms. Brown thank you, mr. Speaker. I would like to discuss how the republican imposed house of representatives Government Shutdown is affecting our nations veterans. Just yesterday v. A. Secretary shinseki testified in the Veterans Affairs committee that several points straight ahead. If the shutdown continues, there will be over 3. 8 million veterans who will not receive disability compensation payment. That means they will not get their checks in the mail. By november 1. 315 veterans and over 200,000 surviving spouse and dependents will not see her pension payments see their pension payments, education payments for more than half a million veterans using the g. I. Bill will end. Its really very shameful that the republicans are doing this to our veterans. Over billion in benefits and nearly 6 billion in benefits and nearly five million veterans and their families will not receive their pension payment. Shame on the Republican House of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition . To address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, in the context of the debate that is going on in the country right now about how we get our National Finances in order, i think its very important to remember that it would be unfair for future generations of americans, for our kids and grandkids, if we raise the debt ceiling without making the reforms necessary to get Government Spending under control. Mr. Barr no one wants a default on our National Debt, but no one should want to leave mountains of debt to our future children and grandchildren. Congress must continue to focus on reforming government to avert a National Debt crisis. The president says obamacare should not be part of the discussion of funding the government or raising the debt limit, but obamacare is fundamentally connected to spending and debt. The president s Signature Health care law after all was passed through the reconciliation process which is reserved exclusively for budget related bills. For those who use this special budget process to now say that its not budget related is very cynical. Obamacares projected costs has more than doubled since the president originally claimed it would reduce the deficit. It will cost this country 2 trillion over the next 10 years. I urge everyone to remember that obamacare is part of the discussion about how we reduce our National Debt. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlemans time has expired. For what purpose does the gentleman from nevada seek recognition . Ask for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Million horsford thank you, mr. Speaker. I come to the floor today saddened by the news that a nevada assemblywoman, peggy pierce, has passed away. She was a staunch liberal conscience of the nevada state legislature. But she commanded respect from both sides of the aisle because of her steadfast belief in her principles. Because she was a hard worker, and because she cared so deeply about the wellbeing of her constituents and the people of nevada. I first met peggy before her time in the assembly as a fellow organizer helping to coordinate Rapid Response for displaced workers in las vegas after the tragic events of september 11. She was as committed to helping others then as she was in her tenure at the nevada legislature. She succumbed to cancer but she did not lose the fight. She put her constituents before herself, and in that sense she has always been a true public servant. My thoughts and prayers are with her family. You will truly be missed, my friend. I yield back my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The chair lays before the house the following personal request. The speaker pro tempore leave of absence requested for mr. Hastings of florida for today. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the request is granted. Under the speakers announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from california, mr. Takano, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. Mr. Takano thank you, mr. Speaker. Today i will be hosting a number of members from my home state of california. A state where the population is so diverse and where the culture is so rich that it is often described as a microcosm of america. Every language, every nationality, every ethnicity is represented in the golden state. Mr. Speaker, a state that is the 12th largest economy in the world. Californias economy is so big that its g. D. P. Rivals that of some fullblown industrialized nation, including australia, spain, mexico, and south korea. The economy in california is crucial to the national economy, and i am here tonight with my colleagues to speak against the Government Shutdown that has been manufactured and orchestrated by the House Republicans. A shutdown that is harming the national economy. A shutdown that is harming the california economy. And a shutdown that is harming the very communities that we represent. In my district, the 41st district, which represents riverside, more reno valley, paris, and the largest employer in my district, which is the reserve base with 8,500 people working at the base in some capacity. When the shutdown hit, 500 of these workers were affected by the furloughs. While Congress Passed legislation allowing these employees to go back to work, roughly 1,000 National Guardsmen at the base still will not be able to drill this month and will not receive pay. It is not just our Service Members who are hurt by this reckless shutdown. Lowincome children in my district are suffering, too. The Riverside County office of education receives federal funding through the Head Start Program to provide Childhood Development services and promote School Readiness for children under the age of 5. Because of this shutdown, the county is not able to draw down their grant money jeopardizing these Vital Services for nearly 3,500 Young Children in my county. About an hour east of my district is Joshua Tree National park where 92 park employees were given furlough notices. When the shutdown happened, park rangers were forced to notify campers that they had to vacate the park within 48 hours. 7,000 people a day visit Joshua Tree National park, and this shutdown is estimated to cost nearly 8,000 a day. But not just the park and its employees are going to suffer, local businesses will suffer as well. A cafe next to the park normally has a line out the door. The other day the manager reported the cafe made only 39. This is a Small Business, mr. Speaker. We have to end this shutdown not just for the furloughed Public Employees but for Small Businesses like that cafe. Im very pleased to be joined by several of my california colleagues, and as the first one of my colleagues from Southern California, id like to recognize, id like to introduce the distinguished member from californias let me get my lives districts here. Let me just here it is. Mr. The distinguished gentleman, mr. Alan hall from californias 47th district. He represents cities of long beach, garden grove, and cyprus, he sits on the foreign Affairs Committee and committee on natural resources. Happy to yield to the gentleman from californias 47th district. Thank you. Thank you, congressman takano. I request five minutes to speak. Mr. Hall you know, our economy as you pointed out is being held hostage mr. Lowenthal by the speaker, Speaker Boehner, for his refusal to put forth a clean budget funding bill, what is called a continuings resolution continuing resolution, after we democrats agreed to use his number. This is keeping us from really dealing with the real job of congress also. D that is to create jobs, to grow the economy. What id like to do is just to talk to you i have been talking to people in my district to give some specific examples of some of the impact of the of this irresponsible shutdown, and then also to talk about some of the personal experiences that people have called me and told me about. So, for example, in terms of my one of my cities, the largest city in my district, the city of long beach, and also in my district talk about the Small Business association, s. B. A. S. B. A. Gives approximately in the Congressional District, 47th district, about 308,000 of loans per day. They have not given out one loan since the government was shut down. That is to Small Businesses in the california 47th Congressional District. What about women and infant and children . The w. I. C. Program . In long beach alone, 25,000 women and children use w. I. C. Vouchers. That is to keep people from starving. That is to provide food. Those funding runs out this month. There is no other money to provide any funding for the w. I. C. Program. What about housing . 23,000 people in the city of long beach, and 6,600 Housing Units receive section 8 vouchers. They pay their rent once a month with these vouchers, and those apartments and those units get reimbursed by the government. There will be no payment to landlords in the city of long beach with section 8 vouchers. But thats just kind of the overview. What about some of the specifics . Over 20 years ago a dear friend of mine opened a card shop right near our house in part of the revitalization. I dont want to mention his name, but he opens this shop in the city, works very well, part of the revitalization, about a year and a half ago he he hurts his leg, goes to the hospital, finds out that he has, unfortunately, als, or lou gehrigs disease. This past december he loses his business because he could no longer operate, and today he lies in his living room almost totally paralyzed and barely able to breathe on oxygen. He and his partner adopted a 19 a child 19 years ago and is now 19. His department is employed by the department of defense. Hes furloughed. So my dear friend and his partner do not know how theyre going to pay his mortgage as he lies in his living room gasping for air. This is not the america that we know. I have another constituent who told me that he for two years a young lieutenant in a local police agency, local Law Enforcement agency after two years of applying and going through all the applications to enter the federal bureau of investigation, 11week Training Program here in washington with 211 of the most selected and highly chosen people throughout 48 states and 24 nations arrived last monday and tuesday, they closed down the f. B. I. Training facility. All the instructors were furloughed. He will lose his opportunity, the one opportunity to move forward that he had because we and the speaker will not bring up with this congress, the speaker will not bring up a clean funding bill. Ill close by telling you about one other email i received. An exempt worker working but not being paid. I will default on my mortgage, however, stay strong in your resolve. Do not succumb to extortion. We, the people, are suffering. Your colleagues are clueless and apparently heartless as well. Please remind them who they work for. We, the people. Ifle a civil servant. Im a civil servant. So are congressmen and congresswomen. Its time for a wakeup call in congress. Mr. Takano thank you, mr. Lowenthal. I know you have to run on to committee and good luck. Mr. Lowenthal thank you. Mr. Takano next, id like to yield some time to a great leader in the environment, somebody who in the California Legislature authored some ndmark bills that have improved the environment. Hes also hes among one of the most progressive members of this body, my i sit with him in the progressive caucus. Representative Jared Huffman of californias Second District which includes the city of crescent city, fort bragg, san rafael, and other cities. He sits on the Budget Committee as well as the committee on natural resources. Im happy to yield to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from californias Second District, mr. Huffman. Mr. Huffman thank you. I want to thank my friend from Southern California very much for including me in this special order hour. There are so many ways in which this republican Government Shutdown is hurting the people of california, hurting the people of my district. But i just wanted to speak for a few minutes about some very particular ways in my district that people are feeling the pain. Second district of california is an amazing place. Im honored to represent it. One of the things that makes it special are the abundant public lands. We have protected coasts, parks, recreation areas, forests, wilderness areas. These public lands are essential to our regions tourism, recreation and resource economy. The north coast tourism economy is a big deal. It creates 3. 5 billion in annual tourism spending, more than 42,000 jobs and nearly 225 million in local and state tax revenue. Visitors from all over america in fact, all over the world come to our public lands, and thanks to the republican shutdown, much of that Economic Activity is grinding to a halt. The point raised National Seashore is closed. In 2011, this seashore received 2. 1 2. 1 million visitors and brought in millions of dollars in Economic Activity to the area. The shutdown is starting to impact Small Business owners in and around the park in west marin. Dollars that he these recreation areas attract. And the golden gate landmark has 14 1 2 million visitors each year. The spending on an annual basis is nearly 300 million for the region because of that visitation. Are ommisaries and vendors shut down. They are not purchasing the local food and theyre hurting the marin and Sonoma County farms. Tourism is one of the most important drivers in manned mandicino y county. 74 of the visitors to the county come to the public lands, lands that are now closed. And what about californias redwood coast, further north in humble county . You guessed it, redwood National Park is being forced to turn away visitors. And yet in response to the shutdown, this house has spent the last week voting on bandaid bills that attempt to pit one part of government or one program against all the others. This is a surreal proposition. The idea that our economy is hemorrhaging more than 300 million a day because of this political stunt and our g. O. P. Majority offers these bandaid bills that arent going to end it. The senate is not going to take up and approve these bills, and the president has made it clear that he would veto them even if they did. So this is not going to solve the problem, but that unfortunately is how weve been spending our time. These are not honest attempts to restore funding for our public lands. Undo the nt begin to damage that they are doing to our seashore and recreational industries. This is creating hollywood storefronts rather than seriously trying to reopen our government. And even if these piecemeal bills were to pass, lets not pretend that it would solve the problem. So to give you just one example, one of the bandaid bills that we debated and voted on over the last week pretended to reopen our parks and yet it would not reopen completely ignores, in fact, the 2. 4 million acres of National Forest service land. And there are many other examples of park and recreation areas and public lands that would have been left behind and still subject to the Government Shutdown. In my Congressional District, we have major Forest Service lands and a Forest Service presence. Many people in businesses rely on our National Forests being open for business, and just this week i got word that a salvage logging operation in the Trinity National Shasta Trinity National Forest is being at risk of being shut down because of where we are in this Government Shutdown. This is a consensus project to harvest trees, to avoid public hazards, to do something thats good for the forest, good for the local economy and it is at risk of not happening because of this political stunt. This is causing real economic damage and potentially real fire safety damage to the communities that i represent. So lets stop posturing, lets stop the p. R. Stunts, lets stop the hollywood storefronts, stop deflecting, stop insulting the intelligence of the American People. Lets have an up or down vote to reopen our public lands and indeed to reopen our government. I thank you and yield back to my friend, congressman takano. Mr. Takano thank you. Thank you, mr. Huffman. If you want to care to stay just a few moments to have a little back and forth. Mr. Huffman i will. Mr. Takano we come from different parts of the great state of california. I know we both share a deep love for our state, and ive been to your part, ive been to your district. To sonoma and the great forests that you have in your district, and its a terrible thing to see just as california is coming out of this recession i dont know about you, but i visited a number of these businesses during the congressional break, during the work period, during august and Early September and there were so many hopeful stories about people saying weve gotten through this hump, weve gotten through the worst of the 2008, 2009, 2010 recession. There was even talk that real estate in my area of the state which was hit hard is coming back. And i told all these folks, im so glad to hear these wonderful stories. I just hope that we dont in washington end up, through any unnecessary actions, irresponsible and reckless that s set back the gains we have made. I dont know about you, but in my district i can certainly see how shutting down the government and threatening to not raise the debt ceiling would have just tremendous adverse consequences on the 12th largest economy in the world. Mr. Huffman theres no doubt about it, and i think youre exactly right. Prior to my election in congress i spent six years in the California Legislature where we had our own fiscal crises and, yes, at times the government practically shut down. We worked through it. We found compromise, and you are absolutely right, congressman, california is on a tremendous verge of a comeback. Jobs are coming in, investment is coming in to our state. Things are really beginning to happen in a great way in the state of california after a tough period. Just when it seems were getting started, along comes this federal Government Shutdown with so many impacts to our economy. And the debates that we have here in washington dont even scratch the surface of how this is hurting people and undermining Consumer Confidence and setting us back in places like california where we have the potential to do enormous things in terms of research and so many other ways we contribute to the national economy. Mr. Takano well, thank you so much for coming down to speak bout how this shutdown, this g. O. P. Imposed shutdown, manufactured shutdown and how this threat to not raise the debt limit is jeopardizing truly, you know, one of the great our entire nation, but we in california are a tremendous engine behind the whole big picture of the economic mind of our country, you know, an economy which represents 12 of the Global Economy is nothing to be cavalier about. Mr. Huffman absolutely. As we talk about this incredible economic damage and risks that politicians are taking with our economy, what im hearing from my district is how incredulous people are because there is such an obvious and simple way solution on the way forward. Lets have an up or down vote on whether we continue this Government Shutdown and end it and even end it, at least temporary on republican budget numbers. That seems so imminently reasonable and sensible and in fact it was the deal that one house struck and advanced out of that house with bipartisan action and yet here we are in the house of representatives with a small faction rejecting that deal, holding the entire countrys economy potentially hostage for political reasons. Its just something my constituents cant understand. Mr. Takano le with, i thank the gentleman. Well, i thank the gentleman. Mr. Huffman thank you. Mr. Takano now id like to recognize a representative from a neighboring district, californias 35th district. Have known congresswoman Gloria Negrete mccloud, gosh, when we began our career as Community Trustees and its great to sit beside her and sit in this chamber sometimes when we are she sits on the committee of agriculture and the committee on Veterans Affairs. Which i also sit. We are both committed to the huge veterans population that we have in the area of california that we both represent, inland Southern California. I now yield to the distinguished the gentlelady from california from californias 35th district, Gloria Negrete mcleod. Mrs. Negrete mcleod thank you, congressman. Like the over 3,800 federal employees who live in the 35th Congressional District, these are all hardworking men and women in the federal government work force. Like the constituents who wrote us asking why death benefits for veterans were not being paid out, like the dairy owner that called this very morning, why they wanted to know they have not received money owed to them from the federal government, these are just a few of the cases that are going on in my district. And while progress has been made in the nations economic recovery from the greatest recession since the last depression, the federal Government Shutdown hampers that very recovery. A bad down sends message to the community, that government is unreliable. The 35th districts constituents are not being held by helped by the Small Business administration because of this shutdown. The s. B. A. Is currently approving zero general Small Business, real estate, and equipment loans. This hurts californias 35th Congressional District. Last year, the s. B. A. Approved almost 500,000 a day in Small Business, real estate and equipment loans in my district. The money enabled job growth. This equates to more than 1 billion not currently being lent to Small Businesses across the country. In one month. Businesses in my district, the state, and across the nation are losing money every day because of the Government Shutdown. We should be helping businesses grow and start up and grow. We should be doing everything we can to grow jobs and grow our economy. Congress should not be an impediment that slows prosperity in america. And without a solution to the federal governments shutdown, lowincome women and children will suffer, without programs that congress fought hard to secure. Federally funded programs like the women, infant and children program, commonly known as w. I. C. , is at risk of having its funding diminished under a Government Shutdown. W. I. C. Provides nutritional education and healthy foods, enabling families to make lifelong Healthy Eating and lifestyle choices. In california alone, 1. 5 million lowincome women and children will be impacted should congress not act to end this shutdown. This is a time when 27 of californias children are considered to be foodinsecure. Children lacking access to enough foods or nutritionally adequate food. Letting a Government Shutdown occur when childrens nutrition is at risk is really irresponsible. Let us be part of the solution and end political gamesmanship that hurts average americans. Let us feed americas hungry children. Let us get businesses back to business and help america prosper. Thank you. Mr. Takano i thank the gentlelady from california. Thank you so much. Ow, id like to recognize or yield time to a true champion of Small Business, she sits on the committee on Small Business, as well as the committee on judiciary, representative judy chu has long been a friend of mine. Ive known her from various roles weve played in california. And governance. She comes from the she represents californias 27th district, which includes pasadena, and many other communities. I now yield to the gentlelady. Ms. Chu thank you, Congress Member takano. Last week Domestic Violence shelters and Rape Crisis Centers all across the country got a notice from the federal office of Justice Programs that as of last friday, thanks to this republican shutdown, they will not be able to drawdown the funds they normally rely on draw down the funds they normally rely on and may have to stop operatinging. The shelters in my district operating. The shelters in my district showed me the notice and it gave us all chills. They would be forced to shut their doors, leaving abused victims and children with nowhere else to turn. Just yesterday, i was in a judiciary hearing in which an advocate said that their agency had just seen a young girl that was beaten, tortured and raped for five hours. If these centers are not open, where is a girl like this to go . As a former rape crisis counselor, i know firsthand the damage that Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault causes. We cant just leave these victims to fend for themselves. Vulnerable to their abusers, at the most critical times of their lives. And that is why agencies in my istrict, like w ywca, asian woman center, and house of ruth exist. To help victims get their lives together. This g. O. P. Shutdown is beyond shameful. Its disgusting. Enough already. Its time to end the shutdown. Its time to let us vote. Mr. Takano i thank the gentlelady. And now, mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Takano thank you, mr. Speaker. To id like to yield time the very distinguished Ranking Member of the committee on financial services. Ive known representative Maxine Waters also for a number of years. More than i care to even sort of count. She represents californias 43rd district which includes south los angeles, hawthorne and englewood. The distinguished gentlelady. Ms. Waters thank you very much, mr. Speaker, and thank you, congressman takano, for organizing this very special order, special order. So that we can talk about what is happening with our state, our great state of california. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to once again call for an end to this unnecessary Government Shutdown. And talk about the significant consequences it is having for the people of my district, californias 43rd. The recession hit the people of my district hard. Delinquencies, foreclosures and job loss crippled our economy and our neighborhoods. Five years later, were just beginning to emerge from these hard times. But the irresponsibility of the Republican Party has threatened our fragile recovery. Their strategy planned and financed by extremists like the Koch Brothers, Heritage Action and the club for growth is to hold the American People and the economies who tanl in order to push an extremist ideology. Their desire to eliminate the Affordable Care act is misguided, wrong and harmful to the American People. The Affordable Care act is the law of the land. It has been validated by the reelection of president obama and supported by the Supreme Court of the United States of america. It is settled law and we should not be threatening american jobs and the American Economy to repeal it. Mr. Speaker, veterans in my district are being harmed by the shutdown. If this unnecessary stalemate does not end by november 1, the veteran Affairs Department will not be able to issue checks to more than five million beneficiaries. This is unacceptable. In addition, Small Businesses in my district are being severely harmed. The Small Business administration Lending Program has been stopped. And the process to obtain government contracts has also been halted. In 2012, mr. Speaker, the s. B. A. Approved over 366 366 million in Small Businesses and real estate equipment loans every day in my district. Im sorry, that is 366,000 in Small Businesses and real estate equipment loans every day in my district. Each day this senseless shutdown continues, hundreds of thousands of dollars in Economic Development all across my istrict is being undermined. In englewood, hawthorne and los angeles itself, retail stores, restaurants and Small Businesses are hurting because of this shutdown. Prominent business groups in my district, such as the Los Angeles Area chamber of commerce, the California Chamber of commerce, california manufacturers and technology association, and 14 other local chambers of commerce across the state have all said that the impacts of a shutdown could be harmful and disruptive to their businesses. The Republican Party likes to talk about how much they support Small Businesses, but when extremist billionaires like the Koch Brothers start throwing their money around, republicans tell smalltime business owners, youre on your own. The Head Start Program, which has put thousands of children on a solid path to wellrounded education, has effectively closed services in many states and regions across the country. California is no exception. Im outraged that our nations children are suffering the consequences of these republican games. The republican sequester already cut 57,000 children from head start. This program is a crucial lifeline in my district. Combating poverty and making our community safer, better places to live. We need it restored today. And finally i want to discuss the shutdowns serious impact on californias fledgling Housing Market. My districts Housing Market is finally finding its footing after years of instability. The republican shutdown is throwing a massive wrench in that progress. A prolonged shutdown will cause tremendous harm to homebuyers seeking to close their mortgage loans. These delays are detrimental to all homebuyers, but particularly those who are buying for the first time. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow will mark affected paycheck many employees will miss as a result of the shutdown. These are hardships many in my district cannot afford. Each day this senseless shutdown continues to risk further irreparable damage to my districts economy, families and businesses. It must end now. And just yesterday we heard more bad news for our state. Governor jerry brown announced that he will soon be forced to make the difficult decision of whether the state will pay for the continued operation of federal programs used by millions of californians. These include programs such as supplemental nutrition assistance program, subsidized school meals and nutrition assistance for pregnant women and infants. All of which could be interrupted in november. So i urge my republican colleagues to stop using the American People and the American Economy as pawns in this debate. Its time for the Republican Party to end this ridiculous game and open up the government today and i thank you, congressman takano, for organizing this very, very well puttogether special order and i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Takano i thank the gentlelady for participating. We both love our state deeply and its such an honor to serve with you in this body. Ms. Waters thank you so much. Mr. Takano youre welcome. I now would like to yield some time to the distinguished gentleman who represents californias 29th district. He sits on the committee on natural resources, the committee on oversight and the committee on and the budget. Representative Tony Cardenas was also of the california state legislature. His district includes North Hollywood and other areas of the san fernando valley. Mr. Cardenas thank you. Id like to thank you very much, as my colleague has yielded me some time. Thank you for putting this opportunity together, congressman at that cack one congressman takano. Id like to speak to what this is costing my district. And this is just a micros could much of what this republican microcos skmbings microcosm of what this is doing to all of america. Recently some of my colleagues here in the house have chosen to harm america, harm American Families, seniors, veterans, businesses across the country. They have refused to do their job of providing a budget for america. A budget which would simply pay our nations bills. Ladies and gentlemen, this is something every family in america has to do. We must pass a reasonable budget. We must reopen our government. Every day we sit on the sidelines, American Families and businesses are losing, theyre suffering, 300 million in Economic Loss every day. Thats 300 million a day. Poof. Gone. When im at home talking to the people im proud to represent, their number one concern is creating wellpaying american jobs. This republican shutdown demonstrates how out of touch the party is with the needs of workingclass families who are focused on feeding their families and making ends meet. This republican shutdown hurts america. In my district alone, the shutdown has stalled the completion of a major project for the mission City Community network. A help network that provides medical, dental and Mental Health services. Once construction is completed, eventually, theyll be able to elp 10,000 patients a year going forward. However, this program is stalled because republicans refuse to allow a vote on a budget. Congress needs to stop the fighting and should focus on growing our economy. The uncertainty about the long shutdown will last how long the shutdown will last is crippling our economy can. The possibility of defaulting on americas bills is having a serious and negative impact on our position as the greatest country in the world. Its important for the government to provide stability and security for the people and businesses in our country. And the world is watching us. This shutdown has sent 800,000 americans home, telling them, dont go to work. For example, in my district i have a Federal Building where hundreds of americans work every single day, serving my community. I went to that building just a few days ago and it is closed down. The only person that i found working there now is one security guard. American families cannot afford to wait on republicans who are holding the nations economy hostage. For example, even children are affected. Head start programs in my district are wondering how long theyre going to be able to keep their doors open before they urn those children away. Every time we say those 800,000 people are not going to work, those government workers, just ask the Corner Grocery store, he restaurants how they feel about this shutdown. Its affecting everybody, public, private businesses alike. I want to bring your attention, it was just reported to me that the districts around los angeles, including the one that i represent, every day the average amount of money that every day, every single day is 360,000 in loans a day. From the Small Business administration. Thats more than 7. 5 million per month. Last year in our district, more than 84 million in loans were approved. Thats the equivalent of 2,400 new jobs last year. Well, now thats Good Government at work. However, now that the republican shutdown is in full force and in place, zero dollars are being lent out through the s. B. A. In my district. That means zero new jobs every single day that the republican shutdown is in place. Im very, very proud to say that i grew up in a family where, to be honest with you, my mother and father made ends meet to raise us 11 american citizens, but im very proud that they raised us in a nice, clean, good environment. I have brothers and sisters whove gone to college to get their doctorate degrees, masters degrees, bachelors degree. Im proud to say with my engineering degree, i did that work for a while, but then i ran my own business. And i know what its like when a business is trying to grow and when you didnt have access to capital, you dont grow. And if you dont grow, you dont create new jobs. I just wanted to make sure that people understand what it means when the federal s. B. A. Stops lending money, when they stop ending money, new jobs stop in communities throughout america. House republicans must allow us to do the one thing americans want more than anything else from our congress, and that is to let us pay our bills, let us act responsibly and let us put americans back to work. Its simply that, ladies and gentlemen. Lets get back to work in this congress. Lets get this Government Back to work. Lets reinvigorate an economy that was barely starting to get back on its feet but yet its been shut down. I yield back my time. Mr. Takano i thank the gentleman. Thank you so much. I now would like to yield some time to my friend and colleague, representative mike honda. Mr. Honda, i dont remember which district you represent. Mr. Honda 17. Its the new one. Mr. Takano i know you, mr. Honda, having been a former school principal, youve been in local government as a supervisor, i think santa clara county, and you served in this body since 1996. I know we both love our great state of california. We are very, very anxious and sad over the impacts potential impacts of both the Government Shutdown and this threat to not raise the debt ceiling will have on this fragile recovery that we are now i think beginning to see evidence of. Mr. Honda i want to thank you, my friend, for this opportunity and for this dialogue. Its a shame we dont have the same dialogue across the aisle. Our rules prohibit us from being able to create this dialogue in front of this country so as a result we have this moment in time where were ble to share as members of the california delegation but also members of this democratic caucus. And were here today on day 10 of a republican Government Shutdown that has cost over 3 billion in lost Economic Activity so far. And because of the compounding nature of the economic effects, it is estimated that over a months time the economy will be drained of 50 billion. Almost a Million People should be working today and they are not. When our government is forced to shut down, it hurts our economy, closes essential services for lowincome families and disrupts the lives of real people in all of our districts, regardless where we represent. Important Government Services that benefit all of us are suspended. And in my district ive heard from young people who are furloughed, the young employees of nasa, they are wondering how they will be able to make rent to stay in their homes or to make ends meet. The investigators that were working on finding the reason for the asiana crash are sent home. And those waiting to hear back on the Social Security benefits appeals. Because the Appeals Office is closed, they will not hear back on their cases until this shutdown is over which means they have less means to make ends meet. Theres no reason this should be happening. All of this pain is absolutely completely unnecessary. We do have the bipartisan votes, however, to end this shutdown today if the speaker with allow a clean vote. That might be the most frustrating part of all of this. Actually, it is the most frustrating part of all of this that we have the votes here on both sides of the aisle if the speaker allows us to vote. I am not sure what it is that hes afraid of, but if he let that go and let us vote and let the people vote, then we may be able to reflect the desires and reflections of what people are feeling in this country. Speaker boehner and the republican majority of the house refuse to do their job, and i think they really do believe theyre doing their job, but i pray that they see and understand that theres real human suffering and economic suffering that comes as a direct result of these irresponsible political tactics , both on the governmentwide shutdown and on the debt limit. For House Democrats, this is not a game. On the debt ceiling, the full faith and credit of the United States should never be in jeopardy. Thats our position and thats the position of economists and business leaders. That should be the attitude of this congress. Warren buffett called the debt limit a nuclear bomb. Goldman sachs c. E. O. Said the economic damage associated with default or near default will be severe and have serious consequences for the recovery of the u. S. And Global Economy. Bank of america c. E. O. Brian moynihan said theres no debate that the seriousness of the u. S. Not paying its debt is the most serious thing we have. And another said a default would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and even the slightest impact on Interest Rates would cascade throughout the economy. This Government Shutdown and the looming threat of an unprecedented government default are doing significant harm to our economy. The only ones that cant see that are Speaker Boehner and the tea party republicans. House democrats have started a process on forcing a vote on a clean c. R. To reopen the government and will soon do the same with a vote on the debt limit. Americans want a vote. A reasonable majority in Congress Want this vote. Speaker boehner can call this vote today, but since he wont, we will try to force a vote as soon as house rules allow. Lets not go one more day without a functioning government. Lets stop these games, reopen the government, start the process of ending this manufactured crisis, lift this cloud from over our economy and have a vote that americans have been waiting on. Let us vote, mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Takano thank you, congressman honda. U know, i know that before you came to congress you had experience as county supervisor and i know that counties are often the fiscal agents for major programs like our nutrition programs, the supplemental nutrition sistance program, the women, infants, Children Nutrition programs. Mr. Honda correct. Mr. Takano i understand that the stimulus funds that were supplementing some of these assistance programs, and let me try to translate this into ordinary everyday language. Were talking about food stamps. Were talking about people being able to buy food in order to just have the basic necessity of eating. I dont know about your district, but in my district i know that during the height of the recession, we saw people who were middleclass families for the first time having to access these programs. And as i say, were still not fully out of this recession. Its a fragile recovery. The other effect that these programs had, it was a stimulus to the local economy. They had to spend it locally at the local supermarkets. Effect on the economy. Come november 1, we are going to he see a significant reduction in these programs because they have not been attending to reauthorizing the legislation that funds these programs. We have a grave doubt as to whats going to happen to the 47 Million People who rely on snap. Mr. Honda thats true. Mr. Takano, as you know, i represent a majority of the area thats commonly called Silicon Valley. We were doing relatively well. With the shutdown, however, government contracts, entrepreneurship is going to be affected. And that trickles down throughout the system, including what we call the supply chains where other companies throughout this country, in other parts of the states are affected as well. The is almost like extension of this impact. I guess Warren Buffett said it best, its a nuclear bomb, because it continues to spread its impact throughout our country and our economy. Mr. Takano isnt that true in Silicon Valley, lets kind of talk about that for a moment, theres been a resurgence of vestment that were seeing our california, our budget sort of recovering from additional revenues because your area of the state is helping to lead the recovery, this threat theres two different subject matters here. The Government Shutdown and also this issue of the debt ceiling raise. Weve seen on the hong kong debt or e shortterm the premium that theyre charging for this uncertainty about our debt ceiling raise, Interest Rates are likely to raise. Raise in capital will become a problem. Do you have any thoughts on what thats going to be doing to our Silicon Valley entrepreneurs . Mr. Honda well, its a dampening effect. I think people are less likely to invest. Even though theres a great faith in the kinds of activities we have in Silicon Valley. I think those who have the resources to make the investments, theyre going to be looking at it twice before they can move forward. I think that theyre very concerned about the governments behavior in terms of how we manufacture crisis around the debt limit, how we manufacture crisis about the c. R. Or the budget. And all we need is what we proposed a few months ago and that is a good balanced budget that would drive this country forward economically and logically. No Family Functions without a good budget. And what were doing is we created a budgetary crisis that guarantees theyve already done it closure of the government or the dysfunction of a family. And when you do that, all hell breaks loose. This is whats happening to our elders, our children, preschool. It is not a system that has not been affected. The military, our veterans, they are all being affected. So we have to really make sure that the public understands what it is thats happening. Mr. Takano well, i dont think we want to normalize or make outine a mode of governing where either party threatens to shut down the government because of a political and they want to achieve or either Party Decides they want to threaten the full faith and credit of the United States and threaten the status of the american dollar as the World Reserve currency because they want to achieve some sort of political end. And certainly we need to give the American People, every business, every family, investors, whether domestic or whether theyre International Investors who want to invest in our economy, including Silicon Valley, the certainty that we we have a le responsible government in the United States. Whoever thought wed come to a place where within a year and a half, the last time that this issue came about was i remember seeing you on august 1 of 2011 when the budget control act of 2011 was passed but it was part it was linked, i think, unfortunately, to the debt ceiling raise and the idea that we would normalize this practice to me is something that we dont want to see our ation continue to do. Mr. Honda i want to thank you for this opportunity. We know were both educators and educators know one thing. How to ask a question and come to a logical conclusion. And the lonlic now is that we should have never been to this point. We should have never been to a point where we shut down this government. We should have done the right thing and make sure that the full faith and credit of our country, like our reputation, is honored. And so we need to get back to that point. Mr. Takano i thank the gentleman. Let me just go into my final remarks for this special order hour. And i want to remind the American People that the democrats did offer a point of compromise whether we accepted when we accepted a funding for the continuing resolution, which is actually below the paul ryan budget figure. Its a number that the president agreed to, the senate agreed to and the House Democrats are willing to agree to. And we know that there was a deal that was brokered by the speaker and the Senate Majority leader related to this and we thought there was going to be a clean c. R. Being brought, it was all going to be a clean c. R. But what we cannot afford to do, what i cannot do as a representative for the 41st therict, is to bargain away Affordable Care act. 24 of my population of Riverside County is uninsured. My constituents need the Affordable Care act to help them get the Quality Health care that they deserve. The law includes important Consumer Protections that prevent Insurance Companies from denying coverage for people with preexisting conditions. It eliminates annual and lifetime caps on care. And it allows young people to stay on their parents policies, their plans longer. Their parents plans longer. In addition, the law requires insurance plans to cover free Preventive Health services and lowers prediction drug costs for seniors by closing the Medicare Part d doughnut hole. So, my communitys seniors have a lot at stake. California state marketplace, covered california, has already received one million unique site visits, more than 16,000 applications have been completed and another 27,000 are partially completed. Thats more than 43,000 californians who have taken the step to get covered in just 10 days. Mr. Speaker, this is all very simple. California has a handful of basic congress, not california, but congress has a andful of basic functions. Two of them are to keep the government open and to pay our bills on time. These Things Congress should be doing already. The situation were in reminds me of when my brothers and i thought our parents should pay us an allowance for making our beds. My parents argued that making our beds was something that my brothers and i should be doing anyway. That an everyday responsibility like making our beds wasnt something that was done for payoff. What should i get for brushing my teeth . Thats obviously a personal responsibility that i shouldnt get anything for. Refusing to fulfill a responsibility should not be leveraged for getting something that you want. The House Republicans are expecting to get something out of this. Theyre expecting to get something out of refusing to fulfill their basic responsibilities. Theyre expecting to get something out of refusing to fund the government. And refusing to be faithful stewards of the full faith and credit of the United States. Theyre willing to threaten the american dollar and its status as the worlds reserve currency. There are several members of this body who do not believe the chaos that would be created by not paying our bills on time. One member said he believed it would, and quote, bring stability to the markets, end quote. Others have said that its, quote, a scare tactic, end quote. Being used by the administration and democrats. They say this despite every credible economist stating that america defaulting on its debts would be catastrophic. Imagine, mr. Speaker, imagine if democrats were this cavalier about an issue as serious as the debt ceiling. We would be run out of town and for good reason. I thank my colleagues for joining me today. Lets end this shutdown. Lets end this shutdown, mr. Speaker. Lets make sure that we pay our bills and pay them on time and lets give the American People the certainty that they need and that they deserve. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. Under the speakers announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from california, mr. Denham, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. Mr. Denham thank you, mr. Speaker. I stand before you today as a Central Valley farmer, a friend of farmers, an agriculture employer, aning can all the kl worker. And and aning a cullal worker and an agricultural worker. I understand the specialized needs of various sectors of our ag economy across the country. My priorities for this farm bill are first and foremost providing a fiveyear certainty for farmers while saving taxpayers dollars by eliminating direct payments and reforming nutrition programs for the First Time Since 1996. Second we need to support Innovative Research and development on specialty crops, a major export for our region and our country as a whole. Third, we must support programs and increase exports and take advantage of all of the new trade agreements we have strengthened and established in the past years. And prepare for those markets which are beginning to open to our ag products. Fourth, we must also protect domestic produce and farms from pests and diseases that primarily come from other countries. And fifth and finally, its imperative that we uphold the states rights to protect its own agriculture industry by passing laws related to safety and agriculture production. Its time to conference with the farm bill. And work with our Senate Counterparts to produce a final product that will maintain a safety net for those most in need and give american growers and producers a competitive and productive global edge while saving taxpayers money. And i now yield to mr. Scott. Mr. Scott id like to thank the gentleman from california, my friend and colleague, and strong advocate for agriculture in this country. Mr. Speaker, americans do not like being dependent on foreign oil and americans sure dont want to become dependent on foreign food. Thats why, mr. Speaker, i rise today to discuss the importance of passing a farm bill. In my home state of georgia, agriculture plays a major role in the overall success of our state. Last year georgia agriculture was valued at over 14 billion and the total Economic Impact was 72 billion. This contribution makes up approximately 10 of our gross domestic product. And 360,000 jobs. In my district, its one of every eight jobs thats tied to agriculture. As a Major Economic driver of our state, the Agricultural Industry has suffered without the certainty of a farm bill. Over the past several months, our farmers have had to deal with this uncertainty within the industry because washington has not been able to agree on a farm bill. Many of my constituents left in limbo to try and decide what to do next year with regard to their crops, wondering if there will be Crop Insurance or the other things they depend on for their farm operations and their livelihood. Thats why its critical to provide the certainty of a farm bill, to boost our economy and to help our farmers and our farm families succeed and create jobs. The farm bill we passed in the house saves taxpayers over 20 billion. I want to reiterate that, mr. Speaker. Over 20 billion. And makes Real Progress in tackling the drivers of our debt. It consolidates more than 100 programs administered by the usda and improves agricultural programs to be more costeffective and marketoriented by repealing outdated and unworkable permanent law. I ask my colleagues to join me so we can move to conference and sign a new farm bill into law in order to provide certainty for our country and americas farmers. Thank you, mr. Speaker, i yield the remainder of my time. Mr. Denham i thank the gentleman from georgia. I now yield to the gentleman from montana, mr. Daines. Mr. Daines thank you, mr. Speaker. Whenever i drive across montana, i see signs of our states strong ag heritage at about every turn of the road. From the field of sugar beats and wheat to gracing cattle and sheep, these are visual reminders of the importance agriculture is to our state and everywhere across this country. Agriculture is the backbone of montanas economy. And as a fifth generation montanan, i have a deep appreciation for the value of this industry to our state. Agriculture injects several billion dollars into montanas economy every year and one in five montana jobs rely on agriculture. But agriculture is more than the economic driver of our state. It is a way of life for thousands of montana families who have lived off the land for generations. My own greatgreatgrandmother came to montana as a homesteadier. She homesteadied up in the Golden Triangle of montana, in the heart of montanas wheat country. I know how important it is to ensure that Young Montanans have the opportunity to continue working on the family farms and family ranches. And thats why montanans are so frustrated and i am so frustrated by washingtons persistent failure to pass a longterm farm bill that provides montanas producers with the certainty they need and they deserve. Montanans are sick and tired of the political games that have long delayed the passage of a fiveyear farm bill. This critical legislation is long overdue and its unacceptable that Congress Continues to stand in the way of providing our ag producers and Rural Communities with a longterm solution. Agriculture is not only an important part of montanas economy, its a critical industry that impacts each and every american. And as montanas sole voice in the u. S. House of representatives, i am committed to being an advocate for montanas farmers and montana ranchers. We cant wait any longer. We need a farm bill now. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Denham i thank the gentleman from montana. I now recognize the gentleman rom california, mr. Valadao. Mr. Valadao mr. Speaker, i rise today in strong support of h. R. 1947. The federal agriculture reform and Risk Management act of 2013. Over the last four years, in more than 40 hearings, the house of representatives has produced a bill that implements needed, commonsense reforms for americas farmers. The farm act is like any other farm bill previously passed. It has strong bipartisan support and makes substantial reforms, repealing outdated policies while streamlining and consolidating over 100 programs. Advancing a new farm bill into law this year is crucial to the entire country. Especially of those in the californias Central Valley. The legislation makes Critical Reforms to traditional farm programs, the Market Access program, m. A. P. , will improve export Market Development and assistance to programs that promote u. S. Agriculture products oversees overseas, allowing our specialty crop farmers here in the valley to expand their businesses. We eliminate direct payments, we move to a more marketoriented approach, where we provide more Risk Management tools instead of making payments regardless of market conditions. Many farmers in my district have questioned these economically unfeasible 5 billion payments that go out every year, regardless of market conditions. The bill makes improvements to the Crop Insurance program through successful publicprivate partnerships that ensures farmers have skin in the game. This will eliminate some of the unrealistic requirements of Crop Insurance agents face every day such as asking an agent to verify his or her customers income. It relieves farmers unnecessary burdens. Farm eliminates the duplicative permitting requirement for pesticides that are already federally regulated. Failure to remove the additional permit requirement will result in administrative and financial nightmare for agriculture producers, Public Health agencies and federal government and state agencies. The farm bill makes even more important changes to the substantially that substantially affect californias 21st Congressional District. Reauthorizes and strengthens live stock disaster assistance, continues to support specialty crop just as the 2008 farm bill did by funding specialty crop block grants. These grants will fund Innovative Research for my districts fruit, vegetable and nut farmers to combat disease and promote consumption across the u. S. And thats important for food security, a nation has to be secure in their food. The farrm act of 2013 will have the most significant reforms in history while maintaining commonsense, fiscally responsible policies. Passage of this legislation will ensure americas farmers and ranchers, especially those in the valley, the research they need to produce adequate and affordable food supply for their country and the entire world. Mr. Speaker, i ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this muchneeded legislation. I yield back. Mr. Denham i thank the gentleman from california. At this time i yield the balance of my time back to the chair. The speaker pro tempore under the speakers announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentleman from illinois, mr. Davis, is recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the majority leader. Mr. Davis mr. Speaker, thank you and thank you to my colleagues who have joined me here today to talk about an important piece of legislation that seemingly has gone by the wayside. Like many, many other important issues because of the dysfunction of washington right now. A farm bill. Many here in america dont realize that our current farm bill has expired. But we have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to pass a food, nutrition and jobs bill that congress is supposed to authorize every five years. But since it expired september 30, the good news, though, is theres still an opportunity to get this fiveyear farm bill passed. And when we do, were going to be able to give our farmers and producers the tools they need to do what they do best. We can do this before next planting season. Why do we need a farm bill . To promote and grow our economy, provide certainty to our farmers and producers and give them the tools they need to succeed. Example, Crop Insurance. Mr. Speaker, Crop Insurance is working. I even had the opportunity to talk to secretary vilsack in one of the hearings in our ag committee and he agreed with me that Crop Insurance is working. This farm bill strengthens Crop Insurance which strengthens our economy because it strengthens agriculture. Ag is one of the bright spots in our nations economy right now, mr. Speaker. That should not be forgotten, which is why its crucial that we pass this farm bill. We have other policies within that bill that are very crucial to my district and many districts throughout this nation. Conservation, ag research, trade. And as we stand on the floor today, many of the farmers i represent are out in the field. Mr. Speaker, its harvest time. Thats why we are down here today to let our producers know we have not forgotten that were still fighting for that fiveyear farm bill. Farmers used to have to worry about the uncertainty of the weather. Now, mr. Speaker, they have to worry about the uncertainty of washington. Thats unfortunate but its something we can creakt correct when we work together. I sought a seat on the ag committee because i knew wed leave a mark on this jobs legislation. We want to get this job done so our farmers can continue to get their job done. I appreciate the many colleagues whove already spoken before me and the rest who are down here today for this farm bill special order as well as many others whove helped move the farm bill forward. Before recognizing my colleagues so that they may share with those watching why we must advance a new farm bill, i want to talk about why the farm bill is important to the district that i represent. In central and southwestern illinois, agriculture is key to our local economy. 14 counties in central and southwestern illinois that im proud to serve here in congress on their behalf, and its home to some of the most productive and costly farmland in america. Its also home to many in the agribusiness sector. A. D. M. , the university of illinois. My districts home to the largest gathering of ag producers and agriculturerelated products in the country. It was just completed in decatur, illinois, in july, a whooping success. Sloan implement is in the 13th district of illinois. G. S. I. , another global leader, and one of the largest employers in my district and it happens to be the largest employer in my home county of christian county. Kraft foods in champaign, illinois. The largest corntoethanol plant in edwardsville also plays a crucial role for jobs, innovation and Energy Independence in our area. These are just some of the reasons that Congress Needs to keep working together to advance a fiveyear farm bill. And lets not forget, again, what a bright spot agriculture has been on our nations economy. Every 1 billion in ag exports supports nearly 8,000 american jobs. Earlier this year, the usda, 5 billion cted 139. In ag exports. Thats over one million jobs supported by american agriculture. Now, mr. Speaker, id like to now recognize and yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend and my colleague from the great state of michigan, mr. Benishek. Mr. Benishek i like to thank my colleague from illinois for allowing me to speak here today. I want to thank you for hosting this special order hour in general. Mr. Speaker, although we speak today at a time when members are very busy working to resolve the Government Shutdown, its critical to remember that while the government may have stopped, the work of our farmers certainly has not. Farmers in each of our districts, whether theyre busy picking apples or harvesting fields of corn are busy this time of the year. Theres no doubt about it, autumn is the time that farmers in our districts normally look forward to. Thats when they have the chance to reap the bounty of the great work that theyve done this past year. Planting and tending to the land. Our farmers, producers and agribusiness owners deserve better. They have put in the hard work. They are feeding not only michigans families but americas families. And much of the world. We owe them certainty. We owe them a farm bill. As the only member from michigan on the agriculture committee, i regularly speak with farmers, not only from my district, but from around the state. Over the last year they have continually expressed the need for certainty. While they have different ideas on some specific provisions of the overall farm bill, they all agree that we need to get this done. Mr. Speaker, ive worked hard with my colleagues to move the farm bill forward. Ive worked with many local stakeholders in michigan to ensure that their concerns are addressed in the bill. Now is the time to move forward to a conference. This afternoon i come to the floor to say simply, lets get this done. Lets go to conference, work out our differences and get a farm bill done. We owe it to our farmers. We owe it to the hardworking families around the country that rely on the food that our farmers produce. Again, mr. Speaker, id like to thank the farmers of Northern Michigan for their outstanding work weve done this season theyve done this season. Lets get this farm bill down. I yield back my time. Thank you. Mr. Davis thank you to my colleague, mr. Benishek. Thank you, mr. Speaker, for allowing this opportunity to talk about how important ag is going to be in our economy. Lets talk about how important this farm bill is to get past and how were not that far apart when it comes to the differences in the funding levels with the senate bill that should be conferenced and let us not also forget, let us not forget that agriculture is not just important to the midwest, its also, its also important to states like michigan where my colleague who just spoke was from. We heard from individuals from california, from georgia to montana. Ag is a nationwide issue, and weve seen nationwide success in agriculture. And now, mr. Speaker, id like to recognize my good friend and colleague from the great state of kansas, mr. Yoder, for as much time as he may consume. Mr. Yoder while i appreciate my friend from illinois to put this hour together, have a conversation about how we protect the american farmer. For months and months now, weve been having a debate in the United States house and senate about how we can put together legislation that will ensure that the men and women who bring in the crops, who tend to the live stock, who create the livestock, who create the food for the nation and the world, have certain policies that are predictable and encourage farming as a way of life in the United States. So i join my colleagues here, those from down in Southern Illinois we heard from dan benishek from michigan who believes passionately in agriculture and protecting farmers. Were here together today united, standing on behalf of farmers and ranchers in our community. I call on members to get a farm bill done. Farmers have been waiting to get something done. We have been divided on a lot of things, but we ought to unite to protect our farmers and our American Food supply. You know, in kansas, farming is not just a means to make money. Certainly its a significant part of the kansas economy, along with several other parts, farming and agriculture is a key component of the kansas economy. Kansans also a way for and americans to put food on the food for the world. Kansas is the number one producer of wheat in the world. It feeds people hungry in owl 50 states and in most continents. They put in long, hard hours to bring in millions of bushels of grain, grain that will be on the table of those around the world. Its also a way of life. Now farmers at home right now i spoke to a farmer earlier today farmers are harvesting their soybeans. People have come to states like kansas and illinois and california and michigan and theyve come to build a way of life. They have taken a in the case of kansas a prairie that was undeveloped. They came out there and they brought their families and they took risk, much risk to carve a lifestyle out of the prairie. And through that hard work, through that determination, through that sweat off their brow, they tamed the wilderness. And in the process they helped build the greatest nation the world has ever seen. And along the way they asked for little in return. To build a nation with great bedrock values, good schools, good communities but it was all built around the small family farmer. Thats what we want to do is continue that Family Tradition of the small family farmer. They work hard, long days, sun up to sun down, some will work 24 hours a day to bring in the crops. I grew up on a farm myself. I remember going out, my dad going out in the middle of the winter and bringing a round bail to our cattle and ensuring that the livestock had feed and the meat we produced, that ends up taking care of americans everywhere. And so now those farmers, theyre counting on us. When they plant their fall crops, they need predictability and they need certainty. Its time to move past shortterm bills. Its time to move past shortterm promises. We need to move toward longterm policies that will create stability, that will allow farmers to plant, to allow farmers to go back to doing what they do best, growing food, feeding a hungry nation. This fall kansas farmers are hard at work bringing their autumn harvest and theyre planting the 2014 crop. Theyve patiently waited for congress to bring a farm bill. Now is the time to move forward. The farm bill provides farmers with safety nets that allow them to protect their operations from uncertainty and the sudden downturns that could occur when growing crops and raising livestock. These programs are essential in providing farmers with the certainty they need in order to be successful. So as we have this larger debate about how to solve the debt crisis, i think farmers have been admirable in this debate. Farmers came forward and said, look, we received direct payments. We know thats a burden on the treasury. We know theres a lot of burdens on the treasury. We hope that we can all pitch in to help solve our National Debt crisis. Were going to voluntarily, were going to give those things up. And every other group that comes before washington, most groups give up nothing. Twheant more. In washington, if they want more. Farmers are saying, were willing to take a cut. Were willing to take billions of dollars in cuts because were willing to do our part to making sure we reduce the National Debt crisis. So they were first in line to give up support. Some of that support was very crucial to farms. It has been crucial to farmers to keep them from turning into bankruptcy, from farms from turning under, theyre giving that up, no more direct payments. Thats the kind of reforms we need to do. Now, what theyve asked for in return is a little protection of risk. The expense today to put out a field of crops, corn or soybeans, wheat, creates a tremendous amount of risk, risk that banks wont cover unless theres some sort of protection in the event of a flood, in the event of a hailstorm, a drought, sometimes all of the above, you can wipe out a single crop overnight. These farmers have invested their entire livelihood. They dont have a 401k. They dont have a pension. They dont have some, you know, corporate plan to protect their retirement. Their retirement, their future is in the crop theyre laying out in that field. And so if that crop goes under