[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., september 11, 2013. i hereby appoint the honorable tom reed to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the house will now observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001. will all present please rise for a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 3, 2013, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour ebate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip each, to five minutes but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, in libya al qaeda cousins, as i call them, alshahrya claim responsibility for the murder of our apple boss dore and thee others. it's no coincidence that these two attacked occurred nearly at the same time -- two attacks occurred nearly at the same time and they occurred on september 11. in the past, the united states has always held and went after those that were responsible for this type of murder. in 1998 when the kenyan embassy was attacked and americans were killed, we responded. of course, we responded on september 11. we responded after the first trade -- world trade center bombing. then in 1996 when 19 american soldiers were murdered in saudi arabia, we responded. mr. speaker, the united states must always respond to terrorists and we must let them be reminded again and again that we will respond in an appropriate manner as we did on september 11. we must respond today, we must respond tomorrow. i am encouraged that the president will soon address the nation on what our response will be. we must hold those accountable personally and hold them personally accountable because we must let people understand they need to leave us alone. that is what the message needs o be, we must have justice against these terrorist attacks against individuals because, mr. speaker, justice is what we do. mr. speaker, that was the speech i gave on this house loor one year ago today. september 12 of 2012 was when it was given. but it has been one year since the attack in benghazi, libya, and we still have no answers. today as we remember those who were murdered 12 years ago on september 11, 2001, in new york, in pennsylvania, at the pentagon, young and old from countries all over the world, we should also remember those murdered one year ago in benghazi, libya, four americans. we went after those first 9/11 killers and we should. america had resolve, as it usual had in our history, but the benghazi killers run free today. mr. speaker, it's ironic. the greatest power that has ever existed, with all our vast resources of military, c.i.a. intelligence, the n.s.a. intelligence, the f.b.i. that we can't capture some killers who killed americans in benghazi libya. when the media can go and talk to them and have them on television and we can't find them, capture them and bring them back to justice, it's been a year. what does it tell the families, what does it tell americans when we haven't been able to accomplish this capture of terrorists? we know that al-shahrya was involved. i said that the day after this murdered occurred last year on this house floor. today i filed the terrorist designation act of 2013. it says al-shahrya is a terrorist organization and we must use all resources available to go after these killers. we must label them as terrorists and deal with them appropriately. we are not sure about the united states policy today in the middle east. we don't know what the current policy is about americans killed overseas. all we get is a lot of words. even the white house, the press secretary said, well, in benghazi, it was a long time ago. seems like we get more words than something that is actually done in the benghazi episode. our enemies continue to test us because they no longer fear us. they don't know where we stand when we are attacked, not at ome or abroad, not our enemies nor the american citizens. the president is worried about syrians, syrians killed by syrians. the administration needs to go after these terrorists by any means necessary and bring them to justice. restore our credibility with the american people because justice is what we do in this country and that's just the way it is. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, mr. brooks, for ive minutes. mr. brooks: mr. speaker, president obama, without consulting congress or the american people, intervened in libya civil war, resulting in the murder of four americans, including our ambassador in benghazi, while creating yet another fertile terrorist recruiting ground. repeating the libya mistake in september, 2012, the obama administration declared that america will intervene in syria's civil war and work, quote, to support a syrian opposition to hasten the day when assad falls, end quote. shortly thereafter, i stood on this floor, stated my opposition to america's intervening in yet another civil war, and argued that, quote, america must stop spending our treasury and risking american lives for those who neither appreciate our sacrifices nor believe in basic liberties like freedom of religion and freedom of speech, end quote. i have participated in classified hearings with secretary of state john kerry, national security advisor susan rice and many others. i have listened to president obama. the arguments for attacking yria are unpersuasive. substantially different circumstances and consistent with my 2012 opposition to intervening in syria's civil war, i will vote against attacking syria if and when congress has that vote. i reject the president's argument that the best way to keep syrians from killing syrians is for americans to kill syrians. america has peaceful options. we should pursue them more vigorously. there is not the required public support to attack syria. americans oppose attacking syria by a 2: 1 ratio. in alabama's fifth congressional district, 1,272 citizens have contacted my office about syria. 1,267 citizens oppose attacking syria. a scant five citizens out of 1,272, five support attacking syria. the president last night told america that there is no evidence that syria is a security threat to america, that supports preemptive military action. yet, an attack makes syria and its allies a security threat. president obama erred when he made syria's chemical weapons a red line, but a president's gap does not justify war. a syrian war costs money america does not have. every dollar spent attacking syria worsens america's deficit and debt, weakens our economy, undermines our ability to pay for national security and increases the risk of even more defense layoffs and furloughs. an american attack on syrian aids and abets syrian rebels. they have beheaded christians solely because they are christians. one rebel leader killed a syrian soldier, cut open his chest, took out his heart, ate it and then bragged about it. another rebel leader personally executed helpless prisoners of war. i question the wisdom of helping rebels who may be even more evil and bar barrack than syrian president assad. yet, that is exactly what president obama proposes. the white house syrian strategy is conflicting. the president claims he does not seek regime change. yet, in 2012 his administration said the exact opposite. president obama claims attacks will deter syria's chemical weapons use, yet, his secretary of state insists that attacks will be, quote, unbelievably small, end quote. i have reservations about this administration's ability to handle a delicate foreign policy matter. this administration bungled his fast and furious gun running program, killing hundreds of innocent mexicans and an american border patrol agent. this administration botched ben combazzy and threw in a cover -- benghazi and threw in a cover-up for good measure. it illegally uses the internal revenue service to attack political adversaries. the list goes on and on. president obama has cultivated cheerleaders but not players on the field whose militaries will help america attack syria. america cannot perptually be the world's only policeman. in sum, i believe attacking syria unilaterally makes matters worse, not better. absent a major international effort to punish syrian president assad for his inhumane and use of chemical weapons, i cannot and will not in good conscience vote on the house floor or in the foreign affairs or armed services committees to attack syria. mr. speaker, i yield the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. speaker, amidst the international humiliation that we suffered with our words of war with syria, last night, he stepped back from an international crisis that could have catastrophic crisis by deferring to the russian diplomatic. thank god. and last week he dferred to congress the decision over whether to go to war, as the constitution requires. i've been deeply troubled by suggestions from any otherwise commentators from other parties that the president has independent authority as commander in chief to order an attacn k on o it necessary. this cuts right to the core of our constitution's design and it has an alarming deterioration of the popular understanding of the separation of powers that keeps us free. there is nothing more clear in the american constitution than that congress has the sole authority to decide the question of war or peace. only after congress has made that decision does the president, as commander in chief, have the authority to execute that decision. for centuries, european monarchs had plunged their nations into bloody and debilitating wars on whim, and the constitution's framers wanted to protect the american republic from that fate. they understood that a president, for example, might someday paint himself into a rhetorical corner and feel compelled to save face by exercising force. that is precisely why they entrusted that fateful decision to the congress. james madison, the father of the american constitution, said that its single most important feature was the provision that gave the congress, and not the president, the authority to go to war. here's what he wrote in 1793. quote, in no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature and not to the executive department. the trust and the temptation would be too great for any one man. war is in fact the true nurse of executive -- and war of physical forces is to be created and its the executive will to be directed. in war the public treasures to be unlocked and it is the executive hand which is to disperse them. those who were to conduct a war cannot in the nature of things be proper or safe judges of whether a war ought to be commenced, continued or concluded, end quote. alexander hamilton wroit one of the most important differences between the british king and the american president is that the king can plunge his nation into war on his command. but that the american president has no such authority. the constitutional convention gave careful consideration to the clause that provides that congress shall declare war. they chose that word carefully to make clear that the only independent war making power of the president is to repel an attack. the war powers act makes this explicit, that absent congressional authority, the president can only order our armed forces into hostility in response to, quote, a national emergency created by an attack upon the united states, its armed forces, or its territories or possessions, unquote. anything else requires prior congressional action. united nations participation act by which we entered the u.n. requires congress to act before american forces are ordered into hostilities in u.n. actions. the war powers act specifically forbids inferring from any treaty the power to order american forces into hostilities without specific congressional authorization. now, some have used the past violation of this constitutional stricture, for example in kosovo or most recently in libya as justifying it to violate it now. that is precisely the point. if any violation of this fundamental constitutional provision can be used as justification for its outright nullification, then any such violation must be vigorously resisted lest we lose for all time the most important check on the most momentous decision that a government can make. to go to war. war is destruction on a massive scale. to unlawfully initiate such a thing is the highest crime that a public official could possibly commit. indeed, if the power of impeachment for such an act as that, i cannot imagine what it would be for. the president was absolutely right not to cross that line. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize 50 years of talented work and ingenuity by a company that is headquartered in state college, pennsylvania, an area of central pennsylvania that i proudly represent. accuweather. a content and media company that provides weather forecasting services worldwide. this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. in november of 1962, joe myers, who was serving as a one-man consulting firm, initially forecasting the weather for just one gas utilityity company in pennsylvania, laid the groundwork for accuweather. in 1972 accuweather began to serve television and radio clients and later expanded to newspapers. now home to the most professional meteorologists at any one location anywhere in the world, accuweather employs hundreds of individuals, many of which are graduates of nearby penn state utah. at its global headquarters at state college, pennsylvania. today mr. myers and his team provides services to hundreds of outlets across the planet, including top ranked newspaper publications, television networks, and thousands of other global locations. happy 50th anniversary accuweather. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. black, for five minutes. mrs. black: mr. speaker, the latest jobs report released last week was a sad reminder of just how bad things have been in the obama economy. when the president's stimulus was passed in 2009, the administration predicted that our unemployment rate would have fallen to just 5% by now. but it hasn't. it remains stuck over 7% and would be closer to 10% if millions of americans had not given up looking for work all together. in fact, this latest jobs report highlighted a deeply disturbing statistic. the percentage of americans working or looking for work has dropped to its lowest level since the middle of the carter administration. what makes this situation even sadder for americans across the country is that this does not have to be the case. the president could work with congress to implement policies that would help our economy grow and help our americans get back to work. the president could work with us to delay obamacare, which is devastating the hiring and employment practices of companies across this country and creating a nation of part-time workers. the president could join a bipartisan consensus here in congress and approve the keystone pipeline that would immediately create 20,000 jobs. the president could drop his continued insistence on tax increases and work with this congress to pass a comprehensive, revenue neutral tax reform package that promotes economic growth. the president has a congress willing to work with him to help struggling americans across this country, whether he chooses to work with us is his decision. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. benishek, for five minutes. mr. benishek: thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the floor today to honor the life of michigan state police trooper paul butterfield who was tragically killed in the line of duty on september 9, 2013. trooper butterfield was an army veteran who bravely served his community as a state police officer since 1999. he served at the michigan state police post. like all of our law enforcement officers, paul risked everything to ensure our communities and neighborhoods were safe. he gave his life to protect us. his service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. sadly, northern michigan has lost a true hero. to trooper butterfield's family, i am aware no words will ever match your deep sorrow. a loss this great can only be eased by the grace that is beyond all worldly powers. but, i am hopeful that you will be embraced by the angels of heaven and comforted by the knowledge that paul is safely in the hands of god. on behalf of the citizens of michigan's first district, i thank trooper butterfield for his service and tremendous sacrifice to michigan and our nation. thank you. let me yield to my friend and colleague, mr. huizenga. mr. huizenga: thank you. earlier this week michigan lost a true hero, trooper paul butterfield die interested a gunshot wound that he sussstaint while conducting a quote-unquote, routine traffic stop in mason county on september 9. this senseless act of violence will no doubt shake communities throughout northwest michigan as we wonder why this heartbreaking event ever took place and how it happened in mason county and how we make sure it never happens again. trooper butterfield's response to the situation has been described by the michigan state police as, quote, perfect. and that he he, quote, did everything right. this tragic loss of life serves as an ever-present reminder there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop for police officers. and on this special day, september 11, we want to thank all of our first responders for the work they do. we must never forget or take for granted the work that men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day as they protect our kids, our communities, and our countries. paul, you will not be forgotten. by me, the people of the second district, or throughout michigan. again, my heart goes out to trooper butterfield's familiar, his fiance, friends, colleagues from the state police post in hart, as well as the state police post office in manastee. natalie and my family will keep you-all in our prayers during this time of extraordinary need. we just want to say to you, paul, rest well, our friend. rest well. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. benishek: i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the distinguished gentleman from new jersey, mr. frelinghuysen. for five minutes. mr. frelinghuysen: i rise to mark the 12th anniversary of the attack on america of september 11, 2001. in lieu of formal he remarks i would like to read the names of a poem written by then poet laureate billy collins read before a joint session of congress in lower manhattan just after the attacks. the names, by billy collins. yesterday i lay awake in the palm of the night, a soft rain stole in unhelped by any breeze. when i saw the silver glaze on the windows, i started with a, with ackerman, as it happened. then baxter and calibro, davis and ebberling, names falling into place as droplets fell through the dark. names printed on the ceiling of the night. names slipping around a watery bend. 26 willows on the banks of a stream. in the morning i walked out bare foot among thousands of flowers, heavy with due -- dew, like the eyes of tears. each had a name. fiore inscribed on a yellow petal, then gonzalez and hahn. jenkins. names written in the air and stitched into the cloth of the day. a name under a photograph taped to a mailbox. monogram on a torn shirt. i see you spelled out on storefront windows, and on the bright unfurled andings of this -- awnings of this city. i say the sill balances as i turn the corner, kelly and lee, ma deana, nordella and owe conner. when i pier into the woods i see a think tangle where letters are hidden as in a puzzle concongressed for children, parker and quigley in the twigs of an ash. rizzo, schubert, upton. secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple. names written in the pail -- pale sky. names rising in the updraft amid buildings. names silent in stone or cried out behind a door. names blown over the earth and out to sea in the evening, weakening light, the last swallows, a boy on the lake lifts his oars, a woman by a window puts a match to the cam, and the names outlined on the rose clouds, watercore, and wallace. let x stand if it can for ones unfound. then young and zaminski, a final jolt of z. names etched on the head of a pin. one name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel. a blue name needled into the skin. names of citizens, workers, mothers, and fathers. the bright eyed daughter, the quick son, the alphabet of names in a green field. names in the small tracks of birds. names lifted from a hat or balanced on the tip of the tongue. names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory. so many names. there is barely room on the walls of the heart. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair the gentleman from florida, mr. yoho for five minutes. you, mr. hank speaker. today on september 11 i want to take a moment to reflect on that fateful event on the day of 2001 at the world trade center, the pentagon, the fields of pennsylvania, and again in ben zazzy in 2012. ask that we always remember the resilience and strength of the greatest nation on earth. mr. speaker, there are moments in time when we cease to be republicans and democrats. politics and punditry melt away. divisions close, and differences fade. we come together as americans regardless of race, creed, or religion. september 11 of 2001 and again in 2012 was and will always be such occasion. on those days our nation came together. that is what makes our nation great and unique. not only do we come together to celebrate in triumph, but we stand together in tragedy. it is in the face of adversity when our resilience is truly tested and as americans, time and time again, throughout history, we have passed that test. throughout the course of those days heroes ran into buildings and stormed the cockpit, went into burning embassies, they lent blood when it was needed and donated clothes off their back. that, mr. speaker, is the true america, not partisan gridlock, not tension building punditry, not games of gotcha or smoke and mirrors legislation, the rallying crying of that day was simple and frayed but monumental in meaning, u.s.a. country was first, everything else was second. as we tackle the monumental challenges that lie ahead, i ask my colleagues to remember the spirit of that day, to do what is right for america, not for one party over another. the heroes of that day did what they did not because of any political party, but because of it was simply the right thing to do. it was the american thing to do. americans regardless of who they voted for feel the consequences of our decisions each and every day. today of all day let us all st and act as true country representatives for the will of all the people. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until noon today. >> today marks the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. you heard a number of comments from members in the morning hour speeches. we will -- we are bringing you live coverage today of the memorial ceremony taking place at ground zero in new york city. you can follow that all day long on c-span.org. we also will bring you coverage from the capitol of the congressional 9/11 ceremony coming up at 11:00 eastern. president obama addressed the nation last night on the situation in syria. in his remarks the president asked congress to delay any vote on military action in the nation. his remarks are about 15 minutes. >> my fellow americans, tonight i want to talk to you about syria. why it matters, and where we go from here. over the past two years what began as a series of peaceful protests against the repressive regime of bashish al assad has turned into a brutal civil war. over 100,000 people have been killed. millions have fled the country. in that time america's worked with allies to provide humanitarian support, to help the moderate opposition, and to shape a political settlement. but i have resisted calls for military action because we cannot resolve someone else's civil war through force. particularly after a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan. the situation profoundly changed on august 21 when assad's government gassed to death over 1,000 people, including hundreds of children. the images from this massacre are sickening. men, women, children lying in rows killed by poison gas. others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath. a father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk. on that terrible night the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off limits. a crime against humanity. and a violation of the laws of war. this was not always the case. in world war i american g.i.'s were among the many thousands killed by deadly gas in the trenches of europe. in world war ii the nazis used gas to inflict the horror of the hall cost -- hall cause. because these weapons can kill on a mass scale with no distinction between soldier and infant, the civilized world has spent a century working to ban them. and in 1997 the united states senate overwhelmingly approved an international agreement prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. now joined by 189 governments that represent 98% of humanity. on august 21, these basic rules were violated. along with our sense of common humanity. no one disputes that chemicals weapons were used in syria. the world saw thousands of videos, cell phone pictures, and social media accounts from the attack, and humanitarian organizations told stories of hospitals packed with people who had symptoms of poison gas. moreover, we know the assad regime was responsible. in the days leading up to august 21 we know that assad's chemical weapons personnel prepared for an attack near an area where they mix sarin gas. they distributed gas masks to their troops. then they fired rockets from a regime-controlled area into 11 neighborhoods that the regime has been trying to wipe clear of opposition forces. shortly after those rockets landed, the gas spread. and hospitals filled with the dying and wounded. we know senior figures in assad's military regime reviewed the results of the attack and the regime increased their shelling of the same neighborhoods in the days that followed. wreef also studied samples of -- we have also studied samples of blood and hair from people at the site that tested positive for sarin. when dictators commit atrocities , they depend upon the world to look the other way until those horrifying pictures fade from memory. but these things happened. the facts cannot be denied. the question now is, what the united states of america and the international community is prepared to do about it? because what happened to those people, to those children, is not only a violation of international law, it's also a danger to our security. let me explain why. if we fail to act, the assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemicals weapons. as the ban against these weapons aerodes, other tyrants won't have reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using them. over time our troops will again face the prospects of chemical warfare on the battlefield. and it could be easier for terrorist organizations to obtain these weapons and to use them to attack civilians. the fighting spills beyond syria's borders, these weapons could threaten allies like turkey, jordan, and israel, and a failure to stand against the use of chemical weapons would weaken prohibitions against other weapons of mass destruction, and embolden assad's ally, iran, which must decide whether to ignore national law by building a nuclear weapon or to take a more peaceful path. this is not a world we should accept. this is what's at stake. and that is why after careful deliberation i determined that it is in the national security interest of the united states to respond to the assad regime's use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike. the purpose of this strike would be to deter assad from using chem inc.al weapons. to degrade his regime's ability to use them, and make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use. that's my judgment as commander in chief. but i'm also the president of the world's oldest constitutional democrat sti -- democratcy, so even though i have the authority to order military strikes, i believed it was right in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security torques take this debate to congress. -- security, to take this debate to congress. i believe it's stronger when the president acts with the support of congress and i believe america acts more effectively abroad when we stand together. this is especially true after a decade that put more and more war making power in the hands of the president and more and more burdens on the shoulders of our troops while sidelining the people's representatives from the critical decisions about when we use force. now, i know that after the terrible toll of iraq and afghanistan the idea of any military action, no matter how limited, is not going to be pop 350u lar -- popular. after all i have spent 4 1/2 years working to end wars not to start them. our troops are out of iraq. our troops are coming home from afghanistan. and i know americans want all of us in washington, especially me, to concentrate on the task of building our nation here at home, putting people back to work, educating our kids, growing our middle class. it's no wonder, then, that you're asking hard questions. so let me answer some of the most important questions i have heard from members of congress and that i have read in letters that you have sent to me. first, many of you have asked won't this put us on a slippery slope to another war? one man wrote to me that we are still recovering from our involvement in iraq. a veteran put it more bluntly, this nation is sick and tired of war. my answer is simple, i will not put american boots on the ground in syria. i will not pursue an open-ended action like iraq or afghanistan. i will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like libya or kosovo. this would be a targeted strike to achieve a clear objective. deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading assad's capabilities. others have asked whether it's worth acting if we don't take out assad. some members of congress have said, there's no point in simply doing a pin prick strike in syria. let me make something clear, the united states military doesn't do pin pricks. even a limited strike will send a message to assad that no other nation can deliver. i don't think we should remove another dictator with force, we learned from iraq that doing so makes us responsible for all that comes next. but a targeted strike can make assad or any other dictator think twice before using chemical weapons. other questions involve the dangers of retaliation. we don't dismiss any threats, but the assad regime does not have the ability to seriously threaten our military. any other retaliation they might seek is in line with threats we face every day. neither assad nor his allies have any interest in escalation that would lead to his demise and our ally, israel, can defend itself with overwhelming force, as well as the unshakable support of the united states of america. many of you have asked a broader question, why should we get involved at all in a place that's so pli kated and where, as one person wrote to me, those who come after assad may be enemies of hueman rights -- human rights? it's true that some of assad's opponents are extremists. but al qaeda will only draw strength in a more chaotic syria if people there see the world doing nothing to prevent innocent civilians from being gassed to death. the majority of the syrian people and the syrian opposition we work with just want to live in peace with dignity and freedom. and the day after any military action we would redouble our efforts to achieve a political solution that strengthens those who reject the forces of tyranny and extremism. finally, many of you have asked, why not leave this to other countries or seek solutions short of force? as several people wrote to me, we should not be the world's policemen. i agree. i have a deeply held preference for peaceful solutions. over the last two years my administration has tried diplomacy and sanctions, warnings and negotiations, but chemical weapons were still used by the assad regime. however, over the last few days we have seen some encouraging signs. in part because of the credible threat of u.s. military action as well as constructive talks i had with president putin, the russian government has indicated a willingness to join with the international community in pushing assad to give up his chemical weapons. the assad regime has now admitted it had these weapons, and even said they join the chemical weapons convention, which prohibits their use. it's too elyhethis offer will s. any agreement must verify that the assad regime keeps its commitments. but this initiative has the potential to of chemical weapons wiou the use of force, particularly because russia is one of assad strongest allies. i have therefore asked the leaders of congress to postpone while we pursue thisth. i'm sending secretary of state john kerry to meet his russian counterpart on thursday, and will i continue my own discussions with president putin. i have spoken to the leaders of two of our closest allies, france and the united kingdom, and we will work together in consulta w china to put forward a resolution at the u.n. security council requiring assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control. we'll also give you an inspectors the opportunity to report their findings about what happened on august 21. and we will continue to rally support from allies from europe to the americans, from asia to the middle east, who agree on the need for action. meanwhile, i have ordered our military to maintain their current posture to keep the pressure on assad, and to be in a position to respond if diplomacy fails. and tonight i give thanks again to our military and our families for their incredible strength and sacrifices. my fellow americans, for nearly seven decades the united states has been the anger of global security -- anchor of global security. this has meant doing more than forging international agreements, it has meant enforcing them. the burdens of leadership are often heavy, but the word's a better place because we have -- world's a better place because we have borne them . to my friends on the right, i ask you to reconcile your commitment to america's military might with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just. to my friends on the left, i ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom and dignity for all people with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a gold hospital floor. for sometimes resolutions and statements of condemnation are simply not enough. indeed i'd ask every member of congress and those of you watching at home tonight to view those videos of the attack, and then ask, what kind of world will we live in if the united states of america sees a dictator brazenly violate international law with poison gas and we choose to look the other way? frank will roosevelt once said, our national determination to keep free of foreign wars and foreign entanglements cannot prevent us from feeling deep concern when ideals and principles that we have cherished are challenged. our ideals and principles, as well as our national security are at stake in syria. along with our leadership of the world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used. america's not the world's policeman. terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our eans to right every wrong. but when with honest efforts and risk we can stop children being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, i believe we should act. that's what makes america different. that's what makes us exceptional. with humility but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth. thank you. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. >> we are hearing more about syria from capitol hill today. the madison journal sentinal reporting this morning that republican paul ryan, budget committee chairman, is opposing the use of military force saying today that this week's events reinforced our credibility gap. paul ryan, republican, opposed to the resolution. the house is back at noon eastern for general speeches and they will also take up diane black's bill which would bar the administration from providing subsidies to help individuals buy insurance over the health care overhaul until the hhs secretary confirms the system is in place to verify applicants. that's at noon eastern today the house back in. meanwhile, 11:00 eastern we'll privilege you live coverage of the capitol 9/11 ceremony. members from both houses, house and senate, will be participating. we'll have that live on c-span. throughout the day all day long from new york city we are wrig you live coverage from ground zero of the 9/11 memorial. can you follow that live online at c-span.org. take us up to the capitol ceremony at 11:00 eastern part of this morning's "washington journal." host: let me turn our attention to -- back to syria. mark meadows is joining us, republican north carolina. freshman lawmaker. the speech from the president last night. what stuck out to you? jade: i thought it was a good speech. he's passionate. trying to make the case. i think he finished very strong. and regardless of where so many of us are on -- in terms of our decision on syria and what we think is best and what the people back home are saying, i think that we are united in one thing is that we want to make sure that we do what is right for our allies, and that we are a strong supporter. that people can look at the united states of america and know that we mean what we say. i think that's critical and i think the different strategies that we have are perhaps what is catching the headlines right now. host: when you say that the united states means what it says, does that mean that you could support some sort of military strike in syria? jade: obviously right now looking at a no vote on this particular thing just because national security interest is what is imperative to me, but continue to look -- i was meeting with folks yesterday going to a white house briefing today on the subject, and it really gets down to, for me, making sure that we have a national security interest, but also that our allies know they can depend on us. that being israel. we have to be unflingingly -- flinchingly in support of israel. host: what will you ask at this white house briefing and who will brief you? jade: i think there are a number of folks that will be there. my understanding is the vice president will in the situation room as well. so as we start to look at this, for me it's really the scope of what we have. hezbollah, iran how will they play into this? terms of what we are going to do? so much of what we tried to do right now we'll have a very limited scope. truly in trying to sell it to the american people. so my concern is that are there going to be unintended consequences of the military strike that perhaps we are not prepared or won't be addressing? >> this is the "wall street journal" editorial on tuesday of this week. syria and the u.s. national interest. they say the president hasn't made the case for intervention yet, but they do go on to make their own case. war has already led to military i.n.s. stands between syria and turkey. political paralysis and secretarytarian violence in lebanon. israeli military strikes against syrian arms. the flow of jihadists across the syrian border has reinvigorated al qaeda in iraq which resumed its terror campaign in baghdad and giving iran greater political sway in iraqi politics. the immediate risk is to jordan. a u.s. ally straining to cope with a half million syrian refugees. jade: without a doubt. those are not in the u.s. interest. the problem is is when you intervene, you have to have some kind of an outcome that if you look at and our intervention, at least what's been put forth today, will not directly impact any of those things. it says some 500,000 refugees in jordan is probably closer to 750,000. we've got another 750,000 to 800,000 in turkey. more in lebanon. as we move. but what we see are the jihadists and a lot of these extreme elements coming into syria to exacerbate the fight there. even though that article talks about carrying it beyond that, it's really more been about a civil war with people that, quite frankly, it's been a terrible story for well over two years. we are at 100,000 people that have died and now because of chemical weapons and 1,400 people we have been called to action, so to speak, even though chemical weapons have been used according to john kerrry, 11 time previously. host: what confidence do you have that there is a diplomatic solution in reach? jade: there has to be a threat of military intervention, obviously the president has made a case for that. i'm hopeful that we can do it. i'm not very trusting in that situation. when you really get down to it, the russians, one of your previous callers were talking about the u.n. security council. they could have already acted on the u.n. security council, and yet here we are today having to hopefully get russia to come in and intervening. i'm hopeful they can do it. host: when you say there has to be the threat of military intervention, then you yourself, why don't you back that up with a yes vote to strengthen that message? jade: because so much right now of what we have is one is what is the end outcome? what's the national security interest, and then what are we going to do? the other part in terms of trying to sell it to the american people is so limited in scope that it's really not a military objective. it becomes more of a political objective. and when you take the decisions out of the hands of so many in our military that know strategically what to do, it's a dangerous position that i think that we are going down. host: let me get our viewers involved. ron is waiting in michigan. democratic caller. hi. caller: hi. morning. i have a question for mark. my question is, why is it that when obama asks to go to war, to do a limited strike on syria, all of a sudden it becomes an issue of political -- this whole thing political is not give him the right to go at least for human rights to at least do something to show the people that chemical weapons is not something that they should be doing? i just don't understand why as republicans and some of the democrats are playing with people's lives that had nothing to do with this guy wanting to kill his own people. i don't understand that. jade: thank you for your question. and truly -- jade: -- guest: thank you for your question. i don't -- people like you that truly are calling in my office some over 3,000 people have called my office. this is something that both democrats and republicans have really struggled with. one is there a national security interest? two, how do we make sure we stand with our allies. and make sure that they know that they can count on us. and then the third part of that is how do you support our president in a critical time where he's having to make some difficult decisions? i applaud him. i was one of the ones that sent a letter that asked him to bring this before congress and so i want to truly say thank you for him listening to the people and bringing it congress. i think we have had a better debate and hopefully a lot more information that has come out because of it. i appreciate your call. host: next to joe in kentucky. republican caller. caller: good morning. my question is pretty much the last caller hit it on the head. i don't understand why assad gassed his own people. hat did he gain from it? nobody's answering that question. guest: when you look at the desperate times right now in syria, i think using this gas as i understand on some of his own people, and i do believe that he is the one that is responsible, i know there's a number of reports out there that would say otherwise, but i do believe that he was the one responsible, and really it gets in warfare when you're trying to make sure that you are fighting for position in your life. he's using a weapon that, quite frankly, has been not only frowned upon but has been truly outlawed from an international standpoint. and so it was really on his own people, but they were in an opposition area. it was an area that truly he did not have control over. >> watch this live every day at 7:00 eastern and any time at our video library at c-span.org. live now to the u.s. capitol where members of the house and senate are gathering for the 9/11 memorial ceremony. >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen. we gather here today in the name of the american people on the steps of their capitol on their patriot day. and we begin with the singing of the national anthem which juliano.ed by master sergeant >> ♪ o say can you say, by the dawn's early light at so proudly we hailed the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright tars, through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare he bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night hat our flag was still there ♪ ♪ o say does that yet wave led banner 'er the land of the free brave ♪home of the > let us pray. god of heaven and earth, we give you thanks for combiffing us another day. today we remember a day begun in terror and violence -- giving us another day. today we remember a day that begun in terror and violence and ended in heroic effort and courage. we mourn those whose lives were snatched from them. give peace and healing to those who mourn the loss of their loved ones. we thank you again for the almost universal international response to a great american tragedy. all your children of good will could see the horror of actions by many who would presume to act in your name causing so much death and destruction. may your spirit of peace and justice continue to fill the hearts of people of all faiths, races and nations. help us to recognize your creative love in the lives of all who share this beautiful planet. be present with us this day as we gather again on our capitol steps. bless the men and women who serve this great nation in the senate and house of representatives. united then and united today in our shared citizenship, they have been given great responsibility by their fellow americans. may they -- may their show of unity portend a hopeful future of concerted effort to do what is best for the united states. may they be confident in the knowledge that all americans stand behind them in their common effort to forge legislation that will reflect the resilient greatness of our nation, in building a vibrant economy and to a safe and secure future. may all that is done this day be -- and in the many days to come be for your greater honor and glory. men. >> 12 years ago our nation was shaken, our hearts were broken and our country came together. all of us remember where we were when the twin towers fell and the pentagon was struck, when flight 93 was brought down in pennsylvania. all of us remember the horrific images of that clear morning, the destruction and devastation, the tragedy and fear, the unimaginable loss. all of us still mourn the men and women, mothers and fathers, family members and friends, office workers and complete strangers who lost their lives in that great moment of sorrow. out of the sadness of that day, we can never forget and we must never forget what came next. no one could ever forget the courage of the firefighters and first responders who ran to the carnage to save others and searched for survivors without regard for their own safety. no one could ever forget the 9/11 families who turned their grief into action to make america safer, to protect the health of our first responders and to cherish the memories of loved ones forever. as we gather on these steps, as we did 12 years ago, no member of congress who served then could ever forget our shared sense of purpose as we sang out the words of "god bless america." , the ns revere our flag flag that flew on ground zero, as we cherish the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to -- who protect us from harm every day. because of them, because of the actions of millions of , ericans, we found hope strength in the wake of fear, unity in the shadow of loss. that hope, that strength, that unity must forever be the legacy of september 11, 2001. may the story of that day always inspire us to stay true to the character of our country and our common values as americans. may time and prayer diminish the pain and grief felt by those who lost their loved ones even as time will never dim the memories of those who perished. we will -- and when we pray, always pray that god will always continue to bless the nited states of america. [applause] >> it's hard to believe that 12 years have past since the horrible day we gathered here to remember. 12 years since many of us stood on these same steps to show our sympathy, solidarity and our resolve. on a clear september morning, we had suddenly found ourselves under attack by an old enemy wielding a new and fearful weapon, carriers of the innocent had been converted into weapons of war. everything changed on that saddest of mornings, and yet so uch remain the same. [no audio]ks and frighten children became survivors of an attack that were too young to comprehend. for the rest of us, the monsterousness of the acts was just as difficult to understand. and yet while the men who carried them out succeeded in their mission to kill and maim the innocent, they failed. as we all know, they failed in their true [inaudible] their hope was we could cowher in fear and distinguished those and they did not succeed. because in the days and months that followed the attacks of to we took the fight them, denying terrorists the sanctuaries and staging grounds they needed to plan and launch further attacks on our soil. and here at home we opened our doors, our wall etc. and our hearts to each other. we -- wallets, and our hearts to each other. we had tolerance and the freedom that sets us apart. we did not stop expressing ourself loudly or debating robustly, and we persevered, both by acting with resolve and by remaining free and open and characteristically us. i have faith that will continue, persevere as the struggles go on. so we look back today with our hearts still heavy and our heads still bowed. far too many died on that terrible morning. the thousands that were cruel taken from us, we say again that you will never be forgotten. to the families and friends left behind, you, too, are not forgotten. not by the ones you loved and not by us, your friends, your neighbors, your country. we thank you for your strength and your perseverance, and we continue to stand with you with the same sympathy, the same solidarity and the same resolve. [applause] >> we all remember, those of us old enough, the day that president kennedy was assassinated. we can all remember where we were, what we were doing 50 , when dr. king came with a million other to washington and gave that famous speech. i can remember where i was 12 years ago. n a morning much like today, senator dashle was the democratic leader -- senator daschle was the democratic leader at the time. i was the first to get there shortly before 9:00. one walked to me and said, something's going on in new york. we flipped on the tv and talked for a little bit. something went wrong. must have been a plane not have the right directions. we didn't know what happened. but we thought it was going to pass. the tv was turned off, the meeting started, everybody was there. the leadership team. and just a few minutes after 9:00, security came in and took daschle outside the room and he came back very quickly and said we all have to leave. there is a plane headed for the capitol. now, if we left 219, you can look out that window and already see the smoke black, black smoke billos from the pentagon. -- billoing from the pentagon. it was a state of a lot of confusion. staff, senators rushed out of these buildings. same on the house side. the day is something i will never forget. by n remember being taken sarah nichols, who was the assistant leader of the whip, as i was, for the democratic side. senator lott, senator daschle. we were taken to the west side of the capitol, and it was an eerie situation. all kinds of people in black, very black uniforms, swat teams and others from the federal government, put us in helicopters and took us to a place, a secured facility. we during that day were constantly briefed by the vice president who had been in touch with the president on a moment-by-moment basis, and that was the determination made by the vice president, we should all come back to washington and we did. we came here without a lot of speeches prepared, unprepared, just here to show each other that we knew what was going on, what happened, not totally understanding, but something was very bad. where mull culls key -- are you? >> right here. >> she walked down and said, let's sing "god bless america." that was memorable. we did that. and that is what we did that night. now, i join with all in recognizing the losses, people .ere killed, maimed i recognize the firefighters, police officers, the ambulances, all the first responders for their sacrifices. some are still suffering with the debilitates effects from all the smoke they were forced to breathe to try to save people. i will never forget. 12 years ago. [applause] >> a reading from the book of isiah. -- though young men grow weary, those with the hope in the lord will have strength, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. the word weary has been used a great deal of late. if you think about the men and women we honor this hour, the fear that they endured and cast off, the love that they wished to be remembered for, the instinct to lock arms and to help the person next to them, he bravery it took to run up those stairwells and charge that cockpit, the prayers that they whispered together, the last word that comes to mind is the word weary. yes, we've been through the -- cr ill and we live in ucible and we take heart that ours is the greatest cause and the work before us is not above our capacity or beyond our strength. after all, we are americans. this moment is to pray for the families of the departed and to ask god to renew our strength and replenish our grace so we may press on and serve without growing weary and walk without growing faint towards that more perfect union of our founders' dreams. that is why we return to these steps today. that is why we will always eturn, and that is why we will never forget. ladies and gentlemen, i would ask all of you to join us in a moment of silence. >> let us bow for the benediction. lord god almighty, creator and sustainer of the universe, on is 12th anniversary of a tragedy that united this nation , accept our thanksgiving for your sustaining providence. lord, we're grateful that though evil seems to prosper, your powerful providence evails for you remain behind the dim unknown, standing in the shadows to protect and sustain your children. we praise you, o god, that what the enemy attempted to use for vil, you transformed it to bless us. motivate us, o god, to strive for greater unity and to become more aware of the fragile nature of our lives. continue to comfort those who mourn, whose lives are imprinted with the shocking images of september 11. lord, incline our hearts to honor your name so that righteousness will exultimate -- exalt this land of love as we keep us from sin, which is a reproach to any people. we pray in your sovereign name. men. >> ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam god bless america, my home sweet home d bless america, my home sweet ome ♪ >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national able satellite corp. 2013] >> remember, if you missed the ceremony, you can see it in our video library at c-span doig. in new york, the names and the tribute at ground zero. you can follow that all day long at c-span.org as well. the president spoke at the pentagon this morning, part of the defense department's 9/11 memorial. here's what he had to say. [applause] >> good morning. from scripture we learn of the miracle of restoration. you who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again. from the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again. you will increase my greatness and comfort me again. secretary hagel, general dempsey, members of our armed forces and most of all, the survivors who bear the wounds of that day and the families of those we lost, it is an honor to be with you here again to remember the tragedy of 12 septembers ago to honor the greatness of all who responded and to stand with those who still grieve and to provide them some measure of comfort once more. together we pause and we pray and we give humble thanks as families and as a nation for the strength and the grace that from the depths of our despair has brought us up again, has revised us again, has given -- revived us again, has given us strength to keep on. we pray for the memory of all hose taken from us, nearly 3,000 innocent souls. our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been. the parents who would have known the joys of become grandparents, the fathers and mothers who would have known the pride of a child's graduation, the sons and daughters who would have grown, maybe married and had been blessed with children of their own and those beautiful boys and girls just beginning to find their way who today would have been teenagers and young men and women looking ahead, imagining the mark they'd make on the world. they left this earth, they slipped from our grasps, but it was written, what the heart had once owned and had it shall never lose. what your families lost in the temperature pral, and the here and now is eternal. the pride that you carry in that will , the love never die. your loved one's ever lasting place in america's hearts. we pray for you, their families who have known the awful depths of loss and in the quiet moments we've spent together and from the stories that you shared, i'm amazed the will you summon in your lives to lift yourselves up and to carry and to live and love and laugh again. even more than memorials of stone and water, your lives are the greatest tribute of those that we lost, for their legacy shines on in you. when you smile just like him, when you toss your hair just like her, when you foster scholarships and service projects that bear the name of those we lost and make a better world, when you join the fire house or you put on the uniform or you devote yourself to a cause greater than yourself, just like they did, that's a testimony to them. and in your resilience, you've taught us all there's no trouble we cannot endore and there's no calamity -- endure and there's no calamity we cannot overcome. diplomats who serve in approximate dangerous posts, as we saw this day last year in benghazi, intelligence professionals, often unseen and unheralded who protect us in every way, our men and women in uniform who defend this country that we love. today we remember not only those who died that september day, we pay solemn tribute to more than 1,600 patriots who have given their full measure since, military and civilians. we see their legacy in the friendships they forged, the attacks they prevented, the innocent lives they saved and in their comrades in afghanistan who are completing the mission who by the end of next year will have helped to end this war. this is the path that we travel together. these are the wounds that continue to heal, and this is the faith in god and each other that carries us through, that restores us and that we summon once more each time we come to hallowed ground beside this building or in the pennsylvania field or where the towers once stood. here in such moments of grace we are renewed, and it is here we affirm the values and virtues that must guide us. let us have the strength to face the threats that endure, different though they may be from 12 years ago so as long as there are those that would strike our citizens, we will stand vigilant and defend our nation. let us have the wisdom to know while force is at times necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek. so we recommit to the partnerships and progress that build mutual respect and deepens trust and allows more people to live in dignity, prosperity and freedom. let us have the confidence and the values that make us americans, which we must never lose. the shining liberties that make us a beacon of the world, the rich diversity that makes us stronger, the unity and commitment to one another that we sustain on this national day of service and remembrance. above all, let us have the courage, like the survivors and families here today, to carry on no matter how dark the night . how difficult the day you who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again, and from the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again. you will increase my greatness and you will comfort me again. may god bless the memory of those that we lost, may it comfort you and your families and may god bless these united states of america. [applause] ["america the beautiful" playing] ♪ >> that pentagon ceremony from about 9:30 this morning. it is the 12th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks in new york city, the pentagon and in pennsylvania, shanksville, pennsylvania. this is a live look at the fountains of the national september 11 memorial plaza in new york city located at the world trade center site. the readings of the names of the victims of 9/11 are being read throughout the day, and we have live coverage for you all day long on c-span.org. here on c-span, the house will gavel in for legislative work. one bill on their calendar today offered by republican representative diane black. the health and human services department comes up with a plan to check household income and insurance status. votes throughout the afternoon. live coverage at noon here on c-span. and up until then, some congressional reaction to president obama's syria speech last night from this morning's "washington journal." host: our conversation about the situation in syria continues with raul grijalva, democrat of arizona and co-chair of the progressive caucus in the house. congressman, your thoughts on the president's speech last night? guest: i thought what he did was necessary and appropriate. by pulling back from the brink of a military strike, i think he gives the idea of a forceful diplomacy a wider breath of the international community involved in disarming the chemical weapons that assad has, looking for a negotiated settlement to that civil war. i think all those options are open now. and many of us believe that relying solely on a military option was both in terms of foreign affairs a mistake and in terms of the country's will to do that, a huge mistake. host: "the wall street journal" differs this morning. their editorial, "obama rescues assad. the president lets putin outmaneuver." they also said this -- guest: i think the fact that the united nations is involved, the fact that russia who is the biggest enabler and china, understand that the option available was not a good option and that it's in the best interest of the region to disarm. i think we need to let diplomacy take its course here. that's what many of us have asked for from the beginning, from the first initial conversations about a limited strike and military action that we had to let diplomacy run its course. i think we have history to look at. every preemption, every unilateral action in that region by our country has only deepened the quagmire that we have there. nobody defends assad that's opposed to military action. what he did was criminal. it was an astrossity against his even people -- astrossity against his own people and he needs to be punished. and for us to continue as a nation to be the sole intervener militarily in that region is not the solution, and while people may differ on the option that's before us now, which has initiated diplomacy by russia, it is a step that i think the president is wise to pursue. host: congressman, we will pick up on that point that you have just made, but first we want to go to the white house this morning where in washington and in new york they are marking the 12th anniversary of the september 11, 2001, attacks. we are expecting the president momentarily, along with the vice president, the first lady and dr. jill biden to emerge for that moment of silence. [bell tolls] [taps playing] host: president obama, first lady michelle obama, vice president joe biden and dr. jill biden, along with the white house staff and our country's military, observing a moment of silence today at 8:46 a.m., marking the attack of the -- marking the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001, 12 years ago, when the first tower in new york was hit simultaneously up in new york, they, too, that city observing this anniversary 12 years ago at the site of the memorial in new york city with families and crowds gathering there. they'll be reading the names of the victims from the 2001 terrorist attacks. and we will have coverage of that as well. if you go to our website, c-span.org, and we'll be covering the pentagon memorial that will take place at 9:30 a.m. eastern time on c-span3, the president expected to attend that memorial as well, and this afternoon the president will be taking part in a service project to mark the anniversary. back in studio here with congressman raul grijalva, democrat of arizona. let's just get your thoughts, congressman. 12 years later after these -- after the september 11 terrorist attacks, what goes through your mind? guest: you know, that attack has i think changed in many ways this country fundamentally. the effect of that attack has changed the way americans look at the world. you can see it, the security, the readiness that this country goes through, the surveillance debate that we continue to have, but through it all, i think the resilience and the persistence of the american .eople has also shown through i was running i think for the first time and there was a forum and right the day after and nobody still understood the implications. i think one of the first questions was, should we go to war? , think the response i had against who? do we need to punish those who did this? absolutely. there's a nation state, which one is it? i think -- i mentioned that because that started that snowball with iraq, afghanistan , and this whole debate about syria, you know, that memory still lingers. that history is still with us. i think much of the resistance that the president received on this issue, and it was overwhelming opposition, was based on history. yes, a little wearyness and i think people are looking for outcome. when are we done with this? that's an impossible question. at the same time i think it's a legitimate question that the american people are asking. host: before we went to the white house, you had said that you applaud the president for asking congress to delay this vote on a military strike. let the diplomacy maneuverings run its course. how long is that course, in your mind? guest: i don't know. i really don't. i think there's bverage marks, a week, then -- benchmarks, a week, then additional benchmark. if there is progress going on both in the disarming and the destruction of those weapons with oversight by the united nations, i think you set benchmarks and you keep moving along. it is an opportunity that i think we can engage in the broader unified front as opposed to unilateral front. host: as it makes its way through negotiations, potentially through the united nations into some sort of resolution, if russia ultimately blocks whatever it has put forth to the united nations, then what? guest: i think they have taken a step too far now. i think they've become willing partners now in the idea of diplomacy and disarmament. for them to go back to being enablers of assad without that portion i think it's not only the opinion of the world now, it's -- we brought in the united nations. i think they have taken a step too far to back away. that's my sense of it, but this is something we work so close to engage in another military action in the region that everybody wanted to step away from it. i think there's a self-interest for russia, there's a self-interest for china. that's part of diplomacy, and there's a great self-interest for the united states and that is to uphold the convention against biological and chemical weapons but also to be seen as a stabilizing force in the region rather than the military interventionist that our reputation now precedes us on this question. host: if russia blocks any attempt on this front, is that enough for you as a progressive democrat to say, ok, you've exhausted all the options, i will vote yes on a military strike in syria? guest: i think i could not cross that line. i think the intervention, the military intervention for me is not a last resort. it's a resort we shouldn't take. host: for you it's never on the table? guest: hasn't been on the table from the beginning. still not on the table. i feel really good about the fact that we are' in this pause for lack of a better word because many of the things that i and other colleagues rely on as our point of view that this can be done with forceful diplomacy are back on the table and we'd like to see an opportunity for that to work. we believe it can, but by having the option of military action lingering out there i think takes away from the diplomacy. host: you're co-chair of the progressive caucus. do you believe that the majority of the progressive caucus agrees with you that the military option should not be on the table at all? guest: i thinkority does. but like any caucus, we have different points of view. we have differences on this issue, just like many of our colleagues. this is an issue on a political spectrum that has opposition from my very tea party republicans to many -- majority of us in the caucus to centrists and moderates as well. and i think we might come with it with some value issues attached, but public opinion, anybody that was home and spent th lt two weeks at home as this issue began to grow, if for nothing else, respond to that public opinion is i think also a motivation among a lot of my colleagues. i really believe a resolution for -- that was on the table up till yesterday would have failed in the house. host: do you think the president ever has the votes in the house for military action? guest: i think it could change if everything else fails, then what? if we get to that scenario, then it could be a different mixture. host: we are talking to raul grijalva, democrat from arizona, co-chair of the progressive caucus. serving six terms in the u.s. ouse of representatives. 202-585-3880. 81.ublicans, 202-585-38 independents and others -- caller: how you doing today? host: fine. caller: i worked in the middle, ok, and i'm familiar because of my military background with nbc which is nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. it seems like a lot of the film we saw on the air, ok, were sort of -- didn't represent the nerve agent gas, ok, that they said caused the problem, caused the deaths of the children, ok. my work in the middle east has taught me something. we can't think of the area, ok. we can't think of it in terms of the way we think of it. we have to think of it in terms of the way people in the middle east think of the situation. and right now -- and i'll honest with you. there are two things that come to mind, ok. one, ok, what they say in the middle east, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, ok, or my ally, ok. unfortunately, unfortunately, in the situation, the present secretary of state misrepresented it. the two major forces are al qaeda, ok, and they've come over from iran and iraq, ok, into syria, ok, and those are the controlling factors of the rebels. so basically using their own way of thinking, the enemy of our enemy is our enemy, so either way we go, spending american wealth or american lives, ok, we're going to end up with the same situation that we have in libya. host: all right, dave. i'm going to leave it there. congressman. guest: in terms of what happened to the 1,500 folks, 400, 500 children, i don't know doubt the veracity of secretary kerry or the president on that. i don't at all. i don't minimize it and i haven't done a lot of second guessing. it's a fact and that fact has drove the decision to try to have military action. that same fact has consequences to it. like i said, understanding that that occurred, the violation of an international treaty with more reason you need to have the hague, the international court, the u.n. and the international community because this atrocity is against a fundamental treaty that everybody believes in. so i'm glad there are some international pressure building on that because it is an atrocity. with regards to the opposition, for lack of a better word, to e syrian free army, it's a mixed bag. i think our involvement in supporting the opposition of assad has to be a very well-done support basis so we don't end up in a situation that the very people that we supported, as we've done in other parts of the middle east, in afghanistan, in particular, we had to fight them after we taught and trained them. that's an historic lesson we need to be particularly conscious of as we look to the opposition. host: daniel, waco, texas, democratic caller. hello, daniel. caller: yeah, i was wondering, do we have like an extensive plan to get out of -- like to go in and get out of syria? i mean, a military strike, where does that end, really? you know what i mean? host: congressman, have you asked those questions? guest: the progressive caucus sent almost four pages of questions to the white house. outcome, what's the exit strategy, how long, what's the intensity of this? everything from cost, politically and diplomatically, to fiscal costs, we asked all those questions precisely to know what the end game is. i think there is a unified criticism of the discussion the administration has had on this issue. yes, there needs to be a punitive -- their point is there needs to be a punitive attack on syria and the assad government so they will stop utilizing these chemical and biological weapons. given that, what's the end game, what's the end game for the united states, for our military and quite frankly for the stability of that region? and there's no answer. host: pentagon twitter wants to know, congressman -- guest: i think senator manchin said yesterday, all eyes are on him and his government, as it kind of teeters in power right now. i think there is a deterrent to using these. it is the fact thatregnized, as this is an indefensible position that assad has taken. i really think that worldwide attention and now a more unified front against syria and the use of those weapons, i think that's a very, very effective deterrent. host: how many briefings have you attended? guest: one. host: and what did you learn? guest: it's -- like i said, the veracity of what happened, i don't question it. i think that's what i took away from it. you know, what happens next kind of questions and what other options kind of questions that many of us have. the point was to promote an option, which was a military strike limited. some of us had other options that we wanted fully explored. host: will you attend more briefings, are there plans for more? guest: i think if we go into this diplomatic, if they're offered, absolutely. those of us that insisted on this route i think will bear responsibility to be informed and be active in this process. host: chuck, republican from cincinnati, ohio. caller: hi, i wondered, we're facing an unprecedented debt ceiling that we've never seen before in the united states. we're looking at the syrian rebels. we would be effectively supporting to overthrow assad in syria. a lot of these people are al qaeda or al qaeda affiliate and we're arming them and supporting them. it's almost a double-edged blade here. we don't have a clear enemy in this conflict. why do we have to play world police? why is it our duty to spend american money and spend american lives to play wld police in a conflict that has nothing to do with us, that has nothing to do with any of our interests at home? guest: i would generally agree with you on the prem us of the point you're making, but i the leader of the world of this nation has an appropriate role to play in this country on issues of genocide, of issues of starvation, human rights violations. if we can be a compass, morally speaking, to right some of those wrongs, then i think our diplomatic and humanitarian intervention on those issues i think has to be a constant. if we've learned anything from our syrian issue is that partnering with the united nations in a more fundamental way i think is the route for the future. i also agree with you on one point. i think we have domestic issues in front of us. we have the debt ceiling vote that's coming up. we have the continuing resolution on the budget, and then we have another attempt at the grand bargain. sequestration hits again march 10, additional cuts will go in place. that's a huge domestic issue, and something that shupet be forgotten, which -- shouldn't be forgotten, which i think is huge, what progress is going to happen with regards to immigration reform, those two issues continue to be a priority and, you know, this break, this pause perhaps will allow the members of congress to refocus on those emerging -- those issues that are on top of us. host: "the washington times" writes this this morning -- guest: i really don't believe that. i don't believe that the rejection -- and it would have occurred in the house of representatives of the syrian resolution to unilaterally bomb and have that attack would destroy the ability to move forward. you know, the point of contention is that the house of representatives with immigration and with the budget. the point of contention is with the republican leadership in the house on both those issues. and the roadblock and the barrier to move forward on those issues rests there. it rests with the majority of the majority's idea and it rests with not bringing something to the floor that congress can work its will. i really believe if something rational was brought to the floor on immigration reform it would pass, but it's got to come to the floor. and so no amount of anything the president can do to some extent is going to change that dynamic which is house leadership avoiding two critical issues. you know, we're going to fool around and pretend -- use a gimmick to try to pretend we're not funding obamacare in this next round. we still have the sequestration numbers which is going to cause the vast majority of democrats to vote against it again. those are real issues that i think bipartisan efforts and some conclusion to work it out in the middle have to happen soon. and until that leadership realizes there is a will that needs to be worked out on the floor of the house, that's where the -- that's where the stopgap is. host: all right. chad in nashville, tennessee, republican caller, you're on the air with congressman grijalva of arizona. go ahead. caller: yeah, congressman rijalva, and the rest of the democratic party basically want to neuter america and want to say under no circumstances -- this is what he just said -- always off the table to use military force. this is why america is losing face in the world. this is why we won't stop terrorism. terrorism is going on right now. look at benghazi. look at fort hood, although they call it workplace violence. we all know it was terrorism. we have an administration that basically agrees with this representative, and then he gets on here and wants to blame republicans for everything. until the -- until we can actually confront our enemy and do something about it and as long as we have people like this, we're not going to get it done. guest: i believe that a retaliation or -- >> that's from this morning's "washington journal." you can see that anytime online at c-span.org. the u.s. house is gaveling in next for legislative work. they'll take up one bill by diane black of tennessee which would bar subsidies and benefits from the health care law until the health and human services department can implement a plan to check household income and insurance status. several rounds of votes expected this afternoon. a reminder, we're also covering the september 11 memorial ceremony ongoing in new york from ground zero. you can watch that at c-span.org. now live coverage of the house on c-span. the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. loving and gracious god, we give you thanks for giving us another day and for our safe return to washington. bless the members of this assembly as they set upon the important work that faces them. help them to make wise decisions in a good manner and to carry their responsibilities steadily with high hopes for a better few tier four or great nation -- future for our great nation. may they be empowered by what they have heard during their home district visits to work together. on this day, which has become a day of national mourning, help us to remember as well the renewed sense of national courage and resolve that we need to work toward a better future. may we all be inspired by the heroism of so many 12 years ago, to be the best that we can be this day. may all that is done today in the people's house be for your greater honor and glory, amen. the speaker: 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, t puose does the s approve gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> mr. speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speak -- the speaker: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum s not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 0, further proceedings on this -- 20, further proceed thongs question will be postponed. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from south carolina, mr. wilson. mr. wilson: everyone, including our guests in the gallery, please join in. 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: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, 12 years ago our nation was attacked by jihadists who sought to destroy our freedoms. today, we remember the nearly 3,000 innocent americans who lost their lives in new york, washington and shanksville. we also pay tribute to those who have successfully fought in afghanistan and iraq to keep us safe by defeating terrorists overseas. last year terrorists murdered ambassador chris stevens along with three additional brave americans at our consulate in benghazi, libya. their efforts to promote democracy will never be forgotten. we should recognize the war on terrorism as far -- is far from over. conflict continues across the world. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11, 2001 and september 11, 2012, at benghazi, and the global war on terrorism. todd beamer was correct, let's roll. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, on this very somber anniversary, we remember the lives of 2,977 innocent men, women and children who were killed 12 years ago today. the horrific and brutal attacks we witnessed the morning of september 11, 2001, forever changed our country and the world. but even during these difficult hours, we also saw inspiring examples of the very best that america has to offer. we saw first responders who day and night searching for survivors at the world trade center. we saw thousands of men and women in uniform bravely answer the call to serve our nation in a new kind of war, a war against terrorism. we saw americans across this great nation come together united that we would recover from this tragedy, hold the perpetrators accountable and do everything we can to protect this nation. as we -- let us recall the inspiring examples we saw 12 years ago and remember all all americans, united by a shared set of values and ideals. but most of all, let us honor the lives that were lost and continue to pray for the comfort and peace of all those who still mourn today. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from missouri rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, for the past 12 years, september 11 has been a day of solemn remembrance in america and one year ago it was a day of violence in benghazi that ended with four dead americans during a planned terrorist attacks. as a former united states ambassador, i rise today in honor of chris steven, shawn smith and glen daughertyy and tyrone woods. the american people and their families deserve the answer, the truth and more importantly justice. one year later, there are still so many unanswered questions, why did we not answer the cry of the u.s. security? why in the days and weeks after benghazi did the administration lie about the terrorist attack and who gave the standdown order? mrs. wagner: it's shameful that the obama administration has refused to track and punish those who attacked and murdered those four americans. the american people deserve answers. the congress should convene a select committee to investigate the terrorist attack in benghazi. the victims' families deserve the truth. the american people deserve a commander in chief that stands for strength, liberty and justice. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise to honor the life of cyrus, a wonderful 9-year-old boy from dublin, in my congressional district, who lost his courageous battle with brain cancer this past weekend. when he was diagnosed a year ago, he was given just six months to live, but although cyrus had been battling for his life during the past year, he never gave up, never let his illness get in the waive his door yossity or kindness with others. mr. swalwell: he was a smart, passionate boy who lit up a room. i was so proud to see the entire dublin community rally behind cyrus and his family with a meal train and fundraisers during this difficult time in his life. this month is childhood cancer awareness month and i continue the fight to fund cancer research so no family has to experience losing a child to cancer. despite his short life, cyrus' story will continue to inspire others. my condolence goes out to his dad, mom, twin sisters, and brother, who are always by cyrus' side as he fought for his life. we miss you, cyrus, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i remember the morning of september 11, 2001, like it was just yesterday. the horror affected everyone in different ways and each of us remember where we were and whom we were with on that faithful day. i remember trying to get home from work, turn on the tv. i remember the second plane hit the second tower and i remember my rage. mr. perry: while america has begun to heal from the wounds of those cowardly and terrifying acts of the last decade, the scars remain. with each passing year, this anniversary serves as a moment for reflection and a time to remember the brave and selfless acts of our first responders and the ordinary citizens who committed extraordinary acts of heroism. most importantly, we will never forget the thousands of innocent people who died in new york, pennsylvania, and virginia. so today i join my fellow americans in prayer and remembrance of those who lost their lives on that faithful day. i also will pause to remember the selfless men and women at home and abroad defending our freedoms and liberties to prevent such a horrific day from occurring again. today and always americans will not forget. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise to remind my colleagues that we are still operating this nation under the ridiculous sequester budget. it has been months since these across-the-board cuts were enacted, devastating so many important programs that americans rely on. mr. cartwright: the purpose of the sequestration was to create a scheme of cuts so odious that congress would do anything possible to avoid them. they went into effect, and we need to work together now to find a compromise to fully reverse these automatic, indiscriminant spending cuts. leaving them in place will continue to hurt our economy. in fact, sequestration will cost about 750,000 jobs by the end of this year, according to the c.b.o. remember, budget are statements of priorities, and we should not be asked to place a higher value on airline delays in lieu of head start, snap, meals on wheels, fema's disaster relief fund and public safety, to name only a few. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, today we pause to remember and reflect upon the heartbreaking attacks our nation suffered on the morning of september 11, 2001. we remember the lives lost at the world trade center, at the pentagon and the passengers on hijacked planes. mr. yoder: we remember the bravery of the first responders who charged toward the flames and smoke to help their fellow americans reach safety. we remember the men and women who rows to the moment, responding with force to the cowardly attacks suffered by -- who rose to the moment, responding with force to the cowardly attacks suffered by this nation. we remember an united states torn apart by terrorists attacks and today we honor the determination of our nation, which rose from the rubble to rebuild, not just buildings, but our american spirit. mr. speaker, on today's anniversary, we remember to honor the legacies of those we lost today. we remember the best of the american patriotism and unity in the moments and days immediately after. and we remember to always keep our service men and women in our best thoughts and prayers. god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? ms. jackson lee: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i was in this very building on 9/11. i was here with members of ngress engaged in a meeting, and obviously not paying attention to the crisis around us. until the instruction was given to flee, and as we came out of offices and meeting rooms to see those who were fleeing and those trying to protect leadership and others of us who were told to flee and hit the ground. but in actuality what we began to think of was our loved ones in our district. we thought of america. and then after the fact, we thought of the brave souls that actually was saving lives in the pentagon as we saw the building smoke. we heard the rumors of the white house, the state department. we thought of those who we originally had seen in new york and as well we thought of those very, very historic and heroic souls in pennsylvania. having gone to ground zero in the early stages where they were still in the recovery stage, i saw first responders still going, still pushing to be able to recognize and to find souls for their loved ones. and so today i hope that we will honor those who lost their lives, lost their lives in terrorist attacks. mr. speaker, if i might say we hear to eyesaa, the weight upon the lord shall renew their strength and they shall run and not be weary and they shawl walk. i hope america is in peace for those lost souls that we lost. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise in memory of a great lifornian, a man who's known is go, c. cal. you probably remember his ads starting back in the 1950's of cal and his dog, spot. he was is great hero as a world war ii airman and pilot. we know in northern california for the ranch he has, the big w ranch, and most recent years he never quit giving. mr. lamalfa: he helped out with the glen medical center with an annual event we call splendor in the valley, which was a huge success for the hospital and just goes to show cal's big heart and we miss him already in northern california, as does all the state, because he's just a one-of-a-kind man. you'll never replace his character, his humor and what he does to keep giving to the community. we lost him at the age of 92. and we'll never miss him and splendor of the valley will go on in honor of his memory. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: ithout objection. ms. hahn: mr. speaker, i'm pleased at the proposal to address this terrible crisis in syria. peace takes courage and i'm proud we have a president who is willing to embrace this diplomatic option. the proposals by russia and syria have raised the possibility of a real diplomatic solution to the crisis, with syria possibly agreeing to accept international control of its chemical weapons stockpile. i hope that this proposal bears fruit and that the president will do everything he can to make it a reality. but we cannot pretend that military action is a good alternative. violence must not be mistaken for strength and our limited strike risks igniting a dangerous conflict. dr. martin luther king jr. knew what he was talking about when he said returning violence for violence only multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. let us give peace a chance to solve the problems that military strikes could not begin to address. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you. peace is a fragile thing. it means more than just the absence of war. american peace is in our foundational documents. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. those values are universal. they serve as a beacon of hope in times of war and an example to a world filled with oppressers, dictators and terrorists. mr. bentvolio: through the creation of the bill of rights, our founding fathers knew that in this place, the world's people would come together and live in peace. in this place, anyone with a good idea can succeed and thrive. in this place, if you can dream it, you can do it. the openness of our society serves as our nation's greatest strength. the enemies of peace and freedom do not care what we look like. they do not care who we vote for. and they do not care in what part of town you live. on that fateful september day, they attacked us as a whole. reresponded by helping our neighbors in their distress and turned lonely strangers into heartfelt friendsation together. today in solemn remembrance of those who lost their lives working to follow their american dream, we must also remember what we truly represent. out of many, one, the last, best hope of mankind. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to highlight some of the negative effects sequester has had on my district and across the country. mr. mcnerney: just yesterday i met with a young cancer survivor who would not be here today without the help of critical research conducted by our federal agencies and health agencies. arbitrary, mindless cuts to the operating budgets of these agencies jeopardizes lives and unfairly targets many vulnerable populations. the sequester effects more than just research. it also effects the domestic jobs and puts our public safety at risk. right in my district's backyard there's a fire raging at a state park. this fire has decimated thousands ofte l resents. our resources are stretched too thin with fire crews being split between several fires around the state, including the fire in yosemite national park. it's critical that budgets do not limit the ability of our first responders to react to these disasters. on this 12th anniversary of 9/11, i urge my colleagues to work together to develop a rational, meaningful budget that moves america forward. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i come here today, about an hour and 20 minutes after we stood on the capitol steps remembering the victims of the heinous attacks on september 11. you know, everybody remembers if they're of age where they were at that time. was sitting in my office in corpus christi. mr. farenthold: and when that second plane hit the twin towers, i got a feeling in my stomach, in the pit of my stomach, that i remember from when i was told my father died when i was a child. it was a devastating moment. but we cannot let our fear guide us. we have got to be strong, we've got to be vigilant and we cannot let the terrorists win. so, let's take a moment right now until i'm gaveled out of time to remember and pray for those victims and their families and go forward with our life and reflect how we can do what we need to do so the terrorists don't win. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon rise? without objection. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. this is indeed a sober reflection on the days of 9/11. 1 years ago today i was on the floor of the house when we got word of the first attacks. and it unleashed a series of horrific events. but, you know, those events continue to this day. there's another tragedy that's occurring in iraq and afghanistan. the thousands of iraqi and afghan nationals whose lives are at risk because they helped americans. as guides, drivers and interpreters. that is why we developed a special immigrant visa program, to help these people trapped in the country against those with long memories who seek revenge. but this program is seriously broken. there are thousands of men and women on this waiting list, some who have died while they wait to have the paperwork processed. you know, the state department won't even tell us how many are on the waiting list. it is seriously broken. congress can't fix it but at least we can put in the c.r. an extension so that the program doesn't expire at the end of the month and their lives lost. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the entleman from new york rise? without objection. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, today marks the 12th anniversary of the september 11 attacks on our great nation. though on that day cowardly terrorists hijacked the islamic religion and used it to justify their murderous acts, what we remember most is america's strength and resolve. in the aftermath, americans of all backgrounds and faiths united as one. service members and first responders ran toward, not away, from the wreckage. our nation continues to set an example to the world as a land of opportunity, tolerance and independence. and in keeping with our founding document, the promise still of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. mr. speaker, as we witness the construction of one world trade center, we see more than a building rise to the new york city skyline. it is truly representative of the resilience of the american people which remains unbroken. despite these hardships, challenges and unthinkable acts. so today and every day we stand tall as americans, as we vow never to forget. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the entlewoman from new york rise? without objection. mr. maloney: mr. speaker, today we mark -- mrs. maloney: mr. speaker, today we mark the 12th anniversary of 9/11, a day that changed america forever. we remember those who died. we lost close to 3,000 people on 9/11. but many thousands more lost their health and many are suffering from cancer. this body passed the 9/11 health and compensation bill to help them. and i thank my colleagues. since that day, much has changed and much has been restored. 10 million people have visited memorial plaza that opened in 2011. the 9/11 museum opens next spring. the 104-story freedom tower opens next year. but there are still men and women who suffer or will suffer omffec of the massive toxic stew that en-- nofled lower man hate -- enveloped lower manhattan for months. so on this special day i'd like to remind everyone that the final deadline to register for the benefits under the 9/11 victims compensation fund is october 3. please let everyone who is eligible know, registering will cost you nothing and may help you and your family tremendously. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? without objection. mr. cohen: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. today is 9/11, we've all talked about it. and when i think about 9/11, i mostly think about -- i think about the victim, obviously, but the first responders who were also victims. firemen and policemen in new york city and that area that rushed into harm's way and lost their lives trying to protect others. we appreciated and thanked those heroic fire people and police people. sometimes i don't think we keep them in our minds like we should. they're public employees, they're middle class americans, they're having a tough time. and we need to always pressure appreciate the sacrifices they -- always appreciate the sacrifices they made to help keep us safe from crime and from horrific circumstances. so i thank the first responders, i appreciate what they did on 9/11 and what they do every day. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california -- without objection. mr. davis: we all have extremely vivid memories of this day -- mrs. davis: we all have extremely vivid memories of this day 12 years ago. i remember the panicked feeling i had as i searched all day for my children who live in new york city, but i couldn't reach. i recently saw the emptiness that we all felt captured at memorial plaza. we can honor those we lost by remembering that after the immense tragedy of that day, we rose as a nation, united in the belief that there was no obstacle we could not overcome together. have we lost that spirit? many would say that this congress has been stalled on the best way to lead this nation, focusing too much on what divides us, losing sight of what brings us together. i that we will put aside our differences and come together for the american people. let us use a sad, traumatic reminder of today and remember that we are all americans and we all want what is best for our mi our communities and our country. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california ise? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise asking my colleagues to join together to end the sequester. many constituents and many business owners have expressed this question over the last six months. what is congress going to do about ending the sequester cuts? my district has military and federal contractors that are impacted by these cuts. programs are serving fewer children, while nutrition programs that serve seniors such as meals on wheels are also being cut. sequestration effects our economy and the most vulnerable of our nation. mrs. negrete mcleod: that's why we need a balanced approach to repeal sequestration. we need to reach a compromise on a real plan and work out the differences between the house and senate budgets to end sequester cuts. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii? without objection. mr. hanna: mr. speaker, i rise -- ms. hanabusa: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the life of derek lionel martin. derek was the son of hawaii, born and raised on the island of oahu. he displayed the intelligence, integrity and vision needed to be an exemp lara american. in 1978, he enlisted in the united states army before becoming a member of the hawaii army national guard in 1983. he served honorably until 2001 when he chose to continue his commitment to the united states as a member of the hawaii air national guard. he also served as an officer in the police department for 25 years. as a veteran of operation enduring freedom and operation iraqi freedom, there are truly -- he truly understood what it meant to sacrifice for others. a true patriot, he was a man of compassion, understanding and unwavering resolve. his wife, joanne, and two sons, michael and john, are his greatest legacy and will continue to share derek's aloha. on behalf of the first congressional district of hawaii and the entire state of hawaii, i would like to bid a final aloha to derek and thank him for his selfless contributions to the defense of this country. as we say in hawaii -- until we meet again. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlemanom without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate people. ms. mccollum: an alternative newspaper -- mr. polis: an alternative newspaper. a challenging fee for any newspaper, even more so for a newspaper that's freely available to readers, both in boulder county, where print editions are freely distributed, as well as nationally over the internet. they've had a number of in depth, incisive reports that have uncovered human rights abuses within our own prison system in colorado, given detailed coverage on the impact of organic farming practices and fracking. it's very difficult these days to find a trusted, investigative news source and the boulder community is very fortunate to have one in the "boulder weekly" and i rise to congratulate them on their 20th anniversary. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. burgess: mr. speaker, by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 339 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 51, house resolution 339, resolved, that upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 2775, to condition the provision of premium and cost-sharing subsidies under the patient protection and affordable care act upon a certification that a program to verify household income and other qualifications for such subsidies is operational, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate, with 40 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce and 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on ways and means, and two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, for the purposes of debate only, i yield the customary0 nutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. during consideration of the resolution, all time yielded for the purpose of debate only. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: mr. speaker, house resolution 339 provides for consideration of house resolution 2775, the no subsidies without verification act of 2013. this is a critical bill as the obama administration begins to implement and sign up people for the insurance exchanges in literally less than three weeks' time. i'm a member of the energy and commerce committee, mr. speaker. i can tell you that the secretary of the health and human services appears ill prepared to verify that people qualifying for the numerous government handouts and subsidies included in the affordable care act actually meet the income requirements for those subsidies. because fraud and abuse have been rampant in just about every program that is administered by the health and human services, including medicare and medicaid, a certified verification system being in place prior to the implementation of the affordable care act is critical. this bill addresses this extreme deficiency in the inappropriately named affordable care act. the rule before us today provides for one hour of debate equally divided between the majority and minority. further, the rule makes a correction to the underlying bill clarifying that the inspector general for health and human services, rather than the secretary, which is a partisan position, the inspector general is better equipped to oversee the verification process for the eligibility of subsidies. finally, the minority is afforded the customary motion to recommit allowing for yet another opportunity to amend the legislation. h.r. 2775, the no subsidies without verification act, introduced by mrs. black from tennessee, has been -- is an important piece of legislation to protect taxpayer dollars from inappropriate expenditure. less than three weeks until enrollment in the health exchanges and they go live and the obama administration continues to tinker and twist the dials on the affordable care act, exposing the executive branch's lack of readiness for such a massive and fundamental change of the way health care is delivered and administered in this country. in an effort to save their misguided health care takeover, the administration has significantly scaled back the original scope of the affordable care act, cutting corners, delaying any piece of the legislation which becomes inconvenient or perhaps embarrassing to the president. the president has chosen to delay the employer mandate, including -- included in the affordable care act, yet not give that same reprieve to everyday americans. why? why should that be? because enforcing the employer mandate was inconvenient. the president announced that he could not implement the class act portion of the affordable care act. why? because it was inconvenient. now, the president simply will not enforce the verification requirements to prevent fraudulent acceptance of subsidies. why? because, again, it is inconvenient. just three months before the exchanges are supposed to go live on january 1, the health and human services decided on july 5 of this year that it would simply accept an applicants household income without any certifiable verification. the president's strategy on health care law is now trust, don't verify. the secretary of health and human services made the opening of the exchanges on october 1 her central priority. however, facing tight deadlines, daunting workloads the administration has instead drastically lowered their standards. it's clear from the final rule issued late in the day that the administration will allow any flexibility necessary to ensure their law appears it is being implemented as planned. but regardless of what you may believe, the administration has been very clear. their rule states explicitly, and quoting here, the exchange atistacian of ousehold vary anycation income without determination, closed quote. the administration is more than comfortable with letting over $1 trillion go out the door without varyfying it's going to the -- varyfying it's going to the correct individuals -- verifying it's going to the correct individuals. they said, it's an ideal approach to provide flexibility in the case of many verifications, closed quote. since it's apparently too much to verify everyone's income, the administration has determined that it's ok with spending over $1 trillion just based on what individuals think they may make in the next year. instead of admitting they won't be ready on time, the administration decided that it will just spend the money anyway. while constant delaying and changing of the law is worrisome, what should concern all of us the most is what this new change in regulation will do, by eliminating the verification requirement, the only way the government will determine who gets federal subsidies now is by whoever claims that they themselves need the subsidies. quite frankly, with premiums rising the rate they are across the country and set to rise even more for calendar year 2015, it seems like everyone will be telling the department of health and human services that they need subsidies because quite frankly no one will be able to afford the president's health insurance. maybe then it will be good that no one in the administration is checking to see who might be lying about their household income. while the constant delaying and changing of the law is worrisome, another concern is that this new -- what this new change in regulation will do, by eliminating the verification requirement, the only way the government will determine who gets federal subsidies now is by who says they will need them. this is -- this will open the exchanges to a staggering amount of potential fraud. it's also blatantly political. by doing this the obama administration has made it clear they want as many people to sign up for the exchanges no matter their eligibility status. taxpayers unfortunately will be charged with over $1 trillion over the next decade to pay for the exchange subsidies. with over $1 trillion going out the door, shouldn't the american people have the assurance that the government is sending the money to the people who actually need it? all of this is so the president can reap the public relations benefit of talking about the popularity of exchanges and salvage his failed signature policy initiative. i encourage my colleagues to vote why on the rule and yes on the underlying bill, stand up to this health insurance subsidy fraud. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: i thank the gentleman for yielding the customary 30 minutes. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the rule and the underlying bill. this bill is redundant and a waste of time. the department of health and man services will review the application of health care exchanges and ensures that no one is able to get health insurance tax credits that they aren't eligible for. instead of considering these redundant bills, let me talk about what we're not considering here today, which would actually solve a problem the american people are demanding that this institution address. the time to pass comprehensive immigration reform is now. we can do it now. i stead of debating something that's -- instead of debeating something that's redundant, there is a bill that received 2/3 of the support in the united states senate. if this body can act on it and send it to president obama's desk finally we'll be able to do something to increase our jobs and lower our deficit, ensure our security and reflect our values as americans and prevent the undermining of the rule of law that occurs every day that we have over 10 million people this in this country that are undocumented. violating our laws. this institution can fix this now. the senate has acted. let the house act. as economists across the political spectrum have found, the economic benefits of immigration reform are tremendous. according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office and the joint committee on taxation, if we act now to pass the senate comprehensive immigration reform bill, we'll reduce the deficit by over $135 billion, and in the following decade, over $600 billion. why aren't we spending our time discussing that and passing that here on the floor of the house today? further, the senate bill is estimated to boost the output of the u.s. economy by 3.3%. a 3.3% increase to g.d.p., and a reduction in the deficit. that's $700 billion in additional gross domestic product by 2023. as a june, "wall street journal" article citing steven goss, social security's chief actuary, pointed out, the windfall is likely to exceed $4 trillion. we can shore up social security and protect our seniors, prevent any cuts to social security by passing immigration reform now. that's what the country wants us to do. how does it shore up social security? because immigration occurs at a young age. immigration reform ensures there are people paying into social security, young, healthy workers and particularly as baby boomers retire, immigrants -- and we're talking about people that are already here -- let's make sure they pay their taxes by not taking this bill up, we're preventing people from paying into social security like they should and paying their taxes like they should. they live in this country, they should pay taxes. according to "the wall street journal," immigration reform will result in an extra $600 billion in the social security trust fund, and over $4 trillion over 75 years. another urgent reason that this body should be taking up immigration reform instead of redundant measures around health care reform is our national security. we currently have a pourous border and while progress has been made and as of 2011, the illegal crossings was the lowest, it was 327,000, 327,000 people illegally crossed our border. what does that say about the security of our country, our ability to enforce our imfwration laws when over 300,000 people have illegally crossed the border? well, there's a solution. it's ready to pass. let's talk about it. not redundant bills that don't do anything and aren't going anywhere. the senate comprehensive immigration bill, while of course not perfect, includes unprecedented border and interior enforcement measures. the bill includes increasing the number of full-time border trol agents from 21,000 to 38,405. mandating an electronic exit for custom and border agents are deployed. constructing at least 300 miles of fencing, bringing the miles of high-tech border fencing to 700. constructing additional border control stations and operating bases, mandating 24 hours surveillance on the border region using mobile, video, portable systems as well as unmanned aircraft and deploying the beacon stations. look, it takes getting serious to secure the border, and this costs money and we can do it in the context of reducing the deficit by over $100 billion, such as the windfall from immigration reform that we effectively get to scur our southern border for free and reduce the deficit by $100 billion and improve the social security trust fund to the tune of $4 trillion, giving american seniors the security they need in their retirement, that's what we can do by bringing the senate immigration reform bill to the floor of the house right now. . the senate immigration reform bill also increases american competitiveness. immigration's the economic engine that's grown our economy for generations. unfortunately under our current immigration system, it's not designed to foster job creation. all too often it undermines american workers. takes jobs away from american workers. leads companies to outsource jobs overseas. i represent a district that has two excellent universities, colorado state university, university of colorado-boulder. great graduate programs in math, engineering, the sciences. we graduate students with advanced degrees from countries all over the world. from india, from mexico, from china. to have the skills that we need to keep america competitive and create jobs. and yet the day after they graduate, without any access to a green card, many of these talented young ph.d.'s and master's degree students have to return to their own country and guess what, the jobs follow them back home, in the information economy. the employers don't care. whether they're here or there. as long as they contribute the bits and bytes. we want that income here in america. the bipartisan senate bill addresses that as well. another component that we have for job creation in america is a startup visa. this is a way that entrepreneurs with ideas can come to america to start their companies here and employ americans. nor goodness sakes, do we want the good companies of tomorrow to be overseas, just because we don't let the founders come here to start their companies? that's common sense. creates jobs for americans. let's do it. we also have improvements to raising capital for american companies to grow jobs here in america. this body should take up the comprehensive immigration reform bill now, not tomorrow, not in five minutes, now. let's do it. so that we can finally move forward on creating jobs, improving border security and reducing our deficit and shoring up social security. another reason that we urgently need to bring up immigration reform now is because the current system is simply out of sync with our values as americans. our faith values as jews, christians, muslims, every other faith in our country, as well as our american values, our values of our founding fathers. faith leaders from across the spectrum have been among the most vocal supporters of the senate comprehensive immigration bill. over the august recess, the evangelical immigration round table, a coalition of faith groups, continue the drumbeat for a vote on the senate bill and called for an end to the quote-unquote cruelty perpetuated by the current immigration deportation system. it's completely arbitrary. young american children, american citizens, kids, 8, 10, 12 years old, in my state and across the country, to our great shame, come home from school to find that their parents are in detention, their parents are not there, their parents are facing deportation proceedings. why? perhaps a tail light was out. on their car. and to a cost of taxpayers of tens of thousands of dollars. they now wait in line for a costly deportation while their american child returns to a home with no parent. how does that reflect our values ? as americans, the solution, pass the senate comprehensive immigration reform bill now. the senate comprehensive immigration reform bill will halt more than 400,000 costly deportations. each one costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. tearing families apart. the bill removes the limitations of the number of visas that legal permanent residents can request for their minor children, for their spouses, ensuring that families aren't separated for years, for generations while awaiting legal status. it creates a process to clear the estimated 4.4 million-person backlog in the family and employment-based visa system within a decade. replaces our broken immigration system with one that works. one that reflects our values and one that rments the rule of law -- respects the rule of law in this country. the senate-passed bill would help people like gabriella, a 20-year-old woman in colorado, undocumented, recently graduated from high school, gabriella and her younger sister were brought to the u.s. as young children by their mother. they didn't have a say in the matter. they were brought here. now their mother was deported several years ago, leaving her two children behind. gabriella's now homeless but has nevertheless taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger sister. the senate bipartisan bill would ensure that families like gabriella's won't be torn apart. that's not american. that doesn't reflect our values. as a country, as a people. the senate bill would also address -- assist the young, courageous dreamers, individuals who were brought to this country as children, completed high school, college, even some military service, grew up in this country. no know -- know no other country and have no pathway to legal status. young people like javier in my district that i represent. graduated in summit county high school. he was the president of the student body. javier grew up in this country, was brought here when he was young. doesn't have documentation. javier's an eagle scout, javier's the first in his family to get into a good college, a four-year university. but his lack of status has made it difficult not only to pursue his dreams of a higher education , but to figure out how he can live his life in a way that contributes to his country, the united states of america. if only we allow him to fully contribute, he will. young dreamers across this country will contribute great things to our nation and make us proud, if only we let them. it's time to stop talking about these redundant, senseless bills and bring up comprehensive immigration reform now. it's a big part of the solution to our fiscal problems. reducing the deficit. shoring up social security. finally getting serious about enforcing our border and enforcing employment verification to prevent companies from hiring people illegally. and it proves -- improves american competitiveness, creates jobs, ensures that great companies of tomorrow will be here in this country instead of overseas. that the people we need to make our economy grow, create jobs for americans are here and doing it legally, and to respect the rule of law in this country rather than undermine the rule of law every day as our current travesty and broken immigration system does. and finally, we know, mr. speaker, that as a people we are better than this. immigration -- an immigration system that reflects our values, our faith values, our american values, our founding principles as a nation of immigrants, and a nation of laws. mr. speaker, today's debate is really not about the affordable care act or even health care in general. it's politics, it's redundant. i'd ask my friends on the other side of the aisle, why are we not focused on fixing our broken immigration system, when we have a bipartisan bill that 2/3 of the senate has supported, 75% of the american people support, that the president has expressed a willingness to sign? let's bring that bill up, debate that bill, pass that bill and solve a problem that the american people are crying out for a solution for. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves the balance. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. burgess: i thank the speaker for the recognition. you know, the senate-passed bill, my understanding from recent discussion with house parliamentarian, has not arrived in the house. the reason it has not arrived in the house because it has an origination problem. now, the senate in its haste to rush a bill through didn't get it right. so as a consequence that bill cannot come in the house. but we're here today to debate the rule for h.r. 2775. now, one of the things that i do feel obligated to point out, whether it's comprehensive immigration reform, whether it's any of the other things that people talk about, if you have an executive branch that only selectively enforces parts of ws that it wants to, why wouldn't the american people fear what might come out of the selective enforcement of a comprehensive immigration are -- immigration law? let me quote to you from the patient protection and affordble care act, signed into law by -- affordable care act, signed into law by president obama on march 1 of 2010. section 1513, section d, this is a section that deals with the employer mandate. section d, effective date, the amendments made by this section shall apply to months beginning after december 31, 2013. that doesn't sound ambiguous, that doesn't sound difficult to comprehend. and yet we are told that selectively the president has decided he doesn't want to enforce this. it is inconvenient for him to enforce this. it runs counter to what some of his friends and some of the largest corporations of thisry are telling him that they want -- of this country are telling him that they want. not what the american people want, but what they want. and the president simply suspends this part of the law, suspends it in a blog post on january -- july 2 of this year. so this is a fear that people have in my district, how do we trust that this president is going to enforce the laws that under the constitution he is told that he must enforce? how do we trust the attorney general who has sort of selectively decided what laws suit his purpose and what laws don't and selectively enforces those laws? look, why we are here today is because of the administration's selective enforcement of their law. i wasn't in favor of the patient protection and affordable care act. i voted against it. i voted against it in committee. i voted against it in the house version. i voted against it after it came back from the senate. i'll vote against it every chance i get. but the fact of the matter is, the president signed it into law and then decided it's inconvenient. so when the effective date reads , the amendments made by this section shall apply to months beginning after december 31, 2013, the president decides that's inconvenient and he doesn't want to do that anymore. so he just suspends it. even though the law is the law, we never took a vote on that, we never said, mr. president, we're with you or against you on this. he simply decided. that's not the way this country is to run. that's not our constitutional republic that our founders envisioned for us. this is unilateral government by a ruler which by definition is not allowed under our constitution. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the rule. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the underlying bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, are we serious about border security? is the border going to secure itself? 300,000 illegal crossings last year. that's almost 1,000 a day. that's 1,000 tomorrow. congress is sitting around discussing this stuff, that's 1,000 the next day. that's 1,000 the next day. every day. 1,000 people illegally entering this country. who knows who they are. who knows if they represent a security risk. well, there's a solution. let's get serious. let's increase the number of border patrol agents, let's implement high-tech measures at the border. it's not rocket science. in fact, guess what? our friends in the senate have figured it out. they passed a immigration reform bill that includes provisions. they get serious about enforcing our southern border. that will substantially reduce, not eliminate, illegal crossings. and it won't happen by itself. we have to pass it. we have to bring up that bill and pass it rather than redundant measures that don't do anything. mr. speaker, the coalition of evangelicals have put together an excellent statement of principles on immigration reform. the evangelical christian leaders have called for a bipartisan solution that respects the god-given dignity of every person, protects the unity of the immediate family and respects the rule of law. mr. speaker, i'd like to submit this policy statement to the record. it's not only people of faith. it's every american who as we stare in the mirror at night, the vast majority of whom know that our grand patients, our -- grand parents, our -- grandapparents, our great-grandparents perhaps, somewhere along the line, mr. speaker, our predecessors, our parents and our grandparents came to these shores seeking opportunity, hope and freedom. just as so many immigrants do today. we can create a we can create a pathway to sit zepship to people already here so they could do so legally. of course getting behind those who are already in line through our current legal system. there's no citizenship that becomes anybody's right through this senate immigration reform bill. it simply creates a line. line behind those already in line. a light at the end of the tunnel to show that someday those who aspire to give back to this country, make this country wealthier and more prosperous, those who aspire to pay taxes, those who aspire to

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