reserve requirements looking at potential losses into the future really does say the stress test that would be stronger and more meaningful if they reached across a longer time frame and dealt with this issue. the third problem that we are concerned about is the inability to replicate the tests. i am afraid i am going to expose once again my academic i do a lot of empirical work and what of the most important things that you want to do in any model is established that is robust. what we mean by "robust" is just, is something changed slightly. you all to the time. a little bit, the -- to alter the time a little bit, the gdp growth shifted slightly, you get relatively different results. the similar, but differed with in the same ballpark. if you do, then you have

confidence that the test is something real, that is, that it is robust. the problem is, you cannot rerun those test unless you have enough details about them. so, we pressed very hard on the fed, who is really the custodian of this test, for more information not about specific banks, but about the operation. >> we are one to break away from this hearing for just a bit. the u.s. house is coming informal morning hours. the king -- the curing will continue live at c-span.org. we will be back when the house gaveled out. house will be in order. recognizing the significant accomplishments of the americorps and encouraging all citizens to join in a national effort to salute americorps members and alumni, and raise awareness about the importance of national and community service from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., june 9, 2009 2009. i hereby appoint the honorable donna f. edwards to act as speaker pro tempore on this day.

signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has pass s. 256, an act tone hans the ability to combat methamphetamine in which the concurrence of the house has requested. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 6, 2009, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to 30 minutes and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam chair. as one fifth of the world's population relies on fresh water that is either polluted

or significantly overdrawn, the lack of safe water and sanitation is an ongoing threat to global security and remains the world's greatest health problem, accounting for two million deaths a year and half the illness in the developing world. before i finish speaking, 15 more children will die needlessly from water-borne disease. to address this slow-moving disaster, i worked with then chair henry hyde and tom lantos and the senate majority and minority leaders bill frist and harry reid to enact the paul simon water for the poor act of 2005. this landmark bipartisan legislation established investment in safe and affordable water for the world's poorest as a major goal of united states foreign assistance but sadly with the last administration we were slow to implement and until last year slow to fund it. we are more than halfway to the

2015 millennium development goal with mixed results, and we must redouble our effort. a special concern is subsaharan africa that lags so far behind that will miss our modest goal to cut the people without safe drinking water and sanitation by one half by 2015, that sub-saharan africa will miss that date 25 years by water and sanitation by 61 years. and these are not just numbers. these are millions of people's lives. some progress is being made through innovative partnerships between the united states, n.g.o.'s, businesses and local partners but the stark truth remains. nearly 900 million people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water and two out of five people on the planet lack basic sanitation services.

and this is going to become more of a challenge in the future because of climate change and rapid population growth, there will be further stress on water resources. by 2025, 2.8 billion people in more than 48 countries will face devastating water shortages. to help accelerate the progress, on earth day i introduced bipartisan legislation, the paul simon water for the world act of 2009, along with representatives payne, rohrabacher, jesse jackson jr., zach wamp, welch, boozman, burton, george miller and fortenberry. the purpose of this is act to empower the u.s. government to respond to the addressing poverty, security and environmental threats presented by the dire mismanagement and shortage of tpwhrobal fresh water. the goal for the water for the world act is for the united states to provide 100 million people of the world's poorest

first-time access to safe drinking water and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015. to accomplish this goal the legislation builds on the water for the poor framework for investment, expands u.s. foreign assistance capacity and recognizes sustainable water and sanitation policy as vital to the long-term diplomatic and development efforts of the united states. i applaud the leadership of senators durbin, corker and murray who have introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the senate. this legislation will help the united states focus its efforts and fully implement a smart and efficient global water strategy that meets our commitment to extend safe drinking water and sanitation to over a billion people in need. i urge every member of congress to make water policy and funding a priority, to save the life of a child every 15 seconds who dies needlessly from water-borne disease.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio, mr. boehner, is recognized. mr. boehner: madam speaker, republicans want to work with the president and our democrat colleagues here in the congress to make sure that every american has access to high-quality, affordable health coverage. on an issue like this we need to act, but we also need to get it right. frankly, the record of the democrats that have amassed this year so far shows us why we need to take our time. think about it. on every major issue addressed by congress and the white house this year the middle class has taken a big hit. middle-class americans are paying for a trillion dollar stimulus package that no one read. they're paying for a $400 billion omnibus appropriation bill with 9,000 earmarks in it. they're paying to bail out those who lied on their mortgage application. they're paying for the government takeover of general motors with no exit strategy.

and they're paying for a budget that didn't include a tax cut that was promised for -- yes, you guessed it, the middle class in america. and if the democrats get their way they'll be paying for a national energy tax on anyone who has the audacity to drive a car or to flip on a light switch. over and over again the people who followed the rules are being left behind by washington. are democrats going to leave the middle class behind on health care as well? the fourth coming plan from democratic leaders will make health care more expensive, limit treatments, ration care and put bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions rather than patients and doctors. that amounts to a government takeover of health care and it will hurt rather than help middle-class families across our country. the administration likes to say they can expand health care and lower costs at the same time, but i think that's just simply nonsense.

you can't add millions of americans to the government health care rules and reduce costs unless government takes control of medical decisions, rations care and limits treatment, all of which will reduce quality and undermine the care that americans have come to expect. republicans believe there is a better way. led by roy blunt, the health care solutions group is crafting a plan that will ensure access to affordable quality health care for every american regardless of preexisting conditions. this plan will protect americans from being forced into a new government run plan that raises taxes, rations care and eliminates coverage for more than 100 million americans who receive their health care coverage from their employer. ensure that medical decisions are made by patients and their doctors, not by government bureaucrats. we want to let americans who like their health care coverage keep it and give all americans the freedom to choose the plan

that best meets their needs. we want to improve americans' lives through effective prevention, wellness and disease management programs while developing new treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases. i hope democrats here in congress and the administration will work with us to make sure that we do this right. the american people and particularly the middle class who've been left behind deserve our best effort and to put these reforms in place that will meet their needs. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: request permission to speak out of order. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for five minutes. mr. yarmuth: thank you, madam speaker. the distinguished minority leader has just expressed the desire of his party to engage

us in health care reform, and i'm so gratified and happy to hear him say that. similarly, the distinguished minority leader of the senate, who is both my senator and my constituent, has spent the last few days in the senate talking about that same desire to help us move forward in addressing what we all know is an unsustainable and dysfunctional health care delivery system. the senator spoke last friday and he said, quote, americans want reform that addresses the high cost of care and gives everyone access to quality care. in america in 2009 doing nothing is simply not an option. we must act and we must act decisively. the question is not whether to reform health care. the question is how best to reform health care. none of us on either body, on either side of the aisle will argue with that statement. argue with that statement. unfortunately, in the remainder

they're coming from. but the arguments that are raised are things that require scrutiny. as we move forward from this

debate we need to examine all of them. for instance, the senator says when most companies want to raise money they have to show they're viable and their services are worth the investment. that means adding value. quote, apply this model to health care and the government would be able to create the same kind of uneven playing field that would in all likelihood eventually wipe out competition thus forcing millions of people off the private health plans they already have and which the vast majority of them already like. you know, when insurance companies are forced to compete, they do very well. senator mcconnell and i have a common constituent, the humana corporation, a great corporation. when they're forced to compete they figure out how to add value and they're doing it right now. they're doing it with the medicare advantage program. when insurance programs are forced to compete they compete well. right now they're not forced to compete. what many of us are proposing is that we create a public

competition for them. make them compete with a public plan. and unlike what senator mcconnell says, if they're unable to compete, it won't be because of an unfair advantage. it will be because they're not providing the kind of coverage at the cost that the american people want. if american people want to stay in their private plans under the proposals that we're advancing, they will be able to do that. we're not forcing anyone out. right now most americans don't have a choice, and we are trying to provide that choice through a public plan. in the senator's statement he says, this is how a government plan would undercut private health care plans, forcing out the public plans that they like replacing those with plans they like less. they are not going to be in plans they like less. they will be choosing plans they like more. when americans subjected to bureaucratic hassles, waiting for a government service representative to take a call, restrictions on care and, yes, life-saving treatments and

surgeries are denied or delayed. it's a nice scare tactic. unfortunately, what he's describing often what happens right now in the private insurance system with doctors spending endless hours trying to argue with bureaucracies whether certain treatments or procedures will be covered. so what we're trying to do is end that and provide competition that will end that. . finally, the senator says american people want health care reform but creating a government bureaucracy that denies, delay, and rations health care is not the reform they want. i agree with that. then he says they don't want the people who brought us the department of of motor vehicles making life and death decisions for them, their children, their spouses and their parents. that's a cute line, very clever. unfortunately the federal government didn't create the department of motor vehicles. but the federal government did create medicare. medicare which now serves 40 million americans, disabled, and

old, and does a very, very good of job of doing that. i look forward to the date we are going to continue to have. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. mcclintock: thank you. madam speaker, if the gentleman from kentucky wants to know why republicans oppose the government takeover of our health care system, i would invite him to consult the many, many refugees from canada and britain who have come here to america to get their health care because they simply can't survive with bureaucrats telling them what treatments they'll get and what they'll get them. the republicans are proposing to bring within the reach of every american family a basic health plan that they will own, that they can change if it fails to

suit them, and that they will hold wherever they work and under whatever circumstances they work. madam speaker, i'm here on different business this morning. i'm here to talk about the right of workers. their right to gather, to bargain collectively with an employer is a fundamental right of labor. it often strengthens the position of individual workers as they negotiate with a powerful employer. and yet survey after survey tells us that union members are less satisfied with their jobs than nonunion workers, and many americans today simply refuse to work in union shops at all. so why is it that a bargaining process designed to improve workers' satisfaction should produce such dissatisfaction? perhaps the answer rests with the simple human desire in each of us to excel in what we do and to be recognized and rewarded for that excellence. collective bargaining increases

the ability of workers to take a stronger position to negotiate with anp employer, and this is good. but they are then left to give up any individual rewards for outstanding work. union workers end up trapped with a one-size-fits all contract that denies them the dignity that comes from individual excellence and achievement. no matter how hard that worker toils or how much he produces, he gets paid exactly the same as the co-worker who puts in a minimal effort. why shouldn't workers get extra pay and performance bonuses beyond the union negotiated wage base? why does the wage floor set through union contracts also have to be a wage ceiling for those union members who go the extra mile to get ahead? union leaders may see value in wiping out individual initiative to build solidarity among rank-and-file members, but those workers would be far better off if they could enjoy both the advantages of collective bargaining, and the additional

rewards of individual performance raises and bonuses. many unionized businesses would gladly pay individual workers more if they could. some have tried. but over the years the national labor relations board has repeatedly struck them down. for that reason, i have introduced the rewarding achievement and incentivizing successful employees, or raise act, h.r. 2732. it will allow working union members to escape the false choice between collective bargaining and individual reward that our outdated labor laws have forced upon them. senator vitter has introduced similar bill in the senate. under the raise act, union members would retain all of the collective bargaining rights under current law and employers would be bound to the wages and benefits schedules negotiated under those laws. in addition to the floor established by the union contract, employees could add bonuses for -- employers could add bonuses for those workers

who go the extra mile combining the benefits of collective bargaining with the rewards of individual achievement. years ago admiral grace hooper observed that in all of her years in the united states navy she had determined that the greatest impediment to human progress is the phrase, but we have always done it this way. that's the only answer we have heard so far in opposition to this simple reform, and in days like these that's no answer at all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. boren, is recognized for one minute. mr. boren: today, madam speaker, i rise to share a kind word and send my congratulations to one of oklahoma's great women, kim henry. oklahoma's first lady and the wife of our outstanding governor. born in norman and raised in chaunee, mrs. henry would mature into a confident woman who would eventually find her calling as a public school teacher. throughout her tenure as

oklahoma's first lady she has been a devoted mother to three beautiful daughters and an active member of numerous charities. one of those prominent oklahoma organizations is the influential scarkes foundation. formed in 1962, it has contributed over $55 million to various oklahoma cultural and economic initiatives. last week the foundation asked mrs. henry to be its executive director. this is a significant moment in her life and also for the state of oklahoma. congratulations to oklahoma's first lady, kim henry, your hard work and debt case to the state of oklahoma doesn't go unnoticed. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana, mr. burton, is recognized for five minutes. mr. burton: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burton: madam speaker, members of congress in the house

and senate get literature sent to them every single day. we get probably four or five books a week. i don't know how many little leaflets and familiar flets we are asked to read. we don't have time to read them all. we ask our staff to read some of them. we don't have a chance to get into the minutia of some of these brochures. but our colleagues in both the house and senate got this little booklet called "the state of the union's finances, a citizen's guide." this will be given to people across the country. i hope every one of my colleagues and everybody in america gets a chance to read this little booklet. this was sent to us by our colleagues, frank wolf, republican of virginia, and jim cooper, democrat of tennessee. i just want to read to you a little bit about the situation that america faces. americans right now i don't think are aware of the fiscal problems that we are facing. as of 2008, in the fall of 2008, we had $12.2 trillion in

explicit liabilities, that's public held debt, military and civilian pensions, and retiree health benefits, and other things related to that. we had $1.3 trillion in debt for federal insurance and loan guarantees and leases and so forth. and we had a $42.9 trillion debt for medicare hospital insurance, medicare outpatient services, medicare prescription drugs, and social security. that's a total of $56.4 trillion in debt that we have right now today. and that amounts to, my colleagues, $184,000 debt for every man, woman, and child in this country. a family of four, $435,000. $435,000 for a full-time worker, rather. and for each household, $483,000 in debt. that's the national debt today. george washington said, we

should avoid ungenerously throwing upon posterity, our kids, the burden we ourselves ought to bear. in 1796 they had a deficit and george washington said, we can't allow this to happen because we don't want to leave a burden to our kids and our grandkids by spending too much money. i am telling you right now, colleagues, and anybody else who is paying attention, what we are going to leave our kids and our grandkids is something that they will curse us for because they are going to have to pay extremely high taxes and the inflationary problems that they are going to face are going to be unsurmountable or insurmountable. i can't believe that we are doing this right now. we are talking about a national health care program that's going to add additional trillions of dollars, we are talking about bailouts to the financial institutions and the auto industry. we are talking about a cap and trade program that's going to increase the cost of every family in america between $3,000 and $4,000 to turn on their

lights or buy gasoline at the service station or anything else that produces energy. and we are adding about $2 trillion a year to this debt. and it's unsustainable. it's going to affect every man, woman, and child that's living in america today. but what it's going to do to the future generations is unbelievable. we can destroy this republic if we don't get control of spending. this isn't political high ber bolet. i'm telling you right now, colleagues, we can destroy this form of government and civilization we have just like rome did if we don't get control of spending. it is out of control. out of control. $56 trillion in debt today. we are adding $2 trillion year plus all these additional programs we are coming up with. in the next five years they say we are going to spend an additional $5 trillion. we don't have it. and so we are putting this burden on our kids and our grandkids. and it's wrong. we have to do something about it. we have to do it now. we have to start getting our

spending in ordinary. -- in order. my republican and democrat colleagues understand that. mr. wolf is a republican that sent this out. mr. coop certificate a democrat. they understand it. we all ought to understand it. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for five minutes. mr. klein: thank you, madam speaker. it's an honor to be here today to talk in this house about energy. this is a moment in time. i think most americans understand this great opportunity we have to really turn things around in our future in this country. and it's about three principle elements that aren't just tied to high cost of gasoline. it's about national security. it's about a better environment. and probably one of the most important things for this moment, it's about jobs. it's about a new economy. we just talked about national

security, i think all of of us understand very clearly, every american no matter where you're from understands the fact that importing oil and a lot of the dependency we have, 60% or so of the oil that we take in the united states comes from outside the united states, and we depend unfortunately on many countries that are at best not our friends and worst our mortal enemies who are funding terrorism and threats against the united states and our allies around the world. and the sooner we can take oil out of the centerpiece of of our natural resource dependency, the better. that's not to say we don't have oil in the united states and yes we are going to drill more and all that kind of thing. what i'm talking about is the fact that much of our oil comes from places around the world, middle east, venezuela, and other places that are not stable places for us to depend on this. number two, our economy. we know that we have a great opportunity in terms of this next generation of jobs to be created is relating to alternative energy and the various kinds ever alternative

energy out there right -- of alternative energy out there right now that are being developed by our scientists, engineers, businesspeople. one of the things i think is just incredible, by way of an example, because we know about solar and wind and a lot of other things, i'm from florida. and i was speaking to one of our utility companies the other day and they are talking about building the largest solar plant in the world in florida. and over the years we have heard there isn't enough sun or maybe other things. now there is a general recognition anywhere in the united states there are great opportunities for solar. the technology is moving along and we need to continue innocent that continued higher level of -- incent that higher level of development. in building this plant we have to import the mirrors, these are the pieces of equipment to hold the solar and capture the power, from germany. hundreds of millions of dollars of this product has to come in from germany because we don't produce it here in the united states.

why? why don't we produce it? why isn't that a job opportunity that is right based here? i think one of the things that's going right now in the investment recovery act we put together and other things i think all of us share, democrats and republicans and as americans, is the idea if we are going to talk about energy we have to incentivize business and industry and the engineers and our universities to develop the science and to develop the entrepreneurship and give the tax incentives for investment for that type of energy in the united states. and to build the equipment here in the united states. there's no reason. it cost as lot of money to ship fragile mirrors over from germany. we can build it here. we can build it better. and probably export it and compete with the rest of the world. i think that's a pretty exciting opportunity. there are so many other areas. in my district off the coast of florida. most of you heard of the gulf stream. that's that perpetual current, 365 days a year, runs up and down, north of the -- along the east coast. right now one of our local