have the same choice. let them choose medicare. it is a good insurance. if they do not want the private sector, if they like dr. coburn's ideas, they do not have to take medicare. why does that have to be the choice of the right wing of the republican party or the insurance lobby in washington? you can make that choice. why can't people under 65 who are in trouble, just like seniors were before we put in medicare, why can't they make the decision for themselves? that is why it relies on a public option that you can choose. or, you do not have to choose it or have anything to do host: with. we now go to the house 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 10, 2009. i hereby appoint the honorable jesse l. jackson jr. to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father coughlin. chaplain coughlin: lord god, send forth your spirit to guide the members of the house of representatives today and every day of this 111th congress. by your power, manifest the strength of this democracy. so direct the course of this body the policies -- that policies and decisions made here may proclaim your goodness to all your people. not only in words but in every action freely accepted, may this nation show the world that it is a nation of reconciliation and peace for all and give you glory both now

and forever. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, congressman johnson. mr. johnson: will you join me in the pledge? 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 pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle? for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: good morning, mr. speaker. i request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. kucinich: iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, no capability of attacking the

united states, had no role in 9/11. each and every statement made by the previous administration in support of going to war turned out to be false. yet here we are, a new administration and the same old war. an expansion of the war in afghanistan. we cannot afford these wars spiritually. they are wars of aggression and they're based on lies. we cannot afford these wars financially. they add trillions to our national debt and destroy our domestic agenda. we cannot afford the human costs of these wars, the loss of lives of our beloved troops and the loss of innocent civilians in afghanistan and pakistan. so why do we do this? why do we keep funding wars since they're so obviously against truth and justice and when they undermine our military? these are matters of heart and conscience which must be explored. our ability to bring an end to these wars will be the real test of our power. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, the commissioner of the bureau of labor statistics has admitted there is no way to actually substantiate the number of jobs saved in this economy. yet the white house continues to rely on this talking point to divert attention away from job losses. they should put this political rhetoric to bed and work with republicans on proven bipartisan solutions to encourage job creation and economic growth. house republicans have long advocated that we keep more money into the economy by not taking it out in the first place. presidents kennedy and reagan understood this. they supported relief for american families and small businesses as the engine of job creation and general prosperity. we should learn a lesson from history. i am confident our economy will recover, but it will do so because of the hard work and

perseverance of americans. conversely, filtering billions of dollars through a bureaucratic maze, will as we have seen, is slow and inefficient. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from massachusetts rise? ms. tsongas: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. tsongas: following september 11, our forces made tremendous strides in afghanistan. but we were diverted to the war in iraq. today is different than our original entry in 2001. as a result, the president's request for supplemental funding is not a reallocation of resources. it is support for a new and different war and must be assessed as such. i have repeatedly asked in various venues how the president's new strategy would bring regional stability, the

length of time and the troop levels that such a commitment requires and what our exit strategy would be. the best answer i've received thus far was from admiral mullen. he said, quote, i think it will be a while. what level of troops, that's difficult to predict right now. a vote on the supplemental is an acceptance of an open-ended military commitment to afghanistan. that is not something i can support. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, americans want to know and they want to know now, what is the exit strategy for gitmo? in the dark of the night the first gitmo terrorist indicted for killing innocent americans was moved to new york. the white house approved this despite the fact that 65% of

americans do not support closing guantanamo and sending dangerous and deadly detainees to u.s. prisons. you know, it's about time this administration started an open and honest dialogue on the future of gitmo and inform the congress before faring terrorists to america. the sneaky middle of the night move means that the administration doesn't want to publicly answer any questions on their exit strategy on gitmo. americans want, need and deserve to know exactly where these terrorists will go come next january, and we don't want them here in the united states. we don't need al qaeda recruiting and training hardened criminals in our prisons. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, nothing about coal is clean. from extraction to team contamination in appalachian, nothing, i repeat nothing about this energy source is clean. in order to extract coal from the ground, mountains are literally blasted apart, killing wildlife and animals and it causes severe health problems. over 1,200 streams in aplashea alone have been buried or contaminated because of mountain top mining. in order to prepare the coal for burning, an overamount of water is needed to clean the coal. 20 to 40 gallons are need creating slurry. over 90 million gallons of slurry are created every year while harvesting and preparing coal for burning. keep in mind we haven't begun to burn the stuff yet. green jobs are the key to economic and environmental progress in regions torn by

surface and mountain top mining and struggling economically due to the destruction of the land. these include jobs in wind, electric and biofuel power. these will give them a long-term future for their families instead of a short-term paycheck in exchange for the quality of life. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: mr. speaker, while our president preaches the virtues of government-run health care, the prime minister of great britain is apologizing for his country for their socialize ied system and no -- socialized system and no wonder. things were so bad one lady got scared because of the poorly trained english staff. her fears proved correct when a nurse dropped bailey on the floor. her daughter said meals were brought to patients who didn't feed themselves but the staffs didn't help. elderly men were in the halls.

patients were left dirty and screaming in pain. some people were so thirsty they were drinking in flower vases. i fed patients and took them to the laughtory. well, mrs. bailey did die from that government-run hospital from injuries sustained while there. do we really want the government controlling access to health care? nationalized health care will have the competence of fema, the efficiency of the post office and the compassion of the i.r.s. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, we are at a tipping point in our country's energy policy debate. today, americans are realizing the potential jobs that are at stake in our country's energy policy. in new mexico's first congressional district, shot

solar is on track to employ 1,400 people in albuquerque. another one 1,000 people. hundreds have already built the high lonesome wind mesa project. and another continues to partner with multiple clean energy startups. these clean energy jobs earned albuquerque a second-place ranking in kiplinger's magazine leading the country in key job growth areas. the kinds of jobs that are leading america towards economic recovery. mr. speaker, to realize the promise of a clean energy economy, to leave a healthy environment to our children and to end our dangerous dependency on foreign oil, i urge congress to take bold, decisive action on america's energy policy. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. cao: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. cao: mr. speaker, the issues of crime and hurricane recovery are most important for new orleans and jefferson parishes. yesterday i voted for the witness security and protection grant act and it passed. law enforcement officials in my district must have the federal resources needed to protect our citizens. on monday i requested a government review of unresolved fema public assistance projects that will help louisiana move forward with delayed disaster recovery efforts. lastly, i was able to acknowledge that the diverse culture of new orleans by co-sponsoring a resolution to honor black music. it has been a productive week. i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. sires: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. sires: mr. speaker, i rise

today to speak for those in cuba who cannot speak for themselves. as the administration is moving forward with immigration talks, as we're welcoming cuba, i rise to say that when you deal with cuba you are not dealing with a good regime, you are dealing with a dangerous regime. in may, 2008, pastor omar gutierrez was arrested and charge with human trafficking. when no evidence was found to try the charges, he is now in prison. a man who has been dedicated to his religion now faces years in prison. 30 angellecal pastors were arrested by cuban authority. this is a clear attack on religion by the castro regime. we hear that two castro spies may be working among us in our government for decades. it's crucial that the united states government move slowly and cautious with cuba. the administration must not go forward with cuba until congress is fully briefed. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pitts: during a speak last week at a beijing university in china, timothy geithner was laughed at when he ensured that the chinese government can continue with their loans with u.s. at the same time federal reserve chairman ben bernanke was here on capitol hill calling for fiscal restraint. every dollar spent by the government is taken from the people in taxes or borrowed against future generations. our nation's fiscal responsibility is so lacking that a developing nation snickers at the mention of sound investment in our debt. traveling the world begs creditor nations allowing us to continue our spending binge is not the kind of international engagement we should make. it will turn around because of

our people, not because of out-of-control government spending and borrowing. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon rise? mr. defazio: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. defazio: republicans gave us a medicare prescription drug benefit -- complete with doughnut hole based in subsidizing the health insurance industry and the prescription drug industry. now they're at it again. they're absolutely opposed to a public plan option for health insurance because that would make the health insurance industry compete. their solution to the 50 million americans without health insurance and those are one pink slip away from losing it is tax breaks so they can go out and buy private insurance. well, here's a little secret. private insurance's exempt from antitrust law thanks to the republicans. so they can and do can lewd. they won't let you have a pre existing condition. they can discriminate in any way they want. they can price gouge.

they can price fix. and republicans say driving people to that system, not giving them a low cost public plan and making the health insurance industry more cost-effective is a better solution. come on, guys, do you care about those 50 million people or not? the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> the waxman-markey bill is one of the most monumental bills this congress will consider. it has the potential to damage the standard of living for every man, woman and child for decades to come. yet speaker pelosi and the administration wants to force this bill through congress. this bill will tax you. it creates a massive national energy tax that will be devastating to those who live and work in rural area. it promises higher energy costs and lost jobs and higher food prices. if you like being warm in the winter, if you like being cool in the summer, if you like to

eat, if you like to go anywhere, this bill will affect you. agriculture is squarely in the crosshairs of this bill because it is energy intensive. that's why 40 agricultural groups, including the american farm bureau, have expressed opposition to it. no large farm group have endorsed it. 1,000-page of this magnitude deserves thoughtful consideration and debate. instead speaker pelosi is rushing it through congress through the detriment of all of us. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. butterfield: from the creation of medicare and medicaid in 1965 to the re-authorization of schip earlier this year, we have come a long way toward ensuring that every american has access to affordable quality health care. these programs, mr. speaker, ensure that our children and the disabled and elderly have access to health care. now it is time to get serious and to help those people in the middle who have been left out.

family health care costs are increasing. families cannot afford the rising cost of health premiums and many employer-sponsored plans are providing less coverage and higher deductibles. and there are 45 million americans with no insurance. we must seize this opportunity to enact reforms that reduce cost, protect existing plans, preserve our choices and doctors, hospitals, and care and ensure affordable quality health care for all. i support president obama and the democratic leadership. we must act now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. neugebauer: mr. speaker, in texas there's an old saying about the cowboy that was all hat and no cattle. in other words, he was all show and no substance. at a time of economic hardship, mr. speaker, this waxman-markey energy bill is all tax and no energy. this is going to cost every american family $3,100

increasing in their energy cost. farm income is expected to decrease $ billion in the near term and almost $50 billion in the out years. a 57% decrease in farm income over the next 20 years. the trouble with this cap and tax is it's also going to increase the cost of buildings and construction, farm buildings. in a teletown hall meeting last week, mr. speaker, the people in the 19th congressional district said congressman please stop this cap and tax bill. they know this is a plan not to produce more energy, but it's a plan to increase taxes to take more money out of the american families' pockets. mr. speaker, i stand for the american farmers and families and small businesses all across america. i oppose this cap and tax plan. the waxman-markey bill is all had the and no cattle. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada rise? the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. titus: thank you, mr.

speaker. i rise today in support of efforts to spur investment a in clean energy and energy efficiency technology that will create clean energy jobs back home in nevada and across our country. investments in clean energy technologies like solar, wind, geothermal, smart grid, and advanced batteries will help the united states regain its competitive edge in a global green economy, reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and improve our energy security. clean energy jobs like manufacturing solar panels and windmills are jobs that can stay right here at home in the united states. but the united states is currently losing the clean energy jobs and market share to countries like china, germany, and korea. a thriving clean energy economy will ensure that the united states creates the sustainable manufacturing base that will compete with the rest of the world. i look forward to working with

my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make the investments necessary to help create a booming clean energy economy right here in the united states. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. fleming: mr. speaker, i rise today out of concern with recent news that one out of every four ballots requested by military personnel and other americans living overseas may have gone uncounted in the 2008 election. these findings were released in a recent senate hearing. report claims that 441,000 absentee ballots requested, 98,000 were claimed to be lost. over 13,000 were rejected because of missing signatures or failure to noterarize. another 11,000 were returned as undeliverable. i agree with senator schumer, this system needs an overhaul. while serving our country

overseas, our soldiers deserve to have their votes counted and their voices heard. we need to ensure there is sufficient time for ballots to reach them and have them fill them out and return them for inclusion for their vote to count. the cornerstone of democracy, mr. speaker, is the right to vote. those sacrificing to protect this right should be be given every chance to participate in the electoral process. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute, without objection. mr. braley: one year ago today i got on a plane and flew back home to waterloo, iowa, to a district and state under water. the railroad bridge in downtown waterloo was torn down by the raging waters and my entire state went through the worst natural disaster in our state's history. it's hard to believe that much time has passed but the work continues and the good resilient people of iowa continue to rebuild which is why secretary

donvan is there today announcing the latest rounds of h.u.d. assistance to helpp people get back on their feet and rebuild their homes. i will be wearing next week in the congressional baseball game the jersey of the blue raiders. last year this baseball team's entire field was under 10 feet of water. and it's a symbol of what happens when communities all over this country are devastated by natural disasters. that's why the work we do in this body is so important. i continue to call upon people to keep in mind those who are devastated in a similar way in the years and days ahead. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. reichert: thank you, mr. speaker. american jobs are being threatened by new proposals to tax the earnings of american employers operating in markets around the world. we cannot forget that we are in a global economy. america cannot just be a participant in this global economy but they have to lead in

this global economy in the middle of a downturn it makes no sense to eliminate a tax incentive like deferral that american employers need to compete in a global marketplace and create american jobs at home. eliminating tax incentives like deferral would send u.s. jobs overseas and almost make it impossible for us to compete with china, india, and europe. raising taxes on the earnings of u.s. companies discourages investments at home and increases the cost of employing u.s. workers. one. largest employees in my district, microsoft, said last week raising these taxes on their foreign earnings would force them to move thousands of employees out of the united states. congress must help to protect, promote, and create jobs at home by encouraging american employers to invest and engage in new markets. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from maine rise? ms. pingree: i ask to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one

minute, without objection. ms. pingree: thank you. mr. speaker, coastal communities across this nation are in trouble. in maine and in other coastal states working waterfronts and the jobs they provide are quickly disappearing. working waterfronts include commercial fishing, boat yards, and other businesses who need access to the water. once these businesses close, once the waterfront stops supporting these businesses, history shows us they do not come back. recently i introduced the keep america's waterfronts working act of 2009. this bill will help communities acquire permanent access to the water and develop programs to protect working waterfronts and the jobs they provide. the backbone much our coastal communities. a report released this week, the state of the u.s. ocean and coastal economy, co-authored by professor charlie hogan from the university of southern maine found that coastal counties contributed 42% of the national economic output in 2007 and working waterfronts are critical to supporting this economy. we must protect working

waterfronts and the jobs they provide. i would like to thank my colleagues for joining together to protect working waterfronts and i look forward to working together to move this legislation through congress. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i'd like to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i rise to offer my gratitude on behalf of the people of the 21st congressional district for the lifetime service of dr. terry bradley. he's retiring from his position as superintendent of the clobus unified school district. i have known him for many years as his representative in congress. his hard work and commitment to the students and faculty has always impressed me. indeed his legacy is one that should be celebrated. during his tenure he provided -- presided over faculty investments. these improvements as well as his commitment to excellence have made a real difference in the quality of education for the students.

while the parents and students of clowviss will miss him, he can leave his position with full confidence that clovis unified school district, a school district that has helped lead the valley into the 21st century, will continue to thrive for future generations. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. payne: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. mr. payne: mr. speaker, the time has come to take decisive action on health care reform. we simply cannot afford to wait any longer. american families and small businesses have seen the cost of health care coverage steadily rise to the point where many can no longer afford to pay their premiums. we know that our system is broken when we have 46 million americans, many of them in my home state of new jersey, who

are only one illness or one accident away from being wiped out financially. as president obama and the majority in congress work to take our nation into a -- in a new direction, we are firmly committed to making improvements in our health care system in a way which will reduce cost, preserve a patient's choice of doctors and plans, and ensure quality, affordable health care for all. it is important that we promote wellness by investing in preventi and educating about healthy life choices. health care reform is an issue that we can resolve if we work together in good faith for a solution. just saying no as some in congress has chosen to do will only worsen the problem. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. connolly: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the energy and commerce legislation that

addresses greenhouse gas emissions. we have heard a lot of fear mongering here on the floor of the house of representatives and a lot of misinformation trying to scare voters and consumers into believing that somehow their taxes are going to go up. that's not true. this is a carefully crafted bill that provides lots of exemptions to energy intensive industries, to trade and vulnerable industries that will really make a difference in people's lives. frankly to stand still is to lose. and that's why so many companies like johnson & johnson, conoco phillips have endorsed this legislation. energy intensive industries have endorsed this legislation because they know that if we are going to move forward and stay competitive as a country and if we are going to protect the interest of our consumers and environment, we need a new platform. this bill provides that. i support the legislation and urge my colleagues to do so, too and not listen to fear mongering, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise?