guest: yes, we have been doing it for a couple of years, but it is absolutely new in the sense that this week is the big launch here in washington, mag, where al jazeera comes to america, coming first year to washington on march 1. it is very exciting because we started it in 50 countries. now it is up to 100 countries, 140 million, 150 million homes. here in your neck of the woods, starting next wednesday. host: sir david frost, thank you for joining us here on c-span. we now take you to the floor of the house of representatives for today's proceedings. have a good day. gues 2009. i hereby appoint the honorable jose e. serrano 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 the guest chaplain. the chaplain: lord god, i lift your name in praise and thanksgiving for providing this nation with resources, talent and opportunity. i seek your forgiveness for our many sins. i seek your guidance, direction and leadership in the areas of economic's social welfare for the masses and international peace. i ask for your wisdom in bountiful supply on our nation's leadership as they address the serious issues, both national and international. bless them with the powers that bring a lasting peace to our cities, prosperity to our economy, hope to our youth, civility to our government, honor to our past and respect for our future.

may they be constantly reminded that they are representatives of all the people of this nation, both small and great. may we be mindful of your words that it is more blessed to give than to receive. in the name of jesus christ i pray. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from texas, congressman johnson. mr. johnson: will you join me in the pledge to our nation? 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.

without objection, the gentleman from kentucky, congressman davis, is recognized for one minute. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor reverend richard fowler, a dedicated community servant and spiritual leader from the fourth district. he was born and raised in covington, kentucky. earned bachelor's degree in science. he served our great country during the vietnam war as a member of the army. upon completing his military duty, reverend fowler began an impressive 28-year career with procter & gamble. he was ordained in 1979. reverend fowler has served as pastor in covington since 1983. and in addition to his duties at ninth street, reverend fowler is a member of numerous boards including the ue natedway, -- united way, our local community and technical

college. he's also the founder and organizers of oasis, incorporated for community action and substance abuse recovery. on the 25th of june, reverend fowler marked the beginning of legislative business by offering the opening prayer on the house floor. madam speaker, please join me -- mr. speaker, please join me in commending reverend fowler in offering him or sincerest thanks for his years of service to kentucky and to our nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? mr. pence: mr. speaker, on behalf of the house republican conference i offer birthday wishes to our beloved floor director, jay pierson, and i send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 580, resolved, that the following members be and are hereby elected -- mr. pence: mr. speaker, i ask that the resolution be considered as read.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the resolution is agreed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair will now entertain up to 10 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont rise? mr. welch: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. welch: thank you, mr. speaker. it's my honor today to offer a warm welcome home to a soldier who sacrificed to his country and to thank all of those who are working to make his return home a successful one. private first class andrew parker enlisted in the united states army after graduating from high school in 2007. on november 20, 2008, his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb near kandahar. andrew suffered injuries that left his paralyzed from the chest down. during the months andrew spent recovering in d.o.d. and v.a.

hospitals his neighbors and friends in vermont worked together to complete an incredible project to modify his home to make it accessible to him upon his return. his kindergarten teacher and countless of individuals and company spent time, money and labor to make it possible for andrew to return to home with a new addition to his home, a living room, a bedroom, a bath and a bay for his new van. now andrew will have the resources he needs to focus on rebuilding his strength as he works to fulfill his new dream of becoming a teacher. he should know that all vermonters and all americans are with him in spirit as he continues on his courageous journey. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. murphy: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. murphy: mr. speaker, yesterday secretary sabalias

spoke on the energy and commerce committee said there was not many choices for health care in kansas. as we look at solutions for the health insurance crisis, establishing uncle sam's health insurance company may not be the answer. and under those circumstances you get to buy insurance from any state no matter where you live. you get to bypass state mandates and get better quality as a fwrupe. but private plans, you still have to buy only within your state. you have to stick within your state mandates which add to the costs and you don't get to join bigger groups for better price and quality. as we work on health care, we can continue to find solutions. we can drive down prices and improve quality but let's make sure that the choices are fair and we have competition. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last night i introduced the investment in american steel act of 2009.

my bill will ensure that our nation moves toward an energy efficient fwreen economy that we continue to invest both in american-made steel and our nation's steel workers. the production of wind turbines in the united states offers an exciting opportunity for thousands of american steel workers and manufacturers nationwide. the american recovery and reinvestment act included an important provision providing for -- providing manufacturers to invest in clean, renewable energy, one of them being wind energy. while i fully support the initiative, i believe if a company receives a tax credit for building windmills here in the united states, they should use american steel to build those windmills. my bill will encourage the use of american steel in windmills by giving full tax credit to companies using u.s. steel. the less u.s. steel they use the lower the tax credit would go.

during this difficult economic time, it's more important than ever that we make an investment in both our nation's workers and in the u.s. steel market. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. wilson: i yield back the balance of my time. 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, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, the fighter pilot who flew 62 missions in korea against aggression in the 1950's, americans need to know that just as north korea prepares to launch a missile aimed at american citizens in hawaii, the democrats slashed 19 missile interceptors from the defense budget that we're voting on today. the president's failure to sternly address north korea's provocative threat is extremely

troubling. added to the fact that the democrats are cutting missile interceptors, i'm very, very concerned for the future of this country, the safety of our nation and the security of our homeland. the president comes across as lacking resolve. the democrats in congress look weak, and that's not a good place for america to be in. wake up, america. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. baca: mr. speaker, i've introduced h.r. 2681, the proud act, which will allow motivated students who are immigrants to apply for u.s. citizenship. america is the land of opportunity, and it is wrong to punish innocent young people who came to america by no choice of their own. a high school graduate upon

turning 18 may apply by presenting the transcripts to prove they have completed grades six through 12, to know they are of good moral character. the proud act will be a positive impact on schools and communities throughout the nation. this is one piece of the puzzle. there is more that needs to be done for comprehensive immigration reform. today, the president will hold a long anticipated meeting about immigration. now it is time to act. we need reform now more than ever. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 2681, the pride act, and work towards comprehensive immigration reform. i yield back the balance of my time. 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: the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: mr. speaker, we've all seen the bold and brave students defy the imperial regime of president ahmadinejad in iran as they struggle for freedom.

the people of iran are being shot, assaulted and arrested by their oppressive government. this is the same government that supplies arms and money with insurgents that are at war with our military in iraq and afghanistan. the iranian revolutionary guard, a state sponsor of terror. or more appropriately called the demons of democracy are killing their own people, mostly students, whose only crime is speaking out in public against these tough tyrants. as july 4 nears, the most sacred of all days of liberty, how about we invite the sons of freedom and daughters of democracy of iran for a bit of hotdog diplomacy? the youth of iran has shown more love of freedom than the world has seen in years. this would be -- there would be no better way to honor the fourth of july, our founders, our heritage than to celebrate this glorious day by opening our embassies, not to the iranian government, but to these students who desire freedom and liberty. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa rise?

>> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. braley: mr. speaker, a year ago i stood in this well is a heavy heart and asked for a moment of silence for the town of parkersburg that was destroyed by an f-5 tornado. the high school was destroyed and the recovery was the allegedenedary -- legendary football coach thomas. he emerged from the rubble with tears in his eyes, pledged to rebuild the school and rebuild a community and help heal the sorrow. ed and his wife, jan, moved into an apartment above a hardware store. he worked with young people and inspired them to become better people. yesterday morning as coach thomas was at the school he loved working with young people a lone gunman entered the school and shot and killed ed thomas in front of 20 to 30 high school students. ed thomas coached for 37 years. he had a career record of

292-84, including two state championships, 19 state playoff appearances and get this, in a town of 280 students in high school, four of his students played in the national football league. coach thomas said, we don't talk about winning and losing, we talk about the little things. if we take care of the little things, the rest will take care of itself. mr. speaker, i will be asking for everyone to give their thoughts and prayers to ed's wife, jan, their extended community and the -- family and the community of parkersburg as they struggle for this senseless loss. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: one area of smoking prevention remains unchallenged. smoking in the movies. studies have shown that viewing smoking in the movies normalizes smoking among youth.

it glamourizes smokes through the attractiveness of the characters and actors who smoke. it leads to experimentation which in turn leads to harmful and addictive habits. tobacco is still depicted in 3/4 of youth-related movies and 90% of r-rated movies. it should be the last place for gratuitous smoking imbadges. up to one half of the youth smoking initiation is explained by exposure to smoking in movies in their study. parents should know they are not exposing their kids to glamourized depictations of smoking as they see smoking in youth-related movies. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from the northern mariana islands rise? mr. sablan: i ask to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to

recognize a remarkable gentleman from the northern mariana islands. mr. sanchez has made many contributions to the history, art and culture of the people of the northern mariana islands. but the once greatest legacy is his poetry. his poems starts on life on the islands, the value of respecting other people and the essential ingredients to making a life worth living. his poems are leercal reminders of the love we feel for our island homes. he wrote about the world beyond our islands. a weekly newspaper, he captured our admiration like president john f. kennedy and pope john paul ii. his work has recently been collected so that for generations to come his words will continue to convey the perspective, the faith and the love he had for the people of the northern marianas. god speed and thank you for all you have done for your people

and islands. i thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? mr. pence: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pens: the old booge contains an admonition to lawmakers with these years. woe to you because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry and you yourselves will not lift a finger to help them. in the midst of the worst economy in a generation remarkably house democrats are poised this week to load the american people down with a national energy tax. and the american people deserve to know it. now, there's lots of debate about what this bill will cost the average american. there is no dispute the democrat cap and trade bill will raise the cost of energy to every household in america, every small business, every family farm, and it will cost millions of american jobs. and the vote is tomorrow.

if you oppose the national energy tax i say call your congressman. if you think the democrat cap an trade bill will cap growth and trade jocks, call your congressman. -- jobs, call your congressman. if you believe the american people deserve an all-of-the-above strategy, endorse the republican alternative and call your congressman. a minority in congress plus the american people equals a majority. we can reject cap and trade this week and so we must. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york. mr. arcuri: i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. arcuri: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to take this opportunity to say how thankful i am to live in such a great country. a country where we have unalienable rights karen guaranteed to us by our nation's founding documents in the knowledge that our government is set up to protect those rights. we know we are guaranteed the right to peaceful public protest and we see many great

americans utilizing that right here in washington, d.c., on a daily basis. it's not until haunting and disturbing images of blatant violence and oppression run across the front pages of our newspapers and tv screens we realize how important these rights are. the people of iran are expressing themselves peacefully in the streets and being attacked by armed guards and police. the violence needs to end now and the people of iran should be heard. i want to commend president obama for his leadership and his judgment in such a difficult and tense foreign policy crisis, and i agree with his resistence to instigate a foreign nation through demagoguery. a distinct difference from the carelessness that sometimes was used by administrations in the past. let me be clear, i know the world understands that the united states will always developmently oppose oppression and violence against the nation's people and will do everything we can to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated. i thank president obama for his thoughtful leadership on this matter.

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, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. smith: mr. speaker, as this replica of a check demonstrates, the national media are giving the obama administration a free pass worth who knows how much on any number of major national issues such as the economy, energy, and health care. the national media seldom mention that the president's budget would double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10. the national media don't tell the american people that the president's cap and trade energy plan will cost every family $1,600. the national media don't report that the 46 million uninsured that is used to justify the president's health care plan is really only 10 million people after you deduct those who are eligible for medicare and medicaid who can afford health

insurance and without health insurance for just a couple months between jobs. americans don't want the media to give the obama administration a free pass. they want the facts. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? mr. cohen: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. there's much media speculation as to where mr. steve jobs had a liver transplant. it came out yesterday that he had his liver transplant in memphis, tennessee, my hometown at the methodist hospital. a hospital known for its liver transplant center which has the lowest morbidity rate of any transplant center in the united states. memphis has been a medical certainty for years with st. jude children's research hospital, the finest research hospital for children illnesses, catastrophic illness, and cancer. for southern college of optometry. the from the bonner children's hospital. for cam be blesclinic and orthopedics and other -- for

campbells clinic and orthopedics and others. we are sorry mr. jobs had a liver transplant but we are happy he came to memphis and chose the best. it shouldn't be only the wealthy can come to memphis with the best medical care. we need to let every american have the opportunity to get the best medical attention available and come to memphis to receive it. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: thank permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. democrats are the ones with no new ideas. they always turn to their worn out idea of tax, tax, tax. the american people don't want a national energy tax. they want energy independence. the house republican plan is the comprehensive energy solution this country desperately needs. house republicans recognize that as gas prices and whom utility bills rise, american families are dealt a greater economic hardship.

the democrats' answer to the worst recession in decades is a national energy tax that will lead to higher energy prices and further job losses. thousands of dollars in extra energy costs and millions of jobs lost is a high price to pay for an energy plan that will do little to clean up or environment. the american people deserve better. the american energy act introduced by republicans is an all of the above plan that will provide incidence, more jobs here at home, and clearer -- cleaner environment. the american people don't want a national energy tax. they want energy independence. the house republican plan is the comprehensive energy solution this country desperately needs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maryland rise? ms. edwards: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, the united states has the most expensive health care in the world. which is really a tremendous burden on the american family and businesses and threatens

our economic future. the status quo is unsustainable and unacceptable and i applaud all the committees for their hard work on the draft proposal released last week. it's an important step forward to ensure that every american has access to quality, affordable health care. but i believe if we are to meet the stated goals of reform it's also critical that a robust public plan option be linked with the strength of medicare. it's a system we know. and in particular the existing health provider network so that public plan can truly compete in the private market and lower costs for all americans. mr. speaker, health care must be accessible in order to be accessible to americans living in both rural and urban areas, it must be be accepted by providers t has to have doctors. i' concerned the initial version does not provide the provider infrastructure already in place for medicare. we know it, we can use it. this is a serious oversight that needs to be revisited. mr. speaker, i know we can meet the challenge for health care for all americans.

a uniquely american plan unparalleled in quality, low cost, and real choice. let's do that. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: so granted. >> mr. speaker, a growing number of americans are concerned about the future of capitalism in this country. the current economic recession has opened the door to government intervention and private enterprise on a scale that many have never seen. a majority of americans oppose the government takeover of the automanufacturers and want the government out as soon as possible. just as troubling as the government's rapid control over private industry is the failure to present an exit strategy. with no apparent limit on the government's ability to expand its ownership of business, the only solution is a constitutional amendment. yesterday i have introduced h.j.res. 57, the preserving

capitalism in america amendment. the constitutional amendment would prohibit the acquisition of any stock or equity interest in private corporations by the federal government. this amendment was introduced with 102 co-sponsors. nearly a quarter of the membership of the house. eight states currently have constitutional prohibitions against government investment and private corporations and i believe similar action is necessary on the federal level to pliment government intrusion. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 57, proifing capitalism in america amendment. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? mr. inslee: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. inslee: mr. speaker, americans are the most innovative and the most entrepreneurial people on the face of the earth. that is the reason that the people want us to pass the american clean energy and security bill this week.

this bill will give americans what they want. more energy independence, less pollution. and most importantly millions of new jobs of americans building the new businesses, putting up solar panels, putting up wind towers, and stringing new electrical wire that we need. now, what is this going to cost americans? according to the congressional budget office approximately the cost of one postage stamp a day. 47 cents. do americans want to rid ourself of the scourge of addiction of saudi oil for a postage stamp a day? you bet. do americans want us to limit pollution and make polluters pay so that americans can have cleaner air for the cost of a postage stamp a day? you bet. do americans want three million new jobs in this country for postage stamps? you bet. americans want it. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. fleming: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. fleming: thank you, mr. speaker. as we continue to learn more about the single payer government takeover of the health care system proposed by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, i'd like to point out why this isn't a good idea. first, we can't afford it. cost estimates are now up tomorrow $3.5 trillion of money we don't have. medicare even with heavy subsidies from private insurance is on the course of bankruptcy. how will we afford a medicare for all program? let me be be clear the government cannot be both competitor and make up the rules of the game. it would be like microsoft being put in control of the internet. how would other companies compete with microsoft? a single payer system option

will erode the private insurance market that is propping up the public health plan we have today. it's becoming very clear that the public option group has the ultimate goal of destroying competition and choice and substituting it with a government takeover of our health care system. so what is the end game here? the end game is that once the federal government gains full control of our health care system and steps between you and your doctor, we will have exploding budgets which will lead to rationing. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the lady from new hampshire rise? ms. shea-porter: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. shea-porter: the democratic party has a new and better idea about health care. the democratic party under the leadership of barack obama is going to give americans and american businesses what they have been asking for, begging