correct, it's going to be a historic vote of 100 years which started with teddy roosevelt who talked about the need for health care in this country and that debate was continued by richard nixon and howard baker. we need health care reform in this country and it's never been more critical than now when it's eating up our federal budget, our individual budgets and hurting us economically. but beyond that, we need a compassionate and responsible government, and we have a president who is compassionate, responsible and trying like nelson mandela to reach out to his former enemies and have bipartisanship and he's had none of it but he continues to try and we need to support this president, support our country, preserve our economy and provide health care like every other industrialized nation in this world does and make america among the leaders and not the followers. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise?

>> 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. tiahrt: as the democrats claim that the obama health care bill will help balance the budget, but reviewing those calculations show we're going to collect higher taxes for 10 years. imagine that. four years of health care taxes with no health care. imagine if you wanted to buy a house and you had to make four years of payments before you could move in and then finally when you moved in you find out you had rationed use of the property. you couldn't choose where to park your car like in a garage. you had to drive blocks away in a public parking lot and then wait in line for a stall. 10 years of taxes, six years of benefits. followed by rationed care. you wouldn't buy a house under those terms and congress shouldn't pass health care bill under those terms either. we can do better. we can have health care reform that lowers cost by addressing pre-existing conditions, by lowering defensive medicine

costs, by having commonsense tort reform. the republican alternative lowers the price of health care by 10%, according to the congressional budget office. that's what this congress ought to pass. i deem back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> one minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> i want to read to you an email i just received from one of my staffers back in overland park, kansas, my congressional office there. and it came at 11:55 a.m. when i leave this job and have to seek new insurance, i will be largely uninsurable dew to my pre-existing condition, breast cancer, whether i show any remaining signs of that disease at that time or not. i was so fortunate last year to have this job and the federal employee insurance. the cancer treatment i received cost over $50,000. my husband and i would have lost every penny we had and then some if we had not had

this coverage. without a bill like this one, i will likely not have access to that kind of coverage ever again due to my cancer diagnosis at the age of 24. without quality coverage and if god forbid i should ever have to go through this again it will undoubtedly break us that time around. we must have reform. thank you, dennis. this, folks, is what it's all about. people like this around the country. we've got to do something and reform our health insurance system, our health care system. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i think there is unanimous will on both sides of this chamber to take care of the uninsurable people because of pre-existing conditions. right now. but this side is willing to address that in stand-alone legislation or it would already have been passed, unfortunately. i'm surprised they keep

pounding on that over again. yesterday in ohio the president said the democrats needed courage to pass his national health care plan. sadly as we speak leaders across the aisle are meeting behind closed doors to invent a creative way to improve the president's health care plan without requiring members of the house to take an up or down vote on the actual bill. the legitimacy of something as controversial as the health care bill would be further clouded by such clever parliamentary maneuvers. that's not courage. that's malfeasance. it's an absolute betrayal of the public trust t would represent an unprecedented abuse of power that would take this nation down a dangerous path. we are a nation of laws. with these laws are not convenient, you shouldn't simply ignore them. we should follow them regardless of the outcome. otherwise everything about our democratic republic is at risk. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york rise? >> to address the house for one minute. extend and revise my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized.

ms. clarke: madam speaker, i know that health care costs are, we all know that health care costs are unsustainable. they are still crushing families, small businesses, and large companies alike. when people lose their jobs, they lose their health insurance. even people who do have jobs and want coverage but have pre-existing conditions still can't get coverage. we are closer than ever to reforming our nation's broken health insurance system with a plan that puts america back in control of their health care choices. hold insurance companies accountable and make coverage more affordable. as we move forward through this legislative process, i'm confident that our bill will make health insurance affordable for the middle class and small businesses by reducing premiums and out-of-pocket costs. give millions of americans access to affordable insurance choices through a new consecutive -- competitive health insurance market. and keep premiums down and it will close a disastrous

doughnut hole that seniors are having to choose between lifesaving medication and food to eat. for over 12 years the ones republican-led congress has failed -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. clarke: we are going to do it now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. bilirakis: thank you, madam speaker. article 1, section 7 of the constitution says in order for a bill to become law it shall not pass the house of representatives and the senate. yet yesterday speaker pelosi endorsed the so-called slaughter rule. which would merely deem that the house has passed the senate health care bill and then sent it to president obama to sign without a direct recorded vote. this scheme is misguided, arrogant, and fundamentally wrong. the speaker reportedly added, nobody wants to vote for the senate bill. given the facts that among other things the $1 trillion

bill is marred with special deals, mandates, tax hikes, and medicare cuts it is no wonder they don't want to vote for it. considering the wide ranging effects this trillion dollar effort to change health care will have, the american people deserve a clear up or down vote on this bill. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. ellison: between the year 2000 and 2006, the republicans had the house, the senate, and the white house and they did nothing of good to help the american people. and now you listen to them and it sounds like they actually -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. mr. ellison: but they are not -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the house will come to order. the gentleman deserves to be heard. the gentleman may continue.

mr. ellison: if they were for the american people they would have done something in those six years of our people being affected by rescission. by pre-existing condition, by carrying young people on their health care policy of their parents until they are 26, about doing something about this doughnut hole. they would have done something about it but they didn't do anything other than make the problem worse. if you listen to them, today, you would think they cared. but the evidence is before the american people they did nothing at all and now we are going to do something about it within a little more than one year of coming into office. who is on your side, america? you'll find out this week. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask permission 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. wilson: madam speaker, yesterday's "wall street journal" highlights the process by which democrats are trying to pass this government health care takeover. the process is just as bad as the provisions of the bill.

professor michael mcconnell, director of the constitutional law center at stanford law school wrote the article entitled house -- health care vote and the constitution. mr. mcconnell presents the slaughter solution which is nothing more than a procedural trick that deems the senate bill passed without ever having a straight up and down vote. the article explains the slaughter solution cannot be squared with article 1, section 7 of the constitution. senate rules protect against majority overreach by allowing a determined minority to filibuster most types of legislation. madam speaker, americans need jobs not a law which nfib claims will kill 1.6 million jobs. in conclusion, got bless -- god bless our troops, we'll never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized.

mrs. davis: thank you. madam speaker, opponents often cite polls saying the american people don't want congress to pass health care reform. but i have talked to my constituents and i have listened closely to what they expect from the system. they don't think pre-existing conditions should stop you from getting coverage. insurance company shouldn't just drop you. and nobody, nobody should face an increase in premiums like what just happened in california. madam speaker, it has been a difficult and a long debate, but we are closer than any time in history to putting into law the health security americans want. let's finish the job and put patients first. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yielding back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the gentleman is recognized. >> -- mr. boustany: the american people say they don't want a government takeover of health

all they get from the tone deaf liberals running congress is the latest attempt to ram this bill through. now this latest proposal is the slaughter solution where they are going to try to run it through without an actual vote. maybe some of them have been around so long they have forgotten what article 1 section 7 of the constitution says, it actually takes a vote here in this house for any bill to pass. i hope this bill doesn't pass because we need health care reform. we need to lower the cost of health care which their bill doesn't do. we need to address pre-existing conditions. we don't want a government takeover of health care. if you listen to the american people, what they are saying very loudly and clearly is scrap this bill, let's go back to the table, and start over again. speaker pelosi and her liberal lieutenants might run congress but the american people won this country and their voices will be heard. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. yarmuth: request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, every time i hear republicans talking about health care

reform, they say the american people don't want it. they say it so much that i think they are beginning to try to convince themselves that it's true. but there is a national poll that shows what the real story is. they asked, of all the people who are opposed to health care that say they are, how many people are opposed because it doesn't go far enough. 40%. almost 40% said that was the reason. they will not be unhappy when we pass health care reform. they will be exstactic. like the shopkeeper i talked to over christmas who said she was against what we are doing because she has diabetes and she can't wait four years for the help she needs. now, the american people will applaud us when we pass comprehensive health care reform and i will consider it the proudest moment of my service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> madam speaker, to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. akin: as i walk across back and forth from the cannon

building to this chamber, there is a wall in all of these different pictures that are painted by our high school students. and one continues to arrest my progress. a beautiful little redheaded girl about 17 years old that looks like my daughter. and it has beautiful lighting on her face. as you look into her face, she has a profound sadness there. and the thought has crossed my mind that that's how my daughters will look if this bill passes with government rationing of health care, with the budget busted, with the destruction of our economy, and unemployment out of control. we need to fix health care, but we don't need to destroy american health care or the american economy. that would be sad indeed. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. green: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: madam speaker, members, we as members of congress this week have a choice. we have a choice between voting with the people who need health care or voting with the insurance corporations who have fouled this system up for decades. the bill that we are going to deal with, the consumer select their insurance plan and their company, consumer select their doctors, they make treatment decision was their doctors, consumers will keep coverage they have if they change their jobs. the less control insurance companies will have. they will no longer be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. the insurance companies will no longer be allowed to company medical cost that is people run into all the time for treatment. the insurance companies will no longer be allowed to drop coverage when you get sick. insurance companies will be -- will have to compete for business. that's why we have a choice. whose side is your member of congress on? the people who need health care

or the ones who want to sell it? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from wyoming rise? >> madam speaker, to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker, the gentleman from missouri earlier today gave a lovely image and i would like to use image as well. i would like to use the image of president obama saying over and over and over to the american, if you like your health insurance, you can keep it. and this bill does not fulfill the president's promise. . in the house budget committee we worked eight hours to instruct the rules committee on how to make this a better bill and we asked them to make the president's promise come true, to pass an amendment that says

if you like your health insurance you can keep it and that was killed on a party line vote with all of the republicans voting to help the president fulfill his promise to the american people and the democrats voting against it. this bill does not fulfill the president's promise that if you like your insurance you can keep it. i urge that we kill this misguided health care bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. polis: you know, in listening to this debate back and forth i can't help but be struck that many of the arguments from the other side of the aisle are simply not arguments against this health care bill. i've heard people rail against a government takeover of health care. well, this bill actually helps reduce the number of people that depend on government programs for their health care. this bill will help end relines on government for health care. i've heard people say that this is somehow a rush to get to a bill. well, we have been working on

this for well over a year. when we first started over a year ago i got a call to my office, why are you going so quickly? now i'm getting calls saying, it's time to pass this bill. it's popular to the american people. letting kids stay on their parent's policy until they're 26, ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. that's what's in this bill and that's what the american people support. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> since the founding of this great country, representatives of this people have come to this floor, this chamber to debate legislation and either vote for it or against it. if you support legislation, stand up and support it. if you are opposed to it, stand up and oppose it. but today's washington on which further proceedings were

postponed says that house -- but today's "washington post" says that pelosi said she would pass health care bill without members voting on it. instead she would rely on a procedural sleight of hand. they would vote on a popular piece of legislation, but under the house rule for that vote passage would signify that lawmakers deem the health care bill to be passed. speaker pelosi added that she prefers this tactic because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the health care bill. she says it's more insider process oriented than most people want to know but i like it because people don't have to vote on the health care bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you, madam

speaker. my voice is not quite clear, but i hope, madam speaker, that you can hear me. we are hearing so much talk, and you know why? because we are at a point where we are going to choose consumers over insurance companies. and it is time for that to happen. insurance companies have held this public hostage for many years, controlling it. when we talk about rationing, that's who's rationing. they tell the physicians what to do. they tell the hospitals what to do. it's time to take the insurance companies out of control. and let the people have their right to pick their health care. we have always said, if you have a health care plan you like it, keep it. we are trying to make sure that the people that the insurance companies will not insure will drop get a chance to get health insurance. this is misplaced anger because these insurance companies are spending $1 million a day to

kill this bill, and the killing squad is right over here to my left. we have got to do this for the people. it is time, it is time for the people to have the choice in their health care. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> to address the house for one minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. jordan: they were going to pass it in october and they said no. we are going to get it done by thanksgiving and the american people said no. oh, we are going to get it done by christmas and the american people said no. we are going to get it done by the state of the union and the american people said no. they said, we are going to get it done by easter and the american people continue to say no. what part of no don't they get? the american people don't want this big government takeover. they want real reform that will help them, their small business and their families. that's what we should be doing, not taking this over by the government. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> to revise and extend, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. scott: ladies and gentlemen , the question we got to ask today is, whose side are you on? are you on the insurance companies' side? or are you on the american people's side? now, ladies and gentlemen, the american people are in pain. there are 13,000 american people who are losing their insurance every day. there are american people who are being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition by insurance companies. whose side are you on? there are senior citizens who, because of the doughnut hole, cannot have the level of treatment for their prescription drugs that they should have because of the insurance companies. the american people are sick and tired, quite honestly, of being sick and tired of our

waiting. now, we've had arguments to say, why don't we start over? ladies and gentlemen, the insurance companies aren't starting over. they have already raised the rates in california by 30% just two weeks ago. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. scott: the side to be on is the american people's side. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska rise? mr. young: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. young: madam speaker, we talk about reform. we're for reform and you're for reform, but 2,700 pages of what? 2,700 pages. the bible runs 1,341 in it. let me tell you on page 2,017 of this bill. eligibility for nontraditional individuals with income below 130% of the poverty level a section of the social security act of 40 u.s.c., 96-usba says

adding or at the end of the subclause 7 and by end at the following new subclause 8 who are under 65 years of age, who are not described in subclauses of this clause, whose family -- procedures specified by the secretary in consultation with the health choices commissioner does not exceed 133.3% of the official poverty line as defined by the office of management and budget according to 632 of the budget reconciliation act of 1981. now, did anybody understand that? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from maine rise? ms. pingree: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. pingree: thank you very much, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. the house will come to order. the gentlelady deserves to be heard. the gentlelady may continue. ms. pingree: i couldn't be more pleased to have spent the last

year and a few months working on this issue and to be here this month where we may get the opportunity to vote on this bill because i want to tell you, madam speaker, what i hear from my constituents is, get this bill done, when are you going to move forward on this? it's not a perfect bill. in fact, 50% of the doctors in my state wish we were passing a single payer health care bill, but this is going to go a long way. we heard a lot of talk about process. when are we going to talk about the process of insurance companies? the process that denies my constituents coverage because of a pre-existing condition? the times i hear from people who say their hark was cut off. and in my state where anthem blue cross wants to continually raise rates. you know, last year they asked for a 23% increase. when our insurance commissioner said no, you know what they did, they sued the state of maine. well, i want to make sure we are standing for our constituents, passing this health care bill and doing away with the bad process of the insurance companies. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back.

for what purpose does the gentlelady from michigan rise? mr. miller: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection -- mrs. miller: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: march madness meet in the ncaa tournament. and this week march madness also comes to the house in the culmination of this health care debate. the american people have watched as this bill has being going on for the year and have been outraged by the substance. the american people wants jobs, madam speaker. but this is job-killing tax increases. seniors need the protection of medicare but this bill subtracts $500 billion from that vital program. we all want freedom, of course. but this bill includes an unconstitutional mandate requiring individuals to purchase government-approved health care or face taxes, fines or even jail. the american people have been outraged at the vote buying epitomized by the louisiana purchase and the cornhusker kickback and gatorade. and now the democratic leadership is preparing to pass the bill without actually

voting on it and deeming the bill passed by trickery. it's time to end washington's version of march madness and do what the american people are asking us to do and that is to start over with a clean sheet of paper and look for real health care reform. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: thank you. i'm charlie wilson from ohio's sixth district. my district is in aplashea, ohio, and we have a large population of seniors and retirees. so i'm truly interested in how this reform bill strengthens medicare. if we don't do anything, the medicare trust fund is projected to be insolvent by 2016. medicare fakes care of our sign yors -- seniors, but it's high time we take care of medicare. the health care reform bill keeps medicare solvent for nine more years. we extend that timeline by finally getting tough on the waste in medicare.

so as we make services better for seniors, we also fight fraud and waste. the inspector general of the health and human services department has found a number of problems in medicare. with false claims for wheelchairs and orthodics and overcharging for devices and prescription drugs, we need the tools to strengthen our enforcement mechanisms and fight these abuses. i thank leadership for providing a long and thoughtful examination of health care. one of the most pressing issues of our time, i look forward to reading the bill soon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. brown: i rise in opposition to the democrat leader's health care plan. for the past year my constituents in south carolina have done everything they can to make it clear they do not want a government takeover of health care. yet, here we are again today discussing a plan that calls

for more taxes, more regulations, more spending and more federal control over our current health care system. this legislation is not what the american people want and it lacks a single ounce of republican support. despite the overwhelming opposition, democrats continue to push their partisan agenda and have made it clear they will use any means possible to get what they want. this is a bad bill for south carolina and it's a bad bill for the entire country. i join my constituents in asking the democrats to scrap this legislation and start over on a bipartisan health care reform. i yield back. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut, the chair of the democratic caucus, rise? mr. larson: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. larson: the republicans wants to privatize social

security. they want to make sure that medicare is also -- well, doesn't just wither on the vine, as speaker gingrich wanted it to do. wanted to ban it, end it for people under 65 years of age. the other side would like to frame this issue as a matter of process. it is a matter of process. insurance process. and then denying people claims even on their way to the operating table. this is why we are putting forth this bill to reform insurance and create health care for this entire country that they can depend on and rely on. it comes a question of whose side are you on in the final analysis, are you siding with the insurance industry and great job they've done raising rates all across this nation, or are you standing with the american people and fighting on their behalf? that's what the people of this great country of ours want to

know, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> the proponents of this health reform package are misleading the american public into believing you can raise the baseline and reduce spending at the same time. you cannot expect to expand coverage to millions of individuals and curve costs. the medicaid program already pays doctors and hospitals that levels well below those with medicare and private insurance and most of the time below actual costs. many doctors, therefore, do not accept medicaid patients, and the cuts may further discourage further participation. the most devastating cuts to the state's federal medicaid match have been deferred because of relief from the stimulus package. those deferments end in

december. the health care bill before us now is a a disaster waiting to happen and an expansion of an already broken program. and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker, throughout this entire health care reform debate two numbers have concerned me more than any others. 130 and 60. these numbers represent the health insurance costs that small businesses are facing and the effects on those who work for small businesses. small businesses have seen their premiums go up 130% over the last decade. and of all those americans who are uninsured, 60% of them are small business owners, employees, and their families. madam speaker, i believe america is facing a health care crisis and i believe that we

need to act to bring down costs for regular families and hold health care -- insurance companies accountable. too many americans are denied care because of pre-existing conditions. too many businesses are being priced out of affordable health care. we need health care reform that addresses these issues. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yield back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized, without objection. >> within days, the house is poised to vote on a massive government takeover of health care. this trillion dollar, 2,000-page monstrosity will kill jobs, increase our debt, and raise taxes on working americans. it's a pay now, buy later approach. the taxes start right away, the benefits don't begin until 2014. in essence, this new entitlement program requires 10 years of new tax increases and

10 years of cuts to popular programs like medicare advantage to pay for just six years of this new government expansion over health care. it's a smoke and mirrors approach to ram through a new entitlement we surely can't afford to pay. the american people aren't that easily deceived. the people in my district of western new york want tangible solutions and taking real costs out. we need to start over. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. schakowsky: the utter hypocrisy of the debate around process is astonishing. i just learned that speaker hastert used the technique of a self-executing rule 113 times. then we hear the republicans attack reconciliation which really means a majority of vote. and yet calls for an up or down vote in the house.

news flash, people in the real world don't care about self-executing rules or reconciliation and don't even know what it is. what they do care about process is the process of the insurance companies. not the process of reconciliation. the process of rescission, which means canceling policies when you get cancer. the process ever refusing a child who has asthma. the process of raising prices 39%, 50%, 60% for your insurance policy. we each have the opportunity in the next few days to be on the right or wrong side of history. we can either stand with the american people or with the insurance companies. i hope that the vast majority of us stick with the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

mr. price: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, how bad is this health bill? oh, my goodness. let me count the ways. it's bad on policy. raises taxes $500 billion. decreases quality of care. decreases choices for americans. slashes medicare by $500 billion. bad on process with backroom secrets, shady deals made that americans abhor. but as a physician i know that mostly it's bad for patients. they know it will destroy quality care. they know it will dictate to them what doctor they have to see and where they have to see him or her. and they know that it will result in more money being paid by them for less care. which is all the more troubling because there are positive solutions. like h.r. 3400 which would get americans covered with insurance that they want. not that the government wants for them. solve pre-existing and portability problems with insurance they want and address the lawsuit abuse that is so badly needed and is not addressed in the senate bill. how bad is this health care

bill? madam speaker, it's bad enough if the american people are saying just say no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> to address this body for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, -- madam speaker, it's time to unite behind president obama's plan. we must deliver affordable health care for the american people. insurance companies have taken advantage of hardworking americans for far too long. it's morally wrong to put profits over people. and it must come to an end. i urge my colleagues to put aside their differences and deliver a victory for the american people. this congress was elected to accomplish this goal. how can we accomplish this goal

of health insurance reform without holding the insurance companies accountable? i'm for the people of the american -- i'm for the people of america. and i stand with you. now is the time for us to in unity come together and solve this dilemma for the american people. i urge you to vote yes. people over profit. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? the gentleman is recognized without objection. >> madam speaker, this time the process is substance. as the democrat majority prepares to jam president obama's health bill through congress despite its lack of support from the american people, our constituents need to know what's going on about the process. yesterday in ohio president obama demanded that members of

his own party show courage and vote for his vision of health care. yet this morning the front page headline of the "washington post" reads, pelosi may try to pass health care without vote. in the body of this story the speaker refers to a procedural scheme to allow the president to sign the senate-passed health bill without the house voting on it or even debating it. she said, i quote, it's more insider and process oriented than most people want to know, but i like it. because people don't have to vote on the senate bill. imagine that. affecting 17% of the entire u.s. economy without a public vote in the house. my colleagues, i ask you, is that courage? i now yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? without objection, so ordered. >> in the state of connecticut last weekend we had the opportunity to see the health care crisis up close. mission of mercy, a national organization that holds free

dental clintics was in connecticut, and it shattered the mission of mercy record, serving 2,045 working adults, sleeping in their cars, lining up two nights before to get access to dental care. we are not talking about teeth whitenings or teeth cleanings. we are talking about people who walked in with abscesses that were so pronounced it threatened the stability of their jaw, extractions. this is the state of health care in america today. there is one group that doesn't have to sleep in their car to get health care. members of congress who participate in a federal purchasing exchange subs diced by the american -- subsidized by the american taxpayer. how do they demonize a plan which they benefit from every single day courtesy of the american taxpayer? i don't know how they do that. this week they have an opportunity to help those people who are lined up in their cars over the weekend to get the same access to care that those people who work

every day and pay with their taxes. vote for health care reform. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: madam speaker, we have talked a lot about how this bill is distracting us from the issue that the american people want us to focus on, and that is jobs. but this bill isn't just merely a distraction. it will have a profoundly negative impact on the job market. you cannot raise taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars on individuals and businesses and expect that it has no impact on employers and employees. raising taxes per employee by $2,000 would not encourage businesses to hire more workers. and workers receiving health care subsidies would see their new federal entitlement evaporate when their wages increase by too much. under this bill, more pay could mean less health care effectively trapping workers in lower-wage jobs. not only would this bill disturge job growth, it would discourage wage growth also.

the bottom line is, this bill will destroy jobs at a time when we can least afford it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. chu: are you for what the insurance companies are doing or against it? do you think it's right to cut your mother off insurance because she's had a catastrophic cancer? i don't. do you think it's right to deny your sister insurance because she had a caesarean section? i don't. do you think it's right for insurance companies to raise rates 39% all at one time forcing businesses to choose between health care or firing people? i don't. if you think it's right for the insurance companies to do this to your sons, daughter, or mother, join the republicans in opposing health care reform. i don't think it's right. in fact, i think it's an outrage. that's why i know we must passion health care reform now. -- pass health care reform now.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady has yielded back. the gentleman from montana, for what purpose do you rise? mr. rehberg: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. rehberg: today as millions of americans around the country fill out their brackets, march madness is in the air. unfortunately this madness isn't restricted to the basketball court. as congress rushes to pass a health care bill that is so bad even the majority party can't stomach it, we have our own case of march madness right here in congress. but ours is worse. with march madness every game is played on tv. in full view of the american public. in house madness, the legislation is written in secret, behind closed doors. in march madness you play for bragging rights in the house pool. in house madness, it matters -- it's matters of life and death, 1/6 of the national economy and $1 trillion in tax dollars. is march madness the team with the most points wins. in house madness you rewrite the rules with procedural tricks so that the team with fewer votes can win. it's time to blow the whistle.

call a foul, and stop this madness. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. watson: madam speaker, i come here to let you know my mother turned 100 on january 4. after she had a broken hip and two days before christmas another broken hip, and last night she broke her femur and just a few minutes ago they called me to say she was in need of a blood transfusion. i want you to know the only way we kept the mother of four who put all of us through college is because of medicare and our insurances. madam speaker, let us not let americans die unnecessarily. this woman's sister, my mother's sister, lived to 106 and i will doving in my power to be -- do everything in my power to be sure other

americans can benefit from the kind of health care reform we are proposing today. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> to address the house for one minute. without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. everyone wants to make health care more affordable and more accessible. for the past year the majority has been working on pieces of a puzzle they call health care reform and that their puzzle is now complete. the picture doesn't make any sense. their final image includes billions of dollars in new taxes, over a trillion in new government. increases the premiums of 80% of those who have health insurance and cuts medicare by $1 trillion. half a trillion dollars. and i continue to hear from kentuckyans from home who remain concerned over the possible passage of this bill and who are frustrated with this process. we need to start over. we need to piece together better solutions in an open and honest system.

now is the time to work on incremental reforms that will lower the cost of health care without spending trillions in bankrupting future generations. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from kentucky rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. delauro: two weeks ago i went to dinner with my family. as we left the restaurant, a young woman stopped me and she said to me, rosa, can i talk to you for a moment? i have been rating for you. why didn't you come over to the table? she said i didn't want to disturb you and your family. no disturbance. i looked at this beautiful young woman with tears in her eyes and she said to me, rosa, i have lung cancer. . i have lung cancer and i cannot get the kind of help that i need. i can't leave my job because i will not be able to get insurance, pre-existing condition is killing me, pass health care reform.

you don't know, melissa maratolli. i do. and her face harms me every single day. and this is not just one store eye. -- story. it is all across this country of people who can't leave their job, who can't get the care they need because the insurance companies have run roughshod over them. yes, they are ragging -- rationing health care in this country. i know where i stand. i stand with the melissa maratollis of this nation. the republicans stand with the insurance companies. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. you know, this bill really is not about health insurance reform. you watch the president's televised health care forum. you heard them say it time and time again. this is about entitlement expansion. and that's where the real debate comes down to

centerline. both sides agree that there needs to be health care reform. the republicans put forward a thoughtful bill since last april promoting reform, competition across state lines, covering people with pre-existing conditions, on and on and on. but how can my friends on the other side of the aisle endorse this bill when the congressional budget office, the nonpartisan dermer of how these -- how much these bills cost us, has not come out with their cost estimate for this bill? i know from my home state in illinois our governor is talking about a 50% tax increase to pay for $9 billion in unpaid medicaid bills. this bill we do know will cost my state of illinois $1.89 billion over five years just for their match. i don't know how anyone from my state can support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from massachusetts rise?

ms. tsongas: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. tsongas: some of the most ecriegegriegeous insurance practices in our health care -- egregious insurance practices in our health care system harms women and this needs to change. women pay more and get less and often are denied care. if a woman is of a certain age or is already pregnant, insurers can deny her of all things maternity coverage. in eight states it's still legal for insurance companies to deny coverage if she has been a victim of domestic violence. these examples illustrate our -- how our insurance companies has -- my republicans colleagues joined me in supporting this motion, acknowledging that health care reform must end these harmful insurance practices. so many of the health care reforms that are so important to women, families and our nation hang in the balance.

we must pass these commonsense changes in our health care system. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask permission 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. herger: madam speaker, the american people are increasingly rejecting government-run health care. they are saying no to back room deals and gimmicks used by the majority party to ram this bill through by any means necessary. the tratt leadership has greased the skids to ignore the will of the american people and make their version of socialized medicine the law of the land. abusing the rules when it suits the majority party's purpose is not what the american people want. madam speaker, allow us to do the work we were sent here to do. let this bill stand to fail on its merits. an issue so important to

america's future demands transparency and a legitimate up or down vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. andrews: good ideas from both parties are in this plan. but there is a philosophical difference between the two parties that i think came out last night. on weekends i very often go to the supermarket and you see these little notices for beef and beer and sorblese for people trying to raise money for a medical emergency in their family. most the people who are trying to do this have insurance but their daughter has leukemia or their son is on a ventilator and they ran out of health insurance benefits because they run up against a lifetime policy limit. last night we took a vote on whether or not to abolish those lifetime policy limits so no

families should have to do that. our side voted yes. their side voted no. but members of congress and our own health plan, if our families have that problem there is no limit to what we get. we think that the american people should get the same benefit that the men and women who vote in this chamber every day too. we believe we should stand on the side of the families of this country, not the insurance industry. 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 florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, the health care reform debate has become a farce, and i am outraged. i am outraged that this proposed law. i am outraged at the process. i am outraged at the majority party's sham of a health care bill. but i am not the only one. the american people are outraged. americans have marched, they've

protested and they've written letters and made phone calls. americans have spoken, madam speaker, and they do not want this health care bill. but the worse part about it is that we may not even vote on it. the majority party wants to deem the senate bill passed and then hope the senate changes the bill later. was this the hope and the change that we can all believe in? madam speaker, this has become a legislative sleight of hand, a gimmick, a parlor trick. i urge my colleagues to listen to the american people and kill this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire rise? ms. shea-porter: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. shea-porter: madam speaker, i'm outramingd also. i'm really outraged at the amount of money that the insurance industry has spent trying to defeat this bill that will help the american people.

the companies claim they support health care reform, just not this bill. but they've done nothing to reform. they could have taken this time to reform. they still deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. they still charge exorbitant rates. they still fight antitrust legislation. they still cancel people's policies when they most need them. and they still limit the payments when people get sick. they had a secret code word. it's called start over. what they really mean is defeat it, we don't want it. the question has to be here, who's side are you on? are you on the side of the insurance companies, or are you on the side of the american public, the people, the small businesses who have to carry the burden of these fees, who's side are you really on? i'm on the side of middle-class families, small businesses and those who are healthy and those who are sick. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccotter: we live in virginia dysfunctional time. we've heard members say they stand on the side of the america people. yet, in my 44 years of life i've never stood on the side of someone who disagrees with me so vehemently. what we are looking at is a fundamental proposition. the democratic party believes you can take an imperfect health care system and fix it by putting it under the most dysfunctional and broken entity of the united states today. it's called the federal government. the proposition is insane. the reality is they do not stand with the american people. they stand for big government making decisions in your lives. we trust the american people and we will not turn the intimate decisions between you and your doctor to a federal bureaucrat. we will leave it in your hands and we will have free market reforms if given a chance and a real vote. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to

revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. petri: madam speaker, the american people want health reform. they want affordable, reliable care. but after watching the current majority rangel for over a year to produce gargantuan bills, with tax increases and special deals, the american people have a right to say no. we don't trust the current congress to do this right. they've seen how the congress has worked over the past year and have rightfully said it's crazy to give the government greater control over our health care. they look at aspects of the legislation before us and say, yes, there are provisions here that we like. but at what cost? we have projected trillion dollar deficits stretching to the horizon and we're told that this big new entitlement will actually restrain costs. is that credible? i believe the more sensible approach is a simpler approach. that the expanding health savings accounts and catastrophic insurance and paid for when necessary.

it's a simple arrangement that everyone can understand and will help to restrain costs because everyone will have incentives to spend careful. it's not all i'd do but it's understandable. instead, the current majority is pushing athat he had with a breathtakingly expensive bureaucratic and -- monstrosity. it's not a way to recover 1/6 of our economy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady recognized? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized. ms. lee: quality affordable health care should be a fundamental human right, not a privilege for a few, as my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have it. 47 million americans are uninsured including nine million kids. drug companies are raking in huge profits. wellpoint increased raising rates in california even as they made $4.2 billion in profits last year and paid out million dollar compen packages

to their top executives. these rate hikes would hit democratic and republican districts alike. and the other side would have us do nothing. we talk about the big banks making a killing off of taxpayers. well, insurance companies executives are literally getting million dollar compensation packages while our constituents are dying. health care reform is long overdue. the 31 million people this bill will cover are democrats, they're republicans, they're independents, they're greens and they're people with no party affiliation. this should not be a partisan issue. the cost of inaction are much too -- the cost of inaction -- excuse me -- are much too risky, much too costly and we must act now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. bonner: madam speaker, if health care reform wasn't such a serious subject, something that will affect every person in america, then what the democrats are trying to do would prove to provide enough

fodder for comedians like letterman, stewart, that their writers wouldn't have to write new jocks jokes for a month. the speaker of the house said, we have to pass bail so you can find out what's in it. that would be like buying a house to see how many bedrooms were in it or what the colors are or whether we can afford it in the first place. most americans don't buy shoes without trying them on, buy a car without test driving it, much less support a takeover of our health care system that will include life-changing decisions that are being kept from you in the dark. this morning the speaker said we may actually vote on the health care bill without voting on it. something that she deems -- called deem and pass. what a pesky little thing voting is. you know where those of us who work for you have to actually cast our votes first so you can find out whether you should vote for us in november. this is an insult and a shame.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. hastings: madam speaker, following me will probably be as many as 40 or more of my colleagues on the other side, many of them will use terms like ramming and the american people. i don't know what part of discussing a matter for the greater portion of the last 14 months that people do not understand. i also get a little tired of hearing my colleagues talk about socialism. and i would ask the american people if socialism, as you understand it, is so bad when government acts then perhaps it is that some of my colleagues would believe we should eliminate medicare. let's eliminate medicaid. let's eliminate the social security safety net. let's eliminate the center for disease control. let's eliminate the national institute of health, all of

these are government-run programs. in the greatest country in the world. it is morally wrong for millions of our fellow americans to not have affordable, portable health care. we all should be willing to share in order to help the least of us. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> -- the speaker pro tempore: new jersey. for what purpose does the distinguished member from new jersey rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> we are all asking ourselves, what do the american people want to see us about health care? they want health care affordable, accessible. there is a way to do that in a bipartisan manner. buying health care across state lines, eliminating defensive medicine practices, pre-existing conditions. why aren't we doing it? that's the question america is asking. that's why america is so upset.

my colleagues are asking us, me, whose side are we on, un abashedly, on the side of my constituents, on the side of my doctors, on main street, my hospitals on main street, my nurses on main street who are the front line of providing health care, who don't want any parts of this monstrosity for a good reason. they and our constituents understand this is not the right way for america to go. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. issa: thank you, madam speaker. it is perhaps hard to find something new to talk about. i'll endeavor to do so. madam speaker, president obama has said, the american people deserve the same high quality health care as members of congress have. michelle obama said the same

thing. speaker pelosi said the same thing. harry reid said the same thing. as a matter of fact, virtually everybody in the democratic caucus and leadership has said that. why is it h.r. 3437, a simple seven-page bill that gives every member of america the opportunity -- every member of america the same high quality of health care that we have as congress is being ignored? why is it it doesn't exist in the democrats' comprehensive health care bill? thousands of pages yet it doesn't give you exactly what they say they want to give you. on top of that, who's beholding to an insurance company? more than 50% of americans' dollars are insured by the federal government already. it's medicare, it's medicaid that have in many cases been driving up the cost of health care and yet this bill has no real reform for federal health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> to address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i'm physician who teaches. and indeed oftentimes people who have medicaid. i applaud the president, my democratic colleagues because they want to lower cost and expand access to quality care. on the other hand, what we greatly differ is as my colleague just says, he's quite content with giving medicaid to more people. ignoring the fact that it's bankrupting the states, it ignores the fact that right now i treat patients who have medicaid and public hospital because they can't see a private place, and it ignores the article today in the "new york times" which points out that as medicaid payments shrink, patients and doctors lose. in this case a woman with cancer has lost because payments are so low for medicaid that no longer can she find a provider to treat her. we do differ. i do not want to give medicaid to everybody. i want to strengthen the private insurance market an allow those with pre-existing conditions to have the same

health care we have. not lose their health care because of a government program. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: for more than a year congress and the administration have failed to make health care reform a reality. this 2,700-page bill which can only pass-through a convoluted inside the beltway shanan any gansz has over -- sha nanny begins has over 5d00 billion in tax increases. not to mention the $500 billion in medicare cuts that come with that increase which jeopardizes the seniors' existing health care coverage. and this bill includes millions of dollars in cuts to home health care for the elderly. millions of dollars in cuts for alzheimer's programs. millions of dollars in cuts for food for seniors programs. this bill makes no sense for

america's families, no sense for america's seniors. and it is a fiscal time bomb for future generations. i do not want to leave a legacy of debt to my granddaughter, morgan elizabeth. in congress' scramble to get any kind of bill passed, regardless of its cost or impact, they have taken the wrong approach. we can do better. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? without objection. mr. roe: thank you. thank you, madam speaker. this week speaker pelosi and the house democrats are trying to ram through one of the most ill-conceived pieces of legislation of all time and they are considering not allowing members an up or down vote on the bill. one house democrat recently said, i don't need to see my colleagues vote for the senate bill in the house. we don't like the senate bill. why should we be forced to do that? good question. this attitude perfectly sums up

the democrats' purse to have washington bureaucrats take over the health care system. president obama and the democratic leadership don't think the rules apply to them. first the house democrats had to twist arms enough to get members to vote for their bill despite a 40-vote majority. then said democrats had to give a sweetheart dill to senators from louisiana, nebraska, florida, vermont, massachusetts, connecticut. and now the house democrats are preparing to pass this legislation without even having an up or down vote. it's no wonder the american people oppose this bill by such a wide margin. they feel like they are being duped by the democratic leadership. it's time to reject this government takeover of health care and start over. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. million neugebauer: article 1, section 7 of the constitution states the votes of both houses shall be derpped by the yeas and nays and the names of the

persons voting for or against this bill shall be entered in the journal of the house respectively. why is speaker nancy pelosi trying to prevent congress from doing the job of voting yea or nay on the most important piece of legislation that will probably face this congress? just yesterday when she was talking about the slaughter solution, she says, but i don't like it because the people don't want -- don't have to -- i like it because people won't have to vote on the senate bill. well, madam speaker, if this bill is so bad, why are you trying to jam it down the american people's vote. shame on you, madam speaker, you would use a process to circumvent the very foundation of this nation which is the united states constitution. i encourage my colleagues to take a gut check here and look across the aisle and look at their citizens across the country. we have young people all over from america here. look them in the eye and say, you know what, we are going to bring the most important piece of legislation to this floor. we are not going to make our members have to take a vote on it, but you'll be paying for it for the rest of your life. madam speaker, that's not the way we should do business.

you should be ashamed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. be able to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. brown-waite: thank you, madam speaker. by now we all know the many flaws with the health care bill that's going to be rammed through this house. and there certainly are many. it cuts medicare by half a trillion dollars. it raises taxes. jeopardizes patient access to health care. and puts an un-elected bureaucrat or many bureaucrats in charge of your health care. i want to tell a brief story about something that happened to me this weekend. i was in a local drugstore with a friend of mine waiting for a prescription and a woman came up to me and she said, are you ginny brown-waite? i said yes, ma'am. she said i want to talk to you about the health care bill. she proceeded to tell me, she said, i'm about to lozz my job. which means i'll lose my health care. i thought i knew what she was next going to say, and she totally shocked me. and she pointed to her daughter

who she told me was 9 years old and she said, but i don't want you to vote for that bill, congresswoman, because i don't want this child and her children paying for an out-of-control health care system in america. i believe that she really speaks the way most americans believe. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i rise today to voice my strong opposition to the majority's attempt to have the federal government take over the national health care system. this has been a year-long debate and it's clear that the american public does not want this bill. people are justifiably outraged at the contempt the majority has shown to them. everything my constituents dislike is still in the majority's health care bill. billions in new taxes on small

businesses and families. over $1 trillion in new federal spending. a health care czar to make health care decisions for families. a federal mandate to buy health insurance. hundreds of billions in medicare cuts. expanded access to abortion. and sleazy backroom deals. if this is a panacea that the majority claims it is, then why is it that they are refusing to allow a straight up or down vote? do you think you can fool them with procedural gimmicks such as deeming the bill pass without actually voting on it? i don't think so and i think it's shameful to try. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. as i stand here today congressional leadership has yet to finalize or publish the so-called fix it bill that will ultimately be the basis to gather the 216 votes necessary to pass health care reform. and they certainly haven't said

how much it's going to cost. yet democrat after democrat has gotten up here today saying that they are for this legislation. so think about it, how can you be for a bill that's not yet written, not yet finalized, not yet published, and for which no one knows how much it's going to cost? the answer is simple. it's really not about how much it costs but how many people it will cover. it's about control. government control over who is going to make health care decisions in this country. and that's exactly what the american people are rejecting. madam speaker, the swamp isn't being drained through this process, it apparently is just getting deeper and wider. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: i apologize. that's texas, sir. mr. johnson: thank you. thank you, madam speaker. wake up, america. the speaker's trying to pass a health care bill without

letting america see it first. in fact, she said, quote, i have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it. she's also shooting for a voteless passage. and that's unconstitutional. i can tell my democrat colleagues what's in it. the health care bill's littered full of sweetheart deal one after another from louisiana purchase to the cornhusker kickback. what's another term for hustling votes? buying them. the american people are fed up with secret backroom deals in smoke-filled rooms. it's no wonder all americans are clear in their opposition to what they have seen, read, and heard on health care. bring the real senate bill to the floor for an honest up or down vote. these sneaky shen nanny begans defy -- sha nanny begins defy common sense and the american people want, need, and deserve

better. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. this morning i stood at the american cancer society in my district and i will support the president's historic reform effort. i'm supporting it because right now skyrocketing health care costs are just crippling the u.s. economy. they are emptying pocketbooks in central and western new york. regular, middle class people can't afford the health care they need. insurance companies have denied care. kids are graduating from college and they can't find care. people with life threatening positions need to hold bake sales and bowl-a-thons to pay health care bills. experts and nonpartisan organizations say that this bill will save money. i believe that the cost saves in this bill will save money, but i know that doing nothing will bankrupt our country and our families and small

businesses. i stood this morning with two remarkable women from my district. one had insurance and one did not. they are both battling cancer. for them this debate isn't about partisan politics. it's not about their lives. they strongly support this effort and so do i. 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 florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. diaz-balart: in 2017 the medicare bill goes insolvent. it goes broke in 2017. do they have a plan to reform and save medicare? no. their plan, the democrats' plan actually raids half a trillion dollars from medicare to create a massive new government-controlled health care program. so even though the speaker is writing this bill behind closed doors in secret, madam speaker, the american people, particularly senior citizens, are not being fooled. they oppose this massive bill that will nationalize health care and that will raid half a trillion dollars from medicare.

now, they oppose it and so should we. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gohmert: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, this bill is based on so many fictions it should not be passed. one is that we are going to do a rule and then that is going to be self-effectuating and that's going to pass the bill. that's a fiction. it ought to be an up or down vote on this bill. that's -- if you read the very basics on this bill from the senate, it says, resolve the bill from the house of representatives, h.r. 3590, entitled an act to amend the inturnal revenue code of 1986 to modify the first time home buyers credit in the case of members of armed forces. they ought to pass this on the backs of the armed forces. this should not be passed by anyone unless they eat it.

if they eat it, then i'm in favor of them passing it. otherwise don't pass it. i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, higher premiums, higher taxes and cutting medicare is not health care reform. republicans care about health care but we don't care for this bill. unfortunately the white house and congressional democrats are still insisting on their massive 7,-- 2,700-plus page bill that includes $500 billion in higher taxes and $500 billion if cuts to seniors' medicare. that's not reform. there is a reason why congress has been debating this for a year. the reason the majority is having such trouble securing passage is because the americans

have made it abundantly clear that they don't like this bill either. i want to make something clear. killing the democrat plan for a government health care takeover does not kill the health care debate. it simply allows us to start from scratch and focus on real solutions that will lower the cost of health care for small businesses and families across this nation. i yield back. stop this bill. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: it is troubling. eight out of 10 americans now believe congress governs without the consent of the governed. the democratic congress and the white house simply aren't listening. americans oppose this $2 trillion takeover of health care but democrats are ramming it through over the public's objection. americans oppose the tax

increases, mandate deficits and government interference to their most intimate health care decisions but house democrats arrogantly claim they know what's best for you. americans want open, honest government. democrats are cutting backroom deals, pressuring members of congress, proclaiming bills passed without a vote of the house, all to circumvent the will of the american people. americans want washington to start over immediately, to go back to the basics, to have a step by step d bipartisan bill that focuses on lowering health care costs. so, madam speaker, why aren't you listening? but know this, a congress that governs in secrecy and arrogance will not govern long. the american people will see to that. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. everyone agrees that the status quo in health care is unacceptable. but the proposed health care reform legislation is also

unacceptable. two of the greatest gifts that my parents gave my four brothers and sfrs and i was a solid foundation in the ideals of common sense and right versus wrong. this health care bill fails to pass both of these principles. common sense tells us that a health care bill that increases health care costs by over $1 trillion is wrong, that raising taxes by over $500 billion is wrong, that cuts medicare by $500 billion is wrong, that forces millions of americans off a private insurance into a government-run health care plan is wrong and a plan that allows taxpayer funds to be used for abortion services is wrong. a simple application of their right versus wrong test tells us that seeking to pass such a monumental piece of legislation by deeming it passed without an up or down vote is wrong. basic principles, common sense,

right versus wrong, this proposal fails both of those very important principles. my mom and dad got it right. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? >> madam speaker, i rise to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, article 1 section 5 of the united states constitution states and i quote, the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall desire 1/5 of those present be entered into the journal, unquote. this is to ensure that important pieces of legislation like the one before us this week are given a clear up or down vote. yet here we stand today with the possibility that a massive trillion dollar government takeover of our health care system would actually not be voted on in this chamber. not only does this violate the spirit of fairness within the

rules of the house and the confidence in trust -- entrusted in us by our constituents, it potentially violates our constitution. legislative gymnastics should not be used to pass a bill of this magnitude that will impact the life of every american. change is need within our health care system. we can all agree on that. but in an effort to pass a health care bill, any bill, this congressional majority has lost their way. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. lucas: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? sorry, nevada. without objection. mr. heller: thank you, madam speaker. another day, another mised opportunity -- muss -- another missed opportunity. nevada's unemployment rate is at 15% so you have to ask the question, where are the jobs? do i town hall meetings queekly in -- weekly in my district, i

surveyed thousands. the question asked, what should be the priority of this congress? should it be jobs in the economy or health care? over 80% say we should be concentrating on jobs and the economy. instead majority leadership wants me to vote for the louisiana purchase or the courthouse for kick -- corn husker kickback or gatorade and the list goes on and on. despite the majority's effort to hide this vote, the american people will not be fooled. the american people know the purpose of this health care bill is to make sure all americans have the same bad health care. i encourage my colleagues to listen to the american people, create bipartisan health care reform and get americans back to work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does mr. rooney from florida rise? mr. rooney: address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. rooney: madam speaker, i'm astounded by the democrats' blatant abuse of the house rules established in our constitution by entertaining the possibility

of what's known as the slaughter rule. if they choose to deem the senate health care bill law under this self-executing rule without a traditional up or down vote on this actual text they will strip the american people of their rights to checks and balances in a bicameral congress. and if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle truly believe that this health care bill will solve the nation's health care problems, then why are they afraid to go on the record and put their names on it? like most americans, i am disillusioned with this congress. we need to go back to the drawing board an focus on reducing health care costs when constitutional and not by creating a new entitlement in a backroom deal. thank you 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 new jersey rise? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mr. garrett: madam speaker, i come to the floor today to speak out the democrats' proposed slaughter solution. this is a sleight of hand with an unconstitutional move to avoid a true vote. you know, article 1 section 7 of the constitution reads, every bill shall have passed the house of representatives and the senate before it is presented to the president of the united states. you know, with the slaughter solution leadership is attempting to manipulate the rules to circumvent this fundamental constitutional requirement. in the senate they have a bill there with so many special deals, taxes on insurance, coverage for abortion, even they cannot pass it for a second time. and so democrat leadership here in the house now is trying to avoid a traditional up or down vote. the supreme court has even spoken on this and said a bill must contain the exact text before it is approved in one house and then the other in precisely the same text. madam speaker, if we ignore the basic requirements of the constitution, whether by disregarding procedural constraints or overstepping our

congressional authority, by dictating people's health insurance, we will descend from the freedom of democracy toward the tyranny of a dictatorship. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from texas is recognized. for what purpose do you rise? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, medicare will be expanded, medicaid will be expanded to allow more people to be insured, our children will have more health insurance, it will be a major change for america, a positive change. it is interesting that every time america makes a historic and catastrophic change for the better there is large voices of opposition, confused voices, voices without the facts. i'm reminded of the history of the 1964 civil rights act in 19 -- and 1965 voting rights ac. they did not pass in large margins. there were voices of opposition.

african-americans should be second class citizens forever. it is time now for the courageous to recognize that americans cannot be second class and third class in the climate of needing health insurance, that they must be able to go to hospitals and not be kicked out, that they must be able to get insurance without saying you have a pre-existing condition, that women cannot be discriminated against. where's the courage to stand up as we did in a time when african-americans needed their freedom? it is now time to free others who do not have health insurance. do you have the courage to make these hard decisions when others are chatting away saying the wrong thing? it is time to pass health care reform. i want to stand with the courageous on behalf of the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? -- utah rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bishop: madam speaker, it is very difficult to criticize a bill that is still being put together behind closed doors. but we do know that it is more

about consolidation of power in washington than about real health reform for american people. we also know that a poor process always equals poor public policy. and the procedural shenanigans being proposed by the speaker and democratic leaders to slip this past the american people make all of lucy ricardo's schemes to be a part of ricky's show look like clear and logical plans of action. this also would be a comedy if it wasn't such a tragedy for the american people. madam speaker, my state has already instituted real health care solutions that deal with our demographics and give people options in the state of utah. and all of our efforts will be destroyed if this one size fits all trillion-dollar tragedy is actually passed here on the house floor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? new jersey. for what purpose does the

gentleman from nebraska rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. terry: there will be no straight up and down vote on a health care bill. instead the leadership has chosen a procedural trick to insert the senate bill into a rule deeming the senate bill passed. so if you vote for the rule you are voting for the corn husker kickback, you're voting for the louisiana purchase, language that allows funds to go to abortions. what won't be in this bill is the terry bill amendment that allows people to join the same health care plans that we have as members of congress. why? because it's not controlled by the government and its bureaucrats. yes, this is about government control, where bureaucrats and congress will be in control of your health care. and somehow the leadership and

authors of these tricks in this bill wonder why the american people don't want this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. franks: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, to paraphrase a man, in every child who is born, under no matter what circumstances and of no matter what parents, the potentialality of the entire human race is born all over again. the democrats say compassion is the fundamental motivation behind this government takeover bill. but if compassion was the motivation, madam speaker, democrat leadership would not be so doggedly determined to include the increased tax-pair funded murder of little unborn -- taxpayer funded murder of little unborn children in this

bill. nothing so destroys the notion that this bill is about compassion than the arrogant disenfranchisement of those who are helpless and have no voice. it is an unspeakable disgrace. madam speaker, it is obvious that democrats are determined to ram this bill down the throats of the american people using the so-called slaughter solution, a shameless political gimmick that would avoid even an up or down vote on the bill. but if they do, madam speaker, the world will know that it was never about compassion and democrats will find that they have dangerously underestimated the american people. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> address the house for one minute. . >> thank you, madam speaker. later this week the speaker will ask for a final vote on the bill. the senate bill contains a rarefied legislative compromise as the cornhusker kickback, the louisiana purchase, gatorade, and for the first time ever it allows federal funding for

abortions. nevertheless the speaker's asked us to vote on it. i understand my democratic colleagues are being assured the senate will take up the bill fixes if the house will simply pass their bill. i would offer a small word of caution to my friend on the other side of the aisle, once you pass their bill there is not a guarantee that will be made to force the senate democrats to take up your fix bill and pass it. the bill that passed out of the senate satisfies 59 sitting senators. the compromise that will pass out of this house will please far fewer. simple logic tells us that the senate democrats do not have a real and abiding interest in bailing out house democrats for having passed the senate bill. of course simple logic has never been part of this debate. madam speaker, my democratic colleagues are playing a game of chicken with the united states senate. in the end the president might just sign the senate president bill into law along with the louisiana purchase, gador aid, and abortion funding. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to

speak to the floor for one min. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. fleming: madam speaker, of this massive 300-page bill, there is not one thing that lowers costs. not one. a recent heritage foundation article focused on the fact that the health care system is fraught with perverse economic incentives that generate artificially high and rapidly increasing spending. this system does nothing to incentivize the doctor, the patient, or the insurance company let alone the federal government to spend the health care dollars efficiently. however, i'm not suggesting that patients have to bear higher out-of-pocket costs. by this the doctor and patient must be reengaged, however, with the cost of their care. and how can we do that? one amendment that we have tried to get into this bill a number of times and failed is a

robust system of health savings accounts for all. this way we get to have our cake and eat it, too. by that i mean that a portion of the insurance premiums should be put into a special medical spending account for all those government and private insurance programs that can be spent at the discretion -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: permission to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: yesterday i held a town hall in statesville, north carolina torques hear from my constituents about health care reform. one thing was abundantly clear, they do not want this bill and they are sick and tired of the backroom deals and provision that is have characterized this process. they wanted health care reform, but they were developmently opposed to the senate bill. -- vehemently opposed to the senate bill. my constituents are asking me if this is such a wonderful bill why is the majority resorting to tricks and sleight of hand to get it passed? if this bill is so great, why not have a regular vote?

the answer is simple. this is not a bill the american people want. some members acknowledge that. madam speaker, we should listen to the american people. we should take an incremental approach to health care reform that the american people can support. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, as we are here today on the house floor at this very moment the democratic leadership of the house of representatives is smiling and dialing. they are calling members of congress on the other side of the aisle and cajoling them and coaxing them and urging them to do the equivalent of really political bungee jumping, with you they don't know how long the cord is. you be the first one to jump off, we are going to vote for the senate bill and trust in the senate to take it up and fix it.

or alternatively even worse, we are not going to have a final vote on this bill. can you imagine a process that is this manipulated, that is at this high stakes literally? the federal government taking over 1/6 of the economy really in the twinkling of an eye? it is as if the democrat inc. leaders are telling the american public, look, we have a wonderful plan for your life. you are going to love it. we are going to vote on it and then we'll let you read it. madam speaker, we can do better. the american public demands that we do better to vote no and start over. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. goodlatte: i rise today in strong opposition to not only the democrats' health care proposal but to the outrageous process by which the majority intends to ram this bill through the house while denying members of congress an up or down vote on the bill. this morning's "cincinnati

enquirer" declared what americans all over this country are saying, quote, this disgusting process which democrats brazenly wish to bring to conclusion this week is being done with little regard for the opinions of a clear majority of americans who, while they may believe health care reform is necessary, think this particular approach will take our nation down the wrong economic path. american families want health care reform that will expand access and choices and decrease costs. the democrats' health care bill includes tax increases, medicare cuts, job-killing mandates, and higher premiums. this bill is nothing more than the same government-run insurance mandates and taxes the american people have overwhelmingly rejected. this bill must be killed. we must start over. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. duncan: madam speaker, when i was driving into work last friday, i heard the governor of

arizona on the news saying that her state, already faces its biggest deficit ever, over $3 billion. she said they had calculated the health care bill would cost an additional $4 billion that they simply do not have. because tennessee already covers more than most states, our democratic governor nonetheless said it would cost our state from $750 million up to $3 billion more. most states are in far worse shape than tennessee or arizona. yet much of this bill is paid for by forcing millions more on to state medicaid rolls. in yesterday's "washington post," columnist robert soft money samuelsson said the bill, quote, abates health care's major problems and worsen the outlook. it wrote it's a big new spending program when the government hasn't paid for the spending programs it already has. madam speaker, even if this program was the greatest thing since sliced bread, the fact is we simply cannot afford it. 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 mississippi

rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, late last night the house budget committee approved the reconciliation shell bill with two democratic members joining all republicans in opposing this enormous entitlement expansion. and we still do not know what changes the speaker will bring forward. the president has asked congress to hold an up or down vote on the senate's so-called health care reform proposal. let's have that vote. the president has argued the democrats need courage to pass this one-size-fits all government takeover of health care. where is the courage in hiding behind procedural chaos like the slaughter solution? no matter what anyone says, a yes vote on the reconciliation bill is a vote for the senate trillion dollar bill containing kickbacks like the cornhusker kickback and the louisiana purchase and the allowance for

federal funding for abortion. the bottom line is this health care bill is so bad that the democrats have to resort to trickery. i will not support a bill that will increase families' insurance premiums and force hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded mandates to my home state of mississippi. i urge you to oppose this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from tennessee rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam speaker. this year i have replaced town hall meetings in my district with listening sessions. i go to hear what my constituents have to teach me and teach this body. they want us to know that the process matters to them. some of my colleagues like to say that it doesn't make any difference, but my constituents know that when legislation is negotiated in the back rooms, that america loses. they know that in the backrooms

, stimulus bills turn into pork bills. bailout bills and energy bills turn into taxes. today hundreds of americans are walking the halls of this building asking us to stop this outrageous government takeover of health care. and take health reform step by step and structure a system that gets them out of this broken system, not locks them into it permanently. i hear them, madam speaker, and i certainly hope that this chamber hears them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> madam speaker, request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i'm hearing loud and clear from people's america's first district in virginia that this health care bill before us will not reduces, will not increase

access, and full of sweetheart backroom deals that they find highly objectionable and that now we are proposing to put this bill through without having to directly vote on the bill. that also makes them mad. let me tell you what they are saying. jimmy from yorktown says we are very concerned with the direction congressional leadership is taking with health care reform. it is apparent congress is not listening to the american people. we understand the need to address health care reform, however, congress must include fiscal responsibility in any reform legislation. congress needs to listen to the american voter and taxpayer instead of holding our views in contempt. there are many other people from the first district that have very similar views. i urge my colleagues to vote no. let's listen to the american people, listen to their concerns, and do the right thing. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> madam speaker, to address the house for one minute.

revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gingrey: madam speaker, one day after the health care summit at the blair house, peggy noonan wrote in the "wall street journal," and i quote, what the meeting made clear is what the democrats are going to do. not step back and save the moderates of their party but attempt to bully a bill through the congress. this is boorish of them and they will suffer for it. indeed, madam speaker, i think the democrats will get slaughtered for it. but unfortunately the collateral damage is to the health of the american people. i ask all my colleagues join with me and my constituents in the 11th congressional district of georgia and vote no on this rule and this so-called deeming legislation. 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 massachusetts rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. tierney: thank you very

much. a few would cut out of the herd and pass it. that's not the case this. year-long debate in the bipartisan health care meeting show dms and republicans do agree on some areas. both agree the status quote isn't working for americans. both agree that waste, fraud, and abuse should be removed from the system. both agree we should have prevention and wellness. the bill has incorporated several republican ideas into its proposal, but democrats and republicans have a profound disagreement on the proper oversight on insurance companies. we believe that insurance companies need to be held accountable with minimum standards to help keep premiums down and end the industry abuses. republicans believe that insurance companies should have a free hand and should be free to raise rates and reduce and even eliminate coverage. we believe the most effective way to reduce premium force -- premiums for all americans and businesses large and small is to make sure that everyone is in the insurance system.

republicans disagree and their plan will not outlaw discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. tierney: those are profound differences, madam chairman, and that's why we need health care reform. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from west virginia rise? mrs. capito: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. capito: thank you. thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to express my utter disbelief and disappointment at the fact the democrat -- path the democrat leadership has chosen for health care reform. never, ever in my 14 years of legislating have i ever been asked to vote for a bill that will, quote, be fixed later. we don't even know what this bill costs. well, in excess of $1 trillion. or what backroom deals will wind up being in this bill after the vote. it is an absolute affront to the integrity of this congress that we are being asked to put a signature on the bottom of a blank page. now, we have all seen team building exercises where one person stands blindfolded on the edge of the table and asked to fall back into the arms of

the colleagues. that's what the speaker is asking this congress to do. to fall backwards from this precipice with a promise all will be well. my constituents deserve more than a mere promise of trust. we should not be asked to be voting on a bill that will affect 1/6th of our economy and touch every single american's life without knowing what is in the bill. the speaker knows what's in the bill and she doesn't want anybody to vote on it. americans deserve health reform but they deserve it the right way. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, yesterday the president of the united states was in beautiful strongsville, ohio. and the biggest applause line he got is when he said, we need courage. we need courage to have an up or down vote on the health care bill. now, i'm not a big fan of the health care bill but i thought, that's pretty brave and looked up courage, mental and moral strength, with stand danger or difficulty. so good for the president.

he's standing up for his principles. imagine my surprise when i patted out in my jammies this morning and got "the washington post" and the headline on the top of the fold is, "pelosi may try to pass health bill without a vote." i said, no, she didn't. but i thought, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps sometimes newspapers are misleading and the headline might not describe the story. but, no, sadly, this is the story. so, it's not courage that we're going to have here. so i went a little further in the dictionary. cowardly, that fits, craven, that fits, you go a little into the d's, deceptive, that's appropriate, go a little bit further, gutless, into the g's, right. spineless under the s' and you can go all the way to the y's. yellow bellied. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the chair will remind all persons in the gallery including on the floor that they are here

as guests of the house and that any manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings or other audible conversation is in violation of the rules of the house. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> back when thomas jefferson did the first louisiana purchase, he got all parts of the 13 states. when the senate health care bill passed it cost $300 million to just get and buy one vote. who knows what this week is going to cost the american taxpayers? we've also seen the outrage of how they propose to pass this bill. over in the senate rather than the deliberative body going through and the takeover of 17% of the american economy, they're going to go through and try to jam it with the majority plus the vice president of one, whatever they need.

now we have the slaughter rule in the house where they're going to try to not even have an up or down vote. not even going to try to get 51% or 50% plus the speaker. they're going to deem it passed. do they really think the mesh people are going to buy this -- american people are going to buy this unconstitutional fraud? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. i'm surprised when i go home, my constituents will tell me unequivocally that they're in favor of health care reform but they're not in favor of this plan. and yet i come to washington and they say, if you're in favor of health care reform you have to buy into this sham of a health care bill. well, my constituents know what a sham is and unfortunately it's a senate bill that the house is going to be voting on. then i read headlines that the speaker of the house doesn't

actually want to vote on the senate bill. and i recall the basics of parliamentary procedure that require the house to vote on the exact same bill the senate does before it can be signed by the president to be enacted into law. so the democrats are just trying to pull a fast one on the american people. the american people know that this is a bad deal. according to the congressional budget office run by a democrat they're right to be worried because premiums will up between 10% and 13% under this plan. that means $2,100 more for the average family in america in health care expenses. it's the wrong plan and we should oppose it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. this past weekend i visited with four of my counties in my district. hundreds of people and without exception no one spoke in favor of this bill.

increased taxes, they said to me, increased cost, the heavy-handed way which it has been administered, as if to say by golly, this is what cure diagnose to get whether you like it or not -- this is what you're going to get whether you like it or not. we need no train wrecks. i will admit that some attention needs to be directed to the delivery of health care in this nation, but this is not the appropriate vehicle to deliver it. we need to vap -- scrap this bill and start a anew with a sound proposal -- start anew with a sound proposal. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, to protect members from voting on the senate health care bill, democrats are using a self-enacting rule to deem that bill passed by the house. as speaker pelosi said, quote, it's more insider and process oriented than most people want to know.

but i like it because people don't have to vote on the senate bill. huh? this is the same speaker who stated, we have to pass a bill so you can see what's in it. so that you can see what's in it. huh? they're distorting the rules committee procedures and the reconciliation process to ram through a health care bill. where's the transparency that speaker pelosi talked about? huh? last year the house was passing bills without reading them. this year they're passing bills without voting on them. the democrats desire passage of the health care bill. it's an affront to the constitutional powers of congress and every voter in this country. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. reichert: thank you, madam speaker.

madam speaker, with millions of phone cause, emails and personal visit -- mr. hastings: thank you, moik. the people have made it clear to congress that they want health care reform that lowers costs. not a government takeover of their health care system. i support reforms that will lower the cost of health care and increase choices for americans. but the fact is that the bills being pushed through congress won't achieve these goals. they instead lead to higher spending and more government control. instead of listening to the american people, democrats in congress have made it clear that they will do whatever it takes to have their trillion-dollar health care proposal become law. these bills making their way through congress ignore the clear desires of americans to scrap the government takeover of health care and they ignore the clear desire of americans to start over again. congress must instead focus on commonsense solutions that reduce costs, increase choices and help more americans afford the coverage they deserve. the bottom line, madam speaker, is that congress needs to start

over on a new bill. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, when we picked up the headlines of the "washington post" today it said, "speaker's policy may try to -- speaker pelosi may try to pass health bill without a vote." and through nothing more than budgetary gimmicks like counting half a trillion dollars reserved for medicare twice, the speaker claims it's going to pass it all out. i think the american people know better. they understand that you cannot create a massive new entitlement program behind closed doors and expect our dire financial situation, our dire fiscal predicament in this country to do anything except compound. instead of addressing the actual drivers of rising health care costs like escalating legal

liability costs and structural flaws in the way insurance is regulated, this bill compounds the problem and shifts the cost curve up, not down. faced with trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, now is the time to take a step back and look for incremental reforms that are increase affordability for millions of americans without saddling future generations with this unpayble tab. the american people know that when so-called health care reform includes tax hikes and more government control, it's a government takeover of health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. fortenberry: madam speaker, we are hearing about the problems with this health care bill from its failure to address the real cost drivers as well as its aversion of the democratic process. but here's another problem.

the speaker of the house on monday asserted that the bill before us, quote, is about health care, health insurance reform. it is not about abortion. now for the reality, the bill before us would permit the federal government to provide subsidies to insurance plans that cover abortion, oversee state plans that cover elective abortions and allow federal officials to mandate that private plans cover abortions. it is replete with abortion. the american people have spoken and they do not want their taxpayer dollars entangled in the provision of abortion. abortion is not health care and no american should be forced to pay for it. we should be supporting those in vulnerable circumstances. abortion is so often the result of abandonment. women deserve better. but true health care reform must be life affirming. i will not support this bill. 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, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. rohrabacher: madam speaker, as the vote approaches, i have become increasingly troubled at the things this bill face to do. despite claims to the contrary, the democrat bill face to -- face do decrease health care costs. we keep hearing about how people are being cost out of the market, they can't afford their health care, but it does not decrease health care costs. in fact, the bill would increase the cost of health care in the form of higher premiums and exoshtive new taxes on families. furthermore, it will not prevent funds from going to illegal aliens or abortions. that's what it doesn't do. what does it do? well, this legislation will make sure the american people are more addicted to socialism because we will be more dependent on the federal bureaucracy. what it will do is create a trillion-dollar new program even when you can't afford the current programs. well, what we need to do is make

sure that we come up with a list of reforms that is a bipartisan list. the democrats have actually ignored what republicans have offered, to reform the system in order to transform it. well, they're transforming it by making backroom deals. that's not what the american people want. let's come forward with what we believe in and how to make the system better and work together. but we have to start by voting no on this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado rise? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i rise today on behalf of my constituents who tell me time and time again that they do not want a government-run health care plan. in spite of all this protest, democrats are seeking to jam down the bill to the taxpayers' throats through a convoluted legislative rule nope as the slaughter solution -- known as the slaughter solution. this allows a vote on the rule

that would deem the senate version of the health care bill to be passed without bringing the actual bill up for a vote. constituents send their members of congress to washington to represent their interests through votes. the slaughter house rule would violate our constitutional pledge to brect and defend the -- protect and defend the constitution. to pass a bill of this magnitude through a procedural gimmick like the slaughter house rule would be a cowardly coverup. what exactly is the majority afraid of? why are they trying to hide their vote? the american people deserve an open and honest vote. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. you know, for the better part of a year we devoted the lion share of our attention to health care reform and where we are today, from the speaker of the house, we have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it. that's simply unbelievable.

and it's wrong. i've worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop proposals that will lower costs, expand access and improve quality. i regret very much where we are today in terms of both the policy and the process. policywise there's a lot we don't know. we haven't seen this reconciliation fix-it bill. we don't have a score from the c.b.o. we're talking about 1/16 of our american economy but we haven't seen it yet. let's talk about what we do know. the bill that we have seen. the senate health care bill. this bill will increase taxes by more than a half a trillion dollars, it will slash medicare by nearly a half a trillion dollars. all to create a $1 trillion entitlement program. families who purchase coverage on the individual market will see an average increase of $2,300. this is not the reform the american people want. unbelievably the process is even worse than the policy. in the coming day the powerful rules committee will meet up there on the third floor and according to reports it will use an arrogant manipulation of our

legislative process -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. dent: i say defeat this bill, the american people deserve better. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. why do you want to let health insurance companies deny people because of pre-existing conditions? why do you want people to lose their coverage if they lose their jobs? why do you want to let insurance companies drop people when they get sick? there's a simple choice, either you want to sign up for the american people or you want to stand up for insurance companies. it's . clear over the last year that my friends on the other side of the aisle would rather stand up for health insurance companies. they'd rather let insurance companies raise their rates by 25% like they did in my state of new mexico. they'd rather let families' premiums double by 2020 increasing to $25,600. they'd rather let employer premiums increase by 98% by

2020. this reform bill isn't perfect but it stops insurance companies from denying people for pre-existing conditions, it provides more choice, it others will costs, it stops insurance companies from dropping people who are sick, it helps small businesses by giving them tax credits, it helps seniors by making prescription drugs more affordable. it's time to act, it's time to reform. 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 california rise? michigan. without objection. >> americans do not want a government takeover of health care. they do not want a 2,000-page bill that puts federal bureaucrats in charge of their personal decisions. they do not want a half trillion dollar cut to medicare to fund the new entitlement program and they do not want a half trillion increase in taxes or $1 trillion in new federal spending. they do not want the back room deals that were cut to buy off

special interests and they certainly do not want a health care bill that will increase the cost of their health care insurance. but that is exactly what the democrat bill does. that's exactly what the democrats are trying to cram through congress this week. if the majority wants to pass this bill they ought to have the guts to hold an up or down vote and not try to hide from the american people what is really being voted on. madam speaker, americans do not want and can't afford this bill. let's scrap it and start over. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> i ask to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, process, process, process. what parliamentary process are we using, that's a distraction. it's what people use when they can't debate the arguments or

they run out of ways to lie about it. i don't think the gentlewoman from new jersey is worried about the process she prefers to have guaranteed coverage. do you think a small businessman in new jersey cares what process the insurance company used to arrive at a 25% increase in premiums or the process we use to limit the out-of-pocket expenses a person must spend for coverage? enough using procedures to staal and delay. let's get it done -- to stall and delay. let's get it done to provide consume brother texts for everyone. let's get it done to have caps on insurance company premium increase. let's get it done to have better health care outcomes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

>> as we enter into the most important week we've had since i've been up here. when we passed the health care bill on this floor, the democrats passed h.r. 3962 with only a five-vote advantage, which showed that the outrageous health bill had been lessened in severity in the commerce committee and was softened up enough for the nat to kill it. the series of senators negotiated gifts they were not entitled to, each receiving consideration for being the coveted 60th vote. if we -- if this makes it back to the floor of the house, i would investigate the bribery and corrupt deals. the bribery penalty is set down in 18 code u.s.c. as imprisonment for a year and a fine of not more than $50,000

for each count. i consider offering a bribe worse than receiving one. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boozman: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to express the concerns of arkansas' third district regarding health care reform. i've received an unprecedented amount of mail because the people of arkansas aren't in favor of the legislative gymnastics and procedural tricks speaker pelosi is pay -- is playing. it's inplopet to play games to pass a health care reform bill americans overwhelmingly oppose, a bill that represents 60% of our economy. the administration called for an up or down vote but ms. pelosi and the rules committee are currently in the process of

bypassing this up or down vote. by proving this rule, the senate bill will be deemed as pass passed. this is not the way our founders envision the government working for the people. we owe it to our -- to arkansas sans and all americans -- to arkansans and all americans to have real reform and at least have a yes or no vote. how do you pass a bill without voting on it? with that, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. i'd like to read a few examples of emails i've been receiving on the health care proposal. please vote no on health care reform new before the house. from han wall, missouri, congressman, please vote no on

the senate health care bill we need to scrap it and start over. from ashton, missouri, please do not vote for the health care bill. from huntsville, missouri, i sincerely hope you do not vote for the health care bill as it now stands. madam speaker, my constituents have listened to the debate and rejected the proposed health care bill. no, no, no, no, no. what part of no does the majority snuns i'm going to listen to my constituents and i'm going to be voting against the health care bill. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? >> to be recognized for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker, i rise today to respond to what i think the leadership is going to bring later this week, i understand they're going to bring a vote to the floor that the president and our speaker believe is a socialist plan, i know it's a socialist plan for the government takeover of health care. and the speaker wants members

to have the courage to pass this -- what she believes is a prescription for health care reform in america. what it is is a prescription for disaster in our country and it's also a prescription for disaster for the majority party. that's what i'd like to address the balance of my remarks to. the majority party is being asked to vote for something that they're -- that their districts and constituents don't want. the president yesterday in a speech said that what he was hoping the members would do is show courage for a change. well, i agree with the president, i hope the democrat members do show courage later this week, show courage to not be a lap dog for the president and the leadership and show the courage to be a bulldog for their districts and constituents who adamantly oppose the socialist takeover of government health care for our country. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i had two town hall meetings at my district on saturday. at both events, my constituents raised this issue. how can congress impose the most sweeping intrusion in health care decisions in the country without a direct vote on the bill? you see, my constituents have read the institution. -- read the constitution, including the clause that requires both houses to vote on a bill before it becomes law. if the democrat majority intends to impose this law without a vote, two things will be obvious, first that the democrats are ashamed to cast the very up or down vote on the health care takeover the president promised as recently as yesterday. far more disturbing, they'll know that the congress is now -- has now placed itself above the constitution. madam speaker, 10 generations of americans have defended that constitution, don't think for a moment that this generation

will do any less. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. obey: madam speaker, there is one difference between my friends over here who are speech fiing against health care reform -- speechifing against health care reform and the 15 million americans. the difference is the americans over here all have health insurance and it's largely paid for by the taxpayers. 50 million americans don't have that good fortune. that is the difference that difference is shameful, that difference is immoral, and i hope to god that this house house has the courage and the decency to vote to change it this week. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the

gentleman from maryland rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bartlett: health care costs are increasing at two or three times the rate of inflation. obviously this if continues, it wilburry us. any health care reform needs to address costs. there are two major health care cost drivers, this bill is silent on one, that one is tort reform. some believe it may account for a fourth of all health care costs. this bill does nothing to address that. our second driver is administrative cost, which may represent a fourth of all costs. this bill makes that worse by proposing to give the poor people a policy and incur the health care costs associated with that policy. we immediate to give poor people health care, the doctor, the clinic, the hospital a tax credit for giving them the health care. then we avoid the administrative costs associated with that.

this bill fails on both those counts. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont rise? mr. welch: with all the controversy about the health care bill, the content of it, the argument about what's in it and what's not in it, this does boil down to a fundamental question that this congress and this country has eluded and avoided for 70 years, that is, will we have a health care system where every american is covered and every american helps pay? will we have a health care system where we have a common desire and need to control costs and reform the delivery system? that's one side. the other question is, will we have a health care system that embeds the status quo, that for the past 70 years has served the interests of the insurance companies very well, increasing their profit, salaries of $24 million, where it's a

fee-for-service, volume-driven system that's absolutely burying our employers and families under a burden of cost we can't keep up with. that's basically the question. will this health care insurance -- will this health care bill allow americans to have access to health care or profits for the insurance companies. i yield back. 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. mr. reichert: can you hear the american voices loud and clear saying, i don't want a government takeover of health care. the democrats' latest plan is still a government takeover of health care. it includes billions of dollars in new taxes, other $1 trillion in new government spending, will also cause millions of employers to cancel the health care of their employees.

we've also heard, you like it you can keep it. not according to this plan. not even according to the president of the united states. who recently said, quote, i think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge, end quote. madam speaker, we don't know what's in this bill. the american people don't know what's in this bill. we need to start over. let's consider the "seattle times" editorial this morning, quote, right now the government should be focused on the revival of business and the creation of private sector jobs this cannot be put off. the responsible vote, according to the "seattle times" is take a break, let the economy recover and start over. i yield back. 13r0eu7 the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> after the gator aid, the

louisiana purchase, now we're told the democrats are going to deem the senate bill without voting on it. not one hour ago, i had a middle schooler in my office, and she said, that's not right. why is something obvious to a middle schooler such a mystery to the speaker and the democrats? what's not right is to ignore the wishes of the american people. what's not right is to have the government force you to buy health insurance. what's not right is to take health care decisions away from your doctor and give them to washington bureaucrats and politicians. what's not right is adding $2.7 trillion of new spending as the democrats triple our national debt and bankrupt america. what is right is to scrap the bill, start over and let freedom ring in america. 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 gentleman from iowa rise?

>> revise and extend my remarks, address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. king: thank you, madam speaker. we find ourselves in a unique circumstance in this congress after over two centuries this is likely the very first time that something is poised to half -- to happen, the founding fathers never envisioned that there would be a bill that wasn't passed in the senate, that wasn't supported by the senate, that wasn't supported by the house that could nevertheless become law. the first time in history. there are only 59 votes over there in the senate. they would not pass this bill this house is being asked to pass. even the democrats don't support the senate version of the bill and that was on a promise that it would be on a secretary sillation package that we know will not be sustained on the senate site side. and another unique component of this is that ever since 1973 the people on that side have argued that the federal government has no business telling a woman who she can or can't do with her body. now their position is the

federal government has every right to tell everybody in america what they can or can't do with their body. madam speaker, this bill funds abortion, it funds illegals, it steals liberty, it's unconstitutional, it kicks off lawsuits, it spends trillions of dollars, it's irresponsible, it's effective liberty and it's wrong. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> to address the house for within within -- one minute, revise and extends my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i have been listening to the speeches that have been made on the floor. tell them to wait and start over. well, you know, it's nice to say, wait and start over when you have insurance, but think about the 46 million people that are walking the streets of the united states of america with no insurance. but you're telling them to wait? and then of course when we talk about people that are locked into jobs and working on those

jobs because of the fact that the only reason they stayed there is because they are able to get health insurance and you're telling them to wait? and then we talk about people that have pre-existing conditions that can't get health care and you're telling them to wait? you know, i cannot believe that we're sitting here in the united states house of representatives where we can do something about a problem that has existed for many, many years and we're still telling people to wait. i don't think that they can afford the luxury of waiting when you do not have insurance. think about how many people will die today without -- because of the fact they do not have health insurance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. 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. lungren: madam speaker, often times on this floor this document becomes the convenient

truth. it's called the -- the inconvenient truth. it's called the constitution of the united states. it tells us what we can and what we cannot do. not too many years ago the house of representatives and the united states senate decided they would pass something called the line item veto. sounded like a good idea. the only problem -- it's unconstitutional. the court at that time said the constitution made it very clear, the house has to pass a certain text, the senate has to pass the exact same text, the president has to review it and then sign the same text. you can't deem a law to be a law. the dictionary's own here. i would look it up. deemed doesn't mean it is, it means that it's not, it's kind of, it may be close or pretend it is. that's not what the constitution says. the court has told us it has to be the exact text. if you change one paragraph it is unconstitutional. they want us to adopt a rule that includes the bill but a lot

of other language, it's not the same text. it's unconstitutional. the inconvenient truth is, we have to follow the law and this is the supreme law of the land. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> mr. speaker, permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, this week marks a defining moment for this congress in our nation. with our national debt over $12 trillion and continuing to grow, while government encroaches into every aspect of our lives, the american people have spoken out loudly against any government takeover of their health care. all we have to do is listen to our constituents. if this administration and this democrat leadership continues to force a $1 trillion health care bill through congress into law this bill will increase the health care costs for millions of americans who are satisfied with their current health care coverage, it will cut medicare, reduces benefits for seniors

such as medicare advantage. it will raise taxes on families and small businesses. we all agree that our health care system can and should be improved. unfortunately members of congress are not listening to the american people and that is more government is not the answer. it is time to work together on a commonsense step-by-step approach that will lower costs and make health care for ad moreble and accessible while keep -- care more affordable and accessible while keeping your relationship with your doctor. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. >> madam speaker, i rise in strong objection to what occurred yesterday in the budget committee. the budget committee passed a shell of reconciliation bill. this shell bill will be replaced with whatever the rules committee deems as appropriate health care legislation. no one has seen what the rules committee plans to insert.

this is not an open and transparent process. an open and transparent process wouldn't be resorting to using shell deals. an open and transparent process wouldn't have had backroom negotiations that are far and away from the c-span cameras. what happened in the budget committee and what's happening in the rules committee is not what the american people want. i strongly oppose the majority's use of parliamentary gimmicks to pass big government takeover of health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. westmoreland: madam speaker, looks like we may have a mystery worthy of an investigation by scooby doo and his gang here. this week the house may pass a bill to overhaul 1/6 of our economy. but here we are tuesday and

scoopy and shaggy are shaking their heads trying to figure out, one, what's in the bill, two, what special backroom deals have been cut, and, three, how can democrats impose on the american people a bill they don't even have the courage to vote on? here are our clues. speaker pelosi says we're not allowed to see what's in the bill until it passes and she says no one wants to vote for the bill that she's forcing through. we know there are special payoffs like the ones for states like nebraska. we know there are political payoffs. we know there are tax hikes and medicare cuts and it's not a mystery why the democrats are going to try to invent a ghostly scheme to pass this terrible bill. and when the scooby doo gang unmasks the ghosts we'll hear the speaker say, i would have gotten awray with it, too, if it weren't for -- away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling americans. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise?

without objection. mr. cao: madam speaker, the basic tenants of a democracy are those expressed to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. health care is one of those tenants. this is why i applaud president obama for his strength and determination in pushing for health care reform in the face of great adversity. i support h.r. 3962, the health care reform bill, that passed the u.s. house on november 7, 2009, because it tries to provide affordable health care while protecting life. and i stand ready to support health care reform again so long as the reconciled bill seeks the same goals. as of now the senate health care bill fell short and even contradicts the most basic principle of civilization, thou shall not kill. the senate bill willfully excludes language of the hyde amendment and seeks to expand funding and the role of the federal government in the killing of the unborn. it also fails to incorporate provisions to protect the

conscience of medical providers regarding abortion as found in the hyde amendment. these flaws are so devastating that they override any good the health care bill seeks to promote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. cao: i stand firmly in opposition. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i am just a bill and i am sitting here on capitol hill waiting for a vote. apparently unless you're in nancy pelosi's house. unlike in schoolhouse rock, nancy pelosi says that this little guy doesn't need to wait around for a vote, he can be deemed to be passed. now, this is a new one for my

daughter jessica's high school government class. they can't understand how speaker pelosi can deem a bill passed without a vote. there is no deeming a bill passed in schoolhouse rock or in the expectations of the american people. in today's "the washington post" speaker pelosi tells us why she wants to deem the health care bill passed without a vote. she suggests that it's politically -- that it politically protects lawmakers who were reluctantly supporting the measure. however, the american people are smart. they know that for this bill to become law it takes a vote. madam speaker, let's stop the parliamentary trix. let's bring this bill to a -- tricks. let's bring this bill to a vote and i will be voting no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from -- the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute, very rice -- revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mrs. biggert: madam speaker, the american people have made it very clear that they do not like or want this bill. how arrogant is it for the other side of the aisle to say to them, we know what's best for you and we're going to pass it anyway? and then how air gapt is it for the other side of the aisle to say, we don't have to take a vote on this bill, we'll just deem it law? in both cases the other side of the aisle is grossly underestimating the intelligence of the american people. the american people know that deeming is a vote on a bill that they don't like. let's just have an up or down vote if we have to vote on this and i vote no. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, the founding fathers established this congress so that individuals would be elected from all over the country, come here with different points of view, discuss those views, yes, but

ultimately take a vote on the issues of the day. and then the people who sent them here, the voters, could hold them accountable for the votes they cast here in this chamber and in the other body across the way. it would be inconceivable to them that this house would deem a bill passed without taking a direct vote, up or down, on the substance of the mat sore that the voters back home could hold them -- matter so that the voters back home could hold them accountable and yet that's exactly the direction this leadership tries to take the house today. the american people already do not trust this constitution -- institution. they do not believe that we are in touch with them and listening to them. the intentions of the leadership of this house will only carry those suspicions further and further the -- betray the trusts that american people should have in their elected representatives. we should start over and do it

again. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my warks -- remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. broun: madam speaker, i don't think the american people can be any clearer. they do not want this government-run health care bill that the president and leaders in this congress are trying to ram down their throats. the leadership in this house have dedare -- declared that socialized medicare will become law without taking a vote on the actual bill. they are forcing this reconciliation ruse. it's a simple answer. this bill contains billions of new taxes, kills jobs, provides for taxpayer funded abortions and places an enormous debt on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. the fact is, many democrats in

congress do not like this bill any more than the american people. they will be forced to vote for it. with a promise that it will be fixed later. but we all know that this is an empty promise. it is a reconciliation to nowhere. the democrats may control washington but the american people still control this country. i urge all of my colleagues to stand up for your constituents and vote no on this scam. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. analysts tell us the medicare system in this country will be bankrupt in seven years and social security and medicare are not far behind that means we can't pay for the entitlements we've got.

so what does this health care bill do? it adds more entitlements. it's like learning you can't pay the mortgage on your house and buying a second one and buying -- and five more cars. americans wouldn't do that but president obama and this house will. unfortunately, because of the actions of this house, america is going bankrupt and this health bill will hasten that bankruptcy. vote no and kill this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired, for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house and revise and extend my remarks for one minute. mr. neugebauer: we've all seen the television braham "deal or no deal," where you decide if you want this case or that case, do you take the deal or no deal. that's what we have. but this time the speaker of

the house is saying, there may not be a case we don't want you to know what's in the case, we just want you to vote for the self-executing rule so whatever happens, happens. well, that self-executing rule, madam speaker is well-named because the people that vote for it are probably going to be victims of their own execution at the next congressional election. let's have an up or down vote just as the president has suggested on a real bill and make people accountable if their congressional districts, whether for this massive health care bill and government takeover, whether they want to keep the current system of private markets, private initiatives, and the market-based health care system. do not make us vote on this self-executing rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. >> mr. shadegg: i got a pretty good idea why my skits -- constituents are upset about the health care bill. they were promised it wouldn't tax health care but it does. they were promised it wouldn't mandate health care but it does. they were promised it wouldn't raise taxes on those with incomes less than $250,000 but it does. it can only pay for this by taking $250 billion from social security, $700 billion from long-term health care and doesn't pay doctors to the tune of $700 billion. it doesn't deal with the $700 billion of waste and health care that we've got to address. you don't reform health care by demonizing insurance companies, drug companies and doctors and americans are saying we've got to reform health care, not just continue to pass bills that are facades to real health care reform. that's why they're mad as hell.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker, and my colleagues. the american people and i think myself, we would like to see health care reform there's a lot of room for improvement, there's a lot of people that don't have coverage or access to affordable health care. most of the people i talk to, they want their people yums down if they do have insurance. if you also talk to americans, what do they want now, they want jobs and the economy expanded so people can even get their own health care. what they also want is a bipartisan effort on behalf of congress to get these things done. instead, what they've got in all the proposals before us is a proposal to cut medicare, to dramatically increase taxes. what they wanted was some

transparency in the process and openness. instead, they're getting a closed door deal, a back door deal that is not transparent, not open to bipartisanship, imposes taxes on all americans and in fact cuts medicare for our poorest and oldest citizens. they just don't get it. 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 florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i think most of you all know the movie "alice in wonderland" opened in a theater for the ewe this last weekend, it's in three dimension and it has inspired our democratic friends in an effort to explain what's going on in this make-believe world they've created up here. there's an exchange in that "through the looking glass" where humpty dumpty is talking

to alice. he says, when i use a word it means exactly what i choose it to mean, neither more nor less. alice asks, can you really make words mean so many different things? i think that's the question the american people are asking. alice figured out humpty dumpty was making words mean what he wanted them to mean and i think the american people have figured out the democrats are making up words like vote and giving it a different meaning. people are smarter than that and i think there's a better way. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. you are bonn -- mr. burton: i get a kick out of the speaker. she thinks the american people don't get what's going on, but they do. the overwhelming majority of americans don't want this and

they know she's play twheg rules here in the house. i want to make one little statement to the speaker if she's paying attention. abraham lincoln, a member of this body, said a long time ago, you can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. if those people on that side of the aisle vote for this turkey, they're going pay in november. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise >> mr. flake: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. flake: one of my favorite things to do is go to a local high school and talk to government classes. for the past 10 years i've been doing this. i've always told them, there are certain things that are done in the house that are there to protect the minority. one is during appropriations bills. any member can bring any amendment to the floor on anything they want to that's germane to the bill and the ledership can be the stop them, from their own party or the other party. this past year, i wasn't able to say that anymore. for the first time in the

history of this institution, every appropriations bill that came to the floor was brought under a closed rule. the only -- the only the amendments the majority wanted to be offered could be offered. something similar has happened here. all of us have told classes we talk to that your history books are right if the bill passes a the house and a different bill passes the senate, the house has to vote on it again. here we're being told, no, you don't have to do that anymore. you can deem it passed. it just magically appears back in the senate without having a vote here in the house. our institution, this institution, the people's institution, deserves better than that. 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 missouri rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to voice my opposition to this piece of legislation and government takeover of health care.

over the last few months, the american have voiced their opposition loud and clear. they know this bill is being pushed with false promises and back room deals and they've had enough. this bill will put the american government between patients and their doctors. it's going to raise taxes and increase regulations. it will hurt small business owners, the very people who create seven of every 10 jobs in this cubtry, by hitting them with impossible mandates. it will destroy jobs in this country and freeze our economic recovery. the american people know the answer is not bigger government and more bureaucrats, but more competition and better choices my colleagues and i have introduced several common sense reform pieces but they've been ignored by the majority. it's not too late to start over on legislation that will increase access for all americans and help control cost. s. however, this bill is not the answer and i urge my colleagues to vote against it. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> just last week, i was listening to the speaker talk about health care. she said, and i had to look up the transcripts because i couldn't believe what i heard, madam speaker, speaker pelosi said, we have to pass it so you can see what's in it. well, she was wrong then and she's wrong now. the democratic majority in this people's house is not listening to the people. americans do not want this bill. how do we know this. well, because in my own town hall this is summer which i had in bakersfield, california, more than 5,000 constituents turned out just to say that. it's not just because they don't know what's in the bill. they get it. they don't like it. they don't like the political payoffs, the job-killing tax hikes, the huge cuts in medicare and most of all they don't like washington running their health care. maybe that's why this house democratic majority is poised to use the parliamentary procedure to pass this bill

without an actual vote. by doing this, the house majority will prove once again, they are not listening. it's time for a new direction, scrap the bill and start over. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, here are 10 reasons why the administration eas health bill makes no sense, according to "investors business daily"." number one, the people don't want it. the majority of americans are opposed to it. two, doctors don't want it. three, people are happy with the health care they have. four, it doesn't cover the people they celt out to cover. five, costs will go up, not down. six, real costs control -- real cost controls are nowhere to be found. seven, insurance premiums will rise, not fall. eight, medicare is already

bankrupting us. nine, medical care will also deteriorate. and 10, rationing of care is inevitable. madam speaker, the conclusion is clear. congress should start over and get it right. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. gingrey: thank you, madam speaker. if the democrats are so proud of the health care bill, why the -- mr. kingston: if the democrats are so proud of the health care bill, why the sutter fuge. speaker pelosi said, we'll tunnel under it, bridge over it and break through it. if they're so proud of the health care bill, why the cornhusker kickback, why the louisiana purchase, why the gate tore-aid, why all the other special interest bills. if they're so proud, why not

post it on the webpage. here's what the speaker said. we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it. in other words, the height of d.c. arrogance and beltway we know best. i call on fair-minded democrats to join me in denouncing this process and standing up for transparent and fair and open government and let's have a bill that comes to the floor in which amendments are allowed and one that has come through the committee process. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> address the house for one minute. >> without objection -- the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. the american people have spoken loud and clear on this issue. as recent as the massachusetts election. they want health care reform but they reject this bill this administration and the democrat majority have been tone deaf to this message.

speaker pelosi just said, we need to pass this bill to see what's in it. i don't quite understand what that really means. but i'll tell you what's in this bill. there's over $500 billion tax increase. cuts to medicare of $500 billion. a new form of government-run health care insurance by the office of professional -- personal management. a cut to social security by $4.2 billion. and sweetheart deals, basically legalized bribery, to buy off votes of the senate by the louisiana purchase, the cornhusker kickback, and the gator aid. do the right thing, don't walk the plank on this bill. this is still the united states of america. we're going to take this country back. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. we've been talking all day about this bail, the tch 2,700 page senate bill. this bill that increases bureaucracies, bureaucrats, gives more government power and more government control. we know the american people don't like it and we're speaking against it. but that's not bad enough. at the same time, using this convoluted parliamentary procedure, our democratic colleagues want to take, have the government take over the student lending business, build a bigger bureaucracy, wipe out $30 -- wipe out 30,000 private sector jobs, make the department of education one of the largest banks in the country, lending $100 billion of money we don't have, money we have to borrow from china before we lend it to students. whether it's health care or it's student lending or watch -- we're watching a massive growth of government power and size and spending. i deem that unacceptable.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. flake: i hereby give notice of my intent to offer questions of privileges of the house. the form of the resolution is as follows. mr. speaker, pursuant to -- whereas the committee on standards of official conduct initiated an investigation into alleged or i'm sorry into allegations related to earmarks in campaign contributions in the spring of 2009, whereas on december 2, 2009, reports and find findings in seven separate matters involving the alleged connection between earmarks and campaign contributions were forwarded by the office of congressional ethics to the standards committee, whereas on february 26, 2010, the standards committee made public its matter on the matter wherein the committee found the widespread perception exists among corporations and lobbyists that campaign contributions provide a greater chance of obtaining

earmarks, there was no evidence that members or their staffs considered contributions when requesting earmarks, whereas the committee indicated that with respect to the matters forwarded by the office of congressional ethics neither of the evidence cited by the o.c.e.'s findings nor the evidence in the record before the standards committee provided a substantial reason to believe that violations of applicable standards of conduct occurred. whereas the office of congressional ethics is prohibited from reviewing activities or taking place prior to march of 2008 and lacks the authority to subpoena witnesses and documents. whereas, for example, the office of congressional ethics noted that in some instances documents were redacted or specific information was not provided and that in at least one instance they had reason to believe that a witness with held information requested and did not identify what was being with held. whereas the office of congressional ethics also noted that they were able to interview only former -- i'm sorry, only

six former employees of the p.m.a. group with many former employees refusing to consent to interviews and the o.c.e. unable to obtain evidence within p.m.a.'s possession. whereas "roll call" noted that, quote, the committee report was five pages long and included no documentation of any evidence collected or any interviews conducted by the committee beyond a statement that the investigation, quote, included extensive document reviews and interviews with numerous witnesses, unquote. whereas it is unclear whether the standards committee included in their investigation any activities that occurred prior to 2008. whereas it is unclear whether the standards committee interviewed any members in the course of their investigation. whereas it is unclear whether the standards committee in the course of their investigation initiated their own subpoenas or followed the office of congressional ethics recommendation to issue subpoenas. therefore be it resolved that not later than seven days after the adoption of this resolution

the committee on standards and official conduct shall report to the house of representatives with respect to the activities addressed in its report of february 26, 2010, one, how many witnesses were interviewed, two, how many, if any, subpoenas were issued in the course of their investigation, and, three, what documents were reviewed and their availability for public review. the speaker pro tempore: under rule 9, a resolution offered by a member other than majority leader or the minority leader of the question of privileges of the house has immediate precedence only at a time designated by the chair within two legislative days after the resolution is properly noted. pending that designation the form of the resolution noticed by the gentleman from arizona will appear in the record at this point. the chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution

institutes a -- constitutes a question of prifpk. that determination will be made -- privilege. that determination will be made at the time designated for consideration of the resolution. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered. or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and agree to resolution h.res. 311. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 311, resolution expressing the support of the house of representatives for the goals and ideals of red cross month. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. watson, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. watson: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. watson: i'm grateful for the opportunity to speak today and to vote on h.res. 311, a bill i introduced to honor one of the most well known humanitarian organizations in the world, the american national red cross. this bill expresses the support of the house of representatives for the work of this important institution by honoring march as red cross month. since the american national red cross was founded by claara burton on may 21, 1881, the organization has been at the forefront of providing relief of two individuals -- relief to individuals around the world during times of great crisis. the american national red cross provides relief more -- for more

than 70,000 disasters annually ranging from small home fires to hurricanes, floods, tornado, conflicts and earthquakes such as those which recently struck in haiti and chile and i understand there was a 4.4 earthquake yesterday in the los angeles area. the american national red cross has had a presence in haiti since 2004, supporting local disaster preparedness, h.i.v. education, malaria prevention and measles immunization programs. in the two months since the devastating earthquake struck on january 12 the american national red cross has allocated $106.4 million for haitian relief and development in efforts to provide both short-term and long-term assistance to the

survivors. in just two months the global red cross network has provided relief items for 400,000 people including 99,000 tarps, tents, shelter kits and meals for more than one million people, 40 million leeters of strong -- clean drinking water, built more than 11,100 la treens, treated more than 55,000 people at red cross hospitals or mobile clinics and assisted more than 25,000 people who arrived in the united states following the earthquake. with an estimated 1.3 million haitians left homeless by the earthquake, the difficult and noble work the american national red cross has undertaken in haiti is an effort that each and

every american can be proud of. however, the relief they bring to haiti is only one example in over 129 years of exemplary humanitarian service. this institution represents the best aspect of the american spirit to people all around the world. when a disaster strikes the sign of the red cross is a source of comfort and hope and a reminder of the generosity and the caring nature of the united states and its citizens. since 1943 every president of the united states has proclaimed march as red cross month and i urge my colleagues to continue this tradition and support h.res. 311. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. and i rise in strong support of house resolution 311 introduced by my good friend from california, ambassador watson, for the past 129 years the american red cross has been providing material and emotional support to victims of disasters and to our military families. . but, my colleagues may be less familiar with the fact that 93 years ago this week, miami philanthropist harriet par sons james, convened a group of local residents to become the

southeastern florida chapter of the american red cross. a month later, mrs. florence spotswood of key west, gathered a group of local leaders in the keys to start what soon became the key west chapter of the american red cross. madam speaker, the spotswood family name is still associated with philanthropic good works in the florida keys. after several years of humanitarian service, those organizations merged in may of 1987, and today, the south florida region american red cross continues to be an indispensible neighbor to the people of my congressional district. in the past year, it has responded to 556 local emergencies, delivered nearly 1,000 emergency messages to and from military families, trained

more than 19,000 people in life-saving skills in our community. whether it is in response to hurricanes, in response to house fires, the volunteers and supporters of the south florida region continue to provide critical aid for which we are deeply grateful. mr. speaker, in the aftermath of the earthquake in haiti, the american red cross in miami, dade, monroe and palm beach counties assisted more than 13,000 u.s. citizens who were flown to south florida by the u.s. government. they served nearly 10,000 meals. they provided mental health support to nearly 2,000 people. nationwide, the american red cross has raised over $350 million for earthquake relief and development efforts. it has already used more than $100 million to provide food,

water, relief supplies, shelter and health services to the people of haiti. i am proud to join my colleagues in supporting the ideals of red cross month. whether it is providing disaster relief, safe blood or communications between our military members and their families, the american red cross is one of the most enduring and successful examples of the volunteer spirit at the heart of our nation. with that, mr. speaker, thank you. and i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the lady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back -- ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, if i could inform ambassador what the sovereign that i have some more re-- watson that i

have some more remarks to make. i just don't want you to be blindsided. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlelady ask unanimous consent to reclaim her time? ms. watson: yes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to take a moment to highlight an unfortunate absurdity that we are confronted with today, mr. speaker. i am proud to support the resolution before us, but all of us recognize that the dedicated people of the american red cross will continue to do their good work regardless of whether they are congratulated by this body. yet, the democratic leadership has taken care to ensure that this symbolic resolution will receive a vote today, something that they may deny to the $1 trillion senate health care

bill. to recap, we are able to debate and vote on this nonbinding resolution. that is well and good, but yet we are denied the chance to vote on this huge, expensive senate health care bill. the procedure being discussed in the press attempts to get around the basic requirements of the constitution that both houses of congress must pass the same bill, the same bill text before it is presented to the president and signed into law. as the director of the constitutional law center at stanford law school, former federal circuit judge michael mcconnell wrote yesterday in "wall street journal," quote, under article one, section 7, passage of one bill cannot be deemed to be the enactment of another, end quote. i'm sorry if the democratic leadership feels that the burden of representative government outlined by our constitution are

too great a burden for their agenda to bear, but that bill deserves at least as much consideration as we are given to the wide range of nonbinding resolutions that we are considering this week. with that, mr. speaker, i resevere the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. ms. ros-lehtinen: i have no further requests for time and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. ms. watson: i have no further speakers, so i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 311. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to. and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on

the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition. ms. watson: on that, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested and all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h. res. 605 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 605, resolution recognizing the continued persecution of falun gong practitioners in china on the 10th anniversary of the chinese communist party campaign

to suppress the falun gong spiritual movement and calling for an immediate end to the campaign to persecute, intimidate, imprison and tort ture practitioners. the speaker pro tempore: ms. watson and ms. ros-lehtinen each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material under the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. watson: i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as i may consume. this resolution recognizes the continued persecution of falun gong practitioners in china on the 11th anniversary of the

government crackdown on the spiritual movement. i would like to thank my friend, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, the ranking member of the house committee on foreign affairs for introducing this resolution and for her dedication to this issue. since 1999, the chinese government has undertaken a harsh campaign of suppression against the falun gong movement, banning its presence in china and branding it as an illegal cult. according to the 2009 annual report of the congressional executive commission on china, chinese authorities conducted propoganda campaigns that deride falun gong, carried out strict surveillance of practitioners, detained and imprisoned large numbers of practitioners and

subjected some who refused to disavow falun gong to torture and other abuses through labor facilities. and according to the state department's latest human rights report on china, the falun gong's core leadership was singled out for particularly harsh treatment. and simply believing in the discipline without publicly practicing any of its ten events was enough for the practitioners to be punished or imprisoned. falun gong is a spiritual movement combining asian and breathing exercises with a doctrine closely related to buddhist teachings. the chinese government banned the group's existence and its practices in 1999, after thousands of practitioners

gathered in beijing to protest the government's restrictions on the group's activities. chinese authorities are obsessed with eradicating the group because they believe it could pose a challenge to one-party rule and has the potential to generate social unrest and in stact. this resolution -- instability. this resolution calls upon the chinese government to end its campaign to persecute, intimidate and imprison falun gong practitioners solely because of their personal beliefs. it also calls on china to release those practitioners being held in prisons and labor camps throughout the country. finally, this resolution expresses sympathy to falun gong followers and their family members for the suffering that has been inflicted on them at

the hands of the chinese government. i strongly support this resolution and urge my colleagues to do so. -- to do the same. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: it is a delight to work with my wonderful colleague from california, ambassador watson and we greatly regret that she will be retiring from the halls of congress, but we look forward to working with her in another capacity. i am proud to rise, mr. speaker, as the author of this resolution, which addresses one of the most flagrant examples of systemic persecution against a particular group currently taking place. the chinese communist regime obsessive and relentless hunting

down of falun gong practitioners which is a spiritual discipline based on truthfulness, compassion and tolerance says a great deal about the insecurity and paranoia of the current leaders in beijing. while this resolution gives a detailed accounting from international sources of the last 11 years of beijing's bloody crackdown on falun gong, there are two particular areas, mr. speaker, which i would like to address in greater detail. first is the issue of the penetration of agents of an alien communist regime right here inside the united states to wage a campaign of repression against u.s. citizens. and second is the issue of coercive organ transplants involving a bloody harvest from falun gong practitioners inside china. how could one believe that diplomats of a foreign regime

would collude with see cregget agents and thugs to suppress the constitutional rights of our fellow citizens right here in america? well, mr. speaker, clear evidence indicates that that is what is happening with chinese agents persecuting american falun gong practitioners in our own country. just ask bill fong, who was assaulted on the streets of chicago back in 2001 as he was peacefully demonstrating in front of the chinese consulate. that assault led to a criminal conviction in the circuit court of cook county. or just ask judy chen, proud mother of two united states marines serving in iraq who was man handled in may of 2008 while she was handing out falun gong literature in front of a public

library in flushing, new york. it is time for the state department to get tough and let the chinese regime know that any of its staff members who engage in activities in the u.s. incompatible with their diplomatic status, including encouraging such illegal acts are per sona nongrata in the united states. it is important to note that this resolution cites the recommendation calling for an independent investigation, and i quote, into the claims that some falun gong practitioners had been subjected to torture and used for organ transplants, end quote. i would like to further point out that expert testimony given before a subcommittee on the foreign affairs committee appears to corroborate the charges of coercive organ transplants in china. a hearing was held before the

subcommittee on oversight and investigations on september 29, 2006, entitled, falun gong, organ harvesting and china's ongoing war on human rights. committee witness kirk alison, university of minnesota, testified, and i quote, in my meeting with practitioners in june of 2006, evidence included transcripts of questions to identified hospitals and physicians on organ availability. falun gong sources were characterized were being of high quality and often available in a short a time as a week and in some cases with a guarantee of a backup organ should the first fail, end quote. the systemic killing of falun gong practitioners for their organs is almost too ghoulish to

imagine. it seems incomprehensible that this could occur, a cruelty comparable to imperial romans throwing christians to be eaten by lions. the stark reality which this addresses gives new meaning to the phrase butchers of beijing. the beijing regime of today engages in the barbaric repression of some of its own people simply because they seek to practice a peaceful, spiritual discipline. . some remain in detention in labor camps. how can anyone seriously call these the actions of a responsible stake holder. i strongly and enthusiastically urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the

balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. watson: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from california, representative lynn woolsey, chairwoman of the education and labor subcommittee on work force protections and member of the foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. woolsey: first of all, i'd like to thank two women who are here bringing this resolution to the house floor. so very important. i rise today in support of h.res. 605, a resolution recognizing the continuing persecution of falun gong practitioners in china. in 2002, mr. speaker, i authored a resolution expressing the sense of the congress regarding the chinese government's oppression of falun gong in the united states and in the people's republic of china. sadly, eight years later the

persecution continued. people are being sent to jail, to work camps and are assaulted for their practice of falun gong. china has claimed that falun gong practitioners are, quote, disturbing social order, unquote, and have labeled the practice an evil cult. international media reports have found that over 100 falun gong followers have died in custody of the chinese government. all people, even those in china, have internationally recognized freedom of association and religion. the chinese government must put a stop to this inhumane persecution. i urge my colleagues to stand up for human rights and vote yes on this resolution, h. res. 605. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further requests for time and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 605. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. ms. watson: mr. speaker, on that vote i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? ms. watson: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree

to the resolution h.res. 1128 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1128, resolution thanking vancouver for hosting the world during the 2010 winter olympics and honoring the athletes from team u.s.a. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, ms. watson, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as i may consume.

last month over 2,600 athletes from 82 nations came together in the beautiful city of vancouver, canada, to compete in the 21st winter olympic games. all of us were proud to watch as team u.s.a. not only won more medals than any other country, the first time they had done that since 1932, but the most medals ever won by a single nation in any winter games. apollo ohno, his seventh and eighth olympic medals in short track speed skating, making him the most decorated american winter olympian of all-time.

americans lindsey vaughn and body miller won multiple medals in the thrilling alpine event. they won events of nortic combined for the first time ever and the first gold in bobsled since 1948. and evelyn lasicec won the gold in the men's figure skatey, the first time an american had done that since 1988. as we celebrate the incredible achievements of team u.s.a., it is also important to recognize the accomplishments of other nations and athletes. host nation canada won 14 gold medals, more than any other country. some nations won their first

olympic gold medals, others competed for the first time ever. we will never forget the performance of canadian joany rochette who competed days after her mother died and ended up winning the silver medal in women's figure skating. and we mourn the loss of an athlete from georgia who died in the training of the luge. we honor the training and sacrifice of the athletes. the vast majority of them did not win medals, but all of them tried their best and all had the unique experience of being olympians.

their determination in the face of adversity helps us all, recognize our common values and foster the mutual respect that brings nations closer together. olympic athletes inspire young people around the world to set their highest and most ambitious goals, to pursue those goals and to believe that they can achieve their dreams. we salute the athletes of team u.s.a. for serving as role models and for their important contributions to the olympic ideal. finally, we send our thanks to the canadian people for being such gracious host and for thanking the vancouver

committee to ensuring that the games were a great success. and i thank my good friend and colleague from california, susan davis, for taking the initiative to introduce this important resolution, and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of house resolution 1128 and join my colleagues in congratulate the team u.s.a. and vancouver, canada, for an outstanding 2010 winter olympics. though the events were marked by tragedy, there were many historic achievements. this year the united states won the overall medal count for the

first time since 1932. in fact, it was the highest medal total by any one nation in the history of the winter olympics. i'd like to applaud and congratulate our olympians for this amazing accomplishment. the determination, the sacrifice, the commitment required by the athletes, their coaches and their families to qualify for the olympics, let alone medal in the olympics, is tremendous. i'd like to recognize jennifer rodriguez, a four-time participant of the winter olympic games, and a proud native of my home district of miami, florida. considered to be one of the best long distance skaters in the united states, jen also carries the unique distinction of being the first cuban american to win an olympic medal after taking the bronze in the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters in 2002.

again, i'd like to congratulate all of the olympians in the 2010 games and thank our friends in canada for hosting us. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. ms. watson: i yield five minutes to the gentlelady from california, representative susan a. davis, member of the committee on house administration. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. mrs. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague from california for yielding. mr. speaker, the olympics entertain us, inspire us and humble us. the athletes who participated are committed to a dream, a dream that we as spectators are all privileged to witness. i introduced house resolution 1128 to honor the athletes who represented the united states in the 2010 winter olympic games and to thank vancouver,

canada, for showing hospitality to the athletes from around the world. american athletes won 37 medals for the united states, the most medals ever won by a nation at a single olympic winter game. the olympics foster good natured competition between nations and build a sense of camaraderie in cities and communities around the world. in the united states, we don't identify our olympians as californians or coloradans. we honor and respect them as americans. with the help of families, coaches and their own inner strength, these athletes continue to break records and set new standards of athletic performance. we celebrate the victories as national achievements and respect them for their hard work and dedication in getting there. the athleticism and dedication of our athletes should be an example to all americans,

adults and children alike can aspire to be dedicated to a healthy exercise regimen. we can't all be olympic athletes, but we can all try to keep our bodies fit and healthy. mr. speaker, you may wonder why a san diegian is celebrating olympians. it's true we don't get quite as much sun as other parts of the country but we have a strong connection to these winter games. rachel and the two shauns, shaun white, have ties to san diego. and the olympic training center south of san diego is an important training ground for winter athletes. athletes benefit from the temp rate climate and natural resources of san diego. and they are able to train with neifi seals and participate in

wind tunnel assessments. . this helps in the training for speed spating luge and snowboard events. the unsung heroes are the organizers and support staff that create a enjoyable space for the spectators. i thank vancouver, canada, for opening its doors to the world and completing the behind-the-scenes work in creating a public event of this nature. they are now being used for the 210 paraolympic games which began on march 12 and i offer them a safe competition. may the flame of the olympic

tore much burn bright and the dedication and perseverance it represents inspire us for years to come. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: i yield four minutes to the the gentleman from colorado, member of the committee on veterans affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. salazar: i rise today in support of house resolution 1128 honoring the 2010 winter olympic team. this resolution recognizes the incredible accomplishments of the most decorated group of winter olympians in history and i thank vancouver, british columbia, canada for hosting team u.s.a. i want to note some.

there were 12 olympians from the 3rd district competing in the olympic games one of the highest from any congressional district in the country. it is no secret that colorado is a wonderful place to ski, snowboard, ice skate and the athletes that competed in vancouver are an inspiration to the young winter sports across the country. all of us are proud not only of what they have accomplished, but also the way they have represented themselves, their families and the state of colorado and our nation. i would like to congratulate john spelling for his three medals in northwardic combined and his teammate for his silver in northwardic combined, both of steamboat springs, colorado. i'm teem u.s.a. on behalf of the 3rd district of colorado, congratulations on

your success. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to representative jim mcdermott from washington, the chairman of the subcommittee on income security and family support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. mcdermott: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for three minutes and permission to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcdermott: i want to begin by congat lating canada and vancouver specifically for putting on a great olympics. they are our neighbor in seattle and we were pleased that our neighbor had such a good party. to compete in the olympics is an enormous accomplishment and i want to commend each and every one of the olympians who participated. it's not a national team that goes, it's individuals, the spirit of the olympics is that

an individual strives to have his best or her best performance in whatever event he or she is involved in. and i want to take this time to recognize one athlete from my district, in particular whose career i followed since he was a young man. apolo ohno ex emapplyfies what it means to be an olympian. he went up to vancouver and trained every week and after winning his eighth medal in this olympics, he is now the most decorated athlete to compete in the winter games. he has now appeared in three winter olympics and has both won and lost races, but has always returned to compete against younger and sometimes even faster opponents. i want to congratulate his father who raised him by himself and helped him realize the dream of competing in the olympics.

when i think about his achievements and all he has overcome, i recall a quote from teddy roosevelt, who said, the credit belongs to the man or the woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is mared by sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming but does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasms, great devotions and spends hill self in a worthy cause who in the end knows the highest achievement and at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while dearing greatly so his or her place should not be with those cold souls who know neither

victory nor defeat. to all the athletes and apolo ohno, i commend you for your performance in this winter games. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to take a moment to highlight the fact that shortly before our friends in canada were kind enough to host the olympics in vancouver, my home district of miami, florida, was hosting canadian premier danny williams, as he underwent cardiac surgery at mount sinai medical center in miami beach. responding to criticism of his decision to receive medical treatment in the u.s., danny williams said, and i quote, this was my heart, my choice and my

health. i did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when i entered politics, end quote. and that is exactly, mr. speaker, what the republican response to health care reform is all about, making the necessary changes to strengthen our health care system so that the american people may receive the best possible health care in the world. -- by instituting common sense and responsible solutions we can lower health care costs and we can expand access to quality care without a government takeover of our nation's health care system. instead, the majority leadership is hoping to force a health care system on the american people. this would kill jobs. it will raise taxes. it will cut medicare for our nation's seniors. we have seen time and time again what happens when health care is

not patient life centered. why would we wish that on the american people, especially when the american people have made it abundantly clear that this is not what they want? it is time that cool heads prevail so that responsible decisions can be made. we must listen to the american people and not force this health care bill through. i have no further requests for time, mr. speaker. so i thank you. and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. watson: mr. speaker, again i want to thank my colleague, representative ros-lehtinen, and thank the house for the opportunity to honor the achievements of all olympic athletes who participated in the 2010 winter games and the nation of canada for their successful execution for this event.

the lighting of the olympic torch every two years for both the summer and winter games initiates the beginning of a great global coming together all around the world, people are uniquely unified by the thrill of competition and a spirit of sportsmanship. i recall my own relatives back in 1964, who ran in the japanese olympics and won the 100-yard dash. and she became quite interested in where this ability came from, because her mother played tennis at ucla. and so she traced this way back and found out that we came from nazi france, through quebec and then down to new orleans,

through the louisiana purchase. but i say all this to say that being an american and having a good health care system is essential. and she would say to me now, we need to reform health care. we need to provide every american with the best health care that money can provide. and so we are proposing to this house that we do the right thing. i want morrow limbians in my family. my brother has eight children and i want to see that they have an opportunity to be their best, like our young people were. and we won the most medals. i was so happy. and i used to ski when i was teaching school in france and i am so happy that we are preparing our youth to be winners.

and we can only do that when we have a health care system that provides for every american. and that's what we are attempting to put in place. so i am so proud. and i want to thank our ranking member for bringing the health care reform to the attention and all this morning from 12 to just a few minutes ago, all their people came and they weren't too happy with what we were trying to do. but we're going to clarify the misstatements and we're going to let america know that we cannot wait. we cannot delay health care, because we want champions. we want winners in this country and america has been known for being a nation of winners and other countries need to look up to us again. and that is what we are

preparing to do. so i urge my colleagues to support the bill. and mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1128 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. ms. watson: on that vote, i would demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

pursuant to clause 8, rule 20, proceedings will resume on motions to suspend the rules previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order, h.r. 4628, h. res. 311, h. res. 605 and h. res. lution 1128. first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining votes will be five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, to suspend the rules and to pass h.r. 4628 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk: h.r. 4628, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 216 westwood avenue in westwood, new jersey, as the