policy of the government. what the population in central helmond is doing at the moment is forming a view as whether which is what the taliban is, in political terms are also going come across to the side of the government. and that i think is the key point to this. is that it's a political movement, the taliban, and the something that you don't necessarily know. and of course like all political movements, it takes time for people to be convinced. now, what is going on in central helmond at the moment is people are being convinced. now, of course, when general mcchrystal referred to marja as a bleeding ulcer, he was talking about the perception of the outside world -- world and of course in the same way it's important that afghan perceptions go in the right direction, it's important that the outside world also has the right perception. and i think his feeling was that

would regard marja as being a bleeding ulcer. that's not the way he cease it in theater nor is that the way the afghans see it. very important, i think, that things are set properly in context. we have proper process review that has to be done regularly. over. >> follow-up. what if it doesn't work? >> i'm sorry, i didn't pick up your question. is it did you say, what happens if it doesn't work? >> right, sorry. what happens if it doesn't work? what is plan b? >> i think you have to ask general mcchrystal that question if you're talking about his strategy. i can tell you what will work and what won't work at my tactical level. clearly my plan as commander is about resolving the trials and tribulations of central helmond

resources and the will miles an hour and the afghan partners to make that work. in terms of the overall strategy, at the kabul level, that's a question that i think helmond and i think importantly he didn't just 600,000 people we're talking about. it's better off with the government and whether it believes thatity neighbors, some people from the outside woorled and kandaharis and i can tell you that given time we have the . properly ought to be addressed to general mcchrystal. over. >> general, -- [inaudible] you said intimidation in marja is still fairly high. what concerns do you have that kandahar -- [inaudible] morissettes, the level of intimidation will continue for a long time in kandahar and make your job more difficult? >> i think the point i made is within the urban environment in which some 500,000 people live, there is not the great deal of intimidation at the moment. not like there was in marja which was generally under the control of the taliban and indeed the narco barrens. kandahar's not like that.

it is under the authority of the government to one degree or another. the challenge is more complicated than that. it's about private security companies, it's about militias, it's about criminality. so the more of a problem of order and organization and administration and basic policing and security than it is about contested space. so my sense is that if you provide all of those then you're not going to have an intimidation problem at all. in the rural areas it's different, as i described earlier. small parts are very much more contested and indeed the insurgents have reasonable freedom of action and they are oppressing the population and we will have to go through the same process we are going through in marja and nad ali in order to get the population generally to believe that its government is connected and committed to it. so it will require patience.

over. >> general, tom morgan with national public radio. i want to focus what you said on karzai. you emphasized that he has a constitutional function. as you know, there have been serious allegations of corruption and that he has too much power in relation to his position in the provincial council. and i just want to focus -- is your strategy to somehow dilute his power and make sure the governor has more power and tribal elders? is that true in essence your strategy here? >> the a complex strategy and it hugely depends on the expression i've used a lot which goes with connecting the population with government. and what is happening at the moment is that governor wiessa is conducting a good deal of

shura with local residents and the population and out in the rural areas to connect to them. what he's seeking to do is build representative governance from the bottom up, through his district governors, through the mayor in the city and through the district's -- subdistrict leaders in the city. and by engaging with the population he will draw strength from that relationship and that will give him authority that when it's matched to the additional capacity which will happen as the kabul level rolls out more civil servants and bureaucrats to work for him, so he will begin to be able to fill the space that at the moment is more filled by the provincial council and by karzai and his elected cohorts on that provincial council. it's also my sense that in relation to karzai, he would tell you and he's either a candidate for an oscar or the most maligned man in afghanistan, that he is trying to help his country, he's trying

to help us and he's trying to help his people and he'll also tell you that as an avid chelsea soccer club watcher and supporter, he'd rather be watching soccer than he would be providing governance. now, whether you believe it or not, the key to this is, if you make it clear to him that it's the governor who's going to govern, so i think he would increasingly stand out of the way and allow the governor to do that governing. and that is the strategy that we're encouraging and the early indications are that he's creating the space for the governor to fill. over. >> what will karzai -- he has connections to the kandahar strike force and other militias and security groups. what will their role be in his upcoming operations? >> well, first of all, i've got po evidence that he's connected to any of the force elements that you talk about. but while we're on the subject, private security companies and

militias are a serious problem that we need to deal with. when i talk about cultural inpunity, this is something to our own creation, because our very efficient logistic contracting process, where we contract out everything to the civilian market, has created these private security companies. and of course they're paid a great deal more than our afghan security forces which in itself is counterproductive because it causes a temptation for the soldier in the e.m.p. to go across to a private security company because he might earn double in pay. one of the things we've got to do as part of what we do in kandahar and the rural areas is to manage the security companies and what needs to happen is, they need to become regulated and we are working hard in developing a strategy that will deal with this problem so that the private security companies have gone out of the city and over time goes away. and that's an important plan in our overall approach and

strategy. over. >> general, if i could ask you about the upcoming operation in kandahar. there's been much stress that this is going to be a military operation rather than a ballistic operation. how do you measure progress of this kind of operation as the months go on? >> well, of course that's always our challenge because we have to assess it for two reasons. one, we have to measure progress so that we know whether or not our strategy's going the right direction and we touch on the appropriate. and of course the other reason we have to measure progress is to demonstrate to the doubting thomas sitting in the room with you that we're going in the right direction. and that is where it becomes really challenging, because, as i try to set out in my opening remarks, it's very difficult for you guys and girls to visionize what life is like for the average afghan and what the been

like for the last 30 years. when i talk about freedom of movement and i talk about connecting to the government and i talk about the range of stock on the shelves of the bazaar becoming more fullsome and i talk about prices going down and i talk about the ability for you to take your pomegranates from your orchard and send them to a marketplace other than in pakistan, those are things that are probably quite difficult for people to comprehend. those, of course, are the criteria against which we will judge success. because that is what the all about. we need to be clearer about setting the narrative about what life is like for an afghan so that you can comprehend how it is that some of these slightly bizarre metrics actually mean something to the outside world. over.

>> general, you can tell me what you're doing specifically to provide protection to some of the afghan leaders in kandahar area who are sticking their necks out and participating in some of this effort that you're talking about and connecting the population to them? how intimidated are -- have they been by some of the attacks that have occurred? and what do you think has slowed the progress in central helmond area, especially in marja specifically, that you can sort of learn a lesson from it and translate to some extent to kandahar? >> i think first of all i'll pick up your point about progress in central helmond and in marja. and the answer is that i think on our level we always predicted that it would take time and it take patience. i think some of the people in

the outside world who perhaps were looking for some sort of utopia overnight, i don't think any of us pragmatists on the ground ever thought that would be the case. so i don't detect that progress is going any slower than we expected. but your question about afghan human capacity and protecting it is a great question. because we're doing engineering work at the moment and you might be surprised that the three priorities i've set for engineering support, priority one is protecting afghan governance and human3 priority two is about building the security infrastructure and priority three is about our own infrastructure. and what we're doing to protect afghan governance is first of all some of the key players will have private security details and vehicles to drive around in. but we also assure that we create a combination which will be unobtrusive and properly protected in which afghan civil servants and officials can reside.

it's particularly important that we do this for judges and the whole rule of law community as well. we'll also be ensuring that we approve their freedom of movement where we can. we'll also be providing training for them in terms of security so that they'll set patterns and understand what's going on. but i think really importantly what we'll be doing and we're well supported by kabul in this, is encouraging the afghan civil service commission to try and come up with incentive schemes for people to work in the south. you'll know that we incentivize the a.m.p. and the a.m.a. to work in the south, they get money. the same needs to apply to afghan officials and civil servants. and i think that we will find more people will come and work in the south if we can get that security i described and incentivize them in terms of renume ration as well. over. >> can you clarify one thing? general, -- [inaudible]

you talked about the large presence around central helmond -- 160 days and that we're now at plus 102. do i have those numbers right? and you spoke about needing perhaps another three months until a lot of the population there felt comfortable with the local shura. are you predicting that there will be a larger isap force present in central helmond as a result of that lack of confidence? >> no. i'm not predicting that at all. we have seen numbers in central helmond that we forecasted we would require. when we planned the operation back in january. because of course what you do with these operations is to plan them for the finish back to the start. because what we've learned over the last eight years in afghanistan is it's critical to have the right force densities.

we have the right force entities in central helmond at the moment. what we're talking about here is about people's perceptions and about convincing them that the government is committed to them. and that takes time. and that is a case in point. the presence in nad ali arrived there and it's taken, you know, the better part of a year for people to be completely convinced. it's taken three refreshes of the district community council, the shura, before you got something that's generally representative of most of the community in nad ali. and what will be instructive is to see what the first shura in marja is and how often it has to be refreshed as it goes forward in terms of delivering the connection to the population. and that's a bit i shall be watching with interest and my

sense is that we'll know pretty soon how well that's going. but it could be another 90 days before we got a shura that's more representative and you might be looking even further down stream. it's frustrating, it takes time, but it's about convincing people and that's a political problem. over. >> with that i'm going to turn it over to you, general carter, for any closing remarks you'd like to make. >> no, that's kind. thank you very much for your questions and for your interest. i think you're now better informed and i'm sure you'll be watching this space with interest during the next few months. a very good morning to you. >> sure. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> the house is in recess.

more live house coverage here on c-span when members gavel back in. president obama today called for passage of an energy and climate change bill this year and said the b.p. oil spill in the gulf makes the case for eventually ending the use of fossil fuels. he spoke in california this afternoon at a solar manufacturing plant, building their facility with the help of a federal grant. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. >> hello, everybody.

hello. thank you, thank you very much. thank you. thank you. everybody, please have a seat. it is wonderful to be here. and to see all of you here today and i would be remiss if i did not note the presence of your governor, give him a big round of applause, around schwarzenegger -- arnold -pschwarzenegger nager. i'm just going to go ahead and mention our district attorney, cam la harris is here. it is great to be in fremont. good to be back in northern california. i was reminiscing a little bit. michelle and i took our honeymoon in napa valley. that was almost 17 years ago. and we drove down the pacific coast highway and so i was fant

size being going and renting a car. but i was told that would cause a stir. so, next time. but, it's wonderful to be here in northern california. it is always nice to get out of washington a little bit. don't get me wrong, the capital is a beautiful place, nice monuments, i have no commute which very few people in california can say is true for them. but the truth of the matter is that, you know, when you're in washington, a lot of times all you're thinking about or all that's being talked about is politics. who's up, who's down, contest between the parties. instead of people remembering why it is that they aspired to go into politics in the first

place. we end up getting caught up in the moment instead of what is important for the future. so i try to visit places like this about once a week to hear from folks as often as possible who are actually doing the extraordinary work of building up america. and i appreciated the chance to tour your plant and to see the incredible cutting edge solar panels that you're manufacturing but also the process that goes into the manufacturing of these solar panels and it is just a testament to american ingenuity and dine mitchell and the fact that we continue to have the best universities in the world, the best technology in the world and most importantly the best workers in the world. and you guys all represent that. so thank you very much for that. [applause] and while i'm at it, i also want to give some credit to those

guys in the back who have been building this facility so that we can put more people back to work and build more solar panels to send all across the country. thank you for the great work that you guys are doing. [applause] now, it's fitting that this technology is being pioneered here in california. where else, right? for generations this part of the country has embodied the entrepreneurial spirit that has always defined america's success. people heading west. it was here where weary but hopeful travelers came with pick axes in search of a fortune. it was here that tinkerers and engineers turned a sleepy valley into the center of innovation and industry. it's here that companies like this are leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous

future. and you're doing so at a time of real challenge for america. i don't have to tell you that. the governor doesn't have to tell you that. california was hit as hard as any state by the home mortgage crisis and the economic storms that have fall followed. even this high-tech corridor wasn't immune. foreclosures skyrocketed, home values fell, businesses slowed. family restaurants to fortune 500 companies. fremont lost thousands of jobs as the auto plant slowed production and shut down and that hurt not only auto workers but local businesses and part suppliers. many in this community are still reeling from the effect it's of the recession -- effects of the recession and that followed a decade of struggle and growing economic insecurity for a lot of middle class families. the truth is, even though the economy is growing and adding jobs again, it's going to take a

while to create the favorable conditions for communities like this one to rebound and to flourish. but what was clear when i walked through the oval office door at a time of maximum par ilin our economy, -- peril in our economy, when economists warned we might be going into a great depression and the financial system might be on the verge of collapse, what was clear was that even though it might be difficult and even though some of the things we had to do might not be politically popular, we had to act. we couldn't accept a future that was marked by decline. and that's why we took a series of steps to stop what was nothing short of an economic free fall. we passed a series of tax cuts to put more money in the pockets of working families right away. including more than 12 million families in california. we increased the pell grant which brought $4 million

additional -- of additional aii to students right here in fremont. we backed loans to small businesses including 20 million to companies in this community alone. we also provided relief for those hardest hit who not only needed help but would most likely use the relief to generate more economic activities, so we extended unemployment benefits for more than three million california residents and made cobra cheaper for people who had lost their jobs so they could keep their health care for their families. we provided $250 in relief to more than five million california seniors, many whose life savings have taken a big hit in the financial crisis and we provided emergency assistance to our ggvernors to prevent teachers and police officers and firefighters from being laid off as a result of state budget shortfalls. at a time when california is facing a fiscal crisis, we know that this has saved the jobs of

tens of thousands of educators and other needed public servants. what was true in california was true across the country. but our goal in dealing with this economic crisis wasn't just about bringing an end to the recession. we said to ourselves, we've got to build a new foundation for lasting growth. we can't have an economy that's just built on maxing out on credit cards and home he equity loans and complex financial instruments that are generating big bonuses but can potentially bring the entire economy down. so we recognized that week of got to go back to basics. we've got to go back to making things. we've got to go back to exports, we got to go back to inovation. and we recognized that there was only so much government could do. the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like solyndra, will always be america's business. but that doesn't mean the government can just sit on the

sidelines. government still has the responsibility to help create the conditions in which students can gain an education, so they can work. and entrepreneurs can get financing so they can start a company. and new industries can take hold. so that's why even as we cut taxes and provide emergency relief over the past year, we also invested in basic research, in broadband networks, in rebuilding roads and bridges in health information technology and in clean energy. because not only would this spur hiring by businesses, it would create jobs in sectors with incredible potential to propel our economy for years, for decades to come. there's no better example than energy. we all know the price we pay as a country as a result of how we produce and use and, yes, waste energy today. we've been talking about it for decades.

since the gas shortages of the 1970's. our dependence on foreign oil endangers our security and our economy. climate change poses a threat to our way of life. in fact, we're already beginning to seeity profound and costly impact. and the spill in the gulf, which is just heartbreaking, only underscores the necessity of seek alternative fuel sources. -- seeking alternative fuel sources. we're not going to transition out of oil or next year or 10 years from now. but think about it. part of what's happening in the gulf is that oil companies are drilling a mile under water before they hit ground and then a mile below that before they hit oil. with the increased risks, the increased costs. it gives you a sense of where we're going. we're not going to be able to sustain this kind of fossil fuel

use, this planet can't sustain it. and think about when china and yeas and nays are ordered, where consumers there are starting to buy cars and use energy the way we are. so we know we have to shift in a fundamental way and that's true for all of us. earlier today i spoke to energy secretary chu, who, as you know, was a nobel prize winning physicist. and he's been on the scene in the gulf, deeply involved in our efforts to bring this crisis to an end. and we discussed today's attempt to stop the leak through what's known as the top kill. plugging the well with densely packed mud to prevent any more oil from escaping. if it's successful, and there's no guarantee, it should greatly reduce or eliminate the flow of oil now streaming into the gulf from the seafloor. and if the not, there are other approaches that may be viable. and as work continues in the next couple of months to complete relief wells, my

administration's intensively engaged with scientists and engineers to explore all alternative options and we're going to bring every resource necessary to put a stop to this thing. but a lot of damage has been done already. livelihoods destroyed, landscapes carred -- scarred. while wildlife affected. lives have been lost. our thoughts and prayers are very much with the people along the gulf coast. and let me reiterate, we will not rest until this well is shut, the environment is repaired and the cleanup is complete. and i look forward to returning there on friday to review the efforts currently under way and lend my support to the region. but even as we are dealing with this immediate crisis, we've got to remember, that the risks our our envvronment and coastal

communities is not the only costs involved in our dependence on these fossil fuels. around the world, from china to germany, our competitors are waging a historic effort to lead in developing new energy technologies. there are factories like this being built in china. factories like this being built in germany. nobody is playing for second place. these countries recognize that the nation that leads the clean energy economy is likely to lead the global economy. and if we fail to recognize that same imperative, we risk falling behind. we risk falling behind. [applause] 15 years ago the united states produced 40% of the world's solar panels. 40%. that was just 15 years ago. by 2008 our share had fallen to just over 5%. i don't know about you, but i'm

not prepared to cede american leadership in this industry. because i'm not prepared to cede america's leadership in the global economy. so that's why we've placed a big emphasis on clean energy. the right thing to do for our environment, it's the right thing to do for our national security, but it's also the right thing to do for our economy. and we can see the positive impacts right here. less than a year ago we were standing on what was an empty lot. but through the recovery act, this company received a loan. to expand its operations. this new factory is the result of those loans. since the project broke ground last fall, more than 3,000 construction workers have been employed building this plant. across the country, workers -- [applause]

across the country, workers in 22 states are manufacturing the supplies for this project. workers in a dozen states are building the advanced manufacturing equipment that will power this new facility. when it's completed in a few months, they expect to hire 1,000 workers to manufacture solar panels and sell them across america and around the world. [applause] and this in turn will generate businesses for companies throughout our country who will create jobs supplying this factory with parts and materials. so there's a ripple effect. it's not just localized to this area. meanwhile, down the road we're seeing some other welcome signs. i know the closure of the plant was devastating to this community and thousands of jobs were lost. the factory had been held up as

an example of how america could lead in manufacturing. but thanks to loans through the department of energy, which helped provide tesla motors with the ability to expand, that shuttered plant is soon going to reopen and once again -- [applause] once again it will be a symbol of promise. an example of what's possible here in america. tesla is joining with toyota anded a event tower put 1,000 skilled workers back to work manufacturing an all electric car. [applause] and this is only the beginning. we're investing in advanced battery technologies to power plug-in hybrid cars. in fact, today in tennessee there's a groundbreaking for an advanced battery manufacturing facility that will generate hundreds of jobs. and it was made possible by

loans through the department of energy. as well as tax credits and grants to increase demand for these vehicles. we used to account for about 2% of the advanced battery technologies for cars. we're expecting in the next couple of years to get up to 20%, 30, maybe even 40%, building our market share right here in the united states of america. we're investing in an advanced electricity grid and governor schwarzenegger nager and i were just talking about this before we came out. it's been a big priority for him. that will be more efficient and better able to harness renewable energy sources. we're providing grants to build wind farms and install these solar panels. helping us double our ability to generate renewable energy. we're expanding our capacity in biofuels to reduce our dependence on oil. we've helped forge one historic agreement and are on track to produce a second to dramatically

increase the fuel efficiency of america's cars and trucks. it's progress that's going to help secure our future. but we've still got more work to do and that's why i'm going to keep fighting to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation in washington. [applause] we're going to try to get it done this year. [applause] because what we want to do is create incentives that will fully unleash the potential for jobs and growth in this sector. so, already we're seeing the results of the steps we've taken. as i said, before the recovery act, we had the capacity to make less than 2% of the world's advanced vehicle batteries. in the next five years we'll make 40% of these batteries here in the united states. before the recovery act we could build just 5% of the world's so

solar panels. in the next few years we're going to double our share to 10%. here at this site, solyndra expects to make enough solar panels each year to generate 500 megawatts of electricity. and over the lifetime of this expanded facility, that could be like replacing as many as eight whole coal-fired pooer plants. it's also worth noting, to achieve this doubling of our share of solar capacity, we actually need to make four times as many solar panels because other countries are adding capacity, too. nobody in this race is standing still. so these steps are helping to safeguard our environment, they're helping to lower our dependence on oil, at a time when people are struggling and looking for work, these steps are helping to strengthen our economy and create jobs. we all know how important that is. because times here in california are still tough. it's going take time to replace the millions of jobs we lost in this recession.

unemployment remains high even though the economy is glowing -- growing and starting to add hundreds of thousands of jobs each month. so it took years to dig our way into this hole. we're not going dig our way out overnight. but what you are proving here, all of you, collectively, is that as difficult as it will be, as far as we've got to go, we will recover. we will rebuild. we will emerge from this period of turmoil stronger than ever before. that's not all. you're also proving something more. every day that you build this expanded facility, as you fill orders for solar panels to ship around the world, you're demonstrating that the promise of clean energy isn't just an article of faith, not anymore. it's not some abstract possibility for science fiction movies or distant future. 10 years down the road or 20 years down the road. it's happening right now. the future is here.

we're poised to transform the ways we power our homes and our cars and our businesses and we're poised to lead our competitors in the development of new technologies and products and businesses and we are poised to generate countless new jobs, good paying middle class jobs right here in the united states of america. that's the promise of clean energy thanks to the american and women here today and the innovators and workers all across america, it's a promise that we've already begun to fulfill. so thank you very much. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [applause] ♪

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[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> the house will be coming back if shortly. one dealing with the gulf of mexico oil spill. we talked about the spill and b.p. on this morning's "washington journal." talkg abos , buthe gulf oil spill first we want to talk to jay with "polico." he wrote the story yesterday with the latest report from the minerals management serve's. what has been happening at the mm and what has been happening? caller: as everyone knows the mms has been under increased

fire. politicians have been hammering them for bad regulation. but there is this inspector general that details everything from accepting football tickets industry and while regulating the industry some of these folksere simultaneously negotiating jobs with the people they work regulating. the obama administration was out that this did not continue, that they tightened regulations. important to note that this happened previous to 2009. host: the interior secretary is testify today on the house side. you expect this to be brought up? are you hearing about any that the interior

thistary might make on issu caller: there are reports that he might announced new regulations when it comes to grilling and he will be at the house natural resources committee. he will get question about this undoubtably. heard from chairman grayhall that he plans to bring upot only this but the obama plan that he is not completely on board with it yet. this will prove to be a contentious hearing on both of the aisle. as your callers mentioned, are not happy with the obama administration and this and i think that will come up. host: what is the likelihood and for splitting it up between different agencies? caller: i think we are pretty far from that. the chairman and foer chairman

of the house natural resources committee have both said that something that they e interested in doing right now. i am not exactly sure how this will play out. mms is in such a state of flux, radical changes do not seem to be welcome by a lot of democrats. host: will the acting ig the testifying? caller: he will be up there and will play an incredible part in the hearing today. you will definitely see questions from the republicans will definitely that this came from obama administration. will say that this proves the government regulators cannot be trusted.

host: is the ig making a tie between what happened at mms before 2007 and what could have happened in the oil spill? caller: this is an interesting time for this report to come out. that is not lost on anyone. i spoke with george milr yesterday and he pointed out that this administration has inherited a lot of things to fix, that is how democrats are this. they have repeated several times that the bush toothe referee field. that the regulators were a 1385 by the yeas and

live on c-span.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members please take your conversations off the floor. members, please clear the well. >> please take your conversation -- the speaker pro tempore: please take your conversations off the floor.

for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> madam speaker, i ask annapolis consent that the -- i ask unanimous consent that the committee on armed services by allowed to file a supplemental report on h.r. 3516. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> madam speaker, by the direction of the democratic caucus, i fer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. . ms. lofgren: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does gentleman rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, millions of acres across our nation are owned by the feral government, iluding national parks, forests, monday youments, willeder necessary areas and other lands. they should be accessible to the public to enjoy. the hanford national monument includes rattle snake mountain. it provides views of the columbia river and everybody should have an opportunity to appreciate that. i'm introducing legislation that would ensure public access to the summit of rattlesnake

mountain. my bill is making sure that land owned by the american people is accessible to the american people, not something to be admired from afar. recognizing that people are allowed to go to the top of mount ranier there is no reasn that access to rattlesnake cannot and should be provided. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> address the hse for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, yesterday, a giant in south florida passed away. he was a dear friend of mine, judge edward davis, and a dear friend of all in ameri that are in the constant quest for justice.

i have not had an opportunity to speak with his wife patricia, but i did mention briefly last night that i offer she and the family my most sincere condolences. i intend that the -- at the appropriate time in the congressional record to commemorate ed by -- and we call it edh ed by the awesome career he had and the significa number of undertakings tt he put forward either as a lawyer or as a judge or as a citizen in miami-dade county and throughout florida and this nation on behalf of the southern district of florida. he will be sorl -- sorely missed. he was a giant of a man with as big a heart as the fact as he

was tall. i will sorely will miss him. the southern district and all of its judges, judge james king and he were good friends. we were on the bench together at the same time and it hurt me and it hurts our community that he's gone. that said, mr. speaker, i will commemorate his memory more appropriately as time progresses. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> address the house for one minute and revise and extend. mr. smith: mr. speaker, president obama's approval rating hit a new low this week, according to a rasmussen public opinion poll, just 42% of americans approve of the president's job performance by a margin of 2-1, more americans disapprove of the president rather than strongly approve.

and fewer than half of those in the president's own party strongly approve of his job performance. e national media had mostly ignored these results. the "new york times," "washington post," los angeles times and "usa today" and others refused to mention the rasmussen poll. during george bush's administration, they showed polls following lowering approval facts. they should t practice double standards. the speaker pro tempore: jabts. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. tonko: i rise today to discuss the 13th annual congressional renewable energy and energy efficiency forum that is slated to take place tomorrow. the topic of this expo is especially timely.

china invested in clean energy while the united states invested $18.6 billion. we have an energy problem and we need to address it. at this forum, there are over 50 businesses, clean energy trade associations, government agencies and energy policy research organizations that will be showcasing their technology. on eff energy, we should drill and mine. on renewable energy, we should invest in sustainable energy and new technologies to build our energy independence and to once again create american manufacturing jobs. i ask my colleagues in welcoming this year's participants in the expo and encourage my colleagues to stop by the cannon caucus room to see the exhibits. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. burgess: unanimous consent to address the house for one

minute. the gentleman is recognized. mr. burgess: we find ourselves against another deadline for the doc fix. this congress lacks the courage to solve the problem. the fact is plrks speaker, the longer we put off doing a permanent fix, the more pensive it gets. if the problem had been fixed five years ago, it would have cost $49 billion. here's an ad that the a.m.a. has been running in some of our papers up here on the capitol. the cost to fix the bill now is $210, but if we wait three years, it doubles to $396 billion and balloons to half a trillion in five years. but there is a better way, h.r. 3693 would make a formula fix to determine payments to doctors and it's critical to our patients because patients cannot get access to a medicare physician because consider this, medicare physician payment rates are about where they were in

2001. medical practice costs have increased more than 20%. and what's worse, they pay doctors less each year for performing the same procedures. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. burgess: i ask for a reasonable medicare prescription fix. the time has come and gone. the speaker pro tempo: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. garamendi: i'm astounded at what i just heard. this is a problem that was actually created by the republicans as they were playing financial games and to stand here on the floor and say this has to be fixed now, yes, indeed, it does. but it was the republican party that has prevented us from fixing it and that's going on right now as the negotiations take place on the american jobs act and corporate tax loophole - closing the tax loopholes on corporations that are shipping jobs offshore.

i would ask the republicans and this house to stanwith us and do a permanent fix. it can be done. but it's not going to be easy. we need to raise the tax revenue and it's from those corporations that are shifting jobs offshore. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, the administration announced they are deploying 1,200 national guard troops to the border, that sounds good but not so fast. troops aren't going to the border, but sending them 20 miles behind the border to do computer support work. we can hire a geek squad to do that. the national guard troops need to be on the border and need to be armed so they can defend themselves and need realistic rules of engagement. one border patrol official says sending unformed national guard troops to the border amounts to

it boarding themselves. we need to capture people when they cross the border. once they cross, if we capture them, then we have to deal with the consequences, like deportations, prosecutions, drug gangs in our jai, et cetera. why are we letting illegals cross in the first place? we need boots on the border not 20 miles behind the border guarding computers. and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? the gentleman is recognized for one minu. mr. murphy: in the last year of the bush administration, the department of defense under president bush authorized a 450% increase in the number of waivers we grant to this nation's buy america law, allowing in one year thousands of american jobs to be sent overseas using u.s. taxpayer dollars. we have the defense

reauthorization bill on the floor this week and have a chance to say no more, that one of the best ways to grow our domestic economy is to make sure our own u.s. taxpayer dollars, respect to u.s. procurement on defense items to stay right here in this country. the stimulus bill is working and creating american jobs but without spending one dime more of american money, we can stop, we can stop this trend of more and more waivers being granted to the buy america and create u.s. taxpayerollars to create jobs. i yield back. thepeaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a personal request. the clerk: leave of absence requested for ms. kilpatrick of michigan for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. request is granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition. mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the

following members may be permitted to address this house, revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material, mr. boozman for today, mr. itnessfield for may 27. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? mr. towns: i ask unanimous consent that today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered into, the following members may be permitted to address the house for fiv minutes to revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material. mr. towns for five minutes. mr. hastings of florida for five mites. ms. bean of illinois for five minutes. ms. woolsey of california for five minutes. mr. davis of illinois for five minutes. ms. kaptur of ohio for five

minutes. mr. defazio of oregon for five minutes. and ms. linda sanchez of california for five minutes. without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6 2009 and under a previous order of the house, the following members are recognized for five minutes each. mr. towns of new york. the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. >> i ask unanimous consent to claim the time of mr. towns for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes. ms. sanchez: i rise today to speak of an issue of concern. i'm proud to support the seniors' bill of rights crafted by the senior task force and i'm committed to its goal. these goals include helping seniors achieve financial security, staying in their homes and receiving quality affordable health care. our seniors made this country what it is today, fighting for

our freedom, serving as a backbone in the post-war years and providing critical leadership in our community. i want to address a fundamental flaw in the social security system that i want to correct in the coming weeks. so social security disability fraud. we are aware of the disability backlog and the steps congress is taking to reduce it. due to dedicated oversight and strong actionsince the democrats took over, the backlog is being reduced. what is less commonly known is that some disability ensurers are adding to the backlog. they force policy holders to apply for social security benefits or else they were hold payments. they do this even when they know the person is ineligible for social security disability benefits. here's where the fraud comes in. disability pays out when you are out and unable to perform your job. social security is there when you are so hurt that you cannot

perform any job. if a neonatal nurse injures her shoulder and can nong longer pick up infants and is eligible for temporary disability benefits. because this nurse is still capable of serving a full career as a nurse in a number of other settings, she is not eligible for social security disability. this isn't a hypothetical situation but an actual case pulled from a lawsuit against one of the disability insurers that was defrauding social security. the insurer forced the nurse to commit fraud by forcing her to apply f social security disability even though they knew the full extent of her injuries met she could work as a nurse. these insurers have access to medical records and know when they are unable to perform any job. yet, they mandate that all of their customers, even those who

are only temporarily injured apply for social security disability. this adds to the backlog and costs taxpayers millions of dollars all because insurers want to delay paying legitimate claims. my legislation would require that insurers play by the same rules required of individuals. if an insurer is going to mandate a policy holder apply for social security disability that's correct insurer should have to certify to the government that the claim is a legitimate, permanent claim. this legislation will root out thipractice so that bad actors won't be able to clog the system with frivolous claims. when they are weeded out,access for litimate claims increases. this is just one of the issues i'm working on to benefit california seniors. i look forward to working with my colleagues in passing this bill into law. i thank the speaker and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: mr. moran of kansas. mr. hastings of florida. mr. hastings: parliamentary inquiry if i may. mr. houns yielded to ms. sanchez because she's -- mr. towns yielded to ms. sanchez because she's here with her child. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman can claim the gentleman's time. mr. towns: i ask unanimous consent to claim the gentleman's time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. town i rise to express my thoughts on a matter of deep concern to me, small business job creation. we have seen a lot of progress thiyear. our economy has created over 500,000 jobs. in 2010 alone. last month, 290,000 jo were created with 231,000 of them in

the private sector. the largest number of new jobs created in the last four years. while these are great statistics, we still have a long, long way to go. it will take time to recover the eight million jobs lost over the course of this recession. one positive thing congress could do to support jobs is to do all that we can to support small businesses. with two out of every three new jobs created by small businesses, there are the -- they are the driving sfors of our economy. un-- driving force of our economy. unfortunately, they've also been thhardest hit by the recession. havi lost over 2.4 million jobs. as president obama indicated in his meeting with the small business leaders, this is the

nation's -- this is the nation where anyone with a good idea and the will to work hard can succeed. i agree with president obama. new york city is no stranger to good ideas, hard work, or small businesses. the city is home to over 200,000 small businesses. -- small businesses, which create hundreds of thousands of jobs prorkvide are valuable goods and services and help drive our local economy. while the government can't get small businesses through all of the tough times, it can remove barriers that prevent businesses from growing and being able to succeed. we must do all that we can to support the work of the countless entrepreneurs that sustain our economy. i encourage my colleagues in the house and in the senate to

work together to enact policies that will support small business job creation. we must work to eliminate these barriers and to prevent people to be able to expand their business and to be able to create jobs. we need to make certain that folks have an opportunity to work. we have people that have gone to college and coming out with degrees and still cannot fi a job. i think the time has come when the congress must come together and create jobs and job opportunities for these young people in particular that want to work but are being denied t opportunity because of the la of jobs. on that note, mr. speaker, i yield back thbalance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. poe of texas. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise?

mr. hastings: i ask to address the house for five minutes? the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, last evening, i spoke on the house floor about the newly devised youcut program and how it undercuts our representational responsibilities as members of congress. i'd like to revisit this theme, which has become a recurring one, given the republicans' most recent efforts. i repeat. government by referendum is not representation. just because 81,000 people voted for a program in a republican ploy doesn't mean that it is the will of the american people, or informed policy. let me make it very clear. renchda have their place.

but in -- referda have their place. but in this body, we are not in the position of needing to have that kind of ploy put forward here in this body. republicans seem to think that online gimmicks are an effective substitute for good governance. what they fail to understand is that national policy cannot be made in a matter of minutes or within a few clicks of a mouse. instead of worrying about friend requests, republicans should contribute to meaningful debate. if they did, then they would have known that according to the nonpartisan center for budget and policy priorities, cutting funding for the temporary aid to needy families program, as they attempted to do, would have resulted in

100,000 people losing their jobs this chamber isn't going to be fooled or bullied or be controlled by the misguided ideological intentions or misleading rhetoric of a few. repuicans have called for voter input on programs of national significance in the name of civic participation. but spreading misinformation is not in the best interest of the american people. to the contrary, it is only in the best interest of the republicans and their agenda. not only are the summaries provided on youcut, which i call cut you, inaccurate, they are specifically written to elicit a specific response. i do not fault my friends on the other side of the aisle for taking their upcoming election campaigns into consideration and doing those technological undertakings that they deem

necessary for themselves. what i do fault them for is wasting the time of th chamber with their ulterior motives and legislative tricks. they're playing with short-term decisions that have long-term consequences. youcut provides no effective way to change policy, does little to reduce our federal deficit, does nothing to allow for people to talk about savings -- talk about savings themselves and hurts everyday americans, especially the poor and elderly, who probably, som of them cannot participate in their poll for the reason that they don't have blackberries and computers. instead of continuing to be the party of no, republicans should say yes to the american people and help pass the legislation that this nation needs and deserves.

i urge my republican friends not to undercut with their cut you, youcut rresentational democracy and no to substitute selective push polling, ro bo texting, tooting and tweeting for the work of the greatest deliberative body in the world. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. jones of north carolina. ms. bean of illinois. for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? ms. bean: i seek five minutes to address the house and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bean: i rise to recognize small business week. this is the 47th annual small business week in which we honor the contributions of entpreneurs, and their work force to our country. our nation's economic rebirthly relies on the ability of community businesses to innovatedevelop, and market

solutions that are of value to clients. their growth and success is critical for creating jobs in our nation. when i host small business federal resource seminars in my district, i encourage community businesses to connect with federal agencies whose resources and programs could be useful to them. have the s.b.a. come out and share our business with 504 and 7a. the i.r. is is available to provide information about small business tax incentives which include 179 expense provisions and bonus depreciation and the carryback that's funded $2.6 billion to small businesses in

the stimulus so if they'd been profitable in previous year, they can get the dollars back to cover payroll and other expenses. there's also credits for health care which the rule elaborates on as well. it talks about department of energy, webinars, and grants, tools, and incentives for energy development and energy efficiencies. small businesses are the core of our effectiveness, creating six time more patents than large businesses. they invest in local real estate, their suppliers grow as they grow and they contribute to charities and provide leadership and mentoring services to neighbors. congress and the s.b.a. have stepped up. the recovery act included $288 billion worth of tax cuts, not just to 95% of working americans or consumers, but

business incentives as well, including bonus depreciation, 179 expeing, the n.o.l. carryback and capital gains exclusions for small business stock. the first time home buyer tax credit helped bring 700,000 new buyers back into the market this broad-based stimulus went further with infrastructure investments in roads, bridges, energy, water projects and included investments in education, smart grid technology and health i.t. we've seen a positive return. g.d.p. growth has gone from negative six to positive six in the stimulus and u.s. manufacturing is growing at its fastest pace since 2006. while the signs of recovery are encouraging, more needs to be done. credit worthy businesses need access to working capital and many needs to -- need to restructure their debt in the months and years ahead. when businesses can't access

financing, they delay hiring and other expansion. the recovery act increased -- decreased fees on s.b.a. loans and since its pass aage, it's given $72 million into the hands of small businesses yet many are still struggling to access affordle capital. banks are operating under tightened lending standards and greater exposure to the instability of the commercial market. their balance sheets make it difficult to continue extending credit where appropriate to small businesses. the experience of the recovery act has shown that the s.b.a. guarantee can make a difference for an entrepreneur in need of capital. when it comes to congress' approach to fostering recovery, every week must be small business week my colleagues and i will continue to address the capital access p as we move forward in the weeks ahead. congresswoman dahlkemper and i have a measure to increase the maximum loan size and guarantee

on the express loan so firm cans restock inventory and make new hires. today i introduce the small asset investment and modernization act, toence hance the s.b.a. loan program for commercial real estate, buildings, and heavy quilt. businesses face a collateral problem as their loans mature and their equity is down in value. many obtained loans during the bubble, getting loans at inflated values on their property or with balloon structures. they're rectant to restructure debt if the bank is capital challenged. my bill would temporarily enable businesses to finance commercial real estate debt through the 504 program in that sector. over the next few week, i urge my colleagues to join us in moving forward on further programs to support the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of our small businesses, the cornerstone of our economy. thank you and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady's time has expired. mr. burton of indiana. ms. woolsey of california. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? ms. woolsey: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, in the year 2005 i joined my colleagues and fellow californians, maxine waters and barbara lee, and other strong progressivesnform -- in forming the out of iraq caucus. that group was critical in galvanizing support for the end to the iraq war and a return of r troops safely home. before we formed the out of iraq caucus, mr. speaker, questioning the occupation of iraq was considered a political death wish. but because we had the courage to speak out and to organize, ours became a firmly mainstream position. wiout the work we did and the

pressure we applied and the growth of our out of iraq caucus, we would not be poised for redeployment out of iraq later this year. it's now time for those of us who oppose the war i afghanistan, a block that's growing every single day, to do the same thing. i urge members on both sid of the aisle to join the new out of afghanistan caucus formally launched by my friend, mr. conyers from michigan. as afghanistan becomes more bloody, more expensive and, frankly, more hopeless, we must rally with the same sense of purpose and fearlessness as we did in 2005 in the debate over iraq. every day it seems brings more bad news out of afghanistan. the united states death toll has topped 1,000. according to news reports, for the first time we now have more

troops in afghanistan than weo in iraq. and the combined cost of both wars is fast approaching $1 trillion. that's trillion with a t, mr. speaker. the american people are losing patience with this war and who can blame them? for 8 1/2 years, they have sent their finest men and women and their rd-earned taxpayer dollars halfway around the world only to find that the taliban is resurgent. the terrorist threat remains strong and afghanistan remains mired in corruption, violence and poverty. at just the moment when we need to draw down, we're doubling down. we're pouring thousands of troops into kandahar for an all eggs in one basket offensiv that no one seems confident will succeed. with all that in mind, how can we in the house of

representatives not speak with a louder and more unified voice against this war? but we in the out of afghanistan caucus are notalling for an abandonment of the country. we just believe that a military occupation, which has had nearly a decade to work, can't achieve the objectives of stability and security for the afghan people. what we need is diplomacy. we need humanitarian aid, support for democracy building and civil society programs. what we need are more resources for agriculture, education and infrastructure. these are the tools of a smart security strategy that can empower the afghan people in a way that sheds no more blood. mr. speaker, warfare has only led to more warfar emboldening the very enemy we're trying to defeat, a peaceful civilian

surge is actually the only answer. i ask my colleagues to join me in goingi -- becoming a part of the out of afghanistan caucus and help bring our troops home. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. ms. ros-lehtinen of florida. mr. davis of illinois. ms. kaptur of ohio. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio rise? ms. kaptur: unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes, to revise and extend my remarks and include material in the record as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio is recoized for five minutes. ms. kaptur: thank you. mr. speaker, the people of ukraine have been struggling to achieve a fair, independent and strong democracy since the oppressive soviet yolk was shed in 1991. but recent events in the southern ukrainian city have raised alarm. a seven-foot tall statue of josef stalin, the world war ii communist tyrant of the soviet

union, who was responsible for the famine genocide in which millions upon llions of people starved to death, as well as the death of millions of ukrainians, poles, russians and so many others inside that tyranny, has been built outside of the city in front of the communist party's headquarters. even worse, the authorities just denied opposition groups the right to assemble to object to the statue's public display. since world war ii, the world has come to know that josef stalin killed over 50 million pe inside those borders. and the repressive legions that supported him were responsible for such agony for so many. the elevation of josef stalin with a monument is an affront to those who have fought for freedom around the world. just as a monument to adolf hitler in germany would be

unacceptable. freedom lovers simply cannot stand by silently while a monument to stalin, the mass murderer of the 20th century, is erected in ukraine. the story of u.s. citizen eugenia, a survivor of the genocide in ukraine, can express how ukraine and her people were treated under the iron fist of josef stalin. she described herself as a survivor of the familiaren in ukraine of 1932-193. she rounts it that i write this account of my survive. it is the bone chilling nightmare of every child, to haveheir parents dragged away by force, never to see them again. siblings sent to prisons, parents send to -- sent to their deaths. she was born and came from a happy family living off the

land. but that happiness was stolen when at the age of 5 they were forced to give away their home, their land was confiscated and all their domestic animals were taken from them. like many ukrainians they were left on the streets to starve. they were called kulags, enemy of the people. her father was arrested first. the communists came and picked up her family one by one, leaving her an orphan, an orphan crying with unbearable psychological wounds, alone, afraid and starving. she remembers her beloved mother during that time trying to feed the children, doing what any mother would to care for her offspring. she found a few rotten potatos in a field and she was arrested and sent to siberia. the prisons during that time were overpopulated with people who had done nothing but try to survive. memories flood back to her as do tears and she remembers the long, long lines of men waiting for molding half loaves of bread for hours upon hours and etched in her mind is one man who she

didn't know who finally reached the end of the line and with starvation in his eyes, starting to swallow the bread as fast as he could and dropping dead right in front of her. starvation is an odd thing, she writes. an empty stomach taking in bread is like swallowing cement. it kills the human body. i lost my dear sister to starvation, a forced death, legalized murder or murder that the communists decided was mercy killing. we were constantly on the run while her family was being picked off one by one by the communists and starvation took hold of the ukrainianeople. hatred filled their hearts for soviet moscow and many faces still haunt her today. the trains of people, families, old, young, starving, sick, hauled off, standing like -- with standing room only in those box crates and she became one of the children of the street, one of the few survivors of that tragic time in history who ate grass, pine cones and anything that was chewble in the shadows,

afraid that they might be taken away. people were begging, starving, eating anything they could find, a dead horse, if they were lucky. thousands of people were falling over dead. millions upon millions of innocent people killed under the communists. it was a sad time in history where during the height of the famine, ukrainian villages were dying at the rate of 17 per minute, leaving only a few survivors to keep the history alive. they were stacked up like logs. the horror and panic of that time of tyranny is still with her. the hunger that plagued russia and tortured the ukrainian people in their scream to slaughter and take over the middle -- scheme to slaughter and take over the middl class. it is our duty to bring the memory to the world. we must expose the horror and truth so these atrocities never can happen again. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. mr. boozman of arkansas. . defazio of oregon.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from california, ms. speier, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. ms. speier: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, the democratic caucus feels very strongly that seniors in america count. and in so doing, cread a seniors task force, co-chaired ably by congresswoman schakowsky of illinois and congresswoman matsui of california. and we thought it was fitting tonight, this being the month in which we honor seniors, to spend an hour talking about the seniors of america. there are 45 million seniors in this country and they have the right to ask us, what have we done for them lately? and tonight we're going to ask that question and we're going t answer it. first of all, think we should focus in on wall street.

and our message is, when wall street gambles, she loses. so, part of what we want to focus on tonight is the reforms in wall street that will protect seniors in america. the bgest winners we suggest in the wall seet reform are people over the age of 50 who hold 70% of the nation's wealth. oft times seniors don't realize how big their assets really are or how valuable they are. and they become ripe for scam artists to take them on a wild ride that oftentimes means that they lose the very assets that they have held so dear. seniors often have caregivers. they share their financial data and information with. d oftentimes can be exploited by those very caregivers.

so, we have created a senior financial bill of rights which i'd like to share with you right now. and the democrats believe that there are four simple principles that we espouse on behalf of seniors. the first is, the right to simply to understand and suitable financial products. now, this would seem so very obvious. but i'm going to share with you a couple of stories that suggest seniors become the most vulnerable population in terms of being captured by an industry that has plagued us with all kinds of financial products that are not understandable. i first want to talk about a 67-year-old retired widow living alone in a home she's had for 24 years. she recently got a part time minimum wage job as a kitchen helper that helps with her expenses. she's getting $500 a month for

that. she gets $973 a month in her social security benefits. and the balance due on her home is $90,000. now, her husband died in 2003 and she was having a hard time making those mortgage payments, so she went to wells faro and got them to offer her a reverse mortgage. in so doing she was able to pay off her regular mortgage and did not have payments for as long as she continued to live in the home. what appeared to be a good result. but in 2007 agents working for world savings in orange county, california, found her 500 miles away in another city and in a series of phone cause -- calls they cvinced her that wells fargo was demanding repayment of her reverse mortgage because home values were declining to

levels less than the loan balance. they convinced her that wells fargo would foreclose if she did not refinance to pay off the reverse mogage. she was confused and frightened and did not understand the reverse mortgage for which she paid $11,000 in origination fees. before lon she was into yet anotherortgage with a -- an adjustable rate mortgage d paying $4,000 a month a o point, even though lowest payment option constituted 68% of her social security income. an absolute nightmare. she made three payments out of savings and then gave up. the trustee sale was set for january 2, 2009. a legal aid attorney came to her benefit and was able to postpone the sale of heho and negotiations continue

today. that's a real story of a real person in california who was not given the right to a simple to understand and suitable financial product. and that's in part what we're going to make sure happens as a result of the wall street reform. in part because we're creating a consumer financial protection agency so this kind of activity can't continue to go on. another case, a 90-year-old california retiree was sold a $100,000 annuity in 2001. he would have to live to be 100 to have unfettered access to his money. instead, he died at 91. his eyres were hit with -- his heirs were hit with an $11,000 charge. another woman was told a $125,000 annuity in 2002. according to her son she suffered from dementia and believe shed had access to her

savings if she had to enter a nursing home. in fact she would have to pay exit penalties of 25% if she withdrew more than 10% of her money in any year in the first s years of the contract system of when she died in 2004, her son had to pay, are you ready for this? a $5050,000 surrounder fee -- a $50,000 surrender fee. that's why we need a consumer protection agency in this country. that kind of thing goes on. while you may suggest it's, quote, legal, it's unethical. the organization will provide protection from that. i'm going to the oth seniors' financial bill of right later on in the hour. i'd like to now yield to congresswoman kilroy as much time his as she may consume. ms. kilroy: my heart goes out to those seniors that have been

abused by predatory lenders, by predatory practices, by scam artists and fraud. this is why we need to take action and as you say, the wall street reform act is going to help us do just that, protect seniors. when i think about what seniors need, they need, of course, personal security they need to live in safe and livable communities, they need access to health care. the recent health care ll, we are working to give seniors greater access to health care. strengthening medicare, giving greater choices with preventive medicine, the co-pays, closing the medicare doughnut hole, that's part of their security. and also financial security. so they can live the rest of their lives secure that their money is going to be there, that their life savings aren't going to disappear because of

the excesses and the risk taking of wall street or that they will become a victim of a predatory lender who convinces them that they need a reverse mortgage or they need to take out a loan on a house that's already paid for, which happened to a widow in my community, she was told she needed to take out this loan. she didn't ask. she got cold-called by the predator. found out she was tangled up in a financial mess that put her home at jeopardy. she's not the only one that has been in this position. we heard from the consumer law agency and also from aarp that seniors are frequtly the victim of predatory lenders in this kind of practice. that's why the consumer protection agency and the agency takes a special look at protecting older americans is so necessary. what did wall street and others do? what's their connection to

these predatory lenders? they got into this game of getting more and more mortgages , so called alt-a, subprime, other risky mortgages to securitize them and sell them as investments. even some of them, like goldman, would even bet against those investments in some of their practices. we found out that more and more of wall street houses were using these subprime mortgages and the sales of those, as securities to get more profits for themselves. and it was profitable for wall street. it was profitable for wall street ecutives. compared to seniors, take a look at what the wall street c.e.o.'s are geing paid. lloyd blankfein $9 million a year or $24,607 a day.

ms. speier: can you repeat that? ms. kilroy: $24,000 a day. a senior, $47 a day, average income, based on the $17,300 average annual income. or take a look at j.p. morgan chase and jamie dimon, $16 million salary, an astounding $43,835 a day o. john stumpf you mentioned wells fargo and their practice with a senior in your community. $21.3 million or $58,356 a day. that's incredible. that's more than some people make in a year. they're making every single day. and putting seniors' life savings at risk. many people got hurt in the wall street downturn but seniors have less time to be able to reinvest and make up

the difference and recover from what wall street did to main street. we need to work hard to make sure that seniors are potected from other kinds of scams and make sure they know when they get somebody calling them, offering them a mortgage they didn't ask for, that that's an alarm. when they get somebody telling them of the act today, that's another danger sign, and that they need to be carele of balloon payments, prepayment penalties and other tricks and gimmicks that could make that loan very expensive, make it hard for them to get out of or make their money out of reach for a long time, that's why we need the consumer financial protection agency, that's why we need an office protecting older americans, make sure that those kind of practices aren't happening and that when seniors get financial information, when all of us get financial information, that it's clear and easy to understand. not with pages and pages of

fine print. i'm so proud of the credit card bill that we passed in our financial services committee and that this body passed and was signed into law to make credit card practices much clearer. we need to continue to work to make sure that seniors' financial serity is also protected. ms. speier: will the gentlewoman yield? ms. killry spock yes. ms. speier: when you were referring to credit card, i'm reminded that in 1980 a credit card application was one page long, about 700 words. today a credit card application, and indeed a contract, is closer to 30 pages. imagine a senior citizen trying to wind their way through 30 pages of legalese and know precisely what they were getting. isn't it true that the consumer financial protection agency is going to simplify that process for seniors and for all

americans? ms. kilroy: that's one of the important things to take a look at all the confusing documents. one of the charges that was made against one of the financial institutions in this country was that they were pushing forward some of their predatory lending products by having closing documents that were about as thick as a telephone book and pushing people that they didn't have time in the closing to actually read them. no, you've got toeep moving, keep moving. people not really understanding what they we signing in these lengthy documents of fine print. this is an important financial transaction and for many people, buying a home is the biggest financial transaction they're going to make. it has to be clear and a fair document so that it is good for both parties to the transaction. it's a good deal for the mortgager and it's a good deal for the person taking out that mortgage.

that can onl happen if it is a contract that is fair and reasonable in its terms and that people can understand what it is they're signing. it's very important for senior for seniors. we know, again, citing aarp and consumer law organization that we know that seniors are most often the targets of that kind of predatory behavior and that's what we need to be very careful of. stand up with our senior bill of rights for financial security for older americans. i yield back. ms. speier: i thank the gentlelady for her outstanding comments and protecting the seniors of america. i now yield to my good friend and colleague from the great state of california, ms. richardson, as much time as she will use. ms. richardson: first of all, i'd like to acknowledge the co-chairs of our senior task force, ms. janikowski and ms.

matsui. the work we've been able to do in this time is amazing, and of course my friend ms. speier for organizing this hour today. seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population. as more and more baby boomers retire, the number of seniors is growing considerably. currently one in every eight people in the united states is an older american. over the next decade, the number of older americans will increase by 36%. that's 5.5 million people. in my district alone, there are over 52,000 seniors. older amerans are living longer and more active lives, but with an older age, longer lives come new challenges for us in congress and state and local governments to meet. we, regardless of our age or generation have a responsibility to look out for our senior americans, just as our children and grandchildren

will hopefully do for us one day. last week, i had the pleasure of hosting a 37th congressional district annual senior briefing. we had over 1,032 seniors. it was pretty amazing to be there, to see everyone coming in, excited to be there. what i want to say about it is, it was really interesting to me. 2/3 of those individuals drove, 2/3 of those individuals had computers, and so when we talk about seniors, it's not the end of the road. in fact, for many, and thankfully so, it's many, many good quality years ahead. and so what we have the ability to do on this task force is to ensure that there can be a good quality of life and not just simply being at home and not realy being ableo be productive. when we had our senior briefing, some of the things we talked about, the seniors were excited, they were in great spirits. we had a full ageneral ka. the biggest thing -- a general da.

e biggest thing -- agenda. the biggest thing we talked about was the health care bill we recently passed and how it benefits them. the other things that were unfortunate that i learned in that meeting were some of the troubles some of my seniors -- seniors were having. trouble in staying financially secure in the noifeds recession, as ms. speier talked about, after what happens with wall street. number two, obtaining a job. number three, finding affordable housing. for many seniors, they're downsize, moving in other situations and for the amount of money they have coming in, it cannot meet the cost of housing today. and finally, getting quality health care. a 2009 study reveed that in california, the state i come from, over 500,000 seniors are living single and are hing a diffult time making ends meet, let alone enjoying their quality of life. as we move forward to continue addressing the needs of senior

citizens, i'm proud to be a member of this newly established seniors task force. we're committed to preserving the rights as has been talked about so far this evening and promoting the interest of america's senior citizens. the senior task force will be an excellent vehicle to ensure the government is working for our seniors and for those, some of us if we're so blessed to be, that will be coming forward as well. at the task force opening press conference last week we unveiled the senior billf rights as has been shown. this resolution is an expression of what seniors who have worked most of their lives to make this country a better place deserve in return just a few things. one, financial security and stability. two, quality and affordable health and long-term care. three, protection from abuse, scams, and exploitation, we heard some examples of those this evening.

four a stronger economy now and for future generations. and five, for a safe, livable community with safe transportation options. this congress has recognized the need for seniors and we have taken it on straight without hesitation, that swift and bold action is needed. in the very first days that congress was in session for this particular 111th congress, we passed the american recovery and reinvestment act, also known as the recovery act. and many seniors included in that received $250 that was to go towards helping to cover the costs, the rising costs that many of our seniors are facing. but then we took another action just about a month or so ago and that was about health care reform. and this congress, this democratic congress, took the leadership without much other assistance except by our help with the administration to make sure we could pass health care reforms that would dramatically

increase the quality of care and the affordability that our seniors would face. health care reform will over the next few years close the reform that -- will help close the medicare doughnut hole that keeps many seniors from getting the prescription drugs that they desperately need. the average senior will save $250 in 2010, $750 in 2011 and over $3,000 in 2020 on prescription drugs. however, one need that we know that is also being overlooked, and i've been trying to take some leadership on, is the fact that many of our seniors are still working. some because they want to. because they have the ability to and there's much left to contribute. but others because they have to. these economic woes that our seniors are facing are based upon many on very drastic fixed

income. many seniors rely on social security as their only soue of income. i know many seniors who are pinching pennies simply to eat. this isn't acceptable. in fact, it's not even american. there are many seen yors in my district who need to continue to work in jobs in order to maintain financial security. the ongoing economic downturn which wall street was greatly, in fact caused, that national economy that has now adversely affected millions of workers in variouage groups has disproportionately burdened workers over the age of 55. older americans are experiencing difficult times and only 55% of the jobless older workers have been there long enough to be able to ha an extended tenure beyond january of 2008. compared to 72.6% of those in the age group of 25 to 54.

larger shares of jobless older workers were paid lower wages in their new full time jobs compared to people who are in the age group of 25 to 54. we have a responsibility, we have a duty to provide employment opportunities to senior citizens who will still have much to contribute. so i brought forward a bill to add to the great senior bill of rights that we have forward which is h.r. 4819, expanding the opportunities for older americans act of 2010. this bill responds to the need of senior citizen employment opportunities. it will expand senior employment programs for older americans and create 40,000 new jobs. this bill will also lower the eligibility age for participating members of our society and it will also elimina some of the requirements that work against

seniors. for example, if a senior happens to be married and their spouse is working, many of the current programs that other spouse is not able to take advantage of and that is wrong. we must ensure that seniors have financial security and that this economy works for them. we must uphold our end of the bargain, to our seniors who have sacrificed and dedicated so much to this country throughout their lives. i urge all of my colleagues to join us in this senior task force. not only tonight, which we started the discussion, but as we move forward the senior bill of rights and many other pieces of legislation that will make a difference. i yield back. ms. speier: i thank the gentlelady from california. you know, the numbers of seniors in our country is growing exponentially. in part because somef us who are baby boomers are growing older and reaching that age ever so quickly, but i note that

while the 40 million americans who are now 65, in 10 years that number will more than dble to 88.5 million americans who will be over the age of 65. so making sure that seniors are protected is going to be a more and more significant responsibility for congress to insure. you mentioned the doughnut hole and, you know, for seniors who are in medicare, health care reform has been somewhat challenging because they didn't know what was in it for them. part of what we're talking about tonight is, what have you done for seniors lately? and the health care reform measure has huge benefits for seniors, that it's important for us to underscore. one being that if you do find yourself in the doughnut hole by this fall, you'll receive a check for $250. that if you are the doughnut hole come the first of january, you're gng to be able to buy your prescription drugs at 50%

of what the retail cost of them are and the greatest news of all, this is the benefit for seen yo -- senior citizens as well as every one of us, and that is for preventative care, there will no longer be a co-pay. now, that kind of gets lost in translation from time to time. but i just had, and i'm proud to admit it, because i think we all should have colonoscopies after age 50, but i just had a collins to to couldpy and i got the bill -- colonoscopy and i got the bill. we all experience sticker shock when we see those health care bills arrive at our home and thank god we have health insurance. but my bill was over3,000. for that procedure. now, a co-pay on that procedure is like $600. but moving forward, whether it's a colonoscopy, a mammogram, any kind of screening for cancer,

that will no longer carry with it a co-pay because we want to incentivize seniors and younger people to actually take advantage of the preventative services that are out there that really prevent people from getting sicker and requiring more health care and more hospitalization. so, lotof good things for seniors in health care reform. >> that's absolutely creblingt. if the gentlelady will yield. congratulate you for taking care of your health and getting those preventative measures taken care of. ms. kilroy: even though we don't like to do them. it's a good thing to do. and those kind of co-pays, when you think about what seniors need to pay, with the more frequent medical testing, perhaps, or the higher cost of prescriptions, maybe taking more prescriptions, therefore more co-pays on those, the senior cost of living could be higher than the cost of living index

for maybe the general population. that's why the important that they have the economic security that representative richardson spoke of. and for seniors, you know, the kind of like a three-legged stool. one leg of the stool is social security, one leg of the stool is savings, personal savings, that we should all be thinking about as we get older, and also maybe a private pension. and yet this economic downturn has hurt that stool in all of those areas. with more people unemployed, there's fewer people paying into the social security system. and so that hurts the system as a whole. that's why it'so good that we're focused on jobs and working on jobs to get more people doing what they want to do and need to do to support themselves. but also being part of the social security system. and we know that the wall street abuses have hurt, in many cases, pension funds, who invested in

risky products, who were sold these products by a company, say like lehman brothers, who then disguised what was going on by these repoe 105 practices, this taking some of the downside of -- that should be on their balance sheet, and hiding it when the quartey reports were du. and that has hurt the pension funds that the state employees are involved in the state of ohio. and it's making that fund take a large economic hit, that somehow we have to make up for. or people will not have the same kind of pension benefits that they thought they might have. and then there's also the personal savings aspect, too. and we have all seen that the 401-k's that become 201-k's because of the risky behaviors that wall street engaged in and

because maybe we don't have the kind of financially the literacy that we should have in this country. and again back to the consumer protection agency and the agency that will protect older americans, that wi focus on that, that will make sure that the information is getting to people in cleaterms, so that they know that when they are investing something, that the person they are investing with is looking out for their interests, for the clients' interests, not simply being selfish and selling them something that's not good for them. and it will help us by ending taxpayer-funded bailouts for wall street for any future damages like that. and we ought to make sure that we are working hard to stay on top of this thing. but as much as congress can do, we can't do it every day. the same way that an independent office of consumer protection

can do, that would have that as their charge, and every day be taking a watchful eye on the practices -- keeping a watchful eye on the practices of the investment industry, to make sure that these kind of abuses aren't going on any more. i yield back. ms. speier: i thank the gentlelady from ohio. you know, it would be great for us to focus for just a minute on the prescription for wall street reform for the 40 million seniors in america and just kind of list out the protections that are in the wall street reform. as you mentioned, the office of financial protection for older americans. i mean, this is going to be a huge benefit for seniors because they're going to be able to call this office and say, you know, i've just been offered x. is this something that makes sense? and let me give you an example. sergio deller toow, he's been banned from the securities industry r defrauding a 90-year-old minnesota nursing home resident of $511,000.

he recommended that the elderly man put his entire network -- net worth into the stock of a firm called third dimensi. for which there was no market or publicly quoted pricing. mr. del toro's alleged motivation? a 15% commission equal to $76,000 now, as part of wall street reform, one of the standards that's going to have to be met is, is there a net tangible benefit to the client? and clearly in this case there was no net tangible befit. what happened was this nursing home resident lost his whole savings of $500,000 and mr. del toro was the recipient of $76,000 in commissions. mr. del toro is banned from the industry now, but another example of why having wall street reform is so necessary. i now yield to one of our newest

members in the house, mr. deutch from florida, to have him offer up his thoughts. mr. deutch: thank you very much. i appreate that, mr. speaker. i rise to join my democratic colleagues to discuss the challenges facing seniors in america today. i'd like to thank the gentlewoman from california, representative spire, for her ongoing commitment to our nation's seniors, as well as representative so he cowsky and representative matsui -- schakowsky and representative matsui. an effort launched by the democratic caucus to help the financial security of our nation's eldest americans. today i'd like to focus on an issue of great importance to me and the many residents in the 19th district of florida, and that's the issue of social security. social security is a sacred trust that provides over 50 million americans each year with a measure of financial security in my district and across the country, social security guarantees seniors the ability to enjoy their golden years free from abject poverty or financial

reliance on their children. as their representative from florida's 19th dict, i have the privilege of serving -- district, i have the privilege of serving so many seniors who fought in world war ii and rebuilt this country after the great depression. these wonderful americans have worked hard every day of their lives and for them social security does what it was designed to do. it provides them with a secure base uck source of income after a lifetime of hard work. seniors know they can count on social security to never be a day late or a dollar short and they know that checks will never come back marked with insufficient funds. many of my constituents saw their lifelong retirement savings vanish overnight due to the irresponsibility on wall street that led us into this recession. and many of them lost all of their savings to predatory ponzi schemes. however, for them, one thing is certain in this time of economic uncertainty, social security is still er