there is a variety of new regulations coming in on september, specifically a raudabaug-- specifically aroundh insurance reform. host: neera tanden is chief operating officer for the center for american progress. thanks for your time this morning. we appreciate all of your calls this morning. we will go back to the florida house of representatives now. the legislative day will take in a little bit later this morning. there is a small business lending bill that includes jobs at legislation. over on the senate floor today, a couple of judicial nominations, then they will go back to the so-called attack extenders' bill, that deals with employment insurance and other issues. we will have the president tonight at 8:00 p.m. just back from the gulf to address the nation from the oval office for

the first time on the world's bill. here is the floor of the house. enjoy the rest of your day. . . the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the prayerill be offered by our chaplain. chaplain coughlin: this world was created by you almighty

god. in you and through you humanity has been freed and brought to a liberty that is powerful enough to enable us to learn from mistakes and resolve with firm determination to live ith compassion for others. and bring greater and equal justice to all peopl help this nation live up to its calling inhese historic times . may all those who are committed to love others and pursue justice work together without illuon or deceit andbuild a world of true and lasting peace. this we ask calli uponour holy ne with lasting fait. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chr has examined the journal of the last day's procdings and anunces to the house his approval thereof. puuant to clse 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved.

e chair will now lead t house in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stand one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the chair will now receive a message. the messenger: m speaker, a message from the senate. the seetary: mr. speaker. i have beedirected by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s. 1660, cited as the composite wood prodts act in which e concurrence of theouse is requested. the speaker pro tempore:he chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. pursuant to the order of the house of thursday, june 10, 2010the house will stand in recess subject to the call of the chair to recee the former membs of congress.

>> carl levin of michigan chairs the senate armed services committee. live coverage on at c-span. >> through considerably augmented training and education and recruiting. in all of our efforts, we and president karzai continue to emphasize the importance of exclusivity and transparency on the part of the -- inclusivity and transparency on the part of the afghan leadership, especially integrating local

structures into the resources in kabul. needless to say, and innumerable challenges exist in all levels of government and much needs to be done to help the afghan government assume full responsibility to address the needs and concerns of afghan citizens. the national consultative peace jirga held in kabul earlier this month was a constructive step in this effort, providing an opportunity for president karzai to build consensus and address some of the political tensions that fuel insurgency, and to promote reconciliation and local reintegration as means that can contribute to political resolution of some of the issues that exist. the council that he conducted on sunday in kandahar furthers this process, and the efforts to set the political condition for progress in kandahar. another critically important part of our joint civil military campaign in afghanistan is promoting broad-based economic and infrastructure development

spread we are seeing improvement in the afghan government possibility to deliver basic services such as electricity, education, and health care, and provide positive effects in other areas, including security and economic development. we have worked closely wiih the international community and afghan government to support a robust strategies for these areas -- water, governance, education, health, and road programs. we are embarking on a pledge to jointly developed by the government of afghanistan -- project jointly developed by the government of afghanistan and u.s. agencies to deliver electricity to become a hot area and parts of southern and eastern afghanistan. -- to the condo hot area and parts of southern and eastern afghanistan. -- kandahar area and parts of southern and eassern afghanistan. again, none of this is easy or without considerable challenges. but the mission is, as a member

of this committee clearly recognize, a hugely important to the security of this region and our country. we are doing all that we can to achieve progress for the accomplishments of the important objectives and afghanistan. in closing, i want to thank the members of this committee once again for your unwavering support and abiding concern for the more than 215,000 troopers deployed throughout the centcom area of responsibility and for their families as well. thank you very much. >> thank you very much, general petraeus. general, let me start with you, relative to the issue which i raised about the afghan army not being adequately released down in this out with a major fighting is taking place and will take place in the months

ahead we have thousands of troops and afghanistan and half of them are deployed in, and and kandahar -- in helmand and kandahar. how many afghan troops are there currently in kandahar and helmand and how many do we expect will be there in september? >> i would be happy to get that for you for the record. pf i could, rather, just provide the overview of what is that we are trying to accomplish in that area -- we touched on the importance of getting the afghans in the lead we had a video teleconference with the general mcchrystal this morning, in fact. secretary flournoy and i participate in that. pn that, and he described how he would use the additional

elements of the brigade going into the kandahar belts, the district surrounding kandahar city, to work with afghan partners so that they can do what president karzai also wants them to do, as he announced in the council on sunday, to the 400 or 500 or so local leaders there in discussing what is coming to kandahar province, and that is that afghan forces lead wherever that is possible. >> what percentage of the time do you figure they will be in the lead in this, heart operation? most of the time? -- this kandahar operation? most of the time? half of the time? >> it would depend on which component is. >> not the special force -- >> with respect to the police, but for example -- >> no, other than the police -- >> the afghan national civil

order police would be in the lead, with partners, but not by any means full numbers alongside them. they would be conducting operations, and they would be meeting in those. >> just on the regular army, give us an idea. the operations led by afghan troops or not -- >> i think the presence patrols will be ones that are that by -- led by the afghan forces, and the more high-end operations would require the integration of intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and so forth, that our end -- that are an important component of this effort, would still be led by u.s. forces. >> the isaf numbers are more than half of those afghan italians are capable of operating either independently

or -- afghan battalions are capable of operating either independently or with coalition support. there is a lot more battalions of the afghan army that are able to operate independently that we are using down in the south. what are we not, and what are the afghans not moving more of their troops down to the south for this upcoming campaign? >> first of all, they have moved more of their troops to the south, mr. chairman and secondly, they will move more of their troops to the south. third, there are other missions in afghanistan that require afghan troops. >> are they capable of leading most of what you call 5-end operations? are there afghan troops capable of meeting those "high-end" operations?

>> i am talking to very high-end -- >> i say leading -- >> those are dependent on u.s. intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance, that they don't have the ability, nor does any other force in the world, for that matter. what i think is probably more relevant would be more of the standard activities, the standard patrols, i think they have a capable to do, and are doing. they do secure large numbers of convoys, and, again, the presence patrols, the framework activity. when you get into the more challenging some areas, certainly in the difficult operations in marjah, at u.s. forces ended up leading the bulk of those. >> general, let me ask you wwether or not you continue to

support strategy of the president, which has the additional forces coming in, but more specifically, do you continue to support the july 2011 date for the start of a reduction in u.s. forces from afghanistan? >> i support the policy of the president, mr. chairman. as i have noted on a number of occasions, my sense of what the president was seeking to convey in december were two messages. one was enormous additional commitment, more than tripling the number of u.s. forces, the number of civilians, a substantial additional funds that you all have authorized for the afghan security forces, etc., and also, a message of urgency, and the urgency was in the july 2011 peace. noting that what happens in july 2011 is the beginning of the process of transition that is

conditions-based, and the beginning of the process of irresponsible drawdown of u.s. forces. -- a responsible drawdown of u.s. forces. >> you say you continue to support the policy of additional troops and the setting of that date, for the reasons you gave for laying out the urgency for the afghans to take responsibility, does that represent your best personal, professional judgment? >> uh, in a perfect world, mr. chairman, we have to be very careful with time lines. we went through this in iraq, as you will recall. i did set timeline, ultimately, in iraq. testifying before this body in

september 2007, i said we would start the drawdown of the surge forces in december. based on a projection of conditions that would be established. we are assuming that we will have those kinds of conditions that will enable that by that time in july 2011. that is the projection. that is what, again, we have supported. >> do i take that to be a qualified yes, a qualified no, or just a non-answer? >> a qualified yes, mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator mccain. >> again, there was a new ones to what the president said that was for important that did not imply a race for the exits, a search for the likes to turn off, anything like that. it did implied the need for greater urgency, and the target

-- i think, a number of targets that was aimed at included the leaders in afghanistan, i doubted the included some of our partners around the world, -- undoubtedly include some of our partners around the world and those in uniform. >> senator mccain. >> just a follow up, there is a great deal of confusion about this. you said at the beginning of withdrawal would be conditions- based, and contingent upon certain factors. yet, there is our recent book by -- a recent book by jonathan alter that basically quotes, "inside the oval office, obama asked general petraeus, 'i want you to be honest, you can do this in 18 months?'

'i am confident we can hand over to the ana in that timeframe.' 'if you cannot do it in 18 months, no one will suggest we stay.' 'yes, sir.'" mr. alter goes on to say that he was trying to turn the tables on the military, boxing them in after they had spent a year boxing him in. condition -- troops could come if conditions did not stabilize enough, or if they deteriorated further, that what undermined theepentagon's belief in the effectiveness of more troops. in the end, at the conclusion of an interview at his west wing office, vice-president biden was adamant. "in july 2011, you will see a whole lottof people moving

out." i don't know if the book is accurate. it has quotations in it. but there is -- honestly, general, there is a disconnect between the comment you just made in response to the chairmen and what is being depicted here in the president's repeated statements that in july 2011, we will begin a withdrawal. this obviously sends a message to our enemies that we are leaving, and our friends that we are leaving. and then there is an accommodation in the region. i guess, maybe, could you clarify the difference between what you just said and what is quoted in the book that are direct quotations? "i am confident that we can

train and hand over to the ana in that timeframe." "if it cannot do the things you say, and no one will suggest we stay, write?" that is a quotation, apparently a direct quotation, from the president of the united states. >> senator, i am not sure it is productive to comment on conversations that took place in the oval office -- >> i understand that. >> what i would come back to is what the president ssid at west point, and that is something that i support, as i just told the chairmen. that is that july 2011 is not the state where we brace for the exits. -- not the date where we race for the exits. we begin the transition to afghan security forces based on conditions, begin a process of

a "responsible drawdown" of our forces. >> do you believe we will begin the drawdown of forces in july 2011, given the situation as it exists today? >> well, it is not given the situation as it exists today, but for that time. i do believe that will be the case. >> you believe we will begin the drawdown in july 2011 and the projected plan -- under the projected plans that we have? >> that is the policy, and i support it, senator. >> well, i understand you support the policy. will conditions on the ground indicate that we will begin a withdrawal? in the words of the vice president, "in july 2011, you will see a whole lot of people moving out.

bet on it." well, do you agree with the comment of president karzai's former intelligence chief that karzai has lost confidence in the ability of the united states and nato to succeed in afghanistan? >> i do not, senator. as i mentioned earlier, we just did a video teleconference, weekly via teleconference, with general mcchrystal. he spent the bulk of the sunday with president karzai in the process of conducting the shura council in kandahar, going to and fro with him as well. in that process, there was certainly no sense on the general mcchrystal's part, nor on those of the others who were with him, that there was a lack of confidence in the united states commitment to afghanistan. as i mentioned earlier, the fact

that we have -- will have more than tripled our forces from january 2009 to the end of august, 2010, is of enormous signnficance. the same with the civilian force structure, the funding, and others. >> let me reiterate my admiration and respect, in general, for you and our military leaders -- admiration and respect, general, for you and our military leaders and the task before you. you are one of america's great heroes. but i continue to worry a great sending in the region aboutre whether we are actually going to stay or not, and whether we are going to do what is necessary to succeed rather than set an arbitrary time line. the best way to --

>> we are going to recess now for 10 minutes. we will recess until the call of the chair.

>> a live look here at senator

john mccain and lindsey graham. we are alive at -- live at a senate armed services committee meeting. you may have seen a few moments ago they were hearing from general david petraeus, who took ill. he has left the room. they gaveled the meeting into recess. as you can see, conversations going on at that hearing table. this. the house in session today. they are in recess until about 11:30. on c-span3, a hearing on the gulf coast oil spill. you are watching live coverage on c-span.

>> general petraeus appears to be doing very well, and we will

make a decision as to whether to proceed in hopefully a few minutes. he is eating and has enough water to drink coming in here this morning. he appears to be doing much better. again, we will make a decision hopefully in a few minutes as to whether we are going to proceed this morning or not. until then we will stand in recess.

>> we are looking live at the senate armed services committee. the hearing in recess now. they were hearing from general david petraeus, who took ill to read the word is from senator carl levin, who announced just a short while ago that he seems to be ok, and they are deciding how to continue the meeting. the hearings about the upcoming military campaign in the southern city of kandahar, traditionally a stronghold for the taliban. again, the committee is in recess. you see senator joe lieberman on your screen and now with senator lindsey graham. senators remaining in the room while they wait for a general

david petraeus to decide if he is able to continue with his testimony this morning. again, he appeared to take ill, left the room. the word from senator levin is that he seems to be doing fine. they are deciding how to continue with the hearing this morning. you are watching the live coverage on c-span.

again, you are watching live coverage on c-span of the senate armed services committee, in recess now. a hearing with the general david petraeus and defense undersecretary michele flournoy. a few moments ago, general petraeus took ill and left the room. senator carl levin announcing that he seemed to be ok and they are deciding how to continue the hearing. here is how the associated press

is reporting the story -- "general petraeus has been rushed from the hearing room. he finished answering a question by senator john mccain. mccain was responding when the senators stopped talking suddenly and aides began crowding around petraeus. he walked without assistance out of the room." that is how the associated press is reporting what happened just a short while ago here at the senate armed services committee. again, senator carl levin, who you can see on your screen talking with senators john mccain and joe lieberman, assuring those gathered in the room that it appears that generaa petraeus was ok, and they are waiting how to continue with this morning's hearing. you are watching live coverage on c-span.

we will continue to look in on the senate armed services committee hearing room.

[applause] [laughter]

>> senator, my apologies but a little white added that there. -- to build a light-headed there. senator mccain's questions there

--+ >> it was in mind. -- wasn't mine. you are ready to go. you always arborwood you are that kiid of incredible person but i have consulted with colleagues, and we're going to overrule you. >> control of the military action -- >> e would feel better about it. we will try to continue tomorrow morning. if you think 9:00 is fine -- you look great. but we would feel better secretary flournoy, if you a check your schedule or not, but if you could do that -- >> i would like to finish the thought i had when general petraeus felt a little ill. you are one of america's greatest heroes. we are glad you are recovering and we look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. >> thank you.

>> we know you feel better, but we would all feel better doing it this way carried we stand tentatively adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9:00. [applause]

armed services committee room, where a meeting of the committee has just been recessed by sh -- ccair, senator carl levin of michigan. that hearing was taking testimony of general david petraeus, who fell ill during it. you saw just a few minutes ago that the general did return to the room and he is fine. he said that he may have been slightly dehydrated. the hearing was adjourned. senator levin announced that they hope to resume the meeting tomorrow. we have a few minutes of the

hearing up to the point where general petraeus took ill, and we will show you that now here on c-span. >> well, do you agree with the comment of president karzai's former intelligence chief that karzai has lost confidence in the ability of the united states and nato to succeed in afghanistan, general? >> i do not, senator. as i mentioned earlier, we just did a video teleconference, it weekly teleconference, with the general mcchrystal. he spent the bulk of that

sunday with president karzai in the process of conducting the shura council in kandahar. going to and fro with him as well. in that process, there was no sense on general mcchrystal's part, nor on those of the others who weee with him, that there was a lack of confidence in the united states commitment to afghanistan. as i mentioned earlier, the fact that we have more than tripled -- will have more than tripled our forces from january 2009 to the end of august 2010 is of enormous significance. the same with civilian of force structure, the same with the funding, and the same with others. >> well, let me reiterate my admiration and respect, general, for you and our military leaders, and the task -- the

difficulty of the task before them. i think you are one of america's great heroes. but i continue to worry a great deal about the message we are sending in the region about whether we are actually going to stay or not, and whether we're going to do what is necessary to succeed rather than set an arbitrary time line, and the best way to -- oh, my god. >> we are going to recess -- we're going to recess now for a few moments. we will recess until the call of the hair.

>> a look at there at a moment in the senate armed services committee hearing, where general petraeus appeared to take ill. you saw him being helped by aides, and then rise and leave the room under his own power. he appears to be doing well. he came back into the hearing room, and spoke briefly, and then senator carl levin recessed the armed services committee for the rest of the day.+ that hearing may get underway again tomorrow. general petraeus appeared to take ill at the meeting and then seem to have recovered. that is the way it is being reported by "the washington post" and the associated press. we are going to show you this morning's proceeding up to that

point. we will begin with senator carl levin offmichigan as hh gaveled the armed services committee into session thii morning we will show you that until the house comes back into session. we expect that at 11:30. >> good morning, everybody. today the committee receive testimony on the progress in afghanistan from undersecretary of defense policy, michele flournoy, and general david petraeus, commander of u.s. central command. general petraeus, please extend

to all the men and women serving under your command the thanks of this committee for their tremendous service and dedication to the cause of this country. they deserve our support, and know our committee gives them the full support, and to the families as well. >> i will do that, mr. chairman. thank you. >> last month, a milestone was reached where more troops are serving and afghanistan and iraq. the news from afghanistan in recent weeks has been largely negative. .

the role of local power brokers including members of the karzai family and, the heart. the growth of militias and the counter productive activities of some u.s.-eyed private security contractors. the apparent differences with the karzai regime over reconciliation approaches with3 in a press conference last week, general mcchrystal acknowledged these reports, ut he emphasized that you have to step back and see the trend in a direction this morning, we want to hear from our witnesses on how they see these trends. my focus is and always has been on getting the afghan national security forces trained and equipped to take over thh responsibility for their country's security. doing so is the key to success

in afghanistan. general mcchrystal said at a press briefing last week, the afghan security forces are the strategic main effort, and they are key to the long-term stability ii afghanistan. repeatedly said of the goal of putting afghans in the lead in making them responsible for their future. afghan leaders have said they want to be responsible for their own security and their own affairs. there was a meeting held at the beginning of this month, and the 1600 afghan delegates adopted a resolution calling on the international community to "expedite the process of a clipping, a trainee, nd strengthening the afghan national security forces. so they can get the kit -- capability in taking a responsibility and providd security for their own country and people." but progress towards the goal of afghans taking the lead in operations has been unsatisfactory.

today operations in afghanistan are excessively dependent on coalition forces. in afghan and forces in and around kandahar city to create a rising tide of security. at a one to two ratio, ne afghan soldier oo policeman for every two troops, that is not good enough. our partnering goal should be at least a ratio of one-one in kandahar, and afghan troops should be in the league. in many if not boot -- most operations. having afghan units in the league is critical in kandahar because the likelihood of success is based on popular support. that support is at the heart of the ounterinsurgency strategy which is so well set forth by general petraeus. the afghan army has broad public support,,and even the afghan government has more than twice

the support that the united states does. polling numbers in "new york times" indicate that 90% of afghan support the kabul government over the taliban. but only 40% of afghans have a favorable view of the united states. the 100 verso elders that we met in southern afghanistan last year when we asked what they wanted the united states to do, they told us that we should train and equip the afghan security forces to provide for their own security and then depart. last week, general mcchrystal announced that the troops would slow the expansion of the afghan and coalition troop presence in kandahar to allow time to secure the support of local tribbl leaders for that effort. i trust general mcchrystal's judgment on the timing. he is right. it is important to get it right

and get it fast. and he's also saying correctly that when you go to protect people, the people have to want you to protect them. so i would rather delay a few months and have a few more afghan forces in the lead when the security presence is expanded in operations begin more forcefully than to have and i said dominated force attempt to secure kandahar few months earlier. our top priority is training, mentoring, and partner in the field with afghan troops and placing them into the lead in operations against insurgents backed by u.s. and coalition suppprt. currently, the growth of the afghan security forces is on track. nato training commission afghanistan, under the lieutenant general, reports that requirement for an afghan police and army now actually exceed monthly recruitment goals. these forces are above r they need to be to meet the and

strength goals for october 2010 of 134,000 army and 109,000 police personnel. what is disturbing and hard to comprehend, however, is that the training mission still the not have enough trainers the process all the afghan recruits who are signing up to join in the security forces. most recent available figures show that of the more than 5200 trainers that we need, only about 2600 are on the ground. secretary gates has deployed 850 u.s. soldiers and marines to afghanistan to serve as a stopgap. according to an may 29 report, the training mission has yet to receive 750 trainers pledged by nato members. further, last week, the nato secretary general announced that nato members have yet to pledge

an additional four hundred 50 trainers needed to meet training requirements. it is totally unacceptable that this shortfall persist. nato members who for whatever reason do not send an additional combat troops are going to intend to reduce our combat troop presence in the near future and should be willing to provide trainers to operate away from the heavy fighting. the question remmins. why are more afghan forces not in the lead in condor are using forces that are trained. according to figures provided by the joint command, 25 afghan battalions are able to operate independently. 42 afghan the troops can work with support. that is -- more recent data on afghan forces capability cast some doubt on the accuracy of that assessment from the afghan army's capabilities. but they do not explain why the

u.s. or coalition forces that are usually leading operations instead of the other way around. the afghan army has about 125,000 troops available, more than we do. but it is our troops that are concentrated in the areas where the fighting is heaviest in more afghanistan's future may well hang in the balance. so many questions regarding the afghan national army remained unanswered and perhaps we will hear answers today. troops leading securityarmy operations in the south? how many of in combat battalions and how many afghan combat troops are there in kandahar? the lead there? why aren't large numbers of afghan army troops from other areas member, are in preparation for the post? why isn't the ratio coalition of afghan troops in kandahar at least 1 to 1 instead of two coalition troops to one afghan? i know american troops are

better equipped and trained and afghan troops. the issue issnot forced on force. if it were, i would accept are taking the lead more often in kandahar operations. the issue is who can best connect with and protect the population of kandahar. as the afghan defense minister recently described the situation in kandahar, "is a different type operation. it is not like marcia. it will not be that kinetic." the afghan army can handle the population protection mission adequately and is equipped to do so. it is he hearts and minds of afghan, particularly the past june population in kandahar, that must be won over. the population wants security and wants it provided by afghans. having afghan troops among the afghan people is more accepted by the then. the coalition forces in the background providing support for those afghan troops.+ success in kandahar will be more likely with the afghan troops in

the lead. i will put the balance of my statement now in the record and simply conclude by saying that the afghan government and people need to demonstrate a sense of urgency, commitment to succeed in building a lasting peace in afghanistan. if the afghan government and people demonstrate a willingness to fight and assume increasing responsibility for their security and affairs, then the american people will be steadfast partners in that endeavor. senator mccain. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think our distinguished witnesses for joining us this morning to discuss events in afghanistan. let me thank you for your leadership of our men and women in uniform, especially those in arms -- harm's ay. as is well known, i believe that winning the war in afghanistan is a vital national security interest. i have said for years of the

best way to achieve the success is through a properly resource counterinsurgency strategy backed by strong civil military aad u.s.-afghan partnerships. for this reason, i have supported and still do support strongly the president's decision to increase our commitment in afghanistan. i will be brief, mr. chairman, and come right to the point. as i look at the progress of any war effort, i look of the broader trend lines. it is for this reason that i am deeply concerned about our campaign in afghanistan. many of the key trends seem to be heading in that direction, perhaps even signaling a mounting crisis. as an example, 10,000 additional nato troops are supposed to deploy along with our search forces. half that number, and it is not clear when or from where the rest of them will arrive. at the same time, the dutch and

canadian governments continue to plan for an m net withdrawal of their forces well just yesterday, the government of poland, which has been a maaor trooo contributor, called on nato to draw up a timetable in and the alliance's mission in afghanistan and withdraw our forces. marsha, ur troops are performing exceptionally, but it appears that we and our afghan partners have not been able to provide durable, consistent security to the population. not surprisingly, governance and development seems to be lagging. general mcchrystal recently referred to marsha american samoa and "bleeding ulcer," and questionnwhether we have enough troops there. rather than serving as proof that nato and the afghan government will succeed, which was the intention, i feel that marjah, at the moment, is sending a much more troubling signal. condor wassa successful war itself and could be determined,

i agree with general mcchrystal's recent comment that "it is more important that we get it right then we get it fast." that said, the delay in our operation is not projecting an air of confidence and success. to get kaadahar right, we all political military strategy.ted as far as i can tell, the political part of that strategy still is not there. i hear a lot about the number of civilians who are deploying in kandahar, but i still have not heard a convincing explanaaion for how we will begin to change the complex balance of power within the province, the troubling behavior of key local power brokers, the performance of the afghan police in the city, and the counterproductive contracting practices that we are dependent on. meanwhile, it is a very troubling that president karzai has decided to remove his minister of interior and his

head of intelligence, two of our most important partners in his government and two men and to be i do not know why president karzai made this decision. but the explanation given by his former intelligence chief, which we read in the newspaper this weekend, seems to have a ring of truth to it. president karzai no longer believes the united states will succeed, and it is shifting the result to a policy of accommodation with the taliban and the pakistani military. if true, this could be very dangerous. that is the larger trend that underlies all the others. eight mounting loss of confidence in america's commitment to succeed. it seems to be shared by both our friends and enemies in afghanistan as well as his neighbors. as our witness is no, especially general petraeus, a counterinsurgency is a battle

for the thoughts and allegiance of people. it is about demonstrating to those sitting on the fence that they should throw their lot and with our partners and us because we are going to win. no matter how much it has been explained and fixed it, the odds, the decision to begin to withdrawing forces from afghanistan arbitrarily in july 2011 seems to be having exactly the effect that many of us predicted it would. it is convincing key actors inside and outside afghanistan that the united states is more interested in leaving than succeeding in the conflict. as a result, they're all making the necessary accommodations for opposed american afghanistan. this is not to say that we cannot succeed. i think we can and must. but it is to say that with ongoing difficulties in marjah, the delayed offensive in kandahar, growing concerns about

the afghan government, a troop commitment still lagging from nato, and the final units of our own surge, not to set to reach afghanistan until september 1. and now seems increasingly clear that hoping for success on the arbitrary time line set by the administration is simply unrealistic. again, i would echo general mcchrystal. it is more important we get it right then we get it fast. that goes for kandahar and for the war itself. it is time for the president to state unequivocally that we will stay in afghanistan until we succeed. we need to begin a realistic debate abouu what it will take and how long it will take to achieve ourrgoals. i look forward to having that discussion with our witnesses. thank you. >> thank you very much. secretary. >> mr. chairman, senator mccain, and distinguished members of the

committee, thank you very much for inviting us here to testify today. i would like to give you an update on recent progress and remaining challenges in afghanistan. as you know, president obama announced a number of few refinements to our strategy last december including the deployment of a national 30,000 u.s. servicemen and women. today, over 18,000 of thess additional troops are deployed in the remainder will be in place by the end of the summer. our own troops will be joined by over 9000 international troops, approximately 60% of nato and partner troops are currently in place in afghanistan and more will come in the coming months. currently, the main operational efforts for icef and our afghan partners continues to be in the central helmand river valley in kandahar. the ffcus is on protecting the population and fostering afghan security and government capacity. so far, we believe we have been

making gradual but in portland progress. the coalition is contesting the insurgency more effectively, in the more places, and in with more forces. but the research is the is brazilian and resourceful. in april and may, we saw insurgent activity resume in marjah and much of central element. nonetheless, the nature of reason insurgent attacks is beginning to indicate a possible reduction in some of their operational capacity. for example, the percentage of complex attacks, those using more than one means of attack, has steadily dropped since its peak in february. the average number of casualties for attack is below 2009 levels local afghans in the region have also showed an increased willingness for reports of suspected ied's and caches. it shows growing pockets of confidence to ordinary people and the willingness to support efforts to establish security

and governance. in the kandahar province, we're taking a deliberate approach. gradually expanding our efforts to improve local governments in key districts as coalition and operations and improve the security situation gradually. some in congress have expressed concern about the impacts of local power brokers on our efforts in kandahar. we share this concern, and we rrcognize that there ways in which our own contracting practices actually had unintended consequences, concentrating wealth among a relatively small number of afghans who control companies large enough to procure contracts. general petraeus and ain romell and have made the two-start task force to examine our practices with a review to reducing these unintended consequences.. when we have evidence of corruption, we will also work with the afghan government to prosecute those who violated the law. let me turn to our efforts to

build capability and capacity. building an effective afghan national security forces, capacity remains key. both for long-term security and stability of that tennis dan and to our ability to transitions security responsibility and brought down our forces as conditions allow. while we're still short about 450 institutional traders, we have instructed the ratio for about one to 82 now one to 30. the afghan international are mesons it'll to meet our goal of 134,000 troops for fiscal year 2010. and nearly 85% is now fully partnered with icef forces. the police is on its goal, 109,000 police by the end of the year. we have increased the capacity to conduct a training by four

hundred% over last 12 months. and follow on training has been provided to both afghan uniformed police in key districts as well as the afghan border police. recent salary and benefits in addition to have addressed pay disparities, and these initiatives appear to be improving retention and attrition. literacy programs of also proven to be the positive incentive. further, we believe that rising numbers a newly instituted location schedules will further recruits -- reduce attrition. consequently, we believe ansf calls for 2011 are achievable. needless to say, the purpose of these efforts is to ensure regrets or transition of security responsibility to the afghan government. i want to emphasize here that transition does not, does not, mean and in mint or withdrawal. we're committed to supporting the people of afghanistan over the long term, and we will not

walk away from this amendment. nonethellss, we cannot and shall not remain in the lead combat role indefinitely. as the international military presence begins to shift from a combat role to advise and assist role, it will be vital to ensure a more robust and long- term international civilian assistance efforts focused on capacity building, governance, and development. we're working closell with the afghan government to plan for the transition process in may, president karzai and 40 members of his cabinet were here for about a week in washington for a strategic dialogue. and the kabul conference in july, the afghan government will present further plans for achieving progress in the governance and development across four ministerial clusters. we also expect to hear more from president karzai regarding actions taken to address corruption as well as plans for reconciliation and

reintegration. let me say a few words about reconciliation nd reintegration, because i know it is an issue that has generated a great deal of interest. all parties to the conflict in afghanistan recognize that in phe end, some political resolution will be required to bring this concept to a close. this recognition has driven the afghan government to begin to develop plans to reconcile in search of leaders and reintegrate low-level fighters. in early april, president karzai presented his in terms plan for reintegration. in may, a consultation of peace church decade president karzai conditional mandate to move forward in this area. the u.s. supports an afghan-lead process which seeks to bring back into society as those to cease the violence, break ties with al qaeda, and live under the afghan constitution and all of its requurements. let me conclude by underscoring that our overall assessment is that we are heading in the right direction in afghanistan.

and the 121 key terrain districts identified in december of last year, 60 were assessed at that time to be the sympathetic or neutral to the afghan government. by march of this year, then never has climbed to 73 districts. this and other indicators suggest that we're beginning to regain the initiative, and the insurgency is beginning to lose momentum. that said, the outcome is far from determined. it is only a matter of months since the president's announcement. when i briefed the committee in the figure, i said inevitably, we will face setbacks, even as we achieve progress. afghanistan and balls successes. these are long-term problems, and their solutions will require patience, persistence, and flexibility. but we are making progress. sometimes slow but we believe steady.

and we're confident that general mcchrystal will be able to show more crop -- more progress by the end of the year. we greatly appreciate this committee's continued support for efforts from the budget to our supplemental request. particularly, we appreciate your support for full arc -- for full funding, for coalition support funds, and support the commander's emergency response program authority, which we believe is a critical tool in the counterinsurgency fight. thank you again for inviting us here today for this discussion and for your support, your continued support to the men and women who serve in uniform and your support to enable progress in afghanistan. thank you, and i look forward to your questions. >> thanks. general petraeus. >> mr. chairman, senator, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on the situation in afghanistan and our execution of the comprehensive

civil military counterinsurgency campaign that is being conducted i note that it is a pleasure to do this with undersecretary of defense for policy, who i might note was a contributor to the conference to support leavenworth in january 2006. that launched the effort to develop and dropped the army and marine corps counterinsurgency manual. i will begin with some brick context. as you'll recall, senator the 911 attacks, an international coalition led by the .s. conducted an impressive campaign to defeat the taliban, al qaeda, and other associated extremist groups in afghanistan. in the years that followed, however, members of the taliban and other extremist elements graduully reconnected in the afghanistan-august on border regions and rebuild the structure is necessary to plan and execute in certain operations -- elements -- extremist elements gradually reconnected in afghanistan- pakistan. there has been demonstrations of

symbiotic relationships, ambitions, and capabilities that pose threats not just afghanistan and the region but to countries throughout the world. in response to the threat posed by these extremists, forces and afghan partners are engaged in a campaign intended above all to prevent reestablishment of transnational extremist sanctuaries in afghanistan like the ones al qaeda enjoy it when the taliban ruled afghanistan prior to 9/11. to achieve our objectives, we're working with our partners to rest the initiative from the taliban another insurgent elements, to improve security for the afghan people, to increase the quantity and quality of the afghan national security forces, and to support establishment of afghan government that scene at pegitimate to the eyes of the people. over the past 18 months, we and our partners have worked hard to get the inputs right in afghanistan.

we have work to build the organizations needed to carry out a comprehensive civil military counterinsurgency campaign. we put the best military and civilian leaders in charge of we will refine and develop plans and cons of some needed to guide the conduct of a comprehensive effort, and we have developed a substanttal -- we have deployed be substantial additional resources. military, civilian, funding, and so on need to implement the plans that have been developed. i know that the deployment of the 30,000 additional u.s. forces announced by president obama last december and their equipment is slightly ahead of sccedule. nearly 21,000 of the additional 30,000 as of the latest numbers are now in afghanistan. by the end of august, all additional u.s. forces will be on the ground except for headquartersswhich is not required until a month or so later. meanwhile, their efforts to

increase the size and capability of the afghan national army and police are also now on track. there clearly is considerable work to be done in that critical area and to sustain the gains it had been raped -- made recently in recruiting and attrition. as we conttnue the effort to complete getting the and it's right, the actions taken over the last 18 months, which include tripling the u.s. force contribution and increasingly similar lead the u.s. civilian component have enabled the initiation of new efforts in key areas in afghanistan. initial main effort has, of course, then in the central helmand river valley. u.s. and u.k. forces have made progress there, though predictably the enemy has bought back as we have taken away important centers. and marcia and elsewhere. the focus is now shifting to conduct our province, where the effort features an integrated civil military approach to security, governance, and

development. in the months ahead, we will see an additionaa .s. brigade deployed into the districts around kandahar city together with an additional afghan army brigade. we will see the introduction of an additional afghan police and u.s. military police to secure the city itself, along with other u.s. forces and civilians who will work together with the present canadian provincial reconstruction team that has been operating in the city. as you have heard general mcchrystal explain th, we have o expand thii overtime and establish the foundation of improved security on which local afghan government can be built. and that will enable and burbots in the provision of basic services and other areas as well. there'll be nothing easy about any of this. indeed, i noted several months ago during my annual hearing -- >> you're watching general david petraeus testifying earlier at a

senate armed services committee hearing. we're going to leave that. during his testimony, the general became faint and was ushered out of the rebel new returned later to a round of applause, and appearing to feel better. the chair recessed the hearing until tomorrow morning and 9:00 a.m. eastern. the u.s. house is just gavel back into business. one-minute speeches first, followed by a couple small business bills. like house coverage now on c- span. without objection. msjohnson: i rise today to discuss the imrtance of puing americans back to work. u ow, we cnotover turn the change eight yes of republican rule with the snap finger. however the decratic ccus is oits way to rtoinghis country'onomic well-being. e house passed small business and infrastructure jobsmuch e legislation would create

160,000 bs and expand succsful bld america bonds bridges.ols, roads,nd we also passed the summe jobs act whh eates 3,000 summer js,ppounities for we have seen anrease in d.p. and we have seen an increasen manufacturinand we have en a significt increase in economic indicators. as president obama sa, this is a nation where anyone with a good idea and the wi to work can succd. hard wo, i commend dallas' small businesses wch cr created hdreds of -- which have created hundreds of jobs. the speaker pro tempore:the gentlela's time expired. freshe gentlelady from tennessee se? s. blackburn: to address the house for one mite. the spker pro tempore: wiout objection. mrs. blackburn: ank you, mr. speaker. today i rse to praise two

outstanding high schools in tennessee's venth coressionalistri. collieille han houston high school both i shel county, tennessee have been nad by "newsweek" magazine among america's top high schools. only 6%f america's high schools make this list. this is an itant accolishment that comes beuse of hardnd diligent wo not ju fm sudents but faculty, staff principals, from parents, and from lo of participatiofrom the community. i congratulate the inpals, leasha justice ofoust, and tim suerland of collierville, along with the faculty and most importantly the students of both schools for allhe hard work that s led them tois important achievement. i yield ck the balance of my time. the speaker pro mpore: fro the gelelady from arizona rise? for what purpe does the gentlady from ariza rise? >>nanimous consent to address the house for one minute. search without objection.

mr kirkpatrick: mr. spker, yesterda spokes across america gathered together ceate our nation flag. for 233 yrs now, the stars and stripes been aniq mbol of freedom and democry across thelobe. it's a representatn of allwe are d all that w stand for. millions of young me and women ught and died for their country unr that flag and everday our service members risked their lives in afghanisn, iraq, and around the world to protect the identify dl irepresents. to burn or desecrate it is an insult to those who have ma the ultimate sacrifice tokeep us safand to those who heed build our great nation. it shoulde illegal and th congress should make it illegal by finly passing a constitutional amendment to ban the rning of a u.s. flag. every day this house begins its

wo by pledging allegiance to the flag of the uted states of arica. we need to liv up to that pledge. i yield bk. the speaker pro tempe: gentlelady yields back for what purpose does the ntleman fromoutharolina rise? mrwils: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without jection. mr. wion: mr. speaker, yesterday the united states army celebrated its 235th birthday. since the continentacongress first created e continental army to protect and secure or new nation, me and women have ntinued to make the ultimate sacrifice he name of freedom and independence. three centuries from the revolutionary war to d-day and the current global war on terrism and every day in between, america'soldiers have pformed bravely. the american military has achieve the the largest number of countries livi tday and histry of the -- in theistory of the world. i appreciate firstha the army as a 31-ye vetera of the ar reserve army guardy sefment also mfather serd

inhe armair cos as a flyingtir inhi a india. but more meaningful to me is that i havthree sons tay seing in the aratial gud. with my olde son an iraq veteraof the fie artillery. onhis 235thirthday,end my appreciation to those who serve or currely serving and especiallythose falynd friends of soldiers who paid thultite sacrifice in the defense of liberty. in conclusion, god blesour troops, we will never rget septemr 11 and the global war on terrorism. happy birtay, u.s. army. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? without objection. ms. u: the author, robin cookwrote that educion is morehan luxury. it is a responsibility that society owes toitself. r country far too often negligents-- neglectsthis duty. every year nearly 750,000 american teens becom pregnt. every year 70% of these new

teen mhers drop out school. everyear the lacof services to keep low-income parents in schoolfocus is problem on our nation most underprivilege communities. that'shy iave introded the king parents graduation and coege act. this bill would fund grants to help teen parent finish high scho and coe. it would childcare and counseling to lp them succeed t would let teenaren and their children lead better, fullerives. this basic support is the least we ow our young people. togeth we'll ensure t beginning of a new life doesn't mark the end of anducation. the speaker pro tempore: t gentlelady yields back. for whatpose does the gentlelady ffloridaise? >> to address house for on minute. the speaker pro tempore: without jection. ms. ros-lehtinen: ank you so much, mr. speaker. delhted to wish a happy bat mitzvah to a wondful young lady in congressional district, alex klein. she recently celebrateder bat mitzvah surrounded by family

and friends and chose to mark the casion with re than just a party b with a concert to benefit thoseless pregedhan se is. alex's kindness have made a difrence the lives the un patients of allen hospital and rehabilita center insrl . these patients havehysical disabities. alex has demonstrate ad matu beyond her yearan she serves as aole model for her llow teenagers. al seless cibutions ll provide much needed pport for thes patients and theiramiliein israel. thank . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for wh purpose does the ntlema ohio ri? >> ask unanimouconst to address the house for one minute. the spear pro tempore: witht jeion. mr. wilson: mr. speaker, tod i would like to diver some good news to medicare paicipants around th country. th week seniors who fall into the medicarpart doughnut

hole will begin receiving $250 checks in their mailboxes to help them cover their prescripon drug costs. th ione of many benefits for medicare participants included in the health care reform law the democrsasse earlthis year. ross the country, narly four millioseniors will be helped by these checks. over 9,000 pele wil receive this benefit. while dohnut he w seniorwill continue to see lower prescriptionrug costs. next yeathosexperiencing a coverage gap will receive a 50% discount on their bra name drs. m outoork h to improve medicare for a nior i yield ck the balce of my time. e spear pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from micgan rise? flora. >>hank yo mr. eaker.

i rise for the concerns i have heard fromhousands of my constituents. they tell me that washington hafailed to focus on economic recovery and yo know what they're right. last year the houseassed a massive national energy t known as cap a trade an it's simir to legislation passed in europe in the 1990's. itost eope hundredsf thousands ofobs and made virtually cnge or effect whatsoevern their envinment. if washingtoforces this bi on the arican public, itill kill more tan 2.5 million more american jobs. fortunately the natial ergy tax is now stalld in the sena and i surehope it stays there. with unemploymentear 10%,the last thing americ needs is more job-killinglegislation and more taxes. mr. posey: ameri does need to know tt congrss isistening to them. thank you,r. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro mpore: the gentleman yields bk the balance of his time. what purpose doethe gentlelady from nevada rise? ms. berkley: i re to address the house for one minute.

and revi and emy remarks. the speaker o tempore: out objection. ms. berkley: tha you. the republics in the senate e oce agn doing everythg they can to dtroy medicare for millions oseniors by blockiegislaon that will sthe 2 cut in payents t cts who care f our they say they are worried about the defi and payi the doc fix will add to the dt. excuse me, war figting two rs notai for have homeland security need no paid for. medicare part, not paid for. not a word from the sete republicans. but theyrewing a line on paying the doctors who eat medicare patients. this is ging tod to the deficit. t's stop playing politics medire. pay the doctors, and provide health carr miionsnd millio of our senior citizens and i yield back thealancef my tim the spear o tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for wh purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? >> to address the use for one minute. revi extend. the speakepro tempore: wiout objection. >> at its most fundamental

vel the ty of congress is to steward t revue. laly all congress has be doing is spending it through the first eit months of the current fiscal year e deral governnt amassed $1 billion in deficit spending. mr. smith: every pennyf debt acmuted must be paid for b without a budg the only ildren. spending rule is there are no rules. e deadline for the house o represtatives pass an budget has come and passed and we still ve nothg tow theamerican people. the budget process can be frtrating but that's what we are he to to make the tough decisions. familiessmall business, es, and statesave to p together a budget. congress must do theame for our country. we need a practical, rkable federal bdget which restrains spending a puts us on path to prosperity and economic growth. the speaker pro mpore: the gentlen yields back th balance of his time. for at purposeoes the gentleman from new york rise? without objection. >> today we are seeing the implementation of one of the gsn the healthare reform bill, payments of $250

to hp our seniors withh doughnut hol cerage. one of the things also going on about is fundamentareform with respect to waste andraud in the medicare syst. mr. murphy: ourfforts on tha front have beenramaticly improved by things in the health care billassed ier this yea givingedicare the power to do commonnse things thaany small business in erica would do. do better job ofeckingew providers as tey come into medica. do a better job ofutting people on pration and checking uon t that first year to make se ty are not abusing our system. there is a rampant prolem with waste anfraud and abuse in our dicare system. thhealth care bill passed earlier this year is making steps tobring that into check. a hring here in congss aut other tngs that we can do and testified about my legislation to put more tos in the hands of our law enforcent professional d c.s. to cutown on the wae anfrauin medicare. i ok forwa to connuing to work on this a

use the dars in medicare to provide heal benefits t our seniors not allow criminals to run rampan the speaker pro teore: the ntlemas time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman fromexas rise? >>equest permiion to address the use for one minute the speaker pro mpore: wit objection. mr. poe: mr. speak, free eech is under assault from islamic errorts worldwide. they usehrts and political correctness toilence anybody that speaksut about thr violent belis. dutch lawm gre wilder hamade a movie about these slassic clerics who inght violenn the name of relion. but the dutch government is putting him on trial for incitement to hatred thepessive dutch vernment sa it's irelevant the speech in t mov may b true you setheriso fr trade agreement speech inhe netherlas if a pers is critical of radical ism. freedom ofpeech is basic human right. pocal speech and relious speech are the most ntroversial types a speech. that is why th types of speecheshould be protected the most benjamin franklin said there

can be no such thing as public liberty wiout eedom of speech. wilders is a champn of public liberty d the free speech that guarantees that liberty that's just thway it is. thspeaker pro tempore:or what purposeoes the gentlelady from maryland rise? ms. edwards: to address the house r onminute the spear pro tempore: without jectio ms. ear: mr. speaker, i rise today with a heavy heart to mmend the lifof wesley brown. just 2years old, trooperrown was tally shot last friday trooper brown was a bve mala state plir understand -- police officer and a ris lead in oucommunity. the youngest of nehildren, he overcaenging childhood to serve marynd and beer the liv of e youtin prince georgia's county, through a mentoring ogram he founded, young men lighning younger men. in his observe words, trooper brown wrote tt he sounded the program to show the young men in the community th there's a bigger and brighter future aad of them with unlimited

potential. indeehe unlimit- lited pontial. a son of prince georgia's county, and an acmplished student of criminal justice, he waa testament to his n rds and a shing ght to all whom he encountered. i join the maland state police family l those with whom he served in -- griinthe loss of trooperrown. he exemplified the best ifur couny anhavingke within hisily, i know he was a wonderful son, broer a soon to beband. his death is a tragic reminder our law enforcement oicer s of th they face e day and the bravery theyhow to ensure our safety our thouts and prayers a with his family anfriends. thnkou and i yie bk e balance of my time. the spker pro mpore: the for what purpose doeshe geleman fm hawaii rise? r. djou: address the hse for one minute, revise and extends remarks. e speaker pro tempore: without objtion. mr. djou: mr. speaker, last nth i left thholu cy counciwith the great honor of

entering this chamb as a member of the uned stes house of representatives. last week my form chamber, the honolulu city council, passe its anal budget. the budgewa $3.5 billion. my positi is tt the budget passed last weekas too big a it increased tas by too much and increased govern size by far re than the citizens could afford but at least the city passed budget. it was $3.5 billion, t federal govnment will spend tt money in about fiveinutes. here today in mid june, the united atesongresstill has yet to pa a budget. the honolulu citycouncil can pass a budget for $3.5 billion, with t -- which the federal government will end in just a few minutes, it is the responsibilityf our vernment here in the unit stas congres pass a budget. we're spending far too muh money even worse than that, we e spending t far too much

money on programs tt are not woinand even worse tn that have nolans to pay them back. the speaker pro tempore: the ntleman's time has expired. mr. djou: thank u, mr. spear. he speaker pro tempore: r what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania se? >> ask unanimous consent to address thhousfor one minute. the speaker pro tempore: whout objection. i would ask my friends, mr. speaker,o take a walk down mery lane and consider where our economy w at thbegiing last year comred to where it is today. turnarnd ination has seen ar more than 30 years, going from negative 6%d.p. to plus 6% g.d.p. in the last quarteand we are currently in the midst of our fourth consecutive quarter of strong g.d.p. growth mr. tmire: we' had positive job growth forsix of the past seven nths and the stoc mark whichottomed out at 6,500 just before palsed the stimulus is over 10,000 today. housing starts are upconsumer

confidence is on the rise, the auto industry is comg manufacturs are increasing orders and hiring back tusands workers. no, everything ist where we wt it to be oen where we need it to be, but this have gotten better and the could be is congress ishe reason why.of the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the ntleman from ohio rise >> isk unamous consent to addrs the hoe for bhin. thspear pro mpore: without objecti. mr. boehner: the house is o months in ssing a budget. that timeunemployment has remained near 10% and t national de has now exceeded $13 trilln. lasteei gave the president a ttsigned by more than 100 top economists from around the couny that urg both partie to cut sg now in order to creatjobs and tboost our omy. less spending, more jobs, it ally is just thimple. but the president responded

satday night with aetter asking for another 0 billion in stimulus bailoutoney. thouspcifying where this moneyould ce from, the president asked us to patient with h adnistrationor its coinuing job-killing spending spree. now this money s from our kidsand grandkid who, this year, are going to get stuck with $4 -- 43 crenltt of every dollar t governmt spds, the debt's goi to be laid on them. the erican peoe e shouting at t top of their s, stop, and stop now. they're maki their voice it's heard thh youcut where more than0,00vouts -- votes have already been cast cut spending and today, on ericaspeakingout.com, paul ryan has postea an to reduce the budget decit. you can americaspeakingout.com right now and check out these ideaand vote on them in der to cut

spending quickly. the spear pro tempore: for at purpose does the gentlelady fromalifornise? to address thehous the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> od news, mr. speaker. the first $250 ches will be sent out -- have en sent o threweeks ahead schedule to about 80,0 peoe who are already in the doughnut hole. the restill be mailed at monthly intervals through the years as par of part rollees, four million in al hit thatap ms. watson: the one-time debate will be sent directly to anyone who falls in the medicare part d doughnut hole during 201 health care reform will eventually close thdoughnut holeompletely.

additional checks will beent to seniors who fl to the doughnut holeevery mthr so after that with a total of ound four milion seniors reiving these $250 checks in the mail. while the mecareart d progra h helpellions of senio obtpresipon drugs coverage, ere will be more. the speaker pro temporethe ntlewoman'time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlen from texas re? >> to address theou for o minute, rese and extend my marks. he speaker pro tpore: wiou objection. >> mr. speaker, the american people know whetheye bein ignored. congress justsn listening. unemployment is almt 10%,he national debt is skyrocketing past $13 trillioanvemore spending is comingown the pike maybe this week. dependency on the feral government is rising at an alaring rate a the democratics have failed toven propose a dget our founding fathers would not be pleased with this suation andeat neitr are the

american people. that's why i'm watching the empowermenproject, to get america back on track. mr. neugebauer: wst restore our founders' prines of powlent, byavinmo limited government, ireasing personal freedom and responsility and ving eater choices and opportunit the eernt project will work to highlight members' initiatives th empower the american people to prosper. our niocat thrive if it builon gernment dependency. it's time to put era ck on the path of empowermen ifou'dike learn me about e empowerment proct, you cago to my website at randy.house.gov. i yield back. the saker pro temre: the gentleman yies ck. for what purpose does the gentleladfrom pennsylvani rise >> reve and extendy rerks. the speaker pro tpore: without objection. >> mr. speer, each monthhe mbers come in, economy is growing in the united states. consumers agree. consumer confidce rose to the highest lel in more than two years this month. i believe our onomy is on the rebound largely beuse we are

making mov back to manufauring d production economy. and away from the paper economy of wall street. fothe 10th monthn a row.up mrs. dahlkemper: manufauring haadded mo than 125,000 jo this year. companielike acutech, a manufacturing of aerospace parts, have been perforng wel and ring new employees despite the recession. strong economy is one that makes things. prodes goods and productthat people want to buy he and all over e world. americans n- attitude and entreprenrship will continue to lead us out othis recessi. i amro to support our americ mufacturers and i urge my colagues to do the same and i yield back. the speaker pro tre: the gentleladyields back. for what purpose ds th gentlan fromontana rise? >> addre house foon minute. the speaker p tpore: without objection. mr. rahall: too many peoplin ston, d.c., are underhe impression that theecond andnnecessary.s -- obsolete

mr. rehberg: while we can stop gun control coness, proessis in washington, d., bureaucrats will use every tactic at their disposal to disarm the americanublic inuding banni firrms on public lands. that's why i've sponsored t ire armsreedom on federal lands act withepsentatives rob bishop and paul broun. this lislation carries the statutory protection of n rights preventing land management agencies from restrtingireas on publ lands as they ve done in the past the n.r. has endorsed this measure an i he that my colleags will follow their leadnd co-sponsor this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: e gentleman elds back. for what purpose does the gentlelady fm nevada rise? address the house for one minute, revisendxtends the speaker prmpore: without objection. ms. titus: mr. speaker, i rise today to celebrate the liff barbara greenspun whose recent death mas the end of an era in

neva. with her sad psing we have lost markable individual o gave so much oherself to our community. together, ha and barbara pored their heart and soul to into thlige sun, showina coit thament wod tuhe paper into a leadg publication. then ming behind the scenes to publish after hank's death, barbara ilt up his lacy as the paper earned journal. i's most prestigious award, the litzer prize. known for her gre and generous spirit, she alscommitted herself to a nber of importan causes, includinhigher education andwon's hlth that touchethe lis of so maybe. while will be truly missed her legacy will live onhrgh heremarkable fame, t lanark fund the continu exllence of the "las vegas sun." the speakepro tempore: gentlelady yields back. wh purpose does the gentleman fr texas re?

>> address the house for one mute, revise and extend. thepeaker pro tempore: wiout objection. >> mr. speak, the often forgotten dictum iwashington is that toovern is to choose. it ito choose between the dizzying array wants, wishes and needs of the american peoe whe constrained by the cotitutional, physicalnd polical rallies othe day. sadly the leadership ofhe rity of this house h puntd on choosing anything. y've ignored fiscal realit of our present condition and the constitional limon our authoritd simply eed whatever they cou twist enoh arms to pass. this ma -- majority's made omises it cat keep with moneyt does not have. mr. conay: more evidence of the speaker's refusal to pass a dget this . the most fisal dunt our budget has. it's a ttamentf the taxing anspending our government do it sets the bories for the ending debate andhoosg not to pass the budgetspeaker isaing iherlitto leadthis hou. to date, the amer people

have voiced suppt for over $60 billion in hard choices. mr. spker, we are a nation governeby theeople, the people are not being heard and is congress is not listen. i yield back the speaker pro tempe:or what purposdoes the gentleman fr pennsylvaa rise? no, the gentleman om tennese. >> revis and extend my remks and speakor one moment. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> iant to tt jobs where we were, where we are and whe hope that will in the next 10 years. in the lt three months of 20, we losan average of possibly 650,000 bs per month. first quarter o2009 w us se over 700,000 jobs per mth. in the first qarter of 2009, our economy shrunkby 6.4%. we stopped the bleeding we've added jobs in six of th last seven months, eraging almost000 jo. t majority originating the privat sr.

this pe continues, this admintrion durihis time wi have addemore job one year than the previous bush administration d in eight year . davis: i repeat, one year compared teightears our economy grew 3% for three straight quarters of economic growth, 9% in 12 months. household grew for 10 straight months. regaining nearl30%, rillion, of household weth wiped out during the former bush adminiration in hifinal 18 months. we've stopped blding. economic causes of thi congress, investing ameri. there is nsnafu -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has eired. for what purposeoes th gentmafromennsylvania rise? >> request unimous consent to address the house for on minute, revise and extend. thepeaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, the house of representatives passed buet every year since the congressional bt act took effe in the fiscal yr 76.

thompson: to be letly accurate, tre wertimets when a nied budget was not passed by both houses but this is the fist time the hoe of reprentatives has sily decided tre's too much power for t amecan people to see the numbers at they are pursug they're going to st the game before the coin is even tossed. weave more than $13 trillion in debt in a presidential budget that puts e deficit of $1.6 trli and s$3.8 trilon. even fed chairman ben bernanke says this budget is, quote, unsustainable. facewithimilar challens in your rsonal budget, thee is talk aund the kitchen table, the children's allowances would be cut, alongith many oer uxuries. its that discussn the undethe theory that if they ignore it, it mighto away. ortunately the debt will n go away. thpain will traferred for our children and grandchildren in the hopes thathey will ve the guts to face realit i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: at purseoes the gentlelady from ohio rise? without jectn. ms. fudge:hank y, mr. eaker. mr. spea congress must decide wther to protect the interest of a few deceiv banks who ruin the industry for otrsr t protect the hardrkg americans ofhis nation. usdemoats have already decided, we dided to choos main st ove wall street. we hav decided tohoose pares o want t their chiren and fr people who are saving for rement. havided, mr. spker, that the americanple e more important thane overalous bankers. mainining the status quo is t the answer. look at what the current situation has done fr arica. eight lliojobs were lt without the safegrds to protect main street. millions of homes were taken in foclosure due to subprime mortgagechemes. american peopldeserve and want bett. a cnn poll shows six outof 10 americans upport wall street re. reicans have blocked efforts to protect americans

house epublicans voted unanimously against the wall street reform and consumer otection ac th act would rorm wall stetreform executive pay, and end taxpayer funded bailou, and hole banks and financial firms accountable to the american taxpayer. congreional republican are kingacoom deals with the nkers. the speaker pro teore: the gentlelady's time has expid. for what purpose does the gentleman fromalifornia se? >> to address the house forne minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objectn. mr. drer: at this timeast year we forthe first time in the 221year history of our republic saw the appropriations process shut down. completely st dow never beforead that happened. it wasifficult to imagin that anything could done to opardize andndermine openness, transparency, and accountability thashutting do the appropriations process. well, . speaker, it's hard to believe but this democratic majority has gone one step

fuher. incomprehensible, but they have now decided noto pa budgetall. now, theast 17 tnessed an 84% increase in nondefense discretiary spending. and we all owthat adget is a blurint,n absolutely esntial if t majority is going me any attempt whsoever tgovern. well,r. spr, ty have iledthe process and now they have failed to co forward with ev aget. ourhildrennd our grandchildren deserve bett. speakepro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tex ris >>o address the use for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. recent gallup poll tells us the ameran people ranked growing debt in this county the ngle mt tening issue to the future of our country's well-b. mr. crter: the amecan public

inheir hom face a debt crisis, the first thing ey d is prepare a budgetso ty can live within theireans. and start to reduce thr de burden. but this house over the democratic -- under the democratic leadership has chosen to prepare no budt. fact fothe fit time in modern budgetary history, they are telng u tre will be no dget hhis house this ye. mr. speaker, the american people are crying out for u to t control of our snding. how ca we controlurpending without budget? it a crying amethere is no budget. no wondewe gt issues with jobs. by the way, whenou're trying to creatjobs, wh do you shut down a mjor industry ithe gulf and killens of thousas of jobs u and down the gulf cot by stopping and dilling the gulf mexico the spker pro tempore: the ntleman's time has expired. for wh purpose doethe nanimous consent to address

the house for e minute. the speaker o mpore: witht objection. mrsession:hankou, mr. spker. mr. speaker, todayepublicans are on the floor of thouse of represeatives speaki out on behalf of themerican peop that we bieve that the leadership of thisouse representatives ould bri forth budget. a budget that would givehe american people more confidence in this body. peoplehoave cfidence in of the leadershi of the house presentatives,he abili to ts country in a direction tha bring us clos to jobs and addressing the issues of this nation. just got the budg number that come in fr my, and thugh the may of this year we a $936 billion deficit. mr. speaker, the american peop understand that must have a road map. where we become eloyerack

tion again. taxing spding, and unemployment wnoleads that way. i urge this house leadership, the docrats, plee bring forward a budget wherthe american people can be part of this debe. i yield bac the speaker pro mpore: the gentleman'time has expired. r wh purpose does the leman from arkansas rise? thoujection. >> thank you, mr. spker. sales are suffering, the economy remains stagnant, and millions of hardworking americans are looking orwork. mr. boozman arkansans believe therecent obama-peli alth ca bl, cap andrade, a other job-kill tax increases will hurt not help our struggng economy. we shotake action to help busisses get on their feet by fosingn j creati as posed to some of the milaced prries new taxes and health care maates a haring smaller

rms and nesses. the so-called stimulus bilis t creating long-tm bs but is increasing the budget deficit an sendinghe bill plus interest to tomorrow's taxpayers. congress must stop growi the tax burden and cting b-killing policies tax relief a incentivesor small bunessesould help all americans, eecy the ddle class and gt o econy back on trac key to this wll be fisl discipline. now is the time to put acap on washingt spendingand focus on the economic issues that matter id of further ating e nationalt. withhat i yield bk. the speaker prmpore: the gentman's tias expir. for whurpose does the gentleman from california rise? wiout objection. >> mr. saker, we just heard a very interesng oneinute presention that didn't mak ch sense. mr. garamendi: we have a wod of hur.

people are unemployed. jobs in local gornmentsnd ir state overnnts and teachers are going to be laif across this nation. and to simplsay we need fiscal discipline doesn't solve this pblem. the democra put out with on republan vote an americ than a year ago,ndit really worked. peop did g jobs. things were done. inasture was built. continue that and we ed to keepeople g. yes, we need fiscal dscipline. and i would wcome any idea from the replicans how ty are goin to do that than simply say there ought to be. yes, thereught to be. t need ght now to put people to work. the's a program that's ble that will be comg up that will stie small businesses it puts rwar major r the small busine administration to support loans. we also need to ppor the local governments. yes, it's going to cost us some money in short-tm, b we ha a coice.

pele to work or havewelfare. i eoe ork the speaker pro teore: the ntleman's time hasxpired. for what purpose dthe gentlemafrom indna rise? >> unamous consent address e house foone nute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without obction. mr. pee: the oil spill inhe gulf is widening tred of epic prortion. b.p. must be held accounable foevery me of cost that will affect the famils and envirot and the communitie of our gulf region. and this adnistration must be held responsibl respsible for failing to ove the kindfnergetic leadershiphe amecan pele expectnd the law demands. what's obvious to american across the political scum is this administration has been a day la since day one. unleo make this crisi a natialriority, we w hear that the president ispoised tonight to go te oval office inhe midst -- to the ov office in the midsof explaini the federal resnse

to this crisis a use it an oppounity to press for a clate change bill. th american peop don't w this administration to exploit e disaster in the gulf to vance their disarous energy policy. erica eds a new energy policy. the cap and trade w't cap that well. this administrion should work th problem in t gulf instead of workingheir liberal environmental agenda. e speaker pro tempore: the gentleman'me hasxpir. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado ri? permin addrehe usfor one minute. revisendxtend. the speaker pro tempore: thout jen. mr. polis: is lasteekend i was pa after delegation to mexico, as part of the u.s.-mexicparliamenty exchge this was the 49th an u.s.-mexico rliantary exchge and i rise day to emphasize the importance of the u.s.-mexico lationship. our topics included three major areas. we tald about border serity, what we need t do on bo sides of the border to imove security. to reduce the flow ougs om mexico into theuned

stes. and reduce thelow of weapons fromhe united states into mexico. we talked about how toxpand our economic parnership eate js in both nations. meco denng on how you measure is our secd or third largest trade partner. and finally we tlked about immigratn. however fstrating it is for the united states to deal wi this iss, it's even more frtrating for mexicoo see many of their best and ightest fleeing northward and the mexican gernment resolved takection likewise ion our couny to replace a broke immigration stem with one thatoror e united state i yield back. the spker pro tempore: the gentleman ds be balae of his te. for what purpo does the ntleman from california rise? without obction. mr.ngren: we have heard today some comments friends on the other side of the aisle about fiscal responsibility and creing jobs. the one thing hav't heard from them is athing about th buet. if they were from hollyood they would be up here saying w

don't need no stinking budget. thewere involved in presidenti politics a few years ago,hey'dsay, wre thbeef where's the budg? fiscal responsibility starts knowing wheou arend whe you're goin every mily in america adopts a dget. bui gueswe are t big to fail we're o big create budgs because wean just print money after money after ney. the fundamenta proposition is, as stated by the chairman of the budgetommittee a couple years ago,f you can'tudget, you can't govern. they have told us they can't budget. they are png to u ey can't govern thprlem is this is not a game this is not a hollywood vi this is real life and real peoplere hurting. les ge downo heusiness of helping people being responble re and let's start with a budget. everybody understands that. the spear o mpore: the

for what purpose does e gentleman from arkansas ? without jection. mr.peaker, american deserve a nancial system that protects their savings and their money. until this congressassings the wall strre package, erica's families and sll businesses are at risk. mr. sner: byupporting reform we support the financia stability that supports b creati. effective regulati is the biased refer that rotects as we mpete. evyone benefits when sll business can get loans. yesterday's laws do notrote today. i commd chairman fran and chus. el back. the speaker pro mpore: the gentleman yields bthe balance of hisime. fowh purpo does the maomouisiana ris >> asknanimous csent t address the e for one minute. the spear pro tempor witht objection. mr. fleming: mr. speaker, the sein o obamacareo the americ publicas been trade marked by one ety promise

afr another. on september 9,2009, president obama infamously promised amerans, and i qote, if you are ong e hundreds of millions of amerins who ready have heah insurae thh yo job, nothing this plan ll require u your empoyer to change the coverage othe doct you have. twist the ama ministration released dra rations indicating that to 6 of employer provided plans may be rced to change their health pls when the new health care mandates and requirents begin. speakelosi was quoted as saying tt, we wll he to pass this bill tfi out wh's in it. as t fine print iseing placed we are learning bad news daily about this unpopurw. mr. speaker, i aga ask, how many promises will obacare have to break with themican peleefore we repeal this

distrous legtio i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemas time hasxpired. for what purse does the gentledy from illiisise? >> taddress theouse for o minute. revise and extend. e speaker o tempore: without objection. ms. sckowsky: about 80,0 senior cits and people with dibiliesave already fallnto wh wehe doug hol what is that? th is a gap in medicare prescription drug coverage and the resulof, you kw w just heard critism of -calledmacare, tt the republicans pass call mecare part dut what it sas thatrjones after a certain am of ney that has ben spent on her pription drugs, stan in ne at t drugste and ss i' ordering a refill of my prescripons and the druggi , ll, mrs. jes, that wi be $100. she says whado u mean? i thought i was iured. they said, oh, , you have

gone over e amount of money thatheovernmwill give you and now u' going to have to pay $3,000 - 3,000-plus dollas outf pocketo get re ai well, weinally have done someinabt that. and checks are going to start goin out this wk to people, the0,000 that have fallen into the doughnut hole, of $250. try a help them pay for that. we are going to hand out this pription drug doughnut hole. the speaker pro tempe: the gentleman's tias eired. for what pur ds th gentlelady from washington rise? >> tha you, mr. speaker. i k peission to address the house for one nute revisend extend. . it's time the speaker o tempore: without jection. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: you knadershipuires making toh desions and ye we stand re today as members

of congress witthe majori not en sending us a budget. the obamadministration did propose a budge it wa $3.8 trillion funded with revenue thad $2.2 trillion. the majority doesn't even seem owwhenn spratt -- when dt. we re in the marity and john spratt said if you can't forwd a budget you can't govern and yet today don't s a dget all across this country, amerifamilies have had to readdress their budget, make tough decisions in their family households. that's whatou do ring difficult times. businesses have had make tough disions andet this congress is refusingo make the tough choices. instd, we coinuehe dicit spendg, passing on dt to the nexgeneration. erica deserves better. our ildren and our grandchildn deserve tter than connued deficit spending. e eaker pro tempore: the gentle'sime has expired. for what purse doethe gtleman from minnesota rise?

>> to address the houseor one minute. the speer pempore: without objectio thankou, mr. speaker. rise today to calon members of congress d thwall street orconference committ to stand for hardworking amerans and send us a strong ll that protects the inrest of those on main street wh have been paying and will cotinuto pay the price for waeet excesses. mr. walz: over the pa few weeks i have en meeting with small business owners like one minnesota. community leaders like the mayor and all of them have deliverea very sple message, we st end too big to il by ensuri large fincial firmare allowed to fail wit burdening the taxpayer. we must protect main stet sisses a consumers from greedun amuck community banks, creditnions and auto dealersps need to be ved. i urge members of congresto send us a tough bill tha restres accountability and

transparency to america. i yield ck. thspear prtempore: the gentleman eldsk. at purpose ds the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> to address the house for one te. th speaker pro tempore: witho oection. >> mrspeaker,he american ople deserve better from their elected leers. vital funds to potect our troops are being held hoage and rious oposals to deal with our soaring national debt aren't even being discu in this body. mr. gers: the brave men and men fighting our enemie overseas have bn waitinfor cong approve an erncy to their operatnsce fery over four months later still onlybroken pmises d missed oppounities for bipartisahip. t on has the majority pay repeatedly iledo deliver

funds for r troopsn harm's way, they bypasseregular order. o commtedeliberations, no markups, no offer of amendments and no input from t it's national disgrace. urgehe congress to support our troops. thspear pro mpore: the gentleman's timeas eired. for what purpose does the r. speaker, i k unanimous se? consent to address the house for one minute the spker pro tempor without objection. mr. baca: this week the chamr will consider h.r. 5 the sml buness lending fun act. wilprovide pital to the american all business. this bso includes a boost toste lending programs, proving $2 bilon in funding tnew and existi program crs thcotry. small busiss arehe backbos of the arican economy and eate t out of three jobs in this coury.

our economy hasegan to show signs of grth and recory and our largest financial stitions have stilized. it ime to assist locaand commity banks who provide th bulk of the capil to sma business number one priory rwd ane aclish our goals and p restore the publifaith in our ecy. i ue my coleagues to vote yes on h.r. 5297 when it comes before us. thank you and i yield back the lance of my ti. the saker pro tempo: the geleman yiel back. for what purpo does the gentleman from new rsey re? >> i asknanimous consent to addrs the use r one minute the eaker pro mpore: ho objtion. >> mr. speaker, it's now monthsehind the coressiona two deadne with no budget relution in sight. in the past it was just another failure t majorityarty. but th year's diffence. this enormous government spending increas o budget.

we're spending $1.4 trillion than we are bringing . mr. frelinghuysen: it ck passed $1trillion ad media reports sd it would balloon over $15 trillion by 2015. and how do we finance this debt? when american filiean usinesses fi themselves orof casy their spending. when thfedel governme finds self wita rerd defite borrow money. fr whom? thehinese, the panese, from e saudisand weay interest onhat deb, hundreds of biions of dollars each year. we must better. mushave a budget resolution. ust cut spending. d i yield ba. thspeaker o tempore: the geneman ylds back for what purpose does e gentleman from connticut rise? >> to address t houseorne extend. nd to revise a the speaker o mpore: wiout objection. m murphy: i ranor congres four year ao because i saw the puican to turn the

power over to tir frids, the insurance indury, the oil dustry and thbanking industry. i wonder at kind of stimulus billhey wod have written last year if th were stilin charge. it's differenthan the one at's on the gund in connecticut. one th has put funds in a small socompany in bethal, conneicut, eati jobs d renewable energy. atimulus llt just pened up newarly head star programn danbur connecticut, employing0 peop immediately and creang a lot of job opportunities f the parents o now ha childcare. it would have be very dierent than the bill that gave millionandillions in tax credits toide and lower-incindiduals in connecticut that allowethem to go ouand create a retail research. e imul bill would have been doneery differently under the replicans. democrats in chge, e money went to the right pe. eld ba. thker pro tempore:he gentleman yields back. for what pur ds the gentlan fronnlvania >> to dress e use foe mine and to revise d

extend. the speakepro teore: wiout jection. mr. pitt m speak, this week violence flaired up in kurdistan prompng thousands of uzbeks to flee their home and seerefuge in neighboring unies. innocent people,luding women, childrennd the elderly are sufferinth over 100 killed. just otwo months ago they pposed t authoritarian president whpromlyled to larus in protection of e goverent. approval of a new constitution and genel elections re proc smoothly untithe recent vien which was president.osing the ven withhe prese chaos, the interigove is insistthat the dof electns remains unchange ins me vienn their land. t u.s. wants to keepur air forcba in kurdistabut we've shown le inrestn nation build reap lick that's free of corruption. even chinand rssre

lendi their suppo with humanitariaaid. we neepresident obama help a nation struggling to create democracy and frdo to trengthen their independence and sovereigy. if without action on theart of the u.s., violce wil continue. he speaker p tempore: the gentleman's te has pid. for what purpose dthe gentleman fromalifora ri? >> to aresshe house for one minute ando rese and tend withoutecon.pro mpore: >> thank you very muchmr. speaker. i rise tay as co-chair of the congressional cauc to remind is nthat we should not let an oilll ruinur vaction. isasterive pplaway from wreverthere is disastrous incident. inhe gulf stes, local urism is suffering from it. mr. farr: it's suffeng from the greatest oil spi in aricahistory. mr. president, when youddress e tion tonight, i hope you ll urgth to visite gulf stat, to shorup the

local economy, and have b.p. pafor that urism promoon. i urge you to ha the coastal state governors support a regnal tourism an for te gulf states. for isummerfor now, immediately. it is disaster of this proportion is a disaster of tional significae. it's time that we as a tion respond by ngur money and our me in those commities most affected. god bless ameri, let's promote tourism. the speao tempore:he chair requests memberobserve the decorum of addressing comments tgh the for wh purpose does the lady from wyoming rise? m. luis: to addss the house for one minute anto revise and eend. without objeion.tempo: lum -- mrs. lummis: mr. speake wn

you ani d the ameran pele want to st a siness, go to a bank and have to present a busess plawith income projecons and where we're going to get theoney to pay the debt we're requestg ba.whn statef wyoming doing a budget, it pojects its venue, andvery month we see much mon we've colltepursuant to thse ojections. d if we dot have enough ney we c our budgets. in washion we doeven have a budge first timeince974 this house does have a budet at's irresnsibleat's not leersh. mrspratt was right. if you can't budgeyou can't govern. and this is a peect example, mr. speaker. i eld back. the speaker pro tempore: th gelelaies ck the balan of heme. for whaturpose ds the gentleman fm iowa rise? >> addresshe house for one minute. the spe pro tempore: hout objecon.

>>r. eaker, week ago i was in louisna for a fid hearing on the b.p. deepwater horizon oil dister. wheard compelling testimony om people whe lives re devastated, cludg two wids who lst tir husbands on that rig. we flew over the site ofha disast and as ey oned the rear hatch on the ple, you can see the burnoffnd smell the overpering steh ofil coming off wat. mr. braley: the otheride said off whenit comeso d be hands velopnt, and b.p. is let sissesisrepresent to o this country what theye planning do the wab.p. when they knew that it was a 99%hance of a blout during theeriod of thilease d still got a waiver from many deep inteiv environmental impactlysis before that well was explored. weave to hold thispany accountable for the americ people, the arican taxpayer they crted this oblem.

this ist happens when we stay haofand don't keep peple accountable for r conducani yield back. he speer p tempore: the fowhat ppo does the pire tlelady from ohio rise? >> toddress the house for one minu and trevise and extend my rarks. the speaker pro tempore: without jection. mrs. smidtspending is of control. they ran a monthldeficit of 87 billion, that's almost $8 billion in just one nth. unfornately, the democrat majority has done nothing to reduce spending. ovall enng h only ne sincey've been in power. perhapshe most outrageous thing is that the majority is not even trying to pass a bu whichwod give us a ework to rein in runaway spending budgting is the most basic ty of gorning. t, he we are two months bend the deadline to produce a deral dget and it dot appear thisouse will produce one.

this will the firstime since 1974 aven pd a budget. failing toonsider a et doe't make the oblems go away. it simply ovides me proof that e currenleadership in ngresshas no plans f dealing with thet and decits that continue to rise we cannot keep laying the curreinancial bdens on our children and our grandcren. ey can't afford itnd we can't afford it. let's pass a budget, reduce spendingrein in d get ouels back in contl. spker prtempore: for atrpose does the gentleman fr iowa se >> to address the house r one minute. epeaker pro tempore: without ction. . >> mer, two yea a wa experieed their greatest disaster. we have madeaming progress but two yes ter theris still damage in small and le columbus juncti, ced le, rapids, and iowa city.

many homeoers are struggling to recover stilland many sml businesse have been occesrelief progms bau of re tapele of all this on top o an economic d tu. .sa: governnt we need tocut down on red ta and improvefficiency. i thinwe cll agree. wi disasr relief thi is evenore importantcause effective assistance is absoluly itic to communities'bility to cover. communies e so trying to mitigate future ooding ugh a variety of structura and nonstructural means. i ll continue to work with city leaders, homwners, and busses to ere that we reducenefficiency and t ances of another devastating flood likehe one we expeenced in iowa two yrs ago. i yield back the balance omy time. the spear pro tempor the geleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from liaise? without obction. mr.ao: . speaker, the ol sasterthguf mexico

has caus great emic impact to my distri ndds of businesses have closed andhoandsf peopl e out of wor and th moratorium impod by theminiration pentially caal cause louisianians thousands of js. yet the is a very sime solution to allow the admirationhe timit needs to rew t safety and to implement pedures f the deep oil industr at the same time prerve e jobs i uisiana. low the oil companieto do illing. allow them to drill but d not allow them to tap to the reseoir modern technologalws companies to know eactlywhere e l . wh this partial drilling does is pserve the jobin losiana dri a t whene

need the unt of revenue that theyoud t sstain this econy to helthe pe to brinabout teir l the spear pro tempore: the geleman's time h expired. for what purpose does the nt fronorth caroli ? se ms. foxx: permissiono addrs the use foonmite, mr. eaker. the spkepro tempor without jection. ms. foxx: k you,r. eake soone once saidif youan't buet, you can't gern. those wos came from m diinguished colleaguerom south caroli, current chairman of the budget commite. utd th in 2006 as nking memb of th committe e question is, what does that me this congress? today weface a budget deficit five tes large tn t e that congress fein 26or $1.4 tllion. and here warewo mth st the budget deaine aher no budget. unpressidned sending, unprecedented de and no budget.

it's only eighmohs to the currenfiscal year and the feral governmeas racked upse to $1 trilli in new debt. eaker,t's ti for this ngress to provit can gorn and debate a budget if today recd breang cits aren't ason eugh to debate a budget, i don' what is. i yield back. theaker o teore:he gentleladyieback for what purpose does the gentleman from californi? >> to address the house for minu. without jection.mpe: >> family's deeply in debt, bills are pili up, your credit card interest i ting u alive, finally you ek t hp of a what's the firs thing that de counselor's going to say? intoay the fir thig we got to do is sit down and sket out a family budget. we all know that it's har work, it's painful bu's absolutely necessary ifou are goioet your ns bacder control. mr. eaker,ur national debt

is fast apprchg the siz of our entire econ yet while this house has all te t the world to considerthe mo trivial matters,t can't spare thti to devep a national budget at the very moment in the fe oour nation whewe ed one the most. beforee bury rhildren in bt. churchill once spoke of a low gust -- low cust -- locu generation i wo ihat's what we he become. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore:for what purpose does the gentlema from utah rise? thout objection. mr. bishop: mr.ak, with no budget or overall spending pl, the administrn appantly wants atleast othe25 billion toave the jobs local government rkers. yet at the samtime the governnt or e administration space plan will d0,000obs, man them --any of them scientis anengineers whore working the privat sector. is the y ki of wondewhy

so many people wching what we are dog in washington suer om policy whiplas it'slmost if ts ministrations sang if y are a vernnt worker wll pend bend over bckwardso help, you a in t pivate seor, eaps scientist engineeryo better hope wal-rt is ring. i yidk. e speaker pro tempe: the ntleman yields bk e balae of his tim r at purposeoes the gentleman from georgiaise? >>o address the house for one minute. thspker pro tempore: without objectn. mrbroun: m speaker, congress recved a srpri saturday night. la in the eveni pesident obamsent a letter to republicans and democr requestingn additial$50 billion iemergency stimus funds. afr juifying his spendingequest, preside obamaxesse new-fod inrest fial sponsibili. heurged wash to "establi a fiscal

reonsibudgetth, scipli the bt process, and ensure a sustaible and responble lonterm budget." i havete question what et? for the firs time since 1974 democrats in t hse have failed t evenutline a budget. similato a family budget, a federabudget provides guid and transparency for how the overnme spendshe american people's rd-earned moy. the u.s. national debat $13 trillion a rising, i ree atcongresseeds to discipline the budg process. unfortunately, president obams pendin request does not rlect hisoric thspeaker prtempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for whaturpooes e gentledy fromaine se? . piree: toddress e house for one mite. the speaker pro teore: without objection. inoduced:r. speake l make sure that bp. pays of theil

from the dp water hrizon disaster. the spilled oil royalty collec act, h.r. 5513, wi t b.p. psoyalties on everyallon o spilled witht the administtion havi to determe hether b.p. was negle - negligent. royaies are paid to the mirals management seice in an effort to compensate taxpayerfor the use of publicly oed resoues. under cuent regulations, lease lders like bp. ar only obligad pay yaties on gallons oil sold. this legislations part respding to isaster the gulf andding b.p. acuntable. we need tolean upd rpair the lf, holng.p. acuntable r s oil ill enac stronger ennmental technological and still in american ean energy future. b.p.'sc.e.o.'s on tesion sayi his company will make it right.

we should havethanust a television commerciato go on. we need the force of law to ma se epay ey penny they owe tos. ou' joine in suorting this important piec of legislation. e speaker pro teore: t gentlelady's time has expired. gen fr califora rise? >> i ask unanims consent to adess the hofor one minute. the spker prtempor without obction. >> thankou, mr. speaker. as i travel aund america's fit district, i hea unanimously from folks out there and th a this question, rob, whas happening in washington about our budget? y do we continueo deficit spend? we are on an unsustainable th. when are we going to reduce the nation d i was just? heatille, virginia, suay. there folks ked,ob, whens congress going to adopt a budget? budget? 't you adti a we as familyem have t adopt a budget. we have make sure tate are reonsible in spending y isn't whington doing the same thin i asthe mjority the sme

question. y aren't wedopting a budget wharen we on a path of sustainable penng reding is defic a dressing this national debt? folks iumbent for this country to do that. it's a responsibili ts congress to that. i challenge e majory to do their duty, put buet on the tabl let us get to work for e erica pele wi tt, r.peaker, iyiel . the ker pro tempe:he gentleman yields back the bance of his time. fowhat purpo does the gentman from cifornia se? address use for one mite. revise andxtd. thout objectn.tempe: >> mr.peak, i rise tody on behalf of e american pple who deserve an ansr about the ou-control spending licies comg out washgton fothe firsme th house has failed to produca budget. there iso plan f how the majority will spenthe americ taxyers' hard-eard monefofialear 20. american fames, if they don't get a et anday the bis, the are r consequences unfoately the majoty continues tn a blind eye to fu conseences they pu spending to a re $3.8 trillion in fiscal ye 2011

and widen the deficit to a record $.5rillion this year. use repblicans sta ready do make toug choices in order to rein in spending mr. calvert:recently we inoduced a msure on th house floor to frze fal pay which uld save about billion over0 years. the program was sected by the innovative youcut initiati. the ameran pple have spok. stop the sding freezing -- future, and rurudget for the sani to washingon. thk you. e speaker o tempore: the gentleman yids bk the balance of his time. for wh purpose dthe gentlen om wisconsin rise? >>sknanimo consent to adess thuse for on minute. rese and extend. the spker pro tempore: withouobjection. >> mr. speaker ch andvery year sinceassage of the dget reform acof 1974, this houshas nad to produce a budget resolution. mr. petri: aocumen nessary foresponsible rning. each andevery ye exce thi one.

whatthoble in additionto outlinig spending for the year ahead, budget resolutions include s for multiple yrs, laying out antipaddi in revenue ad calculating ticipated deficits and surpluses. if theouse were to pass a 2011 budgeresoluonit would establish as offical houspocy that we wi run enormous deficits r as far as the eye casee. several mocrats here relut to assocte uch an s with irresponsie docunt. of coue it's theoretically possible the current hse majorityould propose a budget resoluon mapping path back to the balanced budgets. nosutantial members of th democrat think we should be spendingmo n less. with members of the majory party lling pposite directions, the majority adershppears to ha given up on finding the votes necessarto pass an ficial dget whetherg spding or th is ailure. the speaker prtempore: the

len's me has expired. for wh pur doethe ntleman from la rise? to address the house foe minute. e speaker pro tempore: wiout objection. >> thankou, mr. speaker. is isouth louisianawhich ist the in thibattle againsthe l cong into our marsh. thanger and frustratn i ard from ficial aer official on the ground was they are spending more timeighting the federal govement a b.p. an ty fighting the oil. thisuncceptable it still goesn day after day 57s in and the president continues refuse to lead on this cris. . scalise: he has t b.p. be the gatekeer for our local officials who haves protecthearsh, y now they ve to go tough b.p. instead of t psident havina ral mmand stcture to hold people accounble. and he this ba on offsre drillg th punishishes everybody. peop haven't de anything wrong and mh fe rs

than bp. and now people will be p out o wky te present's ban. so nowe' placing politi in fronof science. when ishe president going meet his obligations uder the law to lead and be responsible r th disaster recovery with b. ping the bill insteadf allong b.p. to cthe shs on the ground? i yiel back. e speaker pro tempore: the ntleman's time has expired for what pur doethe gentleman from texas re? the gentleman is recogze >> mrspeaker, for somme w colleagues have comeo e floor to te qution, whe arthe js? now in addition to asking that qution,m so asking, where is the budget? atve $1trillion we m sndin enact a plan tourb wastef and recklss spending. although democrats in this use have not undertaken the hard work ofping a budget

plan, house republicans ve. under the republican plan we duce the 10-ear deficit by $3.3 trillion. the democrats have no plan to s. under repuican plan, we borrow $p.6 tlln ls dollars thanhe admistration does, congssional democrs ha no plan. under the republican plan we end4.8 rillion less than thpresident's bloate budget, ce again congressional demoats ha nolan. mr. marchant: ica on the budget so thate can ha a bate on the impving our . scal condition. the spr pro tempor for what purpose does the gentleman fromlorida re? >> to address the house for one mite. the spker pro tempore: without objecon >> i thank eaker. day marks the 57day ofhe b.p. deepwater horizon o spill.

'sstimated thaup to 40,000arrelsf oil may be flowing ithe gu of mexico each and eve day. mr. putn: at ts poin's nearly impossible to calcule e impt this bill will have on f's econo awell a the other gulf states. oystermen, charteraptains, restaurants aralready sufferinalong wihose two demand on them -- depend on . thesuppover 2,000 jobs. 's impornt to note that florremainen for busiss. our beacs d restaunts tinue to welcome guests from roughout the on and aroundhe world. but ust elinate the bucracy thats causing delays in ts reco, from sideline volunteers to unus smmers, to ensure that florida economy a vital tonight, thesident wl adress the nation. after two months of delad omises, ilures and finger-poiin it's time f leadehi its ti for action that addreeshis isis yield back m time.

the speaker pro temre: e lemayields back. for what purposdoes the >> to addrss the houseor one nute and to revise and extend. the speakeprteor witut objection. mr. speaker, todaythe th y oflargest oil disasts inistory d today it also the 166th day this yr that this congress has fail to produce eachay oil ctinueso fl in the gulf increasin atastrophidamage also, each day th congress ins rodued ink damaging themerin economy. mrturnerat adminision was caught ftfoed, reatedly underestimating t severity of the oilk an slowy locating critil federaresources tohe g whe red ink is flowing out into the gulf, this ing administrationas no plan a this congress s no bget. how are we going to oph l leak and h ae in tsthe red ink?

ust as the psident haso budget. coness no for e first timeince 197 whenhe budact wa to pass a budget resolution. this is a catastrophic disa. mr. president, stop the leak. . speaker, pass budget. the speakepro tempe: the ti has expired. fowhaturpose does th ntleman from oo se? > to address the house for o minute and to revi and extend myarks. the speaker pro tempore: wiout obje. >> thanyou, speaker, i think it's timfor a litt bit of atory lesson. . ryan: fo bralmnot ino office that first january wewere losing 800,000 -- almost 800,000 jobs moh. the stock market ws at 6000 and the publican polics ve all been implemented,n energy, on health care, on foreign budgets, tax cuts r the wealthiest, borrow the eynd r our cntry and our economoff e cliff.

we are rning e country around. now haveositjob owth. the stock markt up 11,000 and nowp psed 10,000. 401-are retning, jobs are coming back. withe republicancomi policies that ove us off t ifin the fir place. and k fri on the other side,r. seaker, what re you goingo te the ice officers, the ho will get la off if thi congrs est stp t bat and einvesback in amic what a yoing to tell them? wh are you going to tell them? have enough mon for the weahiesto g tax break buwe don't he enough money for poce andire and r projects in the united states. good luc the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman'simhas expired. the leman's time has pire for what purpose does the gentleman omolorado rise >> to addre the hse for one nute.

thspeaker tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i re day to ask my democrat coeaes where's the dg? house democrats haven't psed a budget foxt year, something at hasn't happened in the dern e. thishowsthat they plano spend wit any raint o countability hey cat budgetcaey howev, one thing we can and musto is to control runaway spending by reformi the rmark press. i have agreed ban all earmar for one yeawhile we consider meangful rorm. mr. lamborn: co-sponsored the solion, along with leader john boehner, callinfor earmark ban. i followedhat up with a letter tdemocr leadership asking tt usdemocrs join me in this one-ar itother republic i've also llor the cation of a joint select committee to come up with roposalso reform earmarks. thamerican people are demanding at wget ou scal housin ord y, too, nto ow,

wher's thebudget? the speaker pro temp f aturos the gentlewon om wisconsin rise? >> to address thhouse for one minute. thpeakerro tempo: ithoutbjection. maldwin: sincwe passed health ca reform intoaw, receivea flood ofratude fr my constituts. eastth of madison assese thathe planil brin real benits to peoe of wisconsin. beth of very owna anked me ng that -- of verona anked . patrick ofadine, don't let that ar lead you tquestionour decisiono vote yes. mr. peaker, since i ted publiservice, iried to ge health ca rrm r this became law, we're seeing the expansion of insunce to young adults acrosthe countr andhe high-rils will be

ened to indivuals denie coverage becse of pre-existing condition. and seniors e ready gett extraelthhe with estone, i can feel hopew merica. tnk you. i yield back. e speaker pro mpore: the gentleladylds back t balance oher time. for what purpo doethe gentleman from oregonise? >> tdress the hou for one mite. the speaker pro tempo: out bjecon. mr. wuthank you, mr. speaker inside the ltway, republicans threat to take uback to the failed polies that creed this economic csis in t irst place. theyre siding with the special terests,itcredit card companies, with big oil, with surancompan the faed economic and fiols ced the georgebush recessi, the worst financial crisis since thgreat dssion, with es oarly 800,0 jo per mon thicongress passed the american revery and revestme acthich is sponsib for 2.8 million jobs saved or creat including

bs for teachepoli and refights. more than a third of the bill was forax cuts for 98% americans ansmall businesses. the very people o suffer throh ght yearsf george bh. this act ao is rebuild americaith clean techclean engy a 21st cejo. oussage ofealth insance reform will create not onl four millionew jobs over the next decade, primarily in small businses, but also leh the potential the american onom the speaker prte for t purposdoes the ntlelady from flori re? >> i ask unimous consent to addreshoe for one inute and revise d extend emarks. e speaker pro tempore: wiout jection. msasserman schultz: thk you very much. mr. speaker, i'm hoopy to report that wcontinue to e -- hapo rert that we ntinutoee stey econic recover thork at our pdentas done to re our economic

urnarod is aaking real andositive difference for ame's filies. to put this statemeninto r numbers, here e some statisticat indicate unnile growth and recovery, an avera o200,00joe been creat each nth over the last seven mths. stocksave risen across board sincthe age of the recovact. we've seen thr quarters of onomwth. 98of families seeingheir xes decrease for tax year 2009, average refunds are up 10%, arou $3,000. since january of 2009, we've restored $5 trilli o usehold wealth. in my owstate of frida, prd to report that for the first timen nearly four years we'vse improvement in the jobs report with the unempyment te dropping in ma with these numbe is proof. i can say wconfiden that amica is the road to recory. hank you. yid backhe balan omy time thsaker pro tempore: the gentley yields bk th balae of her time. for what purpose does the gentledy fromaine ri? ms. pgreemr. speaker, by the dection of e comme

on rules, i call up,all housresolution 1436 and ask f its immia consideration the speaker propo: the erwill report e resotion. e clerk: house calendar nuer 203. house rolion 14, resolved, that upon t adoption of ts resolutiont shl be in der onde inhe use thbill h.r. 5486, to amend the ierl ree codof 1986 to prode tax incentives for smal busesjob creation, and for alints o ordergainst consideration he bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 1of rule 21. the bill shall be coidered as read. l points of orr against provisions ithe bill are wa. the previous question shall consided as ordered on t billto fin passa without inveni motiocept o, e hour of debatequally divid and controlled by e chair and rkinginority memberf the commtee on ws means and,wo, e motion rmi

seio 2 aat any time r the adopn of this resolution the spker may, purant clae 2-b rule 18, clare e house resolved into e coittee the whole house on the stte of the union for consideration of t bill r. 529 to create the small buins lending fund program to direct thcretary of the easury to make capital nvestments in eligibl instionsn ordeto increase t availily of credit fllusinesses, and for her purposes. the rst ing of b shl be dispensed with. all points of oer ainst considatioofhe bill are waived except those arisin unr au 9 or 10 of rule 21. general batehall be nfo the billnd amdments speci in is subsecti a shall not eeed oneouh 30ines equally divided and controlle by e chair and rankg minority membeof t coittee on final services and minutes equally divid andtrolled by the cha and

rankg minority member of the comtteeall buness. after general debate the bill shall be condered for amendmnt undhe fe-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the natu of a substute recommended bthe ittee financial services now printed in the bill, it shall be in ordeto conder asn of amendment under therpose ve-minute rule t amendment in the nure a substite prind in pt of theort of theee on rules accompaing this rolutio mified by the amement ped in rt of the report the commiee orules. that aendmenin the nature of a substitute all be csidered asead. all poin of order against that amendment in the ture of substitute a waived. notwittanding ause 11 of rule 18, no amendmeo that endment in the nure of sustite shall ben r except those prin part c of the reporof the committee on rules. each amdment may be offered

only in t oer printed in the reportmay be offered oy by member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shalbe debatable f the time specified in the port equal dived a controlled byhe pronent and an opponent, shallot be subject to amendme, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the questi. all points of orderinst sh amendments are waive except the ising under clause 9 o0 of rule 21. at the conclusioof nsideration othe bill for amendment the commtee shal rise anrepohe bill to t hoe thuch amendments as may have been adopted. e previous question shall be coider as ordered on the bill and amendmen thereto to final passage without intervening motn except o motion to recommitith thout instructions. b, the chair may entertain otion at committeeis only if offered by e chai the ommittee on fincl sers hisignee.

the chairay not entertain motion to strike out the enacti words of the ll, as described in clau 9 of rule 18. c, in herossment of h.r. 52, the cle is thorized to make technical and amendatory inruions. ction 3,, the erossnt of r. 5297, the clerk shall,ne, add e text of h. 54, as pasby the house, as new matter at t end of h. 52. two, conform the title of h.r. 5297 to flect additi t thenossment of h.r. 5486. thre, assign appiate destions to provisions wiin t engross. and four, conform provisions for short titles with the engrost. b, upon the addition of the text of h. 5486 to the text of h. 5486 to the grossment of h.r. 5297, h.r.