qaeda or other transnational extremist elements to once again establish ways to a launch attacks against her our homeland or all eyes -- against our homeland or our allies. we must help the afghans develop a a security forces so that they can take on the task of securing their country and seeing to the needs of their people." -- of their people. . .

>> complement in the military buildup has been the tripling of the civilian structure in afghanistan. this is essential, for, as the president has made clear, the campaign in afghanistan must be a fully integrated effort, one that includes an unshakable commitment to the team worked -- to team work.

i will seek to contribute to such teamwork and the unity of effort among all participants. we know we can achieve such unity of effort because we have done it before. during my more than 19 months in command in iraq, i worked very closely with members of the u.s. embassy, the united nations representatives, and the representatives of a key coalition partners, and we all worked closely together with our iraqi partners. i look forward to working just as closely with the u.s. embassy in kabul. i look forward to working with the you special representative, and most importantly, with president karzai and members of the afghan government.

indeed, i have spoken in recent days with all members of this team, including president cars by, -- president karzai, and richard holbrooke. we are all united. as i noted in my testimony before this committee, i was part of the process that helped formulate a strategy. i support the president's new policy. i have offered advice, and i assure the president i will do the same as the conduct assessments over the must be over the months ahead. -- over the months ahead. i specifically agreed with the messages of greater commitment and greater urgency that the president expressed in his address at west point in december, when he announced the new policy.

the greater commitment was explained in terms of the additional 30,000 u.s. forces, and the funding for an additional 12000 afghan security -- 100,000 afghan security members. this includes the 2011 responsible drawdown. it would be based on conditions of the ground. it is important to note the president's reminder that the july, 2011, will mark the beginning of a process, not a date when the u.s. heads for the exit and turns out the lights. as he explained, we will need to provide assistance to afghanistan for all long time to come. moreover, as president karzai has recognized, and a number of

allied leaders that knowledge, it will be a number of years before afghan security forces can handle the tasks on their own. the commitment to afghanistan is necessarily an indoor in one, and neither the taliban, nor afghan and pakistani partners should doubt that. our efforts have appropriately focused on protecting the population. this is of considerable importance, for in counter insurgency operations, the human terrain is the decisive terrain. the results have been notable. the number of civilians killed has been substantially lower this year than last year. i will continue the emphasis on reducing the loss of innocent civilian life to an absolute minimum in the course of military operations. focusing on securing the people

does not mean we do not go after the enemy. in fact, it inevitably it requires killing, capturing, or turning the insurgents. our forces have been doing that, and we will continue to do that. our troopers and our afghan partners have been very much taking the fight to the enemy in recent months. since the beginning of april alone, more than 130 middle and upper level leaders have been killed or captured, and thousands of their rank in file members have been taken off of the battlefield. will continue to pursue the enemies of the new afghanistan in the months and years ahead. on a related note, i want to assure the mothers and fathers of those fighting in afghanistan that i see it as a moral imperative to bring all assets to bear to protect our men and

women in uniform, and the afghan security forces with whom they are fighting with shoulder-to- shoulder. they need all the support they need. this is so important that i have discussed it with president karzai and the afghan interior minister, who was just approved yesterday, since my nomination. they are in full agreement with me on this. i mention this because i am keenly aware of concerns from some of our troopers of all rules of engagement and our tactical direction. i will look very hard at this issue. along with you and other members of this committee, mr. chairman, i recognize that indoor and success will require the development of afghan security forces in sufficient numbers and quality. this is hugely important and hugely challenging.

indeed, helping to train and equip host nation forces in the midst of an insurgency is akin to building an advanced aircraft while it is in flight, while it is being designed, and while it is being shot at. there is nothing easy about it. our efforts have been overhauled, and there are on track for the first time to achieve overall growth goals and improve afghan security force quality as well. indeed, security force development has been advanced significantly by partnering efforts that were expanded under general stanley mcchrystal's come and -- come and. -- command. despite the progress, there is considerable work to be done to reduce attrition further, and to

develop effective leaders, especially with respect to the afghan national police. it will take further training, and expand the professional training opportunities. initiatives are being pursued in each of these areas. recent salary and benefit initiatives are helping to improve recruiting and retention of afghan security forces. training capacity has been increased significantly. it is now one trader per 30 trainees, down from 79. the intensity of our kmart is also beginning to show results. -- our team work is also beginning to show results. we sometimes even share the same operating centers. nearly 85% of the afghan army is

now fully partner. in short, isaf and afghan forces train together, plant operations together, and fight together. afghan forces are in the lead in kabul. they are supported, but already shouldering the responsibilities of leadership. an excellent example of this was the recovery operation for the air waves crashed north of kabul last month. afghan border police found the site. recovery operations were planned and coordinated and executed. the recovery operation have an elevation of more than 12,500 feet. it was executed by helicopter crews and afghan commandos. even the media and information issues were handled by afghan

personnel. that is not the norm, nonetheless, there are very much in the fight, and sacrificing for their country. nothing reflects this more than the fact that their losses are typically several times ours. there is no question that levels of violence have increased significantly over the last several years. moreover, the taliban had steadily been expanding the areas they control and influence. this year, we have achieved progress in several locations. the additional main effort has been in the central river valley. afghan and u.k. forces have expanded security. the enemy has fought back as we have taken away sanctuaries. nothing has been easy in those operations, but six months ago,

we could not have walked through the market as i was able to do with the district governor there two months ago. we are now focusing on the kenneth starr region. -- on the can of our region. so-called shipping operations, including a high-tempo of special forces operations have been ongoing for some months. present karzai and his ministers have conducted councils and other initiatives focused on inclusive the and transparency in the providence, evidence of the way ahead that are essential, and have been stressed by president karzai. in the months ahead, we will see an additional u.s. brigade deployed into the district of around kandahar city.

we will see the introduction of additional afghan police and u.s. military police to secure the city itself, along with other foreign forces that will work together. the combination of all of these initiatives is intended to slowly, but surely, established the foundation of security that pan allow the development of viable, local, political structures, that will help local governments the chief legitimacy and greater support. relentless up -- pursuit of the taliban is important, but we know we cannot kill or capture our way out of the insurgency.

clearly, as many insurgents and citizens need to be convinced to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. an important initiative was conducted several weeks ago, and the reintegration policy that president karzai signed today, which i spoke with him about this morning, will be critical to convince members of the insurgency to lay down their weapons. we look forward to working with our afghan and diplomatic partners in implementing this newly signed policy. recent months in afghanistan, have, as you noted, mr. chairman, seem tough fighting and toss casualties. this was expected. as i noted last year, the going gets tougher before it gets easier when a counter

insurgency operation tries to reverse insurgent momentum. my sense is that the fighting will continue, and get more intense as we take away any safe havens and freedom of action. they will fight back. in the face of tough fighting, we must remember that progress is possible in afghanistan because we have already seen a fair amount of it, in a variety of different forms, beyond the recent security gains. nearly 7 million afghan children are now in school as opposed to 1 million a decade ago. cellular phones are ubiquitous in a country that virtually had none during the taliban days. kabul is a bustling, busy city.

roads, bridges, and other infrastructure have been repaired and built. commerce is returning to the parts were afghan forces are present. in places where the government remains weak, efforts like the solidarity program, supported by civilians and troopers, have helped local councils achieved modest cash grants to pursue projects. our work in afghanistan will need to be fully resources. it is essential that the supplemental funding measure before congress be passed. this committee and the senate has pat -- have passed it. it was heartening to hear speaker nancy pelosi's call for

the house to do the same. i also ask for your continued support for the emergency response program. they are often the most responsible -- the most responsive to needs. indeed, it is often the only tool to address issues in certain areas. our commanders appreciate your appropriating funds each year. as i close, i would like to once again note the extraordinary work been done by our troopers on the ground in afghanistan, iraq, and around the world. our young men and women truly deserve the recognition they have earned as america's new younger generation. the comprise the most hardened military in our nation's history. there is no question that they and their families have made

enormous sacrifices. many of them have deployed on numerous stores -- numerous tours. we cannot comment in my view, ever think our servicemen enough. what americans have done to support them has been wonderful. nothing has meant more than in the appreciation of those here, at home. as you noted, mr. chairman, my wife is with me today. she is a symbol of the strength and dedication of families around the globe who wait at home. she has hung tough while i have been deployed for over five and a half years, as have other on told spouses, children, and loved ones.

clearly, our families are the unsung heroes of the long campaigns that we have been and are done over last decade -- that we have been embarked on over the last decade. teddy roosevelt once observed that the chance to work hard at work worth doing is one of the best opportunities in life. if i am confirmed by the senate, it will be a great privilege to soldier with our troopers in that hard work, that is so worth doing in that country. thank you very much. >> thank you, very much, general petraeus. let me take care of some important committee business. i would ask the committee to consider a list of 38039

military nominations. it includes raymond or they're y orderno.es are there n all those in favor say aye. the notion passes. do you agree to give your personal use, even when they differ from those in power? >> i do. >> will you insure your staff complies with deadlines established for requested communications, including questions for the record and hearings? >> i will. >> will you corporate in

providing witnesses? >> i will. >> will the witnesses be protected? >> yes. >> to agree to testify upon request? >> yes purred >> did you agree to provide documents in a timely member -- in a timely manner? >> i do. >> thank you. let's try a seven-minute first round. general, you have commented on these questions in your testimony. i want to ask them again, so that we get very clear, direct answers. two fundamental elements to the afghan strategy that the president announced in december, 2009, was first a search of an additional 30,000 troops to

help regain initiatives, and the second was the pace of a regional drawdown to be determined at july, 2007. you agree with that policy? >> i do. >> do you agree that the setting of that date to begin a reduction signals urgency to afghan leaders that they must, more and more, take responsibility for their country put the security? >> i do. >> in report released this morning, the special inspector general for afghanistan reconstruction included that the way they have been measuring the capability of the afghan security forces was flawed. the command basically agreed and have revived their -- revise their approach.

with the revised approach, 30% of the afghan forces are assessed to be effective. at the end of may, there were some 120,000 afghan troops, including 70,000 combat troops. taking just the lower combat level, that would mean at around 25,000 troops can operate effectively. the afghan army is only around -- has only 7200 members active in the kandahar province. would you agree that the afghan army has broad, popular support, and the afghan people want the army to be taking the

lead? >> i would. >> would you also agreed the afghan army are excellent fighters? >> by and large. you need to walk away, but it is generally correct. >> as a general statement? >> yes. >> did you agree that it is in our interest, and in the interest of a successful outcome in afghanistan and to increase the number of afghan units that can lead to take the lead in operations? >> absolutely. >> why is that? >> we want them to win the fight, rather than us, obviously. >> what about the reaction of the people? >> we want afghan ownership of afghan problems, whether it is economic, security, you name it.

>> general, i will not keep asking you, if confirmed, i will say when confirmed, will you -- you are not allowed to assume confirmation, by the way, but i am allowed to assume confirmation. [laughter] >> 1 confirmed, will you review the deployments to see how more afghan army and police forces can be brought in to increase the number of afghan security forces? >> if confirmed, i will do that, mr. chairman. [laughter] >> if not, i will do it as a central commander. [laughter] >> one way or another, i will do. >> earlier this month, as general mcchrystal announced he was slow in the operations to

allow more time for discussion with local leaders to try to get more of their buy in, and better governance. isaf taking additional time should mean that we will have more afghan-led operations in a few months. i am wondering whether or not since we have slowed somewhat the pace of operations that that will present an opportunity, at least, to bring in more afghan forces capable of leading in the campaign during this period. ? >> there is a plant to employ an additional afghan army brigade, and also an additional effort in police battalion and individual police, as well.

>> if there are possibilities to increase the numbers of afghan troops that can lead above that plan, will you take a look at that? >> i will. >> do you know off and how many off in troops will be in that province by september? >> i think what it will be in the range of 7500 to 8000. >> that is fine. the figures that your office provided to my staff last evening or somewhat surprising in that regard. i want you to double check those figures. they showed there is a total of 40,000 afghan and coalition forces, while there is only a total of about 11,000 yein kandahar.

if you could double check those figures, and explained why there are so many fewer there since that would be where the central effort would be, i would appreciate it. >> happy to do that. >> the press reported that pakistani officials have approached the karzai government with a proposal which includes delivering a network that runs a large part of the insurgency into a sharing arrangement. president obama has expressed skepticism about the likelihood that taliban leaders would accept a proposal. the president also noted that attempts to drop afghanistan and pakistan interests closer together is a useful step. i'm wondering if you share the skepticism about pakistan been able to broker a deal between

the taliban leadership and the afghan government at this time? >> let me just say, first of all, this is an interesting item. in talking to president karzai, he assured me that he is not met with a member of that .etwork's leadership with respect to pakistani involvement in some form of reconciliation agreement, i think that is essential. now, whether that is possible, such an agreement, i think is going to depend on a number of factors that will play out over the summer, including creating a sense among the taliban that they are going to get hammered in the field, and perhaps should look at some options. we have already seen cases where lower and middle-level taliban leaders have sought to reintegrate.

they are small numbers here and there. the reintegration decree that was approved by president karzai today will help codify the process. that should help the >> we will leave this confirmation hearing of the general david petraeus at this point. live coverage continues on our website, c-span.org. we go live to the u.s. kept all for coverage of today's session of the u.s. house.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by the guest chaplain, reverend paul powell, first baptist church of tyler, texas. the chaplain: would you bow

with me for prayer? our father in heaven, we bow our heads and our hearts before you today to recognize you as the maker of heaven and earth and the author of our liberty. and we thank you for the freedom we enjoy today. grant that these we have chosen to lead us may have the courage and the conviction to preserve that which is good from the past and to lead us wisely into the future. and may they ever be worthy of the trust we and you placed in them. we believe that righteousness exhausts a nation, and so may justice and mercy and truth prevail throughout the land. cause us always to look to you, to bow before you, and to humbly follow you it's my prayer in jesus' name. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker.

i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed to s. res. 572, relative to the death of the honorable robert c. byrd, a senator from the state of west virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the last day's proceedings and announced to the house her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. >> madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? >> i request the request be put on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the yice have it. the -- the ayes have it. the journal stands approved. >> madam speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having

arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, this 15-minute vote on aapproval of the journal will b followed by a five-minute vote on suspending the rules and adopting house resolution 1439. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 219. the nays are 175 with one voting present. the journal resolution passes. the journal stands approved.

the house will be in order. the house will be in order. members will please take their seats. the house will be in order. members will please take their seats. members will clear the aisle and clear the well, please. members will please clear the well. for what purpose does the gentleman from west virginia rise? mr. rahall: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of turn for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: members will please take their seats. without objection.

mr. rahall: madam speaker, as we all know, the country and our state of west virginia has lost a true public servant. he was a dear friend to many of us, he was an individual who defended our constitution and an individual who truly had the best hearts of the american people in mind every day. i would ask that the house take a moment of silent prayer on behalf of the late honorable senior senator from west virginia, robert c. byrd. the speaker pro tempore: members will rise and observe a moment of silence. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is on

the vote on the -- on the motion of the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1439 on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1439, resolution congratulating the chicago blackhawks on winning the 2010 stanley cup championship. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 395. the nays are five with one voting present.

2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. westmoreland: madam speaker, i -- mr. broun: madam speaker, i ask that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is if the house will adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. mr. broun: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman requests the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are ordered. the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring the yeas and nays will please rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by he u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 23. the nays are 379. the motion is not agreed to. the plem pledge will be led by the gentlewoman from texas, congresswoman johnson. ms. johnson: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from

texas, congressman gohmert, is recognized for one minute. mr. gohmert: thank you, madam speaker. i -- our guest chaplain today is reverend powell. he's retired dean of baylor university's theological seminary and distinguished graduate of baylor. he's also been the president of the baptist board and baptist general convention in texas. along with other offices with many charitable institutions. he's the author of 36 books and been pastor of churches all over texas and span two decades as pastor of green acres baptist church in tyler, texas, leading our church from about 700 members to over 7,000. we have fed and clothed the poor, and people helping. our children began hispanic church ministries. medical outreach ministries, churches in becks could he, and other places -- in mexico and

other places. he and his wife have three children and three grandchildren and he is now the interim pastor of the church in tyler. he brings wisdom, accountability, and light wherever he serves and truly has a heart after god's home. seeking always to serve, he's been pastor, dean, president, chairman, director, officer, trustee of so many entities but of most importance to me he has been a friend, mentor, confidant, encourager, and inspiration. may god bless paul powell and his family. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. . the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? ms. johnson: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

ms. johnson: thank you, madam speaker. we continue to see a growing sign of economic recovery resulting from the economic policies of the democratic congress and the obama administration. responding to the bush recession and the worst financial crisis since the great depression. more must be done to create jobs, save jobs but the latest signs of recovery includes industrial production has increased a cumulative 1%, 8.1% during the last month, the largest 11-month gain since 1997. total industrial production rose 1.2% in may. the increase slightly above market expectation was led by a strong growth of manufacturing output. industrial production has grown

at a rate of 7.4% annual rate for this past quarter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. johnson: thank you, madam chairman. we're on our way in the right direction. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina rise? ms. foxx: i ask permission to address the house for one minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. when i'm home in the district -- in my district in north carolina, what's the reaction of those in congress, well, they can sell the adoption of the budget. house democrats have failed in their responsibility to lead by not proposing or passing a 2011 budget resolution. the house has never failed to pass an annual budget resolution since the current budget rules were put in place in 1974. in 2006, then house majority leader -- then house whip,

steny hoyer, now house majority leader, said, the most basic responsibility of government is enacting a budget. where's that responsibility now? they plan a deeming resolution later in the week. that is not a substitute for a budget. democrat jobs bills have failed to create jobs. democrats continue to spend at a near record pace. through the first eight months of the current fiscal year, the federal government amassed $935 billion in deficit spending on track to an annual deficit of -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. foxx: $1.4 trillion. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan rise? mrs. miller: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. kilpatrick: over 14 million americans are unemployed. unemployed in the last three years. many are long-term unemployed.

we need an emergency bill that will put people back to work. in the 1970's and 1980's, president reagan, president carter started a comprehensive training act. put $50 million in it and hired 20 million americans across the country. we need such a jobs bill today. this congress has done something. the president has worked with us and we've passed legislation and bills that have helped small business to hire and to get tax incentives. but what america needs is to address the emergency now. home sales are down, foreclosures are up, americans want to work. it's our responsibility that we help them do so. today, let's pass a real jobs bill, similar to the comprehensive employment and training act. is it an emergency? yes, it is. should it be offset? are the american people an emergency? i believe that they are. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise?

mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: madam speaker, congratulations to the university of south carolina's baseball team for a spectacular showing in the college world series at omaha, nebraska. the journey to this point hasn't been the easiest for the game cockscocks. they won four consecutive games -- easiest for the gamecocks. they won four consecutive games. they said south carolina in command after game one victory. i'm very proud of the way that these student athletes are representing the university of south carolina on the national stage. whit maryfield withstood a hard collision in south carolina's victory on saturday and stayed in the game, ultimately bumping his average to .300 in the college world series. and talk about stats. evan marzillis a an impressive d .378 batting average.

blake cooper last night was m.v.p. with an outstanding defeat over ucla in championship game one. congratulations, u.s.c. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i rise today in honor of west mesa high school in albuquerque, new mexico which was recently selected as one of america's best high schools by "newsweek" magazine. since 1966, west mesa high school has been the heart of albuquerque's west side. recently, the school was a great partner when they hosted one of my job fairs as well as inside service academy nomination information night. last year, the school had an outstanding 75% of its students enrolled in at least one advanced placement course, the kinds of rigorous classes that push students to achieve their

potential and lead our nation in the 21st century. mr. heinrich: the late educators jaime escalante told his students, you do not enter the future, you congratulate the future. i want to thank them for creating a bright future for themselves and our community. again, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pitts: madam speaker, you may remember that the american people told that congress must pass a health care bill to know what was in it. after three months the american people found out what was in the law and they don't like it. a recent poll this past week shows that 55% oppose the law and they have good reason to oppose it. new h.h.s. rules will mean that many companies and individuals will be forced to change to

plans that meet the government's new standards. so much for if you like your plan you can keep it, as the president said. for seniors, c.b.o. reports that half of all medicare advantage plans will end in the coming years. seniors who were receiving vision and dental coverage on these plans will now be forced to buy costly supplemental coverage. the more layers we peel away the less there is to like about obamacare. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cardoza: congressional republicans threaten to take us back to the failed policies that created the economic crisis. siding with special interests, i.e., the wall street investment banks. these economic and fiscal policies created the bush recession, the worst financial crisis since the great depression with job losses of nearly 800,000 a month and nearly doubling our national

debt. democrats in congress will continue to take america in a new direction, creating good american jobs, lowering taxes for the middle class and for small business and building a strong new foundation for the economy and for main street instead of wall street. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. ros-lehtinen: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker. i'd like to recognize an outstanding south florida organization, new journeys transitional home. this home is committed to decreasing the rate of homelessness among young women in south florida. it provides an immediate, safe, affordable and nurturing housing environment that promotes independence and self-sufficiency. new journeys transitional home houses those who desire to achieve housing and educational goals as well as those who

progress through the program. this wonderful organization provides young women with workshops to help strengthen their education and self-esteem. due to the generosity and dedication, this organization has helped so many young women in my community in south florida. i'd like to commend all of the organization's -- all the individuals involved in the organization, through their service and support, they help our community and they help so many young women in our nation. thank you for your devotion, thank you for your commitment to improving the lives of south floridians in need. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont rise? mr. welch: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. welch: madam speaker, america needs jobs. the unemployment is too high, and there are concrete things we can do to create jobs. one is to pass the home star energy retrofit bill into law. the senate has to act. the house passed it in a

bipartisan basis last year. it's a partnership between homeowners, the private sector and government. it will create 170,000 jobs where we need them the most in manufacturing, in retail by getting customers to the local hardware stores and in construction by putting out-of-work home builders to work retrofitting homes. this is a triple play. it will allow us to save $10 billion in energy bills. it will put 170,000 out-of-work folks to work and it will help homeowners save on their energy bills. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, yesterday the united states supreme court upheld a federal appeals court ruling overturning a law prohibiting private citizens from possessing handguns in the city of chicago. this is a momentus decision and i commend the justices our right to gun ownership. it guarantees an individual's

right to keep and bear arms. this 5-4 decision was the right one, though the close margin underscores the necessity to remain vigilant to future attempts to curtail the right to bear arms. mr. smith: they should protect themselves and their families. i am committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all law-abiding, freedom-loving americans, and i invite my colleagues to join me. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. butterfield: madam speaker, as we work to resolve our nation's fiscal crisis, we must have bipartisan cooperation to best find ways to balance economic recovery and job creation with long-term deficit reduction. americans clearly understand the danger of debt and the need for a serious long-term plan. what they don't understand is sound bites and political rhetoric and so, too, my

republican colleagues, as you come to the well today, put your ideas on the table. it doesn't help to demagogue this issue. the fact is and it remains president obama inherited an $11 trillion debt on day one, and we are trying to recover. the american people need your constructive ideas. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. herger: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. herger: madam speaker, for the first time since 1974, the house has failed to pass a budget resolution. instead of making tough decisions, congressional democrats have chosen to keep their heads in the sand. a problem won't go away just by ignoring it. it will require real leadership and a commitment to fiscal discipline to tackle the out-of-control spending and debt that threatens our economic prosperity.

failure to even propose a budget fundamentally means that congressional democrats have no plan and are content to ignore skyrocketing debt. madam speaker, the american people know it's a failure of leadership to ignore the massive tax increases and the crushing burden of debt washington is leaving our children and grandchildren. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginiaarise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, on saturday, southern virginia lost a legend, a lion and a beloved leader. ms. archie passed away. she had been an educator and

served on city council for 16 years. she was just a few days from retiring from the council to spend more time with her grandchildren. mr. perriello: she was a tireless educator, a fearless leader and put the interests of her people ahead. being willing to work with all people, people in the city, people in the county. for her this was a matter of faith. it was a matter of fairness. she will be deeply missed. we pray for her, for her family and for all of those who served with her. it was an honor to have a chance to work with her to make danville and southern virginia a better place, and we look forward to what mayor saunders has called her ever-lasting legacy. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . mr. poe: four christians were

arrested because they were peacefully handing out the gospel of john outside an arab cultural festival. it was not a private or muslim event. it was an arab festival free and open to the public. a video shows the christian group that included a former muslim outside a block away from that event. they were standing quietly on the corner handing out bibles when they were arrested by no less than eight police officer. under shari'a law it is forbidden to preach christianity to muslims. but, madam speaker, these arrests against christians did not occur in a minimums limb country. they occurred in dearborn michigan. the first amendment safeguards freedom of speech and religious expression even for christians. maybe the police in dearborn, michigan haven't read the constitution. these arrests are shameful. whether the police like it or not. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. capps: i rise today in strong support of wall street reform. after months of diligent work the house and senate will finally vote this week to enact wall street reform of the this is an historic achievement of the the bill is not perfect but it's a major step forward. wall street's unchecked greed and recklessness nearly destroyed our economy. wall street reform will repair our financial system and prevent another collapse. when the house last voted on this bill, democrats voted yes. while republicans all voted no. democrats voted to protect main street consumers from deceptive mortgages and predatory credit cards. republicans voted no. democrats voted to shine a bright light of transparency and accountability on the shady dealings of wall street, but republicans voted no. and democrats voted to never again use taxpayer dollars to bail out reckless too big to fail financial firms like a.i.g.

republicans voted no. it's time to show where you stand. with main street or with wall street. i urge my republican colleagues to finally vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lungren: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, this week the united states supreme court actually decided a constitutional question of extreme importance. and it had to deal with the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. the interesting thing was they reached this conclusion by looking at the text of the constitution, the words of the second amendment. what a shame we didn't do that last week when we were dealing with the disclose act. where we essentially eviscerated the first amendment. the first amendment protection for political speech. instead of saying that it exists for all, and that we should protect it for all, we decided that some are are more equal

than others. we auctioned off parts of the first amendment last week. let us hope that the senate will not repeat that mistake and that we understand that perhaps the best way to understand what the constitution means is to actually look at its words. sometimes you can find the rights expressed there far more easily than looking at the numbers and those that emanate from perfect numbers. at times it sense for us to pay attention to what he founding fathers said. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lujan: madam speaker, for too long the new mks cans have been put up for financial risk for the irresponsible actions+ f wall street. because of the gamble the country lost eight million jobs and $17 trillion in retirement savings. that's why wall street reform is

needed. we need pro -- to hold wall street accountable. and the wall street reform package will help. it will help end the too big to fail and introduce more transparency in the financial system. we must keep workings with wall street held accountable and never allowed to endanger the financial security of new mexicans and people across our great nation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: thank you. it's tough economic times and almost every family, every business back in my district knows in tough times you got to sit down, put pen and pencil -- pen to paper and figure out a budget so you know where you stand and where you're going. right now people at home find it unbelievable that they are sitting down and going through this tough tough process but we

-- through this tough process but we in congress have not. we have never failed to pass a budget since the act was put in place in 1974. it is astonishingly insensitive of the democratic leadership to not do a budget this congress. by earlier this year president obama himself said, in january, like any cash strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't. so why not do a budget this year? i can't understand it. my folks back home can't, either. last week a man in texas posted on my facebook page, where's the budget, congressman? this is unacceptable. i agree, it is unacceptable that this year of all years congress will not work on a budget. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? without objection. >> madam speaker, at round tables i hold with small business owners in san diego, therr is some consistent themes. mrs. davis: they all say they need banks to lend and people to

spend. a few also pointed out that when theiris businesses fail or fall behind on their cashes, the i.r.s. is more than willing to work out a payment plan they can afford, but then slaps them with pements that they can't afford. -- penalties that they can't afford. the small business lending package we passed earlier this month provides small business relief. it gives community banks the lending leverage they need to help small businesses keep their doors opened and create jobs. this legislation is essential for businesses in my district and across our country. i hope our colleagues in the senate see the importance of its immediate passage. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? >> ask permission to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kingston: thank you, madam speaker. i'm who are to speak about a program called america speaking

out. you can put that into google, america speaking out and go to youtube and kevin mccarthy explains it in more detail. but the idea behind it is to ask the american people what would they like on their agenda? what do we need to be doing in washington? because one of the big complaints i get back home is you folks are up there and you seem to be in a bubble. you ignore what we want to do. you attach things to bills that don't belong there and force through legislation and it's out of touch with the american people. idea of america speaking out is to give the grassroots voters back home a little bit of an opportunity, more of an opportunity than they are getting now, to be heard. and you can weigh in on the webpage and say i want you to work on education. i want you to bring the budget in under -- cut spending, top priority. i want you to finish up in afghanistan and iraq. whatever it is, we seek the

input of the american people so this is the republican party. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. kingston: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the -- the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. watson: madam speaker, democrats in congress will continue to take america in a new direction. creating good american jobs, lowering taxes for the middle class and small business, and bidding -- building a small newfoundation for the economy and main street. we continue to see signs of economic recovery resulting from the economic policies of the democratic congress. and the obama administration responding to the bush recession and the worst financial crisis since the great depression. more must be done to create and save jobs, but the lateet signs ever recovery include the higher

act, a bipartisan bill to create 300 jobs. america workers state and business relief act that's tax incentives to spur business innovation and tax cuts. and the small business and infrastructure jobs tax act, a sends aid to states to provide subsidies to employers, including small businesses, and the home star buildings. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> madam speaker, i would like to pay tribute today to brigadier general harry c. aderholt, a true american hero and one of the founders 69 united states air force special operations. on may 20 of this year, i and many others across the state and across the nation, were saddened

to hear about the passing of general aderholt. hinny, as he was known by those who knew him, began his military service with the united states army air corps in 1942 and retired from the u.s. air force in 1976. general hinny aderholt will be remembered for his valor, his character, and strength. mr. aderholt:it was an honor to have known him as a relative, friend, and great american patriot, and and his leadership will be missed by all who knew him. his influence for good for all americans will live on. a memorial service will be held at hobert air park in florida on jewel 2, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. our thoughts and prayers are with his wife ann, daughter, and son and all their families. thank you for all you did for america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> to address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise today with a very sad duty of reporting the tragic passing of sergeant david miller. miller was killed in action by a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive device at a checkpoint he was guarding in afghanistan on monday, june 21, 2010. taylor was just 19 years old, having graduated from saratoga springs high school in 2009. despite his young age, his contributions to this world exceeded those of many -- people many times his age. the loss of so young a life is truly heartwrenching. this tragic news comes as our community is still reeling from the loss of another young hero. whether on the football field or battlefield, taylor was a leader. mr. murphy: he showed the strength and bravery that made this nation great and my heart goes out to his parents. this true american hero made the

ultimate sacrifice in defense of his nation and we owe him our eternal gratitude. it's moments like these that bring it forth to public discussion. we must always remember that our hardships, suffering, bravery, and fices for the families of those who serve our armed forces. on behalf of a grateful nation, our thoughts and prayers are with the entire miller family during this tough time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: before coming to the floor i was with two couples back home, and their grandchildren, they are up here visiting. as mr. coiner said his goal in life is to make sure he helps leave a country better for the grandchildren than the one his parents bequeathed him.

they are like all of us so worried about the deep debt this country is amassing each day, $10 trillion of new debt over the next decade if these spending plans go forth. because of the failed stimulus bill on top of the 2,000-page health care bill no one read, this week congress will take up an almost 2,000-page bill that will institutionalize bailouts. i think -- we don't have a budget, first time in 40 years. at the end of this week they are going to make up numbers. we are not going to vote on it, have a debate. we haven't funded our troops in afghanistan and iraq. they need money. people here want to spend it on other things. we've got to get this deficit under control, folks. we have to do it or we are putting a noose around their children's necks. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

>> madam speaker, for years reckless republican economic policies and lax oversight of the financial industry led to historic economic collapse for which everyday americans are still paying the price. but now we are beginning to turn the corner. today we are creating jobs not losing jobs. mr. deutsch: the unemployment rate is beginning fall and confidence is rising. republicans are prepared to stop the recovery in its tracks by blocking desperately needed job creation legislation. . if we don't act now the bedrock of our communities, our teachers, our police, our firefighters will be laid off. yet, republicans block emergency aid to state and local governments. if we don't act now, unemployment assistance will be cut off from so many of our citizens, the mothers and fatherr who only want to find work to support their families. if we don't act now, up to 300,000 teachers will be fired. instead of punishing the unemployed, teachers and police

, republicans must stop blocking this urgent legislation. the time is now. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. speier: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. speier: islamic militants attacked a mosque in a central pakistani city with grenades and suicide bombers killing hundreds and injuring hundreds. they claim to be part of the taliban. the victims are part of the minority muslim sect who have been branded hair teches who should be -- herotecs who should be killed. these cowardly assaults on people of prayer are attacks

against people of all faiths and cannot be tolerated. it is time to pass house resolution 764 which expresses the importance of interreligious dialogue and the protection of religious freedom and related human rights for persons of all faith and nationalities in the republic faith of pakistan. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. moran: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. moran: madam speaker, the republican party's mantra of drill, baby, drill dropped from sight almost as much as the deepwater horizon oil rig. but the fact is that while this was the worst ecological catastrophe in american history and an accident it was also an inevidentibility. it was inevitable because for

eight years the cheney-bush administration allowed big oil to operate with almost complete disregard for safety. so i'm proud of the fact that president obama and the democratic party are now holding b.p. accountable for all of the costs of the cleanup and the devastating impact on its local economy in the gulf. but also for holding big oil accountable, to explore and produce domestic energy and all leased lands at competitive prices in a clean and safe manner. the gulf coast catastrophe underscores the need for comprehensive energy and climate reform, to rein in big oil and reduce our reliance on dirty and foreign fuels. that's what the democratic party wants and more importantly that's what the american people need and want. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to speak for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. scott: madam speaker, just months ago the president signed

the historic health care reform law and thanks to the affordable health care act, americans are already seeing benefits from reform. first, our seniors on medicare part d have begun receiving $250 rebate checks when they fall into the doughnut hole so that they're receiving help when they most need it. second, the new law requires that health care insurers offer insurance to allow children up to age 26 to remain on their parents' policy. just today, the department of health and human services announced it will begin accepting applications for the early retiree insurance program to help early retirees get affordable coverage. and later this summer, americans with pre-existing conditions will be able to get insurance at affordable rates. we know there are some that want to repeal these decisions and take these benefits away from american families, but we remain dedicated to health care reform which has expanded coverage to all americans, and

we're going to make sure that law remains in effect. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. castle: madam speaker, i rise on -- ms. castor: madam speaker, i rise today to speak about the police officers that were killed in the line of duty. they were simply doing their job when they pulled over a car in what appeared to be a routine traffic stop at 2:15 a.m. this morning. but someone in the car was wanted on an arrest warrant, and demonstrating just how truly dangerous these jobs are for those who protect us, this stop was not routine. the officers were shot at close range and later died at tampa general hospital. officer curtis leaves behind a wife, kelly, and four young sons.

officer kokab leaves behind a wife, sarah, who is 9 months pregnant and expected to deliver next week. both of these young men were only 31 years old. so i join the tampa police department, chief jane castor, the mayor and the entire city of tampa in mourning the senseless loss of these two young community heroes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. green: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, we must extend the emergency unemployment benefits. why? because the program is structured to assist those who are looking for work. if you are not looking for work, you don't get the extension of benefits. why? because 1.7 million people will lose their emergency benefits

in four days if we do not act now. and over 100,000 will lose their benefits in the state of texas in four days if we do not act now. why? because for every dollar that we spend on unemployment benefits, emergency benefits, i might add, we turn over $1.63 in economic activity. finally, we must do it because but for the grace of god dr. king was right. it is tied to a single garment of destiny. what impacts one impacts all indirectly. it has an impact on all of us. we benefit when we spend the money. i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. chu: when you buy a car, you expect to put a key in the

ignition and go. when you eat at your favorite restaurant you expect a memorable meal. when california invested in mortgage funds with a.a.a. ratings it expected a safe return. instead, it lost $1 billion when subprime mortgages unravelled leaving taxpayers high and dry. the wall street reform bill ensures this won't happen again. it ends taxpayer bailouts, lets investors know what they're buying and making sure that banks are never too big to bill. i'm backing this bill and helping those 1.6 million california retirees and countless americans. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. today i rise to encourage the leadership to expand our trade opportunities by calling up and passing our pending free trade agreements. just this week, president obama reaffirmed its commitment to passing the korea free trade agreement. i applaud the president for this agreement. panama and korea holds good things for our agriculture region. still, as -- our farmers continue to pay high tariffs, as many as 90%. mr. costa: many are expanding market opportunities by signing their own trade agreements and seizing markets that could and should belong to u.s. agriculture. madam speaker, we are leaving in a global economy. if we are truly committed to economic recovery in the united states, now is the time to promote u.s. products abroad. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes -- record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4505. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4505, a bill to enable state homes to furnish nursing home care to parents any of whose children died while serving in the armed forces. the speaker pro tempore:

pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. buyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: thank you, madam speaker. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: and i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4505. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: i rise in support of this bill, legislation to support the families of fallen service men and women. the bill offers access to state% veterans homes to parents who have lost a child serving in the armed forces. while this service is currently available to some parents, we must recognize that any parent who has lost even one child should be given our support and care. madam speaker, it is easy to understand the profound sacrifices that members of the armed services make daily in the service of their country. however, sometimes we forget that their fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children also

sacrifice deeply. when we memorialize the service of a dead service member we must not forget the pain and sacrifice that their family has also endured. madam speaker, this bill represents an important step forward in honoring the sacrifices not just to our service members but their families as well. i urge the support of my colleagues and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. buyer: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: and i rise in support of h.r. 4505, and i would now like to yield such time as i may consume the author of the bill, mac thornberry of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. thornberry: i thank you. and, madam speaker, i thank the gentleman from indiana, who has been a very strong advocate for veterans and a respected voice in national security during the time that he has been in

congress. and we will surely miss him in another year when he is no longer in our midst. madam speaker, this is one of those issues that leaves people scratching their heads and saying, well, that doesn't make sense, because the way it works now is to be eligible for a state veterans home, a gold star parent must have lost all of their children. this bill will allow a parent to be eligible for a state veterans home if they have lost a child while serving in the military. now, there are 137 state veterans homes in all 50 states. those veterans homes, those states will still be able to determine the priority level about admissions. they still have to take 75% of their -- their beds have to be owled by veterans, but the average occupancy rate is 60%. so there is roughly 15% of empty beds in these homes, and

so this bill basically allows an added group of gold star parents who have lost a child while serving in the military to be eligible to fill those beds. essentially there's no cost. the department of veterans affairs has come back and said it will not cost the federal government anything. our visits with the states have gotten the same result. it's supported by the american legion, v.f.w., the veterans department. and, madam speaker, i say it has a practical benefit in that it gives an additional option for a participant who has lost a child serving in the military. but in a larger sense it gives a message of gratitude and support for the sacrifice that those parents have made. so i want to thank the chair and certainly the ranking member for bringing it to the floor. i want to express my appreciation to dr. vic snyder, the gentleman from arkansas, who was an original sponsor of

this bill with me, as well as the senator who tried to resolve it last year, was not able to do so, but hopefully it will be solved this year. i thank the gentleman for yielding and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. buyer: can i reclaim my time? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: i thank the gentleman for bringing this bill to the floor. i want to thank his work on the armed services committee. you are filling a gap here. and this is supported by the gold star wives along with major veteran services. i ask my colleagues to join me in support of h.r. 4505. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. buyer: with that i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. filner: madam speaker, i urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 4505 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r.

4505. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. filner: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. filner: on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be pogse opponented. -- will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. filner: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1446. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1446. resolution recognizing the residents of the city of tracy,

california, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the city's incorpsation -- incorporation for their service to the united states. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. buyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. filner: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on house resolution 1446. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: thank you, madam speaker. i rise to join the city of tracy, california, in celebrating its 100th anniversary of its incorporation. the resolution sponsor is mr. mcnerney from california. and i would yield to him to explain the bill. mr. mcnerney: thank you, mr. chairman. madam speaker, i rise to honor the residents of the city of tracy on the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation for their century of dedicated

service to the united states. i ask all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution to recognize the service of tracy's residents. i'm fortunate to represent tracy which sits in the rich agriculture region of california's san joaquin valley. time and again through the last century tracy residents have protch their dedication to our country by serving in our armed services. many tracy residents have made the ultimate sacrifice giving their lives defending the freedom we cherish and protecting our nation from the enemies at home and abroad. the tracy area is home to unique military history and tradition. for instance, tracy located not far from the city was the sigh of significant intelligence operations during world war -- site of significant intellgence operations during world war ii. it's also home to the defense distribution center, commonly called the tracy defense depot, which plays a critical role in supplying our men and women

serving overseas. members of the united states armed forces from the city of tracy have served bravely and many have lost their lives in world war ii, korean war, vietnam war, persian gulf war, and other conflicts of the 20th century. tracy residents are also serving with distinction in the current battlefields in iraq and afghanistan. the city's newspaper, the tracy press, reported on november 11 of 2008 that per capita the city of tracy has endured one of the nation's highest casualty rates in the war in iraq. just the other week i attended an event in tracy to honor the memory of one of those fallen her yo-yos and i'm always humbled and made proud by the outpouring of support by tracy residents of our men and women in uniform. on many weekends back home in california i visit tracy to meet with local veterans and discuss the issues that affect their lives.

i am committed to making sure our veterans are cared for and that their families receive the support they deserve. my son, michael, joined the service shortly after 9/11 and carrying for our men and women in uniform is a deep personal priority. our country should always recognize communities like tracy whose residents answer the call to service. i'm proud to recognize the residents of the city of tracy on the occasion of their centennial anniversary of the city's incorporation. i ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution honoring the veterans and residents of tracy for their dedicated service to our nation. i yield back. mr. filner: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. buyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in support of h.r. 1446. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. buyer: i want to thank my

colleague, congressman mcnerney, for introducing the legislation. ask my colleagues to support h.r. 1446. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. filner: madam speaker, i have no further speakers and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1446 as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to. mr. filner: madam speaker -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. filner: on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. filner: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1228, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1228, resolution honoring the veterans of helicopter attack light squadron three and their families. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from yip, mr. buy ir, each will control 20 -- from indiana, mr. buyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. filner: and ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on house resolution 1228, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank first the committee on armed services for working with us to bring this bill to the floor. and ask unanimous consent that the exchange of letters waiving

jurisdiction between the committee on veterans' affairs and the committee on armed services be inserted into the record at this point. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: thank you. madam chair, this resolution recognizes and honors the veterans of helicopter attack light squadron three and their families and sponsored by mr. boozman of arkansas. the resolution recognizes the extraordinary courage of the nearly 3,000 veterans of helicopter attack light squadron, also known as hal-3 who served in vietnam from 1967 to march of 1972. the resolution also serves to honor the enormous sacrifice of the 44 members of hal-3 who gave their lives while serving alongside their comrades in support of military operations in the may congress delta, vietnam. this remarkable unit earned five navy crosses, 31 silver stars, 219 distinguished flying

crosses, and 156 purple hearts. among numerous other awards. and unit citations make it possibly the most decorated navy squadron during the vietnam war. between 1967 and 1972, hal-3 flew over 130,000 hours of dwat and logistical support and inflicted thousands of casualties on enemy forces, performed 1,530 medical evacuations, carried more than 37,000 passengers and delivered more than one million pounds of cargo. the unit's expert maintenance and support personnel worked tirelessly to ensure that the squadron's aircraft were operational ready and crews were provided with the daily support needed to accomplish their dangerous and critically important missions. this resolution serves to honor the families of the hal-3 veterans for their support and to express our condolences to the families and comrades of

those killed in action. helicopter attack light squadron three left behind a combat and humanitarian record, recognized as bringing great credit upon the united states navy and role in the vietnam war. passing this resolution is the least we can do to honor the service and enormous sacrifice of the americans that constituted such a valorous unit in naval aviation history. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. buyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: at this point i would like to yield to the author of this legislation, h.r. 1228, dr. boozman of arkansas, he was former chairman and now ranking member of the economic opportunity subcommittee of the house veterans' affairs committee. dr. boozman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for as much time as he might consume. mr. boozman: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank ranking member

buyer for yielding. and also i want to thank the chairman, mr. filner, and ranking member buyer, for allowing us to bring this resolution forward. madam speaker, i was proud to introduce house resolution 1228 honoring the veterans of helicopter attack light squadron three and their families to recognize the veterans' sacrifices and service to america during the vietnam war. despite the controversy surrounding the vietnam war, most of the officers and enlisted men who served in the hal-3 were volunteers, most of the junior enlisted were recent graduates of navy boot camp and technical training schools. their leaders were also new to combat, coming mostly from ship based helicopter squadrons, normally assigned to track submarines. hal-3 fought from 1967 to 1972 in that time they earned their

respect of army and navy units throughout the mekong delta for their courage under fire and their dedication to supporting their comrades on the ground and small boats patrolling the canals and rivers. they supported army troop insertions and extractions. navy sales counted on their support in tight situations. the sailors and soldiers benefited. in short they master every form of combat helicopter operations. here are some of the statistics from the resolution. the nine detachments and guard threw 130,000 flight hours in five years. they performed 1,530 medical evacuations. inflicted thousands of casualties on enemy forces. transported 37,000 passengers. and hauled a million pounds of cargo. in accomplishing those milestones with a fleet of

castoff gunships and few slicks, the veterans of hal-3 were awarded 156 purple hearts, five navy crosses, 31 silver stars, 219 distinguished flying crosses, 101 bronze stars, 142 vietnam gallantry crosses, 16,000 air medals, and numerous other awards, including six presidential unit citations, the highest recognition given to military units. like any combat operation there was a cost, 44 lost their lives and among the 58,000 or more lives on the vietnam memorial. today the children and grandchildren of those brave souls can be justifiably proud of the heritage of courage and sacrifice of their fathers and grandfathers. madam speaker, i would especially like to mention citizens of arkansas who served with hal-3. george blackwell, frank w. butler, wayne campbell, johnny

cruise, james l. keys, terry mcmillan, williams mccain, charles osborne, james prayeder, and mack thomas. it's been an honor to bring this resolution honoring them to the house and i strongly urge my colleagues to add their neams to the roster of those recognizing these american sailors. with that i yield back the balance of my time. mr. buyer: reclaiming my time. i thank the gentleman for bringing this. i also want to recognize hoosiers who also shared danger of combat above the rice patties and forest of the mekong delta. that is those who served with hal-3 from indiana. j. howard cook, rick hodge, melvin howl, thomas h. jackson, robert l. redmond, and jay wakeland. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. buyer: in support of house resolution 1228. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mr. buyer:with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. filner: madam speaker, i also yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time of the the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1228, as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are -- mr. filner: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. filner: on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. . a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. filner: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4307. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4307, a bill to name the department of veterans' affairs community-based outpatient clinic in new mexico as the alejandro penteria ruiz department of veterans affairs clinic. ipe the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. filner, and the gentleman from indiana, mr. buyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. filner: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. filner: and i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. filner: madam speaker, i rise in support of this bill sponsored by mr. teague of new mexico that names the department of veterans affairs community-based outpatient clinic in artesia, new mexico, as the alejandro penteria ruiz

department of veterans affairs clinic, and i yield to him as much time to explain the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new mexico, mr. teague, is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. teague: madam speaker, i rise today to speak in support of my bill, h.r. 4307, which would name the v.a. veterans health clinic in artesia, new mexico, in honor of alejandro penteria ruiz, a southern new mexican who was awarded the medal of honor during world war ii. alejandro ruiz was ultimately a surge in the united states army. he was born and raised in loving, new mexico. when war broke out, he traveled north to carlsbad and enlisted in the army. after basic training, he was assigned to the 27th infantry division. the 27th infantry division was part of the largest apple fib with us operation in the pacific theater -- amphibious

operation in the pacific %% theater. it was during this invasion that on april 28, 1945, private ruiz's unity was pinned down by machine-gun fire by a japanese pill box. they were unable to advance until ruiz grabbed an automatic rifle and charged the pill box right in the face of machine-gun fire and grenades. unfortunately, his rifle jammed and one of the enemy attacked ruiz. without hesitation, he used the rifle as a club and beat back his enemy. ruiz then returned to his original position all the while under fire from machine guns and grenades from the pill box. on his second attempt to free his unit, ruiz was able to overtake the pill box and save the lives of his fellow soldiers. for his actions he was awarded

the medal of honor in a ceremony at the white house. mr. speaker, it is with great pride that i stand before you to honor this american hero. we should all work every day to remember individuals like sergeant ruiz. he and the multtudes of his fellow americans who battled for the freedom of europe, asia and the americas. let this -- left this world liberty and security. after the war, sergeant ruiz would tell the story of how he came to serve in the army. as a young man working for a cattle farmer in carlsbad, he was told to transport an animal to another farm. now, i'm as familiar as the long loney roads of new mexico as anyone else, and i can tell you that your mind wanders. mr. ruiz's mind wandered to thoughts of a girlfriend. with those thoughts in mind he drove straight to texas, 120 miles awaa, to speak with that

young woman, and he brought the cow with him. mr. ruiz was detained and a judge told him that he would either be sent to jail for taking the cow or he could enlist in the army. he chose the army. sergeant ruiz died on november 20, 2009. he was survived by two children , celia ruiz and alejandro ruiz jr., seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. mr. speaker, sergeant ruiz was a member of the greatest generation. as that generation grows older and many of them leaves this earth, it's important that their sacrifices, their acts of heroism, their accomplishments and, of course, their names not be forgotten. it would be a great mistake for us to forget how the lives we live today, the freedoms we cherish and the confidence we enjoy were earned by the heroism of sergeant ruiz, the blood of his fellow soldiers and the sacrifice of an entire

nation. madam speaker, upon enactment of this bill, the u.s. department of veterans affairs community-based outpatient clinic located at 1700 west main street in artesia, new mexico, will bear the name of alejandro penteria ruiz, the son, citizen, defender of a grateful nation. i thank chairman filner for his support. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. filner: madam speaker, reclaiming my time, i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from indiana is recognized. mr. buyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: i'd like to thank mr. teague for bringing this legislation and mr. filner for bringing it to the floor. i would like to ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. buyer: i do so in support of h.r. 4307, which is a bill to rename the artesia, new

mexico, outpatient clinic after sergeant ruiz. i just -- anytime i get to read phe history and learn -- and hear the stories of such extraordinary americans, it's only fitting that we can actually place their name on such ---on such buildings that are going to be able to care for so many people. this is a very fitting memorial to his service to country, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. filner: i thank the gentleman from new mexico, mr. teague, for bringing us this important resolution and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4307. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is

passed -- mr. filner: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. filner: on that i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognntion? mr. levin: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 561, the restoration of important common sayings act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. h.r. 5618, a bill to continue federal unemployment programs. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr.

levin, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i now yield such time as he may use to the chairman of the subcommittee, the distinguished gentleman from washington, mr. mcdermott. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. mcdermott: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcdermott: madam chair, if we fail to act, 1.7 million americans will lose their unemployment benefits by the end of this week. the house tried to address this issue a month ago as part of a much larger jobs package, but republican opposition killed the bill in the other body. america's unemployed workers cannot wait any longer for all of us to do the right thing. many of them have lost their benefits after just 26 weeks.

there are people -- we are not talking about people that have had 99 weeks of unemployment. we are talking about people that have had 26 weeks of unemployment. unemployment has reached the highest levels since we've been counting, and yet only one -- one of more than 200 republicans in congress has voted to continue the benefits. so we bring it up as a stand-alone bill to extend unemployment benefits so there is no excuses. you are looking the unemployed straight in the face. if you vote no you will be cutting off unemployment benefits to americans who have worked hard and played by the rules but now find themselves with no job, no savings and no support. if you vote no you are abandoning unemployed americans when there are five of them

desperately searching for every job that's out there. if you vote no you'll be helping increase the number of homes in foreclosure. if you don't get an unemployment check you don't have money to pay your mortgage so your house is going to go in the tank. the number of families declaring bankruptcy and the number of children going hungry will go up in america. in the richest country in the world. if you vote no, you're undermining economic recovery by choking consumer demand at a critical time. and if you vote no i honestly don't know how you are able to imphome and march in a fourth of july parade as millions of americans are left without any way to keep a roof over their head or food on the table for their children. no excuses this time. no place to hide. we must pass this bill.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington, mr. mcdermott, yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. camp: here we go again. another month, another bill extending unemployment benefits and extending the federal deficit. only this time the democrats have waited now almost an entire month since these programs last expired to come up with a plan for how to extend them leaving hundreds of thousands of long-term unemployed people without needed benefits and it's because the democrats refuse to pay for these benefits despite record federal deficits. madam speaker, i'm one of many on this side who support helping long-term unemployed people. i voted for these benefits even though my home state of michigan recently ended its four-year run of the highest

unemployment rate in the nation, the pain suffered by our residents remains real. but the american people know it isn't right to simply add the cost of this spending to our already overdrawn national credit card. they want to help those in need. they also know that someone has to pay when the government spends money. that assistance must not put our fiscal house as a nation in even worse shape, and we're already in terrible shape thanks to the other side. the democrats' trillion dollar stimulus plan created millions of unemployed workers instead of millions of promised jobs. we can and should cut that ineffective stimulus spending to pay for extending u.i. benefits, as mr. heller has proposed. three million private sector jobs were lost.

unemployment soared to 10% nationwide and 48 out of 50 states lost jobs. the only thing we stimulated is more government jobs. even democrats now question the wisdom of all that spending as is evidence by the fact the chairman of the senate finance committee proposed last week to cut some of it to pay for extending other expired policies. but instead of that commonsense approach, our colleagues on the other side have brought up this unpaid for bill under a process that prevents any amendment, including an effort to pay for this spending. . i suspect because of those reasons this bill will be redefeated. they know that. they want a campaign issue. members reflecting what they are hearing from their constituents, listening to the people they represent, oppose adding anothered 33 billion to our $13 trillion mountain of

national debt. our national debt is now more than 90% of our total economy. look around the world. countries are singing in debt . -- singing -- singing in debt. this wreck less spending cannot go on forever. i urge my colleagues to oppose this deficit extending bill today so that we can bring up a real bill that a lou u.s. us to pass and pay for these benefits for the long-term unemployed. that's the only road out of this policy ed end into which the other side spending ways have driven us. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin:i yield a minute to the gentlelady from nevada, a member of our committee, mrs. berk will i. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada is recognized for one min minute. miss berk will i: thank you, madam speaker --

ms. berkley: thank you, madam speaker. i am not concerned about finding a campaign issue to run on in november. what i'm looking for is relief for the people that i represent. nevada's unemployment rate went up last month. we are the highest in the country. official will i over 14%, probable will i closer to 20%, which means people have no knobs and there are no jobs to have. we should excellent tend unemployment benefits because people are going to get accustomed to being on unemployment. noun not one of the people i represent as come to me and told me what a picnic it is living on the brink with their unemployment benefits. they are saying let's find me a job. i want to work. until this economy recovers, until people can go back to work, we have an obligation to and responsibility to keep these families a float. let's stop talking about --

afloat . let's stop talking about nonsense issues. and help our fellow citizens. i strongly support this and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. camp. mr. camp: at this tiie i yield three minutes to a distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from texas, mr. brady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. brady: thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate and applaud the leadership of mr. camp on job creating issues in this congress. my friend from washington's correct there are no excuses on this bill. democrat leadership has known for months that this would run out for those who need unemployment, and they did nothing. now it's lapsed for 30 days and the question is why? the answer is, the democrats think deficits don't matter. they thought they could attach

this bill to big spending bill, talk the rest of the congress to adding even more to our deficit and congress balked. today they think they can add another $33 billion to our deficit and congress will go along with it. but we won't. at a time when democrats believe deficits don't matter, the rest of the american public says it does matter. people are frightened by the amount of debt this country owes. they are frightened how much more dangerous debt is added every day. in fact, every second in america under the obama democrat budget, every second more is added to the national debt than most average americans make all year long. every second more debt than most make all year long. there is no end in sight. deficits are going to drag this economy down. to put a hanker around the young people's neck. those who are children and

grandchildren. what's frustrating it's so easy to pay for this bill. as mr. camp said, trillion dollar stimulus bill, they $3 million on a turtle crossing in florida. $50,000 for a hand puppet grant. they have $390,000, hard to believe, they spent $390,000 of your money, university of new york at buffalo, to study the relationship between malt liquor beer and smoking marijuana. those are your tax dollars. that's what we are spending this deficit on. what's even i think worse, as bad as the deficit is, the democrats in congress succeeded in reinstating the moratorium on drilling in deepwater we'll add $50,000 -- 50,000 direct unemployed to these rolls. we will lose hundreds if not thousands of small businesses who won't be able to survive this moratorium. the white house is determined

to reinstate it even though a federal judge said it was completely inappropriate. let's not turn an environmental catastrophe into an economic catastrophe. bills like this are getting nowhere. moratorium to kill more u.s. jobs. we can do better than this. i will vote no and i urge commonsense americans to support a balanced budget to vote no as well. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: i simply want to say to the gentleman from texas, he'll have to go home if he votes no and give an explanation why he voted no when 113,000 residents of the state of texas would have lost unemployment benefits by the end of this week without the enactment of this bill. 113,000. i now yield a minute to the gentleman from illinois, a distinguished member of our committee, mr. davis.

the speaker pro tempore: a reminder that all comments should be directed to the chair. the gentleman is recognized. mr. davis: thank you, madam speaker. i thank you, mr. chairman, for yielding. i received a phone call early this morning from one of my constituents. they said to me, congressman davis, i have had a job since i was 18 years old. i have always worked. but my employment benefits ran out at the end of may. my basement is flooded as a result of the heavy rains. my son is in college and can't find a summer job. our house is almost in foreclosure. there are no jobs to be found. and now i have no unemployment benefits. what can i do? the only thing i could say to him was, you can keep looking, you can have faith, and you can have hope.

but there is something that we can do, we can pass 5618 to extend unemployment benefits for you and your family, and for the other hundreds of thousands of families throughout america. that's the very least we can do and we ought to do it now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized. mr. camp: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. levin from michigan is recognized. mr. levin: it's now my privilege to yield three minutes to distinguished gentleman from new york, charles rangel. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes mr. rangel from new york for three minutes. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. i want to thank the chairman of the commiitee. i guess my appeal has to deal with america. i think that our great country and the successes it's really not just due to invs.ments --

investments, but the investments we have in people willing to leave their home country to come to this country because they have hopes, they have dreams, they have the energy. i don't know how you convert that into what makes america the giant that it is, but one thing is abundantly clear, everyone is trying to come to america and no one is anxious to leave. this quality of believing in america and believing that you have the opportunity to succeed through hard work is one of the things that i think that this recession, this setback is costing us something that we can never recover from and that is the lack of faith. i think the gentleman from chicago talked about it. it's not just those who are unemployed now. it's those that are chronically unemployed. those that don't really believe that america's going to give them another chance, and those that are holding on now by their fingernails and hope that somebody somewhere would allow

them to exist. some lines cannot be restored. you can't get back that house, you can't get back your credit, you can't get back your kid in college, you can't get back your reputation of being a hardworking person that takes care of their family. and these are personal crises that most people overcome, but can our country overcome it? can we tell a person that's worked all his life and his father and grandfather, can we say that we have found billions of dollars for the bankers but somehow we are concerned about the deficit when it comes to americans? the one quality that we have as is we believe in this country, we believe in hard work, and we believe that our country supports that type of thing. we can't talk about the other house. we can't talk about this event -- the deficit. we can't talk about republicans and democrats. we are talking about the heart of our country. and that is the dreams and aspirations that we would never

let workers down. we are talking about welfare, unwanted children, or any of those things except what our flag is made of. and our flag is made of hope and support from this great country. so i do hope, mr. chairman, people try to understand everybody in this chamber knows somebody that's not going to come back the same way that this crisis has hit them. we have our ability to ease the pain and to save the faith of those people who have not yet reached that point that they know that our country's let them down. i yield back the balance of my time and i just thank my colleagues for being sensitive enough to know that we do care and we want the country to know that this could happen to them, so many people are depending on us. i hope that this body would not let them down. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yield back the balance of his time of the the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, is recognized.

mr. camp: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve the balance of his time. mr. levin from -- mr. levin: two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, the distinguished member, mr. rich neal. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. neal: thank you, mr. chairman. some of the best speeches that i have ever listened to and/or read come from the legendary mayor of boston, james michael curly. curly spoke with great empathy about the forgotten man. those individuals who for whatever reason have found them steffs outside of the mainstream of economic life. he also would suggest that in simplestity that the great anal identicaler of civilization is a full stomach. we need to be reminded of that with the grim statistics that america is currently witnessing. also another big important

reminder here i think we all ought to recall. in october of 2008, in record time, this house voted to come to the aid of wall street. it didn't take us long with the troubled asset relief program to keep standing many of those institutions that helped create the job that we find ourselves currently in. why is that relevant? there are millions of people across this country who have simply found themselves without work. what does that do to an individual who has spent a career and after 30 years finds the job is gone? and we treat them as though they are simply a statistic after, perhaps, they served us in an honorable manner in vietnam or currently in iraq or

afghanistan or other theaters around the world? america is about building community, madam speaker. america is about a place where nobody's going to be abandoned and nobody is to be left behind. the great bounty of god's work has been to assure that most people in america have shelter and food. this opportunity to extend unemployment benefits for the american people ought to meet this moment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan is recognized, mr. camp. mr. camp: i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, is recognized. mr. levin: i yield one minute to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for one minute. recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: --