reduction. some people who had these loans would pay for years, thinking there were making monthly payments, and that there were -- having fallen behind, thinking they jumped back in and were making payments, with no principal reduction. their payments for years were going to interest. it was years ago i was in the business, but it was a crime. that is one of the reasons i got out. this is the largest secondary lender in the u.s. -- they ought to be scrutinized, and go up one side of them, and down the other. guest: we saw during the financial crisis that there was revolution of the loans coming from federally-insured banks, but not as much over these secondary loan companies, the non-banks originating lot of these mortgages.

the idea is it will be one agency to regulate both banks, non-banks, etc. -- so one person in charge of everything. a lot of the interest-only loans, and loans were your principal goes up each month -- those will be harder to be originated in the future. host: what should consumers watch for next? guest: there are literally hundreds of rules to be written both by the consumer protection agency and by the federal reserve, the sec, the derivatives regulator. it will be hard for everyone to stay on top of it. some will be very mundane, some complicated with a big impact. the first thing we will see --

on two tracks. the federal reserve is having a meeting with other regulators to up about the consolidation of power. getting the agency up and running. host: is that a public meeting? guest: no, it is not. the second part will be the nomination. how will the white house do? how will they sell this person to the public? many people do not trust the government. we will hear from both democrats and republicans. host: think you for your timing of that does it for today. we will be back tomorrow. the house is getting under way. on the docket this week is debate over that $37 billion in mr. poe: 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: the chair will entertain requests for one minutes on both sides of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> madam speaker, to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. tonko: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today just a few weeks in advance of the 75th anniversary of social security. this bedrock promised earned with a lifetime of hard work should be available for our nation's seniors and future generations. however, my friends on the other side of the aisle are once again trying to privatize social security. returning to previously rejected ideas, republicans want to create a casino economy and play russian roulette with your hard-earned benefits. if they would have succeed md

2005 seniors would have lost trillions more in the stock market meltdown of the bush recession. instead, nobody lost a penny of social security. in the area that i represent many people are hurting, families and seniors are facing unsrnt and anxiety -- uncertainty and anxiety ranging from their mortgage payments, credit card bills and more. let us not return to the failed ideas of the past. we must keep america moving forward. there is a very clear choice here. we can hand the social security system over to wall street and continue raising anxiety or strengthen the current system. i stand with our nation's seniors to strengthen social security for the years to come. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. 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: madam speaker, i heard from a texan yesterday who was mad about why taxpayers are shelling out another $500 million for pakistan. americans are already giving pakistan $1 billion a year.

and secretary of state hillary clinton said officials in pakistan know where osama bin laden is hiding. well, why don't they tell us where the terrorist of the desert, osama bin laden, is? isn't pakistan supposed to be with us in this war in pakistan? if they are why are we giving them billions of taxpayer dollars? pakistan also appears to be taking our money and supporting our enemy, the taliban. maybe pakistan isn't the loyal ally we pay them to be. we should not be giving money we need here at home to countries that are thieves behind closed doors. as louie gohmert says, we don't have to pay them to hate us. they already do. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. quigley: a bill permits individuals filing for personal bankruptcy excerpting firearms from the claims of creditors. really? today there is a house bill sponsored by 109 members of congress that would close the gun show loophole and keep guns out of the hands of terrorists and mentally ill. there is a bill sponsored by 37 members of this congress that would prohibit those on the terrorist watch list from purchasing firearms. each bill is supported by mainstream america. each bill would save lives. have we called either bill to the floor for debate? no. congress stands ready to enact new policy that would require a bankruptcy judge to sort assets in two piles. one pile for guns, one pile for all other personal belongings. we need to reassess our priorities and regain our

common sense. it's time to stop pandering and start acting responsibly. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. boustany: 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. boustany: madam speaker, i rise to highlight what the president's capricious and arbitrary moratorium on american energy production is doing to families. the wife of a rig worker forwarded a letter to me that she sent to the president and to secretary salazar saying that while they may not need regular work she and her family cannot keep going without jobs. her family pays -- has bills to pay which is now three months behind and they will lose almost everything they have worked for as a result of this arbitrary moratorium on energy production. her husband relies on rig exploration jobs and even sent copies of their bills. she said her bank will not wait out the moratorium to receive

her mortgage payment of over $3,000 past due. she said her family will probably lose their cars. they don't even have a car to live in if this thing persists. due to the moratorium, her husband lost a job, a 30-day exploration job that would pay $732 a day, a total of $21,960 for 30 days, 30 days. this is an arbitrary and malicious moratorium and it needs to end. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: good morning, madam speaker. i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kucinich: wake up, america. documents gave us 92,000 reasons to end the war. pick one. wake up america. main street is falling apart, businesses have closed, people are losing their jobs, their homes, losing their retirement security.

the middle class is falling apart. workers' rights are not being protected. the government's out of money. there's not even money for child -- for nutrition. wake up, america. there's unlimited money xi mob's personal use, it goes to to the taliban to kill our troops. meanwhile, our troops are committing sue site in record numbers. wake up, america. how can we solve the world's problems if we can't solve our own problems here at home. the speaker pro tempore: 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. >> thank you, madam speaker.

the update of the president's budget estimate released friday shows washington still has not gotten the message. fiscal policies are not helping our country. they're resulting in deficit, debt and an economy which struggles. now after 18 months of bailouts and government takeovers, government is posing to have the largest tax increase to take effect next year. on january 1, 2011, every single tax bracket will increase. that means the small business in grand island, nebraska, paid 35% in federal taxes this year, next year it will have to pay nearly 40%. mr. smith: when times square celebrates a new year, americans who own a farm or ranch or small business will see death taxes from zero to 55%. we can't tax and spend our way back to a healthy economy. i join my colleagues to help farmers and ranchers before they wake up on january 1 to a brave new world. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? >> to address the house.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in honor of mrs. marg reach home, a waterford, connecticut, native, who went missing in the jungeles of vietnam 40 years ago. she traveled to crystal city organized by the department of dodd. during the meeting, members of the u.s. army presented mrs. home with a p. -- pow-mia award. although authorized by congress in 1983, mrs. home ask not receive her medal until last week. for marg reach, who has tireless -- for margarite, this medal is a long overdue recognition of her loss. mr. courtney: although i was unable to be with her during her presentation, i spoke to her last night to let her know

how much she means to me and the colleagues in the house. to her and to others still waiting for her loved ones to return home, as the pow-mia flag says, you are not forgotten, not by the members of this congress, not by the men and women of the military. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. blunt: madam speaker, i rise again today because southwest missourians tell me that they are expecting us to keep our eye on the ball. the most important thing they want us to work in the house is jobs, that's j-o-b-s, madam speaker. but most of the bills have exactly the opposite effect. southwest missourians know the difference between good policies that put people back to work and the tax-raising, job-killing agenda of the majority in washington. madam speaker, there's a -- there's and has been a bipartisan resistance to this extreme agenda.

but the majority does whatever's necessary to pass these bills. with government control of health care and the house-passed national energy tax of cap and trade, costs go up and jobs go down. despite promises that the $862 billion so-called stimulus bill would keep unemployment below 8%, here we are today, madam speaker, with an unemployment rate of over 9% for months. our top priority must be job creation. the government can't create private sector jobs but it sure can pursue smart policies that help create those jobs, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, i ask to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. baca: this august marks the 75th anniversary of our social security here in america. and sour seniors say thank god we have a social security system. over five million americans currently rely on social security every year, including

retirees, disabled americans. we just honored yesterday here as well, and the survival of the deceased workers. unfortunately, on the 75th birthday, social security again faces a threat from congressional republicans who want to privatize, i state, who want to privatize and dismantle our current system. from our republican colleagues, it's the same failed policies of the past. president bush and the congressional republicans pushed social security privatizing and benefit cuts in 2005. now, in 2010 we must tell them no. if republicans had been successful in 2005 seniors would have lost, and i state, seniors would have lost trillions more in the stock market meltdown of the bush administration. hardworking americans simply cannot afford the same old failed policies of the past. we must continue, and i state, we must continue to fight and move our economy forward. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the

gentleman from louisiana rise? mr. fleming: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. mr. faleomavaega: without objection. mr. fleming: thank you, madam speaker. now that washington leftists have -- the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. fleming: thank you, madam speaker. now that washington leftists have forced socialized medicine, the british is leaving it. they are leaving it because of skyrocketing costs and widespread rationing of care that has long plagued their patients. this organization would abolish the 150 bureaucracies that decide who gets health care in the system. restoring that decision to its rightful place between a doctor and the patient. mr. speaker, as the new british government prepares to move away from government-controlled rationing of health care, president obama and the liberals in congress are taking our country further down the road of socialism. i urge my colleagues to take a lesson from the british and

work to repeal this disastrous legislation which inserts washington between patients and their doctors. and i yield back. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? without objection. mr. neal: december and again in may, this house passed legislation to extend a popular set of expiring tax provisions, providing billions of dollars in relief to millions of american families. that tax bill passed the house and has been stymied in the other body where only two republican senators have stood up against their party's only filibuster against these tax cuts. let me tell you who is suffering in the meantime. 42,000 families in kentucky cannot deduct $108 million in college tuition fees. 86,000 families in arizona cannot key duct $166 million in tuition fees.

$304,000 -- 304,000 families in tacks can't deduct the college tuition fees. nationwide more than four million families cannot deduct $10.5 billion in college expenses. a college degree means a better job for your kid. i urge our colleagues in the other bod -- on the other side of the aisle to contact their senators and tell them that tax extenders means jobs. some the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? without objection. >> madam speaker, one of the most important social programs of our time is nearing the 75th birthday, and i'm so pleased to come to the floor today to speak on the vital role of social security. mr. carson: our economy is indeed seeing a rebirth. however millions of americans are feeling the impact in programs such as social security are playing an important role in

ensuring these individuals and citizens are able to have their needs met. it aggravates me to hear the other side threatening to cut these benefits or once again focus on privatization. i'm committed to working across the aisle for real solutions when problems arise. to claim that social security is paying out more than it takes in is untrue. the trust fund has reserves of $2.6 trillion. which continues to earn interest and will pay out benefits until 2037. again i will again to work or for the american people and ensure this important program is here now and future generations. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate the opportunity to be here this morning to talk about during the last few weeks i have been back in my district doing america speaking out events and listening to people and talking with people about what their issues are, and sharing with me what we should

do in washington, d.c. mr. guthrie: in my district unemployment is the number one issue like it is across the country. not just for people looking for jobs but for people to provide jobs. they are concerned about the tax increases that could be coming with the expiration of the tax increases. one of the concerns we heard this weekend, madam speaker, is that taxes could increase on those making $250,000 or more which we know half of that runs through small businesses. i'm talking to a lot of small business owners attackses because they want to grow their business and hire people and put them to work. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. mr. walz: perhaps my career as a public school teacher and having survived 20 years of the high school lunchroom makes me more optimistic than some of my colleagues. the idea of the trust i have in our young people and in this country to overcome any

adversities we see, this weekend i was out in minnesota at a number one producer of chain in this country, tying down our jet fighters on aircraft carriers to providing the chains in the booms protecting the gulf coast. this is an american company who was standing with me making sure we get our provisions here that don't extend long-range plans to outsource jobs to allow people to take tax jobs to end jobs overseas, but to keep them here in america. they were there to focus on hiring veterans. a country founded by polish immigrants in 1917 who fought in world war i, now we have the largest manufacturer of chain in north america, fourth largest in the world, producing good american jobs by veterans and stamping those crates with made in america with a big flag. that's our job creation policy. that's what america can be. and that's what going forward means instead of turning back to disastrous policy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. froms the gentlewoman from maryland rise?

-- for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maryland rise? without objection. ms. edwards: here we go again. today and every day in this chamber my republican colleagues stand here and blame gems for failing to create jobs. blame democrats for failing to create jobs. right now senate republicans just like their house colleagues are blocking the passage of five critical bills that would create at least 1.5 million jobs for the american people. house republicans have the audacity to accuse democrats of not doing enough to create jobs? shame on them. i urge republican senators to vote for america competes, the small business job and credit act, the jobs for main street act, and the small business and infrastructure act to provide desperately needed jobs. if republicans are really serious about job creation, then they urge their colleagues in the senate to take immediate action and pass these bills. madam speaker, it's about 186 days since we passed our first

jobs bill and still they haven't acted. it's time for senate republicans to act, write a paycheck to the american people, and finish the job that house democrats started. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from the virgin islands rise? mrs. christensen: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. christensen: thank you, madam speaker. this democratic congress with our president has begun to turn around the table job situation we inherited. the american recovery and reinvestment act is working. can you imagine where we would be without it? private sector employment has increased for six straight months. 35% of household wealth in the -- lost in the bism has been recovered. -- in the bush administration has been recovered. but that is not enough. the american people need jobs, my community needs jobs. while unemployment overall has improved, there are too many communities that still have double-digit unemployment and

african-americans and young people are the hardest hit. pass the small business bill. pass funding we have included for youth jobs now. pass funding to keep teachers in our classrooms and policemen on our streets now. pass funding for black farmers now. this country rides or falls on our working men and women. senate republicans, forget policy. let's put america back to work. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, you listen to the rhetoric in this hall and you hear a lot from the folks on the other side of the aisle, the republicans talk about the deficit. but very simple, there's two ways you deal with the deficit. number one you reduce spending or increase income. and the way you increase income is you have more tax revenue. and the republicans, the two biggest ways you can get more

tax revenue is taxing the most wealthy people in the country who can afford it. the republicans don't want to eliminate the tax cuts for the upper 1% and 2% of the population, people making over $250,000 a year, and they don't require that to be a pay-go. they want those people getting those tax breaks that were reduced eight years ago. they are skerned about the inheritance tax. people who might inherit of over $3.5 million a person, that's what they are concerned about. not middle class families who got the largest tax cut in history with the america recovery investment act that not a republican voted for. it was a democratic bill. and the balanced budget under the clinton years, all democrats. a balanced budget. so if you want to reduce deficits, you need to support the democrats who do the hard lifting and see we have revenue as well as responsible spending. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? without objection.

>> less than a month ago congress finally began the debate on the war in afghanistan that really should have been held nine years ago. ms. lee: the fact remains, congress cannot continue to write a blank check for a war in afghanistan that has ultimately made our country less safe. our brave men and women in uniform have been put in incomparable situation in afghanistan where there is no military solution. we should use this money to bring them home. the congressional black caucus included in the previous supplementals the house passed, the black farmer settle. youth unemployment provision, and in the supplemental it was passed several times, it was paid for, yet the senate took these provisions out. let's support jobs and justice for the black farmers who have waited so long for our government to act. let's support our teachers, let's not spend another dime to escalate america's longest war. i urge my colleagues to vote no on this supplemental that we'll be considering later in the day.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from hawaii the gentleman is recognized? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. djou: thank you, madam speaker. yesterday the united states navy began conducting war game operations off the coast of korea. many of the ships come from pearl harbor located in my district. yesterday i had the opportunity to sit down and meet with the u.s. -- the korean ambassador to the united states who is also the former prime minister of south korea. these are important development. important for our nation to strengthen our ties with korea. i want to state and strongly urge this house to complirble move the free trade agreement between the united states and south korea. make sure that what happened 60 years ago doesn't happen again. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from nevada rise? without objection.

ms. titus: madam speaker, today nevada mourns the loss of a good man. former governor kenny gwynn, a true public servant who always put the interest of nevadans first, ahead of party and above politics. i was honored to serve in the state legislature during governor gwynn's tenure there. as a former clark county school superintendent, governor gwynn led efforts to improve nevada's system of education. and through our shared commitment to both teachers and students, we became friends as well as colleagues. it was thanks to his leadership that we created the millennium scholarship which bears his name and has helped some 60,000 young nevadans fulfill the dream of a college education. that is his legacy. he reached the state's highest office but never lost his special common touch for which he is so beloved by so many. my thoughts and prayers go out to his family today. thank you.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from arizona rise? without objection. >> madam speaker, arizonans are tired of being let down by washington on the border. mrs. kirkpatrick: for years we have been calling on the federal government to start fulfilling its duty and again and again the federal government has debated, delayed, and stumbled. by withholding funding for critical border resources in the supplemental appropriations act, congress is adding another black mark to their record of failure on this issue. the fact is border security is national security. the federal government has responsibility to address threats in our community, both abroad and at home. they are negligenting that responsibility with this bill. the house has previously accepted that expanding the

border patrol is a necessary step to keep arizonans safe. why can't we find a way to get this done today? once again lack of political will is being allowed to put our communities at risk. folks have had enough of the culture in washington that prizes scoring political points over solving problems. the people of my district and my state deserve better than this from congress. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman ohio rise? without objection. ms. fudge: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, for almost 75 years social security has helped americans save for retirement and has provided the supplemental income they could count on in their golden years. for almost as long, congressional republicans have attacked social security and are doing so yet again. the republicans' efforts are unconscionable and inexcusable.

they fail to realize social security is earned not gifted to american workers. it comes from a lifetime of hard work and investment. democrats will not let republicans play politics with this benefit. they will not and must not succeed in robbing seniors of the benefits they have earned and deserve. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. yarmuth: to request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, we heard a few minutes ago a repetition of the smith that our friends from the republican party tried to foister on the american people. the idea that somehow by restoring the pre-bush tax i rates on the wealthiest meshes we are going to impede small business. i can assure you nothing is further from the truth. i have a brother in the barbecue business. he does very well. makes a lot of money. he used to vote republican because he didn't want to pay as much tax but he called me in

2008 and said, you know, i'm starting to support democrats now and i'm going to support president obama. the reason is because i realize finally that if people can't afford to buy barbecue, it doesn't matter what their tax rate is. ladies and gentlemen, the reason that we need to restore these tax cuts -- the tax cut rates to the pre-bush rates is because we have a way to get this country out of deficit, but more importantly, the answer to our economic woes is rebuilding america, making it in america and restoring our manufacturing base so peek can afford barbecue. i yield back. -- so people can afford barbecue. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana rise? mr. pence: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pence: 18 months into this

administration one thing is clear, the economic policies of this administration and this liberal democratic congress have failed. nearly 15 million americans are unemployed. unemployment hovers near a heartbreaking 10%. and after months of runaway spending, bailouts and takeovers, washington democrats are now poised to add tax increases to their agenda. the american people are starting to realize that unless this congress acts, every single income tax bracket will increase on january 1, 2011, every single one. this weekend treasury secretary geithner said, i think the economy can withstand it, i think it's good policy, closed quote. really? 15 million americans unemployed and this administration defines good policy as what the country can withstand? the country cannot withstand more spending, more borrowing, more bailouts or more taxes.

and house republicans will fight this tax increase with everything we got. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> 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. costa: thank you. madam speaker, today i will introduce legislation that will provide for burial benefits in national cemeteries to veterans who served in support of u.s. forces in vietnam. i believe this is an appropriate honor. during the vietnam officers from the c.i.a. special activities division trained and led men in laoa and into vietnam for special combat activities. -- laos and into vietnam for special combat activities. they fought shoulder to shoulder with u.s. soldiers. since the end of vietnam, thousands of families have reached out to the united states today.

and as a result of a law signed by president ford are now united states citizens. only a few thousand of these original veterans remain alive today. as was done with the philippine armed forces, we should recognize that precedent by offering internment to national cemeteries after verification and documentation is completed by the veterans affairs department. i ask you to support this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. wasserman schultz: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. wasserman schultz: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, democrats are committed to growing our economy and getting americans back to work. we want to continue to support america's manufacturing workers by closing tax loopholes that outsource u.s. jobs overseas. these savings will pay for hometown tax credits for small businesses to expand american manufacturing jobs. the democrats are boosting incentives to create american clean energy jobs and build

state-of-the-art wind turbines, solar panels and new technology. we can pay for this by ending big subsidies to big oil companies, giveaways to companies that rack in millions of dollars. we're strengthening the rules of manufacturing. we're telling foreign countries like china to honor fair trade principles or lose american business. in just over one year we've turned our economy around going from losing nearly 800,000 jobs in the last month of the bush administration to eight straight months of private sector job growth. we're heading in the right direction and democrats are going to ensure that u.s. manufacturing will continue to lead us into economic recovery. america will make things once again. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. moran: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. moran: thank you, madam speaker.

well, we've been going back and forth between the republican and democratic sides with two views of history and two policies. the republican party all morning, and it will continue right through the election, wants us to go back to the reagan-bush policies of the past, and the democrats want to try a new approach. but let's just review the history. ronald reagan ran for president saying any president who doesn't balance the budget should be impeached. and yet for eight years he never once submitted a balanced budget and in fact quadrupled the deficit. bill clinton came into office, adopted the suggestion of president george harbert walker bush that you should have the concept of pay-go. he may have lost re-election as a result but that was the right thing to do. bill clinton made sure that any new spending was offset with additional revenue and any increased spending have the revenue to pay for it. it worked.

we created surpluses. so many surpluses in fact that alan greenspan thought we might have a lot of treasury debt floating out there. this past president the republicans would want us to go back to a $5.6 trillion projected surplus, turned it into $3.5 trillion of debt. is that what the american people really want to happen? i don't think so. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. inslee: madam speaker, we are involved in a race today. it's a race to grow clean energy jobs, and we're in a race with the rest of the world and in particular china. china recently announced they will be investing over $750 billion over the next 10 years to grow clean energy jobs in china. they've announced they're going to put a cap on carbon so they can create demand for the creation of new clean energy jobs. what are we doing in this country?

unfortunately, the other chamber, the u.s. senate, has dropped the ball and isn't moving a ball to create a demand for these new clean energy jobs with a cap on carbon. we could lose this race if we don't get off the dime and get into this race. but i want to assure folks we are going to get into this race one way or another, and one way is with the environmental protection agency creating a limitation on carbon so we can create the demand for these clean energy jobs so we can make clean energy, electric cars in this country and sell them into china. and for those people who are going to object to the e.p.a. regulation of carbon, you had your chance and you can't be heard -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. dahlkemper: madam speaker, i rise today with a parent's pride to honor the 100th anniversary of the united states coast guard academy. the long and proud heritage of

the coast guard academy began in 1910 in new london, connecticut, and continues today in the academy's ongoing mission to promote the values of honor, respect and devotion to duty. the rigorous academic program of the coast guard academy provides a holeistic education that includes academics, physical fitness and trains cadets in the many roles that the coast guard makes in our national security. i offer my congratulations to the commandant of the coast guard and the superintendent of the united states coast guard academy and its staff for 100 years of operation of the coast guard academy. i especially want to congratulate all the cadets and graduates of the academy, including my daughter, lyndon, now serving in the gulf of mexico, for their incredible work and dedication to our country. god bless our united states coast guard. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. himes: madam speaker, i wonder if we aren't loose in the way we use the word hero. we sometimes call those who die unexpectedly nnts who are killed heros -- innocents who are killed heros. i wonder if we don't cheapen the word to which heros is applied to the word like michael and steven, two firefighters in bridgeport who gave their lives in the line of duty this weekend. two men who woke up every day and said i will risk my life and my well-being to you, my fellow citizens, and now leave behind wives, and in the case of michael, three children, and in the case of steven, two children. these were men who exemplify, i think, the best of what we mean when we say we care about each other. and speaking as their

representative, and i hope on behalf of all my colleagues, we thank them, we thank their families and wish them god speed. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later today. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. obey: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and receive from the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 4899 and concur in the senate amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4899, an act to making emergency supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and summer jobs for the

fiscal year ending september 30, 2010, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. obey, and the gentleman from california, mr. lewis, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 4899. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. obey: madam speaker, i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. obey: madam speaker, i have a double and conflicting obligation on this matter. as chairman of the committee, i have an obligation to this house to bring this war supplemental before the house to allow this institution to work its will, but i will have the obligation of my conscience to indicate my individual vote

by profound skepticism that this actually will accomplish much more than to serve as a recruiting incentive to those who most want to do us ill. last year i expressed my concern that the best policy in the world cannot succeed if we did not have the tools on the ground, namely, the effective cooperation of the governments of afghanistan and pakistan, to accomplish it. i submit today the critical tools are not at hand. the afghan government has not showed the reliability and judgment necessary to bring this effort to a rational and successful conclusion. even if we could have greater confidence in that government's capacity, it would likely take so long it will obliterate our ability to make the kinds of long term investments in an economy that is so desperately needed. we've appropriated over $1

trillion for the wars in iraq and afghanistan to date, more than $700 billion in iraq and $300 billion to afghanistan. these wars have been paid for with borrowed money. what's happened with this bill is a good indication of the tensions in the false choices that we face. the bill started in march as a domestic disaster relief and youth summer jobs bill. the senate added war funding. then, we tried to do something about other emergencies this year, such as the loss of more than 100,000 teachers' jobs because of devastating state and local budget cuts, border security vulnerabilities and a shortfall in pell grant funding because more students qualify for aid due to the economic recession. the house tried to fund those emergencies, which were largely paid for with offsets to other programs. but now true to form virtually everything we've attempted to do this year to address the economic crisis and emergencies

on the domestic side of the ledger has fallen by the wayside. and on the current course we will face the very same situation again next year and the following year as well. military experts tell us that it could take up to 10 more years to achieve any acceptable outcome in afghanistan. we've already been there nine years. i believe that is still a high price to pay. now, to those who say we must pay it because we're going after al qaeda, i would note that afghanistan is where al qaeda used to be. today, there are fewer than 100 al qaeda in afghanistan, which was publicly confirmed last month by c.i.a. chief pinetta. al qaeda has located to other regions. i yield myself one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. obey: i have an appreciation for our troops who have done everything asked of them. but they are being let down by the inability of the governments of afghanistan and in some

instances pakistan to do their part. i would be willing to support additional war funding, provided that congress would vote up or down exclusively on whether or not to continue this policy after a new national intelligence estimate is produced. but absent that discipline, i cannot look my constituents in the eye and say that this operation will hurt our enemies more than it hurts us. and so i will reluctantly vote no. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: madam speaker, our first job as members of congress is to support our troops, the men and women in harm's way protecting our country. it has been six months since the president sent supplemental funding request to the congress. the package we are considering

today is ironically the very same clean emergency spending package the senate approved on may 27, precisely two months ago. the delay in passing this legislation was caused by one thing and only one thing. the house democratic leadership, majority's continuing and unwavering appetite for spending. the senate passed its clean version of the supplemental in may and sent it to the house for speedy approval. instead of quickly passing it and sending it to the president's desk, however, house democrats spent weeks negotiating with themselves over just how much nonemergency spending could be placed on the backs of our troops. senate democrats and the white house sent strong signals that adding billions in domestic nonemergency spending would further delay funding for our troops as well as critical

disaster assistance to areas of our country in desperate need. but that advice was ignored by the house majority. fortunately, the senate last week wisely rejected the house majority's effort to piggyback tens of billions of dollars of additional spending under the package. the senate has sent back to the house the very same clean emergency supplemental it sent two months ago. today the house must do the right thing and approve this funding. we cannot afford to wait another minute. to get this long overdue pack ang to the president. i applaud the senate for rejecting billions of dollars of nonemergency spending placed on the packs of the troops. let's support our men and women in uniform, support disaster assistance for areas of the country in great need, and pass this spending bill. i urge any vote and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his

time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the distinguished chair of the appropriations subcommittee, the gentleman from washington. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized. for three minutes. mr. dicks: i rise in strong support of the supplemental. the undersecretary of defense, mr. hale, advises that the operation and maintenance accounts will begin to exhaust available obligation authority in early august. the secretary has made it very clear that we have to get this funding enacted. the senate bill includes $32.8 billion, $352 billion below the president's request, for operations, personnel cost, and equipment reconstruction -- reconstitution related to overseas contingency operations in iraq and afghanistan. and for emergency relief

activities related to the earthquake relief. the bill includes funding in the following major categories. military personnel, $1st8 billion. operations and maintenance, bill includes $24.6 billion for o and m. and also afghanistan-iraq security forces fund. the bill requested funds of $2.6 for the afghan forces fund and $1 billion for the iraq security fund. readiness programs. the bill funds key readiness programs to repair military forces for combat operations and other missions, including off tempo flying howers, depot maintenance, training, spare parts, and base operations. troop expansion in afghanistan, the bill fully funds additional units to support the troop expansion in afghanistan. the bill provides 50 million for the department of defense to transfer the department of transportation report activities

in guam. it also reimburses $72.5 million to the navy for emergency flood repairs. the bill includes $4.9 billion for procurement. this would include aircraft vehicle, force protection, and other equipment. research development test evaluation, the bill provides $273.7 billion for rtd and e. the revolving management fund the bill would provide $11st billion for defense working capital funds t would also provide $33.4 million to the defense health program. the bill includes money for counterdrug activities in afghanistan, pakistan, and central asia. improvised explosive device, that money would be transferred to the army.

i just think it's clear that we have got to pass this bill, this supplemental today. get this behind us as we move on to the 2011 bill. as stated the secretary and the comptroller pointed out that by mid august we'll start running out of funds for key crucial accounts and they'll have to start making adjustments -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. dicks: that will be ridiculous. so we must get this done today. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time of the the gentleman from california. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to our leader on the homeland subcommittee, hahl rogers of kentucky. three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas -- from kentucky is recognized for three minutes. mr. rogers: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. while there should be no higher priority for congress than to provide for our common defense,

the democrats have chosen to delay, abuse, and exploit this wartime funding bill. no committee markup, kir couple vention -- circumvention of regular order, exploitation of our national security needs in order to bail out the special interests. and perhaps most disturbing is the inexplicable six-month delay that has kept our brave troops waiting far too long. madam speaker, the shear criticality of this war and disaster supplemental should transcend the inconvenience of election year politics. sadly that's not the case this year. this episode in political few tillity has brought us right back to where we should have been all along, funding our critical needs with a clean bill.

because of this calamitous process, we leave a glaring omission, failing to address the president's recently requested enhancements to border security and to fight the murderous drug war. while i intend to support this vital bill, i must emphatically state that abusing the process and failing to deliver on our country's emergency needs is a failure of leadership of the highest order. the american people deserve much better. thank you, madam speaker. 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 reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from new york, chairman of the foreign operations appropriations subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for two minutes.

miss lowry: -- mrs. lowey: i address to support this bill. this bill provides approximately $3.7 billion to state department operations and assistance programs in afghanistan, pakistan, and iraq which are critical not to continue war but to execute the president's strategy to bring home our troops. my subcommittee's addressing serious concerns about oversight of our assistance in afghanistan and the administration must expend every dime of these funds responsibly and efficiently to advance our security interests. an additional $1.8 billion will aid recovery efforts in haiti where 1,450,000 people remain in place and struggle daily to survive. other international assistance including $175 million for mexico for counter narcotics programs, and $150 million in

economic and military assistance for jordan, an important ally facing increased economic and security pressures. while i am pleased this bill includes increased responsibility for the check passenger list against the t.s.a. issued no-fly list to prevent continued air security breakdowns, i am deeply disappointed it has been stripped of funding to help prevent teacher layoffs and emergency in our district. i hope the house will provide additional funds to preserve and create jobs in the coming months to continue our economic recovery. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. lewis: madam speaker, i yield three minutes to our leader on the armed services committee, buck mckeon of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. mckeon: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding.

madam speaker, i rise today in strong support of the long delayed troop funding supplemental. failure to pass this political before the august work period would result in severe consequences to our military departments. last thursday under secretaries of the army, navy, and air force testified in our committee that without this supplemental their services are dangerously close to the point of having to furlough department of defense employees. according to robert warrick, undersecretary of the navy, failure to pass the supplemental before the recess would, i quote, hamstring the department's operations for the remainder of the year and significantly disrupt operations within the department. madam speaker, these are departments of war. the president sent us his troop funding request in february. our former commander in afghanistan, general mcchrystal, urged its passage by memorial day. secretary of defense robert gates if the supplemental was not passed by the fourth of july

recess, the department would have to resort to doing stupid things. and now we are 60 days past memorial day. those of us here in congress cannot lose sight of the broader perspective. our brave military men and women and their civilian counterparts are in the midst of a tough fight that's critical to the u.s. national security. cutting off their funding in the middle of that fight is tantamount to abandonment. i'm confident general petraeus and our troops will succeed in afghanistan if given the time, space, and resources they need to complete their mission. in december and again when we tapped general petraeus, the president reminded us why we are in afghanistan. it was the epicenter of where al qaeda planned and launched the 9/11 attacks against innocent americans. the timeline for success in afghanistan cannot be dictated by arbitrary political clocks here in washington. it must be driven by the operational clock in kabul,

kandahar, and the afghan countryside. we hope and pray this goal can be accomplished by july, 2011, but conditions on the ground must dictate the face of any withdrawal. the democratic leadership in the house is trying to advance our domestic, political agenda on the backs of our forces while at the same time permitting one anti-war measure after another to be debated on the house floor. this is cynical and wrong. a vote on a clean troop funding bill is long overdue. we should have accomplished this work months ago. not in the last minths before we adjourn for the -- minutes before we adjourn for the august work period. we must send this troop funding to the president without further delay. i encourage you will members to send a clear message to our military men and women by supporting this critical troop funding bill. this congress believes in you. we support you. and we honor your dedication. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield two minutes to

the distinguished gentleman from texas, chairman of the military construction subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. >> madam speaker, i rise today in strong support of this bill. which will provide our service men and women the vital support they need to carry out the missions in afghanistan and iraq. mr. edwards: this bill also strongly supports america's veterans by including $13.4 billion in funds for vietnam veterans exposed to agent orange. i thank chairman obey for his strong support of this provision. . last october, the v.a. secretary announced links found between agent orange and three diseases, parkinson's, and leukemia. the director of government

relations at the vietnam veterans of america says this bill, quote, provides some measure of justice to these very ill vietnam veterans and their families by making the funds available for vitally needed health care and just compensation, replace their lost earnings due to these illnesses. passage of this bill, madam speaker, would mean that 86,000 veeltnam veterans or their survivors at long last, who were previously denied disability compensation, would be eligible for are retroactive payments. in addition the v.a. approximates that 6,000 new claims will be filed. it is important to pass this bill in support of our active duty men and women and veterans to send the clear message that we are grateful for those who serve today and we'll never forget those who served in years past. i urge swift passage of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. >> i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished chairman of the armed services committee, the gentleman from missouri. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. skelton: i thank the gentleman from wisconsin. today we take a vital step toward fulfilling one of congress' most basic and important responsibilities. we will provide men and women of the united states military with resources they need to carry out their mission in iraq and afghanistan. missions from which -- for which they are risking their lives. while i wish we could have sent the bill to the president sooner, passage of this bill today will ensure that funding is provided to the department of defense without operational

disruptions. without this bill, the department of defense would be forced to use inefficient and costly budget work-arounds throughout the month of august. according to testimony in the armeder is -- that the armed services committee received last week, without this bill the department of defense would be forced in september to furlough thousands of civil ab employees and even be forced to reprogram funding to pay the troops. instead of passing this bill on a bipartisan vote we will uphold the traditions of congress. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. >> i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: may i inquire how much time remains on both sides. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin has 9 1/2 minutes. the gentleman from california has 13 minutes.

mr. lewis: i have no additional speengers at this time. mr. obey: i yield to the gentleman from massachusetts two for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> madam speaker, i believe we must radically change our policy in afghanistan. of all the disturbing things in the recent "rolling stone" article about this war, the most disturbing was this -- a senior advisor to general mcchrystal said if the american people paid more attention to the war, it would become even less popular. after seeing the documents published yesterday, it's clear what he was talking about.

mr. mcgovern: corruption and incompetence in the afghan government. questions about the role of the afghani services. the same old, same old is not working and it's costing us dearly. at a time when the american people are suffering through the worst recession in generations, we're told we can't extend unemployment or pay to keep cops on the beat or teachers in the classroom but we're asked to borrow another $33 billion for nation building in afghanistan. with all due respect, madam speaker, i think we need to do more nation building here at home. all of us are defeat -- dedicated to defeating al qaeda wherever they are, but our current policy in afghanistan is deeply flawed. occupying afghanistan in support of a corrupt government will continue to claim the lives of our service -- soldiers and continue to bankrupt us and will not enhance our national security.

this is not just the president's war, it's our war too. congress has the obligation to ask tough questions that demand straight answers. we must not simply kick the can down the road and hope for the best. our troops and their families have made terrible sacrifices. they deserve a policy worthy of those sacrifices, it is a mistake to give the administration another blank check for the war.

reserve. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from california, ms. lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. lee: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. madam speaker, less than a month ago, congress finally began the debate on the war in afghanistan that should have been held nine years ago. while evidence continues to mount that our military engagement in afghanistan has become a quagmire of corruption and ill defined objectives, the bill under consideration will provide, if you can believe this, another $37 billion for the wars in afghanistan and iraq that have already cost this nation more than $1 trillion.

congress cannot continue to write a blank check for the war in afghanistan that's made our country less safe. our brave men and women in uniform have been put in an impossible situation in afghanistan where there is no military solution. it is time to provide funding for only the safe and orderly withdrawal. no more funding for combat operations. it's a shame and disgrace that we cannot support justice long overdue for black farmers or youth employment programs or teachers, firefighters and police officers who need their jobs, or temporary assistance for needy families. the congressional black caucus continues to fight for jobs here in our own country. let's not spend another dollar to escalate america's longest war. the cost of this war -- the costs of this war are too enormous in blood and treasure. i urge my colleagues to stand in opposition to a policy of

war without end and vote against this bill and really begin to look at our priorities and our own country. yes we need to help continue to stabilize, actually, regionally in terms of afghanistan and the middle east and the wars that have really, our young men and women have served in so well, but no, we cannot continue to do it in the way that we have done it. so i respectfully ask for a no vote. it's time to change direction in afghanistan. it's time to vote for jobs in our own country. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lewis: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: i thank the distinguished chairman.

having recently returned from afghanistan i can say to you that our soldiers are resilient and the people of afghanistan are looking for their government to provide them with the leadership and resources to improve their quality of life. but our plan is not working. and now that we have two of our trusted and wonderful naval personnel missing and we realize that this is a place that needs a plan, we cannot continue to support this war when the government of afghanistan will not stand up. they will have the necessary security forces, they need to be in front of the line. we need to provide money for pell grants, teachers, firefighters and police officers, for the settlement for black farmers, 100,000 of them and for youth jobsed on summer jobs and people in america who are unemployed and those families who need support as a bridge to carry them over. i believe in this nation and i believe in our soldier, i salute them and i believe it is time to bring them home with

honor. they are heroes. they have done what they needed to do in afghanistan. they provided for a democratic government. it's time now to bring them home with honor. vote no on the supplemental. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. lewis: i'm prepared to yield two minutes by way of a colloquy to my colleague, the chairman of the subcommittee on national defense. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> i appreciate the gentleman yielding to me. the purpose for this is just to discuss the situation. the secretary of defense, the comptroller, have made it very clear that money for our troops in the field, in afghanistan and iraq, will start running out by august 7. so we have a responsibility to the men and women who are erving -- serving this country in harm's way and we have seen the horrific injuries that

these people have suffered, to make certain they have the resources to conduct this operation until something different is the policy of the united states. and i just hope we can have a bipartisan vote here today of people who are -- who understand their responsibility and recognize that we've got to provide the funding. and if we don't get the funding done today, i would -- mr. hoyer has already said, we're not going home. we'll stay here until we get this done. i think this is a responsibility of this congress, we've had months to work on this thing and it's in and out time to get the job done. i hope we can have bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle for this supplemental. it isn't a supplemental i wanted, i had, i think, a much better bill. but the reality is time has run out. we've got to do it now.

mr. lewis: if the gentleman will yield, i very much appreciate the leadership my colleague is providing on the defense subcommittee of appropriations. he knows clearly that secretary gates has his back against the wall. we've got to deliver the supplemental now and i applaud his leadership in connection with this effort. mr. dicks: thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from washington. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington is recognized for one minute. >> i wish to address the security of our citizens. here is the headline, july 26, that we're going to see repeated across the country in the next year. linwood cops face job cuts. we are facing a 25% reduction of police officers in linwood, washington, because we can't pay for them. our first line of security in our neighborhood.

mr. inslee: but today we would be voting for something on the order over several years of about $4 billion to train police officers in kabul, afghanistan. it is wrong to be borrowing money from china, laying off american police officers, train police officers in afghanistan. it is wrong because it isn't showing respect for the few families that are fighting this war, our troops and their family, while the rest of us go to the beach and not be fiscally responsible for this war. if we're going to fight this war, we should pay for it. and we should pay for it in a way that keep ours cops on the beat, our first line of security. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire. the gentleman from california. . mr. obey: i ask how much time the gentleman has remaining? mr. lewis: i intended to make a couple comments to close. mr. obey: i have only one remaining speaker.

so why don't you go ahead and -- mr. lewis: the remaining speaker being yourself. mr. obey: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to one more time express my deep appreciation for the senate of all things for rejecting billions of dollars of nonemergency spending placed on the backs of our troops. let's support our men and women in uniform, support disaster assistance for areas of the country in need, and pass this spending bill today. and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. obey: how much time remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 2 1/2 minutes. mr. obey: i yield myself the remainer of the -- remainder of the time. madam speaker, i don't know when

it was that this congress has suddenly decided that when we talk about critical needs that that does not include border security. that that does not include meeting our obligations to those students in this country who are eligible for pell grants who also must get funding in this bill. and our school children who do a whole lot better if they don't lose 100,000 teachers out of the classroom nationwide. second point i would make is simply this. if pakistani and afghan governments were doing half the job that american troops are doing in this war, i wouldn't be worried about supporting this bill. but tragically they aren't. and the biggest favor we can do those troops is to recognize

that reality. with that i yield back the balance of my time. as i have indicated i will vote no on this piece of legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules, recede from the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 4899 and concur in the senate amendment. those 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 and the amendment is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider -- mr. obey: madam speaker, on that i ask for 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.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from colorado seek recognition? ms. markey: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5730, the surface transportation earmark rescission savings and accountability act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5730, a bill to resit earmarks for certain transportation projects. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from colorado, ms. markey, and the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentlewoman from colorado. ms. markey: mr. speaker, today i rise in support of my bill, h.r. 5730, the surface transportation earmark rescission, savings, and accountability act. the bill will eliminate a total of $713 million in contracting authority for 309 old transportation earmarks. in short, this bill will prevent our deficit from rising by another $713 million. in today's fiscal climate, we must be judicious in our spending and my legislation follows the commonsense principle of use it or lose it. before i came to congress i owned several small businesses. one of my businesses was a small coffee and ice cream shop called huckleberry's. with a shop that sells food, the use it or lose it principle is intrinsic. we would not buy more perishable food than we could sell, otherwise we were at a loss.

every small business owner knows that when you are working on a tight budget, you cannot afford wasteful spending. and that, mr. speaker, is exactly what these earmarks are. by targeting these earmarks, my legislation will deliver real savings. h.r. 5730 is one step towards the ultimate goal of reducing our nation's deficit. by rescinding unused earmark funds from over 20 years ago, we will be improving the way in which federal funds are managed while both proving our commitment to fiscal discipline. in today's economy it is essential that we manage taxpayer dollars well, especially with respect to transportation funding. we will never be able to adequately address the investment gap in transportation infrastructure if we do not curb unnecessary spending. to promote responsible future funding, my bill also requires the secretary of transportation

to submit an annual report that identifies each project authorized under t.e.a. 2 -- tea-21 and safetea-lu that contains inactive funding or that has been completed in the previous year. this provision will give congress greater oversight and with the identification of such projects we may be able to implement more cost savings measures in the future. mr. speaker, many of these earmarks have been on the books since 1987. and it's high time that we tell the states to use it or lose it. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. duncan: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this legislation, h.r. 5730, rescind

$713.2 million in contract authority for 309 projects from four prior surface transportation authorization act. this rescission of contract authority will come from the following authorization bills. $4.5 million for projects made in the surface transportation and uniform relocation assistance act of 1987. $263.5 million for projects designated in the intermobile surface transportation efficiency act of 1991. $441.4 million destined for projects in the transportation equity act for the 21st century. and $8.1 million authorized by the safe accountable flexible efficient transportation equity act. in total h.r. 5703 rescinds approximately $713 million in contract authority which is a type of budget authority. however this bill like the bill

sponsored by mr. perriello last week, unfortunately will not have any impact on outlays or direct spending. according to the congressional budget office the budget deficit is defined as the amount by which the federal government's total outlays exceed its total revenues. because h.r. 5730 will not reduce the federal government's outlays, this bill unfortunately will not reduce the budget deficit. however i believe it is smart for congress to look at the pro jects it has funded in the past and take the projects that are no longer going to move forward off the books. while i certainly applaud the gentlewoman from colorado for this legislation, we need to go much further. congress needs to do much more to reduce our ballooning national debt and the current budget deficit. last week the office of management and budget projected that this year's budget deficit will be $1.5 trillion.

if i told somebody 10 years ago or five, even five years ago we would be facing $1.5 trillion deficits in one year time, they wouldn't have believed it. by the end of the year the federal debt will represent 62% of our nation's economy. congress needs to step up and take action to ensure our children and grandchildren are not buried under a mountain of debt. i would also -- i have also been asked by ranking member mica to point out none of the five transportation infrastructure committee bills being considered on the floor today were sponsored by members of the minority. traditionally 30% of the bills considered under function of the rules -- suspension of the rules have been sponsored by members of the minority. however of the 43 suspension bills that have been considered for this session, only four have been sponsored by members of the minority of the t&i committee.

we encourage the committee to try to work to improve this and bring it back to its traditional 30%. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. markey: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 57 30. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the in just a moment colorado. ms. markey: -- the joment colorado. ms. markey: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee. mr. duncan: at this time i yield such time as he may consume to the -- our colleague, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. thompson: i thank my colleague for yielding and thank you, mr. speaker.

mr. speaker, while i support the overall intent of h.r. 5730, it appears that this bill also moves a political agenda and therefore i rise in opposition. section 3 of the bill includes repeal of corridor 01 on the appalachian highway system located in my district. while h.r. 5730 aims to rescind unspent funds or simply no authorized funds associated with the 01 corridor. i have come to the floor on several occasions to speak in favor of deficit reduction. technically this bill does nothing to lessen the deficit. last month we lost a champion of the appalachian regional commission, senator byrd. senator byrd was instrumental in capping the available miles in the system. section 3 is a an attempt to security the caps in hopes of this project to another district in the future. federal law provides metropolitan planning organizations with the rule and coordination of transportation

improvements. i have received letters of opposition from planning organizations and i quote, the a.r.c. has indicated that completion of the system is a top priority. investment in the 01 corridor has already occurred. the 2004 preliminary engineering was done. in 2006 and 2010, the project was added to the long range plan. the planning organization actions indicate it will advance the project when sufficient funds is available. and the current designation enhances that possibility. this scramble is nothing more than a political payout and a key sign of what is wrong in washington. repealing the corridor 01 designation would impede critical safety improvements and puts the future of infrastructure development of center -- of the counties in jeopardy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee. mr. duncan: reserve.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. markey: mr. speaker, i would now like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from arizona and co-sponsor of the bill, mr. flake. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for three minutes. mr. flake: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. i thank the gentlelady for sponsoring this legislation. i rise in support of it. mentioned i'm a co-sponsor. this would rescind contract authority for old transportation earmarks. i think we recognize there are a lot of earmarks that go through this place that are never funded and that's usually a good thing because often they are quite wasteful. this bill also shines a spotlight on wasteful transportation earmarks in a number of bills and it rescinds more than $8 million in contract authority for safetea-lu which we passed a few years ago. many of us will remember it contained more than 6,000 earmarks, including the infamous earmark to the bridge to nowhere. but it also included bike paths, museums, hiking trails, visitor

centers, street scapes, and parking facilities worth more than $700 million alone. and i would urge those who are looking to bolster their fiscal credentials by voting for this legislation to rescind contract authority for old earmarks, remember that in two days we'll be considering the transportation bill which contains about 500 new earmarks. . if we are going back and saying yes, earmarks are wasteful, we should consider that we're also considering a new appropriation bill with about 300 earmarks, worth about -- about 500 earmarks, worth about $300 million. i'll be offering a series of amendments if i'm aloud to do that, if the majority allows me to do that, strike some of these earmarks, and i hope the

people who vote for this legislation also vote to strike certain wasteful earmarks from that legislation as well. we can't simply say, all right, we're for fiscal responsibility when we're rescinding earmark moneys that haven't been spent and then a couple of days later approve a bill with more than 500 earmarks worth about $300 million that will take effect now. i commend the gentlelady for bringing this to the floor. i urge my colleagues to vote for it. it's a good piece of legislation. let's also remember when we're approving new earmarks we ought to have the same fiscal discipline. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from colorado reserves, the gentleman from tennessee. >> i continue to reserve my time unless the gentleman from colorado is prepared to close. ms. markey: no additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized.

mr. duncan: as i said earlier, i support this legislation. it is a small step for fiscal conservatism. i think it is unfortunate that this debate comes right on the heels of the debate about the war supplemental of more than $55 billion, on top of hundreds of billions we've already spent for the war in afghanistan and a columnist in today's "washington post" says we are wading deeper into a long-running, morally ambiguous conflict with virtually no chance of ending well. i think it's very sad that we're talking about spending mega billions more on a war that's continued for over nine years at this point and is not worth one more american life. i commend the gentlewoman from colorado for bringing this legislation to the floor. as i said earlier, it's unfortunate that in the way we do the federal accounting this

will not reduce the deficit but we -- it is a step in the right direction and we need to go further and actually cut total federal spend big the $713 million that procedurally we are saving here in this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from colorado is recognized. ms. markey: i ask unanimous consent to include in the record a letter from the taxpayers for common sense action that was written to mr. oberstar, chairman of the house transportation and infrastructure committee. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. markey: with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5730. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- ms. markey: i request the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announce. , future proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. oberstar: -- >> i move to suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 2598 praising the commandant of the coast guard academy for the 100th anniversary of the coast guard academy and for other

purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 258, congratulating the commandant of the coast guard academy and its staff for the 100 years of operation of the coast guard academy and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland and the gentleman from tennessee, mr. duncan, each will cro 20 minutes. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. >> i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.con.res. 258. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: h.con.res. 258, offered by congressman courtney, celebrating the 100th

anniversary of the coast guard academy in new london, connecticut, and honor miss men and women who have graduated from the academy and served our nation with distinction over the past 100 years. in 1910, what is today is the coast guard academy was established as the school of instruction to the u.s. revenue cutter academy at fort trum bull in new london. -- fort trumbull in new london. after the lifesaving service and the revenue service were merged to form the coast guard, the academy was renamed. it was moved to its present location in a new facility built specifically to house it. today, the coast guard academy combines instruction in

academic subjects, physical fitness and character and leadership development to create the holistic education that prepares the future officers of the united states coast guard to manage all of the coast guard's mission areas including search and rescue, marine safety, homeland security, and maritime do main awareness and oil spill response. as we celebrate the academy's 100th anniversary, i note that on june 28, the academy's class of 2014 was inducted. 199 male and 90 female cadets were sworn in to the class. i'm also proud to rereport that nearly 24% of this incoming class is comprised of minorities, include 35 hispanic americans, 15 african-americans, and 13 asian americans. by comparison, the class of 2013, which was inducted in 2009, was comprised of only

15.5% minorities and previous classes have been even less diverse. during my tenure as chairman of the subcommittee on coast guard and maritime transportation, i've held four hearings in the subcommittee specifically to examine diversity in the coast guard and particularly the decline in diversity at the academy. over the past year, the academy has implemented new outreach initiatives in diverse communities that have enabled the coast guard to reach students who are qualified to attend the academy and eager to serve our great nation. but who have likely been unaware that the coast guard academy even economisted -- existed. these efforts are helping ensure that the coast guard academy is no longer our best kept secret in higher education. coast guard academy's diligent recruitment efforts have yielded great results. this success reflects the commitment of the entire service to expanding diversity

at all levels. i commend admiral allen, the former commandant, as well as admiral taft, recently appointed as the commandant as well as the academy's leadership for this achievement that said, the next step must be putting in place measures that will sustain this level of diversity and expand it in the coming years to that academy. and the coast guard's officer corps, to fully reflect the diversity of america. with that, i commend congressman courtney, i certainly thank my ranking member, mr. lobiondo and again, i would reserve the balance of my time and urge all members to vote for this wonderful resolution and with that, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from tennessee is recognized. mr. duncan: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i

may consume. mr. speaker, i rise in support of house concurrent resolution 258 which congratulates the superintendent and staff of the united states coast guard academy as well as the commandant of the coast guard on 100 years of operation of the united states coast guard academy. established in 1910 as the instructional school to the u.s. revenue cutter academy and since being renamed and relocated to its present location on the banks of the thames river in new london, connecticut, the united states coast guard academy has for the last 100 years had the highest reputation for molding young men and women into officers that form the back bone of leadership in the united states coast guard. many years ago, shortly after graduating from the university of tennessee, i took a tour of new england with a friend of mine and one thing we did was tour the united states coast guard academy. in more recent years, i have

gone many times to various coast guard installations around the united states and have seen the work of the coast guard and seen demonstrations that they have performed and i have great admiration and respect for all of the men and women in the united states coast guard. often, sort of an ignored or forgotten branch of our military service, i think in recent years the coast guard has come into its own and more and more people recognize the great importance of the mission being performed by the -- by these outstanding men and women the quality of character and leadership traits displayed by graduates of the united states coast guard academy reflect on the exemplary job that the staff and faculty have been doing for the last 100 years, and this resolution is at least a small way of recognizing all persons affiliated with the coast guard academy for a job well done. i encourage all members to support this resolution and i

thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and especially the gentleman from connecticut, mr. courtney, for introducing it and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: thank you, madam speaker. i yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from connecticut, the sponsor of this legislation, mr. courtney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. courtney: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank chairman cummings and the ranking member for their help in moving this resolution forward. i particularly want to say thank you to mr. cummings who is clearly someone who doesn't come from connecticut, someone who because of the mission and duties of his chairmanship has taken an extraordinary interest in the coast guard academy, he's been up to the academy, adressed the student body, at an event that was widely covered by the media.

i know superintendent -- i know the superintendent and others really appreciate the strong interest he has in the academy and i want to thank, again, mr. duncan for his kind words as well. we are very proud of the coast guard academy in connecticut. all you have to do is turn on the tv these days and you can see admiral allen, the national incident commander at the gulf of mexico, showing extraordinary leadership skills, talent, in terms of science and organization, to get the best efforts to clean up the gulf. the new commandant of the coast guard service is a graduate of the coast guard academy, as is admiral allen. it is clear that the academy has done just an outstanding job in terms of giving the graduates there the skills they need in terms of science, math, maritime sciences, but as well, just the leadership skills to make sure that this critical military branch gets the finest

folks carrying out its mission every single day, whether it's interceding with drug runners coming into the u.s. or, again, leading the efforts down in the gulf of mexico to clean up the spill. chairman cummings described eloquently the history of the coast guard academy. the merger which took place in the 1930's and its present home in new london on the thames river. i was driving by and saw the first year cadets out there sweating in 100-degree heat doing calisthenics. they also are out on the river learning sailing skills. the eagle which is the tall ship our country is proud to display both at coastal cities up and down the west coast but also in other parts of the world is a training facility for coast guard cadets and again, every single graduate over the last couple of decades has had the experience of

working on the eagle, which, again is a proud symbol of our country and its great maritime history but also its great maritime future. what i would just say is, lastly, is that partly because of chairman cummings' interest, you have seen, i think, recently, an effort by the coast guard academy to get more involved in the community in the city of new london. it is a distressed city. it has many challenges. but we now have coast guard cadets out there helping in terms of the school system, out there helping in terms of cleanups and environmental efforts in the city, providing entertainment with the great coast guard band at different local events throughout throughout the city and we are very proud of the fact that they are a very involved neighbor in the city of new london and southeastern connecticut. lastly, i would just say that "u.s. news & world report" with its annual college survey demonstrated the success of the coast guard academy with its ranking of the coast guard academy in the top 10 as far as

small four-year colleges and any effort to widen the circle of young people, some may be listening here in the chamber today to learn about the coast guard academy, it's free, but it's also the high oves quality in terms of the educational program that it provides and as i said earlier, it provides great leadership in terms of a critical homeland security function that we need at so many different levels. i want to thank chairman cummings and mr. duncan for their support for this measure, i think it's an academy that deserves a spotlight here today in terms of the great work it's doing and i urge all members to support this measure. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee. mr. duncan: madam speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from florida, m mr. mica. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. mica: i thank our distinguished ranking member, mr. duncan, the gentleman from tennessee, for yielding. pleased to join with the

chairman of the coast guard subcommittee who i have had the opportunity to work with in a number of capacities. in support of this resolution, and a co-sponsor. coast guard academy, not a will the of folks know a lot about it. everyone's heard of west point, the air force academy out in colorado springs, everyone has heard of annapolis, u.s. navy academy close by here. i highly recommend to members who have not had the opportunity to visit the coast guard academy , one of our finest military service academies, unsung heroes. over 50,000 men and women in service and many of the leaders come from the coast guard academy. one of the neat things i have to

do is as ranking member of the full committee, mr. oberstar, the chairman and myself, get to serve on the board of the visitors as do some other members from congress. you get to see firsthand the operations of the united states coast guard academy. i have been there and had the opportunity to meet with their leaders. they are very fortunate to have admiral scott burjo. has doing an outstanding job of providing leadership and direction and commitment. the coast guard has always had to the young men and women who attend and graduate there. the molto of the coast guard -- motto of the coast guard is always ready. that's the mission of the coast guard academy. to make those young leaders always ready. they are our first line of

defense nationally. the united states coast guard. we call on them whether it's for safety or national security. these are some of the most fantastic graduates, young men and women of this academy and everyone who wears the label of being part of the coast guard. they don't whine. they don't william perfect. they never come here asking for more -- they don't wimper. they never come here asking for more employee benefits, for rights. they get their mission assigned and they do their job. they are incredible. they are underpaid, overworked, but they are always ready when the nation needs them. i'm pleased again to join others and recognizing the leadership ofed that allen. we saw when we had the -- of thad allen. we saw when we had the spill in

the gulf, who was the first responder at the federal level? the united states coast guard. i was dismayed when the obama administration proposed its budget earlier this year before this spill and recommended cutting 1,100 coast guard positions, cutting back ships, helicopters, airplanes, and other assets that are so essential to the coast guard to carry out its mission. we give our men and women in the military whether it's coast guard or any other service, the resources to do the job and then we commit them to complete that job and they get it done. i am also pleased that both sides of the aisle stepped up when those cuts were proposed and they did not accept that recommendation and that those cuts are not going to take place because of bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle. so again we are here to recognize the accomplishments

that not only of thad allen, our new admiral, the head of the coast guard, bob patha, incredible gentleman, how blessed we have been to have people like him who enter i think way back when i became a ranking member was dealt probably every difficult situation starting off with unrest in cuba and problems in guantanamo, preparing for any possible mass migration through the deep water -- deep-water controversy things. he had nothing to do with but inherited those challenges and stepped up to the plate every single time. then as he's about to retire, he's about to exit his command, he was dealt the cards of the oil spill and stepped right into that.

he has provided leadership. we haven't provided all the direction, resources, or assets we should to deal with that nor the administration, but thad allen and others have been there. scott continues to lead a great academy we can all be proud of. i join my colleagues in recognizing 100 years of service to our nation, united states coast guard academy, and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: i want to thank the ranking member 6 our -- of our full committee, mr. mica, mr. duncan. it is, both of them made some very good points that i would just like to elaborate on a little bit. this is -- i call our coast guard, our thin blue line at

sea. i think that when we saw the oil spill situation, we realized that they are indeed our coast guard. they are guarding our coast. and mr. mica was absolutely right. i think that sometimes those that are performing some of the most important tasks are unseen, unnoticed, unappreciated, and unapplauded in the words of greek thee low begans. but they do the most important things. and this is a wake-up call i think to our nation when we see something like our oil spill of how important the coast guard academy is in training young folks to go out there and be leaders, but it is also a lesson to our nation to give the united states coast guard the priority that it gives the other armed

service entities. it is very, very important. i know as i travel around the country and every time i go into a port where the coast guard is stationed, i try to spend some time with them to let them know what a grateful nation we are for what they do every day. but one of the things, madam speaker, that has always impressed me in a lot of the ceremonies i have gone to where they were giving medals is how these men and women put their lives on the line. and put their lives before others to save lives. i have heard stories of 20-foot sea walls where they were able to save people. again putting there are life on the line. then all the other things they do. i off said since 9/11 their responsibilities have -- i have often said since 9/11 their responsibilities have increased.

mr. mica is right. it is important that this congress support the coast guard to the nth degree. it must be and has been a bipartisan effort to make sure that they get the funding that they need. and we will continue to do that. so i, too, congratulate thad allen and now the admiral for all that they have done. when we look at katrina, the agency that performed without a doubt the best was the united states coast guard. saving over 35,000 people. many of whom would have been dead today. so i take this moment not only to salute 100 years of academy, but like my colleagues, to salute a great organization, one that is very small but has a big heart. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. i have no other speakers. but i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from tennessee.

mr. duncan: madam speaker, i have no additional speakers. i will join with ranking member mica and chairman cummings in their commendations, particularly of admiral allen, for whom all of us have such great respect. once again congratigses on this 100 anniversary to the coast guard. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from maryland. mr. cummings: with that, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman virginia tech. mr. cummings: again i urge -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. cummings: again i urge the members to support this legislation. i think it's very important that we pause to recognize these wonderful strong, courageous, patriotic citizens of our nation who, again, are our thin blue line at sea. with that, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman fromtown it be. -- from tennessee. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to

house concurrent resolution 258. 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 concurrent resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to resolution h.res. 1401, as amended, expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers of the united states makes to keep the traveling public safety and the

airspace of the united states running efficiently, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 218, house resolution 1401, resolution expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers of the united states make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the united states running efficiently, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. costello, and the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. and to include extraneous material on h.res. 1401. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. costello: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costello: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, as a co-sponsor of the resolution i commend the

gentlewoman from new york, congresswoman carolyn mccarthy, for introducing the resolution and for her leadership on this issue. the nation's air traffic controllers ensure the safety of approximately two million aviation passengers per day. or almost one billion people per year and safely guide 60 million aircraft annually to their destinations. the current air traffic control work force consists of approximately 15,600 dedicated and well trained men and women across the country and at the air traffic system command center. as chairman of the house subcommittee on aviation, i have visited many of the air traffic control facilities and i have witnessed firsthand the skills controllers utilize to safely separate aircraft moving through the nation's airspace system. these individuals display exceptional skills and are able to multitask and work well under pressure. in fact the resolution describes nine separate incidents where

controllers saved many lives by providing exhadn't service. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.res. 1401 to express our gratitude for the contributions of the air traffic controllers make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the united states running efficiently. i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. petri: i'm pleased to be a co-sponsor. i'm pleased we're considering house resolution 1401, i'm disappointed that none of the suspensions we are considering today are republican bills. however, i understand that the chairman of the full committee has scheduled three republican bills for markup this coming thursday. house resolution 1401

congratulates the nation's air traffic controllers for their service and dedication to protecting the final flying public. aviation safety is the product of many professionals in all sectors of the industry performing their best at all times. with nearly 87,000 flights operating over the united states daily, keeping the system safe is no small feat. the hard work and commitment of air traffic controllers plays a key role in our exceptional record of aviation safety. over the past decade, nearly one billion passengers have successfully traveled aboard 93 million commercial flights, thanks in part to the commitment of air traffic controllers, our nation's air transportation system is the safest in the world. it is fortunate sustain investments to modernize air traffic -- air transportation

technologies and procedures. new technology will change their procedures, air traffic controlers are an important part of inl proving air traffic control efficiency through next jen and i -- the nextgen and i welcome their efforts. i join in commending their service to the nation's air travelers. i fully support the adoption of the resolution and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. >> mr. speaker, at this time, i yield five minutes to the gentlelady from new york, mrs. mccarthy, the sponsor of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. mrs. mccarthy: thank you, mr. speaker, and i want to thank

chairman oberstar and chairman costello and mr. petri for bringing this to the floor but most of all, i want to thank the air traffic controllers for keeping us all safe they work 24 hours a kay, seven days a week to keep the traveling public safe and keep the nation's air space running efficiently. the more than 15,600 controllers are responsible for almost one billion passengers eemp year. they handle dangerous and complex situations in a calm and professional manner. often times working long shifts in darkrooms and monitoring many planes at one time. there are efforts -- there were efforts -- their efforts on september 11, during the miracle on the hudson landing and during other incidents, all well known. but what we don't hear about are the dangerous situations

they help avrt on a regular basis. i was pleased to include nine separate success stories on this resolution. but it is not a complete list. these types of stories happen every single day, averting accidents and it's aers in the sky and on the ground. the controllers help make sure that air travel runs efficiently so the planes avoid dangerous weather and families and business men and women who are traveling reach their destinations as soon as possible. we have to make sure the air trafbling controllers have the resources to do their job as well as they can. we need greater investment in the modernization of the air traffic control system which will create jobs and have an environmental performance and safety benefit for all of us. as air traffic continues to ogrow, air traffic controllers must have the resources and technology needed to better carry out theiring myism look forward to completion of the f.a.a. re-authorization bill and i want to thank the

committee for all their hard work in the conference. finally we need to make sure our traffic control facilities are well staffed. in my state of new york, our controllers handle thousands of flights every single day, departing, arriving and flying through the tightly packed air space. i have enjoyed visiting facilities like the new york tricohn. our air traffic facilities should be fully staffed with experienced controllers and properly run to ensure the safety and welfare of the flying public. i look forward to continuing to work with the committee and the f.a.a. to make sure this happens. once again, please gin me in expressing gratitude to the nation's air traffic controllers. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. petri: i yield such time as he may consume to the ranking republican on the full

committee, my colleague from florida, mr. john mica. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. mica: thank you, and i thank the gentleman for yielding, mr. petri, mr. costello do a great job in leading the aviation scommesm they both had the opportunity to serve in leadership positions. i am a former chair of that aviation subcommittee and i do thank them for their work day in and day out to make certain that the united states continues to have the safest skies of the -- the safest flights of anywhere in the world and about 2/3 of all the passenger flights in the world occur in the united states of america, 94 million commercial flights were handled last year

by our air traffic controllers and again the safety record is just unprecedented. when you stop and think about all the potential for human errors, for something to go wrong, and the record that we have achieved is remarkable. i'm sad we don't have an f.a.a. re-authorization bill here. i'm pleased that my legislation, which i crafted back in 2003 or 2004 which expired in 2007, i believe, some three years ago, maybe on its 15th extension this week but i knew i wrote a good bill. i didn't know it was that good to last this long. but i look forward to passing that legislation that is so important, that sets forth the policy, the projects, and the funding for keeping our aviation system safe and sound.

but this resolution does honor the men and women who serve as air traffic controllers and as you know, there are 15,600 air traffic controllers, that's federal air traffic controllers, that operate in the towers, think other facilities we have. in addition, we have 1,250 civilian contract air traffic controllers. now, that doesn't sound like as many, that's a little less than 10%, but the private contract tower air traffic controllers, we also honor. they serve at 250 airports and the contract towers represent 45% of all control towers in the united states because they're smaller facilities but they're scattered in 250 locations around the country.

they handle about 25% of all the traffic. on 9/11, when our air traffic controllers were doing such a great job, the federal air traffic controllers, we also had contract air traffic controllers. unfortunately, they earn less pay but all the reports we have is their safety record is equal to, if not superior in performance. there have been several studies that confirm that. they don't get as much compensation but they do a great job and we recognize them too. the final thing that i want to do in recognition of air traffic controllers, the unsung heroes of our military, men and women. we have more than 9,000 military air traffic controllers. now, f.a.a. air traffic controller, the average pay is $109,000, the base pay, about $160,000 with benefits.

the average military air traffic controller, i'm sorry, their base pay, i gave you $109, is $36,490. here are dedicated men and women who serve, there's 9,000 of them who also have an incredible safety record. it's not just at a commercial airport. these folks are all around the world. we saw them in baghdad, we see them in asanements where they've had to land and a-- assignments where they had to land and attend to aircraft in hostile conditions and to very low wages. each day, day in and day out they do a great job representing the united states of america in serving our military airlift needs system of we commend all of our air traffic controllers today. we're going to need more of them, folks.

they're retiring in record numbers. i'm told there may be 60% of the air traffic controllers, many came on with ronald reagan when he replaced all of them and they're aging now. they have to have a mandatory retirement age and we need to he re-place them. we salute them for their work we welcome the new hires on board we need to redouble our efforts to get the best trained, most qualified on the job as soon as possible you done just come on and take over new york air space, air traffic control or any of the other condition jested cor tores and do it over -- corridors and do it overnight. it takes years of experience. those are the people we want to replace the people who have dedicated their life to safety and service. we salute them and join the members in asking for passage of this resolution in their honor. i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois. >> i yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. bishop. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bishop: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i want to thank mrs. mccarthy for her leadership on this issue. i rise in support of h.r. 1401 ex-pressing our gratitude for the nation's air traffic controllers who eemkeep the flying public safe. they are often think unseen heroes of our nation's airways. their unique skills an training keep our travel in the united states and around the world safe and on time. in the new york metropolitan area, air traffic controllers work tirelessly, 365 days a year to ensure that parents will see their children for holidays that businesses

depending on air travel will continue to thrive and that your packages arrive on time. madam speaker, we should not overlook these men and women who are a critical link in our domestic trade and network. i commend them for their hard work and ask my colleagues to support this important resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman y wisconsin. mr. petri: i have no further requests for time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: i yield back the balance of my time and urge passage of the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1401 as amended. those in favor will signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. 2/3 being in the -- those in

favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the resolution is agreaed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? mr. costello: i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h.res. 1366 as amended, recognizing and honoring the freight railroad industry and its employees. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 217, house resolution 1366, resolution recognizing and honoring the freight and rail industry. the speaker pro tempore: spur sunt to the -- pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. costello and the gentleman, mr. shuster, each will control 20 minutes, the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i

ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.res. 1366. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.res. 1366, as amended, introduced by the gentleman from illinois, mr. hare, which honors the freight railroad industry and its employees and the important contributions they have made to our nation and the national transportation system. freight raurleds have a long important -- railroads have a long, important history in the united states, beginning in the early 1800's during the industrial revolution. freight railroads played a critical role in the expansion and economic development of the nation. since may 24, 1830, when the baltimore-ohio railroad, now part of the c.f.x., the nation's first common carrier railroad opened for business from baltimore west to elkhart city. freight has brought goods to

markets domestically and internationally. on may 10, 1869, the industry literally transformed america when the golden spike was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the central pacific and union pacific railways, creating the nation's first transcontinental railroad. today, the freight rail industry employs more than 183,000 hardworking, dedicated americans who help keep our country and its trains moving 24 hours a day, seven days a week. our freight rail industry boasts a vast network across the country. there are more than 560 freight rail companies in the united states that operate 140,000 miles of track and carry more than 2.2 billion tons of freight annually. freight rail is also one of the most energy efficient modes of transportation. it is able to move one ton of freight 480 miles on one gallon of diesel fuel and helps reduce

congestion. one train can take 280 trucks off the road, the equivalent of 1,100 automobiles. freight and intercity passenger rail are also important components of our nation's economic strength and mobility. freight railroads account for 43% of inner city freight volume, more than any mode of transportation. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support me in supporting h.res. 1366, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. shuster: mr. speaker, i rise today to speak in support of h.res. 1366, recognizing and honoring the united states freight rail industry. before i do, i must note once again, as other of my colleagues have, that every single transportation bill on today's suspension calendar is a democratic bill. the majority has not been living up to the common

practice of a 70/30 split on those suspend calendars. although i -- currently it's running 95% to 5%. they added three republican suspension bills to the calendar this week. i hope that the majority will honor that common practice that we've had in the house for a number of years. we are honoring the freight rail today because our freight rail network is the undisputed envy of the world. every year freight trains move 40 tons of material for every man, woman and child in this country. railroads provide a remarkable public benefit, reducing traffic on the highways, lowering pollution and providing a less expensive mode of transit for freight. and this public benefit is provided at no expense to taxpayers. perhaps the best thing about it is it uses private money. investors risk billions of capital annually to support the nation's railroads.

because these private companies produce a reliable, although modest return to investors, we must not jeopardize this critical industry by overregulating or reregulating and creating an environment where railroads cannot access the capital to maintain and expand their operations. without this access to investment capital, the industry will decline as it has in the past. and we don't want to be here 10 or 15 years from now discussing taxpayer subsidies to the freight rail industry. over the course of the 20th century congress enacted policies that nearly ruined the railroads. in the name of reducing shipping rates. these policies discourage investors and led to the decay in the railroad industry. standing derailments became standard. a term railroaders used for a rail that collapsed on its side because of rotten tracks. over 1/5 were owned by bankrupt firms by the end of the 1970's. but the staggers reform act in

1980 creating an environment that led to the revital o'sed network we all benefit -- revitalized network we all benefit today. productivity has soared and rail continues to gain market share. this renaissance culminated earlier this year when warren buffett made his $34 billion investment in the railroad. despite the fact that shipping rates are much lower today than they were in the 1980's and freight rates are half as what they are in europe and japan, the same play is in today. it will force the railroads to spend $12 billion in positive train control, a price that continues to grow at an alarming rate. positive train control has a cost benefit ratio of 20-1 and prevent less than 3% of rail accidents.

we should work together with the railroads to identify areas of safety improvements that can be accomplished at a reasonable cost. and i believe we should re-examine the scope of the train mandate. i know this is the first time that congress has considered a resolution recognizing and honoring the freight railroads alone. i think it's very appropriate because the national train day resolution we passed earlier this year was changed from previous years' versions to focus solely on amtrak and passenger rail. amtrak operates primarily on private freight track. without the continued economic vitality of freight railroads and their constant investment in maintaining 140,000 miles of track in the u.s., amtrak would not have a national passenger rail system. in closing, i urge my colleagues to support h. resolution 1366, and believe that congress should honor the freight rail industry by working to create an environment that will allow it to continue -- to have continued success.

and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i yield myself one minute to respond to my friend, mr. shuster. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, let me say for the record, mr. shuster made a point that we have democratic bills from the committee before the house today and no republican bills. the gentleman may or may not know that this thursday, chairman oberstar has agreed to mark up five republican bills in the transportation and infrastructure committee. and for the record, i'd point out that in the 110th and 111th congress both the committee passed well over 40, in fact i think 42 bills, out of the committee and moved them through the house. so i would just for the record say that to my friend from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: if i may respond if will the gentleman yield -- if the gentleman will yield? mr. costello: yes. mr. shuster: i appreciate the

effort. thank you. mr. costello: at this time i yield five minutes to the gentleman from illinois, my friend and the sponsor of this resolution, mr. hare. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for five minutes. mr. hare: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to begin by thanking chairman oberstar, ranking member micah, my friend, chairman costello, and the staff of the house transportation and infrastructure committee, for their strong support of this important resolution. house resolution 1366 formally recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of the freight rail industry and its employees throughout our great nation. like many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, freight rail is incredibly important to my district and my home state of illinois. i've had the opportunity to see firsthand the hard work freight rail employees put forth each and every day in cities like galesburg, rock island and decatur, i'm constantly

reminded of the positive impact that this industry has had on the economies, the localities and the improvements of our nation's transportation and infrastructure. throughout its rich american history, freight rail has proven time and again to be among the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways to transporting our nation's goods. freight rail jen lates hundreds of billions of dollars in annual economic activity and supports over 1.2 million jobs throughout the united states. as our economy continues to recover, the freight rail industry will be an essential component in fulfilling the great demands to move goods again and put more americans back to work. i'm proud to say that i have received letters of support for this resolution from both the business and the labor sector, including the association of american railroads, growth options for the 21st century and the transportation trade department of the afl-cio. mr. speaker, i'd like to ask

unanimous consent to include these three letters with my statement into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. hare: i have no doubt that the industry will continue to contribute in indispensible ways to the growth of the united states economy and our infrastructure and will continue to reduce its impact on the environment. again, i thank the chairman and my colleagues on the transportation and infrastructure committee for supporting this resolution. i believe that congress is long overdue in formally recognizing the industry and the vital role it continues to play in our country's growth, job creation and economic recovery. i urge my friends on both sides of the aisle to support this noncontroversial resolution, and i reserve the balance of my time. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. shuster: might i inquire if the gentleman has any more speakers? mr. costello: we have no further speakers. mr. shuster: then i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time and urge our colleagues to support the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time has expired. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1366, as amended. those in favor signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is passed and without -- mr. costello: mr. speaker, i'd ask for 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 illinois seek recognition? mr. costello: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5825, the multistate disaster relief act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5825, a bill to review, update, and revise the

factors to measure the severity, magnitude, and impact of a disaster and to evaluate the need for assistance to individuals and households. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from illinois, mr. costello, and the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. shuster, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on h.r. 5825. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. costello: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 5825, a bill to require the federal emergency management agency to review, update and revise the factors to measure the severity, magnitude and disaster sponsored by my friend and colleague from indiana,

congressman hill. under the robert t. stafford disaster relief and emergency assistance act, the president has the sole discretion to determine when a disaster is beyond the capability of state and local governments and, therefore, when fema and federal assistance is needed. in doing so, the president looks to the administer of fema for a recommendation. fema published regulations more than 10 years ago to explain the factors it looks at to and when making a recommendation to the president on whether to declare a major disaster or emergency to provide assistance to individuals or households. these regulations are important as they provide guidance to the states on when and how to seek federal assistance under the stafford act. including specific criteria fema considers. knowing this helps states put together the best information as they can as quickly as possible and hopefully expedite the process to get the assistance when needed. fema has recognized that these

regulations needs to be improved and have been working with the states to do so. however, the process has been occurring for sometime. this legislation would put a reasonable deadline of one year on that. and it would add to the list of criteria it considers, whether an adjacent community across a stateline has received a major disaster or emergency declaration for the same incident. this lonlcal approach recognizes the -- this logical approach recognizes that this does not stop at the state line. this is something that fema should be doing and they are not already doing so will do so under this legislation. i thank my friend, mr. hill, for his bringing this issue to the attention of the house and for sponsoring this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. h.r. 5825 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. without objection, the gentleman from florida will control time and the chair recognizes the gentleman from

florida. >> thank you, sir. mr. diaz-balart: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. diaz-balart: as we said, we are disappointed that nouven the bills we are considering today is not from any republican. that's something we immediate to continue to work on. but i want to refer to this specific legislation. it directs the administrator of fema to revuse -- review and revise the current regulations. specifically it would require fema to consider whether a county in one state is adjay sent to a state that has been designated a major disaster emergency. in other words, there may be a county in different state that's been affected and that's got to be considered as well. because again, the impact of disasters are obviously not contained or limited to just

manmade geographic boundaries. in many case, the destruction is significant enough that all states involved that are designated a major emergency, but in some cases that's not the case. there could be a state next door that has one county that's significantly hit but the rest of the state was not and it would allow fema to look and remedy that. it's a common sense bill, it's taking place now while we're already in hurricane season. i think it's important that we are doing this now. for those of white house live in states that are too often, more often than we would like, because obviously once is too often, are affected by storms and the like, this could not come soon enough. so i want to thank the chairman and thank all of you for bringing this forward. it's a common sense piece of legislation. with that, i don't know if the sponsor has -- the champlee has

any other members that want to speak? mr. costello: we have one member on our side. mr. diaz-balart: in that case, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: i yield for such time as he may consume the sponsor of this legislation, mr. hill of indiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. hill: let me thank chairman oberstar and subcommittee chairman norton for their work on this piece of legislation and for their coronetted work on bills aimed a improving the country's mverage response. let me also thank chairman costello for managing this bill today. i appreciate the opportunity to present information about the bill being considered here today, house resolution 5825, the multistate disaster relief act. southern indiana has been devastated by several major natural disasters over the last few years yet the young that stands out and the one that

brought the most pain and frustration to the residents of southern indiana was the incident that occurred almost exactly one year ago today. in early august of 2009, a series of severe storms rocked indiana and kentucky. it damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes. the state of kentucky received a major disaster declaration, but indiana did not, from the same storm. as a result, hundreds of hoosiers living just a few miles from their friends and neighbors across the board for the kentucky were not eligible to receive federal grants to repair their homes even though they were devastated by the same natural disaster. we can try to be prepared for natural disasters, but these events are largely beyond our control. however we do have full control over how our federal government responds and aids individuals following a disaster. in this instance, i believe our government missed the mark.

this incident exposed a major flaw with the current fema disaster relief process. the inability to fairly and accurately provide assistance for natural dasters that strike more than one state. currently, fema provides disaster assistance on a state-by-state basis so when a disaster strikes, if a governor believes a disaster is beyond the capability of the state, he or she will make a request to the president to receive a major disaster declaration. and fema will make a recommendation to the president about whether a state should receive a district of columbia la ration and whether individuals in certain counties should be eligible for individual assistance to repair their homes. when a disaster hits in the middle of a state and the damage is concentrated, the process is straightforward and the victims in the states most significantly affected will usually receive the necessary

assistance. yet when the disaster crosses state lines fema treats it as two separate cases and requires each state to meet a major damage threshold to receive a major disaster declaration. if that threshold isn't met, individuals who were as severely affected as those just across the state line have limited options for recourse and rebilling. fema considers certain factors when determining whether to recommend that the president declares a major disaster for a state and provide individual assistance. house resolution 5825 would update and improve the factors fema uses to determine whether a state should receive a major disaster declaration. specifically, house resolution 5825 would require fema to take into account whether contiguous counties in a neighboring state were designated in a major disaster from the same incident

this means that fema would have to look at the damage from a neighboring state and factor this into their decision about whether to provide aid to individuals and issue a major disaster declaration, whereas now they are not required to take this into account. the bill would also require fema to review, update and revise the regulation used to measure the severity of a disaster when determines that the individuals should receive assistance within one year of the enactment. lastly, it would require fema to issue a report to congress within three months of an enactment on policies concerning major disaster declaration and their policy on providing aid in counties contiguous to a state that's received a major disaster declaration. while this bill is unfortunately not retroactive, i believe if this law was in place last year i believe the result for my constituents in indiana would be much

different. my constituents were left wondering why the frft was picking favorites. storms and natural disasters don't care about state lines when they destroy homes and businesses and under this bill, when a disaster strikes more than one state, fema officials would look at the overall storm not just on that individual state when deciding whether to provide disaster assistance to individuals. i believe this will help all americans receive fair treatment and the next time the disaster strikes no matter which state the disaster comes from. i believe the lessons have listen learned -- have been learned from last year and those won't be repeated. let me also give thanks to my republican friends for their bipartisan support of this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the jelled from florida. mr. diaz-balart: very briefly, i think this is a common sense bill.

you know, as ranking member of the subcommittee that deals with emergency management and other issues, it would have been nice to have this go through the committee process through regular order. it didn't. it came straight to the floor. but it's a good bill. it's a common sense bill and obviously i do support it and i do not have anybody on this side so if the chairman would like, i could just -- i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois. mr. costello: i yield back the balance of our time and urge passage of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time has expire. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5825. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 bling in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada rise? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution h.con.res. 266. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the speaker pro tempore: house concurrent resolution 266, concurrent resolution expressing the sense of congress that taiwan should be accorded observer status in the national -- the international organization, icao. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from nevada, ms. berkley, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, each will control 20 minutes. ms. berkley: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and

include extraneous trl on the resolution under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. berkley: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.con.res. 266, expressing the sense of congress that taiwan should be accorded observer status in the international civil aviation organization, the icao. as co-chair of the congressional taiwan caucus, i have seen firsthand the amazing progress taiwan has made in its economic and political development. throughout the 1970's and 1980's, taiwan's economy grew by more than 10% per year and is now the united states' ninth largest overall trading parking lot for the with two-way trade in 2008 valued at $61.6 billion. taiwan also is the sixth largest destination for u.s. agricultural exports, about $2.5 million annually. meanwhile, taiwan has developed one of the strongest

democracies in the region, having had several peaceful democratic transfers of power. i have met their current president who is a well-spoken, western-educated leader who has worked very hard to reduce tensions between iwan and china and concluded an economic operation framework with the t.r.c. government recently. all the while, however, taiwan has been shut out of participating in international organizations like the international save aviation organization. founded in 1947, icao's goal is to meet the needs of people of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport. these goals can only be reach through the a cooperative approach that brings together the world's leading economies to share best practices and information. we need look no further than this past christmas far reminder of our hour aviation

security transcends national boundaries and can only be addressed through a cooperative international strategy. taiwan deserves to be brought into the icao as an observer. over 174,000 inther national flights travel to and from taiwan each year, carrying more than 35 million passengers. their air traffic controllers now provide service to over 1.3 million flights each year. by cargo volume, taiwan has the eighth largest airport in the world. yet taiwan has been excluded from the icao since 1971, which has impeded taiwan's efforts to maintain civil aviation practices that keep up with the rapidly evolving international standards. it is unable even to contact icao for for up-to-date information on aviation standards and norms nor can it receive icao's assistance in

implementing new regulations or participating in the technical and academic seminars. despite these impediments, taiwan has made every effort to comply with icao standards but their continued exclusion is nothing short of absurd. it not only hurt taiwan, it puts us and the entire world a at risk. with such a heavy volume of flights, their inclusion has prevented ica from developing a truly global strategy to address security threats based on international cooperation and regardless of one's nonings one china policy, icao's own rules allow for noncontracting countries to participate through observer status. with this resolution today we call upon the world demount grant taiwan observer status in the icao, not only to help taiwan but to ensure icao can fulfill its own stated mission and address threats to aviation

security. we call on the u.s. government to take a leading role in icao -- at icao to assist taiwan in gaining this status and looking forward to working with our administration officials to track the development of these efforts. mr. speaker, enough is truly enough. it is time for the international community to recognize taiwan as one of the world's leading economies, democracies, and responsible actors. it is a beacon of hope and liberty in a difficult region and we should be embracing, not excluding these peace loving people at every opportunity. i hope icao will be only the beginning of taiwan's re-entry into the world community. the icao to the world health organization and other international organizations as appropriate and mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlewoman from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield myself such

time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise as a co-sponsor of this important resolution which calls upon the international civil aviation organization, icao, to accord observer status to taiwan. taiwan, which provides air traffic control services for well over 1.3 million flights per year needs to be part of the international organization responsible for air safety and security, is this especially not true in a post-september 11 11 world where security in the -- postseptember 11 world where security in the sky is not important to people across the globe? the manipulation of beijing's leaders who seeks to deny taiwan's airspace -- it is time to bring to an end beijing's

petty games of oneupmanships and running of slight in international organizations. if the fall is to have any true significance it must and should begin in the meeting rooms of icao and other international organizations. those passengers, including our american citizens who travel on one of the almost 200,000 international flights headed to and from taiwan every year, expect and deserve every protection that can be afforded. the time to let taiwan begin to have constructive and meaningful participation in icao is long overdue. the united states's state department, as this resolution suggests, must assume a leading role to ensure this happens as quickly as possible. the security in the skies of the people of taiwan, of the

people of the united states and the citizens of the world demand no less. so i strongly, mr. speaker, and enthuse assically urge my colleagues to support this important -- enthuse assically -- enthusiastically urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: i yield to the gentleman from oregon, congressman wu. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. wu: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of house concurrent resolution 266, to support taiwan in the international civil aviation organization, known as icao. i'd like to thank my good friend, congresswoman shelley

berkley, for introducing this important resolution. i believe that the exowe sention threat to taiwan -- exowe sention threat to taiwan is isolation, physical and psychologically. i applauded them in the 62nd world health assembly last year which marked the first time since withdrawing to the united nations 39 years ago that taiwan rejoin the united nations-related body as an observer. taiwan's participation in the w.h.h. was long overdue. it's renude participation was an occasion -- it's renewed participation was an occasion to celebrate taiwan's legit -- legit mate growing relationship. just as the united states supports taiwan's meaningful participation in the world health organization. so, too, should we take the lead in obtaining observer status in the international civil aviation organization.

icao was established in 1947 as a means to secure international cooperation and the highest possible degree of uniformity and regulations, standards, procedures and organization regarding civil aviation matters. the 1944 convention on icao stated the aims and objectives of the organization are to develop the principles and techniques of international air navigation as a foster the planning and development of international air transport so less to meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air transport. taiwan, one of the united states' closest allies in the asia-pacific region, is also a key transport hub that links northeast and southeast asia with approximately 2,600 weekly flights to and from neighboring

nations. in 2008, 174,000 international flights carrying more than 35 million passengers arrived in and departed from taiwan. moreover, in 2009, taiwan's international airport was ranked by the airport's council international as the world's eighth largest airport by international cargo volume and 18th largest airport by international passengers. failure to include taiwan as an observer in icao needlessly and recklessly endangers millions of passengers traveling through taiwan, traveling through connecting airports and throughout the world because the threat of international terrorism finds any opportunity to enter our worldwide air transport system to threaten every passenger. given taiwan's prominent role in regional and international air control and transport services, i support and i believe the united states

government should support taiwan's meaningful participation in icao's meetings, mechanisms and activities in order to ensure that taiwan's civil aviation regulations fully comply with ico practices. icao should incorporate taiwan into its global aviation network. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of h.con.res 266 to bolster the integration of our friend, taiwan, into the international air transport system and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, dr. gingrey, an esteemed member of the committee on energy and commerce. thank you, dr. gingrey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. gingrey: thank you, mr. speaker. as one of the co-chairs of the congressional taiwan caucus, i rise in strong support of house concurrent resolution 266.

and i particularly want to commend one of my fellow co-chairs, ms. shelley berkley of nevada, for her leadership on this issue. additionally, mr. speaker, i'd like to applaud the work and leadership of mr. lincoln diaz-balart of florida and mr. gerry connolly of virginia for their work in bringing this resolution to the floor. and i thank the gentlelady from florida for yielding me time. since its inception in 1947, the international civil aviation organization, icao, has been a great resource for the international community to develop and to foster the most efficient and the safest means of airline travel across the world. in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001, it was the icao that convened a conference to endorse a uniformed international strategy to ensure aviation safety throughout the entire world. mr. speaker, unfortunately, our friends in eye taunwab excluded from participation in the --

taiwan have been excluded from participation in the icao. not only has it diminished the ability to stay on the cutting edge of aviation, it has presented obstacles in the community as a whole because icao cannot meet the needs of all people in an efficient and safe air travel. taiwan has a very large footprint within commercial aviation that warrants its inclusion within the icao. the tie pay flight information region, -- the taipai flight information region covers 176,000 square miles of nautical miles and has over 174,000 international flights carrying more than 35 million passengers that fly in and out of taiwan each and every year. with this high volume of air traffic, taiwan deserves to have a seat at the table of

icao, at least, mr. speaker, as an observer. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield to the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, i thank you and i thank the gentlelady for yielding. this is precisely what this concurrent resolution seeks to accomplish, providing taiwan with meaningful participation as the icao benefits from taiwanese and the international community as a whole. due to our long-standing relationship and our respect for our friends in taiwan, i urge all of my colleagues to support house concurrent resolution 266, and, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: mr. speaker, i have no requests for time and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. burton, the ranking member on the foreign affairs subcommittee on the middle east and south asia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for

three minutes. mr. burton: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burton: you know, i don't want to be redundant. i just want to point out a couple of things that have been said because i think everybody who's interested in air safety needs to understand what the ramifications of this legislation are. and i hope my colleagues will pay attention, those who aren't here on the floor. taiwan's regional information center covers airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles. and it provides air traffic control service to over 1.35 million flights per year. now, when you're talking about air safety and you're talking about that region, and many of us have gone to that part of the world, you have to realize how important taiwan's inclusion is because we're

flying through that airspace and they should have observer status. in addition to that, as has been stated, it's the eighth largest airport of international cargo volume in the entire world. so there's a lot of flights regarding cargo that's flying in and out of there on a regular basis and it's the 18th largest airport as far as the number of passengers are concerned. the safety of millions and millions of people that fly in and out of that entire region are at stake. in fact, they estimate as many as 10 million people's lives are at stake when they go through that area. so it seems to me logical and reasonable that taiwan have observer status. it's important that everybody's coordinating and taiwan is an extremely important asset to that region. so i just urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i want to thank the sponsors, mr. diaz-balart, ms. berkley, for sponsoring this bill. i think it's extremely

important. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from nevada. ms. berkley: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: reserves. the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from florida, my colleague, mr. lincoln diaz-balart, the ranking member on the rules subcommittee on legislative and budget process and co-chair of the taiwan caucus. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for three minutes. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my dear friend, the great leader from south florida, ileana ros-lehtinen. and today a resolution, a resolution that we are debating, discussing has been brought to the floor, has been authored by another great leader, congresswoman berkley of nevada, who i have the honor of serving with on the taiwan caucus as both of us as

co-chairs. she is an extraordinary leader, and i thank her for doing this because taiwan is such a special friend. as a matter of fact, mr. speaker, i often think about the undignified and treacherous betrayal of that exemplary friend and ally, the republic of china, when the united states broke diplomatic relations. and, again, i say in a treacherous and undignified manner in 1978. so everything and anything that we can do to help our friends in that miracle of freedom and economic development through their hard work and talent