toddard died shielding his wife who was also wounded but expected to recover. following their regular saturday outing, dorwan brought his wife to gabby because reportedly she wanted to tell gabby what a good job she was doing. high school sweethearts who were reconnected after many years apart, they were a pillar of their church community and we know mazie will continue on. saddened and burdened, but hopefully not broken. finally, judge roll, had been working with gabby and several of us in the delegation for the past several months trying to make the courts in arizona more efficient and more responsive to both the victim and the accused. i knew him to be a fair, dedicated, charming professional and loyal person. he loved his family, he loved his profession, he loved his job, his community, and his country. arizona and the nation will be

a different place without him. again i'm encouraged by the reports concerning all the wounded. these individuals are the perfect example of the strength of arizonans and all americans. they will recover, we pray, and they will not shy from continuing to serve their community. this is most true for gabby. gabby is a special person among us here in congress. we all know that. we all love her patriotism, her bipartisanship, her willingness to learn, her dedication to give, her compassion for her job, and for each of us. and her spirit to continue striving to make the eighth congressional district of arizona and america a better place to live and work. hopefully it won't be much longer until we see her here, her smiling face with us again doing what she loved and working hard for the people of

our country. our prayers go to gabby, all victims, and the families of the deceased. i reserve the balance of my time. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. schweikert. mr. schweikert: mr. speaker, it is with heavy heart that i come to the floor today to offer these thoughts on this tragic event this past saturday outside tucson. that took the lives of john m. roll, christine taylor green, dorwan stoddard, dorothy morris, gabe zimmerman, and phyllis schneck and gravely injured our colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords. it was just last week that my wife and i had the opportunity to visit with gabby in

statutory hall before the ceremonial swearing-in. and as so many of you know, our interactions with her were gracious, energetic, and she was willing to help us as we were setting up our freshman office. we took a few photos, we talked about ways we could work together, and of course we engaged in the banter and teasing of arizona's faste rivalry, a.s.u. vs. u. of a. gabby takes enormous pride in the job in representing the communities of southern arizona. and my wife and i send our thoughts and prayers to mark during this difficult time. we deeply appreciate the gift mark generously shares with all of us here in washington and back in arizona. it is also important not to forget the individuals who lost their lives or who were injured while they were exercising their right to participate and

have a say in this republic. indeed, they became victims while exercising a fundamental right that has served as a backbone of this country since its founding. a right our nation's founders sacrificed so dearly for. just as the victims this last saturday have tragically also sacrificed for. we are stunned by the tragedy, but we remain resolute in our commitment to assemble peacefully, engage civilly in the types of discourse that are fundamental to maintaining this republic. although words may not sufficiently capture the sorrow and grief we are experiencing, particularly in arizona, joyce and i send our thoughts, our prayers to gabby, mark, rocks an, -- roxanne, and john green, the parents of little christine taylor green, and the loved

ones of judge roll, dorwan stoddard, dorothy morris, gabe zimmerman, phyllis schneck, the community of tucson and southern arizona, all arizonans, this nation. our hearts are heavy but our prayers are with all of you. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back any time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio. mr. kucinich. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: we are one as we pay tribute to congresswoman giffords and all the other victims of violence in tucson. our gathering reflects the truth of america's first motto which is above this chamber,

epluribus unum, out of many we are one. it is vital that we acknowledge our oneness. not just as a congress, but as a nation and as a world. in that appreciation for oneness we find human sympathy, compassion, and love. it is an awareness of the imperative of hueman unity which can bring us to the threshold of understanding, our power to bring an end to the violence which is consuming our loved ones. it is an awareness of the imperative of human unity which can help us to create a new america. where the presence of violence is understood as a challenge to be met not as an unyielding truth of the human condition to

be accepted. our hearts are open now as we recognize the victims. so let us be open to a new direction where we and this nation can take an organized approach to deal with the causes of violence not just the effects. we are one with our sister, congresswoman giffords, and all the other victims. let us continue to be one with each other as we struggle to bring light to this moment of darkness. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. quail -- quayle. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. quayle: i thank the gentleman from arizona for yielding.

mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 32, and to honor the victims of the senseless act of violence that took place in tucson on saturday. all arizonans and all americans mourn the six souls that lost their lives. they will never be forgotten. they were model citizens, actively engaged in their community and with their government. just chatting with their representative on a saturday morning. that, mr. speaker, peaceful discourse and participation, is a precious part of our society and one of the things that makes our country great. we must not allow an act of violence to inhibit the preexchange of thoughts and concerns -- free exchange of thoughts and concerns. the six that lost their lives died because they loved america. they wanted to be involved in the process. in recent days we have heard their inspiring stories from family and friends. we shouldn't have to wonder

what the future had in store for them. they are the friends, neighbors, and colleagues that our communities depend upon. mr. speaker, we pray for our friend and colleague, congresswoman gabby giffords, that she survived her counts is a miracle, but no surprise to those who know her and admire her spirit, determination, and conviction. congresswoman giffords was a do your job to the best of her ability. she wasn't in an orr nate congressional hearing room on the floor of the house. she was back home on the sidewalk of a supermarket listening to the concerns of her constituents. that, too, mr. speaker, is what makes this country great, that, too, must never change. . in our great state of arizona, there's much to mourn after saturday's tragedy. but make no mistake, there are also many things that he list

great pride -- elicit great pride. we're proud of the brave civilian and professional first responders whose quick response time and decisive action prevented more loss of life and greater injury. we're proud of the amazing work performed by the surgeons and medical teams at the university of arizona medical center. whose skill and expertise shined during trying times. and above all, mr. speaker, we are proud of the six who perished and of congresswoman giffords, all of whom were simply doing their duty as good americans. they as active citizens and she as their worthy representative. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized.

>> we all come together in the aftermath of the overwhelming tragedy of tucson. to remember all of the victims and also to fervently hope, still in disbelief. mr. levin: our colleague, gabby giffords, epitomized what a public servant should be, fully dedicated, principled, caring and reaching out to all constituents and to all our colleagues. time will tell with clarity -- clarity exactly what are the appropriate lessens for all of us to learn -- lessons for all of us to learn from the tucson tragedy. in the meanwhile, our fow focus is indeed -- our focus is indeed very personal. in the holiday card that gabby sent to me she wrote her best

wishes for a joyful new year and continued writing that we will have our work cut out for us. the new year is now far, far less joyful. so our hope in the prayer we are sending with love to gabby and to mark is that gabby will be able to join us, as we take on the work cut out for us, to which gabby, you have devoted your whole self so fully. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: i thank the speaker. let me say how nice it is to have you presiding, another arizonan controlling time on that side, and so many in the delegation here today, we are a close delegation.

i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from arizona, mr. gosar. mr. gosar: mr. speaker, i stand here today with a heavy heart as i give my prayers to representative giffords and her family. as well as my condolences to the other victims of the rampage in tucson. i speak t just for myself and for my family, but for the citizens of my district in arizona and so many others who are saddened and outraged by this senseless act. gabby is more than arizona's third female congresswoman. she is first and foremost an amican who devoted much of her life to public service. there are risks with public service, we cannot deny that. but gabby has werful beliefs and she came to d.c. to represent the people of her district and everyone knows she is tireless. gabby has the grit of a fighter

and the tenacity of a woman on a mission. it is that heart and that grit and that tenacity that iray will continue to serve her wel and speed her recovery. i hope the day is coming soon that i get to greet gabby with open arms and welcome her back to the floor of this house. there is so much that we have yet to do together for arizona for this country. i look forward to working with gabby on the issues of our day and hearing her spirited voice. let me add further, the acts of a criminal will not stop us from meeting our people. we will not be deterred. we will not be intimidated and we will not abandoned the people of arizona because of the murderous acts of a deranged killer. gabby read the first amendment on the floor of the house just ys before she was shot. that amendment provides that the people shall have the right to petition their government and give the people of this nation a voice to speak on the issues

important to them. gabby did not just read the first amendment, she lived it. she was living it on the very day someone tried to kill her. let us continue to pray for the recovery of the wounded, let us pray for the full recovery of gabby, let us pray for t families who lost a loved one, let us pray for the mothers and fathers who lost a child. and let us pray that god will continue to guide us in everything we do. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor and offer prayers for my friend and colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, her staff and all of the victims of the tragic and senseless shooting in tucson.

mr. kildee: she is a brilliant and caring public servant. she loves this country as all members of congress do. at times like these, words are always inadequate to express the full extent of our grief. what we can do is pray, reflect and seek to gain some meaningful perspective from this time of great sorrow. mr. speaker, this terrible act, whatever the cause, does violence to the democratic principles our country was founded on. as i pray for the victims of this terrible event, i also pray that our country can move forward from this tragedy with that love and respect that gabrielle giffords has for human dignity. mr. spear, i yield back the balance of my time.

mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from georgia, mr. price. mr. price: tnk you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, tragedy is always accompanied by so many thoughts and emotions and the irrational violence visited upon our nation last saturday in tucson brought a new wave. shock at learning the news of the carnage, incredulity atven the possibility of such a senseless act, sadness for those injured or killed and for their families, confusion by this inexplicable violence, anger at the lunatic responsible for this , inadequacy to combhend the mind that conceives su an act, respect for those expert hands and minds working to heal the

casualties, honor for those who sacrificed and helped in a moment of real crisis, hope for a full recovery for congresswoman gabrielle giffords and all battling their injuries, recognition that life and liberty are precious and fleeting, love of our country and the blessing of liberty that we all enjoy, steadfast in our commitment to preserving our great nation, humbled by our mutual responsibility as citizens charged with that preservation, reverence for our lord, the only one who knows the answer to the why, and strength from his grace and his love and his mercy. and so we resolve to use this unspeakable and senless tragedy as an opportunity to better ourselves as a people, to

recommit ourselves to the tireless preservation of our republic, and to reaffirm those fundamental principles of liberty and american representative government. may god place his healing hand on all affted by this heinous event and may god bless the unit states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, at this time i would yield two minutes to the gentlelady from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of e resolution before us today. and think it is fitting and prer that we take this opportunity to pause and remember those who lost their lives and were wounded in the tragedy that occurred last saturday in tucson, arizona. it is reallyard to comprehend

how such senseless acts of violence can happen. and yet whe we may not be able toathom why this tragedy occurred, the harsh reality is that six innocent people were killed, including a 9-year-old child, and another 14 individuals were wounded, including our own friend and colleague, representative gabrielle giffords. as we speak, she remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the university medical center in tucson, fighting for her life. those of us who know gabby know that she is a real fighter and that gives us optimism that the final outcome will be a good one that she will be returning to this institution that she loved and still fight for what she believes in. a number of my colleagues have spoken about the many ways in which representative giffords has touched their lives here in congress and i would like to echo some of those sentiments.

as the ranking member of the -- on science, space and technology committee, i have been and seen firsthand the way they are passion, commitment and competence have been used to voice her help for our nation and moved forward in a positive way. she's been very active as a member of the committee sponsoring and co-sponsoring many pieces of legislation relating to the research, innovation, space exploration, math and science education, they have included the solar technology road map act, the science parks research and innovative technologies act, the nasa authorization act of 2010, and america competes, as many other important pieces. she's been tireless in carrying out her oversight responsibilities. as chairman of the space and you are a astronautics subcommittee in the 111th congress, she conducted numerous hearings on a wide range of issues related to

nasa, civil and commercial space activities, international corporation in space, civil engineering and aviation and observations, among others. her willingness to work hard, to get the facts and exercise tough love on the agencies she oversees has earned her the respect of members on both sides of the aisle. in addition why she's not afraid to express her videos directly, she always has -- views directly, she has always done so with civility and grace. so, mr. speaker, congresswoman gabby giffords, the one i know and respect, we hope to see her return soon. it is still harder to me to comprehend that such evil could be -- could bell her and the other victims of last saturday. i know i sak for all members in saying that our thoughts and prayers are with each of them and their families. we look forward to the day wh we can welcome ms. giffords back

to the floor and join with her to do the nation's business. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. e gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield two -- i'm sorry, such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. sessions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i join with my colleagues today with respect to the delegation from azona who suffers and yet today comes to the flooof the house of representatives to do their duty. to the colleagues of ms. giffords who today join in support, not only in prayerful support, but as we stand together we speak clearly to say that the support for congresswoman giffords and all the victims of this tragic shooting and their famies need to be remembered and we offer full support. i was deeply shocked and saddened by these heartbreaking events and i join my colleagues

and i know all of america looked on tv on saturday as we all condemned not only in our own hearts but also as our families spoke around the tables about what had happened, we condemned the senseless act of violence. congresswoman giffords is a dedicated public servant and has served the people of arizona for over 10 years. she was elected to the house of representatives in 26, she's known as a steadfast leader in congress for her constituents. i would see her often on the airplane as we would travel back every weekend. she is known by each of us as a kind and wonderful person who serves with honor and who is very deeply genuine and a warm person with friends on both sides of the aisle. . all members of this body understand the high honor to serve our constituents every single day and i join with my

colleagues in standing together today to guarantee that the inhumane acts of this saturday will not deter us from our duty. this heartbreaking event has ft americans astonished and spchless. those participating as members of congress today should stand up and say that we will stand behind gabrielle and look forward to her safe returto be with her colleagues. we offer our prayer for her support. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from illinois. the speaker pro tempore: the gentledy from linois is recognized. ms. schakoky: i'm very grateful to join my colleagues on both side of the aisle to -- both sides of the aisle to join with those who wanted nothing more than to participate in the simple but precious opportunity to meet directly with their congresswoman, gabrielle giffords. ere will be time to reflect

on potential remedy that is could prevent or diminish the threat that has so personally touched us all, but today i simply want to send my love to gabby and to mark and the rest of their family. we have all had the opportunity to focus on you, gabby, the brilliant, effective, warm, courageous person, leader that you are. you brought us together to focus on just how meaningful your friendship is to us, to me. i also want to take this opportunity to thank my dedicated staff here in washington and at home in the district and all the staff that work with us. thank you for your daily efforts and sacrifices, the long hours, and the commitment to your constituents, our constituents. the tragedy of this event and e loss of gabe zimmerman and e wounded staff has brought

home just how important you are to all of us and to everything that we do here. let us take this sad moment to seek peace and love, to honor those who were killed, and fervently pray for those who were injured, including our beloved colleague, gabrielle giffords, and look forward to the day when she will return to usn full health. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: mr. speaker, i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from texas, mr. carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. carter: thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the floor today because about four weeks ago a plane coming back from washington, d.c., flying to dallas, where i changed planes, and also gabrielle giffords changed planes, was my first opportunity to interact with this young lady.

i watched her work -- i watched her visit with the fellow travelers on the plane. she spied a couple of her constituents and talked with them. she visited with me. then was she shared a cart to our changing gates, i was just touched by what a really, really nice person she was. we interact in this building and we have our debates and so forth, but i got a chance to just talk about family and talk about flights with a charming, intelligent, and quite honestly captivating young lady. and that's why i came down here today because you don't cross paths with individuals like that very often. and when you do, it's a blessing that comes into your life. and when iurned on the television and discovered that this blessing had been attacked

by this vicious, vicious attack that took place in arizona, not only was this sweet life placed at risk, but a 9-year-old child was killed. senselessly others were murdered, others were wounded on the streets of tucson in the united states of america at a congressional event. it makes you stop and pause and think. we have to get back together and work on these issues. we have to get civility into the world. and i am concerned about the violence, violence has entered our house and injured one of our own and killed one of our own. i hope justice is swift and i hope justice is severe, but as we go forward, we need to work together to secure not only this house but to secure this nation. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlely from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from maryland is recognized. ms. edwards: mr. speaker, i rise today in honor and pyer for our friend and colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, a delightful personality, dedicated legislator,and powerful advocate for her constituents. sitting next to her on the sighons and technology committee, you only had to be there to know and feel her passion for nasa, solar technology, innovation, and research. it has rubbed off. as we pause to reflect on the terrible tragedy that took place in tucson, we know that congresswoman giffords was simply doinghat she does so well, meeting with the constituents of arizona's eighth coressional district and hearing their different points of view. this is a sentiment that's reflected in congresswoman giffords' own words when she said, my position is to listen to my constituents, then

ultimately make sound, rational decision that is are going to be beneficial for the eighth congressional district. that's my job. mr. speaker, i join the nation in expressing my sorrow for the senseless and tragic loss of life christina taylor green, dorothy morris, u.s. distrt court judge, john roll, phyllis schneck, dorian stoddar and gabriel zimmerman. and those injured including our friend and colleague, gabrielle giffords and her staff. we'll keep you and your families in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers, and we are deeply grateful to the heroes sung and unsung who showed great courage and sacrifice and continue to do so in caring for their friends, family, and community. to gabby, to mark kelly, her husband, her staff we pray that your burdens are lifted and that the dark days become light. may god bless you and strengthen i.

may god bless this congress. and may got bless america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. mr. flake: i yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden. mr. walden: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise on behalf of the people of oregon's second district to offer my deepest sympathies to the familiesf the victims of saturday's senseless shooting in tucson. americans see each of us taking this personally because congresswoman giffords and her staff were doing what each of us does in our own way. we go home, we reach out to listen to peoe who agree and disagree, and we practice the art of democracy. it is the practice so fundamental to our nation that families bring their young children who are interested in public service. senior judges attend to discuss federal policy. citizens come to get help with their medicare or vare benefits. -- veterans' affairs benefits. no one comes, no one comes

thinking such a despicable act of violence will occur. despite deep philosophical differences, sometimes argued vigorously and vociferously in our meetings, americans share a common belief that violence has no place in democratic discourse. romans 12:1 paul writes, don't be overcome by evil but over come evil with good. we stand together across america committed to this calling and in the belief that the great good in america will always overcome the isolated evil. may god's healing hand be on our colleague and those affected and bring comfort to all. i yield back. the eaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. >> i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

ms. harman: as gabby's colleagues, we all have had moments with her so many memories we recall vividly and calmly. for she she's an inspiring younger member of the house sisterhood, she is whip smart and serious legislator. she's the kind of person we need so badly in this chamber, doing the people's business without rancor or vitriol. though the attack occurred in tucson, it was an attack on all of us and it strikes very close to home. just a week ago today i sat near gabby at a new democrat lunch in the capitol visitor center. the group was assessing the recent election and her contribution to the discussion was personal, impressive, and well delivered. but seven days is a long time in politics. and our world here is in upheaval. beyond the heroic efforts of tucson's emergency and medical teams, the f.b.i., and the capitol police, the alleged gunman must be fairly and swiftly prosecuted. but there is more.

the congress family must take additional prudent steps to protect our staffs and constituents from random violence at our public events or offices. i serve here as we all do in loco parentis and take this very seriously. finally we should revis it sensible federal laws to control access to guns and ammunition. at a minimum i believe we must promptly restore the expired federal ba on extended magazine clips. i personallyould urge us also to re-enact the 1994 ban on assault weapons which i was proud to support and bar sales of saturday night specials. mr. speaker, we can't roll back last saturday, but we can and must learn its lessons. i yield back. e speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. flake: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from wyoming, mrs. lummis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wyoming is

recognized. mrs. lummis: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this resolution. i rise to add the voice of the people of wyoming to the chorus of united american reaching out in prayer to the victims in arizona. and to the families of those whose lives were stolen from them. on january 6, representative gabrielle giffords took to the floor of this house and eluently read to us the first amendment of our constitution, she gave her own strong emphasis to the praise that grants americans the right to peaceably assemble. two days later she and her constituents had their god given rights violently taken from them. in the midst of our national grief, the desire to make sense of the sensess is profound.

we err if we attempt to rationalize what is wholly irrational and to understand what cannot be understood. the apostle paul writes, no we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror. instead, let us all stand with the gentlelady from arizona in her time of trial and defense of the constitution which she is striving to uphold. let us stand with our 9-year-old daughters who are fostering a budding interest in our representative democracy. let us stand with our 76 and 79-year-old mothers and fathers who seek only to forge a relationship with their elected representatives. and to impart a wisdom that

comes with long life as a citizen of this country. and let us stand with our servant leaders of all ages and parties and who spend every day in a passionate effort to better a great nation and beautiful ideal. we do them honor if we continue not with idle speculation but with a renewed commitment to exercise the right of liberty and freedom. we begin the long road to healing by fervently praying for peace in our world, peace in our country, and peace in our heart. god bless the victims of saturday's violence and their families. god bless america.

and now may the peace of god which surpasseses all human understanding and all human misunderstanding be with us all. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gelelady yields back. the gentleman is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from guam. miss bore calo: -- ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the resolution today and to honor the six individuals who lost their lives. my friend and my colleague, gabby giffords, who is currently fighting for her life, and the 13 other wounded victims of saturday's tragic shooting in tucson. gabby zimmerman, federal judge john roll, dorothy morris,

phyllis schneck, dorw stoddard, and the innocent 9-year-old christina taylor green, all who passed away on saturday in such a senseless act of violence that was a direct attk on our democracy. . being the extraordinary public servant she is, gabby had taken her first opportunity in the 112th congress to organize an event, to learn of her constituents' concerns and their hopes. the victims had all peacefully gathered at a local mall to participate in the democratic process. the basic exercise of democracy was interrupted by a disturbed individual bent on anger at the system. this needless and despicable act of violence has no place in our society and should give us all cause to reflect on the level of political discourse in this

country. but while we recognize the tragedy that occurred and pray for the quick recovery of those injured and those who died, let us not overlook the many acts of bravery and heroism of those on saturday. as we piece together the events of last saturday, my thoughts and prayers go out to gabby and the others who had been killed or injured, and let this tragic event serve as a reminder of the obligation that we have as elected representatives of the people to be responsible in our leadership and be careful of the words that we choose. i will keep the victims and their families in my thoughts and prayers and i know that all of my colleagues will do so as well. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the leader is recognized.

mr. cantor: i thank the speaker. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the -- on h.res. 32. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cantor: and, mr. speaker, it's now my honor to yield to the gentlewoman from florida for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker, and i thank the leader for the time. just a few days ago one of our own, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, was gravely injured as a result of a terrible act of an unbalanced individual. americans were profoundly shocked and saddened and continue to be, this deplorable act of violence which resulted in the unjust deaths of six innocent individuals and a struggle to survive for others including our own gabby. for those who lost their lives we know that the list is

lamentably long, the honorable john roll, a federal judge who went by just to say hi to his friend gabby, and christina taylor green, a 9-year-old girl who had just been chosen to serve in her school's student council and who was taken to gabby's congress on your corner event by a family friend who wanted to get her interested in public affairs. and gave zimmerman, a member of gabby's loyal staff who had a enormous heart and was recently engaged to be married. it is difficult to make sense of this tragedy but all americans stand with gabby, with her family and the families of all the victims throughout this painful time. ny of us count gabby not just as a colleague but as a friend. i had the privilege of getting to know gabby as a -- gabby as a member of our foreign affairs committee. she has always demonstrated a rong commitment to serving her constituents, the men and women of our armed forces and our nation. and that is exactly what we must do, we must not waiver in our

duties -- waver in our duties to serve those whwere proudly and yet humbly asked to serve. our republic was founded on the premise that the people have the right and the duty to petition their representatives and to express their views. and gabby truly embodies that principle. she has always been accessible, she's always been eager to listen to her constituents. representatives like gabby are what have made america an example of freedom and democracy the world over. it is truly reprehensible to think that these noble intentions were exploited to carry out such a terrible tragedy. to quote dr. martin luther king, we must disagree without becoming violently disagreeable. the thoughts and prayers of the residents of florida's 18t congressional district are with gabby's family and with the families of all those affected by this senseless tragedy. i thank the speaker and i thank our leader for the time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back and the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. chu: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the victims of the tucson shooting, iluding our colleague and friend, gabby giffords. i have seen gabby's commitment and dedication to her constituents firsthand. i've had the pleasure to work with her as we promoted efforts restoreur nation's competitiveness and specifically to help create clean energy jobs. gabby is smart, courageous, disciplined and effective. ms. matsui: and as we have all seen over the last few days, her strength is unwavenering. last saturday gabby organized an event to talk to her constituents about their priorities, about their concerns and their hopes. it is heartbreaking and a tragedy at six innocent people lost their lives and an

additional 13 have been critically wounded, alwhil trying to participate in and strengthen our democracy. we are all now reflecting on what brought our country to this point and how to move forward. as everyone in this chamber can attest, being a representative is more than a job title. it is what we do and it is who we are. we meet with our constituents, we listen to them, we advocate for their best interests. mr. speaker, i'd also like to take a moment to honor the other victims of this horrific tragedy. 9-year-old beautiful christina taylor green, recently elected to student council. gave zimmerman, a dedicated staffer who was just on the cusp of his own life, recently engaged. judge john roll, highly respected judge who came by to

thank gabby for her support at the judiciary. phyllis schneck who was a tireless volunteer at her local church. dorwin stoddard who shielded his dear wife. and dorothy morris who was married to her husband a long time, who was there but who survived. my thoughts and prayers remain with gabby and with each victim and their families. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: mam speaker, i yield to the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for two minutes. mr. guthrie: thank you, madam speaker. i appreciate the opportunity to be here, to offer my thoughts and prayers for gabby, our colleague. like all of us here, any interaction i've had with her was always pleasant and memorable and i look forward to her returning, pray for her return, pray for her staff and pray for the other victims. i want to hold

mr. upton: one victim this morning. i didn't know dorwin stoddard but through a close network of friends i've had the opportunity to learn a ltle bit out dorw stoddard and he's the one that shielded his wife with his own body, saving her life but losing his own. and he andis wife were having breakfast and decided they wanted to go to the congress on the corner to give gabby encouragement for the new year and the new year in congress, to encourage her. he loved the bible, he loved the scriptures in its simplest and purest form and wanted to live them which is evidence in his life. he's very involved in church work. he ran the benevolence program which lived up to christ's challenge to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. and we know he internalized the scripture because of his last act. of his last act. and i don't know this, but i think i can say without fear of contradiction the were many times he's probably sitting in church waiting for the minister to deliver a sermon on marriage and i'm sure the text was one

when it said, husband, love your wifes as christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. what love he had for his wife and what faith he had in god. thrulte his life, he aspired to -- throughout his life he aspired to do good. through his life, let us all inspire to do our best. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. green: madam speaker, today we are one and we are resolute. we are one because we understand that there reay is but one race and that is the human race. we are one because as dr. king put it, all of humanity was created by one common creator to live in harmony from a base black to a treble white, we are one and we are resolute. we are resolute in our belief

that one day our friend, our sister will return to the floor of this congress, to this hall, and she will stand at this podium and she will be welcomed by her colleagues as she returns and takes a rightful place in the halls of the congress of the united states of america. we are one and we are resolute because we believe that an innocent baby was taken from us and that innocent baby, thoug she is not with us in the physical, she will forever be with us in the spiritual as long as we remember who she was and never forget that we cannot allow the innocent to be stolen from us withouour taking the time to pause and be grateful for the time that we had with the innocent. we are one and we are resolute. but we must also be resolute in basic premise that dr. king called to our attention and that is that we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters

or we will perish together as fools. we are one and we are resolute. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: thank you, madam spker. i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, mr. paulson. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for two minutes. mr. paulsen: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in contribute to my friend and colleague, representative gabrielle giffordsone of many victims of a very senseless act of violence this past saturday. i've had the pleasure of knowing gabby and her husband mark, astronaut mark kelly, for several years, even before either of us set foot in this chamber. in my district office there's a photo of gabby, myself and others who were part of a fellowship program which was created to explore the responsibilities of public leadership, advanced thoughtful, vil, bipartisan dialogue and help america's leaderschieve their full potential. gabby is so muchbout all of these ideals. i found myself looking at this

photo over the last few days quite ofteand i couldn't help but think that all of our communities could use a few more individuals like gabby whose bright smile and kind heart have come to define her tenure here in congress. for many of us here today, the news of the tragedy was gut wrenching. it's hard to believe that just a few days before this senseless attack, my family and i were out visiting at the air and space museum at dulles airport when we heard someone shut out my name. it was gabby's husband, mark, with gabby and her parents in toe and we spent the next several minutes talking and as friendoften do ralling some of our good memories such as when i joined gabby with two of my daughters at one of mark's spacshuttle launches in florida. over the past few days there have been many moving tributes to gabby and all of them are true. she leads by example wither fighting spirit, her diligent work ethic and friendly,

constant smile and it's my hope that we can follow in gabby's footsteps over the next several weeks d as hard as it may be, show the same bright smile and kind heart that she has shown all of us. my thoughts and prayers remain with gabby and her husband mark and their family. gabby's staff and all of the victims and their families as part of this tragedy. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the ntleman from tennessee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for two minutes. mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker. i am a member of the class of 2006 which representative giffords was a member of. we had the opportunity to go through orientation with her, meet with speaker pelosi on many occasions and share many activities. gabrielle giffords is a tremendous member of this house, bright, caring, beautiful and we all pray for her recovery and that she ces back and works

with us. i listened to her remarks on television when she talked about words having consequences and her brother-in-law who is up in space saying the same thing and it's true, words have consequences and we all need to be more concerned about how we speak about political opponents or people who have different perspectives than we do on political issues. we're all americans, we're all human beings and we all have similar goals and similar aspirations and even though we may differ on philosophy, that doesn't make us communist or socialist or wtever. we're all trying to make this government work and one thing that we know about the person who did this shooting, beside the fact that he needed mental health treatment, was obviously crazy, was that he didn't like government and government's good and one thing we should learn from this is that the government can be and is a good force and it's a lot about what america is and people who tear down

government are doing a disservice to all of us d they provide an atmosphere to where people think that anarchy is answer and it's never an answer or neolism is a philosophy that oughto be followed and it isn't. . the staffers who were there working on weekends, as many staffers do when they work long hours, they love government, they love people, they try to make a difference. so i think we just need to remember we are all human beings, we all have similar goals and aspirations and government can and is good and it's the representative body of the united states of america. if you don't like the government, you don't like the country, and i love the country and so did gabby. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i now yield three minutes to the gentleman fr texas, mr. mccaul. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. mccaul: thank the gentleman. we gather here today in the

house, in this house and as a nation to mourn the tragic events in tucson, arizona. to honor those who lost their lives and ose still fighting for them. to honor the heroic acts on that dark day and to condemn the perpetrator for this senseless act of violence. the last few days have been surreal. when i first heard the news, i was shocked and disturbed. that one of our own had been shot. someone i'm privileged to call my friend and a colleague. and as the speaker said, when one of us is attacked all of us is attacked. this experience has been painful to all of us and hits too close to home. professionally, i was fortunate to have worked with gabrielle giffords, or gabby, as she is affectionately called. we both serve on the science and chnology and foreign affairs committees. she is passionate, bright, and a delight to be around.

gab -- gabby is a talented lawmaker who always work effectively across the aisle to get things done for the american people. i was honored to have been one of those she chose to work with. she always told me, arizona and texas are sunshine states and we need to harness that energy. i agreed with her. and together we introduced and passed the solar technology road map act. she often talked about being from border states and that we needed security to protect our way of life. we passed the $600 million appropriation for more resources on the worder -- border. as everybody knows she's a staunch advocate for nasa. and she's married to a astronaut. she passionately defended the space program and we worked together with many others to save the human space flight program. in fact, the last time i saw gabby a week ago, wewere getting off the elevator over

there to vote on the floor here, and we talked about nasa and she said, in her classic way, yeah, but, we c always do better. that was her spirit. we can always do better. and we often talked about putting together a delegation of witnesses -- of members to witness the last shuttle flight, one that her husband, mark, is commanding. i hope we will still have that opportunity. so when i received the news that she had been shot, it had a profound and personal impact upon me. for above all she is my friend. she's a bright ray of sunshine in what is too often a dark world. coming out of a tough election, she often talked about moderation and toning down the partisan rhetoric to get things done for the american people. i know that it is her sincere hope that as her wounds heal, so, too, will the wound

inflicted upon this nation. and that the political discourse in this country be restored to one of civility. i pray for her and all those affected by this horrible tragedy. i pray that one day she will return to this floor and join her colleagues. and i'm confident that she will. for above all she is a passionate fighter and an eternal optimist. so keep fighting, gabby, for we need you and more people le you in this world. y god bless you and may he hold you in the palm of his hand. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the geleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman fromew york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. mr. crowley: thank you, madam speaker. i thank my friend from arizona for yielding to me at this time. first i want to recognize and give thanks to the leadership of the house, in particular

nancy pelosi, and more so this morning to speaker john boehner, for this beautiful resolution that we have before us today. i said on sunday that his remarks were appropriately brief. when he said, attack upon one of us is an attack upon all of us. it could not have been better said in reflection upon what took place to our country on saturday. judge john roll, gabe zimmerman, christina green, dorothy morris, phyllis schneck, and dorwan stoddard all were taken from us too son by a depraved individual. i want to take a moment to also mention the wonderful staff of gabby giffords. i had the opportunity on

saturday afternoon being in washington to stop by h offi and immediately was moved by the palpable sense of love and affection that was throughout the room. not only for gabby but for all the victims, particularly their fellow colleagues. i also want to take this opportunity to thank all of our staffs, who many of us in congress may take for granted, the tireless work in their efforts to serve the people of our constituency and great country. not always reflecting upon sometimes the danger that we can avoid. gabby giffords and i go back even prior to getting elected i had the great opportunity to endorse her early in her primary because i was so moved by the moxie and strength of gabby giffords when i visited arizona. she often would say to me when she was around mark, mark

always tells me, joe crowley, i'm his second favorite member of congress and you are the first. she said that i think she knows how i was unabashed about my admiration for her. mr. pastor: i yield an additional 30 seconds the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has an additional 30 seconds. mr. cwley: about my admiration for her. the last conversation i had prior to this incident was last friday when she asked me could i chair the new democrat task force on energy. she was trying to convince me somehow that i had to let her do this. and i just said, gabby, you're not a freshman member of the house. yeah, you're going to do that. don't worry about that. but she was always trying to convince -- she's a star. we know it. every member here knows it. democrat, republican. this woman has something that many of us wish we had. that is it's an inner beauty.

ift could take something away from this event, tragic event, aside from the issues of rhetoric and gun control and mental illness which we do not give enough time to in this country, this woman and what she reflects upon this institution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i now yield two minutes -- three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. gohmert:hank you, madam speaker. gabrielle giffords is always a bright spot in this rather dull, moody, self-absorbed body calledongress. she's easy to work with no matter which side of the aisle we happen to be. we all find ourselves being criticized, but few of us have been able to respond with the grace and the class with which gabby has.

today we mourn the loss of all those killed during the evil shooting spree in tucson. i know we are praying for the victims' families that somehow through their devastating loss and heartbreak they may still find that peace that passes all understanding. for those who have survived the assault, may they find healing in the shadow of the almighty. hearing so much these days about the need for congenial discourse, we might look at gabby giffords as a living example of how we go about disconcerning -- discerning the road map to get to desired decorum. i'm sure both sides of the aisle wished the other side worked with others as well as gabby do. she makes people here in congress smile just by showing up. her bright student from

washington, d.c., often had us on the same flight. gabby knows i love chocolate. when she sees me on a flight she always lights up and says something like, louie, i was hoping you'd be on my flight. i need some chocolate. gabby always finds something for which s can look forward. our prayers remain with her. this is no time for assigning blame to anyone but the gunman. this is a time toote the positive influences from those who were harmed. this is a time to note and perpetuate the good that their lis have so that they live on whether their heartbeats or not. this is a time to learn from gabby who has a heart that both still beats and still inspires.

we can learn from her attributes and her ability to smile even at those of us with whom we disagree as we pray for the opportunity for her smile to regain its vitality so she can go back to spreading her sunshine to all the places that need it. may god bless gabby giffords and all those who are suffering because of this heinous attack as only he knows the most specific needs. may god further provide the comfort and peace that only comes from the embrace of his almighty arms. and let m just close by saying when i see her again i'm going to have plenty of chocolate just for her. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the assistant to the leader, mr. clyburn. the speaker pro tempore: mr. clyburn is recognized for two minutes. mr. clyburn: thank you very

much. i thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. madam speaker, in the book of mica -- micah the religion that gabby practiced raisea question, what did the lord require you to be? and the question is answered in micah 6:8 to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. i cannot think of anybody who i ever served with who personified that passage more than gabby giffords. in my faith i practice faith which is found in the book of luke, the 10th chapter. for we get the story of the good samaritan when the question was asked of the

lawyer who wanted to know what was required to have hive everlasting -- toave life everlasting, in answer the master said to him, love thy neighbor as thy self. gabby giffords is our neighbor. nojust here in this body, but she is our neighbor on this great planet. because we learn from that story that being one's neighbor is not the dependent upon one's religion nor is it dependent upon one's ethnicity. being one's neighbor is dependent upon whether or not we had the capacity to show compassion. gabby giffords is our neighbor

and i'm pleased to honor her today. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. lance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. lance: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of the resolution. we come together to extend our thoughts and prayers to those who were killed and to those who were wounded during the horrific attack in tucson on saturday. as we gather in the people's house we pray for the recovery of our colleague, representative giffords, and the others who were wounded, including those who served the public in the congresswoman's office. . we mourn the loss of judge roll, and the 9-year-old girl, christina taylor green, and the others who were senselessly killed that terrible morning. while the horrific events in

tucson provide a stark reminder of the fradgeilt of human life we are also reminded that we meet on the floor of the house of representatives in what franklin roosevelt and more recently george w. bush have called the warm courage of national unity. we have heard the inspiring stories of those who -- whose selflessness protected the lives of others. violence has no place in the life of the american nation. thisragedy will strengthen, not weaken, our resolve to serve the true principles of democracy. may god bless those who are fighting for their lives as a result of this attack and may the souls of those had who were lost -- those who were lost be received in his loving embrace.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. >> madam speaker, last wednesday this nation and the world witnessed the orderly transfer of power in this house when nancy pelosi passed the speaker's gavel on to speaker john boehner. that simple act occurred without violence, it occurred without soldiers in the streets or a massive show of force by the police. for most americans, indeed for most people working in this building, the day was rather ordinary. mr. schiff: our lack of political violence, our tradition ofesolving policy arguments in the legislature and courtroom is one of the greatest gifts that the founders and all of the generations that follow them have left to us. but as we were so cruelly reminded last saturday, our peaceful civil discourse can never be taken for granted. it is a gift that must be safeguarded.

last saturday our colleague, gabby giffords, set up shop outside a local safeway in tucson to engage her constituents, to perform the central role of representative democracy, listening to the people. the hatred contributed by the would-be assassin before and during the shooting were an assault on that connection between those of us who are have -- who have the honor to serve and those we represent. my heart goes out to gabby, her staff and family and the friends of john roll, gabe zimmerman, phyllis schneck, dorothy morris and christina taylor green who was born on september 11, 2001, and who deserved a longer life th this. and to gabby, and her staff here in the gallery today, there is one day that we look forward to above all others and that is the day that gabby walks back onto this house floor and stands before this podium and is

recognized. we know that they will -- that day will come and we pray that it comes soon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. poe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. poe: madam speaker, it was a saturday morning, clear skies and a wonderful day. and gabby giffords was doing what really she liked to do best, wh many of us like to do best, talking to people that we represent and listening to those people back home. friday before she left for tucson and i left for southeast texas, we were talking here on the house floor. gabby and i are friends. i have been to iraq with her and we were talking about border security. in fact, she had invited me to tucsono see what takes place there and go to the border.

i likewise had inveeted her to texas to see our border and we worked quite well together. she works with everybody quite well. then she was off to the airport, going home. many people don't realize that most members of congress, we go home every weekend. we don't live in washington, we work in washington. and we commute. and she was headed to the airport, excited to go back and see her people that she represents. and then saturday morning an evil doctor came to a public gathering, attacked gabby and he really attacked our nation because there was a crowd of citins, old and young, that were peaably assembling to learn more about america. to pticipate in the american process in dealing with their representative, gabby giffords. we should remember the victims that were shot and killed that

day, the evildoer, his name is not important. he should be held personally accountable for his actions, s trial should be swift, if convicted his punishment should be severe. but it is the victims that we honor, that we remember in this cruel episode of evil. you know, christina taylor green, 9-year-old girl, just elected to the student council in her third grade class, she liked politics, she wanted to be more involved and that's why she was there saturday morning with gabby giffords. she was born on 9/11, a 9-year-old girl, her life stolen iner youth. all of us who are parents, grandparents, we never want to see our child or someone else's child taken before their time. but that's what happened to christina taylor green. apparently a wonderful,

wonderful young person. you know, gabby giffords is a fighter and she fights for her beliefs, make no question about it. everybody who knows her knows where she stands on issues. my grandmother described her years ago without even knowing it, my grandmother, probably the most influential person in my life, my friends on this side of the aisle would appreciate the fact that she was a yellow dog democrat and never for gave me for being a republican -- forgave me for being a republican, but she made a comment about people like gabby. she said, there's nothing more powerful than a woman that has made up her mind. gabby giffords is that woman. she's made up her mind -- mr. cantor: i yield the gentleman from an additional 30 seconds. mr. poe: she's made up her mind about her beliefs, about her will to represent the people in arizona and i believe she's made up her mind to survive because only 5% of gunshot wounds to the head, those people survive, and she will be one of them.

and so we recognize her, we honor her and we look forward to seeing her on this house floor again, being that strong-willed woman, that feisty woman from arizona. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expir. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield -- two minutes to the gentlelady from texas. the speaker pro tempore: the ntlelady from texas is recognized for two minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman for yielding. congresswoman giffords loved america and she loved america's values and america blessed her with opportunities. american values give us all the opportunity to do our best and to be our best of the last saturday congresswoman giffords was at her best, meeting the people of arizona, of tucson, and the united states of america.

but coresswoman giffords would also asks to do our best and as the bible has said, she was a woman who used her talents well. she would also want us to acknowledge the americans who have poured out their hearts during this tragedy all over this nation and americans did their best saturday and good americans lost their lives being good americans. we know of those who lost their lives and offered to us a sacrifice. christina taylor dwreen, dorothy morris, john roll, judge roll, phyllis schneck, doris stotard and -- dorwin stoddard and gabe zimmerman of her staff. we're well aware of what happened and we say that ngressman giffords, keep on fighting for your life, along with others who are wounded, while the heroes of that day, mr. hernandez and others, reflect on the horror. but hopefully they know that they did their best. now it is time for us do our

best, to be a servant leader, giving to others first, showing by example. it is so very important that we do so in her name. to captain kelly, a brave american and family, we stand by you, we stand by your side. you will not stand by yourself. the congresswoman giffords staff, we stand with you, and we pray for you and your loss and those who are wounded. we are committed to both our freedom of expression and our job to create a more perfect union and, yes, in the words of scott kelly, as i offer them today, mark's twin brother, we have a unique vantage point here aboard the international space station. as i look out the window i see a very beautif planet that seems very inviting and peaceful. unfortunately it is not. these days we are constantly reminded of the unspeakable ac of violence and damage we can inflick upon one another, not just with our actions but also

with our irresponsible words. we are better than this. we must do better. i agree. we can do better and we can follow these words. the speaker pro tempore: t gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. jackson lee: which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: an additional 30 seconds to the gentlelady from texas. ms. jackson lee: i thank the distinguished speaker and the dear friend from arizona. nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon which cuts without wounding and ennobles a man who wields it as a sword that males -- heals. let us use nviolence in our expreson, let us denounce violence and as martin luther king would tell us, that we can be a people of peace. i ow that we know the words of jon lennon, let it be, but the truth will let us be free and i look forward to the gentlelady from arizona, tucson, being here with us. god bless you and god bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia is recognized. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. turner. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio for two minutes is recognized. mr. turner: madam speaker, i am saddened to take part in today's tribute to our colleague, gabrielle giffords. who was so senselessly shot this weekend. her outreach coordinator, gabe zimmerman, who was killed in the line of duty during the incident, two other staff who were wounded while supporting the congresswoman, and all of those who were killed, wounded and impacted by this terrible tragedy. congresswoman giffords was performing the most fundamental duty of a member of congress, listening to her constituents. all members of congress take the roll of being -- role of being an advocate for their constituents seriously. for congresswoman giffords, it's promoting solar energy production to boost the local economy, or being a voice for military families and working to secure the border with meck could he. today i stand -- mexico. today i stand re to say, not as a republican or a democrat,

but as an american, that violence has no place in our society and i wish and pray for peace and justice for all of those who have been involved in this tge. my thoughts and prayers as well of those of my family and the people of ohio's third district remain with congresswoman giffords, her staff, her constituents and their families. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from american samoa. the speaker pro tempore: two minutes to the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: madam speaker, our hearts and prayers go out from our colleague, gabby giffords, and her constituents and fellow americans who died as a result of this tragic incident, several others who were injured and wounded at this time. we also pray for god's good grace and comforting spirit to be upon them as well. i deeply appreciate the initiative and leadership of both parties to bring this

resolution to the floor for consideration. not only to give special tribute to our colleague and friend gabby giffords, for her courage and commit thement to public service, but to also give us all an opportunity to seriously reflect on what we need to do to change the atmosphere, if you will, of what we do and say not only among ourselves but to our fellow americans throuout this great nation of ours. i'm not much for giving speeches, madam speaker, but today i felt it was important that our friend and colleague gabby giffords needs to know how much we all appreciate her friendsship and admire her character and her courage to be an example of what true public service is about. one great lesson i learned from gabby giffords is her comment that words do have consequences. ani've also learned a couple more phrases, cut the rhetoric, let's lower the temperature in our discourse with one another, and there's also an island expression that goes like this,

while rocks and stones may deter or erode, words never die. i pray we will find that balance and move our country forward to solve the problems our country is greatly confronted with at this time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore:he gentleman yields back. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. pence. thspeaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. pence: i thank the stinguished majority leader for yielding time. i would ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pence: like every american i'll never forget where i was last saturday. my wife and i were shocked and saddened when we learned of the attack on our colleague, gabby giffords. gabby is a hard worker, talented legislator. as has been said poignantly on this floor, so much better than

i've been able to today, a dear person and unique individual who is universally liked in the house of representatives. we're praying for her recovery and the recovery of all those injured and the comfort ofhe families of the fallen. i rise with gratitude to the leadership of both parties for the -- for moving this thoughtful resolution to the floor. today the american people speak with one voice. we will condemn these unspeakable and ev acts. we will remember the injured and lost and we ll gently reaffirm our ideals. this act was an unspeakable act of violence and those responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. but as we mourn with those who mourn, two words of gentle admonition, first, we cannot fear free assembly because of

the facts of a single assailant. we live in an open society and enjoy representative democracy der our constitution. our system depends on regular and informal contact with our elected representatives and neither the public nor its servants should be dissuaded from persuaded in public assembly because of the despicable acts of a sine deranged person. lastly, i understand the pain that saturday last has cause for so many in this body and around the country but we cannot fear free and open debate. democracy depends on heavy doses of civility and as my colleagues know, i've always sought to model that on the floor and elsewhere. we suld refrain from engaging in personal verbal attacks with those with whom we differ. but let me say, we must also resist in the moments of heart

wake the temptation to assign blame to those with whom we differ. no expressed opinion, on the left or right, was d to the blame for saturday's attack and we must resist efforts to suggest otherwise. because to do so has the potential to inhibitnd erode our freedom. so we rise to mourn with those who mourn to grieve with those who grieve. we cannot fail to be moved by the tragic events in arizona. we must not fail to pray earnestly for all those affected and we will not fail to defend our freedom lest it be one more victim of the horrific events in tucson on saturday last. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from arizona.

mr. pastor: i yield go minutes to the gentleman from new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> the outpouring of support from every corner for the victims of the attack in tucson has been overwhelming and inspiring. it is on behalf of western new york that i offer our prayers on behalf ofy friend a colleague, gabby giffords, and my sympathy to the family and friends of gabe zimmerman, dor -- judge roll, dorothy murray. some say it is violence-themed rhetoric that added to this attack. undoubtedly, our debate could benefit from more light and less heat. but this attack was scarried out by a man who appear tors mentally ill and we may never

understand why it is he did what he did. our best response to the atrocity is to reject fear and intimidation and embrace the work in our communities with joy, openness and dedication. that is the type of public service gabby believes in and i urge my colleagues to follow her example. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, chairman of the education and work force committee, mr. kline. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. kline: saturday was dark day for the residents of tucson, arizona, and our nation. in the blink of an eye, the lives of men, women, and children going about their daily routines were forever changed. one troubled, twisted soul robbed s innocent individuals of the lives and cast ta dark shadow over a fundamental right of our democracy.

the exchange of ideas between a representative and the community she represents. madam speaker, in an effort to find meaning in this tradge dirk it is tempting to assign blame or draw conclusions in supporof a larger pattern. but what we witnessed this weekend is void of rationale. we must recognize the disaster for the senseless act it is, but we should not stop there. as the men and women rerepresent mourn those who re lost and rally to support a brave public servant who is battling for her life, we in this body have a responsibility to lead the way. we must demonstrate our resolve to continue the important work of listening to our constituents and legislating on their behalf. we must press on, undeterred by panic, in carrying out the work we have been elected to do. we must demonstrate that america is strong. her institutions are unshakeable and her people are

brave and determined. madam speaker, i join my colleagues in expressing condolences to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy and sending my prayers to our colleague, gabby giffords, in her time of need. may she find the strength to recover and join us in leading the way forward. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady in minnesota. e speaker o tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. mccollum: madam speaker, this house, this entire nation extends our support, love, and best wishes to our colleague, representative gabrielle giffords. to all those wounded in saturday's shooting. we also mourn the deaths, the agic, senseless deaths of six

americans who were participating in street corner democracy with their congresswoman. my minnesota constituents feel pain and loss inflicted by a few seconds of gun violence. the st. paul constituent visited my office on monday and wrote a note to congresswoman giffords. the note said, quote, i pray for your recovery, i want you to be strong and continue to be the fighter that you are, so you can continue to serve the people of america. i, too am praying for your gabby, for mark, for your family and for all the families who are in pain and those in mourning. such unspeakable acts of -- may such unspeakable acts of violence nend this country and may all americans find the stronte live in peace. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from virginia.

mr. cantor: madam speaker, it's now my honor to yield to the majority whip, the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minut. mr. mccarthy: i thank the gentleman and madam speaker. a short time ago, after elections 2006, i came in that freshman class. as members kno when they come together the election, you come together. you're meeting people from across the country. i remember that class, there's a lot of different people but gabby's smile she has lights up the room. she didn't sit back to wait to talk to everybody on different sides of the aisle she did it

as she's done every day on this floor. walked up, introduced herself and said, how can we work together? when you look just last week, gabby standing here, reading the constitution, the first amendment, going home doing what she's done many times before, listening to her constituents. what all of us do. what has transpired, we cannot let happen. we cnot be deterred just from that same aspect that gabby gives us strength as she fights right now. we cannot forget those that lost their lives. we cannot forget the federal chief district justice john roll. gabe zimmerman, working for gabby's staff. 9-year-old christina taylor green. being elected in sdent council, just wanting to meet

her representative and a neighbor taking her down. also, from dorothy murray, dorwin stoddard, phyllis schneck, doing what every american has the right to do, to give their opinion. that's what this floor has to be committed to. that's what this floor has to continue to fight. that's what gabby continues to fight for. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. garamendi: madam speaker, on behalf of the men and women of the 10th congressional district, i rise in pport of this resolution and bring to this floor their condolences and prayers forhe six who were murdered in tucson and for gabby a and -- and her speedy

recovery. patty and i send along our own special prayers and condolences. for those of us who have had the privilege of working with gabrielle, i add my own special thoughts. i came to the committee on science and technology where she was the chairwoman of the subcommittee on space. and immediately saw her incredible intelligence, her charm and wit as she conducted numerous hearings and came to understand her commment to america's science and technology and space as she led our committee to the re-authorization of the nasa programs. i look forward to her speedy recovery and her return to this floor where she can once again provide her talents and leadership as she would once again lead us in our efforts to bring about a better understanding, not only of the

space and this roll of our planet in the cost moss but also our -- in the cosmos but also our personal understanding of each other and our constituents. it's a sad day on saturday and it will be a bright future when gabrielle returns to this floor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, it is now my honor to yield to the chairman of the republican conference, the gentleman from texas, mr. hensarling, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. hensarling: i appriate the gentleman from virginia, the distinguished majority leader, for yielding. madam speaker, i haven't come to the house floor with any prepared remarks. frankly, i'm not sure my vocabulary -- i'm not sure my thoughts can do the moment justice. i would say in the victim that

we know, congresswoman giffords, gabby, that there is a -- if there is a sweeter a kinder a more gentle member of the house, i know not their name. so many of us consider her to be a friend. i think if there was a poll of members of the house, she would probably be voted least likely offend any hun being. which makes this incident, this tragedy, so unfathomable. we all pray for herfull recovery. this house is not whole without her smile, without her voice, witht her presence. madam speaker, i did not know

gabrielle zimmerman, but i know a -- i did not know gabriel zimmerman, but i know a lot of great young people who decide to dedicate themselves to public service and work on my staff and i know how they are part of my extended family. i didn't know dorwin stoddard, phyllis schneck, dorothy morris , but their -- they're parents, they're grandparents, they're spouses and we think of our own family. i didn't know judge john roll but again, somebody who committed their lives to public service, and last but not least, i don't know christina taylor green, i didn't have that pleasure. a 9-year-old child, thrilled to learn about our representative

democracy, and brought down in an act of evil. i never met her but i think about my 8-year-old daughter and i think about my 7-year-old son and how they learn about their father's business. and so all of us come together in this time of mourning but this time of resolution. we mourn the loss of these great american citizens but we resolve that the representative democracy that -- democracy, that the traditions of the house will not be a casualty of this tragedy. the people's house will be open. the members representative will be accessible. it can be no different in this country. mr. cantor: madam speaker, i yield to the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has an additional 30 seconds. mr. hensarling: we cannot allow the tragedy to be compounded by

changing the way we conduct the people's business. this cannot happen. and so we come here today to mourn but we come here to be resolved that this individual whoist responsible for a heinous, evil act -- who is responsible for a heinous, evil t will not succeed in interfering with the people's business in the people's house. god speed in her recovery to gabby, our colleague. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. >> i ask to revise and extend my remarks. i thank the gentleman. madam speaker, we come to the floor with respect, compassion

and, yes, love, for those who have lost loved ones in tucson last saturday and for those who are recovering from the physical and psychologicalwounds. we also come to pay tribute and show love and send our best wishes to representative giffords. and to mark kelly. mr. holt: i hope they feel our love. our colleague is a beautiful person and everything onwould want in a congressional representative. thoughtful, engaged, compassionate, optimistic and a genuinely good person. we also recognize those who responded, staff members, quietly going about making democracy work, bystanders, medical responders and surgeons, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. this hits us on more than a personal level, though. each year there armany thousands of americans felled by gunfire. each is a personal tragedy to

the victim's loved ones. the tucson shooting strikes a blow to our ability to govern ourselves. to maintain a peaceable society. you know, the rights to assemble peaceably and speak freely are not preserved just for their own sake but as the geniuses who established this country recognized it is true to those rights that we can create a society that protects and extends life, liberty and happiness. there are lessons to be drawn from the events about our understanding of people with mental illness and their screening and treatment. there are lessons to be drawn about our gun-crazy culture. there are lessons to be drawn about the ever-present inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric. but let us defer those discussions for the moment and recognize that we are a strong

and prosperous and supportive country because of our representative democracy and our freedom to assemble and speak. may i ask an additional 30 seconds? mr. pastor: i'll yield an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is given 30 seconds additionally. mr. holt: let us in congress not withdraw, let us hold more outreach, more town halls, more sidewalk office hours. and let us in the words of representative giffords deliver here on the floor of the house. let us agree to forego some of our individual interests and intemple rans to allow the space for open dialogue, debate and discussion. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: madam speaker, now my honor to yield to the chief deputy whip on the republican side of the aisle, the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mr. roskam: thank you, madam

speaker. i thank the leader for yielding. you know, one of the old untold stories of the house of representatives is the connections that representatives have with one another that really never show up except among ourselves. i had a unique connection with gabrielle giffords, i still do, and that is we were both invited when we came in in this class of 2006, we were both invited to participate one-on-one or two together in a series of interviews that was hosted by national public radio, the show, "all things considered." i had not met gabrielle before that, we started a dialogue and i really enjoyed that and i found that she had this very refreshing and windsome approach to how she would handle herself and conduct herself. so it's really no surprise to me that we're here hearing hopeful news about her medical condition based on a disposition of perseverance. and i thought that the coersations that i was

involved with her brought a brightness to public life. and brought something that as i heard from constituents that would listen to her, they would say to me, i can see how you would like serving with people like that. and that is sort of the lost lead, i think, in some ways about the house of representatives. we were heartsick on saturday when we heard that news. i know many of my constituents who are to their knees in prayer for gabrielle and for the victims of that shooting. and so i think as we all reflect on the gift that we've been given, we have a great example in gabrielle giffords of somebody who understands the nature of democracy and a real willingness to serve. and we wish her the very best and pray for her complete recovery. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona. mr. pastor: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from colorado. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is

recognized for two minutes. mr. perlmutter: i thank the gentleman from arizona and, madam speaker, i had the opportunity to know gabby before we were elected to the congress. she was in the state legislature in arizona, i was in the state legislature in colorado. she was one of the youngest people ever elected to the state legislature there in arizona and she's been a friend of mine for some time now. and i'm having a hard time processing what actually occurred last saturday to her and to those other people. our prayers obviously are with her, with e famies of those who were murdered and for the swift recovery of everybody who was injured in that shooting. i rise in support of the resolution and i thank the leadership for bringing it. second paragraph of the resolution says, whereas on january 8, 2011, an armed gunman opened fire at a congress on your corner event hosted by representative gabriel

giffords in tucson. and i want to explain what it was that she was doing. because it's at the heart of our democracy. we've heard about it from other speakers. but the congress on your corner, i could something similar called the government in the grocery, other people do something like this, it's about listening to your cstituents. it's about being in a less formal setting than on the floor of the house of representatives or in an assembly hall, but where people feel comfortable talking about to you. so fortunateble and this was so successful that she had the -- so successful that she had the little person, a 9-year-old, to the most powerful in the chief district judge john roll coming to a very informal setting at a grocery store, to talk about americ to talk about their hopes, their desires, their concerns. this is what it's all about. this woman was conducting something so essential, if i could have another 30 seconds?

mr. pastor: i yield an additional 30 seconds. mr. perlmutter: something so essential to the fabric of our democracy. and to the grocery stores and the coffee shops and the flee markets, those that provide these venues where people feel comfortable to come and express their views, just thank you. i do these every other saturday. we obviously have to work with the different grocery stores and law enforcement to see if we can continue to operate in these fashions. but this is what it's all about. gabby giffords is as good as they get. we pray for her speedy recovery and we thank her for her service. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. it's my honor to yield two minutes to the chairman of the rules committee, theentleman from califora, mr. dreier. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mrdreier: thank you very much, madam speaker. and i appreciate our distinguished majority leader

for yielding me this time. obviously this is, as everyone has said, an extraordinarily challenging time for this institution and we have to remember that this institution is the pple's house and so by extension this is a challenging time for the united states of america. when we think about the victims, ranging from age from age 9 to 79, and when we think about our colleague who is at this moment wounded and recovering, it is, as my friend from colorado has just said, extraordinarily far reaching and we need to expend time and energy soul searching and i think that last saturday's tragedy is going to lead all of us to do that. i do believe that engaging in civil discourse is something that is essential and i believe

it's what our framers wanted us to do. i regularly say in this house that james madison wanted there to be a clash of ideas and i think that we need to make sure that that continues. but at the same time i think it's important for us to remember that we're not dealing, based on every shred of evidence we have now, with anything political as to what took place on saturday. as george will said over the weekend, there are 308 million americans and a few of them are unhinged. and we need to remember that. but while we remember that, i think it's imperative for us to do everything that we can to remember the responsibility that we have, to remember the great people who are public servants and serve as our staff members and are regularly on the frontline, and to do everything that we can to ensure that as we procede as an institution, that

we do our job and as speaker boehner has said, don't do anything that will imping on our responsibility to the american people. our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague, gabby giffords, and withll of those who were victimized last >> on wednesday, members of congress and their staff had an opportunity to give passage to representative giffords by signing a book in the rotunda of the cannon office building. here is a portion of the signing.

>> lawmakers gathered on the house floor to pay tribute to rep it gabrielle giffords and the shooting in tucson. see what members said online with c-span's congressional chronicle.

track daily time line and read transcripts of every house and senate session. congressional chronicle -- it is >> on tuesday, investigating the gulf of mexico oil spill, the division called for more concerns including more funding and training for regulators. also raising the liability cap for damages incurred. the recommendations were part of the oil spill commission to report outlining ways to avoid future disasters. the report faulted bp, transocean, and halliburton for the airport 20 at the deepwater horizon explosion and oil spill but also called the problems "systemic in the oil industry." this is one hour and 10 minutes. >> what is the future of offshore for oil and gas drilling? i am very pleased that today we

are submitting our report. we are submitting it on time, under budget, and with the unanimous vote of the seven members of the commission. e of the seven members of the commission. >> we began our efforts with the trip to the of gulf. to hear the voices most affected by this tragedy. i would like to recognize the distinguished service in extraordinary work of the commission's staff led by mr. richard lazarus and fred bartlett as the head of the investigative team. the staff, which was composed of scientists, lawyers, and more, performed under a very tight schedules and a great public service for which we as the commission are extremely proud. i would like to give a brief

overview of our report and some of its findings, and then i will turn the podium over to my colleague and code-share, mr. bill reilly, who will address the implications for the industry practices in the future of offshore drilling. there is a fundamental fact that the oil and gas off of our shores is an american asset. it belongs to the people of the united states of america, and thus the federal government has a dual role, it is a regulator for things such as safety into environmental protection, but it is also the land owner in a very real sense we own this property and have an obligation to respond when the public trust is abused. a fundamental finding of our six months of investigation is the

deep water rise in disaster did not have to happen. -- deepwater horizon disaster did not have to happen. that makes the enormous damage and the loss of lives even more tragic. for the past 20 years, there has been a rapid movement by the oil and gas industry to deeper and deeper, riskier and riskier areas of the gulf of mexico. this movement has generated a pundit revenues for the private companies and for the federal treasury. industry has been justifiably proud of technological advances, which have been frequently compared in sophistication to those of the space program. the federal government has benefited by the increase in revenues. what happened during that 20

year period is that we became pulled into a sense of inevitable success, an illusion which massed the dramatic success in risk that accompanied the deepwater spill. on april 20, after a long time are rolling the dice, our luck ran out. our investigation found significant errors by three drilling companies, pp, halliburton -- bp, halliburton and transocean. these are described in detail in the chief counsel report. they range from bill years to properly interpret warnings -- failures to interpret warnings,

flaws of not being properly understood, and late stage design decisions. taken together, we conclude that these mistakes amounted to a significant failure of management. it is important to emphasize these errors, mistakes and management failures were not the product of a single rope company. we believe and unveiled a systemic failure within the oil and gas industry and with than the regulation by the federal government of that industry. how did such a situation come to pass? how can it be that such questionable practices could take place when the stakes were so high? i am sad to say that part of the answer is the fact that our government let it happen, our

regulators were consistently unmatched. the department of interior lack the expertise to successfully in force regulations. there was also an internal conflict of interest within the department of interiors old minerals management service. it was a service that have the responsibility for collecting revenues, the second-largest source of revenues into the federal government, second only to the income tax, and it had the responsibility of providing an effective management of safety and protection of the environment. those two conflicting responsibilities, as we heard from three former directors of mms consistently led to revenue trumping safety as a priority of the department'.

we recommend, therefore, that congress and the of ministration created independent safety administration within the department of interior with the ability to oversee all aspects of offshore drilling safety. we believe this agency should be headed by an individual with a background in both science and management who should serve a thick term in order to be inundated by a the ability to make decisions. we also recommend bringing our offshore drilling regulations into the 21st century. it is not asking too much that our perch in the united states be equivalent of the best practices and the world. they are not that today, and sadly the united states has one of the lesser records in terms of the safety of its offshore

drilling practices. the second piece of this modernization approach is called risc-based regulatory orientation. this requires all offshore drilling companies to demonstrate that they have thoroughly evaluated all the risks associated with drilling a particular well. macondothe realities of a cond is that it turned out to be a unusually risky area to drill, high pressures, many unknowns about the geology, and yet a company with one of the worst safety records received the least in there for the entitlement for access to that area. april 20 was the consequence of the convergence of those unfortunate facts.

our investigation is also demonstrating that science is not being given a significant seat at the table. actually i think that is a considerable understatement. it has been virtually shut out. we need proper consultation with those who have the expertise, scientists in and out of government, experts at agencies like nola and the coast guard -- these are the people that should play a major role in evaluating specific permit requests and operation of drilling rigs. it is disturbing to learn that the march 2010 decision to expand areas to additional drilling in the at the intake and eastern gulf -- in the atlantic and eastern gulf were

made without looking at the potential consequences. i will conclude my remarks by making a simple and obvious point that is often forgotten when we talk about offshore drilling, and that is again that these properties belong to all of us. they belong to the people of the united states of america. it is our government's responsibility to ensure that exploration and extraction incur in ways that are beneficial to the ccountry. drilling offshore is a privilege to be learned not a right to be exercise by private corporations. our recommendations offer a path to that destination.

much has changed in the months since the blowout. we have learned a great deal about how to contain spills at deepwater. industry has a new appreciation of the risks associated with deepwater drilling. the commission of plots all of these efforts -- applauds all of these efforts, but they are not enough. drilling offshore is inherently risky and we will never reduce the risk to 0, but as a nation we can take concrete steps that will mitigate the chances of another blowout and reduce the consequences should another even such as that occur. the commission believes that these steps are vitally necessary. without such response we will continue to play safety for workers, the apartment and the

region at an acceptable risk. if dramatic steps are not take and i am afraid that at some point another failure will occur and we will wonder why did the congress, why did the industry, why did the american people allow this to occur again. the people of the gulf have suffered so much that they deserve to know that their government and the industry are going to and are committed to the high standards of safety and protection of the environment. thank you. >> mr. reilly. >> thank you, bob. i want to first recognize that one of our distinguished members is ill today and very unfortunately could not be with us. she understood in ways that none

of us the rest of us probably here to the specific technologies and engineering realities that helped us explain what happened on april 20. i want to also emphasize, as bob just did, that this report is unanimous, came in under budget , and also on time. i understand that is the first time in the history of commissions that anybody has not asked for wartime. i was told by one member of congress that this is something we should advertise and take credit for and another one that said we set a terrible precedent for washington. i am very proud of the commissioners i served with. none more than my longtime friend, statesman, and co-chair, bob gramm. this has been an enormously satisfying enterprise. the report has the quality it has and did get completed on time is a tribute to a marvelous

interdisciplinary staff, as great as i have ever worked with recruited by prof. richard lazarus. senator gramm has characterized what happened on april 20. he has explained a proximate cause, the bad decisions, the blunders, the inexplicable -- inexplainable choices and the root cause as the president and his executive order directed us to do. the culture of complacency, government and the industry. i think the reality is that none of us were prepared for this. obviously government and certainly should have been. the early response to this spill is evidence, and this commission is critical, even harsh about

some of the faults in the early efforts to get a grip on the problem, identify the flow rate, to contain the following well. having said that, having visited the gulf, i have to say there is very impressive about the response of this. tens of thousands of people work day and night to try to clean it up. they may have incurred cost of time and energy into even health, but they did the job. after a slow start our government responded quite effectively to this spill. even in the case of finally determining the flow rate with ingenuity. make no mistake about it, despite allegations, this was not obama's katrina. however, we have identified gaps that lead us to recommend

important recommendations to the congress, administration come into industry. to congress we say, it is time to exercise serious oversight over the department of the interior and the bureau of oceans management that has succeeded mms. oversight that has not been characterized by a previous congressional responses and attention to that agency. we recommend as a first priority the resources be allocated by the congress to ensure that this agency is capable, is a match for the people they are inspecting and regulating every day. they have not been. they have been overmatched. they have been under resource, underfunded, and undertrained. they're going to have to get

resources from the congress. they will have to have a compensation system that allows more recruitment of able people, who unlike so many to reveal to us in the course of the investigation, did not understand key technologies like centralizes and-t negative touch sensors. we did a lot of questions about whether congress will pay a lot of attention to west. one congressman was paying a lot of attention yesterday when i briefed him based on the verbatim speech that later came from him. we can take some encouragement from that i think. the fact that the building operation at interior, now under way in quite effectively so, is going to take time points to an

important reason why industry, which cannot wait, needs to pick up its own game. one thing is the chemical industry. when the nuclear industry after a three-mile island established the institute for nuclear power operations. there are other examples. the oil and gas industry, which may not have been a high risk industry when it is in shallow waters, have you so after this incident here yen we have identified and documented as systemic problem in this industry. that observes -- that deserves

observation. i am aware and heard from ceos of companies who dislike, who are revolted by the idea of being painted with the same brush, companies that had exemplary records for safety and environmental protection. i fully understand that. we do not say those companies have been remiss. what we say is that the likelihood of those that drill are at risk because of this result. in order to believe this is not a systemic problem, one has to believe that halliburton would only has supplied faulty cement to bp.

irrespective of whether industry except our analysis that this is a systemic problem, but halliburton and transmission are operating in all of the world's ocean for all of the oil and gas industry, even if you do not accept that, it seems to be indisputable that the solution of the problem must be industrywide. industry has to stop thinking that it is sufficient to have a state of the art best practice safety and management system and that is the end of the story. several companies, quite outstanding companies, presented their safety and management systems to the staff, meetings at which i was present. chevron, exxon mobil, shell. at the conclusion of the meeting i do not think it occurred to any of us to ask what are they doing, what should be done now? nevertheless, i asked the question how did you manage the risk that your rigs might all be

shut down in the gulf? to that they have no question. going forward they need such a question. therefore assayed the institute, which is entirely manned by industry, which enforces best practice, which evaluates, audits the performance of various companies is what we recommend. i strongly encourage the most exemplary practitioners of good safety, the internment of protection, to leave the rest of the industry, which i know is a complicated industry and more complicated one than the nuclear industry. it is also technologically capable of well-financed industry to follow that course. i guess one of the real tragedies but also the opportunities presented by this experience, and a tragedy like this does openness to be open to new directions, is the poor

of the gulf of mexico. we have long known that the resources are a profound resource. louisiana has something like 30 percent of all of the country's wetlands. there silently eroding away. they are disappearing because of sea level rise, but also dredging, and generations of oil and gas activity. for a long time we have known what needs to be done there. there are many projects, many that are authorized, that are standing by for support. for the first time in my career as a conservationist, we have the prospect of serious money to do what needs to be done. if the fines and penalties that are to be assessed under the clean water act are deployed, 80% at least, to the restoration, the country owes

that to the gulf and a very much hope congress will agree to appropriate the funds and direct them to the gulf. finally, the problems that we confront in energy in the oil and gas industry are like so many environmental problems, we cannot solve them alone at the country even. the gulf of mexico is shared to a very large degree with mexico. cuba has also expressed interest in possibly drilling 14 wells, some of them 50 miles off the coast of florida. i have already opened conversation with the mexicans, as has secretary salazar about their need to enter an agreement with the united states. one hopes to but can be drawn into this conversation as well so that all of us practice the same level. -- one hopes cuba can be drawn

into this conversation as well so that all of this practice the same level. the same with arctic. it is a punishing environment. it is beset by whether the like of which one does not see in the gulf, except maybe in the occasion ever hurricane. it will acquire special care and attention and the kind of regulations that are effective in the gulf will not be acceptable in the arctic. russia, canada, norway, denmark has already begun last summer to drill two wells, -- all will want to develop those resources and so will the united states. we recommend the state department engage those countries and a common standard -- in a common standard going forward. those are some of the highlights of our recommendations. they are by no means all of

them. we believe if these recommendations are followed and that if the course we have set out is taken, we will go a long way toward restoring the faith of the country in a vital enterprise. thank you. >> questions? >> as you pointed out, mr. reilly, the oil and gas industry, when it operated in shallow waters was not the ticket rate a high-risk industry. some in the energy industry have complained that the reason they are drilling of 5,000 feet is the government has barred drilling in shallow waters. with the commission recommend or did you discuss the possibility of getting the shallow waters open so they do not have to go

into deeper waters? >> we understand fully that the notices to lease is five and six are recurring some attention and the certification of equipment. there are necessarily some adjustments that will take time before full resumption of drilling ochres and shallow waters, as well as in the deep waters. senator gramm and i have been critical of the moratorium, which we thought was excessive and last a toed too long. that aside, the real reason we are in deep water is because that is where the oil is. if you look at debt reserves that are estimated to exist, they're not only in the deep water, they are in the deeper and deeper water. we are where now plans to go down 10,000 feet. to the extent that oil and gas is in deep water, that is where the industry will go. not just here but in brazil and other parts of the world as

well. alaska is shallow water. 140 feet or so. that presents its own set of problems. fundamentally this is a hopeful message. we believe this is a problem that can be managed, and in the interest of everyone to manage it. >> sir? >> matt clover with cns news. you said this was an interesting wide problem. do you have any evidence that you could share with us that the same mistakes are being made right now? are they being made in u.s. waters and where are they being made? >> the commission did that document these problems and other places. we are perfectly aware of blowout preventers that did not work in other environments. i would cite just once a cystic -- a statistic. the fatality rate for 100

million hours worked in the united states is five in united states water in the gulf. in the north sea and in europe it is one. that needs an explanation and points for problem. i think it points to a system- wide problem. sir? >> as early as last week jack girard, the president of the american petroleum institute said that he felt the american people believed macondo was an isolated incident. as you know, there is significant resistance on the part of industry to create the safety institute europe called for. on the government side, congress last year tried to pass an oil spill legislation that contained a lot of the things you a call for. that legislation went nowhere.

what are you when to do to make sure your report, as the row as it is come is not ignored by congress and industry? >> well, we're want to make a lot of noise. we're testifying on the 26 and january in the morning. -- 26 of january in the morning. we suggest there will be more attention to the kind of thing we have suggested, a more detailed research. we do not say really what we do not know here. we know this is a systemic problem given the pervasiveness of the contractors, the right manager, owner, the largest in the world, halliburton, which is operating virtually everywhere servicing the oil and gas industry. the only thing i would say is i do not think one should assume that industry will not support a safety institute based upon the

private conversations i have had, they are seriously deliberating on the possibility. i have every hope and expectation that they will in fact establish one. >> all the way over here. john beckman with energy daily. a week or so ago the interior recently relaxed and are meant to reduce for a number of of offshore crude water drillers that had already had their operations permitted prior to the drill. what was your response to that? >> immediately after the all of the companies i am aware of step down. investigated, inspected each of the companies, certainly the 33 that were shut down.

the exploratory rigs down seven or nine violations. i think one can have confidence decisionssecretary's are defense will and wont to go ahead on those rigs. >> one of the underlying themes of our report is particularity. we are recommending that drilling on specific sites be evaluated in terms of riskiness. it was our feeling that rather than throw a blanket over 33 that were affected by the moratorium that it should be a evaluated on the company by company, rig by rig. when a company and its mechanics were shown to be in compliance with the higher standards that have now been established, they should not be held back because

there were others that had failed to comply with the new standards, and i believe that is the essentially -- that is essentially the policy the administration has concurred with. >> hi. i am with the "fiscal times." you have talked about funding and compensation. can you tell me where the funding is coming from and where, if you have a time when or specifics on how quickly you want this established? >> one of the areas where i think the funding should come from is the lease itself. what is special about offshore drilling as compared to on shore, where much of the drilling takes place on privately owned land, all of the land in the gulf of mexico is

public land that belongs to the people of the united states or to the people that belong to the five gulf states. we believe it is appropriate that in the decision to allow a company to have access to the publicly and, there should also be a provision requiring the company to pay a fee significant to cover the regulation as it executes that lease. this is not a new concept. in fact, but offshore industry is almost an allied air. regulatedmajor reg industry pay for the regulation through some sort of sfee. we think that should be the case with the oil and gas industry,

and believed the lease is one of the means of doing so. in doing so in a way that would ensure a sustained it, predictable source of funds for regulation so that the kinds of competencies can be met. >> over here. we have one. >> "washington post." can you talk about how the lack of subpoena power may have affected the ability to look into accountability high up as some of these companies? >> terry garcia. we were able to through the very able efforts of archie cancel to chief cancel able to ascertain the answers to the questions the president asked.

that does not mean there were people we did not interview, but we were able to obtain the information that was necessary for us to do our work. i want to follow up on something that the senator and bill had said about the question of whether this was an industry- wide issue. what was not in doubt and what is not disputed is that the industry was not prepared for this. what is not in doubt is that industrywide research and development efforts had not been undertaken to address this sort of event. what was very clear was there was an utter lack of ability when this occurred for the industry to effectively respond and then to contain this event. it was industrywide in that sense.

>> sir. >> gentleman, one of your recommendations deals with the liability of offshore oil spills saying that 75 million is totally inadequate. to you have a range in mind? why did you not say lift the cap all together as some in congress have proposed? >> we looked at the question of liability and the recommendation is that the cap be lifted. we did not recommend that it be lifted to and unlimited liability. we could not reach an agreement on that. we did identify the ad to be lifted in the per incident. this is also the recommendation that the of magician has made, and it is really of to congress to address this. it is really one of the things that does require congressional action. just to put a point on one of the earlier questions, there are

many recommendations in this report that can be enacted by the administration. the agencies to have authority. as we call on congress to act and called on industry to act as well, there are actions that can be taken by the federal government using agency authority to strengthen oversight and regulation and we're calling on the administration to do that as well. >> thank you. libby casey with the alaska public radio. i was wondering if you could elaborate more about arctic. should there be a moratorium until oil spills in icy water can be cleaned up with proven technology? >> the commission is not asking for a moratorium in alaska. recognizing that there are very important questions still ahead for us to be answered through additional research and investment in the arctic

specific technology. we feel that research that has a specific time when it and focus research that will help answer questions for the private sector and public sector is really what is required. another very important recommendation of the commission as it relates to arctic development is we are asking congress to fund the coast guard so that they are adequately prepared for god forbid an oil spill, but also search and rescue. as ice retreats and we see more and more traffic in the arctic, it is essential but the coast guard, and for that matter, the navy, at the essence necessary to be able to respond in the arctic. for us to be able to move forward with oil and gas development and in the other development, we need to be prepared as a nation. a number of studies have indicated that the coast guard does not have adequate

capabilities to be able to respond appropriately and arctic. there are a number of things, additional research in terms of the environment, the international protocols that bill mentioned earlier with other arctic nations, additional investment in the coast guard, and i would add something we have not talked a whole lot about of this point, empowering local people to be part of the decision making process. after the exxon valdez oil spill regional citizens' advisory committees were created in alaska. our commission recommends doing something very similar in the gulf of mexico to empower the people to be active participants in the planning of oil and gas development, in reacting to proposals, reviewing a oil spill response plans, in training so that if there is this bill they are able to be part of the work force and a better prepared way. we recommend the same thing for the arctic. we think all of these things

will better position the united states to be able to take advantage of the resources of the arctic, but we do not feel as though we should sit back and wait indefinitely for that to happen. we're challenging congress to put funding into both the research and the capabilities for the coast guard and other agencies so that we can move forward. >> yes, sir. >> randy showstack. i would appreciate if you could explain or elaborate on why science has not had a significant lead at the table and way made -- what may be the relationship between that and the initial difficulties in determining oil flow rates and other problems. >> the lack of understanding of basic environmental processes in the gulf of mexico was striking as a result of this incident. for example, there were lots of

confusion about whether there were submerged deepwater plumes of oil. there was a lack of understanding of where those plumes were going and what the effects may be. the science can answer these questions. some of the first results of science that have been conducted on this have been very revealing a very -- a number of very important publications. it should be done in advance so that we understand operating environment in a comprehensive way. in the past investments in science related to support the offshore development program have been oriented towards completing the minimum, identify potentially sensitive environments for development of environmental impact statements, rather than comprehensively and distending the effect of oil and

gas that might be released into the system. our recommendations are still up the scientific research community, elevate it so that it can bring the fruits of the research to bear on the environmental assessments to support the leasing decisions. and as part of that process to involve other very important powerful science agencies, both to bring theusgs best science to bear on this environmental decision making. the second area where science will be very important is, as mr. wright the indicated, we recommend doing substantial investments of the penalties of the clean water act violations to go to the environmental restoration. these restoration assessments can only be effective if they are guided by the best science

to directed to the priorities of restoring brazilians to the system and making sure that we're using the best methods to assess the outcome. in both of those areas in terms of the assessment of the risk going forward, with respect to oil and gas development, as well as the investments in restoration we think a solid scientific program is essential. >> down here. >> russell from "corporate crime reporter." nowhere in your report to question whether a crime was committed. i am wondering if you believe there should be increased

resources to criminals and in our mental enforcement to help detour -- deter this type of behavior? >> when we first met with the president and he gave us the assignment, there was an understanding that our purpose was to develop the factual record upon which this event occurred, that it would be for others, specifically the department of justice, to determine if those facts constituted a criminal act, and if so, for what specific purpose? we did not undertake the issue of attempting to determine criminal liability. i will leave it to the readers of the reports of of whether they believe they can find it in our factual program. nor did we look specifically at the question of the resources necessary to reach a judgment as to whether a crime had been

committed. >> all the way back there. >> amy harder with "national journal." you said you did not recommend unlimited liability. i understand that oil spill liability trust fund already does that. two questions. why did you not recommend an unlimited liability removing the cap entirely, and you did -- did you consider the concept where companies producing in the gulf would pay into that? >> we do recommend a significant increase in liability. we frankly are sensitive to what we do not know. we know that canada has a much lower liability maximum. $35 million. the united kingdom that has one that is not much more.

we do not really know how the insurance company would address issues of liability were we to propose some kind of straightforward insurance pool. we have a lot of sympathy for the fact that there are 185 independent operators in the gulf. the truth is we did not have time to get in to conversation with the insurance industry. we assume, though we do not know, that some kind of insurance pool can deal with the special problems of the independence. we have been clear in meetings with them that on one hand we respect what they do, have a concern to ensure that they continue to be operating competitive for all the economic and cultural reasons that they represent, but it is also unreasonable to expect they can inflict billions of dollars of damages that that bill will not be sent to the public. some kind of compromise has to

be worked out on that, and our position on this one is close to the administration in that we recommend a significant increase in the liability cap, without specifying exactly what it should be. >> if i can supplement what bill has said, the question that there should be a single member that covers all instances, if there is one thing we have learned is that there is a dramatic difference in the risks and consequences of that risk the deeper and deeper you drill into more dangerous high you're pressured or geologically challenging areas. -- or higher pressured or geologically challenging areas.

it could be dramatically different for well-known as shallow waters, as opposed to the unknown of the old toward deep into which we are about to commence operations. that at raises the issue ba the state the case as a new mode of regulation, i do not expect that will become familiar very rapidly in this country where it has not been the practice before, though a couple of companies to already use it in the gulf and is required to use in the north sea. what that says is on the foundation of prescriptive regulations come each company goes beyond that to assess those dangers and threats that are inherent in a specific well information or rig design situation. the advantage of that is a put a lot of initiative on the industry to focus specifically, not just to get the box is checked for compliance,

specifically on a given place with its given challenges. one thing we hope it will do is avoid the prescriptions, which may be perfectly applicable today and the year after that, but the given -- but given the rate that this industry progress is, become obsolete in three to five years. the state the case would guard against that. we're recommending the interior department promote the in the industry can operate and do that in our own waters as well. >> what are the top priorities for congress that you will be recommended when you testify? >> i think the top priority is to first of all give resources to the interior department to enable it to provide oversight job that has. secondly, to ensure that the majority of the clean water act

penalties go to the gulf restoration, which i think is a top priority of ours. third, to lift the liability cap and really address that issue so that any future spill that happens in u.s. waters the public is protected. >> one question -- >> you are? >> [inaudible] one of the proposals was calling for more time to assess the applications. there is argument of about whether they can do that with existing authority or whether they can extend the 30 day window they currently operate under. i am wondering if there has been a determination reached about whether this is is an existing authority? >> our position is that congress has to act. and that the clock starts running once the application is complete. >> yesk si, sir.

>> jonathan tyler from "the tribune." how do you square that with the finding that the disaster was a result of systemic problems that could repeat? >> the way i would swear it is that the companies that have not been implicated in this specific spill and that had been carefully inspected by mms immediately following the spill were judged to be in compliance with all known requirements and to have had an exemplary safety records are ready. over here. edward falker with "energy guardian." the they determine it was

inherently unsafe formation and should not have gone as far as it did? that at some point they should have abandoned the macondo well? >> i do not think we did conclude that. i know that is not the opinion of the industry. tom? >> as the well was drilled, operator recognized that there were inherent dangers to go further in drilling the well. so they stopped short of their ultimate target and decided to complete the well there then at that point. there is every reason to think in terms of the investigation that the well could have been completed and abandon safely at that point. there were, however, a chain of mistakes, errors in judgment made, as they went about that process. each of which could have been easily prevented. i think our assessment of the investigative team was that this

will could have been completed and abandon safely and came back and produced at some future time. there is, however, a recognition that as one trills the well even with the best geological reconnaissance information available, that the company will find unusual risks and challenges as they go deeper down the well. part of that is the safety case is to assess that in advance and a comprehensive way, while other than being surprised as one goes down and drilled the well. -- rather than being surprise as one goes down and drills the well. ith the "l.a. times." there is a serious and regulatory sentiment in congress. i was wondering if you could

tell us, given the priorities that you have that you will present to congress, what kind of reaction you have gone so far privately from members of congress to the recommendations that you are making? we will obviously ask them ourselves today but i wanted to get insight from you given this time it on where you expect to push back? >> i would say the answer is that as there are 535 members in congress, there are close to that in terms of their response to your question. i believe this issue and the searing impact at the deepwater horizon has had on a conscious of americans is such that it will override an ideological preference for less government, less government intrusion, less government cost. what makes that level of optimism i think credible is the

fact that members of congress understand that this is not just a typical example of government regulating of private enterprise. this is government regulating land of that the government and the people of the united states own, and that it must be treated as we are stewards of public assets, and valuable public assets, the gulf of mexico. and that recognition will cause, in spite of the reticence to accept additional regulation, this to be an exception. second, as has been said, we think a substantial amount of the recommendations that we are proposing can be adopted without congressional action, that is it is in the hands of particularly the department of interior and administration to execute.

and from the comments we have had thus far from the obama administration, i am very hopeful they will take advantage of that opportunity. >> let me add to things. the congress can reorganize the department of interior to make a safety enterprise totally walled off from general -- revenue generation. that can be done. it does not involve more regulation. that is as simple initiative they can take. we think it will be a guarantor in the future against revenue driving this program. we document through several of ministration's that it has. german upton, a german hastings, chairman hastings and bingaming have allnm

expressed interest and we believe will follow through with the recommendations. >> i wanted to ask you guys to talk about the recommendations you made with regard to epa. it seems after an event happened. was there any sense of given them a more up front role rather than leaving everything after the incident? >> the va has a national response center and has a role in preparing for any response. we believe there are structural changes that need to be done with respect to the area wide councils, and those are detailed in the report. one of the real surprises here, to me, is having overseen much of the response to exxon valdez in 1989, the status of the

dispersant question was still unresolved. i did not permit the dispersant to be in many of the sensitive areas because of fear that getting into the water column will contaminate the fish. remarkable to me that we finally have a spill, and they are predictable, that we then have the argument about whether it is toxic? does it persist in the environment? does it depend how deep it is injected or how much is? we make strong recommendations that epa seriously begin to test toxics, the toxicity of dispersants and their effectiveness, and to do so in real time situations. i can perfectly well understand why you when an application may go in through epa to deposit oil on the water and see whether something works to contain it or

dissolve it, that is probably ot left at the top of in bobox, nevertheless we think it needs to be done. particularly recommended be done in the arctic to find out how it would work in the icy waters. >> it has a major role to play in restoration efforts and recommendations that we have made and the secretary made. as you are aware, the president has asked the administrator lee said jackson to head a task force. she has been set up to make progress in an interim basis. she is leading that effort involving other agencies and the states. they will have a major role to play and the restoration programs. specifically one of the areas we point out is the alleviation of the so-called dead zone in the

gulf of mexico. this has to involve management and regulation and pollution sources. it is an area much larger than was actually affected by this oil spill on an annual basis. if we're going to restore the resilience of the gulf oil spill, this is one area we should undertake in this restoration efforts, and the epa has a leadership role in that regard. >> to be clear and contrary to my initial assumption going into the issue, we believe secretary jackson made a quite sound decision in the way to use dispersants in the way that she did. >> >> thank you. i'm from blue bird news.

the recommendation, how does this compare to how secretary salazar said we will do? >> secretary saws are made recommendations that are in direct response to the kinds of concerns that we have. he has now made separate leasing and revenue generation and a report to two separate secretaries. we respect that move. we think it is not enough. those two secretaries still report to racing will separate it -- deputy secretary and that deputy secretary reports to the secretary. we are supposing that there be a walled off enterprise that is headed by someone who is appointed for a term, someone who has industry knowledge or experience, engineering capability and training, and cannot be removed or politically interfered with. we think for the long term, that is the only way to ensure that

revenues do not again become excessively influential in decisions relating to non- revenue items such as the safety and environment. yes, ma'am? >> i am with reuters. i was wondering, with all of the additional regulations i you are calling for and things of that nature, is there any concern about further delays in the gulf? already, there are complaints that there have not been deepwater drilling permits and that drilling could be delayed until next year. is that something you took into consideration when you were planning for it, and is it a concern now? >> senator gramm? >> yes, we did take into account. as commissioner by niki just mentioned, we recommended an increase of time that the

department of interior agency should have to reviewe applications, but it was not an indefinite amount of time. it was 30 to 60 days. we are sensitive to the fact that there are costs, both financial costs and time costs, involved in these decisions. but think of the enormous liability that the industry has just brought upon itself as a result of the failure of -- failure to attend to the basic safeties, and thus, deepwater rise in. we think that the long-term viability of the industry in the gulf and its economic successes in the gulf are very closely tied to a new standard of safety and environmental protection, which is what our report will, i think, establish a path toward

bree -- toward achieving. >> we will take couple of more. yes, sir? >> john kingston from plats. how do you deal with the fact that if they hired a regulator, someone who understands the industry, the compensation package will never be on the level that the private industry can pay for and then presumably take that person away from boem. >> i will tell you two ways. the we've got to get the competition of for those highly trained, special-specialty, technical people. it is possible there are other agencies, like nasa, that have a pay scale that permit that. whether we can get it up to a level comparable to that of industry remains to be seen, but that is one thing that i think the regulator can be helped by having a safety institute with

industry people who are evaluating, auditing and inspecting, and who do have comparable compensation, as in the nuclear power industry. the people in the nonprofit industry that the industry has set up are every bit as eligible for pay also as those who are in the inspecting. and enforced regular will give us much more protection. >> in fact, i think the united states is the exception to the role. the fact is that most of the countries where there is a substantial amount of oil and gas exploration do compensate their professional regulators at a level that would allow them not to be out man. and interestingly, in great britain it has been said that if

there is one issue that ignites -- that unites the industry, it is the desire to have that strong, professional regulation, because the industry understands that it -- that its continued success, particularly in the north sea, is a direct function of how well it performs and that is, in turn, directed -- affected directly by the quality of regulation. >> last question. >> bill gibson with the sunset. please forgive me if you have covered this. what are the lessons learned from this experience in terms of allowing areas in which oil drilling should be expanded? should it be brought closer to florida's shores? >> [laughter] you are now asking me but a policy in a parochial question. -- both a policy and a parochial

question. i believe one of the issues that this has raised is the issue of the future of energy policy in the united states. at the current level of proven reserves and at our annual consumption of petroleum if america were to go to a drill- baby-drill philosophy, we would exhaust our reserves by approximately 2031. if we continue at the current of using 48% domestic and 52% imported, we will stretched that to the year 2068. i think that those numbers indicate the imperatives of having as part of our energy policy that we need to be holding back some areas that have potential for future

generations. and the absolute imperative of moving aggressively toward reducing america's almost insatiable appetite for petroleum, and appetite which today is consuming 22% of all sea,petroleum from the north africa, australia, as well as the united states. we're using 22% of it. those numbers are not sustainable and i believe our policy toward reaching out to areas that are not currently being exploited has to be within that context. >> and effective summary and conclusion airey statement. >> thank you.

>> on "newsmakers," kathleen sebelius discusses the efforts to repeal the health care legislation. "newsmakers" at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. each year, the washington center brings hundreds of students to washington to experience the walking -- the workings of government firsthand. ."at is on c-span's "q & a >> friends and colleagues gathered to memorialize richard holbrooke. he was special representative for afghanistan and pakistan. speakers include president obama, secretary of state hillary clinton, bill clinton and mike mullen. it took place at the kennedy

center for the performing arts in washington. [applause] [applause] >> well, i'm david rubinstein, the chairman of the kennedy center. on behalf of the kennedy center, i'd like to welcome everybody here for a memorial service for a extraordinary man who was often against so many odds. some of you maybe wonders why at a memorial service we have a palm tree. the answer is that south pacific is playing here now. we were going to move the palm

tree, but kofi said "south pacific" was his favorite show. he was the asia and pacific affairs. let's keep it here. i wanted to say thank you. behind me president obama, secondary clinton, president clinton, and a couple of foreign visitors who have come quite a way to be here. including president of georgia, the president of pakistan, president somewhere -- zardari, i'd like to recognize minister that's come here to acknowledge the president of afghanistan,

and the chief of diplomatic corps that's here as well as all of the ambassadors that are here. thank you much for coming. dick was a friend of mine for 35 years. i first met him in a political campaign. it was clear to me then he is extraordinary different than anybody else that i'd met. in this campaign, nobody had their own office, telephone, secretary, until dick came. when dick came, all of the sudden he managed to get a secretary, several secretaries of staff to staff him, he managed to get the office, he has the office with windows. after a while, became apparent that the campaign revolved around him. [laughter] >> that's the way it should be. he did extraordinary things. sometimes dick might have been thought by others to have a large ego. but in truth as the famous american baseball pitcher, dizzy dean said, if you can really do it, it's not bragging. in dick's case, he really could do it. the intelligence, perseverance,

patriotism, and commitment to make the world a better place. a service like this could be held on dozens of cities around the world and attracted a similarly impressive group of people, a dozen venues in this city or new york, and attracted a similar group of people. i think the kennedy center is appropriate place for a number of reasons. it was president kennedy's who's inaugural address seven 50 years ago inspired dick to go into public service. @ president kennedy that created the peace corps, and that was where dick spent so many of the early years. it was president kennedy that had the diplomatic achievement, the cuban missile crisis, and during his period of government that dick had his time and dates and accords. president kennedy and nick had another combination, that's true

as well. both of them were taken from us much too soon. while dick did live about 25 years longer on this earth than president kennedy, and it's not therefore fair to say, dick, we hardly knew you. we did know dick. we knew him well, admired him, respected him, loved him, feared him at times, we always knew he had the interest of the american people and the interest the humanity at heart. therefore, everybody really respected what he had done and his commitment to public service. as with president kennedy, as with all of us, you never know when god is going to take you back. you never can know what the reason is. we'll never know why dick left us so suddenly. my own theory, somewhere in the heavens, there's a need for a negotiator, and intergalactic dispute only dick would solve. right now he's like you can make

a better speech, how come so and so didn't come, but nobody would be more appreciative than dick. dick said i can negotiate up here even better than down there if you gave me certain powers. for example, if only i had the power of thunder and lightning. [laughter] >> just think what i could do. think what i could do on earth, and now solving the disputes. no doubt, god is saying, dick, i don't need to hear anymore. i agree with you. you got what you want. the bible tells us blessed are the peacemakers, they are the children of god. on the 69 years, i don't think there were very many children of god that were better than dick. he devoted his life to peace and making the world a better place. all of us who knew him, we know that. those of you who didn't know him, i wish you would have. he was a unique individual.

i was proud to call him a friend. i'm sad he's not here. i'm sad the missions in which he worked are not yet completed. when the missions are completed, people remember that he started the efforts and some of what his great legacy will be will be finished in a few years. his legacy will include things that he already did with some of the things they are now being worked on when they are resolved with no doubt bear dick's fingerprints as well. dick, godspeed, i'm glad to have known you and called you a friend. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, david, for hosting the remarkable memorial for richard. mr. president, mr. president, mr. secretary general, admiral mullen, vice president biden, beloved friends of richard, good afternoon to you. here's one fact about my husband

that none of the thousands of remarkable tributes from the corners of the world have mentioned, richard was a very good husband. from the time we came together 17 years ago, we were full partners. with richard, that moment no boundaries between our personal and public lives. we gave each other courage, great courage, knowing that the other was always there. not a single day passed wherefore he was without a phone call. we married during the fateful year of 1995. the deadiest year of the balkan wars. on route to our wedding, he was on the phone urging strobe talbot to start the bombing. that was my initiation into life with richard would be like. on the way to our honeymoon in france, he addressed the council of europe. from the podium, he produced me, his new bride, a local girl. as we were making our escape, a

group of very determined bulgarian ladies came up to him. am bad door, they called to richard, we did not know you were looking for a bride in the region. we have so many beautiful ladies in bull -- bulgaria. but it was too late. a few weeks later, he returned to washington with the coffins of his three comrades. following their funeral, richard headed back to the balkans and did not quit until he brought the warring parties to the air force in dayton. his breath-taking performance, corralling, outmaneuvering, and finally breaking the murderous will of some of europe's to havest autocrats was something to behold. if i wouldn't have been in love with him before, i would have then.

when necessary, he deployed me. on the night of the peace conference, he seated me between two foes. make them talk to each other, richard instructed me. thrilled to play my small part for richard and for history, i succeeded. by evening's end they were talking to each other. at the u.n., too, we were full partners, traveling to 11 african countries which opened both of our eyes to the full ravages of aids. those trips led richard to persuade the security council to aids on it's agenda for the first time. richard made me feel whatever i was working on, book, ngo, was as important as he was working on. i think he did that for a lot of people. in recent days, i've had thousands of letters from people's who's lives he touched, who's problems he tried to

solve, from cyprus to tibet and better known places, i've heard from people he helped in some ways the small private acts of kindness that did not make headlines. i tried to domesticate him. good luck with that as the kids would say. instead, he thought me the most valuable lessons. those who hold grudges are diminished by them. richard thought me that elegance is not about dressing well. lord knowing it was a rare day when his socks matched. elegance was about the spirit and the mind. oh he was an elegant man. always first to call a friend who's stumbled or been brought low by rumors.

he taught me about patriotism. there was no job he would turn down if the president of the united states called. the toughest job, of course, was the final one. i have never admired richard more than observing him during the final two years, facing layers of breath-taking adversity, he just kept on moving. in the depths of the night, when we were at our most open and vulnerable, i could see just how deep and genuine his passion to do good and make use of his god given talent ran. so he ignored his friends who told him his final mission was mission impossible. i never urged him to come home, because i knew him too well. from richard, i learned that a life of meaning is worth more than a life of ease.

and perhaps even more than a long life. we had many plans for our next chapter. none of those plans involved anything other than a life of full engagement. here's a consoling thought for all of us. richard was not looking to the last mission for his place in history. as something of a historian himself, he knew he had earned that place already. he was just going to give this last task as he had the others everything that he had. i look around this beautiful hall at the hundreds of young people that he mentored and inspired, including my own daughter, and in their eyes, i see my husband. richard is right here with us, very much alive.

i will miss him forever. [applause] [applause] >> dear dad, i'm writing this letter now because you are so far away. i imagine that you are busy enjoying the company of governor harriman and other v.i.p.s in great beyond, probably guzzling diet soda around the snack bowl. we had so many times and trips together. like when i was just 10 when you took me to china. i remember how the people all rode bikes, wore mouth suits, and stared at the foreigners in the square. when you are ambassador to

germany, and you brought david and me to see the official departures to see the russian troops, we watch you had in disbelieve as mr. nelson jumped on stage and did a impromptu dance. or where he stayed with the nomads until you ate almost all of their yogurt. reflecting on the trips also forces me to realize that you were not presence at any key moments in my life. when you gave me that brand new baseball glove, it was my mom that i learned to play catch with. or the day that i scored three touchdowns against our rivals. i wish you could have been there. i may not have realized it then, but i did come to understand that you weren't there because you were working. working hard to find safety and

shelter for tens of thousands of refugees fleeing cambodia or laos, or finding a way in the balkans to end the blood baths. you were saving thousands of lives. the day when my son cyrus holbrook was born just six months ago, you were off in the mountains in afghanistan and pakistan. but the day i'll remember most is the magical day at the state department just a short while ago. it was our last day together. watching you race down the hallway, holding cyrus like a football. with cyrus' mother agap, me and 20 staff members following in your wake as you carried cyrus right into the press briefing room. dad, while you didn't always have a perfect attendance

record, what pride, deep pride, i take in being your son. i wouldn't want any other father in the entire world. afterall, how many sons can say their father saved lives and made the world a better place? the pride i take in being your son will have no end. i love you, dad. and, yes, it is your suit. [applause] [applause] >> this past summer, a friend came to our home in brooklyn for the first time. after looking around the living room and seeing family photos with his holiness, the dalai lama, bill and hillary clinton, president obama, my friend said this is not a normal home. [laughter] >> it's not a normal home because i did not have a normal father. my father was an extraordinary

man. but as anthony mentioned, he was not a natural parent. internal and external pressures prevented him from being there as much as he wanted to be. but when he was, i saw the world from a remarkable vantage point. he went to game on the subway series, he sat in george steinbrenner's box. when we went to dinner in new york, we ate with hillary clinton, joe dinero, pleasing my wife greatly. we stood with my father in the white house after president clinton named him ambassador to the u.n.. it was the only time i ever remember seeing him get choked up. my favorite place to be with him was in telluride, where he loved to ski with his grandchildren. of course, i always had to make sure they skied behind him. because he had an unfortunate

history of barreling into people. [laughter] >> but it was even more fun, and a lot safer, simply hanging out with him at our home there. his shirt untucked, lose and relaxed, playing ping-pong and explaining to the kids why "blazing saddles" was such an essential film. i wanted so much more for my children. their grandfather was not a normal grandfather. now tragically we have all lost him. but as painful as this loss may be, my family is enormously proud of his legacy, and i know it will inspire each of us and each of you to contribute to the world in our own way. his way -- now that was something. my father was described as a human title wave. diane sawyer said being with him was like being in the eye of the

hurricane. this week, i encountered another extreme type of weather. on monday, four days ago win think, on monday we were in the heart of the floods in australia. when it seems certained we'd be stranded in queensland and miss this occasion, i thought about my father. what would he do? how would he get out of here? i decided that he would call anyone, i mean anyone, who might be able to find a helicopter. which is exactly what sara and i did. here we are. by the way if anyone from hertz is watching us on c-span, we're really sorry about your toyota. it is on high ground on a town called gimpy in queensland. judy has the keys. thank you. as screwy as it was, i'm certain my father would have relished our australian adventure. he would have brought as much relief to the people suffering there as he could.

like i said, he was not a normal father. the kids and i recently read the book, "danny champion of the world." which ends with this epilogue. when you grow up and have children of your own, remember something important. a stood dwi parent is no fun at all. what a child wants and deserves is a child that is sparky. my brother and i certainly got that. we miss you so much, pops. [applause] [applause] >> richard and i had a rocky start. when he first came into my life, i did everything in my 14-year-old power to ignore him. i thought i didn't need him. i was wrong and completely outmatched. richard barged through the wall that i set up and planted himself in my life. our relationship became one of

support and complicity, shared interest, movies, food, any kind of food, a passion for texting, the u.n., traveled to places most people can't locate on a map, and a mutual love for really bad tv and all nighters. over the years together, we plotted my future, looking for ways that i can make a difference. we talked boys as many of the women here can attest, he had a knack for relationship wisdom, and the advise often in a form of a text came at all hours and usually when he was in the middle of a meeting. [laughter] >> he became my greatest advocate, both personally and professionally. we don't get to choose our family, but richard and i chose each other. at the center of all of this was the implied but never stated recognition that we gave each other another chance. for him to be a father one more time, and for me to have one

again. within of the last times that we were together walking on the beach at thanksgiving, he insisted that we talk about the parallels between his work in afghanistan, and mine in haiti, no matter how new i was to the country or to the issues and how much i had to learn about a world that he had been navigating mastfully long before i was born. he treated me in a partner in understanding and making our work count. richard supported and taught so many of us, pushing, dragging, leading, or standing beside us, allowing us to shine when the time came. but nemertea -- no matter our proximity, both of us never came close to catching up to him. we are forever transformed by, in his wake. on the night the richard died, i came back to the arena. it's not the critic that caughts, the credit belongs to

the man who was actually in the arena who's face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. reading this today, i hope seals a pact between nerve -- between everyone in this room to continue to challenge and elevate, to fight our for appeals and people who do not have a voice. it will take all of us. richard expects it. thank you. [applause] [applause] >> to kofi, anthony, david, and elizabeth. to all of the friends and admirers of richard, we come

together to celebrate an stood life. in 1999, at the height of the crisis in kosovo, richard gave an interview in which he addressed the question of why the united states was engaged in bringing peace to that war-torn corner of the world. why bother? his answer was simple. because we could make a difference. because we could make a difference. that is the story of american leadership in the world. and that is also the story of richard holbrook. he made a difference. in 1962, when he was just 22

years old, he set out from vietnam as a foreign service officer. he could not have known the twists and turns that lay ahead of him and his country in that war. or the road that he would travel over nearly five decades of service to his country. but it's no consequence that his life story so closely parallelled the major events of his times. the list of places that he served, the things he did reads as a chronicle of american foreign policy. speaking truth to power from the delta to the paris peace talks. paving the way to our normalization of relations with china, serving as ambassador in

a newly unified germany, bringing peace to the balkans, strengthening our relationship with the united nations, and working to advance peace and progress in afghanistan and pakistan. richard came of an age looking up to the men who had helped shape the post world war. dean atkin atkinson, mr. harold, clark gifford, and in many ways he was the leading light of a generation of american diplomats who came of age in vietnam. there's a generation that came to know both the tragic limits and awesome possibilities of american power. born of a time of triumph and world war ii, steeped in the

painful lessons of southeast asia, participates in the twilight struggle that led ultimately to freedom's triumph during the cold war. after the shadow of communism, richard understand the we could not retreat from the world. he recognized our prosperity is tied to that of others. that our security is endangered by instability abroad. most importantly that our moral leadership is at stake when innocent men, women, and children are slaughtered through senseless violence, whether it's islamabad. richard possessed a hard-headed,

clear-eyed realism about how the world works. he was not naive. he also believed that america has a unique responsibility in the course of human events. he understood american power and all of it's complexities and believed that when it is applied with purpose and principal it can tip the scales of history. and that coupling of realism and idealism which is always represented what is best in american foreign policy, that was at the heart of his work in bosnia where he negotiated and congealed and threatened all at once, until peace was the only outcome possible. by the time i came to know richard, his place in history was assured. his options in the private

sector were so many of his peers had settled were too numerous to mention. but for my first conversation with him in chicago, in my transition office, a conversation in which he teared up when he began to talk about the importance of restoring america's place in the world. it was clear that richard was not comfortable on the sidelines. he belonged in the arena. to his wonderful family, i am personally grateful. i know that every hour he spend with me in the situation room or spent traveling to southeast asia, south asia, was time spent away from you. you shared in the sacrifice. and that sacrifice was made greater because he loved you so.

he served this country until the final moments. those who take the measure of his last mission will see his foresight. he understood that the future of afghanistan and pakistan are tied together and afghanistan he cultivated areas like agriculture and governance to feed stability. with pakistan, he created new habits of cooperation to over come decades of mistrust. and globally, he helped align the approaches of 49 nations. were he here with us, i know richard would credit the extraordinary team that he assembled. today i'd like to make a personal appeal to the s-wrap team. particularly the young people, stay in public service.

serve your country. seek the peace that your mentor so hardly sought. i also know that richard would want us to lift up the next generation of public service, particularly our diplomats who so rarely receive credit. i'm proud to announce the creation of an annual richard c. holbrook award to honor excellence in american diplomacy as we look to the next generation, it is fitting as david mentioned that this memorial will take place at the kennedy center. named for the president who called richard's generation to serve. it's also fitting that this memorial takes place at a time when our nation is recently received a tragic reminder that we must never take our public servants for granted.

we must always honor their work. america's not defined by ethnicity, it's not defined by geography, we are a nation born of an idea. a commitment to human freedom. over the last five decades, there have been countless times when people made the mistake of counting on america's decline or disengagement. time and again, those voices have been proven wrong. but only because of the service and sacrifice of exceptional men and women. those who answered the call of history and made america's cause their own. like the country served, richard contained complexities, so full of life, he was a man both

confident in himself, and curious about others. alive to the world around him. with a character that is captured in the words of matthew arnold poem that he admired. but often in the den of strike, their arises an unspeakable desire. after the knowledge of the buried life. the thirst to spend our fire and restless force in tracking our true original course. belonging to inquire into the mystery of this heart which beats so wild, so deep in us, to know once our lives come and where they go. richard is gone now, but we carry with him -- with us, his

thirst to know, to grasp, and to heal the world around him. his legacy is seen in the children of bosnia who lived to raise families of their own. and a europe that's peaceful and united and free. and young boys and girls from the tribal region of pakistan to whom he pledged our country's friendship, and in the role that america continues to play. there's a light to all who inspire to live in freedom, and in dignity. five decades after a young president called him to serve, we can confidently say that richard bore the burden to ensure the survival and success of liberty. he made a difference. we must now carry that work forward in our time. may god bless the memory of richard holbrook and may god bless the united states of

america. [applause] [applause] >> exactly five weeks ago, as the news spread, many of us gathered here today and found ourselves trading phone calls and e-mails, we were activating the intercontinental holbrook network. during the three day vigil that followed, a lot of us gathered in the lobby of the george washington university hospital just four blocks from here.

we spent sometime grasping at straws on a subject that few of us knew much about: cardiology. but there was much more talk about richard's heart in another sense. it was a big heart. and it was a young heart. and it was young throughout his life. what a life it was. it wasn't just a career. it was a saga. and it had a plot that underscored his sheer talent, his energy, his versatility, what's been called his audacity of determination.

there he is at 24, in the white house, helping wage the vietnam war. at 27, in paris, helping forge the vietnam peace. at 29 in morocco, directing the peace corps. at 36, presiding over the state department bureau responsible for east asia and as david reminded us, the south pacific. and that job, his office was on the sixth floor of the department of state which on those premises is considered close to heaven since it's just below the office of the secretary of state. so flash ahead 30 years. there he is again. back in foggy bottom. but this time on the first floor.

close to the cafeteria. he took pleasure in showing off what he called his huddle. it gave him a chance to laugh at the ironies that attended the drama and occasionally the melodrama of his life. so richard had a playful heart too. but it was still a proud heart. and there was plenty of room in it for pride in his colleagues. especially as coti and president obama have stressed, his younger colleagues. mentoring often meant pushing proteges to higher positions, on higher floors. his was a generous heart as

well, but most of all, his was a brave heart. he showed current of many kinds, intellectual, political, diplomatic, moral courage, but physical courage too. most recently during the past two years in the bad lands along the doran line where he was a prize target on al qaeda's hit list, but where he was also revered by the destitute, the displace, and the disenfranchised. starting sometime around last summer, richard began thinking seriously about writing a book. reflecting what he had experienced and what he had learned going back over a half a century to vietnam. he joked that the title of that book might be to end all those

wars. but that project would have to wait. because he still had a job to do. helping president obama and secretary clinton find the right way to end the war at hand. that brings us back to friday five weeks ago. there he is, in the secretary of state's office on the 7th floor, close to heaven, doing his life's work, the life that he loved, doing it bravely and proudly to the end. [applause] [applause] >> for 41 years, richard holbrook and i were collaborators, protectors,

allies, business partners, and most importantly friends. we met in 1969 at princeton university when he was a mid career fellow and i was a graduate student. he arrived that fall with his distinctive sound and furry and a rare degree of wisdom having already done some heavy lifting in saigon and paris and the state department and white house. richard was just 29 years old. from day one, it was apparent that he was a person of stunning intelligence, a laser focus, and a profound sense of history. he was a geyser of energy who was 24/7 before the phrase was even minted. he rarely slept, his appetite for books, the media, people dead or alive, sports, movies,

theater, travel, work, and yes, friendship was almost unlimited. i had the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with him in the carter administration of spending 18 years as a business partner in three different firms, sharing endless personal and family experiences, talking and talking and talking as he would say sometimes after a month and sometimes after just a few days, we really need to get caught up. to put it mildly, richard wasn't always easy. i toll him -- i told him many times how much i valued his friendship. i told him when i signed up to be his friend, i didn't anticipate it was a full-time job. [laughter] >> over four decades, i watch's richard compassion deepen, and capacity for the significant

contribution expand. he was relentless, and occasionally exhausting. he was enduring, larger than life, amusing, and easily amused, and indisputably was a true patriot.se of peace. richard holbrook was one of a kind. if you ever hear someone say that guy is just like holbrook, it's not true. his loyalty and dedication to his friends was never in doubt. he always knew what it meant to stand up and bare witness. there was no fair weather dimension to him. finally, our family so appreciated richard's turn to washington. the late afternoon calls asking where's dinner. the great conversations, the memories and walks and endless review of the challenges that we face. the only downside of these last

two years is that i know now 200 times more about the power grid of kandahar than i want to know. [laughter] >> in closing, i want to pay tribute to kofi. plain and simply, richard adore ed you and everything about you. to david and anthony, your father treasured you beyond your imagination. and to lizy and christopher, richard was so proud of who you are. and i can see why. all of you so enriched his life. richard loved history, and he made it. he loved his country, and he made it proud. he loved his family and friends, and he made us all better. richard holbrook was

irresistible, ire repressible, and irreplaceable. [applause] [applause] >> picture our friend, at a donkey kong arcade game throwing in quarters and splashing all over the place. hour after hour. failing each time to achieve the bonus of that game, the epic win. cursing at the machine, banging it, accusing the donkey kong company of war crimes, never

stopping, never giving up. dick holbrook was like the rest of us. only much more so. we mourn him today because we expected even more of him. and he expected more of himself. he finally got that epic win at dayton. but we wanted more and he wanted more. and we mourn him today for the next dayton to promise lost.

others here today have remembered him well, his accomplishments formidable, him formidable. i want to give you -- i want to remember the dick holbrook that i knew. and miss so very much. what a -- what a handful of a guy. [laughter] >> what a gem. what a character. what a whole friend. whatever job i had, he took whatever time was necessary to tell me how to do it. [laughter] >> in the middle of one of his knockdowns with melosvich, he

said i got the son of a b here to promise you a box of cuban cigars. but this guy, he lies all the time. don't you, slobo? don't count on those cigars. [laughter] >> consistency was not a goblin of the holbrook mind. [laughter] >> you know, but it was just too high of a price to pay for pointing it out. [laughter] >> whatever i did, he could come

back and point out all of my inconsistencies. and then each of us would proclaim we never contradicted ourselves. ever. we started yelling at each other, and it was great fun. life was easier when he was around. you know, you didn't have to read a book. you didn't have to go to a movie. you didn't have to see a play. he would tell you all about it in the greatest detail with full analysis, and if you were lucky, he did not add the historical context. [laughter] >> depressingly, really depressingly, he actually knew what he was talking about. never, never forget dick's

fragility, his vulnerability. he was talking to one of his dearest friends from vietnam days, peter turnoff not so long ago. dick blurted out to him, you know, everything was easy for you and for the others. for me i had to fight for everything. :

bobby deniro knows everything about the united nations. he studied the charter. he could tell you anything about it. and dickens pulled away and i embarrassed in a manner, deniro looking down at his shoes and he finally raises its head, into my eyes and says, what's all this u.n. shit? [laughter] he said it.

dick was a leader of men and women and interns. [laughter] widely prone to endless troubles, never paralyzed by self-doubt [laughter] endlessly searching for legendary feat, seemingly immortal. you know, i think everybody in this room felt it was a feat to get through any meal without talking about dick hol rooke. we talked to him all the time. for many years to come, we'll still be talking about him. because it was like the rest of us, dick was, only much, much more.

[applause] >> .holbrooke, that holbrooke was the way my mother referred to richard. she was a discerning women. she recognized early in the 1960s his pores, his intelligence and his charm. that whole holbrooke she declared is my fifth child and so in a stroke, my friend from saigon days he came my brother. polly fritchey did another thing. she helped introduce richard to the washington he aspired to

enter, the city of statesmanship of power, of ambition and he took to it with enthusiasm and confidence, meeting those he admired, dean acheson, russ cabot lodge, and david bruce, chip folland, george cannon am appalled that the, april herriman, clerk clippard, those great men of our past who shaped america's international role in soccer fortunes to the coldwater richard studied their style and their record and one time he parted company with their consensus over vietnam he had set his sights on joining their ranks. and so, over time he did. richard also concentrated in those theaters on the great

figures that for press and broadcast, journalism, forging friendships with them, earning their admiration and later even practicing their trade, recognizing the huge power of media in shaping national policy and in realizing his own ambition. from the beginning, richard was a determined man. he saw his star and he followed it. i was privileged to be with him on his journey, sharing friends, adventures, ideas, his love of history and almost intimate secrets. through his intermec at times and are bad ones, through moments of triumph and those of disappointment, he was at constant in his attention to me as he was predict the bullet in

his demands on our friendship. for our richard did nothing but half measure. richard was a man of many dimensions in contradiction. his passion for work, new ideas, experiences, excitement for legendary, just as was his appetite for competition, cool and confrontation. he was restless, insatiable, ever questing. but his will to succeed in his will to leave his mark, they were driven by more than simple ambition. at first i felt close to him, did not recognize to richard's humanitarian humanity in his determination to act on it. only over time did i come to

realize that as much as he believed in himself and his ideas, he believed passionately in this country and in america's power and obligation to help those in need. no site moved richard more than the spectacle of injustice and suffering. i thought richard time and again set-aside calculation, reject caution and engage himself in this country to find haven for indochina both people come to those utilized in bosnia, distribute relief goods to flood the dems in pakistan, drive humanitarian intervention in sudan and congo and plead the cause of victims of hiv/aids. all of us, all of us will remember richard service, his

service in shaping this nation's policies towards china, vietnam, korea, the united nations, the balkans, afghanistan and pakistan. but i will treasure particularly my memories of richard's humanity and, those virtues of his pitch and above and his compassion, which i witnessed at the same time i experienced the intensity of his friendship. the holbrooke occupied a huge space in my life. i admit to being devastated by his passing, but then, i share that loss with all of you, especially to you, connie, david and nate, chris and lizzie. [applause]

>> early on, not long after the administration started, i spotted richard talking to somebody just inside the west wing of the white house. forgetting where i was for a minute, i charged up to him very spontaneously to embrace him shouting, dick! i was like a catcher embracing the! in the world series. no longer had a pin myself to his chest that i realized he wasn't returning the hug. indeed he seemed to be pretending as though you'd never seen me before. as i peeled myself off of his torso and trudged away, i noticed that the person he was talking to was dick. i learned this is the first substantive conversation about afghanistan they've ever had. yamaichi relegation pass quickly

because minutes later richard came charging out of the west wing, chase me down, give me a mighty hug and twirl and exclaimed, i bet that it's never happened before in the history of the white house. people don't hug in washington, samantha. [laughter] just another holbrooke tutorial. holbrooke mentees had been teased, interrogated, lectured, exaggerated about and above all taught. we were each completely incredulous when he soon gained, why the is richard holbrooke making time for me? he taught us back sanitized history, but he also taught us that play in mischief for the saving grace of serious work. although he had infinite time for us, we didn't have infinite time to get to the point. what do you think this is you'd ask? the council on foreign

relations? [laughter] as an editor, he decimated our prose, saying if it takes you this many words, you don't know what you're saying. when i complained that he was repeating himself, he'd say there is no indication you've retained what i told you, so i'm trying again. [laughter] for all of the historical and bureaucratic wisdom that he doled out and for all of the stories in which he figured, we actually never appreciated the scope of richard's achievement for a very simple and counterintuitive reason. he was not in fact the hero of a known stories. richard titus when you build a personal authority in the world of you should sprinkle it like dust on others. you just said something truly significant event expectedly. he would try to remain the tapes in his head to figure what it would have been. not since the long telegram have a seen a more important memo he

would tally stunned number of this aspect team. he was holbrooke, r., h. he had built the branding from scratch. he knew it came to mean something and he doled out his anointing liberally, knowing the attention he could generate further people. when i wrote about, he ordered 65 hardcover copies and send them to friends insisting they read all 600 pages about genocide before their next meeting. bragging about his aspect teamcoming was like a 10-year-old running to the glories of each yankee in its lineup. he especially admired those on his team up with qualities that he knew were recessive in him. finally, richard taught us that love and loyalty are the foundation of all else. love and loyalty to america, his president, his principal, his team and above all his family. as he wrote to the hospital, he

kept saying over and over again, there's so many people i love. there's so many people i love. all of you, david, anthony, sir, lizzie, christopher and katie. you are perfect under his arm. you are a bulldozer and untrammeled pull. on our last double date, i asked him if he had taken off his bluetooth long enough to notice how hot you look. he got that goofy grin, looked over at you again and i'm pretty sure blushed. [applause]

[inaudible] [inaudible] >> -- and for the powerful man who also showed basic compassion. pray for him the injustice and beneath equal destiny for us pray for us always at the hour of our death. ♪

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[applause] >> kb, mr. president, my memories of richard do not stress as far back as those of so many of you and yet i feel i've known him all my life. every hour with him was crowded. every outing and adventure. every conversation turned into a debate the more you fight back, the deeper you god. richard was the quintessential washington know it all. or was he? for what i loved most about him was his natural curiosity the

man was monumentally, if not exasperatingly, interested in everything. art, music, culture, religion, politics, how he'd love to talk politics. i'm happy to say that i've never challenged him in that either. i just nodded till he was finished and then slid him the check. [laughter] but the sheer breadth of his knowledge and his thirst for more with staggering. some people's minds were like steel traps. richards was like electronic -- a lint trap. our first meeting to discuss a trip you're taking together had the feel of an interview or more accurately a final exam.

with me playing the part of pupil. it made my confirmation hearing look like in appearance and are you smarter than a fifth grader? [laughter] frankly at the end he declared me fit to travel. after all, i had the airplane. [laughter] the trip proved to be wonderful, classic holbrooke trip. he ranged with us to meet for people across afghan and pakistani society, parliamentarians and farmers, students and scholars. the most intriguing was the hellenic council we attended in kabul, a gathering of clerics. it came out in the discussion of one of their number had been a taliban leader in his former life. that was all richard needed to hear. he latched onto that part i like

like a terrier on a t-bone. [laughter] assailing him with questions about taliban life until the man probably wish he had stayed a part of the insurgency. [laughter] i like about that time was which one of them i would be more afraid that if, the taliban or richard. not an easy color. but richard has always had a rate. these were questions that need answering. and far better for those questions to come from a statesman than from a sailor. we were there together in that room, but he was rightly and delete. richard and i were seared by her experiences in the vietnam war. we no doubt learned different lessons from that war, but the one we know shared with about the need for strong, civil, military relations, with the

emphasis on civilian leadership. he even asked me to co-author a book with him about it. i can just see the chapter titles. how to win friends and ticked off everybody else. [laughter] everything i know i learned by listening, now shut up, it is my turn. [laughter] and media relations for dummies, how to write their headlines for them. i think it would've been a bestseller no doubt with his mouth on the cover. but it was just like richard to want to search himself that way, just like him to want to explore a new subject and challenge his own. he understood better than i do very wisdom of seeking wisdom. as one poet put it, each and every man is a discoverer. he begins by discovering bitterness, saltiness, the seven

colors of the rainbow in the 20 some letters of the alphabet. he goes on to visages, masks, animals and stars. he ends with out or with faith and the almost certainty of his own ignorance. richard was never afraid of that ignorance and yet he was never so arrogant as to think he had mastered. he was the ultimate discoverer. and now falls to us to keep asking the questions he posed, to keep discovering the things he wanted to know and to keep making the difference he so clearly made. because i guarantee you when we meet up with them again, there's going to be a pop quiz. [laughter] [applause]

>> dear kati, dear friends, i begin today by extending my very deepest sympathies to you, kati, to the people of the united states on the loss of a great american. richard is remembered for his historic contributions to america's national security of nearly 50 years. but richard was in the truest how most general sense of the term a citizen of the world. and so a deep loss has been felt far from this city and this

country. it is perhaps difficult for many of his fellow americans to appreciate just how much richard met two people beyond the shores, to foreign diplomats, aid workers, presidents, prime ministers and u.n. officers. even more to the terms of distant war-torn countries. for him, as we've had the suffering of innocents be in bosnia, the democratic public of congo, sudan, all of afghanistan and the suffering of his own fellow citizens for a martyr as equal. i never knew another diplomat or a statesman that i could say this about.

richard was the american who came in peace, however well disguised. to him to reunite and to rebuild and though the sounds of water. he said his country was skilled and passionate and by serving his country he served the world. at the united nations where he had the privilege of working closely with richard, this translated into a fierce commitment to my continent of africa into the struggle against one of his greatest enemies, hiv/aids. almost exactly 10 years ago today on the 19th of january, 2001, richard attended his last meeting of the united nations

security council as ambassador for his country. it was a transformative meeting, convened to discuss the threat of hiv/aids to international security and role of the security council and conference, something richard quite literally invented from scratch. i have told them it's not going to work. he said we will have to discuss it. it's killing people, decimated security policies. it is of course an issue of international security for richard, the personal and professional were never equally divided. he simply cared too much about people to think of foreign-policy as mere distractions about great power ships were grand strategy. and so during richard's tenure

as ambassador at the u.n., the security council became merely another center for richard's dinner parties and the person he set about was improving the guest list. for richard said the security council meeting of the millennium on hiv/aids. vice president gore was quartered into coming to newark to preside over the counselor. for a meeting on peacemaking and central africa, nothing on the president of nelson mandela and see the plane would do. and so richard convinced him to make a trip from south africa and preside over the meeting. and then, he invited jesse helme

to the security council. he was determined to get the u.s. to take over a billion dollars. but i did not realize that was part of the deal or that i should go to speak at jesse helme on the monitor with colleagues. [laughter] he invited me after the event. he said my step pio is looking at it is extremely portend. so anyway, we went in to my amazement at one point i thought i saw the senator and they shook my head and i said i don't think man and i did that. as part of the job, richard did argue. but the beauty and the power of

richard's unique brand of diplomacy was that if a course was important to him, it had to be the most important cause for anyone anywhere and then of course how could one say no? over the years of our professional relationship, richard and i developed a keen friendship that had both kati and i just called. a strong and special bond was made even more so by kati's book. by the way, venus sisters sends you her deepest sympathies. but over the years i came to admire about richard, perhaps more than anything else was the

sheer courage and drive, physical, intellectual, political, even though i often found myself biting him richard, pace yourself. my friend, wherever you may be and whatever you're doing, and i offered that advice once again. pace yourself, knowing full well that if there is a war in need of mending or suffering in need of healing, you'll dressed only when the work is done. [applause] >> i know this program has been

somewhat lengthy, but honestly, it takes this many talkers to do train to justice, to keep up with holbrooke. he hasn't said a word here and i think were still behind. i will say that hillary and i were asked to end the program and we are. according to holbrooke protocol, the one with the real power speaks last. mr. president, kati, all of you, it might real relationship with richard began almost 20 years ago when sandy berger got and i together one night for a drink so that he could interview me to determine whether i could suitably run for the democratic nomination for president. and somehow or another i passed

the test. by the end of the night, he was so aggressive i thought he was going to finish with his hands on my throw. but i like that. a lot of people haven't talked about this tonight, but if you're a professional relationship with holbrooke as i was, as was being friendly, they're basically were three kinds of meetings you could have with other people looking. they were the meetings where you were arguing about policies. those are the ones were e-mailed to enemies. people don't talk here tonight, this afternoon, where he would scream and claw and scratch and make you feel like you had a double-digit i.q. if you didn't agree with him. but he did that because he knew the purpose of diplomacy with japan's wars or avoid them or minimize conflict or save lives.

it's worth wrestling a few feathers for diplomacy to save lives. then there were the meetings where the policy had been adopted and he didn't exactly agree with all of it, but there was any either had to leave our wave the flag. he was good at that. you would've thought it was his idea. [laughter] then there were the policies that he was charged with implementing that he keep he agreed with. then he was a hurricane of eloquence and energy and force. he was a great diplomat because he was smart and he could learn and he could think, he could write, he could speak and most

importantly, he could do. he never was any meeting in his life when he wasn't taking about okay, what are we going to do? and he loved the doers. one of the saddest days of my presidency was august 19, 1995, when we have begun negotiations to end the bosnian war, or at least to end the siege about the need for and the shelling in sarajevo. and dick called me with wes clark to tell me that they had a terrible accident on one of my road. we have lost the vehicle and bob frazier, joe crusoe and nelson had all been killed, three of the best public servants we've ever worked with, part of our

team. because melissa would not let them fly, knowing that those were unsafe. so we had a memorial service. we tried to promise to remember them. i still have three christmas ornaments that hillary and i put my treat for those three men. but holbrooke was determined to honor them by ending the violence. by the end of august, the seeds have been listed, the talks began at detained in november. three weeks later we had an agreement. dick holbrooke did many things in his life and he would be the first to say he did not do that allowed. attending the worst killing in europe since world war ii and giving you the chance to be united and free was a very big

deal. he could do. and he could do in matters big and small now. some people will say that president obama and hillary gave him a much harder job working in afghanistan and pakistan. i agree with that. but i give them a harder one still. i made in the united states ambassador to the united nations when kobe was secretary-general and need to talk jesse helme and he did that, too. how would a living daylight he got jesse helme to do that i'll never know. but he did. there's a lot lot to laugh about, a lot to be grateful for. after i left the white house, i

learned that holbrooke's an airing shows for protocol had begun and he realized he no longer worked for me and maybe on occasion i would work for him. and the one thing he was no good at. there was only one thing he was no good at. he would over to all this flattery when you knew he basically didn't mean a word of it. [laughter] so, i remember two things in particular. he called me one time and wanted me to give a speech to the asian society. and he kept saying what a great thing would be for them and what he was really also saying is you know, you want to do this. you need to keep your hand in the game where people will think you don't know anything anymore. when i said i do what he proceeded to tell me exactly what i should talk about and how i should say it. [laughter] to many had of this business group to fight aids around the

world, which was a really noble thing. and when we started there was nowhere near as much money going into it is now. and we still have them torso have no 8% of the people in the world who are hiv-positive who didn't know their status. within a month. i've been working on for years. when the month he knew as much about all this stuff as i did. and he relentlessly, relentlessly drove this agenda. and he got me to appear at all these things, always sandisk or for that business person or the other would help me, but it was always basically a work for you. i did all this stuff. now you work for me, to go do this. so i did it. i loved the guy because he could do. doing a diplomacy saves lives. everything everybody said about him here is true. then the end, what matters is

there are a lot of people walking around on the face of the earth for their children or grandchildren because of the way he lived his life. and i never did understand how people would buy it a little rough edges, which to me was so obvious what he was doing. it was so obvious why he felt the way he did. i could never understand people who didn't appreciate him. most of the people who didn't were not nearly as good at doing. sometime in my second term, kati and dick started hosting a holiday dinner in hillary's honor. and they asked me to come, which made me know i was kind of a lame duck.

and what holbrooke and i would talk about all the stuff we've done together when we were having a drink and is interviewing me for my suitability to become president. and it was after hillary was running for the senate. i don't know she'd been elected or not. he said you know, she's better than you are. [laughter] and i said yeah, i knew that before you did. and i said, i know one other thing. you're still my ambassador and you have to keep that a secret for one more year. [laughter] if you knew him, you have to love him. and if you understand the business of diplomacy is saving lives. you have to appreciate every single strategy he deployed to try to do it, including when he said or did things that

exhausted the rest of us. the great thing about 10 was even when he lost his last battle, he was fighting in the fight kept him forever young. and for that, i will be forever grateful. [applause] [applause] >> well, i am last because my office is on the seventh floor, which is as close to heaven as you can get. so i end the program by beating and bringing you with me to be as close to richard as we can

be. i'm very, very moved by the outpouring of love and admiration and respect that has been sent to me on behalf of our country, from so many places across the world. and in this audience this afternoon are so many who have worked with richard in the past and are working with him today. if we had time, each and every one of you would have your own story. i want to start with richard on an airplane. those of us who flew with richard never forgot the experience. imagine being confined in a small space for many hours with richard determined to make his

point and convince you to agree with it. it was a combination of a big personality and a small space that led everyone who traveled with him to be able to say, at the end of our flight, i too now have a story about richard holbrooke. richard would begin by assessing every seat, to find the one key deemed most comfortable. and then he would use every one of his diplomatic skills to persuade a person who had the seat to give it up to him. he would roam the cabin and search himself in to conversations, tell stories and provoke arguments. sometimes those arguments

snowballed. on one flight years ago, when richard was a younger diplomat, he and a staffer from the white house ended up in a mutual headlock over who got to see transcripts of a conversation with deng xiaoping. that presaged the kind of headlock experiences richard would have with white house is through the years. and so, even more people have their story. but what was most memorable is that on many flights he would disappear into the restroom and then emerged, having changed out of his sober business suit into what he called his sleeping suit. it was bright yellow.

he would brief the press and it and the rest of us would shrug and say, that's richard dean richard. there was simply no one like him anywhere else in the world. for 20 years, i had a front row seat to richard dean richard. he was my trusted colleague. occasionally he was my biggest headache. often he was an inspiration and always he was my friend. and richard was a genius for friendship. as bill has said, we were so delighted to attend annual holiday parties that richard and kati would throw. and apparently one year, some months before i had said something complementary about

the work done by the salvation army. it was a completely offhand comment. anyone else would have forgotten it. not richard. so in the middle of dinner, he gave a signal, the doors swung open and in march the salvation army band. [laughter] trumpets blaring, carols being sung and richard beaming from ear to ear. once again, richard being richard. richard was brilliant, blunt and he did site until the final bells for what he believed in. not richard upon hearing winston churchill's famous motto never, never, never, never give up,

said that churchill was halfhearted. [laughter] there are many of us in this audience who've had the experience of richard calling 10 times a day if he had to say something urgent. and of course he believes everything he had to say was urgent. and if he couldn't reach you, he would call your staff. he prayed outside your office. he'd walk into meetings to which he was not invited, act like he was meant to be there and just start talking. i personally received the richard holbrooke treatment many times. he would give me homework. he would declare that i had to take one more meeting, make one more stop. there was no escaping him. he would follow me onto a stage

as i was about to give a speech or into my hotel room or on at least one occasion into a ladies room. [laughter] in pakistan. [laughter] when he had an idea, he would pitch it to me. if i said now, richard, no. he would wait a few days and then try again. finally, i would say richard, i've said no. why do you keep asking me? and he would look at me so innocently and he would reply, i just assumed at some point you would recognize that you were wrong and i was right.

[laughter] and you know, sometimes that could have been. richard and i were 18. starting in bosnia, when i was first lady, through his years at the u.n., his work on aids and global health and our work together on afghanistan and pakistan. it was not always deemed easy on richard's team. we went through a lot of tough times in those years. but we went through them together. he stood by me through my battles and i stood by him through his. so i feel his absence keenly and i know so many people here do as well. this is a loss personally and it is a loss for our country. we face huge tasks ahead of us and it would be better if richard were here, driving us

all crazy about what we needed to be doing. he had, as we've heard from others, secured his place in history. i am confident that the work he has done and was doing in afghanistan and pakistan will also stand the test of time. and i greatly appreciate president zardari coming all the way to be with us today. [applause] he was -- [applause] he was, as mike mullen said, passionate about restoring the balance between our military and civilian operations. he was determined to bring that balance back through sheer force of will if necessary. shortly after richard was named

to be the special envoy for afghanistan and pakistan, i decided that i needed to bring richard and general petraeus together. so i invited them both over to our home here in washington. and i set up two chairs, with a third and i just watched them interact. and those are two men with a lot of energy. i was exhausted by the time they had finished going through every thing that they were thinking and what needed to be done in the years ahead. and as they were leaving, the post said let's do this again tomorrow night. [laughter] per richard got results. the high peace council that he helped launch in afghanistan is

working and just sent a delegation to pakistan. his work on water, energy, agriculture and trade is paying off in significant improvements to people's lives. he had a vision where we needed to be going and despite all the challenges, which he knew very well, he remained optimistic and positive about what we could do together. richard did this work with the help of a phenomenal team that he assembled with great gusto and pride over the past two years. they represent some of the best minds in biggest talents from inside and outside government and many of them are here today. so let me say to richard's team, you meant the world to richard and all of us at the state department are proud of your

work. he also created an international contact group, with now more than 40 countries represented and increasing numbers of majority countries as part of that international contact group. i met with some of them who traveled so far to come here for this celebration of richard's life and u2 spent a great deal to richard because he thought that we must have a political solution and that we must work to build regional and international support. many of richard staffers are young. then he was young when he started. and he wanted to give young people a chance to learn and serve and work on behalf of the country that he felt such a

commitment to. there are few people in any time, but certainly our time who can say, i stopped a war. i made peace. i saved lives. i helped country heal. richard holbrooke did these things. he believed that great men and women could change history and he did. she wanted to be a great man so he could change history. he was and he did. his time with us ended far too soon. and yet, he lived enough for timelines. so while we mourn, we have reason for joy, joy for the life that richard lived, joy that we were able to be part of it, that

we went along for the ride. and his partners in that endeavor where his family. his son, david anthony and their families. lizzie and chris, his grandchildren and most of all, kati, a friend to us all and someone who understood and loved richard so well. the families they built together cast light on so many people. there is a book of early jewish wisdom, the book against iran, which includes this passage. with three things i am delighted, for they are pleasing to the lord and two men.

harmony among brethren, friendship among neighbors and the mutual love of husband and wife. with his life and legacy, richard holbrooke was three for three. god bless you, my friends. [applause] [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> watched live coverage of the u.s. house and congressional

hearings and policy forms. on the weekend, you can see our signature interview programs. you can also watch our programming any time at c- span.org and it is all searchable at our c-span video library. c-span, washington your way. it is a public service treated by america's cable companies. >> each year, the washington center brings hundreds of students to washington to experience the workings of government first hand. tonight, they will discuss politics, government, and their future on c-span 2 "q&a." on tuesday, chinese president hu jintao rise in the u.s.. wednesday morning, bilateral meetings at the white house and a joint press conference with president obama is followed by a visit to the state department

and a formal state dinner at the white house. the chinese president will be at the hill on