be unprecedented times, but does not warrant this unprecedented abdication of democracy this this house in setting what is probably the most critical question that confronts government, how much you going to pay for it. i think we all agree on that. that's what is at issue here and this resolution does not allow members of congress to engage on that. it simply gives to one person the ability to set that number. it is not only unprecedented, it is in my opinion undemocratic with a small d. it does not provide the transparency and the openness of which the gentleman has correctly spoken and which i hope we pursue. i hope we oppose this resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. dreier: will the gentleman

yield? the gentleman sailed mr. hoyer was going to speak, have things changed? mr. mcgovern: it has changed. there is great interest in this. i yield one and a half minute to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for 1 and a half minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman from massachusetts and i consider the gentleman from california a colleague that i've known for a good while and i know that there are certainly good intentions. but i always believe that when you're elected to this powerful body that represents over 300 million americans as the census has given us new numbers, of how many americans we have the privilege of representing, you do have to speak about the future. when you begin to talk about generic numbers going back to

2008 levels, you are speaking generally without substance. because it is our commitment to be able to move america forward, and i hope the president will say stay in the blue column because you can see in the red column in the past administrations there was no job creation. when you talk about reducing the deficit it must be with a plan, with substance, because you can repeal with no substance and i would just raise the question do we want a nation that does not invest in education, do we want a nation that does not help our businesses invest to create jobs, and do we want a nation that says that security, the f.b.i., the d.e.a., someone called in today and talked about how important it was to ensure that we have the right kind of law enforcement, or do we want to tell those on social security who have worked literally worked or are disabled that there are no more dollars for them because we have just without any guidance gone back to 2008

levels? i would just ask that we move this country forward, mr. president, and is ask that we invest in america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: we have a speaker on the way but looks like you may have additional speakers. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? i thank my friend for yielding and say in our capacity as majority i'm simply going to yield to my friend from north carolina so that she can file the rule. would the gentleman like me to do that? okay, i guess we're not doing that right now. i'll reserve the balance of my time then. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield myself 1 3/4 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanis recognized. mr. mcgovern: the problem with this resolution is has been said over and over again is that it

is a press release. it contains no number. people on the other side talked about tough choices, it doesn't talk about any tough choices. it exempts defense spending from any cuts. so fraudulent defense contractors is somehow okay whereas it's not better than waste and abuse in domestic spending programs. everything should be on the table. when we're talking about getting this deficit under control. the reason why the number is so important is because that number determines -- that number determines how much we're going to allocate to the various appropriations committees. and that in turn determines really the severity of a lot of the cuts that will have to be made. cuts in medical research, research to try to find a cure to cancer, cuts in programs to help feed hungry children, cuts in programs that provide emergency fuel assistance to

low-income people during the winter months, cuts in small business loans that can help small business get the capital they need to grow and create jobs. we should be talking about jobs. in this -- in this opening session. instead what we've talked about are the old ideological battles of the past, last week we repealed the entire health care bill, this year we're passing a lg resolution with no number in it. this is a first. this is unprecedented and i think the american people who are watching are wondering why in the world can't you tell was the number is? why in the world can't you give us a sense of where you're going to cut? why in the world can't you even vote on it? there are 435 members of this house. only one member is going to be able to determine what that budget number is. mr. speaker --, the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remaining. mr. mcgovern: i give myself the

remaining one minimum. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanis recognized for one minute. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, we're engaged in political theater today. we know the c.b.o. will come out with numbers today but the republicans feel it's important to do this today because somehow the press will pay attention and have a countermessage to the president's state of the union address. they are blowing a major opportunity. there is bipartisan concern about the budget, a bipartisan consensus we need to find cuts. rather than working in a bipartisan way we have a bill that comes to the floor under a closed rule. we are told that the chairman of the budget committee can unilaterally come up with a number, the rest are irrelevant irrelevant this to this process. that's not the way it's supposed to be. and the republican majority owes it not only to members of this congress but to the american people to tell was the number is and where they're going to cut, how deeply they're going to cut, who will be impacted. i'll tell you this, who is going to be impacted are real people and they'll feel the real pain of some of these cuts. so with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote

against this misguided resolution, this press release and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. the gentlemanis recognized for the balance of the time. mr. dreier: thank you very much, mr. speaker. we have bipartisan consensus around here. we need to get our economy back on track, and we need to do everything that we can to cut federal spending. the distinguished minority whip just said as much. and so there is a consensus, and i think that's wonderful. in a few hours, 9:00 this evening, democrats will be sitting with republicans, republicans will be sitting with democrats, it's going to be unprecedented. and i will say that mr. hoyer referred to this simple, one-sentence resolution as unprecedented. and i believe that it probably

is unprecedented. what it says -- i've almost memorized the one sentence, mr. speaker, it says we need to make sure that the budget committee and the appropriations committee work to get us to 2008 spending levels or less. i personally believe that we should be substantially below 2008 levels. i believe that we need to take that kind of action and it's true, we want this institution to have an opportunity before the president stands right over my shoulder at 9:00 this evening and delivers this state of the union message, we want this institution to have a chance to go on record saying that we are committed to doing everything that we can to get the spending levels to 2008 or less. mr. speaker, we're in the position we are and that itself is unprecedented. and that's why unprecedented

action is necessary. now, i began my remarks by talking about the fact that probably one of the most enduring and powerful memories of 2010 was what took place in athens, greece. we saw the riots take place in the streets, some public service employees, in the wake of the government facing the responsibility of imposing austerity standards on the people of greece. and what happened? we saw this huge outcry come because they were arguing they couldn't in fact bring about cuts in spending. and i juxtapose that to what we saw in the last year here. we saw tens of thousands of americans taking to the streets

carrying this message -- taxed enough already. they came together to petition their government, to petition their government to bring about spending reductions, not complaining that the government was making cuts, complaining that the government wasn't making enough cuts. and that's exactly what we're doing. in fact, mr. speaker, i believe that this may be the first time in human history that we have witnessed what it was that we saw take place last year and led to the outcome in the november 2 election. we know that the greatest change in 3/4 of a century took place in this institution. 63 members of the democratic party were defeated. we now have 87 new republicans and nine new democrats who joined with us, and they have carried this message to us that we need to rein spending. mr. speaker, it's important to

note that our real goal is above that. it is job creation and economic growth. getting our economy back on track. so that people out there who are trying to get on the first rung of the economic ladder are able to do just that. we have a painfully high unemployment rate, and people across this country are hurting now, mr. speaker, what steps can we take to create jobs? i personally believe that we need to, i look forward to having the president talk about this tonight, open up new markets around the world so that union and nonunion workers in the united states of america can have the opportunity to sell goods and provide services into countries like columbia and panama -- colombia and panama and south korea where these pending agreements exist. i believe that since japan has brought about a reduction in its top corporate rate, the rate of those job creators, we can reduce, we can reduce the top

corporate rate, the highest rate of any country in the world now, from 35% to 25%, i understand the president may be proposing that this evening, that will go a long way toward creating jobs. but, mr. speaker, what we're doing with house res. 39 -- 38 is we are getting ourselves on a path towards fiscal responsibility and i believe that that is one of the most important things that we can do as we seek this shared goal of job creation and economic growth. so if we can let this institution go on record in support of getting to 2008 levels or less i'm convinced that that will be a strong step towards our goal, our shared goal of creating jobs and establishing economic growth. this is the beginning of a process, mr. speaker, the beginning of a process, again, a one-sentence resolution that

this house will be voting on in just a few minutes. but the process itself is one that is broken. it's broken because for the first time since the 1974 budget act was put into place we've not had a budget, we've not had a budget. we're five, almost five months into the new fiscal year and we are in the process of cleaning up the mess that was handed to us. so how is it we plan to do it? well speaker boehner has made it very clear and that is we need to make sure that we have an open, free-flowing debate as we proceed with the budget and i'm con -- convinced that our rules committee will make alternatives in order when we proceed with the work the budget committee will have done, and i'm convinced that we will get back to the kind of regular order that i think today democrats and republicans alike would want to see and that is a chance for democrats and republicans to stand up and offer amendments to the appropriations bill. so, mr. speaker, i'll say again

that it's a simple one-sentence resolution. are we going to let this institution get onto a path towards reducing the size, scope, reach and control of the federal government or are we not? and so, mr. speaker, i'm going to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this very, very important resolution and with that, out of respect to my friend from worcester who is swinging his hands in >> the house went on to pass the receiving lease -- receiving support from every republican and 17 democrats.

coming up next, the president's state of the union speech and the republican response by congressman paul ryan. later, if the house debate cuts in the federal budget but a -- later, in the house debate cuts in the federal budget. >> the tarp inspector general will report on the troubled assets really program. this begins at 9:30 a.m. eastern time. later, and he will be speaking in washington about federal spending and the u.s. economy. our live coverage begins of .1:40 a.m. eastern th >> the senate returns to work this week including the new

class of freshmen senators. learn more about them online with c-span's congressional chronicle burd. find a full video archive of each member. it is f. c-span.org/congress. >> the c-span network provides coverage of politics, public affairs, and american history. it is available online and on social media networking sites. fine content any time through c- span's video library. it is now available and more than 100 million homes.

speaker, the>> mr. speaker, thf the united states. [applause]

>> i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting in the president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. everybody, please have a seat. >> mr. speaker, mr. vice

president, members of congress, distinguished guests, and fellow americans -- tonight i want to begin by congratulang the men and women of the 112th congress, as well as your new speaker, john boehner. [applause] and as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague -- and our friend -- gabby giffords. [applause]

it is no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. the debates have been contentious. we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. and that is a good thing. that is what a robust democracy demands. that is what helps set us apart as a nation. but there's a reason the tragedy in tucson gave us pause. amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a

part of something greater -- something more consequential thanarty or political preference. we are part of the american family. we believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people -- that we share common hopes and a common creed -- that the dreams of a little girl in tucson are not so different than those of our own children, and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled. that, too, is what sets us apart as a nation. [applause] now, by itself, this simple recognition won't usher in a newra of cooperation. what comes of this moment is up to us.

what comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. [applause] i believe we can. i believe we must. that's what the people who sent us here expect of us. with their votes, they have determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. new laws will only pass with support from democrats and republicans. we will ve forward together, or not at all -- for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics.

at stake right now is not who wins the next election -- after all, we just had an election. at stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. it is whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. it is whether we sustain the leadership that has made america not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. we are poised for progress. two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. corporate profits are up. the economy is growing again. but we have never measured progress by the yardscks alone. we measure progress by the success of our people. by the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. by the prospects of a small

business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. by the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. that's the project the american people want us to work on. together. [applause] we did that in december. thanks to the tax cuts we passed, america' paychecks are a little bigger today. every business can write off the full cost of the new investments they make this year. the steps, taken by democrats and republicans, will grow the economy and d to the more than one milli private sector jobs created last year. but we have more work to do. the steps we've taken over the last two years may have broken

the back of this recession -- but to win the future, we'll ed to take on challenges that have been decades in the makin many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. you didn't always need a degree, and your competition was pretty much limited to your neighbors. if you worked hard, chances are you uld have a job for life, with a decent paycheck, good benefits, and the occasional promotn. maybe you would even have the pride of seeing your kids work at the same company. that world has changed. and for many, the change has been painful. i've seen it in the shuttered windows of once booming factories, and the vacant storefronts of once busy main streets.

i've heard it in the frustrations of americans who've seen their paychecks dwindle or their jobs disappear -- proud men and women who feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game. they are right. the rules have changed. in a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the same work with 100. today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there is an internet connection. meanwhile, nations like china and india realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete this new world. and so they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. they're investing in research and new technologies. just recently, china became

home to the world's largest private solar research facility, and the world's fastest computer. so yes, the world has changed. the competition for jobs is real. but this shouldn't discourage us. it should challenge us. remember -- for all the hits we have taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, america stillas the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. [applause] no workers are more productive than ours. no country has more successful companies, or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs. we are home to the world's best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any other place on earth.

what is more, we are the first nation to be foued for the sake of an idea -- the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. that is why centuries of pioneers andmmigrants have risked everything to come here. it is why our students don't just memorize equations, but answer questions like "what do you think of that idea? what would you cnge about the world? what do you want to be when you grow up?" the future is ours to win. but to get there, we cannot just snd still. as robert kennedy told us, "the future is not a gift. it is an achievement." sustaining the american dream has never been about standing pat. it has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age.

now it is our turn. we know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. we need to out-innovate, out- educate, and out-build the rest of the world. [applause] we have to make america the best place on earth to do business. we need to take responsibility for our deficit, and reform our government. that's how our people will prosper. that's how we will win the future. [applause] and tonight, i would like to talk about how we get there. the first step in winning the future is encouraging american innovation.

none of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be, or where the new jobs will come from. thirty years ago, we could not know that something called the internet would lead to an economic revolution. what we can do -- what america does better thannyone -- i spark the creativity and imagination of our people. we are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices, the nation of edison and the wright brothers, of google and facebook. in america, innovation does not just change our lives. it is how we make a living. [applause] our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. but because it is not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout history our

government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. that is what planted the seeds for the internet. that is what helped make possle things like computer chips and gps. just think of all the good jobs -- from manufacturg to retail -- that have come om those breakthroughs. half a century ago, when the soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called sputnik we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. the science wasn't there yet. nasa did not even exist. but after insting in better research and education, we did not just surpass the soviets -- we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. this is our generation's sputnik moment. two years ago, i said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we have not seen since the height of the space race.

in a few weeks, i will be sending a budget to congress that helps us meet that goal. we'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology -- an [applause] investmt that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people. already, we are seeing the promise of renewable energy. robert and gary allen are brothers who run a small michigan roofing company. after september 11, they volunteered their best roofers to help repair the pentagon. but half of their factory went unused, and the recession hit them hard. today, with the help of a government loan, that empty space is being used to manufacture solar shingles that are being sold all across the country.

in robert's words, "we reinvented ourselves." that is what americans have done for over two hundred years -- reinvented ourselves. and to spur on more success stories like the allen brothers, we've begun to reinvent our energy policy. we are not just handing out money. we are issuing a challenge. we are telling america's scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields, and focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we will fund the apollo projects of our te. at the california institute of technology, they are developing a wato turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. at oak ridge national laboratory, they are ung supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities. with more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million

electric vehicles on the road by 2015. [applause] we need to get behind this innovation. and to help pay for it, i am asking congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. [applause] i don't know if you've noticed, but they are doing just fine o their own. [laughter] so instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's. now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they're selling. so tonight, i challenge you to join me in setting a new goal -- by 2035, 80% of america's electricity will come from

clean energy sources. [applause] some folks want wind and solar. others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas. to meet this goal, we will need them all -- and i urge democrats and republicans to work together to make it happen. [applause] maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to america's success. but if we want to win the future -- if we want innovation to produce jobs in america and not overseas -- then we also have to win the race to educate our kids. think about it. over the next ten years, neay half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree.

and yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. the quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. america has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. and so the question is whether all of us -- as citizens, and as parents -- are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed. that responsibility begins not in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. it is family that first instills the love of learning in a child. only parents can make sure the tv is turned off and homework gets done. we need to teach our kids that it is not just the winner of the super bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair, that success

[applause] that success is not a function of fame or p.r., but of hard work and discipline. our schools share this responsibility. when a child walks into a assroom, it should be a place of high expectations and high performance. but too many schools do not meet this test. that is why instead of just pouring money into a system that is not working, we unched a competition called race to the top. to all fifty states, we said, "if you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement, we will show you the money."

race to the top is the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation. for less than 1% of what we spend on education each year, it has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning. these standards were developed, not by washington, but by republican and democrati governors throughout the country. and race to the top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace no child left behind with a law that is more flexible and focused on what is best for our kids. [applause] you see, we know what is possible for our children when reform is not just a top-down mandate, but the work of local teachers and principals, school boards and communities. take a school like bruce randolph in denver.

three years ago, it was rated one of the worst schools i colorado, located on turf between two rival gangs. but last may, 97% of the seniors received their diploma. most will be the first in their family to go to college. and after the first year of the school's transformation, the principal who made it possible wiped away tears when a student said "thank you, mrs. waters, for showinthat we are smart and we can make it." [applause] let's also remember that after parents, the biggest impact on a child's success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom. in south korea, teachers are known as "nation builders." here in america, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect.

[applause] we want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones. [applause] and over the next ten years, with so many baby bmers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. [applause] in fact, to every young person listening tonight who is contemplating their career choice -- if you want to make a difference in the li of our nation, if you want to make a difference in the life of a child -- become a teacher.

your country needs you. [applause] of course, the education race does not end with a high school diploma. to compete, higher education must be within reach of every american. [applause] that is why we have ended the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that went to banks, and used the savings to make college affordable for millions of students. [applause] and this year, i ask congress to go further, and make permanent our tuition tax credit -- worth $10,000 for four years of college.

it's the right thing to do. because people need to be able to train for new jobs and careers in today's fast- changing economy, we are also revitalizing america's community colleges. last month, i saw the promise of these schools at forsyth tech north carolina. many of the students there used to work in the surrounding factories that have since left town. one mother of two, a woman named kathy proctor, had rked in the furniture industry since she was 18 years old. and she told me she is earning her degree in biotechnology now, at 55 years old, not just because the furniture jobs are gone, but because she wants to inspire her children to pursue their dreams too. as kathy said, "i hope it tells them to never give up." if we take these steps -- if we raise expectations for every child, and give them the best

poible chance at an education, from the day they're born until the last job they take -- we will reach the goal i set two years ago. by the end of the decade, america will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. [applause] one last point aut education. today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not american citizens. some are the children of undocumented workers, who had nothing to do with the actions of their parents. they grew up as americans and pledge allegiance to our flag, and yet live every day with the threat of deportation.

others come here from abroad to study in our colleges and universities. but as soon as they obtain advanced degrees, we send them back home to compete against us. it makes no sense. now, i strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration. i am prepared to work with republicans and democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented worker who are now living in the shadows. [applause] i know that debate will be difficult and take time. but tonight, let's agree to make that effort. and let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can staff our

research labs, start new businesses, and further enrich this nation. [applause] the third step in winning the future is rebuilng america. to attract new businesses to our shores, we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods, and information -- from high-speed rail to high-speed internet. [applause] our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped. south korean homes now have greater internet access than we do. countries europe and russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. china is building faster trains and newer airports. meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, they gave us a "d." we have to do better.

america is the nion that built the transcontinental railroad, broht electricity to rural communities, and constructed the interstate highway system. the jobs created by these projects didn't just come from laying down tracksr pavement. they came from businesses that opened near a town's new train station or t new off-ramp. over the last two years, we have begun rebuilding for e 21st century, a project that has meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. tonight, i am proposing that we redouble these efforts. [applause] we will put more americans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges. we will make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based on what's best for the economy, not politicians.

within 25 years, our goal is to give 80% of americans access to high-speed rail, which could [applause] this could allow you go places in half the time it takes to travel by car. for some trips, it will be faster than flying -- without the pat-down. [laughter] [applause] as we speak, routes in california and the midwest are already underway. within the next five years, we will make it possible for business to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98% of all americans. [applause] this is not just about a faster internet and fewer dropped calls. it is about connecting every part of amica to the digital age. it is about a rural community in iowa or alabama where farmers and smalbusiness owners will be able to sell

their products all over the world. it is about a firefighter who can download the design of a burning building onto a handheld device, a student who can take classes with a digital textbook, or a patient who can have face-to-face video chats with her doctor. all these investments -- in innovation, educatio and infrastructure -- will make america a better place to do business and create jobs. but to help our companies compete, we also have to knock down barris that stand in the way of their success. over the years, a parade of lobbyists has rigged the tax code to benefit parcular companies and industries. those with accountants or lawyers to work the system can end up paying no taxes at all. but all the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. it makes no sense, and it has

to change. [applause] so tonight, i'm asking democrats and republicans to simplify the system. get rid of the loopholes. level the aying field. and use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the fit time in 25 years -- without adding to our deficit. [applause] it can be cone. -- be done. to help businesses sellore products abroad, we set a goal of doubling our exports by 2014 -- because the more we export, the more jobs we create at home. already, our exports are up. recently, we signed agreements

with india and china that will support more than 250,000 jobs in the united states. and last month, we finalized a trade agreement with south korea that will support at least 70,000 american jobs. this agreement has unprecedented support from business and labor, democrats and republicans, and i ask this congress to pass it as soon as possible. [applause] before i took offi, i made it clear that we would enforce our trade agreements, and that i would only sign deals that keep faith with american workers, and promote american jobs. that is what we did with korea, and that is what i intend to do as we pursue agreements with panama and colombia, and continue our asia pacific and glob trade talks. [applause] to reduce barriers to growth and investment, i have ordered

a review of government regulations. when we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them. [applause] but i will not hesitate to create or enfoe commonsense safeguards to protect the american people. [applause] that is what we have done in this country for more than a century. it is why our food is safe to eat, our water is safe to drink, and our air is sa to breathe. it is why we have speed limits and child labor laws. it is why last year, we put in place consumer protections against hidden fees and penalties by credit card companies, and new rules to prevent another financial crisis. [applause] and it is why we passed reform that finally prevents the

health insurance industry from exploiting patients. [applause] now, i have heard rumors that a few of you have some concerns about the new health care law. [laughter] so let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. if you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, i am eager to work with you. we can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses. [applause]

what i am not willing to do is go back to the days when insurance companies could deny someone coverage because of a pre-existing condition. [applause] i'm not willing to tell james howard, a brain cancer pient from texas, that his treatment might not be covered. i'm not willing to tell jim houser, a small business owner from oregon, that he has to go back to paying $5,000 more to cover his employees. as we speak, this law is making prescription drugs cheaper for seniors and giving uninsured students a chance to stay on their parents' coverage.

[applause] so instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let's fix what needs fixing and move forward. pplause] now, the final step -- a critical step -- in winning the future is to make sure we are not buried under a mountain of debt. we are living with a legacy of deficit-spending that began almost a decade ago. and in the wake of the financial crisis, some of that was necessary to keep credit flowing, save jobs, and put money in people's pockets. but nothat the worst of the recession is over, we have to confront the fact that our

government spends more than it takes in. that is not sustainable. every day, families sacrifice to live within their means. they deserve a government that does the same. [applause] so tonight, i am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. this would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, and will bring discretionary spending to the lowest share of our economy since dwight eisenhower was president. this freeze will require painful cuts. already, we have frozen the

salaries of hardworking feral employees for the next two years. i have proposed cuts to things i care deeply about, like community action programs. the secretary of defense has also agreed to cut tens of billions of dollars in spending that he and his generals believe our military can do without. [applause] i recognize that some in this chamber have already proposed deeper cuts, and i am willing to eliminate whatever we can honestly afford to do without. but let's make sure that we're not doing it on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. [applause] and let's make sure what we're cutting is really excess weight. cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lighteningn overloaded airplane byemoving its engine. it may feel like you're flying

high at first, but it will not take long before you will feel the impact. now, most of the cuts and savings i have propod only address annual domestic spending, which represents a little more than 12% of our budget. to make further progress, we have to stop pretending that cutting this kind of spending alone will be enough. it will not. [applause] the bipartisan fiscal commission i created last year made this crystal clear. i don't agree with all their proposals, but they made important progress. and their conclusion is that the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it -- in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes.

[applause] this means further reducing health care costs, including programs like medicare and medicaid, which are the single biggest contributor to our long-term deficit. health insurance reform will slow these rising costs, which is part of why nonpartisan economists have said that repealing the health care law would add quarter of a trillion dollars to our deficit. still, i am willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that republicans suggested last year -- medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits. [applause] to put us on solid ground, we should also find a bipartisan solution to strengthen social

security for future generations. [applause] and we must do it without putting at risk current retirees, the most vulnerable, or people with disabilities, without slashing benits for future generations, and without subjecting americans' guaranteed retirement income to the whims of the stock market. [alause] and if we truly care about our deficit,e simply cannot afford a permanent extension of the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of americans. [applause] before we take money away from our schools, or scholarships away from our students, we should ask millionaires to give up their tax break. it is not a matter of punishing

their success. it is out promoting america's success. [applause] in fact, the best thing we could do on taxes for all americans is to simplify the individual tax code. [applause] this will be a tough job, but members of both parties have expressed interest in doing this, and i am prepared to join them. [applause] so now is the time to act. now is the time for both sides and both houses of congress -- democrats and republicans -- to forge a principled compromise that gets the job done. if we make the harchoices now to rein in our deficits, we can make the investments we need to win the future.

let me take this one step further. we should not just give our people a government that is more affordable. we should give them a government that is more competent and efficient. [applause] we cannot win the future with a government of the past. we live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white tv. there are twelve different agencies that deal with exports. there are at least five different entities that deal with housing policy. then there is my favorite example -- the interior department is in charge of salmon while they are in fresh water, but the commerce department handles them in when they are in saltwater. and i hear it gets even more complicated once they are smoked. [laughter]

[applause] now we have made great sides over the last two years in using technology and getting rid of waste. veterans can now download their electronic medical records with a click of the mouse. we're selling acres of federal offi space that hasn't been used in years, and we will cut through red tape to get rid of more. but we need to think bigger. in the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate, and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive america. i will submit that proposal to congress for a vote -- and we will push to get it passed. [applause]

in the coming year, we will also work to rebuild people's faith in the institution of government. because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you will be able to go to a website and get that information for the very first time in history. because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, i ask congress to do what the white house has already done -- put that information online. and because the american people deserve to know that special interests aren't larding up legislation with pet projects, both parties in congress should know this -- if a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, i will veto it. [applause] a 21st century government that

is open and competent. a government that lives within its means. an economy that's driven by new skills and ideas. our success in this new and changing world will reqre reform, responsibility, and innovation. it will also require us to approach that world with a new level of engagement in our foreign affairs. just as jobs and businesses can now race across borders, so can new threats and new challenges. no single wall separates east and west. no one ral superpower is aligned against us. and so we must defeat determined enees wherever they are, and build coalitions that cut across lines of region and race and religion. america's moral example must

always shine for all who yearn for freedom, justice, a dignity. and because we have begun this work, tonight we can say that american leadership has been renewed and america's standing has been restored. look to iraq, where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high, where ameran combat [applause] where american combat patrols patrols have ended, violence has come down, and a new government has been formed. this year, our civilians will

forge a lasting partnership with the iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of iraq. america's commitment has been ke. the iraq war is coming to an end. [applause] of course, as we speak, al qaeda and their affiliates continue to plan attacks against us. thanks to our intelligence and law enforcement professionals, we are disrupting plots and securing our cities and skies. and as extremists try to inspire acts of violence within our borders, we are responding with the strength of our communities, with respect for the rule of law, and with the conviction that american muslims are a part of our american family. [applause]

we have also taken the fight to al qaeda and their allies abroad. in afghanistan, our troops have taken taliban strongholds and trained afghan security forces. our purpose is clear -- by preventing the taliban from reestablishing a stranglehold over the afghan people, we will deny al qaeda the safe haven that served as a launching pad for 9/11. thanks to our heroic troops and civilians, fewer afghans are under the control of the insurgency. there will be tough fighting ahead, and the afghan government will need to deliver better governance. but we are strengthening the capacity of the afghan people and building an enduring partnership with them. this year, we will work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an afghan lead. and this july, we will begin to bring our troops home. in pakistan, al qaeda's leaderse

pressure than at any point since 2001. their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefiel their safe havens are shrinking. and we have sent a message from the afghan border to the arabian peninsula to all parts of the globe -- we will not relent, we will not waver, and we will defeat you. american leadership can also be seen in the effort to secure the worst weapons of war.

because republicans and democrats approved the new start treaty, far fewer nuclear weaponand launchers will be deployed. because we rallied the world, nuclear materials are being locked down on every continent so they never fall into the hands of terrorists. because of a diplomatic effort to insist that iran meet its obligations, the iranian government now faces tougher and tighter sanctions than ever before. and on the korean peninsula, we stand with our ally south kor, and insist that north korea keeps its commitment to abandon nuclear weapons. this is just a part of how we are shaping a world that favors peace and prosperity. with our european allies, we revitalized nato, and increased our cooperation on everything from counter-terrorism to

missile defense. we have reset our relationship with russia, strengthened asian alliances, and built new partnerships with nations like india. this march, i will travel to brazil, chile, and el salvador to forge new alliances for progress in the americas. around the globe, we are standing with those who take responsibility -- helping farmers grow more food, supporting doctors who care for the sick, and combating the corruption that can rot a society and rob people of opportunity. recent events have shown us that what sets us apart must not just be our power. it must be the purpose behind it. in south sudan, with our assistance, the people were finally able to vote for independence after years of war. thousands lined up before dawn.

people danced in the streets. one man who lost four of his brothers at war summed up the scene around him -- "this was a battlefield for most of my life. now we want to be free." we saw that same desire to be free in tunisia, where the will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator. and tonight, let us be clear -- the united states of america stands with the people of tunisia, and suppos the democratic aspirations of all people. we must never forget that the things we have struggled for, and fought for, live in the

hearts of people everywhere. and we must always remember that the americans who have borne the greatest burden in this struggle are the men and women who serve our country. tonight, let us speak with one

voice in reaffirming that our nation is united in support of our troops and their families. let us serve them as well as they have served us -- by giving them the equipment they need, by providing them with the care and benefits they have earned, and by enlisting our veterans in the great task of building our own nation. our troops come from every corner of this country -- they are black, white, latino, asian and native american. they are christian and hindu, jewish and muslim. and, yes, we know that some of them are gay. starting this year, no american will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love.

and with that change, i call on all of our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and the rotc. it is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. it is time to move forward as one nation. we should have no illusions about the work ahead of us. reforming our schools, changing the way we use energy, reducing our deficit -- none of this is easy. all of it will take time. and it will be harder because we will argue about everything. the cost. the details.

the letter of every law. of course, some countries don't have this problem. if the central government wants a railroad, they get a railroad -- nmatter how many homes are bulldozed. if they do not want a bad sty in the newspaper, it does not get written. and yet, as contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be, i know there isn't a person here who would trade places with any other nation oearth.

we may have differences in policy, but we all believe in the rights enshrined in our constitution. we may have different opinions, but we believe in the same promise that says this is a place where you can make it if you try. we may have different ckgrounds, but we believe in the same dre that says this is a country where anything's possible. no matter who you are. no matter ere you come from. that dream is why i can stand here before you tonight. that dream is why a working class kid from scranton can stand behind me. that dream is why someone who began by sweeping the floors of his father's cincinnati bar can preside as speaker of the house in the greatest nation on earth.

that dream -- that american dream -- is what drove the allen brothers to reinvent their roofing company for a new era. it's what drove those students at forsyth tech to learn a new skill and work towards the future. and that dream is the story of a small business owner named brandon fisher. brandon started a company in berlin, pennsylvania that specializes in a new kd of drilling technology. one day last summer, he saw the news that halfway across the

world, 33 men were trapped in a chilean mine, and no onenew how to save them. but brandon thought his company could help. and so he designed a rescue that would come to be known as plan b. his employees worked around the clock to manufacture the necessary drilng equipment. and brandon left for chile. along with others, he began drilling a 2,000 foot hole into the ground, working three or fourays at a time with no sleep. thirty-seven days later, plan b succeeded, and the miners were rescued. but because he did not want all of the attention, brandon was not there when the miners emerged. he had already gone home, back to work on his next project.

later, one of his employees said of the rescue, "we proved that center rock is a little company, but we do big things." we do big things. from the earliest days of our founding, america has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. that is how we win the future. we are a nation that says, "i might not have a lot of money, but i have this great idea for a new company. i might not come from a family of college graduates, but i will be the first to get my degree. i might not know those people in trouble, but i think i can help them, and i need to try. i am not sure how we will reach that better place beyond the horizon, but i know we will get there. i know wwill."

we do big things. the idea of america endures. our destiny remains our choice. and tonight, more than two centuries later, it is because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the statef our union is strong. thank you, god bless you, and may god bless the united states of america.

>> thank you very much. paul ryan began about 10 seconds. >> good evening. i am congressman paul ryan from janesville, wisconsin -- and chairman here at the house budget committee. president obama just addressed a congressional chamber filled with many new faces. one face we did not see tonight was that of our friend and colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords of arizona. we all miss gabby and her cheerful spirit, and we are praying for her return to the house chamber. earlier this month, president obama spoke movingly at a memorial event for the six people who died on that violent morning in tucson. still, there are no words that can lift the sorrow that now engulfs the families and friends of the fallen. what we can do is assure them that the nation is praying for them, that, in the words of the

psalmist, the lord heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds, and that over time grace will replace grief. as gabby continues to make encouraging progress, we must keep her and the others in our thoughts as we attend to the work now before us. tonight, the president focused a lot of attention on our economy in general -- and on our deficit and debt in particular. he was right to do so, and some of his words were reassuring. as chairman of the house budget committee, i assure you that we want to work with the president to restrain federal spending. in one of our first acts in the new majority, house republicans voted to cut congress's own budget. and just today, the house voted to restore the spending discipline that washington sorely needs. the reason is simple. a few years ago, reducing spending was important. today, it is imperative. here is why. we face a crushing burden of debt. the debt will soon eclipse our entire economy, and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead.

on this current path, when my three children -- who are now 6, 7, and 8 years old -- are raising their own children, the federal government will double in size, and so will the taxes they pay. no economy can sustain such high levels of debt and taxation. the next generation will inherit a stagnant economy and a diminished country. frankly, it is one of my greatest concerns as a parent, and i know many of you feel the same way. our debt is the product of acts by many presidents and many congresses over many years. no one person or party is responsible for it. there is no doubt the president came into office facing a severe fiscal and economic situation. unfortunately, instead of restoring the fundamentals of economic growth, he engaged in a stimulus spending spree that not only failed to deliver on its promise to create jobs, but also plunged us even deeper into debt. the facts are clear -- since

taking office, president obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies, an 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus. all of this new government spending was sold as "investment." yet after two years, the unemployment rate remains above 9% and government has added over $3 trillion to our debt. then the president and his party made matters even worse, by creating a new open-ended health care entitlement. what we already know about the president's health care law is this -- costs are going up, premiums are rising, and millions of people will lose the coverage they currently have. job creation is being stifled by all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees. businesses and unions from around the country are asking the obama administration for waivers from the mandates. washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.

the president mentioned the need for regulatory reform to ease the burden on american businesses. we agree -- and we think his health care law would be a great place to start. last week, house republicans voted for a full repeal of this law, as we pledged to do, and we will work to replace it with fiscally responsible, patient- centered reforms that actually reduce costs and expand coverage. our debt is out of control. what was a fiscal challenge is now a fiscal crisis. we cannot deny it. instead we must, as americans, confront it responsibly. and that is exactly what republicans pledge to do. americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified -- especially when it comes to spending. so hold all of us accountable.

in this very room, the house will produce, debate, and advance a budget. last year, in an unprecedented failure, congress chose not to pass, or even propose a budget. the spending spree continued unchecked. we owe you a better choice and a different vision. our forthcoming budget is our obligation to you -- to show you how we intend to do things differently, how we will cut spending to get the debt down, help create jobs and prosperity, and reform government programs. if we act soon, and if we act responsibly, people in and near retirement will be protected. these budget debates are not just about the programs of government; they're also about the purpose of government. so i'd like to share with you the principles that guide us. they are anchored in the wisdom of the founder, in the spirit of the declaration of independence, and in the words of the american constitution.

they have to do with the importance of limited government and with the blessing of self- government. we believe government's role is both vital and limited -- to defend the nation from attack and provide for the common defense, to secure our borders, to protect innocent life, to uphold our laws and constitutional rights, to ensure domestic tranquility and equal opportunity, and to help provide a safety net for those who cannot provide for themselves. we believe that the government has an important role to create the conditions that promote entrepreneurship, upward mobility, and individual responsibility. we believe, as our founders did, that "the pursuit of happiness" depends upon individual liberty, and individual liberty requires limited government. limited government also means effective government. when government takes on too many tasks, it usually does not do any of them very well. it's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of

government is at an all-time high. the president and the democratic leadership have shown, by their actions, that they believe government needs to increase its size and its reach, its price tag and its power. whether sold as "stimulus" or repackaged as "investment," their actions show they want a federal government that controls too much, taxes too much, and spends too much in order to do too much. and during the last two years, that is exactly what we have gotten -- along with record deficits and debt -- to the point where the president is now urging congress to increase the debt limit. we believe the days of business as usual must come to an end. we hold to a couple of simple convictions. endless borrowing is not a strategy. spending cuts have to come first. our nation is approaching a tipping point. we are at a moment, where if government's growth is left unchecked and unchallenged,

america's best century will be considered our past century. this is a future in which we will transform our social safety net into a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency. depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness, and wise consumer choices has never worked -- and it will not work now. we need to chart a new course. speaking candidly, as one citizen to another -- we still have time, but not much time. if we continue down our current path, we know what our future will be. just take a look at what's happening to greece, ireland, the united kingdom and other nations in europe. they didn't act soon enough, and now their governments have been forced to impose painful austerity measures -- large benefit cuts to seniors and huge tax increases on everybody. their day of reckoning has arrived. ours is around the corner. that is why we must act now.

some people will back away from this challenge. but i see this challenge as an opportunity to rebuild what lincoln called the "central ideas" of the republic. we believe a renewed commitment to limited government will unshackle our economy and create millions of new jobs and opportunities for all people, of every background, to succeed and prosper. under this approach, the spirit of initiative -- not political clout -- determines who succeeds. millions of families have fallen on hard times not because of our ideals of free enterprise -- but because our leaders failed to live up to those ideals, because of poor decisions made in washington and wall street that caused a financial crisis, squandered our savings, broke our trust, and crippled our economy. today, a similar kind of irresponsibility threatens not only our livelihoods but our way of life. we need to reclaim our american system of limited government,

low taxes, reasonable regulations, and sound money, which has blessed us with unprecedented prosperity. and it has done more to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed. that is the real secret to job creation -- not borrowing and spending more money in washington. limited government and free enterprise have helped make america the greatest nation on earth. these are not easy times, but america is an exceptional nation. in all the chapters of human history, there has never been anything quite like america. the american story has been cherished, advanced, and defended over the centuries. and it now falls to this generation to pass on to our children a nation that is stronger, more vibrant, more decent, and better than the one we inherited. thank you and good night.

[inaudible conversations]

>> and we are here on c-span 2 and we are talking two different numbers of congress throughout the night to get their reaction to this speech. we're kicking off with somebody who is a freshman member of congress, but a 30 pin to a state of. this is congressman frederick richmond, democrat of louisiana, a freshman. first of all, congressman, what with delight to be a member of congress listening to the president? >> i remember lastune as a guest of the majority with common james clyburn and the first lady's but. this president is very good at reminding you of the purpose of why we're here. and he gives you that energy to wake up tomorrow and say you know what, let's come together. it's more importantly put american people first holds that they taught us november 2nd. but then person a party politics. >> some things the president called for, free son domestic spending for five years, tax increase in the richest

americans coming up earmarks, no social security cut and time to do with illegal immigration. >> well, you think is right about those and he also talks about reorganizing government and making sure we don't have the duplications in those things. i can tell you from being in new orleans in the metropolitan area and katrina to weave a bunch of duplications of service and requirements that just don't make sense anymore in this new technology age with wt we have. so i'm looking forward to that. i'm looking forward to delving into seeing if we can't simplify the tax code and make suree don't have those loopholes and try to bring taxes on everyone but the assumption everyone is going to be in a fair share. >> do you have your committ assignments yet click >> , mom homeland security, small business and the ranking member under small business. and i'm an assistant grip. >> well, congratulations and welcome to washington as a member of congress. he brought a special guest at it

this evening. >> i brought my mother with me. she's a big fan of the you.

>> we're located here in statuary hall, which served at the house chamber up until 1835 when the new house chamber was built. you can see here the scrum of media and members of congress here in statuary all, all putting in their 2 cents about the president's speech. we are pleased to be joined now by abe perennial cast on this

date sheila jackson me. i've got to star coming you were there in brief the president. what did you have to do to get the premium seat click >> it's very good for america to see this happening in iraq. this is a democratic process. when i sit on the aisle seat coming to what i'm doing? and speaking to my constituents. they are way way in houston texas and it's a great opportunity to let them know what we do here and how important it is to just get a moment with some of the secretaries in the cabinet to have calmed down and you emphasizing teas issues and from houston issues. >> what is the texas issue today? >> the texas issue is about jobs, nasa, particularly education. we are suffering great budget cuts in taxes. right now our legislature is in session even tonight, discussing

budget cuts, but also discussing legislation that impacts immigration. that's a lot of issues. >> what did the issues bring up? would you support that? >> let me say this, i think the details of what we all need, but certainly were committed to working towards a balanced buet if that's possible, but is well to look at how we can hope that the deficit. i sat next to pete olson, republican from texas. i think we can work together, but it's about priorities and i'm concerned about the principles. m certainly concerned about medicare, medicaid, social security. those are all going to be part of the roadmap. how do we get from a-z? i think the president laid out a very good roadmap for us. there'll be some agreement and there'll be some disagreement. >> converse woman, thank you for spending time at this. >> i think the president for calling young people to be teachers. >> thank you. take care. from texas to georgia, david scott congressman serving a

term? >> yeah, that term. >> joining us to tell us what he thought about the president. >> it was great. it was ran on time. i was especially pleased the way he emphasized jobs and education. the greatest challge we have faced right now is making sure that the unted states stays strong in terms of commitment to the world as far as the ub goodness of our workforce, competitiveness of our work for us. any emphasize those rings. that's very important. because only that way can we move with the boldness and the confidence to make sure we sustain our position of leadership in the world. jobs, education, competitiveness an innovation. >> do you agree with the president called for freeze a freeze on domestic spending? >> i do, but i think we have to look at each thing very, very

strategically. but basically, generally, i'm in agreement with that. but i also think we have to make sure we look at everything. i'm very concerned that we do not interfere with the basic operations of the american people, social security, medicare and medicaid. those are the things that sustain us. there's all kinds of other areas where we need to cut. >> congressman scott, democrat of georgia. as we continue juran statutory hall, just outside the house chamber, we've been talking with several members, democrats so far. what makes this all tonight as we continue to talk with other people. this is judy chu, who is a freshman and a half hours south or in a half. one and a half terms, correct? democrat of california. this is your first date of the union? >> my second state of the union. >> did it feel different than my

share? >> it's all quite different. there was an emphasis on stability. and i was actually surprised at the tone and the response was ry, very good and there was a feeling of moving together towards a future. >> who did you say with? >> i sat with roscoe bartlett >> republican of american. is he a friend of yours from outside of -- is he a friend of yours or somebody you're just getting to know? >> we actually got to know each other over this course of time, make the last year and half. we like to appear to both liked what. >> how was that experience as opposed to sitting with the democratic caucus? the mac it was actually great. he was so warm and friendly. we got to know each other even better. fact we sat together with former speaker nancy peloi. >> now, what did the president say that she disagreed with? >> well, i wanted to know more

about the cuts, the five-year spending freeze. i wanted to truly make sure our most vulnerable are not hurt. >> judy chu, democrat from california, thank you for joining ushere on c-span in statutory hall. good luck to you as we continue to talk with members of congress. we have another freshm joining a come a freshman from senate side. she spent quite a bit of time on this site, on the house side, but now is a freshman senator. first of all, congressman curt, who did you sit with them what to do the mixup? >> i s with illinois senator, dick durbin, my counterpart. and i thought it was very good to sit as patriots, not as partisans. >> no senator, you come from the state of the president and of th majority whip.

>> and at the president senate seats. is that going to benefit you? >> is certainly does. the job is looking forward, rather than behind. my job is for the people of illinois as defined by the most recent election. >> now, when did you stand up and applaud the president? >> i took notes. these are the pros. these are the cons. so to emphasize the positive, simplifying the tax cut is good, repealing part of health care come in the president supported the 1090 nines ruled, his only veto threat was against earmarks. >> takeuchi standing up? >> and i particularly took to heart opening universe at the end of doughnuts don't tell. >> were you surprised the president sa that? >> i was and i was very happy about it. on the negative side i come in 12 separate spending proposals and i'm wondering how you do that because i think the issue

over the whole eech is a trillion dolla deficit. >> senator, what are your seats now? >> might have requested for the appropriations committee, but it's still up to republican and democratic leaders. >> senator mark kirk, thank you for your time. watch your step. we've got all sorts of lines here at statutory hall. now joining us is anothe freshman. nice to meet you, sir. >> software. >> sophomore, i apologize. [inaudible] 's >> b. schnoz new york. >> so what kocher about the president's speech tonight? >> the challenges he plays to invest in jobs is the number one priority, to also entr with a passionate resolve of global race on clen energy and innovation. i thought the challenge was significant to invest in research, r&d and the buildup of

our economy through the workforce also. i thought the challenge to celebrate science fairs as much as we celebrate super bowlis great challenge. let's establish our priorities. let's invest in education, higher education, research money and growing innovation economy. that is a sustainable outcome, one of my reach in the capital region of new york is deeply invested in. for the third fastt growing region for science and tech jobs in the country. this is a hand in glove fits and it acknowledges we have to inspire our young, resolved with passion the efforts to enter into the global race on innovation. >> what is the unemployment rate in your district? >> it depends. there's a lesser rate in the 7% to 8% area in the eastern and an higher into the western end, where the older mill towns are located. we have a public sector economy that at this point has been

good, but now even state governments across the country threatened with job cuts because of the economy. >> in 112 has been a lot of bipartisanship. have you seen that? >> i think tonight there was an effort to act by partisanly tonight reserved the name steve, when aft the sweep of the house of representatives chamber. >> deit by the secret service. >> made sure we could put a block of a together, for republicans and for democrats, so the sense of urgency there is critical. we understand, the president highlighted that the contest is not between democrats and republicans. the contest is america and competitor nations across this globe, looking to land jobs in industry. and we do it by investing in our children, investing in education, basic research and r&d. it provides for lucrative

dividends when we invest in that manner. and i like his reshuffling priorities of this country so that within the carvings we can do to cut into nefficiencies, those savings can be relayed over to the perfect investment that will bring us into a competitive, robust state of affairs as we enter the global race on innovation and clean energy. >> we've been tackling congressman tonko, demrat of new york. >> i look forward to that on the scientist had balaji committee. watch your step,ir. >> from new york to missouri. good to see you, congressman carnahan. i know your member of of the transportation committee. the president talked about high-speed rail. do you support it? >> absolutely. where in the midwest corridor with my >> from chicago to st. louis, st. louis to kansas city. it is huge for our region and really the majority is to hear the president talking about

serious emphasize on science and innovation. for cities like st. louis that is such a great infrastructure for science and science education and also being a transportation for the country. it's the kind of thing i think you get bipartisan support, but also make -- give us a big jolt as we continue to grow the economy. >> was the biggest problem facing st. louis in your view right now? >> we've been hit hard with manufacturing jobs. we've lost manufacturing, but we've made up for some of that with having strong health care and researchhat dirt and also transportation. so again, a lot of the things the president mentioned tonight will hit home for folks in missouri. >> congressman carnahan, good to see you. >> i feel more like a tour guide sometimes -- [inaudible]

-- following the president's address. senator, good to see you. and you've been around washington quite a long time. you know this city pretty well. what does today feel like? >> tonight felt like a night filled with hope, but still leaving questions about how you get there. it's getti there half the fun? it doesn't look like because th president laid down some strict rules for us to achieve the goals he wants us to achieve. when you say were limits in increases, when neil veto earmarks. these are important things. we talk about the value of education that we have to do a lot of work to get people there. i was a beneficiaryof the g.i. bill. i served in the army and it changed my life. everything was given free because of my military service. how do we do it now? i think it was a good speech.

it was intended to be an inspirational speech and did achieve some hope. i even saw a couple republicans smile now and then. >> would be to sit with? 's >> i sat with bernie sanders. >> i don't know whether he qualifies as bipartisan, but we do share a progressive agenda he and i. >> senator, you've been around in washngton a long time. were some of your republican friends you can work with? >> there are people that sit over there that i respect greatly. take lugar is one of those people. his knowledge of foreign affairs and nuclear proliferation. dick shelby is a pal of mine because we worked together on transportation for a long time.

and there are other people there who i sit on the committee split. i consider a friend to be james inhofe and we differ on environmental policy. so it's a mix of things, but i think i was a good lesson on at least have to be patient with one another. >> finally, sir, there's reports in the last years or so? 's >> it was terrific. i do best year when good guys. i'm in perfect health and i used the word loosely. perfect health despite the fact that i am the oldest member of the united states senate. and i think that for having that title, we are doing very well and i look forward to years ahead of me. >> frank lautenberg i'm a senior from new jersey, thanks very much. >> thank you, sir.

>> in the continue talking with members of congress, following the president thursday that the union address, which lasted a ttle bit over an hour. we're now joined by freshman member from florida, congressman daniel webster. that's a well-known name. >> my district of central florida, orange county -- >> or did you replace? 's >> alan grayson. >> so, first state of the union address. >> wel i was awed by the crowd and electricity that was there. it certainly was a speech that i had not heard the other two times i heard a speech by our president. i think there was some different times or consolatory, realizing there's a republican house, a divided senate and a democrat president. i think he wants to work with us. >> did you ever seen it during the speech and applied? >> i.t. i set up for the military. i stood up for merit pay.

i stood up for the idea of getting rid of some of the regulations on business, for cutting spending. there's quite a few things i stood up for her. >> you serve on the rules committee? you've had quite an active week o? >> not hardly. but again, these e hidden at the heart of some things done at the heart of last congress and i think we might have some other issues. >> there was quite the debate today about the budget committee. what is your view about? >> point is this, there's got to be a starting place. somewhere for going do -- the president talked about cuts in getting rid of a wate and so lovely. and so we established the starting point. that's the only budget, ron backed the only budget for

nondiscretionary ending or less. it wasn't the end all. they just said okay, have somebody that can go below that of areas, then great. but somehow, seway we've got to turn off the spending. >> congressman if you had, just give us a brief biography of yourself prior to your congress. >> well, served in the florida legislature from 1,982,008. i was in the florida house of representatives are 18 years. i was the first republican speaker in 122 years. i was term limited out power to the senate and serve the last three years there as majority leader and then i was termed it again. i ran for congress three years later. >> you probably know our new senator, marcrubio. >> i served with marco rubio and the congressional delegation and i know a lot of the members of the congress from in the legislature where they also served in the legislature in their states. >> congressman daniel webster, the republican freshman from florida. we appreciate your time.

you're on c-span. and now joining us is ather freshman representative, scott tipton, republican of colorado. i'll come to washington. i'll come to washington. >> thank you very mch. >> would you think about the president's speech? 's >> is great to be here in person. i like the tip of the hat to small business, but i think fundamentally what it got down to it, the president is still looking at government and solutions being the driving engine. i'm a private-sector person. this is what we need to get moving in this what we need to t moving in this country toerson. this is what we need to get moving in this country to get our people back to work and get this economy moving. [inaudible] -- as i put a negative connotation on a? 's >> it was nice to be able to hear it and it goes far beyond saying we need to work to private-sector and small business. we're talking about raising taxes once again on businesses

that are llp and kucinich says. that's going to be impacted by his call to raise taxes once again. so the words didn't always match the moves many of us on a talk getting the economy. >> now, what committee have you been assigned to? >> i'm a natural's >> where the fifth-largest congressional district in the united states based on geography. the entire western colorado and we take in southeastern colorado as well. >> that includes grand junction? >> grand junction and >> take care. from colorado, back down from

florida, and the republicans, on of 87 new freshman republican. congressman colonel allen west. what's the better title for you? 's >> i spent 22 years of the kernel, so that will stick with me for quite sometime. >> it's truly an honor and i can't think of anything. >> well, one of the issues he talked about was opening up all college campuses on rotc. >> i think it's a sad thing because all those college campuses should be open to rtc regardless. and the fact that lifting "don't ask, don't tell" should not be a condition for us to make sure that all the university students have the access to go and serve their country they wish to do so. >> you are serving armed services? >> and serving armed services committee. >> what is your first issuthis time?

when you look at what is happening in iraq and especially not afghanistan, the rules of engagement, catch and release program, i want to make sure we get away from nationbuilding and occupational psi warfare and get back to denying enemy sanctuaries and strike operations. and i think we have to be careful about setting timelines up there that are just based on coitions basbecause you start telegraphing attentions to the enemy, this is a very patient enemy were up against. >> what about the president's plan on guantánamo? 's >> i think wonton möbius airfreight purpose. they brought these to the united states sure that i think there's a reason i ould thought that facility and why we have these military tribunals. i don't want to see what happened with mr. gillani happen with anyone else for you was acquitted on over 200 some odd charges for the deaths of 200 some odd people in those embassies. >> congressman allen west, bring you from florida. appreciate your time this evening at statutory hall.

as we continue talking with members of the congress llowing the president's state of the union speech here on c-span 2, where a statutory harbored outside the house chamber -- the new house chamber opened in 1835. you can see all the members of congress and the media still chatting on the getting reaction. and now joining us is another freshman member, one of the 87 the republicans, james langford, republican of oklahoma. congressman, tellis bacher district. >> it's a great district. it's oklahoma city, edmonton on the area around it and seminole county and shawnee area. it was called pottawattamie county. >> what we are doing prior to being elected congress? 's >> director of a christian youth camp. >> now, if you take governor

ballard? >> i did. i'm one of the 35 but it never run for political office before. there wasn't a tea party supporting oklahom there is a passion about ideas, but not individual candidates. >> what made you decide to run and congress? >> this is a long journey and for both of us to be able to type filting through as well be started in the fourth 2008, really struggling through whether we need to get involved in this process greatly felt compelled to build a jump in the process and say we've got to be part of it. it's no different than a lot of people i met for the first time in their life they believe in the issues, but they've never been engaged in issues like they are now. i'm e of those that have always been very passionate about issues and ideas, but never engaged like this until now. >> tell us about your experience inside the house chamber, who sat with. the mac is that with the oklahoma delegation. i've oklahomans together for both republicans and democrats and so i sat with them this

evening. it was a great experience on that. it's not in a mother who's the president. >> did you at any point stand up and cheer for the president >> sure. you want to be respectful when it comes in, be respectful when refinish, but there's ideas about tax reform. the something republicans attacked about a long time, additional tax reform. to stand up and sure enough for soldiers what's going on the field will cheer for tha cheer for the educators and be able to understand. that's a terrific thing to do. >> congressman, thank you for your time this evening. appreciate it. >> you back. i am transportation and on budget committee. i'm also on oversight government reform. >> subcommittee chair already, freshman year? >> we've got a lot to do. >> budget committee will be taken on some presidents are postals as we got to do with us in the coming days is in the cbo scores we start taking it on.

i was a little surprised. i expected some budget-cutting ideas and the president and we didn't get that. we've basically got to keep the status quo, just freeze it at the 2010 model, which surprises me. that's really not an option. we want $.4 trilli with the debt every year now and to y we're going to freeze it at that level and hope it gets a help us catch up at all. >> does it it help return to busy or level? >> is to suppress going backwards. he says keep it at the 2010 model which is 25% higher than it was in 2008. i just don't agree we continue on the same track and say this is going to solve the problem with the keep by 25%. representatives were ready to go. we've got to start working our way backwards and say weave to spend less get for actually going to start wring down the deficit. his proposal is $400 billion over the next 10 years when in reality were $1.4 trillion every year and that. and so we've got to solve that. >> thank you for your time. >> are very elcome.

>> and we get the opportunity to talk with another freshman congressman. welcome to washington. fill anything out. did i get it right? >> yeah, throws everybody off. >> introduce yourself. q-quebec well, i'm in a freshman from michigan, replacing peter hoekstra with an 18 year congressman. ran for government in michigan and was not able to win that primary. i actually served as peter's district director in that capacity for six years and was also a state legislator in michigan for six years, term limited out. in two years ago was when that happened. the small business owner. i am gravel company and i have had it firmly planted in the business trip, but also when the public policy world. >> bluest nightlight for you? >> one, love your channel, love c-span and always a faithful

watcher of any of the state of the union addresses. it's very different been in the chamber. i think the seing arrangements frankly sort of cut down on the theatrics of what you normally see. i'll see it next to the democrat than republican on my other site and another democrat on the side of him. i actually sat with brad sherman from sherman oaks out of california. and then it was donna edwards from maryland. and next to me was also jeff lary, freshman from louisiana. so it was a good experience. as we were going to the speech, sort of comparing notes, that was interesting. [inaudible] >> we were in baltimore. very positive. i think you're seeing a lot of sort of pen tablets go get them coming out of the freshman class. and that is i think setting a

tone in a piece in many ways. leadership has been wonderful to work with. they're trying to make sure that everybody's realistic and at expectations are. i think that's going to be our biggest challenges we sent benchmarks of progress. we're not going touild a solve this whole thing in one fell swoop. it's going to be a long painful process. we've got to live within our means. we've got to make sure that where not just expect the miracles as for doing this as the wheel on the ship oftate was turned in november. it's going to take a little time to move it around. >> phil huizenga, new freshman from michigan. >> thank you. >> talking with us in statuary hall. [inaudible conversations] >> as we continue to talk

following the state of the union address by he president here in statuary hall outside the house chamber, coming up next, another new member, steve sutherland, republican of florida. congressman, to start by telling us about your district. >> welcome our district is the largest congressional district in florida. we have counties, two time zones, about four and half hours. [inaudible] >> we are in the panhandle. our distri encompasses a coastal counties on the gulf of mexico and 12 rural counties in total. it's a lot of farming, and a lot of rural communities. it's a great place. >> into ctg take? >> congressman allen boyd democrat. >> you as a democrat? >> per district is not elected since 1882. so i'm honored to be here, representing the people. >> were redoing prior?

>> on the small business owner. a funeral business. my grandfather started our funeral business 56 years ago when i nonbusiness other vendors of my family, sister and brother-in-law. >> when she get the idea to run for congress? >> last year, 2000 night i fulfilled my responsibilits above the boards i sat on committed gubernatorial claimant said completed. i got back about in our business. and i then started seeing a downturn in the economy and all small businesses around this country, including our own were struggling. and he wasn't willing to work hard work to be honest. that's a formula that's always been successful. i started to see that that formula was experiencing pressure that i don't think ever should be the case. so i made the decision instead of complaining abo it, doing something i've never done, got involved in a political office. and now i am here and it's rather surreal.

.. and so i think the iniatives such as freezing spending for five years to produce a 400 billion-dollar cut

in the deficit that's nice but it's a token compared to what we really should be doing. we have to make some very difficult decisions and have to go much further than $400 million in savings. >> , hersman sutherland, thank you for spending a few minutes here on c-span as e get a chance to know some new members of congress following the state of the union speech. but a long term, long time member of congress -- >> not so long. >> with 87 members that is a long time, congressmen. >> thank you. glad to be with you. >> you are a democrat in texas, and i want to start by talking about your friend, gabbie giffords because i remember you were on the floor talking about her. she is now in texas. was to light a little bit different than previous state of

the union address is? >> i think the president touched the nation when he mentioned in the chamber will clearly we want her to be returned to the chamber and take her rightful place. our prayers are still with her, and not only hurdle of the other families involved, and i single out the familyof that nine-year-old baby that lost her life. i want never again anything of is nature to happen in this great nation. we can do better. >> at what point did you disagree with the president when he wastalking about freezing domestic spending? for example he talked about miers' their anything the president sa he disagreed with? >> you never want to say that you aree 100% with anyone, but the president get a pretty good speech tonight. i was impressed. he set the tone when he indicated it's about more than

putting together tonight. it's also about working together mauro. as we lead tonight we've got to come back to normal and deal with of the serious business of balancing the budget of dealing with the war and we do more than just sit together. we have to work together. i think he's got a great tone, and i'm looking forward to working together to make a difference for the lives of the american people. >> has your life change coming from the majory to the minority? >> well, things are different, but my agenda remains the same. on still here for those that have been lost, left out and left behind. i am going to do all i can to make sure we have good health care for all americans, that we've got a good education for all americans, and that we provide the best that we can for those that are willing to go to different places and put their lives on the line for us. america is great for many

reasonsand we can never overlook the fact that our soldiers, our men and women in uniform, are there to prot

minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to

revise and extend their remarks on the resolution that is before us. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. dreier: madam speaker, one of the indelible and enduring images of 2010 was that of violent protesters on the streets of athens following the proposal of the government to impose austerity measures. we all remember very vividly that scene. coming to the brinks brink of collapse and nearly dragging the entire euro zone with it, the greek government had no choice, no choice but to scale back its profligate ways. thousands of public employees took to the streets in anger. now, madam speaker, i contrast that with the image of tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators across america coming out to express their influences stration with -- sfration with excessive

government spending. rather than demanding federal largess, these tax-taxed-enough demonstrators came together to petition their government for greater restraint and discipline. this might actually, madam speaker, have been a first in human history. it was a powerful illustration of the unique nature of american values. it was also a testament to just how badly fiscal discipline is needed. this issue is no longer just the per view of budget wonks and economists. the looming crisis of our national debt is a challenge that working americans recognize very clearly. while the magnitude of a $14 trillion debt is simply too massive to truly comprehend, those with a modicum of common common sense can appreciate the

crushing whailt that will full on future generation if we do not immediately change course, the damage could quickly become irreversible. today's resolution is a clear signal that we are making that change in course. house resolution 38 is the first step, madam speaker, the first step in what will be a long and admittedly very difficult process over the next two years as we pursue the goal of living within our means. . this resolution lays down a marker to return to pre-bailout, pre-binge spending, pre-stimulus levels. this resolution provides the framework under which we will finally dispense with the fiscal year 2011 budget which the previous congress unfortunately failed to do. nearly halfway through the fiscal year, we're nearly halfway through the fiscal year,

now the imperative is to responsibly finish the work that is really very, very urgent for us to approach and deal with at this moment. once we move beyond this task we will immediately pivot to fiscal year 2012. we will craft a budget, we will consider alternatives with a full debate and then this house will pass a budget. we will then proceed with consideration of appropriations bills. we will return to the traditional open process that always governed our appropriations bills prior to the last couple of years. this will ensure full accountability and true collaboration and restore the deliberative traditions and customs of this body. there will be very tough choices ahead. very tough choices need to be made. there will be -- there's no doubt that we will engage in heated debate and i suspect we will in just a few minutes right here. but we simply cannot afford to

put off the hard work any longer. madam speaker, today we take the first step. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. govern governor thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i -- mr. mcgovern: thank you, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in very, very strong opposition to this resolution. as i said yesterday during the debate on the rules, there are numerous serious problems with this resolution. first, it's meaningless rhetoric. my friends on the other side of the aisle like to talk a lot about cutting government spending but the resolution before us doesn't cut a single dollar from the budget. not a single cent. the republican study committee recently proposed $2.5 trillion in budget cuts and their chairman, mr. jordan from ohio, said the following when he introduced this plan, and i quote, $100 billion is the number the american people heard last fall. it seems to me we should be able to find $100 billion, end quote.

yet even after pledging $100 billion cut in funding, the distinguished chairman of the rules committee couldn't come up with a number. we asked yesterday and instead produced what is likely the first budget resolution in history that doesn't contain any budget numbers. that might be because the republican majority can't seem to figure out what the numbers should be. we've heard all kinds of numbers. we've heard $30 billion, $50 billion, $100 billion and beyond. but i suspect, madam speaker, that's because the republican majority is discovering that it's a lot harder to walk the walk than it is to talk the talk. it is a lot easier to say things in a campaign than it is to do things in a legislative body. they're realizing that when you start trying to make those kinds of cuts, you start seriously affecting the american economy and the american people. we are told that the congressional budget office will produce some numbers tomorrow. i wonder why we couldn't wait until tomorrow to debate this

resolution? but the answer is obvious. the president of the united states will be here this evening for the state of the union address and the republican majority needs a new set of talking points. it's that kind of politics, where a message is more important than substance, that makes the american people cynical about washington. second, the resolution continues the dangerous precedent of giving one individual, the chairman of the budget committee, rather than the full membership of this house, the ability to set spending levels for the federal government. and, third, the resolution is vegas and unjustifies wording that only targets nonsecurity spending although everyone from secretary gates to speaker boehner has recognized that waste exists in the department of defense and at the department of homeland security and other security-related agencies. it says a great deal about the priorities of a new republican majority that they would treat wasteful contracts and redun can't dant weapons system -- redundant weapons systems as

sacred but would put food safety, f.b.i., a.t.f. and d.e.a. agents and other vital programs on the chopping block. now, of course, when we democrats have the audacity to talk about the need to protect those important programs, our republican friends grow indignant and head to the fainting couch. oh, no, they say, we would never cut those things. but, madam speaker, the numbers just don't add up. when you start saying the popular program, the popular program will be protected, you realize that it would take massive cuts in other parts of the budget. when we talk about exempting only security programs, it means that other programs will need to be cut by 30% below current levels. that means the department of justice has to cut 4,000 f.b.i. agents, 800 a.t.f. agents, 1,500 d.e.a. agents and 900 u.s. marshals. federal prisons have to cut 5,700 correctional officers and the federal government will lose the capacity to detain 26,000

people because of their immigration status. now of course the distinguished chairman of the rules committee said we're not going to cut the f.b.i., as we said yesterday, so i can only assume that means more a.t.f. agents and d.e.a. agents and u.s. marshals will be fired by the republicans. i can only assume that this means more than 26,000 people in this country illegally won't be in federal custody. that's the republican agenda? madam speaker, i think former secretary of state colin powell said it best this weekend and i quote, i'm very put off when people just say, let's go back and freeze to the level two years ago. don't tell me you're going to freeze to a level. that usually is a very inefficient way of doing it. tell me what you're going to cut. as i urge my colleagues to reject this misguided resolution, i ask my republican colleagues, what's the number and what are you going to cut? i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: madam speaker, i yield myself 30 seconds to say to my good friend, again, that this is the beginning of a process. we have been saddled with situation where for the first time since the implementation of the 1974 budget impoundment act we have no budget. and so what is it we've elected to do? nearly halfway through the fiscal year we're faced with this challenge. we're now in a position where we are going to begin going through regular order to ensure that we have a budget which we didn't do last year and have an open, free-flowing debate on the amendments through the appropriations process. and i will say to my friend that defense issue issues are going to be a high priority -- that defense issues are going to be a high priority. with that, madam speaker, i'd like to yield three minutes to my very good friend and colleague, the distinguished chair of the committee on the budget from whom we're going to be hearing later this evening, the gentleman from jamesville, washington, d.c., mr. ryan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from washington, d.c. is recognized for three minutes. mr. ryan: i thank the chairman for yielding. madam speaker, i'm enjoying the rhetoric we're hearing today about one person, one committee,

one man dictating in all these things. as if it's an unprecedented action. well, this move is not unprecedented. the reason this is necessary is unprecedented. it is unpress debitted since the -- unprecedented since the 1974 budget act passed that congress didn't boggetter to pass or even propose a -- didn't bother to pass or even propose a budget. madam speaker, the reason we're here today is because the last majority last year didn't even bother trying. that means we have no budget in place. and with no budget in place there's no budget act to enforce. that means government is going and spending unchecked, no limits, no policemen on the beat, nothing. why are we giving this kind of power to the chairman of the budget committee, to put these numbers in? because we don't get the numbers from the congressional budget office until tomorrow. and we've said all along what we aim to do, bring the structuring levels down to pre-bailout,

pre-stimulus levels. and then for all the authorizing committees, it's put the c.b.o. baseline in place. it doesn't exist right now. it comes tomorrow. so what we're simply trying to do, madam speaker, is get some sense of limits back on spending. get some sense of a budget process back in place. we don't think we should have a system, a spending process, without restrainting, without limits, without any prioritization. that is exactly why we're doing this. business as usual has to come to an end, madam speaker. and we've got to put limits on spending and that is why we have a budget act, to police the spending process, to make sure that it conforms. but there is no budget act, there is no number to police because they didn't do a budget last year. that is exactly and precisely why this measure is necessary. so all the rhetoric aside, the days are over of unlimited spending, of no prioritization and the days of getting spending under control are just

beginning. this is a first step in a long process. this is a minimal, small down payment on a necessary process to go forward so that we can live our -- leave our kids with a better generation, so we can get this debt under control, so the spending spigot can close so, we can do right by our constituents and treat their dollars wisely. with that, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i'm glad the chairman of the budget committee finally joined this debate. and i would say two things. one is that last year we passed a budget enforcement act with real numbers in it and we voted on it and it was significantly less than the number that the president had proposed, number one. number two, one of the things that we proposed in the rules committee was an amendment to allow members of the house, on both sides of the aisle, to be able to vote on the number. and that was rejected on party

line as somehow a radical idea. and then the chairman of the rules committee talks about this free-flowing debate we're having. we're having this debate today under a closed rule. and so there's no opportunity for amendment. and with that -- mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? mr. mcgovern: i yield to the gentleman. mr. dreier: i thank my friend for yielding. i'd like to point to my colleaguings, madam speaker, h.res. 38. it's a one-sentence measure, a one-sentence measure which says that our goal is to get to 2008 levels of spending or less. mr. mcgovern: i thank the gentleman. reclaiming my time. i appreciate the brevity of the bill but that doesn't mean the bill has a very negative impact. when we tried yesterday to protect the f.b.i. and enforcement agents from cuts, that was voted down. so we're very concerned. we don't know what the number is. and i think the people in this congress on both sides of the aisle, the american people, ought to know what we're talking about.

where is it? and where tho are those cuts going to come from when you keep on exempting programs? with that, madam speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. van hollen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. mr. van hollen: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank my colleague. here we are a day later, yesterday we asked our colleagues, what's the number going to be? what's going to be the spending ceiling for this congress and for the united states government? they didn't have it yesterday and we don't yet have it today. it's a budget resolution without a budget number. now, we've heard a lot of talk about what happened last year. what this budget resolution relates to is 2011. in fact, this body voted last year on a budget enforcement act, i have it right here in my hand, and it set budget ceiling, it had a real number. some people voted for it, some people voted against it, but this body did what it always does when it makes decisions of this magnitude, we took accountability for it. now you have a resolution that violates the pledge of

transparency, because it doesn't have a single number on it, and it violates the pledge of accountability because you're asking every other member of this body to contract out his or her vote to one person. now, i have great respect for the chairman of the budget committee and i too congratulate him on being selected to give the response to the state of the union address. this isn't about a particular individual, it's about all of us taking responsibility for a major decision and what this resolution does is contracts out that responsibility, it doesn't have a number, we don't know if it's going to be $100 billion, we don't know if it's going to be $40 billion, we don't know if it's going to be the number that the republican study conference wants, which the majority leader said good things about. we don't know. what we do know is this, that the bipartisan deficit and debt reduction commission told us two things.

number one, we need to act now to put this country on a fiscally sustainable path and we should do that by working together. they also said another thing, that deep immediate cuts beyond what had been put in place and recommended by the fiscal commission would hurt the economy when it's in a very fragile state and risk throwing more americans out of work. that would be a terrible mistake and yet our colleagues want us to make a decision to vote on this without telling us what the number is. so when we ask what the number was, they said, we're waiting for the congressional budget office. when will the congressional budget office have its numbers? tomorrow. 24 hours from now. then we can do the right thing, we can see what the cuts will be and we can make a decision as a body, taking responsibility for this decision. why is it we're not waiting 24 hours? it's pretty obvious. a little later today the president of the united states will be here to deliver the state of the union address and instead of being serious about this number, they want to

deliver a press release. that is what this is about without a number. otherwise we would wake wait 24 hours and our friends could tell white house that number would be. you're asking this body to buy a pig in a poke and the reason it is so serious is that -- if i could have an additional 30 seconds. mr. mcgovern: i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. mr. van hollen: i thank my friend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. van hollen: and my friend from massachusetts talked about this earlier, whether it's $100 billion or $80 billion or $20 billion, those all have consequences because on the other side of the aisle when we say, well, are you going to be cucucucucuttg research to find and treatments for cancer or diabetes? no, we're not going to cut that. are you going to cut the f.b.i. agents involved in antiterrorism efforts? no, we would never want to cut that. . the magnitude and the negative impact will be determined by what, the number in this bill, a

number we don't vote on that you're giving the chairman of the budget committee the sole authority to pick out of a hat. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. plo mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to respond to my friend. unfortunately the gun by -- begun by generating the debate to the sky is falling mentality, we're going to be scutting n.i.h. funding, gutting f.b.i. agents. we're beginning the process of putting our fiscal house in order. both my terms used the term "press release." this will be a statement from the united states house of representatives that we are today, before the president at 9:00 this evening stands here in this chamber and delivers his state of the union message, that we are committed ourselves to reduce the level of spending. with that i'd be happy to yield four minutes at this point -- i will in just a moment. i will in just a moment but at this point i'd like to yield four minutes to my good friend and classmate, the distinguish new chair of the committee on

appropriations, the gentleman from somersot, connecticut, mr. rogers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanis recognized for four minutes. mr. rogers: thank you for our service to our country over the time we've served together, classmates of 1980, we were a part of the reagan crop. madam speaker, this is the first step in the effort to reduce screng to fiscal 08 levels or below and show the america people that we are serious about reducing the out-of-control government spending that's hampering our economic growth. now, the gentlemen on the other side of the aisle clains he doesn't see a number. he had a chance last year along with his colleagues in the majority then at that time, to pass a budget resolution with specific numbers in it and refused.

and has refused until they lost control of the house. the number will be coming in due course of time. the message from the american people is crystal clear in the last election, they want government to spend less, stop undue interference in american lives and businesses, and take action to create jobs and get our economy moving once again. to do this, we must dramatically cut the massive spending that has dominated discretionary budgets in the past years. in order to put our economy on the fast track to recovery, we have to shorten the reach of uncle sam, cut up his credit cards and allow american businesses the opportunity to grow and ploy people and make the economy grow. starting with a continuing resolution, the c.r., my

committee will begin to make the largest series of spending cuts in history, madam speaker. members and staff are working diligently on this as we speak. going line by line to find specific areas and programs to cut. we hope and expect this legislation will soon be brought to the floor in a fair, open, and transparent manner giving all members from both sides of the aisle the opportunity for amendments. let there be no mistake -- the cuts that are coming will not be easy to make. they will not represent low-hanging fruits. these cuts will go deep and wide and will hit virtually every . . cut will have a constituency, an industry, an association,

individual citizens who will disagree, and every dollar that we don't cut will also be put into question. but the fact remains that we are in a national fiscal crisis. we must get our budgets, both discretionary and mandatory, under control. to this end, my committee will put forward appropriations bills this year that will fulfill our pledge to cut spending to the pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels of 2008. and this will be the beginning, not the end, of the effort. i've issued instructions to all 12 of our subcommittees to conduct strenuous oversight, including investigations and hundreds of hearings to weed out duplicative, wasteful, and unnecessary spending and prior ties federal programs so that we can make the most out of every precious tax dollar.

madam speaker, it's clear that cutting spending will require toughness and resolve. this will not be easy. it will not be quick. and it won't be without pain. but the success of our economy and future prosperity depend on it. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i have great respect for the chairman of the appropriations committee and i appreciate the fact we're going to have to make tough choices, but he as well failed to tell was the number is. or what those tough choices are going to be. are we going to cut medical research? food safety? job training programs? lie liheap, what -- mr. dreier will the gentleman yield on that point? mr. mcgovern: members on both sides of the aisle deserve to know what the number is so we can figure out what the pain is going to be. for the life of me, i can't understand and i don't think the

american people can understand why members of this house will not be given an opportunity to vote on that number. we ought to have that right. i yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. van hollen: we just heard there was no ceiling for 2011 in place. i'm going to make a copy and ask the pages to distribute this. this is the budget enforcement act for last year for fiscal year 2011 and there you have the budget ceilings. what you're proposing is a piece of paper that doesn't contain any of the numbers in it and i would just ask the chairman of the rules committee this -- during the hearing he said we're going to wait for could be,, c.b.o. tomorrow will have you a number for us? mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. van hollen: my time has expired. mr. dreier: will the gentleman

yield to me to respond? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcgovern: i yield 10 seconds. mr. dreier: i thank the gentleman for yielding. clearly the budget that expired the end of the congress, we know that very well and look forward to numbers coming out from both your new committee, the budget committee and the appropriations committee. mr. mcgovern: 24 hours. will you have a number tomorrow? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: madam speaker, with that i'm very happy to yield one minute to my good friend from the harrison township of michigan, ms. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from michigan is recognized for one minute. ms. miller: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, this past election was certainly a historic pivot for our nation. the american people demanded both the president of the united states as well as the congress chart a new course. because they understand that the growth of federal spending that we have seen the last several years is completely unsustainable. they understand that this

crushing burden, this debt we are selfishly placing on our children and our grandchildren is limiting their opportunities and they also understand very clearly that this irresponsible, out-of-control federal spending is limiting our ability for job creation and for economic growth. today this resolution clearly speaks to the house republicans' pledge to america by demonstrating our commitment to reduce spending, to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels to a level of 2008. many would say this doesn't go far enough and that debate will continue this year as we debate the c.r., the budget resolution and the vote for raising the debt ceiling. today i would urge all of my colleagues to vote yes on this resolution and let the american people know that we heard them loud and clear in november. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i think what the american people are interested in is serious legislating and serious discussion about how to get this budget under control and not political posturing. at this point i yield two

minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. andrews. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. andrews: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. andrews: i thank the gentleman for yielding. all those who care for and think about the 15 million unemployed people in this country on sbothe sides of the aisle want the congress to work together to help small businesses and entrepreneurs create jobs for americans. but the new majority right out of the gate has ignored that obligation. the first week they ignored the deficit. and passed a set of rules that says they can pretend it doesn't exist when they want to do something. then they increased the deficit by repealing the health care bill, the congressional budget office says that adds $230 billion over 10 years to the deficit, more than a trillion dollars over 20 years. this week they are hiding the deficit. they brought to the floor a bill

that once the american people -- wants the american people to guess what the numbers will be under which we'll live in the future. this is not the way to create jobs, either generally or specifically. here's one fact the members ought to take into consideration. last year the departments subject to a 25% spending cut under this bill made a million contracts with small businesses that gave $60 billion worth of work to caterers, electricians, other small businesses. what will happen to the jobs created by those small businesses if this 25% cut goes through? i say 25% cut advisedly because i do think we want to take one more attempt at finding out and i would yield to the chairman of the rules committee, will the spending bill that eventually gets here cut by 25% the 2006 levels or 22% the 2008 levels

and i would yield to anyone on the other side who can answer that question for us. what will the number be in the bill that eventually gets here? mr. dreier: i'm sorry, i was talking to mr. mulvaney. if the gentleman was yielding to me, i apologize and ask him to repeat the question. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: yield the gentleman an additional one minute. mr. andrews: thank you, madam speaker. to the gentleman, the question that i asked, will the bill that eventually has numbers in it have a 25% cut by going back to 2006 or 22% by going back to 2008? mr. dreier: if the gentleman will yield, i'm happy to answer my friend by saying the house will work its will. it's one of the things speaker boehner has made very clear -- mr. andrews: reclaiming mytime. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reclaims his time. mr. andrews: i would ask what the bill that the leadership brings to the floor will ask

for, a 25% cut that goes back to 2006 or a 22% back to 2008? mr. dreier: i thank the gentleman for yielding. speaker boehner, who is the leader of this house both republicans and democrats alike and obviously the leader of republicans said this morning in a meeting as he said repeatedly the house is going to work its will. we'll do something that hasn't been done especially on the appropriations process in the last two years. we're going to have a gate to allow the majority of this institution to determine what those numbers are. i thank my friend for yielding. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: i yield an additional 30 seconds. mr. andrews: that sounds awfully familiar. we were promised an open process on health care, it was a closed process on this bill, that sounds like a promise we've heard before that hasn't been honored thus far in this congress. i would urge a no vote. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say as we talk about

an open process, my rules committee colleagues know for the first time in four long years the rules committee reported out a modified open rule that will allow a free flowing debate tomorrow on this house floor. i should say, madam speaker, that h.res. 38 is literally one sentence which says that this institution is committed to getting our level of spending to 2008 levels or less, or less, madam speaker. i think it's important for to us note that and we have the chairman of the budget committee as i started to say in response to my intend, the appropriations committee chairman and we are determined to get a process. with that i'm happy to yield two minutes to my new you new friend from south carolina from indian hills, south carolina, mr. mulvaney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. mulvaney: thank you. i rise in favor of the resolution. i'm just happy to be able to have this debate this year. i can tell you, madam speaker, that we were campaigning last year during 2010 as freshmen, we

never expected to have the ability to come into this chamber this year and talk about the f.y. 2011 spending. we thought that that would be done long before we had gotten here. i thank my colleagues from across the way for failing to pass a budget last year so we have the opportunity to have this debate with this new congress. for me, and i know, madam speaker, for many of my colleagues, the key language in this resolution is 2008 levels or less. it's that "or less" that i think has a lot of the attention of the freshmen. in a world where discretionary spending is up 88% in the last two years, in a world where we borrowed $3 trillion in the last two fo two years, where we borrowed more money in one day, borrowed more money on june 30 of 2010 than we borrowed in all of 2006, in that world those two words "or less" are what speak to me an and so many members of the freshman class. i thank the rules committee and especially the chairman for making sure that language is in

there and look forward to exploring that when this bill comes to the floor. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanyields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i enjoyed the pretty much speaker. i would simply say what is the problem with telling us what the number is and what you're going to cut? the number is important because that does determine what you're going to cut. it determines what the allocations will be to the veterans' affairs appropriations committees. and they have real consequences and the notion that we're doing something bold by coming up with this arbitrary statement that 2008 or less levels are going to be to without any detail or numbers, without anything of anything, this is political posturing at its worst. with that i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from california, mrs. capps. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for two minutes. mrs. capps: i thank my colleague for yielding. madam speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this destructive resolution. the american people have charged us with creating jobs and

strengthening our economy. my colleagues in the majority appear more focused on getting in a good sound bite before tonight's state of the union. procedurally this resolution empowers a single person to decree the entire nation's budget for the rest of the year. no hearings, no markups, no votes. and this plan is nothing more than a gimmick that will destroy jobs. for example, referring -- reverting to 2008 budget levels will cut more than $17 million from the national health service corps. this program trains and employs health care providers, all while caring for millions of americans . moreover it will cut both nurse faculty loan programs and nurse training programs by nearly 70%. these cuts will decimate our health care work force now and long into the future. madam speaker, in 2008 over 27,000 qualified applicants to our nation's nursing schools were turned away because we didn't have enough faculty to

train them. countless others couldn't even afford to go. this budgetless resolution will do nothing more than exacerbate a real growing problem. members from both sides of the aisle know that we desperately need to increase our health care work force, not cut it. instead of cutting jobs we should be creating them. so i urge my colleagues to vote no on this budgetless resolution. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself to say to my friend from santa barbara that creating jobs and gelting our economy back on track is what this resolution is all about. we all know that on the sidelines, all across this country, and around the world, there is capital, there are resources that are waiting to be invested and once we get our economy, our fiscal house in order, the signal that that sends the job creators out there is a very important one. with that i'm happy to yield one minute to my friend from richmond, virginia, the distinguished majority leader, mr. cantor.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker, and i thank the gentleman from california, the chairman of the rules committee. madam speaker, november 2 marked the culmination of a long, arduous and ultimately clarifying debate over the kind of role government should play in the economy. by overwhelming margin voters rejected an approach that spends money we don't have and concentrates too much control and power in washington. instead they voted for a better way. republicans are determined to deliver results by instilling a culture of opportunity, responsibility and success. madam speaker, our majority is dedicated to cut and growth. cut spending and job-destroying regulations, grow private sector jobs in the economy. today we have the opportunity to take a significant step toward

repairing america's deteriorating fiscal condition. this resolution directs the budget committee chairman to spending levels so we return nondefense discretionary spending to 2008 levels or below. if you think the government didn't spend enough money in 2008, then oppose this resolution. go on record for more spending, more borrowing and more debt. but, madam speaker, if you believe we are spending too much money, then i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. it represents a clean break with the past and an end to the unchecked growth of federal spending and government and it is worthy of our support. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, i'm still waiting to hear the number and how much we're going to cut. i'm waiting to see this transparency and accountability. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from washington, mr. dicks. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from washington is recognized for two minutes. mr. dicks: the house remains committed -- committed to fiscal responsibility. we have two major concerns at this point that should be stated as we consider this resolution at the outset of the 112th congress. first, we must recognize that the highest priority at this point is to get our economy moving again, supporting initiatives that help create jobs and that continue to bring us out of the recession. our economy is still fragile and although unemployment is heading downward, it remains too high. in this regard i believe we must be concerned about a per sip tus and substantial drop in spending if it's going to result in increasing unemployment and increasing the deficit. it's going to have exactly the opposite effect of what is intended on the republican side. it would truly be counterproductive if we added to the ranks of the unemployed workers in america, reducing revenues coming into the treasury and requiring

additional expenditures for unemployment insurance. and welfare. and, second, the resolution we are considering today specifically exempts defense. the largest element of our federal budget. even though i have always supported a strong national defense, i cannot imagine why we would hold the pentagon harmless in the attempt to achieve greater fiscal accountability. even the republican majority leader this week agreed that defense spending should be on the table. and secretary gates himself has proposed a series of reasonable reductions that could be accomplished in his department's budget. in f.y. 2011 bill, the defense appropriations subcommittee which i had chaired with mr. young of florida, adopted last july, we included a reduction of $7 billion from the obama budget request and the senate appropriation committee had a similar number. i think we could even do more than that and i was glad to see that mr. boehner, mr. cantor and

others have all said that defense should be part of the solution. i think we could cut up to $13 billion out of the defense budget without doing any damage to the national security. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i yield myself 30 seconds to say to my very good friend from seattle that i'm in complete agreement with the notion of ensuring that we focus time, energy and effort on pearing back waste, fraud and abuse, especially within the pentagon. we all know that it's there and i'm glad that my friend from wofter raised that issue in his opening remarks. he somehow was arguing that we have left it sank sant -- sack row sant. we don't. as my friend knows, in his great position on the appropriations committee -- i'm happy to yield my friend 15 seconds, madam speaker. mr. dicks: i ought to say, we ought to do it now. this gives us a bargaining chip with the president and with the senate. we can make some reductions in

defense. mr. dreier: if i can reclaim my time, madam speaker, i would say to my friend, he knows very well, we've gone without a budget so far, we are going to go through the standard budget process and i yield myself an additional 15 seconds to say i'd like to see complete reform of the 1974 budget act. i want a joint, bicameral party to do that. with the structure we have today, we're going to proceed with the appropriations process so we'll be able to do exactly what my friend said. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: madam speaker, the bill makes defense spending sank sant and so it says nothing about going after fraud and waste and defense contracts. i'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. stark. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. mr. stark: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to oppose the budgetless resolution. it has no numbers, no specifics, it gives no serious plan to reduce the deficit. the republicans want to decrease

the deficit and they'll try to cut nondefense discretionary spending back to 2008 levels but they still would save $100 billion in discretionary spending if we put defense spending in the same level. i'm giving you a chance to put your money where your mouths are, introduce h.r. 413, it would reduce defense spending to 2008 levels. they can't be serious about getting our house in order if we are exempting 60% of discretionary spending cuts. so my legislation would save $182 billion over the next five years, that's $182 billion from planes the pentagon doesn't even want. we spend seven times what china does. how about just cutting back to only spending five or six times as much as china does? i urge support of h.r. 413. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california.

mr. dreier: thank you very much, mr. speaker. great to see you on the chair there. don't look quite as good as your predecessor up there. with that, mr. speaker, i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pascrell. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. skelton: thank you, mr. speaker. -- mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. speaker. i come to the floor today as someone willing to work toward reforms that will create jobs, strengthen our middle class and pay down our debt. i'm in favor of comprehensive tax reform with lower rates, i'm in favor of removing regulations that hurt our competitiveness, i'm ready to make the hard cuts we need to pay down our deficit. i think we can all agree on those principles, we might have to change some of the policies. but we agree on the principles.

but what we have here today contains no policies, no ideas and very few principles. this is a budgetless resolution. it calls for a reduction in spending, pre-2008 levels, but provides no specifics. what family in america would sit down at the kitchen table, set up a budget without a bottom line? we could be here discussing mr. ryan's ideas to replace medicaid with vouchers, we could be here discussing the plan to cut public education, spending 50%, and could eliminate amtrak and public broadcasting. let's discuss those things. or we could be debating the plan majority leader cantor hailed which would result in the absence of 4,000 f.b.i. agents and 1,500 d.e.a. agents. we may disagree with those policies, but i'm here to work to solve problems. to say we will drop spending

levels up to 30% but provide no specifics is being less than genuine. colin powell recently said this, i'm very put off when people just say, let's go back and freeze to the level two years ago. tell me what you're going to cut and nobody there yet is being very, very candid about what they are going to cut to fix the problem. the public has been very clear, job creation should be our top priority. so far we've abandoned the principles of pay-as-you-go and added $230 billion to the deficit by repealing, you voted for it, health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: i yield the gentleman an additional 20 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 20 seconds. mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. and before us is yet another piece of legislation being used as a political gimmick. instead of an honest conversation to seek out compromise with the purpose

aiding the economy. as a new member of the budget committee i am willing and eager to work hard to find comprehensive bipartisan solutions to strengthening our economy. please let me know when you're ready to sit down and talk and work. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: thank you very much, mr. speaker. may i inquire of my friend how many speakers he has remaining. mr. mcgovern: mr. hoyer and then myself at this moment. do you have other speakers? mr. dreier: i'm going to sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation of mr. hoyer's very thoughtful remarks. i look forward to it, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the minority whip, mr. hoyer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding and mr. dreier's put additional pressure on me with his thoughtful remarks. let me say that there's nobody on this floor who doesn't believe that the deficit is a very, very substantial problem

that confronts us. and i would hope that there's nobody on the floor who believes it's going to be accomplished in a simple fashion, to bring this deficit under control. but i fear that there is too much simplistic, not simple, simplistic receipt wick with with reference to this -- rhetoric with reference to this budget. our friends on the republican side tell us they are now taking the deficit seriously. awful you heard my comments how clinton administration the budget was balanced budget amendment and under the reagan and bush one and bush two mngs it was not. if our republican friends mean it, if they were interested in the deficit as anything other than a political issue, they actually use their house majority to back up their words with action, then no one in my

opinion would be happier than me and our party, the democratic party. our deficit i think all of us should agree is too big for partisan politics. it cripples our children's opportunities, it makes it harder for them to pay for college education, buy a home, start a business. i want my republican friends to take the deficit seriously. i want my democratic friends to take the budget deficit seriously. to join president obama in making the hard choices it will take to get out of debt. but frankly, so far the opportunity to finally back up the words of fiscal discipline have been a record of disappointment. a rules package, i tell my friend, the chairman of the rules committee, the rules package provides for $5 trillion in additional deficit spending over the next 10 years. $5 trillion. a vote to repeal health care reform is another $230 billion of deficit, pledge to cut

spending by $100 billion which has taken them less than a month to break. today a one-page resolution with no numbers and no specifics. i think this resolution is unprecedented, certainly in the 30 years i've been here which gives the one person out of the 435 the opportunity and the authority to set a number that we will consider in this house. i don't think that's precedented, i don't think it's democratic, it's not transparent, it's not an open process. colin powell has already been quoted, we're still waiting for the answer of what is going to be cut. the time when getting out of debt, growing the economy and creating jobs our country's defining bipartisan challenges. we need hard choices, not more political theater. now, we passed a budget enforcement resolution which was criticized by the other side because we didn't pass a full budget. i think that's perhaps correct.

mr. mcgovern: an additional minute. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding an additional minute. but in that budget enforcement resolution we had a number and when you voted on the rule you knew the number you were voting on as a house of representatives. here you have no idea what you're voting on. you could be voting for 2008 numbers or anything less than that thunder resolution. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? i'll yield my friend additional time. let me just say to my friend, mr. speaker, that this is the beginning of a process. this is a one sentence resolution that will allow this house to go on record making a strong commitment to reducing the level of spending. my friend was absolutely right in his opening remarks when he said that everyone wants to us reduce the deficit, and he's right. this may be unprecedented but we're in unprecedented times. i yield my friend an additional 15 seconds. i'll yield him 30 seconds, mr. speaker. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for his generosity.

let me say to the gentleman, it may be unprecedented times, but does not warrant this unprecedented abdication of democracy this this house in setting what is probably the most critical question that confronts government, how much you going to pay for it. i think we all agree on that. that's what is at issue here and this resolution does not allow members of congress to engage on that. it simply gives to one person the ability to set that number. it is not only unprecedented, it is in my opinion undemocratic with a small d. it does not provide the transparency and the openness of which the gentleman has correctly spoken and which i hope we pursue. i hope we oppose this resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. dreier: will the gentleman

yield? the gentleman sailed mr. hoyer was going to speak, have things changed? mr. mcgovern: it has changed. there is great interest in this. i yield one and a half minute to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for 1 and a half minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman from massachusetts and i consider the gentleman from california a colleague that i've known for a good while and i know that there are certainly good intentions. but i always believe that when you're elected to this powerful body that represents over 300 million americans as the census has given us new numbers, of how many americans we have the privilege of representing, you do have to speak about the future. when you begin to talk about generic numbers going back to

2008 levels, you are speaking generally without substance. because it is our commitment to be able to move america forward, and i hope the president will say stay in the blue column because you can see in the red column in the past administrations there was no job creation. when you talk about reducing the deficit it must be with a plan, with substance, because you can repeal with no substance and i would just raise the question do we want a nation that does not invest in education, do we want a nation that does not help our businesses invest to create jobs, and do we want a nation that says that security, the f.b.i., the d.e.a., someone called in today and talked about how important it was to ensure that we have the right kind of law enforcement, or do we want to tell those on social security who have worked literally worked or are disabled that there are no more dollars for them because we have just without any

guidance gone back to 2008 levels? i would just ask that we move this country forward, mr. president, and is ask that we invest in america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. mr. dreier: i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: we have a speaker on the way but looks like you may have additional speakers. mr. dreier: will the gentleman yield? i thank my friend for yielding and say in our capacity as majority i'm simply going to yield to my friend from north carolina so that she can file the rule. would the gentleman like me to do that? okay, i guess we're not doing that right now. i'll reserve the balance of my time then. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: i yield myself 1 3/4 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanis recognized. mr. mcgovern: the problem with this resolution is has been said

over and over again is that it is a press release. it contains no number. people on the other side talked about tough choices, it doesn't talk about any tough choices. it exempts defense spending from any cuts. so fraudulent defense contractors is somehow okay whereas it's not better than waste and abuse in domestic spending programs. everything should be on the table. when we're talking about getting this deficit under control. the reason why the number is so important is because that number determines -- that number determines how much we're going to allocate to the various appropriations committees. and that in turn determines really the severity of a lot of the cuts that will have to be made. cuts in medical research, research to try to find a cure to cancer, cuts in programs to help feed hungry children, cuts in programs that provide emergency fuel assistance to

low-income people during the winter months, cuts in small business loans that can help small business get the capital they need to grow and create jobs. we should be talking about jobs. in this -- in this opening session. instead what we've talked about are the old ideological battles of the past, last week we repealed the entire health care bill, this year we're passing a lg resolution with no number in it. this is a first. this is unprecedented and i think the american people who are watching are wondering why in the world can't you tell was the number is? why in the world can't you give us a sense of where you're going to cut? why in the world can't you even vote on it? there are 435 members of this house. only one member is going to be able to determine what that budget number is. mr. speaker --, the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remaining.

mr. mcgovern: i give myself the remaining one minimum. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlemanis recognized for one minute. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, we're engaged in political theater today. we know the c.b.o. will come out with numbers today but the republicans feel it's important to do this today because somehow the press will pay attention and have a countermessage to the president's state of the union address. they are blowing a major opportunity. there is bipartisan concern about the budget, a bipartisan consensus we need to find cuts. rather than working in a bipartisan way we have a bill that comes to the floor under a closed rule. we are told that the chairman of the budget committee can unilaterally come up with a number, the rest are irrelevant irrelevant this to this process. that's not the way it's supposed to be. and the republican majority owes it not only to members of this congress but to the american people to tell was the number is and where they're going to cut, how deeply they're going to cut, who will be impacted. i'll tell you this, who is going to be impacted are real people and they'll feel the real pain of some of these cuts. so with that, mr. speaker, i

urge my colleagues to vote against this misguided resolution, this press release and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from california. the gentlemanis recognized for the balance of the time. mr. dreier: thank you very much, mr. speaker. we have bipartisan consensus around here. we need to get our economy back on track, and we need to do everything that we can to cut federal spending. the distinguished minority whip just said as much. and so there is a consensus, and i think that's wonderful. in a few hours, 9:00 this evening, democrats will be sitting with republicans, republicans will be sitting with democrats, it's going to be unprecedented. and i will say that mr. hoyer referred to this simple, one-sentence resolution as unprecedented. and i believe that it probably

is unprecedented. what it says -- i've almost memorized the one sentence, mr. speaker, it says we need to make sure that the budget committee and the appropriations committee work to get us to 2008 spending levels or less. i personally believe that we should be substantially below 2008 levels. i believe that we need to take that kind of action and it's true, we want this institution to have an opportunity before the president stands right over my shoulder at 9:00 this evening and delivers this state of the union message, we want this institution to have a chance to go on record saying that we are committed to doing everything that we can to get the spending levels to 2008 or less. mr. speaker, we're in the position we are and that itself is unprecedented.

and that's why unprecedented action is necessary. now, i began my remarks by talking about the fact that probably one of the most enduring and powerful memories of 2010 was what took place in athens, greece. we saw the riots take place in the streets, some public service employees, in the wake of the government facing the responsibility of imposing austerity standards on the people of greece. and what happened? we saw this huge outcry come because they were arguing they couldn't in fact bring about cuts in spending. and i juxtapose that to what we saw in the last year here. we saw tens of thousands of

americans taking to the streets carrying this message -- taxed enough already. they came together to petition their government, to petition their government to bring about spending reductions, not complaining that the government was making cuts, complaining that the government wasn't making enough cuts. and that's exactly what we're doing. in fact, mr. speaker, i believe that this may be the first time in human history that we have witnessed what it was that we saw take place last year and led to the outcome in the november 2 election. we know that the greatest change in 3/4 of a century took place in this institution. 63 members of the democratic party were defeated. we now have 87 new republicans and nine new democrats who joined with us, and they have carried this message to us that we need to rein spending.

mr. speaker, it's important to note that our real goal is above that. it is job creation and economic growth. getting our economy back on track. so that people out there who are trying to get on the first rung of the economic ladder are able to do just that. we have a painfully high unemployment rate, and people across this country are hurting now, mr. speaker, what steps can we take to create jobs? i personally believe that we need to, i look forward to having the president talk about this tonight, open up new markets around the world so that union and nonunion workers in the united states of america can have the opportunity to sell goods and provide services into countries like columbia and panama -- colombia and panama and south korea where these pending agreements exist. i believe that since japan has brought about a reduction in its top corporate rate, the rate of those job creators, we can

reduce, we can reduce the top corporate rate, the highest rate of any country in the world now, from 35% to 25%, i understand the president may be proposing that this evening, that will go a long way toward creating jobs. but, mr. speaker, what we're doing with house res. 39 -- 38 is we are getting ourselves on a path towards fiscal responsibility and i believe that that is one of the most important things that we can do as we seek this shared goal of job creation and economic growth. so if we can let this institution go on record in support of getting to 2008 levels or less i'm convinced that that will be a strong step towards our goal, our shared goal of creating jobs and establishing economic growth. this is the beginning of a process, mr. speaker, the beginning of a process, again, a

one-sentence resolution that this house will be voting on in just a few minutes. but the process itself is one that is broken. it's broken because for the first time since the 1974 budget act was put into place we've not had a budget, we've not had a budget. we're five, almost five months into the new fiscal year and we are in the process of cleaning up the mess that was handed to us. so how is it we plan to do it? well speaker boehner has made it very clear and that is we need to make sure that we have an open, free-flowing debate as we proceed with the budget and i'm con -- convinced that our rules committee will make alternatives in order when we proceed with th budget committee will have done, and i'm convinced that we will get back to the kind of regular order that i think today democrats and republicans alike would want to see and that is a chance for democrats and republicans to stand up and offer amendments to the appropriations bill.

so, mr. speaker, i'll say again that it's a simple one-sentence resolution. are we going to let this institution get onto a path towards reducing the size, scope, reach and control of the federal government or are we not? and so, mr. speaker, i'm going to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this very, very important resolution and with that, out of respect to my friend from worcester who is swinging his hands in the house went on to pass the spending resolution in the 256- 165 vote. getting support from every republican and 17 democrats. live coverage of the u.s. house continues when the gavel at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. they are scheduled to debate a measure to end public financing of presidential campaigns.

h[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> on c-span this morning, the state of the union of the president. and the response by paul ryan. and then a discussion on "washington journal. today, a hearing on the troubled assets relief program. the inspector general will testify at a hearing of those oversight and government reform committee. live coverage on c-span3 and c- span.org begins at 9:30 a.m. eastern. later, house majority leader eric cantor will speak at the heritage foundation, washington, about federal spending and the u.s. economy. live coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. eastern. >> living standards are going down in america. we created two open-ended

entitlements on top of the other ones that we have. s chose paul ryan to speak to the president's state of the union address. go to the c-span video library. it's washington, your way. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states. [applause]

[cheers]

[gavel] >> i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting in

the president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. everybody, please have a seat. >> mr. speaker, mr. vice president, members of congress, distinguished guests, and fellow americans -- tonight i want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th congress, as well as your new speaker, john boehner. [applause]

and as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague -- and our friend -- gabby giffords. [applause] it is no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. the debates have been contentious. we have fought fiercely for our

beliefs. and that is a good thing. that is what a robust democracy demands. that is what helps set us apart as a nation. but there's a reason the tragedy in tucson gave us pause. amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater -- something more consequential than party or political preference. we are part of the american family. we believe that in a country where every race and faith and point of view can be found, we are still bound together as one people -- that we share common hopes and a common creed -- that the dreams of a little girl in tucson are not so different than those of our own children,

and that they all deserve the chance to be fulfilled. that, too, is what sets us apart as a nation. [applause] now, by itself, this simple recognition won't usher in a new era of cooperation. what comes of this moment is up to us. what comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. [applause]

i believe we can. i believe we must. that's what the people who sent us here expect of us. with their votes, they have determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. new laws will only pass with support from democrats and republicans. we will move forward together, or not at all -- for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics. at stake right now is not who wins the next election -- after all, we just had an election. at stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. it is whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. it is whether we sustain the leadership that has made america not just a place on a map, but a light to the world.

we are poised for progress. two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. corporate profits are up. the economy is growing again. but we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. we measure progress by the success of our people. by the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. by the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. by the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. that's the project the american people want us to work on. together. [applause] we did that in december.

thanks to the tax cuts we passed, americans' paychecks are a little bigger today. every business can write off the full cost of the new investments they make this year. these steps, taken by democrats and republicans, will grow the economy and add to the more than one million private sector jobs created last year. but we have more work to do. the steps we've taken over the last two years may have broken the back of this recession -- but to win the future, we'll need to take on challenges that have been decades in the making. many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown. you didn't always need a degree, and your competition was pretty much limited to your neighbors. if you worked hard, chances are you would have a job for life,

with a decent paycheck, good benefits, and the occasional promotion. maybe you would even have the pride of seeing your kids work at the same company. that world has changed. and for many, the change has been painful. i've seen it in the shuttered windows of once booming factories, and the vacant storefronts of once busy main streets. i've heard it in the frustrations of americans who've seen their paychecks dwindle or their jobs disappear -- proud men and women who feel like the rules have been changed in the middle of the game. they are right. the rules have changed. in a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the

same work with 100. today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there is an internet connection. meanwhile, nations like china and india realized that with some changes of their own, they could compete in this new world. and so they started educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. they're investing in research and new technologies. just recently, china became home to the world's largest private solar research facility, and the world's fastest computer. so yes, the world has changed. the competition for jobs is real. but this shouldn't discourage us. it should challenge us. remember -- for all the hits we have taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, america still has the largest, most

prosperous economy in the world. [applause] no workers are more productive than ours. no country has more successful companies, or grants more patents to inventors and entrepreneurs. we are home to the world's best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any other place on earth. what is more, we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea -- the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. that is why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here. it is why our students don't just memorize equations, but answer questions like "what do you think of that idea? what would you change about the world? what do you want to be when you

grow up?" the future is ours to win. but to get there, we cannot just stand still. as robert kennedy told us, "the future is not a gift. it is an achievement." sustaining the american dream has never been about standing pat. it has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age. now it is our turn. we know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. we need to out-innovate, out- educate, and out-build the rest of the world. [applause]

we have to make america the best place on earth to do business. we need to take responsibility for our deficit, and reform our government. that's how our people will prosper. that's how we will win the future. [applause] and tonight, i would like to talk about how we get there. the first step in winning the future is encouraging american innovation. none of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be, or where the new jobs will come from. thirty years ago, we could not know that something called the internet would lead to an economic revolution. what we can do -- what america does better than anyone -- is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. we are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices, the nation of edison and the wright brothers, of

google and facebook. in america, innovation does not just change our lives. it is how we make a living. [applause] our free enterprise system is what drives innovation. but because it is not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout history our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. that is what planted the seeds for the internet. that is what helped make possible things like computer chips and gps. just think of all the good jobs -- from manufacturing to retail -- that have come from those breakthroughs. half a century ago, when the soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called sputnik we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon.

the science wasn't there yet. nasa did not even exist. but after investing in better research and education, we did not just surpass the soviets -- we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. this is our generation's sputnik moment. two years ago, i said that we needed to reach a level of research and development we have not seen since the height of the space race. in a few weeks, i will be sending a budget to congress that helps us meet that goal. we'll invest in biomedical research, information technology, and especially clean energy technology -- an [applause] investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.

already, we are seeing the promise of renewable energy. robert and gary allen are brothers who run a small michigan roofing company. after september 11, they volunteered their best roofers to help repair the pentagon. but half of their factory went unused, and the recession hit them hard. today, with the help of a government loan, that empty space is being used to manufacture solar shingles that are being sold all across the country. in robert's words, "we reinvented ourselves." that is what americans have done for over two hundred years -- reinvented ourselves. and to spur on more success stories like the allen brothers, we've begun to reinvent our energy policy. we are not just handing out money. we are issuing a challenge. we are telling america's scientists and engineers that if they assemble teams of the best minds in their fields, and

focus on the hardest problems in clean energy, we will fund the apollo projects of our time. at the california institute of technology, they are developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars. at oak ridge national laboratory, they are using supercomputers to get a lot more power out of our nuclear facilities. with more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. [applause] we need to get behind this innovation. and to help pay for it, i am asking congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies. [applause]

i don't know if you've noticed, but they are doing just fine on their own. [laughter] so instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's. now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they're selling. so tonight, i challenge you to join me in setting a new goal -- by 2035, 80% of america's electricity will come from clean energy sources. [applause] some folks want wind and solar. others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas. to meet this goal, we will need them all -- and i urge democrats and republicans to work together to make it happen. [applause]

maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to america's success. but if we want to win the future -- if we want innovation to produce jobs in america and not overseas -- then we also have to win the race to educate our kids. think about it. over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree. and yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't evennnnn finishing high school. the quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. america has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree. and so the question is whether all of us -- as citizens, d as parents -- are willin do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed. that responsibility begins not

in our classrooms, but in our homes and communities. it is family that first instills the love of learning in a child. only parents can make sure the tv is turned off and homework gets done. we need to teach our kids that it is not just the winner of the super bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair, that success [applause] that success is not a function of fame or p.r., but of hard work and discipline. our schools share this responsibility.

when a child walks into a classroom, it should be a place of high expectations and high performance. but too many schools do not meet this test. that is why instead of just pouring money into a system that is not working, we launched a competition called race to the top. to all fifty states, we said, "if you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement, we will show you the money." race to the top is the most meaningful reform of our public schools in a generation. for less than 1% of what we spend on education each year, it has led over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning. these standards were developed, not by washington, but by republican and democratic governors throughout the country. and race to the top should be the approach we follow this the approach we follow this year as we replace no child