>> we will take you next live to the house. two bills, one of those bills to continue the commission planning the ronald reagan centennial celebration. votes at 6:30. live house coverage.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1308. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1307, a bill to amend the ronald reagan centennial commission act to extend the termination date for the commission, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume, and i ask

unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kelly: mr. speaker, h.r. 1308 was introduced by the gentleman from california, mr. gallegly, and is a straightforward bill to amend the ronald reagan centennial commission act by extending the commission's termination date as well as the commission's final report deadline. in june, 2009, president obama signed public law 111-25 to establish the ronald reagan centennial commission. the purpose of the commission is to plan, develop and carry out activities that is both fitting and proper to honor the memory of our late great president. president reagan was born on february 6, 1911 and in 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. furthermore, the commission was also tasked with being a crucial resource for federal, state and local agencies as well as private groups as they go about planning and conducting events to honor president reagan. mr. speaker, h.r. 1308 is a

very simple bill that extends the life of the reagan commission. and unlike many prior presidential commissions costs the taxpayer absolutely nothing. mr. speaker, i want to be very clear, the reagan commission does not receive a single penny of taxpayer dollars. the original bill prohibited the use of taxpayer money from going to the commission and this bill does not alter that provision in any way, slape or form. the commission -- shape or form. the commission goes on with no taxpayer money. the purpose of h.r. 1308 is to allow the hardworking staff and members of the commission the opportunity to provide their expertise and assistants as entities and groups all over the world continue to honor president reagan. they played a major role in celebration of the president's library in his work to establish a year-long exhibit at the national archives. even floor statements given by

members by this chamber back in february was organized by the reagan commission. now, while the commission has contributed to much events and ceremonies over the past several months, many more celebrations are planned throughout the rest of the year. in fact, multiple events to honor reagan's fall of the soviet union will be made here and numerous events will take place at the state and local levels all over our country. mr. speaker, the commission is scheduled to terminate on may 30 of this year and this bill moves that date to december of this year. h.r. 1308 moves the commission's final report to november 30. changing these dates will ensure that the commission can help entities and groups all over the world deliver high-quality and fitting events to celebrate the life of a truly great leader and truly great man. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is

recognized. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1308, a bill to amend the ronald reagan centennial commission act. the bill would extend the termination date of the commission by seven months. the ronald reagan commission act, which became law in the last congress, created a federal commission to honor and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of ronald reagan. the commission is composed of senators, members of congress and other government officials, including the archivists of the united states. importantly, in these challenging fiscal times, no federal funds may expended by the commission to carry out its duties. mr. speaker, the commission has been functioning only nine months and their important international and domestic events planned for this summer

and for commemorating president reagan in which the commission's participating would be beneficial. as such i have no objection to the bill which extends the termination date of the commission from may 31, 2011, to the end of the year. and i would urge members to vote for this measure. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. kelly: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to my colleague from illinois. i appreciate that. the chair recognizes me and i want to go forward and say i want to thank you and i want to introduce my colleague from the great state of california, the sponsor of this bill and a member of the reagan commission, mr. gallegly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr.: i thank the gentleman for yielding. -- mr. gallegly: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 1308, a bill to extend the termination date for the ronald reagan centennial commission

act. the worked of the ronald reagan centennial commission is not quite finished. that's why this legislation is needed to extend the commission through december 30 of this year. allowing the commission to deliver additional events for the public. extending the commission through the end of 2011 will allow to accomplish several key goals. some including the supporting official international events occurring the week of june 27 in poland, hungary, the czech republic and the united kingdom. possibly convening a joint session of congress this fall. coordinating a potential white house event, organizing a capitol visitor center's exhibit, serving as a resource for federal government centennial activities and supporting state reagan centennial commissions. extending this commission will require, as my colleagues have said, no federal funding. all funds needed are privately

raised. in conclusion, many other centennial commissions have operated for longer periods with significant federal funding. extending the ronald reagan centennial commission act will provide more opportunities to commensurate recognition of president reagan. i want to thank chairman issa, ranking member cummings, along with their staff for their assistance in helping bring this bill to the floor today. i also want to express my appreciation to speaker boehner, majority leader cantor, minority leader pelosi, for all the help in bringing the bill forward today. and i would urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i thank you, mr. speaker and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i don't believe that i have any additional requests for time. i reiterate my support for this measure and yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois yields back his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. kelly: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, in closing i want to leave this body with a simple, eloquent quote from ronald agean. he once said, the problem aren't that people are taxed too little. the problem is that the government spends too much. this week as we consider the 2011 spending bill and move forward to funding the government for 2012, i want members to keep that in mind because it's fitting and proper that we honor his memory and his wishes as we go forward and truly take this on and do it in a bipartisan manner and do it in a way that is expected from the american people. this is about america and america's financial health as we go forward. so i'm urging all members to please back this and support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time having expired, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1308.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- mr. kelly: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. kelly: i would like to ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass senate bill 307. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 307, an act a bill to designate the federal building and united states courthouse located at 217 west king street, martinsburg, west virginia, as the w. craig broadwater federal building and united states courthouse. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. crawford, and the gentlewoman from florida, ms. brown, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arkansas. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on senate bill 307. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker.

i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. crawford: thank you, mr. speaker. senate bill 307 would designate the federal building and white house on west king street in marntseburg, west virginia, as the w. craig broadwater federal building and united states courthouse. the house companion bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from west virginia of the transportation and infrastructure committee. he served both as a federal judge and as an assistant general in the army national guard. he was appointed to the federal bench in 1996 after nearly 20 years of legal service in private practice as a hearing examiner for the west virginia workers' compensation fund and also as special prosecutor. he was commissioned to the army in 1972 after completing the rotc program in west virginia university. he served as an intelligence officer that included a tour in korea. in 1976 judge broadwater joined

the west virginia army national guard as an operational detachment executive officer and rose through the ranks to brigadier general and assignment as assistantage want general for homeland defense in 2002. during his military service, he received countless awards and decorations including the defense superior service medal and the bronze star. i'm impressed with his clear dead gation as both a military officer and as a federal judge. i think that it is appropriate for us to honor his service to our nation and his memory by naming this federal building and courthouse after judge broadwater. i support passage of this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. and i reserve the balance of my time. . you the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. brown: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in strong support of senate bill 307 and proud to speak in support of the bill that names the federal building located at 217 west king street,

martinsburg, west virginia as the w. craig broadwater federal building and courthouse. he grew up in payton city, west virginia and served as both an active district judge in west virginia and assistant ad general for the west virginia national guard. he worked as a public servant for almost 25 years before his untimely death. judge broadwater's public service was a hearing examiner from the west virginia workers compensation fund, two terms as special prosecuting attorney in ohio county, west virginia and circuit judge in west virginia. in 1996, president clinton appointed judge broadwater to become a u.s. district judge in the northern district of west

virginia. during his nearly 10 years on the federal bench, judge broadwater was well respected as a smart, fair and hard working member of the judiciary. judge broadwater served in the military -- his service in the military was just as impressive as his service to the judiciary. after serving as a member of the elite green beret, division of the u.s. army during the latter stages of the vietnam water, he joined the national guard in 1976 where he served continuously until his death. not one to sit by when there was work to be done, judge broadwater was recently being deployed overseas in 2005 to support u.s. military operations in iraq as well as several other overseas missions in support of u.s. combat operations. during his deployment to africa, he oversaw the administration of personnel records issued for

reserveists in addition to oversight in the renovation of schools and military medical clinics and administration of programs. judge broadwater was active in his local west virginia community where he was instrumental in establishing the veterans center in ohio county where he served as the facility advisory board and served on various boards and commissions in the legal community. judge craig broadwater died on december 18, 2006, at the age of 56 from cancer and he was laid to rest with full military honors. this designation is a fitting tribute to judge craig broadwater and i support the passage of senate 307, which honors his service to our country. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from florida reserves the balance of her

time. the gentleman from arkansas is recognized. mr. crawford: i yield five minutes to the the gentlewoman from west virginia, ms. capito. the speaker pro tempore: sharked for five minutes. mrs. capito: i would like to thank my colleagues for bringing this forward and for their very strong support of this measure. i, too, rise in support of s. 307, which will rename the federal court house and the federal building at 217 west king street for w. craig broadwater. will be designated as the broadwater federal building and courthouse. martinsburg is in the panhandle of west virginia, close to washington d.c. and part of my district and he was one of my constituents. i learned more from the judge than he ever learned from me. he is a very kind, supportive

gentle person, but also a very fair-minded and humble public servant. he served with honor for this country for over 40 years first as an army lieutenant, later as a federal court judge and a brigadier general for the west virginia national guard. i know he was deployed the year before he past away very suddenly. he came to west virginia where he attended west virginia university in 1972 and entered rotc and he stayed not only for two years as a military officer, intelligence officer, but also retained his dedicated service to our country through the military throughout his life. he graduated from west virginia university in 1977 and went into private practice as a practicing attorney until 1983. he then became a circuit judge of the first circuit judicial circuit in west virginia and

served in that capacity from 1983 to 1996 where he then was apointed by president clinton in january 26, 1996, where he served until he past away december 18, 2006. he was a lieutenant in the u.s. army for two years. he joined the air -- army national guard in 1976 as an operational detachment executive officer and as i said remained in the guard the rest of his life. he was deployed several times. he was deployed as a battalion commander from 1994 to 1996 and led the battalion for service in haiti during operation uphold democracy and became a brigadier general during operation iraqi freedom and mobilized in 2003 and 2005 at the horn of africa. after serving, he served as the deputy commanding officer. what i would like to talk about

are the several times that i actually got to meet, talk and got to know craig broadwater. he was very young when he was stricken quickly and taken from us and his family and he is missed every day in their hearts and certainly in the hearts of the eastern part of west virginia. but, you know, being a federal judge is, i think not only an awesome responsibility but takes a special kind of person, it takes to do it well. and judge broadwater did it well. he was, as i said, kind, soft spoken, krt, great listener and very respectful of all individuals, whether you would be talking to the governor or whether you're talking to the person who is helping you keeping your building in order in the evenings. he loved his family, his state and his country. i know that by naming this courthouse and this federal building for judge w. craig broadwater, craig broadwater,

that those who serve in that building and in that courthouse will have an inspiration as they walk in and enter and see his name on the front of the building. they are are going to realize that sacrifice of yourself and your family is sometimes what's important in service to your country, to your state, to the law and he did this uncomplainingly, with great humor and deep respect for our country, our lawyers, fairness and justice. and i think for those folks who are going to be -- whether you are going in as a person who is a judge or an attorney or somebody who is seeking representation, when you enter the building that is named for judge broadwater, you are going to feel you are entering a building that is dedicated to the fairness and standards that he upheld. we miss him to this day and i think this is a fitting tribute and i thank senator rockefeller

for joining together the two of us to put this forward and i look forward to the day we can attach on to that federal building in honor of the judge w. craig broadwater, federal building and federal court house. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from west virginia reserves. ms. brown: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. crawford: reserve. does the gentlewoman have any other speakers? ms. brown: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from arkansas. mr. crawford: mr. speaker, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 307.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- the gentlewoman from florida is recognized. ms. brown: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the vote on the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yained pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house

the initiative educates citizens while sparking citizens to support military families, this is close to an hour. [applause] >> i became a volunteer with the delaware air national guard family assistance program in 2002 when my son jeff's squadron was activated and deployed to the middle east.

my son jason deployed to the middle east the following year. just like in many other states across the country, there is a network of national guards in my states who have always supported one another, especially during deployments. but as more and more families face deployments, we wanted to do more. in 2007, my friend, kathy greenwell and i formed delaware boots on the ground, a nonprofit organization that supports members of the military, their families and veterans, especially in times of separation or need. with the help and expertise of individuals, local businesses and community groups, we have stuffed christmas stockings for soldiers, six broken conditioners and thrown baby showers, whatever needs to be done, we try to find a way to

make sure it happens. during our second year, joe biden -- jill biden became a volunteer. now four years later, our volunteers have assisted military families in countless different ways. when delaware boots on the ground was born around the breakfast table i never imagined i would be at the white house with president obama telling you all about it. i never dreamed our story could capture the interest of the entire nation. we are simply military families helping military families, but today, we are telling that story . and through the hard work of first lady michelle obama and dr. jill biden, hundreds more stories like ours are being lifted up so that everyone understands just how ease --

easy it is to support our military families and just how much that support means to the military community. so i want to thank you both, jill and mrs. obama, for all you do on behalf of our military families. and now, it is my honor to introduce someone who has always been committed to the military. he has been a regular at national guard events for over 30 years and now visits with members of our military across the country and across the world. today i have the honor as a military spouse and a military mom to introduce my friend, vice president joe biden. [applause]

>> welcome to the white house. shirley, you are getting to be an old pro. shirley and jill made their first television appearance a while ago, i think it was up in philly. it was for a boots on the ground event. mr. secretary, they were both scared to death. now i'm scared to follow jill. jill and i just returned from a ceremony that honored bob dole and his heroic service, unparled devotion to supporting veterans in this country. you know, he always knew and taught me what many of us have come to learn, that we have many

obligations in this country, but we only have one truly, one truly say credit obligation. and that -- sacred obligation. and that is to prepare those who we send to war with all that they need and take care of those who return from war and their families with all they deserve. although bob's generation is known as the greatest generation this is known, this generation of warriors may be known for the most devotion because of the long, long, long periods of service they have had to endure. they have seen multiple deployments. they have seen and participated in two wars that wars have extended almost a decade. and in the process, we have lost over -- not over, 5,000, an hour

ago, 5,957 fallen angels. 43,006 have been wounded. and there is still more of a job to be done. there are still more warriors deployed. i don't think there's ever been a time in american history when a generation of military families has had to endure for as long and as much as this generation of american families of service people. as i said, we only have one truly sacred obligation. you know, the poet john milton said of shirley and all the blue star moms and dads and husbands and wives and grandparents out there, he said, they also serve who only stand and wait.

and this generation of military families has, as i said earlier, stood a long time. some have waited multiple times. i look at the men in uniform here, the men i most admire and i maybe mistaken but i don't think there has been this many times when people have been in battle, wounded, seen bloody conflict, come home and then sent back again. it's one thing to go the first time, not knowing exactly what the horrors of war may be like, but to saddle up and to go back again and again and again. my multiple flights, mr. secretary, into iraq and afghanistan over 25 times, last time in, i sat up with the pilots in the c-130's and i said, guys, how many tours? over the four in the cockpit,

only one had served only two. three had served or two had served four and this was the fifth deployment for the fourth. so this generation that michelle and jill are embarking on bringing the awareness of the rest of the country to, we owe them a lot. they have known the pain and anxiety that comes from when the ex term and eternal bond of family is scretched across oceans and gulfs of time. you know, your child, it's your child, you miss their first step, the first smile that they smile, the missed birthdays, the anniversaries that were celebrated on skype. we learned that when our son was in iraq for a year. yet their support here at home

has never waivered and the families that shirley represents and many of you in the audience, they are as brave and heroic as sons and daughters and husbands and wives that are there and truly deserve our support. jill and i know what it's like firsthand. our son bo was in iraq for a year, deployed once. we learned at that time how much it means to those who are in a war zone. thousands of miles away. knowing that their family is being cared for, that the next door neighbor has offered to cut their grass while their husband is overseas. or that the next door neighbor will give a jump start on that cold morning when you are trying to get your daughter or son to elementary school. they know that those little things and things that are every

day work or not work. it matters because it's one less thing they have to worry about in theater. and all of those who serve in the military and served overseas know i'm not exaggerating when i say that. every single warrior i meet in place in iraq, afghanistan or kosovo, they ask what it's like at home. can you give my wife a call or my pop and let them know it's ok. one act of kindness extended to a family of a soldier, sailor or a marine, coast guardsman goes across the water, over the mountains, through the deserts into the heart of the warrior who is thinking about as much his family as his family is thinking about him or her.

i promise you, i promise you all those who are listening on the television or radio, it matters. it matters. jill always points out that only 1% of our nation is serving. over one million men and women -- last time i was in iraq in one of saddam's old palaces and having one of those meetings you have, mr. secretary, one soldier gathers around you and then you are talking to a bunch and the guys in the back and the general yells, biden, senator, john jones, i won't mention his name, john jones, i saw you here last time. 61 years old. they're not all young. the fact is only 1% of the families have served in those

wars. yet 100% of american families have an obligation to commit to that 1%. and just show one single act of kindness to a deployed veteran's family. as jill has declared many times as second lady, helping to muster the strength and to remind the neighbors and everyone in america has a duty to fulfill that sacred obligation i mentioned. jill knows how important it is for our troops and for their families. she knows also that how far just a little bit of support can go. my wife i'm about to introduce feels it in her bones and has become part of who she is and that blue star is branded on her heart. and it's come in our family among our friends that has

defined her in a sense. ladies and gentlemen, i'm honored to present to you the second lady of the united states, a blue star mom, my wife jill biden. [applause] >> good morning. i'm jill biden and i'm a proud military mom. as my husband said, we are honored to have you all here at the white house today. as we express the gattude of our entire nation to those who serve in our military and to their amazing families. you are all heroes, from the moms and dads to keep your families together while your loved ones are serving overseas, to the grandparents and their much needed support, to the

children who are strong and brave while mom and dad are away. you go about your business every day, lifting up your communities, volunteering at your schools, lending a hand to your neighbors and you do it all while carrying a heavier burden than most folks imagine. you are truly remarkable. as joe said, we have been a national guard family for the last 10 years. 2 1/2 years ago, i stood in dover, delaware, watching as our son bo, prepared to deploy to iraq. i remember it like it was yesterday. like other military families, i felt an intense mixture of pride and concern. and i can honestly say that not a day passed during his year away when i didn't worry about

his safety. during the deployment ceremony, a friend slipped a prayer into my hand. it brought me comfort and i have shared it with many others since then. the prayer asks for courage and strength for each soldier to do their duty when they risk their lives to protect our freedom and expresses thanks for their sacrifice of these men and women and their families. that prayer has been a huge source of comfort to me, especially in the year that bo was deployed. i could be anywhere in the course of my day, writing on the chalk board in my classroom or preparing a meal, and i would just stop, close my eyes and say that quick prayer for him and all others serving in harm's way. now when i attend deployment ceremonies, i pass on this prayer to the moms and families

i meet in the hopes that it comforts them as it did me. i have had the opportunity over the last few years to attend several of the deployment and return ceremonies. i have seen the pride, the trepdation, the relief and the pure joy. i have spent times with spouses and children, grandparents and friends, but somehow, it is always the mothers who seek me out. they know that i understand their experience and because i do, i offer them my thanks, my prayers and a warm embrace. michelle and i have met so many amazing families in the past few years. just last month, i attended a deployment ceremony, where i met some folks i now call the grandparents. both parents of three children under the age of 10 were

deploying and these grandparents decided to circle the wagons and take care of the children together. the grandmothers, janice and ellen are here today. grandpa charles is home baby sitting. i want to thank your entire family for their service. now, just think about these women. they aren't wearing uniforms, they don't live on a base, but they are serving. they could be your neighbors. ryan, emma and abby could be in your child's classroom and could be members of your church or synagogue or customers at the hardware store you manage. think about that, now imagine how a community could rally around this family helping with car pools, sporting events or school activities. i seen through my work in

shirley's organization, that small community groups can make a huge difference. imagine for a moment not just what these small gestures mean to a family, but what they mean to a soldier thousands of miles away who knows that someone is looking out for the ones he loves back home. there are small and effective groups like this all over the country, from the barbeque master who travels the state of ohio to cook for military families, to the accountants providing free tax service, to the soldiers in minnesota collecting hockey equipment for military kids. these efforts make a difference in the lives of our families. when i was in iraq last year, i heard a story that has stuck with me ever since. an officer told me about a little girl in his daughter's

class who broke into tears when she heard "ava maria" sung during a holiday program. the little girl explained that the song had been played at her father's funeral. her father had been killed in iraq. as a teacher, i know that all teachers would want to understand that little girl's experience. so i shared that story with a group of educators and i'm so pleased to share the good news today that the american association of colleges for teacher education has partnered with the military child education coalition to promote training for future teachers. together, they hope to teach 10,000 future educators how to best serve their military connected students across the country.

in our travels, michelle and i have seen many teachers who are making a real difference for the military children in their classrooms, teachers who arrange parent-teacher conferences by skype so deployed parents can participate or teachers who encourage students to take a photo of their deployed parent to their desk so they can look at it whenever they feel the need, or like teachers like the one in my granddaughter's classroom who hung up a photo of my son's deployed unit. believe me that photo owe the wall meant the wall to my granddaughter and joe and me, too. these individuals and groups across the country who are supporting our troops and our

families are showing all americans that there are countless ways to help, some large and many small, but all important. and i can tell you from personal experience, all appreciate it. we can all join forces. i'm thrilled and humble to be here today with a group of people that represent the best of this nation, individuals and families who embody the strength, the resilience and the patriotism that has shaped the united states of america. we, joe, myself, president and michelle obama, we are here today because of you. we are here to celebrate you. you are doing your part. the government is doing its part and each american has the ability to make a difference in the life of a military family. that's what this initiative is

all about. every one of us can commit to one small act of kindness. and now, it's my honor and privilege to introduce a man who is doing his part as a strong leader and constant advocate for our service members, veterans and military families, and also the husband of my partner on this effort, our president and commander in chief, barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. thank you everybody. please, have a seat. thank you very much. thank you so much. thank you. thank you. please be seated.

thank you very much. as you can see, the vice president and i are the warm-up acts here today. our role is to introduce our better halfs. michelle and jill are our better three-quarters or four-fifths. they are just basically all around better. thank you, jill, for your introduction and sharing your personal experiences and stories and being able to describe how much this means to you personally. to the vice president, the entire family, which like so many others has known both the pride but also the worries and fears when a loved one in uniform is serving in harm's way. we are joined today by members of congress, by members of my cabinet, joint chiefs, by leaders across the

administration in just about every sector of american society, but most of all, we are joined by our service members and their families, representing the finest military in the world. while the campaign that brings us together is unique, it does reflect a spirit that is familiar to all of us. the spirit that has defined us as a people and as a nation for more than two centuries. freedom is not free. simple words that we know are true. for 234 years, our freedom has been paid by the service and sacrifice of those who step forward, raised their hand and said, send me. they put on a uniform, they swear an oath to protect and defend and they carry titles that have commanded the respect of generations, soldiers,

airman, marine, coast guardsman. they are willing to defend with their very lives and it is our solemn duty and moral obligation to serve these patriots as well as they serve us. but we are here today because these americans in uniform have never served alone, not at lexington, not in concord, not in iraq, not in afghanistan. behind every american in uniform stands a wife, a husband, a mom, a dad, a son or a daughter, a sister or brother. these families, these remarkable families are the force behind the force. they, too, are the reason we've got the finest military in the world. whenever i'm with our troops overseas and i ask them what can we do for you, there is one

thing they request more than anything else, take care of my family. take care of my family. because when our troops are worried about their families back home, it's harder for them to focus on the mission overseas. the strength and the readiness of america's military depends on the strength and readiness of our military families. this is a matter of national security. it's not just the right thing to do, but also makes this country stronger. and that's why over the past two years, with we have made major investments to take care of our military families. secretary gates has been one of the leaders. new housing and child care for families, new schools for military kids, better health care for veterans, new educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of veterans and their family members under the post-9/11 g.i.

bill. and that's why part of a landmark presidential study directive, for the first time ever the well-being of our military families is a national priority, not just a defense department priority or v.a. priority, but it is a federal government priority. today, my administration is working to implement nearly 50 specific commitments to improve the lives of military families, everything from protecting families from financial scams to improving education for military kids and spouses, to stepping up our fight to end homelessness among veterans. as commander in chief, i'm not going to be satisfied until we meet these commitments. across this administration, we are going to keep doing everything in our power to give our military families the support and respect they deserve. but as we have said all along, this can't be the work of government alone. something else has been true throughout our history.

our military and military families can't be the only ones bearing the burden of our security. the united states of america is strongest and as americans we are at our best when we remember our obligations to each other and we remember that the price of freedom cannot simply be paid by a select few. when we embrace our responsibilities to each other, especially those who serve and sacrifice in our name. and that's why the extraordinary work that michelle and jill have been engaged in these past two years is so important. i remember how it began. it was during our campaign, michelle was meeting with women all across the country, listening to their struggles, hearing their stories and inevitably there were complaints about husbands -- >> not doing enough around the house, being confused when you have to brush the daughter's

hair and get that ponytail right. so they were sharing notes. but in all these conversations, there was one group that just kept on capturing michelle's heart and that was military spouses. and she decided right then and there, if i was given an opportunity to serve as president and she was given the opportunity to serve as first lady, she would be their voice. and that's exactly what she and jill have done. you all see the events around the country on the bases and the communities, at the hospitals with our wounded warriors where michelle and jill celebrate our military families, celebrate your families and what we can do to support you better. but what you don't see is what happens when the cameras are off, how michelle and jill come become and inspired by what they saw and use their platform to advocate on your behalf in every

single agency. i want every military family to know that michelle hears you not just as a first lady and not just as a fellow american, but as a wife, a daughter and a mom. she is standing up for you and your families, not just today in public events like this one, but every day. and the voice that she promised to be, that's what she has been out there doing, making sure you are getting the support and appreciation that you and your families deserve. so it is my honor to introduce to you my extraordinary wife, america's extraordinary first lady, michelle obama. [applause]

>> thank you everyone. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. it is a thrill and as always nice to be introduced by the president of the united states. always kind of cool. and on behalf of all of us, i want to thank my husband. i want to thank joe for their leadership from the top down, their personal commitment to keeping our military families strong is really what has allowed us us to be here. this is something that comes from the very top. this isn't just about me and jill. we have husbands who care about your families, that care about these issues and we wouldn't be here today if it weren't for their leadership. so here wer this is the moment that we have been working toward

for such a long time and i am just thrilled that all of you could be here today as we launch this unprecedented national campaign to honor and support our incredible military families. we are calling it joining forces. pretty good. we call it calling it joining forces for a very special reason, this campaign is about all of us, all of us joining together as americans to give back to the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much every day so that we can live in freedom and security. . joining forces is a challenge to every segment of american society to make an effort in engaging these families. i want to thank all of you here because this campaign is the

result of everything that so many of you have shared with us and taught us over the past two years. i am especially grateful to my phenomenal partner in this effort, a blue star mom herself and a tireless champion of reserve families and an inspiration to me throughout this entire process, my dear friend, dr. jill biden. [applause] joining forces is inspired by the amazing military spouses and children who we met all across the country, some of whom, like shirley, have been able to join us today. fa families who told us that even with the outpouring of support for our troops in the last decade, the truth is this as a country, we don't always see their families.

our heros on the home front. these families have appealed to us, like a military mom who wrote to me and said, please don't let americans forget or ignore what we live with. please don't let them forget. joining forces is shaped by the insight of spaces -- of spouses, spouses of the joint chiefs, spouses of our senior enlisted advisors and countless spouses of all ranks who have been terrific advisors to us. also the passionate advocates representing military families who are here and of course members of congress from both parties. they're all in support of this. these are all leaders who devoted their lives to serving our troops and their families and who helped us to understand where and how a campaign like

this could really make a difference. joining forces builds on the great work of the president and vice president and the entire administration, which has made military families a priority across the federal government. even as we recognize as the president said that this work cannot be done by government alone. and i am just excited that as a result of the work that we've done with so many people over the past two years, businesses and organizations across america including some of the best known names and brands have already responded to this call. today as part of joining forces, they'll announce major new commitments to supporting military families and you'll see those incredible commitments as we go forward but we are tremendously grateful for so many of them stepping up so early. joining forces is rooted in those american values of

service and citizenship that have kept our country strong throughout history. in world war ii, for example, the whole nation went to war. just about every family was a military family or knew someone that was. however, today, with an all-volunteer force, fewer americans serve or know someone who does. unlike our troops, military families don't wear uniforms. so we don't always see them. but like our troops, these families are proud to serve. and they don't complain. so as a result, the rest of us don't always realize how hard it can be or what we can to to help lighten their load. i have to admit that i haven't always realized it myself. my father served in the army but he served before i was born, so i didn't grow up in a military family. i always revered our troops but like many americans, i didn't

see firsthand how much our military families sacrifice as well. and that's why we're joining forces. this is about the responsibility that we each have to one another as americans. it's about the fact that as joe said, 1% of americans may be fighting on our behalf but 100% of americans need to be supporting our troops or families. this is about renewing bonds and connections between those who serve and those who live free because of the service. this is a national initiative. here's how it's going to work. first as part of a new public awareness campaign, we're going to highlight the service of these families that americans don't always see because the first step in taking action is awareness. the truth is, our military families are all around us. we may not know it. we're going to remind americans that most military families

live offbase in -- off base in thousands of communities across the countries. they're our neighbors and co-workers. the military spouse who does a full day at the office and goes home to do the parents of two. most military children go to public schools. they're our kids' classmates and teammates, like the girl in your daughter's class tiing to make new friends and handle all the normal pressures of growing up even as she worries whether dad or mom will come home safe. many of our national guardsmen and reservists and their families don't live anywhere near a military base. they're in virtually every community in this country. one day, there are police officers, firefighters, doctors, teachers, and the next day they're all -- called to duty and deployed to a war zone. just about every county in america has sent a service member to iraq or afghanistan

and their families, including gold star families who made the ultimate sacrifice they live all over america. and there probably isn't a town in this country without a veteran. so in other words, we want americans to realize that in a way, everybody community is a military community. so these are the stories we're going to tell. these are the stories we're going to celebrate, and to help us, we're being joined by some outstanding folks who know a little thing about capturing the public's attention, folks like nascar and wal-mart and major league baseball, they'll be creating public service announcements. other p.s.a.'s will feature the likes of oprah winfrey and steven spielberg and tom hanks, everybody is stepping up the major guilds in entertainment, writers prork deucers, director, actors have committed to tell manager stories of

military families in tv shows an movies. working together, we're going to make sure our military tamlies are never forgotten. this leads to the second part of joining forces. what we can actually do to support these families. so we're going to focus on the specific things our military families have told us they care most about, things that i think all of us can make a unique contribution to, the air cras of employment, education, wellness, and that includes mental health. the area of employment, we're going to be champions for our military spouses an veterans as they look for new jobs. and advance their careers. and we'll make sure that businesses know just how lucky they'd be to have these talented spouses and veterans on their team. in the area of education, as jill said, we're going to work to help our military children thrive in the classroom. even as they move between schools. and deal with parents being deployed.

and we're going to work to make it easier for military spouses to continue their education. and get their degrees. in the areas of wellness, including good mental health. we're going to remind this nation that just as our troops deserve the best support when dealing with the stresses of war and long deployments, so do military spouses and children. they need the support as well. which brings me to the most important part of joining forces, and that's how we're going to get all this done. and as i said, this is a challenge to every segment of society. and our motto is simple. everyone can do something. so we're joining forces across the federal government. those nearly 50 commitments the president mentioned are going to make such a difference for so many military families but these commitments also do something even more important. they're going to give military families a seat at the family across the federal government.

it means that we'll all be working together to make sure that we're forging new federal partnerships to serve military families for years to come. we're going to be joining forces with states and cities and local governments. we want the whole country to know about states like michigan, and cities like pittsburgh and augusta, georgia, that encourage folks to volunteer and support our troops and veterans and their families. and states can make it so easy for these families. they can make it easier for spouses to get their professional licenses and certification. they can also help make it easier for military children to transfer between schools. so every state, every city, and every town in this clint can do something. we're joining forces with businesses. both large and small. including some of the america's biggest employers which are making new commitments as we speak today.

companies like sears, k mart, sam's club, are telling military spouses that work at their stores, if they move to new duty stations, they'll make every effort to have a job waiting for them. the u.s. chamber of commerce is stepping up, encouraging its millions of members to hire military veterans. to mind mentors for military wives and veterans. and they're going to host job fairs across the country for these individuals. technology leaders like aol, cisco and others will help connect military families with new technology. believe me, the list goes on

and on because every business can do something. we're joining forces with nonprofits, with -- they're reaching to communities across the country. the u.s.o. is going to expand its efforts to help americans support military families right here on the home front. jill said the military child education coalition is teaming up with the national p.t.a. and with more than 100 teaching colleges to help educators and communities better serve our military kids. the national math and science initiative will be bringing advanced placement courses to tens of thousands of students, including military kids. the sierra club and the ymca are partnering with the national military family association to get 15,000 military kids and families to camp this year. the american heart association will help 100,000 military spouses and women veterans lead healthier lives. and again, the list goes on and

on. everyone is stepping up. because every nonprofit can do something. finally, this is about all of us joining forces as americans. and we can do it right where we live and work. as jill said if you're a parent or teacher, you could encourage your school to find new ways to support our military kids. if you're a lawyer, an accountant, a counselor, you can offer your services to a military family pro bono. if you're a member of a church or synagogue or mosque, you could urge your faith community to reach out to military families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. it could be something as simple as mowing the lawn, shoveling the snow, for that family down the street. telling that mom or dad that you'll take their shift at the car pool or lending a hand to that wounded warrior in your neighborhood. you don't even have to know a

military family because thanks to great organizations like blue star families and their partnerships with the american red cross and service nation, every american can write a letter to a military family and let them know that in their honor, they'll be serving or volunteering in their own community. it's that easy. and if you ask any military family, they will tell you, sometimes it's the smallest things. these simple gestures that say thank you that make the biggest difference in their lives. and if you need ideas, you don't have to go far because we are also creating a new website. joining forces -- joiningforces.gov where americans can come together and connect and find out how they can take action, often in their own communities. because every single american can do something. and that includes me and jill. we're not asking anybody to do

anything we won't do ourselves. so beginning tomorrow, we're hitting the road. yes, michelle and jill on a road trip. we're going to be traveling throughout the country, celebrating the service of military families and communities and nonfederal governments and folks who support those families every day. at each stop, we'll be encouraging every american to ask a simple question. how can i give back to these families who have given me so much? that's the question. so obviously, i'm excited about this campaign and i know jill is too and we know that this cannot be something that we do just for this year or just for the next year. this isn't just a short-term effort. pause our military families deserve our respect and support at every stage of their lives, no matter who is in office. so it's our hope that what we're launching today becomes

part of the fabric of our country and to make sure that it does, i'm proud that one of america's leading nonpartisan institutions focused on national security, the center for new american security, has stepped forward to help coordinate joining forces. it's going to be guided by an advisory board of distinguished americans with a wealth of experience serving military families and bringing people together around a common cause. those include general mcchrystal, patty shinsecki, and both of them are here today, we are grateful to you both. [applause] so, jill and i truly believe that if enough people across this great country realize just

how much our military families do for us, and if we look in our own lives to see what we can offer, then there's absolutely no limit to what we can do together to keep these families and our cupry strong. and if we do this, if we come together, i know that we'll come closer to our vision of a nation that truly recognizes and honors our military families. it's an america where every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, and coast guardsman and woman can deploy, knowing that their family will be taken care of back at home. it's an america where every military spouse has the support that he or she needs to keep their family strong and thriving. it's an america where every military -- military child has the support they need to grow and learn and realize their dreams.

it's an america where our veterans and their families, especially our gold star families who have sacrificed so much, are honored throughout the entirety of their lives. in short, we see a nation where more americans across every sector of society are joining forces on behalf of our military families. and believe me, this is going to remain one of my defining missions as first lady. i thank you all for joining us to help make this happen and jill and i hope that this campaign will be worthy of the service and sacrifice and strength of every single military family in this country and that it will make a real difference in their lives for years to come. so thank you so much. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated until the official party has departed. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] ♪

>> we'll hear more about military families tomorrow on "washington journal." the executive director of the national military family association joins us at 9:15 eastern. also on the program, representative vicky hartzler, of missouri, and representative alison schwarz, democrat,

talking about the budget. the journal is live every day at 7:00 eastern. the house comes back in about seven minutes at 6:30 eastern. no votes on the budget tonight, but there are are several votes, including extending the reagan centennial commission. earlier today, spokemans mark toner said the u.s. supports the marketing of libyan crude oil by qatar on behalf of rebels fighting against muammar gaddafi. he gave these rashes at the top of today's briefing, here's that portion. >> just a cup of things at the top, then i'll take your question. questions, plural, i imagine you'll have more than one. secretary clinton did meet with sheikh amir today leading up to

his meetings with other officials they discussed a range of bilateral issues including the situation in libya and the secretary did have the opportunity to thank s -- to thank him for qatar's hosting of this week's meeting of the libya contact group as well as qatar's support for u.n. resolution 73 and operation unified protector. she'll also be meeting this afternoon with -- >> on the meeting, it's just burns, feldman and fwor don who are there? >> correct. i'll double check on that >> do you know if -- we heard

that someone else is traveling co-doha as well. >> i don't have any information on that. >> are any of your officials planning to meet with him? >> not at this point, but i'll find out. >> what is the capacity there? >> talk to the qatar authorities, they're the ones in charge. secretary clinton will meet with the jordanian foreign minister, it's an opportunity for them to further discuss libya and they'll discuss other issues including the recent formation of a new jordanian government and cooperation in the middle east peace efforts. the united states would like to express its deepest condolences to the people of belarus for the terrible loss of life and injuries due to the bombing of the subway on april 11.

we condemn this heinous act and in this moment of sorrow we offer our sympathy to the families and loved ones of those injured or killed. that's all i have for the top. i'll take your questions. >> on libya, there seems to be some unhappyness in europe among your european nato allies, in particular your first ally ever, france, and its -- ever, yes. and britain. seem to be teaming up on you. wanting more u.s. military input, a bigger u.s. role in the nato operation. are there any plans to increase to go back to where, to increase that role, to go back to where it was at the beginning? >> i'm aware of the remarks. and i'm -- i don't know that

they were necessarily ganging up on us. i think they were commenting on nato's tempo of operations and i believe nato briefed earlier on this issue today and addressed some of those concerns. we have every confidence in nato's ability to carry out the tasks -- task of enforcing the arms embar go and no fly sope and protection of civilians in libya. as the president said, the u.s. and other key partners had capabilities that they brought to this operation up front and that our role would diminish as nato stepped up to take command and control of the operation. tchast what's happened. we have confidence in nato's ability to carry out the mission. >> you talk about nato as if it's some extraterrestrial being from another planet with which you have occasional meetings. you're the largest force in

nato, the largest contributor to nato, the largest budgetary contributor to nato, so the question is is the united states willing, as a central member of nato, willing to increase its contribution to the current operations? >> well, again, we feel it contributed a great deal to the success of this operation thus far and by no means would i ever refer to nato as an extraterrestrial being, it's our most successful military alliance in history and it does have the capability and the structure to carry out a mission like this and we believe it's doing its job and doing it effectively. there's no change in our posture. i just would note that secretary gates and others have said that the u.s., of course, has needed -- as needed, would help out if requested in other

capacities and other capabilities, but really our role has receded in this mission. >> just to follow up on that, has, i believe there's been no such request for nato to the united states. is that correct? >> that's my understanding. and is it correct that the united states is no longer -- no longer has any of the -- and courtney will, i hope, correct me here, any of the a-10 warthog aircraft currently being used in the libyan operation? >> i refer you to the pentagon for details on that, or to courtney. >> nonofficial spokesperson. >> but we are, and just to add on to my previous answer, we are still -- as you correctly noted, we are part of nato. we are providing support for nato. we do have air bases and assets in the mediterranean and those are obviously being brought to bear for this operation. but you know, there's been no

other further requests for assistance that i'm aware of. >> can you confirm or deny that the u.s. -- >> and we'll leave this now. the u.s. house is coming in for a series to have three votes, live coverage here on c-span. b discharge interested further consideration of senate joint resolution 8 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the joint resolution. the clerk: senate joint resolution 8, joint resolution providing for the appointment of steven m. case as a citizen region of the board of regionents of the smithsonian institution. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to the consideration of joints remain lusion? -- joint resolution? without objection, the joint resolution isution is read a th and passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. lungren: m speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. lungren: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on house administration be discharged from further consideration of house resolution 197 and ask for its

immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 197, resolution electing members to the joint committee on printing and the joint committee of congress on the library. >> i would just like to commend the gentleman for bringing this measure and how important it is that the holocaust be remembered right here in the heart of our capital and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman withdraws. without objecon, the resolution is agreed to and the motion treconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on house administration be discharged from further consideration of house concurrent resolution 33 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 33, concurrent resolution permitting the use of the rotunda of the capitol for a ceremony as part of the

commemorationf the days of remembrance of victims of the holocaust. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the concurrent resolution? without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and the mion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. lungren: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on s.j.s remain 8, h.res. 197 and h.con.res. 33. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, proceedings will resume on questions previously postponed. votes will be taken in the following order. h.r. 1308 by the yeas and nays. s. 307 by the yeas and nays, approval of the journal by the ye and na, the first electronic vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes.

the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly, spo suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1308 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bil the clerk: h.r. 1308, a bill to amend the ronald reagan centennial commission act, to extend the termination date for the commission and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this

vote the yeas are 383, the nays are 17. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider --

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 394, the nays are 18. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to

reconsider is laid on the table. the unfished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from arkansas, . crawford, to suspend the rules and pass s. 307 on which the yeas and ns are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 307, an act to designate the federal building and united states corn house located at 217 west king street, martinsburg, west virginia, as the w. craig federal building andnited states courthouse. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 402, the nays are three, one being recorded as present. 2/3 being in the affirmative --

the speaker pro tempore: on th vote, the yeas are 408, the nays are 3, e being recorded as present, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished business is the question on agreeing to the speaker's a i prufle of the journal on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the question son agreeing to the speaker's approval of the journal. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote.

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

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 325, the nays are 79, two voting - present, the journal is approved.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. will all members please take their conversations off the floor. the house will be in order. the chair is prepared to entertain one-minute requests.

the house will be in order. members please take their conversations off the floor. the gentleman from north dakota is recognized for one minute. the gentleman will suspend. the house will be in order. >> yesterday, i had the opportunity to tour overland flooded sites in north dakota. river levels hit record highs and thousands of north dakotans volunteered their time and effort to save homes an lives. mr. berg: today i'd like to recognize the thousands of high

school students that helped fill and stack sandbags that protected property and lives. together they helped the county residents, they helped protect their homes as the river rose. without the help of these young volunteers, many north dakotans would have been left unprepared. unprepared for the overland flooding that affected our state. these students are students that care about their communities. their dedication exemplifies the spirit we see in north dakota and the next generation of leaders. i'm pleased at their efforts to protect -- that their efforts to protect our communities worked. i'd like to recognize them today. thank you and i'll yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the house will be in order.

will the members please remove their conversations from the floor. for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa rise? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to continue a discussion started by our good friend and former iowa congressman berkley burdell today in the "des moines register"," i ask unanimous consent to enter the column into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boswell: in his column, he said, those who own america should help pay for government,

end of quote he argues that congress' budget focuses on cutting costs instead of generating revenue is fundamentally skewed and not good business. he said, quote, show me a company that ignores revenue and focuses on cutting costs and i'll show you a company headed for failure. show me a government that focusing on cutting costs and ignoring revenue and i'll show you a government that's heading for failure. for me, this means eliminating billions a year in subsidies to multimillion dollar oil and gas companies, ending mortgage deductions for vacation homes and yachts that cost the taxpayers billions a year in lost revenue, it means ending the bush era tax cut to increase our tax by $400 billion. i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: houston, we have a problem. these are the words from space from apollo 13 were in trouble. the nasa folks in houston, texas, helped bring apollo back to earth safety. now, houston, we have another problem. for obvious political reasons, none of the four shuttles will be retired at space center u.s.a., in houston, texas, the home of nasa, the home of the johnson space center and the home of the astronauts. why the apparent shuttle snub to houston and to history in it's blatantly political. the four winners of the shuttles, one of which hasing in to do with nasa, all are states that voted for the president. when the u.s. won its race to the moon in 1969, the first word on the mune was, houston, not new york city.

now it should be said, houston, the shuttles have landed but only in the blue states that voted for the president. this ought not to be. but that's just the way it is. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? >> address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise today to honor marine sergeant robert treadway. he was killed in a plane crash in 1976 while on active duty. however, it wasn't until earlier this week, nearly 35 years later, that sergeant treadway received the memorial service. on monday, memorial service was held for sergeant treadway at the santa fe national cemetery to bring enclosure to his mother. for nearly two decades, his mother tried to arrange for the

memorial service that sergeant treadway had earned. i was honored to have the opportunity to help ms. treadway pay tribute to her son. the men and women who serve our country in the armed services sacrifice a tremendous amount and so do their loved ones that they leave behind while they protect our nation. i was honored to help ms. treadway and give her son a memorial that is befitting to honor his memory. to sergeanttread way and his mother thank you for being the best of america's spirit in its finest. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia rise? mr. kingston: permission to address the house for one minute. the spending debate in washington boils down to a couple of fundamentals. we spend 23% of our g.d.p., that

is the level of spending of congress. the revenues to g.d.p. are only 18%. 5% difference in what your revenues are and what your spending are. right now for every dollar we spend, 40 cents is borrowed. you can't continue to defy gravity. this week we will consider the ryan budget. it has spending reforms and regulatory reforms. all things are very good. the president will re-introducing another budget this week because it's important because if you don't like the republican ryan budget, that's fine, but put your budget on the table because the republican party has some ideas. all we have heard from the democrats is criticism. we have got to come together as a country to do what's best not just for the next election but for the next generation and indeed, for our future.

thank you very much. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise. >> address the house for one minute and revise my remarks. mr. weiner: we will be considering the medicare elimination and middle class increase act. we have heard it call the ryan bill. it does things that are popular in america, let's eliminate the medicare program. let's say to senior citizens and say we are going to give you a voucher and shop for health care and good luck. that's one proposal and then it says let's take $750 billion of medicaid expenses and shift them to the states so the states have to raise taxes and localities have to raise taxes. this is the idea of some new interesting idea? you know, it was said by the previous speaker that democrats haven't come forward with any ideas. yeah, we came up with medicare to help seniors, social security

to help senior citizens. these are the programs that we care about and going to fight for. this week on the house floor, republicans are going to say we are against medicare. they want to eliminate it as it stands. isn't it ironic they criticized the health care act because it harmed medicare and now suddenly they want to eliminate it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. are there any further one-minute requests? the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. culberson of texas for today and mr. reichert of washington for today and wednesday, april 13. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the

gentleman from georgia, mr. broun, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority. mr. broun: thank you, mr. speaker. america is facing some very perilous times because of the joblessness, because of the poor economy, because of the outrageous spending that has been going on for the last two years through the last congress. and i come tonight, mr. speaker, to discuss something that i think is call for the american

people to understand, because we have gotten what the constitution says and what the original intent of the contusion might be. members have held up keeps of the constitution and i carry a copy in my pocket. and they talk about this being a living and breathing document. nothing could be further from the truth from the philosophy of our founding fathers. our founding fathers meant this to be a very solid foundation. the declaration of independence expresses the philosophy of liberty in america. and the constitution is an embodyment of those principles into a governing document. mr. speaker, if we don't have a solid foundation upon which to build all of our laws, all of our society, then we're building our society and laws on shifting sand. you can ask a six-year-old if you build a house on shifting

sand, what's going to happen? it's going to fall, it's going to fail and that is what is happening in our country today, because we have gotten away from the original intent of the constitution. god says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. and we have a tremendous lack of knowledge about the foundational principles. what our founding fathers meant for government to be. we have a tremendous lack of knowledge in this nation. even in jurists that sit on the u.s. supreme court about the constitution. i was very shocked as i got interested in politics, i started talking to lawyers who had gone to law schools all over this country. the majority of lawyers that i have spoken with, law schools, public and private all across this country, they all have a course call constitutional law. but the american public would be

absolutely shocked to understand that lawyers, even when they take constitutional law and a lot of law schools, it's an elective, even, when they take constitutional law, they don't study the constitution of the all they study is case law, what the federal court system has said about the constitution. and we've got federal jurists all the way up to the supreme court, federal district courts, appellate system up to the supreme court, bring down ruling upon ruling that is not based upon the constitution. that leads to tyranny in all possibility. our founding fathers never meant this. and in fact, if people would read the constitution and read what our founding fathers said about the constitution, they would understand that.

there's a great resource that talks about what our founding fathers meant for the constitution to be. and, in fact, the architect of the constitution, james mad sovereign, john jay the first -- madison, john jay, the first supreme court justice and a federalist who believed in a strong government, wrote a series ofes as and were printed in the newspapers in new york state and written to tell new yorkers about what government should be under the constitution in its original intent. they explained in minute detail what government should be, not only then but 200, 400, 600 years later. because they knew very firmly, very strongly that if we didn't

have that original inat the present time and a strong, solid foundation of government, that we could lose our liberty. that's the reason they wanted us to stay with their intent in the constitution. they wrote these series ofes as. they have -- ofes as. this contains thoses as. they have been written about the constitution to explain the constitution. and if people will get the federalist papers and read them, they will see how far off track we have gotten as a nation. they will see that our nation is being destroyed from within. being destroyed by a philosophy of big government. and this philosophy has been fostered upon us by democrats

and republicans alike, by liberals and conservatives alike. we've got to change that. mr. speaker, the only way that we're going to change governing here in the united states is not here in washington, not here in the u.s. house of representatives, not over across the way in the u.s. senate, not down the street on pennsylvania avenue in the white house. the only way we are going to change the philosophy of governance is that if the good people across this nation start demanding a different kind of governance. we have to stop this outrageous spending and get our economy back on track. we have to start creating jobs. what's made this country so rich, so powerful, so successful as a political experiment, the greatest political experiment in all of history, of all of mankind is right here in the united states based on the constitution of the united states in its original intent. we have a tremendous lack of

knowledge. now the federalist papers in the old language, it's a bit difficult to read. their style of writing, their style of english was a bit different from ours. got another resource that i highly recommend which is the federalist papers in modern language. buy this off of amazon and get this in book stores around the country. if they don't have it in stock, it can be ordered. but what the editor, mary webster got some folks to translate the federalist papers from old style english into modern english. changed one word from old style into another word into a new word. this is not a commentary on the federalist papers, but strictly

a translation, translated from old style english to new style english and people can go a read either the federalist papers in its english form or in modern language and can become knowledgeable. we have to light grass fires all across this country to demand a different kind of government or we're going to destroy everything that our founding fathers have given us. this nation was built on personal responsibility and accountability. it was based on freedom and liberty. i use those words separately. let me explain liberty for you and give you a definition. i don't know if this is my original definition or not. i don't remember reading it anywhere or seen it when i have gone to look it up, but yame not claiming it as my own and i don't know who wrote it if someone did. liberty.

liberty is freedom brideled by morality. liberty is freedom bridaled by morality. a wild bear is free. all the wild bears constrained by the constraints, can go anywhere it wants to. a wild bear will even kill its own cubs just to get to the sow to breed her and doesn't care about anybody else but himself. the sow will protect her cubs but other than that she is free and chooses to do so by her instinct. but absolute freedom is anarchy. it's anarchy. you see, if i'm totally free, if i don't like somebody, i can just kill them. we see that by dictators around

the world. historical as well as in present times. but you see, freedom bridled by morality, liberty, means that my freedom stops where another person's freedom starts. we can come together and work in concert for the greater good, for the greater good of our families, our communities, our cities, our states, as well as our nation. this country was founded upon liberty. personal responsibility and accountability. it's been so successful economically because it's been based on a free enterprise system. free enterprise. free enterprise is the engine that pulls along the train of economic prosperity here in america. but we're destroying that. our president has the philosophy that i believe is totally against free

enterprise. a lot of my colleagues, democrat and republican alike, believe the federal government ought to control virtually every aspect of our lives. george w. bush was a big spending, big government president. he gave us no child left behind which has been a disaster. i call it leave no teacher unshackled. we've got to get the shackles off teachers, let the local school boards run the educational system, not by a federal department of education or i don't think even by a state department of education but the states have the right to do that constitutionally. the most powerful political force in america today is embodied in the first three words of the u.s. constitution. we, the people. and if we the people will become knowledgeable about the constitution and about the founding fathers, philosophy of

government, the philosophy of liberty and freedom, the philosophy of the free enterprise system, the philosophy of individual liberty, we can put this country back on the right course by the american people demanding their freedom back. we've lost a lot of it. a tremendous amount of freedom has been lost. we're losing our liberty. and we have a government that is taking away our freedoms. the preamble to the constitution of the united states, we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution of the united

states. tonight, i'm going to talk about one little phrase in this preamble, it's also in another place in the constitution, i'm going to talk about the general welfare clause. we'll come back on another night, i'll talk about the commerce clause. and then we'll talk also about the bill of ithes and other parts of the constitution but three phrases out of the constitution have been utilizes -- utilized to pervert the idea behind the constitution, to destroy its original intent to cause us to continue to lose liberty here in america. the general welfare clause is one of those. you see congress has strayed from the clear cut path, the liberty our founding fathers

outlined in the most basic and fundamental document to ever exist, our constitution. the single most important part of this document is embodied in those first three words because we're supposed to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people, as abraham lincoln said. our government's purpose is to protect and preserve the freedom and liberties of we the people. government is supposed to govern at the consent of the people, not the people being dealt with at the consent of the governed -- of the government. yet nowadays, it seems the federal government has inserted itself into almost every aspect of our day-to-day lives, monitoring what kind of health care we can have, bailing out the automobile industry and regulating the education standards, just a few examples of the federal government's hands overreach into things where it should not go.

>> would the gentleman from georgia yield for a moment? mr. broun: i'd be glad to yield for a moment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i send to the desk two privilege red ports from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the titeles of the resolutions. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 218, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 1417, making appropriations for the federal government for the fiscal year sending september 30, 2011 and for other purposes, providing for consideration house concurrent resolution 35, directing the clerk of the house of representatives to make a correction and providing for consideration of concurrent resolution, concurrent resolution 36, directing the clerk of the house of representatives to make a

correction in the enrollment of h.r. 1473. report to accompany house resolution 219, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 1217, to repeal the prevention and public health fund. >> i thank the gentleman and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar and ordered printed. the gentleman from georgia. mr. broun: thank you, mr. speaker. over time it's become the norm for the federal government to keep expanding in both size and scope. taking powers and rights intended for the states and people. in the 10th amendment of the constitution, it says if a right is not specifically given to the federal government by the constitution, in other words, these things in article 1, section 8, and a few others, but these are the things we can pass laws about, if it's not

prohibited from the states, those rights are reserved for the states and people. one of my primary goals while serving here in washington is to spend these powers back to the states and people and to ensure -- do everything i can to ensure that the constitution is applied as the founding fathers intended. i'll work very hard to try to build those bridges, to send those powers back to the states and people. these are the powers created in article 1, section 8. the necessary proper clause, the so called elastic clause, allows congress to pass laws about these other things. but this is all the federal government, all the house and senate are posed to be passing laws about. we have some say in the court, we have some say with the executive branch, but these are the things that congress is supposed to be passing laws about and nothing else.

nothing else but these things. well, the general welfare clause is one of the most commonly abused and misapplied powers that the federal government has. utilized to expand the size and scope of government and to destroy our liberty. article 1, section 8, clause 1 of the u.s. constitution, the congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts, provide for the common defense and general welfare of the united states. this is the second place i mentioned just a few minutes before in the preamble our founding fathers mentioned general welfare. here it is in article 1, section 8, clause 1, the general welfare.

this clause generated the most debate during our founding fathers' period because the term general welfare is vague. it leaves much room for interpretation. now we hear judges talk about interpreting the constitution. judges shouldn't be interpreting the constitution. words make a tinches. when we use the -- words make a difference. when we use the word interpreting, somebody can apply their own bias or judgment about what should or should not be constitutional. you should be using the word apply the constitution in its original intent. i'm an original intent constitutionalist as i just mentioned. i want to apply the constitution as our founding fathers meant it. alexander hamilton and james madison, famously disagreed about the meaning of general welfare. and the limits to congress' spending. madison wanted the clause to be

very narrowly interpreted and hamilton wanted a bit broader interpretation. now alexander hamilton would walk into these doors of the u.s. house today, he would be absolutely shocked and chagrined at how much liberty we've lost because he never, as a federalist, envisioned the size and scope of government today. i think if you knew what was -- if he knew what was going on today a little over 200 years since the constitution was passed, ratified, he'd be arguing, just like i am today, yet founders, as pthalater laid out in the federalist papers, neither madison nor hamilton would have agreed with the modern day view that there are no limitations whatsoever on

congress' power to spend and that general welfare means whatever congress, the president, and the courts says that it means. even those federalists would not agree that we have an open invitation to have whatever kind of government that we want to have. today, no project seems too local or too narrow. which is a big part of why this country is buried in so much debt. $14.5 trillion. then if you look at the finance gap, it's over $200 trillion. powers of congress are not unlimited. which is why we must get back to the basics of the constitution. we're going to talk tonight about that original intent of

the general welfare clause and how -- just how far we've moved away from it. james madison number 41 in the "federalist papers" wrote this, quote, some who have not denied the necessity of the power of taxation have growned a very pierce attack against the constitution. this sounds like today, doesn't it? on the language of which it is defined. it has been urged and echoed that the power, quote, to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense an general welfare of the united states, we just showed you that, that's in article 1, section 8, clause 1 of the constitution, then he goes on, amounts to an unlimited commission to exercise every power which may

be alleged to be necessary for the common defense or general welfare. no stronger proof could be given of the distress under which these writers labor for objections than their stooping to such a misconstruction. that's that old kind of lang badge -- language. basically, he was saying that it is i neighbor to think that the general welfare clause, this -- it is inane to think that this general welfare clause allows congress to do anything, cleblet taxes, for anything, no stronger proof could be given that means under the problems that are going to arise, under which these writers labor, the supreme court today, the president today, the last president,

republican and democratic presidents for the last many decades labor for objections then they're stooping to such a misconstruction. he was very, very clear. we do not have the power to do so. we don't have the power to do so. james madison, federalist 45, the powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal government are few and defined -- they are defined. article 1, section 8. other articles. strictly interpreted. strictly defined. strictly according to what it says, not a broadening of those powers. few and defined. to be exercised principally on external objects as war, peace,

negotiation, and foreign commerce. james madison in federalist 45 says basically right here what the primary purpose of the federal government is. national defense, national security, foreign affairs. . we have rights to postal roads and post offices and things like that to establish the currency and other things to make this one nation of the but the principal purposes of the federal government under the original intent of the constitution is national defense, national security and foreign affairs. the american people need to understand that firmly. that's foreign commerce. we see over and over again the courts defining general welfare

in a different manner. much different manner. in fact, the courts have held that anything that has to do with anybody's welfare, an individual's welfare, is ok under the constitution. but that's not the original intent. the original intent was the general welfare. the general welfare of the nation, not welfare of individuals. we have this big welfare system in this country and it all started in earnest with president woodrow wilson and franklin roosevelt, president roosevelt, exploded the size and scope of government through his new dell. both progressives and both have socialist beliefs. in fact, franklin roosevelt sent

his advisers, his closely held friends, his cabinet people to go visit with stalin in communist russia to study what stalin was doing there so f.d.r. could replicate it here in the united states and he did everything he could to do so. he packed the courts because the courts said the welfare clause, the commerce clause could not be expanded to include all the size and scope of government. thomas jefferson, congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated. article 1, section 8. my colleagues, republican and democrat alike vote for things that are not enumerated in the

original intent, they are violating their oath of office, every single one of us have stood up here and have taken an oath of office. first time i did that was when i was sworn in the marine corps in 1964, when i came to congress in a special election in 2007 and again in 2009 and then again this year, i stood right here in this chamber and held up my hand and i swore to uphold the constitution against powers, both foreign and domestic. one of the greatest domestic powers that are anti--constitution, reside right in this house. right in this house, because we are destroying our liberty. we are destroying it by the philosophy of big government.

severe son, quote, they are not to do anything they please, unquote. in a court case, united states versus butler, we started moving into this idea about the constitution being anything that the court says that it is, anything that the president says it is, anything that the congress says that it is, and we have seen just recently where congress passed mccain-feingold law now. president bush said we'll let the supreme court tell us whether it's con constitutional or not. they can't tell us what is

constitutional, neither the congress nor the president. we, the people, are the final arbiter. we, the people, need to demand the original intent of the constitution by becoming knowledgeable about it. the final arbiter of whether something is constitutional is in the constitution and what our founding fathers said about it, not what supreme court ruling has said about it, because most supreme court justices have no clue what the original intent is. they don't care. they just don't care, i don't think. united states versus butler, 70 years ago dismissed madison's

and jefferson's narrow view of the constitution. it is an independent power and the general welfare clause gives congress the power it might not derive elsewhere. another supreme court case, the supreme court interpreted the clause confering upon congress the power to impose taxes and spend money for the general welfare subject almost entirely to its discretion. our own discretion. even more recently, the court has included the power to indirectly coerce the states into adopting national standards by threatening to withhold federal funds in south dakota versus dole. today, the ham i will tonian --

hamiltonian debate and the country's debt. we aren't considering the repercussions. obamacare is a great example. obamacare is a great destroyer, going to destroy jobs and people's budgets, companies' budgets and the federal government. we have no constitutional authority as a judge in florida upheld. james madison, little later on in his life, wrote a letter in 1831 and in this letter he said with respect to the words general welfare in the constitution, i have always regarded them as qualified by

the detail of powers connected to them, connected with them. in other words, those things in article 1, section 8 and the rest of the constitution as it was intended, to take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators. the creators of the constitution. those folks who wrote it, those folks who ratified it, destroying america, destroying our economy and destroying everything that is good. we need to cut out outrageous spending for the well-being of our nation and apply the general welfare clause as james madison originally intended.

it's got to stop. mr. speaker, when i come to the floor to vote or when i write legislation, my staff and i write legislation, we have a four-way test that i apply to every vote i make and everything i do here. the first question is, is it right? by that question, i mean is it morally right. does it follow the principles that this nation was founded upon. and a lot of liberals across this country who are watching this will start blogging and some of the liberal news media will say i want to set up a theocracy and nothing could be

farther from the truth. freedom of religion and first amendment is very near and dear to me. but we have freedom of religion in this country so jews, muslims, atheists, humanists and yes, every christians can make a personal choice of what their religion is. celebrate and worship on their religion as long as it doesn't infringe on anybody else's rights because this nation was founded on biblical principles, principles of freedom and liberty. we have gotten away from it. i believe so much in these four questions that i had them printed up. if someone comes to my office, they'll see them on the desk of all my legislative people. there is a copy on my desk.

it's on my home page of both of my web sites. i wish every member of congress would apply these four principles. is it right? is it constitutional in its original intent. not this perverted idea of the constitution, the president's, congress's and the federal court systems operate under. is it necessary and can we afford it. four simple questions. you see, we have gotten away from the original intent of the constitution. we have created this huge federal government that has taken our freedom away. it's killing our liberty and our nation and it's because of a perverted idea of the general welfare clause as well as the commerce clause that the courts

have allowed this to happen, presidents and congresses have allowed it to happen. mr. speaker, we, the people, need to stand up and say no to taking our liberty away. our founding fathers over and over again during the original period would rush to the floor with this book in hand, the holy bible and they would come to the floor, the house and the senate, come to the floor of the constitutional convention, and say, look what i found, what our creator says. benjamin franklin proposed prayer in the constitutional convention.

we pray today every day that congress opens because of that prayer, that benjamin franklin recommended, and in his speech, and i encourage you to go read it, in that speech, he said, if our creator notice that a bird falls to the ground, how can we build a nation without the help of the providence, of god, our creator. you see, the constitution was written on biblical principles. our founding fathers quoted the holy bible more than any other source. david baferton, as a minister in texas, called wall builders, he has more original source documents probably than anybody. wrote a book called "original intent." i highly recommend this, too.