cut medicare and medicaid, she will stand her ground. she will not back down. when those republicans tried to take the next election by taking the vote away from people of color, women, young people, she will stand her grounds. she will not back down. and when those republicans refuse to extend unemployment insurance, when they are more -- when their answer to losing 200,000 jobs is so be it, she will stand her ground, she will not back down. and neither will we democrats. not this year, not next year, not ever. the history of our party, of our country is a great story of challenges answered, victories won, and torches that pass on.

i am proud to pass the torch to a woman who gives voice to an america that is forever reborn, forever open and opportunities, forever seeking out a better future. ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers, our voice, our pride, our next national chairwoman, who will not back down, the fighter from south florida, debbie wasserman schulz. [applause] all right. by the way, those remarks, i made them out.

ithat is what happens when you like to write at night. it is time to elect our new chair, but before we do that, we must follow the rules of the process. members have copies of the rules and procedures for the election of the dnc chair person. o you.ere emailed ty everyone has copies? thank you. these of the same rules the dnc has used to elect officers in february, 1989, and to elect the new dnc chair in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, two dozen 5, 2009 -- 2005, 2009, and to elect our first female chairwoman.

i would now like to represent the co-share of the rules and bylaws committee that will walk us through the rules of procedure, and then we will call a vote. thank the chairman elect. >> thank you, madam chair, and a member of the rules and bylaws committee. it is great to be with so many good democrats here in person and on the phone, all over the country. on behalf of my cochair, the secondary elect, who i know is on the phone with us, and on behalf of all of the rules and bylaws committee, i am here to recommend the adoption of the rules and procedure by the full democratic national committee. these other rules that were sent to all of you.

even though today's election for dnc chair is uncontested, we still have to conduct this in accordance with the procedure requirements. last month, the rules and bylaws committee drafted the proposed rules after discussing them by telephone. we then voted by mail ballot to recommend the rules for adoption at this meeting. the proposed rules were sent out on april 24 by secretary john to, and there are copies available. the rules recommended for adoption today by the full democratic national committee are, as chairwoman brazile mentioned, the same rules since used it in 1989 with minor modifications to allow for the

knicks circumstances of today's meeting. to encourage participation, for this meeting only, in person participation includes those dnc members who are here in the room and those participating by telephone. the recommended rules and procedures contained the following key provision. candidates for dnc chair had to file nominating statement with the dnc secretary by 8:00 p.m. on monday, may 2, 2011, which included the signatures of at least 20 dnc members. i have the privilege of being one of those, and there were many more than 20. each candidate for chair is entitled to 10 minutes for nominating and seconding speeches, to be divided by no more than four speakers. the majority of the full membership of the dnc press and in person, which means either in the rim or by telephone or by

proxy, shall constitute a quorum, which we have heard that we have, provided at least 40% of the membership must be present in person or by telephone. no dnc member may hold more than one proxy, all proxy's must be in writing and signed, and must be submitted prior to commencement of the vote. no proxy or transfer proxy will be accepted by the dnc secretary while a vote is being conducted. the dnc chair will be elected by a majority of members. on behalf of the rules and bylaws committee, would probably move that these rules and procedures as credit and distributed be adopted by this fall democratic national committee. >> second. >> thank you. the chair would entertain a motion to adopt the rules.

>> so moved. >> second? >> is there any discussion? seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying "aye." >> aye! [applause] >> all those opposed? the ayes have it, and the rules of procedure have been adopted. thank you, jim and alexis. in accordance with the rules just adopted, we now move forward to the election of our chair. the secretary has informed me, thank you, that nominating petitions were properly filed for one candidate, congresswoman debbie washwoman's shultz -- debbie wasserman shots. she is entitled to 10 minutes of nominating and seconding speeches before the dnc members.

the chair recognizes the president of state democratic chairs and the nc vice chair, new hampshire party chair raymond buckley for the purposes of nominating congresswoman debbie wasserman shultz. [applause] >> thank you, madam chair, fellow officers, our future leader, and members. 18 years ago, a new hampshire legislature went to a conference vote, showing great promise for being leaders of the future. when i picked my friend at the airport, she could not stop talking about this 26-year-old legislator from florida. she is amazing, so bright, powerful, articulate and strong. you would love her. now, 18 years later, there are tens of thousands of folks in

the debbie watson and shultz fan club across this country. it is my honor to place the nomination of that amazing, bright, passionate, strong, and articulate former florida state legislature and the congresswoman debbie wasserman schulz for chairman of the dnc. while she may work in washington, she is not of washington. it she was in constant motion, traveling from every corner of this country. she understands elections are not one in washington. she knows they'll one in the harvest festivals, the union halls, the town hall meetings, the community celebrations, and by going door to door. her commitment to the grass roots and to the local and state parties is second to none, she

gets it. as a state chair and it leader of the state chairs, i appreciate that within the past month, debbie has taken the time to reach out to every single one of my colleagues. debbie stands for the state parties and today the state parties probably stand with debbie. let us also reflect on this historic milestone in our party's history and country's history. little more than a generation ago, my remarks today would be little more than a dream. here i am, the first openly gay chair of the democratic national committee nominating a woman to serve as the chair of the democratic national committee as we embark on reelecting our first great african-american president, president barack obama. [applause] which all goes to show and prove we are the party of opportunity, equality,

diversity, and we are the party that stands up for all americans. as a gay american, i am proud of her support of equality for " the years. as the effort begins to re-elect our president, and sending it tim kaine to the u.s. senate from virginia, and in our efforts to turn back the house, debbie wasserman schultz will be an outstanding and effective share. please join me in supporting her unanimous selection as our national chair. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, ray. the chair now recognizes joyce for seconding this nomination. >> thank you, madame chair.

i have known debbie for many years. we met as colleagues in the florida legislature, and it was not long before i develop tremendous respect for the work, ethics, and character of this woman. bond.'s work is her at her word is her bond. in this day and age, that is a rare, but it should not surprise you that she is a person of the incredible integrity. it is a core value and it lets everyone know that she's in politics for all the right reasons. as the mother of three young children, her foremost concern is building a better future for her kids and the kids of america. she looks at every issue through that lens, and her core values

and principles by centered around standing up for children and working families. let me give you an example. debbie's office, there was a picture of her twins holding hands and walking on the floor. when she spoke about protecting the environment and the world's resources, i knew that she did so with that in mind, protecting our environment, and she did that as she raised her family. the most important thing about debbie is not that she is passionate about doing things and meeting challenges, but she is not only passionate about them, she is passionate for the right reasons. as a nurse, i know the fight to reform health care was immensely important. debbie brought to that debate her experiences with the health- care system and an inquisitive

and analytical mind. she was determined to weigh all the options come to understand all sides of the debate, and to explain and interact with those folks involved so she could do what was best for the constituents that she represents. her support for the affordable care act and her efforts to help president obama pass that law was one of the reasons this was achieved after many decades of trying to do so. well, debbie katz said. she understands the impact of public policy on american lives, and she will go the last mile to do what is right for the people of florida and the people of these united states. she will stand up for our party's core values and surf as the first phase for democrats. as a female leader, and i say

that with pride, she reflects the diversity that is so much part of our party. and she, too, will work hard to make sure there is inclusion. she's a person of great leadership qualities and she will continue to make sure that all folks are represented in washington and in all state legislatures. i am certain that with her teen focus and appreciation for all that makes us democrats, and the diversity that makes us who we are as a party, she will work to bring very ideas to important issues as she conducts the business of our party. she has always succeeded by reaching out to americans, and by working to lift up families. as a member of congress from florida, she represents a richly diverse area of the country that strives on the vast differences.

all of this has served her well and her many runs for office, and will continue to serve her well as our democratic national committee chair. i would be remiss if i did not mention the importance of floor that in this next election -- if i did not mention the importance of florida in this next election. florida has always been important an election cycles, but i know that debra will take her experience in the state of florida and share that and share which she has learned with folks from all regions and states and territories, because we know that elections are not won in one state or region. i'm incredibly proud to be here today in support of my former colleague, my friend, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz, relying on her

strategic skills, her tremendous work ethic, and hurt democratic values -- and her democratic values. i am sure that she will do what is right for our country in our party. for all these reasons, i fully support congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz as i next democratic national committee chair person. thank you, and god bless you. i[applause] >> thank you. the chair now recognizes the college democrats of america president for another seconding speech. >> i am delighted to second the nomination of congress, and debbie wasserman schultz as our next dnc chair.

not only is this in a port step for our party, she is a shining example of the next generation as to what can happen when a student gets his or her start in college democrats and what can happen when a young person is compelled to get involved in his or her community and making their voices heard. young activists and our party have always had a special place in our hearts for the congresswoman. she got her start as the vice president of the university of florida college democrats and a member of yba. through her work as the hungry chair of the florida college democrats, the congresswoman's strength, energy, and enthusiasm was infectious. her strength became our strength. the her integrity, our integrity. her leadership, our inspiration. hat makes her an exceptionall

choice if she never has forgot where she came from and is a key advocate for young americans in congress. from the young democrats and the next generation of leaders, who spend sleepless hours organizing their campuses while balancing their studies and facing the pressure of been the honest person in the room, her nomination is our victory. congresswoman wasserman schultz's election today as a lesson to us all that if she could exceed in organizing, we can do it, too. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you. thank you for your great remarks. now, for the final seconding speech, the chair will recognize the at large member. [applause]

>> madame chairwoman, thank you so much. you spoke most eloquently today. i like to go to class to do that with you afterwards. good afternoon, i am a dnc member from the great state of florida. [applause] today, i have the honor and privilege of batting cleanup. you have heard from three of our very distinguished colleagues about why debbie will make a fantastic dnc chair, and i want to support everything they have said. in my many years of playing baseball in my youth, i always dreamed of batting cleanup. the problem was i cannot really hit. [laughter] president obama really got a hit when he asked congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to serve as chair of the gym at -- of the democratic national committee.

[applause] in fact, i think he knocked it out of the park. i say with confidence, because i really know this woman, i seen her passion, her commitment, and her tireless worker. i have gotten her phone calls, at allxts, her emails hours of the day and night. we both tend to have a problem sleeping late at night, and she emails may and i think she is shocked to get my response. she never stops thinking, never stop screaming, and it never stops working to move our country forward. all of us in south florida are more than willing to share our congresswoman with you, because we cannot imagine, not one of us, not all of us, and more outstanding or qualified person to help reelect president obama and move america forward.

i think we can all imagine a stronger country, with the best education system, the most robust economy, the most opportunity, innovation, and growth. i think we can all agree that debbie wasserman schultz will help president obama get us there. let me tell you how i know she will do a great job. one evening, a few years ago, my wife and i were out with debbie and her husband, steve, at a sporting event. i asked her how she felt about being known wherever she went in her district we were at our seats everybody had a question or something to say. i said, how be used and it? where've you go, you have no privacy. she did not hesitate. she loved it. that was the job, that is why she ran, that is why she served.

she wanted to help every single person who asked for help. that is the same kind of attitude that will make her outstanding at this job. she genuinely cares. because she cares, she will apply herself 1000% to the goal of strengthening our party and leading us to victory. some of you may wonder, how does she do with all? well, if there is a superwoman, her name this debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] she is smart, old, she is strong, energetic, and she knows how to win. and, yes, she can leap tall buildings in a single bound. [laughter] she always worries when i introduce her. but she has 1000% support of

every member of her family, mother, father, husband, brother, children, all of whom are here today. what i think is really inspiring about debbie, she is a clear illustration of this american dream that we all cherish in our country that if we apply ourselves, if we out prepare, out organize, over the liver, everything is possible. the matter where you come from or your parents or grandparents come from, the maddie your religious beliefs or sexual preference, regardless of the color of your skin or gender, you could reach for your dreams. as dnc chair, debbie will work hard to make sure that our party and president protect that dream for all americans. debbie is ready, she is eager, she is dedicated to fight for our fight -- fight for our rights and our future, and she

will not quit. we have a lot of work to do in the next 18 months. we have a lot of elections to win, from there to state legislature, gov., members of congress, senators, and, yes, president obama. the road ahead is long, the times will be steep, we will tire, but you can count on my friend, my very close friend, your friend and bars, debbie wasserman schultz, to have our backs, to have the president's back, to encourage us, push us, lead desk, and, when needed, to reinvigorate us. we are democrats. what keeps us working together day after day is the overriding passion to make our communities, are states, and our country and the world better for each living person.

our work together makes a tremendous difference. in my faiths tradition, every jewish child is taught their obligation for the need of the just to work personally to heal the world. i take this teaching very seriously, and i promise you that i know debbie take this seriously and is committed to this principle as well. it is that internal burning need that drives debbie to hopeless secure for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren -- that drives debbie to help us secure for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren this. it is now my job to get this election going. president obama got it right when he asked congress woman debbie wasserman schultz to

accept this enormous responsibility to chair the dnc and help lead us to victory in 2012. now officially placing her name in nomination as are dnc chair -- does that sound good? i ask you to join me in making our vote unanimous for my friend, your friend, our friend, debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] >> thank you so much, stephen. this concludes the nomination and seconding speeches for congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz, and we are ready to move to a vote. >> whoo! >> at this time, the chair entertain a motion to suspend the rules and elect

congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz as chair of the dnc by affirmation. >> so moved. >> is that a second? >> second. and all those in favor? >> aye! >> all those opposed? between those of us in the room and the members on the fund, that sounded unanimous to made. ladies and a supplement, fellow democrats, please help me give a big welcome to the new chair of the dnc, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. [cheers and applause]

as i said earlier, we have a lot of work to do between now and november, 2012, to support our president and all that he is doing to fight for americans all across our great nation. before i pass this gavel to congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz, i have a special guest on the telephone who would like to echo our sentiments today. i understand that president barack obama would also like to speak. [applause] >> well, it is exciting to join all of you on this thrilling day

as we elect a new leader for our great party. let me start by thanking my dear friend, donna, for an outstanding services. [applause] >> thank you. >> you know, we could not have been in better hands, and i know that she will be continuing to champion our grass roots. it is wonderful to be able to congratulate debbie wasserman schultz as she takes the gavel and leads us towards the future of prosperity. i am reminded of something michelle said. if he needs something important done, give it to a busy woman. [laughter] [applause] a thank you for for my selection of debbie as our new chair. i am positive she is the right person for the moment, not only

because she has great strategic sense, not only because he has unbelievable energy, -- because she has unbelievable energy, but she embodies the core values of democrats and americans. she believes the government has responsibility to promote economic opportunity for everybody regardless of background, she believes we have to make sure that our kids are getting the best education they can get to compete in the 21st century economy, she believes that we don't turn our back on our neighbors won the fall on hard times. she has been not just a great friend to me but a true friend to those who are trying to make it out here during tough times. she has worked to protect social security and medicare, picture our first responders and military have the support and resources they need. during her personal struggle with breast cancer, she barely missed a beat and she kept working for her constituents,

introduced legislation to educate young woman about the risks of cancer and the benefits of early screening. debbie stays focused, accomplishes her goals, she knows how to handle adversity with great strength, she knows what it beat -- what it means to be a true citizen of our great nation. i am absolutely positive she's going to be doing a great job, and i am going to be counting on her and all of you in the next few years. we have accomplished a lot together, but everybody knows that we have a lot more to do. i know that debbie feels the same way. our economy is getting better, but there are too many americans out of work. energy,vested in clean but we have to free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil. small businesses are coming back but are still struggling. we have to shrink our deficit but an irresponsible way, not on

the backs of working folks or senior citizens. we have to get immigration reform done, and this is a challenging time. there is nobody i would like having out there organizing our party and carrying the banner of democrats then all of you in the road and, in particular, debbie wasserman schultz. thank you for supporting debbie, thank you for all the hard work. i know we will have a tough 18 months, but i am confident that we will get this done. god bless you. i appreciate you. [applause] >> madam chair, it is with great honor and pleasure that i passed the torch, the gavel, to you.

to fellow democrats, i present to you, are chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. [cheers and applause] i believe, excuse me, this is what happens when you turn 51. you are not there yet, but -- [laughter] ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention, we have a short video. then i will present you are madame chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. thank you. >> my parents raised me to believe that in america, a little growth could be anything she wanted to become even chair of the democratic national committee.

>> she is nominated to lead the dnc. at that the congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. >> please give it up for your run congresswoman, debbie wasserman schultz! ♪ >> i ran for congress because i believe one person can make a difference i have represented south florida for almost 18 years, the state house, the state senate, and now the u.s. house of representatives. i am the youngest chair in quite a while. the first woman to be nominated by a sitting president. it sends a strong message to women that we matter. democrats have a dramatically different vision for our country than republicans. democrats create jobs, turn the economy around, insure the best

education for americans, make sure that we have quality affordable health care, save seniors money, and you don't have to make the choices you were talking about between eating and being well. i have the opportunity to work hard every single day from now until election day to reelect barack obama for president of the in the states, take back the house of representatives, and hold on to the u.s. senate. we have brought them that change that was promised, and we will bring even more. we are moving in the right direction. i am going to have a chance to go all over the country and talk about democrats' priorities as relates to women, working families. i am a mom with three young kids.

that is why i get up and do air with it -- that is why i get up and do what i do every single day, to give my children the best light possible now as dnc chair, i will be able to help transform america into the country that i want for my children. everybody should have a chance to achieve the american dream. anytime you get a call from the president of the united states asking you to step up and help do your part, i'm just so excited that the coach put me in. caller: [applause] -- [cheers] [applause] >> thank you. and now -- i know.

i know. debbie, i want to thank you, and its fans, for the effort that you will put in and put forth for our party over the next two years as we embark upon the journey to re-elect our president and to elect democrats from the bottom up. it is with great pleasure that i once again% are new national chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. [cheers and applause] >> thank you very much. thank you so much. thank you all so much for your unwavering support. you each have manage to capture a part of who i am and why i

firmly believe the future of this great nation and our party, the most progressive, the first, forward thinking organization in this country. donna, thank you for always being there for democrats. you have placed some need trails. i remember the first time i saw don on tv. i told her this the other day. the first time i saw her on tv with al gore, and how proud i was seeing a woman running his campaign. as we transfer this gavel this afternoon, there is no doubt in my mind that women will be smiling down on us today. me in thanking the phenomenal, brazil -- the

phenomenal donna brazile for serving this party in this country year after year. thank you so much. [applause] [cheers] thank you. i must also recognize the leadership and service of the next senator from the commonwealth of the state of virginia, tim kaine. [applause] tim has served us as chairman the past two years with dignity and discipline. he is leaving as a party that is as strong as ever. i want to recognize and think the florida democratic delegation for their song and unwavering support of may, for their friendship, and i want to thank my colleagues in the house democratic caucus as well. i thank my family, my congressional staff, and the fabulous staff at the dnc.

my family, my parents -- i could never get through this. my children, and particularly, my husband, steve. also with me here today. they have made major sacrifices so i could do a job that i love so much. i am truly fortunate to have such a wonderful and close family. [applause] by congressional staff works tirelessly on my behalf. they are committed and passionate group, and i appreciate and value all they do for me and my constituents. and for the dedicated staff that keeps our party running and winning, you have been there for me and made my transition to the dnc easy, and you have pulled off yet another successful dnc meeting. thank you, thank you.

i truly look forward to working out even more closely with all of you, and please keep patrick's family in your purse. he has been a tireless advocate for democrats. he has toiled in the wilderness for democrats, and i am looking for to working with them side by side to help reelect barack obama president of the united states of america. [applause] of course, i am honored to have been nominated by the president, and thrilled he called then. that was a nice surprise, incredible that he did that, and i am humbled beyond words for your votes of confidence. to have president obama lead our party is indescribable. you have heard a lot about me today, but there is one piece of my personal store that has not been mentioned, by first decision to run for office.

most of the florida delegation went through that race with me. i was 25 years old when i first ran for the florida house of representatives. i believed i was ready to serve, the good old boys in our democratic club had other plans, put it that way. they patted me on the head and said i was too young and needed to wait my turn. [laughter] well, that just strengthened my resolve. i was determined to prove them wrong. i spent every single day, rain or shine, talking on the doors of my would-be constituents. before the race was over, i had knocked on 25,000 doors. [applause] remember, this is florida, in the summer. my husband was so concerned about how much weight i was losing that he started sending me out the door every morning with a chocolate milkshake just to insure that i would come back at the end of the debt.

i was involved in a six way primary, competition was fierce, my opponents were well-founded. i had to demonstrate why was and what i stood for. but i was not deterred. that even though i did not have a lot of money, nobody was going to outwork me. i won that primary with 53% of the vote. [applause] thank you. and i went on to win the general election with 64% of the vote. at the age of 26, became the youngest woman ever elected to the florida legislature. [applause] thank you. that race taught me two things. first, there is no substitute for good old-fashioned hard work. second, don't take no for an answer. i will work every single day like i did in the first race to re-elect our president, when back the house, hold the senate, and elect democrats up

and down the ballot. on my watch, we will not be out worked. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you. ours is the oldest and most successful political party in history of the world, but it is not measured in wins and losses. our success is not just in electorial scorecard. our success always will be measured by how we improve the quality of life for americans and sure everyone has a shot at the american dream. of that is what i want for my children. that is what you want for your children. that is what every person in our great nation wants for themselves and their family. it would be great if our nation was free of the inequalities, if everyone had equal opportunities and were no barriers to success. of course, no such ideal land exists. it is thick and hard work and perseverance to get to this

point. no longer parliament prevented from voting. no longer do african-americans have to sit on the back of the bus or go to segregated school. and now, no longer are gay and lesbians prohibited from serving in our nation's armed forces. [applause] thank you. but all of these things took a lot of hard work. as great as our country is, we have much further to go. but that is the great thing, our founding fathers intended that we the people would determine how america was governor -- was governed. is our job to do everything we can to shape a more perfect union. to me, that is what being a democrat is all about. it just down the road from where we are today, on the banks of the tidal basin, sits a memorial to one of our country's greatest presidents, franklin delano roosevelt. [applause] engraved on that memorial are

words that inspire arrests still. president roosevelt said, "the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much. it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." try telling that to some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. they talk of deficits, but proposed $1 trillion for the wealthy. they want to cut medicare, but propose subsidies for all companies. -- but propose subsidies for oil companies. it is hard to understand how that could be so out of step. as democrats, we know that government cannot solve all our problems, but we recognize we are all in this together. the country of the people, by the people, for the people cannot, by definition, make progress without the success of its people. [applause]

thank you. as democrats, we know a little bit about " yes we can," but republicans seem to be stuck on "no we can't." we have to care for those who cannot care for themselves, reduce historic barriers that have prevented many from achieving their dreams are reaching their full potential, that we can care for seniors after they spent a lifetime caring for us, that we can ensure the quality of our health does not depend on the size of our accounts, and that would compete globally competitive if we outwork the rest of the world. as democrats, we don't believe in giving people a free ride, but we also don't believe that people who are facing tough times through no fault of the rhone should simply be left alone -- through no fault of their own should simply be left behind. the other party has a different approach, one that says if all the benefits are shared on those

at the very top, the wealthiest among us will prosper and somehow their good fortune will trickle down to the rest of us. but we know better. the other side is powerful and well funded. we know that, too, and they're working to divert the progress democrats have made. that is why the selection is so important feature of our country and our party, and that is why i am so excited to be leading our party at this critical time. by securing a second term for president barack obama, not only do with an opportunity to cement an historic progress, with a chance to continue delivering for the american people. [applause] thank you. many have asked, what our priorities are as a party for the next two years. they can be boiled down to the following. at first, we will support the president's agenda and protect the progress we have made. we must trumpet president

obama's agenda from the rooftops. we must make sure that everyone sees that president obama and democrats are delivering the kind of change that is making america stronger. we have come so far. but if left to their own devices, republicans would repeal health care reform, out wall street reform, education reform. that would allow financial institutions to police themselves again and crashed our economy again. they would turn back the clock on all the progress we have made and everyone would suffer. every time the attempt to roll back these important gains, we must stop them. we must call them out. we will not allow republicans to on do or distort our accomplishments. [applause] thank you. next, we will invest in the strongest campaign and the best organizing ever to give

president obama i. second term. [applause] thank you. this is going to be the toughest campaign and the history of america. republicans will throw everything they have at us. fortunately, our everything is better. and the dnc is not on to do this alone. we have an incredible team at work in chicago, organizers who are willing to knock on doors until they drop, supporters were willing to turn their pockets inside out for the president and our kids up and down the ballot. that will bring all of those resources to bear and all of this people to support our president. we will support the 50-state strategy and gauge the grass roots with the best and most will funded party organization behind any reelection effort in our nation's history. [applause] thank you, thank you. next, we will support our

candidates, state parties, and institutions of the democratic party. our success over the past decade at the local, state, and federal levels is in no small part the result of the 50-state strategy. and i have heard that from all across the country about that, a strategy that was pioneered by chairman dean, adopted an expanded by the obama campaign in 2008. at the dnc's support for candidates and the other committees that make up our parties have been vital to our excessuccess. and as chair, that will be among my highest priority. thank you, thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thank you.

make no mistake, we will explore every nook and cranny of this country in seeking support for the president and democratic candidates. finally, we will hold republicans accountable. [applause] we will. all across america. all across america. the democrats are working hard create jobs and boost economic recovery, invest in our children's education, and for the causes of justice and equality, all the while republican allies working to stall or reverse our progress. that is why we must expose the stark differences between democrats fighting for the middle class and republicans fighting for the privileged few. this is nothing new. in 1946, eleanor roosevelt told the new york state party what to expect from the gop. she said, "never forget the republican party is the party that looks backward."

we have come too far to turn back the progress that democrats have made. so let's remember, it was democrats who ended the great depression, democrats who established social security, democrats who created medicare, democrats to protect the rights of workers to organize, democrats who cleaned our air and water, democrats could defend our right to organize and mobilize, protest and picket for the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. [applause] thank you. and it was democrats who finally made health care it right, not a privilege. [applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. and so much of that progress was thanks to all of your advocacy, working hard in the trenches every single-print and for all

of those advances, we can say, yes, we di. when we let our core principles guide us, democrats are unstoppable, aren't we? it is our job to remind our friends and neighbors that it is democrats to stand up for them. we must remind them that democrats invest in jobs today and tomorrow. we must remind them that democrats represent their interests. we must remind them that it is democrats who care for the health and welfare of the people and our planet. today i am asking you to make a pledge. they pledged that you will let no charge go unanswered. [applause] pledge that you will let no man or woman bear false witness against the democrats. [applause] and pledged that you will that no voters cast a ballot for a republican simply because they don't know what democrats have done for them or what republicans have done to them.

[applause] i want you to tell others what you are a democrat and why your friends and neighbors should vote with you. in other words, we have made so much progress. we can make even more by showing america at that is democrat will increase the opportunities for prosperity for everyone. there is a much at stake in this coming election, and we cannot afford to let the republican party take us backwards. it we've worked so hard to get here. we have worked so hard to win for the american people to establish -- to stabilize the economy. we have worked too hard to get it right back. there is a much left for us to do. this is no time to be complacent, to sit on the sideline. the country cannot afford to go backwards. i know this is a prayer before us. let's make it happen. are you with me, democrats? [applause]

are you ready to make history once again? [applause] let's get! but to do with! because theard, stakes are too high! [applause] thank you, thank you, thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. >> debbie, debbie, debbie! >> thank you. since you will have made a pledge, here is my pledge to you. as chair, i will continue to strengthen every aspect of our party's operations, just as i did in my first race for elected office. i won make sure -- i will make sure that nobody got worse the democratic party. i will do this job with all the energy i have. i want to see our candidates elected and our ideas and plummet because i have three beautiful young children who are

the future of america. [applause] thank you. and steve and i want them to grow up in a country where all things are possible, where the american spirit continues to thrive, and were the american dream is within reach for everyone. there is no problem we face in america or around the world that will not yield to human effort through cooperation, hard work, or perseverance. our challenges have always summoned the best in america. as we have through history, will make better -- we will make the world better than it is today. we will do this by reelecting barack obama president of the data states of america. thank you all for your support. thank you so much. we are ready to work hard. on to victory and 2012! thank you all very much. thank you, thank you! [applause]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> on c-span tonight, the house debates restricting abortion. janet napolitano talks about border security. >> president obama visits lower manhattan tomorrow to lay a wreath at ground zero. we will have live coverage of his trip throughout the day on c-span 3. later, the state department's counter-terrorism coordinator testifies at the house foreign affairs subcommittee hearing. he will talk about security threats in europe and asia.

>> c-span is comprehensive resource on congress has new features to find easy intermission on your elected officials. it has a daily schedule, a full list of members, the daily hearings, every house and senate session, and the votes. take a look at c-span congressional chronicle. >> the house passed a bill that would extend the ban on federal funding for abortion procedures. it would go further to prevent what supporters call and in direct funding of abortion. it also includes provisions to eliminate tax advantages to insurance plans that provide abortions. it is an hour and 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. smith. mr. smith: thank you, madam speaker. first, let me recognize the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, the chief sponsor of h.r. 3, for his persistent

leadership over the years on this issue. many members and the american people have strong feelings about the subject of abortion, but one thing is clear, federal funding of abortion will lead to more abortions. for example, in 2009, there the congressional budget office has estimated that the federal government would pay as many as 675,000 abortions each year without the hyde amount and other provision that is prevent federal funding of abortion. the american people do not want federally funded abortions. a zock bye poll found that 77% of americans feel that federal funds should never pay for abortions or should pay only to save the life of the mother. that is the policy of the hyde amendment which h.r. 3 would enact into law. h.r. 3 does not ban abortion.

it also does not restrict abortions or abortion coverage in health care plans as long as those abortions or plans use only private or state funds. this legislation places no additional legal restrictions on abortions. it simply protects taxpayers from having to fund or subsidize something they morally oppose. h.r. 3 also is necessary to fix the recent health care law. absolutely nothing in that law prevents the federal funding of abortions under the programs it creates. neither congress nor the administration should take the view that they know better than the american people what is good for them. congress should pass h.r. 3 to codify the long-standing ban on the federal funding of abortions. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam

speaker. i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: members of the house, the problem with this bill is that it reaches far beyond federal funding and that it subjects women to profound government intrusion, that it restricts women's access to health care, and that it targets small businesses for disparate treatment under the tax code. and that's why i have more than a dozen organizations ranging from the american nurses association to the ywca, all

opposed to this legislation. in addition, this bill will punish women for their private health care decisions and will subject them to profound government intrusion. so this is not a democratic versus republican issue. it's a very important personal decision. now, the goal of this bill, and i'd like to suggest it from the outset of this discussion, is to make it impossible to obtain abortion services even when paid for with purely private, nonfederal funds. and if there's anyone that has a different view about this, i

hope it gets expressed this afternoon. and finally, h.r. 3 subjects small businesses to disparate treatment under the tax laws. and as one who supports small business and workers in this country, that alone would turn my support against this measure. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. sensenbrenner, former chairman of the judiciary committee, and the current chairman of the crime subcommittee of the judiciary. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized. mr. sensenbrenner: thank you. madam speaker, today we are presented with an opportunity to take a giant step toward protecting the unborn. for almost 35 years restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion have been enacted separately and have been contained in annually

renewed congressional temporary funding restrictions, regulations, and executive orders. such policies have sought to ensure that american taxpayer does not fund the destruction of innocent human life through abortion. the legislation on the floor today will end the need for numerous separate abortion funding policies. finally put into place a permanent ban on any u.s. government financial support for abortion. each year the abortion industry has allocated millions of tax dollars to advance its agenda. last year alone the planned parenthood federation of america collected more than 360 million taxpayer funded dollars. because all money is functionible when taxpayers pay an organization like planned parenthood, millions of dollars, we cannot help but empower and promote all of that organization's activities. tax-paying americans are fed up. they are tired of their hard earned money being spent on

supporting and promoting the abortion industry. under h.r. 3, federal funds will be prohibited for elective abortion coverage through any program in the u.s. department of health and human services. the legislation prevents funding for abortion as a method of family planning overseas, prohibits funding for elective abortion coverage for federal employees, and prevents taxpayer funding abortions in washington, d.c. importantly h.r. 3 would also protect the conscious driven health care providers from being forced by the government to participate in abortions. the conscience clause is critically needed in order to protect health care providers who do not want to take part in the abortion business. without it, people could be forced to participate in something they strongly believe to be morally wrong. these hospitals could lose funding and be forced to close. it's time to end taxpayer funded abortions. i strongly support this

important and needed approach to preserve and promote the sanctity of life. my time has expired. the speaker pro tempore: who wishes to be recognized? the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i would like now to yield to the former chairman of the subcommittee on the constitution, gerry nadler of new york, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. mr. nadler: i thank the gentleman. madam speaker, this bill has nothing to do with creating jobs, reducing our deficitters or bolstering our economy. it addresses the fictitious claim that legislation is needed to prevent federal funding of abortion services. this bill has been falsely advertised as a mere codification of existing law prohibiting federal funding abortion. i have always opposed the unfair restrictions on federal funding for perfectly legal health care procedure, but this bill goes far beyond

prohibiting federal funding. the real purpose and effect of this bill is to eliminate private health care choices for women by imposing significant tax penaltieses on families and small business when is they use their own money to pay for health insurance or medical care. this tax penalty is intended to drive insurance companies into dropping abortion services from existing private health care policies that women and families now have and rely upon. the republicans claim a tax credit, this bill claims a tax credit or deduction is a form of government funding. it follows the tax deductible charitable contributions to a church, synagogue, our other institutions are also government funding. a position my republican colleagues have never taken and that if taken would prohibit tax dedungses for -- deductions for charitable contributions to religious organizations because they would be violations of the establishment clause of the first amendment. you can't have it both ways. either tax exemptions or deductions or credits for private spending or governmentp funder or they are not. if they are not, this bill

makes no sense. if they are, then tax deductible private contributions to religious institutions prohibited by the constitution. the power to tax is the power to destroy. and here the taxing power is being used to destroy the right of every american to make private health care decisions free from government interference. this bill is an unprecedented attack on the use of private funds to make private health care choices and is part of the new house majority's broader and disturbing attack on women's access to health care. after two years of hearing my republican colleagues complain that government should not meddle in the private insurance market or private health care choices, i am astounded by this legislation which is so obviously designed to do just that. it seems many republicans believe in freedom provided no one uses that freedom people find objectionable. there's also a provision in the bill that might allow a health care provider or institution to refuse to provide an abortion to a woman whose life depends on that abortion. they could let her die in the emergency room and the

government would be powerless to do anything. if the government insisted the hospital not let the woman die, the bill would allow the hospital to sue the government and in the case of a state or locality strip the community of that funding. despite the fact that republicans made a big show of taking out language relating -- limiting rape to forcible rape, the committee report now says that the bill still excludes victims of statutory rape in order to close the, quote, loophole. that's right, young women who have been sexualize victimized is a loophole. disgusting. a vote for this bill is a vote for tax increase on women, families, and small businesses. it's a vote for taking away the existing health insurance women and families now have and pay for with their own funds. to refuse care over the obligation to provide lifesaving care. it deserves to be defeated. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks, who is the chairman of the constitutional

subcommittee of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized for two minutes. mr. franks: i thank the gentleman. madam speaker, it is said that a government is what it spends. this bill is really about whether the role of america's government is to fund a practice that takes the lives of over one million unborn american babies every year. despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of americans, even some of those who consider themselves pro-choice, strongly object to their taxpayer dollars being used to pay for abortions. in 1973, madam speaker, the united states supreme court said the unborn child was not a person under the constitution. and we have since witnessed the tragic deaths of over 50 million innocent little baby boys and girls who died without the protection we in this chamber should have give them. some of this was carried out with taxpayer dollars before the hyde amendment and other such laws were in place. and taxpayer funding of abortion could recommence in the future under obamacare. so before we vote on this bill

it is important for members to ask themselves the real question. does abortion take the life of a child? if it does not, then this is simply a budgetary issue. but if abortion really does kill a little baby, then those of us sitting here in these chambers of freedom are presiding over the greatest human genocide in the history of humanity. some of it may be financed in the future, madam speaker, with taxpayer dollars over which we will have had direct control. madam speaker, our founding fathers believed there were certain self-evident truths worth holding on to. the greatest of those in their mind was the transcendent meaning of this gift of god called human life. our constitution says no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. the care of human life and its happiness and not its destruction is the chief and only object of good government. madam speaker, protecting the

lives and constitutional rights of our fellow americans is why we are all here. and forcing taxpayers to pay for the indiscriminate killing of helpless little baby americans is not good government and it should be ended once and for all. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york. michigan, i'm sorry. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased to recognize the distinguished member of the judiciary committee, dr. judy chu, of california, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. chu: imagine what life would be like for women under h.r. 3. imagine you are pregnant and then diagnosed with breast cancer. your doctor says that chemotherapy could save your life but will permanently harm the baby. the diagnosis is devastating. but to add to your grief because of h.r. 3 an abortion will not be covered by your private health insurance. you must pay out of pocket even though it is necessary to save

your life. imagine i.r.s. agents as abortion cops. under h.r. 3 you couldn't deduct an abortion as a medical expense unless it were the result of rape or incest, even though you are using your own money and even though you can deduct every other medical procedure. imagine the i.r.s. knocking at your door demanding receipts and grilling you about your rape. this bill forces women to live their lives as if america was big brother washington bureaucrats dictate the personal private health indecision of american families. stop these attacks on women, oppose h.r. 3. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield one minute to the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, who is the chairman of the intellectual property subcommittee of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for one minute. mr. goodlatte: i thank the chairman for yielding. madam speaker, as the co-sponsor i rise today in

support of h.r. 3, the no taxpayer funding for abortion act. itch long believed that the right to life is one we must vigorously protect and i have co-sponsored many bills to do that, including the right to life act last congress. while there are many divergent views on this topic, one thing they most agree on is that it is wholly improper for the federal government to use taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to fund abortions. this is a moral issue of the highens importance to many taxpayers and to force them to fund these activities is completely unacceptable. for many americans, taxpayer funded abortions would constitute an extreme violation of conscience that should not be sanctioned by this congress. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3 and i want to thank the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, and the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, for first introducing and then advancing this legislation. . i yield back. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am proud to yield to lynn woolsey of california, a strong

progressive in this congress, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. ms. woolsey: thank you, madam speaker, and thank you, mr. chairman. madam speaker, for the last 18 years as a member of this body i've listened to republicans go on and on about keeping government out of the health care system. that and taking away the voice of women actually puts the government between that woman and her most private health care decisions and is the biggest, the most intrusive government of all. i thought my republican friends hated taxes, but apparently they hate reproductive freedom and women's rights even more, because this bill would raise taxes on small businesses that provide their employees with health plans that include abortion coverage. and in one of its most

egregious provisions, this bill could lead to i.r.s. audits of women who seek abortion care after they had been -- a sexual assault. absolutely unconscionable. vote no on h.r. 3. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from ohio, mr. jordan, who is a member of the judiciary committee and also chairman of the republican study committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. jordan: i thank the gentlelady and thank the chairman of the judiciary committee. look, life is precious, life is sacred, and government should protect that basic fact. we don't get our -- this -- it's not some grant from government. it's a gift from god. our founders understood that when they talked about the creator giving us this inalienable right. and the fact we live in the greatest nation in history and the tax dollars are used to

destroy the life of unborn -- the lives of the unborn children is wrong. this bill is consistent with the great nation founded on the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. i urge a yes vote on the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i yield to the gentleman from ohio, mr. braley, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for wo minutes. mr. braley: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i thank the speaker for recognizing me. if you remember only one thing about this bill, remember this -- it's a solution in search of a problem. the simple truth is that there are no taxpayer dollars being used to pay for abortions. none. zero. nada. don't be fooled by this bill.

it isn't about funding. it's about preventing women from being able to access comprehensive health care. that's what this bill is about. the debate is about whether politicians sitting in congress should dictate the personal, private medical decisions of the american people. it aims to impose intrusive government rules on personal medical decisions. the bill supporters don't want abortion, any abortion to be legal in the united states, and so they are adding as many bureaucratic rules as they can come up with. this bill would not allow an exception for rape and incest for women in the military and military dependence. think about that. military studies and news reports suggest that the rate of sexual assault in the military is unconscionably

high. cbs news reported that 1-3 military women experience sexual assault during their career in the service. 1-3. this is outrageous, and yet under this bill those brave women who took an oath to defend and support the constitution of this country and put their lives on the line every day, if they are sexually assaulted by a peer and become pregnant would not have an opportunity to get an abortion under this rule. that's what we're talking about today, and that is the contrast between these two philosophies of the role of government and the personal, private medical decisions of women, and that is why i ask my colleagues to reject this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman ohio, mrs. schmidt.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for one minute. mrs. schmidt: thank you. i want to thank chris smith for this bill. ladies and gentlemen, all this bill does is ending taxpayer funding of public abortion. h.r. 3 is to update long standing hyde amendment and ply it to programs that are fundamentally funded and replace the patchwork system into permanent law. it takes the hyde amendment, the helms amendment, the hyde-weldon amendment as well as others and makes them permanent. that's what the bill does. h.r. 3 enjoys great bipartisan support and had over 227 co-sponsors. so support of this bill is in the public's hands. a cnn poll recently taken last month said 61 of the respondents do not want their tax dollars used to pay for abortion and that's what this bill does. it ends the public funding of abortion.

there is a host of other polls that clearly states the same thing. the hyde amendment is in current law, but it simply -- needs to be broadened for all the things we do here in congress. i ask my colleagues to vote on this very important bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am proud to yield to the former chair of the congressional black caucus, the gentlelady from california, barbara lee, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you very much, and i want to thank our ranking member for his leadership and for leading for so many years on so many important issues. madam speaker, here we go again. instead on working on creating jobs and jump-starting the economy, we are debating another cynical and divisive attempt to strip away the rights of women. republicans continue to perpetrate their war on women while millions of people around the country are desperate, mind you, for jobs to help provide for their families. let me remind you, current law

already bans federal funds being used for abortions. that is a fact, even though i personally think we should get rid of that ban. what's next? are we going to block transportation funding because it might be used to build a hospital -- road to hospitals that might be performing abortions? come on. that's a cynical ploy on the majority's side. and this bill specifically attacks low-income women in the district of columbia by permanently prohibiting the district from spending its purely local funds on abortions for low-income women. may i have an additional 30 seconds? 30 seconds, thank you very much. these women in the district have already begun to feel the terrible effects of the writer passed in the c.r. it's ideologically driven and it's dangerous.

so let's reject this bill and this attack and this dangerous war on women, especially low-income women. vote no on h.r. 3. thank you again. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from indiana, mr. pence, the vice chair of the constitution subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. pence: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: yes, without objection. mr. pence: i thank the gentleman for yielding, and i rise in strong support of h.r. 3, the to taxpayer funding for abortion act. i believe that ending an innocent life is moralally wrong but i believe it's moralally wrong to take the funds of taxpayers and use it to fund a procedure that they find morally offensive. over 30 years the patchwork of policies have denied federal funding for abortion in america, but today, that exto the yeoman's work of

congressman smith of new jersey and congressman dan lipinski, we're bringing a strong and codified message that the american people don't want to allow public funding of abortion at the federal level, and i strongly support it. the man who first brought this idea before the congress was the late henry hyde. i had the privilege of serving with him. his eloquence cannot be matched but it can be peted. henry said, quote, i believe nothing in this world of wonders is more beautiful than the innocence of a child and that little, almost born infant struggling to live as a member of the human family. an abortion is a lethal assault against the very idea of human rights and destroys, along with the defensive baby, the moral foundation of our democracy, closed quote. today, we say yes to life but we also say yes to respecting the moral sensibilities of millions of americans who, wherever they stand on this

decisive social question stand broadly for the principle that no taxpayer dollar should be used to subsidize abortion at home or abroad. h.r. 3 is that legislation. i urge my colleagues to support it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: it has been mistakenly repeated at least a dozen times on -- mistakenly repeated at least a dozen time on this floor that without this bill federal funds could be used for abortions. i want to be clear on the record that that is incorrect, and i'm sorry that i have to make the statement. this legislation subjects women to profound government intrusion.

it restricts women's access to health care, and it targets small businesses for additional taxing under our i.r.s. code. now, there are many, many organizations that are opposed to this legislation. the american nurses association , the american civil liberties union, the american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists, catholics for choice, the equal health network, the human rights campaign, the national association of nurse practitioners, and the national

organization of women, the national women's law center, people for the american way, the union for reform judism. the united church of christ, the united methodist church and the ywca, plus numerous others. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan, mr. amash. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for one minute. mr. amash: thank you, madam speaker. free societies are founded on a corset of rights, rights that are beyond the reach of government and that no other person or group can take away. the founders created our government to secure these unalienable rights and chief among them is the right to

life. presidents recognize this right when they wake carefully whether to put our soldiers in harm's way. our judiciary respects this right when they review each and every capital punishment case. this government authorizes and in some cases pays for the routine taking of the most innocent lives, the lives of the unborn. it is unconscionable that in a country founded explicitly to protect individuals' fundamental rights we allow the regular violation of the right to life. worse yet, the government forces each of us to pay for the killing of innocent life. i urge you to vote for h.r. 3 to strengthen our protection of the right to life. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, the minority whip from maryland, steny hoyer, is our next speaker, and i'm proud to yield him two minutes.

mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding two minutes. of course, it's not enough time to discuss this issue, but i rise in opposition to this piece of legislation. with millions out of work, the american people sent congress a strong mandate in the last election, take action on jobs. yet, after four months the house majority republicans have yet to put forward a jobs agenda. . what are they doing? they are pursuing a controversial social adividenda one that is far too extreme for most americans. let me say something to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. my friends on the other side of the aisle. some of you i think probably characterize yourself as libertarians or close to it. you believe the government ought to stay out of people's lives. i think that's a worthwhile premise. and i have been here for, as some of you know, a long time, some 30 years. and i have heard republicans say so often it's their money.

let them keep their money. they know better how to spend their money. so what do you do today, my friends? what you say is, well, it's your money. and, yes, we'll give you a tax credit if you spend it the way we want you to spend it. that's what this legislation says. it's your money, but if you don't spend it the way we want you to spend it, we will not give you the tax credit that every other american can get. how far can you take that, my friends? in tax preference after tax preference after tax preference we can say you don't get it if you don't spend it the way we want you to spend it. i want you to think about that. i want you to think about the precedent that you're setting here. that the social activism you are embarking upon.

on the imposition of your views on others through the tax code. my friends, this bill undermines more than any bill that i have seen the rights of women under the constitution of the united states -- may i have one additional minute? mr. conyers: 30 seconds additionally to our friend. the speaker pro tempore: 30 seconds. mr. hoyer: stingy, aren't you? i missed by one minute, ladies and gentlemen, i'll tell you that. the public won't know what i'm talking about. the fact of the matter is this bill is bad public policy, it's bad for women's health, it's bad for america, vote no on this bill. let freedom ring. the speaker pro tempore: members are advised to address their remarks to the chair. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield one minute to the gentleman from kansas, mr. huelskamp. the speaker pro tempore: jeat is recognized one minute.

mr. huelskamp: i appreciate the opportunity to speak today. and clearly there is one clear issue before us in h.r. 3. and it's whether or not americans shall be required to fund the taking of innocent human life. and it has been indicated this is controversial and it certainly is. it's without a doubt the american people demand they not be required to subsidize abortions. the second issue here, madam chairman, is the question over and over we have heard from my colleagues. the issue that they would like to see abortion rare. that is what this bill does. this bill will limit the payments and restrict and prohibit the use of federal taxpayer dollars for the funding of abortions. that's what this bill does. mr. hoyer: will my friend yield? mr. huelskamp: order, madam chairman. mr. hoyer: would the gentleman yield? mr. huelskamp: i would not yield.

madam chairman, again it's very clear contrary to the claims. americans should not be required to pay for abortions, h.r. 3 accomplishes this objective. i encourage my colleagues to support the bill. i yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased to yield a judiciary committee member, ted deutsch of florida, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. mr. deutch: i rise today in opposition to h.r. 3, but i also rise in great disappointment that the people's house is again engaging in a debate about the rights of women rather than a discussion about the challenges that our nation faces. for months democrats have urged this body to refocus its efforts on jobs, yet since the congress convened in january, the republican majority has failed to bring to the floor any measures to help create jobs. their negligence is showing and instead of working in a bipartisan way to regain america's economic strernt, we

again find ourselves on the floor in a divisive debate over women's reproductive freedoms. that's right, rather than wage a war on employment, our republican colleagues are waging a war on women's health. under this legislation's logic, anyone who has government subsidized insurance coverage, which is really everyone who has private health insurance, where we exe-employers from paying taxes, will be forbidden from abortion. where does it end? the answer is it doesn't end. even in the face of overwhelming support in women's rights among american people. even in the face ever pressing challenges, real challenges like the job crisis, nothing stops my republican colleagues from their assaults on a woman's right to choose. i urge a no vote. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield one minute to my colleague from texas, mr. hensarling, who is also the chairman of the republican conference. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hensarling: madam speaker, i rise to proudly support h.r.

3 for three simple reasons. number one, this still just simply helps codify what has de facto been our policy for 35 years through the hyde amendment. and that is a whocy that no way, shape, or form outlaws abortion. it simply says federal taxpayers will not be compelled to subsidize them. second of all, madam speaker, at a time when our nation is going broke, where we are borrowing 42 cents on the dollar, much of it from the chinese and sending the bill to our children and grandchildren, maybe, maybe those programs that had the least consensive and most divisive among us ought to be the first to lose their taxpayer subsidies. third, and most importantly, and profoundly for me, madam speaker, in my heart and in my head i can come to no other conclusion but that life begins at conception. it is our most fundamental right enshrined in the

constitution, no taxpayer should be compelled against their will to subsidize the loss of human life, truly the least of this. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i am pleased now to recognize the distinguished gentlelady from connecticut, rosa delauro, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut is recognized for one minute. ms. delauro: madam speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this overreaching legislation. it raises taxes, threatens the health of our economy, and endangers women's health. this bill will raise taxes on small business that is offer comprehensive health coverage for women. it will punish perfectly legal private health decisions by raising taxes on plans that offer coverages for abortion. 87% of private health plans will be impacted by this unprecedented assault. and americans will see their

health insurance options restricted or taken away. with this legislation we have yet another example of the majority's real priorities, not to create jobs, not to grow the economy, not to reduce the deficit, but to advance a divisive social agenda by manipulating the tax code. and they are doing more than just raising taxes, rather than trusting women like the majority of americans do, the house majority, they are trying to force women back into traditional roles. they are risking their very health and the report that a companies this bill goes further. it tries to redefine rape and narrow the exception for sexual assault. this bill is unconscionable. i urge my colleagues to oppose it. let's create jobs. we should not be raising taxes and putting women's lives at risk. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from louisiana, mr.

landry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. landry: a large majority of americans oppose taxpayer subsidies for abortion. those who oppose this bill, including the president, claim that it denies access to health care for women. my message to them is simple. the majority of women are opposed to having their hard earned tax dollars spent on abortion. in a recent survey it was found that 70% of women oppose taxpayer funding for abortion. we must permanently end this practice. it is our duty to act and to act now. i urge my colleagues to listen to the majority of americans who strongly oppose public funding for abortion services and pass this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield to the distinguished gentleman from new jersey, rob andrews, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. an -- mr. andrews: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. andrews: thank you. members who are pro-life or pro-choice should oppose this

bill because it does violence to the constitution. this bill purports to say that through the tax code we can favor or disfavor the exercise of constitutional rights. that's not right and that's not constitutional. the members of the majority side would certainly not support nor would i a provision that says you can't take a charitable contribution to support a group that lobbies in favor of pro-life causes. but if we wanted to disfavor that point of view in the tax code, this is the way we would do it. there is no difference between what the majority's doing here and that odious provision i just described. it is wrong to raise taxes on people who exercise their constitutional rights because they have chosen to exercise their constitutional rights. whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, if you are

pro-constitution you should vote no. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from alabama, mr. aderholt. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. aderholt: thank you. madam speaker, i rise today in support of the legislation. as of today congress prohibits the expenditure of federal funds on abortions through a patchwork of riders on our annual appropriation bills. these riders include the hyde amendment in labor-hhs and other prohibitions in the state and foreign operations bill, the financial services bill, the commerce, justice, science bill, in addition to the defense bill. simply put, this legislation will eliminate the need for these annual riders to ensure these policies become permanent statute. this bill also codifies the hyde well and conscious clause that would expand the policy to include all recipients of

federal funds. conscious clause protects health care entities that choose not to provide abortions from discrimination by state, local, or federal agencies that receive federal funds. therefore no one who has deep religious or moral opposition to abortions should be forced to provide for them. madam speaker, i support this legislation and i urge my colleagues to do the same. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: i yield one minute to my colleague from texas, mr. gohmert, who is also a member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gohmert: thank you, madam speaker. my first daughter was born very prematurely. they rushed her over to shreveport to the i.c.e. level intensive care. the neonaytologist encouraged

me because my wife couldn't come to caress her, talk to her, that it meant so much even though she couldn't see me. she grabbed my finger and held it for hours. she wanted to cling to life. for those of us who think it's wrong to kill children in utero , it is even more wrong to pry money from our hands at the point of an i.r.s. gun so that others can use our tax dollars to pay to kill those children. please let's stop it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, we are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore:

gentleman from michigan, are you prepared to close? do you have any more speakers? mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: i want to urge all of the members of the house to

please consider this issue from an unemotional point of view as possible, to please determine in your hearts and in your mind about the fact that this bill goes over the top. and i reserve the balance of my time. and i would now like to recognize the distinguished minority leader, nancy pelosi, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the distinguished leader is recognized for one minute. pelosi -- ms. pelosi: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to thank him for his leadership on the health of america's women. this is approximately the 120th day of the republican majority in the congress of the united

states. and not -- in all those 120 days we have yet to see a jobs bill brought to the floor. we haven't even seen a jobs proposal or a jobs agenda. instead, once again, we see a diversion, a diversion. we see legislation which is extreme and divisive and harmful to women's help. i rise today to urge my republican colleagues in the house, let us come together to work in a bipartisan way to address the number one priority of the american people, the creation of jobs. and i rise today as the republicans bring to the floor this legislation instead of bringing to the floor a bill to end the subsidies for big oip -- oil. they gave the impression during the break he -- they would do that. i asked for an end to the

subsidies to big oil. instead of doing that, we are, again, undermining women's health. let us begin debate or this part of the debate, anyway, with a clear understanding of the facts. federal funding for abortion is already permitted under the law, the hyde amendment, except in the cases of rape, incest and life of the money. federal funding for abortion is already prohibited. this bill is even a radical departure from the hyde amendment. it represents an unprecedented and, again, radical assault on women's access to the full range of reproductive health care services. for the first time, this bill places restrictions on how women with private insurance can spend their private dollars in purchasing health insurance. this bill will deny tax credits

for women who buy the type of health insurance that they currently have, health insurance that covers a full range of reprow ductive care. as a result -- now, this is about businesses. if you're a woman and you have a job and your employer gives you health insurance, that employer will no longer be able to take a tax deduction for your health insurance. quite different from what happens with their male employees. in that event when that happens, health insurance companies will then roll back that coverage because there won't be enough people participating in the pool to justify that insurance. so this is -- millions of women will no longer have access to insurance policies from their employer that cover all reproductive services. the practical result of this legislation for many will be a

tax increase. a tax increase on small businesses and a tax increase on women based on how they choose their private dollars simply for keeping the coverage they have right now. even more of a problem, this legislation allows hospitals to deny life-saving care to women in moments of dire emergencies. the bill would permit medical professionals to turn their backs on women dying from treatable conditions. this is appalling. as the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists wrote in opposition to this effort, we oppose legislative proposals to limit women's access to any needed medical care. these proposals can jeopardize the health and safety of our patients and put government between a physician and a patient.

end of quote. madam speaker, let us not work to limit the care. let us expand it. let us not raise taxes on small businesses on women. let us strengthen our middle class. let us never attack the health of women. let us instead create jobs. that's what the american people expect us to do, and that is why i urge my colleagues to oppose this divisive and radical legislation. i urge -- i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from ohio, mr. boehner, the speaker of the united states house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker is recognized for one minute. the speaker: let me thank my colleague for yielding and express my support for h.r. 3, the no taxpayer funding for abortion act. this commonsense bipartisan

legislation codifies the hyde amendment and similar policies by permanently applying a ban on taxpayer funding of abortion across all federal programs. last year we listened to the american people through our america speaking out project and they spoke out on this issue loudly and clearly. we included it in our pledge to america, and today we're taking another step toward meeting that commitment in keeping our word. a ban on taxpayer funding of abortion is the will of the american people and ought to be the law of the land. but the law, particularly as it is currently enforced, does not reflect the will of the american people. this has created additional uncertainty, given that americans are concerned, not just about how much we're spending, but how we're spending it. enacting this legislation would provide the american people with the assurance that their hard-earned tax dollars will not be used to fund abortions.

and i want to commend the leadership of the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. lipinski, and i urge my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman -- the gentleman from texas. is recognized. you have 3 1/2 minutes. mr. smith: madam speaker, we're prepared to close and wait for the gentleman from michigan to yield back the balance of his time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan's time has expired. mr. conyers: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. smith: madam speaker, i yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, who is the chief sponsor of this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is yielded 3 1/2 minutes. mr. smith: i thank the chairman of the judiciary committee, mr. smith, for his leadership. i want to thank mr. lipinski. i want to thank dave camp and our speakers, john boehner, for

his eloquent statement and his compassion for both mothers and children who are hurt by abortion and for eric cantor, our majority leader, and for 228 co-sponsors of this legislation. madam speaker, there is no doubt whatsoever that ending all public funding for abortions saves lives. even the pro-abortion guttmacher institute said in 2009, anyone who would have -- 25% of women who would have medicaid funded abortion, without hyde, instead give birth when this funding is unavailable. if this is not available, children have a greater chance atsur vifle. i said earlier during the debate on the rule i remember the late congressman henry hyde being moved literally to tears. i was in the room when it happened when he learned that the hyde amendment had likely saved the lives of more than one million babies who today

are getting on with their lives, going to school, forging a career, perhaps serving in this chamber, at least some of them, or even beginning their own families. h.r. 3, the to taxpayer funding for abortion act, comprehensively ensures that money appropriated by the federal government, including obamacare, do not subsidize the killing of babies except in the rare cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother. h.r. 3 ends the current i.r.s. policy of allowing taxpayer treatment for abortion under itemized deductions. h.m.s.'s, h.s.a.'s and, madam speaker, we know that americans are taking a good, long, hard second look at abortion. the polls show it.

on taxpayer funding, the minimal majority, 60%, 61%, some polls put it as high as 68%, do not want their funding being used to pay for abortion. earlier in the debate, some of my colleagues have suggested that this is a tax increase, yet, americans for tax reform who doggedly protect the public purse have said americans for tax reform has no problems or issues with h.r. 3. the bill has no net change in taxes whatsoever. h.r. 3 also makes the hyde-weldon conscience protection permanent and significantly and more effectively by authorizing the courts to prevent or redress threatened violations of conscience. we know without any doubt there is huge pressures, particularly in some states like california, to coerce, plan and ensure and health care systems, especially

those who are faith-based, to change their policies and permit abortion on demand. let me just conclude, madam speaker, someday i truly believe future generations of americans will look back on us, especially policymakers, and wonder how and why such a rich and enlightened society, so blessed and endowed with the capacity to protect vulnerable human life could have insisted and instead aggressively promoted death to children and the exploitation of their moms. they will know with deep sadness, some of our politicians, while they talked about human rights, never lifted a finger to protect the most persecuted minority in the world, the child in the womb. vote for h.r. 3, the no taxpayer -- no taxpayer money for abortion act. thank you.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. brady: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. brady: madam speaker, on behalf of dave camp, the chairman of the ways and means committee, and i stand in support of h.r. 3, the no taxpayer funding for abortion act, a bill that restricts the use of taxpayers' funds for abortion. i will continue my statement, but at this time would like to yield one minute to the majority leader of the u.s. house, the gentleman, mr. eric cantor. the speaker pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized for one minute.

mr. cantor: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the gentleman. i'd also like to congratulate and thank the gentleman from new jersey, who had just spoken, for his leadership on this issue. madam speaker, above all else, we are a culture that values life. likewise, our efforts as a nation are dedicated to improving, preserving and celebrating life. that's why it's no surprise that polling routinely shows that over 60% of americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortion. h.r. 3, the no taxpayer funding for abortion act, enforces a governmentwide prohibition on subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. at a time of fiscal crisis, this bill ensures that scarce resources are not diverted towards increasing the number of abortions in america. this bill also codifies existing conscience protections and closes loopholes that offer tax preferred status to abortion. in short, it comports with the

values of our people. thomas jefferson warned that to compel a man to subsidize with his taxes, the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. forcing americans to subsidize elected abortion with their tax dollars falls squarely in this camp. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3 and ensure that no taxpayer dollars go toward the funding of abortion, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield myself two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: we here need to talk straight to the american people. this bill does not codify the hyde amendment. it goes well beyond it. we don't need to codify the hyde amendment. it's the law of the land. the purpose of this bill is to

go beyond it, and that's what you should acknowledge. in doing so you cross a very, very important line. this bill is going nowhere in the senate. where it can go is everywhere in interfering with a person's access to health care or with the use of their own money for their own purposes as they choose. the lombic here, if it becomes precedent, could be used, for example, to prevent a health policy falling into the tax code if the procedure relates to a development that occurred because of stem cell research. we should not be doing that.

it takes away the ability to use an itemized deduction. we should not do that. where does this stop? where does it stop? it crosses a line for the first time. it does not codify, it threatens crossing a line we should not, in terms of the ability of people to provide health care and use their own resources. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas. >> i yield myself a minute and a half. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> this is about -- mr. brady: we're codifying the long-standing bipartisan hyde amendment which prevents taxpayer funds from being used for abortion related costs. i want to be clear about what

the legislation does and does not do. this legislation does not, as critics claim, affect the ability of the individual to play for -- pay for abortion or abortion coverage through private funding or provide for an entity to provide abortion, it does not apply in the cases of rape, incest or life-threatening condition of the mother, nor does it refer to any injuries resulting from abortion. this does not increase taxes. at this time, madam speaker, i'd like to submit a letter from the americans for tax efr the record to that effect. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. brady: this legislation makes specific and narrow changes to the tax code so funds in f.s.a. or health code are used to pay for abortion, as the will not -- those will not get tax treatment.

and moneys made available under the health law cannot be used to cover abortion. h.r. 3 is a pro-life, pro-family and it's a step toward setting into law a long-standing precedent that republicans have supported for decades. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: could i ask the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: three minutes. mr. he vip: i used my full -- mr. levin: i used my full two minutes? i did. i yield another minute to mr. -- a minute and a half to mr. blumenauer of oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. blumenauer: the gentleman said it right. there are no federal funds for abortion under the hyde amendment except in the case of rape and incest. what this is about is how

families spen their money and small business deals with insurance. it's part of a continuing republican assault against people with whom they disagree. it continues to -- continues the sad spectacle of using the internal revenue service, not just the use but abuse of the i.r. stomplet attack people with whom they disagree. remember the spectacle of the ways and means hearing where they drug aarp before them and tried to have an investigation because they disagreed with them on health insurance. yes this would put government between doctors and american families. but it's not just about abortion urn the hyde amendment. remember, there are some people who are against the rape and incest exemption. there are some people who had a shocking proposal to redefine the very definition of rape. there is a continuing effort to

erode basic, fundamental reproductive freedom and this shows a tactic of using the i.r.s. that i think is very dangerous. it does in fact raise the complexity and taxes on individuals who may in fact need these procedures and they -- and may be lifesaving, they may not agree but their doctor disagrees. this is a specter of using the tax code and investigating power in ways that no one should support. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expire. the gentleman from texas. mr. brady: i yield two minutes to a nurse an member of the ways and means, the distinguished gentlelady from tennessee, mrs. black. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. mrs. black: we have heard many misrepresentations of the true nature of this bill. i want to boil it down to the simple facts of what this bill does. no hyperbole, no scare tactics. this bill codifies the hyde

amendment that no taxpayer dollars will go to abortion. this is a long standing policy of the federal government since 1976. we already know how medical expenses of all sorts are treated urn the tax code. tax payers who use itemized deductions for medical expenses, who have h.s.a.'s or f.s.a.'s or m.s.a.'s, do not, and i want to highlight that, do not identify each medical expense on an individual tax return. that is not the case today, nor will it be the case if this bill is signed into law. to be clear what this bill does not do, a woman would not have to list on a tax form that a specific medical expense was for an abortion. that's simply not how the process works. it's not how it works today. nor will it be how it works if this is signed into law. it's important to make clear

that no one would ever be audited because of an abortion. they would have to already be under an audit for some other reason before, and i want to emphasize that, before the i.r.s. would even consider asking for any -- information about any medical procedure. many types of medical care are very private and as a nurse for over 40 years, i fully understand how personal medical issues can be. taxpayers who don't want to tell the i.r.s. about medical procedures, they wish to be kept private, can do so by not claiming those tax credits for such care. now, even if this issue did arise in an audit, other federal agencies that already use taxpayer dollars such as medicaid and the federal employee health benefit program -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. mr. brady: i yield the gentlelady 30 seconds.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. black: have no problem distinguishing between abortion for rape or incest or those that are elective. they ask the provider, basically a doctor's note. that doesn't mean this is not a difficult situation for that small group of women and i understand it is incredibly difficult and my heart gos out to them but if we claim a tax benefit for a medical procedure like an abortion and you get audited you can either choose to forgo the tax benefit or ask the provider to verify that tax benefit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: it's my pleasure to yield the balance of our time to mr. crowley. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half.

mr. crowley: i thank the speaker fer yielding me the time and the gentleman from michigan for doing so as well. with all due respect to my colleague, mrs. black, when someone comes to the floor and says i'm going to speak free of hyperbole, it'll be so high up to your neck, you don't have to worry about getting it off your shoe. if what we were doing was codifying existing law, there would be very little angst on this side of the aisle. but that's not what we're doing. this goes so much further, it only speaks to the ideological purge that you're on right now. madam speaker, on the 100th day of the republican rule of the house, i see speeches on the floor, after their failed campaign promise to focus on jobs and economic growth. it said actions speak louder than words an that's true.

for all the republicans' talk about putting americans back to work, their actions demonstrate this is the least of their priorities. instead, they have cut jobs, raised taxes and reduced americans' access to health care. the bill being debated today also has no jobs component whatsoever. not a single job will be created because of this bill today. in fact, it will raise taxes and hamper the ability of small business men and women to hire people. in their ideological zeal to restrict a woman's right to choose, the republicans have prioritized a measure south carolina small business chamber of commerce calls, and i quote, a slap in the face to small business owners. we just a few weeks ago removed the 1099 onerous provisions and now we're going to further burden small business men and women with this provision. it will burden them. it will not create a single job. it will further burden the ability of small business men

and women to create jobs in america. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. >> madam speaker -- mr. brady: madam speaker, how much time is remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the time for the committee on ways and means has expired.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. madam speaker, the bill before us today should be a no brainer. americans overwhelmingly reject the use of taxpayer funds for abortion. in several polls over the last few years, anywhere from 60% to 70% of the public oppose using taxpayer funds for abortion. h.r. 3 puts into statute the will of the american people. mr. pitts: since 1976, the hyde amendment has been included in

appropriations bills to ensure that federal funds are not used to provide abortions. this policy provision has passed year in and year out with bipartisan support. h.r. 3 would just take that provision and put it into law. this may make sense to most americans, but for some reason, this idea receives great pushback in washington. health care reform also placed abortion funding at the center of its debate. in their haste to pass obamacare last congress, the democrat leadership in washington neglected to include any adequate prohibition on abortion funding. the president did issue an executive order to support the intentions of hyde, unfortunately, the order merely reiterated the accounting gimmick in the health care

bill. the president's own chief of staff at that time would later comment on how he thought up the idea for this executive order so that they could, quote, allow the stupak amendment not to exist by law but by executive order, end quote. when the president signed that bill into law, he allowed a massive expansion in federal funding for abortion. in a time of great federal debt, the last thing the american people want is to have their taxpayer dollars used on the morally objectionable practice of abortion. according to a 2007 report, if the hyde amendment was removed from law, the number of abortions would likely increase by 25%. the study reveals what is common sense. an increase in funding for abortions will directly lead to an increase in the number of abortions.

many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have expressed their desire to reduce abortions. if that is truly their desire and not just a talking point, then they should have no problem at all voting in favor of this bill. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentlelady from colorado. >> i rise in strong opposition to this extreme legislation and yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from illinois, ms. schakowsky. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. ms. sh cause could he, madam speaker, i rise in opposition to h.r. 3, the so-called no taxpayer funding for abortion act. but don't be confused. h.r. 3 goes far beyond current law which is already highly restrictive and frankly which i oppose. the hyde amendment already prohibits women enrolled in

medicaid, medicare, federal employees, women serving in the military, women in prisons, women in peace corps and those under the indian health services act from getting the care they need. in other words, there is no federal funding for abortion. actually, what it does do, among other things, is attack small businesses. let's hear the words of frank map jr., president and c.e.o. of the south carolina small business chamber of commerce with 5,000 members. here's what he said, "h.r. 3 is an attempt to roll back the small business health insurance tax credit created by the affordable care act." when the house voted to eliminate and defeat the entire affordable care act, we, he means small businesses, could rationize this was collateral damage.

small businesses can no longer think of themselves as collateral damage. mr. knapp says, let me make this very clear. a vote for h.r. 3 is a direct attack on small business. every representative who loudly proclaims their love for small businesses because we are the backbone, you know -- they are the backbone of the economy -- now can put their vote where their mouth is. their support for small business will be judged by a no vote on h.r. 3. i urge all my colleagues not to let this use of the -- phony use of the tax code to take away the rights of small business to get tax credits or individuals to pay for abortions with their own money. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. pitts: for the information of members, the hyde amendment only applies in the labor-h

bill. it's offered every year as a writer. similar language is offered to indian health, federal employee health benefits acts. we've done these amendments or writers to these bills for years. so when you speak about the hyde amendment, we should speak about it accurately. i yield at this time to the gentlelady from missouri, ms. hertzler, such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. hartzler: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 3. this is not a controversial bill. this is a commonsense bill to rein in our runaway government spending and to spend money on things the american people don't want. certainly we should not be spending our hard-earned tax dollars on abortion. people work hard all year to send in their taxes on april 15, and they shouldn't have

their money going to something that is moralally objectionable to them. it takes away human life. there are many, many areas of this budget that we need to rein in, but this is noncontroversial. this is something that over 60% of the american people say, i don't want my tax dollars going to pay for abortion, the taking of a human innocent life. and so it's time to make this permanent so we don't have to as a congress come in every year and discuss these issues on all the different legislation that is out there. now is the time to make this permanent. get off the table so we can get on to other areas of reining in the runaway spending, making government more efficient, more effective, using our tax dollars more wisely, and certainly it is not an affront to women's health. women have the opportunity to get the health care that they need now, but we don't need to be using it to take innocent

human life. i certainly applaud this bill and that's why it has so many co-sponsors. we need to make sure that our tax dollars are not used to pay for abortion. madam speaker, i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from colorado. ms. degette: i am now pleased to yield to a senior member of the energy and commerce committee, mr. engel of new york, one minute. the speaker pro tempore: mr. engel is recognized for one minute. mr. engel: thank you. i thank the members on the other side of the aisle if you repeat it over and over again the people will believe it. the hyde amendment already prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion. this is not about federal funds. the other thing i don't understand is my republican friends always claim that they want smaller government. they don't want the government to intrude on people's lives. so here we are about to pass a measure that expands government, intrudes on people's lives and penalize small businesses and impeds them from creating jobs.

i don't believe the government should be in the business of preventing people from accessing legal medical treatment. it surprises me and worries me that this congress keeps proposing legislation that diminishes the right to access health care. abortion is legal in this country. i understand how people feel on both sides of the aisle. it's a very personal decision. yet, republicans seem intent on interfering with a woman's right to make her own decisions with her family and physicians using her private money. abortion is a difficult choice, to be sure, and this extreme legislation makes the decision even harder. we need to provide women and their families with the support they need to make health decision, not criminalize them. vote no on this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. pitts: madam speaker, how much time remains? the speaker pro tempore: 30 seconds. mr. pitts: i yield 30 second to the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for 30 seconds.

ms. foxx: thank you, madam speaker. i thank my colleague from pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue and for yielding time. madam speaker, not using the hard-earned money of taxpayers to destroy innocent unborn children is not extreme. it is not radical. it is the right thing to do. the majority of americans agree with us, madam speaker, that it is the wrong thing to use their money for this issue. and i want to support my colleagues in this legislation and say we need to pass this bill and we need to send a message to the american people that we're wise stewards of their money. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from colorado. ms. degette: madam speaker, i yield myself the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: two minutes. ms. degette: madam speaker, sitting and listening to this debate it would be extremely

easy to become confused. the proponents of this bill keep repeating the same mantra. they want to stop federal funding of abortion. they forget to mention that there is no federal funding of abortion. what they want to do is expand restrictions on funding for the first time into tax policy. right now under current law we have the hyde amendment which every year prevents federal funds from being used for abortion except for in the cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother. i don't like the hyde amendment. lots of people don't like the hyde amendment but it's the law. this bill, however, goes far beyond current law. now, my colleagues across the aisle want to expand these restrictions and make sure that individuals and businesses can't get complete women's health care in their health insurance with their own money without paying for a tax increase. businesses who right now get tax relief for having full

health insurance now would not be able to get it. let me say this again. at a time when everybody in this house, certainly everybody on the other side of the aisle, is saying we can't raise taxes, the leadership of this house is supporting raising taxes to advance a social policy. i don't think, madam speaker, that this was in the republican pledge to america. madam speaker, i don't know how many times the republican leadership is going to make this congress vote to strip american women their access to health care with their own money, but i for one would like to encourage them to spend their time getting our country back to work rather on an extreme agenda that the american people didn't ask for, that they didn't want, that's going nowhere in the u.s. senate and if it did would be vetoed by the president of the united states. i yield back the balance of m

>> coming up on c-span, et the president announces not release in the photographs of the osama bin laden death. then, judge napolitano. later, an update on libya and afghanistan. >> on tomorrow's "washington journal," we will discuss the terror following the death of osama bin laden with a red sanchez. and congressman loouie gohmert. "washington journal" begins at 7:00 a.m. eastern time. now available, the c-span congressional directory, a complete section of the 112 congress. new and returning members, including twitter dresses,

district maps, and committee assignments ping an information on the white house, supreme court justices -- assignments and information on the white house. >> you can access our programming any time with the c- span radio iphone app, with adios dreams of a programming, all commercial free. you can also listen to our signature programs each week. it is also available around the clock, wherever you are. download it free, from the app store. >> in an interview with "60 minutes," president obama said photographs taken of osama bin laden after his death would not be released. press secretary j.n. carney announced this during part of the briefing. here is that part of the briefing.

>> ok. that afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. before i take your questions, i would just like to say to you that the president made the decision not to release any of the photographs of the deceased osama bin laden, and rather first, i will give you the language the president used when he was recently interviewed about one hour ago to explain his decision. this is in an interview with cbs "60 minutes," steve. the president was asked, they said they were discussing when body was taken out of the compound, the president was asked about how he knew it was him, and he said, "when they

landed, we had very strong confirmation at that point that it was him. photographs had been taken. analysis indicated that it had been him. we had not yet done dna testing, but at that point, we were 95% share." question -- did you see the pictures? >> yes. question -- what was your reaction? >> it was him. question -- why do not release them? president -- we had done dna sampling and testing, so there is no doubt the week killed osama bin laden. it is important for us to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement for additional violence or as a propaganda tool. that is not who we are. we do not trot out this stuff as trophies. the fact the matter is that this was somebody was deserving of

the justice that he received, and i think americans and people around the world are glad that he is gone, but we do not need to spike the football, and i think given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create the national security risk, and i have discussed this with bob gates and hillary clinton and my intelligence team, and they all agree. question -- there are people in pakistan, for example, the say this is all a lie, another american trick. a summit is not dead. the president -- the truth is that we were -- we were monitoring worldwide reaction. there is no doubt that a summit is dead. certainly, there is no doubt among al qaeda members that he is dead, so we do not think a photograph in an of itself is going to make any difference. they're going to be some folks who denied it. the fact of the matter is, you will not see bin laden walking

on this earth again. that is the conclusion of the excerpt. i think that very thoroughly explains why the president made his decision. with that, i will take questions. obviously, the photographs did not exist until bin laden was killed, so there is not a great deal of time between then and the decision. there are some arguments to be made on either side. the fact of the matter is, as the president described, they are graphic photograph of someone who was shot in the face or the head rather, and it is not in our national security interests to allow those images, as in the past has been the

case, to become like on to rally opinion against the united states. the president's number one priority is the safety and security of american physicians at home and americans abroad. there is no need to release these photographs to establish identity, anden's he saw no other compelling reason to release them, given the national security risks, and he believes this is not here we are. >> the time you're discussing, from the moments that he got the photographs until now, was the grappling with this at all? >> well, i do not know about the evolution of his decision making process. when i heard him discuss it, he held this opinion very firmly, and he has held the opinion very firmly, but this is a very short

period of time. obviously, he wanted to hear the opinion of others, but he was very clear about his view on this, in his decision is categorical. >> one other question. director panetta yesterday said the government was talking obviously about how best to do this, but i do not think there is any question that ultimately a photograph will be presented to the public. how do you explain? >> i would say there are compelling argument in general for the release of information, and there is a discussion to behead about the pros and cons, and the president engaged in a discussion and made a decision. every member of the national security team is aware of and expressed the downside, which has weighed heavily on the president in terms of the potential risks it would pose to american serving abroad and americans traveling abroad, so the idea that this was 100%

obvious, the fact of the matter is that the president never gets to make a decision that is 100 percent the obvious, because those kinds of decisions never get to his desk. >> there is no question that a photograph would be released. >> the thing is the president made this decision. he consulted members of the national security team. there is reasonable arguments to be made. the president felt very strongly. he made the decision he made. >> president obama visits lower manhattan tomorrow to lay a wreath at ground zero and meet with 9/11 families. we will have live coverage of his trip throughout the day on c-span3. and later, the state department counterterrorism quarter testified at a house committee meeting. he will be talking about

security issues in europe and asia. >> michelle in here, i understand, and she is thinking about running for president, which is weird, because i hear she was born in canada. [laughter] yes, michelle, this is how it starts. >> video of president obama in his appearance at the correspondents' dinner is now our most watched youtube video ever. it has also been the most watched video on youtube for days. watch it on our youtube channel, youtube.com/steelband -- youtube.com/c-span's. >> janet napolitano was discussing border security but also talked about preventing terrorist attacks following the death of osama bin laden.

in addition, she talked about how to attract immigrants who have overstayed her -- their visas. senator lieberman was the chair. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> the history -- the meeting will come to order. there was a turning point sunday with the killing of osama bin laden, and it would be arenas not to say a word of thank you to you, madam secretary, to all of the people who work with you in the department of homeland security, and by extension, to all of the people in the securities sector of our government, military intelligence, who performed so brilliantly and bravely and together to bring about the extraordinary result that was achieved. on sunday in pakistan. the teamwork that was so

pervasive in the successful assault on that compound in pakistan is precisely what this committee hoped for when we worked so hard first to establish the department of homeland security in 2002 after 9/11 and then to introduce and bring forth the legislation that created the 9/11 commission, and then to consider in two phases and advanced through the committee and ultimately to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, reforming the intelligence community. i think all of us are both very grateful and very pro of the work that was done, and since this is the first opportunity i have had to see you in public, i

wanted to thank you and ask you to thank all of those who have worked with you, and i hope you will say a few words about that in your opening statement. also, as good as we feel about what happened on sunday in a pakistan and as much as reno that it makes us safer in the world cocoa we also know that the war against islamic terrorism is not over. the enemy is still out there and will continue to try to attack us here at home and to the extent that you're able in your testimony, in your opening statement, i would like to ask you a bit about the post bin laden sense of homeland security. let me come back to the top of the day. briefly, the security of our borders in all of its manifestations is very important. the term is one of the great

achievements since 9/11 is the extent to which we have secured our borders against those who would come in to do us harm. the focus of these hearings, of course, has been on a different type of border security, which is border security related to illegal immigration, but also a concern about the drug cartel violence in mexico and the extent that it may come over the border, our border, into the united states, but and in this regard, too, i want to thank you for all you have done. i think you have faced a really significant challenges, both in terms of all kinds of border security and, of course, natural disasters, if you have handled your job with real strength and effectiveness and common sense, and i appreciate it. witnesses at the two previous hearings on the taba border

security, a largely agree that the situation along the border has improved significantly over the past decade. the best statistics available bear this out. the one that seems to be most commonly used in the apprehensions of illegal aliens along the border are down 73% since 2000, which is the lowest level in three decades. that is, of course, good news. we have spent a fair amount of time in the previous hearings on the metric, on the statistics, and we know that they're just a piece of the picture and can be misleading. at different times, for example, the border control has cited increases of apprehension as proof of progress and some dense decreases as proof on the theory that there were fewer people trying to get over into the u.s., you're the apprehensions, so we believe we have got to try

our best to figure out how many people are actually attempting to come over the border and compare that to the number of those who succeed. i understand that the border patrol has been trying to collect this information through footprints video, censored, regentsensors, -- sensors, but this is not 100% up to the challenge. i hope you'll be able to find ways to improve the collection of misinformation and consider making a public so we can more accurately assess the extent of the problem and our progress on in. the second point that has come out of these hearings that has struck neil: is to focus on the southern border. it has often overshadowed other vulnerabilities that continue elsewhere in our immigration and

enforcement system. one statistic which reveals a vulnerability that i would guess would be and is very surprising to most americans, about 40% of the illegal immigrants in our country, undocumented aliens, people living and working in the united states today illegally, they came into this country legally, and then they overstayed the terms of their visas, so in terms of the problem of illegal immigration, about 40% of the problem is not people who have come over the border and into our country illegally but people who have come in legally and stayed over. and this both undercut the legitimacy of the law that we have about temporary visas, for instance, but it also threatens

our security. the most pressing and illustrator of number is that five of the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 entered the u.s. legally and then intentionally overstayed their visas, and just recently, a few years ago, another one arrested in dallas on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks was in the united states initially on a student visa, a legal visa, and overstayed. a new gao report that just came out concludes that of the roughly 400 people who have been convicted of any terrorism- related crimes since of timber 11, 36% had overstayed their visas. in other words, almost 10 percent of people convicted of terrorism-related activities in the decade since 9/11 our legal visitors who overstay their

visas and became illegal. despite a lot of congressional effort and dhs effort, we still lack an exit system that will effectively figure out people who have overstayed their visas in real time. the dhs program that is supposed to identify visa overstays based on visitor entry and exit information, it remains a troubled and ineffective program. officials of your department have told the committee that less than half of all potential overstays identified by matching entry and exit records, in geo has just released a report that they have an overall backlog of 1.6 million potential overstay records that have not yet been processed. i am sure part of this is we have not given you the support to do that, but it is a real

problem. identifying individuals who have overstayed is a crucial component to our security, our borders, and making our immigration system credible and real to the law. to me, it is unacceptable that we are still unable to systematically identify people who have overstayed, so i hope you will be able to talk about that and what the department is doing about it in your testimony. one final point, and in the midst of everything else we have to do here, i hope will be able to discuss this. as we began a series of hearings on border security, by at least have the goal of both dealing with the current state of border security, how we are doing it, keeping our borders secure, particularly with regard to illegal immigration, but it has also become clear again to me -- let me finish that thought, which is if we reach the level,

here is my hope, that if we both reach the level of fighting a what is not working in border security and can fix it, then we would not only be able to achieve that good results, but it would be a preface to going back and considering the reform of our immigration laws, which is just about everybody here in congress agrees need to be fixed, though we have different ideas on how to fix them. the assumption was border security could lead not only to better border security but to building a political consensus to do with the continuing problem of illegal immigration. it seems to me now as i listen to the testimony that the inverse is also true, that there are forms of what i would call smart immigration reform that also can enhance border security, but to put it more explicitly, there are kinds of

smart immigration reform that can significantly reduce the flow of illegal emigrants into america, and to extend the we have time, and i hope that we will, i welcome your thoughts on that connection. thanks very much for being here. i look forward to your testimony. at this time, i am pleased to call on are ranking member, senator collins. >> thank you. let me join in welcoming the secretary back before our committee today. with the welcome news that osama bin laden has been killed, i want to join the chairman in faking everyone involved, particularly those brave navy seals the so flawlessly executed the mission and the many other members of our military intelligence and homeland security forces whom we may

never know. this was, as the chairman has pointed out, exactly the kind of the collaboration of our intelligence and operational capabilities that we envisioned when we reform our intelligence community in the wake of the attacks on our country on 9/11, 2001. this successful operation demonstrates once again the importance of sharing intelligence information across the agencies. the very opposite of the disjointed free september 11 experience. i appreciate, madam secretary, but the department immediately issued a situational awareness alert to a key state in homeland and local homeland security and law enforcement officials and

midnight on sunday, sharing intelligence information and including a call for heighten diligence. that system did not even exist prior to the attacks on our country. today's hearing, as the chairman pointed out, is the continuing focus on the challenges facing us with border security. border security is critical, not only to prevent individuals from entering the united states illegally for whatever reason but also to stop at the border and these issuance. or inbound u.s. light those who are determined to hurt us, and

despite the killing of osama bin laden, the fight against islamic extremism is still very much on. in the recent series, there was emphasis of the challenges on the southwest border, and an earlier, the committee held a hearing on the northern border. when we consider the southwest region, we should all pause to honor and remember the sacrifices of the border patrol agent brian who was murdered last december in the ice agent zap [a -- zapata, who was, -- killed by a drug cartel. news reports continue to stream of mexico and revealed the brutality of these cartels. recently, nearly 300 bodies were discovered in mass graves, just

some 90 miles from brownsville, texas. just last month, fbi director robert moeller directed that direct cartels transport kilos of cocaine and marijuana. gains kidnap and murder innocent civilians. traffickers smuggle human cargo, and corrupt public officials line their pockets by looking the other way. the director concluded that taken together, these issues constitute a threat not only to the safety of border communities but to the security of our entire country. this backdrop explains why many of us were perplexed to hear the secretary state in late march that security on the southern u.s. border is better now than

it has ever been and that violence from neighboring mexico -- the national border control council -- border patrol council, the union representing border patrol agents, has countered that crime, indeed, it is spilling over from mexico. they point to the murder of three border patrol agents by the cartel's in the last three years. the ranchers and other citizens who have been gunned down in border communities, and in the phoenix area, which has risen to become a cartel-related crime hot spot, the council concluded, and i quote, "the u.s.-mexican border is not safe, and to say anything else is not true." while the secretary of data of retentions on the border are certainly useful, there are

contributing factors that should not be ignored as we scrutinize the numbers of the decline in interdiction. for instance, are some of the declining numbers simply reflecting a slow economy, so fewer people are trying to cross over into this country? is the persistent cartel violence in deterring others who've to put it bluntly, individuals will not be arrested at the border or north of it if they are too frightened to run a gauntlet of terror that may and in a mass grave. these and other factors should be considered as we evaluate the effectiveness of the administration's policies in addressing what is a very difficult issue. while the southwest border is

much more likely to make the evening news, we must not forget the northern border, as the chairman has pointed that out. another senator has also made that point on numerous occasions. according to a report released by the gao earlier this year, the border patrol was aware of all illegal border crossings on only about 25% of the fourth of a mile northern border. the border patrol was able to make an immediate arrest on less than 2% or 69 miles of the 4,000 mile border. this is especially troubling because gao has observed that the terrorist threat on the northern border is higher than the southern border, given the large expanse of area with limited law-enforcement coverage. that is why i believe that the administration's proposal to limit operations for the

southwest border is ill advised, and i am glad that it had been repeatedly rejected by congress. this program should be used to help secure both the northern and the southern border. it helps to fund a joint operation between border patrol and state and local law enforcement that act as a support multiplier in areas that otherwise would be left uncovered. to cite just one example of the program's success from my own state, stone garden funds were instrumental in the arrest and conviction of an individual involved in a cash smuggling operation and during the stone garden mission of may 14, a police of is a caught this criminal attempted to smuggle

$137,000 across the border. he was patrolling well outside his regular community. this individual simply would not have been caught with of that funding korea finally, the effort to secure our borders is not limited to the border itself. as the chairman have mentioned, a gao report that is of tremendous concern to me that indicates that ice is only allocating about 3% of its resources to target individuals who are here illegally because they have overstayed their visas. they can legally in the first place, but now, they are here illegally. and it is an enormous number. it is more than one-third. it is between 33% and more than

40% of the number of people in here illegally. they fall into that category. another report by geo in advance the security program which deploys affects special agents to posts to help to identify tariff and threats. according to the gao, the u.s. only have some at 19 of the 57 high-risk posed. the gao further found ongoing turf battle between ice and the state department which are simply unacceptable when it comes to dealing with a terrorist threat. so i look forward to discussing these issues with the secretary today, and i thank her. today, and i thank her. >> thanks very much