as another incentive to the private sector to take preventive defensive action so that in one case if they did, they would be protected from punitive damages and liability in the extreme case of a president taking action. taking action to protect the national interest. there were big claims against some elements of the community, cyberspace community. they were acting pursuant to an order of the president of the united states.

an additional incentive beyond what the white house proposal to the private sector? >> as mr. schwartz indicated, there are different ways to tweak the balance and we would be happy to discuss that with you. there is some liability protections not under this particular provision dealing with the overall incentive regime for the private sector but to the extent that the private-sector shares information with government or is assisting government with protecting dot gov, there is an immunity and a good faith community that is written into that section of the statute. >> do you want to add anything, mr. schwartz? >> we are definitely interested

in having this discussion with you to figure out how we can come to the right balance spam good, this coul. >> this could end up as something that won't be done as far as of reliability and we should work together to find a common ground. senator collins -- >> let me and doors the chairman's comments on liability and encourage you to take another look at our bill. i want to follow up on the issue of how you handle critical infrastructure. in the statement, it says that the white house proposal emphasizes transparency to help market forces ensure that critical infrastructure operators are accountable for cyber-security. it goes on to say there would be new requirements for reporting

to the securities and exchange commission, that there would be publications of a summary of the evaluation results, and i must say these provisions surprise me. the reason they surprise me is the list of critical infrastructures now classified. granted, i am sure that many americans and many of those who would do less harm could figure out what a lot of the critical infrastructure sites and capabilities are, but the fact is, the list is classified. are you planning to change the classification and make the list public? that is my first question. >> this would actually be a

different list. it would be one that is of lower sensitivity per day list you are referring to incurred -- includes classified tiered system, entities instead of specific assets. instead of, for example, this generation facility, it would be this company that owns a number of different generation facilities. i think that is of a lower level of sensitivity and much more broadly known to the public. second, if one is going to bring public transparency disclosure levers to bear, one needs to have that information open. in this case, we drew the conclusion that the list of entities of critical infrastructure would need to be public order to move forward in this way. >> you also go on to say that there would be a summary of the

security plan and the evaluation of that plan would be publicly accessible. my concern is that we don't want to give those who would do less harm a road map on how to attack are critical infrastructure. we would not want to tell them what the critical infrastructure is an require publication of a summary of the security plan and the publication of the evaluation of that plan. aren't you providing very valuable information to cyber criminals and perhaps terrorist groups or nations states that are constantly trying to probe our system?

i am really surprised you want that to be public. >> i understand. if you note the section, it requires the only high-level description of the plan and only a high-level description of results will be published. requires that -- it requires that information not be reported to such detail that it would impair the security of that entity. in point of fact, critical infrastructure entities are tested and proved all the time. that is simply the nature. i don't believe that on the level of reporting we would intend to require going forward that we will increase the level of risk of those entities. in fact, if the publication of the results causes such entities to say that we need to do a better job, the regime will be having the effect we intend and they will rapidly move to enhance their own security.

>> but that is a name and change approach, essentially, that you are hoping that there will be public criticism or press scrutiny that will essentially embarrass these entities into doing a better job. to me, if they are not doing a good job, then dhs goes in and applies sanctions or requires a better security plan. i don't think the answer is to make the weakness public. the fact is that even if in your scenario it encourages that entity to do a better job, it is also telling very sophisticated computer hackers that this is an entity that they should focus on and that has some security

lapses. i really hope you will take another look at that. i understand what you are trying to do. also givingre information to the enemy. >> i appreciate that and i understand your level of concern. is appropriate. -- which is appropriate. it is not just that the entity would receive shame but that the market would actually take that into account, that if you are a more secure entity as opposed to less secure, business partners and not just government may want to do work with the more secure entity because it gives them a higher level of assurance. it is to drive market effect. the second thing is we would intend that any publication of results yet such a high level that it would not increase the level of security for the level

of threat that an entity would face but make the public aware of the overall level of security. >> the business would no longer want to do business with that entity. it is sufficient to wave a red flag at those who would do us harm. that is my point. i don't think you can have it both ways. if the vulnerability that is rebuild or the poor evaluation that is published is sufficient to cause other commercial entities to refrain from doing business with this section of the critical infrastructure, then surely it will be sufficient to prompt computer hackers or a terrorist group or russia or china to redouble its efforts. i think we need to think about

that issue. let me quickly switch to another issue since my time is expiring rapidly. mr. schwartz, because of your background on privacy and you have always been such a help to our committee as we have wrestled with these issues, i want to talk to you about the idea of the national law for data breach reporting. my first reaction is that that is a good idea, that there should be more uniformity. i think it would be easier for consumers as well as for businesses to not have to figure out what in individual law in one of the 47 states that has them means in their particular case. a uniformalking about t nationwide reporting of breaches or are you also talking

about having uniform remedies for what a company has to do when there is a breach? i'm not looking for any particular answer but to better understand what you are proposing. >> the focus is really on the report and making sure that consumers get the same information that law enforcement and others working on these issues and to make sure they are getting the right information about cases a week and go after the bad guys when there. is there. is an incident. we need to try and figure out how to best get to that kind of level where consumers get the same information and it is actionable. what we have come up with, we think move -- we think that moves us forward in that regard.

we think that has been a useful avenue and those laws have been successful and it is time to move forward and make sure we can capitalize on them at this point. >> thank you. >> senator carper. >> i just want to follow on that last question that senator collins was pursuing. i mention that senator bennett of utah had worked on disclosure legislation. it was maybe two congresses ago and this is an area where the banking committee had jurisdiction. do either of you know in the administration's proposal what legislation you drew from in order to prepare the administration's proposal in this regard? sure if we drew from that particular proposal. i think a number of different

bills and ideas in this area were looked at. i suspect that was one. >> there was jurisdiction spread around. we had never moved anything forward. >> coming back to the partnership between the different agencies involved here, we had all of our equities lined up to work together to try and develop this in a way that worked for all the different kind of jurisdictions you have to have issues with. this is where we could have this kind of conversation move past some of those concerns. >> ok, another point that senator calls was making in talking about the name and shame discussion and how the week harness market forces to drive good public policy behavior.

if we could have regulations on the books, we could have prosecutors out there to put the bad guys in jail. to the extent we can harness market forces to help us solve this problem, that is a very good thing. can you talk more about that? anybody at all? >> this comes back to how to get the incentives right. we think the way you frame did, that market forces are extremely important especially because we cannot expect the government to go into all these different areas that we will consider to be covering critical infrastructure and have exact knowledge of how to operate in each of those areas from the beginning. what we can do is to work in a public/private partnership on the internet where we have so many public-private partnerships to come up with solutions that work for the market. we feel as though this security plan process moves as much

further down that line and it will help us build innovation in the mitigation strategies in a way that government approach -- government coming in cannot do. >> the administration's testimony mentions are critical cyber infrastructure is attacked repeatedly. we all know that. sensitive personal and government information is stolen all the time. how often are we able to actually catch and prosecute the individuals or groups who commit these crimes? how will the administration's proposal help for these efforts? >> thank-you, you're quite right. the amount of cyber crime and the number of intrusions' is growing. they are challenging cases to bring, for sure. there is a level of anonymity on the internet at times that make these hard cases to bring.

many times, there are factors outside the united states and it is simply hard to find out where they are who they are. to bring cases. we have had a fair amount of success in recent years. in 2009, i believe, there was over 150 cases brought. we have had a number of recent successes in bringing down large organized crime rings engaged in various types of mainly banking fraud and other types of computer intrusions to steal money on credit card numbers and things like that. i think the proposals in the administration's cyber-package will help a number of ways. it will help harmonize laws with penalties and will add a few tools to the tool box. for example, making clear that computer crimes are rico

predicate. that will help and that will add to the tools we can bring to bear in these cases. >> as we conclude, i don't know if you will stay on, but i have to leave. would you all take half a minute of peace and try to reflect on what has been said here. maybe you have some concluding thoughts for us. >> thank you very much. i am struck here by how collaborative this process has been within the executive branch in terms of trying to get the balance right. >> it reflects this committee, doesn't it? >> that's what i mean. i was struck by what i hope this

the start with very collaborative process with all of you and others and i think i can fairly speak for the administration in that regard. >> closing comments, mr. schwartz? i understand your father is here? do you think we can kick him out? >> he looks like me. >> welcome your dad. he has instilled some really good values in you. >> briefly, the one thing on this point that you raised before about public-private partnerships and getting the market moving into the right area -- our work over the past year from the internet policy task force, we got in a lot of comments from the private sector on this. i think there are a set of

values to try to move forward in the right way. they want to move forward and the right way. we can put together those best practices that can build a framework for success in these different areas. we use that to our advantage while we have it. >> thank you. >> my sense is that it is collaboration and not being complacent with where we are, to continue to build on the collaboration. people have mentioned partnerships. it is interagency. it is with the congress. it is certainly with interest tindustry and focusing on the hard areas we need to work through. as the administration announced last week, this is an -- this has an international aspect as we move forward. >> thank you. >> briefly, i think it is important to recognize that we don't have all the answers in government. i don't think the private sector has all the answers and they

don't exist on the hill. this will take all of us working together. this is not an example of a government coming in and saying the private sector is not doing a good job. for them coming in and saying the same thing. we need to find the right way to bring the capabilities of government together with the capabilities of the private sector. we very much look forward to continuing to work for the members of this committee and congress in general to get the balance right as cyber-security legislation moves forward. >> we thank you for your service and wish you godspeed. >> thank you, senator carper. i know your father is here, mr. schwartz. we were remarking that over the years you have built up a lot of credibility with the committee. you have been straight ahead.

and presented your arguments well. you're never contentious. occasionally, we have a contentious witness. it is a pleasure to be able to share that private conversation in the presence of your father. i think all of you for the testimony -- i thank all of you for the testimony. senator reid working with senator mcconnell is talking about setting up different groups to negotiate with the administration on different parts of the bill to expedite it forward. centre collins, i am under the impression that what of the things holding up the immediate initiation of those negotiations is another favorite of yours and mine and talk about irony, these folks will be testifying before five more committees of congress? that will be in the next week and a half tax their staffs are preoccupied with th and not able to initiate the

negotiations. we have had a longstanding interest pursued a recommendation of the 9/11 commission to try to reduce the number of committees that people have to testify before. we have been pretty good at reforming the executive branch of government but less successful at reforming the legislative branch. anyway, i thank you very much. we will really push full steam ahead to continue that nautical metaphors. we hope to get this to the floor as soon as we possibly can, hopefully with a good consensus approach. thank you for everything you have done and the considerable work that was done. we were in patient but when you produced the administration proposal, it was not an outline for it was legislation and was quite comprehensive and elected because it is much like what we proposed in our committee bill. we look forward to taking it from here.

we will keep the record of the hearing opened for 15 days for any additional questions or answers. i thank all of you and with that, the hearing is adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] [room chatter] [general conversation]

[general chatter]

[general conversation]

[general chatter ]

[general chatter]

>> this could come from terrorist groups or organized crime. other cases could be from individual, sophisticated hackers. ultimately, you focus on the defense and not so much and where it is coming from all of that is not an area we don't focus on. it was actually the topic -- a don't know whether we put it on our table with the discussions with the russians but in the recent strategic and economic dialogue with china, the high level that occurred here, there was discussion of cyber security. that is very healthy. you better go. >> can you tell us what you think will happen this week?

>> it looks like this is a good news stories, it should involve bipartisanship. this is a leadership agreement that i support to adopt a so- called clean bill on the three provisions that are running out of the end of this week which are very important to our national security and the war on terrorism. i think we will get this done by the end of the week without a lot of controversy. i will vote in favor of extension of the patriot act. the patriots got a bad name on the substance of the fact that it did not deserve. these are basically limited authorities that exists in many other areas of law enforcement, for example, dealing with drug dealers and organized crime. we should be able to regarded doing terrorists as well. >> you said this is a bipartisan issue. are there any other areas? >> one which has been a classic

but is not totally partisan but generally speaking, republicans have been for liability reform and democrats have been against it. it is not a hard line. that is one i think we have to find a common ground on or it could affect the ultimate passage of the bill. i hope not because there is enough in the bill that everyone can support that if there is disagreement on that, i hope people can come back and try it again separately some other time. it is important to get something done on cyber security this year. i have to go, i have another meeting. congress gavels in for work about an hour-and-a-half at 2:00 eastern. the house will consider five bills mostly dealing with veterans programs and later in the week, they will the fans --

debate defense program starts. live senate covers on c-span 2 and we will have live coverage of the house here on c-span the white house budget director jacob lew answers questions about the budget tonight from the economic club of washington. cspan 3 will have live coverage as well as the question and answer session afterwards tonight at 8:00 eastern. before his address to congress tomorrow, if the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will sleep tonight to apac. it is the annual policy conference for that group and you concede live coverage starting at 8:45 eastern on c-span 2. the cspan networks, will provide coverage of politics, public affairs, nonfiction books, and american history. it is all available to you on television, radio, online, and on social mia networking sites and find our content any time

through the cspan video library. we take cspan on the road bringing our resources to your community. it is watching your weight. the cspan networks, now a bill in more than 1 million homes, created by cable and provided as a public service. the world bank president talks about developing economies in the middle east and africa at the annual meeting of the breton woods committee. this 40-minute event took place thursday here in washington. >> both are known to you but we

will guiltily by telling a that bob was vice chairman international of the goldman sachs group when he came to the world bank in 2007. prior to that, he was one of the longest-running public service? in washington, serving in treasury, state, and the white house and as the u.s. cr in the bush43 cabinet. chuck hagel, after he graduated in the senate, became an academic at georgetown university and at the university of nebraska. he serves on the board and advisory boards of some of the world's largest corporations. he is the chairman of the atlantic council and he serves on important policy boards for both the secretary of defense and the secretary of energy. she is a twice purple heart veteran of vietnam and most

importantly to me, a former businessman. the title of this segment is called "developing challenges in a resource-constrained area." since their resources are un constraint, they can go anywhere they want in this discussion. chuck is the interviewer and bob is the interviewee. after is over, you can decide which is the straight man. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you. good morning. i and the straight man,chuck hagel. we're pleased you are here and i am personally most appreciative to have an opportunity to share

thoughtsob zelig's with you. thank you for coming and taking the time this morning. we find ourselves this morning, you in particular with your responsibilities in a very placid, serene world with not much going on these days anywhere. with that, we'll try to invent some issues so that we will stimulate some questions this morning and get your very cogent and wise counsel. on the great challenges that face our country. and the world, more to the point. , here at the early end of the 21st century. bob, as we all know, the president in a couple of hours will give a speech about a part of the world that is

combustible, complicated, interconnected. all 7 billion citizens of the world are affected or will be affected by that part of the world. when i said that part of the world, i am talking about the art of nations that full with an north africa and across the middle east, the persian gulf and down into southeast asia. let's begin there. i know you were recently in north africa. i know you've recently gave a speech last month about some of these issues in this area. if you could take a few minutes to give the audience your sense of where the world bank is going in light of these complications and challenges, assistance programs, your role, the world bank's role, is the world bank relevant and what can they do? before you answer that, let me

remind the audience that will take at our time this morning for your questions. >> i want to have a special thanks to you and bill frenzel and that want to thank bill wolfinson. i appreciate the ongoing interest chuck has had and the bill has been an incredibly strong supporter of this and it is great to have four members of the house and senate. jim has continued to be very active. i want to thank all of you. all of you can see this in the newspapers and to a question

identifies this. when i often go to congress and talk about the world bank or the imf and what they're doing in the world, there is a sense of separation and yet at the heart of all the issues of the day, whether it be dealing with the middle east and north africa or to live with afghanistan and pakistan or dealing with global climate, energy -- we are at the heart of that issue. if you think about it, given the rising place of the emerging markets, we are much more actively engaged in that. anything that will happen in this world is something we are interconnected with whether you are the public or private sector. one of the things that i know that the committee has done over the years -- i remember i was with secretary baker at the secretary department in the late 1980's when we had a capital -- capital increase, we wanted a broader requisition -- representation of these groups and we hope we can get some of your support and help us to go

forward. to give you one particular piece, if you permit me -- with this financial crisis, the bank and the fund really stepped up in significant ways financially. since to lie of 2008, we have done about $170 billion of commitments. there was a large amount of disbursements adjusting our programs. our shareholders agreed to a capital increase. about 2/3 can from other funds beyond getting access to some of the prior shareholder commitments and new funds and some of the emerging markets. we now have 85% of the votes in from countries. we've got the capital increase the u.s. has not yet acted. one of the points to communicate to people in the congress is while it is important obviously to get the additional

contribution from the united states of capital, that is not my fundamental concern. my fundamental concern now is what happens to the u.s. if they don't do their authorization of an increase? does their share decrease? is a at a stage where it question of whether the u.s. will come along with the others. these issues are at the front and center we're dealing with today. the middle east and north africa could not be a better place to start. as everybody will be well aware and the president will emphasize this today, this is one of those issues that while i would not draw a direct analogy to 1989, it is a seismic event. i personally believe the reverberations will be felt not just this year but for years to come. there will be ups and downs and twists and turns in each country will have different

circumstances. if you look at the history of economic development, for example in east asia, this was the importance of having models of success. one of the aspects that i know we in the imf are looking at closely and working on an arm with the african development bank and soon i hope the ebrb in this area, is to try to make sure that while we customize circumstance, the more we can move some along more quickly in terms of their broader reform process and their ability to draw private capital for their growth strategies, that will be good even if some have some twists and turns in the process. more particularly, a couple of the basic themes that i have been trying to explore -- i was in tunisia and morocco recently.

while financing will be important, policy is equally if not more important. this is not just a question of filling financing gaps. this is a question of how you use this moment to take advantage in some countries what is a revolution and some others have a fast-paced even listen to transform how policy is done. it also requires that we as institutions change. many of you are familiar that traditionally economists are wary of short-term job creation. there is a concern that this would be throwing money at an issue. the good news is in part drawing on the work that has been done at the bank of the course of a number of years. we now have some good experience about ways you can help create jobs in the short term so you can get to the long term in a way that is constructive. we did this in liberia, afghanistan and part of it depends on the structure of the program and are part of it depends on wage rates.

given the fact you're trying to help them design short-term a job creation is an important element. another element that we learn from the financial crisis in the 1990's in east asia and latin america is the criticality of good programs. it is not just a question of stability. if you don't manage to get metrician to kids in school, you can lose a generation. when i talk to the to nations or the moroccans or the egyptians, is not a question of sharing the perspective from the u.s. or europe or japan but now we have wonderful examples from mexico and brazil. there are about 40 countries that have done these conditional cash transfer programs. from under 1% of gdp, you can have some good social support programs. the third aspect is focusing on the private sector. tunisia, even in the midst of a transition, is truly, of what they want to do is to get

through an interim period and be able to draw the private financing they need. there are steps they need to take in the regulatory side, on welcoming private investment, and i think that the g-h meeting next week, we'll try to urge some of the developed countries to encourage foreign investment on the trade side. this is to make sure there is a strong private sector component of development. it is further along in tunisia and morocco than some others. this is where the models are important. another point that i emphasize in this speech and that we at the bank will be stressing with increased intensity is week organized in the weeks after some of the revolution's very interesting our voices. we connected using technology in the countries whether they be students or ngo's and

universities and what kept coming out were cries for dignity and respect connected with the calls for freedom and liberty and change. one of the points that i stressed in this piece in april is how we do business and work with countries also needs to change in terms of connecting the politics with the economics. the openness, the transparency, the anti-corruption efforts, the good procurement process and again, with the early budget support we pledge to tunisia, we have a very interesting and powerful set of legislative changes that fit the calls in the street but also will lead to better programs. i think this is critically important. in a number of these countries, you are in transition. you have a transition government. you will have constituent assembly's, elections in others. as all of you know, it is

fundamental in such an environment not to leave uncertainty about people doing privilege or special deals or other arrangements. what we are emphasizing is an issue that sometimes economists traditionally say these are political issues but not economic. this is what people said when gen started to talk about corruption or transparency or gender. we don't believe this is the case. we have seen these steps on corruption, transparent to, openness, social accountability, engaging beneficiaries in the process, that is good economics as well as good politics. thee's a need to transform bank as an institution and how we operate but it very much fits with the things going on in the middle east and north africa. >> before we get to questions, let's go to sub-saharan africa.

many challenges and issues but yet it different. focus world bank activities there. >> there is an interesting piece in "the financial times," that focuses on the recognition of sub-saharan africa as an economic and business the opportunity as all of you know, this is an incredibly diverse region. it is typical to generalize. if i would put countries into categories, i would try three. one is you have about a third -- 1/3 the population of countries that have been growing 5 or 6% per year over the last decade. those countries are most interested in infrastructure, energy, regional integration linked to global markets because many of them are small or they are landlocked economies. using agriculture as part of building instead of

productivity and overcoming some of the poverty issues and a healthy and dynamic private sector. in some ways, if you cast your mind back, it is not too different what you had in europe 50 or 60 years ago as an agenda. those countries have significant growth potential. you have another 13 of the population -- 1/3 of the population and for those countries it will be a question of government. it is a question of whether the man is the energy resources in a way that counter-corruption and whether they have the energy resources in a way that includes of -- support of growth or the dutch disease problem and the benefit and one of the strengths of the bank is not just our financing role but the experience we gain the hard way overtime and we can share with countries about ways to do this wisely and ways that don't work. there is another 1/3 in a set of countries we did our most recent report on which a post-conflict

or fragile states which dragged down themselves and their neighbors. you have a cycle of violence and for governmeance. we tried to say let's go beyond foreign affairs or other areas. you often had the security guys saying one thing and the development people saying other things. lessons like the importance of short-term job creation and how you build inclusive enough coalitions to start to strengthen institutions, these become critical element. if i could summarize this together -- one of the interesting test we're fighting about the potential for sub- saharan africa is that we created within ifc and asset management corp.. within that, we create a $1 billion fund focusing on equity investment for sub-saharan africa, some for balance and

latin america and the caribbean. we do a number of sovereign funds, a pension fund as investments. building on the ifc record of about a 20% internal rate of return over a number of years and what was striking is when i talked to the dutch pension fund and i said what brought you into an interest in sub-saharan africa, they said we now know develop markets are risky and growth will be in these markets. we don't yet know where to go. we don't know whether transactions cost information. what we are trying to do in a way is to set a pathway for these potential investment deals. for the bank, it is important because to recognize that this is a fundamental complement to our traditional mediation of raising debt and making loans. we are now basically doigoing

where the money is in the southern front and try to connect as an intermediary through our asset management function and this offers huge potential to channel capital and finance to emerging markets in different ways. or the next couple of days, we will be talking about something we have been working out with singapore which is an infrastructure fund. there is a huge potential and it fits within the larger theme which is half of the global growth is coming from emerging market. if you are a business, you better pay attention to these markets. another element that connects the bank with this is increasingly whether it is on the policy side or the business side, are other opportunities. sub-saharan africa is interested in business models that can be drawn from china and other places. >> thank you. we've got so many issues to cover in a short amount of time. i think you find it pretty well

-- i think you frame the it pretty well. we have 20 minutes for questions. yes? >> [inaudible] i'm with international investor. as you know, there's a re- evaluation going on in u.s. policy to try to address some of the hypocrisy of a supporting democracy on one hand and many -- in many of these countries verses some of our policies which have supported dictatorships in others. the world bank is a similar problem, does it not, in terms of, let's face it, your active in supporting some of the very regimes that have been displaced recently.

my question to you is -- especially in terms of the international finance corporation which has been working hand in hand with some private equity firms that are still helping many of these corrupt regimes even though the leadership may have left, we are still seeing corruption from the top. what will you be doing to try to address similar hypocrisies in terms of the world bank policy? >> that is a good question that cuts across the bank's activities. we have 187 shareholders and they cover different types of political spectrums. one of the judgment calls we have to make is where we feel we can make a difference in a country in terms of whether it is dealing with malaria or dealing with improving financial management. those have to become judgment calls about our general approach is to do it in a transparent way, in an open way. let's also recognize that some

of these revolutions that were freed were because you started having a middle-class. i was talking about dignity and people who felt they were repressed. some of this was the benefit of some of the economic growth. let's take egypt as a good example. egypt is a case where you had a group of reformers that start to operate from 2005. they had some reasonable growth and some reasonable reserve. they did some things in infant mortality and other things. it is still a sclerotic system. there will be historian's debating for a long period time what exactly led to the revolution. nevertheless, what i think you have is a situation where there is a critical need not to retreat, not to close down, but

frankly to learn the lessons from other developing countries about how to have a safety net and job creation and international involvement. other than oil, these countries stand out as not being connected to the international economy. south korea has about 60 million people. egypt has 80 million people. south korea exports map -- more manufactured goods and we can eat it does in one year. there are lots of reasons for this. one of the challenges will be if we can take the lessons of brazil and mexico about safety net programs that are much more effective than broad based subsidies that egypt has had. now they can learn from other developing countries. that and also try to focus on the changes that can be done in terms of openness. we worked with the egyptians on

our freedom of information law and they could not get through the system. should we stop? should we wait for things to be perfect? you talk about corruption. give me an economy where there is no corruption. that does not mean that we turned a blind eye toward it. the things i talk about social accountability, one of the best ways to fight corruption is to get the beneficiaries and all. that is a vacancy was happening on the ground. you might also used electronic media and we are developing these capabilities of they can report back and say we are supposed to have two teachers and one is showing up. i think it's a cop out to say we should wait for the perfect environment. we have seen there is the ability to transform countries. very careful in terms of

who we do business with. we're not only careful in terms of checking the parties but frankly, we are at the frontier of pushing equator bank principals and other standards whether it be environmental or human rights standards. that has an effect on not only a company to invest in but the overall business climate. the world is the reality is. you can't get off and wait until the perfect or you can try to transform it. i look upon events like this as i looked upon 1989 in eastern europe as an opportunity to transform it for the better. at the same time, i am not a pollyanna. you will have ups and downs and you better try to find some models that were better than others. that is not a reason to step out arena. >> yes? >> good morning.

very briefly, to fall on what you discussed with the issue of dignity that to mentioned -- isn't it time for the banks to give grants and a substantial way direct to civil society? many of my colleagues in civil society say that the idea of going to corrupt governments which assisted by the bank and for all the good reasons you mentioned and asked them to work in partnership with society to find corruption does does not work. we would not allow transparency in international chapters in egypt. we tried. up to two years ago. is it time to find a way to get around the articles of agreement of the back or change the articles about the bank becomes a direct supporter of civil society instead of just finding these other ways of trying to do it which frankly civil society does not believe work. ?

thank you. >> i think the bank should consider this next step in how we can support civil society directly. to give people some background on this, let's jim credit. about 50% of our projects engage the beneficiaries of the community and the development of the project. a lot of what we're doing which goes back to some of these lessons whether it is dealing with the environmental aspect or dealing with how to most effectively have a community development program.

. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> a lot of our delivery programs work with civil society. what i was trying to do in the speech was say i think this is the next stage. the british had a special development fund that does this. the japanese have -- we have had a special trust fund that has a roof in this area. these are initial steps. i'm just explaining to you the context in which we work. so without necessarily stating about one political system, i make the case that beneficiaries in society is an important part of development regardless of your political system, and how can we support that? >> hang on just a second. we'll get to you.

>> i have two short questions. people need stability and economic freedom. i am wondering if you have any problem addressing those issues. second question, china has now evolved three trillion curnsies -- currencies. why are they receiving more money from time to time for different enhancement programs. >> on the first question, we evaluate legal systems about taxes, the ability to set up a business, licensing, which countries have used quite effectively to try to drive their process. in addition, i.f.c., our private

sector arm, has an advisory sector, and we try to improve and strengthen the legal system. our team works with the world bank team. when you are talking about natural resource development, the experience of how countries have done this in a way that is more inclusive and open. if you have a particular area of interest, i would scug suggest we -- i would suggest you meet with a country team. they are there to also provide support. again, we do want to draw in the private sector. that is a core element to what we are all about. part of this, in addition, we are trying to develop markets and institutions to capacity. we have been trying to work on domestic markets. whether it is micro-finance

markets or institutional markets. your second question was china. a very good question. it is an issue i talked about with hank paulson when i started the bank. there is a view in some quarters that said, the bank should deal with the poorest countries. at a time when we have all these changes in the international system and we're trying to figure out how multilateral situations change with the circumstance, i think it would be a huge strategic mistake to take the countries that are middle income countries or moving in the process and say, you are no longer part of the banking system. because if i think about climate change, trade, learning from other countries in terms of how they have done different programs, i want these countries to be active participants engaged in the banks.

we have a certain amount of lending that we do with china, but they are not looking at it for the money. they tend to have rather small projects they use for pilots to develop knowledge which they then expand. 80% of those are environmental. i think it is a good thenk thing that china improve the environmental market. and then we are drawing in china to be a partner with the rest of the things we do. we have no-interest loans for 79 countries. in the midst of the financial crisis we had a record i.t.a. of about 0 countries. we said to them, you used to be an i.t.a. beneficiary. could you prepay some of those early, which is exactly what they did. they did about $2.5 billion in

repayment. so did some of the other countries. my point is that there are a lot of ways that we can take the brazils, the rushes, the independent nearby -- the russias, the indonesias, and others. my view is these countries will continue to play an important role, and i want them engaged as stakeholders in the institution. >> food and energy are the fundamental as cross most of the globe. making a society develop. most of them will be constrained due to water. because of global climate changes that are beginning to accelerate in various places, that will probably become

exacerbated substantially over the next generation. are you doing anything to focus on that, to create incentives to go for not using boiled water, but diminishing the demand for water? >> let me start for a moment on food and energy, and thn i will come to water. i'm glad you raised this. >> just to remind you, mr. president, about four minutes. >> all right. one minute on each topic. the interesting part is food and energy are increasingly linked. if you look at food and energy, they have been much more interconnected. part of this is biofuel, part of this is the use for fertilizer and the production of transportation and agricultural goods are up, but part of it is people using commodities as an asset class and money moving in and out of that fashion. one of the big things we have had on our screen at the meeting is putting food first.

frankly i think, and i don't have time to get into this, but i think for a lot of reasons while the increase in commodity prices provides an opportunity for increased production of agricultural, and over time there are ways we can look across the value chain and use this as an anti-poverty program to develop growth, in the near term, stocks are relatively low. and if you have androgeonous weather events, there are increased chances for volatility. we are trying to do things on the supply side with the public and private sector. that's a big area of our work.

we are doing a lot of work in the private sector p there is work to analyze countries. we did an initial set of four or five on their water use and water patterns, how it is for agricultural, public sector use. some of the issues for manufacturing. and, you know, the -- michael bloomberg has this great line, which i co co-opted which is "in god we trust, and everyone else bring data." it is often useful to start with data in these situations. here's the core issues we're trying to work with. in a lot of countries, people are used to having water -- it gets really hard to get people to manage water more effectively if you don't have some price insistence. you can have price insistence and a certain amount of grant water for low-income people and

other types of uses, but one of the core issues in dealing with water conservation both for conservation and ultimate use and production of water is going to be at some reasonable price. by the way, we're making some progress. to close on this, one of the most increasing things, the best things i've seen about the bank over the course of the years is we now have a lot of evidence from other developing countries which we can bring around the world. i'm sure jim had this experience, too. as an institution we tend to have the knowledge and learning development in regions. what we're trying to do now with open information and structure at the bank is to share much more of that knowledge across. >> we are grateful for your leadership, your continued focus. we want to also thank the i.m.f. for hosting this with the bretton woods foundation. thank you. with that, we will let you escape and save mankind. [applause]

>> thank you. [applause] >> at 2:00 easter today the house deals with five bills. later in the week, defense programs. the senate is spending the afternoon on expiring provisions of the patriot act. >> before his address to congress tomorrow, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu speaks to the american-israel public affairs committee. it is an annual policy conference. you can see it live at 8:45 eastern on c-span2.

>> republican presidential candidate her man cain kicked off his campaign in atlanta. he is a businessman and former radio talk show host. this event is just over a half-hour. love yeah. love ya. love y'all. love y'all. my, my, my. love you. i've got to tell you, let me thank you.

i see some people out there, a few back there yelling. and i understand that my aunt bessie is here. oh, there she is. now, do you know why it is so momentous that my aunt bessie is here? she hasn't decided if she can vote for me yet. but i'm going to change her mind. just like we are going to change the mind of a lot of folk in america. but i want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for you being here. because there was some skeptics, as you know, who didn't think anybody would show up for an announcement for me. and the last time i heard,

there are 15,000 of you all right here. thank you. thank you. you know, it has been this kind of encouragement that has gotten me to this point. and it is this kind of encouragement that i believe and i know is going to take us to where we are trying to get to. you know, many of you know that i grew up right here in atlanta, georgia. right here in atlanta, georgia. i stand in the shadows of my upbringing. i stand here today as the son of a shaufer and a domestic worker, who taught me and my

brother three of the most important values we could have ever learned. belief in god. belief in what we can do for ourselves. and belief in this exceptional nation called the united states of america. believe in it. you know, the people that are struggling the most are the ones who don't believe in this nation. they don't believe in the values of this nation. my parents never uttered the words victim. because they never felt like a victim. having the opportunity to be in this nation despite its challenges. so i stand here today as luther

and len ora's oldest son. in my hometown. i stand here today in this hour , in the shadow of the owe limb pick flame which represents not only the determination of those that go to the ome limb picks every four years with their own determination. but it also signifies the great spirit of this great country, the spirit of america. that's what it signifies. and it is the spirit of america and the determination of america and the determination of its people that we are going to take our country back.

we're going to take it back. this day, this hour, in the spirit of america, and the spirit of the olympics here in this park. when people go to the olympics every pour years, they don't go to the olympics to come in second. they go to the olympics to win. and you see, just like the spirit of the olympics, number two is not in america's dna. we don't do number two. right here, this day, this hour, this moment reminds me of

the words to the closing song of the 2000 olympics. life can be a challenge. life can seem impossible. it's never easy when there's so much on the line. but you and i can make a difference. there's a mission just for you. there's a mission just for me. just look inside and you will find just what you can do. right here this day, this hour, and this moment, i have looked

inside of me and at this moment this day a amongst thousands and thousands of my friends and with my family here with me, and associates that i have known throughout the years, this day, this hour, this moment i came here to declare my candidacy for the republican nomination for president of the united states of america. this moment. this moment. and just to be clear, just to

be clear, in case you accidentally listened to a skeptic or doubting thomas out there, just to be clear, let me say it again. i'm running for president of the united states. and i'm not running for second. [cheers and applause] i'm not running for second. one. this day.

now, let me tell you, because i've had reporters ask me sometimes, well, are you running just to get attention and maybe come in second or maybe to get a cabinet position? i said, you don't know very much about me. you don't run for second. i don't run for second. running to be number one. now, let me tell you some of the reasons why i am running for president of the united states. one of the biggest reasons is that we have become a nation of crisis. we have a moral crisis. we've got an economic crisis. we've got an entitlement spending crisis. we've got an immigration crisis. we've got a foreign affairs crisis. and we've got a deficiency of leadership crisis in the white house.

there. there is a big difference between leadership and positionship. a big difference. between leadership and positionship. let's look at the facts. relative to all of these crises. we have anemic economic growth. in the first quarter of this year, our gdp only grew by 1.8%. that is anemic especially when china is growing at 10% compound. and if we don't increase our growth rate, they're going to be as big as we are in five years if you take out the differences in exchange rate. and like i said earlier, if we allow china to become as economically powerful as us, you know that they're going to

try to develop their military might as big as ours. and i don't know about you, but i am not going to allow america to be number two in the economy or number two militarily. not on our watch. not on our watch. we are a nation of crises. look at the facts. don't listen to the rhetoric. a 9% unemployment rate with nearly 15 million people out of work. 47 million people on food stamps. that's 14 million more than there were when the current occupant of the white house took over. $4 a gallon for gas. and it's not over yet. $1 trillion in spending to

stimulate the economy and it didn't stimulate didly. all of that and now to have a $14 trillion national debt and the debate in washington, d.c. is going on about do we raise the debt ceiling? again. let me tell you what the cain doctrine would be. we ain't raising the debt ceiling. we are going to cut the spending. it's call reduce. so look at the facts. don't just listen to the rhetoric. look at the facts. the stuff is not working. it's not working. so the only thing that i can conclude is it's time to get

real, folks. it's time to get real. hope and change ain't working. hope and change is not a solution. hope and change is not a job. hope and change is not a new business. hope and change is not a vision. we need a new vision in this country. and that means we need a new person leading this nation in the white house. [cheers and applause] it ain't working. i want to ask you a few questions. is america ready for real results? is america ready for common sense solutions?

is america ready to rekindle the spirit of america? and is america ready for a real leader, not a reader? [cheers and applause] you want a leader? or you want a reader? now, since -- [chanting] i know it took some people to connect the dots on that last statement. some were a little slow but they finally got it. now, since you answered yes to

those questions, let me describe our new vision. i don't call it my vision. my job as a leader is to define it, share it with you. it becomes our vision. because you know what somei can't do this by myself. this has to be our vision, not a political vision, not the agenda of one person, but it has to be the agenda of the people of this country. i call it our vision. and in order for us to be able to achieve and make reality out of our vision, we're going to need some new plans, set some new priorities, and certainly get some new people around the

president, this president, that's much better than the one we've got. in terms of vision. our new vision, real economic growth, not anemic growth. and in order to do it, we've got to lower tax breaks for corporations and individuals. we've got to take the capital gains tax to zero. we've got to give the people of america a real payroll tax holiday and then put around it and make the tax break permanent. that would be economic growth. our vision. a real independence plan. a real one. not one that somebody just reads off of a teleprompter.

no. a real one. one of the things that's so frustrating about it is that we have the resources to become energy independent. we simply need to pull the resources together in order to make it happen. that's our vision. you know, i will never go to a foreign country or brazil, loan them money, and then tell them we are going to be their best customer for their oil? let me share with you another one of the cain doctrines. america is going to be its own best customer. right here in the u.s.a. we will be our own best customer.

and as president of the united states, i'm going to make sure that we are our own best customer when it comes to our energy needs and our energy resources. it's not that we don't have the resources, we've just got too much bureaucracy that keeps getting in the way. our new vision. means immigration through the front door and not through the back door. not through the side door. . .

that's how we take care of that problem. and the last thing that you will get from a herman cain presidency is sewing the state that they are trying to protect themselves. we shouldn't sue arizona. we ought to send them a prize. a peace prize! [cheers and applause]

sewing a state of the united states of america. there's a major disconnect. our new vision, real energy and economic growth, real energy independence. immigration through the front door, the side door or the backdoor. and then real clear foreign policies. [applause] real clear. i love it. -- when the skeptics want to criticize me because of lack of foreign policy experience. let me tell you what i know about foreign policy experience. i know that you don't throw your friends under the bus. [cheers and applause] that's what i know about foreign policy.

you don't have years in the step to figure that out. -- state department to figure that out. know who your friends are. know who your enemies are. and don't throw your friends under the bus. [applause] i was shocked last week. i think it was thursday. when president obama threw israel under the bus. let me tell you what the cain doctrine would be relative to our friends and i'll share with you later my doctrine relative to our enemies, i got some stuff for them too. but relative to israel, the cain doctrines to the world was --

would simply be if you mess with israel, you're messing with the united states of america. don't mess with us. [applause] don't mess with us. is that real clear? is that real clear? that's what i mean about real clear foreign policy. know who your friends are. know who your enemies are. and it's our new vision. it's not the establishment. it's not the politicians. it is our new vision. and lastly this nation has gradually over the years slipped into an entitlement society. well i got to tell you, folks,

not only do i believe it is possible, but i also know that it's time we'll restructuring programs instead of reshuffling programs we can take this entitlement society into an enpowerment society. empower people! empower to the states! empower businesses. we can become an emparliament society with our -- enpowerment society with our new vision. the founding farce, they did a great job and they september it simple. they wrote -- they kept it simple. they wrote the declaration of independence. they designed and wrote the

constitution of the united states of america. and one of the other things that's part of our vision is that we don't need to rewrite the declaration. we don't need to rewrite the institution -- constitution of the united states. we need to reread the constitution and enforce the constitution. [applause] we don't need to rewrite. let's reread. [applause] and i know that there's some people that are not going to do that. so for the benefit for those that don't want to do it, there's a little section in there that talks about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. you know those ideals that you believed in. your parents believed in. they instill to you. when you get to the part about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, don't stop right there. keep reading of the because that's when it says when any

form of government destructs those of the ideal it is the right for the people to own the thorship. we got some altering and some authoring to do. [applause] in 2012, we will not only going to keep control of the house of representatives, we are going to halt the control of the united states senate and take and in -- and take it back. and in 2012, we are also going to run the trifecta and amounter the occupants of the white house are a new president. and lastly -- thank you.

and for sure, we all going to have to work a little harder. we're going to have to work a little smarter. we are not going to convert everybody over to our conservative way of thinking. we are not going to sell everybody on our new vision. with new leadership, new people, new ways to think about it. but as a good friend told me once, all you can do is save the saveable and you know what? between november now and november 2012, i think i'm going to save my aunt besidey. [laughter] -- bessy [laughter] . i think she's got hope. we got a lot of work to , do

folks, but i believe we can do this. if i didn't believe we can do this, i wouldn't be doing it. so we all got to work a little bit harder in order to take back this country. it's going to be tough. i'm up for the fight. i'm up for the challenge and i know you are too. [applause] the founding fathers, the founding fathers did their job. we have to do our job and be the descending fathers. and i have been blessed with two adult kids. they're grown and gone. we've got three grand kids. and it's not about us. it's not about us. and i know that everybody here feels that way. and for me, traveling all over the country and talking to groups day in and day out, town hall meetings, large rallies, big rallies, small rallies, the

message has been consistent. it's not about us. and people are ready to do whatever it takes in order to take this nation back and i firmly believe in our heart -- my heart that god is in this journey. that god is in this johnsonmy. -- journey. [applause] and in november of 2012, the day after the election day, when we wake up that morning and all of the folks are counted, and they declare not only all of the locally -- local election result, the statewide election results, the congressional results, the senatorial results. but when we wake up and they declare the presidential results

and herman cain this the white house, we will all be able to say free at last, free at last! [cheers and applause] thank god almighty! this nation is free at last! again. god bless you. god bless the u.s.a. [cheers and applause] >> cain! cain! cain! cain! [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. this is my family, along with you. and i wanted you to see them because this thing is going to move so fast you may not see them much.

so you better look quick. thank you again, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much. >> congress is about to gavel in. the house considers five bills. most dealing with veterans programs. later in the week, defense programs. the senate also gaveling in at 2:00 eastern. you can see live senate coverage on c-span2 and of course the house here on c-span. >> eric cantor was the speaker at the american israel public affairs commission here in washington. he dealt with the root causes of the israeli-palestinian conflict.

he calls on mahmoud ahmadinejad to stop anti-semitic behavior among his people. his remarks last about 15 minutes. >> as i look out, i see more than 10,000 people young and old who have come to washington from around the country not for personal enrichment or gain, not out of concern for your industries or businesses, but out of a deep affection for a fellow democracy, israel. [cheers and applause]

we are all here because we know that america is at its best when it stands with allies that share our values. [applause] like many of you, i am the descendent of immigrants to america. my grandparents came to this country nearly a century ago from russia. they passed through new york harbor, passed by the statue of liberty on the way to a better, freer life. my grandmother was widowed at a young age, and she eventually made her home in a predominantly african-american section of my hometown of richmond. she raised my father and my uncle in a tiny apartment above a grocery store that she owned. through hard work, perseverence,

and faith, the very values on which america is built, she lifted herself up into the middle class. and she even sent her two children to college. but never, never did she dare to dream that her grandson would some day be a member of congress, much less the majority leader of the u.s. house. [cheers and applause] when i grew up, my parents were among the few jews actively involved in local politics. from them, i learned the value of community involvement in shaping our future. one of my most vivid memories as a child came on that fateful yom

kippur day in 1973. i was just 10 years old. i remember standing on the steps in front of the synagogue after services let out. i heard grown-ups around me talking about israel being attacked on the holiest day of the year. i heard them recall what it was like to live as a jew before israel came into being. they were worried. they feared that those days might return. that experience was etched into my memory. it was only years later that i truly understood the critical role america can play in coming to the aid of a fellow democracy. visitors to our country often ask, why is it that america and israel are so close? there are many answers to this question. yes, israel is a critical p implet l -- critical pillar of

u.s. national security. yes, israel fights on the frontline against rallies lamb. -- against radical islam. and yes, a stable israel provides stablet to the middle east. our strategic connection is important. but there is more. there is smog something americans identify with on a gut level. smk something i see every time my fellow member steny hoyer and i see when we take members of congress to israel. when people come to israel, the names and places that people read about in their sunday school studies come alive right before their very eyes. it is emotional.

it is profound. and to them and to our christian brethren among us, we salute you and appreciate your solidarity and support. [applause] [applause] israel cherishes the values we do. israel represents the triumph of the human spirit over impossible odds. israel represents a fierce dedication to saving and improving life for all. israel's spirit lives through its people. in 1942 a boy would slip by his

parents off a train bound for auschwitz. by a stroke of luck, a catholic woman took him in and hid him in her cupboard. after the war was over, that boy immigrated to israel to begin a new life. today his son, dr. mirez heads up the field hospital that travels the world in the wake of natural disasters. [applause] just three days after the earthquake in haiti dr. miran was there helping survivors. no question, israel joins america in leading the way to save lives and help feed the world. [applause]

yet today the 2,000-year-old dream of the state of israel is in jeopardy. there is no other nation on earth so routinely denied its right to exist and threatened with destruction. recent develop lts in the region have moved iran out of the head lions lines. -- out of the headlines. it is undenyable. the spectre of a nuclear iran moves on, and we must never take our eye off iran. and that's why congress will soon pass the bipartisan iran threat reduction act making it the official u.s. policy to prevent iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. [cheers and applause]

plain and simple, if you do business with iran, you cannot do business with america. [cheers and applause] meanwhile, during this spring we all hope freedom will take a leap forward in the middle east, and we will do everything we can to support institutions of democracy in civil society. yet the truth is, there is much uncertainty. there is one thing for certain, america must do everything in her power to keep israel strong and secure. [cheers and applause]

the longstanding anti-israel, anti-semitic vitriol persists, but the world must no longer turn a deaf ear. it is time for america to lead. [applause] and so to the emerging governments of the middle east, america must clearly state, it is not ok to vilify israel, it is not ok to demonize jews, and it is time to stop escapegoating israel. [cheers and applause] -- and it is time to stop scapegoating israel. [applause] nearly 7,000 miles away, israel fights the same fight we do.

we have a common enemy that seeks nuclear weapons. my message to you this afternoon is this. if israel goes, we all go. in order for us to win this great struggle, we must have the courage to see the world not as we wish it to be but as it truly is. [applause] it is not morally equivalent when the offenses of terrorists are equated with the defenses of israel. [applause] the following story illustrates israel's dilemma. a palestinian woman from gaza arrived at sheroka hospital in

bersheva for life-saving treatment for burns over half of her body. after the conclusion of her extensive treatment, the woman is invited back for follow-up treatments. one day she is caught at the border crossing wearing a suicide belt. her intention? to blow herself up at the same clinic that saved her life. now what kind of culture leads one to do that? sadly it is a culture infused with resentment and hatred. but it is this culture that underlies the palestinians and the broader arab world's refusal to accept israel's right to exist as a jewish state. [applause] and this is the root of the

conflict between israel and the palestinians. it is not about the 1967 lines. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] and until israel's enemies come to terms with this reality, a true peace will be impossible. and the reality is, as we say in hebrew, on israel chi, the people of israel live, and what

they want is to live in peace. [applause] if the palestinians want to live in peace in a state of their own, they must demonstrate that they are worthy of a state. so to mr. abbas i say, stop the excitement in your media and schools. stop naming public squares and athletic teams after suicide bombers and come to the negotiating table when you have prepared your people to forego hatred and renounce terrorism, and then israel will embrace you. [cheers and applause]

until that day there can be no peace with hamas. peace at any price isn't peace, it is surrender. all of us here today are heirs to a rich tradition of zionism that has its roots in america's founding. the colonists, including ben franklin and thomas jefferson saw themselves as a new israel. i have the privilege of holding james madison's seat in the congress. he spent a year at princeton learning to speak hebrew.

like many others, john adams marveled at the prospect of 100,000 isrealites returning to the land of israel and creating an independent nation in their ancestoral homeland. 1 0 years later adams' vision has been realized. never before in the history of man kind of a people forcibly removed from their land for thousands of years returned just as the bible promised. [applause] in this time of extraordinary challenge for israel and for america, we simply cannot afford to become com placent. we must rise to the challenge before us and shape history. israel deserves america's

friendship in reality, not just in rhetoric. [cheers and applause] words and promises come and go. only deeds count. [applause] there is a time for talk, but now is a time for action. there is a time for dreaming, but now is a time for doing. there is a time for following, but now is a time to lead from the front. for the survival of israel, for the security of america, and peace for the world now is that time and right here is the place to begin. thank you all very, very much. [cheers and applause] .

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, reverend conrad broughton, lutheran church of the reformation here in washington, d.c. the chaplain: please share with me in prayer. god of grace, god of glory and truth. grant us wisdom for the living of these days, grant us discernment for the deliberations we make, and courage for the decisions we face. may the guidance of your spirit in this house serve to lead us

as a nation in paths of righteousness for your names' -- name's sake. bring to our minds an awareness of your benevolence upon all people and may our hearts bear the imprints of your compassion for the least among us. you have given to us as individuals and as a body the vocation of being a trustee of your creation and a stewward of the common good -- steward of the common good. so may we be given a vision of our work together as public servants that will bless the well-being of our people, nurture the establishment of justice and nourish the seeds of peacemaking in our world. this is our ernest -- earnest prayer, amen.

the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from michigan, mrs. miller. mrs. miller: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute eaches. for what purpose does the gentlelady from michigan rise? mrs. miller: to address the house for one minute. ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker: without objection. mrs. miller: mr. speaker, during the past several years the domestic auto industry has undergone an incredibly painful economic transition. quite frankly this industry was on its knees and many people didn't think that either general motors or chrysler would survive. and these naysayers said it

would be best if they were just left to, in the case of general motors, go into a chaotic bankruptcy and in the case of chrysler, certainly a complete liquidation. for my great state of michigan, my beautiful state of michigan which has suffered the worst economic depression certainly in my lifetime, if that would have happened, as bad as it has been for us, what would have happened if those companies would have went bankrupt and liquidated would have been unimaginable. the loss of tens of thousands of more jobs either directly or indirectly through the supply chain and all the businesses that reply on the spinoff from the industry. mr. speaker, tomorrow chrysler company at the stirling heights assembly plant will be announcing that they will be paying back the federal government loan in their entirety, four years early. ahead of schedule. and this is the same plant, mr. speaker, that just recently put on a third shift. actually saving in that plant well offer 2,000 jobs. i am very proud of everyone who

has supported the domestic auto industry. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mrs. miller: it has proved the best automobiles in the entire world are indeed imported from detroit. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. carnahan: today i rise to give thanks to all who stepped up to help when st. louis was struck by the good friday tornado. now it's time to help our fellow missourians in jopliin, who suffered last night the deadliest tornado in 50 years. it devastated homes, businesses, schools, and local hospital. i reached out to our colleague, billy long, who represents southwest missouri. we offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the families of at least 89 dead, more injured, and all whose way of

life has literally been demolished. as a member of the congressional subcommittee with oversight responsibility for fema, i commend the prompt action of our first responders as they conduct urgent search and rescue operations. the american red cross has set up an emergency shelter, for those who would like to help visit www.redcross.org. it's time to provide a helping hand to our neighbors who urgenly -- urgently require our help. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on may 17, 2011, at 9:45

a.m. that the senate passed, senate 349, senate 655, that the senate passed without amendment h.r. 793. appointments, board of visitors of the united states naval academy, board of visitors of the united states military academy, board of visitors of the united states air force academy, board of visitors of the united states merchant marine academy. board of visitors of the united states coast guard academy. united states caucus on international narcotics control. with best wishes i am, signed, sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on may 18, 2011, at

11:09 a.m. appointment, president export council, with best wishes i am, signed sincerely, karen lks haas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on may 20, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. that the senate passed, senate 990. with best wishes i am signed sincerely, karen l. haas. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. sir, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the house of representatives that i have been served with a subpoena issued by the county of burks, pennsylvania, magistrate district court 23-2-02, for

witness testimony. after consultation with the office of general counsel, i have determined to comply with the subpoena to the extent that it is consistent with the privileges and rights of the house. signed, corey walter, district director and press secretary. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the house will stand in recess subject to the call of the chair. >> you can see live coverage of the house here on c-span. the white house budget director answers questions about the

federal budget and debt ceiling tonight from members of the economic club of washington. we will have live coverage on c- span3 tonight at 8:00 eastern. before his address to congress tomorrow, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will speak to the american israel public affairs committee at its annual policy conference. live coverage tonight at 8:45 on c-span2. you are watching c-span, bring the public policy and public affairs. connecting you with policymakers and journalists, "washington journal." on the weekend, see our signature interview programs, "the communicator's" "newsmakers" and "prime minister's questions." you can watch our programming

anytime at c-span.org. washington, your way. a public service created by washington's cable companies. >> in light of the recent tornadoes and flooding in the midwest, a discussion on the national flood insurance program from today's "washington journal." continues. host: orice wilams brown is with the government accountability office. good morning. good morning. thank you for being with u we do have one line set aside for you impacted by the floods along the mississip. you could join the conversation online at twitter.com/cspanwj or send us an e-mail at journal@ span.org. what is the national flood insurance program? est: a program estlished by

congress in 1968. it is a federal prram that allows homeowners and businesses to insure their homes and businesses and the contents within their home. host: who qualifies for the program? guest: anyone can qualify for the program. home owners or renters. host: we saw the video from the morganza spillway. it was built by the army corps of engineers as a way to try to prevent the flooding. do those people in the path like have flood insurance? guest: some of the folks that live in the floodway may have flood insurance based on our

conversations with fema. very few of themo carry flood insurance. the concentration of homeowners and businesses that carry flood insurance would have been greater had all flooding reached new orleans. to the extent that there are farmers involved anthey have crop insurance and the crop insurance may provide some relief. host: how to you define a flood? what determines whether you qualify for the benefits? guest: a flood is anything involving rising water. mudslides would also be mudslides would also be encouraged -- would also be included in the definition. everyone lives in a flood zone. fema has mapped the united states and the designate these zones.

there are low and moderate risk zones. there are higher flood risk zones. if you have a federally insured or you have a mortgage from a lender who is federally regulated, you're required to have flood insurance on the property as long as there is a mortgage on the property. host: we spoke about the information in louisiana. we're building homes closer to rivers and lakes. guest: one of the challenges with managing the flood insurance program and also ensuring that people are building in floods way it has to do with the fact ople are living in flood zones. committees are participating in the flood insurance program.

your committee has to participate. there are over 21,000 commities the participate in the program. if your community does not participate, you're not able to purchase flood insurance. host: what of the oions? -- what are the options? guest: you may be able to get ecialized insurance. you would need to carry flood insurance policy. if your committee does not produce a breakup you would have to livrely on post-disaster insurance. host: what they provide in terms of assistance if your impacted by a flood? guest: homeowner's policy did

not include flood insurance. the flood insurance is a separate program because the risk of flooding is borne by the national flood insurance program. your homeowner's policy does not cover flooding. caller: i live in a flood zone in carson city. it is an old map. i would like to get fema to change the map. we have a water restrictions during the summer. it is so dry it would have to water ou lawns every other day. i was wondering if i could get the fema map so the neighborhood

will not have to pay for flood insurance in the middle of a desert. host: thanks, ed. guest: fema maps the country for flood risk. this is done in conjunction with local communities and counties. i wish to adjust your reach out to a local county official and the folks that deal with floodplain management and talk to thembout starting the effort to have ms your location reevaluated. host: what kind of insurance is available? are there limitations in terms of what you can claim? guest: the maximum amount of flood insurance available in flood insurance available in $250,000 for a residential

policy. there is a separate contents policy available and those are up to $100,000. host: florida, good morning. good morning, caller. caller: this is a question and it is concerning -- our committee does not have the option for us to get flood insurance. how do we get our county into the program so that we can at st. it? we had hurricanes and flooding in our communities if years back -- a few years back. what is the process how does a regular person get on

the program or get the flood insurance? guest: it would require your community joining the program. i would encourage you to reach out to local community leaders and raise the question of flooding in your area and urged them to join the program. host: we're speaking with orice williams brown with the government accountability office. caller: we are ok because of the opening of the spillway. we're very lucky. i am close to the mississippi river. it was almost to the top of the levee before they opens the spillway. i am very sorry that the state

has been impacted by this. host: if this bill we have not been opened up, " which to be looking at with your home -- if the spillway had not been opened up, what would you be looking at with your home? caller: 15 feet under water. the whole city probably. because of this crisis, we're buying flood insurance. we just purchased flood insurance. my confusion, i'm trying to make sure i understand you when you every home in the united states is a flood zone -- is in a flood zone. some are low and some have

standard insurance. is that ok? guest: yes. the risk level varies by zone. host: herald from west int, ky. caller: is everybody supposed to have flood insurance? my house has not had a flood. no water can get to me. it does flood in west point on the river. i am on a hill. there has up in a flood here in 100 years. guest: everyone lives in a flood zone. areas at low or medium risk of flooding are not required to buy flood insurance. if you live in a special flood

hazard area, a high-risk area and you have a mortgage from a lender tha is federally insured or federally regulated, there is a mandatory purchase requirement for flood insurance in those specific situations. it is confined to individuals with mortgages that live in special flood-hazard areas. for others, the decision to buy flood insurancis optional. host: if you live in a mountainous region, that is also considered a flood zone? guest: they would be a zone but likely be lower-risk zone. we visited -- i will not say not as because it was in ohio.

we walked into homes that had flooded into the second-flo properties. these homes live on the side of a hill. i am sure the imagine their properties wou not flood. 20% of cases, it is a low or moderate risk area that floods. host: what is a difference between the boundary map and the insurance maps? guest: were the floodway is and the hazard area is. fema has to go through a process of re-evaluate map on a regular basis because it typography can change, development and urban ization can change. host: barry from florida, good

morning. caller: my fe and i purchased a home in 2009. we are in the pine barrens. there is no order 1 for5 to miles -- there is no water for 10 to 15 miles. i had to go through fema because it is the army corps of engineers that maps the country, not fema. the army corps of engineers has a relationship with the county commissioners who would love low-cost hazard funding. we pay over $400 the first year. with the letter of map amended, we got our money back the second year.

my father-in-law did not have to have flood insurance. i wish that gao and fema will look into the relationships between banks and the entities that require flood insurance and closing when it is not necessary. host: thank you, barry. guest: we have not looked specifically at those relationships, but we have done a series of reports on the mapping process. fema did start with base flood maps. the army corps of engineers did play a role in some of those maps. since that time, fema works to upte an event which the boundaries for flood mapping. this is an area of ongoing concerwhen people are mapped into areas and the question the legitimacy of the maps. weave made a number of

recommendations to improve the process. this is an area that we're continuing to do worin. host: jones, oklahoma. caller: i wanted to make a comment. people have been talking with the budget crunch. people have been talking about, do we need programs like this? ron paul is not a big supporter of flood control and flood insurance. building in these areas that are susceptible -- does that change the equation? it is a dangerous precedent. we're in oklahoma, the middle

of tornado alley. the idea that it is irresponsible to live in this area because there is a chance of disasr and so you're on your own, buddy. it is important to keep in mind that something like caps sets a dangerous precedent. guest: one of the areas that fema is responsible for in managing the national flood insurance program has to do with working with counties and localities to deal with floodplain management. this is a key part of the program, insuring that building codes are adhered to. that is part of the issue, that people are now building in harm's way. the national flood insurance program is funded to the

premiums that it collects for the polies that are sold to individuals and businesses, as well as fees to cover administrative costs. until 2005 and hurricane katrina, the program had been self-sufficient. they have been able to cover the cost of the operation as well as claims from the premiums and the fees that they collected. they owe just under 18 billion dollars to the treasury. there are real questions about the extent the program will be able to repay that money to the treasury. host: we are talking about the issue of flood insurance with orice williams brown who's with the government accountability office. caller: good morng.

this is the fir time i have done this. the subject you're talki about is quite interesting. i am looking at this from a personal point. this is property of hours that was infected by flooding. it is not in long beach. it is south, in the russian river area. we were part owners of some properties in the ruian river area. was able to do some research on flooding. what i found out was that there is a lot of repitive claims that are made for damages in that area. i also found out that people that live in long beach, carson, and in other areas, have to pay

meeting the , insurance needs of these people that live in the russian river area. i am not sure if i'm getting my point across. it relates to some of your earlier callers. they were wondering why they have to pay for flood insurance. they are in are that did not have a history of being flooded. guest: repetitive loss properties have been ongoing challenge for fee but in managing the national flood insurance program. these are programs that experience some level of flooding on an ongoing basis o least twice in a 10-year period. a very small percentage of the properties in the program

account for a disproportionate amount of the losses experienced by the program. one % of the properties account for 20% of the losses -- 1% of the properties. this is an area that congress has tried to address in the 1990's to focus on this issue. it pasd legislation in 2004 to begin to deal with severe repetitive loss properties. this is an ongoing challenge to the program. caller: yes. insurance companies have people paying several different in churches -- life, health, flood -- several different insurance s. host: i'm not sure i follow you, caller.

guest: i would note that flood surance is a separate insurance from your property, casualty insurance. the nature of insurance is, you pay for the possibility of experiencing a loss. as the flood, you may pay a flood insurance policy and not experienced a loss. it is the protection that you get in case something happens. host: we have some lines available if you want to give us a call. susan from south carolina. caller: my husband and i researched in south carolina, delta islands. we found the value of our house -- whh it purchased excess

flood insurance. we think -- are we sure that's we have 8100-year storm -- we have a 100-year storm. is there a chance the money will not be there when we need it? guest: fema currently has a line of credit available with treasury. to the extent that losses are experienced and you got a policy with the national flood insurance program, fema has been able to go to treasury and borrow money to cover any losses, which is what happened in 2005. davis, it had been -- the line had to be increased substantially to cover the losses with the 2005 hurricane season. host: we have twier

comment. >> gao has done work on climate change. we have pointed out that when fema does its mapping, it does not factor in the impact of climate change. host: scott from michigan. caller: i have a comment on the flood insurance. i have lived on the bay all my life and we have never have the flooding, except once when it will blow for seven days straight. i found out that i did not need to have flood insurance. now they say you do need it. i also fnd out that i owe x

amount of my house. i only have to ensure that to cover the loan on my house. it dropped mht insurance $600 by doing that. i did not know if that'll help somebody. host: thanks for the call. any reaction? guest: there is a fair amount of flexibility in determining the amount of coverage. he lived in a special flood- hazard area that required that each carry a certain amount of insurance because of the exposure to the lender. host: alexandria, virginia. caller: i was confused. i lived in flood zone.

a big flood zone. does the area have to be declared? does fema paid the flood onurance -- why isn't fema verses gao? gao is an agency of congress. gut: once again, in terms of the zones, the country has been broken out and that determines which flood level you live in. in terms of a declared flood disaster, that is not a requirement to have a claim paid if your property floods. in terms of fema paying the insurance, the national flood

insurance program is a federal program. one of the reasons that there was a decision made to establish the national flood insurance program stems from the fac that most of the assistance being provided was being provided post-disaster. assistance can be an expensive way to assist home owners and rebuilding froflooding. all of the states in the union are susceptible to flooding. host: next is edward from jackson county, mississippi caller: i have a few statements to make. i am retired navy and moved here to jackson county in 2001. the water in the mississippi. is about a mile and half from my house.

they said i did not need flood insurance. my bank said i did not need flooded service. my attorney said i did not need flood insurance law with nationwide. we lost our home in 2005 to katrina. i have five huge oak trees in my yard and they are still here. there was a new map in 2006 by fema. i was not in a flood zone. week we built our house -- we rebuilt our house now i have flood insurance. in 2009, fema can now with another new map. now i am in a flood zone because

of a company in califora. i guess ty used a computer and google. i went from under $3 a year -- i went from under $300 a year and now it is 12 $1 a year -- $1 ,200. host: is this unusual? guest: it is driven by the risk designation of the property. the average premium could be a couple of hundred dollars. it could be a couple of thousand dollars in a higher-risk area. about floodtalking

insurance with ori williams brown g from the -- from the gao. caller: thank you for taking my call. subject in about the previous caller was addressing. this capricious addressing but the mortgage companies carry more than the property is worth. in my situation, i have a house built in 1946 that is solid concrete blocks. the elevated the first floor the onlyay they knew how, with an unfinished basement that is primarily above-ground. i am being required to carry $250,000 worth of coverage which, as to $1900 for a piece

of property -- during the isabel situation in 2003, t inches of water. the property sustained no damage from the floodwater except for the windows being opened and went through the window into the unfinished basement. my first little for is elevated 8 feet above sea level -- my first little floor is elevated 8 feet above sea level. i received no reimbursement for the loss of might well -- for the loss of my well. the mortgage company based on a

fraudulent appraisal, the house is not a praise for anything more than $150,000, i am in this situation and i would appreciate if a telephone number could be provided for people to call at your level and received some guidance. and if you could explain why these mortgage companies are being allowed to get away with ievery.ally the ve host: contact information. guest: the best way to reach a fema, i would go through -- fitch and duff contact information for policyholders or potential policyholders. toa terms ofgao gao, go

gagov and you can leave a message to get a response back to you. it is difficult to deal with a particular situation. we have not looked at the issue of lenders requiring higher levels of flood insurance. we have looked at the issue and have ongoing work liggett the issue of mapping quality -- and have ongoing work looking at the issue of mapping quality. this is an ongoing challenge. guest: it would really depend on whether or not you have a separate flood insurance policy. it could be sold by your propty casualty insurance company. there are some insurance

companies that sell policies that are not flood insurance policies but that's they offer particular riders for flood insurance. i would encourage you to look the policy yourself. read it very closely. we are not aware of any private insurance companies that are selling your flood insurance policies aside from the caller that mentioned it if you have a property that is worth in excess of -- you see these are million- dollar properties. you may be able to get excess coverage that would cover the amount a buff $250,000. i uld encourage you to read that policy very closely. host: we are speaking orice williams brownith. -- we are

speaking with orice williams brown. bonnie is joining us from louisiana. caller: i am not having to swim. , 're not too far from rose louisiana. my husband has inherited property. a subdivision was built. he was told they remapped the area. this area never had flooding. they said we would have to get flood insurance for anybody who bought homes in this subdivision. now my husband h invested all this infrastructure, all our savings went into that. we tried to go through fema to

re-negoate this thing in arbitration and it has been there for almost three years. it virtually has caused us to go prbroke. they will not come up with a nal say so, we should do -- a final say so on what we should do. guest: the challenge associate with updating the flood maps, fema has been processed and i understand your frustration with the time involved in going for the process. we have made recommendations about ways fema could improve the process. i would encourage you to work through that process. host: running from orlando, florida -- rodney. caller: i was listening to your last caller when you were

talking about insurance. i wonder why people did not have a problem where you buy a house and the making by the insurance. when it is health insurance, everybody has a problem with it . i want an answer to the question. host: any response? guest: i do not. caller: i appreciate all the information that miss brown has been putting out. if the program has been doing so well up to hurricane katrina, why is the government involved in tit? why wouldn't the insurance

compans be insuring these people instead of the government putting a program together, especially if it has been self-funded for all these years? guest: look at the history of the program. the program. flooding is very difficult to quantify in terms of charging premiums. the premiums the national flood insurance program charges fall into two programs. some are subsidized. some reflected the risk of flooding. about 40% or 45% of the risk of the actual properties. these are structures built prior to the creation of the program. fema went through a period where

it had challenges with premiums that allowed it to collect sufficient premis to cover losses. they have been able to make an adjustment in that area. the way the program is structured, by requiring subsidized rates, it created a potential catastrophe that happened with katrina. they have been collecting just enough premiums to cover the losses that they expected to experience, based on their average historical losses. in the event of a catastrophic flooding the program would quickly be overwhelmed. this is precisely what happened with hurricane katna. fema is working with the private sector to encourage great participation. they rely on the private insurance network.

the insurance companies do not have the rest. they are exploring fema. fema is exploring in number of options. the program was in visions to be a federal proper partnership -- the program was envisioned to be a federal proper partnership. a lot of th house to do with being able to set rates that are affordable -- a lot of this has to do with being a will to set rates that are affordable. host: let me conclude and show this map. you can see the program is in place along the coastal regions along the great lakes region. guest: the national flood surance program is a program to allow participating

communities to purchase flood insurance through this federal program, which provis flood insurance protection to property owners as well as renters and businesses can purchase flood insurance through this program. >> it the c-span networks -- we provide coverage of politics, public affairs, nonfiction books and american history. it's all available on line and social media networking sites. find our content any time through our video library. we take c-span on the road with their digital bus, local content vehicle, bringing resources to your community. it is washington, your way. the c-span networks, available in more than 100 million homes. created by cable, provided as a

service. >> the house is in recess subject to the call of the chair. they are expected back at about 4:00 eastern to consider five bills, most involving veterans programs. the senate is debating whether to extend provisions of the patriot act. you can see the senate live on c-span2 and we will have coverage of the house when they come back. questions about the debt ceiling tonight at 8:00. c-span3 will have live coverage of the speech at 8:00 eastern. before his address to congress tomorrow, israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, will speak to the america-israel public affairs committee. you can see live coverage at 8:45 eastern on c-span2. president obama is in ireland today. he gave a speech at college

green in dublin. the president is now on his way to london due to the ash from the icelandic volcano. he has an official visit to the g eight. this speech is about 50 minutes. >> thank you. may i begin by thanking the people of ireland for their extraordinary warmth, dignity and generosity over the last seven days. thank you, people of ireland. [applause] if there is anyone out there who still doubt that ireland is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dreams of our ancestors is alive in our times, who still questions our capacity to restore ourselves, to reinvent

ourselves, and to prosper, today, it is your turn. [applause] because today, on this day, the president of the united states, barack obama, and his first lady come to visit. [applause] [applause] [applause]

>> thank you, mr. president and michelle. [applause] to make that precious connection with his irish family, his irish roots, as thousands before him has -- have done, today, the 44th american president comes home. [applause] [unintelligible] he might have dreamed but hardly imagine his great, great grandson would return as

president of the united states. [applause] that boyce said it could buy -- that boyd said goodbye to ireland. millions packed their hopes and dreams, stepping onto ships, which for some was like stepping into space. every one of them and all of the people and our people, their path is our path. their story is our story, so, this evening, my call is directly to those 40 million irish-americans and whether you are listening and watching in new york or in new haven or in

san diego or in st. louis, whether you are irish by blood or by marriage or by desire, we, your irish family, are right here. [applause] we, your family, your irish family, are right here to welcome you to follow your president home. [applause] last week, queen elizabeth came to our shores and about it to our dead. the irish heart glittered above the heart of the english queen. pride and happiness and two

words of irish, we closed 8 circle of our history. [applause] today, president obama, we draw another circle. one in which we tell the world of our unique, untouchable wealth that cannot be accumulated in banks, measured by the markets or traded on the stock exchange. because it remains intact and alive, deep inside our people, in the heart stopping duty of our country, and in these -- in the transforming currency of the irish arts, imaginations and souls. it is like this spirit of the last family in cardiff -- never

give up. never give up. never say die. this is what we call our ushla. in our love for our country, and in our pride of who we are, longing for what must be and what will be a more prosperous future. [applause] the president and his first lady are an extraordinary couple. [applause] president obama [inaudible]

in 1963, the 35th president of the united states struck our hearts. in 1995, the 42nd president lifted our country's spirit, but the 44th president is different. because, ladies and gentlemen, he does not just speak about the american dream. he is the american dream. [applause] and that is the american dream come home. so, ladies and gentlemen, let your voices be heard around the globe as i introduce the president of the united states, barack obama, and the first lady, michelle obama. let's hear it!

[applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> hello, dublin. hello, ireland. my name is barack obama. [applause] of the moneygall obamas. i have come home to find the ' that we lost somewhere along the way.

some whys irish man or woman once said broken irish is better than clever english, so here goes. i am happy to be in ireland. i am happy to be with so many. [applause] i want to thank my extraordinary hosts, first of all, kenny, his lovely wife, the president and her husband for welcome me here

today. thank you, lord mayor jerry green, for allowing me to crash this celebration. let me also express my condolences on the recent passing of garrett fitzgerald. [applause] someone who believed in the power of education. someone who believed in the potential of you. most of all, someone who believed in the potential of peace and who lived to see that piece realized. and most of all, thank you to the citizens of dublin and the

people of ireland or the warm and generous hospitality you have shown me and michelle it certainly feels like 100,000 welcomes. we feel very much at home. i feel even more at home after that point -- pint i had. i feel even warmer. in return, let me offer a party greetings of tens of millions of irish americans who proudly trace their heritage to this small island. they say hello. now, i knew that i had some routes across the atlantic. but until recently i could not

unequivocally claim that i was one of those irish-americans but now, if you believe the court it brothers, there is no one more irish than me. [applause] so i want to thank the genealogist who traced my family tree. right here. thank you. it turns out, people take a lot of interest in you when you are running for president. they look into your past. they check out your place of birth. things like that. i do wish someone had provided me with all this evidence earlier because it would have come in handy back when i was first running in my hometown of chicago because chicago is the

irish capital of the midwest. a city where it was once said you could stand on 79th street and hear the phones of every county in ireland. so naturally, a politician like me craved to participate in the st. patrick's day parade. i told them my name was a gaelic name and they did not believe me. one year, some volunteers and i made it into the parade, but we were the last to march. after two hours, it was our turn. we rode around, smiled, waved, and city workers were right behind us cleaning up the

garbage. it was a little depressing, but i bet those parade organizers watching today are feeling kind of bad. [applause] so this is a pretty good parade right here. [applause] go bulls. i like that. of course, an american does not really require irish blood to understand that ours is a proud, and during, -- enduring, centuries-old friendship. we are bound by history, a french ship, shared values. that is why i have come here today, as the american president, to reaffirm those

bonds of affection. [applause] earlier today, michelle and i visited moneygall where we saw my ancestral home, dropped by the local pub and we received a very welcome -- very warm all come from all the people there, including my long lost eigth cousin henry. henry is now affectionately known as henry the eighth. it was remarkable to see a small town where a young shoemaker, my great, great, great grandfather, lived his early life. i was shown the records from the parish, recording of birth.

we saw the homes where he lived. he left during the great hunger, as so many irish did, to seek a new life in the new world. he traveled by ship to new york, where he entered himself into the record as a laborer. he married an american girl from ohio. they settled in the midwest, they started a family. it is a familiar story because it is one that is live and cherished by americans of all backgrounds. it is integral to our national identity. it is who we are. a nation of immigrants from all over the world. but standing there in moneygall

, i could not help but think how heartbreaking that must have been for that great, great, great grandfather of mine to part. to leave behind all they knew in the hopes that something better lay over the horizon. when people like them aboard those ships, they often do so with no family, money, nothing to sustain their journey but fe. faith in the almighty. fe in the idea of america. faith in the idea that it was a place you could be prosperous, free, that you could talk and were shipped as you please. a place that you could make it if you tried. and as they worked and struggled and sacrificed and sometimes

experienced great discrimination to build that better life for the next generation, they passed on that faith to their children, their children's children. an inheritance that they're great, great grandchildren still carry with them. we called it the american dream. it is the dream that people were attracted to to america. it is the dream that attracted my father. it is a dream that we sometimes tractors from the waters, sometimes at great cost. and for my own sake, i am

grateful they made those attorneys, because if they did not, you would be listening to somebody else right now. and for america's sake, we are grateful for so many others who took that chance as well. after all, never has a nation so small inspired so much in another. [applause] irish signatures are on our founding documents. irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. irish sweat filled our great cities. at our spirit is eternally refreshed by irish story and irish song. our public life, by the humor

and heart and dedication of people liked kennedy, ore., o'neill, moynihan. so you can say there has always been a little green behind the red, white, and blue. [applause] when the father of our country, george washington, needed an army, it was the fierce fighting of your sons that cost british officials to lament, we have lost america through the irish. and as george washington said himself, when our friendless standard were first unfurled, who were the ones to first must around our stance? and when and reeled in the light, who more brilliantly sustained it than your generous

sons? when we strove to blot out the stain of slavery and advance the rights of man, we found common cause with your struggle against oppression. frederick douglass, an escaped slave, and a great abolitionist, formed a great partnership with your own daniel o'connor. [applause] his time here, frederick douglass said, the find him not as a color, but as a man, and strengthened the nonviolent campaign. recently, some of their descendants met here in dublin to commemorate and continue that friendship between douglass and

o'connell. when abraham lincoln struggled to preserve our young union, more than 100,000 irish and irish-americans joined the cause with units like the irish brigade, green flags with cold hearts waving alongside our star spangled banner. when depression ripped america -- correct america, ireland sent tens of thousands of packages of shamrocks to cheer up its countrymen, saying they the message of errant shamrock's bring joy to those who a week. and when an iron curtain fell across this continent, and our way of life was challenged, it was our first irish president, our first catholic president, john f. kennedy, who made us

believe 50 years ago this week that mankind could do something big and bold and ambitious as walk on the moon. he made us a dream again. that is the story of america and ireland. that is the tale of our blood, side-by-side, making an remaking a nation, calling it westward, skyward, moving it forward again and again. and that is our task again today. i think we all realize both of our nations have faced great trials in recent years, including recessions so severe many of our people are still trying to fight their way out. naturally, our concern turns to our families, friends, neighbors. some in this audience are

thinking about their own prospects and their own futures. those of us who are parents wonder what it will mean for our children. young people, like so many here today. will we see the same progress that we have seen since we were your age? will you and erin a future that is as big as a -- inherit a future that is as big and bright as ours? this nation has faced those questions before. when your land could not feed everybody. when the boat's leaving these shores help some of their brightest minds. when brother fought against brother. yours is a history frequently marked by the greatest of trials

and the deepest of sorrows, but yours is also a history of proud and defiant endurance. of a nation that kept alive the flame during dark ages, that triumphed over its troubles, of a brazilian people, who beat all the odds. ireland, as trying as these times are, i know that our future is as big and bright as our children expect it to be. [applause] i know that because i know that it is precisely in times like these, in times of great times of great change, we remember who we truly are. we are people, the irish and

americans, who never stop imagining a brighter future. even in better times. we are people who make that future happen, through hard work and sacrifice, through investing in those things that matter most, like family, community. we remember in the words made famous by one of your greatest poets, "in dreams begin responsibility." this is a nation that meant that responsibility by choosing, as our ancestors did, by choosing to keep the flame of knowledge, investing in education, and today, those who come back to build a new ireland are among the best educated, most entrepreneurial in the world. i see those young people here today and i know that ireland

will succeed. [applause] this is a nation that met its responsibility by choosing to apply lessons from the past, to assume a heavier burden of responsibility on the world stage. today, people that once knew be under of an empty stomach now feed others abroad. ireland is working hand-in-hand with the united states to make sure hungry mouths are fed around the world because we remember those times. we know what crippling poverty can be like. we want to make sure we are helping others. you are a people who modernized and can now stand up for those who cannot yet stand up for

themselves. and this is a nation that met its responsibility and inspired the entire world by choosing to see past the stars of violence and mistrust to forge a lasting peace on this island. when president clinton said, at this very spot 15 years ago, waging peace is a risky, i think, those involved knew the risk they were taking. but you, the irish people, persevered, and you kept your hopes and you made your voices heard. you responded heroically when it was challenged. and you did it for all the inherent intractability of all of our problems, the

irrepressible human impulse to love, capped nagging and nudging us toward reconciliation. whenever peace is challenged, you will have to sustain that irrepressible impulse, and america will stand by you, always. [applause] america will stand by you, always, in your pursuit of peace. and, ireland, you need to understand that you have already surpassed the world's highest hopes, that what was notable about the northern ireland elections two weeks ago was that they came and went without much attention. it is not because the world has forgotten. it is because this once-unlikely

dream has become that most extraordinary of things. it has become real. a dream has turned into a reality because of the work of this nation. [applause] in dreams begin responsibility. and embracing that responsibility, working toward it, overcoming the cynics, naysayers, those who say you can now, -- cannot, and that is what makes dreams real. that is what falmouth kearney when he got on that vote. and that is what so many generations of irish men and women have done here. that is something we can point to and show our children, irish and american alike. that is something that we can

teach them as they grow up in a new century, side by side, as it has been since our beginnings. this little country that inspires the biggest things, your best days are still ahead. our greatest triumphs in america and ireland alike are still to come. and it, ireland, if anybody ever says otherwise, if anyone says that your problems are too big, your challenges too great, that we cannot do something, that we should not try, think about all that we have done together. remember, whatever hardships the winter may bring, springtime is always just around the corner. and if they keep on arguing with you, just respond with a simple creed, yes, we can.

[speaking foreign language] yes, we can. in the spirit of the united states of america and in the spirit of the world, thank you. may god bless the eternal friendship between our two nations. thank you, everybody. thank you, dublin. thank you, ireland. [applause] >> [crowd chanting] obama! [applause]

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ [applause] ♪

[applause]

♪

♪

♪

♪ ♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ ♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪ [applause] ♪

[applause] [cheering and applause]

♪ >> president obama had to cut his visit to ireland short due to is erupting ash from the iceland volcano. tomorrow, he will visit london for an official state visit. they will meet with the queen and duke. the president will meet with british prime minister, david cameron. the two leaders are expected to discuss afghanistan, libya, and the g-20 summit. he will also talk to the opposition leader. we will have live coverage of the president's trip to europe

on the c-span networks. the house is expected to meet at 4:00 eastern to consider five bills, most dealing with veterans programs. the senate is debating whether to extend the expiring provisions of the patriot act. live coverage of the senate is on c-span2. the white house budget director answers questions about the federal budget and debt ceiling tonight at the economic club of washington. c-span3 will have live coverage of that and a question and answer session at 8:00 eastern. before his address to congress tomorrow, israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, will speak to the americas at- israel public affairs committee. you can see live coverage at 8:45 eastern on c-span2. we expect the house to gavel back in at 4:00. until then, a discussion about the national health care law

from today's "washington dirl." r attention on the health care bill, signed into law last march by president obama. it continues to generate a lot of interest and debate in this country. michael cannon is the director -- the health policy director for the cato institute. guest: think you for having me. -- thank you for having me. host: this piece -- (if some americans deserve waivers from this bad law, all americans do. guest: there is a requirement that americans purchased unlimited coverage on an annual basis so that an insurance company cannot tell you -- cannot set a limit on your coverage. lower than $750,000. it will eventually be phased out so there will be no limits

on claims and a covered person can file with an insurance company. that costs money. when you require a person to purchase more coverage, that will increase premiums. many are asking the administration, can we please waive those requirements? insurance companies spend no less than 80% of premium revenue on claims. on medical care plus quality improvement initiatives. and only 20% on things like marketing and underwriting and so forth. and fighting fraud is another important element of administrative costs. entire states are going to the administration and asking it to waive that requirement for what we call the individual market, where people purchase insurance directly from insurance companies because they're afraid that requirement will cost

insurers to flee their markets. some insurers have fled the market as a result of this. what is interesting about these two waivers is two things. first, both of these reckoned -- both of these regulations that people are asking the administration to waive our consumer protections. if they really are consumer protections, where are consumers going to the administration to say please protect us from these consumer protections? because they really are not consumer protections, they are hurting as much as they're helping. about half of the workers to receive waivers so far are workers in union plants. unions -- the percentage of american workers in unions is about 12%, but they represent 50% of those receiving waivers. that raises the question of what

is going on here because unions were very supportive of president obama's campaign in 2008, very supportive of this law, and yet they are receiving an overwhelming number of exemptions from this law. host: the be shared with you from the website healthcare.gov. first of all, looking at individuals -- both individual who can afford it will be who can afford it will be required to obtain basic health insurance or pay a fee to help offset costs of caring for uninsured. if affordable coverage is not available, he or she will be eligible for an exemption. if the employer does not offer insurance, individuals will be able to buy insurance from an exchange. we talked about some of those issues before, but for those not quite familiar with the exchange, how does that work? guest: what you just described is the ball of individual mandate, the least popular element of obamacare -- is the lot of individual mandate, the least popular element of

obamacare. critics of this law, myself included, have pointed out that the constitution does not give congress the authority to force americans to purchase a private product. another element of this law are the health insurance exchanges it envisions for every state pretty law says each state has to either create its own health insurance exchange or the government will create one. it is a government bureaucracy that will be helping to govern the regulations of obamacare, handing out subsidies to private insurance company that it will help people to comply with that individual mandate. that will be hundreds of billions of dollars of subsidies as the years go on. so states are grappling right now with the question of should we create these health insurance exchanges, these new government bureaucracies? a lot of states that are left leaning have embrace that. there is something of a split among opponents of the governors and state legislatures that generally oppose the law.

some of them have said, flat out, no, we are not going to create an exchange because that will make the cost of health care rise and make it harder to repeal this law. but other opponents of the law said they it will go ahead and create exchange, do it in compliance with the law. what is interesting about doing it with a more free-market way, the federal government has said if you create an exchange that is not complying with all the rules and regulations that this law lays out, that the federal government is basically coming in to commandeer that state exchange. so there is really no such thing as a free market health insurance exchange or a non- obamacare exchange because any exchange that states create will become a vehicle for the federal government to control health- care markets in all 50 states. host: so according to kaiser, it points out that in 2014, if

you do not have insurance, benefit that you could potentially pay would be $95. it would increase to $325 by 2015, $695 by 2016. here is the other argument on the other side -- if you do not have health insurance and you get sick and go to the hospital, those who do have insurance are paying for it anyhow. how do you solve that issue? guest: the administration is being fast and loose with the facts here. if you look at research by the urban institute, they have found that actually those people who show up at the hospital and do not pay for the medical care they consume, they do not increase the premiums for people with high -- with private health insurance. there are government programs that subsidize hospitals, that get back what we call uncompensated care. so it increases your taxes, but not your insurance premiums. how much of a burden is that on

the taxpayer? it turns out the same research -- these are not opponents of the law -- they had estimated that uncompensated insurance -- is a very small problem, definitely not the largest problem. if you look at wasteful spending in american health care, that runs about 30%, according to the dartmouth atlas of health care. we have a much bigger problem than that free rider problem. in massachusetts they already enacted a individual mandate like we have with obamacare. there are indications that that has gotten worse in massachusetts, created new free rider problems where people do not purchase health insurance, they pay the penalty because the penalty is much less than the cost of the mandatory insurance are supposed to purchase. they waited until they are sick

to purchase health insurance, and they get all the medical care they need. then they stopped paying the premiums. that is going to drive up the cost of health insurance as well. host: we will get to calls and comments in a moment. also join the competition online on twitter, et twitter/c-span.l .j >> i want to live in the sort of society where we do not that people just die because they cannot afford the medical care that they need. but the way we keep people from getting into that situation is by reducing the cost of care, reducing the cost of health insurance so that more people are able to afford it, fewer people find themselves in a situation where they cannot afford the chemotherapy they need. the problem with this lot is

that it will increase the cost of health insurance rather than reduce it. and it is going to encourage insurance companies to avoid the most costly patients, including those with very expensive-to- treat cancers because of the price controls it imposes on health insurance. i am very concerned with those people who cannot afford health insurance, cannot afford the medical care that they need, and it is precisely because of that concern that i think this law is a bad idea. host: michael cannon, who is the health policy director for the cato institute here in washington. there is a new ad on this issue, and the response from the democratic congressional campaign committees. but what both of these political spots. >> isn't it time? >> we demand congress to bring about health care reform. >> proudly joined our canadian brothers and sisters.

>> isn't it time we do that? >> the power. >> citing these -- citing -- signing this bill. >> we won. >> is the obama administration it is renting some for complying with the new health care law as a political favor? a political favor? overy haven't there been 1000 -- why have there been over 1000 -- >> we are forced to pay higher costs. they get a special sweetheart deal. >> they locked doors for me. we have worked together over this the last few years. i'm proud of what we have done.

>> you missed a spot. >> did someone call the fire department? because it is about to get hot in here. >> the democratic impression a campaign committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement. host: some humor and a lot of substance in those ads. guest: that is right. the crossroads at pretty much covers what we discussed about the appearance of favoritism with the administration handing out these waivers. the point about senior is being unable to afford health insurance, it takes a swipe at republicans who would reform

health care by letting seniors choose their own. it is a little -- the proposal would improve the quality of health care for seniors, as well as provide enough money in the year after year to obtain year after -- to obtain health insurance. it is typical of the attacks that have been launched against what has been called the medicare doubtful -- the medicare voucher proposal. it would improve the quality of health care. if you want to look for evidence of that, look no further than what the administration is trying to do elsewhere to improve the quality of care for seniors. the main idea for lowering the cost of medicare and improving the quality of care that seniors receive is something called at the conable care organizations. that is policy jargon for

getting doctors and nurses to talk to each other about shared patient, courtney b. care so there will be less duplication, -- coordinating care so >> we will leave this "washington post will" to go to the house who will be dealing with five bills related to veterans' benefits. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken after 6:30 p.m. today. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek

recognition? >> madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1407 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 43, h.r. 1407, a bill to increase affective as of december 1, 2011, the rates of exenstagsesation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz, will each control 0 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i rise today in support of h.r. 1407 as amended, the veterans' compensation cost of living adjust act of 2011.

this is an annual bill that authorizes the cost of living increase in veterans' disability compensation, veterans' clothing allowance and dependency and indemnity compensation for veteran survivors. this increase is tied to the increase in the cogs of living adjustment for -- cost of living adjustment for social security beneficiaries. i'm also glad that the committee was able to include h.r. 1671, the andrew connolly veterans housing act, to the end of this bill at the full committee markup. this amendment was introduced by mr. braley of iowa, it provides a five-year extension for the v.a. to provide especially adapted housing assistance to individuals residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member. unless it is extended this program will expire on september 30 of this year.

i urge all my colleagues to support h.r. 1407 as amended and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i'd like to thank the chairman, the gentleman from minnesota, for bringing this bill and the others to the floor today. it's appropriate as we're approaching memorial day, working to fight our our veterans, but i think that all of us who get the opportunity to work in that v.a. committee know the chairman's focus on veterans is every day of the year, not just memorial day. and this is certainly a good one. i rise in wholehearted support of the veterans' compensation costive living act of 2011 as amended. while we don't control the board, we knew how important it was to get this forward. it's important that these payments are made on time. this nation has a solemn and moral responsibility to our veterans and this is just one more way to make sure that we do what's right. i'd also like to thank the chairman for including mr. braley's bill, the andrew connolly act. it's really important, i think all of white house heard the

testimony of mr. connolly and his family -- all of us who heard the testimony of mr. connolly and his family, true american heroes, someone who is doing everything right and we make sure we share that pain with him and his family for the cost he's given going to war. that grant's intended to assist eligible veterans to adopt a family member's home to provide a barrier-free living environment, make sure they have the highest level of independent living possible. again, i thank you for that. i would if i could for just a moment, mr. chairman, just put in a slight plug if i may for a bill i'd like to see moved with these h.r. -- this, h.r. 1025, recognizing our reservists for their service and being able to call themselves veterans. and i know your staff and i want to thank the majority and minority staff working on that, keep moving that in the future if at all possible. but you're unwavering support of this piece of legislation, this bill has been absolutely necessary. we worked on it together in committee the way it should be and your leadership bringing it

to the floor is certainly appreciated. at this time, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: i thank the gentleman for his kind words, look forward to working with him on his issues and other bills that will come before our committee in the future and at this time, madam speaker, i would yield such time as he may consume to the chairman of the subcommittee on disability assistance and memorial affairs, mr. runyan of new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey. mr. runyan: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, chairman miller. today i rise in support of h.r. 1407 as amended, the veterans' compensation cost of living adjustment act of 2011. h.r. 1407 as amended which i introduced in april puts veterans on equal footing with social security beneficiaries by increasing the amount provided for disability -- disabled veterans' compensation.

veterans clothing allowance, dependency and indemnity compensation for veterans, survivors by the amount of social security cost of living adjustment. this annual and noncontroversial bill which has been scored by c.b.o. as having no budgetary impact is a crucial part of ensuring benefits for disabled veterans and their families are sufficient to meet their needs. h.r. 1407 as amended also includes h.r. 1671, introduced by mr. braley of iowa, and the andrew connolly veterans housing act which provides a five-year extension to the current program set to expire on september 30. mr. connolly's story demonstrates the beneficial impact specific -- especially adamented housing can only have on a disabled veteran,

temporarily living in the house of a family member. it is important that we extend this program and continue to allow disabled veterans in similar situations adamented housing. i urge all members to support h.r. 1407 as amended and i yield back the balance of my time to chairman miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. the gentleman from florida reserves his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: madam speaker, i'd like to also thank the distinguished gentleman from new jersey, the chairman of the subcommittee, thank you for your work on this. you're absolutely right. this is one that's supported, the work for our veterans together. you did a fine job of moving there through, mr. chairman, and we're proud to support it. again, my staff told me, i'm sorry i tried to move you north, mr. miller, from florida, i just had minnesota on my mind and this time of year it's not bad, though. but thank you for your work on this. it's a great bill and at this time i have -- i have no further speakers, madam speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: i would invite my good friend to visit florida's great northwest sometime in the winter where thousands of people live like millions wish they could. so, you're welcome any time. i ask unanimous consent that all members would have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 1407 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. miller: madam speaker, i once again encourage all members to support h.r. 1407 as amended and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1407 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. miller: i'd ask for a recorded vote. the yeas and nays.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. miller: i ask unanimous consent to withdraw my requests for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the request is withdrawn. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seeknition? mr. miller: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1627 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 45, h.r. 1627, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to provide for certain requirements for the placement of monday meants in articling -- monuments in arlington national cemetery and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. waleds -- walz, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i

may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 20 minutes. mr. miller: i thank you again and i rise in support of h.r. 1627 as amended, a bill to provide for certain requirements for the placement of monuments in arlington national cemetery and for other purposes. h.r. 1627 as amended is a bipartisan bill that contains several provisions related to afrling -- arlington national cemetery which were originally included in h.r. 1627, h.r. 1441, h.con.res. 12 and h.con.res. 45. h.r. 1441 introduced by mr. runyan codifies regulations and policies that bar reservations for burial or interment at arlington national cemetery made on or after january, 1962. there was broad support for this legislation at the committee's legislative hearing and we've included two changes that arlington managementment -- management raised with the

original text of the bill. the bill as amended includes additional transparency for the process of waivers for new monuments at arlington. under the process set up in the bill as amended, whenever the secretary of the army approves a monument in compliance with the criteria set forth in the bill, congress must immediately be notified of the decision. congress then has 60 days to pass a resolution opposing the secretary's position. this provision provides a clear check and balance on the secretary's decision while removing the added time that it usually takes congress to pass a resolution in support of the waiver. as required by the current process. the bill as amended also includes h.con.res. 12 which expresses the sense of congress that an appropriate site on chaplin's hill in arlington national cemetery be provided for memorial marker to honor the memory of jewish chaplains who died while on active duty.

the honor of this monument for these brave service members is long overdue and i am especially glad that we were able to pass this resolution during the month of may which is jewish american heritage month. and, finally, the bill as amended includes h.con.res. 45 which i introduced honoring the service and sacrifice of members of the united states armed forces who are serving in or who have served in operation enduring freedom, operation iraqi freedom and operation new dawn. as we observe memorial day next week, i believe it's very appropriate to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of these veterans and service members from our most recent conflicts. i urge all members to support h.r. 1627 as amended and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i too rise in support of this piece of legislation honoring

americans veterans act of 2011. very important, very sacred responsibility with the placement of monuments and how arlington national sedgesemtary and our national cemeteries work. very clear, in the prohibition of the regulation of the gravesites at arlington national and there's only one gravesite per family is permitted for burial. i'm proud of serving on this this che and i'm proud of the chairman -- committee and i'm proud of the chairman and the subcommittee chairman's work. a little bit of controversy as we talked through this issue of arlington monuments, but it was very pleased the way this worked out. i think the tro compromise, working with the senate, making sure that happens, is in the right interest of the veterans groups, it's in the right interest of those families that have their loved ones interned at arlington. i think once we develop that commission, keeps congress in the loop, strikes that proper balance of the original bill, we're going to have a really great piece of legislation and that's exactly the way it's supposed to work. this piece of legislation does honor the memory of those jewish chaplains at ath arlington by

establishing a memorial marker and rightfully so, to honor those who died while on active duty and pays tribute to all of our service members serving in operation enduring freedom, operation iraqi freedom and operation new dawn. i think it's again absolutely appropriate this piece of legislation is coming up on the week before memorial day and i believe that the committee is doing the work that we were sent to do and with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i yields as much time as he may consume, mr. runyan of new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. runyan. mr. runyan: thank you, madam speaker, and thank you, chairman miller. i rise in support of h.r. 1628, as amended. a bill regarding national --

arlington national cemetery. h.r. 1627 requires the placement for certain monuments within arlington national cemetery. it would limit the erection of monuments not containing interned remains. these changes bring requirements in better core with the primary purpose of the cemetery, to honor our fallen service members. h.r. 1441, which i have introduced, and included in h.r. 1627, as amended, would codify the regulations and policies barring reservations for burial at arlington national cemetery. after being informed by a constituent of potential problems of past mismanagement at the cemetery including laxed oversight, damaged graves, improper burials, i met with the superintendent of arlington seminary and the executive director of arlington -- of the

army national cemetery's program in march who helped me to quickly address the concerns of my constituent. h.r. 1627 would give mr. helleman and the executive director stewardship of some of the most sacred ground. the space at arlington cemetery is very limited so we must plan accordingly. it ensures that our nation's most revered cemetery will remain open to all veterans regardless of rank while maintaining the pristine and peaceful setting for the internment of our fallen service members. it includes h.con.res 12 which expresses the same sense of congress that a monument should be placed -- should be placed to honor jewish chaplains. as an original co-sponsor of this resolution, i am thankful that we're here and able to include it in this bill.

finally, the bill, as amended, includes h.con.res 45, which chairman miller introduced to honor the commitment and dedication of our armed services who are serving or who have served in operation enduring freedom, operation iraqi freedom and operation new dawn. over two million members of the armed services have been deployed to theaters of war since the commencement of operation enduring freedom, operation iraqi freedom and operation new dawn. as chairman miller noted, it's especially fitting that we honor our service members as memorial day approaches. i want to thank my friend, mr. mcnerney of california, for his bipartisan leadership in bringing this bill forward. i urge all members to support h.r. 1627, as amended, and i yield my time back to chairman miller.

mr. miller: madam speaker, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i yield three minutes to the gentleman from iowa, mr. loebsack, for his remarks on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa. mr. loebsack: madam speaker, i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise in support of h.r. 1627 which contains legislation that congressman runyan and i introduced to end the practice of back room deals and reservations at arlington national cemetery. it codifies what has been policy since 1962. that every eligible service member should be buried at arlington without with regard to rank or status. unfortunately, policy has gone unheeded for over 40 years and past supervisors of the cemetery have allowed these deals to continue. the bill, therefore, requires full accounting of off-the-books deals that have been made in the past. arlington national semtory, as we all know, is our nation's

most hallowed ground. a promise we make to those who wear our nation's uniform and to their families is that our nation will honor and remember their service, that we will never forget that freedom is not free, and as memorial day approaches, as everyone today has mentioned, i strongly believe that we should honor all those who have served by putter an end to reservations at arlington once and for all. i especially like to thank congressman runyan for allowing me to work with him on h.r. 1441 and on the larger bill, h.r. 1627, and i want to thank chairman miller and ranking member filner for their support as well. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i would yield mr. stutzman --

we're going to reserve. we have one more speaker. we'll reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. at this time i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. weiner, for his remarks on the bill. mr. weiner: i thank the gentleman and i thank the speaker. i want to express my appreciation to chairman miller, ranking member filner, chairman runyan of the subcommittee and our colleague, chairman -- congressman mcnerney. i rise in support of h.r. 1627, which contains authorization language from a bill that i sponsored, house concurrent resolution 12, to designate a plot of land at arlington cemetery to be used for the memorial honoring jewish chaplains of our armed services. jewish chaplains have served our country for 149 years. in fact, there are 32 currently on active duty today, yet they still do not have a place for

their protestant and catholic counterparts on chaplain hill at arlington cemetery. the only thing that's standing is passing this bill. in fact, like many jewish americans and veterans nationwide, i was surprised to learn that no such memorial exists at arlington cemetery. a citizen who is the vice commander of the sons of the american legion of new york state and who is joining us here today noted the absent of a monument for jewish chaplains while researching the stories of the four immortal chaplains who died onboard the u.s.s. deutchester. it happened 1:00 a.m. in february, 1943. a german plane hit the u.s.s.

dore chster. the four chaplains onboard, two protestant pastors, a rabbi were on deck calming the men and handing out life jackets. when they ran out of life jackets they took off their own and placed them on waiting soldiers with regard to faith or race. approximately 15 minutes from the explosion the ship went down. they were last seen by witnesses standing arm in arm of the hull of the ship each praying in their own way for the care of the men. almost 700 died that day making the third largest loss of sea at the kind during world war ii. while trying to locate these four famous men on chaplain hill, rabbi alexander good was the only one of the four chaplains not distinguished by a memorial. ken partnered with two other veterans, rabbi harold robinson and sau lumbings mulgan who is also in the gallery today. it took just over a few months and they raised over $50,000.

they used the other memorials as a model for the monument they proposed for the 13 jewish chaplains who lost their lives from 1943 to 1974. it will stand seven feet wall lifting all 13 -- listing all 13 names as well as a jewish proverb. quote, i ask not for a lighter burden but for broader shoulders. and it would also have an inscription of the star of david. there will also be a place at the bottom for future chaplains, if god forbid, need it. rabbi robinson and mr. mulgan were in touch from arlington cemetery. they were notified that a 2001 rule requires congressional approval for all memorials at arlington cemetery and we are rectifying that today with this bill. it should be pointed out that the section of the bill that we are going to be sponsoring mirrors senate action. although it's part of a larger bill it will take effect as

soon as their action takes effect. it does not need a signing of the president. they notified the jewish chaplains council and they finally reached out to me. i was touched by these great men and quickly introduced a resolution to fix the problem. senator schumer is the sponsor of the senate bill. it has 86 co-sponsors and has been endorsed by 35 jewish organizations and 47 jewish war veterans chapters have added to the bill. the jewish federation of north america and shelly rude have been working to help pass this bill and recognize the achievements of these 13 jewish chaplains. i also want to thank major gretchen combarner from arlington cemetery for helping us navigate the army's process. my staff has been ensured by others that if we do pass this bill the senate will -- and the senate passes it will satisfy the requirements of 32

c.f.r.-553.22 subsection 1 of the code of federal relations that governs the monuments at arlington cemetery. finally, surviving members of the chaplains have been involved in this process. i want to particularly recognize david and rafael engel, the sons of meyer engel and their sons who are with us today as well as veiera silverberg, daughter of morton singer. i want to say they will properly be honored. there can be no better way to celebrate jewish hair tanel month. i look forward to the ceremony at arlington cemetery that will follow this vote. mr. chairman and my colleagues, if it would be appropriate, i'd like to list the names of all of the chap lanes that will be honored on this memorial. captain armoff of the united states army. mr. walz: i yield two minutes. mr. weiner: i'll list the chaplains that will be honored, the 13 fallen chaplains that we

will be honoring. captain arnoff of the u.s. army, lieutenant colonel meyer engel of the united states army, first lieutenant frank goldenberg of the united states army. lieutenant alexander goode of the united states army. lieutenant henry goodie of the united states army. major samuel hoitz of the united states army. first lieutenant herman rosen of the united states army. first colonel samuel rosen of the united states air force. first lieutenant solomon rosen of the united states army. captain morgan singer of the united states army. captain david silver of the united states air force. captain irving kepter of the united states army. and first lieutenant lewis woffel of the united states army. may god bless their souls and may we remember them and honor them with a memorial at arlington cemetery. i can my colleagues to vote yes on this. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded that the

house rules prohibit persons being recognized in the gallery. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. miller: madam speaker, we have no other speakers at this time. if you're willing to yield back. mr. walz: again, at this time, mr. chairman, we are certainly proud of this piece of legislation. madam speaker, we are in full support of this, and i would like to thank the gentleman from new york for his unflinching and unwavering work to get this done for all the right reasons. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: i, too, want to thank mr. weiner for his fine work on this piece of legislation, proud to have it in the bill today in this particular time of the year in the month of may. i ask unanimous consent that all members would have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 1627, as amended, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back. without objection, so ordered.

the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1627, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- mr. miller: madam speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? mr. miller: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1383 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1383, a bill to temporarily preserve higher rates for tuition and fees for

programs of education at nonpublic institutions of higher learning pursued by individuals enrolled in the post-9/11 educational assistance program of the department of veterans affairs before the enactment of the post-9/11 veterans educational assistance improvements act of 2010, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. miller: i rise today to support h.r. 1383 as amended, the restoring g.i. bill fairness act of 2011. this bill would temporarily increase the post-9/11 g.i. bill program's national cap on tuition and fees paid by the department of veterans affairs on behalf of certain veterans pursuing programs of education

at nonpublic institutions of higher learning from $17,500 to $27,000. the original post-9/11 g.i. bill that became effective on august 1 of 2009, required v.a. to pay 100% of the tuition and fee charges up to a maximum cap that is based on a state's most expensive in-state undergraduate tuition and fee charges at a public institution of higher learning. on behalf of a veteran with at least 36 consumetive months of active duty sent september 11 of 2001. veterans with fewer months of service since that day of infamy would get a proportionally smaller amount. the maximum payment would apply to veterans attending both public and private degree-granting institutions of higher learning. as a result of facing tuition and fee payments on the in-state undergraduate rate, v.a. made

tuition and fee payments well in excess of $20,000 annually on behalf of veterans attending private institutions and states with high tuition and fee charges at state schools. in addition to tuition and fee payments, the new g.i. bill provides a monthly living stifen. the stifen is the same amount paid to an e-5. generaly the pay grade of a sergeant on petty officer second class with depend rate in the zip code of the school the vet van attending. for example, a veteran attending the university of maryland in college park receives $1,881 per month for the 2010-2011 school year. the post-veterans educational assistance improvement act of 2010 which was passed on december 16 of last year, made several changes to the post-9/11 g.i. bill. those changes included a national cap of $17,500 on tuition and fee payments for veterans attending nonpublic

institutions effective the first of august of 2011. the $4.1 billion pay-as-you-go cost of providing those changes was met by reducing education benefits in some areas. for example, a $17,500 cap on tuition and fees paid on behalf of veterans attending private schools was instituted -- instituted to help pay for expanded eligibility for other veterans. although the cap of $17,500 a year will be a potential increase in payments for veterans in most states, some veterans attending public -- nonpublic schools in seven states, new york, texas, arizona, michigan, new hampshire, pennsylvania and south carolina, will see their tuition and fees payments reduced by thousands of dollars. in reducing tuition and fee payments could force veterans in these states to find non-g.i. resources such as employment income to pay tuition and fees to. counter the incoming reduction,

h.r. 1383 as amended would temporarily increase the cap on tuition and fees from $17,500 up to $27,000 for three years beginning the first of august of 2011. thin crease would apply only to veterans who were enrolled in nonpublic institutions of higher learning before april 1 of 2011. i believe it's only fair that we grandfather in these veterans. to meet statutory pay-go offset requirements, the manager's amendment to h.r. 1383 would extend existing loan fee requirements associated with a subsequent use of a v.a. loan guarantee for one year at a slightly higher rate than would otherwise apply. although not perfect, i believe this offset is dwarfed by the $4.1 billion in offsets from the veterans education benefits passed by the house last december with only three members voting in opposition. i would also note that the veterans community has believely supported offsets that are

similar to this used to improve veterans benefits as being done in h.r. 1383. mr. speaker, madam speaker, this bill is supported by the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, the military officers of america association, veterans of foreign wars, student veterans of america, am vets and the reserve officers of association and i ask unanimous consent that these letters be included in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: i believe the alternative scene in the manager's amendment meets the concerns expressed by members desiring as minimal an impact on veterans and i encourage all members to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. . the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. walswals thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time -- mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. i thank the chairman and the chairman of the subcommittee for working to improve on a very good piece of legislation, the 21st century g.i. bill was an

improvement and a recognition that our modern warriors, especially those in the garden -- guard and reserves, were shouldering an incredible burden in these current conflicts, protecting our freedoms. with that the 21st century g.i. bill went into effect but i applaud this congress for having the foresight to look. if something's not working correctly, bring it back and let's try and work through it and i am very much in support of this piece of legislation. i also again want to thank the chairman of the subcommittee and the full committee for their willingness to work on an offset issue, a very difficult things that we have to do and i applaud you for taking it head-on. we're all understanding the challenge of the financial situation and the need to make sure that every penny of taxpayer dollars is watched over carefully. i certainly don't think anyone wants to short change our veterans but we will certainly look into all we can and i think the compromise that we're each is certainly the way the public would want us to go. certainly happy with those new ones. i think what's really important on this is listening to the chairman talk about the

different states where there were discrepancies. we need to be very clear. i think this bill does that, that these veterans are not new york veterans, they're american veterans. they're texan veterans, south carolina veterans and we need to make sure we get that in there correctly. there were a few issues that i think we can continue to talk about that came up from the v.a. themselves in implementation of the bill. i hope we continue, as i'm sure we will, in our committee and others, keep focusing on that to make sure that we can get it in, make sure there's not a delay to our service members, they deserve to have it done on time. again, good piece of legislation , took on a challenging subject, the willingness to correct something that was -- needed to be corrected and then the willingness to find the pay for that was necessary. so, thank you, mr. chairman, for that. at this time, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i am now happy to yield as much time as he may consume to the chairman of the subcommittee on economic opportunity, the fine

gentleman from indiana, mr. stutzman. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. stutzman. mr. stutzman: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in strong support for chairman miller's manager's amendment to h.r. 1383, the restoring g.i. bill fairness act of 2011. the bill would increase the cap on tuition and fees set by the post-9/11 veterans education assistant improvement act of 2010 passed by congress and signed into law by president obama as public law 111-377. the new law made several changes to the post-9/11 g.i. bill including imposing a national cap of $17,500 per academic year on tuition and fees paid to private institutions. unfortunately the cap will reduce v.a. payments on behalf of up to $30 -- 30,000 veterans already enrolled in these private schools by thousands of dollars and at least seven states. those states would include new

york, texas, michigan, pennsylvania, arizona, south carolina and new hampshire. madam speaker, h.r. 1383 as amended would raise that cap to $27,000 for a period of three years for veterans already enrolled in these private scooms as of april 1, 2011. veterans who enroll after that date would be subject to the $17,500 cap on tuition and fees. in determining the amount of the new temporary cap we found that the college board data showed that the average net tuition and fees charged to independent students attending most expensive tier of private schools was roughly $22,540. therefore we believe that when combined with other federal benefits like pell grants and the post-9/11 g.i. bill's yellow ribbon program, the vast majority of veterans attending private institutions would not experience out-of-pocket costs. i would also point out that the

yellow ribbon program offers schools the opportunity to make up any difference between the basic benefit and actual charges by sharing the difference dollar for dollar with the v.a. finally i support the revised pay-go offset, by making this change we meet our statutory budget rules and allow veterans monthly stifens to reflect the most current amount of basic allowance for housing paid to service members at the e-5 with dependence rate. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 1383 as amended and i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. again, i appreciate the gentleman from indiana's work on this. i think we made a good piece of legislation even better and that's a good thing. that's a good charge for us. so at this time, madam speaker, i have no further speakers and i

yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i once again encourage all members to support h.r. 1383 as amended and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back the bam of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1383 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. miller: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition?

mr. miller: madam speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1657. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 46, h.r. 1657, a bill to amend title 38, united states code, to revise the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a business concern as a small business concern owned and controlled by veterans or as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from florida, mr. miller, and the gentleman from minnesota, mr. walz, each will control 20 minutes. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: i rise today in support of h.r. 1657, a bill to revise the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a business concern as a small business concern owned and controlled by a veteran or as a small business concern owned and

controlled by service-disabled veterans. madam speaker, public law 109-461 created new opportunities for the service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and the veteran-owned small businesses to be afforded contract work with the department of veterans affairs. however, this bill had the unintended consequence of encouraging unscrupulous business owners to fraudulently claim to be a veteran or service-connected veteran-owned small business in order to get those v.a. contracts. h.r. 1657 would add teeth to the v.a.'s enforcement's ability by requiring the secretary to debar any company that fraudulently claims to be a service-disabled-owned business for no less than five years. the debarment would also apply to the business' planes -- principles. i want to thank mr. stutzman from indiana for introducing this much-needed piece of legislation and with that i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota is recognized. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. once again i also rise in support of h.r. 1657, absolutely unconscionable that we would have folks taking the set-asides that we've made specifically available to our veterans as a they return home to start small businesses. it's certainly not a lottery they've won, it's this nation's commitment to them to make sure they get on an equal footing an get going again and anyone who is intentionally steel stealing those funds, it certainly should be a serious matter. i applaud the gentleman from indiana for continuing this on -- on this fight. very bipartisan, last congress congresswoman herseth sandlin and senator bozeman took this moving and it looks like you're going to get it across and i'm very happy. i hope all my colleagues will join me making sure we i proim improve the protections for the veteran-owned enterprises and send a very clear sil signal,

this is certainly fraud for those two are engaging and taking those set-aside dollars. it's absolutely critical for our returning veterans. with that, madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i'm happy to yield as much time as he may consume do the chairman of the subcommittee on economic opportunity, mr. stutzman. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. stutzman. mr. stutzman: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the chairman for yielding. madam speaker, i rise in strong support for h.r. 1657, that would revise the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a business concern as a small business concern owned and controlled by a veteran or a small business concern owned and controlled by a service-disabled veterans. sets a goal for all federal agencies to spend at least 3% of their procurement fund with small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled

veterans. on october 21, 2004, president bush re-enforced the federal government's 3% goals for signing executive order 13360. according to the small business administration at the time of that sfleck tif order, the jore all federal procurement from service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses was about .38% or about .1 of the goal set by statute and executive order. even the v.a. was short of the goal spending about 1.3% service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. to help the v.a. meet the goals, section 5 of public law 109-461, gave some new tools to the v.a. contracting staff that essentially gave service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses preference in small businesses set aside contracts while not ignoring the v.a.'s statutory set-aside

goals such as for firms qualified as hubz-1 and minority-owned small businesses. as a result, s.b.a. data for fiscal year 2009 shows that overall federal spending with service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses was about 1.98% and v.a. spent nearly 17% with service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. clearly the law was having a positive result for veteran-owned small businesses. unfortunately, as james earl jones said in "field of dreams," if you build it they will come. the they in this case is unvupe luss businesses -- unscrupulously businesses veterans who front for them. the v.a. did a poll who was supposed to be veteran-owned small businesses and found none of them qualified for

service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. staff has continued to meet "g.a.o. and the v.a.'s inspector general and there is no shortage of businesses fouad lently claiming to be veteran and/or service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. the legislation merely authorizes the secretary of veterans affairs to debar these fraud for a period determined by the secretary. however, given the continuing exposures of firms trying to steal contracts from legitimate veteran small businesses, i feel it necessary to provide some teeth to the law and my bill will direct the secretary to debar these fraudulent firms and their principles for five years. it would also set a schedule to speed up that action. madam speaker, i note that the v.a. did not support the bill citing a one-size-fits-all approach could harm firms who make an honest mistake in

claiming status as a veteran or service-disabled veteran-owned small business. i again advise v.a. to work with us to perfect a bill that would discourage fraud while protecting these contracts for valid veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. i believe it a time when the economy is very difficult and veterans are looking to either start their business or go back to work, this bill will ultimately meet the need and protect those veterans and the businesses that are available to them. i thank my distinguished ranking member, mr. braley, for his bipartisan support as well as chairman miller and ranking member filner for bringing h.r. 1657 to the house. i urge members to support the bill. with that i yield back my time to mr. miller. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana yields back his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i reserve the balance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: madam speaker, i

reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. miller: madam speaker, i yield to dr. benishek, an abled member of our committee and this subcommittee two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. benishek: madam speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1657. i want to thank congressman stutzman for his leadership on this bill. before coming to congress i spent 20 years as a physician working at the v.a. health care system in iron mountain and i'm fortunate at this time to represent 68,000 veterans who call michigan's first district home. when those veterans in my district decide to serve their country, they gave up the opportunity to pursue, experience an -- a civilian career. congress enacted laws to giving

service-disabled veterans preference when competing with government contracts. unfortunately, a 2009 report, the g.a.o. estimated that more than $100 million had been awarded to firms that fraudulently claimed service-kiss abled veteran ownership. due to significant control weaknesses within the veterans affairs department and the small business administration, by expediting the debarring process and strengthening the penalties for those who misrepresent their status, this bill provadse more protection for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. i ask my colleagues to vote with me in support of this bill. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida reserves his time. the gentleman from minnesota. mr. walz: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the chairman of the

full committee, ranking member filner and the subcommittee chairman. i want to strengthen the thing that they so rightfully deserve. it's absolutely appropriate we do had a as we move toward memorial day, and as i said when we began, it's in the committee making sure we're fighting for those veterans, their families, getting it right and i very much appreciate the sense of bipartisanship as we get that done. so, madam speaker, at this time i have no further speakers, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on h.r. 1657 and h.r. 1383 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. miller: and once again i encourage all members to support h.r. 1657, and i yield

back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida yields back the balance of his time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1657. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. mr. miller: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative -- the gentleman from florida. mr. miller: madam speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek

recognition? mr. petri: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to include in the congressional record the exchange of letters between the committee on ways and means and the committee on transportation and infrastructure concerning h.r. 1893. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the -- without objection, so ordered. mr. petri: thank you. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? mr. petri: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1893. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1893, a bill to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the airport and airway trust fund, to amend title 49, united states code, to extend the airport improvement program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. petri, and the gentleman from illinois, mr. costello, will each control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the

gentleman from wisconsin. mr. petri: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on 1893. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. petri: madam speaker, for the -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. and let me note for the third consecutive congress we're working to enact a multiyear bill for the f.a.a. i hope we'll complete a long-term re-authorization in the very near future and send it to the president for his signature. we're currently working with the senate to finish negotiations to reconcile the differences between the senate and the house versions. i know i, for one, am committed to passing a long-term re-authorization that will allow the f.a.a. to continue making progress in modernizing our system, utilizing new technologies and making other improvements. however, the current faumplet

extension expires at the end of -- f.a.a. extension expires at the end of this month. it is a clear, short-term extension of f.a.a. funding and programs through june 30. it allows important safety capacity projects at our nation's airports to at the continue funding levels contained in the recently passed continuing resolution for fiscal year 2011. this extension is a prudent precaution to ensure that the faumplet's able to continue operate -- f.a.a. is able to continue operating until re-authorization is complete. i urge my colleagues to support the resolution and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. costello: madam speaker, thank you. and, madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. costello: madam speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 1893.

this bill is a kleenex tension of the federal aviation authority to carry out -- federal aviation administration to carry out current levels until june 30, 2011. the senate approved a comprehensive f.a.a. re-authorization bill by a wide 87-8 vote margin. passage of the senate bill was applauded by both labor and industry stakeholders and it was estimated that the bill would create at least 150,000 jobs. by contrast, last month the house approved a controversial f.a.a. re-authorization bill, h.r. 658, by a party line vote by the narrowest vote margin in years. the house vote has been criticized by the f.a.a., the national transportation safety board, captain sully sullenberger, the families of

the loved ones who lost -- was lost in the flight in buffalo. however, the most controversial aspects of the house f.a.a. re-authorization bill, the arbitrary $4 billion funding cuts that will have a negative impact on aviation safety and our economy, and a provision that repeals a federal rule on fair labor elections and mounts an assault on collective bargaining rights, have not been resolved are dropped from the bill. so despite assurances from our friends on the republican side of the aisle that we would not have another f.a.a. extension, congress must now enact the 19th short-term extension. if the house republicans continue to insist on these controversial poison pill provisions, the enactment of a long-term bill this year is in

serious jeopardy and we'll be back on the floor for more extensions in the future. we all agree the f.a.a. needs the stability that a long-term re-authorization would provide. further, the american public deserves a long-term f.a.a. re-authorization bill that will create jobs, improve safety and modernize our infrastructure. but the house f.a.a. re-authorization bill would not accomplish any of these objectives. i will again say, as i have said many times before, i will work with my colleagues across the aisle to produce a fair bill that cannot only pass the house but also pass the senate and be signed into law by the president. let us strip the partisan poison pills from this bill and enact a long-term bipartisan f.a.a. bill that will create jobs and keep our economy moving throughout the 21st century and make this our last extension. for the present time, however, this extension is necessary and