the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 243. the nays is 178. the previous question is ordered. the question is on adoption of the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. hastings: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. long leong. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 251. the nays are are 172. the resolution is adopted.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 253. the nays are 172. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion from the gentleman from new mexico, mr. pearce shes to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2527 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2527, a bill to

require the secretary of the treasury to mint coins in recognition and celebration of the national baseball hall of fame. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 416, the nays are 3. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the house will be in order. the chair is prepared to entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the goals and the ideals of national adoption movent and national adoption day both of which will be held next month in november, 2011. national adoption month, which was first designated in 1995 promotes national awareness of adoption and recognizes the

thoughtful efforts of individuals and organizations working with orphans and foster children. national adoption day was launched through the coalition, national adoption day marks the day that agencies, agencies and families come together to complete foster care adoptions. too many foster care children are waiting to be adopted. for this reason i joined numerous fellow house colleagues, h.res. 433 supporting the goals and ideals of national adoption day and month in november. this will bring awareness and encourage that every child has a permanent home with a loving family. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> request permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized.

>> mr. speaker, i call on my colleagues and call their attention to a report issued last week by the transportation for america. the report identified 99 bridges in western new york, 2,000 bridges in new york state and 63,000 bridges nationwide as structurally deficient. this should not surprise us. mr. higgins: american society of civil engineers gives our sfrarbg a d grade. and world economic forum ranks the united states 23rd in infrastructure quality. our infrastructure is suffering from a lack of investment and our country is falling behind because of it. mr. speaker, the united states has spent over $62 billion nation building in iraq. it is time to do some nation building right here at home. there's work that needs to be done and a lot of americans need the work. so i implore this house, pass the jobs bill that includes $60

billion for infrastructure. pass a six-year transportation bill, use innovative ideas like the infrastructure bank to create public-private partnerships. and do it now. given the state of our infrastructure in our economy, we can't afford to wait. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? . mr. burton: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. mr. burton: some of the most important people in america are the people that protect our southern border between the united states and mexico. they lay their lives on the line to stop drug pushers, potential terrorists. they do this on a daily basis. one of those agents, jesus diazz

in november of 2009, stopped one, he arrested him and put handcuffs on him and supposedly lifted his arms a little too high and he did not subscribe to taking care of this man's constitutional rights. as a result, agent jesus diaz junior, who has been cleared -- get this, he has been cleared by homeland security office of the inspector general and customs enforcement office, he was cleared of my wrongdoing and got a two-year jail septemberens in the last couple of days because he supposedly mistreated a drug dealer carrying 150 pounds of drugs. this is not right. this is just wrong. the speaker pro tempore: jabbed. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise

and extend. mr. paulsen: last wednesday, i spent a day meeting with women flurse. i spent time with children at a day care that is owned by a mom and daughter team. i went to plymouth and towered the medical manufacturer which is owned and operated by kay phillips. they have challenges on the horizon and f.d.a. with a medical device tax but they are determined to move forward. i met with a public relations form that was started by scratch 23 years ago and i connected with another who is living the dream of owning and operating her own educational toy story and i sat down with peg at peg's countryside cafe. minnesota is a great state because women entrepreneurs are taking risks and we need to encourage women to take the leap

in entrepreneurship. i would like to see women owning their own businesses and small businesses will lead our way out of this tough economic situation we are in and yield to more economic growth. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. mr. olson: i rise to tell the story of an american small business owner, joe schneider struggling to keep his head above water. i had lunch with joe at a steak house which he owns in texas. when we finished our lunch, he took me on a walking tour to show me where he plans to open five more restaurants.

he wants commerce, jobs and good food to historic alben. but the likelihood of a large tax increase, whether it be from tax cuts expiring or the white house's proposed tax hikes has put his expansion plans on indefinite hold. small businesses deserve serpt from washington and a tax policy that allows them to keep more of their money to expand and re-invest in their communities and grow jobs. mr. speaker, people like joe schneider need commonsense reform that will encourage american job creation, not hinder it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from california, mr. garamendi, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the

minority leader. mr. speaker, thank you for the opportunity -- mr. garamendi: mr. speaker, thank you for the opportunity to present to you on the floor the solution to the question that was just raised by my colleague from the republican side of the aisle. a month ago, the president laid out a plan that would create millions of jobs here in the

united states. it was the american jobs act. we're going to talk about this tonight. and before i get into the details of it, last week, in fact, one week ago, i held a town hall meeting in fairfield, california. and at that town hall meeting, the question of jobs was on everybody's mind. what are you doing about jobs? what is congress doing about jobs? it just seems as though nothing is happening and all we are seeing from congress is talk of the deficit and cuts. and every time there is a cut, we have another job loss here in our area. maybe it's a school teacher that is laid off or some highway project not going forward. so what is happening with the jobs? i began to explain the american jobs act and we are going to talk about that issue, the american jobs act. as proposed by the president, it does address a variety of ways in which american jobs will be

created and not increasing the deficit at all, but rather fully paid for. i would like to start off by asking my colleague from the great state of new york, ms. maloneyf she would like to express the view from the east coast, and then i'll move to the west coast. . . mrs. maloney: i'd like to thank the gentleman from california for bringing the american jobs act to the floor. the small business, a saned balanced approach that not only has a cutback in order to cut back our deficit and our debt, but also a revenue leg and a jobs leg and the president has come forward with a balanced approach that has once support, not only from new york and california but clear across this country. economists are speaking out in

support of the american jobs act. there have been two nobel laurettes that have come out in support of it. and mark zandi, who was the economist in senator mccain's race for the presidency, he has come out and he has said that next year it would -- it would increase the g.d.p. by 2%. it would lower the unemployment rate by 1%, and would create 1.9 million jobs. now, after hearing your special orders on this, i think it would create even more jobs, but this is just a sense of economists from all sides of the country coming out in support of it. i think it's unfortunate that the senate did not pass this because we need this act and we need it now, and americans have shown that they're worried about their future and they want this jobs act. analysts have speculated that our country faces the same kind of lost decade that japan has

struggled with. in a "new york times" article by daniel alpert, a managing partner at a private capital firm, he was quoted as saying, and i'd like to bring it to your attention and the american people, unless we take dramatic steps it will be japan all over again, continuous deflation, no economic growth, in and out of recessions and high unemployment, end quote. robert hockett, a professor of law at cornell in new york and part of the federal reserve added, it will be like the economic version of chronic fatigue syndrome, a low-grade fever all the time. so we need to prevent that fatigue and cure the low-grade fever. that's why we need to pass this bill. that's the -- it would be the kind of short-term and immediate impact that our economy needs with job creation

stalled and median income dropping, americans just aren't buying. that's why economists and forecasters are so strongly in support of it. and the american jobs act goes after unemployment in three big ways. it cuts taxes to spur small business hiring and consumer spending. it prevents layoffs of our vital services, our teachers, our firefighters, our law enforcement officers and puts people to work building roads, bridges and schools. now, that's so important. the infrastructure jobs not only create good-paying jobs now, they are an investment in the future to help america compete in the world economy. i know from my own state, many of our bridges and tunnels and roads and mass transit are crumbling and we could use this influx of infrastructure money to rebuild and put people back to work. and very importantly, the

president's plan maintains a safety net for americans most hurt by the economic downturn. it's a good plan and i yield back to my colleague and will join him later. mr. garamendi: well, i thank you very much for bringing us the overall view of this, and you're quite correct about the small businesses. let me just put this pie chart up here. the small business is where 64% of all new jobs have been created over the last 15 years. big businesses actually lost many, many jobs as they've offshord jobs and in fact it was -- offshored jobs and in fact it was this last december that the democratic controlled house terminated the tax breaks for big business sending jobs offshore. it was about $12 billion of tax breaks that were terminated so that american businesses would not get a tax break to send jobs offshore. i would just like to point out

that not one republican voted to end that tax break that sent those jobs offshore. but the point here is that small businesses really do create 64% of the jobs. now, in the american jobs act, as you said, mrs. maloney, there are some very, very important provisions that deal directly with small businesses encouraging them to hire. for example, we got some six million people that are unemployed more than six months. so those are the long-term unemployed. if a small business were to hire one of the long-term unemployed, they would receive an immediate $4,000 tax credit. that is off the bottom line of their taxes. providing a very powerful incentive to hire the long-term unemployed. now, i think the entire nation is sick and tired of our wars, but the wars are real, and those wars have created a situation.

yes, this is the one i'm looking for. those wars have created a situation where a very high percentage of the veterans that come back are unable to get a job. these may be the -- those veterans that have been off in afghanistan or iraq. there's a tax credit, again, for a veteran returning from the wars, a $5,600 tax credit for hiring an unemployed veteran. now, if that veteran happens to have a service-connected disability, and we've seen the terrible tragedies of these disabilities, arms, legs and other problems that have befallen the veterans as they serve our country, there's a $ 9,600 tax credit in the american jobs act for those small businesses that hire the veterans. so by hiring new people, small businesses will be able to receive a very, very

significant benefit as a result of this american jobs act. now, if you would like to continue owith some of the reasons why this is important to new york, please, mrs. maloney, if you would take care and have at it. mrs. maloney: i'd like to respond to the point the gentleman made. economists tell us that one of the ways we climb out of recessions, and we're in the worst recession that i've ever experienced in my lifetime and the worst since the great depression, the way we climb out is often small businesses. small businesses hire and grow. two out of three people hired in america are hired by a small business. but at this time they're hiring has not move forward so that's why this subsidy and support for small businesses is so important, and i applaud the president for including it in the american jobs act. but because of this economic downturn, localities across our country are having to lay off

workers, essential workers that are investors in the future of our young people. teachers, the protectors of our communities. firefighters and our plaumplet are being laid off -- law enforcement are being laid off, and i want to talk a little bit about new york, the great state i have the honor of representing and i have some numbers that i want to share with you but they are the same in many localities across the country. in my own state of new york, according to the congressional research service, the estimated grant for the teachers and for the first responders would be $ 1.7 billion which would save an estimated 18,000 educators and first responders' jobs. that's important not only to these families but to the localities. these teachers are needed. these fire and police are needed. and a very important -- and very importantly, one of the

things i think is so important is the focus that the president has put on modernizing our schools. when i was in school, all you needed was a piece of paper and a teacher and a pencil. now our young people need computers, and we need to start teaching them computer sciences and math and technology very, very early. and this would have grants to modernize schools so that they're really ready for the 21st century. wired appropriately for high-tech computers. and this would have a grant for new york city alone of $1.6 billion to modernize the community colleges and the public schools so that they're ready for the next century. but it's our infrastructure that is so important. we are falling behind in terms of high-speed rail. much of our infrastructure is crumbling, and the

infrastructure investment would total over $105 billion, including $50 billion on transportation infrastructure. this not only moves people and makes it more livable environment, it's investment for not being dependent on oil that we have to import. and very importantly, there is $10 billion on a new national infrastructure bank that would help finance public-private ventures of public roads and highways and bridges and railroads, and so that's a very, very important part of it. and very importantly, it also talks about rehabilitating the foreclosed or vacant properties. this is a problem. some of my colleagues in ohio tell me they're literally bulldozing down vacant properties, and this would help

these blighted neighborhoods and rebuild. this is a good plan. we need to get behind it. we need to put americans to work, and we should have passed it yesterday, but i'm here tonight really supporting the president's plan to put americans back to work and to invest in our future, invest in america's competitiveness and really our leadership in so many areas, getting our economy moving again. so i appreciate being here with my good friend and colleague and thank you so much for raising these issues. you're doing an excelent job. i yield to my colleague. mr. garamendi: mrs. maloney of new york, i could go through each of the numbers you talked about. in california simile would receive significant benefits. however, we need to look at the reality what's happening here in this chamber where the speaker of the house refuses to even allow a vote on the

president's proposal. all of the things you talked about that would benefit new york will come to nothing unless the speaker of the house, mr. -- the speaker of the house will allow these -- mrs. maloney: will the gentleman yield? mr. garamendi: certainly. mrs. maloney: this is a democracy, and i believe there is no idea in the world that is so dangerous or challenging that you can't debate it in the united states congress. it should be put up for a debate and have it fully debated and have a vote. and that's the least that the speaker should provide for the american people. mr. garamendi: now, over on the senate side, the leader of the senate, mr. reid, brought the issue to the senate floor and was unable to even get a vote on the senate floor because of the republican threat of a filibuster and the 60-vote requirement to end that

filibuster. and so even though on the senate side they almost came to a vote, they were stopped short by a filibuster, and the reason apparently was that the republicans did not want to raise a .5% tax on those very small number, the top 1% of americans that are earning more than $1 million of adjusted gross income a year. and so with that small tax increase, they refuse to go along, and so here we are in this house without a vote and on the other side because of a threat of a filibuster 280,000 teachers are not going to be hired unless we're able to break through. and the only way to break through is for the american public to rise up, the 99ers out there and say enough. give us our jobs. give us the opportunity to go back to work.

mrs. maloney: it could not be stated more appropriately. the 99'ers and all americans should speak out and demand a vote on this. now, the president has pointed out it should be a three-legged stool. it should be revenue. we need to cut back on our expenditure and we need to create jobs. right now we have roughly 15% of our g.d.p. is revenues, but our expenditures is ruffle 35 president, so -- roughly 35%, so the gentleman points out the millionaires, the areas where they're looking at, you have to bring that in balance. you cannot continue with 35% of the g.d.p. being expenditures and only 15% being revenues. grant it, we have to cut back, and that's what the s.p.r. committee is working on, -- supercommittee is working on and it needs to be a balanced approach. it's always been a balanced approach. that's the only way we can get

this country on firm ground to reduce our debt, reduce our deficit, invest in opportunities, innovation, jobs for the future. you expressed it very well, and i support your efforts here tonight. mr. garamendi: well, thank you very much for joining us this evening and before i turn to my colleague from california, i want to just emphasize the point that the president's american jobs program is balanced, is fully paid for. it's paid for with fair taxes, a fair tax. we know that over the last 12 years now, the upper income, that top 1% or 2%, enjoyed an enormous tax break that was put in place during the george w. bush first and third year and they've had it good. they've really seen their share of the income in america grow extraordinarily fast while the great middle class of america has basically a flat situation. they've seen no improvement in their income, and then in the last couple of years they've

seen a very precipitous decline. the president has also proposed and certainly i agree very strongly with this, end the tax breaks for the oil companies. why do they need another $5 billion of tax breaks when over the last decade they've earned over $1 trillion in profit? now, i noticed our colleague from california may be ready to go. . this is maxine waters representing los angeles, a colleague of mine dating to the california legislature. ms. waters, if you would like to share us your thoughts of how we are going to get americans back to work. >> thank you very much. i'm very appreciatetive for you taking this time on the floor this evening and sharing time to talk about the american jobs act. what i'm going to say will take a little bit of a different

task. we had a contest about the use of social media in our caucus and i devised a program where i promoted campaign on our speech, which asked our followers if they had the opportunity to speak to congress, what would they say? we got a lot of comments in. we complined them and i'm going to share them and a lot of them is about jobs. if you would indulge. mr. garamendi: i would be fascinated to hear. i know your constituents have been active and over the years you have been super active. share those tweets with us. ms. waters: thank you very much. i'm delivering what is known as our speech, a speech composed of words solely from my friends and followers on facebook who posted their thoughts about the economy and jobs online.

this is a part of my effort to bring americans closer to congress. to the people that sit on capitol hill. as members of congress in the greatest country in the world, you are well aware of the concerns expressed by the american constituency, jobs, stable economic environment, education, crime, war, et cetera. you are not republicans, you are not democrats, you are not an independent and stop worrying about party and do something for the party. pass the jobs bill. pass the american jobs act. we all need to work. a child with no food doesn't care about your parties. big money donations from corporations and the financial industry have purchased our democracy. america elected the house, not corporations. it is time they represent us. you have an obligation as a

public servant to ensure that the underprivileged of our society will be protected. don't forget the poor, a group that continues to grow while the rich get richer. we have to trust you to make the right decisions for us, support and pass the american jobs act. my facebook followers continue by saying, we labor to write our small overturn coffers. we labor and pay three or four times over for substandard service. we become disgeneral franchised. we are bludgeioned with partisan rhetoric that detracts from the real issues and representatives who don't give heed to the desires of their constituents. put partisan politics aside and serve your constituents. congress must support jobs.

congress must support the american jobs act. we need jobs so we can pay our reasonable share. but like activities and services. we want to realize the promises of our founding document. the middle class have been the legs in this country, the legs that this country has stood on. the lack of meaningful action in d.c. has crippled us. we live pay check to pay check and worry about the more immediate dilemma, will we keep our home. we are two months behind on our mortgage. bank of america was bailed with our tax money. now, who is going to bail us out. who played by the rules and worked hard. please don't give another dime of our money to save the banks. they do not care about us. americans are sick hearing congress blaming each other. while they filibusters, americans are starving, losing

their homes and working multiple jobs and trying to balance our shrinking budgets against the rising costs of toll, food, gas. good hard-working americans shouldn't be rubbing nickles today and pick food over medicine. my facebook followers wrap up by further saying, we wonder how we will pay our taxes and student loans, avoid answering our phones and leave our mail unopened. the system, if it ever was for us has failed at this critical juncture in history to safeguard the house. the occupy wall street movement illustrates the consciousness of the people which has been missing from the political landscape. congress must support jobs, education and health care. people are hurting out here. our silence has been broken. those of us who have been awakened are willing solders in

the fight. the voice of the people occupying around the nation will not go unrecognized. our strength, passion and vision can and should be harnessed to power change. thank you so much for allowing my facebook followers to have a word on the floor tonight. they are watching us. they will be responding, but i think they are very appreciatetive that you have allowed me this time to convince those comments and the wors they gave to me to bring to the floor. i yield back. mr. garamendi: thank you, ms. waters, for sharing the words you received from your constituents. i know that for me and for many of our colleagues, there were similar words, similar comments to us. it's time for us to get with it. let's pass the jobs bill. let's really work for the people out there, not only the unemployed but the great middle class that have been pushed down over the last decade.

it's time for them to have their say. and thank you so very much for being here this afternoon. you said something that came to my mind and do this quickly before i turn to my colleague from rhode island. you mentioned student loans. now, the president has been out in california and in los angeles and san francisco near my district, and he has been saying that caught my attention and that is, we can't wait. speaking for the american people, we can't wait for congress to act. we can't wait. and he did something that is really, really close to home. my daughter and son-in-law just finished medical school, they have huge loans that they took out to go through medical school, but across this nation, about $1 trillion of loans that have been taken out by young men and women and older who have gone back to school to improve

themselves to get an education, to learn a skill. $1 trillion out there. and many of those loans are at a very high interest rate and may be from different sectors and the president said we can't wait to help these people. these young men and women, they need help today. so he put together a new program based upon a law that we passed last year, the democrats passed last year, that said we are going to do some consolidation and taking that step and allow for the consolidation of these loans into one loan package and allow the interest rate to be reduced at least half a percentage rate and stretched out and a small percentage of the income and many of these young men and women -- i'm going to say men and women, not all young, nabble to get a job other than a minimum wage and they can't pay. he is giving them a break.

and that's what we want our president to do and we want him to say, we can't wait for congress, even though i'm ready to go in giving them a break. this is really important that he has done this. >> you ms. waters: you are absolutely correct and the young people are waiting for us to act. they can't get careers started and families started, so this will be helpful for them the consolidation and reduction of the interest rate is extremely important. mr. garamendi: we can't wait to get a bill out of this house and hopefully the speaker will allow us to get it to the floor. mr. courtney from rhode island. mr. courtney: connecticut, rhode island, being from california, looks like we are a county from california. i want to share with you that

i'm in the final day of a one-week challenge that myself and four other members of congress have engaged and living on a food stamp budget for a week. that is $4 a day and that is the budget for millions of americans today. my wife and i and daughter got through it. but i had to take my care package down to d.c. and it was harder than i thought and an eye opener. mr. garamendi: may i interrupt? you and three of your colleagues have tried to live on the unemployment insurance? mr. courtney: food stamp budget. the snap budget for millions of americans is $4 a day. you have to shop as aggressively as you can and you are buying somewhat lower cost items. and we are about to get across

the finish line at midnight tonight, but -- and again, cup and a half cup of coffee and peanut butter sandwiches, cereal and bananas. you don't have to worry about cleaning dishes when you are on this budget because you eat every bit of it. it is an eye opener because this is an experience that isn't limited to one week. it is something that is part of a growing reality. and i raise it in the context of the jobs act, because today, there are millions of americans who are 99ers and they have gone through their unemployment compensation period, which we know has a cap of 99 weeks and for a lot of them, there is nothing else waiting at the end of that time, other than food stamps or snap program, as it's

now called, and to basically live on $32, which is what the amount is for a single adult. it's really impossible. and as a result, we are seeing, again, record numbers of people showing up at food banks, record numbers of people showing up at soup kitchens. there is a bub bush andization. i -- suburbization going on. and there are food banks operating in a lot of these communities. clearly, this is an issue in terms of the super committee and sequestration whether or not a program like snap is going to be at risk and for people to go back from $4 a day is something i can't imagine. but at the end of the day, the real solution is to get this economy growing again and the bottom line is a job. what is a real fix to this

problem? one of the things i wanted to spend a minute on and hand it over to my friend from ohio. the pay-for that has been proposed in the senate and white house is a 5% surcharge on income above $1 million. and we had a patriotic, courageous american who stepped forward to put the spotlight on what that means. warren buff et -- buff fet -- buffett shared his tax return for last year and his gross income, top line was $63 million. his adjusted gross income was 3 -- $32 million and his payment was $6 million and as he explained in a number of op eds and that translates into a tax rate of 17% and you are

johnny-on-the-spot with the charts, which is terrific. if his tax return was subjected to the surcharge which has been proposed in the senate, it would add dels 2 million to $3 million in terms of his tax liability and his rate would be roughly 25%. and he makes the argument that he shouldn't pay a higher rate than his secretary and his staff, which today he pays a lower rate than all of them. but the real power of his argument, which he made in the "new york times" in the op ed is that the tax rates where he paid gladly back in the 1980's and 1990's, which is even higher than it would be if we passed the surcharge, did nothing to inhibit his willingness or desire to go out and compete and invest and participate in the

drive for the american dream. and if you look at the growth rates we experienced in the 1990's, when the tax rates on capital gains and regular income is much higher than it is today, as he makes the point, it would do nothing to inhibit growth and would do nothing to inhibit or punish success. it would do a lot to try and create some balance in our public finances so we can afford to do the great things that a great nation must do to get us out of the predictment that we are in today. anyone who is on food stamps, having experienced briefly the challenge that you face over a one-week period of time, you know, we can do better as a nation than that and we must adopt the jobs act to make sure we solve the problems of americans who today are trapped in an economy that allows no way

out except subsistence programs that is inadequate to lead a productive life. and i yield back. mr. garamendi: i thank the gentleman from connecticut, i apologize, rhode island not being too far away. life is very, very difficult if you're poor, and one in six americans now is in poverty, depending on some kind of food stamps or assistance to stay alive. we ought to remember here on this floor recently there was an effort to reduce food stamps. so i don't quite understand why anybody would want to do that, given the poverty rate. you also spoke to the issue of fairness and taxes. 84% of all of the wealth in this nation is now controlled by the top 20% and the bottom have become more and more poor. now, one of the states that is

struggling to get back into the american dream is the state of ohio. and there's a lot of conflict going on there about labor and politics and the like, but i know, mr. ryan, that you're focused solely on trying to get people back to work in your community. if you'd please join us, if i recall correctly, you're from the eastern part of ohio. mr. ripe: that is correct. i'm happy to be joined by my colleague from the northwestern part of the state, ms. kaptur. as i said here, whether it was california or connecticut or whether it's ohio, i think the number one issue facing the country right now is the income inequality. it is now just starting to percolate up as the number one issue. greatest inequality in this country since the great depression. i know many of us have been talking about this for a long,

long time, to where we have 30 years stagnant wages in the united states. and there is no way that we're going to be able to continue to be the leader of the free world or really even have the kind of country we want if we have this kind of level of inequality. and there are issues that come before the house of representatives, there are issues the president is continuing to push, that will help rectify this problem. that is not getting any attention at all in the house of representatives. whether it's the american jobs act, which would put people back to work, infrastructure, roads, bridges, get that 20% unemployment within the construction trades or 18% or 19% or whatever it might be. and drive it down. the china currency bill passed by the senate. with well over 60 votes to pass it.

passed the house of representatives last year, had 99 republicans, 350 total votes, and we can't get a vote in the house of representatives to take on the chi these. mr. garamendi: explain to us what the china currency bill is about. mr. ryan: they're -- the chinese are manipulating their currency, so the exports coming into the united states are cheaper than they would have been, already with the benefits of no e.p.a. no osha, no regulations but in addition to that they ma lip -- manipulate their currencies, devalue it, to make the goods cheaper landing on the shores of the united states. all these unfair trade practices cost the united states 2.8 million jobs in the last 10 years, 1.9 million of those are manufacturing and 100,000 in ohio. when manufacturing jobs pay more, there's more intellectual

property spinoff, better benefits, better pension. all of this comes together with an issue that we're facing back in ohio, and a philosophy in the country that is basically saying, the middle class just made a little bit less, the country would be better off. we'd finally fix these problems. and that's what's happening with s.b. 5 and issue two in ohio. where we have a republican administration taking on the teachers, the police, and the fire, and saying they make too much money. and it's because of them that we have these huge budget issues. when really, they're the last bastion of the middle class and they run into burning buildings an they go out and they take care of us when we're in a dangerous situation or they teach our kids or they clean the public restrooms or they clean the restrooms in the

schools. these are people who serve us, all of us, as a country. and for us to continue to go down the path of, we've got to dismantle the middle class, we've got to dismant they will unions, we've got to cut programs like pell grants or food stamps or things that help us invest or keep interest rates high on student loans or cut funding for the national institutes of health, national science foundation, this is not a recipe for success. this is a recipe for the destruction of the middle class. these are investments we've always made as a country that have benefited us and to say to these police and fire and teachers and public employees, you're making too much money, you're part of the problem, when they're making $30,000, $35,000 a year is ridiculous. and the policies coming out o-- out of washington and the house of representatives, we don't have the courage to take on china to say, maybe we'll drive

some manufacturing jobs back in the united states, create some wealth back in the united states so local communities have money to fund their police and fire. this is what we've always done. one final point, you're starting to see it perk rate. you saw it in wisconsin. the coalition in ohio now against this issue too is incredible. police, fire, teachers, public employees, building trades, auto workers, machinists, average people, all coming together to say, this is the middle class. and we've had it up to here. and occupy wall street, same thing. income inequality. high levels, been going on for a long time. people are up to here. for a while, my friends, they have said, go get washington, d.c. look at them. look, it's the democrats, get them. it's their fault. but the reality is, it's where the money is. that concentration of wealth you were talking about.

that's driving the policy here's. somebody explain to me how we can pass a china currency bill last year with 350 votes, 99 republicans, and we can't get a vote in the house of representatives on it now. senate just passed it. because there are some very powerful interests that don't want it on the floor. they don't want to vote on this. they like the system just the way it is. they can locate over in china, and ship their product back and the americans will buy it. but what's coming home to roost now is that the americans aren't maybing the wages they were in the last 20 or 30 years. consumer spending is down, consumer confidence is down, wages are stagnant. high levels of poverty even in the suburbs. and so it's all coming home to roost. and i think it's time for our country and all of these

disparate groups that are now coming together, police, fire, teachers, building trades, working class people, i'm telling you in ohio, they're coming together. they're saying, we are the middle class. we are working america. and we are going to set the agenda. mr. garamendi: and we can't wait. we cannot wait. i'm going to toss out two more statistics here. the top 1% of americans in 1974 had about 9% of income, of capital gains interest, as well as earned income, about 9%. in 2007, that was four years ago, they had 23 1/2%. so you've seen the income of the very few at the top grow extraordinary from 9% to 23%. the top .1%, 15,000 families in america, have raked in more than $1 trillion of income in

2009. just 15,000 families, $1 trillion of income. yet when the senate took up the bill to provide about two million jobs for america, to be paid for by these men and women and families that have had this extraordinary growth in their income, just a small percentage of a surcharge, 5% surcharge on that additional income, the moneys in the senate refused to pass that bill. so 280,000 teachers are not going to get a job, 100,000 police an firemen will not be back on our streets protecting us. and $50 billion of construction programs will not be built. 35,000 schools will not be renovated. and all across this nation, the pain of the middle class will continue.

it's time for us to have a better deal for america. the american jobs act can do that. i think it can help ohio. ms. kaptur, if you would join us, thank you so very much a terrific representative who i know has fought fiercely for years and years here to bring back to middle america the manufacturing base and the middle income jobs that are so important. ms. kaptur: congressman garamendi, i want to thank you for your leadership, coming from california, and my dear, dear colleague, tim ryan, from the eastern quarter of ohio, what a privilege it is to be here with you as well, to be a voice of we the people. not just the super rich people, not scrust the people running the six biggest banks in the country that just took the rest of the country to the cleaners, but americans who speak for the

vast majority who like that chart states want a better deal for america. we want investment in america, we want to make goods in america. we know when we create here and we make here, we create jobs here and we create real wealth here for everyone, not just the privileged few. it's an amazing fact to think about that general motors, when i was growing up, was the biggest employer in the country. northern ohio just hummed, plants had 14,000 workers, 10,000 workers. now, you're lucky if a plant has 1,200 workers. thank god for the recovery package and that was done to resuscitate and refinance the u.s. automotive industry. so that other cupries can't eat our lunch, that they can't eat our investment capital and all the investment that still

exists around this country. the millions of families and retirees that depend on a healthy automotive sector. but if you think about it, today, wal-mart is the largest employer. we've gone from general motors being the largest employer to wal-mart being the largest employer. this week, wal-mart announced that even though it's the largest employer, even though it's making so much money for its shareholders and top executives, that if you work for wal-mart and you put in under 24 hours a week work, you're not eligible for their health insurance. yep, i can just think of all those women, all those people that are working in wal-marts around the country, they're standard of living will drop. i agree with congressman ryan, what he says about the middle class, we believe in people earning a living and as a result being secure in the middle class, earning a decent wabling, getting a decent

health benefit, having a retirement pam you can depend upon. i'm happy that the cost of living increase will give, on average, to seniors across this country, $360 extra a year on average because they're going to be able to buy some food. better food for themselves. they're going to be able to pay their utility bills. the first thing they'll do, they'll buy their grandchildren presents. they'll go spend that money. all right? they'll spend it in the economy. every single business in this country, what do they say? we need customers, we need customers. we don't have enough people working, carrying 14 million people unemployed or underemployed, to get this economy to hum. they're waiting for customers. every member of congress if they're awake, knows that. when we see a call for a better deal for america, for all the people, for we the people, not

scrust for the wall street scions who brought us to this juncture who are doing very well and controlling 2/3 of the wealth of this country, which is part of the problem we are facing, too much power in too few hands but as we look across the country and say what can we do as members in order to create more of an investment climate here, you create investment when you create customers and honestly, you don't create customers and create wealth at the same time when you just take all the stuff that's made in china, bring it here and sell it. . that money goes back to where those goods were made. we have a challenge in our country to reward make it in america, to make goods here, sell goods here and as congressman ryan says, for those countries who don't play by the rules, whether it's on currency,

the environment, fair treatment of workers. who want to live in beijing. you need a gas mask to survive. is that what we want to do is downgrade our standard of living to the american people to that level. and that is the course we are on, when you talk how many people in america are poor today, you think they like being poor? god loves them just as he loves those in the upper class and middle class. i was talking to one of the rail executives today and i was inviting him to come out to our region because we have a lot of railroads and they are hiring. he said, we posted 4,000 jobs in rail across this country and he said guess how many applications we got 500,000. 500,000 applications for 4,000

jobs. think about what the american people are staying to us. austerity will not bring prosperity. making goods in america, creating goods in america, growing goods in america, processing products in america and holding our trade partners accountable for their actions, whether it's currency manipulation or renegotiating trade agreements that are not operating in the interests of the united states that are far out of balance. and the most out of balance trade agreement is with china, is with china. when you go back to nafta, there will be millions of jobs. well, they are not here. we have amassed a trillion dollar trade deficit with mexico. they must live in outer space to think that has created wealth in america.

it has been a sucking sound, sucking sound to other countries, not here. all you have to do is know the math. look at the numbers. you don't have to believe me. look at the trade accounts, it is written in black and white. we aren't winning and losing the trade wars all over this world and it is costing us investment here, it's costing us jobs here and wealth here and that is where the poverty figures are rising because we aren't reading the math and we aren't making goods in america and balancing our accounts here by putting people back to work. mr. garamendi: we can rebuild the american industry. the president stepped up and used the stimulus money to rebuild general motors and chrysler and they are now back in millions of jobs have been saved and at the same time, the entire small business supply chain is in order. mr. ryan, i know you have

thoughts that you would like to add. mr. ryan: we are competing directly now with china in such a significant and direct way. we put $8 billion in the stimulus package for high-speed rail. i think china is spending tens of billions of dollars -- well over -- 120 maybe, billion dollars on high-speed rail. will have more tracks in china than the rest of the world combined in the next five or 10 years and sitting here saying, we aren't going to do anything because we aren't for high-speed rail. ohio gave back and florida gave back a few million dollars that would have lured and we know from conversations with business people, would have lured companies into the state of ohio, because they want to build rail cars. but they aren't going to build them if we don't have a

high-speed rail program. and these are investments that we have made. we have gotten out of the mindset that the government can't do everything, but it has to do something. and wait has to do is make sure our roads, bridges and infrastructure is up to speed. i was talking with congressman doyle from pittsburgh. he said $3 billion in sewer projects needs to be done, e.p.a.-mandated. cleveland is $2 billion, 3 billion, akron is $1 billion and cities like youngstown -- columbus and these older cities. rahm emanuel, chicago mayor, he is talking about 100-year-old systems in chicago. do we think that pittsburgh and cleveland and akron and youngstown and toledo have $1 billion to make these investments? if we say collectively as a country we are going to rebuild

the country and right now use the power that we have to go out and make the investments and put these people working, it would be a decade. mr. garamendi: the president has suggested that we establish an infrastructure bank. every one of the projects you described are cash flow projects. there is a fee for sewage and fee for water. there are fees that come traditionally with each of these services. if we had an infrastructure bank and the president has suggested we put $10 billion into it. we know we can get the various public pension funds to invest in it and we could have $100 billion within several months that could be invested in each one of the projects that you talked about and those projects over time are able to repay. and do keep in mind that the federal government is able to borrow that money at about 2% for 10 years. this is an investment

opportunity to build for the future. we have five minutes, ms. capture, you take one or two of those. ms. kaptur: i would like to say for investment in our ports, airports and our rail, what could be more important to our country? when i was born, there were 146 million people and now near 290 million. we cannot to live like it's 1950. we have to catch up and that's where these investments come in. they create jobs and real wealth that you can't take away or outsource. it be longs to the american people and belongs here. i wanted to say about ohio and facing this vote on issue 2, which is an effort as congressman ryan says, to dismantle what is left to the middle class in our state, teachers, firefighters and police. we have a governor that called a

highway patrol officer an idiot and i consider that an insult to those who put their lives on the line every day. we stand against issue 2 and will defeat issue 2 in ohio because we are believing in the middle class and proud of our teachers, firefighters and policemen and they hold us together and it is our job to push investments into high-speed rails, ports, water and sewer, all of the pieces of community that hold us together and make our economies hum. either you look through the rear-view mirror or windshield, i can and we are an i can country. mr. garamendi: this piece of legislation, h.r. 613 is one i have introduced and simply said that this money we want to invest in our sanitation

systems, high-speed rail, energy systems,, whether those are the wind turbines or solar systems, that is american taxpayer money and this bill said if you are going to use american taxpayer money you are going to make it in america. it's our money and use it here in america. the chinese currency bill ought to be passed. my republican colleagues are probably going to say the solution is to end regulation. they had a bill on the floor that would end regulation that would prevent the spoiling of our air with such things as mercury and arsenic and other kinds of poisons. we can't build america by ending regulations that protect america, the food safety, clean water regulations, that's not how we are going to build america. that's how well's destroy this

country. we'll rebuild america through the programs the president has proposed with the american jobs act that's fully paid for with a fair tax system. one in which those at the top end of this economy, who have pros period so well over the last 15 years will now pay just a little bit more so americans can go back to work, so unnecessary tax breaks that have been given to the oil companies for a september try, that $7 billion they received on top of their $1 trillion of profit over the last decade, those will be back into america's treasury, so we can build america once again. we will make it in america and the president is quite right. we can't wait. americans can't wait. it is time for americans to go back to work. the american jobs act will put americans back to work without

increasing the deficit and in fact creating tax revenues for the american treasury. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. and thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentlelady from missouri, ms. hartzler, is recognized as the designee of the majority leader. mrs. hartzler: i ask that members have five legislative days to include extraneous material on the topic of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. hartzler: today i'm here to lead a very important discussion regarding america's greatest generation, our senior sit since. i have the greatest -- citizens. i have a heart felt appreciation for this group of people.

this originated with the special are relationship i had with my grandparents. i valued spending time with them and loved learning from them. i learned how to catch a fish and golf from granddad zelmer and how to ride a horse and milk a cowan how to crow chay and make butter. this came a love and respect for all senior citizens. i believe their wisdom should be sought and valued in our society and generations should be linked to benefit from each other. as a teacher, i initiated programs to bring young people together with senior citizens and wrote my master's these is on it. it is a wing combination. i have been dedicated to advocate for senior citizens. over 10 years i served on a council on aging and raised money for meals on wheels and other important programs to help

senior citizens. i'm honored to represent and serve missouri's 4th congressional district. you can trust that i will ensure that this cherished generation is never jofrle looked. there are many challenges facing our nation's senior citizens, financial stress, housing issues and family difficulties. my republican women colleagues and i want you to know that we kay, we hear your concerns and we are here to stand for you and work for you into workable solutions. i'm honored to lead this discussion and introducing you to some of the most dedicated women in congress who, like me, care about seniors and are fighting for you. so, now i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to my good friend from just across the state line from the great state of kansas, a fellow farm

girl and my travel buddy back and forth to the kansas city airport, representative lynn jenkins. ms. jenkins: i ms. jenkins: thank you and i appreciate my fellow republican women stepping up to have an honest, fact-based discussion about one of our nation's most valued resources, our senior citizens. as i travel through kansas each week, i hear from folks who have had to tighten their belts over the last few years and the overwhelming message i hear is that kansans want their government to do the same. and seniors are no different. while special interest groups, many in the media and several of our colleagues across the aisle like to paint our nation's seniors as weak, terrified of budget cuts and beholden to the federal government for financial

security, seniors in kansas know better. these are strong men and women who have seen our nation through a world war, cultural upheaval and cyclical financial turmoil. they have always stayed true to the ideals and principles -- principles that make this country great. they have always been willing to make the necessary sacrifices to better their lives and those of their children and grandchildren. and they continue to display that same commitment during our current struggles. but you know what? just because our seniors are willing to sacrifice, does not mean we should continue to demand it. it's time we, the beneficiaries of their hard work and sacrifice, stopped asking for more and allowed our seniors to have the security and certainty that they have earned through decade upon decade of hard

work. that's why i'm pleased to have supported the republican house budget earlier this year that will save the medicare system that could be bankrupt in eight years if we do nothing and it makes a plan to save social security, which isn't far mind. our plan saves these programs for the next generation while preserving 100% of the benefits for those americans currently in our near retirement. i'll continue to fight to ensure seniors don't see any cuts in their benefits like the cuts that were provided for under the president's health care law which cuts medicare by $500 billion and allows a board of bureaucrats to begin rationing care. we will instead continue to work to protect and strengthen these important programs. the economic turmoil over the past several years has impacted all of us, including our seniors. our nation's senior citizens this egreatest generation,

worked their entire lives to make this country what it is today. keeping the promises made to them over the years must be a priority of this congress and of this nation. i yield back. mrs. hartzler: i appreciate your great remarks. now i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to another farm gal, a friend from south dakota, so, lady, kristi noem. mrs. noem: i thank the gentlelady for recognizing me and for facilitating this discussion to talk about our seniors an the challenges they face and the promises we made to them that we intend to uphold. i rise to speak with my other republican female colleagues to discuss a lot of important issues. in south dakota we have more than the average share of seniors in south dakota. we have a high number. all of us have seniors in our

family. grandparents, neighbors, friends that are seniors and live under the programs and policies of this country. our seniors worked hard, they raised their families, raised grandchildren with strong values, good work ethics that are extremely important to them to deal with things life may throw at them. they paid into social security, fought our enemies on foreign soil, they have built businesses and created the fabric of our society in america today. our republican agenda reflects the deep gratitude we have toward our seniors in this country. we are thankful for the country they've given us. we are thankful for the values they taught us and we intend to follow through on the promises we made to them system of you're asking, what are the promises we made to them? we promised to care for them, that's why we chose to step up and save the medicare program. that's why we chose to address

the fact that it is going to be broken in less than a decade. and we did this at a time when we can fix the program without affecting seniors who rely on the program. future generations will need that program and we offered solutions for that. but our current beneficiaries will not be impacted if we do what the republicans did this year and fix the program so that it's still around. nothing will change for seniors under the plan the republicans have put forward. we've also made important promises to our seniors who are military veterans. south dakota has a strong history of military service. thousands of south dakotans put their lives on the line to defend this country. many made the ultimate sacrifice and for that we'll always be grateful. many of them came home wounded or forever changed from the experience. veterans earned and deserve all the benefits they were promised. we work to protect those programs and protect the veterans and the programs they rely on. some in washington and the

media try to scare our seniors, try to scare them by saying we're going to cut military veteran's pensions and payments an programs and we're going to cut the military veterans' benefits. nothing could be further from the truth. despite vicious rumors, whatever the media and democrats try to say, we are not going to let our veterans down and not follow through on the promises we have made. we will continue to fight for the veterans' benefits. we also promised our seniors we would leave our kids and grandkids a nation as acceptable as they left us. that means we're focus -- focused on growing our economy, that we're reducing burdensome regulations, we're empowering small businesses at the same time, letting them make decisions for themselveses the government has in right making. we're cutting wasteful spending that does nothing but bloat the government and crowd out the private sector. in closing, let me say i'm proud to stand here with republican women because we

take our promises to seniors very sincerely and seriously and i know we'll do our part to uphold those promises. thank you for the time. mrs. hartzler: thank you, lady, we are going to fulfill those proms. now i would like to yield as much time as she macon sume to the gentlelady from texas, representative kay granger wants to share her thoughts on seniors. ms. granger: thank you very much for yielding to me. thank you for the time we get to talk about women and our seniors. women have made great strides in the work force and in politics, actually in all areas of life. while we've had our careers, we're still the primary care givers for our children. and we're the ones often responsible for managing our household budget. many of us have added the responsibility of caring our our aging and sick parents we owe so much too.

we -- so much to. we know the importance of being there for our parpes the way they were there for us throughout our lives. that's why the house republican women are focusing on the issues that matter to america's seniors. while medicare an social security often make the headlines, alzheimer's ts is a challenge that's touched nearly all of us in some way, someone we know if not our own family. beyond the emotional toll, alzheimer's is a disease that will weigh down our economy other the next century if it's not addressed head on. nearly six million americans are currently living with this disease and every single day, more than 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65. as these baby boomers age, one in eight will develop alzheimer's. at a time when our government is looking for ways to save money, thinking about the economic cost of diseases like alzheimer's is an important priority to consider.

today, alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the united states and we're seriously lacking in ways to prevent, cure, or even slow its progress. this year alone, the economic impact of caring for alzheimer's patients will cost our economy a total of $183 billion. unless something is done soon, the cost of alzheimer's in the crites will total $20 trillion by the year 2015. $15 trillion of that cost will come from medicare and medicaid. this is a disease that is not only heart break bug it's also a disease we can't afford if we don't take action now. that means making alzheimer's a national priority. leadership from the federal government has help red deuce the number of deaths from other diseases, such as hiv-aids, influenza, pneumonia and stroke. we need to do the same for alzheimer's.

we have the potential to create the same success that's been demonstrated in fights against other major diseases by making alzheimer's a priority, we can cut down on both the financial an human cost of this disease so i'm proud to stand with my republican colleagues and talk about the issues that seniors and their families are dealing with every day and we can find solutions. thank you. mrs. hartzler: thank you, lady. i share your commitment and the heart wrenching reality of alzheimer's and our need to focus on it here. our next speaker is from the great state of washington, representative jay me he rer rah butler. of ms. beutler: i believe we need -- ms. beutler: i believe

we need to protect the rights of our nation's seniors, the right to access what they spend their entire working lives paying into, the right to know that programs that exist today will be there when we need them. let's talk specifically about this. the right to make choices. in my corner of the country in southwest washington state, more than 1/3 of our seniors have chosen medicare advantage. that's 37% have made this choice. in my most populated county, in clark county, half of the seen quors have chose ton use medicare advantage. part of the reason for this, many times you see this happen, is because fewer and fewer doctors are taking traditional medicare. it doesn't pay enough to cover the bills. with medicare advantage, if you're a new beneficiary, you may have a shot at getting a doctor. this is important when we have 10,000 baby boomers retiring every single day. we stand with our nation's

seniors, i say we, my republican female colleagues an myself, seniors have problems accessing something they paid into all their life. two nonpartisan groups who are tasked with figuring out what the cost of bills are and that's c.b.o. and medicare, the trustees are tasked with the financial responsibility of keeping medicare on the straight and narrow, both have said within the next decade medicare goes completely bankrupt. if you're at home and watching this, one thing you need to know, doing nothing is not an option. 10 years. 10 years. and medicare goes insolvent. you know what that means? it means seniors who paid their whole life into this program are faced with choices. are they going to face cuts in benefits? or more limited services?

insolvent. completely insol gent. -- insolvent. we have to do something. which is why earlier this year my republican colleagues and myself joined together to put forth solutions for medicare to save and protect it. those folks who paid into this program their whole lives deserve to pull that money out when it's time to access it. i urge my colleagues in the senate, consider the house-passed budget. it protects retirement benefits for everyone 55 and older, completely keeps it as it is and for those in my generation who are younger, coming up the pike, it changes it, necessarily, so that we can also access those benefits we'll pay into. i'm excited to join my colleagues to protect these programs. seniors have a right to these programs which is why we're stepping forward. we're going to stand with them to make sure what they paid into, they'll be able to access when it comes time. the seniors in southwest

washington have spent years planning for their retirement miffle colleagues and i will continue to take the lead when it comes to protecting seniors and programs like medicare. we will continue to fight against the credit card spending and the mentality that jepartize this is program because our seniors do deserve that which they paid into. the republican women that have joined me to talk about these important issues, we understand our nation's seniors have rights and they're looking for us to protect those rights to protect medicare for them and future generations. with that, i yield back. thank you. mrs. hartzler: thank you, jamie. i'm a little shorter than you are. now i'm happy to yield to my good friend and fellow runner from the great state of ohio, congresswoman jean schmidt.

mrs. schmidt: thank you to my good friend from missouri. i talk about kitchen table politics in this well, because as ronald reagan said in his fair well speech, all good ideas begin at the dinner table, and they do. look at this poster, this is a poster that i think really illustrates what's going on in families all across america, including our seniors. and that's how are we going to pay our bills, and how are we going to move to the future. it's a huge issue, and it's one this congress needs to address in many ways. you know, the u.s. census says over 40 million americans today are over 605 -- 65 years or

older. these are incredible group of people. these are the people who fought in world war ii, that created the greatest generation. they fought in korea. sustaining the greatest generation and today are now faced with so much inchingseyite and uncertainty in our nation. and one of the things that i think we have to do in congress is to erase that anxiety. whether it's through the financial markets to ensure that we are putting forth programs that allow our banking systems to work effectively so that they don't have to be concerned with what the cost of banking is going to be or what their financial assets are going to be, to make sure that our businesses are flourishing in

this country and not saddled with unnecessary regulations that constrict them from going forward to move within the economy. in other words, we have to get our economy moving. it is so important for our nation, especially for our seniors. but i think that there are so many things we have to talk with our seniors as well. as we sit around the kitchen table and we worry about our bills, they worry about just not how to pay their income tax, but the big issue of paying the income tax. and for seniors, instead of having to go to an accountant and use their precious dollars, maybe we should pass h.r. 1058, the senior tax simplification act of 2011. this is a bipartisan bill, and it would direct the secretary of the treasury to make available a

new federal income tax form similar to the 1040-ez form for people over 65. it would make it faster, easier, and less costlier for our hard-working seniors. another bill we have to look at and this is one that i want to focus on is the repeal of the death tax, because this is an issue that i have had to personally face in my life. i grew up on a family farm and nothing better than being raised on a farm. it's the best way you can raise a family. and you do a lot of talking at that kitchen table. when my dad was seeing his declining days, he realized if he didn't do something, hire a fancy attorney, he wouldn't be able to pass that farm along to his kids. and he did estate planning, but you know what?

it wasn't enough. and at the end of the day when my father passed away, my brother, sister and i had to make a collective decision to sell personal assets just to be able to keep that farm, because we want our children and our grandchildren to have the same experience that we had. and i think how often is this occurring unnecessarily? and not just the family farm,, a family business, whether it's a manufacturing business, whether it's a wine erie, whatever the business is -- winery, whatever the business is, how are we going to do some tax structures and pay an insurance plan and whatever else is out there to try and keep a part of it for our children. it's counterproductive because in the end, the federal government may get a piece of

money at your death, but that's the end of the money they'll ever get from you or your family. ending the death tax won't hurt our economy, but will only improve our economy. and for our seniors that sit around that kitchen table that may have what we call land poor, have a lot of money in the land but not a lot of money in the bank, they will be forced to make a lot of the decisions. and they said, we are going to keep mom and dad's farm and not going to get rid of it. they weren't as fortunate as we were and we had personal assets we could use to keep our farm. they had to sell theirs and what is left? brick and mortar. it's a serious issue. we need to repeal it. and i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do this. it will not only move our

economy forward but for our hard-working american seniors that will alleviate that anxiety at the kitchen table. i yield back. mrs. hartzler: thank you. well spoken. i would like to introduce the vice chairman of our conference and representative more is rogers. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i would like to join our colleagues. and we have a story to tell, not just of our children and grandchildren and our parents and grandparents of the men and women who raised us, who contributed and fought for this great country and generation that have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn. one of these seniors is my own dad. this summer when president obama actually threatened to withhold social security checks and not to reimburse medicare providers,

my dad called me and said, well, cagget cathy, i might be moving in with you and i won't be baby sitting. president obama was wrong, and yet seniors all across this country were threatened and scared by that statement. and they continue to be frightend by the administration's policies. let's look at medicare. it's a program that both republicans and democrats agree is unsustainable but yet, today, try to find a doctor who will take a new patient in america, it is impossible or difficult. the average couple over the course of their lifetime when they turn 65 will have paid into medicare and pull out of that program over $300,000. not too difficult to do the math, it is unsustainable, and the system is going bankrupt and now is the time to improve it. we saw a health care bill passed

last year that is going to make it worst. the president's health care bill will give 15 unelected bureaucrats in d.c. the power to cut medicare and drive providers out of service. the republicans want to give patients the power to put market pressure on providers and make them compete. we are here tonight as daughters committed to helping our parents and their generation of hard-working americans to make sure this program doesn't go bankrupt. we are committed to finding the right answers to improving, reforming and protecting a program that our parents have contributed to for decades. this is our moment and our moment to make real changes for america. our moment to listen to each other's stories and our moment to protect our seniors, their benefits and access to quality care. we will continue to do this for many years to come and share the

great story of the american dream and our senior citizens who embody it. and thank you for the opportunity to participate tonight. mrs. hartzler: i would like to yield as much as she would like, neighbor on the east side of missouri, representative black. mr. black: thank you for yielding your time, my dear friend from missouri and it's great to be here as uplifting seniors. when i think about the seniors in my life, my grandmother and grandfather, i really hope my children and grandchildren will think the same way about me because when we ask people who are their heroes, we hear about their grandmothers and grandfathers and that is because they have so much to offer, especially the greatest generation, the generation that right now, we are trying to protect every benefit that we can for them, because they have

worked hard and they have put money into the system and they deserve to be cared for. one thing i do know about seniors having worked with seniors as a home health care nurse, many times they feel like they don't have choice. and seniors, because they turn 65 should not be having their choice taken away. we shouldn't think they can't make good choices and that's what the health care bill that was passed by the democrats last year does. it removes the ability for them to make choices. in particular, the independent payment advisory board also known as ipab, unaccountable bureaucrats that are assigned by the president and their job will be to cut the costs and limit access for our seniors to care. they will have the ability to deny care and not give choice to our seniors.

this is wrong. our plan, the plan to pass the prosperity, would give our seniors choice and not affect those 55 or older, but would give those 54 or younger an opportunity to be able to have choice in their program. we address the unsustainable growth of medicare so the program does not bankrupt us in 10 years, so we can have money in the bank for our seniors as they age. it is only fair and right that our seniors to have choice and they should have the care that they put into the bank and they so deserve. let's give seniors their choice. thank you. i yield back. mrs. hartzler: thank you, diane. i'm happy to introduce migrate friend from the state of alabama martha roby. mrs. roby: thank you for having

this special order. it's important for us to speak to america and hone in to our seniors back home and of course throughout my travels through alabama during our district work periods repeatedly hear two things from seniors in alabama. when is congress going to pass the budget and how is congress, with all of our budget woes going to preserve social security and medicare and the failure of congress to address these concerns in an honest way threatens the economic security of america's seniors. seniors deserve better than empty promises from a government that is broke. they deserve straightforward, honest answers and real solutions. and i, too, like many of the women that are speaking tonight, i have a grandmother. i call my grandmother gaga and i

have who look her in the eye and express to her my sincerity in making sure we are taking care of our seniors. we agree we are facing a serious budget crisis in washington and it's been more than 900 days since the senate has passed the budget. i would like to say this is ridiculous. a budget is a basic financial plan for our country and a vision for america's future. approving a budget is a fundamental task for congress. what business would operate without a basic budget for three years? republicans in the house have passed a bold budget plan that clearly addresses the biggest financial issues we face. the house republican budget addresses the spending, and it is an honest, concrete and detailed plan to balance our economy and on a path to

prosperity through job creation. under the republican house budget, seniors 55 and older will not be affected in any way. and as i think about my grandmother that i have talked about, i have to reiterate this point. it is so important, seniors -- those that are 55 and older will not be affected by our republican plan. they will not be affected. their benefits will not change. after paying into a system for years, we made a commitment to those seniors and we must follow through. for those of us who are 55 and under, we must take steps to ensure that medicare will still be available when we retire and available for our children and grandchildren. this is common sense. without reforming and repairs, these entitlement programs will not be in existence. without reform, they will

collapse. and the congressional budget office apets that it will go bankrupt by 2020. these programs are not sustainable in its current form and actions must be taken before it's too late. what proposals has this administration put forward to address these concerns? none of us in this room have yet to see a solid plan for action. by failing to address the problem, this administration is failing our seniors. rather than offering solutions, the administration is continually providing americans misleading information. those 55 and older under our plan will not be affected as it relates to those benefits. washington's failure to enact policies that promote long-term economic growth and balance the budget is creating uncertainty for consumers and employers

alike. it is time for washington to get serious and put our fiscal house in order. . there are bills waiting in the senate that will put americans back to work if the senate will only take action. congress must act now, it is what we were sent to washington to to do and protecting our senior is a human part of that. thank you for hosting this an thank you for letting me be part of it. mrs. hartzler: absolutely, lady. it is important to get the truth out and that seniors hear the truth about the bills and the steps we are taking to protect and defend them. now i get to introduce to you my fellow colleague from the great state of north carolina, representative renee ellmers. mrs. ellmers: thank you so

much. thank you for leading this special order tonight. it's so important, and you heard from my fellow women colleagues, the discussion we're having about our familiesing our senior, medicare, social security, the importance of operating under a budget, the -- thank you. we continue to grapple with these issues because here in the house of representatives we've passed numerous bills, we've passed the repeal of the president's health care bill, and yet only to go on to the senate an not be taken up for a vote. you heard my fellow women colleagues discuss how we passed 15 bills on to the senate, including the repeal with no action whatsoever. the american people are calling for jobs. the american people are calling for a change in our economy. and those bills will take care of that issue.

those bills will set us on a path toward recovery. and yet we continuously play politics. on the senate side. we don't bring these things for a vote. we're here tonight talking about these issues that affect our families. again, our seniors. our seniors are so concerned about what's going to happen in the future. our seniors have paid into a system their entire life. into social security and medicare. they deserve those benefits back. as a nurse, taking care of seniors was part of my core health care life. taking care of seniors and ensuring that they're going toe rev -- receive good care throughout the remainder of their life and they paid into that benefit willingly, they paid into that benefit and deserve to get it back. they don't look at medicare and

social security as budgetary issues. they look at these as benefits that they deserve and we, it is incumbent upon us to make sure they receive them. you heard my fellow women colleagues again reiterate over and over again that if you are 55 and older, throw our -- through our house-passed budget, they will not be affected. anyone 55 and older, no benefit is changed whatsoever. and yet in the senate, that budget is not taken up for a vote. the american people are looking for answers. the american people know the issue. they understand because we have made the point over and over and over again that medicare down the road, just a few years down the road, will be bankrupt. because of the situation that we're in today. seniors are calling my office every day, concerned that as republicans we are going to ruin medicare for them and

somehow they are going to lose that benefit. i can tell them honestly that is the last thing that any of us as republicans want to do. in fact, the problem lies with the president's health care bill that was passed in the 111th congress. because in that bill, half a trillion dollars was taken out of medicare and in its place was put into place a 15-person panel which you also heard my fellow colleagues discuss ipab, independent payment advisory board. 15 individuals, 15 bureaucrats, will be able to decide what medicare will pay for and what they will not. essentially taking away the patient's doctor -- the patient-doctor relationship. i don't want -- my husband is a surgeon. i don't want my husband to have to sit down with his patients

an discuss what they cannot do. because medicare will not pay for it. but that, unfortunately, is the future. if we are not able to remove this. if we are not able to repeal as we have already passed here in the house. my fellow colleagues are working very hard. very hard to rescue medicare from the position that it's in right now. because it is doomed to failure. but unfortunately, this issue has been kicked down the road through previous administrations, through previous congresses, but we can no longer allow this to go on. we have to address the issue now. and i believe that our seniors understand this. i believe that if we can continue to give them this message that we are in no way wanting to harm the benefit they're receiving now or the benefits they will be receiving if you're 55 and older, we will be able to accomplish that.

but again, the calls coming into my office that i am more than willing and my staff is more than willing to answer these issues need to be going on to the senate. they need to be going to the senate an asking why these issues are not being brought up, why are we not voting on these bills, why are we not passing the budget? you've heard my colleague say, it's been over 900 days since the senate passed a budget. there is no household that can function without a budget and there is no business which can can function without a budget. our seniors understand that too because they have lived very responsible lives and deserve all the benefits that we should be providing for them. thank you again for holding this very important special order and to those seniors out there, we are working very hard for you and we will continue to do so. thank you. mrs. hartzler: absolutely. i know you agree it's a

privilege to talk about our seniors tonight. your background in health care lends a lot of expertise to this issue. now i have another friend, another colleague from the same great state of north carolina. i think it's interesting, i learned, virginia, you're from grandfather community, is that correct? and we're talking about seniors. so that's appropriate. my good friend, representative virginia foxx. ms. foxx: thank you very much. i want to thank our colleague from missouri, congresswoman hartzler, for leading this important effort tonight to highlight the concern that republican women have for the millions of seniors we represent in congress, and yes, i do come from a little community in western north carolina that's called grandfather community because there is a mountain there called grandfather mountain that is one of the -- it's one of the highest mountains east of the rockies, second highest mountain east of the rockies and i have to tell you, when

people come and see the beautiful view i have and say, how can you leave this to go to washington and i tell them, it isn't easy but i think that we're doing important work here and it's important that we continue to do this work and represent, i think, the majority of the people in this country. we know, though, and i think highlighting this is very important, and it's interesting, my colleague from north carolina who just spoke, congresswoman ellmers and i, did not exchange notice, but we both were on the same wavelength in terms of what we wanted to talk about. i read my own mail, i answer all my own letters and i'm astounded at the number of letters i get from seniors who tell me they're very concerned about the health of the medicare and social security programs. they are concerned and they've

been misled into thinking that republicans want to do something negative to those programs. it is amazing the misinformation that's out there ability republicans and our attitude toward medicare and social security. in fact, it's republicans who have a plan to save medicare and social security and that's what i tell seniors. but they've heard that the congressional budget office has projected that medicare part a would be bankrupt in 10 years. and they know they've paid into these programs and they're relying on them to provide critical medical care for them when they need it. but in the past congresses have taken a pass on reforming these programs, to keep them solvent for both today's seniors as well as for future generations who are currently paying into them like we are.

but the house republican path to prosperity budget plan provides a way forward. it ensures that medicare lives long past 2020 when it's now projected to be bankrupt. the republican plan is my -- as my colleague from north carolina said, does nothing to impact medicare benefits for anyone 55 or older, but it will improve the program so that those 54 and younger will have access to the same kind of health care program enjoyed by federal employees and members of congress. we're often -- often criticized for having a separate program but this will allow seniors to participate in the same kind of program that we participate in. it's far better than letting the program wither on the vine, which is what those who refuse to take action would allow to happen. again, as my colleague pointed out, it's our friends on the other side of the aisle who voted to cut half a trillion dollars from medicare, not a

single republican voted to do that. our effort has always been to save medicare to save social security. and we have the plan to do it. the path to prosperity budget and its plan to save medicare. it's the only plan that preserves medicare for today's seniors and for future yen rations and i think this special order will help us get the message out to our constituents and those who are constituents of other members of congress and i want to thank you, congresswoman hartzler, for putting on this special order tonight. mrs. hartzler: thank you so much, virginia. now i'd like to yield time to another good friend from new york, ann marie buerkle. ms. buerkle: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i'm proud to stand here this evening with my fellow republican female members of congress and we stand here tonight united on behalf of our seniors.

i come before the house tonight, mr. speaker, not only as a nurse an someone who has been involved in health care most of my professional life but i come here as the daughter of a 90-year-old senior citizens. i rise here tonight to express my appreciation to my mother and to all the other seniors who have made such valuable contributions both in my district but throughout the united states of america. the seniors of today have fought wars, they've educated us, they've helped to build infrastructure and technology that has led the way to our modern life. today's seniors are still, they're still busy enriching our society, some of our seniors are busy in the community with care giving, with volunteer, with sharing important life lessons with their children, with their grandchildren, with their neighbors. yet some seniors, mr. speaker, in today's economy, find themselves working later in life. and when they finally have the ability to retire, they will be

dependent on social security and medicare. programs that they have paid into their entire life. mr. speaker, america must honor its obligations to our seniors. we must apreeve -- achieve bipartisan solutions that don't cut our seniors' benefits but rather ensure continued existence of these programs. i'm so saddened by the calls i get from seniors day in and day out, mr. speaker. they call my office, they write letters and they're so fearful because of the misinformation that they have been given. i want to sand here tonight with my republican colleagues and ensure our senior citizens, we are protecting your back, we are protecting medicare and social security, the programs that you rely on. we want to ensure them they don't have to worry that we will take care of them, we will honor our commitment to them

just as they honored their commitment to the united states of america. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. thank you to the gentlewoman from missouri. mrs. hartzler: thank you, ann marie. now i yield to the woman from wyoming. we have cynthia lummis. mrs. lummis: i thank the gentlelady from missouri. among the topics we've been discussing tonight is the effects of obamacare, the affordable care act, on medicare. and one of the things that i believe is the most egregious is that when the $500 billion was taken out of medicare to fund obamacare, is that it puts medicare in a position where access to medicare becomes a problem. and it becomes a big problem in states like mine, the state of wyoming, a very rural place.

we've got a dearth of physicians. every time a medicare patient walks into their offices, that physician is losing money. because the doctors are re-embureaused at amounts less than -- reimbursed at amounts less than the cost to provide the service. and that's happening elsewhere in the country as well, mr. speaker. we know from what the former c.b.o. director said at a hearing in july of this year, and i quote, today medicare coverage no longer guarantees access to care. seniors enrolled in the medicare program face barriers to accessing primary care physicians as well as medical and surgical specialists. he cited an example of the clinics that mayo has in arizona that are no longer accepting medicare patients into their primary care facility.

this is happening all over my state. i think it happens a lot in rural areas. so the concern that we have of taking money out of medicare and not using it to fix physician and hospital compensation and instead taking it to create a whole new program for nonseniors , it was a big mistake, a huge, huge barrier to making sure that seniors and seniors to-be, such as people in my age group, those of us 55 and older, will know that we have access to medicare, the medicare that we've paid into. so i commend my colleagues for having this special order tonight and raising these issues. i want to commend you and thank you for the opportunity to participate as well and i yield back. ms. hartzler: thank you, sintia.

i appreciate it. and -- cynthia, i appreciate it. and now my friend from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you. i want to thank my colleague for sponsoring this special order and i know we're running close to being out of time, but this is such an incredibly important topic for us as daughters, as granddaughters, as nieces and sisters and, you know, we spend a lot of time going to senior centersment i do in my district. and i believe -- centers. i do in my district. and i believe one of the resounding themes of our seniors right now is they're afraid, they're concerned, they're worried. they don't know what the future's going to be because of all the rhetoric surrounding washington. the statistics that we've heard a lot of them tonight, some of the ones that i've heard is that on top of more seniors living longer we're going to have the number of disabled elderly persons is projected to rise by 1/3 by 2030.

and as of january 1, 2011, each day 10,000, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. the numbers just aren't going to fit and we've talked about the republican plan to reform medicare, to not touch those benefits of our present seniors, but to reform it for future seniors, for the baby boomers to come that are going to be turning 65 and going to have to rely on -- need to rely on medicare. i'd like to talk about something in a personal way, we have a personal story, a lot of us, i'm in the sandwich generation. my parents are both in their 80's and they're having a rough spell of bad health and what it's done for my brother and sister and i is we've had to spend and we lovingly do this, but spend many, many hours trying to figure out how to meet their health care needs, try to figure out how to pay for all of their obligations and the worry of talking with doctors, trying to make sure they're

comfortable. this is a real worry for all families across the nation. but in our country 66% of these caregivers are women and i think that's why we as women of the house, particularly republican women of the house, wanted to discuss seniors and care. and so with this sandwich generation, with the rising incidence of alzheimer's which touches every family and my family's no exception, it brings a different type of need to this country on how we're going to address these very difficult medical issues. but if we don't address them and we've heard this tonight, if we don't address them, we just let them lie, let them stay the way they are right now today, they will not be there, they cannot exist. and one of the ways i think that we can really help our seniors is to have an economic program in place to grow our economy so that their 401-k's that they look and rely on for income are growing rather than just dissipating and shrinking, which

is another huge problem for our seniors. many of our seniors have planned very, very well for their retirement. they've kind of thought of them as their golden years, the time when they're going to be able to travel or visit more with their grandchildren and have the ease of life of the day to day -- the day to day obligations being met and with the downturn in the economy, with the lack of growth in our economy, our seniors aren't able to do that. they've put their heads down on the pillow at night and they're concerned about whether or not they're going to meet their obligations for their health care but the gas, the food, the payment for all of their -- all of their needs. and so i think we need to realize that we have plans, we have plans for our seniors. we know how important social security and medicare are to our seniors. maintaining it and making sure it's there for future generations is absolutely critical. so i want to thank my colleague for invite meg here this evening and -- inviting me here this evening and getting a chance to talk about something i care

deeply about and that is our nation's greatest generation. thank you. ms. hartzler: you bet. thank you. tonight you have heard from a lot of us, republican women here in congress. and you've heard our stories and our love and our respect for senior citizens and our heartfelt desire and commitment to serve and to represent them and to make sure that their rights are protected and that their voice is heard here. you've heard how we have had proactive plans put forth here in the house from our group to address medicare and to preserve and protect it for the future. you've heard how we care about social security and we're not going to take it away. we want to make sure it is there for future generations. you've heard of our concerns for alzheimer's and the other diseases that are ravaging our aging population and our desire and our commitment to move forward and make sure that those are addressed and that we make sure and find a cure there.

you've heard of our -- how we are listening to the financial challenges that we are hearing from the seniors in our district. and the plans that we put forth to eliminate the estate tax so one generation can pass on their farm or their small business to another generation without the federal government taking the property or taking the farm. and you've heard our commitment to veterans and to those who have sacrificed so much so that we can stay free and we're going to honor those commitments and those sacrifices. and lastly you've heard about how our respect for this generation and we know that -- of their desire to pass on an america to their grandchildren that is just as great and promising as the one they grew up in. we are committed to making sure that we rein in our runaway federal spending here, we keep our fiscal house in order as a country and that that promise is alive and well for their grandchildren. we are committed to moving forward as a group and we thank you for listening, we thank you, mr. speaker, for this time and i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, for 30 minutes. mr. rush: i want to thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i would like to express my outrage and my disappointment as the oakland, california, police department -- at the oakland, california, police department who reacted with brutality to those peacefully protesting. mr. speaker, i want to remind our nation's law enforcement authorities all across the land that civil disobedience is as

american as american pie. it is an act for which our great nation was conceived. it required great courage to do what they did at the boston tea party. it required great courage for the great american henry david they areow to refuse -- thereux to refuse to go to war against mexico in 1849 and that gave birth to the antiwar movement that continues today. the equalities that we as americans enjoy today are the result of those great, courageous americans that fought for our liberties, mr. speaker.

the women's suffrage moment -- movement went from 1848 to 18 -- to 190. generations -- 1920. generations of courageous women marched, they fasted and they were arrested. finally, in 1920 the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. it took more than seven decades of civil disobedience to achieve the change that they sought. let's not forget, mr. speaker, that abolition of slavery, the labor movement and the eradcation of child labor. the civil rights movement and the environmental movement are all -- all used civil

disobedience as a powerful and peaceful weapon to change laws and to protect all of our liberties. members of the movement now emerge as yet another generation of courageous americans, voicing a general frustration that many citizens feel of the elite who mismanaged the american economy. they are challenging us, this congress, our government, to reform not only wall street, but reform a culture of selfishness and greed that has distorted who we are and made the american dream appear unattainable.

we're losing ground as a result of these individuals, this grotesque american greedy elite. the occupy movement, mr. speaker, invites a sense of growing disillusionment with the direction of our country. i for one understand that feeling. a daily occurrence in this very house and it's hard for the american people not to feel the sense of utter frustration. they see their elected representatives unable to govern and -- in this crucial time. mr. speaker, a betrayal of american values occurred last

night in oakland, california. when police fired tear gas on those peaceful demonstrators. it occurred in new york city when police maced and beat protesters. government violence against our own people? is this not the very thing that we condemn in other places all around the world? how dare we denounce an action when committed abroad but yet remain silent when it happens in our own, very own, our own backyards? i for one cannot remain silent. history teaches us that violent

response to civil disobedience never, ever works. it makes people angrier, it turns public opinion against law enforcement, against the police. it is counterproductive and never achieves the goals of those who are trying to impose order. getting arrested is a fundamental part of disobedience, civil disobedience. civil disobedience. the occupy movement demonstrators, they expected to be arrested. civil disobedience participants all expect to be arrested. but they should also expect that the police will conduct

themselves with a professional understanding and sensitivity of the power they possess and the government that they represent. they carry weapons and they have the power to maim, to kill, to wound, and to arrest. with that great power comes great and even greater responsibility, and that greater responsibility includes the freedom that -- freedoms that were promised to all american citizens in that great document, the preamble to the constitution in the bill of right -- and the bill of rights. the freedom from, and i quote, unreasonable searches and

seizures, as promised in the fourth amendment of the constitution. the freedom from, and i quote again, cruel and unreasonable -- and unusual punishment. and i end the quote, as promised in the eighth amendment. and finally, mr. speaker, and perhaps most importantly, the freedom enshrined in the first amendment which guarantees, and i quote, the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of their grievances, end of quote. it is the job of law enforcement to uphold these freedoms. uphold our constitution.

uphold justice. even in the midst of the most difficult of situations. using mace and tear gas against our own people, exercising their constitutional rights? that is unacceptable. unacceptable. more importantly, it is un-american. i do sympathize with the tough job our nation's police officers face now and have faced, and i can't understand -- i can understand why they may feel intimidated by the sheer numbers or mistake the demonstrators, their passion,

for aggression. however, i ask in a humble way, i ask the police officers who are monitoring these protests to act with a rational head, with restraint, violence, -- violence only breeds violence. such unwarranted crowd control method would only serve to create mutual contempt between protesters and the police alike. dividing americans against americans, citizens against the police.

we don't want that. this is not a nation that supports and encourages that type of activity. it was only last week, mr. speaker, that we, this nation, citizens of the greatest country in the history of the world, only last week that we dedicated a memorial to a man who was the embodyment, the living proof of the power of disobedience and nonviolence. those who march peacefully in the face of fire hoses, in the face of dogs attacking them,

police batons striking them all over their body, including their heads, they changed america. now, a new generation follows boldly and audaciously with an american audacity, they follow in the footsteps of those american patriots who dared to disobey the law of the land as a matter of conscience. and priority. a matter of consciousness that created this great civil society called the united states of america. they made our nation better back then and i believe the occupy movement challenges us

to make america better now. yes, it can be done. america can be better. america must address the issues that those who are now demonstrating peacefully across the land that they are raising, they're only trying to peacefully redress their government. it is their constitutional right. how dare dogs, how dare tear gas, how dare police attack them in the wee hours of the morning. mr. speaker, the mayor of oakland, california, mayor gene han, owns the -- owes the

occupy movement a sincere, heart felt apology. the mayor owes the american people a sincere, heartfelt apology. at 3:00 a.m., on yesterday, the oakland police invaded the park where the protesters were assembled. 45 years ago, in the same city, 45 years ago this very week, an organization that i became a member of, the black panther party, was founded in oakland, california, as a result of the police brutality of the oakland police department. 25 years later, i, as a member

of this body, a member of this esteemed body, the house of representatives, i as a member of this body am i shamed to bear witness once again to the same oakland police department violating and attacking and brutalizing innocent citizens who are protesters -- protesters, bringing their deep felt grievances to the forefront and engaged in acts of civil disobedience. police batons, tear gas, mace, no matter what the weapon is,

no matter what, they cannot kill this movement. they cannot stop this movement. this occupy movement is going to move forward. it's going to move forward at an accelerated pace because of the actions of the police department in oakland and in other cities across this nation. they have a right to protest. they have a right to make their voices heard. they have a right to ask make their bodies a living sacrifice as it says in the bible. these individuals are ebusiness miting the greatness in us all.

it's the thing that we celebrate all across the land. we celebrate it in tunisia, we celebrate it in egypt, we celebrate it in libya, we celebrate it in yemen, we celebrate it in china, we celebrate it in other places, all across the world. how can we be so hypocritical? how can we be so insensitive? how can we be so arrogant to celebrate civil disobedience in other places across the world and attempt the very same actions and attitudes here in our nation when our citizens

engage in civil disobedience? mr. speaker, i say that those who are involved in the occupy movement, you are just lighting the first spark in a prairie fire of peaceful demonstrations across this land. don't give up. don't give out. and please, don't give in. we need you. you're doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons. keep doing what you're doing. stand up for what you believe in. stand up for what you believe in. it's high time now that the american people stand up for what they believe in. and take to the streets to

demonstrate to all that we're sick and tired of being sick and tired. we're sick and tired of home foreclosures. we're sick and tired of unemployment. we're sick and tired of being sick and tired. we're sick and tired. we're sick of the rising cost of health care. we need to demonstrate and protest the rising cost of health care. we're sick and tired of the rising gap between those who are high on the hog, the elite, and those at the bottom, the gap between those who are unemployed and underemployed, who are chronically unemployed, and those who are reaping the 1 -- the 1% who are reaping all

the wealth of this nation and telling the rest of us that they have a right to the wealth of the nation when yet we as american citizens don't have a right to a decent job, we as american citizens don't have a right to decent housing. we as american citizens don't have a right to decent education. we as american citizens don't have a right to decent health care. how can they look down on us and tell us that we don't have a right to the same opportunities and the same lifestyle and to the same benefits? how can they tell the dwindling, disappearing american middle class that they don't have a right to demonstrate? these are our children. they want a better future. these are our children and they

are willing to fight for a bet future. these are our children and they have the courage to stand up against the government, to stand up against the elite, to stand for their rights and i am proud that our children are standing up and standing for something to try to get some meaning into their lives and try to make this nation a better nation, i'm proud of them and again, i say to them, don't give up. don't give out. and please don't give in. god speed to you. and, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate my friend, mr. rush . he knows something about struggling for civil rights. and he's done a great deal for civil rights. i respect that very much. as a christian it's ok to talk

about our religious beliefs, as long as we don't ram it down somebody else's throat, trying to force them to believe as we do. but first amendment allows our right to discuss that. i'm very grateful for abraham lincoln and as i was talking with some constituents down in statuary hall about john quincy adams, believing he was called to try to end slavery in the united states, after he was defeated in 1828 for a second term, so he did the unthinkable after being president, he ran for the house of representatives. and some thought it was extremely strange and as i told my constituents, my friends, it

was reputed that when someone asked him about that he said he was prouder of being elected to the house of representatives after being president than he was being elected president, which seemed so strange to some of us until you realize that it means after he was president his neighbors still liked him. that's a big deal. because most presidents don't end up going back to their earliest hometown them. go somewhere else -- hometown. they go somewhere else. john quincy adams got elected nine times, preached sermons over and over -- preached sermons over and over down the hall about the evils of slavery. we couldn't expect god to keep blessing america while we were treating our brothers and sisters while putting them in chains and bondage. 17 years he fought that fight. believing he was called to bring

an end to slavery. his last year there, he was a young, tall man from illinois who had been elected to congress one time, most people don't know that he was ever elected to anything but president, but abraham lincoln was elected. john quincy adams liked him, took him under his wing. and it was reported that after lincoln was defeated after just two short years, went back, made some money, working, doing some legal work for the railroads and other things, after the compromise of 1850 he knew he couldn't allow this slavery as even more states with slavery, got back involved and fought the battle. didn't get elected to the senate. 1860 got collected -- elected president. but it was reported that someone asked him, if there was anything

memorable that happened during his two brief years in the house of representatives and that he replied, basically that not other than those powerful sermons john quincy adams used to preach on the evils of slavery. he knew it was wrong, but it just etched it on his soul. he had to do something. john quincy adams died in 1848, not achieving what he had originally thought he was called to do, end slavery. but a man who believed in god, who read the bible constantly, who's second inaugural address is etched in marble on the north inside wall of the lincoln memorial, one of the greatest theological dissertations on how if there's a justice god there could be something as horrible as a civil war, brothers killing brothers, as he said, they all

read from the same bible, pray to the same god. the prayers of both could not be answered. the prayers of neither were fully answered. but as lincoln came to realize, if it is that god chooses to have every drop of blood that was drawn by the master's lash be equaled with blood from the sword, then, as he said, we still must conclude what was concluded 3,000 years ago, then in quotes from the old testament, the judgment of the lord adjust and righteous altogether. powerful theology of a very difficult subject. but those beliefs drove him to

give his life for others. downstairs, we just saw the statute of father damian, a catholic priest in the hawaiian islands that knew going to the island where the lepers were, where they had no basic life, that eventually he would get leprosy and he would die from it . but he knew he had a calling that god called him -- calling, that god cale called him to minister -- called him to minister to those lepers so they could have a life, a society, a place to worship, a priest to come to for ministering and consolation, direction. so it is entirely appropriate that despite the existence of the aclu wanting to tear down so much of what the founders did and the great things that are emblazoned in the soul of this country, the statue, the plaque

starts with john 15: 13. greater love hath no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. basically abraham lincoln did that. but there was not full equality in this country, that was clear. bobby rush can talk about that authorizetatively, i really can't. he can talk about it authorizetatively and along came an ordained christian minister named martin luther king jr.. he believed it was his calling. god's calling on his life to bring about real equality in america. as he said, he had a dream that one day people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. he had a dream.

i'm so grateful for that heritage, that god moved in the hearts and minds of great men like that. some would say martin luther king, dr. martin luther king jr., gave his life to help african-americans, black men and women in america, to have equality. but it goes much deeper than that. for those of us who are christians, he created an environment where white christians could finally really be christian and treat brothers and sisters as brothers and sisters. that's a big deal. because before that there were too many white christians who didn't. he freed them up. now you can treat your brothers and sisters as true brothers and

sisters, where the color of skin doesn't matter. powerful. but the country we've come to know and love is under attack. we, many of us, i was in the army at fort benning in 1979, we look back and we think, well, the war started, radical islam started at war against us in 1979. more recently some who know more about the history of radical islam say it actually started quite a bit before that. but 1979 it became clear, our president carter, well intending, meaning well, hailed the ayatollah could manyy as a man -- could he meny as a man of peace -- can meny as a man of peace, just like this president did with president mubarak.

we would not assist and in fact encouraged rebels and the leader of a country with whom we had agreements, we would need on our end, not that the shah was a fine, great, upstanding man from reports, i never met him, apparently he wasn't, not that mubarak was a fine, loving, cuddley fellow, apparently from reports he wasn't, and there wasn't equality as there should have been, but he kept radicals at bay from destroying the peace agreement between israel and egypt. we had agreements with him that we -- apparently this administration looked the other way, couldn't -- wouldn't honor those agreements. i sure never thought much of gaddafi. but i could not celebrate a man

being captured, tortured and then shot and then all thed a oration and excitement --ed a ration and excitement of the same people -- adoreation and excitement of the same people who get so upset if a terrorist who is trying to kill americans have water poured on his face, knowing that the water won't hurt him, that there's a doctor right there, and that when he reveals information as khalid shake muhammad did, it will save lives and lead -- khalid sheek muhammad did, it will save lives and lead to the saving of lives. he won't be harm. if those same people that went ballistic over pouring water on a guy's face, not pleasant, how excited they could be about a man being captured, tortured and shot in the head routinely, how excited people could be about

having a drone take out an american citizen, well, he declared war on the united states. you declare war on the united states, the united states has every right to declare war on you back. you're an enemy combatant and the rules of war apply. such as they are. but we have come so far in the last 10 years from being careful and concerned that it seems that we've gotten careless, gotten ridiculous. our obligation, even those of us who are cyst crans, is not to turn the -- christians, is not to turn the other cheek as part of the government, not to reward evil with good, as individual christians are supposed to. our obligation is to provide for the common defense, same thing

set out in romans 13, you do evil, be afraid. because the government's not giving the sword in vein. -- vain. supposed to encourage good conduct and punish evil. provide for the defense so that individuals, whether they're muslim, christian, hindu, scientologist, whatever, they can worship as they wish. when we fail to protect this nation and provide for the common defense, we're not doing our job. we have had a very interesting time today with secretary of homeland security, janet napolitano, there's some things that have come out that have been very deeply troubling to me and i would hope that they would be very troubling to many.