study, the usefulness of the data you are gathering from governance? guest: we have promoted stability, listening, getting on higher ground. we think that people forget the lessons of history, even in school. history is not hot enough in narrative history, how people led. henry clay did three compromises. with the devil, in a way. we believe, we have in our board room, mark twain, "history does not repeat itself, but it can rhyme." we want the good ones. host: thank you for being with us.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 5, 2011, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with each party limited to one hour and each member other than the majority or minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes each. but no event the debate will continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from alabama, miss suewell, for five minutes. ms. sewell: i rise today to honor the life and legacy of dr. ethel harris hall who passed away last saturday at the age of 83. dr. ethel hall was one of alabama's premiere educators and one ever our nation's strongest advocates for children. she was the first african-american to serve on the alabama state board of

education and she was the first african-american and the longest serving vice chair of the board of education. she served as a state board of education's vice president for 10 years and presided over meetings in the absence of a governor. dr. ethel hall retired 10 months ago after serving on the alabama state board of education for 24 years. dr. ethel hall was born to harris -- harry and to fannie mae harris on february 23, 1928. the harris family lived in morgan academy -- members will record their votes by electronic devician county, alabama, and due to the limited educational opportunities in their area, they sent their doctor to live with her grandparents in jefferson county so she could attend school until north birmingham. she attended parker high school in birmingham until she moved back home with her parents to attend council training school. she graduated valedictorian of

her high school class and then attended alabama a&m university where she received a graduate degree -- bachelor's degree of science couple laddy -- lau -- cum laude. she taught in the jefferson county, and birmingham city school systems and later became the first african-american faculty member of the university of alabama. dr. ethel hall continued to further her education by going to alabama where she received and earned a doctorate of social work in 1979. she later taught in the school of social work at the university of alabama. after decades of teaching, dr. ethel hall entered politics and she was elected the first african-american member of the alabama state board of education on january 19, 1987. she went on to serve six terms before becoming vice chair in 1994.

dr. ethel hall served on the state board of education for 24 years and was named vice president emeritus. dr. hall served on the state board of education during many of its tumultuous battles over issues such as funding levels in schools, teacher testing, accountability standards for schools, and academic standards for students. in making these tough decisions, she always remained principled. putting alabama's children first. dr. ethel hall wrote about her wrong career in education in a recent published auto biography, my journey, a memoir of the first african-american to preside over the alabama board of education. i rise today to remember dr. ethel hall on the floor of the united states congress as a trailblazing alabaman, a gifted teacher, and a strong advocate for the education of our nation's children. dr. hall was a mentor to so many educators throughout the state of alabama and this

nation. including my own mother, mrs. nancy gardner sewell, through her numerous mentoring relationships, dr. hall encouraged teachers to use their talents to positively affect the lives of the students they taught. not overwhelm does she lead by example, she also trained and mentored the next generation of educational leaders. indeed, my generation owes pioneers like dr. hall a debt of gratitude. dr. ethel hall sewed the seeds for the opportunities that now flourish for so many. i know that i stand on the shoulders of many great giants like dr. ethel hall. on election night, november 2, 2010, several trailblazing alabama women made the trip to selma, alabama, to be there when i was elected. i will never forget that dr. ethel hall was one of them. her presence meant so much to me. more than she will ever know. it was her light that guided the path that led me to become alabama's first

african-american congresswoman. dr. ethel hall was the epitome of a servant leader. she led by example and was motivated by a driving passion that all children deserve a quality education. dr. hall was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, mr. alfred hall. she is survived by two children, donna and alfred. and a host of family and friends who will miss her dearly. today i ask my colleagues in the united states house of representatives to join me in celebrating the life and legacy of this extraordinary alabaman. let dr. hall's life stand as a testament to the courage an strength of one individual's ability to shape the lives of so many. we should be renewed by her love of learning and recommit ourselves to providing the resource that is our nation's greatest advocates as children's need. i ask we all pay tribute and homage to dr. ethel hall. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her

time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from missouri, mr. long, for five minutes. mr. long: thank you, mr. speaker. there once was a man named mel and when he stepped to this microphone he would give them mel. i rise today to recognize a former member of this body and a friend and mentor, congressman mel hancock. he would sign all of his letters or emails, whatever he would sign, with the same thing, yours for better but less government. that's what mel believed. when senator jim talent first came to this body he asked mel to help him vote. he said, mel, can you help me to use the voting machine? see, you want to vote no, you push the red button. if you have a conflict, you can't vote on an issue, you push the yellow button for p for present. and he turned and walked off. senator talent said, hey, mel, what's the green button for? mel turned around and said, i

don't know. never used it. mel died peacefully in his home, in his sleep, on november 6, in springfield, missouri. mel was a champion of limited government. mel knew that our founding fathers understood the corrupting influence that power on the human character which is why they champion personal freedom. the idea that a government by the people and for the people should preserve liberty for future generations. like our founders, mel was a wise man, a good man, who worked tirelessly to defend people's liberty. mel was a true ozarkian. he was born in cape fair, missouri, in 1936. he graduated from college and enlisted in the air force in 1951 where he would serve on active duty until 1953. following active duty mel stayed in the air force reserves until 1965 where he attained the rank of first lieutenant. after military service, mel went into business, co-founding

a security system equipment leasing company. however, mel's dedication to his country did not end with his military service. as a businessman and voter, mel was upset with the way things were being done in the state of missouri and washington, d.c. in 1977 mel founded the taxpayer survival association, i can still see the bumper sticker today with the life safer on it. -- lifesaver on it. a not for profit organization dedicated to advancing a constitutional amendment to limit taxes. he was a one man show. he would go around missouri getting signatures. you might see him in kansas city, standing in the parking lot in front of the mall in a rainstorm, getting people to sign his tax and spending amendment. to put on the ballot. through his hard work with the hand congress amendment, it was added to the missouri constitution in 1980. mel used his passage to continue his advocacy for

responsible government and for the rights of individuals to be free from an overburdensome government. mel's convictions took him to congress in 1988 where he represented southwest missouri for eight years. i always called mel the reluctant congressman. he didn't want to be a congressman. he didn't want to come to washington, d.c. but he was just pulled in that direction by people that said, mel, you got to go. you got to do it. and i'm honored to now occupy that same congressional seat, missouri 7. during his time in congress from 1977 to 1996, he worked in the house ways and means committee to advance the cause of liberty. he also championed a balanced budget amendment, his signature issue, which i'm proud to say we are going to vote on a balanced budget amendment this week. mel retired from congress in 1996. he didn't retire because he couldn't win another election, but because he had promised the people of southwest missouri that he would not serve more than four terms in office. with mel, a promise made was a promise kept.

something that washington would do well to remember these days. now over 30 years since the passage of the hand congress amendment with our current budget problems, it reveals just how right mel was. we would not have a $15 trillion, that's right, we went over $15 trillion yesterday. we would not have a $15 trillion debt or massive run away government spending if we had a hancock amendment on the national level. mel was much beloved by his neighbors, friends, and family in missouri seven's district and was one of my mentors. our thoughts and his prayers with with his wife who mel always referred to as the boss. his sons lee, kim, and daughter, luann and they are families. the legacy he created and the ideas he championed will continue. his legacy will forever be a part of missouri through the hancock amendment and his service to his constituents. mel meant the world to me. and i will continue to champion the ideas that he dedicated his

life fighting for. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. higgins, for five minutes. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, we are approaching the deadline for the supercommittee to propose a debt reduction plan most economists under agreement on what we need to do. in the long term, reduce debt by at least $4 trillion over 10 years through a mix of added revenues and reduced spending. the short-term, make immediate investments to create jobs and to reduce unemployment. i encourage the supercommittee not to ignore the second of those priorities. because now is the perfect time to create jobs by making large-scale investments in american infrastructure. since world war ii every economic contraction was followed by a period of economic expansion. although economists tell us the

recession has ended, we have had no economic expansion. unemployment remains at 9%. economic growth is projected to be moderate at best. the reason our economy's taking so long to recover is because this recession was more severe than any since the great depression. something that seemingly few in government or academia realized at the time. because of the historic severity of this recession, american households, local and state governments, and european governments find themselves in debt like never before. consequently consumer demand is and will be depressed while households and governments reduce spending. and when demand falls, businessings don't hire. it is that simple. some believe this period of decreased demand will last five to seven years. a policy of fiscal austerity will make matters only worse. we only have to look back at the united states in 1937,

japan in the 1990's, and europe last year and this year to understand that we consumers are not spending the worst thing a government can do is stop spending itself. the new american foundation report makes the case that investing $1.2 trillion over the next five years in rebuilding our infrastructure will create 22 million jobs. 22 million jobs over a five-year period. that is more than the 22 million jobs that were created under president clinton. and the job creation of the 1990's raised so much revenue that our federal budget reached record surplus. times were so good that we were debating at that time the implications of repaying the en tight -- entire nathes' debt. the lesson -- entire nation's debt. the lesson is job creation. that is why the supercommittee must include significant job

creation components in its recommendations. let me add, mr. speaker, that our infrastructure is sorely in need of massive investment. our roads, bridges, airports, energy grid, water infrastructure, are all in horrible condition. the world economic forum ranks america 23rd in infrastructure quality. the american society of civil engineers gives our infrastructure a d grade. transportation for america reports that there are 63,000 structurally deficient bridges in our country, including 99 in my community of western new york. the chamber of commerce has said that unless we repair our infrastructure we will suffer $336 billion in lost growth over the next five years. . to my colleagues who believe we can't afford to make investment right now, i say we can't afford not to delaying infrastructure

could cost those repairs by a factor of five. i know we have spent $62 billion nation building in iraq and $73 building nation building in afghanistan. there was no objection when the borrowing to finance that nation building, nor should there be objection now when we're proposing to do nation building right here at home. and given the current conditions, economic conditions, financing american infrastructure projects will never be cheaper. interest rates are extremely low. the cost of labor and materials are low due to lack of demand. and the equipment is cheap because it is idle. repairing and expanding our infrastructure work is -- that we need to do to stay globally competitive and we will never be cheaper to do it than it is to do today. quite simply, there is much work to be done and a lot of americans need to do work. and now is the best time to do that. mr. speaker, a large scale, $1.2 trillion, five-year

investment in infrastructure would create 27 million jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. it will reduce unemployment. it will reduce the deficit and in the end we will have an infrastructure our economy needs and our country deserves. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. meehan, for five minutes. mr. meehan: mr. speaker, i rise on behalf of h.r. 733, the pancreatic cancer research education act. oftentimes we talk about numbers, mr. speaker, but often there's the occasion to actually talk to the people who are behind the bills. one of the most moving experiences i have had is to have a visit to my office by a young money named sienna gonzalez who visited with her

mother and family. you see, sienna's mother is a victim of pancreatic cancer, and sienna is on a mission, along with many of her friends, to help people fight to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. she took a lead by urging so many of her friends and colleagues in her classroom, and i hold in my hand just one of the volumes of hundreds upon hundreds of letters that came and were so moving. the facts speak for themselves. 43,000 americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 36,000 will die just this year. and the lifetime of expectation after announcement of that is about three months to six months. i think the words are better said, however, by some of the students. people are losing a lot of friends, writes alley.

we are trying to help. did you know that this disease is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially? in over 40 years survival rates have not changed. the average life span after diagnosis is three months to six months. please, use more of your research money to help these people, if you can. thank you. that's just one of the hundreds of letters. i want to express my deep appreciation to dr. timothy quinn, the superintendent in the facton, school district. the principal. most importantly, the hundreds of students who have taken the time to assure their voice is heard to say, pancreatic cancer, know it, fight it, end

it. thank you for making sure that we fight for those with pancreatic cancer. mr. speaker, if i may, just very quickly, i rise to honor the first troop philadelphia city cavalry on the occasion of their 237th anniversary. this volunteer troop was the first of its kind organized in the defense of our country during the american revolution. for those hard fought years is where the original members forged concept of service and a body of tradition which is kept alive today by its current members. the first troop is a private military organization whose membership is comprised of members of the pennsylvania army national guard who serve in eight troop first squadron, 104th calvary, and the 20th infantry division. many of the members served overseas, including afghanistan and iraq. their service to our country is immeasurable. we should all be extremely thankful.

mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee, for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and also include extraneous material for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise, again, to really beat the drum about the ongoing crisis of poverty and unemployment in america. on november 6, the associated press reported that we have crossed a terrible threshold. more job seekers now in america have run out of unemployment benefits than are receiving them. simply put, the majority of americans who are struggling to find a job are no longer getting unemployment benefits. we need to extend unemployment benefits and we need to do it now. not just for those who are about to run out, but for the millions of americans whose benefits ran out a long time ago. the millions who ran out of time to establish their careers.

the millions who ran out of time to safeguard their family's futures. for the millions who ran out of time to ignite the fires of the american dream. congressman bobby scott and i have a bill, h.r. 589, which will give millions of families just a little more time to find a good job, to make a secure home and would provide this bridge over troubled waters while our nation and the economy recovers. extending benefits for the 99ers is the right thing to do for millions of americans who were laid off through no fault of their own. they watched as corporations took over their government and ran the economy into the ground. they watched as the banks raided the nation's treasury and lined their pockets with massive bonuses while millions of americans lost their jobs. they watched as our nation's future was traded away for needless wars and tax cuts for billionaires. mr. speaker, the american people are sick and tired. they don't want to watch any

more. they don't want to wait any more. they have run out of time. nearly 50 million americans are already living in poverty. struggling to feed their families and to keep a roof over their heads. countless millions are living on the edge. they have desperately tried to stay one step ahead of disaster, living paycheck to paycheck, and waiting for the other shoe to drop. the american people really have one out of patients. they don't want to hear -- run out of patience. they don't believe it when they are told we can't afford to pay for medicare, medicaid, social security or unemployment benefits when we are spending $1 trillion on wars halfway around the world. they don't want to hear empty promises from the republicans in congress who take responsibility to ensure that the poor in america, and i quote, have food in their stomaches and they have a roof over their head even as they pass bills that slash

affordable housing programs, cut a food program which is very important. americans know that the rich should pay their fair share and that working men and women of america deserve more. they don't want this generation to be the first generation of americans who won't do better than the last one. americans want to move ahead, and they want those who have benefited the most from our economy to pay what they owe to the 99% of the american people who are the real engines of our economy and the heart of our democracy. the generation that is marching in the streets right now are asking, what went wrong in the pursuit of their american dream? so let's pass h.r. 589 and give americans a little more time to land that job that gets their family back on their feet. you know, when you run out of unemployment benefits after 99 weeks, that's it. that's it. so we must extend unemployment benefits, but we also need to extend, as our bill says, at

least an additional 14 weeks, so that those who hit the 99-week wall have some form of survival until we can figure out a way to create jobs. so we must pass the american jobs act to reinvest in the future of this country and build up our roads and bridges, repair our sewer lines and build a 21st century schools for all of our students. let's put americans back on track with american jobs, american ingenuity, american leadership toward a brighter tomorrow for all americans. we must build these ladders of opportunity. we have to remove these barriers and these obstacles and, let me tell you, not having a job is a huge barrier and a huge obstacle toward reigniting the dream. so we must extend unemployment benefits but we must not forget those have hit 99 weeks who are no longer eligible for unemployment benefits. as the a.p. article says, we now have over two million people now who won't even be

eligible for unemployment compensation. that's 2.2 million people that won't even be eligible even if we extend unemployment benefits. so let's work to how to, one, create jobs, and proside some safety net for those -- provide some safety net for those who want to work. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back her time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you very much. i, again, will keep coming to the floor twice a week when we are in session to talk about bringing our troops out of afghanistan. it is a war that bin laden is dead, al qaeda -- excuse me -- bin laden is dead and we need to start thinking about, as the lady said before me, let's think about what america needs and not what afghanistan needs. and that brings me to this

point of the talk i want to give today, mr. speaker, on february 16, 2011, then secretary defense gates testified before the house armed services committee, which i serve on, and i'd like to read his comments. by the end of this calendar year we expect less than 100,000 troops to be deployed in both of the major post-9/11 combat theaters. virtually all of those forces being in afghanistan. that is why we believe that beginning in fiscal year 2015, and that's important, mr. speaker. that is why we believe that beginning in fiscal year 2015 the united states can, with minimal risk, begin reducing army active duty by 27,000 and the marine corps somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000. these projections assume that the number of troops in afghanistan would be significantly reduced by the end of 2014 in accordance with the president's strategy.

mr. speaker, i read that because i read the same statement to the new secretary of defense, mr. panetta, whom i have great respect for, and i asked him, do you have the authority to change those timelines? he said, no, because this is what the president has agreed to. well, mr. president, i'm calling on you to reconsider because beside me is a poster and beside that poster is a flag-draped coffin coming out off a plane in dover and the headlines in the greensboro paper says, get out. it's time to bring our troops home. they have done everything they were asked to do. i went to walter reed at bethesda, the new consolidated military hospital here in washington. i saw people from my area. a lance corps rale asked me with his mom in the room, congressman, why are we still

in afghanistan? and i looked into the young man's face and said, i don't know why we are still there. y'all have won many, many battles, and it's time to bring you home, and the only thing he said, mr. speaker, was, thank you. that brings me to a letter i received from a retired marine down in my district about a year ago. he said, i am writing this letter to express my concern over the current afghan war. i'm a retired marine officer with 31-plus years of active duty. let me go down in the letter, because there's another point i want to make. our senior military leaders in afghanistan continue to say that we are making progress, but at what cost to our country? the war is costing the united states billions of dollars a month to wage, and we're still continuing to get more young americans killed. the afghan war has no end state for us. i urge you to make contact with all the current and newly elected men and women in

congress and ask them to end this war and bring our young men and women home. if any of my comments will assist you in this effort, you are welcome to use them and my name. mr. speaker, i don't know why we are -- we got this debt crises facing our country and yet we got a corrupt leader in afghanistan named karzai that one day likes america and the next day he hates america and we send him $10 billion a month and it's borrowed money from the chinese, and yet we are going to say to the american people, we are going to cut the programs for little children, we are going to cut the programs for senior citizens. but, mr. karzai, you will get your $10 billion. and that brings me toward the end of my comments, mr. speaker . i contacted i contacted a marine general who has been a very dear friend of mine for a number of years. he sends me questions to ask in committees. to the secretary of defense and others who might be testifying. but something that has always stuck with me is what he closes

this email with, i have many emails. what do we say to the mother and father, the wife, of the last marine killed to support a corrupt government and corrupt leader in a war that cannot be won? that is the question. i hope the american people will call on congress both parties to bring our troops home before 2014. mr. speaker, i close by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform. i ask god to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. i ask god in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq. i ask god to bless the house and senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of god for his people. and i ask god to give wisdom, strength, and courage to president obama that he will do what is right. and three times i ask god please, god please, god please continue to bless america. let's bring our troops home. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to address all of their remarks to the chair. the chair recognizes the

gentlewoman from california, ms. woolsey, for five minutes. ms. woolsey: thank you, mr. speaker. every one of us in this congress believes that keeping the nation safe as well as providing benefits to our veterans as promised is our very top priority. it's a very, however, of just how do we do that? and a decade of war and military occupation is not the best way. whenever spending cuts are on the agenda, as they are right now, with the supercommittee, racing to meet its deadline, military and defense programs continue to get a pass. why should the png penning get a blank -- pentagon get a blank check while safety net programs have to look for change in the couch cushions to keep their programs going? it's time for the pentagon to share in the sacrifice. especially since it's been so generously funded over the years. a 50% increase in the d.o.d. budget over the last decade.

digger in real dollars today -- bigger in real dollars today than it was at the height of the cold war. in the war in afghanistan would save at least $10 billion a month. actually it's more like 12 now. to say nothing of the lives we would save and the injuries that would be avoided. but i think we should go further in cutting the base pentagon budget. just to give a few examples, i'm a long time advocate of eliminating the v-22 osprey aircraft. it's a program that if we eliminated it would save $10 billion and it's a program that is notorious for costs overruns and for huge safety concerns. and we can dramatically reduce the nation's nuclear arsenal. why do we need, i ask you this, why do we need 5,000 warheads when just one is enough to destroy life on earth?

we can bring huge savings out of the system by fundamentally changing how we think and how we deal with national security. for pennies on the dollar we can keep america safe but implementing a smarter security policy. by supporting a civilian surge over a military surge. my smart security platform which is h.res. 19, would make war a very last resort and adopt a different posture toward the rest of the world. it's not isolationism. when i say i want to bring our troops home from iraq and afghanistan, i'm not saying we abandon those countries, i'm saying we must engage them in a different way. that means investing in their people and their capacity to lead lives free of depravation and despair. so instead of weapons systems let's invest more on

development and humanitarian aid. more on maternal health programs. more on mosquito nets to prevent malaria. more on education, health care, microlending, etc., etc. you know what? i would promote our -- you know what would promote our national security, mr. speaker, like nothing else, is a genuine, well funded commitment to eradicating poverty and malnutrition in the developing world. instead of invasions and occupations, smart security emphasizes diplomacy. it emphasizes the civilian surge, multilateralism, and peaceful conflict resolution. it also calls for more investment in energy independence, nuclear nonproliferation, democracy promotion, and civil society programs abroad. isn't that a better way to combat terrorism than sending

100,000 troops to a part of the world known for widespread anti-american sentiment? we must stop equating national security with armed aggression. because that's how we ended up with out-of-control pentagon budgets and an ever more dangerous world. in fact, mr. speaker, military force has been proven to oftentimes undermine our security instead of enhancing it. smart security protects america because it relies on the very best of american values. moral leadership, compassion, our commitment to peace and freedom. it costs pennies on the dollar. it is efficient. and fiscally responsible. so let's bring our troops home, cut the pentagon budget, and implement smart security now. then we can have real cost savings in the united states.

and, mr. speaker, that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: mr. speaker, halfway arpped the world in the desert of the sun and the valley of the gun the american warrior stands fighting the forces of the enemy. but one such soldier returns from battle to america with a flag draped could havey. he is cody norris, army private first class. a machine gunner in the infantry. just 20 years old. barely an adult. but still an all-american man. for the norris family in la port, texas, cody was a son and little brother. he died in a gun battle last week in afghanistan for our country. he was the 38th warrior in my area of texas to give his life for his country.

cody grew up in la port, he graduated from la port high school just last year, but he quickly volunteered for the united states army in october. in high school cody loved to restore old military trucks. he restored a 1952 dodge m-37 army truck and drove it to school. he was a member of the junior rotc color guard at la port high school. but this year his former classmates and peers in the color guard honored his life. he was assigned to the second battalion, 34th armored regiment, first heavy brigade, combat team, first infantry division at fort riley, kansas, before deploying to afghanistan. it was his first deployment in afghanistan. october 1 marked his one-year anniversary in the united states army. cody was killed in the kandahar province last week on november 9 when the enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire.

kandahar province in afghanistan has been called the birthplace and fanatical home of the notorious taliban. it is a dangerous part of the world. i have been to afghanistan several times. and the sun is unbearable in the summer and the cold is brutally piercing in the winter and our soldiers fight on undeterred, tenaciously, focused. they go to battle in land seemingly cursed by god. our military in afghanistan go where others fear to tread and the timid are not found. when i spoke to cody's mother, she told me cody marched to the beat of his own drum. he didn't care what others thought of him. he did what he thought was right. he said cody was proud to be a soldier and that their family believes in the red, white, and blue and they all love this country. that pride is carried through in cody's older brother, michael norris. he's a cadet in his last year at the united states military academy at west point.

the norris family is a solders family. cody's facebook page is filled with heartfelt messages from his friends, classmates, and fellow soldiers. it is evident how much he made people laugh in his very young life. cody wrote on his facebook in the about me section, i'm in the army. and i'm an infantryman. i love what i do as my job and my dream in life and no one can take that away from me. i am trained by the best and i will be the best i can. i want to do all i can for the ones i love and my country to keep us all free. even if it means death. so that every american can live their dreams out as well. cody loved what he did. he loved his country. he was selfless and he was an american patriot. for his service in the united states army, cody has been awarded the army commendation medal, the national defense

service medal, the afghanistan campaign medal with two campaign stars, and the nato medal and the combat infantry medal. cody norris was a part of the rare breed, the american breed. soldiers who take care of the rest of us and watch for evildoers who would bring us harm. they prove their commitment to america by giving their lives for this nation. general george patton said of the fallen soldiers, let us not only mourn for the men who have died fighting, but let us be grateful to god that such men ever lived. mr. speaker, we are grateful to private first class cody norris and that he lived. he was a texan, a soldier, an american warrior. and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the jeament california, ms. bass,

for five minutes. ms. bass: thank you. request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. bass: i rise today in recognition of the 12th annual national adoption day this friday, november 18. as we prepare for thanksgiving festivitieses with loved ones, many of us take for granted our opportunity to spend time with family and friends. but for thousands of foster youth around the country, celebrating a holiday with a permanent family remains out of reach. in the united states today there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. some waiting years to be adopted by a permanent loving family. although the number of youth without a home seems discouraging, there is hope. this week in recognition of national adoption day, an unprecedented number of courts in 400 communities throughout the country will open their doors to finalize the adoption of thousands of children from the foster care system.

national adoption day is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of children in foster care who are eligible and waiting for adoption. as well as to celebrate families that have been chosen to make a lasting difference in the life of a child through adoption or relative-base care. since 2000, more than 35,000 children have been adopted through national foster day -- national adoption day activities. this year nearly 5,000 adoptions will be finalized. in california alone, my home state, 500 youth will be adopted through these special events. while the number of children in foster care has significantly decreased over the past decade, the number of adoptions have remained unchanged. youth often wait years in foster care before finding a permanent family through adoption. during their time in foster care, children are moved from home to home, changing schools, lozzing friends, coping with

separation from siblings, and wondering if they will ever have anyone to call mom or dad again. what's worse is that nearly 28,000 youth age out of foster care each year never having been adopted, often going through life alone, without the support systems children with permanent families have, not to mention sharing who die traditions or a family meal. as the co-chair of both the congressional coalition on adoption and the foster youth caucus, i look forward to continuing working in a bipartisan fashion to identify solutions to improve the quality of life for our nation's most vulnerable children. national adoption day reminds us that it is our responsibility and in our best interest to find solutions to ensure children have the opportunity to live in a safe and loving home. nearly 48 million americans have considered adopting from foster care according to a recent national survey.

if just one in 500 of these adults adopt, all the 107 children in foster care waiting for adoption would have determine families to help create thanksgiving traditions of their own. in closing and the spirit of giving thanks, i'd like to express sincere gratitude to all of the adoptive parents, relative caregivers, and child welfare caseworkers, their commitment to improving the lives of today's youth is truly commendable. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes mrs. hartzler for five minutes. mrs. hartzler: washington spends more than it brings in and it has been doing that for a long time. that's why we are over $15 trillion in debt. that's over $46,000 of debt for every american man, woman and child. washington is currently

borrowing 36 cents out of every $1 it spends. under president obama our national debt has increased over 36%. that's the fastest increase under any u.s. president in history. our government is digging a hole it might not ever get out of it. we don't have the money, yet, big government hasn't been able to restrain itself and keeps putting more and more of its spending on a credit card. our children's credit card. our national debt to g.d.p. ratio rivals that of countries like ireland, portugal and greece, which are facing sovereign debt crises. soon, our national's federal debt will equal our g.d.p. it's a losing proposition. it's like someone's total credit card debt qualing the total amount of income that they bring in each year. and so what do people do? if they do that at home people

go and get another credit card and they borrow money on that to pay the minimum on the first credit card. but then they have to go get another credit card to pay the minimum on that one to pay the minimum on that one. it doesn't work. it spirals down and down until finally it ends in bankruptcy. it's unsustainable. most american families understand that. they live within their means. washington should too. i grew up watching my mom and my dad wrestle with balancing the budget on our family farm. they would sit down around the kitchen table at the start of the year and develop a cash flow projection for the upcoming year, listing the expenses that would be necessary to put into crop and projecting in anticipating yields and prices to see how we were going to fair and to ensure we weren't going to go over budget. then, my parents would monitor it throughout the year to see how it was doing. my mother would spend hours with her pencil erasing and adjusting the budget as conditions change either up or

down. they used to make my sister and i sit down and participate in the process with them. i can tell you as a child we weren't that thrilled with this tedious task because sometimes it would take hours. but now i'm thankful that they did and they had the foresight to teach us the importance of balancing a budget. i convey that importance to my students when i taught personal family finance as a home economics teacher. i tell students when you budget the expenses shouldn't be more than the income. they got it. washington should too. now, we have the opportunity this week to bring the common sense and the business sense of american families and american small businesses to washington to force it to live within its means by passing the balanced budget amendment. i firmly believe that this constitutional amendment is the best way to restrain the out-of-control federal spending of big government. 49 states have some form of a

balanced budget requirement and it works for them. i know it works for missouri, and i believe it will work at our nation's capitol too. when i was a missouri state representative we budgeted according to the revenue projection given us and designed our budget to match the income. if we didn't have the money we didn't spend it. because of that, missouri's on sound financial footing. clearly washington is not because it has failed to balance its budget. passing the balanced budget amendment will force washington to cut up these credit cards and to start living within its means. families are tightening their belts at home to make ends meet. our federal government needs to do likewise. president rond reagan understood the importance of the balanced budget amendment. he said only a constitutional amendment will do the job. we've tried the carrot it failed. with the stick of a balanced budget amendment we can stop government squandering, overtaxing ways and save our

economy. that's why i'm excited about this historic vote that we are going to take tomorrow and i urge all of my colleagues, republicans and democrats, to get behind this commonsense provision that will set us back on a path to strong financial footing. now is the time to stop the reckless course we are on and get things right. i look forward to applying the cash flow knowledge i learned around the kitchen table as a child to our federal budget. it worked at home. it's time to make it work in washington. i yield back my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. green, for five minutes. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, there are unsung heroes and heoins among us. -- heroins among us. these are people who overcome challenges just to do the ordinary. they are not born into plenty.

they are often born into poverty. but they have lives that are rich in that they overcome great obstacles in life just so that they can be of benefit to the lives of others. one such heroine was born in july of 1944. she passed last week on november 9, 2011. her story is one that i would hope we would remember simply because it exemplifies the life of a person who met challenges, did everything that was required, played by the rules and sometimes these persons go unnoticed. lola may bolden davis, born in texas, anderson, texas, to ollie prat sanders and charlie

bolden. she was their second born. she attended allen farm school up to the eighth grade. she joined rock west baptist church. at age 16 she moved to houston, texas, and acquired her first job as a housekeeper. at age 18 she met the love of her life, ruben george davis sr. a year later they had their first child, pamela. she went on to attend franklin beauty school. eventually she opened her own business. it was known as the lola davis beauty nook. she later had three additional children, ruben, paula and winwick. she was hired at texas instruments in 1969, and while she was working there she received her g.e.d. later, she received her associate degree from houston community college. she enrolled at texas southern university and graduated with a

degree in education. she taught in the houston independent school district, mind you, this is a person who dropped out of high school, received a g.e.d., went on to get an associate degree, got her degree in education, and now she's teaching in the houston independent school district. she was known as grandma davis to her students. her son, ruben, became a constable in harris county. he is still the constable in fort bend county, not harris, fort bend county. and her children have done well. she played by the rules. she did not receive all of the awards that one might have received who has excelled and made a great contribution by way of an invention or maybe a great contribution by way of having been elected to public office, but she did do this --

she was a good citizen who did the right thing, took care of her family and produced offsprings who have done well. so today i salute her as an unsung heroine. thank god for those who are at the very foundation who makes this great nation. god bless you. god bless the united states of america, and god bless our unsung heroes. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new jersey, mr. garrett, for five minutes. mr. garrett: mr. speaker, i rise today to speak in favor of a balanced budget amendment and some would say it's the only solution to our current fiscal crisis. you know, statesmen throughout history of our republic have stressed the importance of fiscal responsibility. but it's the beliefs of thomas

jefferson i think we must pay particular attention to. you know, thomas jefferson bore the burden of debt throughout his entire life. and some historians argue jefferson's personal experiences have influenced his thinking about the public debt as well. you know, jefferson inherited a significant amount of debt at the young age of 31, and some say his own spending added to that and worsened his financial condition personally during his own life. and when he died he unfortunately passed his debt onto his descendents and that's exactly what this federal government is doing now to future generations today. so if the federal government says it's so concerned about the welfare of our children and the next generation and next generation, then we should be taking time right now to address this staggering public debt that our children and our grandchildren will stand to inherit if our leaders here in congress fail to have the courage to do what? to cut spending and to balance

their budget and to live within our means. you know, jefferson had a moral message to the future of public servants in this regard. he believed that those who were entrusted by their constituents to represent them, as he said, shall consider themselves unauthorized to saddle prosperity with our debts and morally bound to pay them ourselves. now, jefferson expanded on this message in a letter that he later wrote to james madison in 1798 when he said, neither the representatives of a nation, the whole nation itself assembled can engage debts beyond what they can pay in their own lifetime. still writing to madison, he explicitly endorsed a balanced budget amendment stating -- with respect to future debts, would it not be wise and just for a nation to declare in its constitution that neither the legislature nor the nation itself can validly contract more debt than it can pay for

within its own age? so what would jefferson think about where we are in this country today? now, the c.b.o., the congressional budget office, has projected that maintaining all of our current spending would eventually require that the middle class in this country would have to have a tax rate of almost 2/3 of all their income, 63%, and the small businesses in this country would have to see their tax rates skyrocket up to 88% in order to cover all the spending. these numbers have a real impact on the lives of individuals, on families and on businesses. so if congress were then to keep on spending and have to raise taxes as much as c.b.o. prescribed, congress would do what? they would have a crushing tax burden and smother the ability of businesses to expand and therefore create jobs. see the economy and the economics of this is very clear. if we refuse to address our spending problems, tax rates are going to have to rise.

they will rise in such a matter that will commit future generations to a tax burden to pay for what, to pay for spending of today. so we now as often is the case stand at a crossroads. we can overspend and borrow and put this burden on our children or we can do something else. we can demonstrate our commitment to a balanced budget by making it the supreme law of the land in this country. so let me conclude, then, with a final quote from jefferson. he stated this -- to preserve the people's independence, we must not let our government load us up with perpetual debt. we must make a selection now between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. so let's make jefferson's dream a reality. let us pass a balanced budget amendment. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms.

kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: mr. speaker, thank goodness some americans continue to analyze the real causes of job loss and turmoil in our economy. i would like to include in the record a few recent articles on the wall street perpetrators of this crisis. while all eyes are on europe, the problem just isn't in greece. on october 31, u.s.-based m.f. global holds, limited, filed for chapter 11. it reportedly is the eighth largest bankruptcy in u.s. history. its failure, like the crash in 2008, reinvolves around the actions of money traders using slick instruments called credit derivatives. as analysts try to piece together what happened at m.f. global, one word seems to keep popping up -- fraud. in a recent posting, attorney

william black, describes the failure of our justice system to investigate, and i quote, accounting control fraud as a systemic risk that underlies the damage still being done. the collapse of m.f. global has garnered massively attention, partly because jon corzine sat at its helm. mr. corzine is the former chief executive office of infamous goldman sachs. he's former governor of new jersey. mr. corzine's firm even held a special status as a primary dealer at the new york federal reserve. that's like the good housekeeping stamp of approval. . mr. core sign isn't the only government leader whose cozy relationship with the fgs services industry is being publicly questioned. former speaker of this house, newt gingrich, appears to have had a significant financial relationship with freddie mac,

one of the mortgage industry giants led by its management into financial ruin. freddie mac played a key role in the financial meltdown. as countless american families have lost their homes, freddie mac assumed the toxic assets that were handed to it from the banks and it is now under conservativeship--- conservativeship living off the taxpayer dime. mr. gingrich is $1.8 million richer though he isn't sure how much freddie paid him. i now see why congress has consistently failed to investigate what happened at freddie mac along with fannie mae to determine exactly what decisions by whom, by whom and when led to this financial ruin. i have a bill to do just that. h.r. 2093, the fannie mae and freddie mac commission act. it's well past time to pass it

and i invite members to join me in this effort. the allegations against m.f. global are serious. mr. corzine's firm had essentially paid $6.3 billion of a bet on a sovereign debt of several european governments. after its most recent quarterly return showed an almost $200 million in losses, and that's global stock lost 67% of its value. but this is not just the case of an investment firm being lured by the higher returns of riskier bonds. c.m.e. group incorporated who audited the accounts found that mr. corzine's company violated key requirements to keep its accounts separate from its clients. the details are still being sorted out, but as much as $600 million appears to be missing from customer accounts. the financial press is reporting a staggering amount of mall feesance in the days before m.f. global filed for bankruptcy. in an apparent effort to buy

themselves time, m.f. global sent checks instead of wiring money. the checks turned out to be bogus. there are stories of requests to transfer funds being denied. and even inaccurate account statements being issued. even more egregious are accounts people receiving bounced checks going back and finding that their accounts were also altered inappropriately. if this isn't fraud, what is? what should concern all of us is the knowledge that fraud is not limited to a case here or there. in the financial services sector, fraud has become systemic. in 2009 the f.b.i. testified before the house judiciary committee and i quote, the current financial crisis has produced one unexpected consequence. it has exposed prevalent fraud schemes that have been thriving in the global financial system. these fraud schemes are not new, but they are coming to light as a result of market deterioration. this isn't the first time our country has seen a massive crime wave in the financial

services industry. in the 1980's it was the savings and loan crisis and the f.b.i. responded with a staff of 1,000 agents and forensic experts based in 27 cities. that crisis was much smaller than what we are seeing today, yet today the f.b.i. only has a couple hundred agents able to investigate. i have a bill, h.r. 1350, that asks that number to be increased by 1,000. i ask my colleagues to help co-sponsor it and let's bring some reason and justice back to the financial markets of our country and justice to the american people. mr. speaker, i thank you. i yield back my remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: at this time the chair now recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. scott, for five minutes. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about passing a balanced budget amendment today. i'll tell you it's been a global debate over the finances of the world. even in europe, in the euro zone, merkel and sarzosey are

proposing balanced budget amendments be part of the constitutions of those countries that make up the euro zone. it's not often you find me agreeing with sarkozy. on this one i do believe he's right to come out of his foxhole and support the balanced budget amendments. every year our americans sit down to the kitchen table, pencil and paper in hand, and balance their budgets in their households. every american business owner will tell you that they cannot continually deficit spend the way this country has well over the last decade. mr. speaker, the people of georgia's eighth congressional district are hardworking and responsible people. they expect the same of their government leaders. they work each day to ensure that the future remains bright for their children and grandchildren and they sent me here to do the same. the work that will be required by the balanced budget will not be easy, but americans are counting on us, they are counting on us to make tough decisions and put americans back on the path to prosperity. passing the balanced budget amendment is the first step to that, mr. speaker. i gladly yield my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman yields back. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from wisconsin, ms. moore, for five minutes. ms. moore: thank you so much for recognizing me, mr. speaker. later on today we will be considering the so-called balanced budget amendment. and while i join my colleagues in sharing the view that we need to gain control of our national debt, i rise, mr. speaker, to commiserate our loss of a balanced perspective on what we as elected representatives of the people of the united states of america regard as assets and liabilities on our american government balance sheet. i'm appalled, mr. speaker, at our loss of perspective on what good government really means as we balance our policy priorities in this moral document. our budget. mr. speaker, we have perverted the concept of a healthy

balance sheet as we worship at the feet of a religion that tell us the government should be limited and perhaps had role in the health, welfare, and safety of the american people. balancing the budget sounds so simple. so appealing. but that's not a truthful description of what this balanced budget amendment would do. this amendment is nothing more than a trojan horse hiding the republicans' true ambition which is requiring major cuts to vital programs. dramatically shrinking the legitimate role of government and enshrining this agenda in the united states constitution. a balanced budget, a balance sheet, mr. speaker, contains both assets and liabilities. i would submit, mr. speaker, that it is a perversion of our american values to see our children, our future, as mere

liabilities. our students who need the government to invest in their higher educations as mere liabilities. our communities, the economic engines of our economy, who may be subjected to national disasters such as hurricanes and liabilities who need to rebuild modern transportation systems, to see these as mere liabilities. and american folk who need to breathe clean air and drink clean water as mere liabilities on the federal government budget -- balance sheet. according to an analysis released this week by the center on budget and policy priorities, the amendment we are considering today would force cuts to all programs by an average of 17.3% by 2018. and if revenues is not raised, which there seems to be an

anathema doing that, all these programs will be cut by the same percentage. social security, cut by $184 billion in 2018 alone. medicare cut by $117 billion in 2018. medicaid and the children's health insurance program, cut by $80 billion in 2018. we have constructed a balance sheet where our people are not viewed as assets. our american universities, our students, the next generation of inventions and innovators are seen as welfare recipients. when we provide them with pell grants. seniors who have earned retirement security is now -- are now seeing as a drain on our system. these seniors who built our economy through their ingenuity and sweat, medicare and social security for them is seen as socialism. mr. speaker, we heard the constant drumbeat demanding that we severely restrain the

benefits, the rights that we provide to seniors and to our people. and what -- do we regard as our assets on this balance sheet? our bloated cold war-era military buildup. what kind of balance sheet, mr. speaker, that spends trillions of dollars on tax breaks to millionaires and expatriate corporations and treats revenue laws needed for the legitimate operation of the government, like assets. this is a balance sheet reminiscent of a corporate raider that strips down all the assets and leaves the company limping lifeless in the dust. what kind of country lauds a balanced budget that achieves this balance on the backs of children, students, working class families, the disabled, the hungry, the infirmed, the elderly, and the environment? victims of natural disasters and wounded veterans returning

to unemployment in a jobless economy. is this a balanced budget, mr. speaker? or is this our unbalanced priorities? mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. and thank you for your indulgence in listening to me today. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. at this time the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. crenshaw, for five minutes. mr. crenshaw: i thank you, mr. speaker. and i just wanted to make my colleagues aware of some legislation that i filed this week along with 28 original co-sponsors, democrats and republicans, legislation was filed in the senate as well so it's a bipartisan, bicameral effort. it's going to be known as the able act, achieving a better life experience. this is legislation that will

paint a brighter future, make a better pathway for individuals with disabilities to meet the uncertainties that they face. i think we all recognize that individuals with disabilities be it autism, be it down syndrome, they face tremendous challenges today. they face struggles both financial struggles and personal struggles that most of us can't even imagine. and they face those struggles with -- without the advantage that our tax code offers for a lot of people in our society. for instance, if you want to save for college, you can set up a tax-free savings account, the proceeds grow tax free and you can use those moneys to pay your college tuition. if you want to save for retirement, you can set up a tax-free savings account, those proceeds grow tax free, and you can use those dollars in your

retirement years. if you want to save for medical insurance premiums, you can set up a health savings account and that account has tax advantages. and yet there are no vehicles like that for individuals with disabilities. and you can imagine there are real world examples where individuals with disabilities, they receive certain government benefits, but if if they accumulate more than $2,000 of assets in their own name, then they are penalized. and we have examples of individuals who have to say, no, when somebody wanted to give them a birthday check. to say no when somebody said, i'd like to help you with your housing. and we have to ask ourselves, is this any way to treat those among us who are the most disadvantaged? of course it's not. the answer is no. that's why we have created this

legislation. that's why we propose this able act. it's very simple, it's very straightforward, it's understandable. what it does is allow individuals with disabilities to set up a tax-free savings account. as long as those proceeds are used for qualified expenses. like maybe special equipment. maybe educational needs. maybe transportation or housing. it's only fair that we make our tax code deal with the injustice that goes on today. it's time to make that tax code more fair, to treat everyone more equal. i think those of us who are more fortunate, have an obligation to help those who are less fortunate. so, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to take a look at this. again it's a bicameral, bipartisan, it shows that we can work together to meet the needs of those among us who do

need our help. it's much needed. it's long overdue. and i hope that we can pass it this year. so with that, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. davis, for five minutes. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. davis: mr. speaker, i rise to pay tribute to glenn karine, a neighbor, a good friend, and one of the most dedicated, committed, and focused individuals that i have ever known. . he was founder and c.e.o. of circular ministries in chicago, illinois. a few days ago, glenn passed away, but leaves the legacy that will live for many, many years to come. more than 30 years ago glenn and his family and a few circle of friends moved into the

austin community of chicago which was undergoing rapid change from a predominantly white community to what is now a more than 95% black or african-american community. with his circle of friends, glenn organized circle urban ministries which has lasted more than 30 years and has become one of the most effective faith-based urban redevelopment organizations in the nation. under glenn's leadership, programs in health care, legal assistance, housing rehabilitation, management, youth outreach, leadership development, homelessness, ex-offender re-entry, food distribution and education of bringing hope and help to thousands of people each year. glenn co-authored an

award-winning book with a black minister and friend of his, the reverend raleigh washington, entitled "breaking down walls," a model of reconciliation in an age of racial strife. he has traveled extensively to speak on the topic of racial reconciliation and has been a frequent guest on television and radio. he has been a contributed author of several books about inner city life and work and has written many other articles for publication. glenn has a b.a. in bible theology from the moody bible institute and a b.a. in sociology from wheaton college. except for a bree two-year college while studying at wheaton college, glenn, his wife, lonnie, and three children have lived in the austin community for more than 30 years.

in 1997 he was recognized for his contributions by becoming the first american to be awarded a doctorate of peace making from westminster college. in receiving this honor he joined the ranks of previous grantees, nobel laurette, maguire of northern ireland, ms. leah rabine, wife of slain prime minister of israel, and dr. mohammed zaid, the highest islamic law in egypt. glenn, his family, neighbors, friends, community will truly miss him. may he rest in peace. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, for five minutes. mr. rush: i ask unanimous consent to address the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. rush: mr. speaker, earlier this month some of our darkest fears came to light. as parents and mentors of young children, we were horrified to hear and read about news allegations of a sexual abuse scandal involving the penn state university football program. in piecing the news together, there were clues and red flags along the way suggesting that the allegations are regrettably and probably true. based on what is known now, it is also not inconceivable that the horrible actions alleged to

have occurred at penn state could have just as easily occurred at any other major collegiate sports program in the country. the abuse of children is real and alive in the sports world today. and it is just as alive and real in collegiate sports as it could be in any institutional system that has commonalities with college sports. a little more than a week ago, even before the news of this -- of the scandal broke, i hosted

two collegiate sports roundtables here in our nation's capital. i invited sports journalists, economists, parents of former big ten or big division athletic scholarship recipients and current professionally qualified basketball players and former collegiate student athletes to speak openly. they were asked what they thought about some of the ncaa new proposed reforms like compensating student athletes -- and increasing academic accountability of student athletes who play in bowl

conference series tournaments. the roundtables dispeled some of the widely held myths about the matter in which the colleges were about recruiting high school athletes. they also corrected some misunderstandings about what and how much ncaa athletic scholarships and medical insurance coverage. and they did an excellent job of exposing hardships that student athletes and their families face for being unable to come up with the extra money and to pay the differences in the medical costs and the cost of these athletic scholarships. the roundtable sadly affirmed

that just as the scandal does that the business of college sports is not beneath using and can even -- in too many instances upon corruption and cover-up. as part of its core purpose, the ncaa says its mission is to integrate and encourage athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student athlete is paramount. but unfortunately i must say that i am highly suspicious of this creed in that the ncaa system, culture, has increasingly become more

shadowing and exceedingly exploitive. exploitation max mices -- maximizes from revenues -- exploitation also helps conferences and athletic conference hind behind flimsy excuses -- hide behind flimsy excuses, supporting student athletes is inexcusable. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. rush: mr. speaker, as a nation we must hear the voices of young victims, pray for their healing and dedicate ourselves of doing all that we can do to end the outrageous abuse of our children. we as member of congress have two primary responsibilities -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. rush: of its foreign enemies and, two, protect our children. god bless america and god bless

our children. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair now recognizes the man from comba, mr. woodall -- georgia, mr. woodall, for five minutes. mr. woodall: i thank you, mr. speaker. it's good to come to the house floor when someone ends by saying god bless america. i am worried what happens here in this country. mr. speaker, i know you have the pleasure as i do of seeing all the folks across america who come here to see the procedures that go on here on the house floor. i know folks often wonder and ask you, where is everybody? what's going on? with the exception of those of us on the house floor, everybody is in their office watching on the closed circuit tv so you can multitask. i come down to bring words to those watching on tv, but really, mr. speaker, it's about the youngest folks that we have in the country. it's about the economy that you and i are going to leave to the next generation of americans.

and we can do things here in this house today that guarantee a better economy in the years to come. right now -- i don't tweet. i don't use twitter. i'm not that interesting that i have something interesting to say folks every moment of the day. if i was tweeting i would say there is a hearing on fundamental tax reform asking the question, can tax reform boost investment and job creation? and the answer is absolutely it can. here in this country what we tax we destroy. think about that. the power to tax is a power to destroy. mr. speaker, when i go and speak to high school students i say, ok, i got a $20 an hour job working in my congressional office. who wants to work for me? everybody raises their hand. i have to tax but $19 an hour so you are only going to take home $1, who wants to work for

me? the hands go down. they don't want to work for $1 an hour. today we tax income. we're the only nation, the only c.d. that doesn't have coon sumpings tax. we tax income. and when you tax income, which is productivity, you destroy productivity. i have a proposal that is the most widely co-sponsored fundamental tax reform proposal in either the house or the senate called the fair tax. it's h.r. 25 here on the house side. i have the great pleasure of working with so many of my colleagues to push this forward. it abolishes the income tax in favor of a consumption tax. folks say, wrong. i'm cutting back on my consumption. would we still be able to bring in the revenue that we need with a consumption tax? well, i bring charts. what you see here in the blue line is personal consumption and what you see in the red

line is personal income. the red line represents what we tax in the income tax and the blue represents what we would tax in the consumption tax. and what you see is two things. number one, they're roughly the same. roughly the same. yes, we can tax consumption and bring in the same revenue we get today by taxing income. but when they're different it's because the volatility of the income is greater than the volatility of consumption. when you tax income, all you get to tax is income. when you tax consumption you end up taxing income, plus savings people are spending, plus borrowing that they're doing. it's a much more stable tax. why is that important? mr. speaker, what you know in your time here in the house, as i know from my time here in the house is if you give this house more money we're going to spend it. i don't want to spend it. i wish we wouldn't. if you tax something that is

volatile, in the boom years, the money comes pouring in. do you think we save it for a rainy day? we don't. we spend it. and then when the downyear comes, folks are accustomed to a high spending level. what do we do? we borrow it from our children and grandchildren and spend it anew. having a stable income stream that doesn't have the highs and doesn't have the lows will lead to a better federal budgeting process. and taxing consumption, which is what we take out of the economy, instead of taxing income which is what we put into the economy, will grow it. mr. speaker, a few years ago the joint tax committee did a study. said, how would we evaluate consumption tax? we don't have a model for it. how would we do it if with did away with the income tax and had the consumption tax? they disagreed about everything, from the left and right, all across the spectrum, except for one thing, mr. speaker. every single economic model and

group agreed that if we moved to a consumption tax from today's income tax america's economy would grow faster. mr. speaker, every dollar we can grow, every job we can create. they matter today. and i encourage folks to take a look at h.r. 25, the fair tax, as a mechanism for making that happen and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess u

i've made it pretty clear that those savings that are coming to us as a result of a winddown of the war in iraq and the war

in afghanistan are -- should be banked, should not be used to offset other spending. >> [inaudible] >> don't suggest that we vice president been involved. -- we haven't been involved. i've had my fair share of meetings over the last eight or nine weeks and, you know, the leaders created this. and frankly i think the leaders have some responsibility to help the committees succeed. that's what we've been doing.

>> the leaders have to get together and just figure it out. the very last days on this important deadline, are you and harry reid going to get more involved? [inaudible] >> they're well aware of what we're willing to do. but you lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. the problem we've had all year is getting to yes. whether it's the white house or where we are today, we've never gotten to a point where there was yes. they've never really put paper on the table. it's very frustrating, but having said that, i am going to continue to work because the problem is not going to go away. our deficit -- our debts across the $15 trillion number yesterday.

that ought to be a giant wake-up call to congress that it's time to rip the band-aid off and do what needs to be done. >> [inaudible question] >> well, because if it were easy to do it would have been done a long time ago. yes, sir. >> [inaudible question] >> well, i do believe that it's important for the committee to work. it was designed to be ugly because -- and i'm going to do everything i can to ensure that we don't go there. >> on sunday, mr. ensarling --

mr. hensarling talked about medicare to allow for seniors to go into private insurance or to remain under medicare. your budget earlier in the year was only for private insurance. is that the concession of your part? >> well, i don't think one would preclude the other. it's just another option that has been under consideration. the -- our democrat colleagues don't quite understand premium support in my view and don't really want to go there. this other idea has been out there for sometime and they put it on the table for consideration. but even if you were to move in the rivlin-domenici direction it wouldn't preclude something like premium support. thank you, everybody, and have a very nice thanksgiving.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> and you see all of speaker boehner's briefing on our website in the video library at c-span.org. we'll show you next the briefing by democratic leader nancy pelosi. again, the house coming in at noon eastern. >> good morning, everyone. as many of you know i'm originally from maryland and we speak in racetrack terms there. we're in the stretch as far as this -- the work of the supercommittee is concerned

that democrats continue to be committed to big, bold and balanced in terms of a proposal that could come out of there. it is -- each day it looks like i don't know whether it's bargaining positions or whether they're ruling out possibilities. but let me say this, the committee has done -- has paid great attention to the need for us to reduce the deficit on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the capitol. they have produced good work that could -- pieces of which could turn into at any moment now, and i'm hopeful, to something that is an agreement. i don't know if it can be as big and bold as i'd like but i hope it will be balanced because that's the only way that we will be able to reach agreement. the president put forth a grant bill in the summer which he

negotiated with our speaker, speaker boehner, which was big, bold and balanced. our members stood -- on the democratic caucus stood with the president on that. sadly the republicans walked away from their own negotiated agreement. we have demonstrated in the affordable care act that we're willing to review medicare and savings that we had there to reinvest into the -- making medicare -- prolong the life for medicare around 10 years. in the bad economy it may be reduced from around 12 to 10 and under. we made improvements in medicare for our seniors. closing the doughnut hole. providing preventive services and those kinds of initiatives. so we have demonstrated, a, in terms of most recently with the president's proposal that he

negotiated with speaker boehner. b, in our past reforms, in terms of addressing these issues on how to strengthen the initiatives while we reduce the deficit. and hope that some of the work that has been done, i believe, in good faith. my members believe in good faith, by democrats and republicans alike, to pursue some possible provisions, foreign initiatives that hopefully is big, bold and balanced but it will definitely be balanced. we're grateful to all the members of the subcommittee for their work, and i am as eager as you are to find out how close to thanksgiving we can all go home and start working on that. and with that i'd be pleased to take any questions. yes, sir. >> how do you know it will be as big, bold and balanced as you'd like? >> yes. >> does it demonstrate a concession or some resignation

to the fact that they are -- >> well, i am still optimistic but i don't hear anything that unrealistic as well. i don't sound anything that's big and bold. what would that be? that would be something that would begin with jobs. just the centerpiece, as i've said all along. job creation, honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of america, recognizing the role that small businesses play and the growth of our economy. reduce -- having savings. reknow we have to make cuts, but the timing and the nature of them should be done as all of the bipartisan, whether it's simpson-bowles, rivlin-domenici, the gang of six, everybody who's spoken out in a bipartisan way says timing is important so we do not impede the economic recovery that we need to have. so it's about jobs and entrepreneurial spirit. it's about having savings, real

savings and with taking nothing off the table as we addressed that and it's about revenue. about everybody taking responsibility and that revenue piece seems to be the stumbling block for the republicans. yes, david -- richard, excuse me. >> on and off the gentleman said that failure may not be so bad, that -- tax cuts require maybe -- [inaudible] can you specifically address that point of view? >> well, i don't want that to happen. we have been working very hard for it to not to. let me remind, we've already cut $1.2 trillion since the summer. $1.2 trillion was part of the legislation to lift the debt ceiling. part of that legislation was to say, cut $1.2 trillion more, and if not there will be a sequestration. i hesitate to use the word after the john stewart show last night.

but -- jon stewart show last night. but sequestration is a way to cut $1.2 trillion. it's a crude way to do it. we could do it more finally with more establishing of priorities if it were to be done in the committee. i'm always been optimistic that the committee would be able to do that. but it doesn't happen. i think it's important for the markets to note that $2.5 trillion a la per the bill that was passed in the summer, $2.5 trillion will be cut, deficit reduction will occur. we had hoped that the $1.2 trillion, which is all discretionary cuts, would cover that base and we would go to other areas including growth. because we firmly believe that creating jobs that produce revenue is the best way to reduce the deficit. the -- again, the revenue seems to be the rut for the

republicans, but, again, $1.2 -- $2.5 trillion will be cut. the deficit will be reduced by that. so i don't -- i don't subscribe to, let's hope nothing happens. i think there's a better way to do it than the sequestration. but the sequestration is part of the legislation and that's what we will follow. but there is a better way and i'm still optimistic recognizing that the republicans will come around. we don't have a whole lot of time. this room is used for many purposes. so we have so many people, so why don't you go next? >> [inaudible question] >> did he say it would offer more revenue? well, we have, as a matter of fact. as i mentioned, we subscribe to what the president put forth in

january in his grand bargain. he had, just to recall, there was a menu of savings that the president and the speaker had put together from which some of these entitlement changes could take place. that's one. as i said before, we already have gone down this path, half a trillion dollars in savings, to strengthen medicare in the pacific northwest and one of the reasons to -- medicare in the past, and one of the reasons to address it is to prolong them. it's the goal of the republicans is to say that we are not going -- as has been rumored -- i am going by what i have seen in the press, the speaker has said that the bush tax cuts must be extended. that repealing those cannot be part. so if the plan is to extend the

bush tax cuts and to repeal the medicare guarantee for our seniors, well, that's not balanced and that's a place we cannot go. >> does that mean you would be willing to look at cutting the same amount of money in a different way? >> what i'm saying is we should do it right now. we should do it right now. this committee has extraordinary power. the supercommittee, six people, 12 people sit on each side, one side of the capitol to the next, we should do it right now because the american people can't wait. that should be the starting point for this committee. we need to reduce the deficit and how we do that should recognize the job creation is the biggest deficit reducer. so that's what i'm saying. i don't like the formulation but it is what it is and that's

what we have to honor because we have to act now. >> you don't support repealing the changes? >> no, i don't like it, but the way to do away with it is to ask now. yes, ma'am. if you notice, there's -- there are many of you here. some of you here are always here and i always say, i'll see you at the press conference. so if you think i'm honoring the request of those who are always here i am. go ahead. >> the secretary of the senate has said -- [inaudible] do you that he's exaggerating or do you think they should take another look at it? >> the sequester is what it is. there are those, maybe some -- some who think or have suggested that the oath to mr.

nor quist is more important than -- norquist is more important than other oaths that other members take. i don't know. but the thought to sequester is we are all very concerned about our national defense, the strength of our country. whether it measures in health and education and well-being of our people on one of the side of the sequester, and it is measured in our military strength. so we don't -- you know, we would rather there be a better way to do this. but if you refuse -- if you refuse -- if you refuse to take one red cent from the wealthiest people in our country and the price we have to pay is diminished strength of our economy, i think it's something real. listen to what we're saying. we are saying $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction without one red cent coming from people making over $1 million a year.

that just isn't right. those people don't think it's right. i don't see them lobbying for us to do it. i see some political activists, ideologues who are anti-government saying we shouldn't have fairness in our -- how we -- all assume responsibility for reducing the deficit. but to say the sense to the tune that mr. -- secretary panetta is describing to the impact on the investments we make in our people and our future, that could be avoided if we just had big, bold, balanced with everyone taking some level of responsibility. so it was thought years ago when the gramm-rudman-hollings,

long before many of you were here, when that was put forth, it was the exact same sequester. half domestic, half defense. the republicans at the time said we're not going to go to that place to cut defense to that extent. today it looks like one might judge that the republicans are more concerned about not taxing any more -- again, there are too many people making over $1 million a year. people making over $1 million a year. that they don't want to increase the taxes for -- get revenue from people making over $1 million a year and putting our defense -- our strength, whether it's defined, however if is defined, and our military might as well as the health and education well-being of our people. do i have time for one more?

ok. >> [inaudible question] >> well, it is my understanding that such a letter has come in. monday i'm going to be in portland in the morning. i'm going to be visiting some of our labs in california in the afternoon. that's 2:00. i can't remember what the third thing is. [laughter] thank you all very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> and the house will be in in 10 minutes. they will take up a proposed balanced budget amendment to the constitution. also, continued work on 2012 spending. we'll have the house for you live here on c-span. speaker boehner also held a briefing within the hour and we're going to share that to

you until the house gavels in at noon. >> all i can say about it. good morning, everyone. all year republicans have been working on creating a better environment for private sector job growth. in may we outlined our plan for american job creators, and over the course of this year, we've passed dozens of bills, most of which are sitting in the united states senate, that really will help our economy get moving again, get americans back to work. one of the -- or just last night we approved two of them. one of them repeals the i.r.s. withholding tax on job creators. the other breaks down bureaucratic barriers that prevents americans' veterans from finding work. and both of these bills are on the way to the president's desk for his signature.

these bills show that there can be common ground here in washington when it comes to removing these barriers to job growth. but i think there's a lot more that we can do. we can also eliminate more obstacles to jobs, find more common ground, especially in the areas of energy production and infrastructure. we don't need more short-term stimulus gimmicks. we don't need more red tape. and we surely don't need higher taxes. what we need to do is get washington out of the way and free job creators from the shackles of a government that's always meddling and micromanaging our economy. that's why in the weeks ahead we'll be introducing another part of our jobs plan. the american energy and infrastructure jobs act. the bill will be given a designation of h.r. 7, when it is formally introduced and it will do two things -- to support long-term job growth, expand american energy

production and use those revenues to repair and improve america's roads and bridges. and here's how the bill works. it will create millions of jobs by eliminating unnecessary barriers that prevent us from using our vast energy resources. second, by expanding american energy production we can help lower fuel prices for american families and small businesses and can provide a new revenue stream for infrastructure repair and improvement. and thirdly, the bill will include reforms to speed up the bureaucratic approvals that delay important infrastructure projects. and finally and most importantly, the bill will be fiscally responsible. the revenue will come from expanding american energy production, not from higher taxes or from deficit spending. it will also include reforms that will increase private sector involvement in infrastructure. and there will be no earmarks. the house has already banned earmarks, and we're going to

make sure that the highway dollars are there are going to be used to deal with our infrastructure, not frivolous projects. i think there's a lot of common ground between both parents on this issue. the house -- both parties on this issue. the house stopped policies that drive up energy prices and hurt production. the president says he wants more money for infrastructure. he also says he supports more american-made energy. so instead of spending more tax dollars on another short-term stimulus that in my opinion don't think will work, our bill links job-creating infrastructure. it will lower energy prices for families and small businesses and provide more resources quickly for our highest priority infrastructure projects. that's the opposite of stimulus.

i think this is very good public policy, and i'm hopeful that the house will be able to act before the end of the year on this bill. >> thank you, mr. speaker, and ladies and gentlemen. thank you particularly to speaker boehner for your leadership in moving us forward on this important jobs initiative. this action is really a blueprint for jobs, energy and building our roads and bridges, as the speaker said. speaker boehner's action today, november 17, represents a milestone and a great step forward to building america's infrastructure. this is a key component to our republican jobs proposal that i'm pretty confident will put americans to work with a long-term and fiscally, financially responsible plan. by contrast, june 17, 2009,

president obama undermined the opportunity for a long-term transportation bill. remember, he's the one that put it on hold. he put jobs and building our major infrastructure -- that has cost our country, again, millions of jobs on hold on that date. the results have been devastating. hitting hardest our construction industry where millions remain unemployed. the speaker and republicans today by contrast are offering the opportunity for a jobs bill that will be a win-win for the american people. americans will win first by putting millions to work. america will win by rebuilding our nation's infrastructure. and americans will also win by having lower energy costs. it's my hope at the speaker's

direction to mark up in the coming weeks a solid blpt for the future of america's -- blueprint for the future of america's transportation. first, it will stop duplicative programs. second, it will have responsibility for states and local governments to move transportation projects going forward. three, we hope to significantly increase the ability to leverage the financial resources. the speaker is providing and you'll hear from some other committee members -- other committees that will help provide those resources. but we can also leverage those resources. four, we'll significantly streamline the process for projects, cutting red tape and unnecessary federal paperwork. i look forward to working with the speaker and other colleagues here, and other committees of jurisdiction as we move this important republican jobs initiative forward. finally, let me say that i

disagree with president obama that the american people have lost their ambition and their imagination. and he cited projects like the hoover dam and the golden gate bridge. nor do i believe that the american people are lazy. the american people aren't lazy. they're tired of federal red tape, bureaucracy and obstacles that have been put in their way to, again, be the most creative people on the face of the earth. if we hope to restore some of that with the proposal we have you today. thank you. >> thank you, mr. speaker. on my committee, the natural resources committee, our top priority has been energy development on public lands. and keep in mind, public lands were designed initially, with the exception of directions from congress, to be multiple

purpose land. it means not only recreation but commercial activity. and we found in 2008 when there was a moratorium, congressional moratorium and executive moratorium on drilling in the outer continental shelf, when gas prices went up to $4 a gallon, there was a reaction of the american public as to why is this happening when we now -- when we've learned that we had these tremendous resources in the o.c.s. and, of course, in alaska? so our focus on this committee has been to bring to light the tremendous resources that we have in this regard. already this year we have passed three bills, bipartisan support out of the house that is in the senate waiting action dealing specifically with the guffleguffle but also on the long-term -- gulf of mexico but also on the long-term production of future administrations. we will incorporate, continue

to incorporate those ideas in this initiative -- in this initiative that is being put in place right now. but we'll add one new aspect to it and that aspect is the potential we have in alaska and particularly up in anwr. in anwr alone there is a potential of 10 1/2 billion barrels. and if history is any guide, once you drill and you find a resource, that resource becomes more than what was initially thought. the important point is this -- and i think the american people are understanding this also. there is a national security aspect to energy production. when we are at risk of other countries not allowing us to have resource or turning off the spigot as opec did in the 1970's -- >> the u.s. house coming in next to take up a balanced budget amendment to the u.s. constitution. also continued debate on 2012

spending. live house coverage here on c-span. edwardsville, illinois. the chaplain: in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen. almighty god, grant your blessing to our land, thank you for the freedoms that are ours as americans. help us to be mindful of the principles on which it was founded. freedom and equality, justice and humanity. grant your blessings to the members of the united states house of representatives, that they may serve our nation with honesty and integrity and they may seek your guidance as they make these important decisions that affect us all. protect all who serve in the armed forces of this land. bless their families during times of military deployment and give your peace to those whose loved ones have paid the ultimate price in the defense of liberty. protect our nation from terrorist threat. hear these prayers and grant us your peace which passes all understanding. these things we pray in the name of jesus christ, our lord, amen.

the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stand as i proved. our pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from indiana, mr. donnelly. mr. donnelly: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from illinois, mr. johnson, is recognized for one minute. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor our guest chaplain, pastor marty springer, who served as an example of both his -- both his faith and similar civic duties. he was raised in southern california, the youngest son. after graduating from high

school, he worked in a bank while attending junior college and joined the united states air force in december of 1982. during his time on active dutyy, he was selected the honor of serving the office of presidential protocol at andrews air force base during the presidency of president reagan. he entered the air force reserve and took a civil service position at the air force base. he was responsible for all aspects of man power and training during operation desert storm and earth shield, he was recalled to serve in active dutyy and received the air force achievement medal for his service. after 15 years of service to his nation, pastor springer was called to serve god and entered the seminary in 1997. after graduating pastor springer was ordained as the pastor of the lutheran church in 2000. he received his first call to st. john church in chester, illinois, his service to the

church and his whuent, including his work earned him the honor of outstanding citizen of chester in 2001. today pastor springer serves as senior pastor of trinity lutheran ministries of edwardsville, illinois, where he oversees the church, christian day school and daycare center. he's completed three missions trips to hatey and honduras and is working to complete his clinical pass storm education -- pastoral education. pastor springer has been a model of service to his community, his church and his nation and it's truly my honor, pastor, to join my colleagues in welcoming you as our guest chaplain. privileged to represent you and privileged that you're here today. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in

support of a balanced budget amendment to our constitution. for 24 years i ran my own small business with my wife, we had to balance our budget every month and every year. i've also raised three boys with my wife and we've had to balance our budget as a family in order to live within our means. i believe the united states constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written and i don't take amending it lightly. flesh flesh however we must -- mr. fleischmann: however, we must curb the voracious appetite of the federal government and get our fiscal house in order. we passed the $15 trillion mark in our national debt yesterday. and we are seeing other countries around the world succumb to their debt. we must fix our debt crisis before it's too late. i am proud to be a co-sponsor of this balanced budget amendment to our constitution and i urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of house joint resolution

2, our kids and grandkids are depending on it. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from oregon. mr. blumenauer: thank you, mr. speaker. congress seems determined to undermine recent nutrition standards proposed by the obama administration. it's shameful that we are poised to intervene to make sure that pizza continues to count as a vegetable and that we protect the privileged status of french fries on the lunch tray. the problem we have in front of us is the institution of vegetables has been weakened in this country and the effort to redefine it on this vast social experiment that we have going on , redefining vegetables differently than it has ever been defined by mankind before, this effort of this vast social experiment, the early data that we see from other places harms the institution of the family, the raising of the next generation and is harmful to the

future of the republic. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas. without objection. mr. johnson: you know, this month the national debt will reach the unprecedented level of $15 trillion. that's nearly $48,000 per american. under president obama, the national debt's increased faster than any other u.s. president in history. now more than ever it's time to get our nation's fiscal house in order, to prevent another big, fat, greek catastrophe. the american people have made it abundantly clear that congress should balance the federal budget. just like families and business owners across the country have to do every single day. a bald budget amendment is the

solution we need to break washington's reckless spending habit. i implore the president and my colleagues in the senate to join the house in passing the balanced budget amendment and send it to the states. we can't endure this any longer and we need to fix it. americans want, need and deserve to know we're going to live within our means just as they all live within their means. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas. without objection. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to speak in strong opposition to cuts instead medicare and social security. -- cuts in medicare and social security. in the last few days, in the most important days we face, i challenge the supercommittee to put politics aside and to work together to come up with a balanced, bipartisan deal that

will strengthen and preserve our nation's most successful health care and antipoverty programs. across the board d cuts -- across-the-board cuts, which will result from the supercommittee's failure to work together, will do nothing more than increase health care costs for seniors and the disabled and weaken our already vulnerable economy. i have received countless phone calls, stacks of letters, boxes of cards from concerned constituents all over north texas who wait in fear to hear the fate of their economic future. i urge the supercommittee to reject any policies that will result in higher costs for our nation's sick and elderly. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. without objection.

>> mr. speaker, last week a constituent from washington ville, new york, -- washingtonville, new york, wrote this to me. i balance my family budget, so please explain to me why we don't have the will to balance the federal budget. pass a balanced budget amendment and future generations will be far better off. if not, we will have left them our errors. my constituent, his first name is joseph, and, joseph, i want to assure you that agree with you completely. these are my sons, this is my family. these are will and jack. and together, as our distinguished colleague from texas just told us, they owe nearly $100,000 to the national debt as of today. they had no part at all in creating it. every dollar that the federal government spends has 40 cents in debt. ms. hayworth: that is unconscionable. -- it is unconscionable. i urge all my colleagues across

the aisle to pass the balanced budget amendment and, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the chair will remind members to direct their comments to the speaker. the gentleman from indiana. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. the fact is, for too long washington has not made the necessary and tough decisions that need to be made to get our budget deficit under control. working families in indiana know all too well the importance of balancing their budget, even when times are tight. just as families must make tough decisions about how to manage their budgets, so too must we in congress make those same tough choices about where to invest and what to cut. mr. donnelly: i've always supported a balanced budget amendment because it's another important tool that can be used to get our fiscal house in order. having a balanced budget amendment in place is crucial to

the country going beyond speaking about tough decisions and actually making them. i am aware this will not be easy and tough decisions that affect many people will have to be made to match our revenues and spending priorities. we have to live within our means. we are facing significant fiscal challenges and the american people expect us to come together in a bipartisan basis and to do something that will more effectively deal with it. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, today we begin debate on h.j.res. 2, the balanced budget amendment. this resolution is similar to the amendment that nearly passed the congress over 15 years ago. i can only imagine how much improved our current fiscal situation would be today if the amendment would have passed then. in that time, we've seen the national debt increase from just over $5 trillion then to more than $15 trillion now. this rapid rise in public debt

endangers our currency and creates deep economic uncertainty. mr. pitts: for some of that time we had a balanced budget and we did it with a government divided between the political parties. it was not easy to negotiate, but we made it happen. we need to get back to balanced budgets and go further to pay down on our debt. balanced budget amendment will require us to take that action. we cannot endlessly pile up debt , that is a recipe for disaster. we have to turn things around and to help us accomplish that we need a constitutional amendment ratified by the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: this past week i joined with congressman lloyd doggett and many other democratic colleagues to introduce the emergency unemployment compensation extension act. if congress fails to pass this bill by the end of the year, americans who have lost their

jobs will begin losing their unemployment benefits in january and by mid february, 2.1 million will have lost their benefits and by the end of 2012, six mm will. that includes 34,000 tennesseans. congress has never allowed emergency unemployment benefits to expire when the unemployment rate is anywhere close to where it is now, 9%. this extension will not only help the unemployed but help promote economic recovery. the congressional budget office has declared that unemployment benefits are both timely and cost effective in spurring economic activity and employment. the economic policy institute has estimated that preventing u.i. benefits from expiring could prevent the loss of over 5 thun,000 jobs. they are -- 500,000 jobs. the best way to stimulate our economy. in addition they are benefits for the states that are having problems with their unemployment insurance programs and with certain extensions there. i urge the republicans to join with us in passing this emergency unemployment compensation extension act and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from colorado. without objection. >> mr. speaker, the big spending policies of the obama administration have failed america. millions of americans have lost their homes, their jobs and even their hopes for a brighter future. our economy is stalled. the american people are looking for solutions. this week the house will vote on a balanced budget amendment. it is an honest and bipartisan solution to the problem of overspending that threatens our economic recovery and prevents job creation. 49 states including colorado comply with a balanced budget amendment, spending cuts, caps and promises, though helpful, are only temporary. a balanced budget is permanent. when the federal government starts living within its means, the nation's job creators will have the confidence to create more jobs. mr. lamborn: that certainty is essential to restoring our economy and putting americans back to work. in an otherwise bleak economy, a balanced budget amendment is our brightest ray of hope.

thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from georgia. wit. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. our right to vote is under attack. forth i.d. laws on the books in nearly a dozen states, including my home state of georgia and pending in 35 are most troubling. proponents say state issued voter i.d. laws prevent voter fraud, but voter fraud -- in-person voting hasn't been a significant problem. the problem is too many people went to vote for president obama. so -- an estimated 21 million people do not have a current government-issued photo i.d. numbers are even higher for blacks and hispanics and other minorities.

the texas legislature passed one of the worst laws whereby a concealed weapon permit qualifies as a voter i.d. while a student i.d. does not. the justice department should vigorously challenge these voter i.d. laws. nothing is more fundamental, ladies and gentlemen, than our right to vote. we must reject any attempts to curb citizens in the exercise of their right, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from texas. >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> the house is scheduled to consider house joint resolution number 2, this bill proposes a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. i am a very proud co-sponsor of this legislation. earlier this year the texas legislature called on congress to propose and submit to the states a balanced budget amendment. mr. marchant: i am pleased that the house is taking the first step today to fulfill this

request by texas and other states. as a former city councilmember and mayor and state representative, i was always required to present a balanced budget. we must act now before we further ruin the economic futures of our children and grandchildren. we cannot ignore our fiscal situation any longer. the federal government should balance its budget. i strongly urge my colleagues to join me today in voting in favor of this resolution. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from minnesota. >> to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, it's been four days since cbs news program, "60 minutes" had a program on insider trading in this house. mr. walz: how do we expect the public to take us serious when the belief that people here are

enriching themselves at the knowledge they gain from the job? even the perception of wrongdoing undermines the trust and -- in the democracy. the good news is ms. slaughter, myself and 50 other colleagues have joined together to put an end to this practice. the stock act, which i rise, and encourage my colleagues to join us on, would stop trading on congressional knowledge. it would put congress at the same playing field of every teacher, firefighter, small business owner and investor. then we can get down to the business of making america right, creating jobs. i encourage my colleagues to join me. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in favor of house joint resolution 2 and sending a balanced budget amendment to the united states senate and to the respective states. congress has nobly yet unsuccessfully tried several times to stop the increasingly massive growth in our national debt. at the first attempt with

gramm-rudman-hollings our debt was $8,700 for every american. food it is $15 trillion, $48,500 for every american, higher than it has ever been in american history. our current spending environment has failed to create jobs and is threatening our standard of living and our national security. while the founding fathers could not foresee a nation that's stricken with debt, they did recognize the danger to our prosperity and still a constitutional -- instill a constitutional process the flexibility to deal with this crisis. mr. fitzpatrick: as thomas jefferson said, i place this before american virtues and public debt the greatest to be feared. congress has the rare opportunity to break the reckless cycle of spending that has taken us to this current breaking point. i urge adoption of the resolution, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i ask

permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the opening of santa barbara county's first veteran treatment court. last week our county came together to remember -- last week our country came together to remember and pay respect to our veterans, and i was humbled and honored to participate in memorial services honoring our veterans. 50,000 of whom live on california's central coast. their sacrifice are never forgotten just as our work to support them is never finished, and that's why i support this new and innovative collaboration treatment court in my congressional district which will better serve our veterans, especially those struggling with substance abuse, mental health issues or other disorders. this veterans court fills a critical gap in care for our veterans by helping former service members who are struggling and in pain. mr. speaker, it's our duty to serve those who have served us so gallantly. our veterans have sacrificed and shown that you are unquestioning commitment to

this country, and veterans treatments courts, like the one in santamaria, provide another straightforward way for us to better serve them. so i urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing santa barbara county for taking this kitcal step in supporting our veterans by establishing this veteran treatment course and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, every month americans sit down at kitchen tables or computers to balance their checkbooks and bank accounts to ensure their spending doesn't overwhelm their way of living. i've been at this kitchen table for those discussions. mr. harper: now the united states congress is finally coming to the table to have a similar discussion with the american people. by passing a balanced budget amendment to the constitution, we tell the american people we are serious about putting our financial house in order. mr. palazzo: no longer will we overpromise and overspend at the expense of trillions of dollars of our children's future. this week ilstand with my colleagues to support a notion that seems foreign within the beltway that we cannot spend

more than we take in. the fact that this is a radical concept in washington, d.c., demonstrates just how out of touch this town has become and how far we have to go. by getting to where we need to be won't occur without the critical step we take this week to pass a balanced budget amendment. this action puts us in line toward economic recovery, sustainability and above all else with the needs and priorities of the american people. i urge my colleagues to support the balanced budget amendment. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from texas. >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. green: mr. speaker, i rise today to welcome espn's college gameday to the campus of the university of houston. this is the first time in history that the show -- of the show that the university of houston, the city of houston has been given this honor. the university of houston cougars led by heisman hopeful, casey keenan, as the 10-0 cougars face the s.m.u. standings this saturday.

the university of houston has a long storied tradition of athletics success including 55 ncaa individual championships, 17 ncaa team titles, 19 college football bowl appearances, five ncaa men's basketball final fours, and a trip to the college world series. the university of houston has tier 1 research university distinction with the carnegie foundation. the university of houston is one of the three carnegie designated tier 1 research facilities in texas. the university of houston is also known as the first generation school for many of the students, the first in their families to attend college. our undergreat wits choose from 120 jay jors and minors -- majors and minors. it has 59 doctoral degrees. it is the second most ethically divorce research university in the united states. students come from as many 137

nations across the world. as a proud alumnist from the university of houston, i welcome espn to our campus today. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from washington. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, we heard some of the partisan comments this morning. mr. reichert: americans are looking for us to work together. there has been a lot of discussion and debate around job creation and economic recovery. rightly so. but i believe we all want to put america back to work. trats and republicans together. we all want that. we must work together now to make that happen. just because we have different ideas doesn't mean we can't work together. adam smith and i from washington state, in fact, next week will be putting together a jobs fair that we call helping identify real jobs, real employment in america. we're going to do that

together. a democrat and a republican. 75-plus different vendors, different businesses who have jobs, actually have jobs waiting, we're going to match employees with employers, bring them together so they can find jobs and our hope is that before christmas, before thanksgiving, adam smith and i can get some people back to work and energize their families, help energize our community. mr. speaker, i urge all of us in this house to do the same. work together to identify jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentleman from washington. >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you. i rise in support of a bipartisan effort to create jobs. mr. smith: as congressman reichert said, he and i are hosting a jobs fair next week. at a time when unemployment is over 9% in our country, when our nation needs to put people back to work, we need to do it in a bipartisan manner.

we are not having job-creating bills to be passed. i applaud congressman reichert for working with me on this. it's a good idea in terms of job creation. yes, there's huge unemployment. less well-known is there are employers out there that have jobs that are trying to find people to fill them. matching the skills necessary with those jobs is critical, and that's what the hire americans jobs fair that we are going to do next week is all about, bringing in 75 employers that actually have jobs available with unemployed people looking for work to match them up to try to put people to work to get this economy moving again. it's a great idea. i thank congressman reichert for working with me. it's bipartisan and focused on the number one most important issue this country faces, getting americans back to work and getting our economy moving. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas. >> rise to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, yesterday was another landmark day in

washington's borrow-and-spend legacy. the national debt now stands at a staggering $15 trillion. this comes at a time when our economy is struggling, the unemployment rate is high and americans are tightening their belts and doing more with less. the theer eof borrowing and spending to create wealth simply is a fraud on the american people. both political parties know that this staggering debt is a cancer on the future of our nation and something we can no longer ignore. mr. yoder: i ask my colleagues to join together and save the future of this country, to stop the suffocating debt and spending. let's pass a constitutional amendment that requires a balanced budget, that prohibits congress from borrowing from the future and let's pass a legacy of prosperity and wealth to the next generation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from florida. >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mississippi carsor: >> good morning, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, there is a growing problem across america involving identity theft and tax fraud. ms. castor: they will file for a tax return, a fraudulent tax return. the city of tampa police department recently uncovered a multimillion dollar fraud scheme, lost money to the taxpayers, so congressman rich nugent and i, republican colleague from florida, have been working together to tackle this problem. i intend to file a bill this week that would, one, give local law enforcement the tools it needs to be an effective participant with the i.r.s. in these tax fraud investigations. right now federal law doesn't allow local law enforcement to be an active participant. and, two, for folks that have their identity stolen often months and months and months go

by before the i.r.s. is able to fix their return and their credit. and we've got to do that. it's leaving them hanging for months. so i encourage my colleagues to join in our efforts to tackle tax fraud and this criminal enterprise. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i seek permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. if the obama administration is serious about helping create jobs for the american people, then it should start by listening to america's job creators. . house republicans understand the importance of freeing our nation's businessmen and entrepreneurs from the confidence-killing threat of higher taxes and more regulations so that they can invest, grow and hire again. this means protecting job creaters from needless tax burdens. this means reforming federal spending. this means supporting a fairer, flatter and simpler tax code. this means stopping job-killing regulations that can strain employers from hiring more

workers. on each of these issues, house republicans have already acted. following our plan for america's job creators, we've passed more than 20 job-creation bills so far this year. the path to new jobs has been paved by house republicans. it's long past time for senate democrats and president obama to follow our lead and enact these jobs bills. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired -- the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker, and good morning. in the past few days, many americans have contacted me through facebook and twitter with their thoughts and their message was very clear. they want jobs and they want them now. on behalf of these americans, i urge the leaders of the house to respond by passing major legislation that will create high-paying jobs. they write to me, i hope you know living wage jobs that are

meaningful. job creation begins at home, close the loopholes that send jobs overseas and make it tougher to bring the profits and products back here. an additional suggestion would be a fund works program administration modeled after the first one implemented by franklin roosevelt, a new deal for the new millennium. we need to stop the manufacturing drain going out of the country, to revisit the w.p.a., to jumpstart the economy. and to fix our aging infrastructure. heck, we need someone to take weeds out of the sidewalks, we need an energy policy. concrete players to accelerate the use of renewables. too much of our fuel costs end up in our trade imbalance and these are the words from my constituents and i'm glad to share with you, as we work very hard to get americans back to work at meaningful jobs. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlelady has expired. the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill.

the clerk: senate 1412, an act to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 462 washington street , woburn, massachusetts, as the officer john maguire post office. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: mr. speaker, by direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 467 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 92, house resolution 467, resolved that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider the conference report to accompany the bill, h.r. 2112, making appropriations for agriculture, rural development, food and drug administration and related agencies' programs for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012, and for other purposes.

all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration are waived. the conference report shall be considered as read. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the conference report to its adoption, without intervening motion except one, one hour of debate and, two, one motion to recommit if applicable. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from north carolina is recognized for one hour. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. for the purpose of debate only i yield the customary 0 minutes to the gentlelady from new york, ms. slaughter, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. foxx: during consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: house resolution 467 provides a closed rule providing

for consideration of h.r. 2112, the consolidated and further continuing appropriations act, also known as the mini bus -- minute jbus. mr. speaker this conference -- minute jbus. mr. speaker, this conference -- minibus. mr. speaker, this conference was approved. the bill contains a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and continue federal operations until december 16, 2011, or until congress completes the remaining nine f.y. 2012 appropriations bills. it is important to highlight that this c.r. is a kleenex tension and includes no new funding provisions. in accordance with the budget control act, this conference report upholds the overall discretionary spending level of $1.043 trillion and includes $2.3 billion in disaster relief funding. which falls under the disaster

designation cap set by the act. the agriculture agencies and programs in this bill will receive a total of $136.6 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding, a reduction of $4.6 billion from the president's request based oned administration's mid session re-- based on the administration's mid session review. this totals $19.8 billion, readux of $350 billion plo last year's level and a cust $2.5 billion from the president's request. it is important to note that mandatory food and nutrition programs within the department of agriculture including snap also known as food stamps as well as child nutrition are funded at 98.-- $98.6 billion. this funding will allow all individuals and families who meet the programs' criteria for aid to receive all the benefits available to them and includes $3 billion in reserve funds in

case of unanticipated increases in participation or food price increases. additionally school lunch and school breakfast programs will receive $18.2 billion in mandatory funding in the agreement. this funding will help low income students with free or reduced price meals at schools in every community in the nation. the conference agreement includes provisions to prevent overly burdensome and costly regulations and provides greater flexibility for school -- local school districts to improve the nutritional quality of meals in the national school lunch and school breakfast programs. without these provisions, the cost of these important programs would balloon by an additional $7 billion over the next five years. leaving states and local school districts in the lurch. the w.i.c. program is funded at $6.6 billion. this funding will provide supplemental foodsal as as --

foods to low income participants. i am pleased to report that the bill places restrictions on the implementation of a grain inspection and packers and stockyard administration, gifts of proposed rule that would have allowed harmful government interference in the private market for livestock and poultry. the commerce, justice and science section of the conference report includes a base total of $52.7 billion, a decrease of $583 million below last year's level, and a decreefs almost $5 billion below the president's request. the conference agreement includes numerous provisions that protect the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. three of these protections are made permanent law beginning in fiscal year 2012. these three provisions prohibit the department of justice from consolidating firearms sales records, electronically retrieving the records of former firearms dealers and maintaining

information on persons who have passed firearms background checks. the conference agreement also contains numerous one-year firearms protections and new language prohibiting d.o.j. from requiring imported shotguns to meet a sporting purposes test. the bill extends important provisions related to gran tan mow bay, including -- guantanamo bay, including the transfer or release of any detainee into the u.s. and a prohibition on the acquisition or construction of any new prisonen to house detainees. under no circumstances should we endanger our communities by allowing some of the most dangerous people in the world to set foot on american soil. the conference agreement includes important provisions to protect unborn human life including a ban on abortion funding for federal prisoners and a conscience protection for prison employees and a prohibition on the legal services corporation funds for organizations that engage in abortion-related litigation.

the transportation housing and urban development section of the conference report includes a base total of $55.6 billion representing a decrease of $19.4 billion below the president's request. the conference agreement provides $500 million for national infrastructure investments commonly referred to as the tiger program, and includes language prioritizing rail, highway and transit projects that improve our expand existing systems. the conference agreement provides $39.9 billion for the federal highway program which is the annual spending level set by the latest surface transportation extension act. the agreement provides $1.66 billion for the federal highway administration's emergency relief program which assists states in rebuilding federal highways that were damaged by major natural disasters such as hurricane irene and the flooding of the missouri river. included in the conference agreement is $12.5 billion for

the f.a.a., the agreement provides $3.35 billion for airports and $2.7 billion for facilities and equipment. language is included to restore the block aircraft registry request program or b.a.r., and to prohibit future changes to the program. also included is $878 million for f.a.a. next generation funding to ease congestion and reduce air traffic delays. the legislation includes a total of $37.3 billion for the department of housing and urban development, a decrease of $3.8 billion below last year's level and $4.7 billion below the president's request. the bill does not extend the increased maximum loan limits for fannie mae and freddie mac. these entities have been under public scrutiny for their questionable business practices and use of billions in federal bailout funds. some of which have been used for ex traffic gant management

bonuses. the -- extravagant management bonuses. it does allow limits to f.h.a. which is subject to greater congressional scrutiny and oversight. mr. speaker, i am appreciative of the members of the conference committee and cognizant of the tough jobs they had to get to this bipartisan agreement, coming to the floor for consideration. it is for this reason i urge my colleagues to support the rule and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. and yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's recognized. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, this is a sad day for the house of representatives. another demonstration that the house has failed to meet its basic responsibility to the american people. the new budget year began over six weeks ago but not a single routine appropriations bill, not sing ale one, has been enacted. instead we are considering a massive hundred-billion-dollar

hodgepodge of unrelated programs and agencies, all crammed into a single bill that no member of the house saw before this week. in fact, most of the provisions in this bill have never been considered by the house at any time, in any form. let me repeat that. a massive hundred-billion-dollar bill, most of which has never been considered by the house, brought up for a single all -or-nothing vote under a completely closed process. we'll be back here in a few weeks with another massive omnibus bill to keep the rest of the government open. as i said, mr. speaker, this is a sad day for the house. fortunately there is one hint of good news this in this mess. -- in this mess. the bill does reject some of the absurd cuts proposed on the other side of the aisle. for example, the bill does not contain the proposed cuts that would have denied $7 -- 700,000 women, infants and children valuable nutritional supplements or have defunded the cops program.

but those welcome steps are not enough to make this a good bill. i'm especially disturbed by the unwise and shortsighted cuts to programs important to america's role as a competitive global power. high speed and inner city passenger rail, for example, gets no funding under this agreement. the bill allowed the country to maintain amtrak at its current state, but does nothing to help us keep pace with countries like china and germany who have already built a rail infrastructure that will expand their economies well into the 21st century. if our country hopes to remain a global superpower in the 21st century, we have to do more to invest in our country than the meager steps that we are taking today. especially in tough economic times like these, we need to rebuild our infrastructure, to be educating our children and creating jobs for the millions of unemployed, but instead of the band-aid measure, we are

considering today, we have to truly begin to invest in our future and ensure that we not only survive but that we thrive in the century to come and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to say to my colleague from new york that i think the american people are beginning to realize that government spends money, it doesn't invest money. and with that i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, a member of the committee on rules , mr. mcgovern. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for three minutes. mr. mcgovern: i thank my ranking member for yielding to me. . mr. speaker, there are so many good things. the funding level for the snap and w.i.c. program which will ensure that people have access to nutritious food during these tough economic times. and i regret very much that those programs were under attack by the republican majority in this house, but in

this mini bus those levels are adequate. and i likely support the final passage of this bill. but, mr. speaker, for the life of me i can't understand why policy riders were allowed to be included in the bill. some were even airdropped in the dark of the night without being considered by either the house or senate. most troubling, the underlying bill has a carveout for maine and vermont to allow 100,000-pound trucks on interstate highways in the next 20 years. mr. speaker, current law allows only trucks up to 80,000 pounds to travel on interstate, and for good reason. bigger, heavier trucks are an enormous safety threat. oversized rigs are more likely to be involved in crashes, not to mention it's unnerving to see one in your rearview mirror bearing down on you on the highway. in the safety risks are not convincing enough as to why heavier trucks are bad enough, consider the economic harms. we are talking about deficit reduction and already bigger

trucks don't pay their fair share for the damage they insure on our roads and -- incurs on our roads and bridges. they only pay 80% of its damage caused and a 90,000-pound truck would pay half of the damage it causes. our nation's infrastructure is crumbling and the highway trust fund is woefully underfunded. where are we going to get this money to repair our infrastructure? and the maine and vermont exemptions will only make this problem worse. and it also starts us down a slippery slope of allowing other states to ask for special weight limit exemptions. we'll end up with a patchwork of truck size and truck weight laws that will make the business of transporting goods by trucks across state lines a confusing mess. mr. speaker, there were no hearings, none, zero, no hearings held in the house on the maine and vermont exemption. the house didn't even consider a transportation appropriations bill. so to be making such a major

policy change without thoughtful and vigorous debate is absurd. and i remind my colleagues that there's bipartisan opposition to increasing truck size and truck weight. ave bill to freeze truck size and truck weight at 80,000 pounds across the entire national highway system, and it has 60 bipartisan co-sponsors. the issue of increasing truck size and weight needs to be fully understood and debated before making any long-term policy changes. i strongly oppose the maine and vermont policy rider in this appropriations bill. and i regret very, very much that this was included without the appropriate hearings, without the appropriate oversight, without doing it out in the open so people could understand what the policy implications are by making this exemption. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i'll reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from colorado,

a member of the committee on rules, mr. polis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized for three minutes. mr. polis: i thank the gentlelady from new york. mr. speaker, i have to voice my opposition to an insidious provision that has been added to this bill at the last minute by agri business in the frozen food industry and that is a change that allows pizza to be counted as a vegetable. they started with french fries. now they moved on to pizza. this language equates pizza with vegetables and weakens otherwise good school nutrition standards. this faulty equivalency harkins back to catch tabble as a vegetable -- ketchup as a vegetable. this language requires crediting of tomato paste, again, crediting of tomato paste from page 90 of this bill as a vegetable under the school

lunch program to be subsidized by taxpayers as a vegetable. a family from my district, from eagle county, colorado, in my office earlier this morning and i asked them -- when your kid is eating do you count pizza as his vegetable? and she said no. parents across the nays agree. pizza can be incorporated -- parents across the country agree. pizza can be incorporated. i eat pizza. when we talking about taxpayer subsidies on the side of pizza, making sure there's some broccoli, making sure there's some spinach, making sure there's something healthy to eat at the lunch counter, pizza alone, particularly with pizza with no vegetables on it, it's common sense. what's next? are twinkies going to be considered a vegetable? we have special interests putting these provisions into these bills contrary to the

public health. and we wonder why congress is so unpopular nationally? they scratch their heads when they say french fries count at a healthy, knew interest ishes vedge nutritious vegetable. that pizza is a nutritional element. not only are the kids and families affected, but we are all affected. the cost of medicare and medicaid, government spending, rising obesity rates, the empty calories in french fries are not equal to truly nutritious vegetables like carrots, spinach, broccoli, could you curvers. i know -- cucombers. i know. we have a 9 week old that hasn't been weaned up. we haven't gone through that. you don't call twinkie a vegetable. you don't call pizza a vegetable. you have to make sure that kids know how to incorporate healthy food into their diet so they can grow up strong, keep all of our costs down and make sure

you keep america healthy. mr. speaker, this bill has many important provisions but it's critical to highlight the ludicrous definition that congress is given by redefining nutrition down and providing taxpayer subsidies for unhealthy food at our schools, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. fok foxx thank you. -- ms. foxx: thank you. mr. speaker, you know, our colleagues across the aisle often try to distract from what are the real issues facing our country and get down -- get in the weeds and feels like this gives them a perfect opportunity to do that. but when i'm home every weekend and talk to my constituents, what they're concerned about is the incredible -- they have incredible outrage with the inaction of the liberal democrat-controlled senate. my constituents are aware of the many bills that the house

has passed but which are stalled in the senate. and many of these bills which are -- deals directly with promoting jobs which remains the prevailing issue of so many americans. our colleagues are upset about the quality of the free lunches that we provide. well, we have more people in poverty and getting free lunches because the democrat-controlled senate refuses to work with the republicans in the house to set an environment where more jobs can be created and fewer people would be dependent on food stamps and be dependent on getting free breakfasts and lunches. my constituents know the general policies that existed when the democrats were in control of the house for four years. my constituents understand that government can create jobs only

for more government bureaucrats. and those bureaucrats must justify their existence by creating more regulations that wind up killing more private sector jobs. the liberal democrat elites in washington keep asking for one republican jobs bill. well, mr. speaker, we've passed at least 20 jobs bills that help the private sector. the only sector of our economy that can actually create real jobs through growth in their businesses. they keep buying into the false theory that government will create millions of jobs. the reality is that unless we provide the private sector with an environment that is condusive to job creation, jobs will be very hard to come by. mr. speaker, republicans have been listening to our constituents, and we're acting to provide private business owners and entrepreneurs with the tools that they need to create jobs. however, the bills we pass and send over to the senate just

sit there and nothing is done with them, mr. speaker. we could reduce the number of children, again, on free and reduced lunches by creating jobs and getting people out of poverty in this country. that's what we should be focused on right now. we could solve a lot of the problems in this country by doing that. and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i am pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from ohio, a member of the committee on appropriations, ms. kaptur. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from ohio is recognized for three minutes. ms. kaptur: i thank the ranking member, congresswoman slaughter, for her incredible work and rise today, mr. speaker, to support the rule for fiscal year 2012 appropriations, technically or maybe untechnically called the mini bus, and recommend that conferees and completely commend the conferees for including language based on

legislation we introduced directing additional resources for the federal bureau of investigation's white-collar crime division for wall street financial crime prosecution. with the federal deficit requiring our rigor, this mini bill makes difficult cuts but also provides support for those most hurt by the current recession. let me state for the record that the trillions of dollars of deficit being racked up in this country come from some pretty clear sources. first of all, two wars, the longest wars in american history lasting over a decade now. also, the cost of unemployment to this economy caused by wall street malfeasance. and finally, looking back the tax cuts for the rich enacted during the last bush administration that continue to rack up mounting deficits every year. it's very clear what's happening. and then with the rising deficit, the cost of added

interest to the debt. this bill meets the spending cap set in the budget control act compromise and includes a clean continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown which would only further harm our economy. with over 15% of americans living in poverty now, our moral responsibility as a congress must be to help our fellow citizens weather this storm which they didn't create and this bill maintains funding for key programs such as for food, for women who are pregnant, for food banks across this country that are strapped. in particular, this bill includes language based on legislation i authored to allow the f.b.i. to hire hundreds of new agents to fully investigate white-collar crime in the financial services sector. people across ohio from toledo to cleveland are hurting because of the recklessness of wall street. those who broke the law in order to get rich at the expense of everybody else should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. i commend the conferees for

including my language to help provide the f.b.i. with the necessary resources to investigate those who are responsible. i urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill which is quite balanced despite the very difficult choices that they had, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time is expired. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves her time. the gentlelady from new york. ms. slaughter: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from texas is recognized for three minutes. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentlewoman. i thank the gentlelady from new york for her kindness in yielding. i thank the hard work of the appropriations committee. i thank the the gentlelady -- i thank the gentlelady, virginia, for having this debate.

it's not a happy time to come to the floor and indicate that this is what we have to do. but it's important to acknowledge some challenges that we still have, and those challenges are the many food programs that have to be capped in spite of the numbers of people who are hungry in this country. the dumbing down of food resources, in particular, as my colleague from colorado mentioned, listing toe pateo paste and tomatoes as -- tomato paste and tomatoes as vegetables. food deserts where there are pockets in rural and urban centers where we have no food access, good healthy food, vegetables. but i am glad that the new starts under the transportation bill includes the north and southeast lines for the city of houston creating jobs, putting people to work and improving