can congress do it? guest: it takes someone standing up as a leader. it can come from the president or congress. you are talking about goals. you are talking about what is important. host: michael mandel. thank you. mitt romney has released his tax records. there will be a conference call. that does it for today. the house is in session. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order.

the chair lays will have the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. january 24, 2012. i hereby appoint the honorable eric paulsen to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. baber, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 17, 2012, 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 and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes each, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. the gentleman will suspend. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has agreed to h.con.res. 96, providing for joint session of congress to receive a memming from the president. -- to receive a message from the president. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina may resume. mr. jones: mr. speaker, thank you very much. on january 12, cbs eefpble news -- evening news did a segment on just how impossible the situation is in afghanistan. this is something i have been speaking out for months and months and months. i think cbs beautifully illustrated just how dire a situation it is in afghanistan. i would read excerpts from the report containing examples of just how inept the afghan army is. and i quote, cbs news correspondent carissa ward found one reason in the valley, americans lost their lives there, building a base, when they tried to hand over the gains to the afghan army, the

base went to ruin. army major gibbon from southern california is frustrated. you are relying on us to do all your security for you. you need to be participating, he told an afghan counterpart. on a recrept patrol some afghan soldiers were not wearing helmets. one chatted on his cell phone. the united states military left the base last february, handing over to afghan forces, but within weeks things went badly wrong. remember, mr. speaker, this is a cbs national report. enemy forces returned to rome freely through the valley. the afghan commander deserted. hundreds of his soldiers followed. the afghan force that is remain ransacked their own base. all the electric wires have been pulled out. anything of any value was taken. you can see the wire hanging out of the lights. mr. speaker, they also -- a new afghan army unit has been

brought in with a new commander called colonel tarab, the u.s. have nicknamed him honest abe. he was honest to a fault about the prospects of the afghan army. mr. speaker, listen very carefully. it would take about 30 years for the afghan army to be ready he said through a translator, and if they are going to reform , it would take about 10 years. how many $10 billion a month do we have to spend, how many young men and women have to die for a failed policy? and history has protch you will never, never -- proven you will never, never change afghanistan no matter what you do. this poster beside me is a wife in tears whose husband was killed in afghanistan. and the little girl, as you can see, mr. speaker, is looking at the flag. she has no idea that her daddy

is dead. she will know one day that her father died to prop up a corrupt leader named karzai and a corrupt government. and then she will learn from the history books as she gets into high school that no nation has ever conquered afghanistan and no nation will ever conquer afghanistan. as we listen to the president tonight, and talks about the state of affairs, i hope he will mention that he intends to bring our troops home now not in 2014. in 2014 i do not know how many young men and women have to lose their legs, arms, and die. so i hope both parties will come together this spring and talk about bringing our troops home now not 2014. with that, mr. speaker, i will ask god to please bless our men and women in uniform and their

families, to bless the families who have give a child dying for freedom in afghanistan and iraq, and ask god to please continue to bless america. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california -- the jem -- gentlewoman from california, ms. pelosi the gentlewoman investigate for five minutes. ms. pelosi: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today to pay tribute to the life, leadership, and legacy of our former colleague

and friend of many in this house, congressman eddie jenkins. my colleague, john lewis, brought many of us together on this floor or in our other public statements to say what an honor it was to serve with eddie engjins. how much we all learned from him. the humor as well as the intellect that he brought to his work was definitely, definitely an asset to congress. eddie generalsins -- jenkins is a proud son of georgia. if you heard him say it, you would agree, a self-described country lawyer. from jasper, a public servant dedicated to his constituents, to advancing the interests, hopes, and aspirations of his neighbors down there in georgia. and to secure future prosperity for all and opportunity for all americans. it must be a true honor for congressman jenkins and his

family that this tribute's been organized and led by the conscience of the congress, a man of extraordinary leadership and character and a fellow representative from the state of georgia, congressman john lewis. congressman jenkins will long be remembered as the leader willing to work across the identical, negotiate coalitions on behalf of the greater good. he will remember in textile mills across the south as a champion of the industry, defender of good-paying jobs for local workers and small towns and communities across the region. for small businesses. he remembers a chan for his expertise on the tax code, his wisdom and leadership with respect, the respect he earned, even when his colleagues disagreed with him. and he will be remembered for his legendary tough questioning during the iran-contra hearings, a scene that reflected and embodied the strong will, deep character, and core pripses, his pursuit

of the truth, hits firm belief in the sanctity of the rule of law. congressman jenkins served his community and our country as a lawyer and congressional staffer, in the coast guard and member of the house of representatives. he'll be missed by his friends in congress, by his friends he served in georgia, by his neighbors and loved ones. we only hope that it is some comfort to his wife of 51 years, jo, his daughters, his brothers, sisters, grandsons, and entire family that so many share their grief at this sad time. thank you, mr. jenkins, for a life of service to the country and to the congress. thank you, mr. lewis, for providing this opportunity for us to honor a person we were proud to call colleague and friend. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the jeem yields back. -- the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the the gentlewoman from ohio, mrs. schmidt, for five minutes. mrs. schmidt: i ask unanimous consent to speak for five

minutes and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. schmidt: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today i really just want to say thank you to a young woman who for the last time in her legislative career as a member of congress will grace our presence this evening at this state of the union. i'm talking about my good friend, gabby giffords. i think the world will all know gabby as the courageous heroine who on january 8, 2011, was met but an unbelievable maryland person who changed her life and the life of so many. but i really want to tell all of us in this body what a great individual and humanitarian she was for all of us. she was sworn into office on january 4, 2007. she came out of the state legislature in arizona. so her background was in the

state legislature, as mine is. she currently represents southern arizona, tucson area, which has the davis air force base and -- she is a leading champion onboarder security, energy independence, and the needs of military families and veterans which she knows so well because she is married to an active military veteran, mark kelly, who not only flue umpteen missions as a naval pilot but also flew into space as a nasa astronaut. on january 8, when she was having coffee, congress on your corner at a supermarket in northwest tucson, an ordinary morning, and many people were there, she was met by a madman who not only changed her life but ended the life of 9-year-old christina taylor

green, dorothy morris, john roll, the chief federal judge for arizona, phyllis schneck, ann zimmerman, 12 others including gifford's staff, were wounded. she was treated initially nearby and then flown to the tirr memorial herman rehabilitation hospital in houston. she continues to be rehabilitated and it is remarkable how far this young woman has come. she was a full bright scholar, more importantly she is my friend. see in the house we have a little bipartisan softball team. we play folks like the nrcc young folks and the d triple c young folks, and now recently we are playing the press corps. and she was a member of our team. and she was a really good member. i wish gabby well as she moves

to a new direction in her life. and i pray each and every morning and each and every evening that god will continue to allow her to become a complete human being again. she is a great lady. a great friend of this house. a great friend to the folks in tucson and surrounding arizona. i will yield to my friend, mr. elliott, from new york. mr. elliott: i thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me. i think that her taking the floor this morning is the best example of bipartisanship that people say congress doesn't have enough of. and i think that those of us that believe in bipartisanship need to do more and more of this. the attack on gabby was really an attack on all of us, an attack on congress, and something that's unthinkable. i'm very happy she will be here this evening for the state of the union address by the

president. i got to know gabby very well because my son attended the university of arizona in tucson, and graduated from there. and he was campaigning for her and i actually got to know her before she even was a member of the house. i think that all of us can say that she has been one of the most collegial, friendly, hardworking, dedicated members of congress. we go out there, all of us, on both sides of the aisle, every day and meet with thousands and thousands and thousands of constituents. i think that she embodied the best of what congress has to offer. i am sorry that she is resigning, but i know she's doing what she feels is best for her state of arizona and also best for her. i know that we all wish her godspeed and we all wish her a speedy recovery as we can get. i know we haven't seen the last of her. she will become roaring back and will continue to make tremendous contributions to

this country for years to come. i want to thank the gentlewoman for doing this. i think that both of us standing here today shows the american people that congress can work together, should work together, and in the fine tradition of gabby giffords, we are going to make sure we all continue to work together. thank you. mrs. schmidt: on that note, i yield back my time, thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlewoman has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. quigley, for five minutes. . mr. quigley: mr. speaker, chicago is a city of many treasures. from the architecture, to the museums, from the sports teams to our food, there are many, many reasons to celebrate the windy city. with so much to do, see and eat, some of our city's finest features do not make it on most tourist's to-do list. drive down lake shore drive with the lake on one side and our beautiful skyline on the

other and 93 wxrt on the radio. i tried to tell my children about the radio. 40 years ago all you had was the same 10 songs on a.m. radio. then came x.r.t. with a passion and an integrity unmatched even today. no coincidence it became a 24-hour station in 1976, demonstrating our city's unique commitment to independent thinking and unbrightled celebration of art and music. like many others, x.r.t. linked me to a new world. x.r.t. encouraged me to leave my sterile environment and travel to old town to listen to steve goodman. to see the new york dolls. not to mention other famous haunts that played hosts to iggy pop, frank zappa, rocksy music and the like. thank you, x.r.t., for 40 great

years. it made me a better person. when your kids turn to 93 they'll find lane bramer, your best friend in the whole world. lynn has been the morning host for 40 years and chicago institution onto himself. for 20 years, lynn has been there with us to celebrate all things chicago, from commensurating another chicago cubs loss to suggesting the perfect restaurant for a postconcert dinner. he shares with us the best of the city and makes sure we better understand the world with lynn's bent. he helps us discover new sounds, rediscover old feaferts and provides an unpair lelled soundtrack to the day. lynn has received a variety of honors throughout his illustrious career. in 1990 he was honored as music director of the decade by hart report. his motto, borrow from the writing of gerald hopkins,

flesh fade and mortgagele -- you and i might as well rock and roll. dubbed the reverend of rock 'n' roll earlier in his career, he sought to put together a program like any other. lynn has succeeded in doing that and so much more. radio isn't lynn's only passion. he's also quite the accomplished foody. not going anywhere without a food guide in his car in his self-described eating pants. an outfit with enough give to accommodate another chicago meal. awe, the weiner circle. his favorite restaurants in chicago include a wide variety of cuisines. his recommendations have included best upscale mexican restaurant for when you want to leave the kids at home or the very specific, best late night steak burr --ito. and another favorite table, ann s.a.t.ers restaurant on

belmont. he helped us discover the best of chicago and in doing so has become a chicago treasure himself. we appreciate and applaud his career as one of our city's finest radio personalities and most recognizable voices and look for the most recognizable foods he will help us discover in his next 20 years. thank you, lynn, for making us realize why it's great to be alive. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes mr. dold for five minutes. mr. dold: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. dold: thank you, mr. speaker. i know in just listening to some of the comments that i'm joined by i think all of my colleagues in welcoming gabby giffords back to this body for this evening's state of the union address and certainly our thoughts and prayers are with her for a full and speedy recovery as she continues to make strides.

mr. speaker, this past month i've had the opportunity, as many of my colleagues have, to travel throughout our districts, and as the number one manufacturing district in our country, it's no surprise that people are frustrated and concerned about jobs and the economy. i know that's common because when i talk to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and my colleagues over on this side of the aisle about the number one issue we face, they also say it's jobs and the economy. so whether you're a republican or democrat or independent, i think we can all come together and agree that we need to find the common ground to spur economic growth. it's time that we work together in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that empowers job creators and puts america back to work. i firmly believe that if we put people before politics and progress before partisanship and find common ground we will move our country forward. if you have an idea that is going to move our country forward, i think that we ought

to vote on it and move it forward immediately. mr. speaker, today marks the 1,000th day that the united states senate has not passed a budget. as someone that runs a small business before coming to washington, sitting around kitchen tables, americans are wondering how they tighten their belt, how they balance their budget. but the point there is that they have a budget. small businesses all across the land can't operate without a budget. big businesses can't operate without a budget. american families generally can't operate without a budget and yet we here in washington have not had a budget in far, far, far too long. you could build the empire state building 2 1/2 times in the time that it's taken the senate to even pass their version of a budget. this is just plainly unacceptable for the american public. put something forward. let us know where we should be

putting our priorities and that unfortunately creates an enormous inefficiency. can you imagine trying to figure out where you're supposed to spend your resources, what you're spend your money on in terms of trying to move your family forward without a budget? there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty, mr. speaker, out there and i hear it from people each and every day. uncertainty that washington is creating. excessive regulations. there's no question about that. we look at dodd-frank and dodd-frank, frankly, we have 400 rules and regulations, over 200-some-odd that have yet to be written. what it does is it paralyzes small businesses. people sitting on their hands. they're not moving forward. they're not hiring people. this is something that we here in this body have an opportunity to change. we can provide that level of certainty, and i think that we must. we're going to hear a lot about a do-nothing congress, and,

frankly, i get frustrated when i hear that. this body has passed over 30 jobs bills and sent them across the courtyard to the other side of the capitol where they sit on harry reid's doorstep. now, these aren't partisan bills, mr. speaker. these are bills like access to capital to job creators that passed this body by over 400 votes. that's wildly bipartisan. something that we agree upon. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and yet they're sitting on harry reid's doorstep and they won't even come up for a vote. this is the frustration that the american public has. washington needs to move forward. we need to address jobs and the economy. we need to address the out-of-control spending that's happened, yes, on both sides of the aisle. we need to figure out a way that washington can tighten its belts so we canterbury our children and grandchildren under -- so we don't bury our children and grandchildren

under a mountain of debt. mr. speaker, i talk to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and i do sense that there's a frustration, there's a concern that we may be the first generation of americans that leaves our country worse for our children and grandchildren than we received from our parents and grandparents. for me this is absolutely unacceptable which is why i think we have to find that common ground. find the common ground and move our country forward. i certainly hope tonight we talk about a united america. we talk about a vision that unites us as opposed to one that divides us. this will be an opportunity, and i hope it's about jobs and the economy, the out-of-control spending, and making sure that hardworking american taxpayers are moving forward. this is our time. it's time we all come together and put america back to work. with that i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. -- gentlewoman alabama, ms. sewell, for five minutes. ms. sewell: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize sally white, a remarkable young lady from the seventh congressional district of alabama, who is a recent recipient of the congressional gold medal of service for youth award. sally is a driven and committed and determined young lady who's destined for success. she's currently a senior at thomasville high school in thomasville, alabama, and has a 4.32 grade point average. she's been a member of the varsity cheerleading squad for three years and was captain of the squad this year. she was also named a universal cheerleader's association all-american. she has been part part of the theater association. she's a member of the national

honors society, a thomasville chamber ambassador. sally has been very passionate about public service and mission work. she's traveled to ecuador for two weeks in the summer of 2010 planting trees to raise money for village schools. sally serves as a volunteer for the summer reading program in thomasville public library and volunteers in the extended day program at thomasville elementary school to assist young students with home work. sally plans to pursue a college degree in either biomedical or chemical engineering. after college she plants to attend graduate school to earn a ph.d. or medical degree. she wants to develop cures for this nation's most troubling diseases. sally is one of 14 youth in the state of alabama who has received the congressional gold medal of service award since its inaccepting by congress in 1979 -- inception by congress

in 1979. it provides a unique opportunity for young people to set and achieve personal challenging goals that builds character and fosters community service. unlike many other awards. recipients do not win the congressional gold medal of service, they earn it. sally earned this accolade by setting and achieving goals in four program areas -- volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness and exploration. in her more than 800 hours of community service, she strengthened her commitment to public service and realized the power that one individual can make a difference in one's community and in this world. i have the great privilege of presenting the congressional gold medal of service award to sally two weeks ago on january 11, 2012, during a student assembly at thomasville high school. i was impressed by sally's poise, grace and strength, her commitment to helping others. when asked about the award, sally stated -- receiving the

congressional gold medal of service for youth award has been a tremendous honor for me. i am thankful for the love and support i've received while working towards this award and i'm extremely humbled by this honor. sally's principal expressed the sentiment of her advisors and mentors when he explained that sally white is without a doubt the most driven, goal-oriented and conscientious young person i have ever encountered. she is operating at a level far beyond her years. we have been honored to have her as a high school student for the past few years. sally white is an excellent role model and a wonderful example of servant leadership. we should all aspire to work as hard as sally for the good of others and for other own personal development. i want to applaud sally's teachers, family members, friends and the thomasville community for helping to shape and nurture an outstanding student. on behalf of the seventh

congressional district, the state of alabama and this nation, we recognize and congratulate sally white for receiving the congressional gold medal of service for youth award. for her hard work, dedication and commitment to community involvement. it is with great pride that i ask my colleagues in the house of representatives to join me in honoring sally white for her exemplary commitment to public service. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan, for five minutes. mr. duncan: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: thank you, mr. speaker. all around the hill today you'll see members of congress wearing a red button. 1,000 days, a reminder, 1,000 days since the united states senate has passed a budget for the united states of america.

1,000 days acting irresponsibly. now, i want to pause and tell you that last year on january 8, just three days after being sworn in as a new united states congressman, we were informed of the tragic incident that happened in arizona. and i want to let gabby know that i'm going to be honored that she'll be on the floor with us today. our prayers from my family and member of the south carolina delegation and our state go up for her and her family and the folks of arizona that she represents every day and we'll continue to do that long after her service to this country. . mr. speaker, this week is national school choice week. all across our country, students and families are rallying for national school choice week, a grassroots campaign dedicated to the idea that all students, regardless

of background, have have the opportunity to choose the school that most effectively motivates them to learn. for too long we have made increases in spending and standards from washington as our focus. these have sadly strangled our parents and teachers' ability to help our students succeed. i want to give a shout out to the nation's teachers who have to deal every day with complying with the mandates that come from washington, d.c., while they struggle to educate the children of our country. instead of propelling them to success, the united states has fallen to 14th in the world in reading, 17th in science, 25th in math compared to other countries, according to the 2009 edition of the program for international student assessment. those numbers are astonishing. as proud americans we will not

accept the consequences of failure, of letting our children fall behind the rest of the world. parents are demanding results in education for their children and washington should listen to their message, which is simply we know how to reform education in our states, get washington out of the way and watch us succeed. education should be returned to the states, the local communities, and to parents. just where our founding fathers left it when they designed this great government. this is the reality we face. our country, the united states of america, stormed the beaches of normandy, we raised the flag over iwo jima. we fought for and won the freedoms of other nations around the globe, we ventured into space and landed the human race on the moon. we inspired the collapse of the berlin wall. but before all of this we invented the light bulb, the automobile, the television,

telephone, discovered art anti-science of flying. our in-- the art of science and flying. they are the results of our greatness. because at the very beginning at our founding we declared to the world this belief that all men are created equal. that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. to secure these rights governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. the truth in that declaration reminds us that our people would succeed and prosper, our students will learn and achieve when we preserve the liberty of every parent, the liberty of every parent that choose the education environment that's best for their children. if we do so, imagine how our children will lead the world through another century marked

by the rise of freedom and the innovation that freedom inspires. with that, mr. speaker, i want to end by echoing the words of mr. jones from earlier when he said may god bless the men and women in uniform, may god bless their families, and may god continue to bless the united states of america. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas -- the gentlewoman texas, ms. jackson lee, for five minutes. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. last week i came to the floor of the house to challenge the utilization of words because words matter. candidates who are charging each other with variety of sins decided to call president barack obama, who will give us

the state of the union, the food stamp president. for many of us who know our history we might recall that in the 1940's, and beyond, there are many who are on government cheese. in fact, many people i know today smile about that government cheese that they were given and peanut butter. there are doctors and lawyers and leaders of this nation, teachers, people who are expanding the opportunity for others. this nation is a great country and we are reminded that many who start from humble beginnings can ascend to the highest office or the barrens and leadership of corporate america. so the negative connotation of food stamp president is to denigrate those who receive it. rather than to suggest that there are opportunities in this nation that no other country can provide. so, mr. speaker, i rise today to talk about and look forward

to the president's state of the union as he speaks about income equality and challenges us as a nation to come together to move forward on expanding jobs such as the president's american jobs act. but i raise for thought the problem with how we will come to that point. i'm looking at a article that suggests that made in the u.s.a. may be a relic of a bygone. it uses one of our most famous, one of our most imitated companies in the world, apple, which speaks to the genius of america. i will never step away from acknowledging that we are the innovative, the genius, the creative population because we have been given freedom by our constitution. but when you ask the question why the iphone is manufactured elsewhere, and you hear comments about why the genius of this particular company has

has translate food a number of jobs, why the decision was made to move manufacturing overseas, and where is the corporate social responsibility, for example, and where is the generosity in terms of hiring american workers? well, we know that the international economy is intertwined. companies once felt an obligation to support american workers even when it wasn't the best financial choice. we call that american again rossity. i understand the bottom line. so it is important that we begin to look at the items that the president is talking about. job skills training. and to find a way to restore the modern manufacturing that will bring more jobs to america. why do these companies move overseas? in this article it suggests because of the supply chains and the way factories can be put up and put down in these foreign countries. you tell me why we can't do that. i believe we can. it is all about focus and

logistics. tonight as the president expands on his speech about how we are a great nation, i'm looking for ways to end that income equality. for coming together and making sure that those who make much can have the ability to share those dollars, but yet still make a grand prophet. i want to see us -- profit. i want to see us improve our logistics. see us get factories up and bring them down. we restored the american auto industry by commitment, dedication, and sacrifice. and last i heard general motors now is the number one manufacturer of automobiles in the world. how did it come about? because democrats came together and joined around with a bipartisan support the idea that we can create jobs, we can manufacture jobs. let me just say this, i will accept the challenge tonight that the president will offer and i will realize that a food stamp family today providing for their children are presidents and c.e.o.'s and

astronauts and inventors tomorrow. that's the kind of nation that we are. i'll say it always. i'll say it again. food stamp is a denigrating term when you say food stamp president as if the president does not want to create jobs. we are tired of the buzz words and innuendo about certain groups. i believe we have a way of coming out of this. mr. speaker, now is the time. it is an urgency of now. it is a justice and equality that martin luther king spoke of and many other great leaders. it is this mosaic nation of people from all walks of life that have shown the world we are the greatest nation in the world. i'm looking forward to pursuing that in the 21st century, building jobs and saying god bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentlewoman has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. lungren, for five minutes. mr. lungren: request unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. lungren: thank you very much, mr. speaker. first i would just say to the gentlelady who just spoke that i do not doubt that the president wishes to create jobs. the fact of the matter is he just doesn't know how. the record would suggest to that. when i first came to this house the year was 1979, january, we were in the midst of what history has shown us as concluded was a failed presidency. we had something called the misery index. we had unemployment rising. we had inflation rates around 20%. we had by all gauges a difficult time, a time that many people looked upon with despair and many suggested that the issues were so large and the problems so great that no president could possibly deal with it, no congress and the american people could not. it was just prior to that time that i met a gentleman from georgia, mr. gingrich, as we

were both freshmen members elected. and we began talking about the fact that our party had not been in the majority for well over a generation. that there seemed to be a lack of a vision for the future and that there was an acceptance of mediocrity and failure and second class status for america. and our belief was at that time that we could come together with a number of other members and try and at least give voice to a new idea, a new vision, a more positive vision for america. we worked together with other members and formed what was called the conservative opportunity society because we thought that that was a positive vision for the future of america consistent with republican principles and more importantly consistent with and expressive of american principles. we thought it was an antidote to what we saw leading us at that time as the liberal welfare state.

and i think history has shown that with the election of ronald reagan and the embracing of the conservative opportunity society vision of america that america could turn around. we are confronted with what i believe to be a failed presidency at the present time. we are confronted with questions and some great despair in families around america for the failure of an opportunity for jobs. and i would suggest that at this point in time it is appropriate for those who have visions those who are ready to challenge the conventional wisdom, those who believe that america's best days are ahead not behind, to come to the floor. -- to the fore. there are those who look at the faults of newt gingrich. i'd like to suggest that he was the one person that i know that had a vision in this house of how this house could be changed, how we working as an institution could work with a

president to make changes. and ultimately how this side of the aisle could for the first time in a generation actually be the majority. following his asendency to speaker of the house, we actually had balanced budgets. we actually had some bringing down of some of the size of the federal government. we actually had some progress around the country. so i would say for those who look at the faults of others, let's look at their accomplishments. this is a time when it seems to me we ought to be serious about the future of america. we ought to be bold about the future of america. we ought to have some confidence in the greatness of america. the greatness of its people not necessaryly the greatness of its government. we need to have a good governmental structure that allows the greatness of the american people. there are some on the debate

scene today, the presidential debate scene today, who are willing to challenge us with bold ideas. that has been done in the past and proven successful. it seems to me we should not shrink from the future, we should embrace the future, we should be leaders of the future. i am not one elected to this house to be satisfied that the future of america for my children, my grandchildren is any less than what it was for me as a child growing up. i will not stand here and allow us to act in vain so that the sacrifices of my parents, some call it the greatest generation, i say one of the greatest generations, will have been in vain. they worked hard, they accepted the challenges of the future with an innate confidence in the goodness of the american people, the capabilities of the american people, and, yes, the common sense of the american people. my hope is that we go forward in this year those of us who

seek office for both the house, senate, and the presidency will accept that mantle of leadership that has been cast upon us from those in the past. the speaker pro tempore: time of the gentleman has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. butterfield, for five minutes. mr. butterfield: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my concern that republicans are attempting to penalize unemployed american citizens who do not have a high school diploma. last month, house republicans included included a provision in the payroll tax cut bill presently in conference to establish an educational requirement for recipients of benefits. . the provision would require recipients of unemployment benefits to have at least a high school diploma or g.e.d. or be enrolled in classes to obtain such a degree. this requirement, mr. speaker,

would affect an estimated 248,000 workers in the first three months of enactment and disproportionately affect older workers, facing certain unemployment recipients to either enroll in adult education programs or forgo the benefits they need to support their families. this is a disgrace. in 2010, half a million workers aged 50 or over who received unemployment insurance lacked a high school diploma. for most of these individuals who have worked more than 30 long years, returning to high school makes very little sense. they are the brick layers and the carpenters and sanitation workers and house keepers in our communities. in the case of workers under the age of 50, adult education might be useful, but is largely unobtainable. currently, adult education programs don't have the capacity -- we know that --

don't have the capacity to meet this demand. waiting lists for these programs are prolific and certain to worsen due to a 20% decline over the past decade in federal funding for adult education programs. and $1 billion in cuts to job training programs in fiscal year 2011, creating an educational mandate as a condition of eligibility to receive unemployment insurance benefits, mr. speaker, is punitive. it's misguided. it's egregious. even by current republican standards. while there are certainly benefits to receiving at least a high school education, establishing a blanket policy that denies unemployment benefits to low-skilled workers who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own without ensuring they have unrestricted access to educational opportunities sets up hundreds of thousands of americans to

fail. it seems incredibly cynical to require participation in adult education and job training as a condition of receiving unemployment benefits while simultaneously eliminating meaningful federal support for these programs. mr. speaker, it is unconscionable to put additional strings on this crucial relief that do nothing, nothing to address the real causes of the current unemployment crisis. it is a difficult time to be unemployed in america. it is a difficult time to be unemployed in america, but house republicans seem determined to make it even more difficult. i urge my colleagues to join me and stand up against this education mandate and help bring the unplutonium crisis to resolve. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania,

mr. fitzpatrick, for five minutes. mr. fitzpatrick: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. fitzpatrick: thank you, mr. speaker. starting january 29 of this year, catholic schools across the country will initiate their annual observance of catholic schools week. the theme for this year is catholic schools, faith, academics, service. the 2012 theme emphasizes the principles of catholic school education which families in my district and across the country highly value. the theme focuses on three priorities that are distinct to catholic schools -- children are taught faith, not just the basics of christianity but how to have a relationship with their gods. academics. earlier this year i was proud to recognize the nativity of our lord catholic school in pennsylvania for receiving the 2011 national blue ribbon of excellence award. finally, the third principle in the 2012 theme is service.

the combiffing of one's time and -- the giving of one's time and effort to help others. it's taught as both an expression of faith but also of good citizenship. schools typically celebrate catholic schools week with mass, open houses and activities for students, families, parishioners and communities at large. in addition to this year's list of activities, some schools into my district will host events, welcoming schools with which they'll be emerging. while the archdiocese of philadelphia contemplates their plans for continuing to provide students with a rigorous academic curriculum in concert with religious values, they can reflect on the three principles of catholic schools week -- faith, academics, service. not simply as a theme but also as a guide for their future decisions. mr. speaker, catholic schools week is truly a time to demonstrate the intangible value of catholic education.

i'm extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of the administrators, faculty, students and parents who have fostered academic excellence, spirituality. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. lee, for five minutes. ms. lee: thank you. as the fourder of the congressional out-of-poverty caucus, i remind this body of the crisis of poverty in america which she is prick the conscious of every democrat and republican. as we begin to consider legislation for this year's budgets for fiscal year 2013, we must do more to help millions of americans living in poverty. we must do more for the millions of americans who are looking very hard for a job and working hard every day to move up the ladder of opportunity, really trying to remove these very difficult barriers. we must not balance our budgets on the backs of the most vulnerable, the poor and

low-income individuals, and we could not allow any budget cut or authorize new spending on programs that will increase poverty or increase income inequality in america. we also must commit to taking bold steps to reducing the devastating impacts of poverty in america and that is by creating jobs. it's inexcusable and immoral to fail to take the strongest possible action to bring help to the most needy. we must not focus more wealth in the hands of the few and leaves millions of americans behind. with nearly 50 million americans in poverty and half of all americans in low-income households, we cannot wait. we must act now. mr. speaker, poverty doesn't just hurt families and the children who grow up in families trapped by poverty, but it costs our nations hundreds of billions of dollars in lost productivity and lows the nation's economic growth. we must act to strengthen

funding for programs that not only prevent hunger, homelessness and crime and maintain access to education but they must -- we almost must create initiatives to demand goods and services which boosts our economy. that means that small businesses across america need customers and they need customers right now. and so we must extend the expiring unemployment benefits. we can't abandon the millions of job seekers before they find a good job. we should also immediately add an additional 14 weeks of tier one unemployment benefits for the millions of americans who have completely exhausted their benefits after 99 weeks. far too many americans have exhausted all their unemployment benefits and are still unable to work. we must not abandon these 99ers. to achieve these ends, we must ensure that we protect the efficient and effective programs we already have in place and provide strong investments that spur immediate job growth and we have the

resources to do this if we commit ourselves to increasing taxation to ensure that the wealthiest americans pay their fair share and enact reasonable tax code that includes financial transactions which will not only raise revenue but sets some limit to the wild, out-of-control speculation and vullture capitalism that nearly brought down this entire economy. also, we must take a bold approach in how we allocate the large savings from our defense budgets as we bring our troops home from abroad. i'm confident that the president will speak to the moral and economic crisis of income inequality and will not forget the long-term unemployed, the poor, our seniors, our students and the middle class in his state of the union speech tonight. i hope that republicans and democrats in this body take heed and tomorrow pass the american jobs act for the good of the country. thank you and i yield the balance of my time.

top -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california, ms. woolsey, for five minutes. ms. woolsey: mr. speaker, tonight when the president of the united states addresses our nation from this chamber, we'll hear some good news on the national security front. the end of the iraq war, for example, is an impressive accomplishment, one that wouldn't have happened if both progressive haven't called for our troops to be brought home way back in 2005. i'm also pleased the president's leadership will make it possible for our military strategic review to call for significant reductions in defense spending. but on both of these fronts, ending our current wars and

long-range national security strategy, i'm hoping for proposals that are bigger and bolder than what we've heard to this point. bottom line, mr. speaker, we need to end the war in afghanistan and we need to end it now, not 2014, not whatever later date the military brass decides is appropriate. after nearly 1,900 american deaths and nearly 10 years of bloodshed and mayhem, we owe it to our troops and their families as well as american taxpayers to bring them home. this war's not just a moral disgrace, not just a humanitarian disaster, mr. speaker, it's a strategic failure. we're spending at least $10 billion every month to prop up a regime in afghanistan that is ineffective on its best day and downright corrupt on its worst.

afghanistan continues to be racked by poverty and violence and my belief is that by continuing to have military boots on the ground, we're encouraging more an mostity towards the united states. -- animosity towards the united states. undermining our security. mr. speaker, we need a new security program. we need a new security paradigm, an entirely fresh way of thinking about how to keep our nation safe. what we make more friends and win more hearts and mipeds if we extend the hand of friendship to the rest of the world instead of rattling the saber at the first sign of trouble. actually, that's the heart of my smart security platform. why are we spending pennies on humanitarian aid for every dollar we're spending on weapons and welfare and

warfare? instead of a military surge, we need a civilian surge, one that lifts people out of poverty, we builds infrastructure, promotes education, especially for women and girls and combats malnutrition and global health problems around the world. smart security is a renewed commitment to diplomacy, multilateralism and peaceful conflict resolution. it would support a dramatic downsizing of the military industrial complex. believe it or not, the pentagon consumes 56% of discretionary spending with a budget bigger in real dollars than it was at the height of the soviet threat . and with smart security we can reverse that. tonight, i'm told the president will sound the theme of an america built to last. but no nation, mr. speaker, that exists in a state of

semipermanent warfare can be built to last. i worry about how we can be built to last when we have enough nuclear warheads to blow the world to smithereens many times over. now is the time, mr. speaker, our common humanity compels us to bring the troops home from afghanistan and implement a smart security agenda. now is the time. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. lewis, for five minutes. mr. lewis: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. lewis: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize and celebrate the life of jenkins, a fellow georgian, a dedicated public servant and a good friend. i had the honor of serving on the ways and means committee

alongside congressman jenkins. born in a small town of jasper, georgia, congressman jenkins would often describe himself as a country lawyer. but he was a country lawyer with an extensive knowledge of the tax system, he was knowledgeable, he was very informed. he was an advocate for the people and industries of georgia. he was a champion of the south textile industry and the fearest protector of the local economy. . although often soft speaken, ed jenkins bravely pressed for the fights in the iran-contra affair. he believed the american people deserved to hear the truth and he was not afraid to speak out, he was not afraid to speak out. he was thoughtful, considerate, a brave negotiator, and

unbelievable, excellent colleague. when i first came to congress he was so helpful and so caring. i learned so much from him. he was a good man, decent human being. i never heard him say a mean thing about anyone. i only wish we had more members of congress on both sides of the aisle with not just his demeanor but with the pride he took in this institution and this congress. he was very proud to be a member of congress and proud to be a member of the ways and means committee. and that pride made him a powerful leader. i can remember over the years each time the ways and means committee came together for a reunion, he would always show

up long after he retired from the congress. i was so sad to hear of his passing and would like to express my deepest sympathy to his wife, jo, his daughters, and his entire family. as a nation we greatly benefited from his service, as a colleague i learned so much from his example and his friendship. he would be deeply missed by the people of georgia, the people of this nation, he made a lasting contribution to our country and we must never, ever forget this good and great man. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizings the gentleman from georgia, mr. bishop, for five minutes. mr. bishop: request permission

to revise and extend my remarks. address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. bishop: mr. speaker, i'd like to thank congressman john lewis for reserving time this morning for members of the house to come to the floor to pay tribute to my friend, one of georgia's former and notable legislators, the late congressman edgar jenkins. ed died january 1 of this year. heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden slight but they while their companions slept were toiling onward through the night. it was no sudden slight for ed jenkins, born in young harris, georgia, to rise to prominence in washington, d.c., under the dome of this great capitol.

no, it was a result of hard work and sacrifice. although i didn't have the pleasure of serving in this body with ed as he retired from congress in 1993 as i was beginning my first term, i and countless others from across the country looked to ed as a role model. ed came to me shortly after i was elected, he embraced me, he was always available to me for advice and counsel. not only that, he and his friend of many years, and his business partner, john winburn, made it a point to offer continuous support for democratic members from the georgia delegation year in and year out, and ed never asked for anything in return. he was an after kabul country -- affable country lawyer.

he practiced in jasper, georgia. he was born in young harris. he attended young harris college. he was in the coast guard. and for many years he served as an aide to the former congressman phil lan drum of georgia. he was elected to this body and he served from 1977 to 1993. as a member of the house ways and means committee, he was -- played an instrumental role in passage of key tax initiatives that benefited millions of working american families. he was a key figure in the investigation of uncovering the crimes committed during the iran-contra affair. ed through his illustrious legislative career always relayed a passionate and loyal advocate of the south's manufacturing and textile industry. in 1985 he wrote and passed the

text tile en-- textile enforcement act which was ultimately vetoed by president reagan but would have rolled back the textile imports from foreign countries by 40%. as a conservative democrat from the south, ed jenkins off received praise from his constituents for putting their interests ahead of political ideology or party affiliation. in his political life he always embodied the adage of the turtle on the fence post which was quoted so often by his childhood friend, former georgia governor and u.s. senator, miller. it goes like this, whenever you see a turtle perched on a fence post, you know one thing. he didn't get there by himself. somebody put him there. ed jenkins always remembered who sent him to washington. ed is survived by his beloved

wife, jo jenkins, two daughters , two brothers, three sisters, and two grandsons. my wife and i would like to extend our sincere condolences to ed's family, friends, and former constituents as they mourn the loss of our dearly departed friend. there must have been something about the water at young harris college. it produced people who must have have ingested something about public service. miller, governor, senator, jack brinkley, united states congressman, edgar jenkins, united states congressman, par excellence. isn't it strange how princes

and kings and sawdust rings and common folks like you and me are builders for eternity, each is given a bag of tools, a shapeless mass, and set of rules, and each must make your life as known, a stumbling block or steppingstone. mr. speaker, i'm so glad and the people of georgia and this nation are glad that ed jenkins was a steppingstone and not a stumbling block for a higher, better life for so many people across this country. we mourn his loss but we are grateful that we knew him and that he passed this way. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe, for five minutes. mr. poe: thank you, mr.

speaker. this is a photograph of frank buckles jr. it was taken when he was about 16 years of age. he may have been 15. he may have been 17. you see, frank buckles jr. joined the united states army in the great world war i. and he lied to get into the army so he could serve america in france. they called them doughboy when is they went to europe. he drove an ambulance so he could rescue other doughboys who had been wounded and killed on the battlefield in flanders and other places in belgium and france. after the great world war ii was over with, he came back home to the united states. 114,000 doughboys did not

return alive. many of them died from flu that they had contacted in france and died in the united states. four million served, 114,000 died, and frank buckles jr. got to come home. after the war was over with, when the great world war ii started, he was in the philippines. he was captured by the japanese, held as a prisoner of war for 3 1/2 years. shortly before he was to be executed by the japanese, he was rescued as other prisoners of war, americans, filipinos were rescued. he spent the remainder of his years in the united states. he drove a tractor in west virginia until he was 107 and then last year at the age of 110 frank buck -- buckles jr. died. frank buckles jr. had a mission before he died. it was to see that all who lived and died and served in the great world war i were

remembered by this country. you see, he was the last doughboy. he was the last american who died in the great world war i. this second photograph is a more recent photograph taken when frank buckles and i and others were at the d.c. memorial for world war i veterans. frank buckles jr. and others, including myself, members of the senate, members of this house wanted to see that the d.c. memorial, which was exclusively to remember the veterans from d.c., great americans who lived, fought, and died representing our country in the great world war i, to see that this d.c. memorial was expanded to not only honor the d.c. veterans who served but all americans who served in world war i. after all it is on the national mall where we have three other

great memorials to the four important wars of the last century. you see, america built the vietnam memorial, then built the korean memorial, then built the world war ii memorial. but there is no memorial on the national mall for all americans who served in the great world war i. and it's time that we do that. that we honor all that served not just the few but all of them. so i have introduced legislation along with my friend from missouri, emanuel cleaver, to have legislation that will do three things. first of all, it will take this memorial that you see in the back, the world war i d.c. memorial, at the time this photograph was taken it was in a state of disrepair, it's since been repaired by the national park service, which oversees the memorial, take this memorial, honor the d.c. vets, and expand it to include and make it the district of columbia and national world war

i memorial. maybe even give more recognition to the people of d.c. who built the memorial, the school children who collected money so that it could be built many years ago. but make it a memorial for all who served in the world war i. the second thing it would do is also designate the liberty memorial in kansas city as the world war i museum. which would be in kansas city, missouri. you see it is the museum in the united states that honors and recognizes the history of world war i. and in the third thing this bill would do is set up a commission so that america can commemorate world war i. you see, it's almost been 100 years since that war started. not much is being said about world war i. i asked a person not too long ago what he remembers about world war i from history books. he said isn't that the war where snoopy fought the red baron? unfortunately, too many americans know nothing about our history.

it's time we do so. so we are going to have a commission to honor the world war i and all that served. this commission is not going to be paid for by the taxpayers. there is no taxpayer money involved in any of this. it will be set up to make sure america remembers the 100 anniversary and that anniversary is coming upon us. mr. speaker, it's one thing to die for your country. it's another thing and the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten by your country. that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. barrow, for one minute. mr. barrow: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the lifelong public service of my fellow georgian, former congressman ed jingins. he was born in young harris, georgia. he was a veteran of the coast guard and graduate of young harris college, and the university of georgia law school. congressman jenkins represented north georgia in congress for

16 years serving on the budget committee and the ways and means committee. his service and his approach to service are a good example for all of us today. those who knew him and served with him remember him as a levelheaded workhorse and zealous advocate for the interests of his district, especially the textile and poultry industries, but more importantly he was willing to work in a bipartisan way to do what he thought was best for his constituents and his country. after congress served as a member and chairman of the board of regedgets. he passed away on new year's day but is survived by a wife of 51 years, two daughters, two grandchildren, and thousands of friends and admirers. we missed him a lot these last few years and now we'll miss him even more. . mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ohio, ms. kaptur, for five minutes. ms. kaptur: thank you, mr.

speaker. tonight, the president will speak to america and the world in the annual state of the union address. i'm eager to hear his ideas about additional job creation because job creation must be america's number one priority. back home in northern ohio, we have seen manufacturing pick up. steel is gearing up production. in toledo, b.x. solutions are bringing back jobs in the transportation and logistical services industry and across our region, the auto sector is making major investments. the detroit auto show just wrapped up and there's much to be optimistic about. for one, g.m. is officially back on top, claiming the title as the world's largest automaker. an amazing comeback for this american automotive industry. our resilient automakers brought it back even some here would have left it dead.

between 2009 and last year the u.s. auto industry created over 75,000 new jobs. we've seen the impact in places like toledo where chrysler is expanding production. in avon lake, ford is investing and g.m.'s hot-selling kruz is lighting up factories from toledo to parma and lordstown. however, we cannot forget that cups like china want to muscle in on the u.s. auto sector. if we can't to see the u.s. auto industry in a continuing state of growth, creating jobs and building our economy forward, congress must champion fair trade. in december the congressional china commission held a hearing on china's unfair trade practices and i used the opportunity to point out exactly how the government in beijing blocks fair trade in u.s.-made cars and trucks. when congress had normal trade relations, proponents promised that u.s. product would gain

real access to the chinese market. this has not happened. would you believe that a jeep grand cherokee cost $85,000 in china? that is three times what it costs here in the united states. and why? the chinese government has created an elaborate system of protected tariffs meant to keep u.s.-made trucks and cars out of china. i asked the u.s. trade representative in december to develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing china's anti-competitive behavior. main street manufacturers are hard at work creating jobs along ohio's north coast and throughout the midwest. but it's overtime for the administration and congress to get to work on the very real impact that the trade deficit has on lost u.s. jobs. economists estimate that for every $1 billion in trade deficit we lose $-- 15,000 jobs here. in 2011 our trade deficit with china alone will be close to $300 billion. if we do this quick back of the

envelope math that means that the u.s. ceded over 3.5 million jobs to china last year. the entire u.s. trade deficit for 2011 is projected to reach an incredible $727 billion in the red, 3/4 of $1 trillion. china accounts for 40% of it. congress and the president must stand up for u.s. manufacturing and american jobs. on december 15, the china government ratcheted up its attacks on our auto industry but leftying an adegreesal 25% anti-dumping duty and 12.9% countervailing duty on top of their already unfair practices. that is why and other members are asking the president to take the chinese before the world trade organization. while the official unemployment rate is coming down here, we have a major fight to create more jobs in america. in places like northern ohio, there are still over 100,000 people out of work. greater cleveland has over

75,000 people out of work. toe loado, over 27,000. and sandusky, over 3,000. our economy is struggling to go forward. we can see how many jobs have been stamped out in not just the auto industry but in manufacturing across the country due to unfair trade regimes. we need congress and the executive brampling to stand up and demand fairness for our companies, our workers and our communities that are working so hard to build forward this country as our economy, our fragile economy keeps rebounding but it's rebounding forward. it could do a lot better with some help from the president and this congress. mr. speaker, i yield back my remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, for five minutes. mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. levin letch i want to join my colleagues --

mr. levin: i want to join my colleagues in remembering ed jenkins and mr. rangel, who served with him, all of ed's service and as chairman, i will yield time to him after i say a few words on behalf of ed jenkins. you know, the ways and means committee is indeed a key committee, and ed jenkins was a key person. i was reading some of the tributes and one of them noted what was said in the almanac of american politics about ed jenkins. i will quote. he was a man who must be consulted on many key legislative issues. how true that is. ed jenkins showed he could be both gentle and strong. he also did not seek the lime light, but he shed light on so

many issues. one example is the textile industry. he comes from an area that once reigned close to supremely in terms of textile. you know, ed never gave up. he introduced legislation. it passed but because of a veto did not become law. but talking about shining light, he did expose the importance of the textile industry as part of the manufacturing base of this country. and in that sense he was very successful. he also showed his grit when it came to the iran-contra dispute and he took on oliver north in his strong, though gentle, way. and i close my remarks with memories of ed jenkins.

when he would come up to where i now stand and he would almost invariablely say, well, i'm just a poor country lawyer. well, that's about the only thing that he said about himself that wasn't true. he was more than a poor country lawyer. he had been an assistant u.s. attorney. but he had a lot of quiet time to miss him and so as we talk about ed we remember the many times he came forth to speak in his soft but often strong way. he was an important part of this institution. he served his district. he served his state. and he served the nation with dignity, with pride and with

civility that is too short available today in this hall. so i join all of you from georgia who represent that state and everyone who has spoken in sending our warmest regards to ed's family and to say to all of you, you should remember your dad, not only as a wonderful family member but someone who came here, often at sacrifice, and he did so in a way that indeed served this country. i would now like to yield the balance of my time to someone who knew ed so well, who has served as chairman of our committee and who remembers ed jenkins with such affection, a senior member from the state of new york, chairman rangel. mr. rangel: mr. speaker, how much time is remaining? the speaker pro tempore: one

minute. mr. rangel: i ask unanimous consent that it be extended to two minutes additional. the speaker pro tempore: the chair cannot entertain the gentleman's request. the chair cannot entertain the gentleman's request. mr. rangel: i'd like the -- to request the chair recognize me for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the chair cannot entertain the gentleman's request. mr. rangel: can you let me know -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has one minute remaining. mr. rangel: well, rules are rules and they have to be followed. i had really hoped that my long acquaintans with ed jenkins, that i would have the opportunity to share with his family and those that knew him.

unfortunately, those of us that was raised in the village of harlem have very little opportunities to meet southern gentlemens. it took me a while to understand what ed jenkins was talking about but it didn't take long for me to understand that people are people no matter where they come from. they love. they get angry. they work out things and now is the time i think more than ever we just need somebody like ed jenkins to cross that barrier that we seem to have in a partisan way, such a deep, hurting partisan way in this congress. sandy levin can tell you, whenever our chairman had a problem there is no problem that ed jenkins would not take a look at and recognize it was not a democratic problem. it was not a majority problem. it was a problem that the united states of america really faced.

and so since the chair cannot entertain, i will then go to reverend john lewis and find out how we can work out something in a faith tradition so that all of us would get a chance to know, enjoy and love the memory of a great american, former congressman edward jenkins. thank you. mr. faleomavaega: the gentleman's time has expired -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. green, for five minutes. mr. green: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak before the house for five minutes, to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, this weekend i, along with my colleague, congresswoman sheila jackson lee, attended an event in houston, texas. it was styled, byron nash live.

byron nash live. this event was well attended. as i approached the venue, there were literally hundreds of people outside. most of them were young people, and it was raining as i approached the venue and i did ask if you were going to be able to go in. this is what i posed as a question to one of the young people. and i was told that there was an overflow crowd, that it was standing room only and that as a result he would have to stand outside, but he assured me that he would be there for the duration of the event. he was there for byron nash live. byron nash, a 24-year-old comedian, was giving a performance, if you will, and this performance was attended by his mother, his father,

michael nash, his grandfather and grandmother, reverend and -- reverend james and mrs. nash were there as well. this event was a lively event. byron received several standing ovations. and his life was spoken of throughout the entirety of the event. this in a sense may have been his last performance in the physical world for you see byron nash made his transition and this was his home-going celebration. and it was truly a celebration. there were many who did mourn his death, but we all were there to celebrate the life that he lived. and his life, while it was short, was a meaningful life because the true measure of one's life was not how long one

lives but what they do with the time that god gives. and his short lifetime, byron nash made a very positive impression on a lot of young people, a lot of older people as well. but i was proud to see so many young people in attendance, so many young people who were there to pay their last respects to a young man who lived the life that we were of course eager to celebrate. while his life is no longer in the physical world, we believe that his spiritual existence is one that we should celebrate continually and we will remember him. . there is good reason for his life to symbolize something because he passed because of a rare type of cancer styled renal medulary carcinoma.

at of 2009 there were 120 cases. i'm sure more since then. obviously more, but 120 cases. and victims of this type of cancer live one to seven months. there about. not a lot of empirical evidence has been acquired. this type of cancer seems to attack those who suffer from sickle cell. and if his life can mean something to those who still live and symbolize something as we go forward, it should be that we must do more to fight this type of cancer. his grandfather has dedicated his life to a continuing effort to get the word out, get the message out that this type of cancer does claim the lives of young people. and we can do more here in the congress of the united states of america to help fight cancer in general, and this specific

type of cancer that is known to few. it is my hope that we will continue to allocate resources to fighting cancer such that this type of cancer can move to the front burner. we've got to do more to prevent , to educate, and to make sure that cancer becomes a disease of the past in our lifetimes. it's my hope that byron nash's life will become the genesis for us to do more to fight not only cancer in general but for this specific type of cancer known as renal medulary carcinoma. i will leave these words with all of those who are been the sound of my voice here and those who may be viewing at home, and especially to his family, i want you to know that we will do all that we can to make sure that he not only lived a decent life as he did, and that is recognized, but

also that we will do all that we can to fight this dreadful disease and bring it to an end. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the time of the gentleman has expired. the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. schilling, for five minutes. mr. schilling: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman virginia tech. mr. schilling: i rise today in honor of a distinguished life of sergeant john baker jr. born in davenport, iowa, but raised within the illinois 17th district in moline, sergeant baker served in vietnam as a proud member of the united states army. his selflessness and heroism earned him the medal of honor. silver star, bronze star, and purple heart as he bravely fought for god and country. sergeant baker would humbly say this medal of honor was not actually for him. that he had done what anyone would have. that the medal belonged to all

service men, to all veterans. though we surely never would have said to himself, sergeant baker, the quad city's only medal of honor recipient, represented all that is good about our great nation. and although he's no locker -- longer with us, the i-280 bridge named after john baker, vietnam veteran and the monument, will also serve as a constant reminder of who sergeant baker was and what he did for us all. godspeed, sergeant baker, god bless you for your outstanding service, your remarkable courage, and your modest heroism. with that i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. engel, for three minutes. mr. engel: thank you, mr. speaker. tonight when we listen to the president give his state of the union speech, one of our colleagues, unfortunately, will not be here.

and that is senator mark kirk who served in this body as a member of congress for many years, and before that was a staffer on the foreign affairs committee. mark, senator kirk, as we all know, is fighting against a terrible stroke that he had just yesterday. and i want him and his family to know that all of our thoughts and prayers are with him as he battles this stroke and hopefully he will make a full recovery. i just was devastated when i heard about it because anyone that knows mark knows what a terrific senator he is, what a great colleague he is. someone who has always reached across the aisle in a bipartisan way and someone that i have just tremendous respect for.

when he was sworn in as senator, i was very pleased that he invited me to stand with me on the senate floor when he was sworn in. so again i just want mark and his family and friends which i'm one to know that our thoughts and prayers are with him as he battles this stroke. we have confidence that he is in good hands with the doctors and will make a full recovery. and mark, again, is the kind of person who epitomizes what bipartisanship is all about, what americanism is all about. mark was co-chair when he was in this body of the albanian issues caucus with me. has been a strong supporter of the state of israel and we have worked together on a number of these issues. mark, we are with you. we are going to be watching. and we have confidence that you

will recover fully and come back to this body. america needs you and we are thinking of you. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house >> they talked about what they expect from the president's state of the union. this is about 10 minutes.

go.arrihere we good morning. >> good morning, everyone. based on what i've read, we will see a rerun of what we have heard over the past three years. more spending, higher taxes, more regulations. the president cost policies have made our economy worse. 35 straight months with unemployment over 8%. gas prices have settled. the president's policies are going to double down on what has not worked. plan.icans have a

we're hopeful the president will extend somewhat of an olive branch to work with us to help get the economy going again and to help create jobs. >> good morning. the president will be specific about his vision for how we get this economy revved up, getting people back to work. we are looking for specifics that demonstrate a recognition that the policies of this president have been about have not worked. it is time to try something new. we would like to see bold ideas that focus on growing this economy and on helping small businesses start up and grow again. it has been too long that we have been mired in the spending

and the overreach by this government. we want is the bold focus on growth and in the private sector to make sure that we are bold, growth oriented and that we know that the engine for jobs in this country are small businesses and that should be and fors, san foonce all. >> today marks 1,000 days the senate has not produced a budget. the senate leadership and harry reid, looking it over things that could have been done over those thousand days. 1000 days by the numbers, 2.3 the number of times the empire state building could've been billed. 250 -- the number of times neil

armstrong could fly to the moon. this country expect washington to work. you have watched this congress passed three bills are focusing on jobs. making tough decisions to lay out a framework. we've watched the senate controlled by the democrats for the last 1000 days with no budget produced. that cannot stand. i am hopeful the president tonight will call upon the senate to do the fundamental think of passing a budget and calling the jobs bills up to the floor to be voted on. >> before the president makes a new set of promises this evening, it would behoove that all americans look back at its

previous promises. we were told that if we passed his stimulus, jobs would be created and the economy would grow. we were told that dodd-frank would help the economy. what is the reality? almost 2 million more americans have lost their jobs under president obama. we have the longest postal of sustained high unemployment since the great depression, stuck at 8%, 9%, one in seven having to rely on food stamps. almost half of americans are at the poverty level or below in come. what is fair about that? the american people need to know the president's policies have failed.

he is resorting to the politics of -- it is a new year. there are new ideas that are out there. house republicans have a plan for america's job creators. mr. president, your ideas have failed. it is time to try some of the ours. >> one problem we have is the debt. there is no plan to get out of that debt that is credible. 1000 days ago today was the last time the senate passed a budget. this week president has announced his budget proposal is also going to be late.

when are we going to get serious? we have to focus in on a specific plan of how we get out of debt. they want to know will do to get out of this debt. that starts with a real plan. it is time for them to be able to do their job. this is urgent and importance. >> i was in the grocery store in alabama two days ago and i have the opportunity to speak with many of my constituents in alabama and hear the frustration over this congress that they say cannot get anything done. we cannot get anything done because we have 27 bills in the senate and it is harry reid's refusal to of debate and this is

stifling our economy. i would say that this house is waiting for action. the american people are waiting more importantly. >> speaker boehner, the president is talking about fairness in the tax code. is it fair someone like mitt romney, that he only pays 14%, 15%? have lows a reason we rates on capital gains. it spurs the new investment in our economy and allows capital to move more quickly. this election will be a referendum on the president's policies. his policies have made the

economy worse. this is not what america is all about. let's get back to the economy. the american people want jobs. >> nothing significant is getting done out of congress and helping the economy. how do you respond to that? >> the house has had a plan for american job creators since last may. these bills in the senate have passed with broad bipartisan support. there is there reason why the senate should not take these up. let's hope the finger where it belongs. >> do you think tonight will be a campaign speech from the president? >> the president has been in tow

campaign mode since labor day. i expect we will hear a campaign speech. >> republican leaders from earlier today. the house is coming back in about 15 minutes to pick up with legislative work and on the agenda, a temporary extension of federal aviation programs and instructing the house conferees with the senate on the payroll tax cut extension and we will have live coverage of the house when they come back. there will prepare the chamber for the state of the union speech tonight. dear bill giffords expected -- gabrielle giffords expected to

be there tonight. the wife of steve jobs is expected to be there. extended coverage on c-span tonight. we have a democratic look at what to expect tonight from this morning's "washington journal." host: our guest served on the financial-services committee. the front page says "obama expected to focus on jobs tonight in the state of the union." guest: i economy should be the focus. -- i think the economy should be the focus. i have heard in the last couple weeks there will be more on that. president obama announced a few weeks ago in kansas, which was where theodore roosevelt gave his new nationalism speech, 1910, which had a strong team of economic justice, really a more fair economy and one that

cannot allow looting by powerful economic interests. i have heard and hope it is true that he will talk a great deal about housing. housing remains the biggest burden on the economy. if we still have 11 million -- we still of 11 million homeowners under water. 10 million will lose their homes to foreclosure and will be escorted from their house by a sheriff's deputy. those families are not going to spend as they have before because they know their net worth has gone down dramatically. so we have got to put a floor on the housing market and get control of the continuing foreclosures. speech tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. our coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. "you get there really to get a seat?

-- will you get there early to get a seat? guest: i don't feel the need to be on the centreville so i can be on national television shaking hands with the president. host: what you want to hear from the president on deficit- reduction? guest: i think it was wildly irresponsible to be running the deficits that we were running five years ago. those don't seem to be that high now, but that was when we should have been running at least even and preferably even a surplus. the bible advises the time to make provisions for the lean years is in the fat years. we have a very sick economy. it is better than it was, but it still has big problems. people need to be able to buy consumer goods so that they can create more jobs. the total debt is now about equal to the economy, the size

of the economy, the gdp. that has in many places in the point at which it starts to be a problem. host: the unemployment rate nationally, 8.5% in december. in north carolina in november, 10%. guest: north carolina has been suffering a long time. we have lost as many manufacturing jobs as any other state with the exception of maybe michigan. industries have been hard hit by trade or otherwise having problems. the typical pillars of north carolina economy has been textiles, tobacco, and furniture. all three have been hard hit. we have a couple decades of really hard times in north carolina. host: let me ask you to give the president a grade on how he has done so far. guest: he inherited a very difficult set of economic circumstances. we did not have a president who

knows what happens if europe collapses. i do think there is room for improvement in some of the economic issues, specifically, how he has dealt with the banking industry, his unwillingness to go toe to toe with them, not really his, but his administration, the treasury has been too kind to the banks. as a result, it has been very difficult to do anything to help homeowners who are struggling. the most important thing to do to get the economy going again is to help household staff produce their debt. -- reduce their debt. they are not consuming, they are not buying, they are not creating demand because they are burdened with debt. a lot of this is mortgage debt. 11 million families are under water. the total amount of negative

equity in homes is $700 billion. if we could get control of that and begin to help households out from under, they would begin to act normally, they would buy homes. we are in the fourth year of housing starts being a third of what they should be. we have lost millions of construction jobs as a result. and we have not had the usual virtuous cycle coming out of recession. a cycle in which people don't buy houses for a few months and then there is in addition to the normal demand there is the pick up demand of the people who postponed those decisions. that is also when people buy appliances and furniture. if that has been a major downward pressure on the economy. host: so he needs to improve in certain areas? what about a grade? guest: i don't think i would give a grade, but that is the area that needs the greatest need for improvement. i think president obama does

understand that and i hope that he will address that tonight. host: there have been headlines about his budget is expected in support. "hill" t was one in the ol newspaper on the front page last week that says -- guest: that me see before i tell -- let me see it before i tell you whether i like it or not. i think we do need to be looking longer-term at getting control of the deficit. the way to do it now is not to take money out of working and middle-class families pockets. that would further reduce demand. the reason employers are not hiring is they are not convinced anyone will buy what they make. so they are not buying equipment, they are not bringing back orders they've laid off, -- bring back workers thtey've laid off, they're not

hiring new workers, they are not increasing their production, because there's not the demand for it. if we cut back on programs that help working and middle-class families, we will further reduce demand. however, it was a big mistake a year ago to agree to extend all the bush tax cuts. the ones for the richest americans don't really add to demand. they are not going to spend -- if their taxes are cut, they are not going to spend at all the way a struggling family will. there's not a problem with enough capital to expand operations. american corporations are sitting on $2 trillion in cash. they could easily expand their operations if they thought anybody would buy would they make. host: gloria is on the phone, a democrat in illinois. go ahead. caller: good morning. first i want to make a comment about newt gingrich and the food stamps. food stamps have not just started since the president got in office. people have been on food stamps under president bush. i also want to comment on the gentleman that talked about reverend wright.

the rev. went and fought for the -- the reverend wright fought for the country and came home and still have to sit on the back of the bus is the reason he felt the way he did about america. and, also, i wish people would tuskegeee movie, "of tthe airmen." that will tell you why black men feel like they do about this country. thank you very much. host: all right, let me talk about poverty and how it is being viewed. guest: the reason food stamps are at a higher level is medicaid is at a higher level, all the programs that help people in difficult economic -- in difficult circumstances are all increasing because the economy is the way it is. when this happens to the economy, when there is a recession, two bad things happened to the budget. one of them is tax collections

are reduced because people are not employed, so they're not paying income taxes, businesses are not making as much money and. and at the state and local level, taxes are reduced. the children's health insurance program, medicaid, and other programs are under greater pressure. that probably includes food stamps. what was offensive about gingrich's remarks is that people would rather be on food stamps than to be employed. i visited places in my district and i represent many areas where we have lost manufacturing jobs. those folks want jobs. that is what they want. they need unemployment insurance for now. they may need other kinds of assistance. but what they want is jobs. i like to see speaker gingrich

or anyone else go tell them to their face if that's the reason they don't have jobs is they just are not looking tanned and would rather have food stamps. host: let's hear from miranda next, a republican in south dakota. go ahead. caller: thanks for taking my call. i've heard it said that certain republicans were going to pass the budget by this time. i was wondering if the democrats are putting any pressure on them. guest: i did not hear that. host: she was wondering -- could you repeat that? caller: hundred the democrats and put any pressure on the president to pass the budget and if there's an explanation for them not doing that other than blaming republicans? guest: the budget is a blueprint and it's not that uncommon for congress not to pass a budget when the house and senate don't agree with it. that is not something that goes to the president to sign.

the budget guides appropriations bills when congress really does make decisions about spending. obviously, those have been enormous battles. those have been enormous battles. we approached a government shutdown last year. then, a huge problem with extending the debt limit, which everyone knows had to happen, given the budget decisions that had been made long before. it is not unusual for the house to pass a budget that is very ideologically driven in the senate with a different point of view, adopting a different budget, and the two houses not agreeing. that has happened many times. they have to find a way to come together. >> more of today's "washington journal" online at any time.

temporary extensions of federal aviation programs and instructing conferees in their conference with the senate on payroll tax cut extension. house republican leaders have announced they are adding to the schedule tomorrow legislation by deborah giffords, a border security bill. she is expected to be there tonight for the state of the union.

the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered today by our guest chaplain, dr. kate baystrop, lincolnville, maine. the chaplain: saint francis of assisi advises us to pray constantly. if necessary, he says, use words. join me in a spirit of prayer. god, our prayer today arises from the house of words, from a nation rooted in words. we do not drive our identity as americans from our color or our creed from our wealth or power,

nor even from the land itself. though we do love the land. rather, by your grace, america is america through its words. that all men are created equal. that all are endowed in unalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. these beautiful, necessary words. god, may every word spoken and written from this chamber contain an echo of those words. may our words, too, be necessary and true. may our words remember and inspire the brave compassionate action that is and always has been america's finest prayer. amen. thank you. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved.

the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentlelady from new york, ms. hayworth. ms. hayworth: would everyone join me in putting your hand over your heart. 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: wowed, the gentleman from main, mr. michaud: is recognized for one minute. mr. michaud: it's my honor today to welcome ref rind kate braestrup to the house of representatives. 1996, kate's husband, was tragically killed in the car accident while on duty. at the time of his death, drew was beginning to repair -- prepare to become a universalist unitarian minister. kate decided to pursue drew's dream and began attending the

theological seminary in 1997. she was ordained in 2004. since 2001, kate has served as the chaplain for the maine warden service providing counsel for the families of loved ones lost in maine's wilderness. an accomplished writer and minister, kate has authored several books, including the national bestseller, "here if you need me." kate is a true asset to our state. her remarkable devotion to helping others has made her an invaluable public servant and a beloved member of the community. it is my honor to welcome the reverend braestrup to the house. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from new york rise? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman seek unanimous

consent to address the house for one minute? without objection. ms. hayworth: thank you, mr. speaker. last november i hosted a jobs fair in new york's hudson valley. 1,000 local residents came to meet with nearly 40 local employers. all seeking work, of course, all offering work. at christmas i was very happy to receive a card from one of our residents. he had found a job at our jobs fair. so the question i have as we approach the president's state of the union tonight is, how can we multiply this story by 14 million? and i think we can do it if we work together, house, senate, and president to free american enterprise to create jobs. washington cannot regulate or tax us into growth. but we can work together to lift burdens and bring the federal government to the right size to serve and not to suffocate a strong and healthy economy. i stand ready to work with our

colleagues to pursue this simple common sense and i thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kucinich: one of the biggest stumbling blocks to america's economic recovery is corporations can legally buy elections and then influence policies which move millions of jobs out of america, which escape taxation by offshoring profits, which cash in on wars, which press military industrial spending through the roof. while we pledge allege liegeance to the red, white, and blue, corporations whose only allegiance is to green are selling out america and they are becoming ever more powerful because of a supreme court decision in citizens united which effectively turns this government into an auction where policies may go to the highest bidder. we must stand up for america. we must reclaim our nation.

house joint resolution 100 is a constitutional amendment which aims at taking all private money out of elections. and returning government to the people. i urge my colleagues to support h.j.res. 100 so that we can break the golden shackles which are imprisoning this government right now and get rid of corporate influence once and for all. no private money in elections. support h.j.res. 100. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. we have now reached 1,000 days since the congress of the united states has adopted a budget. it's not the fault of the house of representatives, we have passed a budget, passed one last year. going to pass one this year. mr. rogers: the president has proposed a budget every year. and nobody here much liked it.

that's ok. he at least proposed a budget. what we haven't seen is the other body, at the other end of the capitol, adopt a budget at all. they don't like the house budget. they don't like the president's budget. and they don't do anything. the fact is if we are ever going to get our financial house in order, we have to have a budget. just like families, just like businesses. and it's time for the other body to pass a budget. it's time for the president to call on the other body, which is controlled by his party, to pass a budget. i hope he'll do that tonight. because the fact is we've got to get this country working again. it's all about jobs. and the fact that the congress can't operate under a budget, control it and get its fiscal house in order, is hindering that job growth because it's affecting the financial markets in a negative way. so the to the other body, pass a budget. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore:

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. baca: mr. speaker, it's been more than a year since the republicans took control of the house of representatives. what did the american people have to show for it? we still have not passed a single bill to create jobs. we have had a vote to end medicare as we know it. and we have had a vote to slash college funds aids for american young people. 14 million americans are without jobs. families are hurting. and they need our help. let's get to work now on extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for a full year. many of my constituents rely on unemployment benefits to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. i urge the conference committee to get started and work on it today. forget about the tax break for millionaires and billionaires and companies that ship jobs overseas.

let's create jobs. let's create jobs. and help the middle class and extend the payroll tax and unemployment benefits today. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. stearns: mr. speaker, it was april 29, 2009, 1,000 days ago, when the democrat-controlled senate last passed a budget. back then solyndra was not a household name. general motors was not yet bankrupt. billy mays was still selling objectiony clean, and my good friend, tebow, from gainesville, no one knew about tebow time. since then the federal government has added $4.1 trillion to the national debt. our fiscal situation is in shambles. entitlement spending is growing while defense sending is being cut. and the policies of a bigger and bigger government and higher taxes have not been successful. when the senate last passed a

budget, c.b.o. predicted that the deficit for 2011 would be $693 billion. today it's $1.3 trillion. a budget is the first and most basic step that must be takeen to us reigning in historically high levels of spending and massive government growth. it is time for the senate, the senate to do their job. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? new york. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> bring to this house and the nation great news from roswell park cancer institute in buffalo. it is the first comprehensive cancer institute in the entire nation. today they are launching a clinical trial to test the use of a cancer vaccine as therapy. to kill cancer cells and prevent a relapse of the disease. mr. higgins: the vaccine is

designed to boost the body as immune system, to fight and destroy cancer cells. it has shown early promise in treating ovarian, bladder, brain, and breast cancer. the vaccines are exciting potential is a direct result of many years of cancer research. for cancer research to be effective, it has to be sustained over the longer term. it can't stop and start because you lose promising research and promising researchers. so my message to congress today is the only failure in cancer research is when you quit or you are forced to quit because of a lack of funding. i urge my colleagues to fully fund cancer research in the 2012 budget. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. today is day 1,000, 1,000 days since the senate democrats last passed a budget. to put that in perspective i asked my twitter followers, my facebook friends to tell me what they have done in the last 1,000 days. i'd like to share some of the comments. one says that between my home and my small business, over 60 monthly budgets have been taken care of and they are getting harder and harder to balance. another said, cut our family debt by $60,000 in one year. removed two car payments, and finished my bachelor degree while working full-time, being a father, and getting ready for a business launch. . another said, watched over 100 films, dreggetted 16 hours of tv and tutored over 1,000 hours. final one. my son made one overseas deployment, started his second one, finned his master's degree at georgia tech, since the last budget. mr. speaker, one thing is very clear. the american people are working

hard. the house of representatives, we're working hard with 27 jobs bills and counting fast. the only question, mr. speaker, is when will the senate join us? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. fudge: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to address the importance of setting our priorities as a congress. it seems that some of my colleagues have lost sight of what is important. we should be focused on putting teachers, firefighters and construction workers back to work. creating jobs by investing from infrastructure and improving america's schools, giving the middle class a tax cut, putting money in the pockets of consumers, helping small businesses thrive and grow. keeping americans in their homes . committing to our veterans and making sure they can get jobs when they return from duty. protecting social security and medicare and making sure we are

investing in this great nation so our children have an opportunity to get ahead. it's time we take a step back and reevalue wates our priorities. the -- reevaluate our priorities. the american people deserve tment i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to support national school choice week. school choice means empowering families to make the best decisions for their students and helping them learn in an environment that best suits their child's needs and interests. we must work to ensure that every student has access to quality public education, but some families may choose alternatives like charter schools, priority schools or home schools. state and local government as well as the federal government should do their part to pass legislation making it easier for students to choose the school that best suits them.

mr. hultgren: my wife and i have tried to choose the schooling that is best for our children and i trust that our decision will help them have the best education possible. i want all families and all students to have that same opportunity, choosing the education forum that best suits their students. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. for every single job that is created, there are four people waiting for that job. so i rise today, mr. speaker, to voice my support for a year-long extension of the payroll tax cut for middle class americans. unfortunately my republican colleagues tried until the very last minute to raise taxes on the middle class, just before the holidays. but the american people spoke up

and let the congress know that they would not stand for it. we cannot wait for another last-minute fix. we need a year-long extension of the payroll taxes and unemployment insurance now. we cannot afford to take more risks with the incomes of more than 160 million americans the way the republicans did in 2011. remember, we need to create jobs . there are four people for every one job there is. that means we need more jobs, that means we need to support the president's jobs bill. thank you. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. bilirakis: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i'm here today to speak about something that is near -- nearly three years in the making.

some 1,000 days ago in april of 2009 the senate passed a budget. and that's the last time we've seen any attempt from them to set washington's agenda and rein in the government's spending. without a budget how can government set its priorities? without priorities, how can american citizens have any confidence in how their tax dollars are being used? the short answer is they can't. with a $15 trillion debt the united states faces its greatest fiscal challenge in history. washington must find a way to get its finances in order while preserving programs for our seniors, protecting our services for future generations and providing our economy with the certainty to create much-needed jobs in america. the house will soon pass a budget that does this and i urge the president to call for action during tonight's state of the union address. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield

back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from missouri is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this saturday, january 28, at noon, iraq war veterans will be honored by a returning hero's parade in downtown st. louis. this is significant not only because these war veterans deserve this welcome home, but because st. louis is the first city in the nation to hold such an event. the organizers are simply called the january 28 group. a grassroots organization which launched a social network campaign to raise awareness and money to stage the parade in a veterans resource event to follow. mr. carnahan: the january 28 group is partnering with st. louis-based veterans service organizations including the mission continues which works to help veterans transfer their military leadership skills to civilian life. they say missouri is the show me

state but this time the compassionate and patriotic people of st. louis are showing the nation just how quickly you can mobilize to give back to those who have given so much to our nation. i salute you all and wish you success for the returning heroes parade at noon this coming saturday, january 28, in downtown st. louis. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? does the gentleman ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? mr. gohmert: yes, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. gohmert: there are consequences of not having a budget. one of them is you don't make proper plans. how else you can explain the obama administration going so long and crying so loudly, gee, we can't find $10 billion to cut, much less $100 billion,

we're certainly not going to cut $1 trillion, even though we increased spending by a trillion? and we find out last week from the obama o.m.b. that there is $687 billion sitting in a accounts -- sitting in accounts that's been appropriated, it's unobligated, it's unspent, sitting there and they're still demanding more and more money. america can't afford it, it's time to claw back the money before it's spent on other solyndras and give us a budget at the other end of the building. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maine rise? ms. pingree: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. pingree: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i want to talk for a minute about some exciting developments in clean energy in my state of maine. last week energy secretary chu released a report detailing the

enormous potential for title energy off of u.s. coasts. there is enough there to meet up to 1/3 of our needs and he singled out maine saying, quote, these resources can create new industries and new jobs in america. he's right and we're proving it. the ocean renewable power company of portland is building a title power project in maine that will start producing clean american-made electricity as early as this summer. meanwhile, we're welcoming one of the biggest energy companies in the world to our state. oil from norway is considering the pilot project of large scale wind turbines that would produce clean electricity while floating out of view off our coast. experts say up to 15,000 jobs can be created in my state by offshore wind. good-paying american jobs that will help us regain our energy independence. this is good news off our coast, mr. speaker, for maine and our country. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her time.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the president will deliver the state of the union tonight. i expect to hear his vision of an america built to last. mr. speaker, let's listen together. let's remember together. we must remember how and why we are the greatest nation in the world. we must remember those american values that built this nation. we must remember how in building this nation the middle class emerged and how they are our backbone and how they are our foundation. mr. hanna: hard work, pride -- ms. hanabusa: hard work, pride, and being a fair and just nation is what makes us great. let us look to the past, remember its lessons to build

the future. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? ms. schakowsky: i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. schakowsky: the state of the union address tonight is going to be very important and i agree with president obama that this is a make or break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it. and what's at stake is the very survival of the basic american promise that if you work hard you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home and put a little bit away for retirement. we can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while more americans barely get by, or we can mr. a nation where everyone gets a -- build a nation where everyone gets a fair shot, he says, everyone does their fair share and everyone plays by the same rules. we found out today that

especially when 2 come -- when it comes to taxes that there really are different rules for the rich. mitt romney released his taxes, he paid $42 million in taxes over the last -- he made $42 million over the last two years and paid at about a 14.5% rate because most of his income is in capital gains. well, look at the tax brackets, if you make $8,500 as a single person, you're in a 15% tax bracket. is that fair? i don't think so. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from the virgin islands seek recognition? mrs. christensen: address the house for one minute and revise and extend, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. christensen: thank you. too many of our fellow americans are living on the edge today. and have been for far too long. the last thing they need is another showdown at the

not-ok-corral. they need jobs, they need to save or go back to their homes and for those who have been living in poverty or those who used to be in the middle class but are now struggling to survive below the poverty level, they need us to provide the opportunity to help them lift them and their families out of poverty and to a better quality of life. our president is coming to us tonight to again offer us some opportunities to do all of these things and more and to restore our country's economic health. so let's not put our fellow americans through another cliff hanger on things that are important to their well-being. let us pass the payroll and unemployment insurance extension, fix the medicare payment issue without drama and come together to work on the bipartisan measures that the president will ask us to pass for our people and our country. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from puerto rico seek recognition? mr. pierluisi: address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pierluisi: mr. speaker, today i introduced legislation

that would extend the s.s.i. program to puerto rico, the united states virgin islands and guam. s.s.i. provides cash assistance to blind, disabled or elderly individuals who have limited or no income. although s.s.i. applies in the states it does not apply in puerto rico which instead receives a block grant to assist its most vulnerable residents. further disparities that puerto rico faces because of its territory status, this is perhaps the most harmful. puerto rico's grant is about $35 million. by contrast the nation's poorest state with almost one million fewer residents received over $740 million in s.s.i. funding in 2010. while in the state's beneficiaries received about $500 each month, puerto rico residents received only $70. residents of puerto rico are american citizens but when it comes to s.s.i., their citizenship is second class. i hope my colleagues on both

sides of the aisle will support this bill. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota rise? >> seek unanimous consent to greas the house for one minute -- to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. ellison: mr. speaker, i brought a friend to the floor with me today as we all know -- today. as we all know, this is elmo. this guy taught us our 1-2-3's and he taught us tolerance and understanding. for the past several years he's been doing the same thing for children in the palestinian territories because of the sesame street -- because of the sesame street in palestine, palestinian kids grow up with a positive role model like we did. but recently sesame street has been off the air. now palestinian kids are left

watching this right here. he's a mouse who is the main character of a hamas tv show, instead of tolerance and understanding, he promotes violence and anti-semitism. this congress approved funding for the sesame street and palestine -- in palestine last year but because of the position of certain individuals in congress, that means the money's being held up, there's no elmo, but there is this mouse trafficking and teaching extremism. i'm not the only one who wants congress to release the funding, even the israeli government wants to release it. let's get good funding to the people of palestine so that they can grow and strengthen their own society. let the funding flow and give something for him to compete with elmo. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. . for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise?

ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise today to welcome our colleague, congresswoman gabrielle giffords, back home. to this house, a place that she served ably and is serving ably today. to thank her for her courage and to thank her for accepting the challenge of what an american hero is. many have called her that for in the course of this enormous tragedy she stood tall and still continues to do that today. i want to thank the medical professionals, the emergency medical professionals, and many in houston, texas, here one of the best and renowned rehabilitation hospitals in the world, but most of all as congresswoman giffords comes back, let us give as a gift both on behalf of the american people and this congress that

we can work together to improve the lives of all americans. that would be, i believe, her challenge. that would be her call. and as she comes back today, serving the people of arizona and serving the american people, we want to say thank you, congresswoman, for your courage and for being a model for the american people and challenging us to do the best. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. in nine hours the president will stand on this podium behind me to deliver the state of the union address. i remember the first time he did that i sat in this chamber as one of our colleagues called the new president a liar. and that was not the low mark in the partisan ship that has earned this institution its historically low approval ratings by the american public.

mr. himes: we'll be sitting in bipartisan fashion today, but i guess that's good. let's make it something more than symbolic. let's think in our responses to this speech what is in this speech we can find common ground to get done? i have a suggestion. i don't care if you are a republican or democrat, northern, southern, rich, or poor you need roads, you need railways, you need a good electrical grid for your economy to flourish. we are going to invest the money in those things in some point to fix them. why not do it soon? why not do it soon when it would help our economy and help millions of out-of-work americans go to work with dignity? improving our infrastructure is the way to improve our economy. thank you. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: b gentleman. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection

under clause 6 of rule 20. recorded votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2070 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 249, h.r. 2070, a bill to direct the secretary of the interior to install in the area of the world war ii memorial in the district of columbia a suitable plaque or inscription with the words for president franklin d. roosevelt prayed with the nation on june 6, 1944, the morning of d-day. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from ohio, mr. johnson, and the northern mariana identify lands, mr. sablan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i

unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise in support for legislation that i sponsored, the world war ii memorial prayer act of 2011, this legislation directs the secretary of interior to install at the world war ii memorial a suitable plaque for an inscription with the words that president franklin roosevelt prayed with the nation on the morning of the d-day invasion. this prayer which has been entitled, let our hearts be stout, gave solace, comfort, and strength to our nation and our brave warriors as we fought against tyranny and oppression. the memorial was built to honor the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the united states during world war ii and

the more than 400,000 who died during the war. prior to introducing the legislation, i spoke to many world war ii veterans in ohio and asked them if they thought putting the prayer on the memorial would be appropriate. the answer was a resounding yes. furthermore, the nation's largest service organization, the american legion, is supportive of this legislation. the american legion in a support letter said this legislation would bolster the meaning of the memorial and would also give strength and encouragement to future generations. it seems to me that if the remaining veterans of world war ii are supportive of the prayer being added, we as a country should honor that request. unfortunately the administration and the department of interior don't think it's that easy. last year the department of interior testified before the natural resources committee that this legislation would

necessarily dilute the central message of the memorial. now, i don't know how the administration came to this position because i don't see how a nondenominational prayer that gave solace and comfort and strength to our nation during one of the most pivotal days of world war ii and one of the most memorable days in our nation's history, would dilute the central message of the memorial. in fact, i think it would do exactly the opposite and would only strengthen the central message of the memorial. to his credit, secretary of the interior ken salazar testified during a hearing last year he personally disagreed with his own department's testimony on the legislation. however since his testimony, neither the department of interior nor the administration has changed their official position on this legislation. i am hopeful that after a

bipartisan vote today on this legislation that the administration may have a change of heart. fortunately you don't have to just take my word for it because today we are honored to be joined by george "poppy" fouler of coolville, ohio. poppy is 88 years young and served three years 10 days, one hour, and 10 minutes in the united states navy during world war ii. he flew 35 missions in air group 15 on an sv-2c hell diver as both a rear gunner and photographer. i had the pleasure of escorting poppy last fall on an honor flight trip to visit the world war ii memorial and he and i became friends. when the natural resources committee scheduled a hearing on this legislation, i invited poppy to come testify before the committee and he graciously accepted the offer and he came

out to testify at his own personal expense. here's a preexcerpt of poppy's testimony at the hearing -- brief excerpt of poppy's testimony at the hearing, and i quote, i feel with no doubt that it would be appropriate that this prayer be inscribed in some manner at the world war ii memorial. those reading this prayer will be able to recall the sacrifices made by our military , also those on the home front. this prayer came at a perilous time, yet it was answered in victory at a dear cost of lives. today this prayer can pertain to any military action. under present circumstances it is also appropriate. now, i don't think anybody or anyone in this body could be more succinct and articulate than mr. fouler. and i thank him again for coming to washington to testify on behalf of this legislation and for being here for today's debate and final vote in the house.

before i close, i also want to thank my fellow ohioan, chris long, for his tireless efforts to gain support and momentum for this legislation. this legislation wouldn't be on the house floor today without chris' efforts. like poppy, i have no doubt that the prayer should be included among the tributes to the greatest generation memorialized on the national mall. and i strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized. mr. sablan: i yelled myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: h.r. 2070 would direct the secretary of interior to install at the world war ii memorial a plaque or inscription with the text of president franklin delano roosevelt's prayer on june 6,

1944. d-day. the committee considered the legislation in november. we have no objections. and i have one more speaker so i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, may i ask if the minority bill manager has additional speakers? on this bill. mr. sablan: yes, i do. i have one speaker. mr. johnson: i reserve the balance of my time. mr. sablan: thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: i yield to the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich, as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich, is recognized. mr. kucinich: i want to thank my friend, mr. sablan, and members for pursuing this important legislation. i rise on behalf of not just myself but now departed world war ii combat veteran by the name of frank j. kucinich sr.

he was proud to serve this country. he served in the pacific theater, but all veterans come together in paying respect not only to those who serve but to a president who on june 6, 1944, as the nation was preparing for that d-day invasion, said the following, quote, with thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. lead us to the saving of our country and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men and a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the

just rewards of their honest toil. thy will be done almighty god. amen. those words by president franklin roosevelt upon the occasion of d-day, june 6, 1944, should not only be inscribed as my friend in his work will make sure of it with the consent of this congress on a plaque for a suitable press ns in the memorial -- presence in the memorial, but should also be reflected upon on a daily basis to remind us of the sacrifices that people have made for this country and to remind us that the ultimate objective of those sacrifices is peace. peace within our nation and peace among people around the world. and so it is in that spirit of human unity and recognition of the importance of this legislation that i ask all of

our colleagues to join with us in approving it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentleman from northern mariana islands reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i want to thank my colleagues for their support. may i ask if the minority bill manager has any additional speakers? we do not. mr. sablan: no, i don't. mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from northern mariana islands yields back his time. mr. johnson: i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: both sides having yielded back their time, the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2070 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative -- mr. johnson: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays

will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 290. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 101, h.r. 290, a bill to amend title 36, united states code, to ensure that memorials commemorating the service of the united states armed forces may contain religious symbols and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from ohio, mr. johnson, and the gentleman from the northern mariana islands, mr. sablan, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. johnson johnson mr. speaker, -- mr. johnson: mr. speaker, h.r. 290 introduced by the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, will allow the inclusion of religious symbols as part of military monuments. in 1913 a memorial that included a 43-foot-tall cross was placed on mount sol dad in san diego, california, as the tribute to the members of the armed forces who sacrificed their lives to defend the united states. in 1989 the city of san diego was sued over the cross with critics claiming it violated the first amendment to the u.s. constitution and to the california constitution. several remedies were attempted over the years to avoid the cross being removed by the courts. these included transferring the property to a nonprofit organization but this too led to

a lawsuit. the property was also declared a national memorial by congress in 2004. in 2006 congress enacted public law 109-272 to transfer the memorial to the department of defense. the federal government was sued and the ninth circuit court of appeals ruled that the cross was unconstitutional. while the legislation does not specifically resolve the constitutionality of the mount solidad cross, this legislation will for the first time statter toly protect religious symbols -- stattoryialy -- sto -- will protect religious symbols. i urge adoption of h.r. 290 and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized.

mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sablan: and i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sablan: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, h.r. 290 is a bill that would allow religious symbols to be included as part of memorials commemorating the service of the united states armed services. the legislation sponsored by my good friend, congressman hunter of california, was considered by the committee on natural resources in july. i commend my colleague, mr. hunter, for removing -- for moving this legislation forward. we have no objections to the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. hunter, the author of the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. hunter: i thank the gentleman from ohio and the gentleman from the northern mariana islands. the gentleman from ohio, mr. johnson, for his service as a

veteran of what he's done for this country. one of the most common ways that this nation honors its military and war dead is with monuments and memorial als. across -- memorials. across the nation from a cemetery in san diego to arlington national cemetery there are countless markers paying tribute to america's war heroes and the brave men and women who never came home. in many cases these markers display symbols of religion and personal faith, representing not just individuals but the shared commitment and sacrifice of those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others and us here at home. i'm reminded of head stones at arlington national cemetery where symbols of personal faith and religious are prominently displayed and even these symbols never overshadow the purpose and message of honoring our military and veterans. this time-honored tradition is under attack. civil liberty groups have taken offense to the presence of religious symbols on war memorials. they're going after a cross atop a hill at camp pendleton in san

diego. it's not an official site sanctioned by the marine corps or the federal government and the cross can't even be seen by the public. but groups are pushing the marine corps to remove the cross from camp pendleton even when the base is contributing much of their man power to the fight in afghanistan and more recently iraq. the memorial in san diego is also a cause for their outrage. the memorial first erected to honor veterans of the korean war, displaying a 29-foot concrete cross, is now under the full ownership of the department of defense. at the base of the cross are more than 3,000 plaques with images and statements paying tribute to the veterans of all wars and religions. last year the runaway ninth circuit court ruled that the memorial is unconstitutional, overturning a lower court rule ruling. -- ruling. even though the memorial for all its years as a fixture of the san diego community has one stated purpose, to remember those who have fought and died for this nation. h.r. 290 ensures mount soliddad

will with stand these attacks by allowing the inclusion of all symbols of religion and personal faith on war memorials. established under the control of the federal government. for the 131 national cemeteries under the purview of the department of veterans affairs, there are currently 48 emblems of belief authorized. there is no preference for one symbol over another. the way the thing should be. in the face of persistent legal challenges and the threat of more to come, it's important that we install the right protection for war memorials in federal law, allowing the spirit and tradition of honoring our nation's military to continue. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized. mr. sablan: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, some members may be aware of a specific situation regarding religious symbols located on public land in california. in fact, the committee report for h.r. 290 in fact mentions one of these ongoing

controversies. it is important to note that the committee report also makes sure that this legislation does not specifically address the mount solij dad situation. further, the committee -- the report includes analysis of the legislation by the congressional budget office which found that under current law religious symbols are not barred from being used in any military memorials, thus h.r. 290 would codify current practice. according to the department of defense, the national park service and the american battle monuments commission, implementing h.r. 290 would not require any new memorials to be built or current memorials to be changed. h.r. 290 is not necessary and does not appear to change current law. as a result we do not oppose it. at this time, mr. speaker, i'd like to inquire of mr. johnson if he has any additional speakers. mr. johnson: yes, we have one additional speaker, mr. speaker. mr. sablan: at this time i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. bilbray. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. bilbray: thank you, mr. speaker. and i am truly honored and proud to be here today as a co-sponsor of this bill. this is a bill that will protect and defend religious symbols on war memorials from washington to san diego. i think that we need to remember that one thing that was a foundation of this country was religious tolerance. and this bill is addressing the fact that there are those who refuse to express religious tolerance and are actually out after any symbol, no matter how traditionally accepted and how universally accepted by the community, as a general recognition of service and devotion and memorial, that they would attack it if they could find a religious connotation in any form.

remind you, our constitution protects the freedom of religion not freedom from it. but i think that this issue is one that has gone so far that we've actually talked about tearing crosses down over war memorials and i don't think any american across the board who really believes in tolerance would support that. i'm very honored to have four plaques at this memorial at san diego. frankly i have a father, a step-father, a brother and a step-brother whose plaques are at the memorial on mount solidad. this is a family effort. i remember as a child my father pointing up at the cross and that memorial that it symbolizes and said it's one of the few in the country to the men and women who died in korea. now, i also was very privileged in 19 -- in 2006 to be a co-sponsor of a bill with another duncan hunter, duncan's

father, that specifically had congress and the federal government come in to save this war memorial. mr. speaker, if you're not going to support this bill, if your attitude is that any religious connotation, anywhere in the world, that is on federal controlled property needs to be dorn down and destroyed, then you can take that position. but don't stand in these chambers and point at religious symbols all over in europe or in san diego and say they must come down or you will not defend them, if you're going to sit in these chambers with moses at one side, the popes on the other andcal vince in this chamber, if you're not going to stand up and demand that this congress tear those plaques off these walls, then for god's sakes, leave the memorials, our war memorials alone an don't tear down religious symbols just because you're intolerant and can't stand the fact that there are some of us who respect our war service and respect their faith

but most importantly respect the heritage that has made america what it is today and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from ohio. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, may i ask if the minority bill manager has any additional speakers? we do not. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i do not and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from the northern mariana islands yields back his time. the gentleman from ohio. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: both sides having yielded back their time, the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 290. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass

h.r. 1022. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: union calendar number 110, h.r. 1022, a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to conduct a study of alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the buffalo soldiers in the early years of national parks and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from ohio, mr. johnson, and the gentleman from the northern mariana islands, mr. sablan, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. johnson: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: mr. speaker, h.r. 1022 authorizes the national park service to study alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the buffalo soldiers in the early

years of the national parks. the buffalo soldiers were a segregated army unit composed of african-americancal valeriemen. for nearly 25 years before the creation of the national park service, yosemite national park was administered by the u.s. army. the buffalo soldiers played a key role protecting those park resources that have since been enjoyed by millions of americans. their success will be examined by this study that will focus on existing resources inside current national parks. and with that i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves his time. the gentleman from the northern mariana islands is recognized. mr. sablan: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to consume. mr. sablan: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 1022 would direct the secretary of interior to study ways the national park service coup commemorate the role of buffalo soldiers. buff