east. does russia use that to be a constructive force to put pressure on iran to change course? "we are the ones who get it." host: i might have a few seconds. guest: this is a topic is highly debated. putin is talking about spending defense.puour into there's a risk it will make things less stable. host: andrew weiss, thank you very much for your time. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

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 minority and majority 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 oregon, mr. blumenauer, for five minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam speaker. recently there have been a series of very powerful articles in the popular press

about what we call, end of life. the most recent was by dr. ken murray in the "wall street journal" last week entitled, "why doctors die differently." these series of articles focus in on this end of life period. usually the most intense, the most painful, the most expensive, it's too often confusing for patients and their families. too often we find people don't get the care they want and they need. this has been a passion of mine for years now to make sure that families and patients are equipped to deal with the end of life. it was my legislation that was in the health care reform that was unfortunately not in the final legislation because the reconciliation process wouldn't allow the senate to consider it in the house bill.

we are working on it again with legislation entitled, personalize your health care, h.r. 1589. to make sure that these provisions that are strongly supported by the public finally become law. i think perhaps the best case that i have seen for this legislation is found by dr. murray in his article, "why doctors die differently." it is a simple, powerful two-page statement explaining the hows and whies. doctors actually do pass away, but they pass away differently. what is interesting is that these well off, connected to the medical care profession it's not how much health care they get in their final months, but actually how little.

they do have more information than the average member of the public. they know their choices, and they act to make sure that their choices are respected. doctors are more than three times likely than the average member of the public to have an advanced directive that instructs families, doctors, hospitals how they want to be treated. and that percentage is even higher for older doctors. they know, for instance, in their last moment most doctors don't want c.p.r. performed on them. they know that unlike television, where 75% of the c.p.r. instances that the american public watches, are successful and patients go on to lead happy, normal lives. they know that after the ribs

are broken, which is what happens in -- normally in c.p.r. that's done properly, that less than 8% live even another month. doctors understand the facts. they tell their families. it's probable-l -- probably not accurate to say they get less care, but what is accurate is they get different care. they are more likely to use hospice services. they are more likely to have palive care to make sure that their -- pallyive care to make sure their final moments they are not in pain. they are less likely to have invasive, painful expensive treatment particularly if they don't want it because they have taken care of making sure that their wishes are known and respected. now, i don't want everybody to quote, die like a doctor, but i do want everybody to have the

knowledge and the power that their wishes, whatever they are, are respected. it's time that congress pass legislation to make sure the american public has the information and that their wishes, whatever their wishes may be, are respected. because those final months or weeks or days deserve to be gentle, thoughtful, respectful, and people having what they and their families want. i strongly urge my colleagues to look at h.r. 1589, personalize your health care. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. jones, for five minutes. mr. jones: madam speaker, thank you very much. last week congresswoman barbara

lee and myself asked for a classified briefing on afghanistan and really the only thing i can say about the briefing, because it was classified, is that i will continue to come to the floor and say let's bring our troops home from afghanistan. last week we had two army officers from fort bragg, north carolina, who were in afghanistan to train and they were shot by the trainee, the afghan trainee, at point-blank range. this brings to 42 americans who have been killed in afghanistan while working with the afghans to train them to be police and soldiers. the coalition troops when you factor in how many coalition troops along with americans that have been killed is about 70. it is a totally impossible situation and the fact that we continue to spend $10 billion a month, and i have beside me,

mr. speaker, a poster from the greensboro news record in greensboro, north carolina, and the headlines is -- head line is, get out. -- headline is, get out. and there is an honor guard bringing a transfer case off the plane. and the date is sunday, february of 2011. i think we are in march of 2012 now. we continue to spend money that we cannot even account for. we send people to afghanistan to try to account for the $10 billion a month that has been given to mr. karzai so he can lead afghanistan, buy some new roads, i guess, and our troops are losing their legs, arms, and life in a war that should be ended now not later. we will, during the debate on the d.o.d. bill in may, continue to try to bring amendments to the floor to bring some sanity to this involvement in afghanistan.

as i mentioned many times, a former marine commandant has been my advisor on afghanistan and he continues to talk about the fact that we are wearing out our military, the equipment, manpower, and yet there is a threat growing in the pacific that we seem to not pay any attention to. recently jim mcgovern and i and john garamendi and some others, we met with colonel danny davis, lieutenant colonel, he is a active duty reservist who has been to afghanistan, returned just a couple months ago, he's been over there for almost 10 months. and he has written articles saying that the congress and these hearings with the military leadership we are not getting straight talk that we need to hear. too many times they use the word, well, the training of the afghans is going pretty well, but its fragile.

real fragile. well, i'd like to say it's real fragile, no, it's even worse than that. you cannot predict what is going to happen in the country of afghanistan. we actually had two marines from my district, camp lejeune marine base in the third kiss trict -- district that i represent, that went over there about three months ago a sergeant baldis and colonel palmer, they also, like these two army officers, they were training afghans and they were having dinner with afghan trainees and that night one of the trainees stood up, shot and killed both of them. i mean, this is not fair to the american soldier, marine, airman, navy, whatever, to continue to be in afghanistan 11 years after it started. and money that we are going to cut here in america of the senior citizens and the children who need programs to

have a better quality of life, we are going to cut their programs but we are going to keep spending $10 billion a month in afghanistan. it makes no sense. mr. speaker, before i close i would like to encourage every member of congress who has the authority should they want to, commit that authority to read the national intelligence estimate on afghanistan that was published in 2011. it is classified, but every member of congress can take one hour, about 55 pages, i have read it, and read it. you need to read it then maybe you can help us make better decisions here on the floor about what in the world are we doing in afghanistan spending uncle sam's money that he doesn't even have. he has to borrow his money from the chinese to pay karzai. where does that make any sense? the american people do not think it makes any sense. we did a teletown hall about a month ago and 66% of thousands

of people that were on that call said bring our troops home now. now, i realize that's the third district of north carolina, the home of camp lejeune, cherry point marine air station, and new river. madam speaker, i do want to close by asking god to please bless our men and women in uniform and ask god to continue to bless america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. donnelly, for five minutes. mr. donnelly: thank you, madam speaker. today i rise to pay tribute to john oliver, an outstanding american citizen who has shown commitment and service to his hometown of plymouth, indiana, our state, and our country. a native of new castle in the united kingdom, 50 years ago this month john immigrated to the united states, on march 19, 1962, when he was only 19. in 1975 he officially became a suns citizen.

-- a united states citizen. he is a dear friend not only to me but people around the country and world. he began his journey in the manufacturing industry as a laborer for a small research and development firm. he moved to plymouth, indiana, to work for that company, ultimately becoming its president in 1977. nine years later john purchased the company and renamed it u.s. granules. which today produces 50% of the world's granular ue lated aluminum. with his -- granulated aluminum. with his leadership it remains a leader in technology and in quality and they have established customers on five different continents. john's heart and soul is with his family, his friends, and his service to his community. he has been a pillar of support for the children of plymouth. quietly and without recognition john endowed a fund to benefit

the plymouth high school speech team, a state leader in debate competition. to further advance the strength of local schools, john has made donation after donation to help with the purchase of books for school libraries, leadership seminars for students, and the expansion of scholarship and other award programs. in addition, john maintains an intern program at u.s. granules and it provides work experience and scholarship assistance. and a chance for our children to succeed and for their dreams to come true. john has also been a supporter of youth baseball, in particular american legion post 27, and he has also extended his support to the indiana baseball hall of fame. when he was inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 2009, he humbly, as he always did, reminded everyone that his contributions were dedicated to

his community's youth and to their future and that it was not about him. john has also been an active board member of the st. joseph regional medical center where his work has helped provide vital health care for an entire region. he is the former director of the indiana manufacturing association, the marshal county industry association, and the plymouth industrial development company. he has served as fundraising drive chairman for the marshal county united way and the plymouth emergency vehicle fund. . and john has also served in the united states army reserves. he exemplifies the promise and the spirit of america. that with hard work, determination and love of country you can accomplish anything. on behalf of the citizens of indiana, i would like to salute

john's character, his personal achievements and his contributions to our community. we are very lucky to have been touched by you, john, and for our lives to have been changed by you. happy 50th anniversary as an american citizen. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. request unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. thompson: madam speaker, today, you know, right now in america around the dining room tables at home, there's two topics of discussion that i have to think are most pressing during that dinner conversation and that is unemployment and price at the pumps. and frankly they're both related very closely.

madam speaker, before being appointed to office, president obama's energy secretary steven chu stated, somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline toe levels in europe -- to the levels in europe. well, madam speaker, at the time of that statement, gasoline prices in europe were $8 to $10 a gallon. last week the energy secretary made headlines when he seemed to say the administration's goal is not to lower gas prices. the concern the goal is not to lower gas prices, this may be the first time that the administration's energy policies matches its rhetoric. now, despite the president's rhetoric about the need for the increase of domestic fossil fuels, this administration has done everything it can to block production. but the purpose of these remarks is to highlight, not the administration's statements, but instead their policies. let's look at the record. starting with some positive things that happened just before president obama took

office and continuing through 2012, the present day, is shown on this graph. first of all, july, 2008, at the peak of the 2008 gas price spike, president george bush removed eight years of presidential executive order restricting offshore oil drilling. not one additional barrel of oil was drilled but it was a message to the market. a strong message to the market that america finally recognizes that the taxpayers owned assets in oil and is willing to use them. what a message today would be a similar message, but back in 2008 that's when we saw this drop begin to start. now, september, 2008, just a couple months later, congress finally followed after its 26-year ban on offshore drilling to allow that to expire and prices at the pump,

as you can see, madam speaker, dropped dramatically even more. then, president obama took office. february, 2009. soon after -- not long after inauguration, the administration put in place during the bush administration to aid the production of oil and u.s. government lands, these lands that are owned by federal taxpayers. president obama's action reduced domestic oil in government lands. you see what continues to happen with prices. in june of 2010, house democrats passed a cap and trade national energy tax which would have dramatically increased gasoline prices. in november, 2009, the administration unilaterally shortened lease terms on some outer continental shelf leases. now, this policy not only discouraged oil and natural gas

production but decreased much-needed government revenues. in march of 2010, the administration canceled the remaining lease sales seized off the alaskan coast, eliminating reserves the government estimates could be as large as 65 billion barrels of oil. in may of 2010, the administration canceled the virginia offshore lease sale which had bipartisan support from the virginia governor and the virginia congressional delegation. the administration canceled the remaining 2010 gulf of mexico lease sales. in december, 2010, the administration extended the moratorium of leasing off the atlantic and eastern gulf of mexico through 2017. in january, 2012, president obama rejected the keystone x.l. pipeline. estimates show that the keystone x.l. pipeline would add 1.1 million barrels a day of friendly canadian oil to our gulf of mexico refineries.

well, madam speaker, moving forward with a credible energy policy can only be achieved if we all have a shared understanding of the facts. global demand for oil is increasingly driven by developing economies such as china and india. the u.s., our demand is down 6% year after year and prices are still skyrocketing and it's going to stay that way. 85% of the world's energy consumption comes from hydrocash ons, oil, coal and natural gas. while renewable energy is needed and new consumption efficiency should be encouraged, hydrocash ons will be the dominant source of oil for the world's economy for many decades to come. no one can deny that before we can create an energy supply that substantially more diversified we will need more fossil fuels to get us there. well, unfortunately, this administration is preventing the u.s. to develop additional energy supplies to meet our demand.

thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, for five minutes. mr. cohen: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: i reflect on the passing who served in this chamber since 1989, representative donald payne, who passed away this morning. representative payne sat in this section, was a quiet, courageous man who i had the good fortune to travel at the request of and sponsorship of care and the gates foundation to rwanda and to the condo last august. he cared about children greatly. he cared about education. he cared about people and was very upset some years back when don imus, the radio shock jock,

said some wrongful things about the rutgers women's basketball team that cost mr. imus his position. and that brings me to what i was going to speak about today. yesterday, i mentioned that i slept well on my sleep number bed and i slept well on my sleep number bed last night because they canceled their advertising on the rush limbaugh show. i mention that advertisers are accessories to the crime when radio people go too far and destroy someone's character or make libel statements. limbaugh did that when he called sandra some names, said she did some things that were wrong and totally wrong. 11 advertisers have pulled their advertising because they don't want to be accessories to such conduct, and talk radio has gone way over the top in this country and doing everything for ratings and money.

it came to my attention that two radio stations have cropped rush limbaugh, and it's not just advertisers but it's radio stations that are accessories to the crime. it's not like it's coming because it's been out there for people to see for years and sat by these lies and hateful speech and wrongful speech has taken place on the radio. rush limbaugh being the main violator of people's rights. i decided last night in my elections to come, and i have a primary general, and i always bought billboard advertising and clear channel almost has a monopoly in my city on billboards and they have rush limbaugh on their network. until they drop rush limbaugh i am not going to buy billboards on my campaign. and i will discontinue advertising on radio.

it may hurt me politically but it's the right thing to do. that type of conduct should not be advanced on the airwaves that should be for the public good. it's interesting to note that don

a major shipping route for middle eastern nations supplied the world energy needs. this threat by iran amounts to economic warfare. as the closure of the straight of hormuz would trigger spikes in crude oil, gasoline bottle next, and supply chain, increase price force all manufactured goods, and would likely lead to massive increases for gas here in the united states. at a time when our domestic economy is struggling to recover, the last thing hardworking americans need is for gas prices to soar even higher. while drastic reductions in the supply of crude oil would be devastating to the world economy, the threat of a theocratic unstable iranian regime bent on the destruction of israel and its allies is even worse. a nuclear iran will not care about economic sanctions.

a nuclear iran will not care about diplomacy. a nuclear iran will not negotiate in good faith. and a nuclear iran will not be a friend of the united states. perhaps the greatest threat to peace and security in the world is the refusal to heed the warnings of the most violent and dangerous regimes when they tell us what their exact intentions are. my hope is that it will not be a mistake of this nation, one that this nation makes with this regime in tehran. again, my hope is that it will not be our mistake not to pay attention to the signals from the regime in tehran. madam speaker, thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from puerto rico, mr. pierluisi, for five minutes.

mr. pierluisi: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. pierluisi: i rise to discuss a subject of great importance to me, to the people i represent, and that is the health of nearly 10,000 residents of vie acuss puerto rico. they sacrificed as much if not more than any other u.s. civilian population to advance our military readiness. in the 1940's, the federal government expropriated lands for use by the navy. for over 60 years the navy conducted training operations in eastern viequez, including aerial bombing, and ground based exercises. the navy has reported that it dropped between three million and four million pounds of ordnance there each year between 1983 and 1998. training operations seized in

2003. in part due to concerns about the risk of safety, health, and environment posed by decades of weapons use. the navy is now administering the cleanup with support from other federal and local agencies. in 2005, the e.p.a. lifted -- listed it has one of the most hazardous sites in the u.s. to date over 35,000 new missions -- munitions have been recovered and destroyed, including at least 19,000 light munitions. unfortunately, numerous studies have shown the residents have higher rates of cancer and other illnesses than residents of mainland puerto rico. raising serious questions about whether there may be a link between those health problems and the island's military training. in december, the agency for toxic substances, an agency within h.h.s., released a report that addresses whether there is evidence of causal

relationship between the identified health problems and the navy's activities. they examined five pathways through which residents of viequez might have been exposed to harmful contaminants, air, soil, fish, livestock, and drinking water. the conclusion reached in the draft report is generally the same as the conclusion reached by the agency with series of controversial health assistments it conducted about a decade ago, specifically that the available data does not establish that the contaminants in this pathways, some of which can be linked to military activities, were at levels expected to cause the reported health problems. because the draft report leaves mainly crucial questions unanswered, today i'm filing extensive comments that i urge them to address before its report is finalized. my comments are intended to be

constructed because my constituents deserve a meticulous evaluation of the draft report in producing concrete action by the federal government. in my commentary note it repeatedly acknowledges that its conclusions are not definitive or even close to it because the available data upon which the agency relies is incomplete in many respects. while it recommends that further studies be conducted to feel certain dat -- fill certain data gaps, the agency does not ga far enough. in 2009, it stated that it expected to recommend biomonitoring to determine whether and to what extent residents have been exposed to harmful chemicals. yet in a startling reversal the agency has now stated it is not recommending a comprehensive systematic biomonitoring effort at this time. given the health problems and the potential link between those problems and military activities, such an action is

misplaced. therefore, i have urged them to recommend the comprehensive biomonitoring examination. more generally i have encouraged aftvr working in partnership with independent researchers to take a more active and assertive role in asirning, implementing, and especially funding additional studies that are still needed to determine the nature and potential cost of the health governments being experienced, this is unacceptable that more than a decade after it completed its first public health assessments on viequez, the safety of the environment and health of the residents remain unanswered. my constituents deserve better. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio, mr. stivers, for five minutes. mr. stivers: thank you, madam speaker. i request unanimous consent to address the house for five

minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. stivers: thank you, madam speaker. i have served for 26 years in the ohio army national guard and had the pleasure of serving with many brave men and women over the years, including a tour of duty in operation iraqi freedom. as a member of the armed services as well as a member of congress, i was shocked and horrified last year by reports of the dover air force base mortuary sending veterans' remains to the prince george land phil. "the washington post" reported on december 7, 2011, that they uncovered 976 fragments from 274 service members that were cremated, incinerated, and taken to land phils between 2004 and 2008. this is an outrage. it disrespects our men and women in uniform and it can't be allowed to stand. the first steps to fixing this is creating a proper memorial

for those who served our country so well and give their last measure of devotion. i'm working on legislation to create a tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery for every conflict moving forward. this plan will be paid for by taking money from the air force, because that's where the poor decisions were made. i plan to introduce this legislation very soon. to those who have given their final measure of devotion in service to our country, they deserve a final resting place worthy of their dedication, commitment, and devotion and we need to give that to them. god bless the united states of america and thank you, madam speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. richardson, for five minutes. ms. richardson: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. richardson: this in month of march as we celebrate

women's history month, i would like to take a moment to recognize some of our great female leaders who throughout history has persevered in the face of monumental opposition and successfully have accomplished great things on behalf of the american people. from the words of the great poet, maya angelo, from the beautiful singing voice of marian anderson, from the tireless activism of dough lore rest wuerta, to secretary of state hillary clinton, secretary of labor francis perkins, and of course our own democratic leader, nancy pelosi. these women and many more have played an integral role in our his -- history and this nation. every day women take great strides to help others and improve the quality of life for everyone. unfortunately in matters involving health care, women are still facing these challenges. whether it's on the senate floor last week during a debate on the blunt amendment or

whether it's during a house committee on oversight and government reform hearing where women continue 20 face -- to face unwarranted attacks on their reproductive health rights and access to contraceptive. more discerning these debates and attacks have escalated beyond misguided attempts to repeal the affordable care act. now they have taken aim at restricting women's choices in the area of reproductive health altogether. this is wrong. medical decisions about a woman's health must leave the political arena and be left to the discretion of the patient and their doctor, not employers and certainly not the government. it is aston ining -- astonishing and disappointing more than 50 years after the landmark decision in grist walled vs. connecticut, a decision which found that women have a constitutional right to use contraceptives, continue these attacks on the women's

right of privacy and health care still persist at an alarming rate. the american people want us to work towards addressing their top priority, creating jobs, not their reproductive rights. however, this congress seems to be more focused on bringing forward legislation that targets women's access to basic health care. in this congress alone, we have taken eight votes on anti-women health legislation. a 2011 study found that over 90% of the women, over 90% of catholic women, between the ages of 15 and 44 have used some sort of birth control at some point during their lives. birth control can cost up to $600 a year, so for a college student, a woman who has had multiple children and is still in childbearing years, low-income women, or those who are underinsured, insurance coverage means the difference between accessing contraceptive

services or not. quite simply, madam speaker, all women should have the choice and access to contraception and have the resources no matter where they work, where they live, or where they go to college. this is why i'm proud to support president obama's affordable care act which i voted on, which will make a positive impact on women and children and their access to health care and greatly decrease the number of women and their families who are uninsured or underinsured. studies have shown that women who have health insurance don't always receive the medical care they need because their policies don't cover certain services. or the women simply can't afford the high deductibles and co-payments. the affordable care act changes this unfortunate reality by assisting women in gaining access to basic preventive health care in order to prevent life threatening diseases in the future. our country is facing great challenges. people need jobs. students need affordable

education. seniors and working families need affordable health care. but one thing we don't need is to continue to waste time debating extreme legislation that is dangerous to women's health. disrespects the judgment of american women and is nothing less than most comprehensive, radical assault on women's health in our lifetime. madam speaker, as people all over america pay tribute during the month of march to generations of women who have committed to progress and have proved invaluable assets to our society, let us in congress renew our commitment to support women not with certificates at banquets, by working to ensure equal treatment of all women in society, by providing women with equal access to health care and protect women's rights and their families to choose once and for all their own health care. madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. young, for five minutes. . mr. young: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. young: madam speaker, i rise today because i have never been prouder to call southern indiana home. late friday afternoon in our part of america, a disaster brought neighbors together, turned strangers into friends, and reminded us all what it means to be part of a community. eefer the course -- over the course of several hours, fierce winds, softball sized hail, and deadly tornadoes desended upon indiana communities leaving behind a 50-mile path of destruction. our people are still assessing the cost, we know this much. 13 hoosiers have died. scores have lost their homes and businesses. and citizens across the region have suffered untold of damage to personal and public property.

as hard as it is to imagine, the tragedy might have been worse were it not for the bravery and resilience of rank anne file hoosiers. our firemen, policemen, e.m.t.'s, and local officials deserve our thanks. those who serve in indiana's national guard, our state police, and our department of homeland security stepped up, too. from the initial response through the ongoing efforts today, their service has been exemplary. but it's been concerned citizens, so-called ordinary americans, who have restored a measure of stability to a region pum -- pummeled by forces beyond our control. there was a bus driver in henryville who in the nick of time rushed dozens of children back to stool to protect them -- school to protect them from the twist-e. there were the e.m.t.'s who saw a woman thrown from her car and saved her from being pummeled by hail by dragging a large metal sign across the road and

holding it over her. they likely saved her life. there were parents and friends and even strangers across southern indiana who, as danger approached, took a moment to extend a hand to others and said, come inside. we'll find room. after the storms left they turnd to loved ones and comforting neighbors. the damage was and is severe. one tornado, by some accounts, a half mile wide, carved a clear path through southern indiana, ripping trees out of the earth, hurling automobiles and combines long distances, severing powerlines and decimating countless homes and businesses. once again, hoosiers didn't sit around and help -- wait for others to help out. they went to work. over the weekend i spent time surveying the damage and meeting with those who lost.

everyone i visited, i met citizens wearing work boots, work gloves and began going through the piles of rubble. i met others who fired up their chain sauce and were clearing debris from the roadways. i saw clusters of cars and pickup trucks parked outside homes that were hit hardest. in the aftermath of such a tragedy, one would be forgiven asking me, why me, but i never heard it. instead, time and again i heard hoosiers sympathize with those who lost more than they. in the end, stuff really doesn't matter. it's people that are important. and i heard sincere caring people asking neighbors, how can i help? in henry veale, a pizza shop was mostly destroyed except for the freezer. the couple who owned it, rather than owning about the loss of their business, asked officials how they can donate food from the freezer to those who needed

it most. in mariesville, the local church remains intact but little else. the pastor told me their decades old building is not structurally sound but the congregation has never been stronger. for those of us who have seen the scale and scope of destruction up close, we know the path back will not be easy, but we will fix all that mother nature broke. in government at all levels will and must be there to help, from local authorities to the state of indiana to our congressional offices. my staff and i, in particular, are eager to connect our constituents to whatever federal services and funds might be available to help them get their lives back on track. but make no mistake, it will be the people of indiana, the people of tight-nit communities like henryville, mariesville, chelsea and others who will rebuild their broken time. hoosiers are reminding us what

it means to be a community of citizens, one nation under god, indwizzible, come what may. that -- indivisible, come what may. that's what bound americans in tough times and it will get us through this tragedy as well. may god be with those americans who are putting their lives back together. we're praying for you and here for you. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly, for five minutes. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. last month the house republican leadership commemorated valentine's day by planning a shotgun wedding between transportation re-authorization and the arctic national wildlife refuge. i think it's time congress started listening to the people. consider what my constituents wrote me when they asked me to oppose it this transportation,

disinvestment plan. one concern a constituent in vienna said, i'm writing to urge you not to support the energy efficient and infrastructure act. it is anti-business and anti-environment. it slashes funding for transit, guts our nation's fundamental laws and has damaging drilling in anwr. another one, worried about the utter lack of transit in the proposed legislation. wrote, i can tell you from firsthand experience that this proposal will have a profoundly negative impact on our ability for our clients to go about their daily lives. many clients use public transit to access our services and seek and hold employment because it allows them to remain independent. this bill puts jobs and services the agency provides to valuable populations at serious

risk. a constituent from prince william's county commented for nearly 30 years, beginning with president reagan, a portion of federal motor fuels tax revenues has been dedicated to public transportation investment under federal law. these revenues are dependable and predictable source of funding and should remain dedicated to public transportation. the house ways and means plan eliminates this reliable funding source and provides no funding for public transportation after 2016. a senior citizen from springfield, virginia, worried about the impact of this legislation on alternative transportation options, he said, i strongly encourage you to vote no on h.r. 7. i'm 65 years old and have spent the last 10 years of my life utilizing trails around fairfax county and this area of the country for safe biking and exercising. this has been critical to my improvements to improve my personal health.

these trails cost so little compared to building highways and bridges and using automobiles and have tremendous benefits for all of us. please don't allow this bill to halt the great progress this country has made in its trails. please vote no on h.r. 7. a constituent from gainesville, prince william county, virginia, where they have one of the longest daily commutes in america. i'm writing in on suggestion to the proposal to pay for any of h.r. 7 through cuts to federal workers' pay and benefits. i urge you to vote against any plan that unfairly targets federal workers and retirees to pay for more their share. our nation's federal workers are already doing their part to address america's deficit problem which they did not cause. their pay freeze will help contribute over $60 billion to debt reduction. a constituent from fairfax echos those concerns. congressionalman connelly, i'm contacting -- congressman connelly, i'm contacting you

about h.r. 7. i am disgusted and appalled that those in public service are being targeted again to fix budget shortfalls they didn't cause. as a federal employee, i am acutely aware of the shared sacrifice federal workers have paid in these turbulent time. i appreciate your representation in defeating this bill. madam speaker, my constituents make a compelling case. america is out looking for a long-term solution to transportation like any successful relationship, this one must be balanced with sustained investment and highways, transit and nonmotorized transportation. we can't slash funding in 45 of the 50 states including my home state of virginia while eliminating all dedicated funding for transit and help to solve our transportation problems. i urge my republican colleagues, junk this bill. let's start over again and work in a bipartisan fashion for transportation in america for the benefit of all of our citizens. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. poe,

for five minutes. mr. poe: request unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. poe: madam speaker, for nearly a decade the united states has invested money, sweat, blood and tears all in the name of the free and democratic iraq. before the war, iraqis suffered from the oppressive dictatorship of saddam hussein, and recent evets there led me to believe that perhaps the new government does not value freedom any more than the last one did. as a member of congress i've been fortunate to go to iraq several times to visit with our troops, and during my last visit with a bipartisan congressional district -- delegation, we also met with the iraqi prime minister maliki. during the two-hour-hong discussion, covering many things, i asked one question -- can we go see camp ashraf? now, it houses eye rain rain

dissidents. i represent a good number of iranian members whose family members are in this camp. iraqi forces have killed 36 residents at the camp just a few weeks before. here are the pictures of those real people that were killed by the iraqis -- iraqi forces that came into the camp. here's an example. you notice this is an american-made humvee coming into the camp. over here on this far picture you see an iraqi -- an iranian dissident being runned over by those humvees being driven by an iraqi soldier. so the question is why can't we go see this camp and see the dissidents and he said, no way that's going to happen. it left me wondering why he would refuse to let us see and talk to these people and get the other side of this invasion by the iraqi soldiers. so we didn't get to go. later i learned one reason we were actually told to leave the country is because we asked to go see this camp and what happened to these 36 iranian

dissidents. and now we have camp liberty. camp liberty, madam speaker, is the result of the fact that in camp ashraf, the iraqi government is moving these dissidents to another camp called camp liberty. these dissidents are commonly referred to as the m.e.k. and camp liberty, eye roncally, should be symbolic of the name of freedom but it's anything but that. now the iraqi government, having moved these dissidents to camp ashraf to camp liberty, are still oppressing these iranian dissidents. the reality is camp liberty is worse than camp ashraf. former new york mayor rudy giuliani said it best, it's not a jail, it's a concentration camp. even in prisons we allow lawyers to see their clients and the families to see their loved ones, but not in camp liberty. and remember these people in camp liberty, these iranian dissidents, have committed no crime. they have violated no law. you can't help but think that

god old maliki has something to hide again. the word is leaking out there's not enough drinking water in the camp, there are ruptures in the sewer system and they are having to be fixed by hand bit residents. iraqi guards have their will at the camp and they wander around with no rules. they violate the privacy of these iranian dissidents, many of whom have women. what's more, no one, not even the u.n. that is confident that wants political refugee determination is made by other countries, those countries will accept these dissidents into their country. why? because our state department incredibly has the m.e.k., these folks in this camp liberty, designated as a foreign terrorist organization. in fact, maliki told members of congress one reason he told the residents in camp ashraf so poorly is because our old state department designates them as a foreign terrorist organization. this designation is an old

failed state department foreign policy that designated these people as a favor to the iranian government. that hadn't worked out too well with our foreign relations with iran, has it? since then we've seen thrat real terrorists in iran are the extreme muleas and the tiny tyrant in the desert, ahmadinejad, not democracy groups that want democracy in iran. both the e.u. and the united kingdom have removed the foreign terrorist organization from the group, the m.e.k., but not the state department. as iran defiantly matches toward nuclear weapons, arraign should push for a regime change of their own government. the longer we keep opposition groups who want to do just that on the foreign terrorist organization list, the less likely it is that the light of liberty will have a chance to shine in iran. the federal courts have even ordered the state department to review this f.t.o. designation, but the state department continues to delay, delay, delay making a decision.

the state department must remove the memplet e.k. from the foreign terrorist -- m.e.k. from the foreign terrorist organization list immediately and then let liberty prevail in camp liberty and let these people leave iraq in a peaceful manner, and that's just the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from california, ms. woolsey, for five minutes. ms. woolsey: madam speaker, there was good news on the national security front last week. north korea, one of the most dangerous rogue nations on earth, far more dangerous than iraq, iraq was when we invaded nine years ago, has agreed to suspend nuclear weapons activity. the obama administration has scoured this concession by -- secured this concession by offering aid to the north koreans. the north korean regime has also consented to stop uranium

enrichment, impose an montreal moratorium on long-range missile testing and allow u.n. weapons inspectors into the country for the first time in three years. of course, we must remain cautious and we must remain vigilant in our dealings with north korea, but it's clear that peaceful negotiation and diplomacy as opposed to saber rattling that we've seen much too often in the recent past is advancing our national security interests and moving us closer to a future of peace and security. the president and secretary clinton deserve credit for this breakthrough. the securing of loose nuclear material top priorities. the new stark treaty represents a critical step in finally putting the cold war behind us and increasing security cooperation between russia and

the united states. it's my hope now that we will be bolder and more ambitious because it's time for the united states to exercise global leadership and true statesmanship and move toward complete dismantling of our nuclear arsenal. that's exactly the long-term goal we committed to as a nation when we signed the n.p.t. 40 years ago. to that end, madam speaker, i introduced a legislation called no nukes. nuke understanding to keep everyone safe. no nukes. no nukes mofts us aggressively in that direction. it makes no sense, it makes no sense at all that we have thousands of nuclear warheads when just one of them has the power to end life on earth as we know it. and if that's not good enough, eliminating nuke weapons isn't just a matter of human rights and moral urgency.

it's also a big budget item at a time when we must be exercising fiscal restraint. we currently spend over $50 billion a year on maintenance of our existing nuclear arsenal. how about we invest that money on programs that save lives instead of weapons designed to destroy life? for nearly a decade now, we've defended our country and its interests by sending thousands of troops to die in a foreign war that isn't making america safer but is costing americans billions of dollars every month. madam speaker, there has to be a different way. my smart security platform advances the idea that we make the world safer, not through acts of war and arms escalation, but through conflict resolution. for nearly my entire life, the

world has lived under a shadow of nuclear confrontation. my oldest child turned 50 over the weekend. he was an infant in my arms during the terrorfying days of the cuban missile crisis. we can't make another generation go through that. actually, my 7-year-old grandson, jake eddie, is joining me in washington this week and i believe it's our responsibility to make a promise to him and to his classmates and his peers, our legacy to them must be a world free of nuclear weapons. . our legacy to them must be a peaceful future. and one step in the right direction in the memory of donald payne is to bring our troops home from afghanistan. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house

in recess until noon today. congressman payne died earlier this morning. president obama holds his first news conference of the new year this afternoon. that begins at 1:15 eastern.

we will have a live on c-span and available on c-span radio. raskin you if given the chance, what question would you ask president obama? join in a conversation on facebook. today is super tuesday with the gop contests in 10 states. there are caucuses in alaska and idaho. primaries and vermont, virginia, a massachusetts. we will have candidates' speeches and your phone calls live of the c-span networks. the annual policy conference continues in washington. among the speakers, rick santorum. santorum. he spoke for about 15 minutes.

>> thank you very much. [applause] thank you. this is a somewhat important day in my life today. we have a lot of primaries going on across the nation, 10 of them. i wanted to come here. [applause] because --one of the reasons that i decided to run for president is because of the grave concern i have about the security of our country and the leadership of our country in the face of a threat to not just the state of israel but i think that

is for the rhetoric is oriented to. we talked about the revolutionary republic of iran. a threat to people throughout the world, which is what iran is. [applause] i have been focused on the issue of a nuclear iran for a long time. back in 2006, i would travel around my state and i would say, how many people have ever heard the name mahmoud ahmadinejad? no one would know. i would say, just wait. i was the author of the iran freedom support act. i fought president bush, secretary rice in making the claim that iran was developing a

nuclear weapon at the time. we needed to have an effort to engage the are running people that are being repressed by this brutal regime. we needed the united states on the side of the iranian people to overthrow this theocracy their runs the government of iran. ought to have this bill passed. it was voted down. eventually a weaker version of that bill is eventually passed at the end of that year. but nothing was done to confront iran in their quest for a

nuclear weapon or to do the important role of working with people in the streets of iran, something i believed then and thought america could plight such a key role as we had in other revolutions against dictators and despots. iran continued on their mission, killing american troops and providing ied's that have killed more americans than any country in the world. planning terrorist attacks. supporting radical islamic groups. the united states sat on the sidelines and did nothing. or slow-walked was necessary to stop this regime from spreading terror and doing something even worse -- developing a nuclear

weapon. as well as we have seen the over heightened rhetoric about the destruction of the state of israel. as i sat and watched, i have seen the president who has been reticent. srael's he has i back. he has turned his back from the people of israel. [applause] the administration has agreed to open talks with the iranian government. that is in spite of u.n. resolutions that say they must stop the processing of the u.n. fuel.

another appeasement. another appeasement. another delay. another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, listening to the speech last night, there is a clear and unfortunate disconnect between how the leaders of the country of israel and the country of the united states view this this situation. prime minister netanyahu was very clear. israel is not at peace with what is going on in our ron and the process that is moving forward -- in iran. there is a concern about what

this administration is doing or not doing to bring this issue to a head before the final line is crossed and it is too late. that's why i believe we need to do more than just talk. we need to set forth a clear ultimatum to the iranian government. we need to say that the time is now. you will stop your nuclear production now. you will open up your facilities for inspectors from the united states and other countries so we can certify that those efforts are stopping and being dismantled now. [applause]

any further delay from action now simply encourages the iranian regime to take america -- not seriously, about stopping them from their quest for nuclear weapon. we had the chairman of the joint chiefs suggest we are not sure yet that iran has made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon just shows again the disconnect that they know we have, the insincerity of our

leaders in telling the truth to the american public about what is going on in iran today, how radical this regime is. the hyper rhetoric about targeting jews in specific. let's be honest about who they are who is running the government of iran. their intention is not just to control the middle east's or to protect themselves from being attacked. these are radical theocrats. these are radical theocrats. these are radical theocrats who believe it is their destiny to not just conqueror and destroy those in their way of the middle east and far beyond that. these are the folks who have

been very clear about what their intent. the idea that they will not if they do get a nuclear weapon that they will not use thit. they are rational actors, as general dempsey says. what leads you to believe they are rational actors? [applause] rational actors to not call for the destruction of other states. call them cancers. rational actors do not send 100,000 children as mine sweepers. rational actors do not develop nuclear capability when they

have hundreds of years of oil and gas to provide their medical research. [applause] these are essentially irrational acts. we need to put that ultimatum and place and we to be prepared if the ultimatum is not met, to engage minister met to know and the people of israel to make sure that if they do not tear down those facilities, we will tear down them ourselves. [applause] this is not bellicosity and warmongering. this is preventing the most

radical regime in the world from having a weapon that could fundamentally change the security posture and not just of the middle east but as we've seen in the united states, a with a nuclear shield is a nightmare for all freedom-loving people of the world. [applause] under a santorum administration, we would find no gap between israel and the united states because our interests are united in stopping the world from having a radical terrorist organization, which happens to be governing the state of iran from having a weapon that will destroy the opportunity for peace and prosperity for the

world. [applause] my final point i will make to you is this. we see energy prices going up it has been caused in part by tensions in the middle east. begin to work with us to make sure that the radical environmental movement in this country does not stop the production of oil and gas in this country so we can become energy independent and not rely on the middle east and bad actors for the supply of oil and gas for the world. thank you very much. god bless aipac. >> also speaking was mitt romney.

he addressed the group via satellite. >> thank you to teddy and ed. i am sorry that might super tuesday travel schedule prevents me from being with you in person. i stand with you. i share your commitment to a strong and secure israel. ais year we're gathered at dangerous time for israel and for america. not since 1967 and 1973 as the middle east faced peril as it does today. the current administration has distanced itself from israel and warm to the palestinian cause. it has emboldened the

palestinians. as president, i will treat our allies and friends like our friends and allies. we have heard words from the administration. the clear message is to warn israel to consider the cost of military action against iran. i do not believe we should be issuing public warnings. israel needs our support. israel's leaders will always be welcomed. the current prime minister is an old friend. we work together over 30 years ago. he is a man whose intellect encourage i admire.

there will be no gap between our nations and their leaders. i have seen is zero by land and by air -- i have seen israel by land and by air. i have walked the streets of jerusalem and seen schools that were pocked by rifle rounds. i would never call for a return to the indefensible 67 lines. is understand that geography security in israel. i have studied the writings and the speeches of the jihadists. they argue for a one-state solution. their objective is for the destruction of israel.

placating such jihadists whenever yield peace in the middle east. their passion for modern done of -- martyrdom of arab youth -- a nuclear iran is a problem for israel and for america and for the world. we may not know when iran will secure sufficient fissile material, but that time is fast approaching. iran prepares to close the strait of hormuz. they prepare the means to hold hostage the entire planet. iran has long engaged in

terrorism around the world. they plotted to assassinate the saudi ambassador by bombing a georgetown restaurant. killing our sons and daughters. the current administration has promoted a policy of engagement with iran. the president offered to sit down with ahmadinejad. he was silent as dissidents to to the streets of tehran. on president's dawdled imposing sanctions and opposed them. hope is not a foreign policy. our readiness to use power. our readiness to use power. the elrich t outreach to iran gae

them time. iran has already gained three in viable years. there are some who are that iran's leaders are rational. the president speaks of common interests. we don't have interest with a terrorist regime. [applause] it is irrational to suggest that the ayatollahs think the way we do or share our values. they do not. i will not delay imposing further sanctions. i will not hesitate to implement the ones we have.

i will make sure iran knows of the very real peril. i will station multiple aircraft carriers at iran's door. i know this will be an important victory for liberty and a shrewd -- blow to tehran. i will be just as ready to engage our military might. america stands at the side of israel and in no consequence. our strength abroad depends upon our strength at home. as president, i will prepare and strengthen our military. president obama wants to shrink our navy.

a military in retreat invites adventurism. a strong and superior to american military is the best ally piece has ever known.-- peaace. peace. as president, peace will be my solemn calgoal. this will require american strength and a demonstration of our resolve. that's why my first foreign trip will not be to cairo or ankara. it will be to jerusalem. [applause] will make clear to the world --

we will make it very clear that israel's continued existence as a jewish state is of vital national interest to the united states. i believe the right course is what ronald reagan called peace through strength. as president, i will offer the kind of clarity, strength, and resolve. the world will know that the bond between israel and america is unbreakable. our opposition to a nuclear iran is obsolete. we must not allow iran to have the bomb or the capability to make a bomb. this is a critical time. let's achieve peace through the

region. god bless america and god bless our friendship with israel. thank you so much. [applause] >> governor, thank you. good morning. please welcome stacy from oklahoma. [applause] a republican county commissioner from georgia, ashley. from indiana, activists doug.

and a student activist from the university of southern california, barry. [applause] as couture first question. -- let's go to our first question. >> the danger of iran developing nuclear arms capability. can you discuss your plan? >> we have to put in place a diplomatic isolation program much that was put in place against south africa during apartheid. i would make sure that their diplomats are rejected and despised throughout the world. i would make sure that we have communicated our credible military options. we cannot continue to express a

point of view -- so we ought to develop our own military options. we have to coordinate what we're doing with israel and with our friends throughout the region to make sure this is not something that is not done without thought, comparison, and coordination. i would station two aircraft carriers in the region as well as other warships and other military capacities so that iran could see that we're at their doorstep. we want to of crippling sanctions. it took the president too long to put in place crippling sanctions. i think we need to communicate the danger of the iranian people becoming a nuclear nation. they need to understand that

america is not going to sit by and watch iran develop fissile material. will not allow that to happen. thank you. >> good morning, governor. what is your plan to stop the assad regime in syria? >> maybe one of the few bright spots in the middle east developments in the last year has been the rising of the people in syria against assad. arab ally an's only in the region. they can supply has belote with weapons -- they can supply has th weapons.ah wiht

we should get rid of assad. there is a future for them in nota even fif assad is there. we should make progress against assad. we should communicate american action military or otherwise would not be determined or vetoed by china and russia. the united nations has a role to play in the war. they will not tell us what we'll do in protecting the people of syria. thank you. >> the next question. >> good morning, governor.

what are your plans, your ideas to events the peace process -- to advance? >> that is a tough one. you have a question about whether it unity government will be formed. that allowed dramatic implications for discussions. then you have egypt in tumbled. you have syria into tumult. this is like setting up a tent in the middle of a hurricane. the key course in a peace process is for parties to understand where america stands.

a big mistake by the president was confusing the palestinians as to where america's commitment stood. i believe we stand with israel. that allows the palestinians to know will not allow that to pursue the u.n. this one-state solution. we stand with israel. will have things settle down and stand by our friends. >> our final question from barry. >> good morning, governor. what is something that stands out to about the country and the people? >> my first trip was over a decade ago. i went with a church group and a

group of friends. we went to see the historic foundation of our faith and to see the historic sites. it is overwhelming to go to a place with such history. i was struck by the beauty and architecture. the jerusalem stone -- just amazing. the geographic characteristics of israel struck me. how hilly and turned in. the narrowness of israel strikes you. what strikes me most in these visits has been the passion and commitment and patriotism of the people. people are still immigrating into israel.

when i met with people and spoke with them about what they live there -- people stay there. there is a sense of purpose and commitment which is striking. a friend wrote the book with a colleague about the startup nation. the commitment to innovation and technology and -- all those things stand out when you visit israel. we share beauty, passion, a commitment to our respective faiths, a dynamic economy, and we share values. thank you. [applause] [applause] thank you so much.

good to be with you today. good to be with you today. [applause] >> i want to thank our panel for joining us and governor romney. thank you for joining us on this busy super tuesday. >> thank you. >> he sought mitt romney speaking -- you saw mitt romney speaking via satellite. there are caucuses and primaries today. a reminder that we will have result coverage tonight with the

candidate's speeches and your calls and reaction live on the c-span networks. president obama holds his first news conference of the new year at this afternoon beginning at 1:50 eastern and we will have a live on c-span2. you can hear it on c-span radio. what question would to ask the president? join in on the conversation on facebook. the house comes back into session at noon is seastern. there will vote at about 1:30 eastern. the will start work on a bill about water power. we could see tributes to new jersey congressman donald payne. he was 77.

the house will be back live at noon eastern here on c-span. until then, your calls on c- span. host: we have more on what eric holder said yesterday. [video clip] >> who is engaged in planning to kill americans would be unlawful in the following circumstances.

the u.s. government has determined after a thorough review that the individual poses a threat of violent attack against the united states. capture is not feasible. the operation will be conducted inconsistent law principles. host: that was eric holder and his speech at northwestern university laying out the rationale for killing perspective terrorists overseas. this is from "the baltimore sun."

host: we'll show you more about what the attorney general had to say. gregory is a democrat in maryland. what is your take? caller: good morning. i have plenty of time to gather a perspective on the situation. not as qualified as the officials in washington. eric holder makes and in

situation towards the end of the speech that the government would not hesitate to know what information of terrorists that were going to attack the united states of america. feel free to interrupt at anytime. that is the preface to watch allowed 9/11 to happen in the first place. it was the secret service and what have you that pay attention to all the threats around the world. and that they can choose when to let a threat develop, so that if a threat were to be manufactured, their industrial

complex would then be accelerated with unscrupulous use of money. host: ok. warren, an independent in d.c. what do you think? warren? good morning? oh, i think we lost warren. we'll go next to lancaster, pennsylvania. democratic caller, go ahead. caller: i'm calling, i feel the policy is out of bounds, it's overstepping bounds. it's just a way to kill people without due process. after world war ii the israelis had many nazis they wanted to bring to trial and put on trial. they tracked them down where ever they were and they captured these people, no matter what, and they brought them back and they gave them a trial. and they proved in law that these people were guilty of crimes. then they did what they did.

they executed them or gave them long prison sentences. host: ok. caller: i'm a democrat, but i don't agree with this program that you just kill people. i mean the only reason that obama is doing this is because he has the weapons to do it. host: all right. attorney general holder laid out this issue of due process. he talked about it yesterday in his speech. here's what he had to say. [video clip] >> some have argued that the president is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a united citizen who is a senior operational leader of al qaeda or associated forces. this is simply not accurate. due process, and judicial process, are not one and the same. particularly when it comes to national security. the institution guarantees due process. it does not guarantee judicial process.

host: so here's the argument from the other side, the american civil liberties union had this to say -- host: norman's an independent in massachusetts. good morning to you. caller: yes, i think it's preposterous that the president would take it upon himself to murder someone just on the basis of an accusation. these accusations are very often wrong. they come from the c.i.a. which is very often wrong. look at all the targeting killings with their drones. very often kill people that weren't intended. al-awlaki's son was killed a few days later and he doesn't fit that criteria. that certainly was premeditated

murder in this case. host: we posted this question on our facebook page as well. want to show you some of those comments. this one is from steven hammond who says whatever the constitution and law permits should be carried out is his opinion. mark preston just says dictatorship. and dave clemens says the biggest terrorists have given more nightmares than anyone else are the americans. others say judge, jury, executioner and bye-bye america, land of the free. those are our comments on facebook this morning. remember you can go there, facebook.com,/c-span and post yours there as well. this is from the "washington times" this morning. mr. holder did not mention the classified legal opinion that details the government's justification. some law makers, among them chairman of the senate select committee of intelligence have called on them to publish it.

their office had no immediate response to the speech which did little to reassure critics of the targeting killing program. this also makes the headlines in a campus newspaper up on capitol hill. they say, in a lawsuit filed under the freedom of information act, the aclu is demanding that the government disclose the legal basis it hold for making such a decision which the administration has refused to do. it also goes onto say that holder did not talk about specifics but the administration has worked especially hard to keep the appropriate members of congress informed. mike rogers, ranking members, were told about the al-awlaki operation ahead of time while on a trip to yemen. so arguing that that is the checks and balances. alex, a republic in maryland. go ahead, alex.

morning, alex? caller: hey, good morning. host: you're on the air, go ahead. caller: yeah, i have the opinion that if you're a terrorist and you're not a citizen of the united states, and even if you are a citizen of the united states and you're a traitor to the united states, you don't really deserve judicial process. host: what about this idea of proof though? the evidence? those people who say that one person or the administration is beginning to make the decision about whether or not this person is really a terrorist. what about that concern? >> well, i'm sympathetic to that and i'm aware most of the evidence that they have is considered to be classified. they can't just let everybody in the public know everything that we know. because then it starts to release certain things that they don't need to know.

host: so alex, you're a republican. you trust president obama with this authority? caller: i trust the government enough to believe that most of the time, because i can't say all the time, we have made our mistakes. but most of the time they're going to get the right person. host: ok, garth in san diego, an independent. go ahead garth. caller: yes, this is a classic case of treason and anyone who voted for it should be imprisoned. a complete and direct violation of the constitution, violates our due process rights. and for anyone to have the audacity to try amend the constitution without due process of amending the constitutions deserves to be in prison. pure and simple. host: ok. caller: this is a violation of everything and anything that this country stands for. host: all right, bob's an independent in palestine, texas. you're up next, bob. caller: good morning. one of our greatest presidents

thomas jefferson said never trust your government. putting that type of power in the hands of too few people is a very dangerous move. thank you and have a good day. host: the american civil liberty union echoes that. some international law experts have criticized holder's comment saying the administration is asserting the authority to kill any american whom the president declares to be the enemy of the state, that's a breath-taking assertion. this is a quote that's in the "baltimore sun" this morning. darla, a republican in pittsburgh, pennsylvania government ahead darla. caller: hi. my comment is while people are so afraid of the big boogey monster of the head of state declaring the president has this power, these people themselves have boldly declared themselves to be enemies of the

state. as far as al-awlaki goes, he has boldly declared numerous times over and over again on youtube. you can go to youtube, any of his speeches that he is recruiting an army of people to destroy america. this is the crux of the situation. we are giving miranda rights to people who don't deserve them. they've declared an act of war against the united states. host: all right, paul, democrat in ohio. did you just hear darla's argument, paul? what do you think? caller: well, it looks to me like we're going down a slippery slope here. host: why's that? caller: well, previous caller mentioned about us using our power and money to put people in power in these other states, which i think is kind of what turned them against us. besides our religious beliefs and so forth.

it just looks to me like bad policy, all these wars we're getting into. we hear the statement, we're a peace-loving people. usually just before we get into another war. host: all right. that's paul in ohio. we're going to keep taking your comments on this. question this morning, eric holder, the attorney general laying out the case yesterday for killing suspected american citizen, suspected terrorists, american citizens abroad. we want to take your comments. but first a handicap of campaign 2012. it is super tuesday today. and by the way we will have tomorrow's results in our first hour of the "washington journal." we'll be combing through them with the help of a political reporter to give you the latest on the race. but here's how it's looking on this super tuesday morning. here's "denver post." primary motivation goes through all of the amount of delegates that are at stake in each state.

for alaska that's 27, georgia 76, idaho 32. massachusetts 41, north dakota 28, ohio 66, 43 in oklahoma, 58 in tennessee, 17 delegates in vermont and 49 delegates in the state of virginia. so, 10 states voting today. more than 400 delegates at stake. that is the headline in "u.s.a. today." four candidates, and they pose the question -- one knock out punch? probably not. here's what the "u.s.a. today" says. the former massachusetts governor for a victory in the ohio primary and a show of strength across the country would enable him to argue that he is the only contender with the realistic chance of claiming the 1,144 delegates needed for nomination.

>> rivals say he needs to score elsewhere too. ron paul, winning any state, most likely the north dakota or alaska caucuses would provide bragging rights as well as delegates and give him some power in and persuasion for the nomination in tampa. and in the "richmond times" this morning, only romney and paul are on the ballot in virginia. this is the their headline. and then in the "tulsa world this morning" courtesy of the museum, state finally gets its say in the g.o.p. fuss. that's what "the tulsa world" has to say.

"the columbus dispatch" the ohio paper, super showdown is their headline. the race to be the republican parties presidential nominee gathers no men tumble. -- momentum. a lot of eyes will be on ohio and what happens in that state, as well as tennessee. and then, in oklahoma this morning, that paper, "the oklahoman" paper endorsed mitt romney. he is the best choice for g.o.p. victory in november. saying that he has the best chance against president obama. and then the "tennessean" has this. makeup life for early turn out today. in their view it's been not such a super tuesday. fact is that too few of any party are exercising their right to have a say in how their local state and federal governments are run. so those are some of the local headlines for you this morning,

giving you a taste of the race, a handicap of what needs to happen for these candidates on super tuesday. again, look for our coverage tonight on c-span.org. go to our website and our campaign 2012 hub. you can see all that we've been covering so far, including the closing arguments made by all the candidates yesterday as they were in different states laying out their case for why they should be the g.o.p. nominee. all right, back to our question this morning and eric holder's comments. steve, an independent in columbus, kansas. thanks so much for waiting. what do you make of what eric holder had to say? caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. this tactic has a history that i remember going back to president clinton and janet reno when they went after david karesh in waco, texas and then the massacre at ruby ridge.

the difference being they sought judicial oversight i believe and actually had warrants. however, this administration and this attorney general has decided on their own that no judicial oversight is required in order assassinate american citizens abroad. i wonder if it's only a matter of time before they actually assassinate people here in the united states. a very dangerous, damage rows -- dangerous tactic and presumption on their part. host: all right, thank you. let me show you this tweet here from mary who says one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. ed in massachusetts, good morning. caller: good morning c-span. no president should have this kind of power. timothy mcveigh was captured,

executed. he launched the if we give up -- the attack -- our liberties to get security, we will end up getting neither. host: ed, what does that mean for gaub. -- guantanamo bay? are you in support of that prison? caller: i'm sorry, can you repeat that? host: guantanamo bay, are you for giving them a military trial? caller: well you know, i think it's pretty interesting that obama said he was going to close that down and he hasn't been able to do that. i don't see why we can't. for military tribunals, combatants that are captured on the battlefield, that's a different thing. but right now, u.s. citizens can be arrested by the military

under the defense authorization act that was recently passed and held without access to a lawyer, without due process, that is not constitutional. and nobody's talking about that. host: all right. ed, are you still there? go ahead, finish your thought. caller: an american citizen expected of being associated with a terrorist could be spirited away to guantanamo and held there without access to a lawyer, or due process. and nobody's talking about that. host: well ed, the attorney general did say yesterday that one of the criteria that has to be met, there's no way to capture the suspected terrorists, and therefore this type of operation needs to be carried out. caller: i don't believe that, they captured bin laden. it's not true they can't capture these people.

host: what do you mean they captured bin laden? caller: they captured and killed him. host: yeah, but he didn't go through any trial. caller: right. host: so, the point -- caller: i'm not sure i understand the question. host: well the point that eric holder made yesterday is there's just no way to capture them, therefore detain them, therefore put them in some sort of, have some sort of judicial process for them. so the military feels they need to take them out in this type of operation. caller: so assassinate, give the government, the president, the right to be judge, jury and executioner of the american citizens who are suspected of being terrorists? that is unamerican, unconstitutional. host: ok. so ed, let me ask you this. what if the united states were to do this type of operation and then lay out the case for the

american people, show them what evidence they had in justification of carrying out this act? what do you think about that? caller: what happened to due process? under the constitution. he's shredding if you're doing that. we captured the blind chic -- shiek terrorist who attacked the world trade center in 1993. al-awlaki, who was hit by a drone in yemen, i have a hard time believing that we couldn't have captured him. we have a very effective special operation forces. if we could drop a missile on them, we could drop a special ops team on them. and then a son, a couple of days later, barbecuing in the backyard. sounded like a real threat to

america. host: tony, go ahead what do you think? caller: yes, good morning c- span. host: good morning. caller: i worked at the national security agency and our motto was trust in god and monitor everyone else. that includes our government. i think this is a terrible idea. i find it very strange that the evidence that our government and other governments claim they have on so-called suspected terrorists is always classified. i find that very strange. i also find it very strange that al qaeda, a name that no one's never heard of before 9/11, is all the sudden everywhere. if you're not al qaeda you're affiliated with al qaeda. whatever the heck that means. i think we're sliding down a slippery slope with targeted american citizens overseas. because before you know it will be here.

>> you can see "washington journal" every morning. the speaker: the house will be in order. the 3r5eur will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. living god, we give you thanks for giving us another day. today is a significant day for americans in this election year. we ask your blessing upon the american people, especially those who choose to participate this day in primary elections. give them good judgment in the sincere desire for the welfare of this great nation as they cast their ballots. bless as well the members of this people's house, may they be filled with your spirit this day and exercise their responsibilities with which is dosm, understanding, and good

-- wisdom, understanding, and good will. may all they do be for your greater honor and glory. in the past few days, o lord, many have been assailed by a certificate filing and -- by terrifying and destructive weather. bless the rapid success -- with rapid success the efforts of those emergency responders who are working tirelessly to rebuild shattered lives in communities. finally, with sorrow we acknowledge the passing of donald payne of the 10th district of new jersey. we thank you for his years of service in this assembly and ask you to bless his family and loved ones. eternal rest grant unto him, o lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. may his soul and the souls of all the departed through the mercy of god rest in peace. amen.

the speaker: the 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 gentleman from new york, mr. higgins. mr. higgins: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker: without objection, so ordered. mr. poe: mr. speaker, iran continues to inch closer to making its nuclear ambitions a reality. the administration wants israel to diplomacy more time but prime minister netanyahu said pressure on iran is growing but

time is growing short. for israel a nuclear armed iran threatens its very existence. ahmadinejad says he wants to wipe israel off the face of the earth, and this radical extremist means what he says. israel will do what it has to in order to be master of its own fate with or without the united states. unfortunately the days of full trust between the u.s. and israel seem to be on shaky ground. netanyahu said, quote, i will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation. if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. but this duck is a nuclear duck and it's time the world start calling a duck a duck. mr. speaker, america must totally get behind our friend and let the iranian duck know whose side we are on. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cicilline: madam speaker, i rise today to discuss an issue

that is very important to hardworking men and women in my home state of rhode island. madam speaker, rhode islanders learned yesterday that our work force has grown smaller and our unemployment rate sits alt 10.9% -- at 10.9%, third highest in the nation. while some may struggle to see these problems steps from the capitol, i hear frequently from constituents who can'tunder stand why the house still has not considered a comprehensive jobs plan. that's why i and many of my colleagues have been working hard on legislation to put americans back to work including our make it in america agenda to help reinvigorate american manufacturing. we also need to develop new ways to repair america's infrastructure and new ways to finance it. we need to provide much needed to help to small businesses and entrepreneurs. yet the house leadership has stood in the path of progress on these issues. rhode islanders know that congress can do better. we need to work together and get these things done and get the american people back to

work. i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. wilson: madam speaker, since the president was sworn into office in january of 2009, gas prices have risen drastically by 156%. this fact shows the president's energy policy is failing our country and destroying jobs. according to the national federation of independent business, rising energy costs are a constant struggle for our small business owners. our small business owners are already threatened with the rising costs of health care due to the mandates that the government takeover health care bill. instead of supporting effective energy policies that will lower the price at the pump, this administration has decided to delay the keystone pipeline. a project that will create over 100,000 jobs at no taxpayer expense. if completed this project will

dramatically decrease our dependence on foreign oil and provide relief with energy costs for every small business. in conclusion, god bless our troops, and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, i rise to express my concern about the presence of hezbollah in the western hemisphere. in the homeland security committee we have heard from experts who testify that hezbollah, which is a terrorist proxy for iran, syria, and venezuela, has enacted membership in 14 north american cities, including toronto, which is 90 miles from my western new york home. some dismiss this concern by saying their activities are limited to fundraising. this is not comforting. so, mr. speaker, i have joined with my colleague, jeff duncan, to introduced h.r. 3783, the

countering iran in the western hemisphere act. our legislation would call for the state department to investigate hezbollah's presence in the western hemisphere and create a long-term strategy for keeping our communities and nation safe. mr. speaker, i'm pleased to say this bipartisan legislation was unanimously passed in the subcommittee. as this bill moves through the house, i urge my colleagues to support our legislation to combat this growing threat. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from kansas rise? ms. jenkins: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jenkins: it's been four years since the height of the great recession and our economy is nowhere near where it should be. unemployment continues to whoever around 8% and thousands upon thousands of hardworking americans have left the job market altogether. after the president killed the keystone pipeline, gas prices have skyrocketed and by some estimates more than 20% of homeowners are under water on their mortgages.

madam speaker, americans need real jobs, real solutions, and real results. not the unprecedented, unacceptable, and unsustainable wasteful washington spending some of our colleagues continue to promote. it's time washington started protecting and respecting the hardworking american taxpayers. we need a system where their hard work is rewarded and every american has a chance to succeed. i urge the senate and the president to pass our jobs bills and work with us to get the american people back to work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oregon seek recognition? mr. defazio: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. defazio: paid $4.01 a gallon at home in oregon last weekend. there's a lot of people get long-term plans, drill now, drill here, drill everywhere, conservation, whatever. there's nothing we can do in the short-term. well, there is. 70%, 70% of the oil futures,

the supply of oil, is owned by speculators on wall street and other places around the world. 70%. the head of exxonmobil testified that about $38 a barrel is due to speculation. that's the head of exxonmobil because we are paying 38 bucks a barrel for speculators on wall street. goldman sachs says, well, it's only 22 to 28 bucks a barrel. let's take the lowest number, 22 a barrel. that would lower regular gas by 64 cents a gallon if we got rid of the speculators. i proposed a tax of .01 per transaction that would drive most of these speculators out of the market and raise revenues. it's time to get rid of the speculators, provide price relief to americans, and have -- then we can talk about a long-term plan for energy

self-sufficient -- self-sufficiency. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? >> to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hensarling: madam speaker, the president's pollingcies have failed and made our economy worse. for three straight years unemployment has been above 8% and the congressional budget office predicts now that will last through 2014. the worst period of sustained high unemployment since the great depression. america has a deficit of jobs because america's job creators have a deficit of confidence in this administration. new business start-ups are at an almost 17-year low, and that's why house republicans have a plan for america's job creators that will help ease the president's job-killing policies. our plan will continue to unfold this week when the house votes on the actual jobs act to help small businesses and

entrepreneurs access vital equity capital and put americans back to work. the bill does exactly what the president's own job council recommends. it's time for us to work together to pass the bipartisan jobs act and give the american people the jobs and recovery they deserve. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady investigated. ms. lee: thank you very much. madam speaker, last night we lost a world leader, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, a great leader who consistently brought light to human suffering taking place around the world. and what we here in washington, d.c., can do for it. it is with a heavy heart that i rise today in memory and honor of congressman don payne, a brilliant leader, former chair of the africa subcommittee on foreign affairs, and to do what i'm sure he would be doing if he were with us today, speak

out against the massacres taking place in sudan. these killings have taken place in the suedianese state -- sudanese state outside the view of this congress and most americans are unaffair of this humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the same region where we saw blood shed in darfur for many, many years. madam speaker, on this day of mourning for representative payne, i know he would want us to recommit ourselves to act to prevent further bloodshed and suffering in sudan. my thoughts and my prayers are with congressman payne's family, his friends, and his constituents. may his legacy live forever. i would deeply miss his wise counsel and his friendship. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? mr. pitts: to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pitts: madam speaker, today the house of representatives lost a distinguished member who served with honor for more than two decades. i had the pleasure of working with donald payne many times

over the years. he had an incredible heart for africa and suffering peoples in every corner of the continent. from morocco to south africa, he was a tireless advocate for freedom and self-determination. we worked together speaking on behalf of the people in western sahara. representative payne watched western sahara closely, working toward a peaceful resolution that would allow for a free referendum that could establish self-government. we also worked together in twetch to recognize the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the british slave trade and honor the legacy of william wilburforce. in one amazing episode he risked his life seeking peace in sudan and nearly had his plane shot down in 2009. donald payne never missed an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the oppressed. and his work has had a lasting impact on the human rights of people around the world. and i'm proud to have fought the good fight alongside him. he will be missed. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from vermont rise? mr. welch: madam speaker, to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. welch: thank you. gas prices are killing the american consumer, they are doing real damage to small businesses. in my state, can bolt creamry -- can bot -- cab bot creamry, the -- cabbott creamry, the price of gas going up, it's another $135,000 off their bottom line. there's long-term issues we have to address, there's stuff we can do in the short term. the futurist market has been flipped upside-down, it should be serving end users like airlines, fuel dealers, it's instead it's been taken over by speculators. goldman sachs stays about $23 on the price of a gallon is attributable to speculation. that's about 56 cents when you go to fill up your pickup truck. about an extra 15 bucks just for the speculation premium. past presidents have used the

strategic petroleum reserve to spook the speculators. to send a cross their bough they are going to be on the wrong side of these trades. less' tuesday the strategic petroleum reserve to give some relief to our consumers and to our small businesses. i yield back. . for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. nayworth: i received a letter from yorktown heights, new york. he's only in sixth grade but is very concerned about our economy. he wrote to me, if our economy doesn't turn around our country will no longer be leader and the american people will suffer. matthew, you are exactly right.

we do have a tremendous job ahead of us and we are working here, all of us together, for you and for all the kids in this country who need a future, the kind of dreams that we are privileged to dream. so this week we are bringing to the house floor the jobs act, part of a whole package of jobs bills that we have been sending to our colleagues in the senate and we certainly hope with democratic and republican support and with the president's support of this bill, as well, we'll be able to activate that economy, to create the kind of jobs and opportunities that all of us need throughout this country no matter where we come from. thank you, matthew, for your common sense and, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. yarmuth: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. yarmuth: madam speaker, rush limbaugh's appalling attack on sandra fluke is part of a broader g.o.p. assault on women's health. we have ushered in women's

history month to allow employers and insurance companies to deny women needed health coverage. let's take a look at their recent record on women's health. last year they ended federal funding for planned parenthood, the largest helper for reproductive help. they have provided cancer screelings and other preventive health screenings to low-income women. with their attempt to repeal the health care reform law, republicans voted to allow insurance companies to deny women if they had a c-section or been a victim of violence. i call on my g.o.p. colleagues to join us here in the 21st century where women not only raise families, they have jobs and they even wear pants. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise?

mrs. biggert: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. biggert: madam speaker, hundreds of advocates from across the country traveled to capitol hill last week to raise awareness on behalf of the national downsyndrome society. today i rise to congratulate one of those individuals, bridgette brown, who is being honored with the 2012 self-advocate of the year champion of change award. a resident of darryon, illinois, bridgette has helped to inspire and empower those with down syndrome to lead full and successful lives. a role model, mentor and national speaker, she graduated from high school in 2005 after becoming the first person with down syndrome to be included in her school district. she helped to promote among illinois educators the concept of inclusion and launch her on advocacy organization called butterflies for change. i applaud bridgette for her amazing work at the local and national level to help others achieve the full potential.

she has made her state and her community proud, and i wish bridgette continued success in her efforts on behalf of the more than 400,000 americans with down syndrome. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from wisconsin rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. baldwin: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 4105, a bill that would allow us to protect american manufacturing, including wisconsin's paper industry, from unfair chinese trade practices. the simple fact is that china is cheating. chinese manufacturers are not outcompeting american manufacturers. chinese companies receive direct subsidies from their government to help them undercut american businesses. we have seen the result this has had on our manufacturing base, and in my home state of wisconsin, particularly on our paper industry. in the paper sector alone,

china has provided more than 33.1 billion dollars in subsidies from 2002 to 2009, and is now the world's largest producer of paper and paper products. hard working businesses rely on duties to help keep their doors open. last month i introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure the department of commerce has the legal authority to impose these countervailing doubties on subsidized imports from countries like china. i am very proud to see that legislation incorporated in the larger bill before us later today, and i urge my colleagues to vote aye. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, i rise today to welcome israeli prime minister ben gentleman men netanyahu on his -- jen

gentleman minute netanyahu -- benjamin netanyahu. israel presently stands in the shadow of a threatening neighbor who is intent on making nuclear weapons. mr. yoder: israel must be able to defend itself against iran. their nuclear weapons is a threat throughout the whole world by way of proliferation. there is no telling who iran may sell their enriched uranium to, but it's not hard to speculate on the dire consequences. madam speaker, as we work together to combat global terrorism and those that would threaten peace, democracy and stability in the world, we must stand strong behind our ally, israel. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas rise? ms. jackson lee: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. jackson lee: madam speaker, i have a headline here this morning that indicates women

wait as politicians debate their care. this is not a story about accusations or calling college co-eds prostitutes and, if you will, whores and other negative words. this is about women's access to health care, and i am even saddened to say those words, but we see them broadcast across america's federal airwaves. but this young woman's name is kimberly moore who is caught in the conflict in the state of texas with the women's health program that is funded by medicaid and the decision of the state of texas to evipt planned parenthood from caring for women like kimberly, a single mother working part time who can't afford health care. between judges who want to accuse our president of dastardly saying throughs jokes and the idea of keeping women away from health care, not

anything to do with their choice of contraceptive but plain old health care, it's time for us to stand with the women of america and the decent people of america, to stand with this president, to stand with the idea providing women health care and to stand with medicaid being used in states where they want to reject planned parenthood simply giving health care. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my comments. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, like many of my colleagues, i have visited the state of israel. i have walked the streets of jerusalem and i have seen firsthand the beauty of its people, culture and history and heritage. prime minister benjamin netanyahu reminded of that heritage last night as he addressed a crowd of thousands. mr. palazzo: i know he's on capitol hill sending the same

message. serious threats have been made toward israel and israel must take threats seriously, especially dealing with a mad man working toward making a nuclear weapon. no one wants a war in an area where peace rests on a delicate balance. no one wants unnecessary aggression. i have supported sanctions. i have supported resolutions of disapproval. i want to believe that iran's offer today to allow u.n. weapons inspectors in means that they have nothing to hide. if our friends in israel decide to act, i know it will not be a decision made lightly nor without good reason. i urge my colleagues to join me in affirming our support of israel, not just to stand behind her but to stand beside her. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, madam speaker. this week is national breakfast week which offers an opportunity to talk about the importance of a healthy

breakfast for america's children. breakfast, as we've all heard, is the most important meal of the day. students have shown that breakfast can help -- studies have shown that breakfast can help boost a child's academic performance and reduce absences and tardyness as well as increased mental focus and physical performance. however, according to the u.s. department of agriculture, one in five children live in homes where food is not always available making breakfast hard to come by. i want to thank kellogg's, the starting share your breakfast program, which provides grants for schools or school districts to help participation in school breakfast programs. our children need to receive a holistic, well-rounded education, one at that stays active and fit and most importantly starts off with a healthy breakfast. i yield back the balance of my time and i'm off to lunch. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> to address the house for one

minute and to ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, this is going to be one of those weeks where i believe we can be proud here in the house. we are going to be moving forward with a jobs bill. we've monikered jump-start our business startups. i just had in my office a coalition from high tech companies from arizona. mr. schweikert: and they had a story to tell and that is the story of difficulty of finding capital of moving small organizations, these organizations that are creating jobs. i'm particularly blessed this week to have multiple bills in the package, one, a small company formation bill, i'm proud of the house. i look forward to these bills moving forward. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> to address the house for one

minute, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: madam speaker, i'd like to speak about my dear friend, donald payne, and colleague who passed away this morning. i saw him on saturday for the last time, and i can't think of anybody who in this house has been closer to me and someone who made it so much better for us to be in congress, not only for all of us as colleagues but also for the rest of the world. donald always made me smile. donald was always a serious person who cared so much about his constituents in newark and the rest of the towns that he represented in new jersey and really reached out to the rest of the world, was always looking out for the concerns of the poor and the disadvantaged and the people in need, whether it was their health care or whether they had adequate food or housing. but i think more than anything else, i remember his smile. he would always be happy.

he would always have a joke to say. and frankly in dealing with all the serious issues that he dealt with and he cared so much about, both here at home as well as overseas, it was always nice to have someone you could call a friend, that you could confide with, that you could talk to about your own problems as well, but always with that smile, always with that joke, always with the ability to say, frank, you know, let's not take ourselves too seriously even though we have a lot of serious work to do. i will southerly miss him. i don't think -- i will sorely miss him. i don't think there will be anybody that can replace him. i want to reach out to his family and friends back at home today and express my sympathy to them. >> will the gentleman yield? ms. jackson lee: i couldn't leave the floor just to express our love and affection for don payne and to say that he saves lives because he intruded in

places like africa and sudan, in africa and many other places, he saved lives because of his compassion for people, his fight for human rights and his fights for peace. i yield back to the gentleman. mr. pallone: thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, i rise to ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. olson: madam speaker, 176 years ago the alamo fell. every texan fighting for independence was either killed or executed. i'd like to read portions of the last center sent from the alamo by its commander. fellow citizens and compatriots, i'm besieged by thousands of mexican under santa ana. i have sustained a continued

bombardment for 24 hours and have not lost a man. surrender at discretion otherwise the garrison are going to be put to the sword. the man with the cannon shot, my flag still waves proudly from the walls. i shall never surrender or retreat. victory or death. signed, william bear travis, lieutenant colonel, commander at the alamo. remember the alamo. god bless texas. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on the motion to suspend the rules and which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. any record vote on the

postponed question will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 4105. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4105, a bill to apply the countervailing duty provickses of the tariff act of 1930 to nop market economy countries, and for other purposes. soil pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp, and the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin, each will control 20 minutes. the chair wreck now recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. camp. mr. camp: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. camp: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks

and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. camp: madam speaker, i rge passage of this legislation to ensure that we can continue to fight unfair subsidies from countries like china that violate the w.t.o., injure our industries, and cost u.s. jobs. this legislation reaffirms that our anti-subsidy or countervailing duty laws apply to china and other nonmarket countries and overturns an erroneous decision by the federal circuit that the department of commerce does not have the authority to apply countervailing duties to nonmarket economies. china distorts the free market by giving enormous subsidies to its producers and exporters. and our companies and our workers should not be expected to compete against the deep pockets of the chinese government. that's why it's vital that we preserve this important tool and ensure that current countervailing duty orders and investigations for nonmarket economies remain in place and this important tool is

available in the future. in addition, this legislation fully complies with our w.t.o. obligations. china agreed to be subject to countervailing duty laws when it joined the w.t.o. in 2001. and the w.t.o. has reaffirmed our right to apply these laws to china. failing to enact this legislation would mean we are unilaterally giving away a right that allows us to protect american workers. this also brings the united states in compliance with its obligations by requiring the department of commerce to make an adjustment when there is evidence of a double remedy. finally, i'm pleased that this legislation which has already passed the senate is bipartisan and has the administration's support. for all these reasons we urgently need to pass this important legislation. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. levin: this bill will send

a clear signal especially with an overwhelming vote, the signal there are clear consequences when a nation violates the rules. china is indeed tilting the field of competition by not playing by the rules. this bill restores a key instrument for our nation to hold china and other nations accountable. failure to pass it would be an enormous step backwards. at a time when indeed we need to fast forward our efforts to rein in china's abusive trade practices that in part led to a record $295 billion trade deficit with china. this legislation ensures the tools remain available under u.s. trade laws so that manufacturers can fight back against china's unfair trade

subsidies. countervailing duties have been a part of u.s. trade law for nearly 120 years. and today almost one half, 23 of 50, of all countervailing duty orders in place involve china. this is not surprising. a centrallement of chinese industrial policy has been to pro-- provide massive subsidies to producer, to help them knock out competitors and to dominate the market. these include loans at below market interest rates, cheap or sometimes free land, extensive tax breaks, and other subsidies designed to advantage domestic industry. today countervailing duties have been the singular form of relief available to american workers and companies

devastated by mercantilistic policies. over the last six years commerce has put in place 23 countervailing duty orders against china, 23. and five other investigations are currently under way. more than $4 billion in subsidized imports have been covered by these measures. shielding an estimated 80,000 american jobs from unfair competition. yet in december based on a deeply flawed assessment of congressional intent, the court of appeals for the federal circuit ruled that commerce, which add vinsters our countervailing duty laws, does not have the authority to apply those laws to nonmarket economy countries like china. that decision threatens to eviscerate the u.s. right to apply countervailing duties to

china, a right protected under w.t.o. rules. and it threatens to cripple commerce in its efforts to combat chinese subsidies that harm our industries. with this bill we are making clear that the federal circuit's decision was wrong and it cannot stand. commerce has always had the authority to apply countervailing duties to nonmarket economies such as china, and now it shall continue to have and exercise this vitally important authority in the future. because of this bill, and i urge the strongest possible support, tens of thousands of american workers and scores of american companies in 38 states across this country that have shown that they are entitled to relief from unfair subsidization by nonmarket economies will continue to get that relief.

this bill ensures all the existing orders and investigations remain in place. for this -- these reasons i support passage of h.r. 4105 and i urge all my colleagues, all my colleagues to support it. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: thank you. i yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of the trade subcommittee, the gentleman from texas, mr. brady. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. brady: madam speaker, i strongly support passage of this bill. when china repeatedly undermines the free market by subsidizing its exports to the united states, we can't just give them a pass. especially when the businesses china subsidizes are often government-owned businesses that compete unfairly against our american companies and

workers. so if you don't believe the american government should pick winners and losers in the marketplace, you certainly don't support the chinese government doing the same. there's an important distinction between the duties that seek to protect companies that are afraid to compete in the marketplace, those i oppose, and in this case duties assessed against those who try to distort the free market through unfair government subsidy. it's a distinction between the price of legal software and the illegal software. we would shoot ourselves in the foot if we denied this important tool to protect the free market from american workers. it's important as chairman camp noted today that this legislation is w.t.o. consistent and fully within america's rights when dealing with china and other nonmarket economies. it's also important that this bill addresses the double remedies laws in the right way to ensure that america applies these laws in accordance with our w.t.o. obligations.

in conclusion, this legislation ensures the freedom of u.s. companies and workers to compete in a market that is not distorted by the chinese government. it restores free market principles by allowing us to address china's unfair subsidies. it has no different impact on consumers than enforcing our intellectual property laws. we owe it to america's job creators and our workers to make sure we have the tools at our disposal to offset such unfair trade practices and allow the free market to work properly. that's why i urge strong support for this vital legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield a minute and a half to a distinguished member of our committee, mr. neal, from the state of massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. neal: i thank the gentleman. madam speaker, i certainly rise in support of this legislation which confirms that the commerce department can continue to apply

countervailing duties on subsidized imports from countries with nonmarket economies such as china and vietnam. in fact, this legislation strengthens the opportunity to use an international forum for the prescribed purpose of resolving disputes. if our trading partners are not playing by the rules, it's imperative that the united states have the tools to challenge these unfair practices. countervailing duties level the playing field for u.s. employers and workers and allow them to compete against imports that are subsidized through unfair trade practices. emphasis on the word unfair. since the commerce department started applying these duties in 2007, it is estimated that countervailing duties have protected an estimated 80,000 jobs in the united states. at the same time, it's important to point out this is not a protectionist measure.

it strengthens our hand in dealing with negotiations. so let's pass this commonsense legislation and keep american jobs defended against unfair trade practices. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: at this time i yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. >> i rise in favor of h.r. 4105 because we need to have every tool we can muster to fight china's unfair trade practices which not only steal markets and jobs from american producers, but also provides beijing with the means to finance its military buildup and expand influence around the world. mr. rohrabacher: this bill should not have been necessary. it overturns a faulty court decision that claimed u.s. law prohibits the department of commerce from applying countervailing duties to nonmarket economies. yet nonmarket economies where

the government directs business through trade subsidies, national planning and state ownership affirms this is where the greatest abuses occur that distort the market. unfortunately our system to combat trade abuses and unfair foreign practices does not work. we have had a massive transfer, which is evident, we have seen we have had a massive historic transfer of wealth from the american people to china over these last few decades. that policy should have been corrected long ago to prevent this depravation of the american people. furthermore, this bill allows the commerce department to adjust actions to avoid future negative findings by the world trade organization. again this should not be necessary because china should not be part of the world trade organization. it is not a market economy. and this should have been -- thus should have been denied membership. it has not lived up obligations to w.t.o. membership and thus

beijing is not a stakeholder -- should not be made a stakeholder in world affairs. it remains an aggressive communist dictatorship that supports every rogue enemy of the united states. it is the world's number one proliferator of nuclear technology and the number one abuser of human rights. it is a land of cronyism, corruption, and repression. we should not be helping a country ruled by this kind of government grow while we stagnate. $295 billion trade deficit a goods -- mr. camp: yield an additional 15 seconds. mr. rohrabacher: we ran a $295 billion trade deficit in goods with china last year at a time when the u.s. economy was strug manying to recover from a recession, and we had high unemployment. . we need to do much more to restore growth and balance to our international, strategic relations with other countries, especially china and we should end this massive transfer of

wealth from our people to china. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i now yield two minutes to another member of our distinguished committee, mr. blumenauer from oregon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for two minutes. mr. blumenauer: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. levin. i appreciate mr. camp, our ranking member mr. levin, are here today advancing h.r. 4105. we're not going to unring the bell. the chinese government is an important part of the world economy. we are interrelated and interdependent. people buy things from china every day. i was happy to have them be part of the w.t.o. so there will be rules of the road. it's not about protectionism for the united states. it is making sure that our -- that our partners, competitors in china play by the rules. and too often we've seen that

they don't. we've seen massive unjustified subsidies. we've found cheating in the international arena in terms of stealing products, stealing websites. the chinese government needs to be encouraged directly to play by the same sort of rules. if america is on a level playing field, our manufacturers can work with the -- and compete with the best the world has to offer. related to china right now, it is too often not a level playing field. this is an important step going forward to make sure we can rebalance. i hope, i hope that the administration will be aggressive in using the tools that it has to make sure the rules of the road are observed. this has been a frustration i have had since i've been in congress with republican and democratic administrations. i don't think we have done all

in fact we could. i hope that we will. i think this bill is a step in the right direction, and i appreciate the bipartisan show of support from our committee to move it forward. i hope the house passes it overwhelmingly and that it's something the other body moves on and that we can have this in our tool kit. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: thank you. i yield two minutes to the distinguished chairman of the oversight subcommittee, the gentleman from louisiana, dr. boustany. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for two minutes. mr. boustany: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in strong vigorous support of h.r. 4105, and i want to commend chairman camp for his leadership in bringing this appropriate bill to the floor today. as a supporter of free and fair trade, i believe that u.s. companies and workers deserve a level playing field in order to successfully compete around the world. this bill restores commerce's ability to protect american jobs and companies from unfair

w.t.o. inconsistent practices, inconsistent trade practices perpetrated by nonmarket economies, mainly china and vietnam. this is an important tool being used by several industries in my home state of louisiana. the ability to use countervailing duties, companies that produce steel pipe, aluminum extrusion, woven sack industries, just to name a few. more importantly, shrimp processors wants to make sure this tool remains in place in case they want to use it in the future to deal with unfair trade practices. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter from the american shrimp processors association, a letter in support of this important legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. boustany: as our industries expand and compete for businesses around the world, it's irresponsible to not have these types of measures, enforcement measures in place, and to take this vital tool

away from the department of commerce. this has been a practice that is w.t.o. compliant. we have used it for years, and now, because of a recent federal court ruling, it's been taken away. the bill simply amends the 1930 trade -- tariff act to allow this w.t.o. compliant technique to be used to impose countervailing duties on nonmarket economies when they use unfair subsidies. it's fully consistent with our international trade obligations. it restores current practices, and, madam speaker, it's the right thing to do for american businesses and workers. i strongly encourage our colleagues in this house to support this important bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: madam speaker, i now yield two minutes to another very active member of our committee, mr. pascrell from the great state of new jersey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. pascrell: madam speaker, how are you doing today?

as co-sponsor of this legislation, i rise in strong support of the bill. i want to thank chairman camp and ranking member levin for working together in a bipartisan way to address this issue, and i hope this is the beginning of more bipartisan trade negotiations amongst ourselves. i think it's healthy. we all know that china uses a variety of merck styleistic ways to distort trade with the united states. from illegal subsidies we must -- we are not playing on a level playing field when they are allowed to subsidize their industry and we don't choose to do that. second, forced technology transfers. third, currency manipulation. it's important that our government have every tool at its disposal in order to combat

these abuses and others, and this legislation will once again allow the application of our countervailing duty laws in the enforcement of existing orders to nonmarket economies like china. but we must go further if we are going to level this playing field, madam speaker, with china in a way that truly that benefits american workers and businesses. we need to extend our trade remedy laws to cover currency manipulation. an approach embraced by a large bipartisan majority of this body that would create over a million jobs. also, i believe we must embrace and fully fund the president's new interagency trade enforcement center to focus our resources on leveling the playing field with china. we can't continue to sit on our hands while chinese businesses undercut american workers and our manufacturing base

continues to drift overseas. let's not stop with the passage of this bill but continue to move forward on a fair trade policy that places american workers and businesses first. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: at this time i yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from north carolina, mrs. ellmers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized for one minute. mrs. ellmers: thank you, madam speaker. i thank the chairman for bringing this very important piece of legislation to the floor for a vote. i'm here to join my colleagues in support of h.r. 4105 which will protect free markets and prevent american businesses from unfair dumping practices of countries such as china. madam speaker, i hear from businesses in north carolina every day who are telling me that in order to compete in the global market, action must be taken to prevent nonmarket countries like china from distorting the market and costing american jobs. since 2007, the department of

commerce has applied the countervailing duties to chinese products where it determines that china has provided unfair subsidies that violate its w.t.o. obligations. these duties are not -- these duties are not punitive. they merely serve as a correction to unfair chinese subsidies. they restore the level playing field that u.s. industries and small businesses such as wire producers and textile companies in north carolina provide. h.r. 4105 can ensure that the department of commerce can apply -- mr. camp: 15 seconds. mrs. ellmers: anti-subsidy laws to nonmarket countries that are violating current law. at the same time we must have robust trade policies that will strengthen our economy and build upon the partnerships that we have made around the world. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. len levin i now yield two minutes to --

mr. levin: i now yield two minutes to a gentleman who is active in trade matters, mr. michaud from the state of maine. the speaker pro tempore: mr. michaud is recognized for two minutes. mr. michaud: i rise in strong support of h.r. 4105. i want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their efforts of bringing this bill before this body. passing this bill will ensure that the commerce department has the authority to apply tariffs on illegally subsidized goods from china and other nonmarket economies. for the state of maine, passing this bill will protect the countervailing and anti-dumping duties in place on coated paper imports from china. from 2002 to 2009 china provided more than $33 billion in subsidies, many of them illegal, to the paper sector. as a result, china overtook the united states as the world's largest producer of paper and

paper products. this growth in beijing's paper sector hits maine's mills hard. since 2008, maine workers from both new page companies have become eligible for assistance after they were laid off from imports. after anti-dumping duties were applied to paper imports from china, one male hired 100 employees. this is just one example of how much of a difference countervailing duties can make for an american company having to compete against illegally subsidized chinese goods. h.r. 4105 will ensure that countervailing duties can continue to be applied to illegally subsidized goods for all countries, including china. this bill is critical to ensuring that our american businesses compete on a level

playing field, and i urge all my colleagues to vote for it. i want to once again thank the chairman and ranking member for their efforts in bringing this bill forward. it's always good to be on the same side as the chair and ranking member. with that, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: thank you. i yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kel is recognized for one minute. mr. kelly: i thank the chairman. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 4105. where i'm from in western pennsylvania, we relish competition. in fact, we can't wait to go head to head and toe to toe with anybody, anytime, anyplace in the world. the only thing we ask for is a level playing field, something that is fair for everyone. markets in vietnam and china, other nonmarket economies that are able to game us, we don't like it. so places like shannon where they bill the tube and wheatland tube, those are the workers i'm talking about and those are the workers i would tell you would stand here with us arm in arm and say, bring it

on, bring it on. we want the competition. we want to prove to the world that we are the best and always will be the best. keep it a level playing field. enforce the rules. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from michigan, mr. levin. mr. levin: i yield to a gentleman most active on this issue, mr. critz from the great state of pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. critz: thank you, mr. levin. thank you, madam speaker. as a co-sponsor of this bill, i rise in strong support of h.r. 4105. in 2011, the u.s. court of appeals ruled that the department of commerce did not have the authority to impose countervailing duties on goods from nonmarket economies. of the 24 countervailing duties currently in place against goods from nonmarket economies, 23 are from china. without the legislative action we are proposing today to overturn this ruling, it is very likely that these current countervailing duties will be negated. this is unacceptable and we can't stand by where over

80,000 manufacturing jobs are at stake. almost every state is impacted by this decision, and almost every congressional district in pennsylvania has companies that would be affected it if this legislation does not pass. we must take action today and pass h.r. 4105 to overturn a flawed court ruling and to ensure that the department of commerce can continue to fight unfair subsidies that hurt american manufacturers and american workers. we must level the playing field and i strongly urge my colleagues to stand with american workers and pass this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. camp. mr. camp: at this time i yield two minutes to a distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from new york, mr. reed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. mr. reed: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today to join in what appears to be a bipartisan sentiment that's developing on the floor of the house today, and i'm pleased to be part of it. i'm pleased to stand with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and members of the ways and means committee in support of a bill that will go a long wa