leader, who's been helpful on this effort as well, that there will be another vote following this vote and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s.con.res. 66, for conditional adjournment and adjournment of the house of representatives in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, five-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentleman from oregon, mr. walden, to suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 27. the clerk: house calendar number 143, house concurrent resolution 127, concurrent resolution expressing the sense of congress regarding actions to preserve

and advance a multistakeholder governor's -- governance model under which the internet has thrived. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 414. the nays are zero. 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair lays before the house the following privileged concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 56. resolved, that when the senate recesses or adjourns on any day from thursday, august 2, 2012 -- the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the clerk will read. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 56. resolved, that when the senate recesses or adjourns on any day from thursday, august 2, 2012,

through monday, august 6, 2012, on a motion offered pursuant to this concurrent resolution by its majority leader or his designee it stand recessed or adjourned until september 10, 2012, at 12:00 or such other time as specified by the majority leader or his designee and the motion to recess or adjourn or the time of any reassembly pursuant to section 2 of this concurrent resolution, whichever occurs first. and when the house adjourns on any legislative day from thursday, august 2, 201, through monday, august 6, 2012, on a motion offered pursuant to this concurrent resolution by its majority leader or his designee it stand adjourned until 2:00 p.m. on monday, september 10, 2012, or until the time of any reaservely pursuant to section 2 of this concurrent resolution, whichever occurs first. section 2, the majority leader

of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives or their respective designees after consulting with the majority leader of the senate and house shall notify the members of the senate and house respectively to reassemble at such place and time if in their opinion the public interests shall warrant it. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the concurrent resolution. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed, no. the noes have it. the concurrent resolution is not adopted. the gentleman from illinois. >> recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 150, the nays are 265, the concurrent resolution is not agreed to. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to section 10 of house resolution 74, h.r. 6164 is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table

the bill s. 3510 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate 3510, an act to prevent harm to the national security or endangering the military officers and civilian employees to whom internet publication of which certain information applies and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the bill? without objection, the bill is read a third time and passed. and the the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the chair is prepared to entertain one-minute requests. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute.

ms. pelosi: thank you very much. mr. speaker, this republican majority is prepared to adjourn the house of representatives to leave for the august district work period without accomplishing what the american people have sent us here to do. they want us to create jobs. they want us to reduce the deficit and they want us to give a middle-income tax cut which the president has suggested and the american people overwhelmingly support. we have no jobs agenda. no tax cuts for the middle class. no farm bill, no violence against women act. no cybersecurity agenda, no bipartisan plan to prevent the sequester. the only thing they have done is to increase the uncertainty that threatens another debt crisis and undermines our economic growth. now they want to head out of town to campaign when congress should stay in session to address the most pressing

challenges facing our nation. job creation, growth in our economy and strengthening the middle class. mr. speaker, democrats want to get the job done. when we go home to meet with our constituents, we want to say what we have accomplished and results that have been worked out in a fair, bipartisan way. in spite of this, the republican obstruction is preventing that. let's get to work and let's do the job our constituents elected us to do to create jobs and relieve the uncertainty in their lives. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. lungren: i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourns to meet at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection?

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will entertain one-minute requests. >> i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute. without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, we are going to conclude four weeks in session with little to show for it. over the past month, the republican-do-nothing congress has continued its relentless pursuit of message over substance. not only have they failed to address job creation or deficit reduction in any serious way, they have refused to work with us to pass bills that the senate proved with bipartisan support. violence against women reauthorization act, critically important to women and to families. postal reform, absolutely essential. a farm bill.

the approach is not compromise. as a result, house republicans have been unable to govern. this week, republicans chose to adjourn for the summer, which we prevented, without a middle-class tax cut extension signed into law. we ought not to adjourn, ladies and gentlemen of this house, until we pass a middle-class tax cut. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does -- >> mr. speaker, parliamentary inquirey? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman texas will state his inquiry. mr. gohmert: isn't this the point of which speaker pelosi four years ago turned off the lights and microphones and wouldn't let us make speeches? i'm curious? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has not cited a

parliamentary procedure. mr. gohmert: i'm confused. apparently would be -- mr. hoyer: the house was in session, as i recall -- not in session. the house was not in session. the speaker pro tempore: who seeks recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition in -- recognition? i'm sorry, does the gentleman ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? mr. johnson: i co. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. -- mr. johnson: i do. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. johnson: thank you, mr. speaker. i got a cell phone somewhere around here. here it is and i'm going to ask you, is this a tracking device or is there somebody in this device that is taking my photographs, my videos, my treasured personal stuff like that, my address book? what is this? it is something that we need to be smart about. mart government policy should ensure our data is -- isn't

improperly collected and exploited, but what we learned from soapa is we tried to -- sopa is we tried to shove legislation down the public's vote. we ought to consult the folks who use the internet before we regulate it. that's why i launched apprights.us, using the web and social media, we're asking what smart policy looks like before we write a bill. we're using the internet to make sure we don't break the internet. mr. speaker, i encourage you to visit apprights.us, tell congress how to do a better job in securing your privacy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. poe: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, team

u.s.a.'s fierce five became the second american women's gymnastic team ever to win gold medals. these teenagers will also be awarded $25,000 each for being the best in the olympic world. but what they've earned they're not going to be able to keep because part of the medal and the price will be confiscated by our government, so saith uncle sam. that's right, mr. speaker, they have to pay a medal tax up to $236 and they also have to pay a prize tax on their cash award that could be up to $8,700. leave it to our government to punish team u.s.a. for their success on behalf of all americans. yesterday, senator rubio introduced a bill to exempt olympic medalists from paying a tax on their prizes. the long arm of the internal

taxman reaches far across the seas to grab a piece of the gold from kids that neither earned nor deserved. and that's the way it is. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to express my opposition to this body's attempt to adjourn until september 10. mr. barber: the people of southern arizona sent me here to work on their behalf and while it is essential that all of us go back home from time to time to hear from our constituents, we attempt to leave here today with many critical issues unresolved. we have done nothing about sequestration. we're facing $1.2 trillion in across-the-board cuts in defense and domestic programs. these arbitrary cuts will harm the people of my district and

yet we took a vote to leave washington. we have done nothing to -- about the postal service. because of congressional mandates. and it is wrongfully planning to shut down a crucial processing facility in my district, and yet we took a vote to leave washington. we have done nothing to approve budgets to maintain vital programs that assist veterans, seniors and children and yet we took a vote to leave washington. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. barber: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to stay here and work. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise today to honor two-time olympian and five-time u.s. national team member, aaron, who this morning successfully defended along with her teammates eight rogue

team. the gold medal they won at the 2008 beijing olympics. erin's victory today is the culmination of years of training and is the example of all of us -- how personal dedication to a goal is the cornerstone of success. the london games are erin's second olympics having first represented a team in 2008, beijing olympics. in 2008 erin and the women's rogue team were the first to bring home a gold medal in this event. in this morning's race, faced with strong competition, team u.s.a. won in a time of 6: 10.95. erin, you and your teammates made modesto, the state of california and the nation proud. please accept my sincere congratulations on a gold medal today. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to address the house for

one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? mr. dingell: thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? does the gentleman ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dingell: thank you, mr. speaker. the citizens united is one of the most destructive supreme court decisions in the history of this country. it unleashed the floodgates for unlimited expenditures on -- disregarded congressional intent and opened up the floodgates of crime, misbehavior and scandal. and in addition to that, people ought to be spending money without knowing who is having is being spent, who or by whom. that's why today along with a number of my colleagues will introduce a bill. this legislation makes the negative effects of unlimited

spending which the court cannot ignore. it reinstates the law that was in place on the day before citizens united was adopted by the courts. it prohibits corporate spending in elections and subject super p.a.c.'s to a limit. don't wait for a constitutional amendment to undo citizens united. support this act and let us do it by enactment of congress preceded by the necessary findings pointing out the evils of this scandal. we will be back less than 30 days and we will find out after the primary elections and after the general elections what an outrage this is. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following enrolled bill. the clerk: h.r. 1905, an act to strengthen iran sanction laws

for the purpose of compelling iran to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and other threatening activities and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dold: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize roselyn franklin school of medicine for 100 years of educating and training physicians and health care providers. since they opened their doors in 1912, roselyn franklin has had a nondiscrimination policy in place and has embraced the diverse student body. these students have gone on to treat patients throughout the world and contribute to vital research. at roselyn franklin university of medicine and science they focus on education where students are encouraged to learn and share experiences with members of the health care team outside of their chosen

profession. this provides a strong foundation for graduates of the program and enriches their clinical practice. the president, dr. michael welch, has received numerous accolades for his leadership, including winning the 10th district congressional leadership award for education this year. i want to congratulate roselyn franklin university of medicine and science for an impressive 100 years of educating some of our best and brightest health care providers and for giving back to the community and working to better the world around them. i thank you, mr. speaker, and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida rise? ms. brown: i ask unanimous consent to address the house and to revise and extend my remarks for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized, without objection, for one minute. ms. brown: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to the republican do-nothing congress. with all the problems we're having in our nation's transportation and infrastructure, we had a full committee meeting today on

amtrak, food and beverage service. we could be talking about critical rail issues that we left out the surface transportation bill like positive train control, the railroad rehabilitation improvement financing or the freight congestion plan. or we could have been talking about real debt reconstruction of amtrak. we could even have gotten crazy and talked about how we were going to finance future transportation bills. a markup on a water resource development act. or if we really wanted to talk about food, we could have had a hearing on the repeat instance of meals being placed in airplane sandwich. or most important, we could have a hearing on the near fatal plane collision that happened just two days ago in washington national airport. but once again the republican house -- i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland rise? >> i rise to ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, it is a shame that the democrat-controlled senate voted today to adjourn for over a month. mr. harris: and they haven't even voted on a budget for 1,191 days. mr. speaker, this is a $3.5 trillion enterprise, and the senate voted today to adjourn. the democrat-controlled senate led by majority leader reid voted to adjourn for over a month so that when they come back it will be 1,240 days since they didn't vote on a budget. mr. speaker, the house did what it had to do. it voted on a budget. it voted to extend the current

tax rates to all citizens, and we are here ready to work. we asked the senate to reconsider the decision, mr. speaker. that's what we ought to do and ask them to come back and work with us to finally pass a budget. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to ask unanimous consent, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pallone: i listened to my republican colleague in disbelief because the fact of the matter is that the republican house has now adjourned or at least trying to adjourn and go home for five weeks, as far as i can tell. the fact of the matter is when you go home and you talk to your constituents, they talk about jobs. they talk about the economy. and when the gentleman says, oh, we already passed a bill and why doesn't the senate take it up, i mean, he knows very well that in order to accomplish anything here in terms of tax cuts and extending tax cuts for the middle class that we have to get together on

a bipartisan basis with the democrats. and that's simply not happening here. the senate has passed bills that seek to create jobs, larger infrastructure bills, bills that would actually send money back to the states so that we can rehire some of our public employees, our police and our firemen, our teachers. the fact of the matter is the house republicans really do not want to do anything to create jobs. whether it's in the public sector or it's in the private sector. we see no action here on the house side under the republican leadership that would do anything to stimulate the economy or create jobs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from alabama rise? ms. sewell: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. sewell: mr. speaker, i rise today to honor and pay tribute to the life and service of alabama's own fallen soldier, army private first class julian

colvin, a courageous soldier, loving son and american hero. . he was a dedicated soldier assigned to the 508th special troops battalion, 82nd airborne division from fort bragg, north carolina. he lost his life at the age of 21 on july 22, while supporting operations enduring freedom in kandahar, afghanistan. he proudly joined the united states army on march 9, 2011 as a combat engineer. as a remarkable par trooper and outstanding engineer, he was considered a shining example in excellence. born on march 2, 1991 in birmingham, alabama, he was the loving son of karla and alfred, colvin.

p.f.c. colvin answered the highest duty. he was a selfless servant leader who bravely sacrificed his life. during his career, he earned numerous honors, including the bronze star medal, the purple heart and the army commend dation medal. the 7th congressional district, the state of alabama and this nation have suffered a tremendous loss. our nation is grateful for p.f.c. julius colvin. i ask you to join me in honoring the life and legacy of this heroic soldier, p.f.c. colvin and i ask that my statement of representative back cuss be entered into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from new mexico rise? >> permission to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. heinrich: i honor the life of john tib bits who died in a car accident. he devoted his career to helping others as a first responder. john tibbits served as fire chief for the past eight years. he was a paramedic in san juan county. i had the pleasure of working with him during my time on the public regulatory commission. and i saw his commitment to the firefighters as well as the people of new mexico that he helped protect. thanks to his hard work and determination, chief tibbits improved the way that firefighters responded to better serve the community. because of his dedication, there is no doubt that more people in new mexico are safer. my thoughts and prayers are with

his family and his wife and connie and his two daughters. we'll miss you, chief tibbitts. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island rise? mr. cicilline: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. mr. speaker, the american people expect congress to work to get our economy back on track and promote economic growth and provide families and small businesses with some certainty when it comes to their taxes sm the sthat passed legislation to ensure middle class families do not see a tax increase at the end of the year. yesterday, house democrats offered an identical plan, but republicans raised a plan by preserving tax breaks among the wealthiest among us. we end to end this games machineship. our colleagues are leaving for 40 days.

postal reform, vial ns against women, farm bill, comprehensive jobs legislation, make it in america, a plan to solve our deficits. we should remain here and do the work the american people sent us here to do. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois rise? >> permission to address the house for one minute. mr. shimkus: i come down to the floor to remind my colleagues and you, mr. speaker, if you go to jobs.g.o.p..gov and 25 bills have been passed in chamber. one to boost competitive manufacturing for our sector and encourage entrepreneurship and pay down our debt and maximizing american energy production. yes, using american energy and our resources to create jobs

like the keystone xl pipeline. we passed numerous bills to move the pipeline 20,000 immediate jobs. all these bills, all 25, again -- go to gop -- jobs.gop.gov and check the 25 different bills we have passed in our chamber. we have done our work and will continue to do our work and we need the other chamber to be somewhat functional and at least consider these bills and move to conference. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the the gentlewoman from is recognized for one minute. ms. hanabusa: mr. speaker, you have controlled the house for 19 months. republican majority has simply

failed to lead and more importantly, you are incapable of governing for the middle class, for the middle class. the people who help build this great nation. this week, we had the opportunity to provide a tax cut for 100% of these americans, those earning, individuals, less than $200,000 and $250,000 for a family. but once again the republican majority wanted it their way. and what was it your way? you wanted to pass tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. your friends. it adds $1 trillion to our deficit and debt over the next 10 years. how many times has the majority said time and time again about deficit and debt and what you do is you pass the tax cuts that's going to add $1 trillion. mr. speaker, it's about time that we step back and realize who we're here to serve and the

fact that we must take care of the majority, the wonderful middle class. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from nevada rise? ms. berkley: i rise to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks if necessary. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentlewoman seek unanimous consent consent? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. berkley: congress must do right by nevada's middle-class families and make permanent the sales tax deduction, a benefit that benefits so many families in nevada. state and local sales tax in nevada. nevada is only one of nine states that has no state income tax and instead revenue is raised through a sales tax. the people of nevada should be able to deduct their sales tax just as citizens from income tax

states do now. it helps families across nevada by leaving more money in their pockets. this creates jobs, stimulates economic growth and keeps money in their pockets. it is a matter of priority. we must make the sales tax deduction permanent in order to give middle class families the certainty knowing they will have extra money in their pockets, put food on their table and gas in their cars and pay the mortgage in their family home. i thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. mrs. davis: yesterday, the house passed a tax bill that will raise taxes on 25 million families, including many military families. and that is, in a word, outrageous. we see strenuous objection from

the majority to fairly taxing the superwealthy, but don't hear a peep about placing an extra tax burden on middle-class families, including members of our military, whose families are actually struggling in this economy. under the majority tax bill, an e-one sailor in the navy with two years of service with a spouse and three young children at home would see a tax increase of $1,096. and a private in the u.s. army in her first year of service who is married with an infant child would see a $273 tax increase. as a ranking member of the military personnel subcommittee, i want to know why we are asking those who have given so much to our country to give more while asking the wealthiest to give

nothing. our military families deserve much more than that and so do the american people. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from maryland rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. >> can you believe republicans are on their planes, trains and automobiles headed out of washington for a month when they haven't provided tax cuts for middle-class americans and for small businesses. that's right. absent without cause, awol while the american people wait. we had a chance to provide tax cuts for middle-income families and make sure that middle-income families aren't stretched but they have added a trillion dollars to our deficit and debt over the next 10 years because they are interested in protecting millionaires and billionaires and now hightailing it out of washington. republicans are leaving with a postal service in default and

violence against women act in limbo. jobs legislation undone where americans want to work out of work. mr. speaker, what is going on with this do-nothing congress, which is the republican do-nothing congress. the american people deserve more and it's time to get back to work. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. are there further one-minute requests? the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for ms. jackson lee of texas for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. the chair announces the speaker's aappointment to 20 u.s.c. 2103-b and the order of january 5, 2011 of the following individuals from private life to the board of trustees of the

american folklife center in the library of congress for a term of six years. the clerk: mr. steve hurst of michigan. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from jea, mr. woodall, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. woodall: i would like to yield to my good friend from virginia such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i thank my friend for yielding and mr. speaker, i rise to pay tribute to honor and to remember and celebrate the lives of american heroes. we are approaching the most sobering anniversary, august 6.

this is a day one year ago when a chinook helicopter crashed in afghanistan taking with it the lives of so many, including five soldiers, three airmen and 24 seals. it marks the most serious and heavy loss of life for our seal community and their i will us tryous service to our country. families across our nation are hurting and will hurt, not only on the anniversary, but just as they remember their loved one. so it was -- it is with great humility and deep appreciation to the families of our fallen, gold star families to pause for a moment to rise and honor their loved one. mr. rigell: our colleague, steve

king, entered into the congressional record a poem that was written specifically for this occasion. and i appreciate my colleague yielding just a few minutes it will take just to read the poem. and so it is with a grateful heart that i read this poem and i thank my colleague, mr. king for entering it into the congressional record. and this is written from the vantage point of a fallen. we stood, we, we stood, we stood so you can sleep while out across our nation, our mothers now so weep. we fought so you can live. all in such blessed peace which our most selfless sacrifice so give. . .

so very sweet. as to all of you, our promises we did so keep. as it was for all of you,ory bodies now so sleep -- our bodies now so sleep. so sleep, all in such dark, cold, quiet graves, so very deep . we gave all of our most precious lives while all of our brothers in arms did so weep and not ask why. as we so raised our hands, so way up high, and swore to pledge our most precious lives, to make a stand, to make a difference with it all, as we so gave that last full measure while standing tall. and we died and bled to so keep all of our most solemn vows of honor said, as why out across our nation our families now so weep, all but for the greater

good we so gave all we could, as we stood, as we pray now to our lord, their fine souls to so keep, for they so stood for what was right, all with their most brilliant souls so burning bright. as they died all for that old, red, white and blue this sight, as into that face of evil they so marched off casting their most heroic light. to so go forth, all in such a most brilliant force to fight. for they'd much rather have died for something than to have lived for nothing at all. for strength and honor was but their most sacred battle cry call. because moments are all that we so have, to make a difference, to hear that call, to change the world, to go off to boldly with flacked un-- plaques unfullered. move on, move out, as there are

30 more new angels in the army of our lord, to fight that battle, who shall not pause, to so watch over us all. and when there comes a gentle rain, their tears will wash down upon us, so remain. to ease our pain, so we won't have to cry anymore, as for ever in our hearts your most sacred names we will carry all because you died so we can sleep upon that bed of freedom, your gift of peace, as now we lay your fine bodies down to rest, to sleep because you stood, amen. mr. speaker, this very special poem is entered in the congressional record and it was written by albert kerries could well. -- coswell. and had the privilege of representing a wonderful district, mr. speaker, home of a lot of heroes. and these were good men and

you'd never know how they served and what they do, we are deeply grateful for their service and for all service members across this great land. we stand with the families of the fallen, our gold star families, and we ask that god give them a special measure of comfort and peace on this anniversary. i yield back and thank the gentleman for yielding. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: mr. speaker, i appreciate you being with us this afternoon and giving me the opportunity to come down here and talk about where we've been

in this week on capitol hill, trying to find a pathway forward. now, as with every decision that we make, mr. speaker, as you know, you and i have been here for 18 months, with a voting card in hand, trying to make those decisions for our constituents back home, trying to bring their voice to be heard on capitol hill, and we're facing one of those choices right here today. which lane will we choose, mr. speaker? we've proposed, passed today here in the house in a bipartisan way, a proposal that will create one million new jobs. now i'm going to go on and bring out some other studies and where those jobs are coming from, but one of the folks we're going to hear from, that's going to confirm the job creation opportunities that exist in this proposal, is going to be

president barack obama because he will have stood about 10 feet behind me in a state of the union address just 18 short months ago and advocated in favor of this job creation proposal. in favor of this job creation proposal. i don't know what has changed in 18 months, mr. speaker. but what we saw here on the floor of the house today is our democratic colleagues -- democrat colleagues advocating for a different choice. a choice that earnston young and an independent analysis of legislative proposals said will destroy 710,000 jobs, that we'll lose the opportunity to employ 7 10,000 americans, we are hearing what is unquestionably the -- we are here in what is unquiqueably the worst recession of my life -- unquestionably the worst

recession of my lifetime. and when presented with the choice between creating a million new jobs or losing 710,000 others, we're faced with a choice. the house made the right choice today, mr. speaker. the house chose to go create one million new jobs, but just in the last seven days the senate made the wrong choice. the senate chose a path that study after study after study shows us results in failure. why is that, mr. speaker? why is that? what i have here, mr. speaker, is a chart, you'll remember there from our budget debate, i'm so proud i serve on the budget committee here in the house, mr. speaker, and, you know, we brought two budgets to the floor in the short 18 months that i've served here in congress. brought two budgets to the floor that made tough decisions, tough

decisions. when you're running $1.4 trillion deficits, mr. speaker, when you're trying to create jobs for a nation that's hurting, when you're trying to prevent job-killing tax hikes from being imposed on american job creators, there are no easy decisions. they're tough decisions. and they have consequences. but this is what we learned in our budget debate, mr. speaker. what i have here is a chart that shows tax revenue from 1947, just after world war ii, all the way out to 2077. about 130 years of tax revenue. and what we'll see, mr. speaker, is tax revenue that's actually come in, represented by this green line, and then the tax revenue that's projected to come in. you'll see that's a flat line. it's taxes as a percent of g.d.p. and what we see is that whether we've operated america with some of the highest tax rates in history, you know we've had 90% income tax rates in this nation. 90% income tax rates. or whether we operate america with the lowest income tax rates

in this nation's history, we bring in about the same amount of money either way. i know that's not intuitive. i can bring up chart after chart after chart that shows how it's true. i can look at what happened in the kennedy years, when he cut those top marginal rates and more revenue came in, we look at what happened in the reagan years when we cut those top marginal rates and more revenue came in. we look at what happened in the bush years we cut those marginal rates and more revenue came in. over and over and over again. but rather than dwell on those charts, mr. speaker, i just want you to see that over time revenue is relatively constant. americans are willing to give the federal government about 18% of the size of the economy. and if the government asks for more than that, americans change their behavior so they don't have to give it. the red line, though, mr. speaker, represents spending in this country. spending again going back to just after world war ii, going out to where we are here today and a projection forward based

on current law. based on current law, mr. speaker. folks, look at this chart, they see this giant red line climbing, government spending as a percent of g.d.p., as this it threatens to consume all of -- as it threatens to consume all of g.d.p. and they think, who are the easy people proposing that we do that? who are they? mr. speaker, that's what happens if we do nothing. if we fail to proactively offer a solution, if we fail to confront the challenges that are facing this country with respect to spending, if we do not act, this is what we get. no president needs sign a law to create this dangerous circumstance. the laws have already been signed. the question is what are we going to do about it, mr. speaker? we don't have a taxation problem

in this country, in terms of needing to tax americans more. we have a spending problem in this country in terms of the federal government needing to spend less. and just to put that in sharp relief, mr. speaker, i've reflected here in this green the path to prosperity. this is debt as a share of the economy. this is america's debt as a share of the economy. you'll remember when we had all hands on deck in world war ii, when we were literally fighting for the future of the world, that crest -- crested 100% of g.d.p. we borrowed an amount equal to the entire size of the united states economy. well, we're right back there today, mr. speaker. we will be over the next decade. and if we do nothing, again that spending will create a debt pattern that will completely consume not just all of the revenue, it will consume all of the wealth in this country. if we took everything from everybody, mr. speaker, if we

confiscated every stock and every bond, if we confiscated every small business and every large business, if we took everybody's bank account and took everything out from under their mattress, if we sold everyone's car and everyone's home, we still wouldn't have enough money to pay for the promises that previous congresses have made to america. it's a spending problem, it's not a revenue problem. but this green line, mr. speaker, represents the budget that you and i and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle came together to pass. it's not about blaming folks, did all of this red line come from previouses congresses before i got here? you better believe it. but it's not about finding out who was to blame in those previous five years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years. it's about finding out who's going to offer the solution to get us out of that mess. and you know who it is, mr. speaker? it's this freshmen class that you and i are going to have the great fortune of being a part of. it's the conservatives who have

served in this congress, calling out time and time again, the senior leaders of this conference and this congress who are going to come together and provide solutions. this green line represents not just a proposal that one man wrote, not just an understand that 10 or 15 people agree on. this green line, this solution represents the budget that passed this united states house of representatives. in a bipartisan fashion. don't let folks tell you it's hopeless, mr. speaker. is it dire? yes, it is. but we have proffered solutions, we have debated solutions and we have passed on the floor of this house solutions. the problem is not that taxes are too low in this country, the

problem is that spending is too high in this country. and we have offered solutions to that. that's been the debate on the floor of the house this week. before i get into the debate that we actually had this week, mr. speaker, i brought a chart of who benefits from tax loopholes. who benefits from tax loopholes? we talk a lot about tax loopholes. i'm a co-sponsor of the fair tax, mr. speaker. a big believer in the fair tax, a fundamental tax reform proposal, it has more co-sponsors than any other fundamental tax proposal in the house or senate. it's h.r. 25 here in the house. and it proposes that we turn our tax system on its head to stop punishing people for what they earn and begin to tax people based on what they spend. if you're going out and you're buying a brand new mercedes, i don't care what kind of job you have, you can afford to pay the tax. if you're driving a used ford, i don't care how much money you

earn, you're plowing that money back into the economy instead of taking it out. this is what we see. who benefits from tax loopholes? the bottom 20%, mr. speaker, get next to nothing from tax loopholes. the bottom 40%, mr. speaker, you see get next to nothing from tax loopholes. the bottom 60%, the bottom 80% get next to nothing in terms of tax loopholes. the top 20%, mr. speaker, that finally starts to show up on the chart. but it's the top 1% of all income earners who benefit the most from all the tax loopholes. in this case it's just over $250,000 each. now why is that? i'm not picking on our top 1%. the top 1% pays about 40% of all the income taxes in this country . the top 1% pays 40% of all the income taxes. the bottom 50% pays zero.

and if the bottom 50% is paying zero, that means the top 50% has to pick up the whole tab, we put 40% of that tab on the top 1%. so it only makes sense that if you have a complicated tax code that allows for lots of loopholes, exemptions, deductions and carveouts, those loopholes, exemptions, deductions and carveouts are going to benefit the people who are paying all the tax. top 1% paying all the tax and so top 1% benefiting from all the loopholes. . we have a plan to abolish -- be happy to yield. >> i file the following enrolled bill. the clerk: an act to amend the african growth and opportunity act fabric program and add south

sudan for a country eligible under the act. and relating to textiles and apparel rules for the dominican republic united states free trade agreement to burmese and freedom democracy act for 2003 and other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia may proceed. mr. woodall: i thank the speaker. why am i talking about those folks in the top 1%. i'm not picking on them, i admire them. i'm not one of them, but i aspire to be. i hope i come up with that next great idea like bill gates and steve jobs and i hope i do make something that makes a difference in america. i hope i'm one of those folks who owns a business back home that provides jobs for families, jobs for my neighbors, income

that supports people's families. i want to be one of those guys. i don't demonize the 1%. i admire folks who have gone from nothing, but the power of their idea and the sweat of their brow and created something, golly, that is what america is. but there are some in this congress, some at 1600 pennsylvania avenue, inat the present time on demonizing that 1% and what they have done today this week has been a proposal to raise taxes on all of those job creators. fully 50% of all the income generated by small businesses is what my colleagues in the senate, my colleagues here on the democratic side of the house have proposed to raise taxes on, those 50% of small business owners are providing all the jobs. that's where my colleagues believe a major tax increase

should be levied. mr. speaker, we have put forth a proposal -- i'm just so proud -- that says rather than raising taxes on job creators, job -killing jobs, why not introduce fundamental tax reforms that eliminates those deductions and carveouts and exemptions that all of america would like to see eliminated and if we know that eliminating those has the greatest impact on the highest of our income earners, why do we need a class warfare that is going on down here on the floor of the house. i say to my colleagues who want to demonize the top 1%, join me and you will raise taxes on that community because those are the

folks who benefit because those are the folks who pay the taxes. there's a better way. mr. speaker, that's not just some hard-core freshman republican who is a sponsor of a fundamental tax bill talking. the president of the united states, this president of the united states stood not 10 feet behind me at this podium at that microphone right behind me and he said these words in january of 2011. he said over the years, a parade of lobbyists has rigged the tax code to benefit particular companies and industries, those with accountants and lawyers to work the system can end up paying no taxes at all, but the rest are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. president obama said that. and he followed it with this, it makes no sense and it has to

change. hitting job creators in the world with the highest tax rate, makes no sense, it has to change. and this was january of 2011, one month after december, 2010, when the president signed the tax package for two years that the house passed today. i asked the speaker, where is the contention today? this is the same proposal that was passed two years ago when the president acknowledged the challenges facing our job creators and said it has to change. we have a bigger plan for fundamental reform that changes the debate in washington forever. but right now, we are about the business of stopping the largest tax increase in american history from destroying jobs in this country. beginning in january of next year. the president acknowledges it and says it has to change.

he goes on, right here behind me, january, 2011, he says this, so tonight i'm asking democrats and republicans to simplify the system, get rid of the loopholes, level the playing field and use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years without adding to our deficit. it can be done. that was president obama. and he's right. and he's right. and our ways and means committee has held more hearings on fundamental tax reform than any other ways and means committee in my lifetime. and we are talking about the fundamental reforms that the president has asked us to talk about. and this week, this week, mr. speaker, we passed a framework that gives expedited procedures. we all know how things get slowed down in washington, d.c.,

and how easy it is to latch on to something and stand in the way of progress. we passed expedited procedures to pass what the president has asked us to do. this isn't partisan politics. this is folks coming together to try to save what is a fragile economy today. this is the strongest economy in the world, you better believe it. is tomorrow going to be brighter than today in america? you better believe it. but not by holding our tongues and not by sitting on our hands and not by fighting amongst ourselves about who gets the credit, mr. speaker. i don't care. i have a fundamental tax reform bill that i believe solves this problem. call it the democratic plan to save america. doesn't matter to me. we care about solving the problem. and that's what our president

charged us to do. he goes on, january, 2011, 10 feet behind me. we measure progress by the success of our people, by the jobs they can find and the quality of those jobs, by the progresses peggets of a small business owner who dreams turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. our colleagues trying to put 50% on all the income that the small business owners make. the job creators are faced with the largest tax increase in american history and our president asked us not to do that. he goes on, by the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children, that's the project that the people want us to get to work on together, and we passed our plan for fundamental tax reform together in a bipartisan way this week. talking about the agreement that the president passed and signed in december of 2010, the very

same agreement we are trying to pass today, he said this, we did this in december. america's paychecks are bigger and these steps taken by the republicans and democrats will grow the economy and add to more than 1 million private sector jobs this year. do you remember that the proposal was going to create private sector jobs. he said it in january, add to more than 1 million private sector jobs this year. i'll close with this. that was 10 feet behind me in january of 2011. in january of 2012, the president said we have a huge opportunity at this moment to bring manufacturing back to america but we have to feed it. we should start with our tax code. right now, companies get tax breaks.

meanwhile companies that choose to stay in america get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. it makes no sense. everyone knows it, so let's change it. mr. speaker, that's the bill the house passed this week, the bill the senate passed this week continues to punish those small business owners and continues to reward those companies that do their businesses overseas. don't let an election year get in the way of doing what's right. the president called for it. the ways and means committee delivered it. the house has passed it. we can do it. i call on my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to believe as i believe that tomorrow can be better than today. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from arizona, mr. franks, is recognized for 32 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. franks: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank the previous gentleman here. his comments were very compelling to me. mr. speaker, before i begin my comments tonight, let me just sincerely say that i hold in my heart this privilege of being a member of the american family and this united states congress to be a priceless gift of god. and i would ask my comments tonight that they would be heard in that context and even dare to hope, mr. speaker, that you and the members of this body would grant me understanding befitting the conviction and the gravity that given both to the

statements that i make tonight. mr. speaker, the very first responsibility of human government is to protect its people. many times during the nearly four years of the obama administration, i have stood on this floor and have called upon this administration to address the grave threat posed by iran's nuclear program. when i first began calling for iran to be referred to the security council, they possessed only 157 centrifuges, mr. speaker. but tonight, iran poses more than 9,000. and tonight, i stand here with a sense of urgency that i find it difficult to articulate, mr. speaker. i believe we may be facing the very last window this world will ever have before it becomes too late to prevent jihad from becoming armed with nuclear weapons and shattering the peace

and security of human freedom as we have known it. because this administration has delayed and sent ambiguous messages to iran and the world and it was approximately three months ago, iran reached the point where it now poses all the components necessary to become a nuclear-armed nation. mr. speaker, iran has the knowledge, the technical expertise, the equipment, everything necessary to build a nuclear warhead. they need no new technology, personnel or parts or resources from anyone. all they need now is time and lack of intervention. mr. speaker, if iran is allowed to gain nuclear weapons, it will transform the landscape of human freedom as we have known it throughout the world. the world's primary finesier of terror will be armed with

nuclear warheads. a war will wage across the middle east. in the hands of a jihadist enemy is dedicated to obliterating israel in 15 minutes. america and our allies will face an enemy with the ultimate capability of a nuclear-generated, high altitude electromagnetic pulse, potentially to devastate our electric grid. jihadists the world over will have access to nuclear weapons, and the world's children, mr. speaker, will have forever etched in their memory that moment in history that allowed that shadow of nuclear jihad to fall across their future. for almost four years, we have witnessed the same weakness

ambiguity and delusional policy that allowed them to hold 56 american hostages for 444 days during the carter administration. that failed approach, that failed understanding now saturates every policy corner of the obama administration as iran tries to gain a nuclear grip on the throat. any threat should be evaluated whether an enemy poses the intention and capacity to inflict harm. the regime now governing iran has been explicitly clear in its intention towards the united states. official military parades routinely feature sloganses calling death to israel and death to america. president ahmadinejad said, you for your part if you would like to have good relations with the

nation in the future, recognize our greatness and bow down before the greatness of the iranian nation and surrender. if you don't accept to do this, the nation will force you to surrender and bow down. does that sound like someone knows something that we don't. ahmadinejad said, quote, israel is about to die and will be erased from the geographical scene and he said the satanic power of the united states has come and the countdown of the death of power and wealth has started, union quote. . we must create the environment for the destruction of america. unquote. mahmoud ahmadinejad has consistently denied the existence of the holocaust, mr. speaker, calling it a myth or a fabrication. and in the same breath he

threatens to make it happen again by repeatingly calling for the destruction of the jewish state, for israel to be, quote, wiped off the map. he has said point-blank, the wave of the islamic -- the his lambist revolution will soon reach the -- the islamist revolution will soon reach the entire world. and just today, mr. speaker, just today ahmadinejad called for the annihilation of israel again. mr. speaker, the pentagon estimates that hundreds of u.s. soldiers have died, as many as three and four of our casualties, as a result of iran supplying terrorists in iraq with weapons such as highly sophisticated explosive penetrators, designed to destroy american armor and vehicles. what possesses us to believe that they would not do the same with nuclear weapons? former joint chiefs of staff admiral mike mullen said, my worst nightmare is terrorists

with nuclear weapons. not only do i know that they are trying to get them, but i know they will use them, unquote. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu called iran, quote, the major terrorist-sponsoring state of our time. tehran could give those nuclear weapons to terrorists or give them a nuclear umbrella that would bring terrorism beyond our wildest dreams, unquote. mr. speaker, can we allow a man like ahmadinejad, leading the world's most dangerous regime, to be able to disseminate nuclear weapons to terrorists and have his finger on the button that could launch nuclear missiles targeting our families and our children? and how do we negotiate with a nuclear iran as senator obama suggested, when their jihadist i'll ideology considers armageddon a good -- jihadist ideology considers arm ged an good thing? the -- armageddon a good thing?

they have remained undeterred in their efforts to harm america, israel and western interests. in october of last year, our intelligence interdicted an iranian plot to assassinate the saudi arabian ambassador and to detonate bombs at both the saudi arabian and the israeli embassies right here in washington, d.c. tapes in american possession show that iranians -- that the iranians were unconcerned with, quote, collateral damage. now, mr. speaker, translated that means dead americans. it also means that iran has no fear whatsoever of the obama administration. in recent days we have learned that iran was behind another barbaric attack on -- a terrorist attack on innocent civilians, when its terrorist proxy, hezbollah, bombed a bulgarian bus, killing five innocent israeli citizens and killing a pregnant woman, including dozens more. imagine how embowdened iran will

become if they are allowed to come into -- emboldinned iran will become if they are allowed to come into possession of nuclear weapons. imagine for a moment the scenario of hezbollah, one of iran's terrorist proxies, gaining possession of two nuclear war heads and bringing them across the border into the united states, concealed, say, in bails of marijuana. it shows you that they can get them in. when transporting them into the heart of two different crowded unnamed cities and then calling and telling the white house exactly when and where the first one will be detonated, and then following through 60 seconds later. then imagine them, mr. speaker, calling the white house back and making demands which if they're not met would mean that the second war head would also be detonated in a different, unnamed american city. the entire united states would be held hostage by terrorist monsters, mr. speaker. or imagine if those same terrorists acquired two small cargo ships carrying mobile

launchers with scud missiles from iran's existing arsenal and used them to launch those two warheads in a coordinated and devastating high-altitude electromagnetic pulse attack over the homeland of the united states. the fact is, mr. speaker, that iran is pursuing the means whereby they could assist groups like hezbollah to do exactly these kind of horrifying things. the only components they lack to proceed are the nuclear warheads. mr. speaker, there is no longer a single rational defense for the argument that iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons capability. so let me say this and pray that the members of this body and pray that the president and this nation understand, if iran gains nuclear weapons, they will give them to terrorists the world over and still as the centrifuges in iran are spinning, the obama administration is fiddling and many of the members of this body stand by and contemplate, have

we lost our minds? mr. speaker, president obama has allowed iran to rope-a-dope this administration into in so-called peace talks that have burned the clock for nearly four years of his presidency. the president has made stearn warnings and then backed down every time. we've endured five rounds of peace talks, five different proposals, six different united nationses resolutions and more than a dozen sets of economic sanctions. the house just voted yesterday on another iran sanctions bill that was so weakened and watered down by mr. obama and his supporters in the senate that it is now barely worth the paper it's written upon. the administration's focus has been on sanctions and weak sanctions at that, mr. speaker, and even then mr. obama has granted waivers to further weaken the sanctions already in

place. now, i wonder if this administration has considered the fact that we have had economic sanctions against north carolina for over 60 years -- north korea for over 60 years. in the recent decades we have sanctioned them nearly into starvation and yet during that time they have tested nuclear warheads twice. and it's a genie that we cannot put back in the bottle, mr. speaker. president ahmadinejad has said of economic sanctions, quote, if they want to continue with that path of sanctions, we will not be harmed. they can issue resolutions for a hundred years, unquote. supreme leader ayatollah khomeini said iran's nuclear powers -- policies would not change no matter the pressure. he said, quote, with god's help, iran's nuclear course should continually remain firmly and seriously. pressures, sanctions and assassinations will bear no

fruit. no obstacles can stop iran's nuclear work. mr. obama's own director of national intelligence was asked by the senate intelligence committee whether sanctions had any effect on the course of iran's nuclear program. the answer was simple, mr. speaker, no. none whatsoever. unquote. mr. speaker, i've said many times starting long ago that we should have pursued truly effective sanctions, dissident support, regime change and political pressures to prevent iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state. but, mr. speaker, without the conviction and the minds of the iranian leadership that military intervention will occur if they continue to develop nuclear weapons, none of these other approaches will change their minds. our greatest hope to prevent military action against iran was to make sure their leaders understood that the free world would respond militarily before we allowed them to threaten it with nuclear weapons. unfortunately iran's radical

leaders concluded that barack obama simply lacked the understanding or the resolve to use military action to prevent their nuclear weapons development. and why would they conclude anything else, mr. speaker? even now the stated goal of the obama sanctions policy is simply to get iran back to the negotiating table where they can waste even more time and gain even more valuable advances. and if we do get them back to the negotiating table, mr. speaker, what compromise can we seek, that maybe iran keeps only a small number of nuclear weapons? no, mr. speaker. if iran is hell-bent on getting nuclear weapons, there is no diplomatic solution. you know, in the popular revolt in iran in 2009, the president could have assisted the disdense and the peace-loving, decent people of iran, of which there are so many, to overthrow their oppressers in the iranian regime, or at least he could

have spoken up on their behalf when they were out drying on the streets to try to bring about regime change which, if they had been successful, could have changed all of this equation. but the president left them twisting in the wind. to call mr. obama a bistander in all of this is to be charitable. the truth is, mr. speaker, he has been nowhere to be found. many congressional republicans have written and pleadedwi this presidentumerous times on this vital issue to absolutely no avail. the truth is, mr. speaker, that this president has waited too long. he has waited so long that the president -- present equation now before us has no good answer. his policies have only helped an is now tripling its uranium output, facilities deep under a mountain and restraining the iaea from even inspecting weaponization facilities. maybe now it's becoming clear

why israel is so very concerned. maybe for them, because for them, mr. speaker, a nuclear iran is not just an academic question. it calls into question their very survival. and the obama administration has now placed israel into an almost impossible circumstance. israel has watched this president resist an israeli strike on nuclear facilities in iran more than he has resisted a nuclear iran. israel has listened to mr. obama, openly criticize israel more for building homes in their capital city than he has openly criticized mahmoud ahmadinejad for building nuclear weapons with which to threaten the entire free world. in fact, mr. speaker, they have watched this administration systematically scrub references that jerusalem even is the capital of israel. consequently i believe israel has known for some time that

they can no longer trust the obama administration to act in their best interest, mr. speaker. they know that mr. obama has waited so long that if israel acts now to defend their own nation, and all of us incidentally, that they will suffer far more damaging response from their radical regimes that surround them than they otherwise would have. israel knows that if they wait much longer to attack, the iranian nuclear facilities may well be -- may well be beyond their conventional military capability. israel desperately needs america and her greater ability to attack heavily fortified targets. they need us, mr. speaker, but they will act without us if they must. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said clearly, one thing i'll never compromise on, an that is israel's security, when it comes to israel's survival we must always remain the masters of our fate, unquote.

so, what is this administration's present strategy? quote, we're trying to make the decision to attack as hard as possible for israel, unquote. and the most disgraceful part of it, mr. speaker, is that president obama's threat to withhold resupply from israel, to pressure them into his brand of inaction. so let me just see if i have this straight, mr. speaker. the president says, according to his own state department, that the world's greatest supporter of terrorism, a self-avowed enemy of america, with an advancing nuclear weapons program, has committed to destroy us in israel and that the president's goal is to prevent israel, our best and most committed friend and national ally on this earth, from defending themselves. did i get that right? mr. speaker, that's why israel will never trust this president with their national survival. you see, mr. speaker, israel

knows the very inconvenient truth that when it comes to a nuclear iran, if we are to prevent we must preempt. . they know th choice is no longer a choice between the way the world is now and when the world is. rather the choice is now between what the world will be like after a preventative military strike on iran or what the world lib week after iran gains nuclear weapons. so, mr. speaker, we should not deceive ourselves when the head of israeli intelligence tells the prime minister that iran is entering into the zone of immunity and israel will act. they will act knowing that many in the world will condemn them. they will act knowing they will be plamed for any radiation

releases from yirne's nuclear facilities. they will know that thousands of rockets and missiles will fall upon the cities of their tiny nation and act knowing that it is not only extremely difficult for them to succeed, but mr. speaker, israel will act because they are students of history and will not be made to walk into to the gas chambers again. mr. speaker, they will act because they know that whatever the consequences of their actions will be. that they pill pull insignificance compared to what the consequences will be for them and the whole world if the jihadist government of iran were to gain nuclear weapons. and mr. speaker, the obama administration willow an apology for ignoring this grave reality

for so long but israel will deserve an apology, an apology from this administration for leaving them with no choice but to act on behalf of all of us. mr. speaker, now with all of the things i have said tonight, there seems to be a profound new irony upon us. this administration finally seems to recognize that they have, indeed, waited too long. this administration is finally realizing that israel can no longer stand around and wait. it is also beginning to understand that if israel is forced to strike iran's nuclear facilities alone or if iran tests a nuclear weapon before the november 6 election that the people of the world will damn the obama administration. under such scenarios, the administration sees the chances for obama to be re-elected as

virtually zero. the obama administration may have at last found a sufficient rationale to move against yirne's nuclear weapons program. the president knows that in times of military action that the military people rally around their president despite the fact that it has ignored the security. it will not surprise me if this administration launches an attack on iran's nuclear facilities to protect itself, even if it is done in concert with israel to make it appear less politically motivated. the american people will see such an action for what it is, if a presidential election campaign will finally motivate this administration to get serious, then so be it, mr. speaker. it will still be far better for the administration to do that

than to stand by and force the tiny state of israel, our closest friend and ally on this earth to undertake a monumental task alone. with all the odds against them and facing such crushing consequences, whether they succeed or fail. but, mr. speaker, it didn't have to be this way. there was a time when iran's nuclear weapons' ambitions could have been arrested with far less costs. the president has waited too long. you know, mr. speaker, president reagan gave an address in 1983 when the world faced a similar threat in the growing strength and nuclear ambition of the soviet union. mr. reagan said quote, i urge you to beware the temptation, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire.

to call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle of right and wrong, good and evil, unquote. there were those in 1938 who followed hitler, there was a giant misunderstanding. the free nations of the world had the opportunity to address the rise of naziism, but they delayed and the result was atomic bombs falling on cities. 50 million dead worldwide and plunge inthe planet. let the world's free people resolve once and for all for the sake of our children and for future generations that we of this generation will not stand by and watch a similar dark chapter of history be repeated.

god help this administration to wake up and god help us all as americans to be awake in this destiny year for our beloved country. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from north carolina, mr. price, is recognized for 60 minutes as the diss egg knee of the minority leader. -- as the designee of the minority leader. mr. price: every member of congress has heard from a broad range of interests, education leaders, state and local officials, defense contractors, small businesses. people concerned about the devastating impact of the looming sequestration spending cuts. each of these groups, indeed all

of our constituents deserve an honest accounting, how did we get into this and get out of a way that accelerates our economic recovery and restores our fiscal health? our situation results from the failure of the so-called supercommittee established in the wake of the debt ceiling crisis manufactured by republicans last summer to come up with a deficit-reduction plan. instead, we are faced with across-the-board cuts that would slash more than 8% from every national security and domestic account. cutic with a meat ax instead of a southern california pell. these cuts would come on top of the more targeted and $917 billion in cuts that the administration and congress have wlr locked in. in the case of defense spending,

these earlier cuts were as a result of a careful, strategic review by the administration and will save nearly half a trillion dollars over the next 10 years. as for domestic investments in education, infrastructure, research and innovation, these cuts have already gone too far. slowing the recovery and putting at risk our ability to compete in the global marketplace. house republicans' first order of business in the 112th congress was to precipitate an unnecessary, government shakedown crisis to extract domestic spending cuts. from there they moved to the months' long debt-ceiling crisis and consumer confidence plummet eted and posted the four slowest months of job growth. by undermining confidence in the economy and withholding countercyclical investments that

would prompt future growth, republicans have provided a case study in how not to make macroeconomic policy and yet they want to do more of the same. according to the economic policy institute, house republicans approved a 2013 budget that would put 4.1 million people out of work by cutting investments in our future. republicans are proposing a brand of european-style austerity, the same policy that has tipped many economies back into recession. interestingly, with sequestration now looming and pressure from defense contractors mounting, a substantial portion of the republican caucus on both sides of the capitol has become aware of the concept of macroeconomics. all of a sudden, they are talking macroeconomics. you might call it defense

keynesian, that only defense spending creates jobs. in fact, the same argument applies to domestic investments in education and research and infrastructure, a truth republicans have found it convenient to ignore. and the republicans can only thank themselves for the deep defense cuts in sequestration. one can easily imagine an alternative sequestration approach triggering a tax surcharge to defense and domestic spending. but as was the case during these repeated unnecessary crises, republican dogmatism kept it off the tainl. this will undermine our economy over the near and long-term and

hob will critical functions from air traffic control and meat inspection and social security claims processing. it can't be resolved in isolation or through half measures. and yet, republicans are now proposing the impact of sequestration on dwns alone and they pay for it by targeting health care for low-income women and children, food and nutrition assistance and other safety programs for the poorest of americans in addition to a 2% medicare cut. their plan would victim mies the most vulnerable and hinder job creation and jeopardize our ability to compete. mr. speaker, there is a better way and the impending fiscal cliff which includes both sequestration and the expiration of the bush tax cuts offers an opportunity for all members of

congress to set the talking points aside and act in our country's best interests. i know we can chart a course to fiscal balance because we have done it before. in the budget agreements of 1990 and 1993, would set the stage for four years of budget surpluses. the formula was fiscal discipline on all fronts. no area of spending can be sack crow sank and we should make critical investments in our future because the most effective means is a growing economy. and as in the 1990's, revenue must be part of the solution. the president has already proposed a sensible plan allowing the bush-era tax breaks to expire on income over $250 a year. extravagant tax breaks must be ended.

the revenue raised could be used to pay down the deficit and help fund the investments in education, research, infrastructure and innovation that are critical to economic growth. most americans agree with this comprehensive approach. but most republicans still hide behind their anti-tax pledges. their insistence that no additional revenue can ever be raised, for example by ending tax loopholes for oil companies or asking millionaires to return to their clinton-era tax rates, that is still the logical obstacle. as we approach the fiscal cliff, that fever has got to break. we must find our way to the comprehensive balanced approach that i will enable our country and all of our people to prosper. mr. speaker, i now yield the balance of our time to the

gentleman from illinois, mr. rush. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy, the gentleman from california will control the time. the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush. mr. rush: mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from north carolina for yielding time to me this evening and, mr. speaker, i rise today to commend my fellow colleagues in the house for their leadership, for their

vision, for their votes today to strengthen the u.s.-africa economic and trade relations. passage of h.r. 5986 will also solidify the u.s. long-term investment in africa. i want to commend my colleagues for voting to extend the african votes and opportunity act. and i would also like to applaud all of those advocates who worked tirelessly to pass h.r.

5986, the extension of the african growth and opportunity act, including the third-country provision as a part of this. this third-country voluntary rigs -- provision will enable eligible countries in subsaharan africa to ship thousands of goods to the united states without paying import duties. this provision, which had been set to expire this september, on september 30, waives the duties

for most of our countries, even if the yarn or fabric is made in a, quote, third country, end of quote, such as china, south korea or vietnam. with passage of this important legislation, the -- restoring jobs for hundreds of thousands of african workers will be protected and also created. the first beneficiaries for this bill will be the women of africa , because about 70% to 80% of

the workers in this burgeoning apparel and textile industry are women. mr. speaker, when the women are working, families are fed and civility is a result. i am so pleased, mr. speaker, that once again aurora will become the law and the president will sign this law in the near future. next, mr. speaker, i stand in thousand -- in this house today

to send my deepest sympathies and the sympathies of the people of the first congressional district of illinois who sent out prayers to the people and to the family of the recently departed president john -- the president of ghana, the late president of ghana. his death is a true loss, not only for ghana and its people, but for the entire world. mr. speaker, the president was a tremendous leader. he solidified the foundation for peace and prosperity in the

nation of ghana. creating confidence in the political, social and economic system that led to massive foreign investments in ghana which resulted in the creation of millions of jobs for the people. he will be greatly missed. i want to also congratulate his excellency, the new leader of

ghana. mr. speaker, the peaceful transition of power in ghana clearly demonstrates that ghana has embarked into an unwavering path and process for democracy and the democratic principles we all hold near and dear. within hours of the passing away of the president, the late president, the vice president was sworn in as the new president. the political violence that we witnessed after the passing of

the president of nigeria and the president of malawi simply did not occur. this, mr. speaker, is evidence, sheer evidence that ghana's democratic institutions are viable and getting stronger, much stronger day by day. this just did not happen, it took strong leadership from the previous presidents of ghana in order to lay the right foundation for the smooth transition of power in ghana

over the last week. people like former president jerry rollins who was elected in 1996. and lest we not forget mr. rollins' party lost with a narrow margin, but he didn't try to fight and hold back the willful decision of the people. he conceded the election without any controversy. i also commend former president john hupora for his strong stance in support of the democratic march, the principles

, and the democratic values that we cherish here in the united states. it's for these reasons that i stand here today to commend the people in and the leadership and the institutions for their forward-thinking and mature leadership and commend them all -- and i commend them all this evening. mr. speaker, on my final note before this body, i rise today to also urge this congress to

pass h.con.res. 121, a resolution to save the niger delta region which is located in nigeria. over the last few years and months, a lot has been said, a lot has been written about the niger delta crises that is occurring right now in knee jeeria as we speak -- nigeria as we speak. about combust -- just about a year -- just about a year ago the united nations involvement program released a report, a startling report, but a report calling for an urgent response

to reverse the environmental destruction and devastation in the region of the niger delta wetlands. that report, again startling, intense and accurate. it also called for the establishment of a $1 million cleanup fund to finance the restoration and the clean up of the niger delta region. mr. speaker, to give you some perspective on the destruction and of the devastation, it is estimated that the cleanup of

the niger delta could take as many as 30 years to complete. of course, mr. speaker, strong voices have begun to emerge as strong actions have taken place to do more to publicize these environmental atrocities. just recently i watched a movie directed by a brilliant nigerian-born film maker whose name is jenna amatta. it was a movie entitled, and i quote, "bright november: the

struggle of the niger delta," end of quote. and this movie raises the awareness of the tragedy of the niger delta and the niger region. "bright november" the movie is based upon the true story of the people of the niger delta, the communities are in the niger delta that suffer extreme environmental degradation and extreme poverty in this, the oil-rich niger delta region. mr. speaker, the people of this nation, we cannot, the american

people cannot, remain indifferent to the struggle of the people of the niger region, the niger delta as they seek to clean up the pollution created by mostly american and other western oil and petroleum companies. most of the niger delta's 31 million people live on less than $1 a day, although this region is a very backbone of nigeria's economy. with oil and gas extractions accounting for over 97% of

nigeria's foreign exchange revenues. . the niger delta region, which consists of nine states, makes up 12% of nigeria's total land masses and is one of the world's 10 most important wetlands and coastal marine ecosystems. mr. speaker, the social unrest, the illegal oil trade, the corruption have hindered oil and gas investment as well as

the niger delta region's development. mr. speaker, these numbers are alarming. the rural conservation union and the representatives from the nigerian federal government and the nigerian conservation foundation calculate that in the year 2006, 1.5 million tons of oil has been spilled in the niger delta over the last 50 years. 1.5 million tons.

that is, 50 times, that's right, 50 times, mr. speaker, the pollution released in the exxon valdez tanker disaster in skea a few years ago. this pollution, this oil spill, this devastation, has severely limited the local inhabitants' access, access to clean water, and has largely destroyed the fishing stock that the majority of the delta enhabitants depend upon to make their daily living. a result also has been that

illegal oil and gas rephoneries have become a source of income for these people who have unfortunately diverted their activities from fisheries, destroyed by spills. el list oil trade and illegal refineries are booming and they are consequently threatening the economy and the security and the environment of this very vital region in the world.

mr. speaker, more importantly, or just as importantly, in too many of the communities, in the niger region, people drink water from wells that will are contaminated with benzene. which is a known carcinogen. they drink this water which is estimated to be 900 times above the level that the world health organization uses as its guideline, 900 times above the standards set by the world health organization. since 1910 -- since 2010,

rather, nigeria has become one of our main stratenalic partners on the continent of africa. this nation, nigeria, is our nation's second leading trading partner behind great britain. mr. speaker, these and other acts means that the people of the nigh jeer -- the summer of the nigerian people is also the american people, the summer of the american people. mr. speaker, the destiny of the two economies, the nigerian

economy and the american economy, are interconnected, interrelated, and intertwined. we cannot, and i emphasize, this nation cannot afford to stay indifferent to the people of the niger delta and to the cleanup of the pollution that is devastating this region for over the past 50 years. the struggle of the people of the niger delta is endeed the struggle of the american people.

i have led and with others have introduced h.con. 121 to urge all the stake holders in the niger delta oil and gas industry to come together, to work together, address collectively the environmental impact of the oil and gas production in the niger delta. i must say, mr. speaker, that we should commend this congress and commend president johnson for introducing a new petroleum

bell to the nigerian parliament which has the support of all these stake holders and has the enput of all the stake holders. and i also want to commend president johnson for announcing the creation of a hydrocarbon pollution restoration project. to clean up the devastation of the aforementioned oil spills. i applaud president johnson for taking these nearbytives. these are very important, critical initiatives and it is

my hope that all the offending stake holders will make amends soon and collaborate strongly together to make the cleanup and to make the rebuilding of the niger region become a success story that the world will admire and that the world will sell brate. the new energy regulatory framework that's being created must be fair, it must be transparent, and it must create an appropriate avenue for the ending of empowerment for the local niger delta communities offended by the industry

including the women and the youth. mr. speaker, we cannot stand by, we must assist in this effort. the clock is ticking. we must support the people of the niger delta. with that, mr. speaker, i yield the remaining time to mr. sherman. the speaker pro tempore: the chairman leads back -- the gentleman yields back. under the speaker eas announced policy, the remained over the time is controlled by mr. sherman. mr. sherman: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. sherman: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the unique work being done by abbad. they are known by in -- they

are known be many for their teleon this. where else can you go to see dancing rabbis once a year? but they are better known for ministering to people, helping those who need help. i would like to thank them for their work. for decades i have had a chance to work with all the rabbis of abbad in the san fernando valley, an organization that's grown from one store front to 25 centers of vibrant communities dedicated to worship and to study across the san fernando valley.

abad does hugely important work for the local community. they have taken a commercial grade kitchen and turned it into a one-stop social service center to feed and care for thousands. and their drug prevention and treatment program reaches thousands of at-reach youth in the san fernando valley and a cross the area. for the last decade, i have worked with them to achieve something very important to the jewish people. the return from russia of the papers. the shnerson library and ar dives are of such important sacredness to habbad and many others, yet they are still held in moscow by the russian regime. this congress passed jackson-van eck and there's discussion of us changing that law to allow russian goods to

be sold in the united states more freely. but the purpose was to force russia to let our people go and that process will not in my mind be complete until russia lets the papers go as well. so i look forward to russia releasing those spiritually important documents. i look forward to working with all the rabbis on issues from moscow to the san fernando valley. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker eas announced policy of january 5, 011, the chair recognizes the gentleman from illinois, mr. shimkus, for 30 minutes. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i appreciate the

time yielded to me to really cover a couple of different issues and areas that have been pending either in the district or in our nation or even internationally and using this opportunity to, you know, place into the record and also speak to you in essence speaking to the nation on the importance of these issues. first i'd like to commend chairman lucas and ranking member peterson for passing an ag bill out of their committee. now what my producers are asking is to produce a full ag bill on the floor, sooner rather than later. i've seen, and i'm sure you've seen, an ag bill now. but we were successful today in helping mitigate a flaw in the last ag bill in ensuring that the livestock provisions and the insurance portion of the ag

bill of five years ago, it wasn't funded for this last year, as everyone knows, this is a very challenging year for the agricultural sector. i was able to visit a dairy farm in my district last friday and -- the timmerman family. there i was able to meet with my producers, both commodity, livestock, dairy, and in my part of the state, sometimes they're doing all the above. so i brought down, actually they brought to me and i brought back to washington to give kind of an example of the challenges we're under. here's a good ear of corn that has been irrigated and is what we would expect to see almost every year in southern illinois. . this is what came off the stock on the dairy farm. so this gives you, mr. speaker, an opportunity to understand the

challenges that are faced. now, in a dairy operation like a beef operation, they're growing the corn to feed their livestock. so this is what's supposed to feed their livestock. you can understand why passing this disaster relief portion to fully fund the ag bill, to help them out, is very, very important. another producer brought this which is the stock and even a worse -- it's not even an ear of corn. it's decade, it's -- it hasn't formed. and that's what a lot of our producers are seeing in illinois during this time. they ppeds that the world is changing -- they understand that the world is changing and that there are spending and fiscal challenges and difficulties --

challenges and difficulties. they're asking for a simple premise. they just want to be able to have an ag insurance product that they can rely on, that they can choose to buy into or not. they don't want to be placed in a position of having no ag insurance and depending upon if there's a drought on disaster payment from the national government, as has happened in the past before, we really had a safety net and an ag insurance program and plan. they know other provisions of the ag bill are going by the wayside. they know direct payments are going to go by the wayside. so, they are just very concerned, as she thub -- as they should be, that this is the end of the authorization of a current farm bill. the importance is to get the next farm bill re-authorized so when they start buying the seed and planting -- planning which

fields they're going to plant which crop, they can then make a decision whether they want to ensure that crop and they will have some expectation that if they have another bad year they will at least be able to survive until the next year. giving a last story about my ag producers, i was up in another part in central illinois, i was talking to one of the producers and he projected -- i didn't know for sure that his loss of his crop was about $400,000. which is a pretty big loss. with ag insurance, his loss is only going to be $200,000. i know you, mr. speaker, come from a business background. you understand -- but i think it's very important to let the american public know that these producers are still going to have a loss even with an ag insurance product out there. they're not going to make them

whole. but what they will do is allow them to give it another go over the next year and get back into the field. that's the importance of an ag bill. again i really salute chairman lucas, ranking member peterson, and i look forward to talking to my colleagues on the importance of having an ag bill, a long ag bill, five-year ag bill, so that our producers have some certainty when, as this year has shown, there could be uncertain times that they are powerless to control. and if there was a private sector option, maybe we could have that debate, whether it should be ag insurance at all. but the reality is the only insurance product available is that in which the federal government will help offset some of the cost, let the producers have some skin in the game and then let's manage these risks so we can still have the safest,

least expensive food supply in the world. so with that, mr. speaker, i'm going to head up over there. thank you, mr. speaker. i want to turn my attention now to some problem statements coming from mr. reid on a commissioner of the united states nuclear regulatory commission. let me -- i pulled off on the website the value statement and the principles of good regulation which is on the nuclear regulatory commission site. and one of the first things on here, it says independence. nothing but the highest possible standards of ethical performance and professionalism should influence regulation.

now, as we have learned from press reports on monday, senate majority leader harry reid got angry. and for once it wasn't directed at republicans. he directed his tirade at a commissioner at the nuclear regulatory commission. why did he focus such venom and energy at a little-known public official at an independent agency? he thought he successfully strongarmed an independent commissioner to vote the way he wanted to. in fact, the majority leader is acting -- we all hate bullies, mr. speaker. and to have the majority leader of the senate be a bully to a commissioner dual apounted -- duly appointed, being independent is egregious. according to one article, reid said he was assured by a senior white house official that

magwood would also oppose yucca. now reid thinks magwood worked against the effort to shut down yucca. for that reid says magazinewood is one of the most -- magwood is one of the most incompetent people i have ever dealt with. this is the majority leader of the senate besmirking a duly appointed commissioner, confirmed by the senate, because the leader of the senate has believed he had this person's vote, versus the principles of the united states nuclear regulatory commission, nothing but the highest possible standards of ethical performance and professionalism should influence regulation. magwood, unethical? i think the majority leader's got it backwards. isn't it unethical for members of congress to pressure government officials to vote a certain way on adjudication? now senator reid is on a tirade because he thinks his intimidation wasn't successful in convincing commissioner magwood to ignore the loss.

senator reid wasn't embarrassed, though, he threw a party for his former employee who is now the ex-commissioner. that's the kind of behavior that the public has had concerns with . this is public documents in the record. these are quotes by the majority leader of the senate. it's not debatable that commissioner magwood is a duly appointed and confirmed commissioner of the nuclear regulatory commission, confirmed by the senate, appointed by the president. thank you, mr. speaker. now i'll go to the other area. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will remind members from engaging in the personalities toward the senate or its members. the gentleman is recognized.

mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. i'll just read the senator's quote, just so -- that's quoted in this story. reid said he was assured by the senior white house official that magwood would also oppose yucca. also in the story it says, i met with him because pete asked me to meet with him. i said, is he ok on yucca mountain? pete said, yes. reid said that mag wood's behind-the-scenes maneuvers wag unfor giveble. he's a first-class rat. he lied to me and he had a plan. mr. speaker, i'm not making this up. this is quotes. so i'm not assuming what the majority leader, his intentions were. i'm just reading the quote in a recently published newspaper about the majority leader of the senate's position to a duly appointed and confirmed member

of an independent regulatory commission and i think the leader owes the commissioner magwood an apology. and with that, mr. speaker, i'll go to the other mike. as i said in my opening comments, mr. speaker, the -- this gives me an opportunity to cover farm bill issues, national nuclear regulatory issues, some international issues. i've been concerned about democracy in the eastern european countries for many years. so, let me come to the floor to you to talk about ukraine and the former prime minister. he continues to serve a seven-year sentence while being prosecuted in multiple criminal cases amid international outdeprite united states and the european union. the trial against him is a gas

case was described as selective justice and political persecution in statements by the u.s. and the e.u. the court found him guilty of abuse of power, sentenced her to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay the state $188 million. on october 24, 2009, she filed an appeal against the sentence which was rejected on december 23, 2011. on december 30, 2011, she was transferred to a penl colony where her health was significantly deteriorated. the doctors who were allowed to examine her this past february stated that she was ill, in constant pain and required significant care. she went on a hunger strike from april 20 to may 9, in protest of what has happened to ukrainian democracy and what is happening to her in prison. i support my colleagues' -- my colleague's resolution on-calling for ukrainian

authorities to release political opposition leaders and hold free and fair elections. the resolution calls for denying u.s. visas to ukrainian officials involved in serious rights abuses, anti-democratic actions such as electoral fraud and elections including officials involved in selective prosecution, persecution of political opponent, i call on ukrainian officials to immediately free ms. timoshenko. also, mr. speaker, i spend time following, as i said, democracy issues in eastern european areas, former captive nations, and i come to the floor also to talk about democracy in belarus. i continue to be grateful concerned about the condition of political prisoners in belarus and serious violations by belarus, of its commitments to respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. despite the release of two political prisoners, former presidential candidate, and his

associate, the fundamentals of the president's dictatorial rule have not changed. 13 political prisoners remain in prison including mikhail, pavel sevrinitz and others. while journalist andres has been released pending trial, we believe that his arrest for illegally defaming the president was politically motivated and that the conditions imposed on his release are designed to further limit his ability to exercise his human rights. moreover, recent days have seen the surge of the officers of the union of poles and the confiscation of equipment supposedly related to the case. we also recently have seen the arrest and detention and release

of journalists of the european radio for belarus for using foul language. maybe we should consider that here sometimes. such arrest and short-term detentions are becoming an ever more common means for silence dissenting comments. the court order issued at the office of the vast human rights center are very disturbing. belarus, which already has applied travel restrictions on members of the opposition and human rights activists, recently has taken another step to restrict the fundamental freedom of movement, the right to leave one's country and return to it. on july 12, the belarusian authorities denied the right of victor kornienko, co-chairman for the commission of free elections, to participate in the human dimension meeting. this restriction of his freedom of movement calls into question

belarus' sincerity in exit inment -- in commitment to change. the u.s. most protest this latest disregard of fundamental freedoms by belarus. . the u.s. must call on belarus to relose all political prisoners modely and unconditionally restore their full, political and civil rights and stop the ongoing harassment of political activists, human right activists and independent journalists. finally, mr. speaker, can i ask how much time i have remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 14 minutes remaining. mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker, i have to go down to the well.

mr. shimkus: thank you, mr. speaker. last but not least what i've done on a weekly basis is raise the issue of concern and address the high level nuclear waste storage site issue in this country. i'm realy, sense we're very close to the end of the session, very few working days left in washington before the election, not sure how many more days i'll have to come to the floor, actually, i'm finishing where i started. over a year ago going through the country and come pearing

nuclear waste sites to where they're at and where they should be. and why -- why would i do this? well, i would do this to help educate you, mr. speaker, on the fact that throughout this country, we have high level nuclear waste stored throughout this country and a lot of people do not know that we tried to address this in 1982 with passage of a law call the nuclear waste policy act. and in 1987, and i wasn't here then, but this chim behr, this body, said, not only to we want to find a way to store high level nuclear waste but we want it placed in a mountain, underneath a mountain in a desert that place is called yucca mountain. now since that time, we spent about $15 billion. over 30 years investigating, doing the scientific studies to

see if yucca mountain, again, a mountain and a desert -- a mown teen in a desert, is a suitable place to put high level nuclear waste. i believe it is but i'm not a scientist. so what this chamber did a couple of weeks ago is in our appropriation bill, we asked our colleagues, should we as a national government commit the final dollars to to the fenal scientific study to come to a final conclusion of whether yucca mountain is safe? over about 126 of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle from rural areas to urban areas, said let's keep going with the current public policy, let's fen herb the study so we know if yucca mountain is safe and let's move to address high level knew career waste concerns throughout this country. why is that important? let's go to one site, now for

you, mr. speaker, i've tone this almost -- at least every month, probably every week we've been in session, going around the country at different locations from tennessee to illinois to maryland, but i started first -- where i started first is a telling and education aloe case. it's called hanniford. hanniford, i have a lot of colleagues and a lot of the new observers of our process here in washington, sometimes they just shut down our government. don't stop spending. don't have a department of energy. sometimes you have to have a department and hanniford is a perfect example. hanniford is a legacy world war ii nuclear waste site. we are still paying for whening world war ii and we're still paying for developing the nuclear weapons that stopped

the war, especially in asia, obviously the bombs dropped in japan. and how are we paying for it? we still have hanniford. hanniford is where, and i'll tell you, hanniford is right in washington state, central, keep southern part, this is the columbia river. what do we have at hanniford? we have 53 million tpwhrons of nuclear waste on site. this is not spent nuclear fuel. this is the chemical sludge, highly toxic and very nasty stuff, that was used to help kind of refine uranium into the fuel needed to have nuclear weapons. 53 million tpwhrons. if you've ever been to buy a refinery and you've seen a tank farm with crude oil, you'll see these great big tanks, some might be 750,000 gallons, some

might be a million gallons. that's what's at hanniford but thea all buried underground. and in these tanks is this 5 million gallons of this toxic sludge and as i pointed here, some of it is leaking. now the waste is stored 10 feet underground because it's buried under ground. it is 250 feet above the water table. remember, some of this is leaking. and it's one mile if the columbia river. so i ask the question, is there a better site or, i think the government over the years has said, there is a better place to put this stuff. in fact this stuff is being processed and placed into canisters to go to one location and that location is yucca mountain.

now yucca mountain should have been opened years ago. and what do we have at this site at yucca mountain? right now there's no nuclear waste on site. the waste will be stored ,000 feet underground. versus 10 feet. the waste would be 1,000 feet above water table. versus 250 feet. the waste would be 100 miles from the colorado river, versus one mile from the columbia river. the choice is fairly clear. our promise to washington state , like our promise to the nuclear utilities, was that as they created this mess, we as a nation, the national government, would take it over and safe hi store it in a single repository. that repository is here.

however, we're not there yet. the question is, why aren't we there? well, because we have a senate that's blocking the ability to have the final votes and pay for the final scientific study to get this moving. and who is the majority leader of the senate? senator harry reid. but let's look at the senate tissue senators from the region. where are they at on this issue? what are the senators who border the columbia river? it's pretty telling. senator murray voted yes for yucca mountain. senator wyden from oregon has voted yes. senator america lee, who has no stated position, we have no -- senator merkley has no stated position. senator cantwell voted no on moving the high level nuclear waste from hanniford to yucca

mown teen. why is looking at individual senators and where they are at in this important? well, because there are 00 senators, the way the rules in the other chamber work, they have to have 50 to realy move a bill on the floor so i've been trying to do a tally of where these senators are. and it's 55 senators are either public statements or having cast votes either iner that chamber or as former members -- former members of the house say yes, yucca mown teen should be our long-term repository, we should be taking our knew leer waste and putting it in a safe, secure cave in a mountain in a tezzert. 22, we don't know their pgses. -- positions. and that's a lot of senators. 23 we have nays.

so if senator cantwell would move from a nay to a yay -- to a iowa, you only need four more senators and there's a whole boat load who haven't had a chance, some of these are up for re-election, they haven't had a chance to have a public statement or position on nuclear waste in six years. what i find very con few fusing -- very confusing, a lot of them have nuclear waste. what i talk about hanniford, this is department of defense waste that was created in developing the atomic bomb to win the cold war. not the cold war, it won the coal war too. they all say mutually assured destruction, the ability to have nuclear weapons helps protect western europe and really protect the world.

a lot of those weapons were created and developed right here at hanniford. we still have the waste remaining. so we're looking for five more u.s. senators to be able to move the bill on the floor, pay for the final scientific study, keep our promise to the american people, both to those who sacrifice land and location like hanniford, you know, the u.s. government just kind of swooped in, said we need this place. i think the story goes, we're going to do hydroelectric power, it's going to be cheap fuel, we're going to need a lot of energy. they displaced farmers, took over the land, and they -- we've left this -- and we left

53 million gallons of nuclear waste on scythe. we owe it to them to get it to a safe, secure location. the federal government realized that in 1988 by passing a law called the nuclear waste policy act. the federal government then amended that law in 1987. for the years following we have moved diligently to finalize the preparations so that we can move forward and then we hit a roadblock. that roadblock was the election of president obama who made a promise to the majority leader of the senate that said, we'll stop movement on yucca mountain. after 30 years, $15 billion and no solution in sight. now there's talk about well, maybe we condition to something else. i can guarantee you if we do something else it will take, what? 30 more years. it's going to take $15 billion,

and at the end of that, we're going to come to the same conclusion where we're not going to have a solution. so when you hear people talk about interim storage, we have interim storage. guess where it's at? it's around our major metropolitan areas. it's around chicago, it's around boston, massachusetts. it's around los angeles. we have interim storage, that's our nuclear utilities now, we have interim storage in hanniford, washington. it's time for us as a body to man up, accept our responsibilities, finish the scientific study and have a long-term geological repository underneath a mountain in a desert so that we keep our promises and we protect this land for future generations. mr. speaker, i appreciate the time, the diligence and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 01 , the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. interesting times we live in. and it's nice to follow my friend, mr. shimkus, graduate of the united states military academy, a servant of this country and