mr. walsh: i have no speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. mr. thompson: i yeeled myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson: on this day above all other well, turn our thoughts to those who were lost in the tragic events of 9/11. it is unfortunate that the house has missed the opportunity today to consider noncontroversial homeland security legislation introduced by both democrats and republicans, thus showing that on 9/11 we put partisan politics aside and focus on doing the right thing. before closing, mr. speaker, i'd like to extend my congratulations to the gentleman from illinois, representative walsh, for something bills on the floor for consideration for the first time today. i suspect that he's surprised that i'm one of -- i suspect that he is as surprised as i am that one of his first bills to

reach the floor was proposed to congress by the owaugh -- obama administration. with that, mr. speaker, i urge passage of this proposal from the obama administration and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from illinois. mr. walsh: i urge all members to join me in support of this bipartisan bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6028 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed. and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> i ask unanimous consent that the house suspend the rules and pass senate 10. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate senate 10 -- senate 710, hazardous waste electronic manifest establishment act. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from pennsylvania and a member will each control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. murphy: i ask unanimous consent that myself and include extraneous material on s. 710. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. murphy: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. murphy: senate 710 will sharply reduce paperwork, regulatory requirements and at the same time it makes crucial information more accessible for states, first responders and the public. when people create hazardous waste we require them to carefully track the movement and disposition. that way we know when a drum full of some hazardous waste is removed from the factory, the same amount winds up where it belongs, at a proper disposal facility and none of it is tossed into a sewer or vacant lot. but for years guaranteeing this actually happened means keeping up with the reporting requirement. multiple copies of paper forms and mailing them out to the e.p.a., state officials as well as keeping a copy of each place of bib.

the inefficiency of this system in today's electronic business-to-business world certainly stands out to anyone. in fact, we learned of a case when first responders arrived at the scene of a chemical plant fire and needed to know what substances were inside the plant before they started fighting the fire. in the whole city, the only copies of the forms identifying the hazardous were inside the building and were consumed in the fire. there's got to be a better way. with electronic system instead of sending out long forms, the data can be sent with a few computer key strokes. state regulators, first responders and others will be able to pull it up on their computers and track the materials in real time. the change over will not only save millions of dollars for regulated businesses but quite frankly it will save lives. so even though the manifest system in 710 is funded by user fees, it will not be a burden on small businesses.

users pay only when and to the extent they file manifest. otherwise, the new system will work like the old paper system, shipments is preserved. and mr. speaker, s. 710 arrived in the other body but we made it better. first we converted it from mandatory spending to discretionary. that will allow our colleagues on the appropriations committee an annual chance to review the program and make sure that money collected from users and money spent in the system is only enough to get the job done. next, working with our friends from the committee on transportation and infrastructure, we added language to help the e.p.a. harmonize its changeover to electronic filing with the department of transportation. d.o.t. also has its own requirements over handling and reporting hazardous materials and we want the agencies to talk to each other and their computers to speak the same language. so mr. speaker, i urge the

house to send s. 710, as amended, back to the other body where we expect it to be approved without further amendment so that the president can sign it into law. thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. watt: thank you, mr. speaker. -- mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the has orderous waste electronic manifest establishment act as amended. mr. speaker, this legislation will establish a centralized federal electronic manifest system for tracking hazardous waste for both the federal government and the states and will pay for it through the collection of user fees. protecting the public from hazardous waste is certainly a critical mission of the department of transportation and e.p.a. both departments in coordination with industry and state agencies have been vigilant in the treatment and transport of hazardous waste because of the safeguards established by the hazardous

waste manifest system. paper manifests provides shipping information to help with the tracking of potentially dangerous materials and information about the contents of each shipment for emergency responders. the requirements of the current system were established over 30 years ago. since 2001, e.p.a. has proposed a nearly paperless manifest system which would reduce the financial burden of the paperwork on states and the industry. e.p.a. administrator lisa jackson described the adoption of an electronic system for manifest as an investment, an investment in modernizing the system that will pay off in efficiency later. that is why this legislation, mr. speaker, has wide support from hazardous waste generators, shippers and processors. it reduces administrative and paperwork burdens. the congressional budget office estimates that this program will yield net annual savings

for industry and the states of over $100 million per year. c.b.o. also estimates that about 114,000 shipps would use this system in the year 2016. with shipping users almost doubling in later years to 227,000. and environmental groups support this legislation because it will lead to reductions in regulatory burden while simultaneously increasing the timeliness and availability of hazardous waste data and better protecting our environment. those are their quotes. in 2006, a fire erupted, and i think the gentleman from pennsylvania made reference to it a moment ago -- in 2006, a fire erupted at a hazardous waste disposal facility in my home state of north carolina. when first responders arrived on the scene, they could not access information about the

chemicals, the hazardous chemicals inside of the facility because the paper manifest were inside of the building that was burning. we should bring this system, mr. speaker, into the 21st century. technology has advanced. we all know that. there's been such advancement in technology over the last 32 years, and we should no longer be relying on carbon copies to track potentially dangerous shipments. today's proposed legislation also maintains flexibility for small business by making participation in the electronic reporting program voluntary. it's not compulsory. it's a voluntary proposal. so if a firm chooses, they could use paper-based reporting methods. as it passed the senate, senate bill 710 embodied concepts that are widely supported but it carried significant costs and direct spending and deviated from the common practice of

making the collection and utilization of user fees subto appropriation. but chairman shimkus worked closely with the democratic members of the environment and economy subcommittee to craft a substitute bill that addresses concerns while preserving the benefits of the legislation. the bill passed out of our subcommittee and the full energy and commerce committee on voice votes with strong, strong bipartisan support. i believe, mr. speaker, it has a high likelihood of being accepted to the senate and to the president. we will certainly give them that opportunity. i urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can finally see this significant improvement signed into law. i want to thank mr. murphy and all of the others who worked to expedite this legislation and get it to the floor today, and i'm going to ask my colleagues to join with us in passing this bill. with that said, mr. speaker, i will reserve the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. murphy: mr. speaker, i have no more speakers on this bill, and i'm prepared to close if the gentleman from north carolina is prepared to close as well. mr. butterfield: i have no more speakers and i am too prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. butterfield: yes. i will be the final speaker, mr. speaker. let me, again, thank mr. murphy, the gentleman from pennsylvania, and mr. shimkus and the chair and the ranking member of all of the committees of jurisdiction for their extraordinary work on this bill. this is a critical piece of legislation. all of the stakeholders who are involved in disposing of chemicals and shipping chemicals are all in agreement that this is necessary. in fact, the time has passed that we pass this type of legislation. we live in a new age of technology now, and so there's no excuse for us not automating these types of procedures and this bill enables for that to

happen. i want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their spirit and bipartisan of getting this to the floor. i ask my colleagues to please vote yes on this important legislation. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania. mr. murphy: mr. speaker, i ask that all members support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate bill 710, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and

pass h.r. 6131, to extend the u.s. safe webb act of 2006. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6131, a bill to extend the undertaking spam, spyware and fraud enforcement with enforcers beyond borders act of 2006, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. bono mack, and the gentleman from north carolina, mr. butterfield, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the record on h.r. 6131. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, as chairman of the house subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 6131, a bill to re-authorize the u.s. safe webb act of

stwix. i'd -- safe web act of 2006. i'd like to thank chairman upton for his leadership on this important legislation as well as ranking member waxman. but a special thank you also goes out to my good friend and lead co-author of h.r. 6131, our subcommittee's ranking member, mr. butterfield of north carolina, for his strong bipartisan support. when it comes to the future of electronic commerce, consumer trust and online privacy are trending topics that americans care very deeply about. today, the internet serves billions of users worldwide with ecommerce in the u.s. topping $200 billion last year for the first time and up a remarkable 15% so far this year. but lurking online are hackers, cyberthieves and even organized crime rings. i'm very concerned for the ecommerce will cease to grow and flourish if americans lose faith in their ability to protect -- to be protected from online predators, jeopardizing

future innovation as well as our nation's fragile economic recovery. one important tool in combating cross-border fraud, spam and spyware is this fact which is set to expire next year. h.r. 6131 re-authorizes this important crime fighting and consumer protection law for another seven years. by any measure, the u.s. safe web act has been extremely effective, allowing the federal trade commission to protect consumers from fraud, deception, spam and spyware in cross-border cases from threats originating both domestically and abroad. to give you an idea just ho to you well it's working, no opposition to re-authorizing the law has been expressed from either of the business community or by advocacy groups. most importantly the act enhances the f.t.c.'s investigative and enforcement functions by authorizing information sharing with foreign enforcement agencies, something the commission may not do without express authorization.

the act only allows information sharing with countries whose law on data share something substantially similar to that governing the f.t.c. and the f.t.c. may share data only under conditions where the information will be treated confidently and the country will reciprocate information sharing with the f.t.c. clearly we will be fighting an underhill bat physical these critically important consumer protections were not in place. about a decade ago, the federal trade commission began to highlight the growing problems it encountered in effectively combating internet scams and fraud directed at american citizens by foreign operators, oftentimes involving organized crime rings. by 2005 an estimated 20% of consumer complaints to the f. -- the f.t.c. received involved fraud originating outside the u.s., costing american consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. in order to expand its ability to effectively fight online fraud, the f.t.c. sent congress legislative recommendations in 2005 seeking additional

authorities. without objection, congress passed the u.s. safe web act on december 6 of 2006 and it was signed into law two weeks later by prush. for american consumers, the u.s. safe web act has been a clear success to date tanned should be re-authorized before its expiration next year. mr. speaker, i strongly urge the passage of h.r. 6131 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm going to yield to myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. speaker, mr. speaker, i rise today in strong support of h.r. 6131, a bill that will re-authorize certain powers granted to the federal trade commission under the u.s. safe web act that are set to expire very soon. congresswoman bono mack, the chair of the commerce, manufacturing and trade subcommittee of energy and commerce and i and our staffs worked together in a bipartisan

manner to quickly get this very important re-authorization language out of the committee and onto the house floor. when the bill was first offered in the 109th congress, it was overwhelmingly supported by both republicans and democrats and passed the house under the suspension of the rules. so i am happy to see that this re-authorization is proceeding in much the same way. this law provides the federal trade commission with expanded and enhanced authorities with the aim of combating cross-border spyware and spam attacks against the u.s. as well as helping to protect consumers against phony internet ripoffs and telemarketting scams. the enhanced authority has empowered the f.t.c. to better protect american consumers through robust cross-border information sharing, investigative assistance and correlation building with foreign consumer protection agencies. in a 2009 report to congress, the f.t.c. noted the significant

role the actors played in facilitating cross-border cooperation in investigations and enforcement proceedings, along with the growing need for continued cooperation to combat new and existing global fraud. simply put, mr. speaker, the expanded authorities are working to protect the american people and congress needs to make sure they remain in place so the federal trade commission can effectively combat cross-border scaments. the original safe web act passed in the 109th congress included a sunset provision that would cause these enhanced authorities to expire in december of next year. house bill 6131 will extend these authorities to september of the year 2020. mr. speaker, i am a strong supporter of granting the f.t.c. the powers it needs to effectively protect consumers against fraud, whether originating here or abroad.

and so i join my good friend, congresswoman bono mack, in pushing the seven-year extension in this bill. but it is important to highlight that each and every f.t.c. commissioner, all of them, of both political parties, have called for a permanent re-authorization. i joined with the f.t.c. in calling for the sunset clause in the u.s. safe web act to be completely repealed and it is still, it is still my opinion and the opinion of several on our committee that this is a better approach. nonetheless, mr. speaker, both parties can agree and the f.t.c.'s enforcement record shows that this has been a successful law. so we should not delay. we should not delay or disrupt the f.t.c.'s ability to protect the american people from those who want to take advantage of them. i hope my colleagues will agree with us and with will -- and will join with us in supporting

this measure. again, i want to thank the gentlelady from california for her friendship and her leadership on the committee. you've just been extraordinary. i also want to thank the chairman of the full committee, mr. upton, the gentleman from michigan, as well as my ranking member, mr. waxman from california. all of us, all of us have worked together so diligently to make this happen and thank you so very much. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. bono mack: i reserve the balance of my time. i have no further speakers. mr. butterfield: i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. mr. butterfield: i have no further speakers. i will close by simply reiterating what i said the last three or four minutes. thanks good bill. we have bipartisan -- this is a good bill. we have bipartisan support for this bill. it has been expedited to the house floor. i ask my colleagues to join with us and get it passed and let's get it enacted into law. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina

yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. bono mack: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing i just would like to say that today, with nearly 1.5 billion credit cards now in use in the u.s., nearly everyone has a stake in making certain that the f.t.c. has the powers that it needs to combat cross-border fraud, spam and spyware. rather than give the f.t.c. more power, the u.s. safe web act has simply given the f.t.c. the tools it needs to carry out its mission more effectively and it's done so without increasing the cost to american taxpayers, without any new rule making and any new investigative authority. re-authorizing this act as soon as possible will avoid disrupting ongoing investigations, allowing the f.t.c. to continue to pursue cross-border fraud complaints and to continue important information sharing agreements with foreign law enforcement agencies. again, let me just emphasize that this is a critically important consumer protection bill. it enjoys broad bipartisan support. it doesn't cost any additional money and the clock is ticking. the law needs to be

re-authorized now. it's good for american consumers, it's good for the future of e commerce and it -- ecommerce and it sends an important message that online crooks, no matter where they're located, will will be tracked down and prosecuted. mr. speaker, once again i thank my ranking member and i urge the agoppings of h.r. 6131 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 6131. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5865, the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 2012. as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5865, a bill to

promote the growth and competitiveness of american manufacturing. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california, mrs. bono mack, and the gentleman from north carolina, mr. butter field, will each control 20 -- butterfield, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from california. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record for h.r. 5865. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. bono mack: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 5865, the american manufacturing competitiveness act. throughout our nation's long history of growing and robust manufacturing sector has helped to make america great. it's been a drive force in our economy since the industrial revolution. but as our nation has moved from the atomic age to the space age, the information age, manufacturing has not kept up. losing nearly six million american jobs since the beginning of the 21st century.

aging, rusting and abandoned factories litter the u.s. landscape. statistics show the manufacturing sector was the hardest hit in terms of job losses during the great recession. while manufacturing accounts for just 1/10 of our nation's jobs, manufacturing has suffer 1/3 of our nation's job losses. we have a chance now to reverse this trend and i applaud the hard work of mr. lip insky and mr. kinzinger in a plan for improving manufacturing in the u.s. i would also like to thank chairman upton, ranking member waxman and subcommittee ranking member butterfield for their hard work in bringing this important bill to the floor for a vote. the american manufacturing competitiveness act calls for two presidentle -- presidential reports to congress outlining a strategy for promoting growth, sustainability and competitiveness in the manufacturing sector. the reports are due in april of 2014 and again in 2018. now, why is this so important? well, for one thing

manufacturing has the highest job multiplier of any industry in our economy, producing $1.35 for every $1 in direct spending. just as importantly, manufacturing is responsible for 2/3 of all private r&d spending in the u.s. and it drives technology innovation. but on the flip side, for every manufacturing job lost in america, another 2.3 jobs are also lost throughout our economy. here's the bottom line. if america's going to continue to lead the world in innovation, we must foster a more conducive environment for manufacturing. h.r. 5865 establishes a manufacturing competitiveness board made up of 15 members, five public sector members are appointed by the president and the remaining 10 private sector members are appointed by house and senate leaders. that gives both the executive branch and the legislative branch a shared role as well as a shared stake in making sure that this process is ultimately successful. mr. speaker, h.r. 5865 is a

sound, bipartisan approach to improving manufacturing in america. and i strongly urge its passage. and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from north carolina. mr. butterfield: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 5865, the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 2012. the lead bipartisan co-sponsor of this bill are two gentlemen from illinois, mr. daniel lipinski, and my colleague on the energy and commerce committee, congressman kinzinger. i want to thank both of them for their work on this bill and in particular for working with me and the chairman, chairwoman bono mack, to move this bill in a form that both sides can support. h.r. 5865 aims to build upon the recent growth of the u.s. manufacturing sector, with the end goal being the return to

more and more individuals to stable and good-paying jobs. specifically, mr. speaker, the american manufacturing competitiveness act requires the president to prepare and submit to congress in 2014 and 2018 a national manufacturing strategy with assistance from the american manufacturing competitiveness board established by the bill. the board will be comprised of the secretary of commerce, state governors and officials from the executive branch, in addition to 10 individuals from the private sector appointed by the majority and minority leadership of the house and the senate. there's no more important issue to americans than the ability to get and keep a job, provide for their families and ensure that when their children grow up they too can succeed. this is the promise of the american dream. and it's a promise that despite the slow climb out of the deep recession caused by the reckless

bets on wall street that i and most americans still believe in. moreover it's a promise that we here in congress have been entrusted by our constituents to work toward by promoting initial tves and enacting policies that will lead to the creation of new jobs, to replace and sufficienterment those that have been lost. this is something that the obama administration has taken very seriously and the administration has rightfully made growing the manufacturing sect ar key element to getting -- sector a key elements to getting americans back to work. this has always been a priority of the house democratic leadership, through its make it in america policy initiatives. and we are seeing results, mr. speaker. we are seeing results. over the past two years the manufacturing sector has added more than 450,000 jobs. that is worth repeating. over the past two years the manufacturing sector has added

more than 450,000 jobs. not since the clinton administration has this sector seen such fast growth. in my home state of north carolina we know all too well about the loss of manufacturing jobs. but those jobs have begun to return and we are feeling it and we are seeing it. north carolina is the fifth largest manufacturing state in the country and the largest in the southeast. our manufacturing sector provides about $80 billion to our g.d.p., roughly 20% of the total. the nearly 11,000 manufacturing companies in north carolina employ almost 15% of the total work force and well over half a million of these jobs pay more than $65,000 annually. american manufacturing is prime for a renaissance and the house

democrats make it in america agenda provides even greater opportunities for success. several of these initiatives have already become law, including bills that cut taxes and created loans, loans for small businesses, sped up the patent process and lowered the cost of raw materials and helped to end tax loopholes so that companies are discouraged from shipping jobs overseas. mr. speaker, in the 111th congress, house democrats led efforts to support american clean energy firms, invest in job training partnerships and hold china -- hold china accountable for unfair currency manipulation that cost us in america very precious jobs. when more products are made in america, more families can make it in america. the american manufacturing competitiveness act promises to build on and complement the

obama administration's efforts and our efforts to grow manufacturing in the united states of america. mr. speaker, i support this bill, i thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their cooperation in bringing this to the floor and getting it for a vote today. i thank not only the chair and the ranking member of the full committee but the chair of the subcommittee who works with us on so many of these important issues. with that said i'll reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from california. mrs. bono mack: mr. speaker, i'd like to yield four minutes to the co-author of the legislation, very hardworking member of the subcommittee on commerce, manufacturing and trade, the gentleman from illinois, mr. kinzinger, for four minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for four minutes. mr. kinzinger: i had -- i'd like to thank mrs. bono mack for getting this bill to the floor. it's an honor to stand here

with my colleague from illinois, mr. lipinski, of this bipartisan legislation, especially at a time when americans think that republicans and democrats are unable to work together. a recent report from the world economic forum announced that the u.s. has fallen from first to seventh in global competitiveness. and i tell you what actually gets to me is the fact i feel like many americans are starting to accept the fact that we are just going to lose our competitive edge and we're going to lose our manufacturing power base to a country like china. and i don't think it's something i have to accept. we heard from the manufacturing base in this country. they need a simpler tax code. they need an education system that prepares students in math and science, trade policies that are open and fair and regulations that protect the health and welfare of our citizens with the lowest cost on business. the purpose of this legislation

is to build on the consensus and ensure government policies promote a competitive environment from manufacturers in the decades to come. mr. speaker, we are the biggest economy in the world because of our manufacturing resources. we produce 21% of global manufactured goods with an estimated 18.6 million jobs. manufacturing is the highest paying with the average job making upwards $77,000 annually. with the right policies in place, we can usher in a manufacturing renaissance in this legislation and this legislation will help ensure our global competitiveness for decades to come. mr. speaker, in illinois alone, over 600,000 people are employed in manufacturing. this is an industry that's vital to the health of our economy and our national security. this nation is blessed to have some of the hardest working and most invadive people in the world. -- innovative people in the world. when i go home and speak to a

small or large manufacturer, they're ready to compete on the global stage and they're ready to compete with china. they only need government to ensure that they are playing on a level playing field. that means fair trade, a simple tax policy, educated students and the least burdensome regulations possible. this legislation will bring together private sector and government leaders to create an manufacturing strategy that both congress and the president can implement. it's time to get politics out of supporting the middle class. the american people are tired of stalemates, they're ready for action, they're ready for both parties to focus their energy on the people who elected them. now is the time to act before this window of opportunity for manufacturing renaissance passes us by. i'm proud of this legislation. i think it's a strong first step in finding solutions to help our nation's economy. and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i'm happy to yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. butterfield: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, at this time i'd yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from maryland, mr. hoyer, who's also the minority whip of the house democratic caucus and a great friend of the manufacturing sector. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i want to congratulate dan lipinski for authoring this legislation. it is one of the key pieces of our make it in america agenda which my distinguished colleague from north carolina has discussed. i want to thank my dear and good friend mary bono mack for her leadership on this effort. as the gentleman said and i could adopt his remarks, the previous speaker, mr. kinzinger, we do need a manufacturing policy. we do need a manufacturing renaissance, and we do need a psychology that america's going to be number one and stay number one and create the kind

of good paying jobs for our people that manufacturing provides. the chief of -- c.e.o. of do you chemical wrote a book -- dow chemical wrote a book. the name of that book was "make it in america, grow is here, sell it around the world." i rise in support of mr. lipinski's bill. this passed out of committee unanimously four months ago. this bill is a key part of house democrats make it in america plan to strengthen manufacture and it's not a democratic plan, a republican plan, it's an american plan. people can resoundly support this and take ownership of a renaissance in manufacturing. for the past two years our manufacturing sector was the bright spot in our economic recovery. seeing the first increase in manufacturing jobs since the 1990's. but for the last three months, that sector has begun to contract a little bit. a symptom of congress' failure,

in my opinion, to take serious opinion on legislation like make it in america and, yes, taxingss -- taxes and regulation. the gentleman was correct. that's why we need the american manufacturing competitiveness act. this will bring the public and private sectors together with labor and other stakeholders to craft plans to develop comprehensive, national manufacturing strategies in 2014 and 2018. ladies and gentlemen, none of you doubt, none of you doubt that our competitors across this globe are doing this. we are late to this ballgame, but the good news is we are the most able, productive economy in the world and we can compete with anybody. all we need is a good play. other nations around the globe have strategies to increase their manufacturing, to keep america competitive, it is imperative that we have a plan as well. not to pick winners and losers but to create the environment of which the gentleman spoke

before me about an environment that allows manufacturing to grow. i want to thank again the ranking member for his very compelling statement that he made. the obama administration focused on revitalizing the manufacturing sector and representative lipinski's bill ensures that the u.s. government will continue to pursue policies that bolsters manufacturing and adds jobs. i want to commend representative lipinski for his work on this bill, ranking member butterfield and other members on the energy and commerce committee. but i also want to commend those republican leaders on the commerce committee. and mr. manzullo, who is sitting here, my dear friend who head up the small business committee, has focused on growing jobs in america. i also want to thank chairman upton. i already thaad chairman bono mack. she is my depood friend. they made sure this bill came

to the floor with bipartisan support. mr. speaker, the energy and commerce committee reported this bill in june with a bipartisan vote. i'm sure it will receive a bipartisan vote tonight. i will tell you there's no place in america you could go, not the most conservative district, not the most liberal, democratic, republican district and you can talk about make it in america and you can get heads nodding in agreement. this is a pragmatic issue of growing our economy, creating the kinds of jobs that our people need. jobs that pay well, give them good benefits and a bright future for them, their families and their children. so i commend both the republican and democratic side for bringing this piece of legislation to the floor and urge its unanimous adoption by this congress. thank you very much, mr. long. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized. mrs. bono mack: i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from illinois,

please. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for three minutes. mr. manzullo: as co-chair of the house manufacturing caucus, i can't overstate the importance of manufacturing in america, the need for this important legislation. the u.s. is still the largest manufacture in the world. churning out about $1.7 trillion in value annually. one in six jobs is tied directly or indirectly to manufacturing. manufacturing drives innovation by conducting 2/3 of all research and development created in the bulk of technology in our nation and nearly 70 of all exported goods from the united states in 2011 originated from the manufacturing sector. in the u.s., every $1 in final sales of manufacturing goods supports $1.35 in output from other sectors of the economy. that multiplier effect is higher than any other economic sector.

many other jobs such as those in financial services depend on somebody else making a product. if no one makes anything in america any more, than those service sector jobs disappear also. i spent about 2/3 of my time in congress studying the work on manufacturing issues, from raw materials to minerals, all the way through export controls. in fact, earlier today i co-hosted a bipartisan briefing with administrative officials on its export control reform initiative. i spent time in over 300 factories in china, japan, the united states. studied manufacturing schooling, the educational process in switzerland and how important manufacturing is to that tiny country. every few years the manufacturing sector in the united states experiences a crisis. in response, various administrations have prepared strategy reports on how best to

respond. the last was issued in 2004. this report was extremely helpful in identifying regulations that were unduly burdensome on the manufacturing sector that produced little or no public benefit. the bill before us today will institutionalize this process by requiring a national manufacturing report so that we can keep the focus of our government on how to best help the strongest economic engine of our economy. my office spent years developing the chart to identify the numerous federal programs and agencies that support manufacturing. it's still difficult to have a central focal point to know who is manufacturing and who is doing research in a particular area. for example, if somebody wants to do research on machine in titanium, there is no central portal for which that person can go to to determine which programs there are and who's doing the research. fundamentally, it's very important to have this report.

why? because americans need to know the importance of manufacturing. we don't have manufacturing, agriculture, mining in this country, we become a third-world nation. we can't make things with our hands, then we become hindered and maintain our status as the world leader. i'd call upon the house to vote affirmtively for this great bill, the american manufacturing competitiveness act of 2012, h.r. 5865. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. butterfield: mr. speaker, at this time i'm -- i'll yield six minutes to the author of this bill, mr. lipinski, from the great state of illinois. mr. lipinski has not only worked hard on this bill in this congress but in previous congresses as well, six minutes, mr. lipinski. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for six minutes. mr. lipinski: thank you,

ranking member butterfield, for yielding to me and for your work on this bill. i rise in strong support of h.r. 5865, the american manufacturing competitiveness act, a bipartisan bill that i introduced to boost american manufacturing. this bill represent whats american people want us to be -- what the american people want us to be doing. working together in a bipartisan manner to advance policies that promote the creation of good-paying jobs for middle class americans. i want to thank representative kinzinger for being willing to work with me across the aisle to bring this bill to the floor. i also want to thank chairwoman bono mack as well as representative pompeo for their work on this bill. and mr. manzullo's on the floor, i want to thank him for the work he's done to advance manufacturing, the work week of done together in the eight years that i've been in congress with him.

in addition i want to thank democratic whip hoyer for his steadfast advocacy of make it in america policies. manufacturing is a lynch pin of our nation's economy. it's provided the american middle class with a source of quality jobs, making everything from the goods we rely on for everyday needs to the equipment that we need for national security. from the first decade of the century, american manufacturing took a hard hit. almost 1/3 of american manufacturing jobs disappeared. after 110 years as the world's top manufacturing nation america got knocked off its perch by china. i have seen the devastation in my district and across northeastern illinois and i get frustrated. just like countless other americans do. when i go to the store and i cannot find the words made in

the u.s.a. on any product. some say this is inevitable. but it does not have to be. we've been seeing signs of a resurgent american manufacturing sector, with jobs increasing by nearly half a million in the past two years, we still have a long way to go. america relies on the entrepreneurial spirit of private enterprise. there's no doubt there'd be no american manufacturing base without the innovators and the risk takers. and the great growth in american manufacturing in the 20th century would have been impossible without the hard work of the middle class. but it's also clear that the government interacts with and affects manufacturing in countless ways. from tax and trade to regulation, to research, education and work force development, government policies have a significant effect on our manufactures. -- manufacturers.

that's why we need a comprehensive coordinated strategy promoting american manufacturing. while many other countries, china, ibbedia, germany to name a few, have developed manufacturing strategies, the united states' manufacturing policy is uncoordinated and largely ad hoc. if we want american manufacturing to compete and succeed in a global economy, it is vital that we develop a strategy to coordinate our policies that impacts manufacturers. and that is exactly what this bill does. based on a defense review, the pentagon's policy planning process, this bill proposes that every four years we convene a group of manufacturing experts from the private and the public sectors. this group, assembled from appointments made by congressional leaders and the president, will analyze domestic and global economics and propose recommendations to congress, the president, states and industry

to pursue, to make all the types of american manufacturing more competitive. at the end of the day, this bill is about setting aside politics and implementing policies that will create an environment conducive to the flourishing of american manufacturing. which is vital for middle class american jobs and is vital for our national security. if we continue to muddle through without a coordinated plan, government will still be impacting manufacturing but in an uncoordinated, often inefficient and sometimes wasteful manner. after a couple of tough decades, i still have a number of small and medium sized manufacturers in my district in rtheastern illinois. one of these is at lass tool and dive in illinois. a 94-year-old family-owned business. the director of development for the company said about h.r. 5865, as a business owner, i

know planning is critical. when an organization doesn't operate with a plan, what occurreds is a plan to fail. right now the united states is operating without a manufacturing strategy in a world where other countries are intensely focused on helping their manufacturers to compete. the american manufacturing act will bring all sides and stakeholders together to forge a strategy with broad support and the momentum needed to produce action. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to come together today and help start forging this strategy by passing h.r. 5865. we can all look forward to probably seeing the made in u.s.a. label on more shelves and in more show rooms. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california is recognized. mrs. bono mack: i reserve my time at this point. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. mr. butterfield: i have no additional speakers, mr.

speaker, and therefore i will ask my colleagues to join with us in passing this good legislation and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from california is recognized. mrs. bono mack: thank you, mr. speaker. i just want to begin by thanking mr. lipinski for crossing the center aisle and coming to our side to offer his legislation and to work with us early on in the year, to stress to us how important it was for him and i thank him for his willingness to work with us, to make sure we could move this bill. so in closing i just want to make one very important point. that this is not a top-down government knows best approach to the problems facing manufacturing today. instead we're creating a public-private partnership that will help do develop a comprehensive modern strategy, identifying impediments to manufacturing and providing much-needed recommendations on how to create an environment that will once again allow american manufacturers to thrive. while our goal is to produce an

important economic blueprint for the future of america, these recommendations are not binding on congress. h.r. 5865 will expand upon previous studies and reports on manufacturing by requiring a comprehensive analysis of factors affecting manufacturing and those would include the identification of redundant or ineffective government programs relating to manufacturing, trade policy, energy policy, taxation and the impact of federal regulations on manufacturing and job creation. this legislation appropriately gives the manufacturing board the flexibility it needs to do its job efficiently and expeditiously. the board is not required to reinvent the wheel and restudy every single subject already examined by other government agencies an nongovernmental bodies. but the board is specifically directed to consult with other federal entities to avoid duplication of efforts. in the end, the board will develop and publish for public comment an analogy based on its

analysis. this strategy will include both short-term and long-term goals for improving competitiveness of u.s. manufacturing as well as recommendations for action. mr. speaker, considering the importance of manufacturing in the american economy and to the future of our nation, i strongly urge the adoption of h.r. 5865, the american manufacturing competitiveness act, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 5865 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- mr. butterfield: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. butterfield: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to h.r. 1410 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 1410, a bill to promote freedom and democracy in

vietnam. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from california, mr. berman, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i is ask unanimous consent -- i ask unanimous consent that all members may are five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials into the record on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. ros-lehtinen: i thank the speaker and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, sir. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 1410, the vietnam human rights act. the socialist republic of vietnam remains a gross human rights violator, even as it trades -- even as its trade with the u.s. grows. the people of vietnam continue to be oppressed by their communist jailers, unable to change their government or enjoy any semblance of the rule of law.

indeed the most recent elections were may, 2011, were neither free nor fair. much like those living under the ruthless castro regime in my native cuba, vietnamese citizens are subject to brutal treatment from police, inhumane prison conditions and denial of the right to a free and fair and speedy trial. the judicial system is plagued by endemic corruption and inefficiency and the communist government has increasingly limited privacy rights and freedoms of the press, speech, assembly, movement and association. freedom of religion is subject to interpretation by communist authorities with significant problems occurring at provincial and village levels. violence and discrimination against women as well as trafficking in persons continue to foment the population, to torment the population. the sexual exploitation of children as well as hate crimes and discrimination based on

ethnicity, sexual orientation and hiv-aids status all persist. as indicates with all communist regimes, police often act with impunity. cowardly hiding this egregious brutality from the civilized world, the communist government proliberties independent human rights organizations from operating within its borders. all of this occurs while the u.s. continues to broaden trade with the vietnamese dictators, completing a trade and investment framework agreement or tifa in 2007. we have increased our trade with vietnam every year and have held a trade deficit with vietnam every year since 1997. mr. speaker, that is not the message that we should send to these thugs. we should not reward this communist dictatorship until the government of vietnam has made substantial progress respecting political freedom, media freedom

and religious freedom. vietnam must also protect its minorities, give access to u.s. refugee programs, act to end trafficking in persons and release its approximately 4,000 political prisoners. i urge my colleagues to join me in showing our solidarity and support for the people of vietnam by passing this important bill today and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves her time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of h.r. 1410 as amended and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. berman: i'd like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, mr. smith of new jersey, and the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, ms. ros-lehtinen, for their leadership on human rights and on this particular issue.

despite vietnam's transition to a more open economy, political and religious freedoms for the people of vietnam remain severely curtailed. the bilateral relationship between washington and hanoi has deepened since diplomat ties were established over 15 years ago. but lack of greater progress in protecting basic rights and civil liberties will limit closer cooperation in the future. in a speech last year on the obama administration's asia policy, secretary of state hillary clinton stated, and i quote, we have made it clear to vietnam that if we are to develop a strategic partnership, as both nations desire, vietnam must do more to respect and protect its citizens' rights. unquote. the united states must use both diplomatic and economic leverage with vietnam to promote political openness and improve

human rights. this bill, the vietnam human rights act of 2011, takes an important step in the right direction by prohibiting an increase in nonhumanitarian assistance to vietnam above fiscal year 2011 levels unless hanoi makes significant progress on these critical issues. the bill makes it clear to vietnam that the only factor limiting aid is positive action by the vietnamese government on political, human and religious rights. the government of vietnam has an important choice to make. will it protect human rights and provide religious and political freedom to its citizens or will it shirk these responsibilities and foresake the close relationship it wants with the united states? -- with the united states? i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker: the gentlewoman is recognized. many ms. ros-lehtinen: i'm pleased to yield to the author of this important bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for six minutes. mr. smith: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i'm -- i want to thank the chairwoman for her leadership on this issue and on so many human rights issues around the globe. thank you for bringing to the floor a very important bill and series of bills directed at human rights. mr. berman thank you for your kind comments and support for this effort to try to bring freedom and hope to the people vietnam who have enjoyed some economic progress, regrettably, human rikets, political rights have gone in the opposite direction system of thank you for that. i want to thank the original co-sponsthoferse bill, mr. royce, mr. woeful -- mr. wolf,

zoe lofgren, for being original co-sponsors and i hope the membership will soundly back its enactment, its passage today. many of us on both sides of the aisle have been try for decades to help the vietnamese people secure their fundamental human rights and democratic institutions. from assisting the boat people in the 1970's and all the human rights work done to help so many vietnamese, individuals in reeducation camps who are dealt with so severely by the dictatorship at hanoi, congress and the presidents over the years have tried nobodyably to assist them -- have tried nobly to assist them. i sponsored the human rights restoration act which included an important provision directing the u.s. information agency to provide steps for human rights an democracy

leaders of vietnam to come here for educational and cultural exchange programs. we found that so often, it was the communist leaders and their families and friends who were benefiting from these trips to the united states, not the people who were the best and bravest and brightest of vietnam. i visited vietnam on several occasions. met with dis depts -- dissidents throughout the city, met with pastors, catholic, protestant, evangelicals, and i met with those who have done a magnificent job speaking up for the unified church of vietnam, outlawed by the dictatorship in hanoi. regrettably our efforts, and those heroic efforts by the women and men in vietnam itself, have not resulted in respect for fundamental human rights. i would note parenthetically that block 8406 a great group

of individuals who signed on to this chart over human rights, one by one have been singled out after signing that charter after believing that an easing was taking place, after signing on, like many other agreements taking place. blockade 406, april 8, 2006, one by one they have been hunted down and many of them have found themselves imprisoned. the africa global health and human rights subcommittee which i chair hearled from witnesses earlier this year that the vietnamese government remains an egregious violator of a broad array of human rights. their testimony confirmed that political, religious and ethnic persecution continues and in many cases is actually increasing and that vietnamese officials are laying out the welcome mat for forced labor and sex traffickers.

for example, we heard from doctor ton who had recently traveled to thailand to investigate human rights trafficking violations and other violations in vietnam. he testified that the government in vietnam has not investigated, let alone prosecuted, a single human trafficking violation by vietnamese labor export companiesmark of which are state owned. instead, police interrogated and sletened victims who have spoken out against this modern day slavery. lomb routinely, according to the drrks and his reports tally with other reports we have seen, the vietnamese government has sent officials from hanoi to trouble spots including american is a moe wra -- samoa and other spots to silence the victims and side with the

traffickers. we heard testimony of a vietnamese woman who courageously fought for her own rights and those of her co-workers when they were trafficed to jordan. our witnesses provided deeply disturbing photographs, evidence of torture and showed a video of vietnamese military destroying an envire village of christians. it's imperative that the u.s. government send an unequivocal message to the vietnamese regime that it must end its abuses against its own citizens. i would note that negotiators of the transpacific partnership, which includes vietnam, are meeting in leesburg, virginia. within the next year or two, congress will likely be asked to approve a free trade agreement as part of this initiative. i hope the administration is using those negotiations to strongly encourage the vietnamese government to

finally, at long last, respect human rights. h.r. 1410 would institute effective measures toward improving human rights in vietnam as reported by our committee. the boil prohibits any increase in nonhumanitarian assistance to the government of vietnam above fiscal 2011 levels unless the government makes substantial progress in establishing -- may i have another minute? ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield the gentleman another minute. mr. smith: unless it makes progress, we laid out a series of steps it must take and the people it must protect. it does not prevent funding to the vietnamese government for humanitarian assistance such as food, medicine, agent orange remediation and money to combat human trafficking. the freeze is on -- on foreign

assistance at 2010 levels can be waived if the president determines that increased nonhumanitarian aid to vietnam would increase freedom or be in the national interest. we passed this bill in various forms before by huge majorities. it is time to pass it and hopefully the senate will take it up and get it to president obama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. ros-lehtinen: i would like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. royce, the chairman of he subcommittee on nonproliferation and trade on the committee of foreign affairs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. royce: i am an original co-sponsor of this bill, this is the vietnam human rights act, i guess it's no surprise that those -- to those of us who followed what happened in vietnam that it denies its

sints basic human rights. here's the problem. the conditions there with respect to abuse of rule of law are getting worse and worse. it used to be that we would watch show trials in terms of the abridgment of rights of the citizens of vietnam. now they don't even have the show trials. now the government just places the dissidents in police detention and do it without alerting the family, without alerting anyone. at that point, you have to say, the rule of law has become nonexistent. we received a really stark reminder recently, human rights dissident wen kwa quan was arrested, he atelled to enter the city at ho chee minute's airport. the charge he was held on was terrorism. that was original charge. he didn't come to vietnam equipped with guns or

explosives. what's the terrorism charge? well, he came to vietnam to meet with other grass roots organizations committed to peaceful discussions on human rights inside the country. and to the vietnamese communist government, that's terrorism. that really says it all. the case is not an isolated case here. his treatment there has become the rule, not the exception, for those who are trying to push for some modicum of free speech or reals you freedom. so you have a whole slew of dissidents treated like this or even worse and when i say worse, i want to give you another example. a pastor of an outlaud men nonite church was sentenced to 11 years in prison during a one-day trial for sowing division between the communist

government and its sints. now this treatment is nothing new for this particular pastor. to date, he has been aggressively interrogated over 300 times. he has suffered dozens of beatings and some of us have seen the photographs of the aftermath of some of those brutal beatings. he's been forcefully removed from his residence many times to be thrown in jail. and that is why it is imperative, my friends that we pass the vietnam human rights act. i think the important point here is that this kind of action can be an inspiration to the brave dissidents inside vietnam who continue to be brutally repressed. part of this is to provide for information from radio-free asia to better be able to broadcast into the country, to better be able to shed light on

this kind of activity, to leverage for change. and to bring objective news, to bring the trulte, to be a surrogate free radio station to the vietnamese people. the spread of democratic values in asia, frankly is critical to our security interests as well. i myself have met with some of the vietnamese dissidents discussed here today and i've been denounced by the vietnamese government for simply meeting with those whose only wish is freedom to speak their mind. and that tells me that the vietnamese government is sensitive to international criticism. and that the united states must continue to speak out about this issue. i don't think silence is an option for us in the u.s. so in closing, i want to thank chairman ros-lehtinen for her focus on human rights, i want to thank the author here, chris

smith, for his efforts and howard berman, congressman from california, for his work on behalf of the vietnamese people. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california, mrs. davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. mrs. davis: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to express my strong support for h.r. 1410 and also for h.r. 484. these resolutions really embody a great concern of many of my constituents at home as well as americans across this country. as americans, we often take for granted the rights and privileges that are guaranteed to each and every individual in this country. so we can speak out at town hall, we can protest in front

of the capitol steps and when all else fails, we can register our vote at the polls to make our voices heard. those rights and privileges that we enjoy are being denied every single day. to the people of vietnam. so today we vote on these two bills that send a clear message that these abuses will not be tolerated. we must make it clear that progress needs to be made on these issues before we can move forward on other issues that are important to both of our countries, including those issues of trade. our efforts are aimed at bringing about a brighter future in vietnam, where citizen are not in prison for the songs they write and individuals are not arrested for carrying boongs nonviolent resistance. it's sad but these remain to be the facts of life for the people of vietnam.

in the words of one of my constituents, we can make a difference, if we come together. let's start by voting yes on house resolution 1410 and also on the next resolution that we'll be talking about, house resolution 484. thank you, mr. speaker and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. .

i want to applaud the adopted parents past and future who invest their own lives and homes to provide loving families for some of the world's most endangered children? h.r. 1464 is a welcome step forward, mr. speaker, and deserve ours unanimous support. with that, i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized? mr. berman: i rise in strong support of h.r. 1464 and yield myself such time as i may consume. i'd like to thank the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from california, mr. royce, as well as the chairman of the foreign affairs committee, ms. ros-lehtinen for their leadership on this issue and for their work in supporting the plight of north korean refugees. despite north korea's efforts to appear, quote, strong and

prosperous, end quote, this year, to celebrate the 100th birth tchife country's founder, vast numbers of its people live in dire conditions. sadly, the north korean regime's misguided priorities, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its so-called space program, its nuclear program, and its massive military, only underscore its coldhearted callousness and blatant disregard for its own sints. thousands of north korean children do and were threatened with starvation disease. many children that have fled the north are in hiding and live in mortal fear of being sent to north korea where they would face severe punishment and death.

as a beacon of hope for the rest of the world, the united states must do all it can to help these vulnerable and destitute children. that's why i'm proud to be a co-sponsor of mr. royce's legislation, h.r. 1464, the north korea refugee adoption act. this bill calls on the secretaries of state and homeland security to formulate and report to congress on a strategy for facilitating the adoption of north korean children by u.s. citizens. passage of this bill will be the first step in helping the thousands of north korean child refugees living aloan in foreign lands. and it would provide a glimmer of hope to the american families who would welcome the opportunity to adopt north korean orphans.

the impending passage of this bill speaks to the bipartisan feeling in congress regarding the atrocious human rights situation in korea. as innocent men, women, and children flee the north korean regime at great personal risk, we have a moral obligation to a cyst them. this is not merely about adoption but also an issue of human rights for the north korean people. we must continue -- we must continue to work to make sure the north korean people are not forgotten and that north korean children will get the support they need. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen spm -- ms. ros-lehtinen: i'm pleased to yield to mr. royce the chairman on the committee on terrorism, nonproliferation and

trade for six minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for six minutes. mr. royce: mr. speaker, this is the north korean refugee adoption act of 2011 and i want to thank chairman ros-lehtinen and ranking member berman for their support of this bill and i think we should thank the numerous korean organizations from around this country which tirelessly advocated on behalf of its passage and they're the groups that came to me with the heart-breveraging problem that these orphans face and the suggested idea for a solution. i would like to recognize the defense forum foundation, the north korea freedom coalition, the korean church coalition for north korea freedom, the korean american coalition, the korean churches for community development, 300 pastoral coalition and the 318 partners, these are the yupes that

suggested that with a lot of hard work we might get this legislation through. they put through countless phone calls and meetings and rallies here on capitol hill and i think really helped generate the widespread support this bill has today. and of course the bill stems from the problem that for over 50 years, north korea has been one of the world's most repressive regimes. every imaginable freedom that we enjoy here, speech or assembly or association or worship, and actually, oddly enough, even the right to smile, is denied in north korea by one statute or another. meanwhile, the regime's elites live in luxury. and of course the people, especially in rural areas in north korea starve. it is little wonder then that tens of thousands of north koreaen -- koreans, many of

them women and children, flee to china fnd for many it's a last resort. it's a final chance to avoid starvation for those children and avoid unspeakable oppression. yet that choice is not always an easy one. that path to freedom is very perilous. those fleeing north korea often make their journey during the winter and they cross over that river as it's frozen and those tell there is are subzero and the terrain is treacherous. it is an obstacle course of check points and informants and they make that a very dangerous journey. and sadly but not surprisingly, many refugees succumb to the elements. there are many bodies frozen along that bank. those that survive also face dangers from human traffickers.

as one dissident told "national geographic," crossing the river was easy compared to what happened next. she was tricked into getting into a car that belonged to a sex trafficker. for the next year she remained locked in a room, forced into selling her body. the result of all of this is that many north korean orphans are left in china. worse yet, they are stateless. they are without identification. estimates show that thousands of children are left stateless in the border region between north korea and china and there they suffer. if they are sent back to north korea, they suffer unimaginably. mr. speaker, this is why we need to pass this legislation. this bill is a good first step in responding to this human rights crisis. specifically this bill would have the state department develop a strategy for assisting stateless children from north korea.

while many american families would welcome the opportunity to adopt a north korean orphan, many hurdles remain. for example, children must certify that they have lost their parents or legal guardians and that they have absolutely no one to rely on. a child orphaned in north korea would have a very hard time proving that attestation. most of these children have great difficulty proving this to their own understanding and they have no death certificate of parents, many have no proof that they're truly orphans. by passing this bill we will be taking an important step toward solving these problems. we are not committing to any particular policies but we are committing to doing what we can to help these defenseless children. we are trying to create a win-win for these desperate young ones. orphans living in deplorable conditions and their potential

new families and again i thank you, chairman ros-lehtinen. i thank you for your support, an we thank the numerous korean american organizations and we thank ranking member berman for all of his help and i urge my colleagues to support this important bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time. and in order to allow the majority to close, i will yield back the balance of my time and urge support for the legislation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i think mr. royce did a wonderful job summing up our bipartisan position. with that, i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 1464. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair,

2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion is re-- the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 484 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 484, resolution calling on the government of the socialist republic of vietnam to to respect basic human rights and cease abusing vague national security provisions such as article 79 and 8 of the vietnamese penal code which are often the pretext to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and

political freedom. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen, and the gentleman from florida, mr. berman, each will control 20 minutes. ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record on this somebody. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in strong support of house resolution 484, a bipartisan resolution of loretta sanchez, a bill of which i am a co-sponsor. this resolution calls on vietnamese authorities to respect basic human rights and cease abusing vague national security provisions such as articles 70 and 8 of the vietnamese penal code. these draconian legal measures are often used to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and political freedom. when the bush administration

signed the bilateral trade agreement with vietnam in the year 2006 which paved the way for vietnam's joining the world trade organization the next year, congress was assured that trade liberalization with hanoi . this proved, however, to be a spurious -- as spurious as the promise made by the clinton administration which vowed that the liberalization of trade would open the door to democracy and open the door to human rights in china. the siren song that trade is the panacea for ending totalitarian oppression by reports of deteriorating human rights conditions as hanoi comes do washington, seeking strategic support for its dispute with china in the

south china sea, one can only ask, why are we not using hanoi's concerns in the south china sea as leverage to win greater concessions on the dismal human rights positions in vietnam? why would we consider helping vietnam against chinese bullying as long as hanoi holds behind bars dr. kwan. he has been delained in vietnam since he returned there for a family visit in april. this resolution spells out in great detail how hanoi makes use of the security provisions contained in articles 79 and 88 to continue to detain noted democracy ack rats such as father lee. article 88 provision of propoganda against the state gives hanoi great leeway in

detaining human rights ack i have its, those who advocate for democracy. the repeal of articles 79 and 8 and release of all -- 88 and release of all political prisoners as called for in this important resolution would represent a first step. our state department should not put concern for human rights and protection of the rights of u.s. citizens on a back burner while we pursue commercial and strategic opportunities with the leaders in hanoi. we, in washington, must be one voice in strongly condemning the continuing crackdown on human rights and democracy in vietnam. we should also remember that without the rule of law, it is not only democracy advocates who are put at risk but also those whose commercial contracts will

prove to be worthless pieces of paper. therefore, i urge my colleagues to give their strong and unwavering support for this resolution and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: i rise in support of h.r. 1410 as amended and yield myself such time as i may consume the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. berman: i apologize, h.res. 484. first, i want to thank the sponsor of the legislation, the gentlelady from california, ms. loretta sanchez for her entire time in this congress. she has been eloquent, passionate and a spokesperson and their right to have their political and religious rights. same goes for the chair of the foreign affairs committee, ms.

ros-lehtinen, on all human rights issue has been a true congressional leader. this resolution calls on vietnam's government to respect basic human rights and support vague national security laws as a pretext to arrest and detain citizens who peacefully advocate for religious and political freedom. this is america's commitment to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, by calling on the government of vietnam to release all political prisoners, including activists, writers and bloggers hob unfairly detained or sentenced. the names of over 40 of these political dissidents and activists who are peacefully expressing their views and pose no threat to vietnam's national security are included in this resolution. vietnam must stop criminalizing peaceful activism and begin

upholding the declaration of human rights and the covenant on civil and political rights to which it is a signatory. as ties between the u.s. and vietnam continue to develop and mature, hanoi must understand that respect for the universal principles of democracy, freedom and human rights, remains a central part of our bilateral relationship and more progress is needed before as we have said before, that relationship can be taken to the next level. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from florida recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield one minute to my good friend from california, mr. royce, subcommittee on terrorism and nonproliferation and trade. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. royce: i rise in support.

as human rights watch noted last year, saw a steady stream of political trials and arrests, likely spurred in part by the vietnamese government concerns that pro-democracy arab spring movements might reach asia. as they explained, there's at least 24 convictions right now under article 79 and article 88 of the penal code that have been handed down. hence, the need for this resolution pass this chamber. we should all support it. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: i'm pleased to yield for such time as she may consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentlelady from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. sanchez: thank you, mr. speaker and thank you chairwoman ros-lehtinen and ranking member berman and to the committee for bringing this resolution to the

house floor. mr. speaker, dr. kwan is a democracy activist and also a member of a democracy activist organization here called viet tan. on april 17 of this year, an american citizen, yes, the doctor is an american citizen and was arrested at the saigon airport and was charged with terrorism. with terrorism, and what for? terrorism, for four months, for possessing educational documents on leadership skills and on nonviolent political activism. how can prevention of educational documents be considered terrorism? last month, the vietnamese document decided to change his

crime from terrorism to subversion. december pite -- despite all of those things, democracy activates such as song, and all of the above have been detained under an article 79, which penalizes carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration. when you are charged with article 79 in vietnam, it carries a maximum of the death penalty. father lee, blogger dukai and santan hi are charged with article 88, which penalizes

conducting propoganda against the state. and that carries a maximum sentence of 12 years. so what does this house resolution do? it aids these very vague national security provisions and calls on the government of vietnam to stop abusing provisions of articles 79 and 88. you use articles to arrest peaceful democracy activists i believe is blatant human rights violations. vietnam is a signatory to the human larings of -- declaration of human rights and political rights. however, vietnam has yet to become a responsible member of our international community. and consequently, the vietnamese

government has denied the denial of freedom, right to assembly, of a fair trial. how does this government expect to gain the respect of the international community when they refuse to treat their citizens with the same respect? house resolution 484 condemns the government of vietnam for its continued crackdown against democracy activists and calls on vietnam to repeal articles 79 and 88 and calls for the release of all political prisoners, writers and bloggers, who the only thing they have asked is to have a more open process, to have some civil rights, to have some human rights, to be able to discuss with each other a new way forward. as americans, we pride ourselves

on being a country that stands by freedom, by liberty and by justice. and as americans, as members of this united states congress, we have a responsibility. other countries are watching us. we have a responsibility to stand up and to take steps and to say enough is enough. as the government of vietnam continues to criminalize individual rights, as it criminalizes basic freedoms. i believe this is an indication that vietnam is not interested in being a responsible member of the international community. we, we, the united states, need to examine our economic and our military relationships with vietnam. we must insist on changes to human rights in that country. and i urge my colleagues to vote

for house resolution 484, to protect the rights and the freedoms of the citizens of vietnam, but in doing so, we protect the rights and the freedoms of every citizen in this world. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlelady from florida is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i hope some of these speakers, the people of vietnam, is meritorious as they are, i hope it extends to my native homeland of cuba as well

and hear those voices on the house floor calling for those same characteristics for the people of cuba. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 484 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. , in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 17, concurrent resolution expressing the sense of congress that taiwan should be accorded observer status in

the international civil aviation organization. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from florida, ms. ros-lehtinen and the gentleman from california, mr. berman, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. ms. ros-lehtinen: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. . ms. ros-lehtinen: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from california who has a strong voice on this issue related to taiwan status in the international civil aviation organization. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for three minutes. mr. royce: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and i do rise in support of this measure. for too long, taiwan has been left out of international organizations at the demand of china. taiwan was denied access to the

world health organization, unable to participate as even an observer for over 40 years. thankfully, though, that changed in 2009 when a taiwan delegation was allowed to observe meetings in geneva. and it was only proper that that change was made. well, congress had long pressed for this action through bills and resolutions. so it is fitting that we once again take to the floor to press for taiwan's inclusion in the international civil afeation organization. despite being home to the world's 18th busiest airport, taiwan has been kept out of an organization that aims to keep passengers safe. indeed, as this resolution finds, taiwan's exclusion from the i.c.a.o., has impeded taiwan's government from keeping up to date with aviation

standards and prevented the implementation of new systems and new procedures. the 35 million passengers that travel to and from taiwan each year are done a great disservice by taiwan's exclusion. mr. speaker, in a relatively short period of time, taiwan has gone from poverty to prosperity. it has gone from aritocracy to democracy. today our relations remain strong. passage of this resolution will only serve to strengthen this relationship and i urge my colleagues to support this measure. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. ms. ros-lehtinen: we reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: i rise in strong support of senate concurrent resolution 17 and yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to thank the

sponsor of the legislation, the senator from new jersey, mr. menendez and the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee, ms. ros-lehtinen, for their leadership on this issue. this resolution expresses the sense of congress that taiwan should be accorded observer status in the international civil aviation organization. taiwan has made significant progress in its economic and political development. today, taiwan is a leading trade partner of the united states and stands as a beacon of democracy in asia. however, taiwan has been excluded from meaningful participation and international organization, which is dedicated to ensuring safe and efficient air transportation around the globe. taiwan clearly deserves to be brought in as an observer, a status specifically recognized under their own rules.

taiwan has jurisdiction over airspace comprising 176,000 square nautical miles, provides air traffic control services to over 1.3 million flights each year. it has the eighth largest airport in the world by cargo volume and 18th largest by the number of international passengers. p taiwan's exclusion has impeded taiwan's efforts to maintain civil aviation standards to keep up with rapidly evolving international standards. it can't contact the organization for standards and norms, nor can it receive technical assistance implementing new regulations or participate in technical and academic seminars. despite these impediments. taiwan has made every effort to comply, but their continued

exclusion not only hurts taiwan, but puts the entire international aviation system at risk. indeed, taiwan's exclusion has prevented them from developing a truly global strategy to address security threats. with this resolution, congress calls on the international community to grant taiwan observer status at icao, and to ensure icao can address international threats to aviation security. we call on the united states government to take a leading role at icao to assist taiwan in imagining that status and look forward to working with our administration officials to track the development of these efforts. i urge my colleagues to support the resolution. and i will yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from florida is recognized.

ms. ros-lehtinen: i will make some remarks and yield back the remainder of our time. and mr. speaker, i would like to yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise in strong support of this important resolution which calls upon the international civil aviation organization to grant meaningful partnerships for taiwan. is there any doubt in a post -september 11 world that afe traffic safety constitutes one of the first lines of defense against those who would do harm to the united states or to our friends and allies. are not the people of taiwan deserving of the same level of protection against air assaults, as provided to the other people whose governments participate in icao? they cover an airspace of

176,000 square nautical miles. taiwan's main international airport is recognized as the eighth largest in the world in cargo traffic and 18th in the number of international passengers who make use of its services. can there be any doubt, therefore, that taiwan, which provides air safety control services for well over 1,350,000,000 flights annually responsible for air safety and security. beijing, informed taipei in the year 2009 that it would allow at least temporarily taiwan's participation in the world health assembly. meaningful participation in international organizations four taiwan represents too important an issue to be determined only by the whims of beijing.

it is time to open the door to taiwan's constructive and meaningful participation in icao and that time is now. the state department, as this resolution suggests, should assume a leading role in providing an action plan to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. we owe this, mr. speaker, to the people of taiwan. we owe this to ensure as well for the air safety of those american passengers flying over the skies of the western pacific. and here i am not speaking just in theoretical terms, mr. speaker. let us not forget that it was less than three decades ago when due to a tragic confusion in air communication, a soviet military fighter shot down a korean airlines flight as it left western pacific and flew inadvertently over soviet territory. as we know, this resulted in the

deaths of all 269 people on board, including a member of this house, congressman larry mcdonald of georgia's seventh district. the congressman was traveling to seoul to commemorate the 3th anniversary of the mutual defense treaty. air traffic controller is a serious matter. not only for the safety and security in the air of its own citizens but also of all of the people of the asia hafe pacific region. icao will be holding a conference in november and taiwan should be, must be represented there in montreal. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to express overwhelming support for this important resolution. i thank you, mr. speaker. and with that, i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back.

the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house concurrent resolution 17. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the concurrent resolution is agreed to, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the chair lays before the house the following communication. the clerk: the honorable, the speaker, house of representatives, sir, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the house of representatives that i have been served with a subpoena for documents issued by the fairfax county circuit court in connection with civil litigation currently pending before that court. after consultation with the office of general counsel, i have determined that compliance with the subpoena is inconsistent with the privileges and precedents of the house.

signed sincerey, daniel l. scaling chief of staff. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable, the speaker, house of representatives, sir, this is to notify you formally pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the house of representatives that i have been served with a subpoena for documents issued by the fairfax county circuit court in connection with civil litigation currently pending before that court. after consultation with the office of general council -- counsel, the subpoena is inconsistent with the privileges of the house. signed sincerely, frank r. wolf, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leaves of absence requested for ms. mrs. napolitano: of california for -- for ms. napolitano of

california for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the request is granted. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the city of richmond, texas, for its 175th anniversary. mr. olson: there would not be a state of texas without richmond. in 1822, members of stephen f. austin's old 300 built the fort on a bend in the brazos river. stephen f. austin is known as

the father of texas. he built his colony around that fort. where richmond sits today. in the wake of texas independence, richmond was incorporated at fort bend count cry's seat of government in 1836. our current mayor is the longest serving mayor in american history, serving the people of richmond since 1949. historically a center of commerce, the heart of a livestock industry and a power house of natural resources, the city continues to be something its people are darn proud of. it's an honor to share that pride with the people of richmond, texas. congratulations on their 175th anniversary. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert is recognized for 60

minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. 11 years ago today, the worst attack in american history on american soil occurred, more loss of life than pearl harbor, it was a day that those of us who are alive and old enough to know what was happening will never forget. it was a day of commitment as well, that we would do whatever

was necessary to protect our country. that we would do whatever was necessary to prevent future such attacks from occurring. and i recall, there in east texas, where i live, where i was a judge at the time the day after, on september 12, 2001, was an extraordinary day as well. it was a day that i also will not forget. i had never seen communities come together as we did across america on september 12, 2001. not in my lifetime. in world war ii, from history,

i've read accounts about some in america that felt like war with germany was a bad idea, that we ought to be nice to them. there were even people that were divided in america back then. but the overall resolve was to protect democracy, make democracy safe, make the world safe for democracy. that was the slogan. but we were so united on september 12, 2001. there in tyler, texas, and i know it happened all over east texas the same way. it didn't matter what race anyone was. it didn't matter their national origin, man, woman, religious preference. didn't matter.

we were americans, anglo americans, african-americans, we stood united. we wept together. we prayed together. and we held hands and sang together. here in washington, d.c., once again today, we sang "god bless america" without regard to party, without regard to house, senate. i think there was less mention of the word god today. i'm grateful for speaker pelosi who at the end of her remarks

asked for god to bless and comfort those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and asked that god would still bless america. and i'm grateful she did that. other leaders did not. andy mccarthy, andrew mccarthy, was the prosecutor of those who were involved in the 1993 world trade center bombing. he's a man that understands the constitution, he understands the law, he is a fantastic prosecutor, a brilliant mind and a great writer. and i want to -- i won't read the entire article but it's an article but it's an article

worth noting, from andrew mccarthy, entitled "remembering 9/11, at least for a day." he says, it is difficult to say what's harder to believe, that it has been 11 years since the 9/11 atrocities, or that national security has become an irrelevant issue in the most consequential presidential election in decades. the first observation reminds us that today is a day of remembrance, of the loss of nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens. of the bravery of those who willingly gave their lives to save others. and of the heroism of the men and women who put on the line

all that they have. that includes the love and well being of their families, on whom the burden of american national security has been imposed while the rest of us go on with our lives. too often without giving them a first thought, never mind a second. no matter which political party has been in power since 9/11, there's been a great deal of talk about the rule of law. it is as if we evolved beyond anything so crude and beknighted as armed force and national interests, especially national defense. let's remember today that we have the luxury of living under something resemiblg the rule of law only because dedicated

americans sacrificed themselves to confront evil. in this case, the evil ideology, islamic supremism, that is closer to the law of the jungle. i'm saying this parenthetically , this is not in the article, but to explain, islamic supremism is not all of those who worship and follow islam and islamic teachings. we have friends around the world who do not want to live under totalitarian, radical islamic supremism such as the taliban, such as al qaeda. they don't want to live under that. and they're muslim. they want to live their lives.

they want to worship in their own religion, without totalitarians telling them how they must. unfortunately, as in afghanistan, those muslim friends and pakistan, for that matter, iran and iraq as well trks there are muslims who have admired the united states until we abandoned them. going back to andrew mccarthy's article, the rule of law, he says, has precious little to do with why we have gotten through 11 years without a reprize of 9/11. a better explanation is the terrorists who have been captured or killed cannot commit more terrorism.

i'll insert parenthetically, there are terrorists who were captured, some confined at guantanamo bay, some confined at other facilities, who have been released and who have been found again on the battlefield, killing americans. they were captured, prevented from enacting further terrorism, and then released under some false notion that that would win friends and influence people, only to have other americans killed by these same thugs. back to andrew mccarthy's article. he says on the matter of evil, it is good to remember that it exists. evil is not a misunderstanding, a cultural gaffe. or a natural reaction to

political policies adopted in pursuit of american interests or israeli self-defense. that brings us to the second observation. the fact that national security concerns are absent from the 2012 campaign even with tens of thousands of americans at arms in distant hell holes, even with tens of millions of americans enduring the increasingly overbearing government that has been the cost of heightened vigilance in an every rar -- era where barbarism is met with political correctness, the united states defeated the ideological threats of the 20th century because we were unafraid to see evil for what it was. to diagnose it and to

understand it. today we ignore it. we rationalize it. and assume we are somehow to blame for it. for the bipartisan ruling class, 9/11 is about violent extremism. as if irrational, wanton killers, seized by a psychological disorder, committed mass murder for no better reason than to visit on the world's most famous office buildings the most shocking case of workplace violence in history. the violent extremism narrative is nonsense call. it defies re-- is nonsenseicall. it's a convenient fiction. it miniaturizes the enemy.

with the killing of bin laden, the president can portray the enemy as defeated even as al qaeda resurges. even as iraq has become an iranian influence, shah re-- iranian-influnesed sharia state that works against the united states and israel. he says parenthetically, remember when victory was defined as a stable democracy, that is a reliable ally? close paraphernalia parent sis. even as afghan islamists turn their weapons on their american trainers, and the administration pleads with the taliban to negotiate, he says, remember when victory was defined as a stable democracy that prevents the taliban from returning and giving safe haven to al qaeda again? the violent extremism canard

allows the administration to declare victory even as we are being humiliated. that's an excerpt from andrew mccarthy's article regarding today. mr. speaker, it's tragic that around the world, the united states has had allies who trusted us, who put their security in our hands. even to the extent of losing political power, losing political office, like some of the polish leaders who trusted america to help them with a missile defense. it wasn't so much a defense against russia, it was concern

for potential missiles until the middle east. -- missiles in the middle east. that this nation has not done enough to stop. but those who staked their political careers on the trustworthiness of the united states came up empty. in poland. mubarak had agreements with this administration, met with this administration. gaddafi had agreements with this administration, met with them, talked. we had senators from both sides of the aisle, although one of our republican senators says he didn't send that message. it wasn't his tweet, he says now , that he was meeting with

gaddafi and that he was an interesting man. but regardless, we know that there were people from both sides of the aisle that went and met with gaddafi. because gaddafi, after president bush gave the order to invade iraq, gaddafi believed he was next if he didn't do something and end his nuclear proliferation. so he did. he became an ally even though he was a murderer with blood on his hands. he reached agreements. he promised he would not attack americans again. and once again someone who trusted an agreement with the united states came up short. some of our allies in other parts of the world and other countries have to be wondering if they're next.

i visited with leaders in other countries who say the chinese are constantly coming around saying, you have figured out yet that you can't really trust the united states to keep their agreements? hey, you can trust us. well, whenever you come around, including in israel, there are chinese constantly there saying, when you figure out you can't trust the united states we're ready to be your friend. your ally. there should be no better ally in the world than the united states. but we have different administrations and different administrations are better about keeping their words with allies than others. the northern alliance in afghanistan fought with us and for us to defeat the taliban by early 2002.

over the years they have buried family and friends who have been our co-fighters against radical islamists in afghanistan. we abandoned them. this administration does not want to talk to them. and i was told by some of the northern alliance leaders earlier this year that one of the leaders of the taliban that this administration released for humanitarian purposes ended up announces he's back leading the taliban as one of their leaders. answered announced on afghan

national -- and he announced on afghan national television that under shari'a law if anyone in afghanistan had not been supportive of the taliban in the past they need to come in and ask forgiveness and get the taliban's protection. because as the leader said, told people who watch the national television channel in afghanistan, that everybody in the world knows the united states has lost in afghanistan and so all they have to do is wait until 2014 when this president's promised the united states will be out and they'll be back in charge. and certainly president karzai apparently has enough fear of them that he's giving them an awful lot of freedom and control in the area.

regardless of what anyone may say or prove about president karzai, he's not stupid. he knows we won't be there to keep him protected. so it looks as if he may be trying to placate the taliban, why wouldn't he? the united states sure is. and i hear friends here on the floor talk about the lessons of vietnam. the lesson of vietnam is not that it was an unwinnable war. that's very clear. if we had carpet bombed -- and this came from one of the leaders as he told sam johnson, as the americans left the hanoi hilton, including john mccain. but sam says one of the most ruthless leaders was laughing, you stupid americans. we just carpet bombed them for two weeks after they walked out

in peace talks. you stupid americans, don't you know if you had just bombed us for one more week we would have had to surrender unconditionally? this nation owes an apology to those who were sent to fight in vietnam, for leaving them over there to fight without an order to win and come home. that should be the lesson of vietnam. i was shocked to hear from parents of one of the seal team six members that was killed on the chinook, they were the first ones to mention it. i'm embarrassed i didn't know. they said 2/3 of the americans killed in afghanistan had been killed under president obama as the commander in chief. i found that hard to believe.

so we got the numbers directly from the department of defense. and i've got a poster here. president bush ordered americans at war or to go fight in afghanistan, we knew when we found out that's where terrorists were trained, where the plot was supposedly hatched to kill thousands of american innocent victims. so we had a list from the department of defense, their own statistical information analysis

division aunds look at the number of american -- and you look at the number of american deaths of our fantastic men and women in afghanistan and from october in 2001 to -- through the end of december, 2008, there were 625 american casualties, americans killed. valiant, brave men and women of our armed services killed in afghanistan, every one of them a treasure. but when we get down to the just over 3 1/2 years since, in the war that candidate obama called the good war, a term i don't know of anybody who's ever been in the military would use about a war, but he called it the good war.

well in president obama's good war, though he has been commander in chief less than half the time of president bush, it isn't 2/3, 70% of american military men and women who have been killed in afghanistan have been under the command of commander in chief obama. and it gets worse when you look at the total wounded in action. during the seven years and three months that president bush was president or was commander in chief over the war in afghanistan, 2,638 precious american men and women were wounded. when you visit our incredible men and women who had been wounded, lost arms, legs,

severely disabled, you end up walking away being the one who's uplifted with the incredible american spirit and the spirit of our american men and women. they're such a blessing. but not to the extent that you would want, you would think that anyone in america would want to leave our military men and women in afghanistan without a clear purpose, without rules of engagement that lets them defend themselves. we'll be talking more about that in the days to come. but in the just over 3 1/2 years that the afghan war has been

under command of commander in chief obama as compared to the 2,638 precious men and women who were wounded during half the time approximately this president has been in command, over 14,817 or 84% of the men and women who have been wounded in afghanistan. now, we have fantastic leaders in afghanistan, some of our nation's best. but when you get out into the field and you talk to the men and women, sometimes you get a little different story. there's a poll that came out last week indicating massive lack of morale among our

military men and women in afghanistan. how could there not be? they've been told they're going to have to stay in afghanistan, we're going to be there for two more years or so, they don't have a clear mission. basically train people that may kill you during or after the training, you're not allowed under the rules of engagement to properly defend yourself. and then our men and women in our armed forces are supposed to hope and pray that they're not one of the last ones killed on the way out. i would have thought people would understand the lesson of vietnam. not that there are wars such as

vietnam or afghanistan that are not winnable. vietnam was winnable, afghanistan initially was won, we took our eye off the ball. president obama did inherit a terrible situation in afghanistan and then he has doubled -- more than doubled down on the men and women who have been sacrificed, giving their lives, their arms, their legs in service to this country. we should not allow those precious men and women's lives to go without proper consideration. so many in our military have stepped up and said, i will go, i will defend america.

i called after 9/11, i was told i was too old. i said, i've got friends that i was in the army with years ago, they're still in. they said, that's because they were still in. and if you had stayed in, you could still be in. but you're too old to go back now. so though i was too old to go back into the army that i'd served four years of my life in, i found another place of service and i have to speak on behalf of our men and women in our military and i have to beg, mr. speaker, that our leaders in washington and in particular the leader, the commander in chief, either give our military a proper mission or get them out

of afghanistan. gave them proper rules of engagement or get them out, now. don't make them sit around for two years, wondering if they're going to be the next ones that leave in a casket. let them win and come home, or bring them home now. they can win. they're that good. with pakistan, i kept hearing, talk to people say, most of the supplies are coming from pakistan to supply the taliban. then cut off the supplies. we have the ability to do that. we just haven't had the will. either develop the will, cut off the supplies to the taliban, cut them off. or bring our people home now. don't let one more american

lose an arm, a leg, both arms, both legs, or come home another death. give them the orders to defeat the taliban, come hell or high water, do it, do it now. and then come home or bring them home now. we owe them thatch. is it any wonder the suicide rate is so high? so how are we treating our allies? on this, the 11th anniversary of 9/11. from the israeli media come this is report today. i'll read it verbatim. the white house declined israeli prime minister benjamin

netanyahu's request on tuesday to meet u.s. president barack obama during a u.n. conference in new york at the end of the month. parenthetically, i will insert, this is the same president who has told the taliban look, we'll buy you offices in qatar, we'll let the rest of your murdering thugs out of confinement, if you'll just sit down and talk to us. but apparently the president's schedule doesn't allow a meeting with what has been a phenomenal ally, believer in the value of life and liberty in israel. the article goes on. an official in jerusalem said the prime minister's office sent the white house a message stating that although netanyahu will spend only two and a half days on u.s. soil, he's

interested in meeting with obama and is willing to travel to the u.s. capitol specifically for that purpose -- to the u.s. capital for that purpose. the white house rejected that request and said at this time obama's schedule does not allow for a meeting. the white house's response marks a new low in relations between netanyahu and obama. underscored by the fact that this is the first time netanyahu will visit the u.s. as prime minister without meeting the president. israeli defense minister ehud barack reportedly tried smoothing things over but b.b., or prime minister netanyahu is having none of it. quote, the world tells israel, wait, there's still time. and i say, wait for what? wait until when? those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before iran don't have a

moral right to place a red light before israel. end quote. netanyahu told reporters on tuesday. quote, now if iran knows that there is no red line, if iran knows there's no deadline, what will it do? exactly what it's doing. it's continuing without any interference toward obtaining nuclear weapons capability and from there, nuclear bombs, unquote. he said. relations between the u.s. and israel have been strained during the entire obama term. obama's called for israel to retreat to its 1967 borders -- obama's call for israel to retreat to its 1967 borders was widely seen as a slap to our ally. obama's support of ousting hosni mubarak from the egyptian

presidency paved the way for what looks like an islamist takeover in cairo danieling a long-standing peace treaty between israel an egypt. president obama also has not visited israel in his presidency. republican presidential nominee mitt rom mi visited israel in july of 2012. more news today. this from muhammad abu zaid with the a.p., dated september 11, 2012. egyptian demonstrators climbed the walls of the u.s. embassy in cairo today and pulled down the american flag to protest a film that they say is insulting to the prophet mohammed. updated at 2:07 p.m. eastern

time. cnn reports that u.s. security guards fired a volley of warning shots as the crowd gathered outside the embassy walls. cnn adds that the embassy has been expecting a demonstration and cleared all diplomatic personnel earlier from they the facility. the original post said, from the ap, the associated press reports that embassy officials say there was no staff inside at the time. reuters reports that protesters tried to raise a black flag carrying the slogan, quote, there is no god but allah and mohammed is his members of the jury, unquote. the news agency says about 2,000 protesters had gathered outside the embassy and about 20 have scaled the walls. the a.p. says the protesters were largely ultra conservative islamists. iran's news agency says the

protest is being aimed at a movie being produced by a group of extremist members of the egyptian coptic church in the united states. parenthetically, i will mention , we've seen in recent days that this new government in egypt, that the united states has to bear partial responsibility for being in place, has now seen the return of crucifixions in egypt. the barbaric manner of killing people by making them suffer as much as possible before they breathe their last. just as jesus himself did in

laying down his life for others. also, it is remarkable that you have people who say, as they did with the insulting cartoon of -- depicting a mohammed or someone appearing to be situated that way as a violent person and in response there were riots and people were killed. which kind of seems to make it not a cartoon but a prophecy. back to the article. cnn says the film in question is a dutch production. the a.p. says clips of the film are available on youtube and show the prophet, and this

would clearly be insulting, having sexual relations, of course that would be insulting. it's ridiculous to have anything that resembles that just as it is absolutely ridiculous and despicable to demean christianity, to call it a hate group, when it's founded by jesus who showed the ultimate love for all humanity. it's despicable when someone burns a flag but it's not illegal. it's not illegal to burn a bible. it's despicable but it's not illegal. personally, i anticipate if history shows what the radicals will do, they will follow the

example, unfortunately, there will be more rioting, somebody will tragically be killed by these cut throats and then some will say, see, we need to change the law in america where you can burn bibles, you can burn the flag, you can desecrate any religion, just not islam. and then the goal is found in the archives after a search warrant showed one of the 10-year goals to be subjecting our constitution to sharia law and that will be a box that can be checked off. back to the article. after the protest, the u.s. embassy issued this statement on its website. the embassy of the united states in cairo condemns the continued efforts by misguided

individuals to hurt the feelings of muslims and then we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. how about the christians in egypt being barbarically killed for their religious beliefs? wouldn't it be nice if this administration would condemn those activities and do what it takes to stop them? today, the 11th anniversary of the september 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the united states, americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. respectful religious -- respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of american democracy. we firmly reject the actions of those who abuse the rights of free speech to hurt others. the grand mufti of egypt strongly condemned the movie.

freedom of speech does not warrant desecrating sanctities, he said in a statement on sunday. and he's right. but those freedoms exist in america. the old adage that was attributed to voluntary for most of the history -- to voltaiere through most of history since, i disagree with what you say but i will defend to the death your right to say it, used to mean something in this country. now it's been subjected to ideological terms that would have it say more something on the order of, i disagree with what you say, so i want you imprisoned, i want you to lose your business, i want you to have no friends, i want to take all your money, i want to destroy your life. what a turn. over the last 200-plus years

from our constitution's establishment and writing in 1787. of course it took longer than that to be ratified. 11 years after 9/11, what has gone wrong? you know, not only were there mistakes in vietnam under both democratic and republican presidents, our embassy was attacked in tehran in 1979. those of us at fort benning, i didn't know of anybody that was dying to go, but i knew an awful lot of people willing to go and die in defense of our country.

and i knew -- and under everybody's definition of international law, when you attack an embassy, you have attacked, you have committed an act of war against that country. and if the host country cannot protect the embassy, then that country who owns that embassy that uses that embassy, has every right to bring the full military power to bear to defend it. and i still carry the horrible realization, i believe if we had defended our embassy in 1979, thousands and thousands and thousands of precious americans would not have had to give their lives since. our beamsy has been attacked in e-- our embassy has been attacked in egypt.

if the government that the secretary of state has just promised $2.5 billion, i don't know if some of it may have already gone over there, if they're not going to be able to defend our embassy, then we need to take action to defend it. i also think it's time to revisit the carter era idea that we should never take out government leaders. i think it's time to have this debate again. which is more immoral, to go to war with a country where at the time you go to war most of the people of that country like you and respect you and yet are going to die, many of them?

or to take a position, it's your country, you're free to establish whatever government you want, but if you put in place a government that declares war on the united states, that says we are for the annihilation of the united states, their way of life, their people, then we will take that government out and we won't rebuild it. you'll be free to pick whatever kind of government you want. it's time to have the debate. wouldn't that have been better in afghanistan rather than forcing a centralized government on a tribal region that has since become so corrupt that the money that we have spent, spent by the billions, in afghanistan, given to afghanistan, has made its way to other places besides

the intended objects. talking to some of our soldiers over there who have trained farmers. they said the billions that have been sent and sent to afghanistan -- spent and sent to afghanistan to create farming projects have not any of it made it to the region where they were training the farmers. it was wasted effort. so they travel around over there wondering, will they be the next i.e.d. death or will they be the next i.e.d. dismembered? the thing is, a good foreign policy says the enemy of our enemy is our friend. a good foreign policy says we will not try to buy off the bullies in the world to make them like us.

as i've said for years, you don't have to pay people to hate you, they'll do it for free. save that money, use it to rebuild relations with former allies that have been let down. but don't keep giving money to people that hate us. we don't need to be nation building. we need to let nations live in peace under their own discretion . but if they declare war or set as a goal our annihilation, shouldn't we at least talk about taking out the government rather than going to war with the people? i think it's time to have the debate again.

there is too much death and loss of life in afghanistan, hard to believe 70% of lives lost of americans in afghanistan in our military have occurred under commander obama, 84% of all the wounded have been wounded under the command of commander obama. it's time to talk about these things, whether it's presidential candidates want to talk about them or not. we owe that to the people, we have put in -- we owe that to the people we have put in harm's way. as this is the anniversary of 9/11, it's another opportunity for me to recall the memory of ross mcguiness.

haven't got an email from tom asking me not to forget. he knows i'll never forget. -- forget his son. i went to his funeral at articlington national cemetery -- at arlington national cemetery. i had become friends since then with the mcguinnesses -- mcguinesses. i've been to all the funerals of those who have died while in service in harm's way for my district. i've been to too many of those such funerals. but this wasn't a person from my district in east texas. this was a guy from knox, pennsylvania, a young man

graduated from high school, gotten into trouble at the end, ross' mom doesn't want me to forget that. he was given a second chance. they let him graduate, he joined the army and ross found his niche. i haven't seen any pictures anybody had of me during army basic training or officer basic training in 1974. but i don't think i was smiling if somebody has them. it was a difficult time. it was hot. humid. but there are pictures of ross going through basic with other soldiers and he got a big old smile, had a beautiful smile. and the guys with him are not so smiling. there are pictures of him after he got to iraq and the heat obviously was wearing down his friends, fellow service members, but he had a big old grin.

his platoon sergeant told me that he was such a piece of enthusiasm in their midst. he was uplifting to the other soldiers. and ross was a gunner on a humvee and as it was going through a town, whether shot or thrown, a ga aid in goes into the bed of the hum -- a grenade goes into the bed of the humvee where there were four of our soldiers, including ross' platoon sergeant from long view, texas. sed rick thomas -- cedric thomas. a soldier from tyler, my hometown, sean lawson. two other soldiers. and they said that ross yelled, grenade, and he looked back but

ross was the only one in the position to jump out and save himself. but when he looked back and he saw each of the four cringing in their corners he obviously knew those four soldiers were going to die. so instead of jumping out and saving his own life and four soldiers being lost, he didn't jump out. he jumped in. covered the grenade, took the full blow himself, gave his life and four of our soldiers are alive today because of what ross did. just as on the statue downstairs right below me, right below where i stand, the statue of father damian, catholic priest

from hawaii, on the side of it is john 15:13. the words greater love have no more than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. ross had a lot of love. the accounts after 9/11, after those planes flew into buildings here at the pentagon, there in new york, those incredible heroes on the fourth flight that went down in a field in pennsylvania, those heroes went running in, willing to lay down their lives to save others. as ross did. there at articlington national cemetery, the army chaplain did a wonderful job, "taps" was

played. it always gets me. count everybody there, a 21-gun salute, it's an emotional thing at a funeral. and as everyone stood to turn to go, sergeant thomas came up, knelt down before the remains of ross, put his hand on the remains of ross mcguiness, bowed his head in prayer. he was followed by two others that ross had saved, the fourth was still in iraq. they put their hands on ross' remains, bowed, took a knee, bowed in prayer. and it was obvious what they

were doing. whether it's on memorial day, veterans day, 9/11 anniversary, there cannot be too many occasions when we as a nation stop and do what those three soldiers did. thank those who have laid down their lives for the rest of us, for our liberties. thank those who have sacrificed life or limb or suffered terrible disability for us and our lives and our liberty. and then to thank god for people

who are still willing to lay down their lives for us. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from new york, mr. tonko, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. tonko: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. and this evening we'll spend some time here in special order on the house floor to address a great bit of unfinished business that rests before the house. and we have just returned from

what is a five-week recess where members of this house were back in their districts and addressing the events of this session. it has been labeled by many as a do-nothing congress and this evening we're going to talk about that do-nothing agenda. we have attempted in every which way to encourage the congress, the house, to address legislation that speaks to jobs creation and economic recovery, continuing to build upon the achievements of the 111th congress, we're now serving in the 112th. but for me it's my second term in the house. and the very first term for me, the 111th congress, was deemed by several polls out there to be one of the most productive in decades. where there were many things where there were many things take