, j-1, is changed to government. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and extraneous material information on h.r. 5. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, during roll call vote number 5 on motion to commit, i was unavoidably detained. had i been present i would have voted yes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman's statement will be put in the record. without objection, pursuant to house resolution 3, the chair now i announces the speaker's appointment of the members to the following committee on the part of the house to join the committee on the part of the senate to notify the president of the united states that a quorum of each house has been assembled and that congress is ready to receive any

communication that he may be pleased to make. the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. pelosi. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington rise? mrs. mcmorris rodgers: mr. speaker, by direction on the republican conference, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 6, resolved that following named members be and are hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives. committee on agriculture, mr. lucas, chairman. committee on appropriations, mr. rogers of kentucky, chairman. committee on armed services -- mrs. mcmorris rodgers: mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the reading is dispensed with.

without objection, the resolution is agreed to. the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> mr. speaker, by direction of the democratic caucus and on behalf of the minority leader, nancy pelosi, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 7, resolved that the following named members be and are hereby elected to the following standing committees of the house of representatives. one, committee on agriculture. mr. becerra: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is read. without objection, the resolution is agreed to. the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the gentleman from california. for what purpose do you rise? >> i ask unanimous consent for a resolution's immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: report

the title. the clerk: house resolution 8. resolution providing for the designation of certain minority employees. the speaker pro tempore: is there objection to consideration of the resolution? hearing none the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? mr. sessions: mr. speaker, i offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 9. resolved that unless otherwise ordered, the hour of daily meeting of the house shall be 2:00 p.m. on mondays, noon on tuesdays or 2:00 p.m. if no legislative business was conducted on the preceding monday. noon on wednesdays and thursdays and 9:00 a.m. on all other days of the week. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the resolution is agreed to. and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman rise? >> mr. speaker, during roll call vote number 6 on the house resolution 5 i was unavoidably detained. had i been present i would have voted no. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman's statement will be put in the record. for what purpose does the majority leader rise? mr. cantor: i ask unanimous consent that during the 113th congress, the speaker, majority leader and minority leader be authorized to accept resignations and to make appointments authorized by law or by the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that during the 113th congress, all members be permitted to extend their remarks and to include ex treanious material within the permitted limit in that section of the record entitled extensions of remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that

during the first session of the 113th congress, one, on legislative days of monday or tuesday, when the house convenes pursuant to house resolution 9, the house shall convene two hours earlier than the time otherwise sfeab established by the resolution for the purpose of conducting morning hour debate. two, on legislative days of wednesday or thursday, when the house convenes pursuant to house resolution 9, the house shall convene two hours earlier than the time otherwise established by the resolution for the purpose of conducting morning hour debate. three, when the house convenes pursuant to an order other than house resolution 9, the house shall convene for the purpose of conducting morning hour debate only as prescribed by such order. four, the time for morning hour debate shall be allocated equally between the parties and may not continue beyond 10 minutes before the hour appointed for the resumption of the session of the house. and, five, the form of proceeding for morning hour debate shall be as follows. the prayer by the chaplain.

the approval of the journal and the pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be post pobed -- postuponned until resumption of the session of the house. initial and subsequent recognitions for debate shall alternate between the parties. recognition shall be conferred by the speaker only pursuant to lists submitted by the majority leader and by the minority leader. no member may address the house for longer than five minutes except the majority leader, the minority leader or the minority whip. no legislative business shall be in order except the filing of privileged reports and following morning hour debate, the chair shall declare a recess pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1 until the time appointed for the resumption of the session of the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman from virginia. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, your committee appointed on the part of the house to join a like committee on the part of the senate to notify the president of the united states that a combor um -- quorum of each

house has been assembled and is ready to receive any communication that he may be pleased to make has performed that duty. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. who seeks recognition? the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i bring up a concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the concurrent resolution. the clerk: house concurrent resolution 1. resolved that pursuant to clause 4, section 5, article 1 of the constitution, during the 113th congress the speaker of the house and the majority leader of the senate or their respective designees acting jointly after consultation with the minority leader of the house and the minority leader of the senate may notify the members of the house and the senate respectively to assemble at a place outside the district of columbia if the public interest shall warrant it.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to. and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the distinguished majority leader rise? mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourn today it adjourn to meet at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. pursuant to 2, u.s.c., 2001,

and the order of the house of today, of the gentleman from virginia, mr. cantor, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. pelosi, as members of the house office building commission, to serve with the speaker. pursuant to clause 11 of rule 10, clause 11 of rule 1, and the order of the house today, the chair announces the speaker's appointment of the following members to the house of the permanent select committee on intelligence. the clerk: mr. rogers of michigan, chairman. mr. ruppersberger of maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to 15, u.s.c., 1024-a and the order of the house of today of the following members of the house to the joint economic committee.

the clerk: mr. brady of texas, mrs. maloney of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays bmp the house a privileged concurrent resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 1, resolved that provide the two houses of congress shall meet in the hall of the house of representatives on thursday, the fourth day of january, 2013, at 1:00, postmeridian, pursuant to the requirements of the constitution and laws relating to the election of president and vice president of the united states. and the president of the senate shall be there presiding -- their presiding officer. that two tellers shall be previously appointed by the president of the senate on the part of the senate and, two, by the speaker on the part of the house of representatives to whom shall be handed as they

are opened by the president of the senate all the certificates and papers reporting to be certificates of the electoral votes, which certificates and papers shall be opened, presented and acted upon in the alphabetical order of the states beginning with the letter a. and said tellers, having then read the same in the presence and hearing of the two houses, shall make a list of the votes as they shall appear from said certificates. and the votes, having been ascertained and counted in the manner and according to the rules by law provided, the results of the same shall be delivered to the president of the senate. who shall there upon announce the state of the vote which announcement shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons, if any, elected president and vice president of the united states and together with a list of the votes be entered on the journals of the two houses. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to. the chair lays before the house a privileged concurrent

resolution. the clerk: senate concurrent resolution 2. resolved, section 1, re-authorization of joint committee. effective from january 3, 2013, the joint committee created by senate concurrent resolution 35, 11th congress, to make the necessary arrangements for the inauguration of the president-elect and the vice president-elect of the united states is continued with the same power and authority provided for in that resolution. section 2, use of capital, effective from january 3, 2013, the provisions of senate concurrent resolution 36, 112th congress, to authorize the use of the rotunda and emancipation hall of the capitol by the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies in connection with the proceedings and ceremonies conducted for the inauguration of the president-elect and the vice president-elect of the united states are continued with the

same power and authority provided for in that resolution. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the concurrent resolution is agreed to. the chair customarily takes this occasion at the outset of a congress to announce his policies with respect to particular aspects of the legislative process. the chair will insert in the record announcements concerning first privileges of the floor, second, introduction of bills and resolutions, third, unanimous consent requests for the consideration of legislation, fourth, recognition for one-minute d speeches, fifth, recognition for special order speeches, sixth, decorum in debate, seventh, conduct of votes by electronic device, eighth, the use of handouts on the house floor, ninth, the use of electronic equipment on the

house floor and, tent, use of the chamber. these announcement, where appropriate, will reiterate the orins of the stated policies. the chair intends to continue in the 113th congress the policies reflected in these statements. the policy announced in the 102nd congress with respect to jurisdictional concepts related to clause 5-a of rule 21, tax and tariff measures, will continue to govern but need not be reiterated. as it is adequately documented as precedent in the house rules and manual. without objection, the announcements will be printed in the record. the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, under clause 2-g of rule 2 of the rules of the house of

representatives, i herewith designate robert reeves, deputy clerk to sign any and all papers and do all other acts for me under the name of the clerk of the house, that they would be authorized to do by virtue of this designation, except such as are provided by statute in case of my temporary absence or disability. this designation shall be remain in effect for the 113th congress or until modified by me. with best wished i am, signed, sincerely, karen l. haas, clerk of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the claire heys -- the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable karen l. haas, clerk of the house of representatives, madam clerk, pursuant to house concurrent resolution 1 and also for purposes of such concurrent resolutions of the concurrent congress as macon template my designation of members to act

in circumstance circumstances, i hereby designate representative eric cantor of virginia to act jointly with the majority leader of the senate or his designee in the event of my death or inability to notify the members of the house and the senate respectively of any reassembly under any such concurrent resolution. in the event of the death or inability of that designee, thality alter nat members of the house -- the alternate members of the house listed in this are designated in turn for the same purposes. signed, sincerely, john a. boehner, speaker of the house. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces that the speaker has delivered to the clerk a letter dated january 3, 2013, listing the order in which people shall act as speaker pro tempore. the chair lays before the house the following appointment.

the clerk: i hereby appoint the honorable jeff denham, the honorable macthornberry, the honorable fred upton, the honorable andy harris and the honorable frank r. wolf to sign enrolled bills and joint resolutions through the remainder of the 113th congress, signed, john a. boehner, speak of the house. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the appointments are approved. without objection, house resolution 1 is amended by striking florida in the second place it appears and reinserting oregon. under clause 5-b of rule 20, the chair announces to the house that the whole numb of the house is 429. the chair lays before the house the physical lowing personal communications.

the clerk: leaves of absence requested for mr. ribble of wisconsin for today after 4:30 p.m. and for the balance of of the week and ms. roybal-allard for today and friday, january 4, 2013. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the requests are granted. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina rise? -- does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. accordingly the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.

>> speaker boehner. [indiscernbile]

[indiscernbile] >> john boehner, who won reelection to that position this afternoon. he continues there in the rayburn room. iolofollow that on c-

span2. your calls and thoughts on the upcoming contests. first up is california, democrats line. go ahead. are you there? caller: yes. i would like to congratulate nancy pelosi. i have the same thing happening here, my 64th anniversary. i would like to make a comment on the constitution. they are going to have to reword "we the people." as i recall in 1936 when roosevelt set up social security, it was not to beat retirement. i have survived two of these

graves situations, and to meet social security was not a retirement. a lot of seniors seemed to think that it was supposed to be a retirement, and it was not. another thing i would like to make a comment on, i remember the $600 toilet seat. i think it to a seat i have been using for 20 years, made out of oak, i got out of home depot, and it still works. why do these engineers design something that is so expensive to produce and has to have so many inspections on it -- host: you are talking about the pentagon's spending from a yeyes ago? talking about some of the earlier votes, procedural votes. here is how it was viewed in a

tweed. he said the first big votes were to overturn citizens united and protect voting rights. did not succeed, but will keep fighting. tomorrow, the first part of csandy relief. an independent from minnesota. bill head. caller: hi. i have a couple comments. number one, why does not congress address the massive corruption in our government? that is starting with their own body. congress, government, white house -- they are all corrupt. why don't they do something about it?

next, avoiding mass corruption by the democratic party. nothing is done. host: in terms of voting? caller: and the insider trading, extortion, bribery. it all needs to be addressed. we will not get any place until that is addressed. host: this is video from earlier today. boehner reelected, to have the 20 votes in his favor, 1924 pelosi -- 192 for pelosi. caller: i want to thank c-span for being there. i am an old newspaper photographer from the los angeles area, and you guys have done a wonderful job, and i appreciate it. host: how long were you a newspaper photographer? caller: many years.

host: did you get a chance to cover congress? caller: yes. i was at the convention when a photographer was pushed by somebody running for president, as he was coming into the air arena for the convention. host: 0 head, madeline, with your comment. caller: i want to say thank you, and if the schools were to get your information, i think it would be wonderful, if you could send a summary. also, the 14-year-old that called in, that was something that was really great. mr. hurt also add another were excellent in what they said and the way they were able to talk to the average person concerning what is going on. the more you keep on, the better

off we are want to be, and thank you again. host: thank you for your comments. we do have c-span in the classroom where we help with content and help teachers with social studies and history. you can find that at our website at c-span.org. we go to nora, a democrat in illinois. caller: am glad i can get c- span. i hope boehner does not listen to the tea party because they are too far, too, too far. in fact, i compared them to the to cox clan, so i hope -- ku - klux klan. host: we are watching boehner as

he can talks -- as he conducts market soarings-in. caller: i am retired engineer from general dynamics, and i would like to see this country back on solid footing and using some of the latest technology in the defense program, less people, more technology. host: if carolina, henry on the independent line. caller: if the politicians really want to get americans to trust them again, the first thing they need to enact is some type of term limit, because our main problem is even though the election is over right now, they are already starting to run for election again. it is like they just continuously are running for re- election instead of working on

the problems at hand. host: in terms of the lack of term limits, do you think is an issue of too much money in politics, too much corruption? caller: too much power, corruption, yes. would mitt romney spent so many millions of his own dollars to get a job that pays less than a million dollars a year? host: thanks, and we will take one more call. we will look at some of the tweeds this afternoon. host: kevin is in northeastern massachusetts on the democrats . go ahead. caller: i want to say that this

congress does not forget about the tragedy in newtown, aurora, the need to have gun control. i hope this does not fall by the wayside. i hope people contact their local representatives and that their voices be heard, because it is the one issue that everybody has to be focused on in this next congress. host: vice-president biden looking at issues, solutions, and more in related -- in relation to gun violence. he that -- the panel is expected to report back to the president before inauguration, monday, january 21. jeannine on the republican line. caller: i would like congratulate louie gohmert and

challenge him to stand on the christian beliefs and ethics that this country was formed on and wish him all the best. host: is louie gohmert your congressman? caller: he is a native of mount pleasant texas, but he is a dear friend of mine. host: thanks for calling. e is one istw two representatives calling for former representative alan west to be speaker of the house. one member voted present. one more call on the 113th. portland, ore., on the independent line. go ahead. caller: good evening. thank you for taking my call. i am an affiliate of the working

years old,y, 60- with a non-allowable amount of retirement. i was glad to see the extension of the unemployment benefits, because i would be living under the bridge if i did not. congress needs to demand that the speaker of the house john boehner's resignation for failing to perform as a house and republican leader. because mr. boehner is egotistical and as a pompous attitude and actions, they were the main cause of the prolonged decision-making on the fiscal cliff, and the non response to the voting for the sandy store relief bill until january 15. i am appalled at this and they voted him back in. the other thing i want to say is why are there 200 democrats,

and 233 republicans? if it stays unequal like this, the debt -- the republicans will always get what they want. i think they need to be to the democrats, 200 republicans. can you fill me in on why there are 33 more? host: not always. the democrats were in power not that long ago. in fact, this election, the democrats picked up and a number of seats. it is now 233 to 200, with two seats vacant. one look at how one member will spend his first night. the senate in tomorrow at public

30, the house back at 10:00 eastern. the house will take up the flood insurance sandy relief for new jersey and new york. later, we will have all of the day's highlights, but we will show you next the comments of nancy pelosi, the democratic leader, as she lays out the democratic view of the house in the 113th congress. >> to my fellow members of the house, it is a high honor to welcome you to the 113th congress.

welcome. to reach this day, each of us has been strengthened by our faith and our family, with a full and grateful heart. i want to thank my family, my husband of 49 years, paul pelosi -- [applause]

my children, nancy, christine, alexandra, my grandchildren, represented here today by our daughter mick, madeline, and i also have to gratitude to the family in baltimore as well. i thank you for giving me the privilege of representing the beautiful city of san for cisco. each of us here today is truly a representative. a representative in the truest sense of the word, to represent the highest hopes and aspirations of the american people. on new year's eve, some of you, a large number of members of congress, joined hundreds of people at the national archives building, where we observed at midnight the 150th anniversary of the signing of the

emancipation proclamation. [applause] at midnight there was an enactment of harriet tubman ringing the bell, ringing the bell, and as she rang the bell, she said, now we are free. it was quite an incredible moment, and it was one that ushered in what president lincoln would call a new birth of freedom for his era and for generations to come. that transformative moment in our history is a reminder of the best traditions we have as a people, the ability an obligation each generation of americans to renew the promise of our founders, to carry forward the torch of progress, to reignite the american dream.

this is who we are as americans,. this is the character of our country. this is the strength of our democracy. the strength of our democracy rests on a strong and thriving middle-class, the backbone of our democracy, that middle class is, so we have a moral imperative to invest in good- paying jobs here at home and in the prosperity of our people as we build our infrastructure and we reduce the deficit. we must ensure that innovation rests at the heart of our success, that we remain first in science, technology, engineering, and energy, that we educate and prepare our young people for the opportunities of tomorrow. and when we make it in america, all of america's families can make it in america.

[applause] the strength of our democracy also demands that we restore the confidence of the american people in our political process. we must empower the voters, which must remove obstacles to participation in our democracy for all americans. [applause] we must increase the level of civility and reduced the role of money in our elections. [applause] when we do, we will elect more women, minorities, more young people to public office, and that is a good thing. the american people are what makes our country great. by and large, the united states is a nation of immigrants, built, and rich, and strengthened by men, women, and children who share our patriotism and seek the american

dream. the strength of our democracy will be advanced by bold actions for comprehensive immigration reform. [applause] [indiscernbile] today we take an oath to protect and defend our constitution, our people, and our freedom, to protect and defend, that is our first responsibility, and our democracy requires that we each pulled the duty of keeping america say in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. as we mourn the families of new town, the safety of all

americans would be a truly meaningful tribute of those from sandy hook elementary school. for the sake of our children, let us work together to protect and defend all of our people. [applause] in the same year lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, the statue of freedom was unveiled atop the capitol dome. that don't continues to be a beacon of freedom to the world a source of inspiration for all who have had the honor to serve in congress. as we take our oath of office today, let us renew the promise of freedom. let us work in french a partnership to live up to the legacy of our founders and the

aspirations of our constituents. us renew the strength of our democracy by reigniting the american dream. as we celebrate this moment, honor and thank those americans who protect our democracy and secure our freedom. our veterans and our men and women in uniform, their families, and wherever they go. [applause] god bless them, god bless america. thank you, all. [applause] now the house will continue to be led by a proud son of ohio, and man of conviction and a public servant of resolve. speaker boehner is a leader who has earned the confidence of his conference and the respect of his colleagues on both sides

of the aisle. [applause] he is a man of faith, faith in god, faith in our country, and fate in his family. and l we also congratulate his wife and his family and the entire boehner family. [applause] speaker boehner, i know all too well that we will not always agree, but i hope with all my heart that we will find common ground that is a tyrant, a better place for our country. surely, we can be touched by the

better angels of our natures. surely, we can be touched by the better angels of our natures, so beautifully expressed by president lincoln. this is the people's house. this is the people's and gavel. it represents a sacred trust. may we all fulfil that trust and make real the ideals of democratic governments. with respect for our constitution, with faith in the american people, with hope for the future of our country, i present the people's gavel to the speaker of the house, john boehner. may god bless you. [applause]

make god bless you, speaker boehner. may god bless this congress. they got always bless the united states of america. my colleague, the speaker of the house john boehner. [applause] >> thank you. leader pelosi, thank you for your kind words. members of the house and the senate, my wife debbie who is with us today, thankfully the girls are working. and all of you and our fellow countrymen, we meet again at

democracy's great port of call. every two years, at this hour, the constitution brings a new order to this house, and it is an interlude for reflection. a glimpse of old truths. and to add new members and their families, let me just say welcome. [applause] i know you are feeling a bit all struck at this moment. history runs through this building. now you are among a select few to share in this privilege. for those of you who are returning, who have walked these aisles before, it may be in this time we get a little all struck again -- awestruck again. the way our founders envisioned

it, the republic will be led by citizens who recognize that the blessings that we received by governing ourselves, and it requires that we give something of ourselves. everything depended on this, so it they swore an oath of allegiance. in a few moments, i will take this oath for the 12th time as a representative from the eighth district of ohio. it is word for word the same oath that we all take, and note that it makes no mention of party or faction or title. it contains no reference to agendas or two platforms, only to the constitution. one addition we dare not make, as george washington did at the first inaugural, is to invoke

our heavenly father. this covenant makes us serve into posterity, and it calls us to refuse passing interest and followed the fixed star of a more perfect union. but simply, we are sent here not to be something, but to do something. [applause] or as i like to call it, doing the right thing. it is a big job, and it comes with big challenges. our government has built up too much debt. our economy is not producing enough jobs. these are not separate problems. at $16 trillion and rising, our national debt is reining in free enterprise and weakening the ship of state. the american dream is imperiled

as long as its namesake is weighed down by this anchor of debt. break its whole, we begin to set our economy free, jobs will come home from, and confidence will come back. we did this not just to boost gdp or reduce unemployment, but to secure for our children a future of freedom and opportunity, and, frankly, nothing is more important. as washington wrote in his farewell address -- [applause] as washington wrote in his farewell address, we should not throw upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear. that burden is ours, and so is the opportunity. there is no substitute for the wisdom of the people. we here are those servants.

i pledge to listen and do all i can to help all of you carry out your oath of office that we are all about to take. because in our hearts we know it is wrong to pass this debt on to our kids and grandkids. now we have to be willing, truly willing to make this problem right. public service was never meant to be an easy living. extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary leadership. the if you have come here to see your name in the lights or pass off political victory, you have come to the wrong place. the door is right behind you. if you come here humble by the opportunity to serve, if you have come here to be a determined voice of the people,

if you have come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not by our constituents, but by the times, then you have come to the right place. [applause] there is a time for every purpose under heaven, and for the 113th congress, it is a time to rise. when the day is over and the verdict is read, maybe if is said that we well and faithfully did our duty to ensure freedom, that freedom will endure and prevail. so help us god. [applause]

i am now ready to take the oath of office, and i would ask the dean of the house of representatives to a minister the oath of office. >> please raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of each nation, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you god?

>> i do. >> congratulations, mr. speaker. [applause] >> thank you, all. thank you. according to precedent, the chair will swear in the members en masse so all members-elect will rise, and the chair will now administer the oath of office. if all members-elect will raise their right hand -- do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the constitution of the constitution of united states, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of innovation, and that you will well and

faithfully discharge the duties of the office, on which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. >> congratulations. you are now members of the 113th congress. [applause] >> john boehner just after being reelected speaker earlier today. he got 220 votes, but it was not unanimous among republicans. eric cantor seat 3 votes, and former congressman allen west got two votes. we will see more of boehner now going to the mock swearing in of members of the house, which bespeak -- with the speaker greeting families. [indiscernbile]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [indiscernbile]

>> in the 113th congress, the house has to have a 20 republicans -- 220 republicans. tomorrow morning, we will talk with senators about the legislative agenda for congress. senator john hoeven and senator

angus king. and we'll talk about the unemployment numbers. you can see "washington journal" every day on c-span at 7:00 a.m. eastern. host: we are back live from the rotunda on capitol hill talking to new members of congress this morning. one of the house freshmen here with us is talking about the 113th congress and all of the big votes that you have coming up. what experience from your past do you bring to washington for this new position? guest: i feel phenomenally lucky to be here and thank the voters of the 23rd district. my experience is in the texas

legislature and. de i was one of the members -- the committee chair when the democrats were in the majority and a committee chair when the republicans were in the majority and tried to bridge the gap and forge a consensus among the members and my own view has been that congress has been engaging in partisan fires and we as a nation have consistently elected people to add more fuel to the fire. i hope with the selection we have elected some people who will work together to put the fire out. generally, my experience working to bridge gaps and find solutions and making a difference for the people at home. caller: -- i've enjoyed it immensely so far. my family is here and they are not going to live here. my front line is that home and

i'm worried about making a difference at home as a freshman member of congress. in the minority party, there's not an opportunity to be that -- to be passing major legislation. i want to make sure my constituents are well represented and i expect i will spend most of my time at home in the 23rd district. it is interesting to me because in 1982, when i graduated from college, i moved to washington to look for a job and try to work here. 30 years later, in 2012, i came back looking for a place to live one more time. but this time to be a member of congress. it is pretty interesting, the change over that 30-year span of time. host: one of the first big votes he will face is whether or not to raise the debt ceiling. what are you thinking now?

guest: i've been reading everything i can and i'm really in the mode of learning and trying to gather as much information as possible. it seems to be our country faces some significant challenges -- you know the saying by parents -- i always remember talking about how things always get worse before they get better and i think there are some challenges ahead and as congress gets to know each other better and works together, i think there is a different chemistry among the newer members of congress who just got here hot hot. whatever the solution will be, we will try to work at it in an amicable way carry-on. host: do you have any reluctance about the debt ceiling? >> clearly every decision we

have to make, whether it's the debt ceiling or the budget, those things have to be carefully crafted and considered because there are so many facets. i learned as a legislator in texas that there is a thing called unintended consequences. >> back in texas, while congress is finishing work, you are watching these votes very late in the night and new year's eve, the senate is voting -- what were you thinking after those kinds of votes? guest: it was a phenomenal thing to watch. i was thinking i hope we are not that bad and we will be better. the last congress did not get very good reviews and i hope the, part of works together better carryall opt

caller: i would like to congratulate this rep. and thank you for letting me be on the air. i want to talk about social security. my social security, my entitlement as congress calls it, was cut $20. they are cutting all sorts of social security checks. that adds up to a lot of money. why is congress doing that to us?

i don't think anybody can live on that -- we live below poverty, but we managed to pay our bills. we have complained to senators, we have complained to congressman, we have complained to social security about this. they said if he paid into social security, you would get this money back. this is what our government promised first. now they are telling s -- telling us that everyone is worried about entitlements. why are we paying into it if we're not going to get it back? guest: i'm certainly not going to offend -- going to defend and congress before me because i have not been a member. but i can tell you social security was a big issue in the campaign and is a big issue for seniors -- my mother lives on

social security for example. whatever decisions are made are going to be made in a careful and deliberate way and i can only speak as one of 435. but it even do that yet, can to end a little while. but my vote will always be a vote to make sure the senior population is well represented. host: his had been trying to reduce spending on behalf of the government? guest: there are certain issues that are priority issues and the seniors are one of them. that's not to say the social security system is perfect and couldn't use some more funding. whatever decisions are going to

have to be made in view of how it impacts the folks on fixed incomes depending on social security. for a lot of the elderly of talk to, that is their independence and dignity in a very significant way. that has to be taken into consideration as we make whatever decision we make going forward. host: our next caller is from texas, an independent. caller: thank you for taking my call. i would like to ask the representative about the legislation that could be coming up. i want to understand your stance on the canada pipeline and dianne feinstein's bill that will be coming up this year. guest host: what is the dianne

feinstein bill? caller: the gun-control bill. made an effort to make sure that i read -- i loved details -- while there may be -- i've never seen a piece of legislation that is a sentence or two that says we're going to do x. the devil is always the details. i reserve judgment until i read the details and look at the provisions and those kinds of things. i can tell you in general, the oil and gas industry is a huge industry in the part of the world live in. we have pipelines running all over the different counties in west texas. we're also developing what's

turning out to be one of the largest field in the world for scheele. the issue of pipelines is not going to be -- largest field in the world for shale. this is not something we can run from for a long time. we'll have to make a determination about how we get our natural resources from where they are to where they need to be. that's a huge issue. i don't necessarily have any reservations about building pipelines as long as they are done in a correct manner and i have to look at the legislation to determine where the details would be. host: mike is a republican caller from new york. caller: i just want to make one observation. this congress going out is a bunch of gutless cowards and i don't think you will have the wherewithal to make the right decisions. this country needs it tough

medicine and we need to cut the reckless spending, congressman. this past congress is like the card in chief -- a coward in chief. it's a problem. the president run on the fact he was going to cut $3 for every $1 he raised. he reneged on that promise it and a representative joe wilson is right. he's a liar and i hope this new congress realizes that they're dealing with that and they are willing to do the tough thing for this country and finally cut the reckless spending. guest: i appreciate that. here is what i would tell you. i have an 8-year-old and i understand what they're to be an economy and a system and an opportunity for him when he turns 21 and beyond to raise his own children and all of those kinds of things.

that's why the decisions we're making now are so important. there are important not only for us. we know we're going to be when we grow up and we know we're going to do. it's all about our kids and our grandkids. at least that's how i feel about it. i will tell you the one area you and i going to differ is part of my challenge in the legislature in texas was i do not like the yelling and the name-calling and the back and forth. you can always disagree, if you call me a coward, i don't have an opportunity or desire to spend much more time in conversation with you because it's almost a declaration of war. part of the challenge of this place is to tone down their rhetoric and talk about real issues. my frustration and running for offices i would look up to d.c. and they would argue and cali to other names all the long but at the end of the day, they did not fix anything.

the only way we can fix things is if we treat each other with mutual respect. if democrats and republicans come together and understand we all want the same thing for our kids and grandkids. there may be a different way of getting there. what i would drive from san antonio -- i could take highway 90 or i could take interstate taint -- interstate 10. they both take me to alpine. we can make a determination of which road we're going to take in a civil manner and talk to each other and away that i think would help raise the public perception of congress because i understand -- i have a low opinion of congress and i understand why our approval ratings are so low and part of the way you build up this start treating each other like adults. that's what i would like to do. >> of the 23rd district is 48,000 square miles and covers the majority of the texas-u.s.

border. >> it is 800 miles of border. there is not a border district that is bigger. host: -- host: immigration reform, where is there a compromise here? >> for the latino community, that is the big issue. you were born and raised along the border in that region like i was, you understand we depend on each other for commerce and trade. a store in pulte rio, texas, depends on traffic from across the way. -- a store in del rio, texas depends on traffic from across the way. but you also understand that --

we all watched the towers fall and understand the importance of national security, so you have to find a balance. i'm not offended by the idea that you would put more border patrol people on the border to make sure we're doing the right thing, but our immigration policy needs to focus -- before i got elected to the legislature, i was a prosecutor. it seems to me that makes common sense that you would chase the drug dealers before you chase the maids. he would chase the drug dealers before you chase people who are doing lawns and those kinds of things. our system is a supply and demand system. it is pretty basic. there are jobs and opportunities here. there will be supplied at comes in to meet that demand. you have to design a system that can meet that demand and add and

subtract depending on the season. there are not that many people who want to work in the fields picking onions with 120 degrees. in the agriculture community, the need workers and you've got to design a system that allows that. at the same time, you have to the lot -- how to design a system that you know who is here and how long they're here for and to give them an opportunity over time to learn their citizenship if they come here and they have done good work and haven't gotten into any trouble. host: frank is in clearwater, florida. are you with us? i think we lost him. before we let you go, what are your first few priorities for the 113th congress? guest: my priorities are threefold. the middle class is the single biggest -- preserving and protecting the middle class is leasing it -- is the single biggest challenge. if you look at all the data,

there is clearly a trend where the middle class gets smaller and smaller and smaller. protecting and preserving the middle class is a huge deal. the veterans community is a huge deal. we owe them an obligation. it is not to stay financial debt. it is a debt of honor that we have to do better by our veterans community. the third thing for me -- my mom is in her 80s and so i understand the obligations to that generation that was part of the greatest generation that lived through the depression and got us through world war two. but i also have an 8-year-old. our focus of the need to be on the kids and our future trade for me, those bookends. host: thank you very much for talking to us. we hope you'll come back and return to "washington journal"

during your tenure. >> john boehner was elected speaker of the house for the 113th congress today. nancy pelosi was reelected as the democratic leader. a handful of democrats did not vote for her, including john barrow of georgia. three democrats did not vote. we will hear from another freshman from the new congress, representative tom cotton, a republican from arkansas. the first hindu in the house, etc. the first buddhist in the senate. and the house freshmen coming in, 12 of them with military service. one of them is tom cotton, republican of arkansas. thanks for being here. guest: thanks for having me. host: you do have military service. talk about that a little more

and why you chose to run for this seat. guest: i was in law school when the 9/11 attacks happened and that changed my direction in life. from that point i wanted to serve an army. i finish school and paid off my loans in a couple years. and i went to the recruiting station and listed. i was a jag attorney and infantry officer, served in baghdad as a platoon leader. i served in afghanistan with the reconstruction team. i serve at arlington national cemetery in the old guard, over funerals and so forth. i joined the army eight years ago because i wanted to serve our country, to preserve what makes us great. that's a lot of the same reason i decided to run for congress. we are at a moment of peril now just like we were then. i came to congress to do my part for the people of arkansas and for our country. host: how did you win? guest: i put a lot of miles on my car. my district is very large and roll, about the size of west

virginia. the campaigns around 33 different counties in arkansas and made the taste for conservative reforms. the seat was held by democrat the last 12 years. i've never run for office before and never been in politics. it took some effort to introduce myself to the voters, tell them about myself and my plans for the future. it has paid off, it seems. host: your district includes hope, arkansas. guest: the home of bill clinton and mike huckabee. host: any inspiration from them? guest: certainly they are skilled vote getters. my views are more in line with mike huckabee than president clinton, but you have to admire their skills in being vote getters. host: what are your first priority is coming year, given your military service? guest: the first priority for me and i hope for most of my colleagues will be addressing our debt crisis. it's one of the reasons i ran.

the debt now is over $16 trillion. the bill passed a few days ago does not address the long-term drivers of debt. with several critical moments coming up in the first 90 days, like the debt ceiling increase and the sequestration, spending cuts we will face in 60 days as well as the continuing resolution to fund the government and in march we will have to make immediate choices to address the crisis. host: are you a yes on raising the debt ceiling? guest: not an unqualified yes. president has said he will not negotiate about it this time. i find that ironic. he voted against raising the debt ceiling in the past and not even bother to show twice. we need to look at retirement programs before i would increase the debt ceiling. host: does that include spending for the pentagon? guest: i would like to see the sequestration cuts reconfigured away from the pentagon and towards domestic programs.

the budget control act in 2011 fell roughly 50-50 on defense. there's already been 500 milion cut from the department of host: defense sounds like you are up to speed. guest: yes. host: did you get some help? guest: they always could connect us to the right kind of expert we needed. host: have you hired your staff and founder office? guest: not quite. i do have all my staff in my district. very happy to have that ready to serve our constituents and home. we are about halfway hired here

in washington. host: we have viewers lining up to talk to you. james in pennsylvania, democratic caller. caller: i am curious why all the republicans call social security and entitlement program. guest: james, thanks for your call. i think it's not just republicans but democrats calling them entitlement programs. the facts are the same. americans for generations have paid into those programs. they need to have those promises honored. we need to make them sustainable in the long term. host: edwin in chicago. caller: how are you this morning? i am a military veteran.

i hope that you will look at the point of the v.a. and how it deals with vietnam veterans. it takes a long time before they can receive any assistance. social security does not add anything to the budget but i agree there is a fraud and i hope you'll look at that and alleviate the fraud that is involved in this. i hope that you'll have an opportunity to come together with the president and received results that will help all americans. guest: thank you for your call and for your service. father was with the fourth infantry division. i am aware and i want to work with them.

they have some of the most motivated employees. on social security, it has operated at a deficit because the baby boom generation is retiring. host: what kind of reform? guest: we will look at increasing the retirement age gradually. we need to look at the way we calculate the cost of living adjustments. take it to purchasing power so people can still buy the same basket of goods. host: and medicare? guest: i think we need to

increase more choice. i do not think we will see that with the president reelected. increasing the eligibility age over the long run. host: we are talking with tom cotton from the state of arkansas here up in the rotunda. we are talking with new members of congress. mike is next. caller: good morning. congratulations on your win. guest: thank you, mike. caller: i've been with the department of the interior for many years. i have seen in a lot of waste in government spending, especially the stimulus program.

there has never been any hand- slapping when congress goes back in and breaks their diet. nobody is watching me. it seems to be the same thing in congress. what do you bring to the table? these are the same guys that were in congress before. what is to stop them just because we are out of money? guest: thank you for the call. if we want to address our long- term deficit problems, we have to stop discretionary spending. we had the stimulus. working with bureaucratic agencies toward their ends, you

are going to have that corruption. the solution is not to try to eliminate corruption in high places. maybe we would be more effective if we eliminated the high places. send more power back to the states. host: one of your first votes will be today when you vote for speaker. what name will we hear? guest: john boehner. i think he has been a good and effective leader. there is not serious commitment from barack obama to address business.

i think he has been an effective leader. host: what are your expectations for him? guest: we have a congress with two chambers. we have a conference committee and work out our differences between the senate and house. the president is welcome to provide his input. we have to stop when two or three people can create legislature that we have to except. host: we will have coverage of that vote for the speaker at noon eastern today. keep your channel here on c- span to watch that vote. paul is next from connecticut. caller: good morning.

my question for mr. cotton -- you guys like handing out these big subsidies to big oil and big business. help the people from world war ii who fought for the people and the people that tried to carry on their footsteps. the people walk around in those white buildings in d.c. you did not build them. you are just visitors. stock been republicans and democrats and start being americans. how about that? spread the news to your friends. you are americans. guest: thank you for the call. i agree with you. that is one reason why i ran for congress.

the tax bill had over 75 tax subsidies for things like wind energy or tuner producers in america samoa. tax code should be neutral for individuals. we should let people decide how to spend their own money. anytime you have spending programs like that, people stop focusing on underlying reality and people come to washington. host: tom cotton has a degree from harvard and served in the military. heading into the 113th congress. are you bringing your family out here? guest: my parents are here.

they will be with me during the swearing-in ceremony. i think they are a little tired but otherwise excited and happy to be here. host: have to figure out where you're going to live? guest: just a small apartment. caller: i would like to ask mr. cotton on his stance on the failed war on drugs. guest: thank you for the call. i think we need to continue to prosecute the war. we do focus on demand here as in supply in mexico. we have to take it seriously and treated as a national

security matter. oftentimes drug abuse becomes the source of much crime. three of the largest psychiatric hospitals are in prisons. host: tom cotton, thank you for talking with our viewers. we will take a short break and will continue our live "washington journal" from here on capitol hill. >> tomorrow morning, we will continue our coverage of the 113th congress, talking about the legislative agenda. we will talk to the republican senator from north dakota. also tomorrow, the government releases the unemployment report for november. we will tell you what the numbers mean for the economy. "washington journal" is live

every morning at 7:00 eastern. the house will come back in tomorrow at 10:00 eastern to consider the $9.7 billion bill for insurance programs impacting those affected by hurricane center. if the house passes it before the senate comes in, the senate is expected to approve the package by the debt of its consent. at that point, they will gather for a joint meeting of congress to count the electoral votes for the president and vice- president. earlier today, the house took the first of its of new congress. one of them was on the rules for the new congress prepares to debate leading up to the vote.

>> we have incorporated a number of significant improvements, including a proposal from the chairman of the republican policy committee, james langford from oklahoma, to identify duplicative programs and examine the usefulness of existing government programs. this will help insure hard- working taxpayer dollars are not wasted and we remain focused on making the government smarter and more efficient. similarly, to proposals from the channel one from michigan will improve transparency of the legislative process by making it easier to see how proposed legislation would interact with existing law. additional proposals from the republican study committee chairman from a louisiana will help bring more transparency to

the regulatory process. american families and small business when -- small businessmen and women already suffer from too much red tape coming out of washington. this will insure the regulatory burden of any proposed bill is part of our deliberations. under the current administration, we have also seen an explosion in spending for welfare programs. for the first time, we will require an annual budget resolution, include information about the growth of means testing and non-means tested entitlement programs. this important reform will allow us to begin to responsibly to control the growth of these programs and insurer they can help those who need them most. i look forward to a productive 113th congress where we can work together and make life work for more americans.

i yield back to the john from texas and now the jomon of the rules committee. >> we reserve our time. >> thank you madam speaker and i think the gentleman for yielding me 30 minutes. >> i want to begin by congratulating my colleagues on his new role as chair of the rules committee. i've worked with mr. sessions for many years and look forward to working with him even more closely leigh the months and years to come. we will welcome a new class of legislators as well today and will go through the procedures that has governed our nations since the thomas jefferson first road is manual. i'm pleased to welcome our newest colleagues and welcome back old friends. it is a great honor to be chosen by our fellow americans who we

represent in congress. our neighbors to place our trust in us and we messed never take such an honor for granted. with this honor comes a solemn responsibility. we have the opportunity to move our nation ford and in the words are nation's founders, provide for our common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. our work begins today and one of the first orders of business is considering the new rules package for the incoming congress. during the last congress, we promised an open and transparent process. under the majority leadership, more than a third of the rules were imposed and at times, brinksmanship endangered our economy. today provides an opportunity for the majority to put these behind them and govern in a bipartisan way and we are willing to meet them every step of the way.

with fiscal in mind, i must say i look at it with a little bit of trepidation. most troubling for me is a proposal to adopt the ryan budget. that would keep alive dangerous budget proposals, including the repeal of parts of the chronic care act. this makes it easier for members of congress to use private planes. i don't think members should be flying around in corporate jets. it continues over the fast and furious operation. to begin by -- this should not be the priorities of congress. with today's resolution, the majority continues their efforts to impose a marriage quality. in an age where it is recognized by americans across the country , chambers shall not be using

taxpayer money to be standing on the wrong side of history. we could start our new beginning by joining our democratic colleagues and finally reforming our broken election laws and i know everyone wants to do that. in the years since the supreme court handed down the citizens united case, unlimited amounts of money from billionaires' have flooded our elections. led by secret political spending hidden by public views carl wealthy special interests have tried to buy the airwaves and fund expensive campaigns and try to sway the outcome of countless elections. the sunlight foundation reports during the 2012 collection cycle alone, superpacs spent $620 million. nobody believes corporations are

people. they should not be able to use unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections. my democratic colleagues and i will provide the house with an opportunity to consider a constitutional amendment to overturn the flawed citizens united decision. to finally remove the donations from our system. in addition to addressing the uncontrolled money, congress should be ensuring every american citizen can easily exercise their right to vote. voting is fundamental to what it means to be an american but in recent years, losing a concerted efforts to discourage voters from casting a ballot. under the claim that voter fraud is a serious threat, they have methodically advanced.

methods range from enacting voter i.d. laws to reducing the number of voting machines in low-income neighborhoods. unfortunately, these discriminatory practices have indeed made a harder for citizens to vote. this past november, there were numerous voters being turned away from the polls and many had to wait in line for hours, sometimes as many as eight hours before they could cast a ballot. is clear as day keeping people waiting in long lines is purely intended to make them give up and go home. later today, my colleagues and i will ask the house to bring to the floor a streamlined and improve methods at polling locations and the early voting act or simple voting act. this legislation would guarantee no voter would have to wait more than one hour to cast their ballot and require every polling station to find the resources to

run a smooth and fair election. when taken together, the overwhelming influence of money in politics and the discriminatory attacks on american rights to vote have created a broken legislation process that fails to serve the american public. as we open the 113th congress, my colleagues and i stand ready to work with the majority unfixing the electoral system and getting back to a process worth the have the citizens here. i could not be happier or more honored to serve in the 113th congress. i look forward to serving with all my colleagues and it's my sincere hope we have an open, transparent, and bipartisan house so we can produce meaningful results for those we represent and i reserve the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from texas.

>> thank you very much. i have a section by section analysis of the resolution. >> madam speaker, i want to thank the gentlewoman from rochester, new york. we will work together day and night, perhaps and she will be the ranking member and i will be the chairman of. i have told the gentleman before today that it will be my hope and her hope that we will work for the betterment of the institution and members said they stand a better chance to make sure our committee, the rules committee, is one where we can look at each other and know we have done a job that would be fair and appropriate on behalf of the minority leader and majority leader of the speaker of the house of representatives. the rules would make the work of

the house as open, transparent and streamlined as possible. this work began in 112 congress under the leadership of former chairman david dreier. a number of important reforms were implemented. he made sure they work. today, we will continue the tradition of that transparency initiated by the chairman. the nonpartisan sunlight foundation recently praised our endeavors in that effort by house that it's clear the has become a more transparent institution over the last two years. the accolades go to the gentleman from california. this body is wholeheartedly committed to advancing their reform process and i am as its new chairman. our work must begin and must always be directed to accountability to the people who

granted us the privilege of serving in this body. but the imperative for accountability is never higher than when we face tough economic times. economic times because of the demand of the people we represent. as our national debt skyrockets, our economy dems sluggishly along and unemployment remains predictably high. the need for fully transparent and the total process is in this institution to help win the effort of -- helped and unemployment in this country and gain more jobs is one of the things this rules committee and the floor, the work of the floor should be about. the rules package we focus on today for the 113th congress will help us achieve that goal. it achieves the important reforms would made a previous congress while adding a few

perfecting amendments and several other ideas. one such amendment will help streamline and expedite for voting procedures. it is important to note these are used to expedite consideration of questions of the house while insuring no member is denied an adequate opportunity to vote. section #2 makes improvements and clarifications in the code of conduct in order to more efficiently hold each member of this body accountable. for example, it expands the current rules to conform to current loral and add grandchildren to the rule who are not currently covered under house rules or current law. this is a strongly held a bipartisan measure that has received praise from a number of transparency groups, including the sunlight foundation. this rules package also amends

the restrictions the use of private aircraft so as to harmonize house and senate rules. these changes provide more flexibility to members, whose district including rural and remote locations are not easily reached by car and do not have scheduled air service. they will also facilitate travel during extraordinary circumstances such as an emergency or aftermath of a natural disaster. at the same time, the revised rules keep in place safeguards to help insure such trouble is fully consistent with house and ethics guidelines and rules. the new rules will simply ensure members pay a fair market rate for air travel, regardless of the type of air travel you use. together, the amendments and clarifications to the code of conduct contained in this resolution will better insure

electives representation -- rep officials and employees of the house can execute their official duties in efficient, ethical and transparent ways. section three makes a number of separate orders. the most significant among them eliminates provisions contained in the affordable care act that limit the ability of the house to respond to recommendations from the independent payment advisory board. house republicans have made it very clear we oppose obamacare. we have acted repeatedly to repeal and replace this controversial law. but regardless of where any member may stand on this issue, the question of preserving the prerogative of the house of representatives to its work and will without dispute or controversy must be achieved. article one section 5 of the constitution very clearly states that this body has the right and

responsibility to determine the rules of its proceedings. this will ensure as we proceed with regards to health care reform, the ability to respond to the independent payment advisory board is not a bridge. sections 3 and 4 go on to make a number of adjustments that enhance our budgetary process, preserve the oversight rules, and strengthen our ethics procedures. finally, section 5 allows the speaker allows the reading of the constitution on any legislative day. every member of this body sworn in today, sworn in to uphold and defend the constitution of the united states, is a very worthwhile endeavor to review the inspiring words of our nation's founding documents. the rules package i have outlined for you will better

enable each of us as an institution to perform our constitutional duties and obligations with integrity, transparency, and accountability while streamlining its operations. presenting this package to the house is my first official act as chairman of the rules committee and i think it exemplifies our commitment to an open, delivered a process that empowers the majority to work its will while preserving the ability of individual members, particularly those in the minority, to present their ideas and engage in meaningful debate. i urge my colleagues to support this rules package and i reserve the balance of my time. >> madam speaker, and pleased to yield two minutes to the democratic whip. >> i think the ranking member

for the work she is doing and has been doing over the years as our representative at leader of the rules committee. i also want to congratulate my friend, mr. sessions, on obtaining the chairmanship of the rules committee, an important and that sets the parameters for debate and consideration for the house. i also want to thank him for his discussions with me and his willingness to work together. i'm looking forward to a positive relationship and make sure we consider legislation on this floor, getting everybody on both sides of the aisle the opportunity to make their case. i also want to thank the gentleman who explained we are affecting the rules and i want to think rules committee and chairman in particular and the speaker for making changes so

that existing individuals are not adversely affected. having said that, i am disappointed to know the majority is calling of their rules package that embraces what i believe to be a partisan budget. there is obviously significant disagreement to compromise toward restoring fiscal stability in our country. despite bipartisan agreements and the budget control act, the continuing resolutions this week on the fiscal cliff, to return to the partisan stance republicans brought on fiscal issues. in particularly on the budget. teams the amount in a rise in budget to be the default funding levels this year. levels well below this week's compromise agreement.

we saw that in the last budget process as well. we made an agreement and of low and behold, the budget came out with numbers substantially below that agreement. >> ideal another two minutes. >> it also exempts the cost of policies we know cannot become law -- massive tax cuts as well as the cost of repealing the health reform act. we voted on at 30 times in this house and the american people have an opportunity to vote on that. we ought to be focused on making that act as good as it can be, making it affordable and providing access to affordable quality health care. after more than 30 votes to repeal, it did not happen. yet this proposed rule signals 113 will continue along a path that has been rejected. another provision continues the

policy of denying to 5 million american citizens living in our territories, the district of columbia -- miss norton is year and will speak, pr and the district columbia, as well as a bomb, the u.s. virgin islands and the northern mariana islands. we have extended and congress has passed when i was the majority leader the ability for those representatives to vote on this floor. not to vote on final passage. the constitution would have to do that. to vote in the coming minute -- to vote in the committee as a whole, we ought to give them that right here as a show of respect to honor their service to american citizens in territories and the district of columbia. as this congress begins, we have an opportunity to commit ourselves to the spirit of compromise.

our nation continues to face a number of challenges that can only be addressed by working together and giving every family the opportunity, as our leader said, to make it in america. let's take advantage of this new session to start off on the foot and show americans we are ready to come together to tackle our greatest challenges. i think the gentle lady for time and i yield back the balance of my time. >> thank you very much. i want to address the minority leader if i can. he is a very dear and find a friend of mine. we have for a long time -- i have enjoyed the many years in this house to know him and work with him and what he said is true, i have offered myself to him in a way that would be fair

and good, not just for every member of this body but those he represents. i will try and do my very best with in a limit and i have in my attitude to always be stellar and i hope he knows he can count on that. >> i thank fed gentleman. >> i would also extend that to other members who are here that have come down to express their ideas about how to make this a better place is always important. yesterday, the republican conference had the biggest time yesterday afternoon as we debated the house rules and offered our ideas and debated how we can make this a better place, not just transparent, but work to the efficiency of the people who sent us here. i am fresh from that wonderful

and invigorating time where we talked about the ideas and defended what we did and changed the things that needed to be done and our members were afforded not just equal time but a chance to bring their ideas perhaps from back home. it was a good time not just for me as a member but for all of us in our body and today, we enjoy that same opportunity as we come together, democrats and republicans on the floor to talk about the rules of the house. >> i am pleased to yield three minutes to the gentleman from south carolina. >> the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. >> thank you. madam speaker, today is a day of great pride for every member that has just been sworn in.

particularly our newly elected members. it's a great honor to be elected to serve in this body. on election day, our constituents want to their polling places and voted for us. we should be thankful for that. particularly so, far too many constituents voting on election day with an unnecessarily burdensome time consuming and unpleasant experience. in my home county in south carolina, voters reported waiting in line for over four hours. one young voter thought ahead of time, brought an ipad, and watched the entire "hundred games" movie while in line. others, understandably did not have three hours to spare on a workday. in detroit, michigan, one person waited in line for three hours before giving up.

another gave up after waiting for four hours. in florida, she she decided to come back later. after finding a babysitter, she returned in the afternoon, at which point the line had grown to 5.5 hours. to be away from her infant son that long, she left without voting. as president obama said on election night, we have to fix that. as we take our presence in this congress that we turned on election day, now is the time to fix it. this motion to commit would assure that no broker has to wait longer than one hour to cast their ballot. we have a long history of struggle over the right to vote

in this country. yet time and again we have reaffirmed the principle that if an american has an equal right to cast a ballot without discrimination -- a 3 hour line is discrimination against those who have to work, those who have to take care of their kids, and those whose health prevents them from waiting in line for such a long time. long lines of the 21st century version of poll taxes and literacy tests, disenfranchising the leased and managed -- least advantaged and most honorable citizens. we have an obligation to make sure each american has the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote. my good friend and lifelong colleague, john lewis, has called the right to vote "almost

sacred." and the most powerful nonviolent tool you have to create a more perfect union. john could not be here to speak on this motion today, but i'm proud to stand with mr. miller. it is a small but important step to our fulfilling our obligation to protect the right to vote. and i urge the passage of this commitment. >> thank you that the so much. i yield back. >> the gentleman from texas. >> i appreciate the gentleman coming down today. the gentleman mentioned a motion to commit -- we have yet to see that. if there is one, i would appreciate if the gentlewoman new york or the clerk could provide that to me. the chance for us today --

>> if i could just address that, if i may? >> i would yield. -- at the proper time we will give the motion. we are not yet. >> reclaiming my time -- when that is available we would appreciate that opportunity. today what we are talking about, madam speaker, is how we're going to make sure the rules committee, the rules of the house worked effectively. later we will be calling the rules committee meeting -- i will be announcing the gentle woman n.c., virginia foxx, will join the rules committee. the gentlewoman from rochester will have the chance to bring her team up. we will begin the process of working together. many of the ideas which have been brought forth here are very

good ideas. the rules of the house or how we are going to proceed -- a lot of what has been talked about is legislation we really need to work on and look at and analyze. not one election have i not learn something that we need to make better. i would say that i think that john boehner, our great young the speaker, is energized to look at all the ideas that might come from legislation and would be pleased, as i would, to make sure we look at these. because the integrity of who serves with in this house and the ability people have at home to vote is important. i'm reminded on a regular basis by the gentleman, -- gentlewoman, virginia foxx, will be appointed vice chairman -- how important it is that we

serve at the pleasure of others. our election to this republic in the votes we make are very important. it is always good to come down to the floor and be reminded of that as we remember our duty as we move forward. so i enjoyed the opportunity to debate these issues and talk about them. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york. >> i am delighted to yield two minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. mcgovern. >> the gentleman is recognized. >> i want to thank the ranking member for the time and her extraordinary leadership. i also want to congratulate mr. sessions. i'm hopeful be 113th chris will be more collaborative and civil than the 112th. i am not particularly optimistic, but i'm always hopeful. hopeful that we return to some semblance of regular order.

that bills coming to the floor, the amendment office -- members have the opportunity to reflect the will of their constituents. hopee very least i the outrageous and partisan and closed process we saw during the fiscal cliff crisis is not repeated. that is no way to legislate, and it is no wonder after that theater that the american people have so little regard for congress. one of the best ways we can help the country is to improve the way we conduct our elections. because that election -- bad elections lead to that lawmakers. in 2012 taught us anything, is that we need campaign finance reform. democrats will amend the resolution to give the house a vote on a congressional -- constitutional amendment to control the corrupting influence of money on politics. the supreme court's citizens united decision opened the

floodgates, and we are awash in a sea of millions of dollars of unregulated money drowning out the voice of individual citizens. politicians are increasingly beholden to wealthy special interests -- a multinational oil company that does not like a particular member of congress can just write a big, undisclosed check to americans for apple pie and puppies and watch the american advertising work its magic. there are a variety of ways to solve this problem. i introduced a amendment that would overturn citizens united and put a stop to the corporate personhood nonsense it represents. despite what governor romney said on the campaign trail, corporations are not people, and they do not deserve the same constitutional rights of american citizens. other members will have other ideas, but at the very least we need to have this debate and i urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question. >> the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. once again we have a lot of

political dogma taking place here. i was a worker in a corporation for a number of years and i felt like i was a vital part of the success of not only that company that it did, but i felt that in my 16 years that i never missed a day of work, i contributed to the success of customers and other people. just like here in this body there may be some organization somebody does not like that serve this house of representatives, but everybody is here, they show up at work, they get their work done. so i would say that corporations, employees, are very important to this country. the ability that all people have just as they were going to vote, to have a say in the process of what happens -- there is a lot of attacking that it's done in this house of representatives against employers, against people who go to work and provide honest services. a lot of people who spend a lot

of time demeaning others. i would like to see that stop. but it is not going to. so people like myself will stand up and hopefully talk about the rights and responsibilities we all have in a open society to make our country even stronger and better -- part of what the rules package is about. >> the gentle lady from new york. >> i am pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis. >> santa, madam speaker. house republicans are seeking to authorize lawyer fees for a costly federal takeover of marriage that would single out legally married couples for discriminatory treatment under federal law. i am so disappointed that in the midst of this crisis, house republicans want to continue to waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money defending a lot of the obama administration has already said they will not spend a penny on. typical tax-and-spend republican

policies. last congress finished with the majority of republicans voting for the biggest tax increase in the history of our country by opposing the fiscal cliff tax relief bill. now here we are sticking taxpayers with millions of dollars of unnecessary costs right on day one in the house itself. at least one democrat spend money we build a house -- homes and bridges and provide health care. republican spending goes right into the pockets of lawyers. big spending republicans on day one are spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money on a federal takeover of marriage and a lawyer stimulus. wrong foot to start off on. i yield back. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york. >> i am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, the ranking member of the committee on education. >> the gentleman is recognized. >> i thank the gentlewoman for

recognition. i rise in favor of the motion to commit i will be offering with mr. cliburn before the house later today so that we can take the small but very important step to provide the right of every american to vote. i was appalled in the past election by widespread reports across the country of voters forced to wait an hours-long line simply to exercise one of our most fundamental rights, the right to vote. even in some states with early voting, they were forced to choose between waiting for hours or missing work and taking care of their children to cast their vote, or giving up their right to vote altogether. some precincts with the miami, hundreds of voters stood in line for hours, past the closing time of the polls. even after president obama declared -- was declared the winner of the election. it offends our basic values that americans would be denied the right to vote because of last- minute illness or change in the work schedule or any to pick up a child from school or some other unavoidable emergency, meaning they could not afford to wait in a line for several hours simply to exercise that right.

the motion to commit in the house will make two important changes. first, it will require that every state provide for at least 15 days early voting, and it will require the states to provide adequate resources to staff polling places and -- in federal elections to ensure voters are not forced to wait in line for more than an hour. numerous changes need to be made to adequately protect the rights of all americans and the right to vote, and i support comprehensive reforms developed by mr. lewis and mr. clyburn. today we have a simple step we can take to make sure voting is simple for americans and they can exercise their right to be broadcast to the rest of the world about how we choose our leaders and exercise of democracy, but that democracy is now being supported by efforts at the local and state level to make voting more difficult and prohibit people from voting. we can change all that in the

motion to commit today in this rules package. i would urge my colleagues to support that. i want to thank mr. cliburn and mr. lewis for their leadership. i'm sorry leadership is not able to be here today. >> the gentlelady reserves -- the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you very much, madam speaker. i'm very disappointed that the minority, even upon me just asking, has chosen not to share the text of the motion to commit with us. a lot of discussion about wanting people to come and vote back home and see things -- there is a lot of debate here about what we are hoping a lot of republicans will vote with us. but we are not providing the text of that where our members would have an opportunity to understand that. i think it is clearly of great importance to a gentleman, at least from south carolina and a gentleman from california -- as a member of the minority leadership he should now that

when he discusses it with great passion and perhaps wants us to vote for it, we still have not seen a copy of that. the first edition of the rules package today has been online for nearly a week. the republican package that we would want people to vote on has been online and available. at our conference last night, we put out as soon as what we knew this final revisions were -- we put that out. in contrast, we still have not seen -- that would ask the gentleman for a copy of that motion. >> madam speaker, excuse me -- would you like to yield? >> the gentlelady is recognized. >> the proper time to offer a motion to recommit is after the previous question has been approved. we will be happy to provide a copy.

>> reclaiming my time. thank you very much. i think it is pretty obvious that what the gentlewoman is saying is that they want to stand up and make a point and they want to have a vote here and they probably want to and of complaining that they did not pass something, but they are not willing to share their ideas. i think it is amazing -- we are talking about transparency and accountability, trying to share information to where we can work closer to gather and glean ideas from each other, come together with an opportunity at the appropriate time -- we will get a copy. i am sure that will happen at a minute before we are asked to vote on it. that is not a way to be transparent. that is not a way that i think we should move forward. but it is consistent. and we will have a consistent outcome. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady is recognized. >> let me take a second to say i

would be happy to share anything in the proper time, and we will do that. we will follow the rules. i yield two minutes to the gentleman from -- the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. eleanor norton. >> i thank the gentlewoman from new york for yielding. the very first vote of the 113th congress was a vote on whether or not i was entitled to vote for the 600,000 -- 600,000 taxpaying residents of the district of columbia i represent. the a motion prevailed. the motion would have simply required a study of the delegate voting as to whether there was any reason that such votes would be denied. this would not have been a difficult study, because the

federal courts have already done this for us. two federal courts have found that delegate voting in the committee is constitutional. what is more painful and arbitrary than not having the final vote? what is more painful and arbitrary then not even getting the vote in the committee of the oil which we have exercised before and has been approved by the courts? it is being denied -- it is having a vote that you have exercised withdrawn as this vote was today. 3 congresses we exercise that vote. no committee should be dependent -- no vote should be dependent on which party is in power. the vote was not a vote on final legislation. it was a symbol of our american citizenship. you cannot take away our

citizenship in this country. you should never be able to take away of vote once it has been granted. i yield back the balance of my time. >> the lady yelled back. the gentleman from texas is recognized you thank you very much. i think it is well understood that the offices of the resident commissioner from puerto rico and the delegate from american samoa, the district of columbia, guam, the virgin islands, and the commonwealth of the north mariana islands, are treated by statute and not the constitution. they represent territories and associated jurisdiction, not states. they are not members of congress and they do not possess the same rights accorded to members under the constitution. -- we recognize them and listen

to them. as it refers to voting on the floor in the committee, that is an issue that i believe is well understood. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> madam speaker, let me give 30 seconds. >> i grant the gentleman that the delegates are here by statute, but the gentleman should recognize that the vote we have in three congresses was a vote the federal courts have said is constitutional. once we are here by statute, once we get a constitutional vote, it seems to be a completely arbitrary to withdraw that vote, particularly for the district of columbia. as far -- lummis to take our taxes, the very least the people i represent are entitled to do is to vote in the committee.

>> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler. >> the gentleman is recognized for 2 minutes. >> thank you. madam speaker, i rise with an opposition to this rules package, and in particular one specific provision that places the house on the wrong side of history and misrepresent the position of this house and its members. section four of the resolution continues to spend taxpayer money to defend in court the unconstitutional and discriminatory so-called defensive marriage act. it goes further -- it states that this partisan effort " speaks for and articulates the institutional positions of the house." that is simply not true. the decision to defend doma was taken by a party-line vote of the bipartisan legal advisory group. all further decisions have been taken by the republican

leadership alone, some in secret. so far the republican leadership has authorized the expenditure of $2 million of taxpayer money to defend this discriminatory law. this defense is not supported by the entire house. 145 members of the house signed doma should beg briefom declared unconstitutional. so far every court has agreed that doma is unconstitutional. we have repeatedly asked the speaker for a briefing from the lawyers retained by the republican majority. the speaker has not even seen fit to give us the courtesy of a response. if these high-priced lawyers really represent the house, bishop of these have the courtesy to meet with their alleged clients and answer questions about that representation. the time has come to call a halt to this farce. at the very least, the rules should reflect the reality that the house is deeply divided on the question and the outside lawyers acting at speaker boehner's direction do not speak for the institution as a whole. i urge my colleagues to vote

against this rules package and yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you. i reserve my time. >> the gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i am pleased to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from california. >> the gentleman is recognized. >> i rise for two purposes. first, to oppose the rule which institutes again the folly of spending taxpayer dollars to defend the unconstitutional and -- law that is doma. this was a poor use of our resources in the last congress and will be even worse in a position of scarce taxpayer dollars in this new session. second, i rise for another issue debated fiercely, that is campaign finance reform. clearly, our democracy is broken, with billions of dollars of campaign spending by special interests, much of it anonymous, flooding the airwaves this fall.

the last congress, i introduced an amendment drafted by a constitutional scholar that will address the central flaw in reasoning underlying many of the court -- supreme court's decisions. that is, the artificial distinction between contributions which may be regulated and supposedly independent expenditures, which maybe not. i do not support a constitutional amendment likely and have found -- lightly, and have found few i would even entertain with my 12 years in congress, yet unrestrained spending and the unmistakable corruption it creates demands action. the power to reasonably regulate both contributions and expenditures should follow. that will require a constitutional amendment. mr. speaker, i urge the house to defeat the previous question and in doing so set the stage for a debate of a constitutional amendment to restore transparency and accountability to our campaign finance system. >> the gentleman from texas. >> thank you very much, madam

speaker. once again, i appreciate and respect the opportunity afforded in this time for members of congress like the gentleman from california and others to come forth and give their ideas. >> be gentlelady from new york is recognized. >> i yield one minute to the gentleman from mrflorida. >> speaker, i urge a no vote on the previous question. the congress convenes as we embark on a new year and hope for new politics. yet anyone with a new year's resolution knows that self improvement require self reflection. as full of goodwill as we are today, we must the knowledge why some americans are fed up with our politics. whether it is the ramp and misinformation or the bitter itrtisanship -- so much of comes from big money but in our democracy. all the americans do not have super pac's, madam speaker.

children in poverty do not have corporate lobbyists. the american people count on us to make sure their voices are heard. that is what they expect from us. americans are outraged over our inability to govern in the public interest -- it should not be that way. in america, we do not have to accept the status quo. we make the rules. it is time for the 20th amendment to the constitution. through american history, republicans and democrats alike have defended our right to decide our destiny as a people. we must restore our democracy to the people. this is how we do a. >> the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i reserve my time. >> the gentleman reserves. >> madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. edwards. >> recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker.

although i do support the changes to our ethics rule contained in the package, i cannot support the overall package and a rise in opposition to the previous question. for the purpose of allowing the house to consider a constitutional amendment to address the decision in citizens united. the 2012 election was the most expensive in our history. outside groups including over 1200 super pac's -- $970 million were spent and $123 million of anonymous cash in the campaigns. the pricetag for last year's election was $6 billion. this is only the beginning. in the years to come, spending will expand. megaphones of money interests will drown out the voices of ordinary americans. it is time for us to do something about it. i do not think amending our constitution and -- do not take amending our constitution lately. q. when we are commemorating the 150th anniversary of the

signing of the emancipation proclamation, it is time for all americans to be free and to free our elections, interests and amend the constitution to protect the integrity of our elections. with that, i yield. >> the gentleman continues to reserve. >> that is correct. >> madam speaker, i have no further requests for time and i'm prepared to close. >> does the gentle lady yelled back? >>. >> the gentleman from texas. >> i've reserved. >> madam speaker, it has become glaringly obvious that our democratic process is broken, due in large part to the overwhelming influence of money. together with widespread discriminatory laws. they seek to suppress the vote -- and our electoral process is on the brink of dysfunction. my democratic colleagues and i are committed to fixing our election system and have a chance today to return democracy

to the hands of voters. speaker, i offer an amendment to the resolution to make sure the house votes on a constitutional amendment to overturn court decisions, including citizens united, that prohibit congress from limiting the corrupting influence of money in politics and the unlimited soft landing in elections and proliferation of super pac's. i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material prior to the vote. after voting on these, i offer a motion to commit and asked them to consider the simple voting act that would insure that no american would have to wait longer than one hour to vote. nothing is more important than expediting the vote and making sure that that right is attended to. madam speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote no on the previous question and urged a yes vote on the motion to commit pande no vote on the

resolution. >> the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized peking today we have had -- today we have had a good time with a number of members coming down to the floor of the house of representatives. this was done yesterday in the republican congress and the democratic caucus. we brought his ideas to the floor of the house to ascertain more about not only what we stand for and perhaps what people are asking for -- i also want to thank the staff, not just the rules staff but also every one of these people who have spent a lot of time to prepare us as we go into this new congress. i really do appreciate the hard work of our staff and the speaker's staff and the leader's staff. i am pleased we are able to

bring -- begin this process today. the american people are watching us. they are interested in what we do. they are interested in how open and prepared we are. and that we talk about the things that they talked about around the table, that they talked about work and talk about educational institutions. likewise, that is fair, good, and makes this country even stronger. i appreciate the gentlewoman from rochester for more vigorous analysis today of what we need to do looking for. i will continue to listen to that. i know the gentlewoman will be on the rules committee, i look forward to the service she will be making. with great enthusiasm we will move forward in this new congress. i yield back the balance of my time and i moved the previous question of the resolution. >[captioning performed by

national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> the house floor today just after john boehner was reelected house speaker. it was not unanimous among house republicans. a headline -- a failed coup effort against john boehner highlights divisions. it goes on to say a group of dissident republicans failed to push representative boehner to a second ballot and potentially replace him. 12 house republicans broke from him in a tense roll-call vote, voting for somebody else or deliberately not voting at all. that was five short of what would have been needed to force a second ballot. a handful of democrats also did not vote for nancy pelosi, but she will remain the democratic leader with 192 votes. minority leader nancy pelosi and the house democratic women took a picture on the capitol steps today. the 113th congress has the most

women serving in history. there are 81 women in the house and to 20 in the senate. [inaudible conversation]

[applause]

[inaudible conversatoiion] [inaudible conversation]

x everybody smile. one, two, three. [laughter] right here. [laughter] [inaudible conversation]

>> ok. >> everybody -- 1, 2, 3. last one.

>> come on. >> let's go. ready. ok. [applause] >> the 113th congress has the most women serving in history. there are 81 in the house and 20 in the senate. tomorrow morning, we continue talking about what the 113th congress has a legislative agenda. republican senator john hoeven of north dakota, then at maine senator and as king, who was

elected as an independent but caucuses with the senate democrats. tomorrow, the government releases the unemployment report for november. we talk about what the numbers mean with the economy with a guest from npr. "washington journal," live every morning on c-span at 7:00 a.m. eastern. after six terms of the house, jeff flake of arizona became senator today. we spoke with him on this morning's "washington journal." host: we are going across the capitol to the russell rotunda where we're joined by jeff flake, crossing over to the senate. let's just get right to it. you voted no on this fiscal cliff agreement. what will be your vote? guest: we are overspending. there is no bigger issue than the overspending and the effect

of our debt and deficit on our economy. i think we should use it to the full extent to make sure we cut spending somewhere. host: does that mean that medicare and cutting spending for medicare is on the table? you accuse your opponent of supporting medicare cuts. is medicare on the table for you? guest: you bet. i have said at every campaign event that we have to change the structure to make it sustainable in the long term. i support the ryan plan. we have to raise the retirement age.

with social security, we have to do the chain cpi. there are a lot of things we have to do. host: for you, who should be doing the negotiating? saw it was vice president joe biden and mitch mcconnell. guest: i hope it is -- we have moved away from regular order. with the senate, not one appropriations bill went through. my preference is to go through regular order. at is the best route. host: what about filibuster reform? that could be a vote that happens maybe in february. you wouldn't need 60 votes to

just consider a vote. allow the legislation to come to the floor. how would you vote on that? guest: i hope we do not change rules that have served well over 200 years. the majority doesn't have its will. if you have a one person majority in the house, you can pretty much control will goes on. that is not the case in the senate. we need a change in behavior. we cannot take away the opportunity for the minority party to have amendments but the minority apartments has to realize you can be dilatory.

not changes to the rule. that was considered a few years ago by republicans. wiser heads appealed. host: what do you see as compromise? guest: i introduced legislation with senator kennedy. we have got to have a bipartisan package that moves through, as long as it includes meaningful security. that is what we need in arizona. it will be a compromise bill. host: thomas in south carolina is the first phone call.

caller: good morning, greta. i thank c-span. i am an avid c-span watcher. i wanted to take up for you just a little bit. there was a right-wing wing-nut yesterday. get a close to being straight down the middle. host: well, thank you. caller: it is and honored to speak with senator-elect flake. i am disturbed about some of the things i see. it is not a 200-year-old thing,

as the senator said. filibuster reform is needed in the senate. their own party -- i'm not saying we do not have plenty of room on both sides. there is plenty of blame to go around. republicans will have to get their head out of the sand. guest: we have had changes to the rules in the senate but they have been done by a supermajority margin. we're talking just 51, pretty severely changing the rules.

that should not be taken lightly. i think it will backfire. i have been in the house for 12 years. the rules in the senate are prepared for the senate and they should not be changed willy-nilly. host: senator john mccain is proposing some kind of filibuster reform. has he reached out to you? guest: we have not fully studied that proposal. republicans were considering this so-called nuclear option. a group came together with a package. that was basically an agreement.

i hope we reach a similar agreement that does not require changing the rules. i am glad that there is a bipartisan group of people working on this. i hope to look at the package now. host: keith from indiana. caller: good morning. how many wars have we won? we can win a war to protect our borders. we cannot reform anything that is sensible. sometimes you have to go backwards to go forward to. they are stuck in reverse. they cannot understand to go forward, sometimes you have to back up in order to go forward.

you have to reform things that have gone out of hand over a generation after generation. ok? sometimes there's people that have their hands extended out generation after generation. so far they do not know when to pull them back again. that free handout has gone stuck out so far. generation after generation only knows to have their hand stuck out. guest: that is a pretty broad topic. if people expect too much of government, i think that is true. i think it is true with the companies and with individuals and with just about everyone.

i am a believer in limited government. i think that was envisioned by the founding fathers. the government is now $16 trillion in debt. that says enough on its own. host: craig in tucson, arizona. caller: congratulations. i voted for you. i know you have your hands full. guest: i do. thank you. caller: how do things like these pork barrel things get added to these bills? for instance the san the hurricane relief. i got no problem spending money to help those people. i do not want it doubled for

other people. does this happen? i was told the senate added this. it blows me away that good legislation and starred and all of a sudden it turns to crap. guest: that happens all too frequently. we have done something that is positive in that regard -- earmarks, or the biggest bill with the marx had six to 300 earmarks. -- 6300 earmarks. we do not do that anymore. we have declared a moratorium for now. there are some legitimate needs and legitimate responsibilities. there was insurance that was purchased.

that fund is running low. money is owed and congress should appropriate it. but some have little to do with the disaster. and republicans tried to pare that back. i will keep your thoughts in mind. host: are you able to try to amend it? guest: we do not know how the house will consider it. i believe you should pay for the disaster. we cannot get into the habit of trying to solve everything for the future when one disaster happens.

of these mitigation funds have little to do with the disaster but are costly. we to make sure this goes to the regular appropriations process. there are legitimate needs that have to happen immediately. we put in items that should be considered under regular order. we would have better legislation when the committees here these bills and then we commend them if we do through regular order. that is what we need to get back to. host: you fought against earmarks and the house. what will you do in the senate? guest: i did offer hundreds of amendments in the house.

earmarks are now gone and i hope they stay where they are. i will work with senator coburn and senator mccaskill and others who have worked to ensure this ban is in place. host: may is next from new york. caller: the christian conservative narrative is that president obama is a separate muslim and that he will try to chip away at the constitutional right. we do to solve the real problems that people have such as gun control and creating jobs? guest: i have never been a birther or gone down that road. i respect the office of the president and the respected

president. i hope we address the issues rather than personalities. i think this affects the republicans and democrats. i take your point and agree with it. host: tom is a republican in virginia beach. caller: good morning. guest: great to talk with you. caller: i joined the navy in 1992 and i just retired yesterday from the military after several deployments. i have no disability benefits given to me through the military or the v.a. i make combat veteran and i am concerned.

something was put in place for individuals with medical conditions to apply for compensation and it was supposed to be taken care of. i retired as of yesterday. nothing states i am a disabled veteran. i cannot get the hiring benefits through the government. i am concerned because i should have been compensated. guest: thank you. thank you for your service. i do not know your individual circumstance. i would encourage you to talk to your own member of the house

and senators. i think we owe a debt of gratitude and we owe those who have been wounded and need to ensure we carry out whatever was promised and that is my commitment. host: have to figure out where the bathrooms are in the senate? guest: i thought what it is a six-year term. you can figure out how to assign and office for a couple of months or maybe a year. i am finding my way around. it helps to have been in the house. the senate moves more slowly. i think that is by design. i will be in the basement for a while.

host: where would you like to sit/ ? guest: i think that will be announced today. host: you can make some news. guest: i have an interest in foreign policy. there are a lot of arizona issues that have to do with public plans, resource, power generation that we to make sure we can continue. senator kyl has worked hard on those issues. host: thank you. guest: thank you for having me >> coming up, th