resources. the effort to re-authorize vawa failed despite overwhelming bipartisan support in the senate because house republicans stripped the bill of critical provisions to help women, especially native american women. sadly we are seeing this effort repeated on the floor today. once again house republicans are trying to weaken a bill that passed by a vote of 78-22 in the senate in order to deny native american women important protections. sovereignty is not a bargaining chip. the republican substitute is an attack on native american women and does not respect sovereignty. studies have found that three out of five american indian women will experience domestic violence yet the republican substitute makes it harder to prosecute abusers and full of loopholes. i urge my republican colleagues to drop their opposition to the senate bill and pass legislation that gives all women, including native american women, vital protections against abuse. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from california reserves, and the gentleman from washington is recognized. .

mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. dent: i rise to support the underlying bill. the programs funded have proven effective over the past two decades in achieving real and meaningful reductions in domestic violence. victims' advocates in my district and around the country use this funding for battered women shelters, support for runaways. in my home state, the peff coalition against rape currently operates 50 rape crisis centers that provide services to victims of sexual violence. these centers utilize public awareness campaigns and prevention education to combat the root causes of sexual

assault. essential institutions such as this are counting on us in this body to ensure that vawa funds remain available to support their often life-saving work. i'm proud to serve as a council of a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to victims of violence crime and their significant others. another outstanding institution in my district is turning point in lee high valley, which maintains as a 24-hour help line which provides a constant resource for victims and their loved ones. it provides safe houses, court advocacy, prevention programs and transitional programs to help them into independent life. our community depends on these organizations and these organizations depend on vawa. vawa is also improving law enforcement's response to domestic violence. in 2007, the pennsylvania commission on crime and delinquency conducted an evaluation of vawa services training for officers and

prosecutors' program, stop grants. this program is designed to promote and enhance approach to improve the criminal justice system's handling of violent crimes against women. the final report indicated that police with stop training will work with victims' advocates. court personnel, including prosecutors and judges, are demonstrating a heightened level of sensitivity toward victims' abuse. employing personnel from beginning to end has resulted in an improved arrest policies, investigations, prosecutions, hearings and follow-up. this study demonstrates the positive effect that stop grants have had across the board in pennsylvania's criminal justice system where domestic violence is concerned. vawa has substantially improved our nation's ability to combat violent crime and protect its victims, protect -- providing a strong safety net across the united states. incidents of rape have dropped nearly 20% from the law's

enactment in 4-to 2011. the rate of intimate partner violence has declined 64% over that same period. however, much work remains to be done. the c.d.c. estimates one in four men and one in seven women have experienced severe physical violence by their partner at one time. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: happy to yield an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. dent: congress must re-authorize vawa to prevent more innocent victims from becoming victims and to provide critical services for those who do. further delaying this crucial legislation does this congress no credit and leaves state and local service providers facing uncertainty about their ability to continue protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our society. the senate voted to re-authorize the violence against women act with a strong bipartisan majority, and i would strongly encourage the house of representatives do the same to support that underlying bill. vote yes on the underlying bill. we'll move the re-authorizing legislation to the president's

desk immediately. it's the right thing to do. it's about time we do it. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from washington reserves. -- the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. pelosi: madam speaker, i'm very happy to recognize our distinguished democratic whip of the house, mr. hoyer. he was there in the 1990's when we worked to pass this legislation on the appropriations committee. he and rosa delauro and congresswoman nita lowey and i worked to fund the violence against women act. he's been there for -- on this issue for a long time. i'm pleased to yield him two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. mr. hoyer: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to congratulate the leader for her efforts in getting us to this point. today after two months i think we're going to do something very positive and do it in a very bipartisan way. i think that's excellent. i think america will be advantaged.

every american, women, yes, but every woman will be advantaged. house democrats support the fully inclusive re-authorization of the violence against women act which passed the senate by a bipartisan vote of 78-22, as has been referenced. the majority of republican senators and all republican women senators voted in favor. that bill represents a compromise. i urge my colleagues to defeat the partisan amendment version so we can pass the senate bill. i voted for the rule, which allows us that opportunity. let us take it. the change -- changes house republicans made in their version significantly weaken its provisions. i want to say some republicans. i want to make that clear. not all. and protecting victims of domestic violence and empowering law enforcement to keep our people safe from these crimes. the house republican bill owe mitts critical protections for native americans, for lgbt americans and for immigrants. furthermore, the house republican bill removes

protections for students on campus, victims of human trafficking and those who've experienced rape or stalking. why? why not protect everybody, all americans? when we fail to protect all victims, abusers can get away with the abuse and repeat it. maments, congress ought not to be playing -- madam speaker, congress ought not to be playing with the lives of women and all those who suffer from domestic violence. we it owe it to the families, law enforcement, prosecutors to make sure that the violence against women act work and can meet the challenges we face today. that's why we should defeat the weaker house republican alternative and instead pass the fully inclusive version passed by senate democrats and republicans. i expect it to be a bipartisan vote. it is a good day for america, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from california

reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. and just to clarify, on the house substitute that we'll be considering later, it ensures that money goes to victims by increasing accountability. it guarantees that grants to combat sexual assault are distributed equitablely. it improves the ability for law enforcement to prosecutor abusers. it better protects indian women from domestic violence, and it safeguards constitutional rights to ensure justice for victims. and at had time i'm pleased to yield to our policy chairman, the gentleman from oklahoma, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for two minutes. mr. lankford: thank you, madam speaker. i do want to stand in support of the house proposal today on protecting women across this nation. this is something that protects all women. i know there's been some interesting accusations that we're trying to exclude people. this is for all women and all places.

as a dad of two daughters, i get this. i understand this. my two daughters were on this house floor not very many weeks ago getting a chance to visit to be here and be part of the process and meet great ladies on both sides of the aisle and also to interact with people and see how laws are made. i want them to know in the days ahead, laws here that are done are for every person and that we stand for every family. this is a family issue. this is a women's issue. this is also a state legal issue. it's a community issue, and it's also a national issue that's right that we deal with today. i want to encourage organizations in oklahoma city, like the w mbings ywca, who have a simple theme of eliminating racism, empowering women, but they work every single day to be able to help women that are in situations that they have got to escape out of. i also want to stand up for the 39 drives in oklahoma that i've meat with some of the -- 39 tribes in oklahoma that i've met with some of the tribal leaders. from my constituents, i want

them to know that if there's domestic violence that occurs, and the house version assures of this, if they live in indian country, if they work in indian country, if they're married or dating someone were indian country, that this law protects them from that and makes clear through all of section 900, i encourage people to read, to go through the details of how we stand beside the tribes and how we stand those around indian country, there needs to be prosecution and protection but most all, we need to stand beside every single family to do what is right. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields and the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. pelosi: madam speaker, i'm going to yield to my colleague in a minute. the ywca u.s.a. supports the bipartisan senate bill that we are urging members to support and reject the house bill. with that i'm pleased to

recognize the gentleman from illinois who came to congress fully committed to passing this legislation, mr. quigley, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. quigley: thank you, madam speaker. well, if this is for all, and this is for everybody, why attempt to strip out essential protections for immigrants, tribal and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims? do they not feel the same pain? once again, we have to stand up and vote for equal protections for all victims. the senate seems to get what this had body does not. we are all in this together. these victims are not nameless, faceless members of some group of others. they are our friends, our neighbors, our family members. we are a nation built on justice, fairness and equal protection. we are all stronger when we uphold these ideals and protect

the most vulnerable among us. the senate-passed vawa embodies these principles and protects all victims. we should pass it today. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from california reserves, and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i'm pleased to yield to a former prosecutor and the lady from indiana -- four minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from indiana is recognized for four minutes. mrs. brooks: thank you. i rise in support of vawa. yelling, name-calling, black eyes, bruises, belts, broken bottles, children scared and crying in the corners, crying for it to stop, the lies and cover-up us to friends and family and then the abuser gains the control and says i'm sorry. i love you. i won't do it again. i'll change. and the victim stays again and

again and again year after year. the cycle of violence goes on from generation to generation just like brittany from tipton county, indiana. abused by her drug addict mother. married a man that was a victim of child abuse. and the cycle continued. brittany's husband verbally and physically abused her while their children watched. whether you are in a poor family, rich family, whether you're in the city, country or on the farm, we as members of congress have the power and the control to change her life. when brittany finally took control and made the call, it was vawa funds that made sure that the cops that responded recognized it. and i've done those ride-alongs and they are the most dangerous calls cops make. when vawa funds are involved,

they keep shelters and transitional housing stays open. when vawa has funds, it trains sexual assault nurses who help those victims through the humiliating exams they have to endure which are so important so we have the evidence to put the abusers behind bars. when vawa funds are involved, we have advocates and prosecutor offices and in courtrooms who are trained to help them through the painful, long, difficult court process. when vawa funds are involved, we have counseling services needed for the victims and their families to heal. vawa gives victims a fighting chance to gain control of their lives. vawa doesn't pass in my district, alternatives incorporated will have to lay off two of their five victim advocates, shut down one of their offices and won't be able to serve the 700 victims in rural counties that they served last year. vawa is a program that works. it's one of those federal

government programs that works. this bill is not a perfect bill. no bill that congress passes is perfect, but i will tell you the victims being attacked can't wait for perfect. the three women and one man who die every day at the hands of their intimate partners cannot wait for perfect. isn't there anything that congress -- i'm a freshman -- and isn't there anything that congress can agree on and get behind? i think we need to show the american people we can give control back to the women, men and children who are subjected to the horrors of violence at the hands of someone who supposedly loves them. this shouldn't be about politics and about political party control. in my short time in congress, i've seen too often that we lose sight of the people that we are here to protect and to serve. . it is about control. that's what their lives are about. i urge every member to think of

the victims. take those statistics, replace them with the brittanys in your district. take control away from the abusers, provide them to -- back to the victims with the control they need. can't we be the voice that they don't have? we as members of congress have the ability to give control back to the victims, to give control to the cops. to give control to the sexual assault nurses. to give control to the victim advocates. to give some to the shelters and countors. i'm asking this -- counselors. i'm asking this congress to show the american people that we care. i do. please pass this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back of the the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. pelosi: madam speaker, i have listened attentively to some of the comments made by those who support the house version of vawa, and they use words like all, as the distinguished majority leader said, all women. not true in the republican bill.

not women if you're gay, if you're from the immigrant community, or if you happen to be living on a reservation. i hear an appeal from the freshman member very eloquently stated, why can't we work together and put partisanship aside. that's exactly what the senate did, 78-22, a majority of the republicans in the senate voted for the far superior bill. we have never had a perfect bill, you are absolutely right. the very far superior bill that expands protection as opposed to the house bill which not only is not as good as the senate bill, it diminishes protections already in the law. and i heard the gentlelady talk eloquently about money and where it needs to go. it's sad to say that with the sequestration, 20 millionle toars -- $20 million according to a new estimate from the justice department will be cut from the violence against women account. that means approximately 35,927

victims of violence will not have access to lifesaving services and resources. the fact is people have come together from the senate. the house agrees with their bipartisan position. the president stands ready to sign t it's just the house republicans that are odd people out on this. it's hard to understand why you think some people are all. it's not. that's why it's really important to reject the house version and support the senate version. with that i'm pleased to yield to the gentleman fromp california, member of our freshman class, a former prosecutor. the speaker pro tempore: how much time? ms. pelosi: one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. violence against women and preventing against women means preventing violence against all women, especially those from the

lgbt community, especially those from the immigrant community. i'm here to support the bipartisan senate bill that was passed. and oppose the house amendment. i was a prosecutor in alameda county for seven years. i worked day in, day out with women who came in as violence victims. people who had been battered. it's only because of the vawa, violence against women funding that we have in our office that allowed our victim advocates to provide them with the emotional and physical service these needed that we could even begin to put them on the track of healing. only because of this funding. so right now it is incumbent upon us to make sure that this funding is available as we move forward to all women. mr. swalwell: all women. violence against all women must be protected and we must have funding that shows that we will go aggressively after their abusers and support our law enforcement and their efforts to do that.

today's bipartisan bill gives us an opportunity to show that this house can do big things when we work together. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from california reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i would just ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to please point to anywhere in the house bill that coverage for anyone who is denied, to specifically state where the coverage denied. the house covers all victims. this bill does not exclude anyone for any characteristic. not only does the bill specifically prohibit discrimination, it directs the attorney general to make a rule regarding anti-discrimination efforts as he sees fit. moreover, the stop grant is re-authorized to permit funding to go toward men as well as women. the house bill enhances protections for native american women. the house bill requires the justice department to cross

designate tribal prosecutors as federal prosecutors in 10 federally recognized indian courts -- tribes. this allows tribal prosecutors to move forward more quickly in federal court. the house bill provides a constitutional round for indian tribes to prosecute nonindian offenders against native american women. this is critical for victims to assure defenders do not have their convictions overturned. the house bill contains increased accountability provisions. the house bill mandates better coordination among grantees and federal employees to ensure money is spent effectively and efficiently. this is in response of allegation of a miss use of funds. it limits administrative expenses and salaries to 5%. ensuring that money goes to victims and law enforcement. this ensures that money goes to victims not bureaucrats. at this time i'm happy to yield to a champion for all human rights, the gentleman from new jersey, two minutes.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. mr. smith: madam speaker, i rise in strong support of the violence against women act offered by congresswoman mcmorris rodgers. i just want to point out something that little attention has been -- attention has been paid to. a little over a decade ago i authored the trafficking victims protection act of 2000. the landmark law that created america's comprehensive policyle to combat modern day slavery. the state department trafficking in persons office, now led by an ambassador at large with a complement of over 50 dedicated and highly trained people. the leahy trafficking amendment to s. 47, title 12, guts the office and represents a significant retreat in this struggle to end human trafficking. the only way to fix it is to pass the mcmorris rodgers amendment, go to conversation -- conference, and get this fixed. the tip office is an extraordinary mechanism and has

had a huge impact worldwide. in addition to best practices, the office monstors labor and sex trafficking and makes recommendations for whether or not countries be ranked tier one, tier two, or tier three. for over a decade, the trafficking in persons there is a flag ship in our struggle to combat human trafficking. the leahy amendment cuts the authorization for the tip office from about $7 million down to $2 million. it eviscerates the tip office. no doubt about that. it also shifts responsibilities to the regional bureaus. we have had problems over the last decade as my colleagues know, the regional bureaus have a whole large portfolio of issues they deal with. when they deal with those issues, trafficking is on page 4 or page 5 of their talking points. the tip office point has now been demoted significantly. i hope that -- i would point out that when i first did the trafficking bill, there was huge pushback from the state

department. they didn't want human rights in general and absolutely they did not want the trafficking in persons issue to be dominant and center stage. that's what the office does. it is a step backward for combating human trafficking. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. pelosi: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to mr. conyers of michigan. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers will be controlling the time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i recognize mr. ellison from minnesota for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from minnesota is recognized for one minute.

mr. ellison: madam speaker, i'd like to talk to you about lucy. lucy is not the name of the person i'm referring to but she's real. i can't use her name because lucy still lives in fear of her abuser. a man she was married to. lucy is from a nation in west africa. and the man who was abusing her physically and sexually and mistreating her would tell her, threaten her based on her immigration status to the united states that she was hoping to obtain. he would threaten her and tell her i'm going to hold this against you. don't you dare leave me. and the violence against women act could self-petition process was a lifeline and a savor --

savior to her. she was able to explain the extreme violence she lived through and suffered through all the time, and she was able to separate from her husband and seek a way to become a citizen and stay in this country and get rid of her abuser. sadly -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. ellison: house version rolls this protection back. that's why you should -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentlelady from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. happy to yield to a champion, former judge who has worked on these issues for many years, the gentleman from texas, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. poe: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. violence against women is all of -- is awful. i think we can all agree with that. and behind the scenes in homes throughout america, behind

closed doors, bad things are happening in those families. it is violent. it affects the spouse, the children, and the quality of life of our community. today the house of representatives can do something about that. to take america safer for women, primarily. and their children. we have two choices before us today. the house bill, the senate bill. but there's another thing going on behind closed doors in america as well. and that's sexual assault that is occurring in america. i spent time on the bench as a judge in criminal cases in texas for 22 years, and one of the greatest scientific, forensic discoveries was d.n.a. and it's helped prosecute sexual assault cases. d.n.a., when those outlaws commit the crimes against primarily women and children, they leave d.n.a. evidence.

it's examined and we find out who the criminal was. here's the problem. there are 400,000 d.n.a. rape kits that have not been tested. some going back 20 and 25 years. they are so old when the outlaw is determined who it is, they can't be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has run. 400,000 cases where rape victims are waiting for us to just analyze those sexual assault cases. that concept is called the safer bill sponsored by carolyn maloney and myself to try to fix that issue by taking money in one legislation and put it in the safer legislation to analyze those 400,000 cases so victims know who committed the crime and also outlaws go to prison and not get a freed you ride because there is not money to test those cases. that safer bill is in the senate version. and i encourage the house of representatives to vote for the

safer bill because it is in the senate legislation and that's just the way it is. i yield back, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from washington reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i'm pleased to recognize the gentlelady from hawaii, ms. hanabusa, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. hanabusa: thank you, madam speaker. thank you to the chair, ranking member of our judiciary committee. i rise in support of the senate bill, senate s. 47, which re-authorizes vawa and passed by a strong bipartisan vote of 78-22 on february 12. it is also an honor to be next to the the gentlewoman from wisconsin who has really championed this bill. i rise specifically to address section 904 which provides tribal governments with jurisdiction over the abuse of native american women on tribal lands.

the specifics set forth by senator udall in a recent article were alarming. they are 2 1/2 times more likely to be raped, one in three will be assaulted, and three out of five will encounter domestic violence. and the criticism, the criticism we have heard against why the senate version of this bill should not pass is because they say it doesn't afford due process. all we need to do is to look at the defendant's rights as set forth in the tribal court criminal proceedings under icra, the indian civil rights act, and tloa, tribal lands and orders act of 2010. the rights are there. support the senate version. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. and the gentlelady from washington is recognized. . mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i am pleased to yield to the vice chair of the democratic caucus from new

york, joe crowley, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. crowley: i thank my friend from sdroict, michigan, for yielding me this time. madam speaker, it's been over 500 days since the violence against women act expired. 500 days. and every day that's past without a vote, my colleagues and i have been asking ourselves, what are we waiting for? are we waiting for our colleagues in the senate to have a strong bipartisan vote and send us a bill worth voting on? wait a minute. they've already done that. but maybe we're waiting for a bill that strengthens the violence against women act? sorry. the senate's already done that as well. or maybe we're waiting for support from hundreds of state and local and national organizations.

but wait. we've already had that with the passage of the senate bill. my colleagues, it's time to end this wait for our mothers, for our daughters, for our friends so they can get the protection and the service that they deserve. because let me tell you, the abuses are not waiting. today we have a chance to pass the actual senate bill, the bipartisan, commonsense legislation that has been waiting for a vote. so let's vote no on the substitute amendment, support the underlying bill and send this to the president's desk. i don't believe my colleagues, if they saw a lesbian woman being beaten by their neighbor, that they wouldn't want to have that violence stopped. i don't believe my republican colleagues, if they saw an undocumented person, even an illegal alien, being beaten by her husband, that they would not want that stopped. i don't believe that my

colleagues on the other side of the aisle, if they saw a native american woman being beaten or abused that they would not want that stopped. why don't they have that in their legislation? the senate bill does. let's stop this back and forth and pass the senate legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves, and the gentlelady from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. just to remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the house, the republican majority in the house, passed legislation to re-authorize the violence against women act in may of last year. funding has continued. congress, including the republicans in the house, have supported and continued to fund these important programs that is $600 million. no program has gone unfunded as we've continued to focus on the important work of getting this bill re-authorized. i would reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased to recognize for one

minute the distinguished the gentlelady from california, susan davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized for one minute. mrs. davis: thank you, madam speaker. at last, at last, madam speaker, like americans all across the country, i'm glad this chamber has put the senate's violence against women act to the house floor for a vote. i ask my colleagues to support this bill and oppose the republican substitute. if we pass a strong re-authorization, women can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that congress has got their backs. every woman deserves protection and justice. i'm glad that the senate bill closes the gap in current law by extending that protection to native americans, lgbt and immigrant victims. and contrast, as we've heard, the republican substitute inexplicitly continues to exclude these groups and put them at risk, and that is

exclusionary and it is hurtful. let's swiftly pass the senate vawa and send it straight to the president's desk for his signature. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on s. 47 and to stand up for all victims of domestic violence. they've waited far too long for this day. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased now to recognize the gentleman from rhode island, mr. cicilline, for 1 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. cicilline: i thank the gentleman for yielding. madam speaker, two weeks ago the senate overwhelmingly passed a strong bipartisan re-authorization of the violence against women act to extend much-needed protections to all women of domestic violence, including immigrants, native americans and members of

the lgbt community. domestic violence victims and their families have waited for far too long for the house to act to re-authorize vawa and to provide victims of domestic violence with important resources to help end this violence. and it's critical that we ensure that every single victim of domestic violence, no matter what they look like or where they come from or who they love has access to these critical tools and resources. according to the national task force to end sexual and domestic violence, one in four women will be victims of domestic violence during their lifetime. each year 15 million american children are exposed to domestic violence and all the dangers of this violence. have we really come to the point that we can't persuade every single member of congress that violence against all women is indefensible and that we have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to stop it? do we really want to say some women, some group of women are

not worthy of protection against such violence? i hope not. i urge my colleagues to pass the strengthened senate version re-authorizing violence against women and to protect all american women from violence. i thank the gentleman and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan reserves. and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i'm pleased to yield to the lady from tennessee, a champion for all women and families, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from tennessee is recognized for two minutes. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam chairman. i thank the gentlelady from washington for the leadership that she has brought to this issue, and i also stand to thank leader cantor and the leadership that he has placed on this. you know, it's an incredible thing when you think about we still need the violence against

women act. and i think for so many of us who have participated in giving birth to sexual assault centers and domestic abuse centers and child advocacy centers, we realize that for far too long domestic abuse was something that nobody ever wanted to talk about. it should be swept under the rug. it should be hidden behind the four walls of a house. it was not something that was addressed as a crime. but we all knew it was a crime and we knew it needed to be addressed and we know that this act and the grants that have been provided to our state and local law enforcement agencies have allowed so many, so many

people the safe harbor that was needed for their opportunity. now, i stand here today to support our republican alternative and the amendment that we have placed on this bill making certain that in a fiscally responsible, targeted and focused way that those who need access to the help, the assistance, the funds are going to be able to receive the help, the assistance, the funds, the focus and the attention that they are going to need. i also want to draw attention to the fact that we have -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. if the gentlelady from washington -- mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i'd be happy to yield an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for 30 seconds.

mrs. blackburn: i think it is north worthy that we also -- noteworthy that we also put attention on stalking, the need to address this, that we look at the need for additional education so that someday we can say yes, indeed, local law enforcement is fully equipped to handle the issue because the problem has been arrested. all too sadly, madam chairman, the problem has not been dealt with, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentlewoman from washington reserves. and the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased to yield to the distinguished gentleman from nevada, mr. horsford, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from nevada is recognized for one minute. mr. horsford: thank you, madam speaker. no woman should have to live in fear of violence in this country. one of my first actions in congress was to co-sponsor the violence against women act, which was authored by my colleague, gwen moore.

her bill took critical steps to strengthen the ability of our local law enforcement and service providers to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. her bill went to great lengths to ensure that all women in our country would be protected under the bill. the senate passed overwhelmingly on a bipartisan basis her bill. that is why i find the political games being played by some republicans today to be frustrating. my colleagues find it to be frustrating. and my constituents find it to be frustrating. i do not understand why, madam speaker, you would eliminate provisions to protect women from immigrant communities, 30% of which i represent in my district in congressional district four, and women from native american communities are inappropriately dis-- or inappropriately discriminate

women based on sexual orientation. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. horsford: i ask my colleagues to vote for the bipartisan bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: the balance of our time, 4 3/4 minutes, we now give to the distinguished the gentlelady from wisconsin, gwen moore. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for the remainder of the time. ms. moore: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, distinguished ranking member of the judiciary committee. i've listened very carefully and very patiently to all of my colleagues in the house. and it seems like everyone in the chamber is against the violence against women. it's just which women we want

to protect remains the -- to be the question. you know, for the last 18 months, it appears that i have lived in some sort of twilight zone where there's sort of like that program on tv "sliders" where there are alternate realities. this debate recalls that alternate reality, when we hear a support of the house amendment over the senate amendment, we hear that all women are protected. for example, the senate bill supports lgbt victims in the senate bill, but the house bill strikes lgbt women as underserved communities and it also strikes the language that would have them as a protected

group to not be discriminated against. so i think that the distinguished floor leader has asked us to find ways -- find areas in the legislation that are wanting, and i would submit that is one area that is wanting. the distinguished floor leader has asked us to find ways that are the substitute is wanting and the senate bill is superior. and i would say with respect to supporting tribal victims, you know, we say that we give lip service to wanting to support tribal women, but when you stop and think about it, in 1978 the supreme court in the case

olephant decided that policies divest tribes over nonindians and the substitute seeks to affirm that even though that was modified and overturned in the u.s. supreme court in u.s. vs. laura which said that in fact if this body voted we could in fact confer upon native americans the authority to give them plenary power to enact legislation to relax restrictions on tribal sovereign authority. . we have the power to allow them to enforce necessaryic violence laws and rape laws on their land. and we so need it, madam speaker, because if you are a tribal woman, a member of a

tribe, say for example the band river chippewa in my state and you were raped on native land, tribes don't have any authority over that perpetrator if he's a nonindian, even if he's your husband. the local police in that area don't have any authority. the county sheriff doesn't have any authority. the state trooper can't come in and arrest them. and the only person that has any authority over that non-indian is some federal agent in madison, wisconsin, 500 miles away. which is why there has been a 67% declination of prosecutions of sexual assault. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired.

all time has expired from the gentleman from michigan. the gentlelady from washington is recognized for the remaining 30 seconds. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you. happy to yield the remainder of our time to the attorney, the wife, the mom, the lady from alabama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from alabama is recognized for 30 seconds. >> in closing i want to make sure we are clear. mrs. roby: the republicans are committed to standing for all victims. this bill, our amendment, strengthens penalties for sexual assault. sexual assault improves the federal stalking statutes. provides for enhanced investigation of sexual assault and provides services for victims. most importantly our amendment is constitutional. and it will stand up constitutional muster to the court. the senate passed a weakened bill that has a real chance of being overturned by the courts. i urge support for the house amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady's time has expired. all time for debate on the bill has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? mrs. mcmorris rodgers: madam speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will designate the amendment in the nature of a substitute. the clerk: amendment in the nature of of a substitute offered by mrs. mcmorris rodgers of washington consisting of the text of rules commit print 113-2. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 83, the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rodgers, and a member opposed, each will control 10 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from washington. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. mitts mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. we heard strong bipartisan support over the last hour for the violence against women act. standing for all victims, i remain convinced that the house amendment is the strongest re-authorization of vawa, and the one that should be sent to

the president's desk. it's a responsible bill that protects all victims of demessic violence. -- domestic violence. it's a bill that holds offenders fully accountable for their crimes, and it is a bill that respects the constitution. it puts the focus on the victim where it should be. it provides the necessary services and resources to victims while at the same time strengthening investigations and prosecutions to lock away offenders for a longer period of time. what it does not do is engage in the type of divisive, political rancor that many have tried to leverage or exploit. republicans want to re-authorize the bill that protects women. not promotes partisanship. over the last few months, the debate over vawa has been muddled with partisan attacks. in fact, just last week comments were made that claimed the house bill will not provide critical protections for rape victims, domestic violence victims, human

trafficking victims, students on campus, or stalking victims. or that, quote, the house republican leadership just doesn't get it, end of quote. none of these assertions should be -- are further from the truth. and it is this political bickering and these baseless accusations that keep congress from doing the job to protect those that need the most protection. because this bill is about people not politics. it's about rebecca from my home near spokane valley who broke up her fiance after a domestic dispute. two months later he shot and killed her and her 9-year-old son. it's about michelle of north spokane who was stabbed to death by her husband, jeffrey, while her 11-year-old son watched the entire thing.

this bill is about rebecca and michelle and the millions of women like them all across this country who need protection. that's what this bill will do. it ensures that all vulnerable populations are protected. no one is excluded from or can be discriminated against. the bill ensures that resources are available for critical services. it ensures that victims and their families have access to housing. it ep sure that investigations and prosecutions are more effective in putting offenders away for a longer period of time. it ensures that native american women have access to justice on indian land. and in such a way that prohibits offenders from getting off the hook. i'm disappointed that even some of our country's most influential leaders, the one that is have the ability to move this legislation through congress and get it to the president's desk, have dismissed this house bill. it's the responsible step forward. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the

gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman seek time in opposition? mr. conyers: i do. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you. ladies and gentlemen of the house, the controlling objective here is that if we reject the substitute and instead adopt the bipartisan and comprehensive senate bill, the bill will go directly to the president for his signature. and so i rise in strong opposition to the substitute and support the senate bill, the violence against women re-authorization act of 2013. and ilogical yield briefly to our distinguished gentlelady from wisconsin, ms. moore. the speaker pro tempore: for what time does the gentleman yield? mr. conyers: 30 seconds.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for 30 seconds. ms. moore: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a statement by our friend and colleague, tom cole, member of congress. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. moore: he says he does not support the house substitute to vawa because it does not adequately recognize sovereignty or give them the tools they need to combat violence against women, unquote. i yield back to the gentleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. mr. conyers: i thank the gentlelady. members of the house, i was here in 1994 when the violence against women act was introduced to provide critical lifesaving assistance for women, children, and men. this law's been the centerpiece of our government's commitment to combating domestic violence, dating violence, stalking,

sexual assault, and the results have been striking. in the nearly two decades since the landmark legislation was passed, the rate of intimate partner violence against women has dropped by nearly 2/3. on two occasions since its enactment, the members of both bodies have worked on a bipartisan basis to extend the violence against women act's protections and make necessary improvements. unfortunately last congress we weren't able to agree on a bill and the authorization was allowed to lapse. this month the senate took the unique opportunity to pass a strong bipartisan legislation by a vote of, what was it, 78-22. all the women in the senate. and so it incorporates years of

analysis of the problem and the solutions proposed by the law enforcement victims and the victims service provider. in my judgment it's much stronger, and i urge my colleagues to join with me, the 78 senators, and the president, the more than 1,300 organizations in supporting s. 47, the violence against women re-authorization act. i thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields -- the gentleman reserves. and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. pleased to yield two minutes to the chair of the women's policy committee and the lady from north carolina. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. thank you to my colleague who has done such a wonderful job on this issue. and i do rise today in support of the house substitution to the

violence against women act. mrs. ellmers: i urge my colleagues in the house to vote yes on that as well. every now and then here in the house we get the opportunity to rather than speaking about issues of cutting budgets and talking about issues that many people don't think affect them directly, we have the distinct opportunity today to hold everyone up and fight for a cause for women, for men, for families, for children. this is one of those times that we are not necessarily talking about policy, but we are talking about people. this is a very, very real issue, and it has strong bipartisan support that we move forward on these issues and that we take this off the table. however when we are talking about the senate version and we are talking about the house version, in my opinion the house

version is superior to the senate version because it holds up all people. it does not segment individuals into certain groups and subcategories. it is all inclusive. violence across this country is pervasive. women across this country are in families that they are trying to protect and they feel the necessity to reach out, and we must help them. i know there are many in this house who believe that there's not a federal nexus on this issue. however let's talk about the times that we might have internet stalking across state lines. that becomes a federal nexus. we must protect all victims. we must protect the victims of tribal violence as well, and i believe the house version is, again, superior to the senate version in that area as well. madam speaker, this is a very, very important issue, and again i urge my colleagues to follow

along and vote yes on this amendment. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the the gentlewoman from washington reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: madam speaker, a message from the senate. the secretary: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: madam secretary. the secretary: i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed with an amendment h.r. 30 , cited as the pandemic and all hazards re-authorization act of 2013, in which the concurrence of the house is requested. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you, madam speaker. i am pleased to recognize now the former schare of the subcommittee on the -- former chair of the subcommittee on the constitution house committee, the gentleman from new york, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. nadler: this bill is about women. it is about our sisters and

daughters. it is about combating violence that no human being should ever face. rape, assault, sexual assault, human trafficking. by offering an amendment that will further delay and even endanger passage of the bill, republicans are not just standing up for the men who abuse immigrants or men who rape native americans, they are delaying justice and counseling and health care and protection for everyone. the republican amendment would roll back protections for immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse by making it harder to obtain new visas. new restrictions would deter undocumented immigrants from reporting assault and from cooperating with police leaving victims vulnerable. the bipartisan senate bill would end sexual orientation and gender for eligibility of grant programs under vawa and include sexual orientation and gender identity as classes. the republican amendment by delete provisions appears to say if you are gay or lesbian or bisexual, trand gender it's ok to beat you up. vawa will not help you.

this is the republican idea of equality in the 21st century. and the approval of the republican amendment would delay the bill for months or weeks or months. it could even kill the bill altogether as it did in the last congress. i hope that is not the true motive behind the amount. however the act that republicans in congress have been waging a war on women from the moment they took over control of the house does make you wonder. . it is time to reject this cynical employ -- ploy. i ask my colleagues to join me in voting against the republican amendment and for the senate bill. we don't need a retrogressive house bill that goes back on existing protections and endangerers passage of any bill. the senate did a fine job on a bipartisan basis. we should pass its bill without delay. and not engage in partisan retrogressive conduct. i yield back and i thank the chair. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized.

the gentlewoman reserves and the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i recognize a senior member of the house judiciary committee from texas, sheila jackson lee, and i recognize -- i yield to her two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for two minutes. without objection. ms. jackson lee: i thank the gentleman very much. i thank the gentlelady, congress woovepl moore, for her -- congresswoman moore, for her leadership and thank her for bringing reality to this day. the last 18 years we have had the cover of the violence against women act and i was glad to be here in the re-authorization time frame. but i'm also very glad to claim that the amendment that was offered by congresswoman moore and conyers and porter and myself in the rules committee prevailed. for we in fact introduced the senate bill. but the leadership of the house, as it relates to the democratic

members, was strong. because we introduced the bill just like it. but let me tell you what is happening with the legislation from the house side, the substitute is fuzzy legislation. it's almost as if you name your son and daughter jane and john but you start calling them girl and boy. you take away the definitiveness of who they are. just in a couple of months before one of the coeds, a young college student, a young woman college student at the university of virginia was murdered by her boyfriend. and so in the bill that we want to see passed, the senate bill, we have protections for college students. we have a definitive protection for native american women, many of whom are marrying nonnative americans and many times those cases are not -- non-native americans and many times those cases are not prosecuted. you have to define that they have the jurisdiction to prosecute these cases. with respect to immigrant women, isn't it ridiculous that you must contact the abuser and get

the corroboration of the abuser? what does that say to that immigrant woman who needs to tell what is happening to her, how she's being held hostage because of her immigrant or nonimmigrant status? i say to you that every nine seconds a woman in the united states is assaulted or beaten by stalkers or her partner. every year in the united states 1,000 to 1,600 women die at the hands of their male partners, even though we've made great strides in improving it under the violence against women act. one in five women have been raped in their lifetime. four women have been the victim of severe physical violence. we need the senate compromise. we need the senate bipartisan bill. don't vote for fuzzy legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan reserves. and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from washington reserves and the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i

ask unanimous consent to insert into the record a number of letters from advocacy and nonprofit groups in opposition to the house substitute and in support of the senate-passed bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. conyers: thank you. the gentlewoman from washington continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i yield to mr. johnson of georgia, a distinguished member of the judiciary committee, 1 1/2 minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. mr. johnson: thank you. today, madam speaker, i rise in opposition to this hyperpartisan and inhumane house substitute version of the violence against women re-authorization act of

2013. this version is inhumane and cynical because it removes certain classes of individuals from the protections of the act. as guaranteed by the senate version. this inhumane house version removes all references to gender identity and sexual orientation, ignoring evidence that domestic and sexual violence also affects lgbt victims at equal or greater levels than the rest of the population. it also limits protections for native american women and omits some protections for immigrant women. why would we want to exclude these populations from coverage? vote no on the house substitute and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan reserves. and the gentlewoman from washington continues to reserve. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'm pleased to choose judy chu, a

distinguished member of the judiciary committee, to close the debate on our side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for 1 1/2 minutes. ms. chu: i rise to oppose the house amendment. for nearly 20 years congress worked on a bipartisan basis to expand and improve the violence against women act. on three separate occasions we found common purpose in protecting survivors of domestic violence. today we will try again. but the senate bill protects immigrant, lgbt and native american victims. the amendment takes this all away. right now an immigrant woman who fears deportation could be terrorized by a violent stalker. she would have no choice but to continue to live every day in fear.

the senate bill fixes this by giving this immigrant woman a legal means by which to save her life. this amendment would deny that protection. the point of this law is to protect the vulnerable, not to cherry pick who matters. it's time to return to bipartisanship and protect victims. it's time for the house to pass the senate bill as is. we must oppose this amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentleman from michigan's time has expired and the gentlewoman from washington is recognized. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: thank you, madam speaker. i'm happy to yield the remainder of our time in closing to the gentleman from south carolina, a distinguished member of the judiciary committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized for five minutes.

>> she got her ph.d. in biology. then she became a patent agent with the largest law firm in south carolina. mr. gowdy: and she still wasn't done. at night she would sit in the kitchen and study for the lsat. she was going to go to law school. she wanted to be a doctor and a lawyer. but her greatest accomplishment what her character. she was smart, hard working, a source of joy and inspiration in the lives of everyone who worked with her and knew her. which is a little bit of a luck, madam speaker. liz could be speaking to you from the floor of the house of representatives, with just a little bit of luck she would be representing south carolina in congress. but she's not in the house of representatives, madam speaker. she's in a cemetery in fort wayne, indiana. her husband couldn't stand her success. so he abused her. she tried to escape and she almost made it. she made it to the backdoor.

where he met her with a shovel and he broke every single bone in her face. and then he nearly decapitated her, leaving her in a pool of blood in the kitchen where she used to study for the lsat. i run into her mom from time to time, madam speaker, back in south carolina. she comes back for a victims rights service and she's just like liz. warm and compassionate. and she always asks, what can i do to help? imagine that. a mother who lost a daughter in such a horrific way wants to help and that got me wondering, well, maybe we should be asking what we can do to help, because we really can help. we can provide women a safe harbor. we can provide the means to leave abusive relationships. we can provide women the

counseling that they need. we can accelerate the prosecution of sexual assault cases so women don't have to wait and wonder and worry about whether or not they're going to be abused again before the case gets to trial. we can do all of that but i think, madam speaker, we can do more. when my daughter was little, she would ask me to look under her bed for monsters. and i did. but as our little girl is, -- girls grow into women, we realize the monsters are not under the bed, they're in the bed and in the den and in the kitchen and on the college campuses and walking the halls of the high schools and on the computer and on the phone. and for some women, specialy -- especially today, the monster is this broken political system that we have, a broken political system which manufactures reasons to oppose otherwise good

bills just to deny one side a victory. the house version protects every single american, period. but it will not get a single democrat vote because it is our version. welcome to our broken political system. i never ask a victim if she was a republican or a democrat. i never ask a police officer if he or she was a republican or a democrat. i never ask a counselor if she was a republican or a democrat. i never asked the parent of a victim if they were a republican or a democrat. because there's some things that ought to be bigger than politics. and protecting people who cannot protect themselves ought to be one of them. and i had hoped that the house bill would allow us, madam speaker, to join arms and walk on a common journey of

protecting people who are innocent and cannot protect themselves. and i had hoped, madam speaker, that this fractured body could possibly be healed by something that ought to be nonpartisan like protecting women against violence. and i had hoped, madam speaker, that just for one day, just one day we will stop scoring political points against each other and try to score political points for other people. and i had hope, madam speaker, that for just one day this body could speak with one clear, strong voice for all the women who were too tired and too scared and too hurt and too dead to speak for themselves.

i had hope that today would be the day. maybe next time, madam speaker. maybe next time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from washington's time has expired. all time has expired. the question is on the amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the gentlewoman from washington, mrs. mcmorris rodgers. those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. the noes have it. the amendment -- mrs. mcmorris rodgers: madam speaker, i would ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute,

inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 166, the nays are 257. the amendment is not adopted.

the question is on the third reading. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: senate 47, an act to re-authorize violence against women act of 1994. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. conyers: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote is requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 286. the nays are 138. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the chair will remind all persons in the gallery that they are here as guests of the house and that any manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings is in violation of the rules of the house.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. poe: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to -- to remove all co-sponsors from house resolution 88. the speaker pro tempore: without objection.

mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to speak out of order for one minute for the purposes of inquiring of the

majority leader the schedule for the week to come. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: i thank the speaker and i yield to my friend, the majority leader, mr. cantor. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman from maryland, the democratic whip, for yielding. mr. speaker, on monday the house will meet at noon for morning hour and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. on tuesday and wednesday the house will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. on thursday the house will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business, last votes of the week are expected no later than 3:00 p.m. on friday the house is not in session. mr. speaker, the house will consider a number of suspensions on monday and tuesday, a complete list of which will be announced by the close of business tomorrow. in addition, the house will consider a resolution to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. i expect a resolution to also include bipartisan bills to fund the departments of defense and veterans affairs, thus providing who more flexibility to our

military and allowing the pentagon to engage in new starts, something it would not be allowed to do under a c.r. mr. speaker, before i yield back my time, i'd like to highlight two additional items. on tuesday the house passed legislation to establish a nationwide academic competition in the stem fields. mr. speaker, the house is not in order. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. mr. cantor: this competition will encourage entrepreneurship and provide a unique opportunity for america's high school and college students in each congressional district to showcase their creative capabilities. i thank chairman candice miller and ranking member brady for their hard work in making this bipartisan program possible. and i look forward to the success of the competition for years to come and the benefit it will provide our institution. lastly, mr. speaker, i'd like to highlight the congressional

civil rights pilgrimage to could -- occurring this friday through sunday in alabama, led by congressman john lew wills. a true american hero -- lewis. a true american heeow and champion of civil rights and freedom. a bipartisan delegation of members will participate in the three-day journey through alabama, concluding with the commemoration of the 1965 civil rights march across the bridge in selma. alongside the democratic whip, i am honored to participate in this pilgrimage and reflecting on the sacrifice that shaped the greater democracy we live in today. and with that, mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman and yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for the information. i also thank him for his reference to the march over the bridge, from selma to montgomery. of which we will commemorate. that march occurred on march 7, 1965. yesterday we had the honor of dedicating and accepting a

statute in memory -- statue in memory of rosa parks. rosa parks, of course, known as, in many respects, the mother of the civil rights movement that led to america perfecting its union. to allowing and making sure that every american, irrespective of race or color or nationality or religion, could be treated equally. it's appropriate that we participate in this march across the bridge to recall the -- this country's commitment in 1965 to the voting rights act which ensured that every american would have what is intrinsic in the definition of democracy, the right to vote and the right to have their vote count. and i look forward to being the honorary co-chair with the majority leader of this march, with a true american hero who is the chair, the leader, the

person who showed such extraordinary courage not only on august -- excuse me, on march 7, 1965, but years before that and every year thereafter, including until today. so i thank the gentleman for calling attention to that march and i look forward to participating with him in alabama this weekend. now, mr. leader, as all of us know, automatic draconian, in my view, irrational cuts will occur starting tomorrow as a result of the so-called sequester. i did not see any legislation on the floor for next week which would obviate the happening of that event, of the sequester, although i do see that there is some desire, apparently, to make

sure that the defense department and the department of veterans affairs has the ability to manage those cuts in a way that will be least detrimental. i would ask the gentleman, there are of course 12 other -- excuse me, 10 other appropriation bills , there are 10 other major agencies and multiple departments and offices that will have a problem similar to that of the department of defense and the veterans administration. is the gentleman aware of any efforts that will be made to accommodate the domestic side of the budget? mr. cantor: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding. and i would say, mr. speaker, as the gentleman knows, the house has acted twice to offer alternatives to what we agree with is a very wrong way to go

about cuts. which is the sequestration measure. but unfortunately both times the senate rejected or refused to take up the alternatives. i'm aware the other body is anticipating at least -- anticipating to at least attempt to vote on an alternative, both of which are protected to fail in the state in -- predicted to fail in the senate. so i'd say to the gentleman, mr. speaker, that he's right in saying that our intent is to try and provide the flexibility for the defense department in terms of its appropriations, as well as the milcon bill. and we do so because there's bipartisan agreement around those two bills. and i would say to the gentleman, if bipartisan agreement somehow is reached in other bills, i would say to the gentleman, we certainly would like to be able to take a look at that. but i believe, mr. speaker, it's prudent for us to try and do the

things that we can do right now so that we don't have to bear the burden of the wrongheaded way of controlling spending which is that sequestration. i yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for his comments. let me only observe that the bills which the gentleman has now discussed for three weeks running, that we've had colloquies, are no longer available to either the senate or the house. he knows that. they were in the last congress and they died in the last congress. there has been no legislation in the 59 days that we've been here, put on this floor, and only the majority leader can put legislation on the floor. no legislation which would have an alternative to the sequester. and in fact, notwithstanding some of the representations, mr. leader, that have been made, mr. speaker, there was a bill on this floor on july 19, 2011, which was called cut, cap and balance. 229 republicans voted for that

bill. that bill had as its fallback, if the objectives of the bill were not reached, sequester. that was substantially before, many days before the president and through the person of jack lu talk about the making that a part of a piece of legislation that we needed so that we did not default on the national debt. and for the first time not only since i've been serving the congress, some 32 years, but the first time in history as a result of that action of coming so close to defaulting on the national debt this country was downgraded by a single point. the gentleman talked about the stem bill that was passed and i voted for, he voted for, the overwhelming majority of democrats and republicans voted for it, to help our economy. that event substantially hurt our economy. mr. speaker, the inability to get to agreement on this

sequester is hurting the economy. and i will tell my friend that we've offered three times to have a bill considered as an alternative to sequester which cuts spending, raises some additional revenues. i know the gentleman is going to give me a lecture about raising taxes. i understand that. but i would urge the gentleman, let a vote happen on this floor. let the house as you said in 2010 work its will. that's what the speaker said he wanted to do. let us vote on an alternative. not just blindly go down this road of sequester, not blindly go down this road that the gentleman has just agreed with me and we agreed together, i think most of us agree, the sequester is irrational. it should not happen. in fact, it was put in the bill on the theory that surely we wouldn't let it happen. but in 59 days we've had no bill on this floor. all the gentleman says is a bill that's gone and dead and

bury, that we can't consider, that won't make a difference, that will not get rid of the sequester. i regret that, mr. leader, because i think we can. frankly we can next week put alternatives on the froor. if you have an alternative, put -- on the floor. if you have an alternative, put it on the floor. but that's what the american people expect. they expect us to solve problems, and they sent us to vote on policy. mr. van hollen, who's the ranking democrat on the budget committee, has asked three times, mr. leader, to bring a bill to this floor, an amendment to this floor to provide an alternative to sequester. it seems strange that when both of us agree that sequester is wrong, irrational, will have adverse effects, ben bernanke said it would substantially hurt the economy, that we don't provide alternatives, and all we talk about is something we did yesterday -- actually more

than three month, four months ago, that is dead and gone. we need to do something now, and we need to come together in a bipartisan basis. i might say to the leader, we've had four major bills signed into law in this congress by the president. every one of those bills were passed in a bipartisan basis with an average of 168 democrats voting for it and an average of 124 republicans voting for it. we saw a perfect example, mr. speaker -- mr. leader, on the floor today of making very good policy. how did we do it? we did it in a bipartisan vote. and i suggest to my friend, the majority leader, that we could do that as it relates to the sequester if we would bring something to the floor, have a vote on it and in my view in a

bipartisan fashion we could in fact set aside this irrational, negative sequester and move on to a rational, fiscal policy. i'd be glad to yield to my friend if he wants to make a comment on it. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i thank the gentleman. first of all, there would not be a bipartisan vote on the democratic suggestion as to how to deal with the sequester. as the gentleman rightfully suggests, that measure will include tax increases. we heard a lot of talk about balance, that we need to approach the situation in a balanced way. well, the president has enacted $149.7 billion worth of tax increases for this fiscal year. sequestration results in $85.3 billion worth of spending reductions. as you can see, mr. speaker, the balance is clearly in favor of tax increases. taking people's money and then allowing washington to decide

how to spend it when most people realize that government is never the one best to spend and allocate someone else's dollars, which is why we insist on having a limited government providing the necessary support and roles as it should and not continuing to take other people's money and deciding how we spend it. now, i'd say to the gentleman, he knows as well as i do that the senate refuses to take up whatever we send them. they refused again and again. so we've got a real problem, that somehow one house does its work. twice this house has passed bills with alternative measures to address sequestration, and a significant portion of both of those bills, one of which i sponsored, were provisions taken out of the president's,

himself, budget. not spending increases but reductions that the president says are ok but yet still the senate failed to take them up. so there's a meeting tomorrow at the white house, mr. speaker, and i know the gentleman shares the desire to perhaps have that men -- meeting make the senate act. the house can produce a plan and has twice to replace this sequester. now, i'd say to the gentleman, he's concerned about the economy and so are we very concerned about the economy. we're concerned about the rating agencies outlook -- agencies' outlook on our situation. but i remind the gentleman, mr. speaker, that the warnings from these rating agencies are not warnings that are wholly addressed by just coming to

some deal. those warnings from the rating agencies are directed at our doing something about the underlying fiscal problem this federal government has which are the mountains of debt caused by the growth and the unfunded liblets in our entitlement programs -- liabilities in our entitlement programs. and the gentleman knows we failed to come to agreement in 2011 as to how to deal with those unfunded liabilities which is why the sequestration is in place. we got to have that deal on the unfunded liabilities, because that's what those warnings are about, that's what we should be concerned about, not raising more taxes. those warnings are not about raising more taxes. it's about getting rid of the out-of-control liabilities that are racked up because of the spending which is out of control. i yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman for his comments. it doesn't get at -- we've been

here 59 days in this congress. not a single bill has been brought to this floor which will deal with the sequester. not one. as a matter of fact, we've only met 17 of the 59 days this year . so when my friend laments the fact that the sequester is going into effect and he talks about bills he doesn't deny they're dead and gone. senate can't take them up. so many folks want us to read the constitution of the united states. i'm for doing that. it's article 1 that gives to the house, as the leader i'm sure know, the responsibility to raise revenues and to pass appropriation bills. it's the house that needs to initiate legislation, and we guard that pretty jealously. we guard it as -- we just passed vawa. there was a lot of discussion about vawa having -- in the last congress that passed

overwhelmingly was delayed because very frankly they had some money effect in that bill. we said it was subject, therefore, to objections on our side. we haven't met very often and when we do meet the only real bills that are passed are passed in a bipartisan fashion which happened today. and when we talk about balance -- and i get very frustrated and take somebody else's money. do you want to take it out of your pocket? was the constitution of a united states which formed a more perfect union designed to take the chinese money or european money and fund our education, our health care research, our highways, our national security? of course not. it is our money. each one of us individually works hard and we apportion a part of our earnings to the common good, to the common defense, to the common

investment in our future, in education, in innovation, in infrastructure. yes, we do that. and i will tell my friend, and he well knows this, i get somewhat frustrated when i hear this. when i served in this congress from 2001 to 2008 when the economic policy that was in effect was all your party's economic policy, and you cut revenues substantially and you increased spending substantially and we went from surplus to deep deficit. we need to solve that. i agree with the gentleman. we need to solve it, but we need to do it in a bipartisan basis. that's why i point out the only bills that have of substance that have been signed by the president that weren't suspension bills on which we all agree were bipartisan bills which averaged 124 republicans voting for them and average 168 democrats voting for them. both parties joined together to solve problems. that's what needs to happen.

and i will tell the gentleman he can talk about confidence all he wants, talk about why the rating agencies downgrade us. there were a number of reasons. but the greatest reason was, and they articulate it, standard & poor's articulated, they weren't confident that we could work together to solve problems. and we're not doing that. the gentleman continues to not want a balanced program. every group, every group that i've seen or read about or talked to people about has said you cannot get from where we are in the deep debt that was created in the last decade to where we need to be, a balanced fiscal and sustainable plan for america for the years to come without addressing both the spending side and the revenue side. the example i use is we are selling a product, mr. leader, that many of us voted for it and you want to accommodate on the defense side, which cost $23 -- costs $23, and we are

pricing it at $15. no business in america or in the world could survive with that imbalance. we need to bring that in balance, and you're not going to get to the 15% of revenues that we're collecting or now maybe 16% or 17% simply by savaging either defense or nondefense spending or entitlements. so i would certainly hope, mr. leader, that we would come together. you and i have talked about this a lot. people go home and talk about how bipartisan we are going to be. we are prepared and we understand there are going to be things we have to do that we won't like. on your side there will be things to do that you won't like. that will be a compromise. that's the definition of a compromise. our country needs it. americans want it. i would hope that we could in the coming days, not only address the sequester, but address the need over the next

10 years to get this country back to balance where we were in 2000 where we had a balanced budget, the debt was coming down and in fact people were concerned that it was coming down too fast. unless the gentleman has further remarks, i'll yield back. mr. cantor: i appreciate the gentleman yielding. mr. hoyer: i yield to my friend. mr. cantor: the gentleman loves to go back and talk about that period from 2001 to 2008 and the fact that there was too many tax cuts in place and without the control in spending. mr. hoyer: reclaiming my time, because my point, i tell the leader, is that we didn't pay for what we bought. we kept buying but we didn't pay. i yield to my friend. mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i was saying that. too many tax cuts in place, and i agree with the gentleman, mr. speaker, not only on the fact that there were tax reductions and cuts in place but the fact there wasn't a control in spending. that is a problem here, mr.

speaker. but ironically, the gentleman has consistently been in support of and just voted to extend 98% of those tax cuts. and so what we're saying right now is we got to do something about the spending. you just got $650 billion in tax increases, mr. speaker, over the course of the next 10 years through the fiscal cliff deal. i just prior spoke about the imbalance. this year, f.y. 2013, of the amount of new revenues versus the actual spending that is being projected to be reduced in the sequester. i agree, let's get back to balance. let's go ahead and increase the spending reductions. washington does have that spending problem. the gentleman agrees. so, you know, again, i think it's unfair to say that there's just, you know, no agreement on

the fact that we ought to go and reduce tax rates and taxes because the gentleman supports doing that. so let's talk about balance. you know, and we got the highest level of revenues, it's been reported that we have the highest level of revenues coming into the federal government this year ever. and the gentleman does know as well the spending is out of proportion in terms of history, in terms of the percentage of g.d.p. so why can't we focus on that? we got to get this economy growing. and the gentleman is correct in saying the government needs to be adequately funded, but we got to take a look at what we're funding. that's what we're talking about in replacing the sequester is prioritizing. what are the functions of government? and the sequester, it does cut spending, but we'd rather cut

it in smarter ways. you know, again, i hear the gentleman talk about he'd like to be here on the floor passing bills. we would, too. get the senate to act. we have a bicameral process here, and the senate has not acted. the white house, the president hasn't even sent up his budget, mr. speaker. the president has that obligation in law. has not presented his budget to the house. the senate refuses to do anything. and what's the white house doing right now? the president's been going around the country campaigning for the past two months scarring people, creating havoc. that's supposed to be leadership? the president says to americans that their food is going to go uninspected and the borders will be less patrolled and unsafe.

his cabinet secretaries are holding press conference and conducting tv interviewses, making false claims about teacher layoffs. i just feel that people ought to take a look and say, hey, these sequester spending levels, not the sequester, but the spending levels, and say, in 2009, was food not inspected? because that's what the claim is, mr. speaker. that somehow if we were ever to reduce spending at all we couldn't have food inspectors. did we have a border patrol -- any border patrol agents in 2009? of course we did. of course we did. they will be funded at the same levels under the sequester. and that's our point. replacing the sequester with smart cuts. but the other side, mr. speaker, and the gentleman and his caucus won't join us in doing that. because all we hear again and again is raise taxes. and i have said, as the

gentleman knows, we can't in this town be raising taxes every three months. that's just not the way we can get this economy back on track. did the f.a.a. shut down in 2009? that's the claim. that's the claim that the president's saying. shut down the f.a.a., stop air travel as we know it. or give us higher taxes. that's the false choice that this president and his administration are out there hawking. we can't have that. that's not leadership. let's come together. i agree with the gentleman, but stop the false choice. stop the games and let's get it done. i yield back. mr. hoyer: i thank the gentleman. he said a lot and i could have a lot of comments on that but i will say this, as long as the gentleman believes it's only us saying that we need a balanced program, he will oppose it because we are democrats. if the gentleman listens to

independent advice all over this country, from all sorts of sources, republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals, they will say, you need a balanced approach. we need to cut spending, we need to restrain spending and we need to balance the cost of what we provide with the income that we have. every business person, small, medium and large, understands that concept. we have not followed it and we did not follow it in the last decade. i regret the fact that the gentleman doesn't like the president going around the country and telling the truth. saying what the consequences may well be. now, are they going to be on march 1? no, but will they inevitable occur if the sequester stays in place? the answer to that is an emphatic yes. so i think the president is going around the country saying, look, these are the alternatives . and saying that the senate won't act or the president won't act

-- people did not elect me, i will tell you, to make the president act or to make the senate act. they didn't think i could do that. what they did think i could do is make steny hoyer act. and if i were the majority leader, they expected me to have the house act. even if people didn't agree with me of legislation i put on the floor. but they expect us to do our job , not to cop out, with all due respect, to the fact that the president's not doing something or the senate's not doing something. we have a responsibility here in this chamber, the people's house, as representatives of 435 districts, to do our job. and if the other folks don't do their job, we can lament that, we can criticize them, we can inform the american public of that. but we cannot say that's why we're not acting. so i would hope that next week we would in fact act and bring legislation to the floor and i'd be, as the gentleman knows, my

friend knows, i'm for a big deal. i'm for getting us to that $4 trillion that the simpson-bowles recommended. because i think that will give real confidence to our economy, really grow businesses and put our country on a fiscally sustainable path and i will yield back the balance of my time. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. cantor: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today it adjourn to meet on monday next, when it shall convene at noon for morning hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia -- pennsylvania seek recognition?

without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: mr. speaker, today i rise to recognize the more than 20,000 individuals who represent the pennsylvania special olympics. the special olympics is about people helping people. it's a global movement that has flourished due to the commitment and passion of its local volunteers and the determination of its participants and its athletes. in march of each year the pennsylvania special olympics hosts more than 300 athletes and 100 coaches in the state floor hockey tournament. this year's two-day competition and team and individual skills floor hockey will be held at my alma mater. where i will have the opportunity to attend and lend a helping hand on saturday, march 2. i'd like to commend the pennsylvania special olympics for their years of hard work, from ex panledsing an ever-growing -- expanding an ever-growing volunteer base, to help athletes develop individual

fitness and courage. i look forward to sharing these experiences with other local community and wish all of our participants the very best in this week's competitions. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? without objection. >> mr. speaker, the sequester is scheduled to go into effect in less than 24 hours and i stand today to call out a particularly objectionable concept that this is not taking effect today that. will this is somehow not going to affect people today, it's going to roll out over time. that's just not the case. if you're a familiar who is facing -- family who is facing layoffs or furloughs or you're an admiral or general who's trying to figure out how to protect the country and you have to spend time worrying about what jobs you're going to stop

and who you're going to lay off, or if you're that scientist, that budding scientist who is thinking about where you're going to do your science, whether it's here in a country that invests in science, or abroad, someplace where it looks like you'll get better opportunity, those impacts are happening today. and that's why today we should not adjourn. we should be staying here, working on the sequester, avoiding these cuts. let's stay at work and get this problem solved. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask permission to suspend the rules and greas the -- address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. the president seems to think that the only way for us to replace the arbitrary spending cuts known as the sequester, the sequester which the president's own operatives came up with, is to enact more tax increases. should we really be talking about raising taxes when so many examples of government waste

abound? do we need to spend $1.2 million to have the national science foundation pay people to play video games? do we need the e.p.a. to give away over $100 million in grants to foreign countries like china? or what about bankrolling tax tv? the i.r.s. spends $4 million of our tax dollars every year to run its very own full-service television studio. instead of raising taxes, let's get serious about cutting waste. the house has acted to replace the sequester with commonsense cuts and reforms. it's time to see a serious plan from the president. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? without objection.

>> mr. speaker, it's a beautiful day back in my hometown of olympia, washington. of course it's raining cats and dogs, but that's what passes for beauty in our corner of the world. it's a beautiful day at the national wildlife refuge near olympia and it's a beautiful day at mount rain ear national park which you can see from mie my neighborhood. but, mr. speaker, if we -- see from my neighborhood. but, mr. speaker, if we don't replace sequestration, i'm worried about how many more beautiful days there are ahead. if we don't replace sequestration, then some of the $7 -- 7.5 million visiters who are scheduled to visit one of our 13 national parks aren't going to be able to. they have already announced that they are closing the visitor center at mount rainier. all of this because congress can't or won't do its job. mr. speaker, it is a beautiful day in washington state, but i don't know for how long. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back.

for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise pursuant to the order of the house of today to express my strong support -- i rise today to express my strong support for the airport. unfortunately with the pending sequester, the pending aviation administration announced that they may close 238 control towers, including the tower at my local airport. lakeland lyndon regional airport hosts a fly-in that celebrates aviation and the second largest convention in the world. mr. ross: this sun and fun fly-in is also the largest convention in the state of florida. it provides a $50 million economic impact to the region that year. the potential closure of the tower is unacceptable. as we know, president obama initially proposed the sequester

in 2011. i voted against its creation and voted twice to replace its arbitrary cuts. americans deserve real solutions and genuine accountability. improper payments by the federal government exceeded $115 billion in 2011. surely the president is willing to address those improper payments before allowing the sequestration cuts to take place. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to bring awareness to the automatic trigger cuts known as sequestration and the impact it will have on domestic violence programs in california. i thank my colleagues who voted today for a commonsense piece of legislation known as the violence against women act. this landmark legislation comes

on the eve of looming budget cuts that will have devastating impacts on domestic violence prevention programs throughout california, which already operate on tight budgets. mrs. negrete mcleod: the obama administration estimates almost $1 million of funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence in california will be cut, resulting to 3,000 fewer victims being served. although we have made significant strides towards safeguarding all women by passing this important bill, we must ensure that we continue to strengthen those programs by avoiding the sequester. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. president obama's sequester will take effect tomorrow.

because of the president's irresponsible -- irresponsibility to cut just pennies of waste for every $1 washington spends, the men and women of the 122nd air national guard in my district face furloughs. across the globe our national security will pay the price for washington's failures. mr. stutzman: how did this happen? it seems that during his chicago-style campaigning, president obama forgot that his primary responsibility is to serve as commander in chief. today, instead of working to replace these security cuts with cuts to waste, president obama and harry reid are trying to pass a tax hike in the senate. a tax hike that the nonpartisan c.b.o. says will increase our deficit for the next two years. it seems that instead of solving the problem, president obama and his allies are only making it worse. mr. speaker, it's time to get serious about the $3 billion we borrow every day and cut spending in a responsible way

that saves the american dream and keeps our national security strong. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> again, thank you, mr. speaker. unless we do something, friday will be a day that none of us will want to see but that very few of us seem to have the colonel or convention to prevent. mr. lowenthal: today, we have two options. devastating meat cleaver cuts or political courage. last week in my district i met with leadership of the lows alimmediate oast joint forces -- los la -- alamedos joint forces base.

this would put this base at risk. who are we talking about. these are our first responders, our firefighters, our citizen soldiers. these are the people that will be affected by sequestration. if we must choose between cuts or political courage, i choose political courage. we must come together to do what is right. i ask for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that eliminates sequestration. i support congressman van hollen's house resolution 699, and i ask for unanimous consent to bring this bill to the floor. thank you and i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: under the guidelines consistently issued by successive speakers, as recorded on page 752 of the house rules manual, the chair is constrained not to entertain the gentleman's request unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leadership.

the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this is one of those moments where you come up here for one minute and i wanted to share a certain frustration. mr. schweikert: particularly the vote we had here in the house. i come from arizona. we have 22 tribal communities, 21 actual designated reservations. i've lived almost my entire life alongside the salt river indian community, the sophisticated tribe with wonderful outreach into the community. they've come light years in the last 10. they've done amazing things. we've been working with that community and congressman cole's office trying to work with language that would work in vawa and yet congressman

cole, congressman issa were not allowed in the process to offer their amendment. and that was great frustration for me because there was months of labor put into that. there is some irony here. i heard folks on the right and a lot on the left saying the self-determination, the court process, for those tribal communities. ok. great. are we now ready to have this body step up and help our tribes in arizona, sophisticated, manage their own finances, their own health care, because they're asking for that self-determination? thank you, mr. speaker. the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to give voice of the concern i'm hearing from the constituents in my district when it comes to

the sequester. el pasoans are worried about canceled flights, delays in processing social security and veterans' benefits and fewer resources for law enforcement. they are also worried about their jobs. for example, i represent 20,000 workers and their families who are going to be facing furloughs. mr. o'rourke: we're concerned that wait times at our ports of entry will be four to five hours and furloughs resulting in fewer customs and border protection officers. this undermines those employees and their families in the trade that supports nearly 100,000 jobs in the el paso region. mr. speaker, let's fix this. let's vote on legislation that will replace the sequester with responsible cuts in revenues. i ask unanimous consent to bring up h.r. 699. the speaker pro tempore: as the chair previously advised, that request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance. mr. o'rourke: i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent that i would be allowed to revise and extend my remarks and address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today about the impending cuts to the federal programs that are harmful to our national security, education system, transportation, infrastructure and economy. mr. veasey: we will see discriminant cuts to special education and a loss of four million meals for seniors and debilitating cuts to health care for our military families. the cuts caused by sequestration will go into effect tomorrow. unless we vote on a resolution today, these cuts will deeply

hurt the constituents that i represent in the north texas district -- congressional district 33, and also citizens across the nation. i was not in congress when sequestration was passed two years ago as part of the republican cut, cap and balance deal. there is still time to prevent these harmful across-the-board spending cuts. i ask unanimous consent to bring up house resolution 699, the balanced bill to replace the sequester that includes both spending cuts and revenues. the speaker pro tempore: as the chair previously said, that request cannot be obtained without appropriate clearance. the gentleman yields back. who seeks recognition? for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? without objection. >> thank you. mr. speaker, i rise to really

applaud the house for renewing today the violence against women act. mrs. maloney: this will protect our citizens. it's important legislation. i had the privilege of helping to offer the original one in 1994 with patricia schroeder and louise slaughter and joe biden and we re-authorized it twice. i'm pleased it passed today. i ask unanimous consent to place in the article that was published in the huffington post today and the comments i wasn't able to give today as i had a conflict with another hearing. i'm pleased the bill included two bills that i offered. one, the safer act, with congressman poe, in a bipartisan way, that would process the d.n.a. rape kits that are sitting on shelves across this country gathering dust, they'll process it and hopefully put rapists behind bars and protect women from future assaults from rapists. these particular rapists. and also the campus security

act, which would require campuses to keep statistics on violence on the campus and steps they are taking to protect their citizens. also, the trafficking and persons act, to crack down on sex trafficking. it's an important bill. i applaud my colleagues for passing it. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to share my deep concern with my colleagues of what these dangerous sequestration cuts mean to my community. mr. garcia: i have the honor to represent the suburbs of miami-dade and the florida keys. we're a community of middle-class families and my constituents will be hurt if the leadership of the congress fails to act.

here are a few examples. south florida's economy depends on the flow of tourists. it is an engine which fuels us. if sequestration goes into effect, t.s.a. and customs agents will be furloughed. passengers throughout the country will miss their connecting flights and we will have fewer tourists and hurts small business. up to 600 civilians who work in the florida keys naval base will be furloughed. this means less money for everyday needs in the economy of the keys. students at schools like miami-dade college and f.y.u., will see their funding cut. the leadership in this congress owes the american people an explanation of why we've gotten to this point. there is a better alternative that will create jobs. house resolution 699. i respectfully ask for unanimous consent to bring it up, this balanced budget bills replaces sequester with balanced cuts. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: as the

chair has previously advised, that request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance. the gentleman yields back. the chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to section 1366-b of the national defense authorization act of fiscal year 2013. and the order of the house of january 3, 2013, the following individual on the part of the house of the congressional advisory panel on the governance of the nuclear security enterprise. the clerk: ms. heather wilson of albuquerque, new mexico. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to 22 u.s.c. 276-l and the order of the house of january 3, 2013, of the following members of the part of the house of the british american interparliamentary group.

the clerk: mr. petri of wisconsin, mr. crenshaw of florida, mr. aderholt of alabama, and mr. whitfield of kentucky. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's anountment pursuant to 22 u.s.c. 6913 and the order of the house of january 3, 2013, of the following member on the part of the house to the congressional executive commission on the people's republic of china. the clerk: mr. smith of new jersey, co-chairman. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the gentlewoman from maryland, ms. edwards, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. edwards: thank you, mr. speaker. in this chamber we've heard over the last several days numerous speakers who have spoken quite eloquently about the impact of sequestration on

their communities, their constituents across this country. and i dare say there are many americans who have no idea what sequestration is, but they will come to know, mr. speaker, exactly what sequestration is when they figure out that of the range of programs and services that impact them and their communities and the federal government is taking a step backwards because of republicans' failure to bring forward a balanced approach to dealing with our budget. in fact we've just been moving from one crisis to the next crisis. today in this house chamber we did something very special. we passed the violence against women act, the re-authorization of the violence against women act which first passed in 1994 and had enjoyed bipartisan support up until recently. we ended up passing the senate version of the violence against women act, which frankly we

could have done about a year and a half ago, but for failure in this house chamber. in passing the violence against women act, we on one hand provided for authorizing funds to support shelters, services and programs for victims of domestic violence, many of them women, all across this country. and on the other hand, march 1 begins sequestration looms and in fact is happening and we take away with one hand what we provided with the other. under the violence against women act that was just re-authorized today by a bipartisan vote with overwhelming support from democrats, 20 -- but tomorrow $29 million will be cut were the very shelters and programs that we authorized today.

six million women all across this country face domestic violence, and yet the programs and services that they depend on from the federal government will be ripped away in a sledgehammer approach, across-the-board cuts, arbitrary cuts to the budget beginning on march 1. workers and families all across this country have truly grown weary of watching this and past congresses create, kick down the road fiscal disaster after fiscal disaster. sequestration is going to rattle our very still recovering economy and take an ax hammer to so many agencies and programs that are struggling to meet their workloads to deliver services for the american people. sequestration is estimated to lower the u.s. economic output by $287 billion. in the fourth congressional district of maryland that i havehe